Canon brought an FSI sensor to a partially Stacked party.

Last week, Canon announced the EOS R6 III, an update to its enthusiast-tier full-frame mirrorless camera. It gains a new sensor, much more capable video specs and upgrades to the autofocus system.

Our initial review goes in-depth on how the EOS R6 III compares to its predecessor, so we'll largely avoid re-treading that ground here. Instead, we'll discuss the three major competitors: the Nikon Z6III, Panasonic S1II, and Sony a7 IV.

Price

In the US, the EOS R6 III, Z6 III, and a7 IV are all priced similarly, with the S1 II standing out as substantially more expensive than the rest. It's less of an outlier globally, though, with it and the EOS R6 III sitting at a few hundred pounds higher than the other two models.

The one thing we'll note about the EOS R6 II is that Canon is keeping it in its lineup for $2299. It's still an extremely capable camera, and those mainly shooting stills will likely want to consider how much it's worth to gain better resolution and upgrades to its (still competitive) autofocus system.

Resolution and readout speed

33MP can capture a lot of fine detail. Canon EOS R6 III | Canon 85mm F1.4 L VCM | F7.1 | 1/40 sec | ISO 100

The EOS R6 III and a7 IV are higher resolution models that utilize more familiar sensor tech, featuring 33MP FSI and BSI sensors, respectively. Nikon and Panasonic, meanwhile, both use a 24MP 'partially Stacked' sensor, which uses more complex circuitry to dramatically improve readout speeds compared to more traditional designs.

Both the Canon and Sony offer an approximately 16% increase in linear resolution compared to the 24MP models, which isn't quite as large an improvement as you might expect just based on the numbers, but will still provide a benefit in capturing fine details.

While the EOS R6 III has the fastest readout speeds, it's worth noting that it achieves this by producing 12-bit Raws, compared to the 14-bit ones its competitors offer. This will limit its dynamic range and result in noise in the deepest shadows compared to its competitors, but it's worth noting that it will only be an issue when shooting in e-shutter mode (though that's also when rolling shutter rate is the biggest concern). While the Z6III also suffers from slightly noisier than typical shadows, that's instead due to its higher levels of read noise, an issue interestingly not shared by the S1II, at least in its mechanical shutter mode.

Rolling shutter rates are especially pertinent when it comes to the a7 IV, which has substantially slower readout speeds than its peers. These make it so you can't use its electronic shutter mode to capture most moving subjects without risking motion artifacts.

Autofocus

The EOS R6 III comes with an upgraded autofocus system, which Canon says uses the algorithms from its flagship EOS R1 and R5 II models. Like most of the other models, it's been trained to recognize several types of subjects, and has several options for selecting your autofocus point.

While the S1II lacks an automatic subject detection mode, the bigger concern is performance. In our tests, we've found it to be less reliable at tracking than we've come to expect from Nikon, Canon and Sony and, unlike its competitors, it doesn't fall back to generic tracking in subject recognition mode, so you have to be more aware of your settings for some types of shooting. It does, however, have an "Urban Sports" recognition mode designed to recognize humans even when they're in odd body positions, such as when they're breakdancing or skateboarding.

The Sony a7 IV isn't as far behind as the table may imply, as its tracking system is still extremely capable. However, it doesn't have Sony's latest AF system, which relies on a coprocessor and supports more subject types and complex human recognition.

Continuous shooting and pre-capture

One of the EOS R6 III's notable upgrades is the fact that its pre-burst capture mode no longer requires going into the special Raw Burst mode, which didn't capture JPEGs and stored captured images in a new, not widely supported format until you exported them into a standard Raw after the fact. Now, it's simply an option you can activate when in the "H+" 40fps drive mode and using the electronic shutter.

The Canon, Nikon and Panasonic cameras all have some level of inflexibility when it comes to burst and pre-burst shooting. The Canon and Panasonic, for instance, don't let you adjust your framerates in each burst mode, though this is especially noticeable on the S1II, which has no options between the pedestrian 10fps and buffer-destroying 70fps. Nikon gives you more control in this regard, but its fastest burst rates and pre-burst options are JPEG-only, giving you less room for adjustments in post.

The a7 IV, meanwhile, hails from an era before pre-burst capture was standard in this class of cameras, and doesn't include any option for it. Its burst rates are also quite slow, as it has to rely on its mechanical shutter; its electronic shutter just isn't fast enough for continuous shooting.

Viewfinder and screen

The EOS R6 III's EVF and screen aren't bad, but they're no longer state of the art.

The Canon EOS R6 III uses the same EVF and rear display as its predecessor, both of which feel perhaps a bit behind the times compared to the larger, higher-resolution ones found on the Nikon Z6III and Panasonic S1II.

What really sets the S1II apart, though, is its articulation mechanism. It lets you tilt it up or down in-axis with the camera's sensor, while also allowing you to fully articulate it for easier video shooting. The extra tilt mechanism also gives you more clearance if you have things plugged into the ports, such as headphones, microphones and HDMI. While the Z6III has a more standard full-articulating screen, the company says its viewfinder is the brightest out there, reaching up to 4000 nits.

The Canon, Nikon and Panasonic will emulate a blackout-free experience in some of their burst modes, but they operate by showing you the previous frame captured, rather than a live view of what you're shooting.

Video - resolution, framerates and workflow

The EOS R6 III's biggest upgrades come to its video recording capabilities. It catches up to the rest of the market, gaining internal Raw recording, tools like waveform and false color and, blessedly, the ability to set white balance live, without having to take a still first.

The EOS R6 III may be one of the best options for slow-motion shooters, as it offers not only oversampled, full-width 60p, but also full-width 120p. However, it presumably achieves this by sub-sampling the footage, which isn't necessarily the case with the cropped modes on the partially Stacked sensor cameras.

The S1II remains one of the most capable hybrid options on the market, offering pretty much every conceivable recording option and assistance tool. Perhaps its biggest leg up, though, is its internal fan, which helps push its recording times past what some of the other cameras on this list can handle. It's also the only hybrid mirrorless camera in this class to support 32-bit float audio recording, though you'll need an external XLR adapter to enable it (unlike Nikon's more video-focused ZR model, which can do it internally). It also has a Dynamic Range Boost mode that allows for greater dynamic range capture, at the cost of the rolling shutter rates jumping to above 30ms, making them not particularly practical for shooting most moving subjects.

Most cameras in this class excel at both stills and video

The Z6III is also very capable at shooting video, with the only real drawback compared to the EOS R6 III and S1II being its lack of an "open gate" mode, which provides more flexibility in post to reframe, or to take horizontal and vertical video from a single clip.

This option is also missing from the a7 IV, but it shows its age in other, more critical ways. Despite having a higher-resolution sensor, it tops out at 4K recording, though this is at least oversampled from 7K capture. It also doesn't offer internal Raw recording, and doesn't include many of the now-standard assistance tools.

Video - rolling shutter

The EOS R6 III has impressive rolling shutter performance for not having a partially Stacked sensor, even in its oversampled modes, which are derived from 7K capture.

The Panasonic, Nikon and Canon cameras all feature more than usable rolling shutter rates in all of their modes, with the exception of the S1II's DR Boost setting. This means you don't really have to worry about whether your subject or camera will be moving too fast for your specific settings.

The Sony is a different story, as the only mode it has capable of capturing fast-moving subjects without too much distortion is its 4K/60 mode, which comes with a 1.5x crop, dramatically changing its field of view. It's possible to work around this limitation, but it's definitely worth considering if you plan on doing a lot of video work.

Ports and storage

This section has perhaps the least to discuss, as most of the brands have settled into a relatively standardized layout. The EOS R6III, Z6III and S1II all have a CFexpress Type B slot paired with a UHS-II SD card slot, headphone and microphone jacks and full-size HDMI.

The odd one out is Sony. While the a7 IV has the same selection of ports, it opts for CFexpress Type A instead. This is a dual-format slot that can also be used with standard SD cards, which could make dual-card shooting cheaper, depending on your needs, but with the camera limited to UHS-II speeds.

Canon and Sony have also equipped their cameras with digital hotshoes, which can be used not only for flash, but with other accessories, such as microphones or XLR adapters.

Battery

The EOS R6 III uses Canon's latest battery, but it's clearly using a lot of power.

The one area where the EOS R6 III is noticeably worse than its predecessor is when it comes to battery life; the extra features come at a cost of it getting around 12-15% fewer shots per charge than the EOS R6 II.

As always, the CIPA ratings tend to under-represent the literal number of pictures you can capture with a single charge; it's not unusual to get double the rating in real-world use. However, it's clear that Canon and, to a lesser extent, Nikon and Panasonic have traded some longevity for their advanced features.

Sony, meanwhile, is the standout. While we might recommend bringing a spare battery or two for a weekend of heavy shooting with the EOS R6 III, Z6III or S1II, we'd be pretty confident leaving the house with only a single fully-charged battery for our a7 IV.

The extras

Like the Nikon Z6III and Panasonic S1II, the EOS R6 III's ergonomics are well-honed.

There are things that don't fit easily into a spec sheet. For example, while the cameras in this roundup are in roughly the same class when it comes to size and weight (though the S1II is the heaviest of the bunch by a fair margin), we find that the a7 IV doesn't feel quite as comfortable to hold as the other models in this roundup.

There's also the matter of HDR output, which is becoming an increasingly interesting option as the industry settles on broadly compatible image formats, and as more and more devices boast screens that can properly display HDR content. While all the cameras can record HDR video, it's worth noting that the a7 IV's HLG HEIF function comes at the cost of Raw recording. The other cameras in this roundup can capture both Raw and HDR HEIF files simultaneously, but Sony makes you choose one or the other.

It's also worth noting that both Canon and Nikon exert more control over what lenses get made for their mounts and Sony or Panasonic do; both companies have shown a willingness to disallow third-party lenses they don't want made. Sony, however, isn't entirely blameless in this regard either; while companies like Sigma, Viltrox, 7artisans and more have produced a wide array of third-party E-mount lenses, they're all limited to 15fps shooting, a restriction not placed on the L-mount versions.

Summary

At this point, it should be clear that the EOS R6 III is a competitive entry in the enthusiast-tier full frame camera market, though it's not entirely dominant. Each model in this range has some trade-offs compared to the others; choosing the Panasonic nets you one of the best display designs and suite of video features, at the cost of less reliable autofocus, while Nikon has great autofocus, but doesn't include things like open-gate recording or Raw stills shooting in its fastest burst rates. And both have less resolution than the Canon, but have faster sensors.

As has been a running theme, the a7 IV is really the odd one out at this point. It's far older than the others, and that age shows in quite a few aspects of its design and capabilities for both stills and video. Still, the selection of lenses available for it is unassailable, and its autofocus is still at least in the conversation with Nikon and Canon, despite being a generation behind Sony's best.

The new Pocket Printer in the Flash Print Bundle turns the Ace Pro 2 into an instant camera. Image: Insta360

Insta360 has unveiled four more accessory bundles for its Leica co-branded Ace Pro 2 action camera, along with updated firmware. The new print and videography kits, which include cinematic lenses, updated Leica color profiles, a screen hood, a portable printer and more, are aimed at helping users get more out of the tiny camera.

Perhaps the most interesting of the new accessories is in the Flash Print Bundle. The kit includes a pocket-sized printer that Insta360 says is the first portable printer made specifically for action cameras. Unlike many tiny instant printers, it doesn't use Instax Mini film. Instead, it creates three-inch, dye-sublimation prints from what Insta360 says is a "signature paper cartridge" with 10 sheets per pack.

