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Cyprus College
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The college was founded in 1961 with the purpose to provide a well rounded education of high calibre where students can acquire the necessary academic knowledge.
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Wroclaw University
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Founded in 1702 by Leopold I Habsburg. Since the beginning of 20th century the university has produced 9 Nobel Prize winners.
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Volyn University
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The history dates back to 1940. At present, the university includes 4 institutes, 14 faculties and 73 departments.
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Berkeley College
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Through the power of internet, Berkeley college online brings the classroom to you anywhere in the world with the same high level of support as On-Campus classes.
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AIS
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New Zealand's largest international degree provider. The programmes are focused on the global marketplace.
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WORLD UNIVERSITY DIRECTORY
Technology Reviews Education Digital Camera reviews from Dpreview.com
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/Accessory-Roundup-april-19.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img alt="Accessory-Roundup-april-19" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1835882454/Accessory-Roundup-april-19.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Accessory-Roundup-april-19.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1835882454/Accessory-Roundup-april-19.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Images: Godox, Fujifilm, Aura and Sony</em></td>
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<p>It's been a busy week here at the DPReview offices, but we've still been able to comb through the accessory releases to find some new and interesting products. We'll be taking a look at an upgraded digital picture frame, some new flashes and more. But first, as always, the deals!</p>
<h2>Sales of the week</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/om-5-in-hand.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img alt="om-5-in-hand" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="329" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1835882454/om-5-in-hand.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="om-5-in-hand.jpeg" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1835882454/om-5-in-hand.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: OM System</em></td>
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<p><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/om-system-om-5-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">OM System's OM-5</a> is a small, lightweight camera that comes with a bunch of computational photography features and an IP53 weather resistance rating. It's currently on sale for $300 off, which means you can pick it and a lens up for under $1000.</p>
<div class="buybuttons"><hr></hr><p class="header-text">Buy now:</p><div class="buttons-wrapper"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-OM-System-OM-5-12-45mm/dp/B0BHL95HBT" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy w/ 12-45mm F4.0 at Amazon.com</span></span></a><a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1730629-REG/om_system_v210022bu000_om_5_mirrorless_camera_with.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy w/ 12-45mm F4.0 at B&H Photo</span></span></a><a href="https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/om-system-om-5" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at MPB</span></span></a></div><hr></hr></div>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/panasonic-g9ii-in-hand.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img alt="panasonic-g9ii-in-hand" border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/1835882454/panasonic-g9ii-in-hand.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="panasonic-g9ii-in-hand.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/1835882454/panasonic-g9ii-in-hand.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Panasonic</em></td>
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<p>Like the OM-5, <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dc-g9-ii-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Panasonic's G9 II</a> uses a Four Thirds sensor, though it packs it into a much larger body. It can shoot at much faster burst rates and has an extremely capable suite of video features, and it's currently $200 off.</p>
<div class="buybuttons"><hr></hr><p class="header-text">Buy now:</p><div class="buttons-wrapper"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQPQ8PNV?tag=gpsmed-1-20&linkCode=ogv&th=1&psc=1" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">$1845 at Amazon.com</span></span></a><a href="https://www.adorama.com/ipcg9m2.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Adorama</span></span></a><a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1786235-REG/panasonic_lumix_g9ii_g9_ii.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H Photo</span></span></a></div><hr></hr></div>
<h2>Bring on the light</h2>
<p>This week, both Sony and Godox each unveiled updated versions of their flash units. Sony quietly released replacements for its HVL-F46RM and HVL-F28RM units, adding an A to the name of both, while Godox announced the third iteration of its TT520.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/sony-flash-units.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img alt="sony-flash-units" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="332" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1835882454/sony-flash-units.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="sony-flash-units.jpeg" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1835882454/sony-flash-units.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>On the left is the HVL-F46RMA with the HVL-F28RMA on the right.</p>
<p><em>Image: Sony</em></p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.sony.com/tz/camera-accessories/products/hvl-f28rma" target="article-1835882454">HVL-F28RMA</a> is a compact and relatively affordable unit. Sony says it redesigned the flash head and internal layout, resulting in a smaller flash that suits compact mirrorless cameras. It offers wireless radio communication and a dust- and moisture-resistant design.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1888467-REG/sony_hvl_f28rma_external_flash.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Pre-order at B&H</span></span></a>
<p>The <a href="https://www.sony.com/en-jo/camera-accessories/products/hvl-f46rma" target="article-1835882454">HVL-F46RMA</a> is a wireless radio flash that supports the a9 III's ultra-fast sync speeds, syncing up to 1/80,000 sec. It also offers intelligent communication with compatible cameras, allowing you to control various parameters within the camera itself and it works with the camera's face detection autofocus.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1874727-REG/sony_hvl_f46rma_wireless_radio_flash.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Pre-order at B&H</span></span></a>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/godox-TT520-III.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img alt="godox-TT520-III" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="484" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1835882454/godox-TT520-III.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="godox-TT520-III.jpeg"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Godox</em></td>
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<p>Godox's updated flash, the <a href="https://www.threads.net/@godox_global/post/DIkgVxOAmS0/-meet-your-new-lighting-weapon-godoxtt520iiicompact-precise-always-ready-an-entr" target="article-1835882454">TT520 III</a>, features an LCD screen, which the previous model lacks. It offers eight levels of power control in 1/3 stop increments and Godox promises up to 400 full-power flashes with a 1.8 sec recycle. The flash also supports 433MHz wireless triggering for flexible off-camera use. Godox didn't provide specifics on when it would be available or how much it'll cost, and retailers – including the Godox website – currently don't have it listed.</p>
<h2>Show off your work</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/aura-Aspen-Clay.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img alt="aura-Aspen-Clay" border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/1835882454/aura-Aspen-Clay.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="aura-Aspen-Clay.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/1835882454/aura-Aspen-Clay.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Aura</em></td>
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<p>Digital picture frame company Aura recently announced its latest model, the <a href="https://auraframes.com/digital-frames/color/aspen-ink-mat" target="article-1835882454">Aspen</a>. It offers a 12-inch anti-glare HD display with a paper-textured mat around it. Even with the built-in stand, it's just 1.1 inches thick, so it won't take up much space on an end table or bookshelf. A built-in speaker allows you to play videos, and the app provides unlimited storage and simple sharing tools.</p>
<a href="https://auraframes.com/digital-frames/color/aspen-ink-mat" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Aura</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Aura-Aspen-Digital-Photo-Frame/dp/B0DWVBBGXS" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Amazon</span></span></a>
<h2>A pricing update</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/person-shooting-with-fujifilm-instax-mini-41.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="313" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1835882454/person-shooting-with-fujifilm-instax-mini-41.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="person-shooting-with-fujifilm-instax-mini-41.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1835882454/person-shooting-with-fujifilm-instax-mini-41.jpeg 2x" alt="person-shooting-with-fujifilm-instax-mini-41"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Fujifilm</em></td>
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<p>On April 8, <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/4923123913/fujifilm-retro-instax-mini-camera-returns-with-fresh-look" target="article-1835882454">Fujifilm announced</a> the Fujifilm Mini 41, but at the time, it didn't reveal US pricing for its latest instant camera. Fujifilm recently informed us that the camera will cost $130, though B&H has it listed at $100. B&H may be behind on updating the pricing, but it isn't clear at this time.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1889834-REG/fujifilm_16844408_instax_mini_41_instant.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Pre-order at B&H</span></span></a>
