DJI has announced another offering in its Mic Mini lineup, the Mic Mini 2S. The new addition is a notable upgrade over the Mini Mini 2, bridging the gap to the higher-end Mic 3 with 32-bit internal recording, onboard storage and compatibility with four transmitter microphones.

For many, the standout upgrade in the Mic Mini 2S is its internal recording capabilities. The Mic Mini lineup has thus far lacked any onboard storage, meaning you don’t have a backup if something goes wrong with the device they’re broadcasting to. The Mic Mini 2S, though, offers 14.5GB of built‑in storage per transmitter, which DJI says will provide up to 28 hours of audio.

While internal recording is one safety net, the Mic Mini 2S also offers improved audio flexibility. Instead of being limited to the 48 kHz, 24‑bit wireless feed of the Mic Mini 2, the 2S can capture up to 32‑bit float, the same as the more expensive Mic 3. That mode, which uses a different way of storing audio data, makes it far easier to rescue quiet speech or avoid clipping with sudden loud noises. It also offers DJI’s two-level AI-based noise cancellation to filter out ambient noise.

The Mic Mini 2S can work with up to four transmitters per receiver with output to four independent audio channels, double what the Mic Mini 2 could manage. DJI says it also supports cross-generation compatibility, so users can pair with the Mic Mini and Mini 2 transmitters, or with the Mic Series Mobile Receiver. It’s also compatible with a range of DJI products without the need for an external receiver, including the Osmo Pocket 4, Osmo Pocket 4P, Osmo Action 6 and Osmo 360.

DJI promises up to 11 hours per charge on the transmitters, and up to 40 hours of battery life with the included charging case, 8 hours less than the total runtime of the Mic Mini 2. It keeps the typical tiny design of the Mic Mini lineup, with each transmitter weighing roughly 12 g (0.4 oz). As with other recent DJI mics, it doesn’t work as a wired lavaliere. However, it does accept the colorful magnetic front covers DJI released with the Mic Mini 2 (though those are a separate purchase).

The Mic Mini 2S is available today in most regions for £169/€189 as a bundle with two transmitters, a receiver and charging case. Unsurprisingly, it is not available in the US.

We’ve seen a recent trend of camera accessory companies building in clever hiding spaces for Apple AirTags into their products. Whether it’s a camera cage with a hole for one cut out, or a bag with a tiny pocket for them, there are more and more options for making sure you can find your expensive gear if it gets misplaced or stolen.

Falcam is taking the concept even further, building support for Apple’s Find My network into batteries for Canon and Sony cameras. For those unfamiliar, the trick of Apple’s Find My is that it uses many of the company’s products – including the iPhone – to anonymously track the location of devices on the network. This solves the issue of previous Bluetooth trackers by making it so you’re no longer relying on a relatively small group of people who use the same tracker as you and are running the app to be around the thing you’re trying to find.* The tech is what powers Apple’s ever-popular AirTags.

Falcam

Of course, the main purpose of Falcam’s TagBatts isn’t to find a misplaced camera; it’s to power the device you have in your hand. The company is making two versions: one that’s compatible with cameras that use Sony’s NP-FZ1000 series batteries (which is to say, most of the company’s modern cameras, as well as a host of other devices), and one that mimics Canon’s LP-E6 (again, supported by a wide range of the company’s DSLRs and mirrorless cameras). Falcam’s site also indicates that versions for Nikon and Fujifilm cameras are coming soon.

Both versions of the battery have a 17.4Wh capacity, which is slightly higher than the own-brand models they’re meant to replace. In an FAQ on its website, Falcam says the tracking feature uses a very small amount of power that “does not meaningfully reduce normal camera runtime,” though notes that it won’t work if the battery is completely drained. The battery also has a built-in USB-C port, letting you charge it directly outside the camera if you want, though it’s still compatible with traditional cameras and can also be charged inside the camera.

There are a few caveats to note. The first is that camera manufacturers don’t typically guarantee support for every camera feature when you’re using a third-party battery, and Falcam is new to making batteries, so it might be worth waiting for a few reviews to make sure everything works as expected. The second relates to Find My; many people will be familiar with the AirTag feature that lets you search around for your device, using your phone to point the way. This feature, however, isn’t inherent to Find My devices, and Falcam’s website makes no mention of the ultra-wideband tech that enables it on its product page for the batteries. That means they’ll be useful for seeing where your camera is on a map, but won’t help you figure out which bag you left your spare batteries in.

The Falcam TagBatt costs $70 for the Sony version and $65 for the Canon one, and they are available from the company’s website. That’s definitely pricier than competing third-party models from companies like SmallRig and Wasabi Power, but those don’t include Find My functionality. Neither do the own-brand models, which cost more.