Image: Insta360

Interestingly, the prints feature not just an Insta360 Ace Pro 2 logo on the edge, but also appear to list the camera's sensor size, aperture, and Leica-branded lens name. At the time of writing, you can only buy cartridge refills (for $10 per pack) through the Insta360 website, so it isn't clear how widespread or long-lasting support for the printer will be.

Beyond the printer, the Flash Print Bundle also includes a flip-up screen hood for the camera that promises to make it easier to see the screen even in bright light. It also comes with a leather case and the Xplorer Grip Pro kit (detailed below).

The Xplorer Pro Grip adds dedicated controls. Image: Insta360

Insta360 also released an updated version of its Xplorer Bundle, which was released earlier this year. The new Xplorer Pro kit is an all-in-one grip that features a built-in battery and camera controls. It allows users to adjust digital zoom (the lens itself is fixed), filters, exposure and modes from the grip itself, no menu diving necessary. There's also a more prominent shutter button with a removable, threaded design, allowing for customization. Insta360 says the Xplorer Pro Bundle is exclusive to the US.

Finally, the company also unveiled two video-focused bundles. The Videography Bundle Limited Edition comes in a custom-designed box and includes the Xplorer Grip Pro Kit and 'Cinematic' Lens. The lens allows users to create 2.35:1 widescreen footage, and Insta360 says it "delivers a film-like look straight from the camera."

Both video bundles come with the Cinematic Lens. Image: Insta360

The Ultimate Videography Bundle also takes advantage of the Xplorer Grip Pro Kit and Cinematic Lens. Additionally, it includes an ultra-wide lens and close-up lens, plus the flip-up screen hood.

In addition to hardware, Insta360 has released Firmware V2.0.3 for the Ace Pro 2. The new version adds two additional Leica color profiles: the Leica Eternal and Leica B&W High Contrast. Those join the existing Leica Natural and Leica Vivid options. There are also newly added in-camera film filters, such as Retro Neon and Vintage Vacation, that aim to provide a more polished look without color grading.

All of the bundles are available to purchase today. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 Flash Print Bundle is available for $580, and the Xplorer Pro Bundle is $520. The video-centric kits are more expensive, with the Videography Bundle Limited Edition coming in at $605 and the Ultimate Videography Bundle at $740. You can also buy each of the accessories separately if you already own the Ace Pro 2.

A VistaVision camera on the set of Bugonia. Image: Variety / Focus Features

What are you willing to put up with to get the exact aesthetic you're looking for? For some Hollywood directors like Yorgos Lanthimos or Paul Thomas Anderson, the answer is a lot, at least according to The Wall Street Journal. The publication recently put out a story titled "The Biggest Diva in Hollywood Is a Camera," going over the on-set headaches brought on by using old VistaVision cameras on productions like Bugonia and One Battle After Another.

The issues are numerous: film jams and other "moody" behaviors that occasionally required some percusive maintenance to fix, and the racket that comes with running 35mm film horizontally, rather than vertically, through the camera. The article recounts ruined takes, on-set slowdowns and the need for insulated boxes and special software to keep the sounds of the camera from ruining dialogue. Overall, it turns out that using cameras whose heyday was in the 50s can be a bit of a pain.

Presumably, those issues didn't come as a surprise to the directors

Well... duh. I could've told you that, and I don't even have an IMDB page (yet). Presumably, those issues didn't come as a surprise to the directors and cinematographers who have chosen to work with them either. (Though the actors may be a different story.) So why did they choose to do it?

I'm sure part of it had to do with the experience. As with shooting stills, there's a texture to shooting movies with film that would take a lot of work and discipline to replicate with digital. To paraphrase Reed Morano in Side By Side*, people may take things a bit more seriously when they hear the money running through the camera, kind of like how photographers are more considered with their compositions when they only have 36 exposures.

Of course, you can get that experience using more modern film cameras that won't have so many issues. The WSJ goes a bit into why the artists chose VistaVision specifically, and cites a variety of reasons, with the foremost being the look. Shooting a movie on what is essentially a stills photography format gets you more detail than you'd typically be able to achieve with a 35mm movie camera, while still having the look of film.

The result is an aesthetic that's somewhat familiar, but grandiose, a callback to tentpole films like North by Northwest and The Searchers. Sure, there are modern digital cameras from Red and Panavision with similarly large sensors, but do they have the heritage?

Maybe not, though I am left wondering whether the audience will truly notice the difference. Certainly, those watching the movie on their phones during their commute or their uncalibrated TVs sitting right in front of a window won't, but there's also the argument to be made that we shouldn't make art for the lowest common denominator viewing experience. And realistically, if you want that specific aesthetic, you either have to go with old film cameras, spend a lot of time in post, bending digital footage to make it look like film, or shoot Imax. And the latter has a lot of the same problems unless, of course, you're Christopher Nolan and can just get Imax to make you an updated camera**.

The Wall Street Journal article is well worth a read, even though most people who have touched a camera before will likely be unsurprised by the initial premise. It's still an interesting look at the lengths some artists will go to fully realize their vision, and the eccentricities of the movie business and old tech.

I'd be interested in hearing from you, though. Do you often find yourself putting up with an annoying camera purely because of the look it produces? Do you find the look of VistaVision or other large film formats compelling enough that you totally get it? Are you happy to have left film behind forever? Let us know over on our forums.

* A documentary hosted by Keanu Reeves interviewing a who's who of cinematographers and directors about digital cinematography, which you should definitely watch if you've made it this far into this article.

** And if you are Christopher Nolan: Hi. Big fan. Don't listen to the haters, I thought Tenet was pretty good.

Image: DJI

DJI has announced a new iteration of its tiny, beginner-friendly camera drone. The DJI Neo 2 introduces several changes designed to make the drone easier and safer to fly, such as obstacle sensing, a new display, and better wind resistance. DJI also gave a boost to the video specs, promising higher-quality footage from the palm-sized device.

DJI's Neo drone is the company's entry-level offering meant for true beginners. However, the original had a tendency to run into obstacles mid-flight, since it could only collect data about what was beneath it, rather than around it. The Neo 2, however, aims to make controlling the drone less stressful, as it can now sense obstacles in any direction, thanks to its "monocular vision system," forward-facing LiDAR and downward-firing infrared sensors. As a result, it's able to sense obstacles in real time to avoid collisions.

The Neo 2 still supports gesture control, or it can be controlled via the DJI smartphone app or compatible DJI controllers. Image: DJI

Another improvement that enables easier drone control comes from improved handling in windy conditions. The original Neo could withstand moderate breezes of 20–28 kph (13-18 mph) while the Neo 2 can handle winds of 29–38 kph (19-24 mph). It should be more stable in open environments, even with some gusty wind, as a result.

The Neo 2 keeps the 12MP Type 1/2 (30.7 mm²) sensor found in its predecessor, but the camera sees other improvements. It's now capable of 4K 100fps recording, up from 4K 30fps. Vertical recording is upgraded to 2.7K (compared to 1080p on the Neo). DJI also increased the aperture of the lens from F2.8 to F2.2.

DJI added a new two-axis gimbal on the Neo 2, which should provide better stabilization over the first version's single-axis gimbal. Additionally, DJI says it improved tracking performance with the new drone, enabling faster response time and better stability at speeds of up to 12 meters per second.

The Neo 2 features a small screen that displays the shooting mode. Image: DJI

The Neo 2 now features a small display on the front near the camera, which shows the current shooting mode to make operation easier when you're using the gesture and / or voice control modes without a controller. DJI has also increased the onboard storage from 22GB to 49GB. All of the new features and hardware changes come with some added weight, of course. The Neo 2 weighs 151g (5.3 oz), which is slightly more than its predecessor.

The Neo 2 keeps other useful beginner tools, such as a selection of "Quick Shot" presets that carry out a pre-programmed move and quick launch tools. It can also be paired with the DJI RC-N3 remote and used with the company's FPV goggles and motion controller for a more immersive experience.

US customers are, once again, out of luck. As with all other DJI releases this year, the Neo 2 will not be officially available in the US thanks to a looming DJI ban. For those outside of the US, the Neo 2 is available beginning today at a starting price of €239/£209 for the drone only.

What's the most memorable photograph you've taken?

Last week, we asked you to look beyond specs and sensors and dig into the true heart of photography: the images that etch themselves into your memory. It wasn’t about the sharpest lens or the newest tech – it was about the stories and emotions behind the frame, whether born from quiet, unassuming moments or from rare, lightning opportunities (literally in our community's cases).

We invited you to share not just your photos, but the context behind them – what, where, who, and most importantly, why these moments stand out. True to form, the DPReview community responded with a dazzling assortment of personal stories. Some are dramatic, others gentle; together, they create a mosaic of what it means to be a photographer at any level.

In the spirit of our previous "Diamonds in the rough" feature – where beloved camera shops became the scene of fond memories and surprises – this week’s entries prove that the greatest treasures in photography are the stories behind the images.

View the above slideshow to check out the 10 selected memorable photographs.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories! Discuss these spotlight entries in this week's forum thread.

Photo: Collage of entries for this week's Question of the week article

Sundre (Europe)

A fire performance, a flash of inspiration, and the birth of both an unforgettable image and a friendship.

"I took a photo and made a friend. One of my first fire shows, with a new camera (Sony A9), I wasn't sure what I was doing. Somehow, everything came together to create an image I only realized I had when I went home to edit. This entire sequence lasts around 3-4 seconds, and the performer is only visible among the flames from a very specific angle for maybe 0.5 seconds. That day, I happened to nail both the angle and the timing." - Sundre

pwmoree (Netherlands)

Rescue at sea, captured on film - a story as memorable as the photo itself.

"I found this mantaray in my anchor chain when sailing around the world about 44 years ago. The ray was realy stuck but I managed to save tne animal and also save my precious anchor. This was of the coast at Islas Perlas in the Gulf of Panama in 1981." - pwmoree

Tailwagger (USA)

An unexpected heron, perfectly still among rapids, makes a simple landscape session unforgettable.

"I turned around to return to my car and saw a heron, standing dead still in the rushing water just below a little dam, presumably waiting for lunch to come by. It remained so motionless that I was able to capture it with a long enough exposure amid the river's chaos.

The shot is memorable to me not so much for the image but as a reminder that around every corner, even when you're not looking for it, you can find something interesting, perhaps even extraordinary. No matter how good the equipment might get, it's the photographer who makes the result, though a combination of skill, awareness, and most especially luck. A thought I carry with me that helps me persevere whenever I'm out looking, but not finding anything I'm particularly satisfied with.." - Tailwagger

wvdvegte (Netherlands)

The stillness of a cold Polish morning brings lasting peace and a sense of nostalgia to an analog classic.

"Lagów, Poland, 2002. Visiting a conference, I decided to go for a morning walk before breakfast. Around 7AM, this tranquil scene of a solitary angler sitting on a frosted jetty caught my eye." - wvdvegte

DJ STU-C (UK)

Chasing storms at the coast, risking the elements for one amazing frame.

"This is my most memorable, as it earned a place in Practical Photography magazine as a double-page spread. Ironically, a friend and I went out to photograph sunset in the North Sea (Technically it's over land, but from certain parts of North Yorkshire it appears to set in the sea in summer), as we got there, the weather had taken a massive turn and a huge storm was circling overhead. We decided to set our cameras up near the cliff edge, just north of Staithes, and set the timer to shoot continuously. I'll never forget it." - DJ STU-C

MSTR Photography (USA, AK)

Proving that sometimes the most memorable glamour isn’t planned, but found after dozens of creative resets…and a golden rose.

"As a Glamour photographer for over 20 years, I always strive to create something special. Of all the images I have created, the attached image is one that took over an hour of shooting and reshooting with my model to make all the lines, curves, and perspective I envisioned. We started with the idea of capturing the model shaving her legs. Shooting in the bathroom just didn't seem to make the image special. We moved to the kitchen sink and shot about 40 images.