<h2>The most adorable cameras</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1835882454/Nikon_mini_cameras.jpeg" target="article-1835882454"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="277" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1835882454/Nikon_mini_cameras.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Nikon_mini_cameras.jpeg" alt="Nikon mini cameras"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Bandai Namco</em></td>
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<p>While not a broad release that you can purchase online, a fun find this week was broader access to Nikon gashapon. Nikon announced a collaboration with Bandai Namco <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/7678579451/accessory-roundup-smallrig-desk-mount-nikon-toy-dua-lipa" rel="noopener" target="_blank">last year</a>, bringing a set of miniature Nikon cameras to gashapon capsule vending machines in Japan. Now, they've <a href="https://us.gashapon.jp/item/detail.php?p=others&pn=2789572" rel="noopener" target="_blank">made their way to the US</a>. If your local store has the Nikon machine<span class="green">*</span>, you can put some money into it, and it'll spit out either a Nikon F, Z Fc, SP or Z9, complete with a matching lens that can actually be removed from the camera and placed onto another one. </p>
<p><span class="green">* - We here at the DPReview office took a field trip to our local Uwajimaya to try and find one and were partially successful – the machine was there, but the capsules were sadly out of stock.</span></p>
<h2>A surprising use for the Sony a9 III</h2>
<div class="video"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="326" id="videoFrame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xkTtM8iknMU?rel=0&autohide=1&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" width="580"></iframe></div>
<p>Finally, for this week's video, we're sharing a unique use of the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a9-iii-in-depth-review" target="article-1835882454">Sony a9 III</a>. <a href="https://pro.sony/en_HU/digital-imaging/digital-imaging-insights/arc-eye-case-study" target="article-1835882454">Arc Eye</a> is using multiple a9 IIIs along with ILX-LR1 industrial box cameras to create 3D photogrammetry & 4D volumetric content for both creative and industrial use. The video only shows the setup, not the final results, but it is a wild contraption and fascinating to see the broad application of the camera.</p>
<p class="actionButton"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/8379535875/accessory-roundup-nab-2025-tilta-sandisk-smallrig-polarpro">Read last week's roundup</a></p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4513383932/Nikon_Z9_with_lens.jpeg" target="article-4513383932"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/4513383932/Nikon_Z9_with_lens.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Nikon_Z9_with_lens.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/4513383932/Nikon_Z9_with_lens.jpeg 2x" alt="Nikon Z9 with lens"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: DPReview</em></td>
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<p>This week brought a wave of firmware updates from Sony and Nikon, targeting full-frame and APS-C models. Sony released new software for the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a7c-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a7C</a>, <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a7-iii-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a7 III</a> and <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-zv-e10-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ZV-E10</a>, delivering stability improvements and minor tweaks. Nikon released updates for its flagship mirrorless <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z9-review-a-dslr-like-stills-video-monster" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Z9</a> and the newer <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Z50II</a>, aiming to refine performance and fix a few lingering bugs. Here's a quick rundown of what's new.</p>
<h2>Sony</h2>
<p><strong style="font-size: 14px;"> a7C updates for Version 2.01 (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-7-series/ilce-7c/software/00265185" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mac</a>) and (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-7-series/ilce-7c/software/00265182" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Windows</a>)</strong></p>
<p><strong>a7 III updates for Version 4.02 (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-7-series/ilce-7m3/software/00257843" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mac</a>) and (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-7-series/ilce-7m3/software/00257839" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Windows</a>)</strong></p>
<p><strong>ZV-E10 updates for Version 2.02 (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-zv-e-series/zv-e10/software/00272350" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mac</a>) and (<a href="https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-zv-e-series/zv-e10/software/00272347" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Windows</a>)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Allows the camera to display a notification when new software is available<br>WPA and WEP functionalities are no longer supported.</li>
<li>You can no longer select WPA or WEP when connecting to Wi-Fi. Please use the more secure WPA2 moving forward.</li>
<li>Improves the operational stability of the camera.</li>
<li>Note: This update is only available for Windows and macOS. A memory card version is not provided.</li>
</ul>
<p>Please note: the firmware updates are identical across these three camera models.</p>
<h2>Nikon</h2>
<p><strong> Z9 updates for Version 5.20 (<a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/553.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mac</a>) and (<a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/553.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Windows</a>)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Added support for “NX Field,” a remote shooting system for corporate users. Note: “<a href="https://nps.nikonimaging.com/technical_info/nx_field/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NX Field</a>” app for smart devices may not be available in some countries and regions.</li>
<li>Renamed d14 [Display on during burst] in [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].</li>
<li>Fixed the following issues:
<ul>
<li>Pressing the playback button after repeatedly shooting bursts would in rare cases corrupt the display of all images.</li>
<li>In rare circumstances, optimal exposure could not be achieved during burst shooting after changing the exposure in mode M.</li>
<li>In synchronized release, pressing the shutter-release button of the master camera halfway initiated autofocus on the remote camera with the following setting selected. ▸ [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] > a6 [AF activation] > [AF-ON only]</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Z50II updates for Version 1.01 (<a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/551.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mac</a>) and (<a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/551.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Windows</a>)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Pre-Release Capture is now available using a SmallRig SR-RG2.</li>
<li>Added “русский” (Russian) to [Language] in [SETUP MENU] for Z50II cameras sold in the Middle East region.</li>
<li>Renamed d13 [Display on during burst] in [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].</li>
<li>Fixed the following issues:
<ul>
<li>In rare cases, the camera would stop responding when it was reconnected to SnapBridge after it was connected to Nikon Imaging Cloud while connecting to SnapBridge.</li>
<li>In synchronized release, pressing the shutter-release button of the master camera halfway initiated autofocus on the remote camera with the following setting selected:<br>▸ [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] > a6 [AF activation] > [AF-ON only]</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>That's it for this week. Make sure to check in every Friday, from here on out, for a round-up of firmware updates on all major camera models. Have a great weekend!</p>
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<p>Nikon's been on a roll this week. Following firmware updates for the <a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/553.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Z9</a> and <a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/551.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Z50II</a>, the company released version <a href="https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/sw/266.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">2.3.0 of NX Tether</a>, its free tethered shooting software. NX Tether allows photographers and videographers to connect their Nikon camera directly to a computer for real-time control over focus, exposure, white balance and more, all while using a larger screen for improved precision.</p>
<p>Users can download and enhance photos on their computers, as NX Tether is compatible with Nikon's NX Studio and third-party tools, including Adobe Lightroom and Capture One. This latest update enhances compatibility and introduces new features that streamline studio and on-location workflows. Let's take a look at some of the updates:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Expanded Camera Support: </strong>NX Tether 2.3.0 makes tethered shooting available for <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z5ii-initial-review-entry-level-full-frame" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Nikon Z5II</a> users.</li>
<li><strong>Live View Accessibility:</strong> Live view functionality is now available when connected to a <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-zf-full-frame-mirrorless-camera-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Nikon Zf</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Framing Guide Display: </strong>The addition of a framing guide in the live view window helps with precise composition, which is especially beneficial for video shoots and detailed product photography.</li>
<li><strong>Power Zoom Position Memory:</strong> Users can save and load power zoom positions on compatible models like the Z9, Z8, and Zf, for consistent framing across sessions.</li>
<li><strong>Pixel Shift Photography:</strong> Enhanced support for pixel shift photography is available on the Z8 and Zf, enabling higher-resolution imagery.</li>
<li><strong>Slow-motion Video Recording:</strong> The Zf now supports slow-motion video recording.</li>
<li><strong>Birds Detection Feature: </strong>The Zf now supports the "Birds" detection feature, which improves autofocus performance when photographing avian subjects.</li>
