credits: Godox Godox has announced a pretty wacky new accessory called the LT1 Creative Pixel Light, a small customisable light that can sit right on top of a camera. Rather than working like a normal LED light, the LT1 is made up of a grid of individually controllable pixels, with each pixel able to display different colours and brightness levels. That means you can create little pixel-art designs, logos, words, numbers, smiley faces, hearts and other graphics, including animated designs and scrolling text. It is, of course, mostly meant as a fun way to add some personality or branding to your camera and not something to be used as an actual light for illuminating your subject. The LT1 itself is very small, weighing 37g and measuring 48 x 37 x 27mm. It can be attached using either a cold shoe or magnets, while power comes from a built-in lithium-ion battery. Since there is no hot-shoe connection for communication, everything is controlled wirelessly through the Godox Light smartphone app. The app includes a library of ready-made graphics and text options, but you can also make your own pixel designs and animations. Even the slightly strange-looking little horns and ears on the LT1 have a reason for being there, they are based on Godox’s white bull mascot. There is at least one more practical feature hiding behind all the pixel art. The LT1 can also act as a wireless controller for compatible Godox lights, letting you switch them on and off with a tap. So while it is mainly a decorative accessory, it does not have to sit on the camera doing absolutely nothing beyond displaying graphics. The Godox LT1 Creative Pixel Light is priced at $33.90.

credits: DxO DxO’s new PhotoLab 10 is here, and this time the update is focused on AI masking, local adjustments, and a tighter editing workflow. One of the biggest additions is the new Depth Mask, which creates a depth map and lets you isolate different distances within a photo using a slider. You can keep the selected depth range very narrow or extend it across a much larger part, with feathering available to soften the transition. AI handles the initial depth detection, but everything after that can still be adjusted manually. AI masking for people has also been improved. PhotoLab can now recognise individual people, and faces can be broken down into eyes, teeth, facial hair, skin, and lips. Animal faces are not treated with the same level of detail yet, though, and some selections can still get confused by things like longer beards or similar foreground and background colours. There are quite a few smaller editing changes as well. AI processing now happens only when you actually activate an AI mask, and once PhotoLab has analysed the photo, that data is kept for any additional masks. Colour grading now uses a single hue wheel for shadows, midtones, highlights, and global adjustments, with real-time previews, custom presets, and a Move All option that changes the three tonal controls together. DxO has also brought its U Point technology into brush-based editing with the new Control Brush, while control points can now be stretched into ellipses, rotated, resized, combined, and subtracted from other masks. There is also Crop as Shot, which respects the aspect ratio selected in-camera for RAW files, plus AI Sensor Dust Removal, which automatically looks for sensor spots and fills them using surrounding detail. Noise reduction, meanwhile, has not changed and remains the same technology used in PureRAW 6. Another thing is better integration with Affinity, allowing photos to be sent out for pixel-level retouching, compositing, and other detailed work before being saved back alongside the original in PhotoLab. Lightroom integration has not really changed yet, although DxO says work is underway on converting Lightroom presets into PhotoLab presets, with custom keyboard shortcuts and Lightroom-style mappings also planned. There are still a few limitations with PhotoLab 10, Mac users cannot move folders within PhotoLab because of macOS permissions, and there is no confirmed timing yet for native Sony compressed RAW support or Ricoh GR IV RAW and lens-profile support. PhotoLab 10 is available for $249.99 as a lifetime license, while owners of versions 8 or 9 can upgrade for $129.99.

credits: Canon Retro, yet not quite retro, or perhaps a “retro sibling” instead? The story around the Canon EOS R8 Mark II is getting a little more complicated. For months, rumours suggested Canon could finally launch a proper retro-style mirrorless camera in 2026, potentially inspired by the Canon AE-1, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Early reports even referred to a possible EOS RE-1, but by April, sources were instead pointing toward the upcoming R8 Mark II. That camera is currently rumoured to be announced on September 15, 2026, with one of its biggest expected upgrades being 5-axis in-body image stabilisation. More recent information, however, has moved away from the idea that the R8 Mark II itself will be a full-on retro camera. Instead, the body has been described as slightly boxier and more angular than the original R8, giving it a bit of a retro influence without completely changing the familiar EOS R design. Now there is another possibility. According to new information from multiple, trusted sources, Canon may actually be working on a second model based on the R8 Mark II with a more obviously retro design. This second camera apparently will not be announced alongside the regular R8 Mark II on September 15. Exactly how this would work is still unclear, and the different rumours we have heard over the past few months do not completely line up yet. Canon could theoretically use the same internal hardware as the R8 Mark II and put it inside a substantially different body, similar to how other manufacturers have built several cameras around the same underlying technology. For now, the most likely scenario still seems to be a relatively conventional R8 Mark II in September, and maybe a proper retro camera later.