Between each shot, we moved props in and out of the image while adjusting the positions of the objects, paying careful attention to the alignment of the faucet, leg, arm, face razor, the curvature of the belt for the robe, and the angle of the light. But the final adjustment was adding the gold rose in a steel vase to the image. When we saw the finished image on the camera, we knew that we had captured a perfect image, and we broke out laughing." - MSTR Photography

mcxxrr (Italy)

History and destiny, revealed in a morning at Ground Zero.

"Hard question, but this image, taken in NYC back in 2007, showing Ground Zero, gave me Travel Photographer of the Year in 2008 and somehow opened my path as a photographer." - mcxxrr

Yanina G

Sometimes, the photograph that calls to you for years isn’t the sharpest or the boldest. It’s just…yours in the moment.

"The portrait of my grandmother, aged 95. She had finally agreed to pose. She'd never liked her looks, always dismissing my pleas for a "real" portrait: "Why do you want a photo of an old woman? You should shoot the beautiful young people," her shaking hand sweeping the room filled with kids, grandkids, great-grandkids.

She'd been ailing. Her hearing is all but gone. Once an avid reader and an exquisite seamstress, her eyes by then could only make out blurry shapes. A photo session would cheer her up, I thought. "Grandma," I said, "you are beautiful. When a young person is beautiful, they have only their parents to thank. The beauty of old people is earned by them."

The day of the shoot, we didn't have much time. My grandmother tired easily. In her tiny apartment, we helped her to a chair in front of the window. My 13-year-old niece Zoë was holding up a scarf as a backdrop. My 10-year-old niece Sophia diligently propped up a reflector, I shot off a dozen images. "Done," I said. My mother leaned in to hug Grandma, saying, "Good job." And my grandmother beamed up at me. I snapped this last image. The last image I would ever take of her." - Yanina G

Alan Grinberg (USA, CA)

The "most expensive photograph I have ever taken," shot during king tides, cost a camera and some bruises, but delivered drama and a story for the ages.

"I had my Sony a6500 and Zeiss 24 - 70 mm lens set at rapid fire to take 11 frames per second. I saw this wall of water coming over the edge, so I held the shutter button down to catch a series of images. Well, the water kept coming and coming, and within half a second, it pushed the deck furniture against the house, got me soaked, knocked me down, and pushed me through the alley gate. I cut my leg on something I don't know what, my eyeglasses went missing, and the camera was drenched.

I did not feel scared; actually, it was rather exhilarating...Fortunately, the SD card was still sound, and I recorded 7 frames of the event. This is the first photo. The last photo is a solid wall of gray." - Alan Grinberg

Bill Ferris (USA, AZ)

An adrenaline-spiked moment - catching a mountain lion in the wild, a reminder of why we adventure with a camera at our side.

"Just before 8 a.m., I'd quietly gathered & packed my gear, and made my way through the trees to an old logging road that paralleled the forest's edge. I planned to use the ponderosa pines as cover and work my way closer to the pronghorn. If lucky, they wouldn't see us hear me coming.

When I heard the sound of snapping branches as some unseen animal off to my right sprang into action, I instinctively reached for my camera, which was hanging on a shoulder strap against my right hip. My right hand wrapped around the D500's grip, index finger poised above the shutter release. My left cupped the 200-500mm zoom lens.

It was then that I saw the big cat - a mountain lion - leap across the road, no more than 100 feet from me, and continue its sprint. Raising the camera to my eye, I was pivoting at the waist to follow the cat's movement. I caught a brief flash of its head in the viewfinder, pressed my thumb against the AF-ON button, and mashed the shutter release while continuing to pan.

One second later, I lost the animal amidst a dense tangle of fallen branches, raised my head to peer over the camera, and saw the cougar sprinting up a slope toward the top of a low mesa.

Five seconds had passed since I'd heard the mountain lion break from cover. Now, it was gone. Had it been stalking the same pronghorn family I'd been watching?

My heart was racing, and I sat down at the base of a tree, trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. Had I really just had a close encounter with a mountain lion?" - Bill Ferris

Photo: Meike

Meike has announced the SE Series 85mm F1.8 Mark II lens for full-frame L mount, Z mount and E mount cameras. The third-party lens manufacturer promises improvements across the board with the updated model, while maintaining its budget-friendly price.

Meike changed the optical design for the second iteration, with the new model featuring 11 elements in 7 groups. The company claims that it has reduced chromatic aberration and improved overall image quality as a result. There are also now 11 aperture blades, compared to 9 in the previous model, with Meike promising "outstanding bokeh."

Image: Meike

The lens can focus as close as 0.65m (2.1'). The previous model offered a minimum focusing distance of 0.85m (2.8'), so photographers who like to get close will get at least a little improvement on that front. It uses a stepping motor for autofocus, which Meike also says is improved for faster focusing compared to the first version.

Meike's 85mm F1.8 is compact and lightweight, coming in at 369g (13 oz) and 100.2mm (3.9") long. It features a 62mm filter thread and a USB-C port for firmware updates.

The Meike 85mm F1.8 SE Mark II lens is available today for L mount, E mount and Z mount for $230.

Meike SE Series 85mm F1.8 Mark II specifications:

Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2017. We’re republishing it now as a resource for photographers looking for insight into capturing the Aurora during the current auroral event.

After publishing my recent 2017 Gear of the Year article, in which I highlighted a lens I used for shooting the aurora borealis, numerous people reached out to ask if I would write a follow-up article on how to photograph auroras. So, I decided to team up with DPReview contributor, astrophotographer, and aurora tour guide, José Francisco Salgado, to share some insight into capturing this amazing natural phenomena.

The aurora is the Earth's own special effects show, seen here from Grundarfjörður, Iceland. ISO 2500 | 30 sec. | F2.8 Photo by José Franciso Salgado

What causes the lights?

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are natural displays of light that occur in the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere due to interaction between charged particles from the Sun and the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.

The Sun releases charged particles (including electrons) into space in a continuous stream, called solar wind, as well as in sudden and violent releases called Coronal Mass Ejections. Several days after leaving the Sun, these particles can reach our planet. Most are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field, but some find themselves inside the magnetic field and populate reservoirs within the field. Different events, including interactions with the solar wind, accelerate these particles towards an oval around the magnetic poles.

The Northern Lights are produced when these charged particles, guided by the magnetic field of the Earth, precipitate through the atmosphere and collide with nitrogen and oxygen. These collisions lead to atomic processes called ionization and excitation, which result in the emission of lights of varying color. A corresponding phenomenon in the southern hemisphere is called the Southern Lights, or aurora australis.

The aurora occurs when charged particles, guided by the Earth's magnetic field, collide with nitrogen molecules and oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere. ISO 6400 | 3 sec. | F2.8 Photo by José Francisco Salgado

Getting to where the auroras are visible

Auroras are typically produced in a band known as the auroral zone, which can be 3° to 6° wide in latitude and between 10° and 20° from the geomagnetic poles. This means that auroras are normally seen at very high latitudes (north and south). The region where auroras occur at any given time is called called the auroral oval. Auroras are also produced in the dayside of the Earth, but since sunlight is about a million times brighter this renders them invisible during the day.

Although it's easier to see auroras at higher latitudes, solar activity can cause the auroral oval to enlarge, making them visible at lower latitudes, including the northern regions of the continental US. Since geomagnetic activity responds to solar activity several days later, it's possible to forecast auroral activity to help with your planning.

NOAA provides long-term (3 days) and short-term (30 min) aurora forecasts online. Also, there are several alert systems including email notifications from spaceweather.com or smartphone apps that can provide alerts when the aurora is active at your location, such as My Aurora Forecast & Alerts (iPhone; Android) and Aurorasaurus (iPhone; Android).

NOAA's 30-minute forecast shows the intensity and location of the aurora forecast for the time shown at the top of the map.

When Northern Lights are forecast to be visible, find an open field with an unobstructed view of the north. If you don't want to wait for that to happen, or if you want to see the most intense aurora, you'll need to move to higher latitudes. Before traveling to a particular northern location, consider three factors:

• Is the location within the auroral zone?
• Is the weather usually clear at that location during the month you're planning to visit? (Clouds occur at much lower altitudes than auroras, which occur above 100 km.)
• Will local light pollution impede your observations and photography? The website Lightpolutionmap.info can be of assistance here.

Some locations to consider are:

• Fairbanks, Alaska
• Yellowknife, NT, Canada
• Churchill, MB, Canada
• Outside Reykjavik, Iceland
• Norwegian Lapland, Norway
• Swedish Lapland, Sweden
• Finnish Lapland, Finland

Some locations to see the aurora australis:

• Stewart Island, New Zealand
• Ushuaia, Argentina
• Antarctica

Photographing the Northern (or Southern) Lights is not very difficult, but you do need to get to a location where you can see them. One of the advantages of shooting from frozen lakes in Yellowknife, Canada, is the unobstructed views they provide of the entire sky. ISO 5000 | 5 sec. | F2.8

Remember, locations at extreme latitudes will have almost no nighttime close to the summer solstice, so avoid visiting these place from mid-April to mid-August in the northern hemisphere, or mid-October to mid-February in the southern hemisphere.

Equipment

There’s no ‘correct’ gear for taking pictures of the auroras, but having the right equipment can translate into higher quality images and provide more creative options.

Camera: A camera with a full frame sensor will provide better high ISO performance than those with smaller sensors. That said, modern sensors are extraordinarily good, and it’s possible to get great aurora photos even if you don’t have a full frame sensor, so don’t let that stop you. On a recent trip, some friends of ours captured great aurora pictures using a Sony RX100 III, a camera with a 1”-type sensor.

This photo was captured using a Sony RX100 III, a camera with a 1"-type sensor. The Big Dipper and Ursa Major can be seen in the sky behind the aurora. ISO 3200 | 6 sec. | F1.8 Photo by Steve and Colleen McClure

Lens: A fast, wide lens will let you capture as much light as possible. Anything wider than 24mm will work, though a 14mm or 16mm lens will allow for more dramatic shots. A lens with a maximum aperture of F2.8 is a good starting point, but faster is better. For example, a lens with an aperture of F1.8 has 2.5x the light gathering ability of a F2.8 lens. That’s a big difference in low light.

Tripod: Exposures are usually measured in seconds, so a sturdy tripod is a must. ‘Sturdy’ is the key word. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, state of the art carbon fiber model. As long as it holds your camera steady it will do the trick.

There are some optional accessories worth considering as well. If you plan to capture time-lapse sequences, an intervalometer is required, and these are included on many cameras today. A remote trigger, such as a cable release or smartphone app, will make it easy to trigger the shutter without touching your camera. Finally, since you’re working in the dark, a headlamp that allows you to see what you’re doing while leaving your hands free to work will be useful. (Fellow observers will appreciate you using a headlamp with a red light.)

Taking photos

Shooting aurora isn’t technically difficult, but every night is different and you may need to experiment a bit. It’s best to operate your camera in manual mode, with manual focus, for predictable, consistent results.

File format: Set your camera to capture Raw files. This provides the best image quality and the most latitude for making adjustments in post processing, particularly useful if you need to tweak settings like exposure or white balance. Don't depend on a manufacturer’s baked-in Jpeg profile.

Focus: Focusing directly on the aurora is little bit like trying to focus on smoke. Fortunately, relative to your position, the aurora is effectively at infinity. It may be tempting to just rotate the focus ring on your lens to the infinity marker, but on many lenses that’s really more of an approximation.

