Updated January 30, 2025

Travel can expose you to once-in-a-lifetime sights and experiences, and a good camera can be the perfect way to preserve those memories. We've looked at a range of models that offer great image quality, good autofocus and excellent video, so you'll be prepared to capture whatever you run into.

We've also tried to select relatively small cameras so they don't interfere with your trip, though it's worth touching briefly on lens size. If you choose a system with a Four Thirds or APS-C sensor, you'll be able to use lenses that are lighter and more compact than their full-frame counterparts. Full-frame sensors, however, offer the potential for even better image quality, so it's worth considering whether portability or image quality matters more to you and doing some research on what types of lenses you'd like to use and how big the full-frame versions are.

Our recommendations

• Portable full-frame: Sony a7CR
• All-round compact capability: Sony a6700
• The great travel kit: Fujifilm X-T50 with 16-50mm F2.8-4.8
• Truly compact mirrorless: OM System OM-5
• The stylish travel companion: Nikon Zf
• The classic choice: Fujifilm X100VI
• Best pocketable travel camera: Ricoh GR III

Portable full-frame: Sony a7CR

61MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video with 10-bit color | Dedicated ‘AI’ processor for AF system

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a7CR is a relatively compact full-frame camera with an image-stabilized 61MP CMOS sensor. You sacrifice the convenience of an AF joystick and get a pretty small and basic viewfinder to keep the camera's size down, but there's little else that delivers this much image quality in such a compact package.

You'll need to pick your lenses carefully to keep the camera portable but the a7CR's autofocus means it can respond rapidly to just about anything you encounter on your travels.

Read our Sony a7CR initial review

All-round compact capability: Sony a6700

26MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video capture | Fully articulating screen

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a6700 is built around a 26MP APS-C-sized sensor. Its excellent autofocus performance means it excels at both stills and video capture. There's a good choice of relatively compact lenses available, too. We'd suggest avoiding the really small 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 though: it's not the lens to get the most out of this camera.

Fast, dependable autofocus with a selection of subject recognition modes means the a6700 will help maximize your chances of capturing the unexpected moments on a trip.

Read our full Sony a6700 review

See the Sony a6700 studio scene

The great travel kit: Fujifilm X-T50 w/ 16-50mm F2.8-4.8

40MP APS-C BSI CMOS sensor | In-body image stabilization rated to 7EV | 6.2K 10-bit video recording

Photo: Richard Butler

The X-T50 can be purchased with Fujifilm's excellent 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 kit lens, which provides a versatile focal length for travel and should be able to keep up in darker environments. Fujifilm also sells a wide variety of relatively fast, compact primes.

Read our full Fujifilm X-T50 review

See the Fujifilm X-T50 studio scene

The other APS-C options

If you're looking for an APS-C camera that's even smaller than the X-T50, the Fujifilm X-M5 may be worth considering. It's substantially cheaper, though it's easy to see where the company has saved money: it uses a lower-resolution 26MP sensor, which isn't stabilized, and there's no EVF. It does have the same film simulation dial and autofocus subject recognition modes, though, so those tradeoffs may be worth it if size or price are your top priority.

The Nikon Z50II is also a strong all-around contender, but its lens selection isn't as strong as Sony or Fujifilm's, nor does it have a stabilized sensor. However, it does have solid autofocus performance, a viewfinder, and a sub-$1000 price point.

Truly compact mirrorless: OM System OM-5

20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor | 4K/30p video | In-body stabilization rated to 6.5EV (7.5 with some lenses)

Photo: Brendan Nystedt

The OM System OM-5 is a compact interchangeable lens camera with a 20MP Four Thirds sensor in a compact body with plenty of external control.

That relatively small sensor means it can remain fairly small, even with a lens attached, and the Micro Four Thirds lens system provides extensive options in that regard, from compact zooms to small prime lenses.

Read our OM System OM-5 review

See the OM System OM-5 studio scene

Another Micro Four Thirds option

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II is more expensive and less compact than the OM-5, though it still uses the same size lenses. For the extra bulk and cost you'll get a modern USB-C charging port, dual card slots and improvements in image quality, autofocus tracking performance and video features. However, the weather sealing likely won't be as good as OM Systems, which has an official IP53 rating.

The stylish travel companion: Nikon Zf

24MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor | Full-width 4K/30 video, cropped 4K/60 | Stabilization rated to 8EV

Photo: Richard Butler

The Nikon Zf is a classically styled full-frame camera built around a 24MP full-frame sensor that's used by many of its peers. The angular 80s-style body isn't the most comfortable to hold in your hand for extended periods, but the lack of stick-out grip makes it smaller than many of its rivals, making it a tempting travel companion.

At least in its all-black form, there's a chance of it being mistaken for a film camera, which may help avoid the wrong kind of attention when you're out and about in an unfamiliar setting.

Read our review of the Nikon Zf

See the Nikon Zf studio scene

Best pocketable travel camera: Ricoh GR III

24MP APS-C sensor | 28mm equiv. F2.8 lens | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth

The Ricoh is a pocketable compact with a large APS-C sensor. Photo: Barney Britton

Buy now:

The Ricoh GR III HDF is the latest entry in the company's series of classic compact cameras with large APS-C sensors and a 28mm equivalent lens. This version is almost identical to the regular GR III, but swaps the built-in ND filter for a highlight diffusion one, which can be activated to give photos a dreamy look.

It's not the most flexible camera, but it's one of the most pocketable and has built up a dedicated following of photographers who find it a joy to shoot with. Unfortunately, most GR III models are currently difficult to buy, as they're out of stock or unavailable almost everywhere.

Our only concern, in terms of using the GR III for travel are that some users have found dust can get into the lens. So it's worth trying to find some sort of protective bag to keep it in.

There's also the GR IIIx, a variant with a longer, 40mm equivalent lens on it. This may be a little tight for documenting your travels, but it's historically a popular focal length.

Read our Ricoh GR III review

See the Ricoh GR III studio scene

The classic choice: Fujifilm X100VI

40MP BSI CMOS APS-C X-Trans sensor | 35mm equiv F2 lens | Hybrid viewfinder

The Fujifilm X100VI is a refinement of everything that made the X100V great, but it's still difficult to buy. Photo: Richard Butler

Like the Fujifilm X100V before it, the Fujifilm X100VI is a classically styled fixed lens camera with a 35mm equivalent F2 lens. Updated with in-body image stabilization rated at up to 6EV of correction and a 40MP BSI CMOS APS-C X-Trans sensor, the X100VI is a significant upgrade over its predecessor despite looking virtually identical. And those improvements in part explain the X100VI's $200 increase in list price to $1,600.

It's not smallest or most inconspicuous camera, but its fixed focal length means you develop an 'eye' for the photos it'll take, essentially making it a better quality, more engaging alternative to snapping away with your phone.

The addition of subject-detection autofocus has given the X100VI the ability to recognize animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles and bikes, airplanes, and trains though human (face/eye) detection is a separate mode. However, the lens the X100VI shares with the X100V is not the fastest to autofocus, prioritizing sharpness over speed.

The X100VI brings a level of polish you would expect from a sixth iteration of a camera. Fujifilm has done a great job keeping the X100-series up to date without messing with the formula that's made it so popular. No surprise, this is the best X100 yet.

Unfortunately, despite ramped-up production, demand for the X100VI seems to have outstripped supply with the camera already on backorder at virtually all dealers.

Read our Fujifilm X100VI review

Why you should trust us

This buying guide is based on cameras used and tested by DPReview's editorial team. We don't select a camera until we've used it enough to be confident in recommending it, usually after our extensive review process. The selections are purely a reflection of which cameras we believe to be best: there are no financial incentives for us to select one model or brand over another.

Updated: January 30th, 2025

Whether you’re just sharing clips with friends or you’re launching an online on-camera career, vlogging matters. And there’s a point at which your smartphone may not give you the look, control, or flexibility you’re after. With 180-degree selfie screens, wide-angle lenses, microphone inputs and great video quality, more and more dedicated cameras are catering to people who want to take video of themselves and post it online.

The meaning of vlogging has changed over the years, so our picks cover a variety of styles – we'll explain what makes each camera good for vlogging, and what key features each has that make taking video of yourself easier. We've also included videos shot on the cameras in question when we have them to give you an idea of what kind of performance to expect.

Best camera for vlogging on the move: DJI Osmo Pocket 3

Photo: Richard Butler

DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 is a stabilized handheld vlogging camera, designed for on-the-move vlogging. It’s built around a type 1 (13.2 x 8.8mm) sensor mounted on a tiny gimbal, meaning it can deliver stabilized footage with smoother motion than any conventional camera or phone.

The small sensor means the Pocket 3 works better in well-lit situations, though a reasonably bright F2.0 lens means it’s usable indoors, too.

It can shoot 4K 16:9 video or, by rotating the screen into the upright position, 3K vertical 9:16 footage. A small joystick lets you control the camera’s movement, and tapping the joystick button flips between the camera pointing toward you or away from you.

Its reliance on contrast-detection autofocus means its focus can be prone to hunting, though its face-detection mode works well enough that this is rarely a problem when talking to the camera.

In addition to the smooth stability of its gimbal and its genuine pocketability, one of the Osmo’s main benefits is that it’s compatible with a series of Bluetooth microphones, meaning you can capture good-quality audio without the need for additional transmitters or receivers.

