Hasselblad launched Phocus Mobile 2 in 2019, as an iOS-only app for editing Raw files from its medium format cameras on phones and tablets. Now, the company has announced Phocus Mobile v1.0.0 for Android, finally bringing the mobile workflow to Android users with the X2D II 100C, X2D 100C and 907X + CFV 100C.

Like the iOS version, Phocus Mobile for Android includes a robust set of editing tools, including exposure, curves, white balance, sharpening, cropping, lens correction and more. It also supports batch adjustments and basic asset management with the ability to add ratings and mark favorites. Images can be imported over Wi‑Fi or, for those using the X2D II 100C (with firmware version 1.3.16.1 or later), via USB‑C. Files can then be exported as Ultra HDR JPEG, HDR TIFF, as well as standard JPEG, TIFF, HEIF or 3FR Raw.

Hasselblad says that the Android app brings its end-to-end Natural Color Solution (HNCS) to mobile, allowing for a consistent look whether editing on desktop or mobile. The app supports HDR viewing and editing for X2D II 100C files on compatible HDR devices. It also features the company’s AI-powered Raw noise reduction, which it says is tuned for its 100MP sensors. The noise reduction tool offers two modes, allowing users to prioritize either cleaner files or better micro-contrast.

There are some hardware caveats, though. The app requires an Android device with at least 12 GB of RAM and Android 12 or later. That said, Hasselblad recommends Android 16 or later and devices powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or newer for the best experience. Given that the phone needs to handle 100MB files, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Hasselblad’s Phocus Mobile for Android is now available on the Google Play Store for free.

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After more than a month of drama, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally heading into its finale, with the last games set for this weekend. Over the course of the tournament, a small army of photographers has been crisscrossing stadiums to keep pace with the matches and the stories unfolding around them.

One of them is Maddie Meyer, a Getty Images staff photographer who has spent this World Cup on the touchline and in the stands, documenting everything from tunnel nerves to wild celebrations. Meyer took the time to speak with me between matches, sharing insights into what it’s like to cover such an event and how she stays on top of her game.

Finding her way

Getty Images

While Meyer was always interested in photography, she didn’t start out wanting to be a sports photographer. She grew up in Washington, D.C., playing soccer and thinking she would follow the path of Doug Mills, a prominent New York Times photographer she’d known since childhood. “I’ve known him since I was 8, and I looked up to him so much,” she said. “I remember his pictures from the Torino Olympics and thinking this might be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Meyer recognizes that having Mills to look up to early on was quite important for her path. “It was so cool to have somebody in my life so early to show me this is a job you can have,” she told me. “He was super encouraging; he said the only difference between me and you is I’ve worked hard at this for 40 more years.” Meyer kept shooting through middle and high school and went on to study photojournalism at Ohio University.

She still thought she wanted to be a White House photographer until she started working with her college athletics department and realized how much she loved traveling with teams and being outside. That led her to apply for a Getty Sport internship in New York City, which quickly felt like the right fit. “I loved the pace and the scale and the intensity of it. After I graduated from college, I got hired in Boston in 2015. I have been here ever since, and I still love it,” she said.

Managing the chaos

Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

At this point in her career, Meyer is no stranger to long days and constant travel, but this World Cup has been especially demanding, with matches held in 16 cities across 3 countries. Group play was the most intense stretch, with 50 Getty editorial photographers bouncing between host cities to cover 72 group‑stage matches. “We were traveling the day of sometimes, so it was like, wake up, take a flight, check into the hotel, head to the stadium,” said Meyer.

Once she’s at the venue, the workday around a single match stretches to roughly 10 hours. Meyer said that the Getty team at a game (generally two to three photographers during group play) typically arrives about five hours before kickoff. They start by setting up remote cameras behind the goals and photographing the dressing rooms. When the teams arrive, the atmosphere shifts quickly. “Some of the African teams come and actually sing down the tunnels and the hallways with drums, which is really cool,” she described. “So I love that right off the bat, sometimes you get a really interesting cultural taste right away.”