Aurora in Canada's Northwest Territories. ISO 3200 | 4 sec. | F2.8 Photo by Dale Baskin

If you’re focusing at night, use your camera’s live view feature. Point the camera at the brightest star you can see, magnify the view to the maximum, and rotate the focus ring until the disk of the star looks the smallest. Once you think you’ve achieved critical focus, take a test shot and review the image for sharpness. If adjustment is needed, repeat.

Once focus is achieved, a useful technique is to lock the focus ring in place with gaffer’s tape to prevent it from moving. Alternatively, you can place marks on the lens with a marker in order to return the ring to the same position. These methods can also be used if you want to focus on a distant object during the day and save the focus position for later.

Aperture: Set your lens to its widest aperture to let in as much light as possible. If you’re concerned about optical performance wide open you can stop the lens down a bit, but doing so will quickly reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor. If at all possible, shoot at F2.8 or wider.

Shutter speed: Optimal shutter speed will depend on the brightness of the aurora and how quickly it’s moving. A short shutter speed will capture detail and structure that would otherwise be averaged out over a longer exposure. On the other hand, a slight motion blur can make an aurora photo more aesthetically pleasing. Take a few test shots to find the optimal balance, but 5-10 seconds is a good starting point to work from.

If the lights are dancing around quickly, shorter shutter speeds will let you capture more of the detail and structure of the aurora that would be otherwise be averaged out in a longer exposure. ISO 1600 | 3.2 sec. | F1.8 Photo by Dale Baskin

ISO: Set your ISO to the highest level that gives you acceptably clean results on your camera. This will allow you to keep shutter speeds as low as possible in order to capture more detail in the aurora. Depending on conditions, you may be able to get by with ISO 800, though you may have to go to 6400 or higher.

Long exposure noise reduction: If you’re planning to take individual photos, turning this on will provide some benefit; however, it will effectively double exposure time while the camera shoots a dark frame. If you plan to shoot time-lapse sequences, leave this feature off to avoid long delays between exposures.

Other considerations

Embrace the landscape. Part of what makes the aurora interesting are the remote places where it’s frequently seen. In Alaska, photos may contain mountains. In northern Canada, it might be silhouettes of trees in the taiga forest. Iceland might present you with glaciers. Each place is unique and part of the story behind the photo.

Embrace landscape features and even man-made objects to enhance your aurora photos. ISO 6400 | 8 sec. | F2.8 Photo by José Francisco Salgado

When creating compositions, think about other features or objects you could include. Snow and water can reflect light from the aurora, though in very different ways. Man-made structures can provide interesting elements in a scene or silhouettes. Since a wide aperture will produce a shallow depth of field, avoid objects close to the camera unless you want them to be way out of focus on purpose.

Know your equipment. Depending on where you are, aurora can quickly go from being a slow, undulating wave to a rapidly moving, multi-colored light show. Be prepared to shift gears and adjust your settings quickly to avoid missing great photo opportunities.

Finally, be patient. Mother Nature works on her own schedule, and you’ll need to work around it. If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying. It’s worth it.

Photo: Sony

Lens names can be quite complicated, with some brands including every detail about the lens in their name. Thankfully, Sony takes a more simplistic approach. Its lens names are generally concise and straightforward, without an extensive list of acronyms and abbreviations to decipher. Still, there are some terms included in Sony lens names that are important to understand.

Lens format

Before the focal length of the lens, Sony includes information about what size sensor the lens is compatible with.

FE and E

The E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II lens is designed for APS-C cameras, as the 'E' at the start of the lens name shows. Image: Sony

First and foremost, as with other companies, Sony includes a lens's sensor compatibility at the very beginning of a lens name. Lenses that start with FE, such as the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II, are designed for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras. These can be used on any Sony E mount camera, including its crop sensor offerings.

The E at the start of a Sony lens name means that it is made for the company's APS-C mirrorless cameras. While these lenses will work on Sony's full-frame E mount cameras, they cover a smaller image circle and will result in heavy vignetting (black corners). You can set the camera to crop automatically to avoid vignetting, but doing so means the camera will use a smaller APS-C-sized portion of the sensor.

Lens features

After the focal length and maximum aperture, there may be a few other abbreviations, depending on the lens. These refer to either specific lens features or the lens lineup to which it belongs.

OSS

The FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS offers optical stabilization. Image: Sony

OSS stands for 'Optical SteadyShot.' This terminology is Sony's phrasing for optical stabilization. As with any other brand's stabilization, it aims to reduce blur from camera shake when using slower shutter speeds.

PZ

A 'PZ' in the lens name means that it offers power zoom capabilities. This feature isn't exclusive to Sony; Canon, for example, also manufactures power zoom lenses and adapters. Power zoom lenses enable motorized control of the zoom ring, making it ideal for smooth and consistent zoom operation during video work.

DDSSM, RDSSM and XD

Sony also uses acronyms to refer to its brand-specific autofocus motors. These autofocus motor acronyms aren't in the lens names, but you will see them mentioned in lens descriptions. The Direct Drive Super Sonic wave Motor, abbreviated as DDSSM, is designed for precision autofocus with larger and heavier full-frame lenses. Sony promises quiet autofocus from these motors, making them ideal for video applications.

The Ring Drive Super Sonic Wave Motor (RDSSM) is a piezoelectric motor that promises smooth, precise and silent autofocus operation. Lastly, the Extreme Dynamic Linear Motor (XD LM) is Sony's version of a linear motor, developed to offer higher thrust and efficiency, allowing it to meet the demands of high-speed cameras.

Lens series

Sony's lens lineup also includes various lens classes to meet the needs of different types of creatives. These include its in-house classifications, the G and GM series, and a series of lenses that also feature Zeiss branding.

G, GM

The FE 50-150mm F2 GM is part of Sony's top-tier GM lineup. Image: Sony

You may see either 'G' or 'GM' in Sony lens names. These refer to specific Sony lens lineups. The G lineup, which stands for Gold Standard, is Sony's advanced enthusiast series of lenses that sits above the company's basic kit lenses. They promise good sharpness, reliable autofocus and weather sealing. They come at lower prices than Sony's top-tier lenses, and, as a result, offer slightly slower maximum apertures and less specialized optical formulas.

GM stands for G Master, which is Sony's top-of-the-line series. GM lenses are professional-grade and designed for the most demanding photographers and videographers. They feature advanced optical designs for maximum sharpness and clarity, more robust weather sealing, faster autofocus motors, improved bokeh and faster maximum apertures. Of course, all of those improvements come with a larger, heavier build and higher prices than other Sony lenses.

Sonnar T*, Vario-Sonnar T*, Distagon T*, or Planar T*

The Sonnar E 24mm F1.8 ZA lens was made in collaboration with Zeiss. Image: Sony

Some Sony lenses may have additional words before the lens format, plus a 'ZA' (Zeiss Alpha) at the end. These lenses are co-branded with Zeiss, the German optics company, which provided support to Sony throughout the optical design and development process. ZA lenses sit above the G range, promising improved performance over G lenses. However, Sony appears to have stopped licensing the Zeiss name after it began developing its GM series of lenses, which meet even more stringent standards than those required by the Zeiss collaboration.

Sonnar lenses, such as the Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA, use an optical design originally developed by Dr. Ludwig Bertele in 1930. These are prime lenses that are relatively simple in design, lightweight and offer fast maximum apertures. Vario-Sonnar lenses also use the Sonnar optical design, but with zoom capability. Like the prime versions, they are designed to be compact but with greater flexibility, thanks to the zoom capabilities.

The Distagon FE 35mm F1.4 ZA is also a co-branded lens from Sony and Zeiss. Image: Sony

The Distagon lens design was created in 1952 to produce quality results from wide-angle lenses. As a result, Distagon lenses, such as the Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA, are all wide-angle lenses. They also offer fast maximum apertures.

Lenses with 'Planar' in the name, such as the Sony Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA, use the Zeiss Double-Gauss design. These promise low distortion and excellent flat field sharpness, which is ideal for edge-to-edge detail.

You'll notice that all of these lenses have 'T*' in the name. That designation refers to the T* coating, which promises improved color fidelity and image clarity.

A cut-in half Canon EF 400mm F2.8L IS II lens from 2010, shown surrounded by all the components from which it's made, in the foyer of Canon's Utsunomiya factory. Photo: Richard Butler

"RF lenses are better," said Go Tokura, head of Canon's Imaging Group: "they are adjusted digitally, giving more consistent results."

These words tumbled around my head as the Tohoku Shinkansen raced us from Tokyo towards the Canon lens factory in Utsunomiya, about 110km (70mi) north of the capital.

I'd been fortunate enough to be seated at Tokura's table at dinner the night before. Despite the language barrier, we were able to talk a little about lenses over scribbled sample variance graphs. It had been clear he wasn't referring to digital distortion corrections, but I couldn't be totally sure what he meant. The Utsunomiya factory is home to both a production facility and much of Canon's lens development facilities, so I was hoping I'd find my answer there, in amongst the messages the company wanted to communicate.

The E5 series train of the Tohoku Shinkansen that took us from Tokyo to Utsunomiya. Photo: Richard Butler

Canon describes Utsunomiya as its flagship lens facility, where it builds its broadcast lenses, as well as many of the high-end, L-series photographic lenses and optics for semiconductor manufacture. Canon also has factories in Taiwan and Malaysia, where many of its less expensive lenses are produced.

Canon says it builds its different products to different tolerances, with L-series super telephoto lenses requiring 15x the precision of the lenses in its point-and-shoot compacts, whereas broadcast lenses are made to 70x the precision and its industrial applications (including equipment for semiconductor lithography) demand tolerances 1500x finer.

That was a recurring aspect of everything we saw in the factory: different processes and varying technologies depending on the scale of production and the cost of the end products. And while, understandably, Canon wanted to demonstrate the highest precision work it does, it was the degree to which this know-how filters down and gets mimicked or adapted to large- and mass-production scales that interested me.

Varying aspherics

A Canon master craftsman demonstrates a glass element following machine polishing. Photo: Richard Butler

For instance, the company says it uses four different types of aspherical elements in its different products. Sometimes the size of the element dictates which technology is used but the production scale: how many it has to make, also plays a critical role.

At one end of the scale are conventional ground glass aspherics, which need to be carefully polished to yield the perfect shape. To achieve the perfect shape, meticulous adjustments must be repeated over and over. It’s a delicate process that demands a significant amount of time and precision.

However, the process is too time-consuming and expensive to apply when you're making large numbers of lenses, so Canon has developed a series of other aspheric technologies. This includes glass molded aspherics, where molten glass is pressed between metal molds. As we this was being explained, it was impossible to ignore the heat and light radiating from the array of large metal and glass equipment stretching to fill the rest of the room. During the time it took to show us glass elements being polished, those molding machines continued their work, pressing and forming element after element.

The $2600 Canon RF50 F1.2L on the left includes a polished glass aspheric element as well as other, unspecified aspherics. The $470 Canon RF1.2 STM on the right uses a less expensive plastic molded aspheric that is more easily produced in large volumes. Photo: Richard Butler

These glass-molded elements still need a degree or polishing, but can be created in much greater numbers. Sitting between these two technologies are what Canon calls "replica aspherics" where a molded resin layer is bonded onto a (compartively easy to make) spherical glass element. We were told this technology has been refined since it was first used on EF lenses, and is now able to deliver several times more deviation from spherical shapes and with several times more accuracy for elements used in the latest RF-mount designs.

Plastic molded aspherics, used in compact camera lenses and the likes of the RF28mm F2.8 STM and the new RF45mm F1.2 STM are made in other facilities, allowing the use of complex elements in lower cost products.

The company says its lens polishers continue to get better, meaning the lens designers can design even more ambitious lenses and know they can be manufactured. But they also say they're constantly trying to recreate some of the skills in automated processes. And it's this ability to produce aspherics on larger scales, and improvements in the quality of those elements that is driving up the performance of a lot of the lenses we encounter.