The video quality isn’t always the highest, and the autofocus can occasionally lead to frustration, but overall the quality and convenience of the Pocket 3 as a package is really hard to beat.

Read our hands-on impressions of the Osmo Pocket 3

We also considered Sony's range of entry-level vlogging cameras with Type 1 sensors, the ZV-1, ZV-1F, and ZV-1 II. The latter is the best pick of the bunch, given its zoom lens and built-in ND, but it's hard to recommend. Its quality will be slightly better than that of a flagship phone, but if you're going to be carrying an extra gadget around anyway, it's probably best to spend a bit more for a more flexible interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C sensor for a big boost in image quality.

Best camera for filming indoors: Sony ZV-E10 II

26MP APS-C sensor | Full-width 4K/24p, 1.1x crop 4K/60p video | Fully articulating screen

Read our full review of the Sony ZV-E10 II

A potential alternative

We've recently reviewed the X-M5, an APS-C camera with a lot of the vlogging features found in the ZV-E10 II. While it has a broad lens selection and a very competitive price point, its autofocus system is less reliable than Sony's when it comes to moving subjects.

We also considered Nikon's Z30 and Sony's similarly-specced ZV-E10, but the improved video performance of the Mark II and the lack of headphone socket on either of these older models mean it's the newer Sony we'd lean towards. The Nikon Z50II has strong video specs and some of the features the Z30 lacks, such as a headphone jack, but its form factor and heavy crop in its 4K 60p mode make it not particularly well-suited to vlogging.

Best camera if you do a mix of both: Panasonic S9

24MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor | 6K/30p 10-bit video | Sensor stabilized to 5EV

The S9's stabilized sensor earns it a place on this list – while it won't provide video as smooth as the Osmo Pocket 3, it does a good job of reducing the shakiness that typically comes with handheld footage. Its full-frame sensor provides good image quality for shooting indoors.

Read our review of the Panasonic S9

Best high-end vlogging camera

Full-width 4K/60p, 120p with minor crop | Auto cropping/framing modes | Subject recognition AF

It has pretty much everything a vlogger would need: Sony's class-leading autofocus, a front tally light, a stabilized sensor, 4K60p with no crop and excellent rolling shutter performance. It also has features that make shooting alone easier, such as its auto framing mode that dynamically zooms in on the subject in a frame, much like a cameraperson would, and the product showcase mode that overrides the face detection AF when you're clearly trying to show the camera something.

Read our initial review of the Sony ZV-E1

Why you should trust us

This buying guide is based on cameras used and tested by DPReview's editorial team. We don't select a camera until we've used it enough to be confident in recommending it, usually after our extensive review process. The selections are purely a reflection of which cameras we believe to be best: there are no financial incentives for us to select one model or brand over another.

1839 Awards announces winners of its 2024 Photographers of the Year contest

The winners of the 1839 Awards have been announced. The awards crown an International Photographer of the Year and Discovery of the Year. Beyond the overall winners, the contest celebrates the work of Photographers of the Year in 15 categories at the professional level and Discovery of the Year in 14 categories at the non-professional level. You can see all of the winners online at the 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year Contest Winner's Gallery.

The 1839 Awards are "named after one of the most formative years in the history of photography." While the first photograph taken by a camera was created in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, 1839 was the year of the formal announcement of the daguerreotype process at the French Academy of Sciences. That year marked the turning point when the medium was first made widely available to the public.

The 2024 Photographer of the Year Contest received entries from 60 countries covering a vast array of subject matter and styles. An international panel of 11 judges, comprised of world-renowned photographers, curators, directors and industry professionals, selected this year's winners.

International Photographer of the Year: Overall professional winner

Artist: Logan White
IG handle: N/A
Entry title: Hearts Content Road, Gianna
Entry description: Hearts Content Road refers to a series of surreal and allegorical portraits taken in Upstate New York, exploring the dual nature of fantasy—a realm that provides both escape and excitement, yet harbors its own shadows of uncertainty.

International Discovery of the Year: Overall non-professional winner

Artist: Matthew Portch
IG handle: @matt_portch
Entry title: Buried Car, CA
Entry description: From an ongoing series, Lost America examines a quiet stillness in a forgotten landscape that is, in a sense, ‘on pause’. Places appear frozen in time, their inhabitants absent or long since departed. Ardently stagnant in appearance, the spaces yearn to instill a melancholic feeling of familiarity.

Professional category winner: Abstract

Artist: Jay Tang
IG handle: @visualcreature
Entry title: Everyday Landscapes
Entry description: Everyday Landscapes is a series of abstract photographs, created using the shadows of everyday material, like paper and tissues, to form a new perceived reality of painting-like landscapes.

Professional category winner: Event

Artist: Christiaan Van Heijst
IG handle: @jpcvanheijst
Entry title: An Office with a View
Entry description: Long exposure, wide-angle shots taken from the flightdeck of the Boeing 747, cruising along the upper atmosphere.

Professional category winner: Architecture

Artist: Jan-Tore Oevrevik
IG handle: @JPJ_FOTO
Entry title: Balones and Stairs
Entry description: The "Balloons and Stairs" is a multi exposure photography, aims to establish a captivating dialogue between light, space, and unexpected elements, represented by floating balloons that bring movement and freely navigate fascinating environments.

Professional category winner: Culture

Artist: Katelin Kinney
IG handle: N/A
Entry title: Desert Drag
Entry description: This project is a collaboration with local Drag Queens & Kings in Arizona. I wanted to bring attention to drag as an art form and celebrate that it has stretched far and wide even to the edges of the southwest desert.

Professional category winner: Travel

Artist: Andrew Newey
IG handle: @andrewnewey
Entry title: Honey Hunters of Nepal
Entry description: High in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal Gurung honey hunters gather twice a year, risking their lives to harvest the honey from the world’s largest honeybee. For hundreds of years, the skills required to practise this ancient and sacred tradition have been passed down through the generations.

Professional category winner: Conceptual

Artist: William Josephs Radford
IG handle: @josephsradford
Entry title: White Knight
Entry description: This series is a visual exploration of love, life, and death, following my father’s passing from a brain tumor. Using a vaseline-coated lens and other experimental techniques, I blur the lines of reality to reflect the transition between this realm and the afterlife.

Non-professional category winner: Wildlife

Artist: Reed Fowler
IG handle: @reedfowlerphoto
Entry title: Dinner is Served
Entry description: This photo was taken at Brooks Falls in Alaska. The salmon were not jumping much that day, but I managed to capture the perfect shot when one did. From the color of the salmon to the way the bear is lunging with its mouth wide open, there is nothing I would change about my dream shot.

Non-professional category winner: Film/analog

Artist: Mykola Myronov
IG handle: N/A
Entry title: By the Ocean
Entry description: It doesn't matter how rich you are, what car you drive and how many friends you have in your life. We are all naked and alone by the ocean. Going to the coast, we become naked and find ourselves one on one with the ocean. Only in such moments we can stop and see who we really are.

Non-professional category winner: Landscape

Artist: Ross Steensland
IG handle: @rsteensland
Entry title: Tunnel View
Entry description: When planning a trip across the Western United States, I based my route and timelines on my astrophotography bucketlist. And the top of that list was Yosemite. Planning showed that the Cygnus region with all of its red Hydrogen Alpha nebula and the Great Rift would line up right above Tunnel view.

Non-professional category winner: Storytelling

Artist: Evan Murphy
IG handle: @evan.murphy
Entry title: I.D.
Entry description: "I.D." emphasizes on queer youth; displaying stories of modern day romantic connections, societal impacts, and self liberation. Through a series of subjects, each frame narrates the journey of an LGBTQ individual navigating the intricate landscape of self and society.

Non-professional category winner: Street

Artist: Turid Martinsen
IG handle: N/A
Entry title: Pimp Nails in Havana
Entry description: If you walk the streets of Havana, you might discover small nail-shops. They are often located at the bottom floor. In a society where private business are not exactly encouraged, small enterprises are example of female initiative. It is cheap, customers are local, often the neighbour next door.

Non-professional category winner: Still life

Artist: Astrid Reischwitz
IG handle: @astridreischwitz
Entry title: The Taste of Memory
Entry description: The series explores personal and collective family narratives woven through still life compositions, intertwining threads of home, heritage, and identity. Embroidered fragments from old dish towels from my village in Germany now speak of loss and the gradual disappearance of cultural rites.

88%

Overall score

Jump to conclusion

The Nikon Z50II is the company's latest entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera, built around a 21MP CMOS sensor. As with the original Z50, it's expressly aimed at stills and video creators looking for a small camera that makes it easy to upload.

It brings updated burst modes and AF functions to its predecessor, but most of the advancements are on the video side of the camera.

Key specifications

• 20.9MP APS-C sensor
• Twin control dials
• Full-width 4K video up to 30p (60p with crop)
• 3D-tracking autofocus and subject recognition for nine subject types
• Up to 11fps mechanical, with up to 1 second pre-release capture
• Fully articulated 3.2" touchscreen
• Single UHS-II SD card slot in battery compartment
• 2.36M dot EVF with brightness up to 1000nits

The Z50II retails for a recommended price of $909 body-only and $1,049 as a kit with Nikon's DX 16-50 F3.5-6.3 lens.

Index:

• What's new?
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• Image quality
• Video performance
• Autofocus
• In use
• Conclusion
• Sample Gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

What's new

The Z50II is, as the name suggests, an updated version of the company's original APS-C Z-mount camera. Much of what it gains comes from the use of a newer, more powerful Expeed 7 processor, but there are some subtle yet potentially significant additions beyond that.