From there, Meyer follows the team as they walk the pitch and go through their warmups, then moves into one of her favorite moments: the tunnel. “What I really like is getting access into the tunnel, where there aren’t other photographers, so to me, those are some of the more genuine moments that we see of these athletes before they step out and see these tens of thousands of people,” she said.

After the final whistle, one member of the crew typically goes out on the pitch with a steadicam. “I really love getting closer to those players, whether it’s the celebration, the dejection, it feels a little bit more intimate than using those really long lenses to photograph the action,” she said. They wrap up the day by capturing the press conferences and packing up before heading to the next city.

The long hours and frequent travel can wear anyone down, so Meyer leans on small rituals to keep herself steady. including bringing small things from home and making time for movement. She likes to bring a few comforts from home and find regularity where she can. “I love having my good-smelling soaps in the shower, little things that make me feel like I’m not just sitting in the rain in my raincoat all the time,” she explained. “I also always try to get some sort of exercise in, either walking or in the gym, just kind of moving my body, because most of the time, we’re kind of curled up in these weird positions.”

She also explained that sleep is non-negotiable. “I really believe I can do anything in the world if I have 8 hours of sleep,” she said. “I tell my colleagues, too, listen, if we’re not sleeping and we’re running between places, let’s be really gentle with each other the best we can, because we’re running on fumes sometimes.”

What goes on behind-the-scenes

Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Meyer and her teammates certainly have their hands full during an event. She told me that she typically has four cameras in action during World Cup matches: one remote camera behind the goal, and three on her. She usually fits those handheld cameras with a 400mm lens, a 70-200mm, and, depending on her placement, something wide-angle to catch close action. Across the team, there are multiple remotes behind each net, all positioned to cover key moments around the goals.

Before kickoff, Meyer sets up the remote camera’s exposure and focus, making sure it’s ready for action near the net. She explained that the remote cameras behind the goals are hardwired, as there’s far too much interference to rely on wireless connections during matches. It is still manually triggered, either by remote editors or by someone nearby using a foot pedal.

From the opening match on June 11 to the final on July 19, the Getty Images team will have shot more than 2.6 million images. Thankfully, the photographers aren’t working alone. The Getty Images FIFA World Cup team consists of 115 people, including 20 editors in New York who help oversee operations and are ready to receive images as they come in.

“They have a diagram of where everybody is. So after a goal is scored, they’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s in Maddie’s corner, take a look at what she’s sending us.’ So they’re able to prioritize whose work they want to look at to get those pictures out quickest,” Meyer explained. She works under a “tag and send workflow,” meaning she looks through and sends pictures that she wants the editors to see, often within seconds of something happening.

The remote cameras are handled differently. Those are set to send all of the images to New York as soon as the cameras fire. Once the editors have the photos, they crop, tone, caption and send the pictures out for use. A Getty Images representative told me that they can have photos ready within 30 seconds of capture, often before television replays are available.

Meyer explained that the current process is vastly improved from when she first started. “In 2015, I photographed the Women’s World Cup, and it was self-edit, so I had my laptop out on the sideline, and it was super challenging,” she explained. “Versus now, it’s just such a win for everybody. The editing team does a way better job than me out in the sun, squinting into my laptop. And also, I’m able to shoot more and really focus on the game.”

Staying prepared

Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

With so much happening around each match, Meyer tries to go in as prepared as possible. “I think it’s always great to understand the key players and some of the storylines,” she said, noting that her European colleagues have been especially helpful since they see many of these players regularly and can flag people to keep an eye on.

More than scouting, though, Meyer focuses on her particular location for the match. “We’re assigned where we’re shooting, and so I really think about the backgrounds, how the game is gonna kinda flow,” she said. She went on to explain that she’s also very intentional about which moments are hers to photograph, versus ones that are better for her colleagues to capture. “I really think this is my little piece of the pie, this portion of the field,” Meyer said. “I’m gonna really think about what lenses show off what’s going on here.”