credits: 7Artisans In addition to the new AF 10mm f/2.5 MAX full-frame fisheye, which we looked at in last week’s Sunday magazine issue, 7Artisans has also announced an upcoming AF 18mm f/2 wide-angle lens for APS-C cameras. For now, the lens has been shown for Sony E-mount, where its 18mm focal length gives a roughly 27mm full-frame equivalent field of view. It is part of 7Artisans’ lightweight “LITE” series, so the lens weighs only around 109g and measures approximately 64mm in diameter and 32mm long. Despite the pretty low weight, it still uses an all-metal lens body. Optically, the 18mm f/2 uses six elements arranged in five groups, including one ED element and three high-refractive-index elements. The relatively bright f/2 maximum aperture should make it useful for low-light street photography, interiors and nighttime shooting, while the aperture can be stopped down to f/16. There is also a physical aperture ring on the barrel and 7Artisans has given the lens a square metal hood. Autofocus is handled by an STM stepping motor, which should make the lens suitable for both stills and video. Minimum focusing distance comes in at 0.2m. As noted, the lens has only been announced at this point and is not available yet, and 7Artisans has not confirmed exactly when it will go on sale. Pricing is also still unknown, as is whether additional APS-C mounts will follow the Sony E-mount version.

credits: Godox Godox has announced the Flexible Macro Twin Light MA2, a new hot-shoe lighting setup for macro and close-up photography. It uses two LEDs on separate flexible arms, so you can position each light independently around smaller subjects. Both sides have their own A/B controls, with brightness adjustable from 1 to 100% and colour temperature ranging from 2800K to 6500K. Godox does not give a guide number or lumen rating, so these probably are not super powerful lights. At close distances, though, they can be used as the main light, as fill, as modeling lights when setting up a shot, or as continuous lighting when shooting macro video. The two LEDs can be adjusted separately, and the MA2 can also be combined with Godox’s wireless flashes and lights for more complicated setups. Small Godox flashes can even be attached magnetically directly to the flexible arms, so you could use the LEDs to set up and preview the lighting before switching to flash for the actual shot. Godox shows one setup using four iM20 flashes, with two positioned around each LED, and the system also works with compact flashes including the iM22, iT20, and iT22. There is a limit on how much you can hang from those arms, however, with each one supporting up to 90g. The LEDs themselves are rated at CRI 96 and TLCI 97, and Godox includes a magnetic diffuser as well. Power comes from a built-in rechargeable battery, which is rated for up to 3.3 hours at full brightness. Since the LEDs are continuous, you can also keep them running as fill alongside separate flashes or simply use them on their own for slower-moving subjects where you do not need much power. The Godox MA2 Flexible Macro Twin Light is priced at $79.

credits: Samsung Samsung is not letting the volatile flash memory market stop it from releasing some pretty fast new portable SSDs. The company has introduced the P7 and P9, two new drives that make the jump to USB4 and bring a big increase in speed over Samsung’s previous portable SSDs. Models like the T7 and T9 have been popular with photographers and other creatives for years, and the new P7 and P9 take things a step further, with those faster transfer speeds and capacities going all the way up to 8TB. The P9 is the higher-end model, with sequential read speeds of up to 4,000 MB/s and write speeds reaching 3,800 MB/s. That is roughly twice what the previous T9 could manage, which topped out at around 2,000 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Samsung also says the 8TB P9 is the world’s first 8TB USB4 portable SSD capable of reaching 4,000 MB/s. More importantly, the P9 is designed to maintain high write speeds for longer periods rather than only hitting those numbers in short bursts. Samsung says that makes it fast enough for demanding workflows including 8K and 12K RAW video recording, while photographers could use it as a working drive for large collections of high-resolution RAW files. Interestingly, the P7 has the same peak read and write speeds as the P9, but it is meant more for everyday use. The main difference is sustained performance. It does not have the same optimisations or thermal design as the P9, so it is not as well suited to long, heavy writing sessions. Both drives are drop-resistant from up to two meters and will be offered in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB capacities. Sales are expected to begin in early September. The P9 will cost $339.99, $649.99, $1,349.99, and $2,699.99 depending on capacity, while the P7 starts at $289.99 and goes up to $2,289.99 for the 8TB version.