Flexible Color Picture Control and Picture Control Button

The new Picture Control button is right above the rear control dial.

It's a change unrelated to processing power that helps signpost what the Z50II is and who it's intended for: the addition of a dedicated 'Picture Control' button to let you select the camera's color mode.

The changes go deeper than the labeling of a button, though. The Z50II becomes the first model to offer 'flexible' Picture Control profiles that let you adjust or download additional profiles. The camera comes with 31 but you can add more, and limit which ones appear when you hit the Picture Control button, so that it doesn't become overwhelming.

Nikon has, at least as far back as 2008, been one of the few brands to offer software to let you edit its in-camera profiles. The company's NX Studio software lets you adjust the existing Picture Controls, applying your own custom tone curve or changing the sharpening and saturation of the profile. However, you only get limited control over the color response, with a global hue adjustment, rather than the ability to re-map colors that a LUT would give.

It's the ability to download Creator Recipe profiles from Nikon's Imaging Cloud that we suspect most users will experiment with.

Brighter viewfinder

The Z50II also gains a brighter viewfinder, now capable of displaying up to 1000 nits, double the maximum brightness of the one in the existing model. The display isn't bright enough to fully preview HLG high dynamic range capture though, and is still the same 2.36M dot resolution.

Subject recognition / 3D Tracking

One of the most significant improvements that does come from the new processor is the Z50II's autofocus system. It gains the subject recognition modes from other recent Nikon cameras, boosting the number of recognized subjects from three to nine.

It also adds the 3D Tracking AF mode, that makes it quicker to track subjects, regardless of whether the camera has been specifically trained to recognize them.

C30 and pre-burst

Another Expeed 7 feature to arrive on the Z50II is its ability to shoot at high speeds in e-shutter mode, with the option to start buffering images when the shutter is half-pressed and saving images captured up to one second before the shutter button is fully depressed.

The Z50II's C30 and C15 modes can shoot with autofocus at up to 30fps or 15fps, respectively, though they only record JPEGs.

Nikon Imaging Cloud

The Z50II is also compatible with Nikon's Imaging Cloud service, which debuted with the Z6III. That means that, when connected to a Wi-Fi network, it can automatically upload your photos to Nikon's servers, which shuffle them off to your choice of third-party cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or Lightroom. You can also have your camera automatically download firmware updates, and have it sync Picture Control presets that you've selected on your computer or phone. While many cameras have similar features, they have to be paired with a smartphone or camera to use them – the Z50II can do it on its own connected to your router.

What's new for video:

Despite using the same sensor as the Z50, Nikon has managed to squeeze significantly better video out of it. The Z50II can now encode video in 10-bit precision, allowing internal N-Log capture to maximize color and tone grading potential, or HLG high dynamic range capture for playback on HDR displays and TVs.

The Z50II also gains the ability to capture 4K/60 footage from a cropped region of the sensor.

On top of this, Nikon says the electronic image stabilization (eVR) in video mode is improved. The Z50II also gets a "Product review" autofocus mode, that knows to override its face detection AF if an object is held up in front of the camera: a feature that can be useful for vloggers discussing a specific product they want to show.

How it compares

The Z50II arrives into what was previously a competitive point in the market but one that fewer and fewer manufacturers seem to be catering to. Fujifilm offers the similarly beginner-friendly X-M5 for around $200 less, but with no viewfinder, or the high-resolution, image stabilized X-T50 for a whopping $400 more. Meanwhile, Sony offers the now rather elderly a6400 at a comparable price. It makes fewer accommodations to people new to ILCs and its age means its video spec lags way behind.

It's only really Canon, with its EOS R10 that offers an approximately like-for-like competitor to the Z50II. The other camera we feel it makes sense to compare it to is Nikon's own Zfc. It has near identical specs to the original Z50, other than its fully articulated rear screen. By including another Nikon entry-level camera, we can see what's changed over the past five years.

As well as advances in technology, another change since we reviewed the Z50 is that both Nikon and Canon have allowed some third-party lenses into their respective APS-C systems. In the case of Nikon, that includes three of Sigma's DC DN prime lenses, which add relatively affordable ways to boost the camera's capabilities. Canon, meanwhile, has allowed Sigma to offer its two DC DN zooms, with four prime lenses to follow.

This still leaves both systems well short of the variety of APS-C focused lenses offered for Fujifilm's X mount, or of the selection available for Sony, but means you're not solely dependent on the camera maker's development priorities for either camera anymore.

Body and handling

The body of the Z50II is very much like that of its predecessor, which is to say it's like a slightly shrunk-down version of Nikon's original Z-series full-frame models. Despite the size reduction, the Z50II retains a fairly substantial hand grip.

The body is primarily made from fiber-reinforced plastic, which gives it a fairly solid feel without becoming overly heavy. There's a textured coating around the handgrip and the back corner of the camera that gives a comfortable and reassuring amount of grip on the camera. The front and rear command dials are well positioned for forefinger and thumb operation without any need to shift your hand position on the camera.

It gains four extra buttons along the back of the camera, compared with its predecessor, which means its controls much more closely mimic those of the full-frame Z models, with dedicated +/– zoom buttons, a drive mode button and a 'DISP' button being added. There's an additional button on the top of the camera, too: just behind the existing [REC], ISO and Exposure Comp buttons is a dedicated 'Picture Control' button.

It doesn't gain the joystick that the full-frame models have, though, and the Stills/Movie switch they feature around their DISP buttons is instead on the Z50II's top plate. The Play and Drive Mode buttons are transposed relative to the full-frame models, but we doubt enough people will be trying to shoot both side-by-side for this difference to matter).

The Z50II also moves from a tilt up/down screen to a fully articulated one, as featured on the Zfc and Z30. Nikon has described all four of its APS-C Z-mount models as being for 'creators,' so this change is no real surprise.

Viewfinder & screen

The Z50II's viewfinder can now go as bright as 1000 nits, twice as bright as the one in the older model, which should mean there's less need for your eye to adapt when you're using the camera in bright sunshine. It's not bright enough to fully preview HLG images, though.

It remains a relatively low-resolution 2.36M dot display, in keeping with the Z50II's lowly position in the lineup. It offers 0.68x magnification, in equivalent terms, which is pretty large for a camera at this price.

Ports & slots

The Z50II's specs tell the story of how far we've come in the five years since the launch of the original model. Its SD card slot can now make full use of the faster UHS-II cards, while its USB socket has been upgraded to the Type C standard and 5Gbit/s transfer rates. It's also been made compatible with the UVC/UAC USB video and audio standards, so it can be used as a webcam without the need for any specialist drivers or software.

The camera also gains a headphone socket to allow audio monitoring, something that really boosts its usefulness as a video camera.

Battery

The Z50II uses a new EN-EL25a battery, which sees the capacity increase from 8.5Wh to 9.4Wh. Despite this 10% increase, the CIPA battery ratings for the Z50II are 250 shots per charge using the rear screen and 230 using the viewfinder. These are around 20% lower than on its predecessor, presumably as a consequence of the more powerful processor.

CIPA figures tend to assume extensive use of flash and rather more looking at image review than most people actually do, so we wouldn't be at all surprised to get twice as many shots as this in our own usage, more if we were shooting bursts. You can also gain around 9 percent more shots if you engage power-saving mode, but these aren't great figures for a camera you might want to use a lot.

As you'd expect, the camera can be charged over its USB-C socket, so there are ways to top the battery up fairly easily. However, it does not come with a battery charger in the box.

Image quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

The Z50II's image quality it very similar to that of its predecessor and, for that matter, to its peers. Detail capture is very similar to its rivals and, other than it being a prone to moiré at very slightly lower frequencies, the images look essentially the same when compared at a common output size. Likewise, its noise levels are very similar to other modern APS-C cameras even at very high ISO settings.

The color response is pretty standard for Nikon, with very yellow yellows but rather pink pinks, which is perhaps the root of some people's preference for other brands' skin-tone response. We enjoyed the real-world photos we got, but it's inevitably a question of taste. The default sharpening prioritizes emphasis over trying to convey the very finest detail being captured, suggesting Nikon expects you to print or view the images at a sensible size, rather than analyzing at a pixel level.

Noise reduction errs on the side of smoothing, and doesn't maintain fine detail quite as well as the best of its rivals, but neither is it the most heavy-handed. In practice the JPEGs are very usable.

Some rolling shutter can become apparent in the e-shutter based C30 mode, but it's only likely to be an issue for subjects moving quickly across the frame.

ISO Invariance | Exposure latitude

Video performance

The Z50II's core video specs are pretty standard for its class: 4K capture at up to 30p from the full-width of the sensor or 4K/60 from a native, 1.44x cropped region. Cropping has a number of disadvantages: using a smaller area of the sensor means noisier results (compounded by the shorter exposures typically used for faster frame rates), and can make it difficult to find a lens that gives a wide-angle view, once cropped.

However, as you dig deeper, there are details that help the Z50II stand out. It can capture 10-bit Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) footage to give true HDR video when played back on high dynamic range displays. Alternatively, you can shoot Log footage: a means of preserving editing flexibility of tone and color for if you plan to significantly adjust the look of your footage when you edit (though shooting to capture extra highlights comes with a noise cost, so Log should only be used when necessary). You can also shoot standard color modes in 10-bit precision if you wish, but it's rarely worth doing.