Meyer said she also thinks about her mom a lot when photographing. “She’s a big Maddie fan, but not a big sports fan,” she said. “And I always think, what would I tell her about today? What makes this different? What makes this interesting? What makes this special?” She uses that mindset to make sure she’s telling the bigger story, making it interesting for more than just die-hard soccer fans.

Another challenge Meyer faces is making her pictures feel distinctive. “Sometimes the photos do end up looking the same as the person sitting next to you,” she explained. “I try to think about lens choices – can I shoot really wide to show atmosphere? Tight to show details or faces? A very shallow depth of field to highlight the action? That can be where the difference comes into play when our position can’t be unique.”

A favorite moment on the world stage

Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

As the 2026 World Cup nears its end, Meyer doesn’t hesitate when asked about a favorite moment from the tournament: the Egypt–Argentina match. She was roaming rather than in an assigned spot on the touchline, which she said presents a fun challenge, since she can go anywhere and doesn’t have set compositions and backgrounds in mind as she does otherwise.

There had been lots of back and forth, but Egypt was up towards the end. She got a message saying they would have access to the Egypt locker room, asking whether she would go in with them if they won. “I was like, okay, do I leave before the match is over to wait outside their locker room, or do I stay up a little bit longer?” she recalled. Then, Argentina scored, and she decided to go with the Argentina fans and figure out how to get to the locker room later if she had to.

“The Argentina fans are incredible,” she said. “These people are so passionate. They travel so well. They have the instruments. They’re just out of their minds in the best way that you want to see.” She also told me that she loves how much they want everyone involved, and they are not shy about having a photographer in their midst.

“They ended up winning, crying, shirts off, screaming, and I have all these pictures with a 15mm, and all these people, it’s like, babies, old men, young people, and that was super memorable to me, of just kind of being in that chaos,” she said. “Being on the pitch, it feels pretty high pressure as a photographer, but up there, I was like, I’m in this. And they’re like, ‘Get in here, sister!’ I’m like, okay, I’m not celebrating. I’m gonna photograph you celebrating. One of the guys took my phone and was like, ‘I’m taking pictures of you!’ It was just, like, the rails have come off up here.”

For Meyer, that moment captures a lot of what makes the World Cup special. “What I think is so fun about the World Cup is just how passionate these people are, and getting to be maybe a little bit too close to them even was great,” she told me.

Beyond the World Cup: why the small games matter

Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

While Meyer is photographing on the big stage these days, she is quick to stress that professional events aren’t the end-all, be-all. “Even though I love being at the World Cup, it’s not all about the World Cup,” she said. “There’s so much joy, and sometimes, frankly, better pictures in the smaller events, in the high school, in the college, in the MLS, NWSL, all those types of things.”

It’s a good reminder that although big events like this get most of the spotlight, smaller events are important, too. “As much as I love it, and I love talking about it, I never want people to leave talking with me, thinking it’s this or nothing, because there’s a picture to be made at every single level,” Meyer said.

You can see more of Meyer’s work on her Instagram or through Getty Images.

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This is the story of Max Lowe, a filmmaker, photographer and storyteller based in Bozeman, Montana. Recipient of a National Geographic Young Explorer’s grant early in his career, Max’s work ranges from wildlife filmmaking to deeply personal, human-centered stories. In our conversation, he spoke about learning photography through trial and error, discovering magical places around the world and finding serendipity and inspiration in his own backyard.

Our ‘What’s in your bag?’ community spotlight series features readers sharing their favorite gear and photography, including from past DPReview collaborators such as Max.

Meet Max Lowe

Max Lowe

Photography became a way for Max to engage more deeply at home in Bozeman, Montana, eventually leading to a career spanning National Geographic Expeditions, documentary filmmaking and editorial photography. While he has photographed hundreds of places around the world, he says one of his biggest creative challenges remains capturing the essence of his hometown.

“I’ve never been able to truly capture the essence of the way I love Montana. It’s a place where people put their own interpretations. It’s a place I want to keep finding new ways to illustrate to the world, because it holds that depth and importance to me as my home.”

