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credits: Xiaomi Chinese smartphone makers have been leaning more and more into photography, and Xiaomi’s newest flagship fits right into that pattern. The company has officially revealed the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica, a camera-heavy phone that puts a lot of emphasis on manual control and hardware features photographers usually don’t associate with phones, the most eye-catching detail being a physical zoom ring built into the camera module. On the camera side itself, the phone

credits: Nikon When Nikon introduced the RED-backed ZR hybrid camera back in September, it also quietly announced a matching shotgun microphone, the ME-D10. That mic has taken a bit longer to show up, but it is now finally available to buy. The camera’s built-in microphone already supports 32-bit float recording, which is still pretty rare outside of dedicated audio gear. That said, built-in mics are always a compromise, and Nikon sees the ME-D10 as the more serious option. T

credits: Weibo Laowa appears to be working on a new macro lens. This in itself isn't particularly noteworthy, as there are currently 17 Laowa macro lenses. However, this latest lens is rather special thanks to it offering up to 10x magnification. For reference, a typical macro lens tops out at 1×, meaning the subject is reproduced at life size on the camera sensor. Even Laowa’s own lineup usually stops at 5×, so doubling that is a pretty big jump. The new lens is said to deli

credits: Meike The Meike 85mm f/1.8 SE Mark II has been released for Canon EF mount, with more EF optics for Canon's EOS DSLRs supposedly on the way. The lens is a full-frame design and matches the core specs of the Sony E and Nikon Z versions that have already been on the market for a while. At 369 grams, it is relatively lightweight for an 85mm f/1.8, and it keeps a fairly compact profile while still offering autofocus and electronic communication with the camera. Optically

7Artisans is teasing a new “Lite” series of lenses in China, designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras, and from what has been shared so far, the idea seems pretty straightforward, small, light, and easy to carry. Exact specs aren’t out yet, but 7Artisans says the focal lengths are meant to cover everyday use cases, including street and travel photography. The most eye-catching detail so far is the weight. Each lens in the Lite series is said to come in at around 180 grams, which

credits: Nikon New reports from China are reviving talk of a long-rumoured Nikon D500 successor, this time with more specific technical claims. According to these sources, Nikon is developing a new APS-C flagship camera with a resolution of around 32 megapixels. The timing is notable, as the original D500 will mark its 10th anniversary on January 5, 2026, even though the DSLR has long since been discontinued. Nikon’s current APS-C mirrorless lineup leaves a clear gap where a

credits: Sony Sony has released a new firmware update for the original Alpha a1, continuing long-term support for its first flagship mirrorless camera. Firmware version 4.00 concentrates on usability refinements, autofocus flexibility, and professional workflow features. Shooting information now automatically adjusts when switching between landscape and portrait orientation, and the Focus Area menu has been expanded with new Spot XS and Spot XL options, along with additional

credits: Fujifilm The Golden Ratio Technique The Golden Ratio compositional technique is one of those ideas that sounds intimidating at first, but in practice it is really just a way to guide the viewer’s eye through an image in a smooth, natural flow. It has been used for centuries in art, architecture, design and of course photography. The Golden Ratio helps create balance that doesn’t feel forced. Instead of splitting a frame evenly, it places visual weight slightly off-ce

credits: TTArtisan TTArtisan has added a silver finish to its AF 40mm f/2 lens for Sony E, Nikon Z, and L-mount cameras. It is not a new lens in any technical sense, just a cosmetic update to the existing black version, but the lighter finish gives it a more old-school look that will probably appeal to people using retro-style camera bodies. Other than the colour, everything else stays the same. The lens itself sits in a pretty practical spot. At 40mm on full frame, it is a s

credits: Canon The Canon EOS R7 Mark II is shaping up to be one of Canon’s more interesting upcoming releases, and fresh rumours suggest it may end up being a fairly serious APS-C camera. After missing what many expected to be a late-2025 announcement, new reports now point to a launch in the first half of 2026, possibly even ahead of CP+ in Japan at the end of February. That would put it back on the near-term roadmap rather than something further out. The biggest talking poi