On top of this, the Z50II is the least expensive camera to offer a waveform display: helping you judge exposure by showing how light or dark different areas of the frame are. Collectively, these are capabilities that only used to appear on more video-focused high-end cameras.

And, above all these, the Z50II is one of the only cameras in its class to offer a headphone socket to allow audio monitoring. This is a big distinction, as bad audio will undermine a video more than slight difference in detail capture or rolling shutter, and good audio is difficult to maintain without some way of checking your recording levels and monitoring for interference or distracting background noises.

Something that counts against all the cameras in this class is the lack of in-body stabilization. The Z50II's kit zoom is stabilized and there's an electronic stabilization option that constantly adjusts the position of a crop of the video to counteract any camera movement, but both these options tend to be less effective than being able to move the sensor.

In use, autofocus is one of the more dependable systems we've encountered, especially if you're shooting a subject type that it knows how to recognize. Limited battery life is a significant downside, though. Despite these shortcomings, it's one of the strongest video options amongst its immediate peers, with only the more vlogging-focused (and less stills adept) Sony ZV-E10 II offering serious competition.

Autofocus

The Z50II has the same AF user interface as the rest of Nikon's newest cameras: you can choose everything from a single small AF point up to the whole image area or use the '3D Tracking' option to specify an AF point that should then follow your subject.

Its subject recognition modes are well-integrated, with the camera recognizing and tracking your choice of subject if it's suitably near the selected AF area or zone. This means you can easily select between subjects to track if there's more than one in a scene. Human detection is positioned within the subject recognition modes (and is part of the 'Auto' subject recognition mode), which makes it quick and easy to enable and disable subject recognition of all types.

The Z50II has the same user and headline AF specifications as Nikon's pro-level Z8 and Z9 cameras, but that doesn't guarantee the same levels of performance. And, both our testing and general usage shows this isn't the case.

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In practice we primarily used the human/face recognition aspect of the camera's 'Auto' subject detection mode and found it worked pretty well. It doesn't seem quite as decisive at finding and maintaining a subject as Nikon's other models, with fewer shots using a focus point on subjects' eyes, as a result.

Similarly, the '3D' tracking system generally does a good job of sticking to subjects the camera hasn't been trained to recognize, but it's not quite as dependable as we've become used to. But, underpinning it all, the camera seems to be very good at judging and anticipating subject distance.

In our standard tests, 3D Tracking consistently lost track of the subject at the second turn. Human detection and Auto Subject detection did much better, with Auto only losing the subject on one of our three test runs and then re-finding it before the end of the run. Human detection (shown above), did a very good job of keeping the subject in focus even in the maximum, 30fps mode.

It's not a bad performance, by any means, and represents a significant step up from the results we got from the Z50 (with the improvement being even greater in video mode), but it means we'd probably expect Canon's latest models to be a bit more dependable in stills mode.

In use

The Z50II's controls are all really well-placed, with the arguable exception of the Picture Control button, which we kept forgetting about. Given Nikon finds room for an AF joystick on its similiarly-sized Z5 model, it's a shame not to see one here.

In general use the Z50II behaves much like any other Nikon, which is to say very well. Its dials and buttons are well placed and its 'Easy Exposure Compensation' option makes it easy to assign Exposure Comp to one of the camera's main dials to put all your key shooting parameters at your fingertips.

Most of the key day-to-day features you might need are in the 'i ' quick menu and this can be customized if the shooting you do requires access to something else. This is probably for the best, as Nikon's menus, while well arranged, have become quite long and complex. The Customs Settings section is split into color-coded sections with logical names, so is easy to navigate, but the Photo and Video sections are now continuous, undifferentiated lists running to more than five screens-worth of scrolling, each.

Nikon's Auto ISO implementation retains all its perverse quirks: it's weirdly easy to set a minimum ISO that the camera will use, yet oddly difficult to set a minimum shutter speed for it to maintain, which is typically what you actually want to do. The camera's handling would also benefit from the AF joystick that the company's similarly-sized Z5 model offers.

The retractable kit zoom isn't optically great but it increases the likelihood of you having the camera with you at times you might otherwise not. Nikkor 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 @ 37mm | F5.3 | 1/250 sec | ISO 8000 Photo: Richard Butler

We didn't find ourselves using the Picture Control button on the top of the camera: it's probably the hardest button to reach while you're shooting and isn't visually prominent enough to remind you of its existence.

Overall, though, the Z50II sits nicely in the hand and with the unexciting but usefully small kit zoom, makes a handily compact traveling companion. Its seemingly robust SnapBridge app makes it pretty easy to pull pictures off the camera to a smartphone, including a useful ∼8MP option (3240 x 2160px) that's more than sufficient for social media. A relatively sophisticated in-camera Raw reprocessing option lets you optimize your shots before you do.

Generally, it's a well-featured camera compared with its ∼$1000 peers. But some omissions, such as the lack of % change and battery life indication, feel like unnecessary cut-backs. It's difficult to imagine that it significantly adds to the price of the battery.

Conclusion

The Nikon Z50II is a really solid camera: delivering the spec, features and performance you might expect for a camera at this price and doing a wide range of things well. And, just as importantly, we found it to be engaging and enjoyable to use.

It's not the enthusiast-focused model with in-body stabilization and D500-like build or capabilities that some photographers are hoping for, but it does what it's supposed to do well.

What it doesn't do, though, is excel in any particular respect, at least for photography. Although its AF interface is a match for the Z6III, Z8 and Z9, its performance isn't. And while it's a very solid performer, it's not the best in its class. It's well-priced but competent, rather than compelling. The pre-capture mode could make it stand out for some types of photography, but there are few affordable lens options for activities such birding or sports that would benefit most from it.

Where it does stand out most is video. Its basic specs are pretty standard but the provision of 10-bit capture, a headphone socket and waveform display will help you get good results. This is backed up by an AF system that's dependable enough to use for anything that you could re-shoot if you needed to. Only the lack of in-body stabilization and the limited battery life hold it back.

Nikon's SnapBridge app has grown to be one of the more reliable and easy-to-use apps for transferring images to a smartphone.

The Z50II's sensor has been around for a while, but it still delivers very good image quality and its relatively low pixel count helps it deliver very decent 4K video. Its JPEGs are attractive, its Raws contain plenty of dynamic range and its resolution isn't meaningfully behind its 24MP peers.

Two main things stand in the way of the Z50II gaining our Gold award. The first is that, while companies such as Sigma and Viltrox sell some interesting prime lenses for Z-mount, Nikon hasn't granted licenses for the likes of Sigma's F2.8 zooms, which means there's less room to grow than with most rival APS-C mirrorless systems. You may find the choice of primes to provide all the expansion you need, so the more pertinent issue is its failure to stand apart from its peers. It's a really good camera but there's no regard in which we can say "it's better for this," which is required for our top award.

Its kit zoom very much prioritizes size over image quality but it still helps make the Z50II a more satisfying travel camera than just using a smartphone. Nikkor 16-50mm F3.5-6.3VR @ 16mm | F6.3 | 1/60sec | ISO 100 Photo: Richard Butler

Except, perhaps, video. If you're someone for whom video is as important as stills, and your budget won't stretch to a more expensive, stabilized camera, you should perhaps imagine the silver award glinting in the last rays of evening sunshine, or with a warming, golden LUT applied to its Log footage. Battery life concerns aside, it's as a hybrid that the Z50II looks strongest.

Overall, we liked the Z50II a lot and think it's very much worth considering if you're looking for a relatively compact all-rounder. Depending on your tastes, of course; things might get even more interesting if Nikon updates its retro-looking Zfc with similar capabilities.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Compared to its peers

There's not a lot to choose between the Nikon and Canon's EOS R10 in terms of performance: we found Canon's AF a little more reliable in stills but a little less so video mode. If video is your primary focus, the Nikon's waveforms and headphone socket make it easier to exploit to its full potential. Neither offers great battery life, so we'd really make the decision based on which sits more comfortably in your hand and, more critically, which has the lenses you want: the option to use Sigma's F2.8 APS-C zooms is a distinct benefit for the Canon.

The Sony a6400 is a significantly older camera, and while its stills AF is likely to be more reliable in many situations, its interface is rather more clunky and its subject detection is limited primarily to people. Its video now looks significantly off-the-pace, with appreciable rolling shutter and no 10-bit capability. The Sony E-mount has many more options than the Nikon, from Sony's own 16-55mm F2.8 to a host of third-party choices. For video the ZV-E10 II vlogging camera is a stronger competitor or the stabilized a6700 if your budget will stretch to it. In general, though, we'd go for the nicer-to-use Nikon over the a6400 at this point.

The OM System OM-5 again has a higher list price but offers significantly smaller lens/camera combinations with a much wider choice of lenses. You also gain both excellent image stabilization and weather sealing. However, image quality from that smaller sensor is generally lower, which becomes increasingly noticeable at higher ISOs. And, while single AF is fast, its AF tracking performance falls a long way short of the Nikon. The Z50II's lack of stabilization is a disadvantage but in every other regard it's a much stronger video camera.

Sample galleries

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Pre-production sample gallery

Image: Fujifilm

One of the big attractions of Fujifilm cameras is the company's Film Simulations that purport to mimic various film stocks. For many, these simulations are part of the core value proposition of a Fujifilm camera.