</ul>
<p>NX Tether's interface mirrors the controls found on Nikon cameras. The application is compatible with macOS versions Sequoia 15, Sonoma 14, and Ventura 13, as well as Microsoft's Windows 10 and 11 software. Full details on camera compatibility can be found on <a href="https://www.nikonusa.com/content/nx-tether" target="article-2899803706">Nikon's website</a>. </p>
<p>Nikon's NX Tether 2.3.0 offers updates that enhance the tethered shooting experience, especially for users of the Z5II and Zf models. It's a valuable and free tool for photographers and videographers looking for efficient, real-time control over their cameras.</p>
<p>For a visual overview of NX Tether's capabilities, you may find this demonstration from Nikon's YouTube page, recorded last year, helpful:</p>
<div class="video"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="326" id="videoFrame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NK_HlYyF0RY?rel=0&autohide=1&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" width="580"></iframe></div>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">Canon EOS R1 | RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z | 200mm | F4 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 3200<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>Canon's EOS R1 is the company's first '1 series' flagship camera to be mirrorless and is specifically aimed at sports and action photographers. Given its narrow focus, we wanted to test it out at a professional sports game – preferably one supported by its Action Priority autofocus mode, which Canon says will recognize when players are performing a specific action and automatically focus on them.</p>
<p>Thankfully, we were able to get a media pass to photograph a Spokane Velocity FC game, which was the perfect opportunity to put the EOS R1 to the test. A caveat before we start: I am by no means a professional sports photographer, nor am I a football expert. However, part of the pitch for Action Priority autofocus is that it's able to react to what's happening in the game automatically, which made this an especially interesting test of its abilities, even though most people looking to buy an R1 are likely fully capable of shooting a game without it.</p>
<p>So how'd it do? Quite well, I found. It made shooting feel natural; I would move the camera along with the action, and most of the time, it just handled subject selection, making sure the player in control of the ball was the one in focus. However, it clearly wasn't a magical replacement for talent, either. There were a few times it decided to track a player who wasn't involved in the action, though it was relatively easy to correct it by manually putting the AF tracking point over the player.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/9807585061/1N0A9322.jpeg" target="article-9807585061"><img alt="1N0A9322" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/9807585061/1N0A9322.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="1N0A9322.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/9807585061/1N0A9322.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z | 200mm | F2.8 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 1600<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>Despite its occasional missteps, upon reviewing my shots, I found that Action Priority mode got me far better results than the combination of my football-tracking skills and standard subject recognition did. The EOS R1 was very tenacious at tracking people and excelled at keeping them in focus – which is great if you have the skill and knowledge necessary to know who to track and when to start tracking someone else.</p>
<p>I actually got the chance to talk to someone with those skills. One of the professional photographers at the game asked what I was shooting with, then said they also use an EOS R1; previously, they'd used an EOS R3. When I asked what they thought of the Action Priority mode, they said they didn't think it made much of a difference. Given that they'd essentially trained <em>themselves</em> to do what it does, it's not surprising that they didn't find it as useful as I – someone without that training – did. However, they did find the EOS R1's standard subject detection to be stickier than the EOS R3's, especially when players were passing in front of and behind each other.</p>
<p>They were very fond of the camera's Eye Control autofocus, where the camera automatically places the focus point on whatever you're looking at. Despite having calibrated it a few times, I couldn't get it to work reliably enough for me to be an asset rather than a liability. I tried it for a little bit at the game but ended up turning it off. However, it's easy to see how it could improve the shooting experience if it does work for you – rather than relying on the camera to figure out what player is important, you can just follow the action with your eye.</p>
<p>Getting back to Action Priority mode, I did bump up against a few limitations with the system. It's only available when using the electronic shutter and can't be used with the EOS R1's anti-flicker feature. While the camera's readout is jaw-droppingly quick – I didn't notice any rolling shutter artifacts on soccer balls in mid-flight – you will still see banding on electronic screens and under some LED lights.</p>
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<p>You can eliminate banding by switching to the mechanical shutter, but doing so means giving up some of the EOS R1's features and capabilities.</p>
<p>Electronic shutter | RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z | 200mm | F2.8 | 1/1000 sec | Edited to taste in ACR<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></p>
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<p>The former was definitely an issue at the Spokane One stadium, and I found myself having to choose between giving myself a better chance of capturing the game with Action Priority and not having some quite distracting artifacts in the background. With that said the mechanical shutter on the EOS R1 can only shoot at 12fps instead of 40, which helped make the decision a bit easier.</p>
<p>I also found myself wishing that the pre-burst capture feature was configurable. The amount it buffers is based on your shooting speed: Canon's manual says that in the 40 shots per second mode, it'll buffer around half a second, but there's no setting to control for how long or how many shots you'd like it to buffer.</p>
<p>Because my shooting style involves starting focus tracking with a half-press of the shutter button well before actually taking the photo, I wound up filling almost a third of my storage in the first half-hour of the game since every shot I took saved the 20 shots before it. Rather than trying to get myself used to back-button focusing, which doesn't start pre-capture<span class="green">*</span>, in the middle of the game, I just turned it off, but I feel like I could've gotten a few more good shots if I could've used the pre-burst capture, but set to only save five or ten photos from before the shutter press.</p>
<p><span class="green">* And, in fact, cannot be set to start pre-capture, something that irked the pro I talked to.</span></p>
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<p>It took me a while to get a header shot, which I strongly suspect would've been easier with pre-capture.</p>
<p>RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z + RF 1.4x Teleconvertor 150mm | F4 | 1/100 | ISO 320<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></p>
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<p>Also, Canon, while I have your attention, why can't I set one of my custom buttons to turn pre-burst capture on and off? To get around this, I followed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-TsFxDXkaU" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Brian Worley's trick</a> of setting up a custom mode that's exactly the same as my manual shooting mode, except with pre-capture off, but even that's a bad solution. For one, there's only one button you can assign to switch between modes, but also, if I made any changes while I was shooting pre-capture, those wouldn't be carried over when I switched modes to turn it off.</p>
<p>While I've picked a lot of nits here, there were, unsurprisingly, a lot of things the EOS R1 did right. Its buffer felt endless – during the game, the camera only ever stopped shooting when I took my finger off the shutter, and never because it had to stop and write the photos to the card. At home, I let it run at 40fps for around 20 seconds and still didn't reach the bottom of the buffer.</p>
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<div class="caption">Being able to let the camera run at 40fps means you can capture the entire moment without having to worry about whether you captured the key shot.</div>
<p>The battery had a similar amount of stamina. Over the course of the 90-ish minute game I shot mostly using the viewfinder and took around 9000 photos. (If you're not confident that you can capture the decisive moment, you might as well capture <em>every</em> moment.) At the end of the day, I still had three out of four bars of battery and would've felt quite comfortable shooting for another 90 minutes. <em>I </em>couldn't have, of course, but the camera could.</p>
<p>That's probably the moral of the story. It's no shock that using the EOS R1 didn't immediately make me a pro sports photographer. Action Priority mode did, however, let me capture moments that only pro sports photographers could've not so long ago, and I suspect that Eye Control could've done the same if I could get it to work reliably for me.</p>
<p>It's easy to imagine that sort of thing being really exciting as it makes its way into more accessible models – there's always been something of a Catch-22 where entry-level cameras aimed at beginners come with the autofocus systems that offer the least assistance. Something like Action Priority mode or Eye Control could help parents capture their children's sporting achievements without requiring them to become pro photographers or buy high-end cameras that cost thousands of dollars.</p>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z | 200mm | F4 | 1/1000 | ISO 1250<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>That future may be a ways off, though, and it doesn't really help tell the story of the EOS R1, a camera almost exclusively for pros. That's not to say that they won't use those features, just that they'll have different considerations when doing so; is Action Priority worth narrowing your shooting options and giving up some manual control so you can fully focus on composition and understanding the state of play, and can you rely on Eye Control when everything's on the line?</p>
<p>Realistically, I'm not the person to answer those questions. However, it's interesting that Canon added so many features designed to make a camera that'll likely only ever be used by professionals easier to use. It's like getting into an F1 car and discovering that, alongside all the manual controls, it actually has a quite capable self-driving system. The surprising part isn't that the EOS R1 was up to the task of shooting the game – it's essentially designed from the ground up to do that – but I wasn't expecting it to also help me out so much along the way.</p>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Blackmagic Design</em></td>
