Photo: DuckShots

We are officially entering the season of gift-giving, so it's only fitting that our most recent community-based Question of the Week was focused on presents. Last week, we asked you all what the best and worst photograph-related gifts you've received are. We wanted to know what you've loved receiving, as well as gifts that perhaps missed the mark.

Beloved first cameras

Photo: "Zenit 122" by Unknown Artists, Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

Many of you shared stories about receiving your first camera or your first serious camera. Most of these were loved and appreciated, with some of you detailing that you still have or even use those cameras to this day.

Mjlazo: The best photography gift I ever received was a Zenit 122 camera, from my aunt, when I was still in high school in the 90s. This was my first SLR, and it opened up new horizons for me. I still have this camera, and I still use the Helios 44M lens with my digital cameras.

Rafabozzolla: I have a kind of best and worst gift experience together. Tired of me using his venerable Nikon F with the expensive 50mm F1.4 lens, my father gave me a Russian-built Zenit 12TTL with a 50mm F1.8. Boy did I learn about compensating for wrong readings, flare and poor optical construction, but it did teach me a few things about picture taking, and how to overcome shortfalls in your equipment.

Julian: Best was when my father gave me a Nikon FE when I was 12, that camera really started my love for photography, I still have it and it's still fully functional (fun to shoot with occasionally).

bhollis: Around 1969, when I was 16 or so, my dad gave me a used Nikon F with a Nikkor 50mm F1.4 lens he picked up at a pawn shop. One of the greatest gifts I ever received--and I still have it. Meanwhile, my dad was content to just keep using his Argus C3.

Sergii Lakhno: The best photo gift I ever got was the camera. Actually, it was my first camera. I turned 5 years old, and my grandpa gave me a "Smena-8m" camera. You can Google for it. It was a pretty simple fixed lens non-SLR camera without any automated systems with the 40mm F4 lens, for the regular 135 films with the regular 24x36mm frames. It was too early, and the camera waited for me for 3 years. Then I started to use it, and for the next 8 years I took more than 200 film rolls with it. B/W mostly, but some color. With this camera, I learned how to select the right EV, how to work with the films. I developed b/w films since I was 10, and color films since I was 13. I got all the basic knowledge and skills with that camera. So this is what I started from. And that's why that gift was the best.

Less than loved cameras

Photo: "My Yashica Partner" by E Magnuson, CC BY 2.0

Not everyone had a great experience with their first camera, though. Some of you shared stories about receiving a camera that was disappointing in some way.

Saint 112: At the age of 14 or 15 I was presented a Kodak Brownie. I hated it. I was so ashamed to walk around with it that I soon stopped using it.

Reactive: My worst present: A Yashica Partner compact camera when I was 12. It didn't wind the film properly, leaked light, and didn't focus properly due to the wobbly pull-down flap. Total junk!

Cherry_F: As a young child, I loved to play with my mom’s Brownie. I was allowed to do so, only when there was no roll inside. So my folks – who were not very rich – offered me a camera.

Available through mail order only, and it’s easy to understand why: it was a cheap plastic, fully functional mock-up of a twin-lens. I was very happy and proud, until I got my first – and unique – film roll developed.

The body wasn’t lightproof, so the images looked like Niepce's famous “Point de vue du Gras” (I guess you see what I mean, the first photo in history); additionally, there was a large, diagonal white stripe right in the middle of each picture.

Note that this experiment did not put me off photography, but I warned family and friends: please never, ever gift me any photo-related item!

Practical is best

Image: Really Right Stuff

As we talked in our recent team discussion, practical gifts are often the best option. These are items that photographers will use constantly, like a tripod, a subscription or another type of accessory.

KevinDe: The best gift I received: A universal L-bracket from RRS. Not expensive or anything, but so useful on several of my camera bodies.

felix from the suburbs: Several decades back, my wife gave me a green Lowepro camera case for Christmas. I still have it and use it today. It's been many places on many different conveyances and in different weather conditions. It has served as my only carry-on on just about every flight. Great case. Great wife.

GinoSVK: The best, by far, was a decent Chinese tripod that still works after all these years and has proved perfectly sufficient for a phone (I even adapted it to Arca-Swiss).

Reactive: The best gift I received: A subscription to SLR Camera magazine when I was 14, from which I learned a great deal.

BigBen08: In 1972, while in high school, I received a tripod from my parents as a Christmas gift. It's a student version of a tripod, meaning it's basic and nothing fancy. But it served me well for many years. I still have it, and since my parents passed away many years ago, I can't part with it. Today it's never used, but when I look at it, I'm reminded of the Christmas when I received it and the great parents and family life I had. I'll keep it for as long as I live.

Stay away from novelty items

Image: Xenvo

Another common thread throughout your responses was that gift givers should stay away from novelty items. They often end up sitting on a shelf or going in the bin, so that money could be better used on something else in most situations.

SoCalAngler: The worst gift I've received was a Lensball crystal sphere. It's not a bad thing, just something that I didn't find useful. I have kept it, and though I don't find much use for it, I do take it out once or twice a year and capture a couple of images to give to the person who gifted it to me. They appreciate that.

Swerky: A cousin of mine had the sweet thought of gifting me a set of clip-on lenses for my mobile phone. It was a considerate gesture, being a hobbyist, but alas, me having no interest whatsoever in mobile phone photography, I tried the set as a curiosity and then stored it. And it finally ended up in the bin after a while.

KevinDE: The worst gift I've received was a green tie with cartoon cameras on it.

Lens mugs are controversial

Image: Deexito

There were quite a few of you who have received one of the rather infamous mugs that are made to look like a lens. Unfortunately, most of you are not fans, but one of you saw it as a very thoughtful gift.

Julian: The worst I was given was a lens mug that was a Canon clone. It seems Nikon lens mugs are totally impossible to find these days.

400TX: Worst: On more than one occasion, I received one of those confounded "zoom lens coffee mugs" that were designed to resemble EF 24–105L lenses. And each time I had to feign thanks as if I didn't have a cupboard full of them already. They were stupid as coffee mugs (way too big), but there was the double indignity of being a Nikon shooter. I even heard stories of people breaking into cars to steal what they thought was a camera lens, but it turned out to be one of these moronic mugs.

DuckShots: So, it's the first night of Hanukkah, a time to light the candles, sing a song, exchange gifts and eat latkes. Out comes this B&H box with a bow, not wrapped like they usually do, but who cares. I pick it up, it doesn't have the heft, but again, who cares? I open the box, and there is a Canon lens box. My heart pounds. My eyes water. "Sharon, you shouldn't have." When I open the box, the expected addition to my lens collection turns out to be a cup. No disappointment, lots of love and amazement. How did she come up with this MOST appropriate gift? I love her and my cup.

Be specific in your asks

Finally, some of you suggested being very specific in your gift requests as photographers. We can be a tricky lot to please, after all, and lots of gear is system-dependent. Providing specific links or product names, or even just asking for money or gift cards, could be the safest way to go to ensure a gift will actually be enjoyed and used.

Paul Pasco: In my family, everyone knows to only gift me photo gear I have hinted about, and by hinted, I mean they have the specific item and product numbers!

InkedMarie: Last year, I gave my husband a few links of Viltrox lenses, including the 35mm that I knew I wouldn’t get (but really wanted) because we don’t spend over $300 on gifts for each other. I’m now enjoying the lens.

sirhawkeye64: I haven't had any bad gift experiences because now I tell people if they want to get me something photography-related for Christmas, just give me a gift card. Partially because I'm picky when it comes to lenses and cameras (I like to try them out in person first before buying, and if they're used, then I definitely need to be involved in the process), but for the past 8 or so years, I've just gotten gift cards, which is really what I want anyway. That way, I can decide when to spend the money and on what.

Image: Laowa

Venus Optics is expanding its tilt-shift lens lineup with the 35mm F2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5x Macro lens. The new manual focus offering is designed for full-frame cameras, with versions available for Z, E, RF and L mounts. It is also compatible with the GFX and XCD medium-format systems. As the name suggests, it offers a wide-angle perspective with tilt-shift control and macro capabilities.

Laowa's 35mm F2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5x Macro lens is part of its Zero-D line, which, according to the company, results in virtually no optical distortion. The lens also uses an apochromatic design to minimize chromatic aberration and provide improved edge-to-edge sharpness. The optical design comprises 14 elements in 12 groups, and it features a 15-blade aperture diaphragm.

While not a true macro lens by the standard definition (which requires 1x magnification), it offers a 0.5x maximum magnification. It can focus as close as 22.8 cm (9"), which Laowa says is the closest in its class for tilt-shift lenses. On full-frame cameras, the lens offers ±10° of tilt and ±12mm of shift, whereas on medium-format cameras, it is limited to ±8mm of shift, while maintaining the same level of tilt.

The lens also offers practical design features, such as a 77mm filter thread and integrated Arca-Swiss support. The tripod collar will be especially useful since it's by no means a lightweight lens, coming in at 1,350g (3lbs).

The Laowa 35mm F2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5x Macro lens is available for purchase starting today for $1249.

The Canon EOS R6 III promises 33MP resolution and decently fast readout speeds from an FSI CMOS sensor. Photo: Mitchell Clark

We've received a production standard Canon EOS R6 III and have put it through our standard studio tests. As we work on our final reviews of 2025, the Canon looks likely to be the last camera we'll be able to complete testing on.

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

As you might hope, the Canon captures more detail than its 24MP rivals, and comparable amounts to its 33MP Sony peer, while also matching the color response of the EOS R6 II. The slightly richer, more yellowy pinks than the Sony and Nikon suggest it'll give the skin tone response that many Canon users have come to enjoy.

The detail difference is more apparent in the processed Raws, where the Canon and Sony present the horizontal lines in the doorway in a similar manner, whereas the R6 II and Nikon Z6III can't. Interestingly, the Nikon presents a convincing but completely spurious representation of the vertical lines above the door, while the EOS R6 II represents similar thick lines horizontally: both the result of aliasing.

At mid-to-high ISO there's little to choose between any of these cameras in terms of noise. As you creep towards the very highest ISOs the gap starts to open up, but it's only in the camera's extended 102,400 setting that the difference becomes clear. Even then, this is unlikely to be the difference between the images from some of these cameras being usable and others not: they're all going to be pretty hard to salvage.

Dynamic Range

In terms of dynamic range it peforms exactly as we might expect. There's plenty of scope to lift the shadows with all these cameras. There's a tiny bit more read noise coming from the Canon, which makes itself known if you delve really deep into the files.

It's also worth noting that the noise that is visible appears slightly smeared, rather than as individual points, which could be indicative of noise reduction. Our scene has plenty of fine detail, much of it with low contrast, if you want to download the files and see if you think it'll have any impact when processed with your preferred workflow.

Switching to electronic shutter mode sees the camera drop to 12-bit sensor readout, which has the predictable effect of curtailing the dynamic range of the Raws (the reduction in available values to encode the shadows presents as quantization noise).