Material advances

Much of the factory visit was built around showing-off details like this. For instance, Canon demonstrated the Blue Refractive optics glass that bends short wavelengths of light to a greater degree than longer wavelengths, allowing its use to correct axial chromatic aberrations (the colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights). The glass was first used in Canon's EF35mm F1.4 L II USM but has been the continuously developed since then, with an improved version being deployed in the recently released RF20mm F1.4 L VCM. As with the improvements in replica aspheric production, we were told how much more effective the new material was, but asked not to report the specific number.

Assembly and alignment

A Canon technician inspects a lens element before it's installed into an assembly of an RF100-300mm F2.8L IS USM. Photo: Richard Butler

Towards the end of our tour, we followed the assembly process of the RF100-300mm F2.8L IS USM (there are videos on YouTube showing this part of the tour). It's a multi-stage process of assembling, aligning and adjusting lenses, with a series of technicians each focused on one step of the process, overseen by a highly experienced staff member known as a 'meister.'

Much of the process is done by hand, with checks of each process along the way. Then, at the end, one technician's job is to ensure the different groups are correctly aligned. The 100-300mm has 23 elements arranged in 18 groups, and each attempt to correct the alignment of one group or assembly can then highlight an issue with another, resulting in an iterative process, bringing the lens closer and closer to the designed performance level.

This way of working, with around six technicians and a meister, allows Canon to produce nine 100-300mm lenses per day. It has the advantage that the technicians can easily turn their attention to the construction of other lenses, when a batch of 100-300s is complete. The same workstations can also produce Canon's 400, 600, 800 and 1200mm RF lenses, along with the EF400mm F2.8L IS III USM, which we were told is the last EF ultra-tele still in production.

A workstation in which multiple assemblies are brought together as an RF100-300 F2.8L IS USM comes together. Photo: Richard Butler

Further along on the tour we were shown a large rectangular box, the size my last flat in London, full of robotic arms and conveyor belts, that conducts many of the same steps: inserting and UV-bonding circuit ribbons into lens assemblies, adding rollers and springs on which internal cams can move, attaching and assembling the USM motors around the focus groups. Lens elements already positioned in plastic lens assemblies were fed in at one end of the machine and a series of robot arms carefully conduct each step of the process as the lens passes through cubicles within the box, each containing a machine playing the role of a single technician.

The machine we were shown was making EF 24-105mm F4L IS II USM lenses but can be reconfigured to make EF 16-35mm F2.8L III USM: the two lenses having been designed with similar layouts and a high degree of shared componentry to allow one series of robots to build either lens. Unlike the hand-made approach, the whole setup would need to be significantly redesigned and rebuilt to be able to assemble any other lens, at significant investment cost.

A technician iteratively adjusts the different elements of an RF100-300 F2.8L IS USM, carefully monitoring the ways in which each adjustment improves and degrades the performance. Photo: Richard Butler

Alignment checking wasn't done within this machine, instead being conducted later, manually. But we were then whisked past a machine assembling RF lenses and told that this machine performs the iterative process of assessing and fine-tuning lens alignment, automatically. Here was the digital adjustment that Go Tokura had been referring to, when he said that RF-mount lenses are being built to a higher standard and with greater consistency: automated fine-tuning of alignment, in a way that was previously only possible for ultra high-end lenses produced by hand.

Trickle-down technology

It's not just Canon making constant improvements, of course. But it's interesting to get an insight into the small improvements that, cumulatively, have seen lenses improve dramatically over the last ten or so years. Aspherics becoming easier to make and hence more readily used in new lens designs, constant improvement of optical materials and advances in production processes all keep pushing lens performance upwards.

The visit to the Utsunomiya factory let me find out what the head of Canon's camera business, Go Tokura (left) had told me, the evening before. Photo: Canon

The Utsunomiya factory is primarily focused on very high-end lenses, but what stood out to me is the way Canon has tried to adapt its highest-precision but labor-intensive manufacturing methods so that some of those benefits can appear in lenses we can actually afford. I could see why Tokura wanted to share his enthusiasm for that.

This article was prepared as part of visit to Japan paid for by Canon. You can read more about it, including insights from senior managers, in this original article.

Image: Panasonic

Panasonic Lumix Pro Services will be ending in eight European countries and the United Kingdom as of November 30, 2025. The company shared the news on the Lumix Pro support websites for each respective country, as reported by Petapixel.

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are all impacted by the change. These are not the first countries to lose their Pro Services, however. Panasonic shut down its Ireland program in 2022.

"We will be closing our LUMIX PRO service on 30 November 2025."

The support sites have a banner stating, "We will be closing our LUMIX PRO service on 30 November 2025. This step allows us to refocus on new activities designed to better support our customers and creators." It goes on to explain that current members will be able to log in and manage their accounts until December 31, 2025. New registrations haven't been available since September 18, 2025, according to the sites.

Lumix Pro Services is a membership program for Panasonic users that offers prioritized support, extended warranties and other benefits. The program is aimed at professionals, as it helps users get a working camera in their hands faster than without the Pro Services program. This can take the form of faster repairs, loaner equipment or both.

The Lumix Pro Services program in the US has a paid tier with added benefits. Image: Panasonic

The US Pro Lumix Services membership has two tiers: Red and Platinum. The Red tier is free and promises service turnaround times of three to five business days and loaner equipment for repairs that require more than seven business days. The Platinum tier costs $199 per year, but brings additional benefits, including a two-day turnaround time on repairs and loaner gear if the repair takes longer than that. It also offers a member-only hotline, 20% off out-of-warranty repairs, free sensor or EVF cleaning for up to four cameras per year and more.

In the UK and most EU countries, however, Lumix Pro Services was a single-tier membership that was completely free and unlimited. It only required the ownership of one Lumix S camera body. Members then got a seven-day turnaround on repairs at no charge. It offered worthwhile value to Lumix users, but unfortunately, it will no longer be available in the previously mentioned EU countries or the UK.

We reached out to a Panasonic spokesperson, who made it clear that there are no planned changes for Lumix Pro Services in the United States. They weren't able to provide any additional insight into changes in the other countries, however.

Canon RF45 F.2 STM | F1.2 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100 Processed with Adobe Camera Raw, distortion profile applied, vignetting correction off Photo: Richard Butler

The Canon RF45mm F1.2 STM is the company's unexpectedly bright addition to its budget STM range of lenses. It offers a super-bright aperture with a near 'normal' focal length, in a package costing under $/£/€500

It's the same basic idea as Nikon's 35 and 50mm F1.4 lenses: a more compact, more affordable fast prime for full frame. Not necessarily offering the same levels of sharpness as the more expensive options, instead allowing some imperfection in the name of affordability and 'character.'

But whereas the Nikon releases were met with some confusion, as the F1.4 lenses unexpectedly sit below a series of sharper but slower F1.8 lenses, Canon's eye-catching use of a slightly brighter aperture seems to have grabbed more attention.

But how does it perform? We took it a pre-production copy and shot it on the highest-resolution RF-mount body currently available, to see how it looks.

The first thing you'll notice is significant vignetting, which can be corrected to some degree by the camera's JPEG engine. As you might also expect from such a bright lens with such a small front element, there's also a fair degree of mechanical vignetting in the bokeh, giving a cats' eye effect.

The lens can be pretty sharp, without the dreaminess that was common on DSLR-era F1.2 lenses at wider apertures, but the slightly slow, autofocus that you can feel shuffling back and forth when in continuous AF may be contributing to not all the portraits being as sharp as they could be.

See for yourself whether this fast, compact normal is worth the trade-offs.

Canon RF45 F1.2 STM sample Gallery

With thanks to Lensrentals for the loan of the Canon EOS R5 II used for this gallery.

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Image: Godox

Godox has announced a modular lighting system designed for photographers who use multiple camera systems. The system consists of the iT32 Mini Flash and the X5 Wireless Flash Trigger, which acts as both an interchangeable hot shoe and a wireless trigger. It allows users to switch seamlessly between camera brands and supports both on- and off-camera use.

The standout feature of the new lighting system is the modular, versatile design. It uses a magnetic interface to connect the X5 to the iT32, allowing for speedy setup. The X5 comes in versions for every major camera system, so cross-brand shooters can pick up multiple versions of the X5 instead of needing separate flash units for each camera.

The iT32 flash unit can automatically detect the X5 model. Image: Godox

When attached, the iT32 flash is able to automatically detect the X5 version. The flash will then display the model type, battery level and charging status on the screen. When detached from a flash unit, the X5 automatically switches to trigger mode and can wirelessly control the iT32 and other Godox Wireless X System flashes. That means users can use the X5 for multi-light setups. Because the iT32 does not have its own hot shoe, users will need at least one X5 module for on-camera use.

Beyond the modular design, the iT32 flash is pretty standard. It features a touchscreen display, a built-in reflector and diffuser and an LED modeling light. The flash head can rotate 270° and tilt 90°. It offers a guide number of 18 meters (59') and users can control it wirelessly from up to 80 meters (263') away. However, the range for separated triggering drops to 20 meters (66'). It supports TTL and manual control.

The iT32 offers fast sync speeds of up to 1/8000 sec, or 1/80,000 sec with Sony cameras equipped with a global shutter. The flash duration can be as short as 1/30,000 sec, and Godox promises a 1.5-second recycle time and up to 510 full-power flashes. It recharges via USB-C.

The Godox iT32 Mini Flash & X5 TTL Wireless Flash Trigger are both available for pre-order now. The iT32 costs $79, while the X5 for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Panasonic/OM System cameras costs $20. The Sony X5 version costs slightly more at $25. You can also purchase it as a kit that includes the iT32 and one X5 for $99 ($104 for the Sony version).

Preorder now:

Rivers are the transportation corridors of the Amazon, where roads are few and far between. I captured this photo of a riverboat pushing a barge loaded with cattle in Brazil while traveling the entire length of the Amazon River by boat. Canon PowerShot G7 | F4 | 1/200 sec. | ISO 100 Photo: Dale Baskin

Our November Editors' photo challenge theme is "Compact Camera Bonanza."

This month, we're celebrating the power and creativity of the compact camera. Share your best shots taken with a camera with a built-in lens – no interchangeable lenses allowed! Our favorite images will be featured in an article on DPReview later this month. (Please note that photos taken with smartphones, drones or tablets do not qualify for this challenge.)

Photos can be submitted between Sunday, November 16, and Saturday, November 22 (GMT). The challenge is open to photos captured at any time.

Important: Images MUST include a title and a caption of at least 25 words to be eligible. We need to be able to share the story behind your photo. We will consider both photos and captions when selecting our winners, so make sure to tell us that story!

Visit the challenge page to read the full rules and to submit your photos for consideration as soon as the challenge opens.

Visit the challenge page to see the full rules

This week, we saw some exciting new releases from Canon: the EOS R6 III and the RF 45mm F1.2 STM lens. The latest iteration of the R6 may appear to be a relatively small update on paper, but the changes that Canon implemented are ones that actually make a difference. That includes a new sensor with faster readout and improved video capture. And while the camera is certainly compelling, we think the lens is just as interesting. It's remarkably small and affordable for being an F1.2 lens, after all.

In our roundtable discussion this week, Dale Baskin, Richard Butler, Mitchell Clark, and Abby Ferguson sat down to discuss Canon's latest camera and how it compares to the competition. Of course, we don't leave out the lens, either, with Richard surprising us by revealing just how low the price is.

If you want to learn more about the Canon EOS R6 III, check out our initial review or our first look video. Or, if you're interested in the lens, you can learn more in a separate article and a hands-on video.