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<p><a href="https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Blackmagic Design</a>, an Australian company known for its professional cinema cameras and DaVinci Resolve editing software, had ambitious plans to expand into American manufacturing with a new factory in Dallas, Texas. However, thanks to the newly introduced US tariffs, those plans have hit a snag.</p>
<p>The company had hoped US-based production would strengthen ties with American semiconductor firms and streamline its supply chain. However, BlackMagic spokesperson Patrick Hussey told <em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/649225/blackmagic-design-trump-us-tariffs-price-hike" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Verge</a> </em>that the broadly applied tariffs have made the move financially unviable.</p>
<p>While parts like semiconductors and the PCBs used in Blackmagic's cameras are sourced from US companies, many are still manufactured overseas and are subject to tariffs. "If we proceed with the US factory, we'd incur tariffs on those parts, increasing costs and negating the savings we anticipated," Hussey said.</p>
<p>This exact dilemma reflects a broader issue facing companies with global supply chains. Though the tariffs were intended to encourage domestic manufacturing, many businesses report they'd be better off moving operations to countries with lower tax burdens. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/tariffs-wont-bring-manufacturing-back-to-us-supply-chain-survey.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">A survey conducted by </a><em><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/tariffs-wont-bring-manufacturing-back-to-us-supply-chain-survey.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">CNBC</a> </em>found that 61% of businesses favored relocating to low-tariff countries over the US. 81% said they'd automate US production rather than hire workers.</p>
<blockquote class="pullQuote">"Production of some product lines has been relocated to reduce the impact on our customers"</blockquote>
<p>Blackmagic has already <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/9180175990/blackmagic-design-blaming-us-price-jumps-on-tariffs" rel="noopener" target="_blank">passed on some of the additional costs</a> to consumers, with the prices of certain products rising in the US. For example, the new Pyxis 12K camera, initially listed for $5,000, jumped to $6,600 before settling at $5,500 after Blackmagic shifted production to mitigate tariff impacts. Prices elsewhere in the world remain unchanged.</p>
<p>"We operate factories in several countries, so production of some product lines has been relocated to reduce the impact on our customers," Hussey explained, noting that the company is holding off on a US factory decision for now. If more components begin production domestically, the plan may be revived.</p>
<p>While the current US administration recently added smartphones, computers and other electronics to a temporary list of tariff exemptions, cameras and related equipment were omitted. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that the exemptions are not permanent and that new tariffs targeting the semiconductor industry, for example, could be introduced in a month or two. Policy indecision like this adds even more uncertainty for companies like Blackmagic.</p>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Insta360</em></td>
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<p>Insta360 released a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDBWa7grUjQ" target="article-2884950658">teaser video</a> on its YouTube channel this morning for an upcoming product launch on April 22nd. Titled "All Day. All Night. All Angles," the fast-paced 51-second clip showcases a variety of high-energy activities and stunts, suggesting a new 360-degree camera designed for versatile day-to-night shooting.</p>
<p>While the company hasn't officially named the product, speculation in the video clip's comments section suggests it's an Insta360 X5, a successor to last year's X4 360-degree action camera. If true, it would be slightly over a year since the X4's April 16, 2024 announcement.</p>
<p>The X4 supports 8K 360° video recording at 30p for 2.7k reframed 16:9 footage, a vast improvement from its predecessor X3's 5.7K/30p with 1080p output. The teaser trailer's emphasis on nighttime shots and low-light performance hints at further enhancements if it does, in fact, turn out to be an X5.</p>
<p>Whatever it is, Insta360 plans to unveil its new product at a pop-up event located in Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, New York City at 9:00 AM, EST, this coming Tuesday.</p>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Viltrox</em></td>
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<p>Viltrox <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/2071592830/viltrox-announces-four-new-lenses-new-mount-option-at-cpplus" rel="noopener" target="_blank">gave us a preview</a> of its AF 35mm F1.2 Lab FE lens back at CP+, but today, it's making the lens available to purchase and releasing full details about it. As the name implies, it's a full-frame lens for Sony's E-mount, and the company says it combines "cutting-edge optical performance" with "professional-grade handling."</p>
<p>The lens is made up of 15 elements in 10 groups, with five ED elements, three high-refractive-index elements and two aspherical lenses. The company also says it features nano multi-layer coatings to reduce flare and ghosting, as well as a moisture-resistant coating on the front element.</p>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Viltrox</em></td>
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<p>Viltrox says the lens has an "advanced dust and moisture-resistant design." It features two programmable buttons, a multi-function ring that can be set to have clicks or no clicks, and a display that you can customize via Viltrox's app to show information such as your aperture setting or focusing distance. The lens also has a USB-C port for firmware upgrades, weighs 920g (32oz) and is 122mm (4.8") long.</p>
<p>Autofocus is handled by a pair of "HyperVCM" linear motors, which the company says should silently provide fast, accurate tracking for both stills and video. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.34m (13.4").</p>
<p>It's exciting to see a new Lab lens from Viltrox, as the 135mm F1.8 lens with the badge was quite well-received, especially given its price. The AF 35mm F1.2 Lab is available to order today and costs $999.</p>
<div id="pr" class="pressRelease">
<p>Press Release:</p>
<h2>Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 LAB FE</h2>
<p class="newsLink">Full-Frame Ultra-Large-Aperture Autofocus Prime Lens “Flagship, Redefined“</p>
<p><strong>Brief Introduction to the LAB Exploration Series</strong></p>
<p>Viltrox has always been dedicated to the relentless pursuit of optical excellence, continuously exploring the infinite possibilities of image creation. The LAB series represents the pinnacle of Viltrox’s optical innovation, pushing the boundaries of traditional technology to deliver an unprecedented imaging experience. As the latest masterpiece in the LAB series, the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB continues Viltrox’s commitment to exceptional image quality and outstanding performance, setting a new benchmark for flagship full-frame, large-aperture prime lenses.</p>
<p><strong>Lens Introduction:</strong></p>
<p>The AF 35mm F1.2 LAB is the second full-frame, large-aperture autofocus prime lens in Viltrox’s LAB series. It integrates Viltrox’s cutting-edge optical technology, pushing the resolution and bokeh performance of the F1.2 aperture to new heights. Featuring a professional lens control system and custom color display with startup animations, it offers an efficient and personalized shooting experience. Whether for portraits, street photography, or nightscapes, this lens delivers exceptional optical performance, capturing every detail and unleashes limitless creative potential.</p>
<p><strong>Exploring Optical Excellence</strong></p>
<p>AF 35mm F1.2 LAB redefines flagship-level resolution, achieving a groundbreaking leap in optical performance. Designed to fully meet the demands of ultra-high-pixel sensors, it delivers razor-sharp detail from rear to far, capturing even the finest textures of skin, hair, and other intricate subjects.</p>
<p>Even at maximum aperture, it maintains exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness, ensuring consistent image quality across the frame. This guarantees remarkable detail retention for post-cropping flexibility, offering an unparalleled shooting experience and creative freedom.</p>
<h3>F1.2 Ultra-Wide Aperture</h3>
<p><strong>Pure Clarity in Darkness</strong></p>
<p>The F1.2 aperture excels in creating exceptional bokeh while significantly enhancing light transmission, allowing for sharp, noise-free images even in challenging low-light conditions without the need for additional lighting. The lens adapts seamlessly to complex lighting scenarios, offering unparalleled sharpness and purity in every shot.</p>
<p><strong>Dreamy, Immaculate Bokeh</strong></p>
<p>The F1.2 ultra-large aperture creates an exquisite background blur, with smooth, delicate bokeh and no optical vignetting at the edges, rendering a dreamy visual effect. Whether for portrait photography or nightscapes, the lens easily renders perfect separation between the subject and background, presenting a visually striking composition.</p>
<p><strong>Innovative Aperture Blade Drive Technology</strong></p>
<p>The lens aperture drive adopts the Viltrox HyperVCM motor technology, delivering more precise and efficient aperture control.</p>
<p><strong>Flagship Optical UA Lens (Ultra-Large & Precision Aspherical Lens)</strong></p>
<p>The manufacturing of aspherical lenses poses immense technical challenges. Breaking through traditional craftsmanship constraints and exorbitant cost limitations, Viltrox UA lenses spare no effort in innovative optical design. This breakthrough effectively reduces onion-ring bokeh artifacts while achieving both high resolution and exquisitely smooth bokeh rendering, ultimately delivering refined and exceptional imaging performance.</p>
<h3>Viltrox HyperVCM for Fast & Precise AutoFocus</h3>
<p>The AF 35mm F1.2 LAB features Quad Viltrox HyperVCM motors, powered by Viltrox's proprietary core technology, delivering robust focusing power while significantly improving autofocus speed and precision. Whether shooting static subjects or tracking dynamic motion, the lens achieves swift, quiet, and micron-level accurate focusing, capturing every fleeting moment with ease.</p>
<p>Compared to traditional STM motors:</p>
<ul>
<li>150% faster autofocus speed</li>