credits: SmallRig SmallRig has rolled out a set of accessories designed specifically for the Ricoh GR IV. The lineup includes a leather half case, multiple strap options, a thumb grip, a compact lens hood with an integrated UV filter, and a slim crossbody-style bag. The leather half case improves grip while keeping all buttons, doors, and dials accessible, and it includes a built-in tripod socket so it doesn’t have to come off when mounting the camera. The thumb grip slides i

credits: Meike Meike’s new 23mm f/1.4 autofocus prime for APS-C mirrorless cameras is here, launching for Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Nikon Z mounts. On APS-C bodies, the 23mm focal length translates to a roughly 35mm full-frame equivalent, making it a pretty versatile option for everyday shooting including street and travel photography. From a technical standpoint, the lens uses an optical design of 13 elements in 11 groups and features a nine-blade aperture. Meike lists a minim

credits: 7Artisans 7Artisans has announced a new manual-focus fisheye lens, the MF 6mm f/2. Available for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Micro Four Thirds mounts, the lens delivers an 220-degree diagonal field of view. That puts it well beyond the coverage of most fisheye lenses in this class, which usually top out around 180 degrees. From a technical standpoint, the MF 6mm f/2 uses an optical design of 10 elements in 8 groups and features a nine-blade aperture wi

credits: Leica Leica rolled out firmware version 4.0.0 for the SL3 and SL3-S, alongside a parallel update for the entire Q3 lineup, and it is one of the more meaningful software updates the company has released in a while. Autofocus gets most of the attention. On the SL3 series, tracking has been refined so the focus area can now dynamically change size and shape while following a subject. Face and eye detection for humans has also been reworked using updated AI models, and s

credits: Viltrox Viltrox’s 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens is now available for Nikon Z-mount cameras. It mirrors the earlier Sony E-mount version in both design and specifications, aiming to offer the same level of performance. The optical formula consists of 15 elements in 10 groups, including five ED elements, three high-refractive elements, and two ultra-aspherical elements. Viltrox says the goal here is consistent sharpness across the frame, even when shooting wide open at f/1.2, wh

credits: Ricoh Ricoh has officially added another variant to its GR lineup with the launch of the GR IV HDF. At its core, it is the same GR IV that was announced earlier, built around a new 25.7-megapixel APS-C sensor and an updated 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens, along with the familiar GR handling and interface. What makes the HDF version different is the inclusion of Ricoh’s Highlight Diffusion Filter, which can be switched on or off using a dedicated button on the back of the

Photo by: @susonsjack Let’s Analyse this Image: Composition & Framing What works well: The layering is pretty strong. You have the modern James-Simon-Galerie in the foreground (along with the stairs and the man on the bottom right), the classical building behind it, and then the TV tower peeking through in the background, that creates a really nice sense of depth. The clean, minimalist geometry of the foreground gallery building contrasts nicely with the more detailed histori

credits: Nikon Nikon has rolled out firmware version 5.30 for the Z9, continuing what has been a pretty remarkable run of post-launch support for its flagship mirrorless camera. Even though the Z9 has been around since late 2021, Nikon is still pushing meaningful updates rather than just maintenance fixes. This release lands more than a year after the major 5.00 update and builds on the smaller 5.20 update from earlier this year. The headline of the update is autofocus. Nikon

credits: VILTROX Rumours are starting to swirl that Viltrox could soon enter Canon’s APS-C mirrorless ecosystem, something that would be a pretty big deal for RF-S users. According to multiple reports from sites like Canonrumors and Canonbuzz, Canon may be preparing to allow Viltrox to release its own APS-C prime lenses for RF-mount cameras. Nothing is confirmed yet, but if it happens, it would mark the first time Viltrox brings its modern APS-C lineup to Canon’s current mirr

credits: Adobe/Open AI Adobe teamed up with Open AI to integrate Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Acrobat directly into ChatGPT, allowing users to handle a range of creative and document-related tasks without leaving the chat interface. The idea, according to Adobe, is to let people move quicker on everyday work by using text commands instead of jumping between apps. Users can now ask ChatGPT to perform actions like editing images, creating simple designs, or working with PDFs,

What is the Black Card Photography Technique? Black card photography is a technique that feels almost too simple once you understand it. The idea behind it is straightforward, instead of using an expensive graduated ND filter to balance the exposure between sky and foreground, you use a matte black card to manually control how much light hits different parts of the frame during the exposure. If you think about it, it is basically dodging and burning, but done in-camera while