Our ISO Invariance test suggests this is a dual gain sensor that switches to its higher gain step around ISO 800. There's very little benefit to raising ISO above that point, but opportunity to keep ISO down to protect highlights.

Overall, there's no sign of any nasty surprises to undermine the R6 III's performance promises.

Image: Panasonic

Panasonic has announced new firmware for its Lumix S1RII (Ver. 1.3), S1II (Ver. 1.2 ) and S1IIE (Ver. 1.2) cameras. The updated firmware promises an improved shooting experience and enhanced functionality with changes to autofocus performance, thermal control and more.

The most notable change Panasonic is bringing to its full-frame S1 series cameras is improved autofocus features. Panasonic states that the new firmware for all three models will provide enhanced autofocus tracking stability in their generic tracking modes due to algorithm improvements.

On the left is how Panasonic has handled the display for eye detection autofocus. On the right is the new option, which uses a rectangle over the eye. Screenshots: Mitchell Clark

The updates add an option to only display the autofocus frame on your selected subject, rather than on it and every other possible subject in the frame, providing a cleaner UI. Panasonic has also added an option to change how the autofocus frame is displayed when tracking a human eye, letting you choose to use a standard rectangle outline. Previously, the camera would place a square over the entire face with a target over the eye. That option is still available for those who like it, but the update makes the eye recognition AF display more similar to what other brands do.

Another important update comes from an improved thermal control algorithm. Panasonic says the update makes the camera react less to environmental factors, such as direct sunlight or a sudden swing in temperature, like you may see when moving from an indoor to an outdoor location. The company says the cameras should be able to achieve longer record times in their most demanding modes; for example, you can now expect double the record time when shooting DCI 4K in 120p, recording to a CFexpress card, and an even bigger increase when recording to an SD card.

The company has also made it so that the front-plate record button won't do anything in photo mode.

There's a healthy list of other changes, too. Panasonic added a lower-speed burst option to its electronic shutter burst mode (SH burst shooting) on the S1RII (20 fps) and S1II (30 fps). All three cameras get MP4(Lite), a low-bitrate video format that records 3:2 Open Gate at 30p or 25p with a 50 Mbps data rate. It promises to deliver files that are approximately 41% smaller than standard MP4 clips at similar settings. The company has also made it so that, by default, the front-plate record button won't do anything in photo mode, which should cut down on the number of accidental clips people take. (If you've already reassigned the button, don't worry; your setting should be preserved through the update.)

The company has also included a few new options to help manage your ISO. You can now set one of your dials to switch directly between manual and auto ISO mode, when previously you had to scroll through the entire range to get back to auto mode. If you prefer, you can also assign a button to toggle between auto and manual ISO as well. The ISO display for video mode also gets an update that makes it clear when your camera is using its sensor's low or high gain step, if you have it set to switch between them automatically.

If your ISO is in the blue region, it uses the low-gain step, and if it's in the red region, it uses the high-gain step. It's a useful indicator, given that different color modes, such as Log or Cinelike A2, will have different base ISOs.

Alongside the firmware updates, Panasonic has also released Version 1.4 of the Lumix Flow app, which is designed for creators shooting video and filmmakers. It brings changes that the company says have been requested by the app's users, including support for LUT live view within the app, the ability to carry over frame markers from the camera to the app and improved AF frame display.

All of the firmware updates are available for download as of November 25, 2025, at 8:00 pm EST / November 26, 2025, at 1:00 am UTC.

Photos from left to right: Omar Victor Diop, Susan Derges HonFRPS and Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora

The Royal Photographic Society has announced the recipients of its 2025 Awards. The contest highlights significant contributions across both the art and science of photography, with awards for three pillars: The Art of Photography & Moving Images, The Science of Photography & Moving Images, and The Knowledge and Understanding of Photography & Moving Image.

The Royal Photographic Society Awards is the world's longest-running photography prize. This year marks its 147th anniversary, with the contest dating back to 1878. The Royal Photographic Society dates back even further, with a founding year of 1853.

The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Awards recognize individuals working in both still and moving images, celebrating the photographers and recipients themselves rather than rewarding a single image. The contest celebrates significant achievements and showcases new and emerging talent across a range of genres, including moving image, new media, science and imaging, education, publishing and curation.

"While the 2025 RPS Awards recipients reflect the diversity and breadth of the international photographic community, they are all united in celebrating photography's unique capacity to challenge societal perceptions and make complex issues both relatable and urgent," said Sir Brian Pomeroy CBE ARPS, Chair of the judging panel.

You can see all of the RPS Awards recipients and learn more about the RPS Awards at the RPS website.

RPS Centenary Medal

Award recipient: Susan Derges HonFRPS

Award details: Awarded in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the art of photography or moving image.

Recipient details: Susan Derges studied painting in London and Berlin in the 1970s which informed a subsequent wide-ranging exploration of photographic image making, particularly through her large-scale camera-less photograms of some of the shorelines and rivers of Devon and Dartmoor. In the early 1980s she lived and worked in Japan for 6 years and this formative period has influenced much of her image making and thinking, particularly concerning the natural world and our relationship to it.

She has worked in residence at the Museum for the History of Science in, Oxford, (1999-2000) and Kingswood forest in Ashford, Kent (1999-2000); collaborated with the Royal Museums Greenwhich, exhibiting the Mortal Moon series at the Queen’s Palace Greenwich (2018 -2019) and informally with the Marine biology department at the University of Plymouth, who she consulted during the production of a body of work titled Tide Pools that were exhibited in Sea Gardens at the Royal Albert memorial Museum, Exeter (2019) and in Squaring the Circles at the Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, in 2022 including subsequent touring shows at Scarborough Museum (2023) and Dalkeith House, Edinburgh (2024).

More recent work has been concerned with recreated environments, combining imagery made on location with phenomena modelled within the spaces of her studio and dark room; collaborations with writers and poets include River Taw (Michael Hue Williams Fine Art, London 1997) ; Woman Thinking River (Fraenkel Gallery, San Fransisco and Danziger Gallery, New York 1999) ; Liquid -Form (Michael Hue Williams Fine Art, London 1999) ; Elemental (Steidl, Germany 2010) ; Shadow Catchers, (the V&A, London 2010) ; Squaring the Circles (RPS 2022).

Her works can be found in public and private collections world-wide. Susan was awarded an RPS Honorary Fellowship in 2014.

RPS Award for Photojournalism

Award recipient: Amak Mahmoodian

Award details: Awarded in recognition of sustained excellence or a notable achievement in photojournalism whether in photography or moving image.

Recipient details: Amak Mahmoodian is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. She began her career as a research-based photographer in Iran in 2003. Since 2010, she has been living in the UK, unable to return to her home country. She practices as a visual artist at the intersection of conceptual image-making and documentary photography, working with photographs, text, video, drawing, archives and sound. Her practice explores the presentation of gender, identity and displacement, bridging a space between personal and political across platforms and formats including installation, books and films.

Mahmoodian’s work has been shown internationally, including the Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh; Fototeca Latinoamericana, Buenos Aires; the Benaki Museum, Athens; Arnolfini, Bristol; Rencontres d’Arles, Arles; and Peckham 24, London.

Her works are held in collections such as the Tate, and the British Library in London. She has published two books, Shenasnameh (RRB- ICV Lab, 2016), and Zanjir (RRB, 2019) which was the winner of The Best Photo Text Book award at Rencontres Arles, 2020. Her work appears in key titles on photography such as Photography – A Feminist History (Tate Publishing, 2021), Photography Now: Fifty Pioneers Defining Photography for the Twenty-First Century (Octopus Publishing, 2021), and How We See: Photobooks by Women (10x10 Photobooks, 2019).

RPS Award for Editorial or Documentary Photography

Award recipient: Raghu Rai

Award details: Awarded in recognition of sustained excellence or a notable achievement in editorial or documentary photography or moving image.

Recipient details: Raghu Rai qualified as a civil engineer, but turned to photography when he was 23 years, in 1965. He joined The Statesman newspaper as their chief photographer between 1966 and 1976, and was then Picture Editor with Sunday - a weekly news magazine published in Calcutta between 1977 and 1980.

After completing a Thomson fellowship in England, he worked with The Times in London. In 1972, impressed by Rai’s exhibition at Gallery Delpire, Paris, Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to Magnum Photos, the world’s most prestigious agency. Rai continues to be a part of Magnum.

Rai took over as Picture Editor-Visualiser-Photographer of India Today, India’s leading news magazine, contributing trailblazing picture essays from 1982-1991.

He was awarded the ‘Padmashree’ in 1972, a civilian award, the first to a photographer for the body of works he produced on Bangladesh refugees and the war. In 1992 he was awarded Photographer of the Year in the United States for the story ‘Human Management of Wildlife in India’ published in National Geographic. In 2009 he was conferred Officer des Arts et des Letters by French Government and received a lifetime achievement award in 2016 in India.

His photo essays have appeared in many of the world’s leading magazines and newspapers. He has done extensive documentation of 1984 Bhopal tragedy and its continuing effects on the lives of gas victims under a special assignment from Greenpeace International, compiled into a book and three exhibitions travelling in Europe, American and Southeast Asia.

In 2012, Raghu Rai with his son Nitin Rai initiated the Raghu Rai Center for Photography to share his fifty years of knowledge and experience with the young generations.

Rai has done more than 60 picture books on different themes of India including some of the world heritage sites in context to the socio-cultural landscape of his homeland. And there are more than a dozen books in the pipeline.

Raghu Rai lives in New Delhi with his family.

RPS Award for Achievement in the Art of Photography

Award recipient: Omar Victor Diop

Award details: Awarded to a photographer in recognition of a notable personal achievement in the art of photography or moving image.

Recipient details: Regarded as one of the most important Senegalese photographers of his generation, Omar Victor Diop was born in Dakar in 1980 and was brought up there. He now divides his time between his birthplace and Paris.

From an early age, Diop cultivated his vivid imagination as much through photography as through literature and history, leading him to hone his talent in several art forms, from collage and creative writing to fashion and textile design. His influences include the major African portrait artists Mama Casset, Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé, the French creator Jean-Paul Goude, as well as several Flemish and Spanish painters of the Renaissance.

Diop’s work is part of major institutions collections — such as the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, the Brooklyn Museum in the United States, the Musée de la Photographie de Saint-Louis in Senegal — and has been shown in exhibitions at high-profile international events, such as Paris Photo and the Rencontres d’Arles in France, the New York edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and Kyotographie in Japan. His images also appear regularly in magazines around the world.

His first monograph, Omar Victor Diop, was published by 5 Continents Editions in 2021.

RPS Award for Achievement in the Art of Photography (under 30 years)

Award recipient: Tami Aftab

Award details: Awarded to a photographer under the age of 30 (at the time of nomination) in recognition of a notable personal achievement in the art of photography or moving image.