Kodak Gold 200 and Ultramax 400 now have new packaging with the classic Kodak logo. Images: Kodak

Just over a month ago, Kodak surprised film photographers with the introduction of Kodacolor 100 and 200, two (sort of) new 35mm film options. While the release of Kodacolor was exciting enough for film fans, there was something even more notable: Eastman Kodak was distributing the film directly, not through Kodak Alaris. Now, the company has quietly added two more film stocks to its in-house distribution list.

The move marks a subtle yet potentially significant shift for Eastman Kodak, which hasn't distributed its own still picture film in over a decade. That's because in 2013, Eastman Kodak sold its public-facing film business to Kodak Alaris as part of the resolution of Eastman Kodak's 2012 bankruptcy.

Since then, Eastman Kodak has manufactured the film, but as soon as it left the Rochester, New York factory, Alaris took over the marketing and distribution under the Kodak Professional brand. Eastman Kodak maintained distribution of its motion picture film, but Alaris handled consumer still films. The Alaris film features Kodak Professional branding, with a distinct look that differs from the Eastman Kodak logo and design.

Eastman Kodak quietly released Kodacolor 100 and 200 last month. Images: Kodak

When Eastman Kodak quietly released Kodacolor 100 and 200 at the end of September, it handled sales directly for the first time since the bankruptcy restructuring. Alaris was not part of the marketing, distribution or branding process. Instead, Kodacolor comes in packaging branded with the classic Eastman Kodak logo, not the Kodak Professional brand.

Now, the Kodak website also lists Kodak Gold 200 and Ultramax 400, two film stocks previously distributed by Alaris. Like the Kodacolor films, they have been repackaged in Kodak-branded boxes, ditching the Kodak Professional name. Gold 200 and Ultramax 400 appear to be the same film that photographers are already familiar with, just with updated packaging.

In Eastman Kodak's recent Q3 financial results, the company briefly mentioned the release of its new film stock and its plans. "More recently, our [Advanced Materials and Chemicals] unit’s film business launched still films, which will be sold directly to distributors, giving Kodak greater control over our participation in the consumer film market and providing distributors, retailers and consumers with more stable pricing and a broader, more reliable supply," the report said.

A sample image of Kodacolor 200. Image: Kodak

It isn't clear what this means for the relationship between Eastman Kodak and Kodak Alaris. At the time of writing, Alaris still appears to be the distributor for other Kodak film stocks, including Portra, Ektar, Tri-X, T-Max, ColorPlus and all sheet films. Interestingly, at the time of writing, Kodak Gold 200 and Ultramax 400 are still listed on the Kodak Professional website, though the new Kodacolor options are not.

There has been speculation that the move could result in lower prices for Kodak film, which is what Kodak appears to suggest in its Q3 financials. However, only time will tell what it actually means for Kodak's film business and how that impacts consumers.

Canon EOS R6 III | Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM | 70mm | F5.6 | 1/80 sec | ISO 1000

This week, Canon announced the EOS R6 III, a new enthusiast-level camera that it says is aimed at both stills and video shooters. It features a 33MP full-frame FSI sensor that debuted in the cinema-focused EOS C50, but which is new to the consumer-focused mirrorless market.

We were able to spend some time shooting with the camera in Seattle and Los Angeles, to see how the sensor performs in a variety of situations. If you're more curious about the video side of things, we also shot our first look video with it, and it contains plenty of sample footage. You can watch it below.

See the sample gallery

Sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

First look video

Image: Leica

Leica has announced a new addition to its Reporter design series with the Leica SL3 Reporter. As with other models in the special design lineup, the SL3 uses the classic dark green color and promises better durability.

Leica's Reporter design series consists of rugged, limited-edition versions of Leica cameras. It consists of the Q2 Reporter, Q2 Monochrom Reporter and SL2-S Reporter, with the SL3 becoming the fourth model in the lineup.

Image: Leica

The SL3 Reporter features a scratch-resistant dark green finish, a popular option for Leica fans. It also uses an aramid fabric cover, a type of ultra-strong synthetic fiber known for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, superb heat resistance and generally high durability. Kevlar, the personal protective equipment brand, is the most commonly known version of aramid. The SL3 already offers an IP54 rating, and this rugged material promises even better durability.

Leica also added a new trim with a unique texture on the SL3 Reporter. The company says it provides an improved grip. On the design front, the camera uses black controls and dark green paint. It lacks the red Leica logo, which Leica says "serves to emphasize the SL3 Reporter’s suitability for challenging working environments." Indeed, this design choice helps avoid drawing attention to the camera as an expensive item in sensitive situations.

Image: Leica

Specs-wise, the SL3 Reporter is exactly the same as the original SL3. That includes a 60-megapixel BSI sensor, 5-axis in-body image stabilization, hybrid phase/contrast-detect autofocus and DCI 8K video.

The Leica SL3 Reporter is available for purchase now for $7995, which is $500 more than the current price of the SL3.

2025 Pano Awards

The winners of the 16th Epson International Pano Awards have been announced, featuring images that showcase vast landscapes and architectural marvels. The 2025 competition drew more than 4,500 entries by hundreds of professional and amateur photographers around the world. Participants could enter into the professional or amateur categories, with subcategories for Nature/Landscape and Built Environment/Architecture.

Beyond prizes for each category, the contest also features special awards. These include the Southeast Asia Open Photographer of the Year, chosen by the executive team at Epson Southeast Asia. Similarly, the Epson Digital Art Prize is decided by the executive team at Epson Australia, and to be considered, entries must show excellence in digital post-processing and photographic technique.

The Raw Planet Award is for the highest scoring stitched image in the Open competition. The image must use limited software processing except stitching for this award. The Curator's Award is selected by curator David Evans for his favorite image in the competition.

Images submitted to the contest use a 2:1 aspect ratio to fit the accepted definition of panorama. Entries can be stitched or cropped from multiple or single exposures, and images may be taken at any focal length. Post-production is allowed, but the contest specifies that excessive manipulation may result in a lower score if it isn't well executed. AI-generated images and elements are not allowed.

You can see the top 100 winners of each category at the Pano Awards website.

Image by Alex Wides.

Open Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Alex Wides

Country: Italy

Award(s): Open Photographer of the Year, First Place Nature/Landscape Category

Image title: Last Fireworks

Image location: Algeria

Caption: 360° panorama captured in the Algerian Desert

The 10-day nomad trip to Algeria turned out to be one of the best adventures ever.
After many nights crossing dunes and climbing rocky ridges, I reached a remote viewpoint on the last evening of this amazing expedition.

As the sun went down, the sky literally exploded... layer after layer of clouds lit up, painting the desert with fire and gold.
Using my Sony A7 IV with a fisheye lens on a tripod, I captured a full multi-exposure sequence at f/8 and ISO 100, rotating carefully around the nodal point to create a seamless 360° panorama.

That sunset felt like a farewell, the last blaze of light closing with "fireworks" one of the most meaningful journeys I’ve ever taken.

alexwides.com
Instagram: @alexwides_panoramas
Facebook: facebook.com/alexwidespanoramics/

Winner Open Built Environment / Architecture

Photographer: Vitaly Golovatyuk

Country: China

Award(s): Open Runner-Up, First Place Built Environment Category, Highest Scoring Aerial Image and Highest Scoring Vertical Image

Image title: Not A Tiny HK Island

Image location: Hong Kong Island

Caption: This aerial photograph was captured from Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, at sunset. As a technical experiment, I manually shot a 48-image panorama using a DJI Phantom 3 Pro.

The final artwork is the result of meticulously stitching and inverting the composite, transforming the city and sky into a mesmerizing, abstract landscape.

Upon its initial release, the image captivated a global audience, overwhelming my Instagram with an unexpected and passionate response.

panvelvet.com
IG @panvelvet

Southeast Asia Open Photographer of the Year

Photographer: William Chua

Country: Singapore

Award(s): Southeast Asia Open Photographer of the Year

Image title: Wildebeest Migration in Kenya

Image location: Kenya

Caption: I’ve been to many places across Africa, but Kenya still remains one of my favourites. Although I’ve witnessed the wildebeest migration countless times, it never ceases to amaze me. Last year, I found myself back in Kenya once again. Photographing the migration is never easy — it demands lots of patience and of cos a touch of luck.

After several hours of waiting, we finally saw the wildebeests moving. It’s always a breathtaking moment to witness the crossing. As a photographer, you have to pace yourself, stay calm amid the chaos, and think carefully about how to frame the story unfolds before you. For this image, what caught my attention was a lone wildebeest turning back amidst the frenzy. In that instant, I knew that was the shot I wanted.

Instagram @wildlife_photo_by_william_chua and @william_chua_photography
facebook.com/williamchuaphotography
tiktok.com/@williamchuaphotography

Amateur Photographer of the Year

Photographer: Kevin Nyun

Country: United States

Award(s): Amateur Photographer of the Year, First Place Nature/Landscape Category

Image title: The Altiplano Landscape

Image location: Altiplano, Bolivia

Caption: This image was from my last morning in the Bolivia highland. We have been unlucky with the weather for three straight days and the clouds finally cleared at that moment. Bolivia highland, to my knowledge, is less explored due to the difficulty of reaching remote locations and the high altitude of almost 5000 meters. On top of that, snow was quite early this year, and I was in awe seeing the red dessert mixed with fresh white powder. I will never know when I will get to have a moment like this in the future, so I quickly launched my drone and used the pano tool to compose this image. The total number of images in this composition is 21 images single exposure stitched in Lightroom and processed through Lightroom and Photoshop.

Winner Amateur Built Environment / Architecture

Photographer: Pedro Nogales

Country: Spain

Award(s): Amateur Runner-Up, First Place Built Environment Category

Image title: Through the palette

Image location: Madrid (Spain)

Caption: This photograph depicts one of the four towers that shape the financial district of the Spanish capital. More specifically, it's the PwC Tower, which is the third highest skyscraper in Spain (236 m or 775 ft). Its surroundings merge with garden areas, which connect the spaces between these concrete giants.

The skyscraper peaks through an opening that inevitably brings a painter's palette to our minds, while inviting us to imagine a world created before being depicted. Within this frame, the tower ascends into the sky, manifesting the modernity and avant-garde design of this architectonic complex.

Certainly, it's the perfect place for a minimalist architecture photograph.

VR / 360 Award

*The full immersive image is viewable at the Pano Awards website.

Photographer: Cristoph Simon

Country: Germany

Award: VR/360 winner

Image title: Hverarönd Aurora

Image location: Hverarönd geothermal area, Iceland

Caption: This panorama was taken on a freezing March night in the high-temperature region of Hverarönd in northern Iceland. It was an awe-inspiring experience to stand alone in this surreal lunar landscape, surrounded by the hissing and sulphurous scent of the solfataras and fumaroles, as the delicate green of a single aurora arc transformed into a powerful substorm within minutes, and the Northern Lights danced above and around me in intense colors.

To achieve the highest possible image quality despite the wide aperture, I photographed a relatively tight pattern with large overlaps (2x6+N+Z) with a 15mm fisheye lens. It was important to be quick to minimize stitching errors between the individual images. On the one hand, the aurora borealis was noticeably moving, and on the other, the vapor columns of the solfataras were constantly rotating due to the constantly changing wind direction. Despite the somewhat challenging conditions, I was able to capture several 360° images during this overwhelming light show. An experience of a lifetime!

www.360-grad-sachsen.de
Blog www.360-grad-sachsen.de/panorama-blog
Facebook www.facebook.com/360GradSachsen and www.facebook.com/christoph.simon.10

Epson Digital Art Prize

Photographer: Daniel Viñé Garcia

Country: Spain

Award(s): Epson Digital Art Prize, third place Open Built Environment Category

Image title: Tides of Tradition

Image location: Hoi An, Vietnam

Caption: In this coastal village of Vietnam, survival is woven in silence. These women, working in morning shade and salt-laden air, are the unseen guardians of sustenance. The nets they mend are not mere tools, but lifelines binding sea and community together.

