credits: OM System OM Digital Solutions has once again talked about the future of the PEN series, this time a bit more directly than before. In recent interviews with Photolari and Phototrend, company executives confirmed that a new PEN camera is actually planned. Kazuhiro Togashi, Senior Vice President, stated clearly that while there is no specific release date yet, the company does have plans to launch a new PEN series under the OM System brand. Compared to earlier comments, that is a more concrete statement than what we have heard in the past. At the same time, details are still pretty much nonexistent. When asked specifically about a successor to the PEN-F, Togashi acknowledged that the company continues to receive a lot of requests for it and that the PEN line remains important. However, there is still no indication of what kind of camera this will be, whether it is a direct PEN-F successor, something closer to the E-P7, or something entirely different. That lack of clarity has been a recurring theme. Over the past couple of years, OM System has gone from saying it was “exploring the possibility” of a new PEN camera to now saying it has actual plans, but without adding much else. Looking at the bigger picture, the demand has definitely been there. The original PEN-F came out in 2016 and was discontinued in 2018, and since then, there has not really been a proper replacement. Technically, OM System has the pieces to make one. the sensor and processor from cameras like the OM-1 Mark II or OM-3 could easily support a modern PEN-F-style body, while something like the OM-5 line could form the basis for a simpler model. There is also the ongoing question of whether OM System might go even further and build a compact Micro Four Thirds camera, given the renewed interest in compact cameras overall. For now, though, it is still all talk, and the main question has not changed much: when will it actually show up?

credits: Canon The long-rumoured Canon RF 300–600mm lens is making the rounds again, and at this point, it feels like it has been “almost here” for a while. The lens reportedly came up again during a recent dealer meeting, but there is still no real timeline attached to it. The wording has not changed much either, it is now being described as “coming in 2026,” which sounds a lot like last year’s “coming in 2025.” So it is clearly still in development, just not quite ready to be officially announced. There are apparently two versions still being considered. One is a more traditional RF 300–600mm f/4–5.6L IS USM with a variable aperture, while the other is a constant f/5.6 version that would use a VCM (voice coil motor) for autofocus. Right now, the constant f/5.6 option is said to be the more likely one. That would be interesting, since VCM autofocus has not been used in Canon’s super-telephoto zooms before, but it fits with Canon slowly bringing newer autofocus tech from its prime lenses into zooms. Another detail that stands out is that the lens is rumoured to be lighter than you would expect, which could mean Canon is using diffractive optics. That is a design approach the company has used before to keep size and weight down by correcting chromatic aberrations with fewer elements. Nikon has done something similar with its PF lenses, so it is a known way to make big telephoto lenses more manageable. If this lens does show up, it would sit somewhere between the RF 100–500mm and Canon’s much more expensive super-telephoto primes, with current expectations putting the price in the $6,500 to $7,000 range.

credits: Kodak Eastman Kodak is continuing its recent push in film with the return of the Ektapan name, this time focused entirely on black-and-white photography. The new lineup includes ISO 100, 400, and P3200 variants, all built as continuous-tone panchromatic films. The Ektapan name itself has not been used in decades, it disappeared around 25 years ago when Kodak pushed photographers toward the T-Max series instead. What is interesting now is that these new Ektapan films seem to closely resemble those T-Max stocks, even though Kodak is bringing back the older branding instead of reusing the newer one. On the technical side, the films use T-Grain emulsion, which relies on flat, tabular silver halide crystals rather than traditional cubic ones. In practice, that is meant to reduce visible grain while keeping resolution high, giving photos a cleaner look with stronger contrast and more defined edges. Kodak also points to wide exposure latitude, so the films should handle push and pull processing fairly well without falling apart in terms of image quality. As for availability, Ektapan 100 and 400 will be offered in both 35mm (135) and 120 medium format, while P3200 is limited to 35mm. Pricing is pretty much in line with other Kodak black-and-white stocks right now, with 35mm rolls of ISO 100 and 400 at $10.99, and P3200 at $13.95. Five-roll packs in 120 come in at $44.99 for ISO 100 and $48.95 for ISO 400.