Recipient details: Tami Aftab is an English-Pakistani photographer based in London. Her work explores intimacy, family, identity, and play, often approaching sensitive subjects with warmth and lightness.

She first developed her practice through personal projects, including a collaboration with her father that examined his short-term memory loss through humour and staged portraiture. This series later became her debut book, The Rice is on the Hob, photographed in Lahore, which explored food, heritage, and the ties between memory and family, incorporating her father’s recipes. The work was exhibited at Have a Butcher’s gallery in London.

Working across fashion, portraiture, lifestyle, and personal work, Aftab’s photography is distinguished by vibrant colour and a playful, spontaneous quality. She continues to hand-print much of her work, maintaining a strong connection to film and darkroom processes.

Aftab has collaborated with clients including WePresent, Adidas, Apple, Burberry, Net-a-Porter, Stella McCartney, National Theatre, Atmos, and British Vogue. Her work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, the ICA, Peckham24 and The Photographer’s Gallery.

RPS Award for Social Impact

Award recipient: Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora

Award details: Awarded in recognition of sustained excellence or a notable use of stills photography or moving image that highlights or contributes to demonstrable improvement in public awareness of social issues.

Recipient details: Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora who describes herself a ‘panjabi, brummie, artist, mother, educator’ is a multi-disciplinary artist with a socially engaged practice, working with local communities on global issues. She is interested in celebrating untold stories while exploring visual representations of gender, ethnicity and place.

Jaskirt creates work with the aim to empower and give voice to marginalised communities. She is a multiple award-winning artist, including winning the British Journal of Photography's Portrait of Britain award for three consecutive years, and the LensCulture Photo Art award.

Recent Highlights include a place called home being exhibited at Peckham24 in 2025, under the theme Come Together and currently Jaskirt is working on Fractured Landscapes and how we heal which will be a major solo exhibition at The New Art Gallery Walsall, before touring to Open Eye Gallery in 2026. This work has been made possible through a 2½ year Arts Council England Project Grant.

Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Wembley Stadium, UN Headquarters New York, Peckham24, New Art Exchange Nottingham and Manchester’s People Museum. Her work Birmingham Lockdown Stories (2020) is held in the permanent archive and collection of the Birmingham Museums Trust.

Jaskirt is also the founder of @womeninphotobham, a bi-monthly social event for women photographers in the W.Midlands and a Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University.

RPS Award for Environmental Responsibility

Award recipient: Ragnar Guðni Axelsson

Award details: Awarded in recognition of sustained excellence or a notable use of stills photography or moving image that highlights or contributes to demonstrable improvement in public awareness of environmental issues.

Recipient details: For over 40 years Ragnar Axelsson has been photographing the people, animals and landscape of the most remote regions of the Arctic, including Iceland, Siberia and Greenland.

In stark black-and-white images, he captures the elemental, human experience of nature at the edge of the liveable world, making visible the extraordinary relationships between the people of the Arctic and their extreme environment - relationships now being altered in profound and complex ways by unprecedented climate changes.

A photojournalist at Morgunblaðið (1976 - 2020), Ragnar has also worked on freelance assignments in Latvia, Lithuania, Mozambique, South Africa, China and Ukraine. His photographs have been featured in LIFE, Newsweek, Stern, GEO, National Geographic, Time, and Polka, and have been exhibited widely.

Ragnar has published eight books in various international editions. His most recent book, Arctic Heroes published in 2020, Jökull (Glacier) published in 2018, with a foreword by Ólafur Elíasson. Andlit Nordursins (Faces of The North), was published in 2016, with a foreword by Mary Ellen Mark, and won the 2016 Icelandic Literary Prize for non-fiction. Other awards for Ragnar's work include numerous Icelandic photojournalist awards; The Leica Oskar Barnack Award (Honorable Mention); the Grand Prize, Photo de Mer, Vannes; and Iceland's highest honour, the Order of the Falcon, Knight's Cross.

Ragnar is currently working on a three-year project documenting people's lives in all eight countries of the Arctic. At this pivotal time, as climate change irrevocably disrupts the physical and traditional realities of their world, Ragnar is bearing witness to the immediate and direct threat that changes in the climate poses to their survival.

RPS Honorary Fellowship

Award recipient: Richard Billingham

Award details: Awarded in recognition of a significant personal achievement in any of the three areas of: the art of photography and moving image; the science of photography and knowledge of photography which includes curatorship, education or publishing.

Recipient details:

Richard Billingham is a photographer and artist, film-maker and educator. His work has often focused on his family and the West Midlands, where he grew up. He now lives in South Wales and holds professorships at Middlesex University and the University of Gloucestershire.

Richard was the first recipient of the1997 Citibank Private Bank Photography Prize, now the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, and was shortlisted for the 2001 Turner Prize for his photographic work Ray’s a Laugh and his TV and gallery film Fishtank 1998, shot with an amateur camcorder.

Other bodies of work include Zoo, Black Country and extensive photography made in the British Landscape.

His work is held in various public collections including MoMA New York, Metropolitan Museum New York, MoMA San Francisco, The Government Art Collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate Galleries London.

He wrote and directed the BAFTA nominated feature film, Ray & Liz in 2019. It holds 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81% on Metacritic (based on 16 reviews) indicating ‘Universal Acclaim.’

Richard currently has a second feature film in development with the BFI - an adaptation of the contemporary novel At Hawthorn Time by Mellissa Harrison. He is also developing another idea about climate change with Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales.

He is represented by the Anthony Wilkinson, Gallery London and Casarotto Ramsey and Associates London.

Last week, the DPReview Editorial team hosted its first Ask Me Anything (AMA) event in the new forums. These AMA sessions are a great way to engage directly with our staff and pose those burning questions you've always wanted to ask.

We addressed a diverse range of topics, including the demand for compact cameras, the impact of AI on photography, articles we would change if we could go back in time, the near closure of DPReview in 2023, and more.

Staff participating in this AMA included:

• Mathew Anderson (Community Manager)
• Dale Baskin (Managing Editor)
• Richard Butler (Managing Editor, Reviews and Technical Standards)
• Mitchell Clark (Reviews Editor)

If you missed this initial AMA, don't worry; we plan to host AMAs regularly and will announce them on the homepage in advance, so you can have your questions ready when the event goes live.

In the 2010s, the big camera brands sold thousands of compact Type 1/2.3 sensor cameras. Judging by the prices of used compact cameras, these old models are in huge demand. Surely, the managers at Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, etc, are aware of this.

Do you have any insight into why the camera companies seem so reluctant to bring them back? Are these compact models money losers?

Richard Butler:

We asked most of them this question at CP+ this year. All of them seemed to recognize that there is some market interest in compacts, but no one sounded that keen to cater to it.

Responses from execs at large corporations will always be presented in positive terms, so it's hard to be certain exactly what their concerns are: no one is going to say "it's just a fad" or "we just don't think it's a large enough market to be worth engaging with."

I suspect part of the problem is that these companies have spent decades and countless billions of Yen trying to make the best, most advanced cameras, and that's not what this demand for old cameras is chasing. Do any of the camera makers know how to make a compact camera that has outdated image quality, rather than doing their best and ending up making something that fails to match modern smartphone quality, rather than offering something flawed and quirky?

"Do any of the camera makers know how to make a compact camera that has outdated image quality?"

From where we sit, it's easy to assume that this is the same as the (I suspect much smaller) demand for good photographers' compacts: an updated G7X model or a new RX100 that was actually engaging to use, but it may not be.

OM System is the successor company to the maker of one of the nicest-to-use enthusiast compacts ever made, but they explicitly ruled themselves out. Fujifilm's attempt to address the market was the X Half (which some people wanted to be both a mad, fun retro compact AND a credible enthusiast compact), so there is some sort of response. I just don't think anyone knows what the right product to address the demand is: but no one seems to think it's simply firing up Type 1/2.3 compact production again.

If you could go back in time and make significant changes to a review or article you've written, which would it be and why?

Dale Baskin:

Am I allowed to say "All of them?"

The truth is, every time I go back and read something I wrote, I hit multiple points where I think to myself, "I should have explained that differently," or "Why didn't I mention X, Y or Z?" But to some degree, that's just me being self-critical as a writer. It's much less often that I look at an old article and think, "WTF? What was I thinking?" Broadly speaking, I don't know that there are many articles where I would make significant changes.

But there are some, and the one that really stands out to me is an opinion article I wrote in 2015 about the Canon XC10, a video camera that Canon pitched as being a true video/stills hybrid. (This was before most companies were making mirrorless cameras.) When Canon briefed us on the product, we were told that it could shoot both 4K video and Raw photos, in a body that was (kind of) designed for both use cases. I wrote an editorial explaining why this was a big deal and represented an important step for video/stills convergence.

"That article racked up over 700 comments, mainly from readers who thought I was an idiot."

Fast forward a couple of days to when the camera was announced, and my article went live [automatically]. However, when the final spec sheet eventually arrived from Canon, Raw photo capture was nowhere to be found. I think it was just an unfortunate case of miscommunication. However, the lack of Raw photo capture significantly undercut the central premise of my editorial.

I removed references to Raw capture, but that article racked up over 700 comments, mainly from readers who thought I was an idiot. At times, I've considered going back and heavily rewriting it, or even taking it down, because the whole thing felt like a disaster, but at this point, it's part of the historical record. To this day, however, that's the one article I've written that, in hindsight, I wish I had never even pitched due to all the grief it caused me.

Richard Butler:

Oh, absolutely. I have vague recollections of having deleted an older article when we significantly changed the way the site operated, eight or ten years ago. I can't remember; maybe I just thought about doing it. It was a well-intentioned idea based on a misunderstanding that, collectively within the team, we couldn't recognise.

There's also at least one opinion piece that I wrote where, looking back, I completely failed to explain my point coherently (in part because I don't think the idea stood up quite as well as I thought). It's not especially wrong, it's just not a very good article.

But I second-guess reviews constantly. I was disagreeing quite strongly with someone just this morning, over a camera he likes and I really don't, and another that I really like and he doesn't. He's a friend whose knowledge, insight and opinions I respect above most people's, and in putting forward my positions, I had to check whether what I've written for the site too narrowly represents my own tastes. (I don't think I realised how central to the target niche I am, and therefore may have misjudged how much broader a camera's appeal is to people who aren't me).

"Everything I write in reviews is based on the idea that people might choose to go out and spend their money based on what I've written."

I still stand by my overall assessment, but I might have expressed more strongly how specific your needs and preferences have to be for it to make sense, had I been able to step back a little further. But I constantly revisit "Should that have got a higher/lesser award?" and "Should I have put more/less emphasis on feature X/weakness Y?" in my head.

But, aside from the degree to which it will (quite rightly) be subject to scrutiny, everything I write in reviews is based on the idea that people might choose to go out and spend their money based on what I've written. And I'd like to think that meeting one of those people wouldn't be too awkward or uncomfortable an experience for either of us: that even if we didn't agree entirely, they would recognise that my review was a good-faith effort to give advice and provide the information for them to draw their own conclusions.

