credits: Canon Alongside the new EOS R6 V and RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ lens, Canon also quietly announced a small accessory update last week that is getting a surprisingly big reaction from photographers, a redesigned RF lens cap. It may sound minor, but for longtime Canon users, this has apparently been a long time coming. Since the launch of the original EOS R system back in 2018, Canon’s standard RF lens dust cap has been a regular source of frustration because it only attached in one specific position. Unlike older EF lens caps that could lock into place from multiple angles, the original RF cap required you to line up a single alignment notch every time you mounted it. It is a tiny thing, but when changing lenses quickly, especially during events or fast-paced shooting, it became one of those small design flaws photographers constantly complained about. The new Canon Lens Dust Cap RF II finally changes that by adding three mounting points, much closer to how Canon’s older EF caps worked. Canon says the new cap will start shipping with future RF lenses, although older stock already sitting with retailers will still include the original version for now. Interestingly, Canon has already reported major shortages of the new cap in Japan because of unexpectedly high demand. Outside Japan, retailers like B&H already list it as a top seller ahead of launch. The cap is priced at around $8, with worldwide shipping expected to begin on July 7.

credits: Thypoch Thypoch’s previously rumoured Ksana 35mm f/2 ASPH for Leica M-mount is officially here, expanding the company’s Ksana lineup with one of the most classic focal lengths in rangefinder photography. The lens combines a fairly compact manual-focus design with a modern 8-element, 5-group optical formula that includes one aspherical element, one ED element, and two HRI elements. It covers full-frame sensors with a 43.2mm image circle, uses a relatively fast f/2 aperture, and features a 10-blade diaphragm designed to produce smoother out-of-focus rendering. Thypoch is also using its new Epoch Coating 84’, which is designed to create warmer gold-purple flare characteristics and a softer, more ‘vintage-style’ rendering response. Physically, the Ksana 35mm f/2 ASPH stays relatively compact for a full-frame Leica M lens. It weighs around 199 grams and measures 27mm long. The lens also supports E39 filters, and focuses down to 0.5 meters. Angle of view is listed at 63.1° diagonal, with a 42mm front diameter. Thypoch will offer the lens in both black paint and silver finishes using a solid brass construction inspired by older rangefinder lens designs. Pricing is at $599.

credits: Canon Now that the EOS R6 V and the new RF 20-50mm f/4L IS USM PZ are officially out, attention is slowly starting to shift toward what Canon could still have planned for the second half of 2026. According to the latest reports from multiple sources, Canon’s roadmap for the rest of the year looks focused on RF lenses, with at least one new camera body possibly arriving as well. One of the more interesting rumours is a retro-inspired EOS R8 Mark II, which is currently expected around late August. Exactly how “retro” Canon plans to go still is not clear. It could end up being a completely redesigned body, or simply a more photography-focused variation with updated styling and controls. Most of the attention right now is actually on lenses. Canon still has a fairly noticeable gap in its RF lineup between the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM and the company’s much more expensive super-telephoto “Big White” lenses. According to sources, Canon is very likely preparing a new telephoto zoom in roughly the $5,000 to $6,000 range, with the long-rumoured RF 300-600mm f/5.6L IS USM looking like the strongest possibility right now. There are also reports of another new VCM prime lens in development with a focal length longer than the existing RF 85mm f/1.4L VCM, possibly somewhere around 105mm or 135mm. On top of that, Canon is also rumoured to be working on updated versions of either the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM or the RF 28-70mm f/2L USM, potentially with a slightly expanded zoom range. The situation is a bit less exciting for APS-C users. The long-rumoured EOS R7 Mark II still does not seem likely to arrive this year, with current expectations now pointing more toward 2027. Some reports suggest ongoing DRAM and NAND chip shortages could still be affecting development timelines and component availability. So instead, Canon may end up focusing more on compact cameras during the second half of the year. Multiple reports continue to suggest that new PowerShot models are in development, although there still are not many concrete details yet about what those cameras could end up looking like.