credits: UGreen UGreen has announced two new Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, the Maxidok 17-in-1 and 10-in-1. Both docks are built around Thunderbolt 5, offering up to 120Gbps data transfer speeds, which is a big jump over previous generations and meant for creatives working with large files, multiple displays, or generally higher-demand setups. The more advanced model, the Maxidok 17-in-1, includes a slot for an M.2 NVMe SSD (up to 8TB), essentially adding high-speed storage directly into the dock itself. It also delivers up to 240W of total power. On the display side, it supports a single 8K or dual 6K output on newer Macs, and up to dual 8K on supported Windows systems. Port selection is pretty extensive, with Thunderbolt 5 ports, USB-A (10Gbps), USB-C (10Gbps), DisplayPort 2.1, 2.5Gb Ethernet, SD and TF card slots, plus audio connections split across the front and back. The smaller Maxidok 10-in-1 keeps the same Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth but cuts back in a few areas. There is no SSD slot, power delivery drops to 120W, Ethernet is reduced to 1Gb, and there are fewer USB-C ports overall. Card reader speeds are also lower, and some of the extra audio connections are gone. Pricing is $389.99 for the Maxidok 17-in-1, while the 10-in-1 comes in at $249.99.

credits: Panasonic Panasonic’s new Lumix ZS300 camera is here. It is a follow-up to the Lumix ZS200 from 2018, and on paper it sticks very closely to what came before. The camera still combines a 15x optical zoom lens with a 20.1MP 1-inch BSI CMOS sensor inside a compact, pocket-sized body. But despite the familiar setup, there is also a notable step backward in terms of usability. At the same time, the release does bring one practical advantage, the ZS200 has been discontinued for a while and is hard to find, so this effectively brings the series back into circulation. In terms of actual changes, there are not many. One is the move to USB-C, replacing the older micro-USB port found on the ZS200, which makes charging and data transfer more in line with current standards. The bigger change, though, is the removal of the 2.33-million-dot electronic viewfinder. Instead, that space has simply been replaced with more plastic, which is the same approach Panasonic took with the ZS99. Aside from that, the core hardware remains unchanged, including the 24–360mm equivalent Leica lens with a variable aperture of f/3.3–6.4, a native ISO range of 125 to 12800, and support for both JPEG and RAW (RW2) capture. Performance and video features also carry over. The ZS300 can shoot 4K Photo at up to 30 fps (8MP stills) and full-resolution images at 10 fps, and it includes an AF Macro mode with a minimum focusing distance of 3cm. Stabilisation is handled by 5-axis Hybrid O.I.S. and Power O.I.S., helping with both stills and video. Video specs remain the same as before, with 4K at 30p and Full HD up to 120p. The camera also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for transferring photos through Panasonic’s mobile app. The Lumix ZS300 will be available ‘‘soon’’ in black and silver, priced at $899.99, which is about $100 higher than the ZS200 at launch.

credits: Canon New details, rumours and leaks about the upcoming Canon EOS R7 Mark II are making the rounds. At the centre is a 39MP backside-illuminated stacked CMOS APS-C sensor, which lines up closely with earlier rumours of something around 40MP. More importantly, the stacked design is expected to deliver very fast readout speeds, possibly close to (or even faster than) the EOS R5 Mark II. That would mean less rolling shutter and much better performance when shooting fast-moving subjects. On the processing side, the camera is rumoured to include a DIGIC Accelerator, similar to what Canon uses in its higher-end bodies. That would help support features like burst shooting up to 40 fps with the electronic shutter, with some reports also mentioning pre-capture. Autofocus is also expected to get a serious upgrade, likely building on Dual Pixel CMOS AF with improved subject detection and tracking. Some early talk even suggests it could end up being one of the best autofocus systems in an APS-C camera so far. The rest of the rumoured specs suggest Canon is addressing some of the limitations of the original R7. The Mark II is expected to feature dual card slots (CFexpress Type B + SD), a larger, more robust body closer to the EOS R6 series, and the newer LP-E6P battery for better performance. There are also hints at a higher-resolution EVF and improved in-body image stabilisation, possibly pushing past 8 stops. Pricing is expected to come in noticeably higher than the original $1,499 launch price, and the current timeline still points to an announcement around late May or early June 2026, with early test units reportedly already out in the field.