Many Fujifilm shooters are happy using out-of-camera JPEG images. If you also capture Raw files, you retain the option to reprocess those images in-camera. However, to process Raw files on a computer, or batch-process Raw photos, most users turn to third-party software like Adobe Camera Raw or Capture One, which include color profiles meant to mimic the original Fujifilm look.

Mimic is the key word here: those programs do reasonably well at approximating Fujifilm colors. However, even if the colors are close, there may still be differences in tone curves, noise reduction, or even simulated film grain. Additionally, they're not as well optimized for Fujifilm's non-standard demosaicing, nor do they always understand how to interpret the camera's DR modes correctly.

The image above is the original out-of-camera image using the Provia film simulation. Photo: Dale Baskin

This is the same image reprocessed using X Raw Studio. I switched to the Astia film simulation and adjusted other parameters, including the color chrome effect (blue), shadow tone, and push/pull processing. At each step, I was able to preview the impact of any changes. The entire process took about 30 seconds. Photo: Dale Baskin

Fortunately, there is a computer-based software solution that gets the Fujifilm look exactly right, and I’m always amazed by how few Fujifilm users even know it exists: Fujifilm’s own X Raw Studio software. And it’s available for free.

What is X Raw Studio?

A few weeks ago, I chatted with an enthusiast photographer who loves the images from his Fujifilm camera. His one frustration, he told me, was having to reprocess Raw photos in-camera one at a time if he wanted to make adjustments.

Converted from Fujifilm Raw file in X Raw Studio. Photo: Dale Baskin

This is exactly where X Raw Studio comes in, and it solves this problem.

Instead of using your computer’s hardware and third-party software to mimic Fujifilm's processing, X Raw Studio uses the image processor inside your camera to process Raw files. This means you can reprocess Raw images using Fujifilm’s own film simulations and processing algorithms rather than another vendor’s approximations.

"X Raw Studio uses the image processor inside your camera to process Raw files."

The one catch? Since the camera performs the processing, you must connect the camera to your computer via USB to use X Raw Studio.

Using X Raw Studio

X Raw Studio is easy to use and can be downloaded from Fujifilm. All Fujifilm cameras from recent years should be compatible, but you can find a complete list of supported models on Fujifilm's website. You'll need to set the PC Connection Mode on your camera to 'USB Raw Conversion'.

Once you've done that, simply launch X Raw Studio on your computer, turn on your camera, connect it using a USB cable, and you're ready to go.

It's important to understand what X Raw Studio is and what it is not.

X Raw Studio is basically a desktop interface for the in-camera Raw conversion function on your camera. It allows you to convert Raw files saved on your computer using a tethered camera. It's not a full-featured image editor like Photoshop, Lightroom, or Capture One. You won't find extra tools like layers, masks or local adjustments.

The X Raw Studio interface should feel pretty familiar if you've used any other photo processing software. Note the Raw processing parameters in the right-side panel.

The X Raw Studio interface should feel familiar if you've used any other photo processing software: a left panel with file browser and image info, a right panel with processing parameters and a strip of thumbnail images across the bottom. The currently selected image appears in the center.

If you look closely at the processing parameters, you'll notice that they are exactly the same Raw conversion parameters available in-camera. One advantage of using X Raw Studio to adjust these parameters is that it updates the image preview in real time as settings are changed, giving you instant feedback. You'll know exactly what your image will look like with each change.

The 'Convert' button at the bottom of the right pane will process your image using whatever settings you've selected and save the processed image as either JPEG or TIFF format. Remember, however, that all processing takes place in the camera, not on the computer, so the TIFF option is only available if your Fujifilm camera model supports it.

These are the Raw conversion parameters I see when using X Raw Studio to convert Raw images from my Fujifilm X100V. They're the same parameters I can change when processing Raw files in-camera.

There are a couple of handy features. First, custom settings saved on the camera are available in X Raw Studio. So, if you've saved custom settings based on your own preferences or entered settings to create alternative 'film recipes' published by other Fujifilm users, they will be available to convert images singly or in batches. If you find a collection of settings that you like, you can also save them back to the custom settings menu on your camera to make them accessible when shooting.

Additionally, you can save groups of settings you've created in X Raw Studio as User Profiles. They're essentially the same as a group of custom settings, but they live in X Raw Studio rather than being saved to the camera.

Limitations and use

X Raw Studio isn't without limitations. Primarily, it's camera dependent: you must have your camera with you and connected to your computer to use it.

Since X Raw Studio uses your camera to process Raw files, you'll see this message until your camera is connected.

Also, it's only possible to reprocess images using the same camera model used to capture the original photo. If you have multiple Fujifilm cameras, you'll need the right one on hand in order to process images from each.

Who's it for?

X Raw Studio will be most helpful to photographers who want to adjust and convert more than a handful of photos to JPEG files. However, it's also an excellent tool for the film recipe crowd as it allows you to quickly apply custom settings to a group of images.

You could also use X Raw Studio to generate files for downstream editing if you have a Fujifilm camera that supports 16-bit TIFF output, like the X-Pro3.

However, its biggest advantage, true in-camera processing, is its biggest drawback. The camera needs to be with you when using the software.

If you mainly want to adjust and reprocess images from a Fujifilm camera using genuine Fujifilm processing, X Raw Studio may be the only software you ever need. However, it's not a one-stop solution for all editing needs. Fortunately, great third-party options exist for more complex processing and editing tasks.

Photo: MPB

The beginning of the year, as you plan new creative projects, might be the best time to upgrade your kit. That's why we've teamed up with MPB, the leading platform for buying, selling, and trading camera equipment, to give away a $1,000 gift card.

Because MPB has everything from lenses and bodies to bags and tripods, one lucky winner will be able to customize their ultimate shopping spree to precisely their needs. Enter below before February 14 for a chance to win.

Terms: No purchase necessary. Enter from January 27, 2025-Februrary 14, 2025 for your chance to win. Sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States and the District of Columbia who are lawful U.S. residents, and are 18 years of age or older, as of the start date of the sweepstakes. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor: Gear Patrol. See official rules for details and Sponsor’s privacy policy.

This is sponsored content, created in partnership with MPB. What does this mean?

If you consume portrait and fashion photographs, there's a good chance you've seen the work of Sarah Oliphant. She's the artist behind the prolific Olphiant Studio photo backdrops, which have been used by some of the biggest names in the photography industry. Browsing through the client list on her website shows just how significant her work is, with her backdrops showing up in imagery for Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Hermès, The New York Times, GQ, Victoria's Secret and so much more. Photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Martin Schoeller, David LaChapelle, Richard Avedon and Anne Geddes have all used Oliphant backdrops.

A recently released film directed by award-winning documentary photographer Anna Andersen on Fujifilm USA's YouTube channel highlights Oliphant's work. The film discusses the complexity of legacy and family relationships, as Oliphant's daughter talks about navigating the experience of being the daughter of someone so successful.

More than that, the short film served as a reminder and affirmation of how important details are in photographs. Backdrops are mostly intended to fade into the background. They aren't the focus of the image. Yet these hand-painted and, at times, custom-made Oliphant backdrops stand out from other backdrops because of the care that goes into them. There's a reason they are used by such important names in the photography and fashion worlds. They set the mood, add texture and depth, convey stories and guide focus. It's a good reminder to pay attention to the details even when working out in the world without backdrops.

Images: Leica, SmallRig, Pelican

We've made it to another weekend, which means another edition of our accessory roundup. Today, we'll be looking at a few lights, some Leica gear, and some rugged accessories, but first, as always, let's check out what's on sale.

Sony Sales

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a7R V, a camera with a whopping 61MP sensor that makes it great for landscape or product photography, is currently on sale for $400 off its MSRP.

Photo: Richard Butler

If you don't need that much resolution, the a7 IV is also on sale for $300 off its MSRP. It's an older model that doesn't include some of Sony's latest tech and refinements, but it's still a capable stills camera.

Tough travel backpacks

Image: Pelican

Pelican is well known for its ultra-rugged hard cases, but the company has recently started making soft goods as well. The Trvl Aegis collection includes several types of bags, including backpacks, slings, duffel bags and rolling bags; some of them feature a "hybrid" construction, which Pelican says provides the "quality construction and protection of a hard case with the versatility of a soft case."

Aegis backpack

Aegis rolling duffel

The hybrid packs come in various shapes and sizes, so you've got options no matter how light or heavy you pack. If you want a bit more protection, the company has also introduced a new line of hard-sided luggage cases, which it calls Trvl ATX. They don't seem quite as burly as the company's classic Air cases but feature creature comforts such as 360-degree spinner wheels, compression straps, and dividing pockets.

The ATX series sits between the Aegis hybrid bags and the standard Pelican Air cases when it comes to durability. Image: Pelican

Pelican ATX

The company has also introduced a variety of accessory "Modpaks" that let you add organization to your Trvl bags in the form of toiletry bags, extra pouches, and packing cubes.

Leica's birthday

The $625, limited edition teddy bears appear to have sold out, but there's plenty more Leica 100 gear available. Image: Leica

Leica is celebrating its 100th year of business this year, and part of the "100 Years of Leica" event is selling a variety of products meant to mark the occasion. Perhaps the most notable are the teddy bears – there were two limited-edition models that have already sold out, designed to look like important members of the Leitz family, as well as a more standard bear holding a plush Leica.