credits: Ricoh Ricoh has announced that it is developing the GR IVx, a new version of the GR IV that keeps the same 25.7MP APS-C sensor but swaps the 28mm-equivalent lens for a 40mm-equivalent f/2.8 prime. And Ricoh is not simply reusing the lens from the current GR IIIx. The GR IVx is getting a completely new optical design, built specifically for this generation of the camera. The new lens has an actual focal length of 26.1mm, which works out to roughly 40mm in full-frame terms, with an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/16. Inside are eight elements arranged in six groups, including three aspherical elements. That 40mm field of view sits somewhere between the classic 35mm and 50mm focal lengths and is noticeably tighter than the 28mm-equivalent lens on the regular GR IV. Ricoh has also confirmed that the GR IVx will have the same built-in two-stop ND filter, giving you a bit more flexibility when shooting at wider apertures in bright light. Beyond that, Ricoh is not saying much yet. There is no full specification sheet, price, release date, or even a firm date for the official launch. What we do know is that the existing GR IIIx, GR IIIx HDF, and GR IIIx Urban Edition are approaching the end of production, with the final batch expected to finish shipping in October. That gives us a pretty strong indication that the GR IVx is not too far away. Ricoh is also currently celebrating 30 years of the GR series, so it would make sense to have the new 40mm model on the market sooner rather than later.

credits: Adobe According to Adobe, the best creative software should let people spend more time on their ideas and less time figuring out the tools needed to make them happen, and apparently the latest Photoshop update is built around that. The update adds several new editing features, including a Light Adjustment Layer, Firefly-powered masking and markup tools, and a new AI Assisted Editor that is initially launching in beta. For photographers, one of the most interesting additions is the Light Adjustment Layer, which brings Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks directly into Photoshop as a non-destructive adjustment layer. These are familiar controls from Adobe Camera Raw, but they can now be used directly inside Photoshop without jumping back and forth. There are a few new Firefly-powered tools as well. Instruct Edit with Masks, powered by Firefly Image 5, lets you describe an edit in normal language and then automatically identifies and masks the relevant part of the photo. You could, for example, ask it to change someone’s clothing or open closed eyes, and Photoshop will try to make the change while leaving the rest of the photo alone. Adobe has also added AI Markup tools, which are useful when several people are working on the same photo. You can circle an area that needs recolouring, draw arrows toward something that needs changing, or roughly sketch an idea directly onto the photo, with Firefly then using those markings to understand the requested edit. The bigger AI addition is the new AI Assisted Editor, which is available in beta starting today. It gives Photoshop a separate interface with a natural-language prompt bar, allowing you to describe an edit rather than manually finding and using each individual tool. Photoshop can then combine existing features such as Remove Background, Generative Expand, Generative Fill, and Generative Upscale to carry it out. Elsewhere, Dynamic Text now works with custom shapes and paths, while a redesigned Adobe Stock panel brings access to more than 900 million Stock assets directly inside Photoshop. The new Photoshop features are available now, with the AI Assisted Editor remaining in beta for the time being.

credits: OM System OM System has published a short teaser for a new camera coming on September 9, and everything shown so far points toward a return of the Pen series, or at least a new camera very closely related to it. The 17-second teaser posted by OM System Japan runs through the history of Pen, starting with the original half-frame film camera from 1959, jumping forward to the first Digital Pen from 2009, and eventually ending with the silhouette of a new 2026 model. What is actually inside the camera is still the big unknown. OM System has not confirmed the sensor resolution, processor, autofocus system, IBIS performance, burst speeds, or video specs yet. We also do not know whether this is supposed to be a direct Pen-F successor, a replacement for the E-P7, or something new that simply borrows ideas from both. One important difference from the E-P7 appears to be a built-in EVF in the top left corner, which that camera did not have. The new model is also expected to stick with the Micro Four Thirds system, meaning it should work with the existing OM System and Panasonic MFT lens lineup. One of the bigger questions now is the sensor, OM System could stick with one of its familiar 20MP designs or potentially move to something newer with a higher resolution. There have been signs that something like this was coming for a while. At CP+ earlier this year, OM System executives openly asked photographers for feedback about the Pen and suggested that a new model could be in development. The original Pen goes all the way back to 1959, while the digital series started in 2009 and eventually gave us cameras like the Pen-F in 2016 and E-P7 in 2021. Pricing for the new camera is also still up in the air, but we should get the full picture when OM System officially unveils the camera on September 9.