Max’s parents were a major influence in starting his photography career. “I grew up with a mountaineer for a father, and my mom was an artist. At some point, my mom gave me one of her old cameras. Both my mom and dad made it in the world in different artistic ways. Because of that, I felt I needed to find an artistic path for myself, and photography became that for me. Photography has this magical way of making you feel like you belong somewhere you otherwise might not.”

Career and projects

Max Lowe

One of the most significant turning points in Max’s career came in 2012, when he received a National Geographic’s Young Explorers Grant. That opportunity led to trips with National Geographic Expeditions that continue to this day, and the grant community introduced Max to many of the photographers, filmmakers and storytellers who helped shape the work you see in this article.

“In the earlier years of my work as a full-time photographer and filmmaker, I had more personal ambition to just go places for the sake of going, in the selfish sense. At this point, I’m more compelled to travel because I can get a unique lens on the world – pun intended. There are really cool photography-focused trips that many companies put on, but National Geographic Expeditions goes to some rather remarkable places. I’ve been lucky to make many friends within the National Geographic scene, fellow photographers I look up to and reach out to for collaboration. That camaraderie is what really makes it special.”

Max’s documentary work

Jack Fox

One of Max’s current projects is The Kind Ones, a documentary he’s producing with his wife, Lia. They spent eight weeks at a rural hospital on the North Carolina coast, where Lia worked as a travel nurse while Max documented patients, nurses and moments of care. He described the careful balance between telling meaningful stories and respecting the people involved.

“During the pandemic, everyone rallied around healthcare workers, but in the years since, these tremendous workers just fell back to where they’d been before. After the pandemic, Lia was at a low point in her career. She wanted to talk about the fact that the humans within the healthcare system are often disregarded as a major component of how we function as a healthy society.”

Max Lowe

“We were filming with her every day, capturing beautiful and often difficult moments with patients. Her portrayal of the value nurses bring, not only in the medical care they render, but in the human care and appreciation for life in its most complicated moments. The project is a challenge: working together in a nuanced way to think about what to photograph, and especially what not to.”

Kind Ones is scheduled for release in late 2026. If you’re interested in Max’s other film works, including the acclaimed feature doc detailing his own family story, “Torn” (2021), the Oscar Shortlisted “Camp Courage” (2023) and more.

What’s in Max’s bag

Max Lowe

Max’s approach to equipment depends heavily on the project, though when it’s a personal endeavor, he has some go-to favorites.

Max’s go-to gear:

• Nikon Z8
• Nikon Z6II
• Nikon ZR
• Nikon FG
• Rolleiflex

Lenses:

• Nikkor Z 26mm F2.8
• Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S
• Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 S
• Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S
• Nikkor Z 180-600mm F5.6-6.3
• Nikkor 50mm F1.8 Series E
• 2X teleconverter

Favorite camera: When traveling on his own, Max prefers simplicity. One of his favorites is a Rolleiflex 4×4 medium-format film camera, which he uses regularly for personal projects. “I still shoot quite a bit of film, mostly for my own interests. The Rolleiflex is a bit complicated to use. I’ve failed to properly expose images plenty of times. Unlike modern digital cameras, it offers little immediate feedback. Sometimes you shoot a frame you think will be great, only to blow the exposure or end up with a blurry image.”

Max Lowe

Max has found hidden benefits in the challenges of shooting film. “There’s something cool about photography being this format in which we can learn to fail and do better in small, incremental ways. You’re really forced to learn about ISO, shutter speed, aperture and all the other functions of a camera.”

Still, the camera Max uses most often is the one already in his pocket, an iPhone 16 Pro Max. “Probably the camera I use most is my phone, honestly.” Rather than focusing on gear for its own sake, he emphasized carrying equipment that lets him remain present with people and stories while staying ready when meaningful moments arise.

Photography ethics

Max Lowe

Throughout our conversation, Max returned to the idea that storytelling requires trust, context and respect. He believes photographers should continually ask themselves why they’re taking an image and who ultimately benefits from it.