credits: Brightin Star Brightin Star seems to be on a roll. After the new 10mm f/5.6 II and 7.5mm f/2.8 IV lenses, the company is now preparing to launch a new 12mm f/2.8 full-frame autofocus ultra-wide lens on May 22. On the inside, the lens uses a fairly advanced 15-element, 11-group optical design that includes HRI, ED (HOYA), and aspherical elements, along with the company’s newer Super IMC coatings to help reduce flare and maintain contrast. The lens delivers a 122.5-degree field of view on full-frame cameras while maintaining a relatively bright f/2.8 aperture. Brightin Star also says that the optical design is intended to keep distortion close to zero, which is important for when you are shooting architecture and want to keep straight lines near the edges of the frame. Minimum focusing distance is listed at 0.3 meters, and the lens uses a 7-blade diaphragm with an aperture range from f/2.8 to f/16. Unlike many of Brightin Star’s previous ultra-wide lenses, this one also adds autofocus. The company says the lens uses a new STM autofocus motor designed for fast and near-silent focusing performance. Physically, the lens weighs around 499 grams and measures approximately 96.6mm long with a diameter of roughly 70mm. Other features include a built-in petal hood, an AF/MF switch, a customisable function button, and rear weather sealing for dust and moisture resistance. The lens will launch for Sony E and Nikon Z mount. No words on pricing yet.

credits: Sigma Sigma is updating its premium Art lineup with a new 85mm f/1.2 DG Art lens, which recently appeared as a prototype at the China P&E Imaging Show. The lens will complete Sigma’s growing lineup of full-frame f/1.2 primes alongside the existing 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art II and 50mm f/1.2 DG Art for Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras. While Sigma still has not revealed the full technical specs, the company has confirmed the lens will use its HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) autofocus system, which is designed for faster and quieter focusing performance. Based on Sigma’s recent Art lenses, expectations are already pretty high for both sharpness and AF reliability. What makes the timing particularly interesting is that Viltrox has also been developing its own LAB 85mm f/1.2 for Sony E and Nikon Z mount. Viltrox actually teased its lens months before Sigma officially showed its prototype, and it is becoming increasingly clear that competition in the premium third-party lens market is heating up. Over the last couple of years, Viltrox has improved its build quality and optical performance quite a bit, especially with the LAB series. The company’s existing 35mm f/1.2 LAB already uses a fairly advanced optical design with multiple ED, high-refractive-index, and aspherical elements packed into a full-metal body. A lot of this battle will probably come down to pricing. Viltrox has been consistently pricing its LAB lenses significantly lower than Sigma’s Art series while still targeting the same group of photographers looking for fast primes. Sigma still has the stronger reputation overall, especially when it comes to autofocus refinement and long-term reliability, but Viltrox is definitely starting to put pressure on the established third-party brands. Sigma says the new 85mm f/1.2 DG Art is scheduled to launch in September (no word on pricing though), while Viltrox still has not confirmed a release date for its competing LAB lens.

credits: Asus Asus has announced two new ProArt 4K HDR monitors, the PA27USD and PA32USD, meant for photographers, hybrid creators, and video editors who need strong colour accuracy and proper HDR support. The smaller PA27USD uses a 26.5-inch panel, while the PA32USD increases that to 31.5 inches, but both displays share most of the same core specs. Both support 99% DCI-P3 coverage, along with full sRGB and Rec.709 colour gamut support. Asus also claims Delta E<1 colour accuracy and true 10-bit colour depth. HDR support includes Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Hybrid Log-Gamma, with peak brightness reaching 1,000 nits in smaller HDR highlight areas. Sustained full-screen brightness sits around 250 nits, which is still more than enough for SDR photo editing and standard video work. Asus also includes preset colour modes for workflows like Adobe RGB, which will matter more for photographers working with print-focused colour spaces. One of the more unusual features is the built-in motorised colorimeter integrated directly into the monitors for automatic self-calibration. In terms of connectivity, both come with support for 12G SDI, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, Thunderbolt 4, USB hub functionality, and additional upstream ports. Both monitors also support 240Hz refresh rates, although that obviously matters more for motion work than photography. Asus says the PA27USD will launch this month, including a special Panaro MAX Rugged Case Edition bundled with a hard transport case for $2,599. The standard PA32USD is expected to arrive by the end of June for $2,699.