<li>Micron-level positioning accuracy</li>
<li>100ms switching from closest to farthest focus points</li>
</ul>
<p>Supports face/eye recognition autofocus and other camera feature, securely locking onto subjects for a top-tier autofocus experience.</p>
<h3>Efficient Control for Professional Experience</h3>
<p>The AF 35mm F1.2 LAB is equipped with a comprehensive professional control system, enabling photographers to adjust settings more efficiently and unlock creative possibilities.</p>
<p><strong>Multi-Functional Ring</strong></p>
<p>Multi-functional control ring supports quick adjustments of parameters such as aperture and focus, adapting to the needs of various shooting scenarios.</p>
<p><strong>Customizable Fn Buttons</strong></p>
<p>The lens is equipped with two customizable Fn buttons, allowing users to assign shortcut functions according to their shooting needs. Additional configurations can be made via the Viltrox Lens APP, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.</p>
<p><strong>AF/MF Switch</strong></p>
<p>Seamlessly switch between autofocus and manual focus modes to adapt to different shooting requirements.</p>
<p><strong>Click/Stepless Aperture Adjustment</strong></p>
<p>Easily switch between stepped and stepless aperture adjustments for the ultimate creative flexibility.</p>
<p><strong>Customizable Color Display for a Personalized Experience</strong></p>
<p>The AF 35mm F1.2 LAB is equipped with a custom color display, allowing users to personalize settings through the Viltrox Lens App. Features such as startup animations and parameter previews offer a unique identity to the lens, while providing an entirely new level of control. In specialized shooting environments, the color display can also show real-time information such as the lens aperture and object distance, enhancing shooting precision and creative control in all time.</p>
<p><strong>Built for All Conditions: Dust and Moisture Resistance</strong></p>
<p>The AF 35mm F1.2 LAB features a high-grade dust- and moisture-resistant design, offering reliable durability against harsh conditions like sand, rain, and challenging environments. Built to meet the demands of professional photographers, it ensures dependable performance in any shooting scenario.</p>
<ul>
<li>Ultra-high dustproof and drip-resistant construction - Effectively prevents sand, dust, and water droplets from entering the lens interior, ensuring the delicate internal components remain undamaged.</li>
<li>Water- and stain-resistant coating on front lens</li>
<li>Aerospace-grade full-metal housing</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Get More Immersed in Backlit Shooting</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>15 elements in 10 groups optical structure: 5 ED lenses, 3 high refractive index lenses, 2 UA lenses.</li>
<li>Even in strong light conditions, the lens delivers excellent color reproduction and contrast, resulting in unparalleled image performance.</li>
<li>Even in strong light conditions, the lens delivers excellent color reproduction and contrast, resulting in unparalleled image performance.</li>
<li>Excellent chromatic aberration control effectively reduces purple or green fringing in high-contrast shooting conditions.</li>
<li>High-definition multi-layer nano coating, Effectively suppresses flare and ghosting during backlit shooting, ensuring pure and sharp images.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Outstanding Video Performance, Focused on Creativity</strong></p>
<p>The advanced Viltrox Quad HyperVCM motor eliminates noise from traditional gear-driven motors, delivering quieter focusing and faster autofocus tracking for video shooting.</p>
<p>With excellent focus breathing control, this lens ensures smoother focus transitions, unleashing endless creative potential for video production.</p>
<p><strong>Superior Distortion and Vignetting Control</strong></p>
<p>The advanced optical design of the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB ensures uniform light distribution even at its maximum aperture, significantly reducing vignetting. Additionally, it excels in distortion control, ensuring minimal edge distortion for a more authentic visual experience.</p>
<p><strong>0.34m MOD: Exceptional Details</strong></p>
<p>Dual floating focus design significantly enhances close-up image quality, ensuring excellent close-up resolution while continuously optimizing aberrations across the entire focal range. From close-up to infinity, the sharpness remains consistently balanced throughout.</p>
<p>With a minimum focusing distance of 0.34m, the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB is perfect for close-up photography, effortlessly capturing intricate textures and fine details in any scene.</p>
<h3>Details</h3>
<p><strong>Material:</strong> Magnesium-aluminum alloy die-coating; Aerospace-grade metal material.</p>
<p><strong>OTA (Over-the-Air) Updates:</strong> Bluetooth connectivity for firmware upgrades through the Viltrox Lens App.</p>
<p><strong>LAB Signature Design:</strong> A unique marking that identifies the lens as part of the exclusive LAB Series.</p>
<h3>Inspiring Creative Scenarios</h3>
<p><strong>Portrait Photography</strong></p>
<p>With its large F1.2 aperture and exceptional bokeh, it effortlessly captures the delicate textures and emotional expressions of portraits, making It especially ideal for environmental portraits and street portraits.</p>
<p><strong>Street Photography</strong></p>
<p>The 35mm standard focal length is ideal for street photography, offering a natural perspective to capture fleeting street moments. The F1.2 wide aperture ensures bright and sharp images even in challenging lighting conditions.</p>
<p><strong>Night and Low-Light Photography</strong></p>
<p>The ultra-wide F1.2 aperture allows the lens to perform exceptionally in night and low-light environments, without additional light sources, making it easy to achieve high-quality night photography.</p>
<p><strong>Still Life and Detail</strong></p>
<p>With a minimum focusing distance of 0.25m, this lens excels at close-up shots, capturing intricate details in still life photography or fleeting expressions in street photography with precision and clarity.</p>
</div>
<h2>Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 Lab Specifications</h2>
<div class="contentTable small"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" class="contentTable"><tbody><tr><th class="super" colspan="2">Principal specifications</th></tr><tr><th class="sub">Lens type</th><td class="propertyValue">Prime lens</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Max Format size</th><td class="propertyValue">35mm FF</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Focal length</th><td class="propertyValue">35 <span class="unitsSuffix">mm</span></td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Lens mount</th><td class="propertyValue">Sony E, Sony FE</td></tr></tbody><tbody><tr><th class="super" colspan="2">Aperture</th></tr><tr><th class="sub">Maximum aperture</th><td class="propertyValue">F1.2–16</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Aperture ring</th><td class="propertyValue">No</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Number of diaphragm blades</th><td class="propertyValue">11</td></tr></tbody><tbody><tr><th class="super" colspan="2">Optics</th></tr><tr><th class="sub">Elements</th><td class="propertyValue">15</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Groups</th><td class="propertyValue">10</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Special elements / coatings</th><td class="propertyValue">5 ED, 3 high refractive index, 2 UA</td></tr></tbody><tbody><tr><th class="super" colspan="2">Focus</th></tr><tr><th class="sub">Minimum focus</th><td class="propertyValue">0.34 <span class="unitsSuffix">m</span> (13.39<span class="unitsSuffix">″</span>)</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Autofocus</th><td class="propertyValue">Yes</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Motor type</th><td class="propertyValue">Linear Motor</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Full time manual</th><td class="propertyValue">Unknown</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Distance scale</th><td class="propertyValue">No</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">DoF scale</th><td class="propertyValue">No</td></tr></tbody><tbody><tr><th class="super" colspan="2">Physical</th></tr><tr><th class="sub">Weight</th><td class="propertyValue">920 <span class="unitsSuffix">g</span> (2.03 <span class="unitsSuffix">lb</span>)</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Diameter</th><td class="propertyValue">89 <span class="unitsSuffix">mm</span> (3.5<span class="unitsSuffix">″</span>)</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Length</th><td class="propertyValue">122 <span class="unitsSuffix">mm</span> (4.8<span class="unitsSuffix">″</span>)</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Materials</th><td class="propertyValue">Magnesium-aluminum alloy</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Sealing</th><td class="propertyValue">Yes</td></tr><tr><th class="sub">Filter thread</th><td class="propertyValue">77 <span class="unitsSuffix">mm</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/5580434308/581480-Polaroid_Flip_PR_HeroBanner_1200x630-94e947-original-1741710235.jpeg" target="article-5580434308"><img alt="581480-Polaroid Flip PR HeroBanner 1200x630-94e947-original-1741710235" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="310" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/5580434308/581480-Polaroid_Flip_PR_HeroBanner_1200x630-94e947-original-1741710235.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="581480-Polaroid_Flip_PR_HeroBanner_1200x630-94e947-original-1741710235.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/5580434308/581480-Polaroid_Flip_PR_HeroBanner_1200x630-94e947-original-1741710235.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>This week, Polaroid announced its <a href="https://press.polaroid.com/247783-introducing-the-polaroid-flip" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flip point-and-shoot instant camera</a>. In a world overrun by smartphones, digital addiction, and instant gratification in the form of endless online oversharing, the company is attempting to make a case for slowing down, being intentional, and enjoying something more tangible in photography. At its core, the Flip gives you a red button, eight exposures per film pack, and a flippable lid.</p>
<p>The Flip combines several of Polaroid's legacy technologies with a few modern updates. Its camera is built around a four-lens system that automatically adjusts to one of four preset focus points, depending on the subject's distance. It measures that distance using sonar, which should provide accurate results – even in low light. This lessens the likelihood of blurry shots and eliminates the need to fiddle with manual settings.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/5580434308/582048-Polaroid_Flip_Comms_Lifestyle_3x2_04-8ff4d7-original-1741954715.jpeg" target="article-5580434308"><img alt="582048-Polaroid Flip Comms Lifestyle 3x2 04-8ff4d7-original-1741954715" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="393" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/5580434308/582048-Polaroid_Flip_Comms_Lifestyle_3x2_04-8ff4d7-original-1741954715.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="582048-Polaroid_Flip_Comms_Lifestyle_3x2_04-8ff4d7-original-1741954715.jpeg"></a></td>