credits: Canon New details about the Canon EOS R8 Mark II have surfaced/leaked, including a specific announcement date and several new specs. The camera is now expected to be announced on September 15, 2026. In terms of size and weight, it should remain very close to the current R8, but the body is said to use better materials with improved ergonomics. We have also heard more about the rumoured retro-inspired design, apparently it means slightly sharper, more angular body lines rather than a completely old-school redesign, and there reportedly will not be a silver version. On the specs side, the R8 Mark II is expected to finally gain 5-axis IBIS, which would be a first for the R8 series. That stabilisation system apparently takes up enough internal space that earlier rumours of dual card slots are not happening. Instead, there should be one SD card slot, although it will now have its own dedicated compartment rather than sitting beside the battery. Canon is reportedly sticking with the LP-E17 battery as well. As for the sensor, the latest information appears to favour the familiar 24.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor used in the original R8 and R6 Mark II, and not the previously rumoured 32.5MP sensor. Electronic shutter shooting should reach 40 fps, and the expected price is around $1,800, compared with the original R8’s $1,699 launch price. A small optional grip for people with larger hands and a new Speedlite EL-5 Mark II are also expected alongside it. There are also first details about Canon’s other rumoured entry-level PowerShot. This looks like a pretty basic compact, though, and not the higher-end G7 X successor that is also rumoured to be coming. Current info is USB-C, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi and NFC, but no Bluetooth. Canon is reportedly targeting a price of around $299, with an announcement expected before January 18, 2027 and potentially happening around CES in January.

credits: Metabones After a relatively long quiet period, Metabones is back with its second big launch in just a couple of months. This time, the company has unveiled new versions of its EF-X Speed Boosters and Smart Adapters for Fujifilm X cameras. It follows the upgraded EF-MFT adapters released in June and brings the same TruePDAF technology over to X-mount. Metabones says the system uses a library of profiles covering more than 100 Canon EF lenses to improve phase-detect autofocus with adapted glass. It works with PDAF-equipped Fujifilm bodies including the X-H series, X-T2 and newer, and X-Pro2 and newer. Lenses without a dedicated TruePDAF profile can still use phase-detect AF, but performance is not optimised in the same way. The lineup consists of the T Speed Booster Ultra 0.71x II+, T Smart Adapter II+, T Cine Speed Booster Ultra 0.71x II+, and T Cine Smart Adapter II+. The Speed Booster versions use a five-element, four-group optical design with 0.71x magnification, reducing Fujifilm’s usual 1.5x APS-C crop factor to roughly 1.07x while also increasing effective lens speed. A Canon 24-70mm f/2.8, for example, effectively becomes around a 17-50mm f/2, while a 70-200mm f/2.8 becomes roughly 50-142mm f/2. A 50mm f/1.2 ends up around 35.5mm f/0.9. The regular Smart Adapters do not contain optics, so they simply adapt EF lenses while retaining electronic communication. Pricing starts at $399 for the Smart Adapter II+, while the Cine version costs $449. The Speed Booster Ultra 0.71x II+ is $649, and the Cine Speed Booster is $699, with availability expected next month. The Cine models add a positive-locking mechanism designed to stop heavier lenses from shifting at the mount while focusing or zooming. Metabones’ older EF-X adapters can apparently also be upgraded to the new II+ specification by replacing an internal circuit, although owners will need to contact Metabones directly for the details.

credits: Panasonic Panasonic has announced four refreshed Lumix lenses, with three Micro Four Thirds models and one full-frame L-Mount lens getting a few small updates. The timing is worth noting given all the recent talk about Panasonic potentially pulling back from Micro Four Thirds, especially as several lenses have either been discontinued or become increasingly difficult to find. The refreshed lineup includes the Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 II ASPH., Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH. Power OIS, Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ASPH. Power OIS, and the full-frame Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/4 OIS. These are not major redesigns, and most of the changes are very small. Panasonic has added a new fluorine coating to the front elements of the 42.5mm f/1.7 and 12-60mm f/2.8-4, making them easier to clean while also helping repel dust and water. The full-frame 70-200mm f/4 gets the same treatment. Panasonic has also changed the lettering around the front of its Micro Four Thirds lenses to cut down on reflections when shooting close to a subject. On the 25mm f/1.4 II and 42.5mm f/1.7, the previously white lettering is now a darker grey, while the 12-60mm gets engraved lettering with no white fill at all. All four lenses are expected to become available in mid-September. Panasonic is separating them from the existing versions with new product codes that simply add an “A” to the end of the SKU. The updated Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/4, for example, becomes the S-R70200A.