The bear, as well as a variety of other Leica 100 products such as a leather bracelet, magnifier, "100"-emblazoned hotshoe cover and even cufflinks, won't be available until May. However, there are a few knickknacks currently listed for sale in Leica's online store: a set of color pencils that comes with a cut-out paper M camera that you can color however you want, a pin, and a 3D wood puzzle. The latter two are sold out but aren't listed as limited edition, so there's a possibility there'll be a restock.

A colorful spotlight

Image: Nanlite

Nanlite's new COB light acts as an upgrade to its bi-color FC-120B spotlight. The FC-120C has many of the same features, such as the ability to accept USB-C power, Bluetooth app control, and dimming, but it swaps out the LEDs for ones capable of putting out full RGB color.

While this does come with a brightness penalty – the bi-color version can put out 17,450 lux when paired with the included 45° reflector, while the RGB version can only do 12,850 lux – it obviously gives you more options when it comes to what color you want to light a scene with.

The FC-120C uses a proprietary FM mount for light modifiers but comes with an adapter that lets you use accessories made for the industry-standard Bowens mount.

Ultra-fast, ultra-rugged

Photo: LaCie

LaCie, a Seagate-owned brand known for its rugged portable drives, has released a new rubber-coated SSD that's meant to withstand drops, dust, water, and even, according to the company, "pressure from a 2-ton vehicle." Appropriately named the Rugged SSD Pro5, it has an IP68 rating and comes in 2 and 4TB variations.

While the Pro5 is undeniably tough, it doesn't come at the cost of performance. The company says you can expect read speeds of up to 6700 MBps and write speeds of up to 5300 MBps and that you should have no issues editing 8K footage stored on the drive. Part of that is thanks to its Thunderbolt 5 interface, which allows for speeds up to 10,000 MBps. If you don't have one of the few computers with Thunderbolt 5 ports, it can be used with USB and Thunderbolt 4, though even the latter won't be capable of hitting those peak speeds.

A splash of color

Image: SmallRig

We've covered quite a few SmallRig video lights in the accessory roundup, but none as small and portable as the RF 10C. It's a 10W light that's around the size of a flashlight, that the company pitches as being perfect for "backlighting and background light for smartphone video shooting." It can cast light in four colors, depending on what your scene calls for: "sunset orange," blue, white and red.

The RF 10C has a built-in battery, rechargeable by USB-C, and comes with 20 gobos that let you cast light in the shape of a heart, window, semi-circle, and more. The light has two standard 1/4"-20 mounting threads, and the extending barrel gives you the option of having a diffuse or narrow beam.

Read last week's roundup

We've been thrilled with the response to our DPReview pop-up store, which opened before the holidays and features limited edition items from our 25th Anniversary collection of DPReview swag. If you've been planning to place an order but haven't done so yet, act soon: the pop-up store will disappear on January 31.

What’s in the store? You'll find the DPReview logo on apparel like t-shirts, sweatshirts and baseball caps. Of course, to honor DPReview’s early history, many items are designed in dark mode with a black background.

Visit the DPReview pop-up store

If you’re a camera nerd, head over and take a look.

If you’re not feeling nerdy enough to want DPReview-branded swag, we've also designed products with photo-friendly slogans like ‘Say Cheese’, ‘Photo Department’, and ‘I ♥ Bokeh’.

Why a pop-up store?

Readers have been asking us about DPReview merchandise for years, so we decided to do something about it. So, if you’re one of those who’s emailed or messaged us asking where to find things like DPReview shirts, now is your chance.

Of course, when you buy our gear, you support DPReview and our mission to bring you the best online information and reviews about digital cameras.

Additional details

All items in the DPReview pop-up store include free worldwide shipping.

If you have specific questions about products or ordering, you can contact store@gearpatrol.com for help.

In the 1860s, two brothers, Nelson and Roswell Moore, photographers from Connecticut, got the idea to use the then-nascent technology of photography to preserve images of the last veterans of the American Revolution. Photos: Nelson and Roswell Moore

As a photographer with a strong interest in history, I often find myself captivated when the two worlds collide. Looking at pictures of historical events, even seemingly mundane ones, sparks my imagination and transports me back in time.

More than the historical events themselves, I’m drawn to the people in these photos. I try to envision their lives, their experiences and the world they inhabited. I remind myself that they aren’t just historical figures frozen in time but real people who led lives as complex as you or me, and I often wonder about their experiences and the eras that shaped them.

Perhaps this is because old photographs serve as a reminder of our own mortality. Historical photos whisper to us that our time on Earth is finite and that one day, we, too, will become subjects of historical curiosity.

Photo: Nelson and Roswell Moore

This fascination with the past, coupled with my interest in photography, is probably why a recent video by the BBC caught my attention, telling the story behind portraits taken of some of the last survivors of the American Revolutionary War.

The Revolutionary War was fought between Great Britain and her American colonies from 1775 to 1783 over Americans' desire for independence. Ultimately, the colonial forces prevailed, and, as we all know today, the United States became an independent nation.

"Historical photos whisper to us that our time on Earth is finite and that one day, we, too, will become subjects of historical curiosity."

Fast forward about eight decades, and the US found itself embroiled in yet another conflict: the American Civil War. It was around this time that two brothers, Nelson and Roswell Moore, photographers from Connecticut, got the idea to use the then-nascent technology of photography to preserve images of the last surviving veterans of the American Revolution.

According to the BBC, newspapers at the time would publish details of the United States federal budget. This included lists of Revolutionary War veterans who were still receiving government pensions. Don Hagist, author of The Revolution's Last Men: The Soldiers Behind the Photographs and editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, told the BBC that by the 1860s, it was becoming apparent that very few Revolutionary War veterans remained. This realization spurred the Moore brothers to track down what they believed to be the last six living veterans to capture their portraits.

Photo: Nelson and Roswell Moore

The Moore brothers' portraits were unveiled in 1864 and subsequently published that same year in the book The Last Men of the American Revolution by Reverend E.B. Hillard. The book also included biographies of each veteran, based on interviews conducted by Hillard, although, according to Hagist, Hillard likely employed some creative license in his biographical accounts.

Fortunately, these invaluable photographs are not confined to the BBC's archives. They’re preserved and freely available for download from the Library of Congress, an exceptional resource for historical imagery of all kinds.

As it turned out, the six men photographed by the Moore brothers weren't the only remaining Revolutionary War veterans. Following the publication of their photos and Hillard's book, other veterans came forward. However, the images captured by the Moore brothers remain invaluable historical artifacts, preserving the likenesses of men who fought for America's independence. Gazing into their eyes, I’m struck by the realization that these men could have met George Washington in person.

One of photography's enduring truths is that we often can’t predict which images will hold significance for future generations. History will ultimately be the judge. However, as photographers, we possess the ability to capture and preserve these visual records, even if their immediate importance is not readily apparent.

Next time you see an old historical photo, pause for a moment to think about the person or people in that photo. Who were they? What were their lives like? And reflect on the fact that, someday, far in the future, someone may be looking at a picture of you, wondering the same thing.

Have you had the opportunity to capture photos of historical significance or photograph something important before it disappeared forever? If so, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Image: Panasonic

Panasonic has made it clear: the torch has passed from its Lumix Sync app to the Lumix Lab app. If you own one of the company's modern phase detect autofocus cameras – that's the S5 II, S5 IIX, G9 II, GH7 and S9 – Lumix Lab can now do pretty much everything that Sync could do, alongside all the new features it brings to the table.

When Lumix Lab originally launched alongside the S9 in May, Panasonic was clear that it wasn't ready to fully replace Lumix Sync for its older cameras; it didn't support critical features such as remote shooting, remote shutter control, image transfer, or live streaming.

That's changed this week, though. Panasonic released firmware updates yesterday, as well as an update to Lumix Lab, which work together to let you fully control and sync your camera from your phone.

Enter the LUT lab

Lumix Lab lets you download LUTS made by creators and gives you a library to manage those LUTs alongside the ones you create yourself.

Beyond the functions that already existed with Lumix Sync, Lumix Lab adds several features around Look Up Tables, or LUTs, which are essentially color presets that you can apply to your photos and videos. It has a section that lets you download ready-made LUTs from creators, and you can even create custom LUTs using the app's photo editor. You can then use those LUTs in Lumix Lab, applying them to photos you've synced over from your camera, or send them to your camera, where you can use them with the Real Time LUT that can automatically apply them to your JPEGs and videos.

Lumix Lab also has fairly robust editing features for both photos and videos. You can use it to adjust colors, exposure, sharpening, and more and to apply effects like grain and vignetting. Continuing the LUT focus of the app, if you like the adjustments you've made, you're able to save them as a LUT for later use. Lumix Lab also lets you apply a variety of pre-set crops to stills and videos, making it easy to share them on platforms with a specific aspect ratio, and you can trim videos if you only want to use a small portion of them. Finally, you can share your edited photos and videos straight from the app.

Lumix Lab has a relatively full-featured set of photo and video editing tools, and lets you save your adjustments as custom LUTs.

The future of Sync

At the moment, it doesn't seem like the Lumix Sync app is going anywhere – owners of the S1, S1R, the newly released G97, and other older cameras will still need to use it to sync photos to their phones, after all.

However, if you haven't given Lumix Lab a shot yet, and have one of the cameras it works with, it's probably worth a try. It can now not only do the things Lumix Sync could, but much more, making the experience of shooting with your camera and sharing with your phone that much nicer. Even if those don't interest you, it's also worth noting that the latest updates to the S5 II, S5 IIX, GH7, and G9 II could make it more annoying to use with Panasonic's older app, as a camera-to-phone Wi-Fi connection will now require password authentication – the ability to use the app without inputting a Wi-Fi password has been removed.