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<p>The last few sentences in the above paragraph are what Polaroid's press release claims. However, we'd be remiss at <em>DPReview</em> not to attempt to explain how this system works. The Flip uses a sonar sensor to estimate how far away your subject is and then selects one of four fixed lenses preset to specific distances: 0.65m, 0.85m, 1.2m, or 2.5m.</p>
<p>It's a simplified take on autofocus – rather than continuously adjusting focus for a single lens like most autofocus systems, the camera switches between all the lenses. It works, but it doesn't mean focus is infinitely flexible. You'll get clarity across shooting distances, but not the same nuance you'd find in a manual-focus system or smartphone camera.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/5580434308/PolaroidFlip_Side_by_Side.jpeg" target="article-5580434308"><img alt="PolaroidFlip Side by Side" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="332" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/5580434308/PolaroidFlip_Side_by_Side.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="PolaroidFlip_Side_by_Side.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/5580434308/PolaroidFlip_Side_by_Side.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>Precision isn't necessarily a top priority for casual use, which this camera is geared toward. Its target audience is likely to use it for in-the-moment experiences. That said, the Flip comes with some cool technical perks. An LED inside the viewfinder acts as a 'scene analysis' and lights up when a photo is under or overexposed. The built-in flash adapts based on subject distance and can illuminate a scene up to 4.5 meters away, making it handy in low-light settings.</p>
<p>The Polaroid Flip will be available on April 29th on the company's main website. It is priced at $199.99. Members get early access starting April 15th. Other retailers will begin selling the camera on May 13th. The Flip is compatible with Polaroid's i-Type and 600 film. It connects to the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/polaroid/id1421833880" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Polaroid app</a> via Bluetooth and offers additional manual settings along with remote control of the camera. Bonus features users may appreciate include a Self-Timer mode and the ability to create double exposures.</p>
<div id="pr" class="pressRelease">
<p>Press Release:</p>
<h2>Introducing the Polaroid Flip: The ultimate point-and-shoot instant camera for an analog life</h2>
<ul>
<li>High quality shots every time thanks to a hyperfocal 4-lens system, sonar autofocus, Polaroid’s most powerful flash and new ‘scene analysis’ feature that warns when photos will be over or underexposed.</li>
<li>Packed with iconic innovations from Polaroid’s 80-year photography legacy, all in one easy-to-use, point-and-shoot instant camera.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Tech-packed instant camera for sharper shots.</strong></p>
<p>With a flippable lid for ultimate protection, the Polaroid Flip embodies 80 years of Polaroid innovation and iconic features. Flip is the best camera for everyone who wants to get great shots with ease.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Hyperfocal 4-Lens System for beautifully sharp shots</strong>: Four automatically selected sweet spots, depending on the distance to the subject (0.65m, 0.85m, 1.2m, 2.5m) that ensure sharper focus across photography styles.</li>
<li><strong>Sonar Autofocus ensures your subject is always in focus</strong>: Sonar waves to determine subject distance and select the right lens, for maximum focal clarity, delivering crisp focus – even in the dark.</li>
<li><strong>Polaroid’s most powerful flash for any lighting condition</strong>: Located in the Flip’s ‘lid,’ this adaptive flash adjusts power based on subject distance, illuminating up to 4.5m away.</li>
<li><strong>Scene Analysis for well-exposed pictures, more often</strong>: Photographers receive an alert when the photo might be over or underexposed through the viewfinder LED, or when the subject is too close on the ‘lid’ display.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Instant photography over instant gratification.</strong></p>
<p>Polaroid Flip is more than just a camera—it’s an invitation to embrace real-life moments. In this hyper-digitized, constantly doomscrolling, high-anxiety age, the Polaroid Flip offers a way to connect with life’s best moments – the real, tangible, analog ones; with eight pictures in a pack that will connect to life far more than 800 digital ones. Polaroid delivers a true analog experience: photos you can hold forever, not pixels lost in the cloud or forgotten on a phone. The Flip invites creators to simply live a life worth capturing, then click the Flip’s iconic red shutter button.</p>
<p><strong>Available from April 29</strong></p>
<p>The Polaroid Flip will be available for €219 / $199,99 / £199,99 / CNY 1699, with early access for members starting April 15. It launches on polaroid.com on April 29 and in retailers from May 13. Compatible with Polaroid i-Type & 600 film, the Flip is USB-C rechargeable and comes with a neck strap. It connects to the Polaroid app via Bluetooth®, offering newly optimized manual settings through the app, allowing full remote control. Additional features include Double Exposure and a Self-Timer mode, giving creators even more creative freedom.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/shared/Adobe_Logo_Latest.png" target="article-4413399388"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/shared/Adobe_Logo_Latest.png?v=5728" width="590"></a></td>
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<p>Adobe is diving deeper into artificial intelligence with a new investment in Synthesia, a British AI startup that lets users create videos with lifelike avatars and voiceovers in 140+ languages. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/04/15/adobe-invests-in-ai-video-platform-synthesia.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>CNBC</em></a> officially confirmed that Adobe's venture capital arm gave Synthesia an undisclosed amount of capital as part of a "strategic partnership."</p>
<p>While neither company shared detailed terms of the deal, the move signals Adobe's growing interest in AI tools that can enhance and disrupt traditional video workflows. Synthesia's platform enables users to create videos using text prompts and AI-generated avatars — including customized versions of real people. Users can choose from over 230 pre-made avatars on Synthesia's site. They can also create their own in a Synthesia studio or remotely on personal devices.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4413399388/Synthesia.png" target="article-4413399388"><img alt="Synthesia" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="283" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/4413399388/Synthesia.png" width="590" data-filename="Synthesia.png" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/4413399388/Synthesia.png 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">Synthesia aims to make video production quicker and easier using text prompts and AI-generated avatars.</td>
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<p>The company claims that over 70% of Fortune 100 companies use its tools. "We're building the world's leading AI video platform for enterprise, and Adobe's investment validates that direction," said Victor Riparbelli, Synthesia's CEO. "We share a vision: democratizing high-quality content creation and making enterprise communication faster and more effective."</p>
<p>Adobe, with an estimated market cap of $150 billion, is best known for its creative tools like Photoshop and Premiere Pro – the latter widely used in professional video production. This partnership could expand Adobe's presence in AI-native video generation. It isn't Adobe's first foray into related startup investments, either. The company attempted to acquire <a href="https://www.figma.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Figma</a> for $20 billion before backing out due to regulatory changes in the EU and U.K. Previous stakes in companies like <a href="https://vidmob.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">VidMob</a> and <a href="https://www.captions.ai/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Captions</a> were successful.</p>
<p>Alongside Adobe's investment news, Synthesia announced it has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Riparbelli said the company has grown 100% year over year, and the ARR puts it in "a very small group of AI-native companies with real commercial traction."</p>
<p>Despite its rapid growth, the venture remains unprofitable. In 2023, Synthesia posted a pre-tax loss of £25.2 million on revenues of £25.7 million, according to filings with the U.K. Companies House. However, profitability is not a near-term priority.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4413399388/OPENAI_Sora.png" target="article-4413399388"><img alt="OPENAI Sora" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="294" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/4413399388/OPENAI_Sora.png" width="590" data-filename="OPENAI_Sora.png" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/4413399388/OPENAI_Sora.png 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">One of Synthesia's competitors is OpenAI's Sora tool.</td>
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<p>"We've never chased growth at any cost," Riparbelli said, pointing out that the company still has leftover capital from a previous funding round in 2023. It was last valued at $2.1 billion in January. Synthesia faces competition from rivals, including <a href="https://www.colossyan.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Colossyan</a>, <a href="https://filmora.wondershare.net/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADqc_oa9VNOtyp7HCT0cqmPKBUPh-&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh_i_BhCzARIsANimeoF1cEeiwpphTa-FOcaJDasbMqQfRjipcF5YLF8NoVTHizPafCm4plcaAhM0EALw_wcB" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Filmora</a>, and <a href="https://www.veed.io/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Veed.io</a>. <a href="https://openai.com/sora/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Open AI's Sora</a> also offers a text-to-video model.</p>
<p>This partnership with Adobe, the world's leading producer of creative software, signals a broader trend. AI video is being viewed as a tool for enterprise communication. It's becoming less about cameras and crews and more about text and creativity.</p>