I'm definitely not claiming to get everything right, but there are mercifully few things I believe I've got horribly wrong.

Cameras and lenses are so beyond good in 2025, why do we even need reviews?

Richard Butler:

First and foremost, even if most (not necessarily all) cameras and lenses are very good, that doesn't mean they're the same. One camera may still perform a particular task better than another, one may be more engaging to use, one may have a broader or more interesting range of lenses available.

Most modern cameras will do the job, if you believe photography is solely about acquiring a specific image, but in an age where deciding to take control over a dedicated camera is partly for the fun of doing so; where the sense of being involved in the process is part of the appeal and where enjoying your gear can still prompt you to experiment and try to grow, creatively, finding the right product for you is as important as ever.

And even then, there's still room for unexpected differences in performance. For instance, both the Sony a9 III and Nikon Z6III exhibit lower dynamic range than their peers, but for dramatically different reasons and with very different impact on their wider image quality.

"First and foremost, even if most cameras and lenses are very good, that doesn't mean they're the same."

Testing and reviewing is a chance to explore and explain those differences and the degree to which they might or might not matter for different types of photography. New features are still being added, and the degree to which they are and aren't useful is still worth exploring and discussing.

And, it's probably worth recognizing that some people are into photography and have little interest in the equipment they use, while others are as interested in the technology as the creative process. Just as the TV show Top Gear was initially a consumer-focused program about everyday cars that turned into a program about camaraderie and silliness that used exotic cars as a peg to hang things on, sometimes people just want to be entertained, reading about things they're interested in. I'm not necessarily saying we have gone or plan to go full Top Gear, but reviews aren't necessarily just about buying advice.

How did the experience of DPReview almost shutting down in 2023 affect how you view the industry and your role in it?

Dale Baskin:

That's a great question!

While we were obviously aware that DPReview played a significant role in the industry, I don't think we truly appreciated the depth of that role until Amazon announced its plans to close the site. Two things made that role very clear.

The first was the reaction from photographers worldwide, which created shockwaves. They didn't just tell us how upset they were; they told Amazon, loudly and powerfully. The fact that DPReview is still publishing today is a credit to the community's outpouring of support. Amazon doesn't reverse business decisions like that lightly, but the reaction was so powerful that they decided to sell the business rather than close it. That we're here today is a direct result of photographers telling Amazon how essential DPReview was, not just to Amazon's customers, but to the entire camera industry.

The second was the reaction from within the industry. Camera companies openly published letters and press releases lamenting the closure and speaking to DPReview's importance to the nascent camera industry of the early 2000s. That's the part the public saw. We also received private emails from CEOs and senior industry executives expressing their support and reflecting on why DPReview was so vital to the industry as a whole.

"Ultimately, we came to understand that we are stewards of that quarter-century of accumulated knowledge."

The experience also gave us a different perspective on our role. When closure loomed, the biggest concern for many photographers (and for the staff, who are all photographers and frequent users of the site) was the loss of DPReview as a resource: the accumulated knowledge in the forums, a quarter-century of technical explainers, camera reviews and the studio scene tool. More often than not, when I search for a camera-related question on Google, the answer is already in our own forums. As photographers, we didn't want to lose that knowledge base either.

Ultimately, we came to understand that we are stewards of that quarter-century of accumulated knowledge. Part of our job is to ensure it remains available to photographers globally. That's why we worked so hard to keep these forums viable. I realize the new software is missing a couple of popular features, but we chose the option that allowed us to preserve the forums, because we know how vital this treasure chest of information is to the photography community.

With the growing popularity and use of AI and other content creation tools that can produce photorealistic images, are you concerned that photography is at risk of becoming a lost art?

Richard Butler:

Personally, no.

I think it depends to what extent you think of the point of photography as being the end result or a combination of the process and the end result.

Obviously, part of my current motivation to take photos is this job (there's always another gallery that needs to be shot), but before that, I wasn't taking photos to achieve anything, particularly, I was doing it to push myself to learn and get better, and to enjoy the experience. There's a satisfaction in having taken a good shot that isn't replicated by seeing a generated image, no matter how photo-realistic it might be.

"I can't imagine finding myself thinking, 'This image looks great because I'm so good at prompting,'"

I can't imagine finding myself thinking, "This image looks great because I'm so good at prompting," and getting the same excitement as looking at the back of my camera and thinking, "That looks better than I was hoping," and knowing my actions and choices led to it.

I think AI will just further erode the ability of pro photographers to make a living (which raises the ethics/fairness of big tech ingesting millions of pieces of creative work without regard for copyright and then profiting from narrowing the market for further creativity), but I'm not sure how much impact it has on photography as a hobby or artistic endeavour. Though it'll probably wreak havoc on photo competitions at every level, too.

Mitchell Clark:

I actually had a pretty long think about this recently while covering Adobe Max, because they spent the entire conference hammering on the point that people and businesses need to use AI because people are demanding more and more content every day.*

You can read the article I wrote about it for my full thoughts, but they essentially boil down to: I do worry that commercial photography might be cooked (and not because AI is better, but because the people who make the decisions will think it's good enough). But for the people who take pictures for the love of doing it, I don't think AI will get to the point where it can replace... that.

"I do worry that commercial photography might be cooked."

External validation may be harder to find. If you're competing with AI images specifically tuned to jack into people's serotonin receptors on Instagram, you're probably going to lose that competition. But if it's the activity itself that makes you happy, rather than people's reaction to it, I'd agree with Richard that it's hard to imagine AI replacing that.

I also think (hope?) there are some photography applications that people just won't accept AI for. I'm thinking wedding photos, portraits of their children, etc.

*A premise I'm not sure I'm sold on. There are many worse things than opening your phone and finding nothing new for you there, provided you take the hint and then put it down.

A little guessing game. Just for fun, how many mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras do you predict will be released in 2026?

Mathew Anderson:

I'm the least expert in this space, but I'll say... 20

Mitchell Clark:

From 2015 to 2020 (inclusive), there were over 20 ILCs released by the major manufacturers each year, not counting primarily video models. Since then, there's been a pretty dramatic drop off; the closest we got to even reaching 20 was 2023, which saw 18 cameras released.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that maybe it's time for another 20+ release year. I haven't done the math at all on which cameras I actually think might be coming, but the vibe feels right.

Several months ago, you mentioned the possibility of doing small articles on selected users and their interesting photo journeys. Has there been any more thought on this? It would be very nice to read and discover them.

Dale Baskin:

Yes! I'm glad you asked this, because it's something we still plan to do. In fact, we're hoping to start this in the next couple of weeks.

Question on the XenForo gallery: What is the purpose of the albums "Member Album (private)" and "Member Album (public)?" How can we use them effectively?

Mathew Anderson:

The public one is for the general public – anyone can view that album. You will want to use this option to showcase your work to its maximum degree.

The private one is there in case, say, a group of your friends wants to share bird-watching photos with each other and comment on those photos without others in the public commenting. Sometimes it's nice to discuss and debate within a small group, which we totally understand and support. With the private option, you can invite specific community members in.

"Sometimes it's nice to discuss and debate within a small group, which we totally understand and support."

Please note that regardless of the setting, our community guidelines and Code of Conduct still apply.

In the new forums, what are "views" and why are they so high? And, are links in signatures supposed to work? They don't.

Mathew Anderson:

"Views" are the number of individual accounts and non-accounts that have clicked into a thread and viewed its posts (same for photo albums and whatnot). They do seem on the high side, something we are taking a look at (it might be right, but we're investigating).

For the signature links, you may have to re-establish the link using the new interface (clear the code you had before, possibly HTML). The actual link may not have carried over from the old forums. Links, though, are possible (see my signature).

Is it (or will it be) possible to allow a user to display more than the default 20 posts in a thread on one page? I often use my browser to search the current page for occurrences of a particular word or phrase, and doing so on a single long page would be better than doing it page by page.

Mathew Anderson:

Yes! We can adjust this. The new forum software allows for many such tweaks we can make in this regard. Thanks for the suggestion!

Some questions and answers were lightly edited for clarity and flow.

Photo: Richard Butler

Leica recently released the Q3 Monochrom, a black-and-white-only version of its full-frame, fixed-lens camera. Like the color model, it features a 28mm F1.7 lens and a 60MP sensor, and can capture monochrome video up to 8K resolution. The camera offers an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance, along with embedded CAI Content Credentials for creative authenticity.

Richard Butler recently had the opportunity to spend a few days with the Leica Q3 Monochrom. Frustratingly, the camera couldn't capture the stunning reds and golds of Seattle's autumn leaves. meaning he instead had to focus on the light and shade of the stark, low sunshine, on the rare breaks between overcast grays. Color didn't matter, but moments of sun glinting off glass buildings, long shadows and city lights at night proved well-suited to the monochrome format.

You can learn more about the Leica Q3 in our initial review.

Sample gallery

See the 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.

Next week marks the start of the gift-giving season in many parts of the world, so the DPReview team sat down to discuss the things people should keep in mind when shopping for the photographers and creators in their lives. We also shared personal stories of some of the best (and worst) photo-related gifts we've ever gotten.

Be sure to weigh in on our forums; have you received any great or terrible gifts, and is there anything in particular you're hoping to find this year?

Discuss gifts in our forums

Image: Reto Productions

*This story has been updated with pricing, availability and additional details.

The Kodak name has been in the news a fair amount lately, and now a new film camera featuring the brand has been released. Kodak brand licensee Reto Productions initially shared three teasers on its Instagram, showing off the upcoming Snapic A1 camera. The camera is now officially available for pre-order.

Reto's first post about the Snapic A1 featured a single shot of the camera, followed by sample photos claimed to be taken with the new device. It also shared a brief video of the camera, highlighting some of its features before fully unveiling the camera.

Screenshots of some of the features highlighted in the teaser Reel.

The Snapic A1 is a plastic point-and-shoot film camera with a textured handgrip and integrated flash. Reto says it offers auto loading and advancing, auto rewind and auto flash, making it a good option for beginners or anyone who wants an easier experience. It also provides a multiple exposure function to enable double exposures.

The camera features an LCD screen that shows battery life, focus range and flash settings. It relies on zone focusing, with a ring on the front that allows users to change the zone between 0.5 to 1.5m (1.6-4.9') and 1.5m (4.9') to infinity. It offers a shutter speed of 1/100s. Reto specifies that it uses a 25mm, 3-element glass lens with an F9.5 aperture. It's a compact and lightweight camera, weighing just 117 grams (4.1oz) and runs on two AAA batteries.

It's important to note that although Eastman Kodak is regaining control over some of its film distribution, this camera is not produced by Eastman Kodak. Instead, it's made by Reto, a Hong Kong-based company that has been a brand licensee of Eastman Kodak since 2022. Reto is also the company behind the affordable yet entirely plastic Kodak Ektar H35 line of half-frame film cameras.