Lumix Lab is a free download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

OM System is working to build excitement for a launch happening on February 6. The company released a short teaser video, offering brief glimpses of an unreleased OM System camera. This video follows up on a post from the OM System CEO at the beginning of the month announcing that the company is working on a new camera and lenses. That statement, combined with the content of the video, makes it safe to assume that the focus of this announcement is indeed a camera.

The dedicated teaser webpage poses the question, "Are you born to create?" It also promises "something exciting" coming soon and encourages people to tune in to "discover what’s next in the world of creative photography."

The video, naturally, doesn't show much. It does, however, highlight a front dial, which must be a focus of the new camera. That dial shows four options, named Mono, Color, Art and CRT. We've seen such a dial before on the remarkably popular Olympus PEN-F. Based on the limited information in the video, it doesn't appear to be a follow-up to the PEN-F, as the teaser shows a more traditional SLR-style EVF in the center of the camera, as opposed to the left-corner EVF found on the PEN-F.

Luckily, February 6 isn't too far off, so full details will be coming soon. You can sign up to receive notifications for the launch on the teaser webpage and keep re-watching the 15-second video to attempt to glean more information.

Image: SmallRig

SmallRig has announced it is expanding its lineup with a new cage for the Sony a9 III and a1 II. Like SmallRig's existing offerings, the new cage aims to add additional protection for the camera. Perhaps more importantly, it also offers expansion options, making it easier to attach additional gear like phone mounts, monitors, microphones and more. It offers what SmallRig calls a "brand-new streamlined design with precision-fit protection and unobstructed button access." It's available for purchase now for $99.

Image: SmallRig

SmallRig's latest full cage features a leather grip that fully wraps around the grip of the camera. The leather design allows it to blend in a bit more to the camera, and results in a more polished look worthy of the flagship cameras.

The cage features a three-point locking installation to keep it securely attached to the camera, but doesn't require removing the D-rings. It uses an integrated bottom Arca-Swiss quick release plate for seamless use on a wide range of tripods and gimbals. It comes with a magnetic wrench on the bottom of the plate for easier attachment or removal.

Buy now:

Image: SmallRig

Of course, one of the main benefits to a cage is all the extra attachment points for gear, of which this new offering has plenty. It features 1/4"-20 threaded holes, 1/4"-20 locating holes, ARRI 3/8"-16 locating holes, cold shoe mounts, strap slots and QD socket. All of those attachment points make it feasible to add on a long list of handles, microphones, lights, monitors, straps and more. Plus, the HawkLock H21 NATO rail allows you to quickly add or remove handles.

Image: SmallRig

In addition to the full cage, SmallRig also released an L-Shaped Mount Plate for the Sony a1 II and a9 III. The plate is still marked as "coming soon," and details are sparse in comparison to the full cage. SmallRig did specify that it will offer unobstructed access to switching orientation and feature an integrated bottom Arca-Swiss quick release plate. Perhaps most interesting, though, is the AirTag compartment, helping users keep track of their cameras.

Image: Canon

Canon has developed a 410MP full-frame sensor, which it says is primarily designed for markets such as surveillance, medicine and industrial applications.

Canon doesn't typically disclose details of sensors it plans to use in its cameras prior to those cameras being announced, which is another strong hint that this won't be the basis of the next R-series model. Still, it gives and insight into where Canon's sensor design and technology has got to.

The 410MP chip is a Stacked CMOS design with some signal processing circuitry built into one of the layers of that stack. This design allows it to read all its pixels at a rate of 3,280 megapixels per second. This is sufficient to let it deliver 24K 'video' at up to eight frames per second.

Alternatively, Canon says a monochrome version of the chip can bin the output of four neighboring pixels to deliver "100MP" video at up to 24 fps. These numbers suggest the company is talking about full-sensor, 'open-gate' 12K footage from the full 3:2 sensor region. Given this is its maximum output rate, it's reasonable to assume it would have a rolling shutter rate not much quicker than 1/24 sec (ie: around 40ms), which wouldn't be optimal as the basis of a cinema camera.

Thiose frame rates suggest a sensor that would be well-suited to machine-vision tasks that prioritize resolution over speed, such as checking detailed circuit boards during production, rather than on high-speed production lines where global shutter's ability to freeze movement might be more valued.

The use of the 3:2, 36x24mm 'full-frame' format means the sensor could be used with the vast range of lenses designed for that format, rather than having to specify something custom or very low-volume, by adopting a larger, medium-format size.

Image: Canon

Canon has announced the RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM, a fast wide-angle full-frame zoom that's meant to be a more budget-friendly option for people looking to shoot photos and videos. The lens is lightweight and compact, coming in at a very similar size and weight as its sibling, the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM.

The 16-28mm is explicitly designed to pair with that lens for enthusiasts wanting constant F2.8 capability on a budget.

The lens' optical formula includes 16 elements in 13 groups, with 2 aspherical lenses and 4 UD elements. Like many of Canon's RF lenses – including its higher-end L-series models – the 16-28mm uses of digital corrections as part of its design. At its long end, it has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m (7.9"). The lens is weather sealed to provide some protection against dust and moisture, though there aren't gaskets on all of its various buttons, switches and rings.

Canon

As its name implies, the 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM uses a lead-screw type stepper motor for focusing, which the company says will provide "fast and accurate" focusing. It also features optical image stabilization, rated for 5.5 stops of compensation at the center of the lens, which gets bumped up to 8 stops when paired with a camera body that can coordinate its sensor stabilization with the lens'.

The lens weighs around 445g (15.7oz) and is 91mm (3.6") long when retracted. It uses 67mm filters and can be paired with an EW-73E lens hood, though it is sold separately.

The 16-28mm F2.8 becomes Canon's fourth wide-angle zoom lens, sitting between the $550 RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and the $1400 RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM. The new lens has better weather-sealing than the variable aperture zoom but, is less well-sealed than the slower-but-wider F4 'L' series lens. Above all of these sits the $2400 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM.

The RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM will retail for $1149 and starts shipping on February 11th.

Canon RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM Specifications

Photo: Brendan Nystedt

Panasonic has announced a suite of updates for its latest cameras, designed to make sure the S5 II, S5 IIX, GH7, and G9 II are all on level playing field with each other and the S9 in terms of what features they support.

All four cameras will now be able to display multiple frame guide markers at once, which can help if you're trying to frame a shot that will eventually be edited into multiple aspect ratios. The markers are heavily customizable – you can choose different colors for each aspect ratio and position and resize the lines on your screen.

The ability to have multiple frame guides debuted on the S9's v1.1 firmware but is now available across Panasonic's modern lineup.

The updates also add support for Panasonic's "MP4 Lite" codec, which records 3.8K open-gate footage at a lower bitrate, making it easier and faster to transfer to a phone via Wi-Fi. For the S5 II and S5 IIX, the video will be in the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the S9, but for the Four Thirds cameras it'll be in a taller 4:3 aspect ratio.

Speaking of transferring footage to your phone, Panasonic is also bringing full support for its new Lumix Lab app to all the cameras. That means you'll be able to use it, instead of Lumix Sync, to remotely control shooting, transfer images to your phone, and more.

The S5 II, S5 IIX, and G9 II are also getting the enhanced subject detection that the GH7 launched with, meaning that they'll also be able to recognize planes and trains and zero-in on a specific part of a recognized subject, such as a car's driver or a motorcycle rider's helmet. They're also getting the Crop Zoom feature from the GH7 and S9, which will automatically punch in by a selectable amount. In stills mode, this means that the JPEGs will be taken from a center crop of your untouched Raw. In video you'll only be getting the cropped version since there's no Raw. How cropped it is will depend on your shooting resolution.

'Part priority' is now available on all of Panasonic's phase-detect-equipped ILCs.

The full-frame S5 II and S5 IIX are also getting the Hybrid Zoom system from the S9, which combines your lens' optical zoom with Crop Zoom, giving you more reach the further you twist the zoom ring.

There are a few smaller changes as well; each of the cameras will get improvements to operational stability, as well as the ability to save pictures in an "Extra Small" size.

Features being removed

While the updates are obviously full of new features, they also take away some things. European S5 II and S5 IIXs will no longer support wireless image transfers to PCs or RTMP streaming – you'll have to use RTMPS when livestreaming from your camera. While those features will still work in other markets, such as the US, the S5 IIX and the GH7 are losing the ability to act as a RTP/RTSP network camera over a wired internet connection globally. While Panasonic didn't give an specific explanation of why these features were being removed, the company did say they came as part of a security enhancement to the cameras.

Another change that will affect all S5 II, S5 IIX, GH7, and G9 II users: when directly connecting the camera and your smartphone, you'll now have to enter the password each time if you're using the Lumix Sync app; Lumix Lab isn't affected, since it handles authentication over Bluetooth. These changes also won't affect the cameras' Frame.io integration.

The new firmware files – v3.2 for the S5 II, v2.2 for the S5 IIX, v1.3 for the GH7, and v2.3 for the G9 II – are available for download on Panasonic's website.

Hopefully it's not too cold on this mountaintop. Image: Sony

Sony has expanded a free repair program for some of its CEA-G Series "Tough"-branded memory cards, saying that some units failed to work properly in the extreme conditions they're designed for.