* Though it introduces a new problem in that it’s not particularly cross-platform compatible. Android phones won’t report a Find My device’s location, and the Find My service won’t be particularly useful to you if you don’t have an Apple device. Google has its own version of the system, but the two are broadly incompatible.

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Hungarian photographer Benedek Lampert is famous for creating realistic-looking photos made of Lego bricks, challenging viewers to tell whether they’re looking at a real place or a carefully constructed scene. His Lego Eiffel Tower could have been part of the Paris skyline, and his models of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance and a meticulously detailed Formula 1 racetrack followed suit.

The photos in Lampert’s newest project, ‘The Nature We Replaced,’ don’t use Lego bricks at all. And they’re not meant to look real. In fact, they’re meant to look exactly like what they are: garbage.

Benedek Lampert

“Nature, wildlife and environmental storytelling have always been close to me, and I couldn’t think of a more universal issue than the future of the planet we all share,” he says.

The project consists of eight conceptual miniature photographs, each exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. Instead of simply documenting environmental problems, Lampert set out to visualize the tension between wildlife and the world humans have built around it.

Benedek Lampert

“Instead of recreating nature, I rebuilt each habitat entirely from the materials that threaten it. Plastic bags become Arctic ice. Fishing nets become oceans. Wood products become forest. Plastic straws become bamboo. Every landscape is constructed from everyday human waste or objects associated with the destruction of that ecosystem,” he explains.

Go behind the scenes to see how Benedek Lampert created the scenes for his ‘The Nature We Replaced’ photo project.

Lampert tells DPReview that the whole idea started with a penguin.

“I recreated a viral penguin story using a miniature figure… and that project made me realize I wanted to do something bigger with wildlife photography. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted the series to be about something beyond the visuals. That’s when the idea of building each habitat from the very materials that threaten it was born.”

Benedek Lampert

He isn’t chasing real-world accuracy. “It’s not meant to show reality exactly as it is,” he tells us, “but to exaggerate it just enough to make people stop and think about what’s happening to these habitats and species.”

Lampert partnered with German company Schleich to provide the animal figurines. “I chose Schleich because of the exceptional quality and realism of their figures. That level of detail was essential – using less realistic models would have taken away from the emotional impact and credibility of the photographs.”

Lampert’s attention to detail extends all the way to the image titles. Each ends with a period: a marker, he says, for the irreversible damage already done. He’s careful to add that hope is not lost, noting that conservation efforts have succeeded. “The period marks what cannot be undone, but not what can still be saved.”

More photos from this series

Benedek Lampert

Benedek Lampert

Benedek Lampert

Sony has announced the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8.0 OSS, a comparatively small, comparatively affordable long tele for E-mount cameras.

Unlike its immediate peers or faster but heavier third-party rivals, the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8.0 is compatible with Sony’s teleconverters, meaning it can be converted into a 140-560mm F8.0-11 or a 200-800mm F11-16, if you need the extra reach and have sufficient light to play with.

Like Canon’s similarly-specced RF 100-400mm IS USM lens, it’s appreciably smaller and lighter than Tamron’s 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 or Sigma’s 100-400mm F5.0-6.3. At 645g (23.1oz) it’s around half the weight of either of those options, though also a fair bit slower, especially as you zoom.

The optical formula consists of fifteen elements arranged in ten groups. These include two extra-low dispersion (ED) elements and two aspheric elements. Focus is powered by a pair of linear motors (though not Sony’s smoother, more powerful ‘XD’ ones). The company says the lens is compatible with the 120fps shooting mode on its a9 III camera.

When retracted the lens is 165mm long and 78mm in diameter (6.5 x 3.1″). It accepts a relatively affordable 67mm diameter filter. It’s designed to be dust and moisture resistant and comes bundled with a lens hood.

Mitchell Clark

Although designed for full-frame cameras, it can also be used on APS-C models, giving a 150-600mm equivalent range, though its relatively slow aperture at the long end is likely to limit you to bright light working, even before you consider adding a teleconverter.

Sony tells us the FE 100-400mm F5.6-8.0 OSS is designed to offer a sub-$1000 entry point to its camera users who want to try their hands at wildlife photography or some sports shooting. Despite this entry-level position in the lineup, the lens has pair of focus hold buttons, positioned so they can be reached in portrait or landscape orientation. It also has a zoom lock switch and a focus limiter switch, that means the autofocus only focuses between 3m and infinity: preventing close-range hunting when you’re shooting distant subjects.

With the switch set to full range, the lens will focus down to 1.13m (3.7′) at the short end of its range and 0.86m (2.8′) at the long end. This gives a maximum magnification of 0.41x.

The lens will be available in September, with a recommended price of $850.

Sample gallery

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