The camera comes with a pouch and neck strap. Image: Reto

The Snapic A1 is available for preorder starting today, with Reto promising deliveries beginning in December. The camera comes with a camera pouch and neck strap, but does not include batteries or film. It comes in a dark gray and ivory color and costs $99.

A promotional image for The Odyssey, which will feature Matt Damon as the titular Odysseus. Image: Universal

Director Christopher Nolan is no stranger to epic undertakings, and his latest project pushes the limits even more. In a recent interview with Empire, Nolan said that they shot more than two million feet of film while on the set of The Odyssey.

Much of the filming for The Odyssey took place on the ocean, too. "It’s pretty primal!" Nolan told Empire. "I’ve been out on it for the last four months. We got the cast who play the crew of Odysseus’ ship out there on the real waves, in the real places. And yeah, it’s vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift. We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people."

It was clear from the outset that The Odyssey was going to be a massive project. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the movie would be the first commercial feature film to be shot entirely using Imax film cameras. While Nolan has frequently used the 65mm format, including on The Dark Knight, Interstellar and Oppenheimer, he's still had to rely on 35mm film because of the practical limitations of the bulky and noisy IMAX cameras.

Nolan reportedly convinced Imax to improve its cameras and workflow for The Odyssey, resulting in cameras that are lighter and 30% quieter, along with faster processing techniques. The updates made Imax cameras more feasible to use for an entire production, including one set mostly at sea. As a result, Nolan and his production team were able to use Imax cameras for the entire 91-day shoot, producing those 2 million feet of film.

All of that film won't make the final cut of the movie, of course. But it's not Nolan's first time producing extensive volumes of film for a movie. His dedication to the format also required innovation on the set of Oppenheimer. That movie resulted in 11 miles of film, which was unprecedented. It was so much film that Imax had to develop a custom platter just to hold it all.

The Odyssey is an adaptation of Homer's epic Greek poem, telling the tale of Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) making a decade-long journey home to his wife, Penelope, after the Trojan War. Nolan told Empire that he's been dreaming of making this film for decades. He said he grew up with mythological cinematic work, but he'd "never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do."

"By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways"

Nolan added that the film format was especially important when telling this particular story. "By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways," he told Empire. "Because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you."

There's surely plenty of work left on the production of the movie, which is slated for release in cinemas in July 2026. We'll be eagerly awaiting teasers and trailers as that date approaches.

Image: Sigma

Lens names can be complicated things. Companies often try to fit every detail of the lens into the name, resulting in a string of abbreviations. While Sigma isn't the worst offender, it tends to stack quite a few terms into the names of its lenses. In this article, we'll be breaking down terms specific to Sigma lenses so that you can more easily gather relevant features and technologies without having to be a Sigma engineer.

Lens format and series designations

While many companies list some designations at the very beginning of a lens name, Sigma keeps all of its terms after the focal length and aperture. The first acronyms refer to the lens format and, when applicable, the lens series.

DG, DC and DN

Like other companies, Sigma has specific acronyms to identify whether a lens is designed for full-frame or APS-C cameras. DG is Sigma's designation for full-frame lenses, while DC is for APS-C (often called crop sensor) cameras.

DN is Sigma's term that indicates a lens is made for mirrorless cameras. Since Sigma produces mirrorless lenses for both full-frame and APS-C cameras, you may see DN in combination with either DG or DC. However, Sigma has dropped the DN on newly released mirrorless lenses, as it is no longer developing new DSLR lenses. As a result, you won't see DN on the latest Sigma lenses, even though they are mirrorless optics.

A, C, S and I

The silver 'A' on the lens body means it's part of the Art line of Sigma lenses. Image: Sigma

Sigma also offers four specific lens series that focus on different capabilities tailored to various types of photographers. If you see an 'S' in the lens name, it means the lens is part of the Sports line, which, as you may guess, is made for documenting action such as sports and wildlife. The Spots lineup consists of telephoto and super telephoto prime and zoom lenses made to handle rough conditions. They offer shock resistance and more advanced weather sealing, along with customization opportunities through on-lens controls.

An 'A' means the lens is part of the Art line, which prioritizes optical performance. These lenses typically feature fast apertures and are available in both prime and zoom lens formats. Sigma says that the Art line is for those who want creative outcomes over compactness and multifunction, so they aren't as compact or lightweight as its other lens lineups.

The 'C' stands for Contemporary, which prioritizes portability and convenience. The Contemporary lineup consists of a mix of prime and zoom lenses, covering just about every focal length. However, in every format, the focus remains on keeping the lenses compact and lightweight. As a result, they are ideal for travel, casual snapshots and other similar applications.

I series lenses come in both black and silver. Image: Sigma

Lastly, the I series is the company's smallest lens lineup, consisting of just nine lenses at the time of writing. It functions as a subset of the Contemporary lineup. Like the Contemporary line, the I series is a collection of compact, mid-price, medium-fast aperture lenses. However, it differs from the broader Contemporary lineup because all the I series lenses are primes designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras. They also all feature metal construction, manual aperture rings and high-end build quality. The lenses offer retro looks and come in both silver (to match the silver Sigma BF) and black.

Lens features and autofocus

While not always in the lens name, Sigma also has some specific terms related to autofocus and other lens features.

OS

The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports lens offers optical stabilization, as indicated by the 'OS' in the name and on the lens. Image: Sigma

OS, which stands for Optical Stabilizer, is Sigma's optical stabilization technology. As with any stabilization feature, it aims to reduce blur associated with the motion of the camera. It helps obtain sharper images when using slower shutter speeds, which is especially helpful on telephoto lenses and when working in low-light conditions.

HSM and HLA

If you see 'HSM' in a Sigma lens name or description, it indicates that the lens uses the company's patented Hyper Sonic Motor for autofocus. This motor, as the name suggests, is an ultrasonic-type autofocus motor, which results in fast, quiet and accurate autofocus. It's commonly found in many of Sigma's Art, Sports and Contemporary lenses.

The Sigma 'HLA,' or High-response Linear Actuator, is its newest autofocus motor. It allows for faster autofocus performance, with more responsive subject acquisition and tracking to keep up with modern mirrorless cameras.

Lens technology

Finally, Sigma uses some proprietary lens elements that you may see mentioned in lens descriptions. Its FLD (F Low Dispersion) element mimics fluorite elements (which is what the 'F' stands for), though it is less expensive. Sigma says it is the "highest level low dispersion glass available," and it offers extra control of chromatic aberrations.

ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) is another type of glass element that reduces chromatic aberrations for better clarity and color fidelity even in challenging lighting conditions. Finally, the oldest of the bunch: SLD (Special Low Dispersion). This element is yet another that reduces optical aberrations. It was first introduced on the Sigma 50-200mm F3.5-4.5 in 1984.

The Leica Q3 Monochrom is a black-and-white only version of the company's 61MP full-frame fixed 28mm lens camera.

Key specifications

• 61MP BSI CMOS sensor with no color filter
• Reduced res JPEGs or Raws at 36MP or 18MP
• 28mm F1.7 lens
• 5.76M dot OLED EVF with 0.79x magnification
• 3" tilt touchscreen LCD with 1.84 million dots
• 8K video capture in UHD or DCI ratios up to 30p (H.265)
• Apple ProRes 422HQ support for 1080p video capture up to 60p
• AI-assisted perspective control mode
• IP52-rated dust and water resistant
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

The Leica Q3 Monochrom will be available from today at a recommended price of $7790.

Index:

• What is it
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• Initial assessment
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

What is it?

The Q3 Monochrom is an updated version of the Q2 Monochrom based, as the name implies, on the newer Q3 camera. This means it has the same lens as the Q2 but with the excellent 61MP BSI CMOS sensor and Maestro IV processor from the newer camera, bringing features such as perspective correction.

However, unlike the color Q3, it does not gain phase-detection AF, instead relying on contrast detection (presumably the version of Panasonic's Depth-from-Defocus) system that Leica used for some years.

New interface

The Q3 Mono also gains the updated interface from the SL3 cameras, which separates stills and video features into red and yellow-accented displays, switched between by swiping left and right on the settings display screen.

Leica says that, in addition to the reworked display logic, every single icon on the camera has been redesigned. The updated interface will be available for Leica Q3 and Leica Q3 43 users via a free firmware update, shortly.

Content credentials

The Q3 Monochrom also joins the list of Leica cameras that can embed CAI Content Credentials in its images. Leica's implementation relies on specific hardware, so this feature will not be extended to existing Q3 and Q3 43 owners.

Why B&W?

From a technical perspective, there are a couple of benefits to using a camera with no color filter array, assuming you're not interested in capturing color. The first is that, because you're not demosaicing to interpolate the missing colors at each pixel location, you aren't softening your output.

A monochrome camera makes you think in terms of light and shade, rather than color. If anything, this shot would have be overwhelming and confused in color, and probably more objectionably noisy.

The absence of a filter sapping around a stop of light also means the Q3 Mono should prove a stop less noisy and have a stop's improved tonal quality at every ISO (with the caveat that the standard Q3's base ISO is a stop lower, so in good light, it'll catch up, if you can give it enough light). On top of this, many people find noise less distracting if it's rendered as the wrong brightness, rather than the wrong color, so the perceived advantage is likely to be even more than a stop, in low light.

There's no safety net on a mono camera

However, along with these benefits comes an increased exposure challenge. The ability to recover the highlights comes primarily from the fact that a camera with a CFA's color channels don't all clip at the same point, so there's often enough further information about brightness being captured above what appears to be the clipping point, in the Raws. This lets you reconstruct and approximate the detail in the highlights, well beyond the point that you can capture accurate color. There's no such safety net on a mono camera: if an area is clipped, then there's no way for processing software to tell what's 'just' clipped from what's spectacularly clipped: it's just unrecoverably white.

The temptation is to err on the side of underexposure and cut into that one-stop advantage.

How it compares:

When Leica launched the original Q2 Monochrom back in 2019, there was no direct competition, as Leica was the only major brand making black and white cameras. Since then, Ricoh has joined the fray with its Pentax K-3 III Monochrome and the forthcoming GR IV Monochrome. The GR IV makes an interesting comparison to the Leica. It uses a smaller sensor and has a slower lens, so it's not going to compete for peak image quality, but it's a lot smaller and, we have to assume, a lot less expensive. We've included the details we know so far and those we can infer from the specs of the color GR IV.

In many respects, the Leica Q3 remains peerless; it's a substantial upgrade over the Q2, primarily by dint of a much better sensor. We can't know exactly how much better the image quality of the Q3 Monochrome will be than that of the as-yet-unreleased Ricoh GR IV Monochrome but given the fact that the Ricoh is being built around a sensor that uses the same pixels on a chip with 42% of the light-capturing area, we can make an estimate with pretty high precision. We can also get a very good idea of the impact of the slower maximum aperture.

As is so often the case with Leica products, if you want what the Q3 Mono offers, then this is pretty much the only option available.