credits: Laowa Laowa’s new 4.5–10mm f/2.8 fisheye zoom made its first public appearance at the Beijing P&E Imaging Fair, and it is a pretty unusual lens. Ultra-wide fisheye zooms are already a niche category, but this one goes even further with a very wide focal range combined with a relatively bright constant f/2.8 aperture. The lens covers a focal range of 4.5mm to 10mm and delivers a field of view ranging from 180 degrees at 4.5mm down to 175 degrees at 10mm. Optically, it uses a 13-element, 9-group design with an image circle diameter of 29mm. The lens is fully manual focus and includes a 77-degree focus ring throw, along with 75 degrees of zoom rotation and 42 degrees of aperture ring travel. Minimum focusing distance is pretty close at 10cm, allowing for exaggerated foreground perspective and close-up fisheye compositions. Maximum magnification reaches 0.27x. Physically, the lens stays relatively compact, it measures 68.9mm × 59.3mm and weighs around 330 grams. The lens uses a 7-blade aperture diaphragm and offers an aperture range from f/2.8 to f/22. Laowa will release the lens for a wide range of mirrorless systems, including Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Canon EF-M, L-Mount, and Micro Four Thirds. Right now though, we only know that the CF 4.5-10mm F2.8 is coming, there is still no exact release date or official pricing (sources say it will probably come in around $400).

credits: Leica Leica has released firmware version 4.1 for the Q3, Q3 Monochrom, and Q3 43, with the update mostly focusing on autofocus behaviour, playback improvements, and a few smaller workflow fixes. Compared to some of Leica’s bigger firmware releases, this one is more about refining how the cameras behave during everyday use rather than adding major new features. One of the biggest changes is in playback mode, where portrait-oriented photos will now display properly in full-screen view instead of appearing smaller inside the frame. Leica has also added a new setting that limits focus peaking so it only activates when manually focusing with the MF ring, which should make the display feel a bit cleaner during autofocus shooting. The currently selected autofocus mode is now also shown directly in the top status bar, making it easier to quickly check AF settings while shooting. Autofocus tracking behaviour has also been adjusted slightly. The tracking frame now changes colour depending on detection status, with green indicators showing confirmed focus, while subject tracking itself stays inactive until the camera actually detects a person or animal. Leica has also removed the warning message that previously appeared when powering on the camera with a BP-SCL4 battery installed. Leica updated the colour matrices embedded in DNG files as well, which should improve colour rendering in third-party editing software that uses those embedded profiles. The update also fixes a bug that could occasionally freeze the cameras when switching between profiles with different Leica FOTOS connection settings enabled. Firmware 4.1 is available through Leica’s download section and can be installed either through the Leica FOTOS app or directly via SD card. You can download the update on Leica’s website here

credits: Brightin Star Brightin Star’s new MF 10mm f/5.6 II is here. It is an updated version of the company’s ultra-wide manual-focus APS-C lens. The second-generation model keeps the same compact and lightweight approach as the original but adds a few technical changes, including a slightly wider field of view, closer focusing distance, and some refinements to the physical design. The lens now delivers a 173-degree field of view, up slightly from the previous version’s 172 degrees. That may not sound like much, but lenses this wide are already operating at the high end of ultra-wide coverage, so even small changes can noticeably affect framing and perspective. Brightin Star has also reduced the minimum focusing distance from 20cm down to 12cm, allowing you to get even closer to subjects and exaggerate foreground perspective. The lens remains fully manual focus and now includes updated hyperfocal distance markings along with a redesigned aperture ring, which should make zone focusing and quick manual adjustments a bit easier. On the optical side, Brightin Star says the 10mm f/5.6 II gets updated IMC coatings meant to improve flare and ghosting control, something that tends to matter a lot on ultra-wide lenses since strong light sources often end up inside the frame. According to the company, the revised coatings are intended to help maintain better contrast and cleaner image quality in more difficult lighting conditions. The lens comes in silver and black, is available for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Canon EF-M, and Micro Four Thirds mounts and is priced at $75.