credits: Sony Adobe has rolled out Lightroom Classic 15.2.1, and with it comes something a lot of Sony users have been waiting for, expanded RAW support for the Sony A7 V. The update adds compatibility for compressed and compressed HQ RAW files, which Adobe says has been one of the most requested features. Lossless compressed RAW was already supported, so this update basically fills in the missing pieces. Lightroom (CC) is expected to get the same support in its next update, likely in April. Compressed RAW matters quite a bit for certain types of photography, especially sports, action, and wildlife. These files are smaller than lossless compressed RAW, which means you can fit more photos on a memory card and clear the camera buffer faster during continuous shooting. That can make a real difference when you are dealing with long bursts or shooting thousands of images in a session. The trade-off is some loss in image data, but in most cases it is only noticeable in extreme situations, like very high-contrast scenes or heavy editing. There are still a few limitations. The official Sony camera profiles do not appear to be available yet in Adobe’s profile browser, so you will need to rely on options like Adobe Colour or custom ICC profiles for now. Outside of that, Adobe continues to push further into AI features across its apps, including the recently introduced text- and voice-based assistant in Photoshop. This update also arrives shortly after Sony’s first firmware update for the A7 V, which addressed a RAW preview issue, so support on both the camera and software side is starting to catch up.

credits: TTArtisan Last year at CP+ 2025, TTArtisan revealed it was working on its first camera, a retro-inspired folding Instax model. Now, the TTArtisan 203T is getting closer to release, although the way the company is handling it is a bit unusual. Alongside the update, TTArtisan shared an unboxing video that gives a better look at how the camera works and what to expect in terms of build and operation. From a technical standpoint, the 203T is fairly interesting. It features a 75mm f/3.5 Cooke triplet lens, which is roughly a 50mm equivalent in full-frame terms. The Cooke design dates back to 1893 and was originally developed to correct several optical issues like distortion, coma, and spherical aberration using a simple three-element layout. The lens here is paired with a leaf shutter, offering speeds from one second up to 1/300s, along with bulb mode, and an aperture range from f/3.5 to f/22. The camera is fully mechanical, meaning it does not require any batteries, and focusing is done manually. The unusual part is how TTArtisan is bringing it to market. Instead of a normal release, the company is running a paid beta program, where select people can buy the camera for $400 (anyone interested can sign up for it). Buyers do not get to choose the colour, it is randomly assigned, and returns are only allowed for actual defects. While invite-only launches are not new, paying for a beta product is a different approach, and it leaves some open questions about how close the camera really is to a final release.

credits: Thypoch About a week after rumours started circulating about a Chinese manufacturer preparing its first full-frame autofocus zoom lens, it is now becoming clear who is behind it. The original rumour pointed to a company with no prior autofocus experience making a jump straight into a full-frame zoom, and that is exactly what seems to be happening here. At The Photography & Video Show in Birmingham, Digital Camera World got a look at a working prototype of the Thypoch 24–50mm f/2.8 AF for Sony E-mount, effectively confirming the source of the earlier speculation. Thypoch has so far been known only for its retro-style manual focus prime lenses, so this is a pretty big shift. Not only is this its first autofocus lens, but it is also its first zoom lens. According to early hands-on impressions, the lens has a fairly modern design despite using a plastic outer shell, and it keeps a relatively slim profile similar to lenses like the Samyang 24–60mm f/2.8. It includes an aperture ring, focus ring, and an AF/MF switch, and autofocus performance, at least in brief testing, was described as reasonably quick. There is still no official word on pricing or a release date, but with earlier rumours pointing to a Q2 2026 launch, it likely won’t be long before more concrete details start to come out.