Their anonymity turns them from individuals into archetypes — the enduring backbone of a tradition that predates memory. What the ocean tears apart, they restore, ensuring that each tide can return with promise. They do not face the waves, yet the sea depends on their hands.

danielvgphoto.com
Instagram @danielvgphoto

Curators Award

Photographer: Chris Byrne

Country: United States

Award(s): Curators Award

Image title: Elysium

Image location: Mount Rainier, Washington

Caption: During the late summer months of August the high alpine areas of Mount Rainier in Washington come alive with wildflowers. Starting at the lower elevations and then working into bloom at higher elevations as the days go on. This particular year I had quite a bit of time to explore this park and made three or four hikes on separate occasions up to this location with my main purpose to photograph a tarn that had a perfect reflection of this glorious mountain. And each time that I did that hike, this field of lupine just kept getting better and better. On my final trek up there for the season with a very good friend of mine, we were all alone breathing in the fresh mountain air and listening to the birds watching this scene of a perfect meadow and mountain unfold before our eyes. As some storm clouds started blowing out to the east I knew that there would be a gap on the horizon and purposefully waited until the very last rays of the sun gave the field of flowers that beautiful side and back light for the depth that I wanted in the image. Just a minute after pressing the shutter the light and drama was gone.

chrisbyrnephotography.com
instagram @chrisbyrnephotography
www.facebook.com/ChrisByrnePhoto

Raw Planet Award

Photographer: Daniel Viñé Garcia

Country: Spain

Award(s): RAW Planet Award

Image title: Cathedral of Shadows

Image location: Hanksville, Utah

Caption: The day I captured this image, the desert felt endless. During our journey through the American Southwest, one place had always fascinated me—Factory Butte, an isolated monolith surrounded by a labyrinth of badlands. I launched my drone into the still evening air, exploring the textures and lines carved by centuries of erosion. Then, just as the sun dipped low, the summit cast its immense shadow across the land. I realized I was witnessing a fleeting alignment of light and form, so I captured a full 360° panorama—revealing the sun blazing on one side, the vast shadow stretching on the other, and the raw, timeless silence of Utah in between.

danielvgphoto.com
Instagram @danielvgphoto

Second Place Open Nature / Landscape

Photographer: Marina Cano

Country: Spain

Image title: Sacred Nature

Image location: Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Second Place Open Built Environment

Photographer: Peter Li

Country: Great Britain

Image title: Ambisnaena

Image location: Musei Vaticani, Vatican City

Second Place Amateur Nature / Landscape

Photographer: Luis Cajete

Country: Spain

Image title: The Wave

Image location: Arizona (USA)

Second Place Amateur Open Built Environment

Photographer: Agnes Anna Sadowski

Country: Germany

Image title: Great Wall

Image location: China

Third Place Open Nature / Landscape

Photographer: Alex Wides

Country: Italy

Image title: Jackpot

Image location: Rago National Park, Norway

Caption: 360° panorama captured in Northern Norway

I first discovered this location about four years ago through a photo that completely captivated me... a suspended lake spilling into a valley, where an epic river carved a perfect serpent of water through the landscape. I told myself: one day, I have to photograph this place.

In 2022 I passed not far from it, but my work took the Lofoten Islands and I missed the chance, for two more years the dream remained on hold.
In the summer of 2024 I was finally close again, but the weather was brutal... ten straight days with no clear window to hike up.

After finishing my tours on Senja Island, I decided to try once more. The first attempt gave me only fog, grey skies, and disappointment. Still, I couldn’t give up. The next evening, I hiked back up with fresh supplies, hoping for a good weather window.

When I opened the tent… "Jackpot".
The sky exploded in a spectacular half hour of Northern Lights. I captured the full 360° panorama using a Sony A7 IV with a fisheye lens at f/3.5, for 4 seconds, ISO 16000... This was a perfect reward after years of waiting. In that moment, everything came together: the place, the light, my satisfaction.

This is Norway... tough, unpredictable, but when it gives, it gives in style.

Third Place Amateur Nature / Landscape

Photographer: Julio Castro Pardo

Country: Spain

Image title: Alien Throne

Image location: Valley of Dreams, New Mexico (USA)

Third Place Amateur Open Built Environment

Photographer: Florian Kriechbaumer

Country: UAE

Image title: Architectural Playground

Image location: Baku, Azerbaijan

Image: Datacolor

Datacolor, a color management leader, has announced a SpyderPro software update with some surprising changes. The company has introduced the ability to use its Device Preview tool to export files, including Raws, to a range of file types and color spaces. The platform also allows users to add Content Credentials, expanding support for C2PA.

Datacolor introduced its Device Preview feature last year in response to more people exclusively sharing work digitally instead of via print. It gave users the ability to see what their images would look like on a range of different displays, including phones, tablets and desktops. It was fairly limited, though, and the company says it's now rebuilt Device Preview from the ground up, bringing more powerful features to the tool.

Device Preview now supports file exports, side-by-side comparison, zooming, sampling, Content Credentials and more. Image: Datacolor

The most substantial change is that Device Preview Plus now allows users to process and export Raw files from any camera, including iPhone formats and DNGs. It also supports exports of other common file types, with destination file types covering all the expected options, such as TIFF, JPEG and more. Users can also assign color spaces, with support for the increasingly common P3 option.

You can zoom in to examine fine details in the new Device Preview. Image: Datacolor

Users can view side-by-side comparisons of the original and how it will appear on a given device, which can be narrowed down to specific phone and tablet models. It also allows for pixel sampling to see a high-res version even when zoomed in. And it offers batch conversion so that users can export thousands of files at once.

The other major update is that Datacolor has partnered with C2PA to add support for Content Credentials in Device Preview. Users can now choose to embed Content Credentials at the time of export, adding key metadata to show provenance. For now, it provides the option to add a name and website, but Heath Barber, Director of Product Management, says that there are plans to add social media links down the road, too.

The move to add Content Credentials comes at a time when more devices and applications are expanding support for the initiative. "It's going to go into everything that we call the internet; we're just at the very beginning of it," explained Barber. "We wanted to make sure we get ahead of it and incorporate it into a tool because it makes sense, not because it was cool."

You can now add Content Credentials in Datacolor's Device Preview. Image: Datacolor

It makes sense to embed credentials early in the workflow, as it provides a more complete audit trail of any changes made to an image. Currently, cameras that incorporate Content Credentials only offer support for select newsrooms through a paid license. Datacolor's software opens that up to general users, and although it's not at the time of capture, it is early on in a photographer's workflow. That means more history can be captured when using Content Credentials.

For now, Barber says that Datacolor sees the Device Preview workflow being ideal for photographers who aren't doing heavy editing. It serves as an option for users to export files that are optimized to look nice on a wide range of displays and have embedded Content Credentials, without requiring a subscription to editing software. Eventually, though, the company plans to offer a more complete, integrated workflow with other programs.

The Datacolor SpyderPro software update is now available for free to current SpyderPro users. Spyder, SpyderExpress, SpyderX and Spyder X2 owners can upgrade at a discounted price. You can also buy SpyderPro with the latest software for $269.

The Canon EOS R6 III is an enthusiast-class camera with a new 32MP full-frame CMOS sensor, aimed at photographers and videographers who need high burst rates and fast readout speeds.

Key specifications

• 32MP full-frame CMOS sensor
• Built-in image stabilization rated to 8.5EV
• 40fps burst rate w/ pre-capture
• 3.0", 1.62M dot fully-articulating screen
• 7K recording up to 60p (Canon Cinema Raw Lite)
• Oversampled 4K <60p, 4K 120p
• 3:2 Open Gate recording up to 30p

The Canon EOS R6 III will be available from late November at a recommended price of $2799, a $300 premium over the Mark II's launch price. The EOS R6 II will formally drop to a $2299 price point. There'll also be a variant costing $100 more, designed to work with the professional stop-motion software, Dragonframe.

The EOS R6 III will be available as a kit with the RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM for around $3150 and with the RF 24-105mm F4.0 L IS USM for $4050.

Index:

• What's new?
• What is it?
• In Context
• Body and handling
• Video
• Initial Impressions
• Sample gallery
• Press release
• Specifications

What's new?

New sensor

The 33MP FSI CMOS sensor at the heart of the EOS R6 III is a new one for Canon's hybrid mirrorless lineup, having only appeared recently in the cinema-focused EOS C50. Canon isn't claiming any particular technological leaps with this sensor, but our initial testing shows that it has even faster readout speeds than the lower-resolution chip found in the EOS R6 II. As usual for Canon, it has a dual pixel design with two sub-pixels at each location, one capturing the left half of the image, the other capturing the right, allowing the entire sensor to be used for phase detection AF.

The faster readout speeds, paired with changes to the card slot and processor (Canon says it's the same generation, but has some improvements) allow for big improvements to video capture. The stabilization system has also gotten a bit of a bump, going from 8EV to 8.5EV.

Updated ports

The EOS R6 III replaces one of its predecessor's dual UHS-II SD card slots with a CFexpress Type B one. While you can still use most of the camera's features with an SD card, you will need to use the faster, larger and more expensive storage to record Raw video.

Speaking of video, the EOS R6 II's microHDMI port is no more on the EOS R6 III. In its place is a full-size one, which is much more appropriate on a camera destined to be many people's workhorse.

Better burst

Despite having the same rates, the EOS R6 III improves on its predecessor's burst rates, no longer requiring a special Raw Burst mode to enable pre-burst capture. Instead, there's now a pre-continuous shooting option that you can simply enable when in the H+ drive mode. Canon says this is largely thanks to that CFexpress card slot and its faster write speeds.

Raw Burst mode is no longer on the camera, though it's hard to be sad about that. While there were benefits to Raw Burst mode, such as it displaying bursts as a single thumbnail in the playback menu, it was overall a relatively clunky experience. To edit the photos you took outside of Canon's own software, you had to select the individual frames you want, and save them as a standard .CR3 Raw files, JPEGs, HEIFs or combinations thereof. That extra step is no longer necessary.

Canon also now says the shutter has been durability tested to 500,000 actuations. We're not used to Canon explicitly giving a figure for a camera at this level.

Raw, 7K and open-gate video

The Canon EOS R6 III gains the ability to record Raw video internally at up to 7K/60 in Canon's proprietary Canon Cinema Raw format. It can also now shoot 'open-gate' video at up to 7K/30, recording the entire area of the sensor to produce a 3:2 image that you can take vertical and landscape crops from.

The menus for selecting your recording mode have also been updated. The EOS R6 II presented you with an overwhelming list containing each possible combination of resolution, frame rate and compression settings, but the EOS R6 III thankfully lets you choose these all independently.

The EOS R6 III also now gains a dedicated red tally lamp, making it obvious to both you and your on-screen talent when you're recording.

AF Upgrades

Looking at the autofocus system, it seems largely the same as the one in the EOS R6 II, with subject recognition support for people, animals and vehicles, as well as an auto mode. However, Canon says the algorithms underpinning those modes have been updated to match the ones on cameras like the EOS R1 and EOS R5 II, making it even more reliable.

The EOS R6 III also gains the Register People Priority feature, where you can train it to recognize a specific person and principally focus on tracking them over other people that may be in the scene.

While the cameras theoretically have 'Digic X' processors, Canon says it's made intergenerational improvements to the chip that allow for some of the EOS R6 III's new features.

What is it?

The EOS R6 III is part of the class of "do anything" hybrid cameras.