Body and handling

The camera's primary exposure settings are controlled via a dedicated aperture ring around the front of the lens and a shutter speed dial on the top plate. There's also a command dial on the camera's rear right shoulder that lets you adjust exposure compensation or ISO, or fine-tune the shutter speed.

The body is an exact match for the Q3, with the same solid-feeling build and IP52 environmental sealing rating. The only difference is the word Monochrom embossed in the top plate and the complete absence of color on the body.

As with the Q3, the camera is environmentally sealed to the point of earning an IP52 rating. This isn't especially strenuous but means that there should be limited dust ingress, to a degree that shouldn't interfere with operation and that it can withstand water droplets falling on the camera at up to 15 degree angles from vertical. This isn't much, but the fact that it's been designed and built to repeatably withstand such a test is more of a commitment than you get from most cameras.

The Q3 Monochrom has a 5.76M dot viewfinder and a tilt up/down rear touchscreen. Just next to the viewfinder is a diopter adjuster, which pops out when you press it. Here it's shown in its extended position.

The handling is fairly straightforward with a dedicated aperture ring and shutter speed dial, each of which has an auto position. There's also a customizable command dial on the top rear corner, which has a function button at its center. This gives direct access to the camera's principle exposure parameters, fairly easily.

There's a thumb rest on the camera's focus ring that has a tiny button on its edge, which engages and disengages manual focus mode. The lens is focus-by-wire but has a linear response and a distance scale, so it gives a very good impression of a physically connected focus ring. Set behind this is a ring that shunts the lens between its standard focus range (0.3m – Infinity) and the camera's Macro range (0.17m – 0.3m).

A ring next to the camera's body lets you shift the lens into its Macro range.

Press the menu button and you get a settings display that you can touch to change any of the camera's core settings. Swipe left and the display switches to a yellow-accented version that shows the video settings. Hit Menu again and you enter the short, well-organized camera menu. It's not dramatically different to the version in the existing Q3 and Q3 43 but it's that bit cleaner and neater. We'd definitely advise users of those cameras to update their firmware when this version of the UI becomes available.

Battery

The base of the battery forms the bottom of the camera, rather than sitting behind a door. The sliver lever to its left releases the first of two catches to eject the battery.

The camera's battery embeds into its baseplate and is released with a large silver lever. Once you've pushed the lever, you have to then push the battery in a little to release a second catch within the body.

The BP-SCL6 battery is a relatively large 16Wh unit from which the camera delivers a battery life of 350 shots per charge. These numbers always significantly understate the amount of shots most people will actually get, and a rating of 350 shots per charge is pretty solid for a day's committed shooting. It can be recharged over the USB slot on the camera's slide.

Initial assessment

A compact camera with a prime lens is something of a niche proposition. Add to that Leica's premium pricing, and that niche becomes smaller still. Take the color filter away, and its appeal narrows to the point that you wonder whether the company already knows the photographers and collectors who'll buy one by name.

I like shooting with prime lens cameras, but tend more towards normal lenses than wide angles. So the prospect of shooting a wide-angle camera with added restrictions was daunting, to say the least. In practice, I found the challenge fascinating.

Autumn has well and truly molded Seattle to its fleeting fashion, leaves red and golden, glistening in low, stark sunshine between the rain and wind storms that will sweep us on into winter, all too soon. In those breaks in the cloud, some of the color is spectacular, and of no interest whatsoever to a monochrome camera.

At I first I wandered through this scene, constantly frustrated that the Q3 Mono couldn't see any of the things I saw to capture. But, just as the restriction of a single focal length makes you see the world through its specific lens, so the inability to capture color forced me to focus instead on light and shade.

The downside of the camera embedding Content Credentials is you might inadvertently credit your photos to the previous user of the camera.

Of course, it didn't suddenly make me an expert black and white photographer in the handful of days during which I had the camera and the sky wasn't just overcast, but it was enough to make me recognize what the Q3 Monochrom is for.

There are a couple of technical benefits to the lack of a color filter (sharper images and better quality when you're light-limited), but for me, the strongest case for the Q3 Mono is the creative restriction. And, just as I argued a camera with a fixed prime is not the same thing as an ILC with a prime lens on it, I'll argue vehemently that a mono camera isn't the same as switching your existing camera to black and white mode, even if you put the technical benefits to one side. There's a difference between seeing a colorful autumnal scene and knowing in the back of your mind that you could just shoot it in color, and knowing that you have to move on, because your camera is literally incapable of capturing it.

As ever, Leica's pricing seems to defy rational analysis (that's arguably partly by intent), so it's senseless to ask whether the Q3 Mono is 'worth it.' No, of course it's not. Unless, for you, it is. For the rest of us, it's quite exciting to know that the smaller, much more affordable Ricoh GR IV Monochrome is on its way. It won't come close to the Leica in terms of image quality or, perhaps, desirability, but it'll let more of us explore the fascinating restrictions of black and white digital.

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.

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Peak Design has announced that its Pro line of tripods is now available for sale, following a Kickstarter campaign in June, which raised around $4.6 million. The tripods build upon the company's well-regarded Travel Tripod, but are made to hold more gear and to be more capable for videographers.

There are three models: the Pro Lite, Pro and Pro Tall, with maximum heights of 162.5cm (64.0"), 168.4cm (66.3") and 197.4cm (77.7"), respectively. The two larger models can carry payloads of up to 18.1kg (40lb), while the Lite model can hold 15.9kg (35lb).

Compared to the Travel Tripod, the Pro tripod's biggest upgrade is the ball head. While it's not as compact, it has an automatic locking mechanism, as well as a secondary lock to keep you from accidentally ejecting your camera. It also has a fluid mechanism for getting smooth, steady pans.

The Pro Tripod with the Tilt Mod. Photo: Mitchell Clark

There are also several accessories for the Pro Tripods, but the most interesting is the Tilt Mod. Like its name implies, it adds a fluid tilting mechanism; combine it with the tripod, and you get something close to the tilt/pan models videographers generally choose.

As with many of Peak Design's products, none of this comes cheap. The Pro Lite costs $799, with the Pro and Pro Tall going for $899 and $999. The Tilt Mod costs $149 on top of that. The company says it's offering 5% off the tripods and their accessories until December 1st as part of its Black Friday sale (though the discounts on its other products are more substantial).

If you want to read more about the Pro Tripods, you can check out the article we wrote when they were initially announced.

Pro Lite

Pro

Pro Tall

Photo: onuma Inthapong / E+ via Getty Images

Buying used camera equipment can be a great way to save money while still expanding your creative toolkit. After all, used cameras and lenses are typically much less expensive than their new counterparts. It can be intimidating to shop for used gear, though, as there are certainly risks involved. However, by taking some precautions and educating yourself, you can make wise online purchases to better protect yourself.

Online purchases

For most of us, online sources are the primary (if not only) option for buying used gear. Shopping used online certainly adds a layer of convenience, but it can make vetting the piece of equipment more challenging and comes with its own set of risks. To help protect yourself, there are several things to look out for when shopping for used camera gear online.

First and foremost, while there are countless platforms for buying used gear out there, not all are created equal. Some offer more protection for the buyer than others, which is especially important if you're paying for an expensive piece of equipment like a camera or lens. You don't want your order to arrive only to discover that the camera isn't in working order or otherwise not as advertised, with no option to get your money back.

Whenever possible, it's best to order from reputable sites.

Whenever possible, it's best to order from reputable sites that offer some form of buyer protection. MPB, for example, offers a 6-month warranty for equipment purchased through its site, along with a 14-day return policy. KEH offers a 180-day warranty covering defects and a 21-day return policy. These types of sites also photograph the actual piece of gear you are buying, instead of using generic stock imagery.

eBay also offers some protection through its Money Back Guarantee policy. It outlines that buyers can get their money back if an item didn't arrive, is faulty or damaged, or doesn't match the listing. Sites that offer such policies give you a layer of protection in case something isn't right after your purchase.

Buying peer-to-peer

DPReview has a forum for buying and selling gear.

There are times when buying from dedicated reseller websites isn't an option, though. Marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist can still offer worthy purchases. Additionally, DPReview’s For Sale and Wanted forum provides space for individuals to list used equipment. While these sites can offer good deals, it’s crucial to remember that transactions are not covered by specific buyer protection or warranties. As a result, it's essential to thoroughly vet the listing to avoid potential scams.

Start by researching the typical price of the item you are considering. If the price on a particular listing is far below that, it may be a sign that it's too good to be true and there's something nefarious at play.

Depending on the site, you may also be able to research the seller by checking their profile or selling history. If their account lacks a profile picture or history, it could be a fake or spam account, and it's best to move on. Opt for sellers who have a proven track record and good feedback. It's also a red flag if the seller wants communication to happen somewhere other than the platform where the listing is. If they want you to reach out to WhatsApp or some other way, proceed with caution (if at all).

Opt for sellers who have a proven track record and good feedback.

When possible, ask for additional images or videos, especially for high-ticket items. That can help verify that they have the product in hand, and it isn't just a fake listing. It's also smart to ask clarifying questions if any part of the listing is vague, such as simply stating a camera is in "good shape."

There are also some general payment aspects to consider. If the seller asks for a deposit before you receive the item, that's generally not a good sign, and you should keep looking. Avoid any seller that requests payment through wire transfer, gift cards or 'friends and family' payment options, as those don't offer recourse for recovery should something not work out. Whenever possible, pay with a credit card, which allows you to dispute the charge, or something like PayPal, which offers some purchase protection.

Finally, trust your gut. If the seller seems pushy, evasive to certain questions, or something just feels off, your best bet is to keep looking elsewhere.

Visual inspections

Always perform a thorough visual inspection, even if it's after you order something. Photo: NickyLloyd / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Getting to assess a used piece of gear in person is always ideal. That way, you can visually inspect the item and see for yourself what its condition is, rather than relying on photos and descriptions. Even if you purchased something online, giving it a thorough inspection as soon as it arrives is best. You want to catch any inconsistencies or potential issues as soon as possible, as otherwise you may not have any recourse should something be amiss.

Whether you're buying a camera or lens, it's smart to bring either a compatible body or lens that you already own (or can borrow) so that you can do some testing. You'll also want to have a memory card with you, and some way to view those files on the spot. It's worth asking the seller about the history of the item, and if they have any receipts, have had it serviced and what accessories come with it. Always take your time and feel free to walk away if anything seems off.

How to inspect cameras

This type of damage is obvious, but don't forget to look through the viewfinder for more subtle issues when buying a used camera. Photo: Boy_Anupong / Moment via Getty Images

If you are able to have some hands-on time with the item, start with a general once-over to check for scratches, dents and other signs of abuse. Make sure that all port doors close, latches catch where they should and so on. Some dents and scratches are fine, but others could seriously impact the functionality or be a sign that something else is broken beneath the surface.