<div style="font-size: 12px; color: #888;">When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.</div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="images singleNoBorder center" data-image-height="null" data-image-width="590">
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4323597827/Nikon_Z6iii_on_yellow_background.jpeg" target="article-4323597827"><img border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/4323597827/Nikon_Z6iii_on_yellow_background.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Nikon_Z6iii_on_yellow_background.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/4323597827/Nikon_Z6iii_on_yellow_background.jpeg 2x" alt="Nikon Z6iii on yellow background"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Richard Butler</em></td>
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<p>Last week, Nikon <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/6796586388/nikon-zf-2-firmware-update-bird-mode-imaging-cloud-manual-lens" rel="noopener" target="_blank">announced a firmware update</a> to its Zf camera that added its bird-specific subject detection mode, promising it'd be quicker and more accurate at detecting and tracking birds than the Auto or Animal modes. Our comments section resounded with a single question: when is it coming to the Z6III?</p>
<p>Nikon now has an answer: sometime this year. <em>Nikon Rumors</em> spotted <a href="https://x.com/NikonUSA/status/1911779875259625503" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a reply from the Nikon USA account</a> on X, formerly known as Twitter, that reads: "We plan to add Bird detect AF to the Z6III by the end of the year. Stay tuned!"</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4323597827/Nikon_USA_Bird_detect_AF_tweet.png" target="article-4323597827"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="296" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/4323597827/Nikon_USA_Bird_detect_AF_tweet.png" width="590" data-filename="Nikon_USA_Bird_detect_AF_tweet.png" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/4323597827/Nikon_USA_Bird_detect_AF_tweet.png 2x" alt="Nikon USA Bird detect AF tweet"></a></td>
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<p>Z6III users have been waiting for the feature even before it arrived on the Zf. It debuted with the Z9 and was later brought down to the Z8. With Nikon pitching the Z6III as a powerful, do-everything camera, the bird-specific autofocus mode seemed like a natural fit. The omission seemed even stranger when lower-end cameras, like the Z50II and Z5II, launched with the feature. </p>
<p>That pent-up demand may be why Nikon shared that it's coming on social media before it's actually ready – to give Z6III users some assurance that it hasn't forgotten that they want the feature. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as the firmware update enabling it becomes available.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1362380171/Sigma-CEO-Kazuto-Yamaki-at-the-CP-Plus-Expo-in-Yokohama.jpeg" target="article-1362380171"><img alt="Sigma-CEO-Kazuto-Yamaki-at-the-CP-Plus-Expo-in-Yokohama" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma-CEO-Kazuto-Yamaki-at-the-CP-Plus-Expo-in-Yokohama.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Sigma-CEO-Kazuto-Yamaki-at-the-CP-Plus-Expo-in-Yokohama.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma-CEO-Kazuto-Yamaki-at-the-CP-Plus-Expo-in-Yokohama.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki at the CP+ expo in Yokohama, Japan.</p>
<p><em>Photo: Richard Butler</em></p>
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<p>“Yeah, of course," Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki replies when we ask if Sigma is still working on a full-frame Foveon sensor. "It takes a long time, so after we brought the project from the US to Japan, we had to start from scratch."</p>
<p>It's the kind of direct answer we've come to expect from Yamaki, who is famously forthcoming when speaking to the media.</p>
<p>In a conversation with Yamaki in Japan, he shared his candid insights on the state of the camera industry, what part of the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-bf-review">Sigma BF's</a> design he's most proud of, and the ongoing development of the highly anticipated full-frame Foveon sensor.</p>
<h3>The camera industry landscape: Innovation required</h3>
<p>With the camera market currently stable, Yamaki says he's concerned that seemingly positive sales figures could be hiding a longer-term problem.</p>
<p>“As you know, according to the statistics, the camera market has been growing the last couple of years in terms of the value."</p>
<p>"Compared to the market size in the 2012 or 2013 timeframe, the number of units is about one-third, but the value is about the same. So, the unit price, the average unit price, is three times higher than that time. But my concern," he continues, "is that the number of people who buy cameras and lenses is decreasing. That's my concern."</p>
<blockquote class="pullQuote">"With the camera market currently stable, Yamaki says he's concerned that seemingly positive sales figures could be hiding a longer-term problem."</blockquote>
<p>He puts the onus on manufacturers, including Sigma, to create products that continue to engage consumers.<br> <br>“I think it really depends on the innovation we create. Many people are interested in cameras, and although the camera market has shrunk by volume, many media influencers or YouTubers still talk about cameras. So I think that's proof that many people are still interested in cameras, but a lack of innovation from the manufacturers' side cannot support the growth of the market. So if there is innovation, I think people will come back and buy more cameras.”</p>
<p>Turning the focus to his own products, Yamaki describes the market's reception to Sigma's release of APS-C lenses for Canon RF-mount and Nikon Z-mount cameras.<br> <br>“It's great. We've been receiving lots of orders, especially for the RF-mount. It's quite well received by customers.”</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1362380171/Sigma_10-18mm_lens_for_Canon_RF_mount.jpeg" target="article-1362380171"><img alt="Sigma 10-18mm lens for Canon RF mount" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="380" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma_10-18mm_lens_for_Canon_RF_mount.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Sigma_10-18mm_lens_for_Canon_RF_mount.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma_10-18mm_lens_for_Canon_RF_mount.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>According to Yamaki, Sigma has received many orders for its APS-C lenses for RF and Z-mount cameras, including the 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN for RF-mount above.</p>
<p>I<em>mage: Sigma</em></p>
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<p>More broadly, he highlights the strategic importance of the APS-C format in today's market, which has tilted toward full-frame models – and higher prices – in recent years.</p>
<p>“As I said, the price point of cameras is quite concerning. So, the affordable price of APS-C cameras should have a future, and an APS-C camera has a great benefit because we can make the lens much smaller. That's a great benefit.”</p>
<h3>Crafting the user interface for the Sigma BF</h3>
<p>The Sigma BF has captured attention for its industrial design, so we were surprised to learn it's not what Yamaki is most proud of on the camera.</p>
<p>“The menu system is created from scratch, and it's really well done. I think it's well done by our UI designer, so I think the UI is quite good. Of course, I like the design of the camera, but it's customers who judge if it's a good design or not."</p>
<p>“[This is] a new interface we developed first for the BF, but I think we need to improve it further after we get a response from users. It can't be perfect from the beginning. So, the concept is there, and we implemented the user interface, and then it's time to improve.”</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1362380171/Sigma_BF_other_settings_display.jpeg" target="article-1362380171"><img alt="Sigma BF other settings display" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma_BF_other_settings_display.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Sigma_BF_other_settings_display.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma_BF_other_settings_display.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>The Sigma BF has captured attention for its industrial design, but Yamaki is particularly proud of the camera's menu system and user interface.</p>
<p><em>Photo: Richard Butler</em></p>
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<p>He underscores the core challenge: making an enjoyable everyday camera in an era of smartphones.</p>
<p>“If we fail to succeed in making the BF the most enjoyable camera to use, it's our fault. We have to make the BF the most enjoyable camera to use. Then people take out the camera every day and take photos. It's a challenge. You always have a camera in your pocket, which is a smartphone. You can take an everyday photo with a smartphone, but having a camera means something different for everybody. But in this case, the camera must be simple, easy to use, and enjoyable. That's the concept of the BF.”</p>
<h3>Foveon: The full-frame quest continues</h3>
<p>Many Foveon enthusiasts hoped that Sigma's next camera would be a long-awaited full-frame Foveon model. That dream didn't materialize, but Yamaki confirmed Sigma's continued commitment to the project, revealing details about the development process.</p>
<p>“Yeah, of course," he reiterates regarding his interest, explaining that progress involved collaboration: “We have been working with a university. It's a joint project with a university in Japan. We worked with a researcher, a professor."</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/1362380171/Sigma_SD_Quattro_H_camera.jpeg" target="article-1362380171"><img alt="Sigma SD Quattro H camera" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="550" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma_SD_Quattro_H_camera.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Sigma_SD_Quattro_H_camera.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/1362380171/Sigma_SD_Quattro_H_camera.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">The <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-sd-quattro-h">SD Quattro H</a> from 2016 was one of Sigma's last Foveon cameras, utilizing a <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-sd-quattro-h/3#quattro">Foveon X3 Quattro</a> sensor.</td>
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<p>The journey has required significant effort and resetting of expectations.“It takes a long time, so after we brought the project from the US to Japan, we had to start from scratch," he remarks.</p>
<p>"We have two stages for development, the technology development and the product design. It took longer than we expected for the technology development. We made several pixel prototypes. It's not a full-frame sensor, but we made prototype pixels, and we experienced some design errors."</p>