The EOS R6 III is Canon's enthusiast-tier full-frame camera, which means it's designed to excel at pretty much whatever you want to shoot with it. Like the rest of the cameras in this class (and its predecessor), it's capable enough for most kinds of photography, from landscape shooting to fast-paced action and sports, and comes equipped with the kinds of video features you would've had to buy a cinema camera to get just a few years ago. It also has weather sealing and dual card slots.

Of course, there are some things that separate it from the even higher-end Stacked sensor cameras like Canon's own EOS R5 II. It misses out on a bit of extra resolution and a few features that pros might want, such as the ability to control the focus point with your eye, in-camera 'AI' upscaling and Action Priority modes. Canon says the latter two require a still-expensive co-processor that just wasn't in the budget for this camera, but it should still easily handle whatever tasks enthusiasts throw at it.

It can shoot at a 40fps burst rate for up to 150 shots in Raw and JPEG, and supports pre-burst capture, which can help if you're just a bit too slow to the shutter. You no longer have to use the somewhat clunky Raw burst mode to access these features, like you did with the EOS R6 II.

The EOS R6 III's Register People Priority supports up to ten faces, and will prioritize them according to your set order.

Canon has included its now-standard autofocus system, which has subject recognition for people, animals and vehicles, as well as an auto mode that searches for those within the scene. It also supports registering a specific person and having the camera prioritize them when choosing which subject to focus on.

It also supports HDR output, with its ability to produce 10-bit HEIF stills with the PQ tone curve, in place of JPEGs. While PQ isn't as broadly supported as the HLG curve used by other companies like Nikon and Panasonic, it can, at least, simultaneously record both HEIF and Raws, unlike Sony, which makes you choose between Raw capture and HDR output files. When shooting video, it can capture HDR video footage using either PQ or HLG. The latter is more widely supported when it comes to playback and is a new addition compared to the EOS R6 II.

Speaking of video, the EOS R6 III is well-equipped for motion pictures too. It supports internal Raw recording, a false color overlay to help you nail exposure and the >4K open gate capture gives you greater flexibility in post.

The EOS R6 III in context

The EOS R6 III is launching into a market segment with robust competition. Its predecessor was still quite a sensible option, so we've included it in the comparison, alongside the Nikon Z6III, which offers a similar combination of fast shooting, top-tier autofocus and incredible video specs. We're also comparing the Sony a7 IV, as its 33MP sensor makes it an obvious competitor, even if it can't match the speed of the other cameras on this list.

The Z6III's partially Stacked sensor has higher read noise than other designs, which gives it a disadvantage when raising the shadows (though, importantly, this has no impact on the midtones). We'll have to wait until we get a production EOS R6 III to see how it performs in this regard. In both cases, it's worth checking to make sure whether the lenses you want exist before choosing a system, as both companies place restrictions on third-party lens makers.

While the a7 IV is still a quite capable camera, it's starting to look a little dated compared to the competition. Its rolling shutter performance when shooting full-width video is noticeably bad, it doesn't offer internal Raw video (though it's not an essential feature for most users), and while its autofocus is extremely capable, it's no longer the best that Sony offers. While Sony does allow third-party lenses on E-mount, buyers should be aware that it limits non-Sony lenses to 15fps (not that this is a problem for the a7 IV, with its 10fps max burst rate).

Body and Handling

The EOS R6 III hews close to Canon's tried-and-true design formula, and its body is very similar – though not exactly the same – as the EOS R6 II. It has a hefty grip that fits well in your hand, even with a heavier lens attached. It has an array of customizable buttons – nine in total – which can have different functions depending on whether you're in stills or video mode. Switching between the two modes is handled by a dedicated lever to the left of the EVF.

The autofocus joystick and surrounding buttons are placed within easy reach of where your thumb naturally falls when you're holding the camera, and are grouped in ways that helps you tell which one you're pressing by feel, even when your eye is up to the EVF.

Screen and viewfinder

The viewfinder and LCD have been unchanged from the EOS R6 II, though that's not really a complaint. The rear 3.0" screen is fully-articulated, which will be welcome to those using the camera for video. It's relatively bright, but can be a little difficult to see in extremely bright sunlight.

The viewfinder is large and can refresh at up to 120fps for a very responsive preview. It's not the highest resolution model out there, though, and it can't quite manage to show you a proper HDR preview when you're shooting in PQ mode, though it does have Canon's OVF simulation mode that gives you a better idea of how much dynamic range you're capturing, at the cost of truly previewing your exposure.

There's no discernible viewfinder blackout when shooting in at the highest burst rate settings using the electronic viewfinder, though it'll show up when shooting in lower burst rates or with the mechanical shutter.

Ports

The EOS R6 III has all the connectivity you might expect from this class of camera: USB C, headphone and microphone sockets, a multi-function hotshoe, 2.5mm remote terminal and full-size HDMI port. The latter represents a bit upgrade from the less-reliable and robust microHDMI port found on the EOS R6 II.

It has two card slots: one CFexpress Type B, and one UHS-II SD. You'll have to use the former if you want to record Raw video internally.

Battery

The EOS R6 III uses 16Wh LP-E6P battery, to give battery life ratings of 270 shots per charge via the viewfinder and 510 if you use the rear screen. These numbers jump to 390 and 620, respectively, if you engage power saving mode. As always, the CIPA-defined tests tend to under-represent how many images you can actually get, with double the rated figure not being unusual, but they're useful to compare between cameras. These are reasonable but not great for a camera likely to be used quite heavily by an enthusiast photographer.

The camera will still work with older batteries such as the LP-E6NH, though it warns that not all features will be available, and that some accessories won't work. Most notably, the camera loses support for network connectivity, refusing to connect to your smartphone or other devices.

Video

The EOS R6 III has all the video assist tools most shooters will need: proxies, waveform and false color, dual-level zebras and Log/HDR view assist.

The EOS R6 III The highlights are its ability to record 7K open-gate footage at up to 30p, and support for oversampled 4K footage at up to 60p. It also lets you record in Canon's C-Log 2 or 3 response curves, and now has a button that defaults to opening the Color menu, making it a bit easier to switch between Log and non-Log recording.

It provides both DCI and UHD 4K options, though, humorously, the true 24fps mode is only available when recording DCI. Its Raw mode also lacks a 16:9 mode, but can record open-gate at up to 30p, from which you can take a UHD crop.

Its autofocus options remain the same throughout its recording modes; you still get continuous autofocus with subject recognition even when recording 4K/120 and 1080p/180. This is true both in the standard video recording mode and in the Slow-and-Fast mode that doesn't record audio and produces a file that plays back at a slower framerate.

Recording modes

While the EOS R6 III shares a sensor with the fan-cooled EOS C50, Canon includes several more options on its more cinema-focused camera. As an example, the EOS R6 III doesn't have an HQ Raw mode, nor does it support crop modes in Raw. It can, however, still record proxy files to its SD card slot, which could be quite useful when shooting Raw video.

Both the 4K and Full HD modes can be used in the "Fine" oversampling modes at all but their highest frame rates; the former from 7K capture, and the latter from 3.5K capture. However, Canon does note that, while the 4K/60 Fine mode is still oversampled, it won't have the same image quality that you get from the 4K/30 and slower modes.

Rolling shutter

The R6 III has some truly impressive rolling shutter rates across its full-width recording modes, achieving excellent readout speeds in pretty much every mode we tested (though we haven't been able to measure the Raw modes yet, as we aren't able to decode the footage). Using the oversampled "fine" setting will roughly double the readout speeds over the standard ones, suggesting the standard mode is skipping half the lines, but they're still quick enough that fine mode should be usable in almost any scenario.

The only mode we'd advise any caution around is its 7K open gate setting. 17.9ms is still very fast, and will improve if you take a landscape crop of the frame, but if you're showing the full frame a little artifacting may start to creep in if you're capturing very fast pans or subjects.

Temperature limits

Unlike the video-focused EOS C50, the EOS R6 III is not fan-cooled. Canon has given the following figures for continuous recording times at 23°C (73°F). Taking shorter clips with some rest time between them is likely to give much longer durations.

The subsampled 4K/60 modes along with both subsampled and oversampled 'Fine' 4K modes at 30p and slower have no temperature restrictions. It's worth being aware of these limits if and when you use the camera's more ambitious modes.

Workflow

Canon includes a variety of tools to help making shooting video and, in particular, nailing exposure, easier. The EOS R6 III has options for both waveform monitoring, which provides more detail about what parts of your image are clipping than a traditional histogram, and a false color overlay, which makes it easier to tell if your skin tones are properly exposed.

It's also now much easier to set your white balance in video mode; you can capture it from the live view, rather than having to set it from a still image on the card (a process that, on other Canon cameras, meant switching into stills mode, taking a picture of your gray card, then switching back into the video mode before diving back into the settings). Speaking of live view, the camera also provides access to level gauges and magnification while recording, so you can make sure your horizon is perfect and your subject is in focus while you're rolling.

The EOS R6 III lets you upload LUTs into the camera, so you can preview an effect you wish to apply, but you can't bake the result into your footage. The EOS R6 III can output lower-resolution proxy files to an SD card while you capture your main footage to the CFexpress card. The only exception is Open gate shooting, where you can capture a proxy alongside Raw shooting but not if you're using MP4 as your main output.

One feature Canon's retained for its cinema cameras is shutter angle, which derives the shutter speed from the recording framerate, rather than an absolute setting. This means you don't have to adjust your shutter speed after changing frame rates to retain the same level of motion blur. It's a setting that most of the EOS R6 III's competitors, such as the Nikon Z6III and Panasonic S1II, have, but that it lacks.

Initial Impressions

By Mitchell Clark

Is it weird to say that the EOS R6 III is kind of surprising? Not the mere fact of its existence, of course; the enthusiast full-frame camera is the market's bread-and-butter, so Canon updating its model makes sense. But it feels like the kind of upgrade you'd see from a company trying to claw customers away from competitors, not one already at the top of the market.

The EOS R6 II, which Canon says will remain in its lineup for at least the medium term, is still a very competitive camera. Not only does it earn second place in our under $2500 buying guide, but Canon tells us it's the top-selling full-frame camera on the market, from any brand. It feels like Canon could've just made a few small improvements and called it a day, and if you just glance at the spec sheet or list of new features, you might get the impression that it has. But the changes it's made are ones that really matter, especially when it comes to competing with the other cameras in this class.

It feels like Canon looked at what other companies were doing, and said "okay, us too, but better."

Essentially, it feels like Canon looked at what the other companies were doing, and said "okay, us too, but better." Sony's shooting 33MP? The EOS R6 III does too, but with the blistering speeds of the lower-res Nikon Z6III and Panasonic S1II, so you no longer have to pick between higher resolution and being able to shoot faster than 10fps. Those two cameras also offer Raw video, another spec the EOS R6 III has caught up on. And for good measure, Canon threw in full-width 4K 120p for the people who like slow-mo, and open gate recording, since Panasonic shooters are so keen on it.

With every Canon release, there are people quick to point out how it's segmenting the market; what features does it lack that higher-end models do? Of course, there are features the much more expensive EOS R5 II has that this doesn't, but they're ones we're told have hardware costs and that, frankly, most people won't find themselves missing. If there are features Canon cut to make its more expensive models more appealing, they aren't obvious to me.

Canon says this camera is still squarely aimed at stills shooters, albeit ones who also need to be able to shoot video, so we're definitely looking forward to getting our hands on a production model to see if the ultra-fast sensor comes with any image quality impact, as was the case with the Nikon Z6III's 'partially Stacked' sensor. Even if there is, though, we're clearly well into the evolution of Canon's 6-series line; in the DSLR days, the EOS 6D was a decent camera, but one with obvious compromises relative to higher-end models. With the EOS R6 III, those compromises are getting much harder to find.

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