After an exterior inspection, take a look at the sensor (and mirror in the case of SLRs and DSLRs). Inspect carefully for any scratches or damage. If possible, take a photo of a plain background (a white wall, blue sky, etc.) at a small aperture and inspect for any dust spots or sensor defects. While sensors can be cleaned of dust and certain types of smudges, there could be more significant damage going on that's not fixable.

There could be more significant damage going on that's not fixable.

It's also important to check the battery, battery compartment and all other electronic ports for any corrosion, residue, or damaged contacts. Press all the buttons, dials and switches to check for responsiveness, and to make sure they don't stick. Examine the viewfinder and rear display for potential dead pixels, lines and other issues, and if it's a flip-out display, make sure it moves as expected.

Checking the shutter is also crucial. Fire the shutter at various speeds and listen carefully for any unusual sounds or potential timing issues. This is also a good time to check that the autofocus works as expected. Finally, if possible, check the number of shutter actuations. Lower counts are better.

How to inspect lenses

Photo: Luen Wantisud / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Like cameras, you should first check the lens you're looking at for obvious scratches and dents. That includes checking the lens mount to verify it's free from corrosion and dents, and examining the front filter thread for dents or cross-threading.

Shining a flashlight through the lens can help you identify if there are any signs of scratches, chips, haze, fungus or dirt inside the lens. Small amounts of dust aren't a deal breaker, but if you spot signs of fungus, that signals deeper issues.

If possible, change the aperture (either via an aperture ring on the lens or with a camera) to make sure it moves smoothly. Rotate the zoom (when applicable) and focus rings to ensure those also move smoothly without any odd grinding or catches. If you are able to connect the lens to a compatible camera, check that the autofocus works. It's also important to verify that any switches or buttons on the lens body perform as they should.

Final thoughts on buying used gear

No matter how or where you are buying used camera gear, it's always worthwhile to check what accessories come with it. Dedicated resellers typically list them, but for more general marketplaces, you may need to ask specifically. The more complete picture you can get of the condition and what comes with the gear, the better.

Buying used is typically a great opportunity to save some money while building out your kit. There are certainly risks, but by shopping smart and doing your research ahead of time, you can prevent getting caught in a bad situation.

Image: Westend61 / Westend61 via Getty Images

Welcome back to our Question of the Week series! This reader-focused series aims to get our photographic community to share thoughts on all sorts of photography-related topics in our forums. We pose questions about gear, favorite camera stores, advice, problem-solving and more, and you share your thoughts and opinions.

This week, we’re leaning into the holiday spirit! The season of giving (and occasionally re-gifting) is upon us, and that means it’s time to unwrap some memories – both heartwarming and hilarious.

What are the best (and worst) photography-related gifts you've received?

What’s the best photography-related gift you’ve ever received? Maybe it was a dream lens that caused you to take on an adventure deep in the mountains, or a handmade camera strap that’s now an essential part of your kit. And what about the worst? Perhaps someone thought you needed yet another "World’s Best Photographer" mug, or that odd lens filter set that turned every photo a shade of green.

In this edition of our Question of the Week series, we want to hear your gift stories: the memorable, the useful and the truly baffling. Share your favorites (and flops) in the forum link below. Photos of the gifts (or what you created with them) are also more than welcome! We'll highlight some of your most entertaining and heartfelt responses in next week's roundup.

Click here to answer the Question of the week

Image: Viltrox

Viltrox has announced that its Pro series portrait lens is now available for Nikon Z mount. The AF 85mm F1.4 Pro, which was initially released for full-frame Sony E mount earlier this year, offers a classic portrait focal length, a fast aperture, and pro-level features at a budget-friendly price.

The Z mount version of the Viltrox 85mm F1.4 Pro uses the same design as the Sony E mount model. The optical formula consists of 15 elements in 11 groups, with 3 ED, 9 HR and 1 UA elements to improve sharpness and manage aberrations. Viltrox promises pro-grade image quality from the lens, with excellent sharpness and accurate colors even in tricky lighting conditions. The lens features an 11-blade diaphragm, which Viltrox says results in "creamy bokeh."

Image: Viltrox

Viltrox built the 85mm F1.4 Pro with its Dual HyperVCM autofocus system. It promises fast, silent and precise autofocus that's compatible with face and eye detection and subject tracking. The lens can focus as close as 0.79m (2.6').

Despite its budget-friendly price, the Viltrox lens offers numerous higher-end features. That includes metal construction with a dust and splash-resistant design to protect the lens from inclement conditions. It also features a customizable Fn button, an AF/MF switch, an aperture ring and a switch to click and declick the aperture.

Like the E mount version, it uses a 77mm filter thread and features a USB-C port for firmware updates. The Z mount model is slightly heavier than the E mount counterpart, coming in at 835 grams (29.5 ounces).

The Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro for Nikon Z is available for purchase for $598.

Buy now:

National Geographic Pictures of the Year 2025

National Geographic has revealed the Pictures of the Year 2025, highlighting images by Nat Geo photographers that inspired and defined the past year. This year's showcase features 25 images that cover the full spectrum of National Geographic coverage. It consists of wildlife portraits and human narratives to sweeping composites of changing landscapes and scientific discoveries.

The top 25 images were selected from hundreds of thousands of images captured in the field this year across more than 20 countries. The collection includes groundbreaking moments, such as the first underwater photograph of a great white shark in Maine, the precise moment an egg transforms into a chick. It also contains images that show the largest religious gathering in the world, the last Indigenous people of Europe, the largest land migration documented by drone, a new benchmark record set for a nuclear tokamak reactor and more.

"PICTURES OF THE YEAR is a project that is always inspiring and thought-provoking," said Nathan Lump, editor-in-chief of National Geographic. "Each year, our photographers and editors sift through thousands of images, searching for those rare moments that stop us in our tracks. Individually, these photographs speak to beauty, fragility, and wonder. Taken together, I see a collective sense of urgency — a call to preserve what’s in danger of being lost, as well as a reminder of the poetic beauty to be found in carrying on, in daring to dream of a better future."

You can see the full selection at natgeo.com/photos and in the December 2025 issue of National Geographic, which includes behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

Great white

Photographer: Brian Skerry

Caption: Photographer Brian Skerry has been chronicling marine life for decades, but this is his first picture of a great white shark off the coast of Maine, where he encountered one from four feet away. Sightings of sharks like this 10-footer are increasing from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, due in part to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which allowed seal populations to rebound.

Transformation

Photographer: Anand Varma

Caption: For years, photographer Anand Varma has attempted to document when an egg yolk can still be seen but a bird form has clearly emerged. He experimented by incubating embryos in artificial shells before finally capturing the transformation at 12 days old. Varma separately raised some embryos to chicks, which he donated to people in the community.

King Mwene Chivueka VI

Photographer: Jasper Doest

Caption: In the misty highlands of Angola, entry to one of southern Africa's least studied ecosystems is controlled by King Mwene Chivueka VI, leader of the Luchazi people. For generations, his community has venerated an elusive herd of elephants native to the area—which outside scientists have only recently begun tracking, with the king's permission.

Nuclear fusion

Photographer: Paolo Verzone

Caption: With an eye toward solving the global energy crisis, scientists are developing powerful nuclear fusion devices called stellarators. This model was created at a German lab where international researchers built a much larger one that generated an astonishing 54 million-degree-Fahrenheit reaction. For a record-breaking 43 seconds, it was the hottest entity in the entire solar system—including the sun's center.

Day to Night

Photographer: Stephen Wilkes

Caption: Over the course of one action-packed day, photographer Stephen Wilkes watched animals charge toward a meager water hole at the height of extreme drought in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Elephants flared their ears. The legs of antelope and zebras splayed in a mad dash. One hippo dipped its head to charge an elephant calf, while another opened its mighty mouth in an intimidating display. Wilkes applied his signature Day to Night technique, in which he takes as many as 1,500 pictures from one vantage point over the course of 18 to 36 hours, seamlessly layering the 50 or so best moments to create a final image.

National Geographic Pictures of the Year 2025

National Geographic has revealed the Pictures of the Year 2025, highlighting images by Nat Geo photographers that inspired and defined the past year. This year's showcase features 25 images that cover the full spectrum of National Geographic coverage. It consists of wildlife portraits and human narratives to sweeping composites of changing landscapes and scientific discoveries.

The top 25 images were selected from hundreds of thousands of images captured in the field this year across more than 20 countries. The collection includes groundbreaking moments, such as the first underwater photograph of a great white shark in Maine, the precise moment an egg transforms into a chick. It also contains images that show the largest religious gathering in the world, the last Indigenous people of Europe, the largest land migration documented by drone, a new benchmark record set for a nuclear tokamak reactor and more.

"PICTURES OF THE YEAR is a project that is always inspiring and thought-provoking," said Nathan Lump, editor-in-chief of National Geographic. "Each year, our photographers and editors sift through thousands of images, searching for those rare moments that stop us in our tracks. Individually, these photographs speak to beauty, fragility, and wonder. Taken together, I see a collective sense of urgency — a call to preserve what’s in danger of being lost, as well as a reminder of the poetic beauty to be found in carrying on, in daring to dream of a better future."

You can see the full selection at natgeo.com/photos and in the December 2025 issue of National Geographic, which includes behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

Great white

Photographer: Brian Skerry

Caption: Photographer Brian Skerry has been chronicling marine life for decades, but this is his first picture of a great white shark off the coast of Maine, where he encountered one from four feet away. Sightings of sharks like this 10-footer are increasing from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, due in part to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which allowed seal populations to rebound.

Transformation

Photographer: Anand Varma

Caption: For years, photographer Anand Varma has attempted to document when an egg yolk can still be seen but a bird form has clearly emerged. He experimented by incubating embryos in artificial shells before finally capturing the transformation at 12 days old. Varma separately raised some embryos to chicks, which he donated to people in the community.

King Mwene Chivueka VI

Photographer: Jasper Doest

Caption: In the misty highlands of Angola, entry to one of southern Africa's least studied ecosystems is controlled by King Mwene Chivueka VI, leader of the Luchazi people. For generations, his community has venerated an elusive herd of elephants native to the area—which outside scientists have only recently begun tracking, with the king's permission.

Nuclear fusion

Photographer: Paolo Verzone

Caption: With an eye toward solving the global energy crisis, scientists are developing powerful nuclear fusion devices called stellarators. This model was created at a German lab where international researchers built a much larger one that generated an astonishing 54 million-degree-Fahrenheit reaction. For a record-breaking 43 seconds, it was the hottest entity in the entire solar system—including the sun's center.

Day to Night

Photographer: Stephen Wilkes

Caption: Over the course of one action-packed day, photographer Stephen Wilkes watched animals charge toward a meager water hole at the height of extreme drought in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Elephants flared their ears. The legs of antelope and zebras splayed in a mad dash. One hippo dipped its head to charge an elephant calf, while another opened its mighty mouth in an intimidating display. Wilkes applied his signature Day to Night technique, in which he takes as many as 1,500 pictures from one vantage point over the course of 18 to 36 hours, seamlessly layering the 50 or so best moments to create a final image.