Just over a month after joining the Micro Four Thirds system, Shenzhen Sonida Digital Technology Co. Ltd. (the company behind Songdian cameras) is already hinting at what might come next. Sonida is mostly known for its ultra-budget compact cameras, many of which are inspired by the look of more popular models. The lineup includes everything from X100-style compacts to action cams and instant cameras, often at very low prices. The overall reputation has not exactly been stellar, but despite that, Sonida is now officially part of the Micro Four Thirds ecosystem, with OM Digital Solutions openly welcoming the company and suggesting new products are on the way. At the same time, Songdian announced two new compact cameras, the DC226 Pro and VE228, although neither of them stands out much. They use relatively small sensors, Type 1 and 1/1.4-inch, and follow the same familiar design approach seen in the company’s earlier models. The more interesting part is that Sonida also confirmed it is currently working on a new Micro Four Thirds camera and lens, though that is about as far as the details go for now. There is no timeline yet, and it is still unclear what direction the company will take, but it does open up some possibilities. Even if Songdian’s current cameras have not impressed more serious photographers, that does not automatically rule out something more interesting within the Micro Four Thirds system. A compact, PEN-style camera could make sense, especially given the company’s tendency to follow popular trends. Another option could be a fixed-lens Micro Four Thirds compact, which is a space that has not seen much attention from OM System or Panasonic in recent years. For now, though, it is all speculation, and it may take some time before anything concrete shows up.

credits: Viltrox Viltrox has introduced the Vintage Z2 TTL on-camera flash, making it the third entry in the retro-style series after the Z1 and Z3 from last year. The Z2 weighs 52 grams, and the foldable design lets the flash head sit a bit higher above the camera when in use to help reduce shadows, then fold down when you are packing it away. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery that charges via USB-C. The flash supports both TTL and manual control, and it is being released in versions for Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, and Canon systems. Manual adjustments are handled through two buttons on top, with five power levels ranging from 1/16 up to full power (1/1). At full output, it delivers 10Ws, so it is clearly meant more for close-range use rather than anything heavy-duty. It runs on a 420mAh internal battery, which Viltrox says can handle up to 700 full-power flashes on a single charge, with a recharge time of around 70 minutes. Recycle time comes in at about two seconds at full power and there is also a snap-on diffuser included for softer light in close-up shots. The Vintage Z2 is priced at $37. You can see full details on Viltrox’s website here

credits: DxO DxO’s PhotoLab 9.6 is here, bringing over the more advanced noise reduction technology the company only just introduced with PureRAW 6. This update was pretty much expected, but it is still a meaningful one, mainly because it expands support to a much wider range of cameras. Alongside that, DxO is adding new edge-softening controls for its AI masking tools, plus a compressed DNG export option. The biggest change is that DeepPrime XD3 now works with Bayer sensors, not just Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensors like before. That opens it up to the majority of mirrorless and DSLR cameras out there. The algorithm handles both demosaicing and noise reduction at the same time, and DxO is pitching it as a strong option for high-ISO shots where you want to hold onto as much detail as possible. It also ties in with what the company introduced in PureRAW 6, so the two apps are starting to feel more closely connected. On the editing side, the AI Masks tool gets a small but useful update with a new diffusion control, letting you soften the edges of selections and avoid that harsh, cutout look. The update also brings over compressed DNG output, which can shrink file sizes to around a quarter of a standard DNG while keeping image quality the same. There is a catch, though, you cannot convert existing DNGs into this format, you have to start from an original RAW file. PhotoLab 9.6 is available on macOS and Windows, with a new license priced at $239.99 and upgrades from earlier versions at $119.99, while existing PhotoLab 9 users get it as a free update.