credits: PolarPro PolarPro has introduced a new filter called the Split 50, and visually it looks a little strange at first. Half of the filter contains optical glass while the other half is left completely clear, creating a hard split across the frame. That design is intentional, though, since the filter is built around the classic split diopter effect. The filter uses a +2 diopter element on one side while leaving the opposite side optically unchanged. The magnified section changes the focal distance for only part of the frame, allowing a foreground subject and a more distant background subject to both appear sharp, even when shooting at fairly wide apertures. According to PolarPro, the effect works best somewhere between f/1.2 and f/4, where the transition between the two focal planes stays softer and more natural-looking. Since the filter is also rotatable, you can move the split line around the frame depending on composition and subject placement. Split diopters have traditionally been used more in cinema, where cinematographers used the effect to create layered compositions and visual tension without relying on deep focus. PolarPro’s version brings that same idea into a standard circular filter format for both photographers and video shooters. The filter uses the company’s Cinema Series optical glass with anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and low-dispersion coatings, housed inside a CNC-machined aluminium frame. The Split 50 will be available in 49mm, 67mm, 77mm, and 82mm threaded sizes, along with a version compatible with PolarPro’s Helix MagLock system. Pricing starts at (a pretty expensive) $80 for the 49mm version, while larger sizes cost $100, and the Helix version is priced at $150.

credits: Thypoch Thypoch has officially entered the autofocus mirrorless market with the launch of the new Voyager 24–50mm f/2.8 for Sony E-mount cameras. The lens is being presented as the company’s first autofocus lens and, according to Thypoch, the first full-frame autofocus zoom developed by a Chinese optical brand. Instead of going after a large zoom range, the Voyager focuses on the three focal lengths photographers tend to use most in everyday situations: 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm. The lens is built around an internal zoom design, meaning the barrel never extends while zooming. That keeps the balance more consistent, while also reducing some of the dust entry points you normally get with extending zooms. It also keeps a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range, so exposure stays consistent while zooming. Optically, it uses a fairly complex 16-element, 13-group design with a mix of aspherical, extra-low dispersion, and high refractive index elements intended to help control distortion, chromatic aberration, and edge-to-edge sharpness. The lens also uses a 10-blade diaphragm, which should help produce smoother out-of-focus areas and more rounded highlights. Since this is Thypoch’s first autofocus lens, a lot of attention is also going toward the AF system itself. The company says the autofocus motor is designed for quieter operation and continuous subject tracking, including support for Sony’s eye AF and AF-C systems. The lens focuses as close as 0.3 meters across the zoom range and offers a maximum magnification of 0.216x. Physically, the lens weighs 432 grams, measures 92.88mm long, and uses a 67mm filter thread. Weather sealing has also been added around areas like the mount and control rings. The Voyager 24–50mm f/2.8 is priced at $619. You can see full details and sample shots on Thypoch’s website here

credits: Snapseed For a long time, a lot of mobile photographers assumed Snapseed had been abandoned. Before last year’s version 3.0 update on iOS, the app had not seen a major update since 2017, back when the iPhone X had just launched. Now, though, Google has followed that up much faster than expected with the release of Snapseed 4.0 for both iOS and Android, which is probably the strongest sign yet that the app is still actively being worked on. Snapseed originally launched back in 2011 through Nik Software, the company best known for the Nik Collection desktop plugins before Google acquired it in 2012. After the acquisition, updates gradually slowed down, and many of Nik’s other products eventually disappeared altogether. That is why the arrival of both Snapseed 3.0 and now 4.0 has surprised quite a few people. One of the bigger changes this time is that Android users are finally getting the redesigned editing interface and film-inspired filters that had previously only made it to iOS. The app now includes a large set of analog-style looks inspired by classic film stocks from companies like Kodak, Fujifilm, and Polaroid. Beyond the filters, Snapseed 4.0 keeps expanding the app’s editing tools. The app supports non-destructive editing, selective adjustments, healing tools, masking, batch editing, RAW editing support, and effects like halation, bloom, and dehaze. Google has also added the newer Snapseed Camera feature to Android, allowing you to preview edits and film-style filters in real time while shooting. According to the Snapseed team, version 4.0 was mainly focused on making the app easier to use while continuing to add more advanced tools. Like previous versions, the app is still completely free, with no subscriptions or in-app.