According to a notice spotted by Digital Camera World, some of the Tough CFexpress Type A cards could stop being recognized or, worse, fail to finish writing data in "low-temperature conditions" that are "around the lower limit of the recommended operating temperature range." Sony specifies that the cards are intended to be used in conditions ranging from -10° to 70°C (14° - 158°F), and its page for the cards touts that they're "designed for extended professional use in the most challenging environments – from snow-covered mountains to sand-blown deserts."

The company initially reported the issue last summer, but the version of the notice that appears on its Japanese site says that it found more units that are eligible for free repair. Sony's various sites list the affected lot numbers, which you can check against the one printed on the back of your cards. We've listed the model numbers below, but only specific units are eligible for repair. The additional numbers added this week, which are for 320GB and 640GB models, appear on the Japanese and UK notices, though not the one for the US.

The affected card models are:

• CEA-G80T
• CEA-G160T
• CEA-G320T
• CEA-G640T

If you have one of the affected cards and your lot number is one of the ones eligible for repair, Sony recommends backing it up before you send it in since any data will be deleted. The company says it'll repair cards "free of charge until June 29, 2029," though it's probably one of those issues that's best to solve sooner rather than later.

Image: Samsung

Samsung has announced the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, its latest flagship smartphones. The phones have a heavy emphasis on AI, but also feature the company's highest-end camera systems.

The Ultra is the highest-end model and has a 6.9" display and four rear-facing cameras. The company says the phone's ultrawide camera is an upgrade from the previous generation and uses a new 50MP sensor behind an F1.9 lens – the S24 series' ultrawide camera used a 12MP Type 1/2.55 (5.6 x 4.2) sensor. The company hasn't released specifics on the new sensor's size, but we've reached out for details and will update this story if we hear back.

The S25 Ultra, shown here, features four rear cameras. The S25 and S25 Plus have three cameras, with the same 10MP 3x telephoto, but lower resolution wide and ultra-wide sensors. Image: Samsung

Beyond the ultrawide, the S25 Ultra's camera layout appears to be relatively unchanged compared to the S24 Ultra. It still has a 200MP F1.7 main shooter – the S24 Ultra used a Type 1/1.3 (9.8 x 7.4) sensor, which is likely unchanged – as well as two telephoto cameras: a "3x" F2.4 lens in front of a 10MP sensor, and a "5x" F3.4 lens in front of a 50MP sensor. In the S24 Ultra, these cameras used Type 1/3.94 (3.7 x 2.7) and Type 1/2.52 (5.7 x 4.3) sensors, respectively.

The cameras on the 6.2" S25 and 6.7" S25 Plus, however, appear to be unchanged. They still use the previous-generation 12MP ultrawide, and the main camera and 3x telephoto appear to be the same 50MP Type 1/1.56 (8.2 x 6.1) and Type 1/3.94 (3.7 x 2.7) models as their predecessors.

Many of the S25's camera improvements come from software, such as the Virtual Aperture feature. Image: Samsung

While there may not have been many hardware updates, the company did announce some new software tricks for the phones. A feature called "Virtual Aperture" lets you control how much simulated depth-of-field your image has, and the S25 now features a Galaxy Log color mode, which should help anyone who hopes to color grade the footage they take with their phones. The company also says it's updated its image processing, saying that it's upgraded its object recognition system and improved how it handles skin tones.

The custom filter feature attempts to replicate the look of a reference photo, which you can then apply to your other shots. Image: Samsung

The S25 also features filters that the company says are inspired by classic film photos. In addition to the pre-made options, it allows you to create your own custom filter based on a photo that you give it; it'll try to tweak parameters like saturation and color balance to match the reference image.

The 25 Plus and Ultra also include a feature called "ProScaler," which the company says "delivers a high-definition viewing experience without having to adjust the display settings."

The phones are powered by a chipset called the "Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy," which utilizes Qualcomm's latest technology. Samsung says it delivers "a performance boost of 40% in NPU, 37% in CPU and 30% in GPU compared to the previous generation."

New generations of AI can give you tips on how to improve your pictures of your pets. Image: Samsung

The company's announcement also placed a heavy focus on AI. In a demo of Google's Gemini Live AI, Samsung showed a person asking the assistant about how they could improve a photo they took, with the assistant giving tips on how to improve composition and color, as well as suggestions on what type of edits the person could make.

The company also announced that it's working with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) to ensure that AI-generated images from its phones will have metadata marking them as generated imagery.

Image: Samsung

The phones will be available starting on February 7th. The standard S25 starts at $799 and comes with 128GB of storage, while the S25 Plus costs $999 and comes with 256GB. The S25 Ultra will start at $1,299 – by default it has 256GB of storage, but you can upgrade it up to 1TB.

Details of the phones are currently being announced via a Samsung live stream, which you can watch here.

Developing story... please check back for updates.

Logo: Adobe

Adobe has announced the latest updates for its video platforms, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io. The company says this update aims to "accelerate postproduction and address common pain points that filmmakers face today." The new features and tools aren't entirely groundbreaking, but there are some worthy additions. You can read the full details in the press release below.

These changes are available to use as of today, though the Premiere Pro and After Effects features are only available in the beta apps for the time being. You'll need to be an Adobe Creative Cloud member to access the beta apps, but no additional workarounds are necessary to use the new features.

AI-powered search results and Caption Translation in Premiere Pro beta

One of the most significant updates is Premiere Pro beta's Media Intelligence and AI-powered search panel that aims to make it faster to find clips. This new tool automatically analyzes video content, identifying objects, locations, camera angles and more. Then, using the new Search panel, you can use natural language to find the content you're looking for without hunting down the specific file on your own. The system can pick up on visuals, spoken words or metadata like shoot date and camera type, which should provide more flexibility in how you search.

This new search tool and media analysis happens locally on your system, meaning you don't need to be connected to the internet to use it. Adobe also clarified that, like all of its AI-powered tools, your content remains your own and isn't used to train its AI models.

We haven't used the feature yet, so we can't comment on how successful the new tool is. However, if it works as well as Adobe suggests, it should make it much easier for those working with massive video libraries to find the individual clips they need while working on videos.

Screenshot: Adobe

Beyond faster searches, Adobe also aims to make it faster to generate captions with this update. Adobe announced its Text-Based Editing feature in September 2023, which provided automatic transcriptions using Adobe Sensei. Now, the company is expanding functionality to translate those transcripts and generate captions in multiple languages. Premiere Pro beta will offer automatic translations in 17 different languages. You can also have multiple caption tracks visible simultaneously to display multiple languages.

Faster playback and more HDR support in After Effects beta

After Effects users also get two updates (in the beta app), the most significant of which allows for faster playback due to what Adobe describes as a "more modern caching system that uses both your computer's RAM and high-performance attached hard disks." It says that this means you won't be limited by the amount of RAM on your computer, making it feasible for older computers to play back entire compositions for the first time. There should be no need to pause for caching or rendering since once it is cached, you can simply press play and watch.

Adobe is also bringing HDR monitoring to After Effects beta. Promising that it will be "as easy to work in HDR as it is to work in SDR with the latest version of After Effects beta."

Instagram announced that it is launching its own free video editing app named Edits. The move makes sense for a platform that's been pushing video content for quite some time, yet lacked any refined editing tools. The timing, however, is interesting, as it coincided with the ban on a very similar free editing app, CapCut.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared the news about Edits in an Instagram post on Sunday, covering some of the features we can expect. The description of the app and its features sounds remarkably similar to CapCut, with a long list of tools for creating videos and finding ideas for new content.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

Instagram built the app with a tab-based approach, with tabs for inspiration, trending audio and for keeping track of ideas. It also provides access to what it says is a "much higher-quality camera." The app features all the editing tools most people would use in a phone-based editing app, including the ability to edit down to single-frame precision, settings for resolution, framerate and dynamic range, background adjustment tools, fonts, filters and more. It can also generate captions automatically, hopefully with more accuracy than the auto-generated captions in Instagram Stories.

Beyond editing tools, there will also be insights into how your Reels are performing with a live insights dashboard. Plus, you'll have access to the various metrics available in Instagram, such as a breakdown of engagement, what impacts if your Reel gets recommended and more.

Screenshots: Instagram

Instagram says it supports videos up to 10 minutes long, so this is only a tool for short-form videos. Mosseri stressed in his video announcement that this app is not a replacement for desktop editing tools or a good option for those who rely on templates. Instead, it is very specifically created for creators who edit videos on their phones. Mosseri also stressed that the first version will be incomplete and asked people to be patient as it works on the app.

Screenshot: Abby Ferguson

Many of these features are also currently found in CapCut. It's not unusual for people to edit their Instagram Reels using CapCut, as it has a reputation for being much more user-friendly than the integrated Instagram Reels editor. CapCut, though, is owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance, which meant that it was also part of the ban that took effect (briefly) on Sunday. While TikTok returned very quickly, as of Monday morning, CapCut users were still unable to access the app unless they were in Airplane mode, though it seems that it has returned to functional as of this afternoon. If you didn't already have the app downloaded, though, that is still unavailable at the time of writing, as The Verge reports.

The Instagram Edits app is now available for pre-order in the Apple App Store. The App Store listing says it won't be available for download until March 13, but Mosseri said it will launch in February. The Android app is supposedly "coming soon" with no specific date mentioned as of yet.