Canon announced the EOS R6 III, its latest-generation enthusiast full frame camera, earlier this month, but to some, the news of what the company was doing with the previous generation was even more exciting. It's keeping the EOS R6 II in the lineup indefinitely – not just selling through remaining stock – but cutting the list price from $2499 to $2299.

For potential buyers, it raises the question of whether to go with the still extremely capable EOS R6 II or to spend the extra $500 to get the newer model with all its additional features and resolution. In this article, we'll go through the differences between the two models so you can decide which one is right for you or whether you should upgrade from one to the other.

Sensor

The EOS R6 III's sensor is a new, higher-resolution model.

The EOS R6 III uses a new 33MP FSI sensor, which provides around 16% more linear resolution than the 24MP model found in its predecessor. Despite having more pixels to read out, both cameras have very similar readout speeds, so you're not giving up rolling shutter performance in e-shutter mode to get that extra detail. It is worth noting, however, that both cameras drop into 12-bit mode when reading out from their electronic shutter, meaning the images will have less dynamic range and noisier deep shadows than if they were taken with the mechanical shutter. Importantly, this is something their competitors with faster readout speeds don't have to do.

The company is also promising slightly better stabilization, rated at 8.5EV versus 8EV for the EOS R6 II. However, the EOS R6 III's expanded ISO setting tops out at 102,400, a stop below its predecessor's maximum of 204,800 (not that we've found such high settings to produce particularly usable images).

Autofocus

At a glance, the two cameras' autofocus systems are very similar; they support human, animal and vehicle detection, and have an 'auto' setting that will make the camera highlight any detected subjects in the scene.

However, Canon says it's updated the algorithms for the EOS R6 III, re-using the ones from the higher-end EOS R5 II and R1. We'll have to do more testing to see how much of a difference that makes in the real world, but the company says the system should be even more reliable. While we found the EOS R6 II's system to be capable for most situations, we would occasionally run into issues with it, particularly while recording video.

Also new on the EOS R6 III is Canon's 'Register People Priority' feature, which lets you take a picture of someone, then tell the camera to prioritize them when running subject recognition. This could be useful for group events or sports, where you want to make sure the camera doesn't jump to other recognized faces when it should be sticking to, say, the bride at a wedding. The system supports up to 10 faces, and lets you rank them in order of priority.

The EOS R6 III also has a few new focus selection modes that will always have subject detection and tracking turned off, letting you switch between area modes without losing your subject recognition settings when you switch back. It also gains the ability to assign a preset focus distance to a custom button to a preset focus distance, letting you press it to instantly focus the lens on a specific point.

Connectivity and storage

The EOS R6 III has received a few updates to its ports and card slots. It now features a full-size HDMI connector, rather than the rather fragile micro one, and replaces one of its predecessor's dual UHS-II SD card slots with a CFexpress Type B one.

While both cameras support the UVC protocol, allowing them to be used as webcams without additional drivers or software, the EOS R6 II could only do so at 1080p, while the newer model can stream up to 4K60p to your computer. While this will likely be overkill for standard video calls, it could be a big upgrade for streamers.

Finally, the EOS R6 III's USB-C port now supports 10Gbps speeds, while the EOS R6 II's topped out at 5Gbps.

Burst rates and pre-capture

As with autofocus, both cameras are very similar on first blush; they support burst rates of up to 40fps in e-shutter mode, and around half a second of pre-burst capture. However, the EOS R6 II required a special workflow for the latter, making you switch into a 'Raw Burst' mode that didn't record JPEGs and required special processing before you could bring the files into standard programs like Lightroom or Capture One.

The EOS R6 III does away with Raw Burst mode.

The EOS R6 III does away with this, making the pre-capture option a standard menu option that doesn't come with any of those caveats. Like with its predecessor, though, you can only access it in the "H+" drive mode, meaning you can't have pre-capture when shooting at slower burst rates.

Software

While the two cameras' operating systems are very similar to one another, the EOS R6 III's menus have some big quality-of-life improvements. Setting a custom white balance, for example, no longer requires taking a still image of your desired middle gray and then going into the menus to select it; you can simply do it from the Q menu.

The EOS R6 III's video menu is much more friendly.

The video modes are also much easier to navigate. The EOS R6 II would give you a list of every possible combination of resolution, frame rate, and compression type. The EOS R6 III, however, lets you set those parameters independently.

Video

The EOS R6 II was no slouch when it came to video, but the III adds features like open gate, internal Raw and full-width 4K/120.

Video is where most people will probably notice the big differences between the EOS R6 III and its predecessor. While the EOS R6 II was no slouch – it offered full-width 4K/60 – Canon's latest model borrows a lot of inspiration from advancements that other companies have added to their enthusiast cameras, such as the adoption of an open-gate recording mode, internal Raw recording and waveform monitoring.

The new sensor's extra resolution also affords greater than 4K recording modes. While the EOS R6 II's 4K modes were oversampled from 6K capture, the EOS R6 III gains the ability to actually record in 7K in its DCI Raw and open-gate modes. It also gains a full-width 4K/120 mode, though it almost certainly makes use of sub-sampling or line skipping to achieve those speeds.

Other video improvements include the addition of a front-facing tally lamp to the EOS R6 III, C-Log 2 and the ability to bake in a custom LUT to your footage, so you don't have to spend time grading it in post. The shooting display has also been improved, letting you punch-in to check focus while recording, and retain your spirit levels, which disappear when you start rolling on the EOS R6 II.

Body and battery

The video record and M-Fn buttons on the EOS R6 III (left) now have secondary functions activated in playback mode. The mode dial also replaces the 'Hybrid Auto' setting that captures video alongside stills with a 'Slow and Fast' mode for recording over- or under-cranked video.

The two cameras have identical dimensions and feel essentially the same to hold, despite the EOS R6 III being slightly heavier on paper. The control layouts are largely unchanged*, though Canon's latest camera has a few new default functions assigned to buttons, such as the "Rate" control on the top left of the back plate; in the shooting mode, it now brings up the "Color" menu.

The EOS R6 III ships with Canon's latest LP-E6P battery. It can be used with the LP-E6NH used by its predecessor, though some features will be unavailable, such as network and smartphone connectivity. Despite both batteries having a rated 16Wh capacity, the R6 III is rated to get noticeably fewer shots per charge than its predecessor. We're told the camera's processor has been updated, despite having the same Digic X branding, which may account for some of that discrepancy.

* - Impossibly nerdy detail: the stills/video switch no longer has an embossed circle surrounding the center ridge. This didn't affect what it was like to use in the slightest.

Summary

Overall, the EOS R6 III represents a relatively sizable step up from its predecessor when it comes to shooting video, with the changes on the stills side being welcome, but more iterative. We find it hard to complain about extra resolution, but think most current EOS R6 II owners would have a hard time justifying the upgrade, unless they had serious video ambitions.

Canon EOS R6 II

The decision line for new buyers falls along similar lines. If you mostly shoot stills and don't need the top-tier of autofocus for shooting sports and action or slightly higher resolution, it'll likely make more sense to pick up the EOS R6 II and an extra lens, rather than an EOS R6 III. If you shoot a lot of video – especially for social media – or think you'll be pushing the camera to its absolute limits, it may be worth considering spending the extra on the EOS R6 III.

Canon EOS R6 III

We'd also recommend checking out our comparisons between the EOS R6 III and the higher-end EOS R5 II, as well as our article comparing it to competitors from other brands.

Image: DJI

Hot on the heels of launching an entry-level drone and smartphone gimbal, DJI has announced yet another new product: the Osmo Action 6. The company's latest action camera promises to up the ante with a larger, custom-designed square sensor and a feature that most other action cameras can't match.

The DJI Osmo Action 6 gains a variable aperture lens, which is a standout in this field. It also features a wider maximum aperture of F2.0 (compared to the typical F2.8), which should improve low-light performance. It can also be adjusted to F4.0 for a deeper depth of field, though DJI didn't specify what increments are available.

In Auto mode, the camera offers various aperture range options, allowing for some additional creative control without requiring manual adjustments. For example, the Starburst mode promises to turn lights into starbursts by using a smaller aperture.

The Osmo Action 6 is compatible with DJI's Macro Lens and FOV Boost Lens. Image: DJI

How much of a difference the F2.0 to F4.0 aperture range actually makes for achieving different looks remains to be seen, but it's interesting that the company is adding the option at all. Action cameras are typically only used for capturing broad views while recording action, but this inclusion shows that DJI is attempting to make the format more widely applicable, allowing creators to stick to one camera for more types of content.

The other notable change on the Osmo Action 6 is the sensor. DJI built the Osmo Action 6 around a custom square Type 1/1.1 (98mm²) sensor – a step up from the Osmo Action 5 Pro's 4:3 Type 1/1.3 (75mm²) sensor – with 2.4 μm "fusion large pixels." DJI hasn't clarified what exactly that means, but it wouldn't surprise us if it turns out the camera is binning pixels from a quad-bayer design in some of its modes. The larger sensor should also improve low-light performance, a traditionally weak area for action cameras and their small sensors. DJI says that the new sensor offers 13.5 stops of dynamic range.

Image: DJI

The square sensor format, which we recently saw in the selfie camera of Apple's latest iPhone, gives the camera more room for electronic image stabilization and unlocks the ability to adjust aspect ratio in post more easily. The Osmo Action 6 enables this through its new 4K Custom mode, which allows users to crop to various aspect ratios fit for different social media platforms. You can also use DJI's 10-bit D-Log M mode for even more flexibility in post.

In terms of video resolution, the Osmo Action 6 tops out at 4K 120fps in a 4:3 ratio. It's also capable of 4K 60 fps in 'SuperNight' mode, DJI's setting to maximize performance and quality in low-light situations. DJI also says the camera can "generate" 32x Super Slow Motion, just as the Osmo Action 5 Pro can. To do so, DJI says its software interpolates frames recorded at 1080p 240fps, essentially digitally generating extra frames to produce the equivalent of 960 fps when played back at 1080p 30fps.

The Osmo Action 6 is compatible with DJI's extensive list of accessories, including the ND filter set. Image: DJI

The Osmo Action 6 also offers the standard features typically found on DJI's action cameras, including its RockSteady stabilization modes and Horizon Balancing modes. It also supports six built-in film tones, a Portrait Mode that optimizes exposure on the subject for better skin tones and Subject Centering and Tracking to keep the subject in the center of the frame.

The new action camera offers an IP68 rating and is waterproof to 20 meters without a case and 60 meters with the waterproof case. An integrated pressure gauge also records dive data. DJI promises four hours of battery life and the ability to charge to 80% in 22 minutes. It offers 50GB of on-board storage.

The Osmo Action 6 is available beginning today for £329/€379. Once again, US customers are missing out, as the camera isn't officially available in the US.