“Trust is paramount in our work, especially when we’re working with other people. If it’s someone sitting alone on a subway platform crying, I probably wouldn’t shoot a photo of that, because it would feel exploitative. But if you go up to the person, ask them what’s wrong, hear their story and get a little more insight into what they’re experiencing, and then ask if you can shoot a photo of them in that moment. You’re going to get a more compelling image that way.”

Max Lowe

Max also stressed the importance of building relationships and understanding stories before documenting them. “If I’m going to, say, Egypt as a storyteller, I want to find an in – someone who knows the place in a unique way, and within that, a unique story that defines the place and my experience there. When you’re invited by someone who calls a place home, the experience is much richer. Finding someone like that is a tremendous gift that deepens a photographer’s interpretation and understanding of the world.”

Some of Max’s film projects have required him to revisit a scene, and he found that the assumptions he made on a first pass often missed its real context, whether because he was distracted or because his own priorities got in the way.

“Understanding the context of the scene is a major necessity for an artist. Ask yourself: why are you taking that photo? Is it for the benefit of those people? If you’re a photojournalist capturing the story of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine so that the world can understand that pain, does your work have the power to change things for the better?”

Curiosity and flexibility

Max Lowe

Max’s work is also heavily tied together by curiosity and a willingness to adapt to whatever story unfolds before him. Opportunities will come up to take that perfect shot, and one mustn’t hesitate for long to take it. One such image that surprised him in its success came from an ordinary moment in Italy. “It was just a photo of a cat sleeping on the tire of a Land Cruiser. I snapped it in passing – it was something I saw and was like, ‘Oh, that’s cute.'”

The image was made with a simple point-and-shoot 35mm film camera, and the reaction wildly exceeded his expectations. “It got this massive response on social media and ended up winning an honorable mention in a photo contest called ‘Flow.'”

Max Lowe

Max’s wildlife filmmaking has presented very different challenges. While working on a Frozen Planet II segment about snowy owls near Utqiagvik, Alaska, he ran into an unexpected obstacle. “It gets surprisingly hot because the sun is up around the clock in summer, and that heat rising off the tundra creates these distortions,” Max told us. “Atmospheric distortion made long-lens footage unusable. We ended up having to switch our whole approach on the spot, because the conditions meant the gear we’d brought just didn’t work. Camera traps certainly would have helped, but we didn’t think we’d need them when we planned the trip.”

The experience reinforced one of his recurring lessons: adaptation and flexible expectations matter more than rigid planning.

Max’s advice for photographers

Max Lowe

As I was listening to Max’s stories and adventures, there were countless gems of advice sprinkled throughout. To close out this story about Max, I wanted to list a couple of final pieces of advice that didn’t fit in the stories he told above. I hope they help you improve your photography as much as they got me thinking about mine.

The moment dictates the shot

“Many visual artists approach their work by thinking about a specific shot they want, such as a bear emerging from its den, or whatever it might be. But I approach all my work in a more freeform, creative way, whether that’s photography or filmmaking. You want to allow leeway for the experience to give you the story, instead of putting pressure on yourself to seek something out and setting yourself up for failure.”

“It can be scary to step out of your comfort zone and into someone else’s world, but it leads to much richer experiences for both you and your audience. It’s not that you should never go anywhere without a plan, just make sure you stay open to that depth when it presents itself.”

Max Lowe

Don’t ignore what’s in front of you

“It’s a mistake a lot of artists make – not seeing the value in what exists right in front of them. I’m constantly looking at the world around me, at how unique little moments occur without anyone conjuring them up. One day, I was in my office when a Western Tanager landed on a branch outside the window. Tanagers are these beautiful yellow-red birds that migrate through Montana every spring. It was such a cool moment, and I wanted to hold it forever. Find those moments and hold them forever through your photography.”

You can check out Max’s other work at maxlowemedia.com.

Editor’s note: This article continues a series, ‘What’s in your bag?’, highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like your photography to be featured? Tell us about it by filling out this form . If you’re selected for a feature, we’ll be in touch with next steps.