<p>"Every time we make a prototype, we find some kind of issues, and every time we find some issues, we fix the problem. And we are now almost at the last stage of the technology development. If everything is done, then we start the product development.”</p>
<p>While a final product may remain a ways off, Yamaki's vote of confidence gives the Foveon faithful good reason to keep the faith.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article is based on an interview by Dale Baskin and Richard Butler. It has been edited for clarity and flow. </em></p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/5821522193/airplane-nothing-phone-3a-sample.jpeg" target="article-94edecd50eff4c6cbce5b72d261213a2"><img alt="airplane-nothing-phone-3a-sample" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="444" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/5821522193/airplane-nothing-phone-3a-sample.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="airplane-nothing-phone-3a-sample.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/5821522193/airplane-nothing-phone-3a-sample.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Abby Ferguson</em></td>
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<p>British tech company Nothing <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/0785817945/nothing-phone-3a-and-3a-pro-announcement" target="article-null">released its Nothing Phone (3a)</a> a little over a month ago, promising its "most advanced camera system to date." The Phone 3a lineup is the company's budget line, which includes the base 3a for $379 and the slightly more advanced 3a Pro for $459. Those prices are pretty impressive considering the features and specs of both. </p>
<p>The Phone 3a's 24mm equiv. main camera and 50mm equiv. telephoto camera both offer a resolution of 50MP. However, the camera app defaults to 12MP. If you want 50MP photos, you'll need to go into the settings and change it each time you open the camera app. There's also a 15mm equiv. ultra-wide camera, though its resolution is even lower at 8MP. </p>
<p>Beyond the basic camera specs, the Phone 3a offers the various camera modes you'd expect on a smartphone, including Portrait, Night and Pano. Nothing's default camera app also features a few presets, including one called Soft Focus for portraits, a B&W Film preset and the more unique Lenticular preset. You can create your own presets based on settings you typically use or import presets as well.</p>
<p>Nothing sent over the Phone 3a, which I've been shooting with for a few weeks. You can check out a selection of the images in the gallery below. </p>
<p class="actionButton"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/1631578645/nothing-phone-3a-sample-gallery">See the sample gallery</a></p>
<p>Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (<a href="https://www.dpreview.com/misc/termsandconditions" rel="noopener" target="_blank">see our copyright page</a>). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing; we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.</p>
<div class="reviewWidgetPlaceholder" data-widget-url="https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/1631578645/nothing-phone-3a-sample-gallery"><div class="title">Sample gallery</div><div class="note">This widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click <a target="blank" href="https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/1631578645/nothing-phone-3a-sample-gallery">here</a> to open it in a new browser window / tab.</div></div>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/0295458709/sigma-bf-camera.jpeg" target="article-989ac8710cce466fbd46cedb0f767f33"><img alt="sigma-bf-camera" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/0295458709/sigma-bf-camera.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="sigma-bf-camera.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/0295458709/sigma-bf-camera.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Richard Butler</em></td>
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<p>The Sigma BF caused quite a stir when it was announced, largely thanks to it's drastically different design. That buzz has apparently resulted in an overwhelming number of pre-orders ahead of its April 24th release. Sigma has even <a href="https://www.sigma-global.com/jp/news/2025/04/10/010927/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">issued an apology</a> because of the situation.</p>
<p>Sigma had hinted at possible delays on April 7th when it <a href="https://www.sigma-global.com/en/news/2025/04/07/010920/" target="article-null">announced updates</a> about the release of a handful of L-mount lenses and the BF. At the time, it said that the "Sigma BF Silver is made to order," suggesting that those ordering the silver should expect a bit of a wait. It also explained, "There is limited production capacity for Sigma BF (Black/Silver), so it may take some time for some customers to receive the product." Now, the company is taking things a step further with its apology.</p>
<p>In the most recent announcement, Sigma said it had received more orders than expected for the new camera. The news was only posted on the company's Japanese website, which we translated with Google Translate. "Despite our limited production capacity, we are unable to keep up with demand. As a result, it may take some time for some customers to receive their products," the post says.</p>
<p>Sigma didn't provide any additional details about just how delayed things will be, simply saying, "We ask that you please wait for a little longer." As of now, you can still pre-order the camera at B&H, so things aren't so bad that Sigma is shutting down pre-orders at least.</p>
<div class="buybuttons"><hr></hr><p class="header-text">Buy now:</p><div class="buttons-wrapper"><a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1881808-REG/sigma_bf_mirrorless_camera_black_.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H Photo</span></span></a></div><hr></hr></div>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/2159116910/omnivision-sensor-OV50X50-COB-MARKED-RGB.jpeg" target="article-899b55546fc04056b1ce30791a3519c1"><img alt="omnivision-sensor-OV50X50-COB-MARKED-RGB" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/2159116910/omnivision-sensor-OV50X50-COB-MARKED-RGB.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="omnivision-sensor-OV50X50-COB-MARKED-RGB.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/2159116910/omnivision-sensor-OV50X50-COB-MARKED-RGB.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: OmniVision</em></td>
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<p>OmniVision, one of the leading developers of digital imaging sensors, <a href="https://www.ovt.com/press-releases/omnivision-launches-ultra-high-dynamic-range-1-inch-image-sensor-for-movie-grade-video-capture-in-flagship-smartphones/" target="article-2159116910">has announced</a> a new smartphone sensor that promises the highest <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/articles/9992168923/more-than-a-number-a-closer-look-at-dynamic-range-part-1" target="article-null">dynamic range</a> of any option currently on the market, as <a href="https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tech/phones/this-image-sensor-boasts-the-highest-dynamic-range-ever-for-a-smartphone" target="article-2159116910"><em>Digital Camera World</em></a> reports. OmniVision isn't new to innovation, previously releasing the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/4272574802/omnivision-has-created-the-world-s-smallest-commercially-available-image-sensor" target="article-2159116910">world's smallest</a> commercially available image sensor. The company says the OV50X CMOS sensor is made for "movie-grade video capture" for flagship smartphones.</p>
<p>The OV50X is a 50MP Type 1 (13.0 x 9.8mm) sensor. The pixels are larger than those found in its predecessor, the OV50H, with 1.6‑micron (µm) pixels compared to the OV50H's 1.2µm pixels. OmniVision says it provides close to 110-decibel (dB) single-exposure HDR thanks to its TheiaCel technology, a pixel design that attempts to retain charge that would otherwise overwhelm the sensor.</p>
<p>It also uses the company's <a href="https://www.ovt.com/technologies/purecel-plus/" target="article-2159116910">PureCelPlus-S stacked-die technology</a>, which promises better low-light performance thanks to greater sensor sensitivity and full-well capacity.</p>
<p>The sensor's primary focus is to boost video performance for flagship-level smartphones, so much of the information OmniVision supplied centers on that. "Smartphones are used in the majority of video and photo capture today, and cinematic-quality video recording has become a highly demanded feature among consumers for flagship mobile phones,” said Takuritsu Li, marketing manager, OmniVision.</p>
<p>The sensor supports four-cell binning to produce 12.5MP images at up to 180 frames per second (fps) or 60fps with the sensor's three-channel HDR on. The company says it offers "premium-quality" 8K video with dual analog gain (DAG) HDR. It is also capable of on-sensor crop zoom, which punches in to the central portion of the sensor. This process maintains native pixel quality, though it results in a lower resolution. OmniVision also says it will offer best-in-class autofocus performance with 100% coverage quad phase detection (QPD).</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/2159116910/ov50x-demo-photo-scaled.jpeg" target="article-899b55546fc04056b1ce30791a3519c1"><img alt="ov50x-demo-photo-scaled" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="432" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/2159116910/ov50x-demo-photo-scaled.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="ov50x-demo-photo-scaled.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/2159116910/ov50x-demo-photo-scaled.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: OmniVision</em></td>
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<p>Of course, at this point, we haven't seen images taken with the OV50X sensor other than the sample above provided by OmniVision. Additionally, while the actual sensor may capture an impressively wide dynamic range, most camera systems offer a more limited dynamic range because of factors like optical design, lens flare and processing algorithms, and the ability to convey that dynamic range in the final output. So, what this sensor is capable of regarding general image quality remains to be seen.</p>
<p>We may not have to wait long to see it in action, though. OmniVision said that the OV50X is sampling now and expects it to be in mass production in Q3 2025.</p>
<div id="pr" class="pressRelease">
<p>Press release:</p>
<h2>OMNIVISION Launches Ultra High Dynamic Range 1‑inch Image Sensor for Movie-Grade Video Capture in Flagship Smartphones</h2>
<p><strong>OV50X Image Sensor Features TheiaCel™ Technology for Best-in-Class Photos and Videos in All Lighting Conditions, Day and Night</strong></p>
<p>SANTA CLARA, Calif. — April 10, 2025 — OMNIVISION, a leading global developer of semiconductor technology, including advanced digital imaging, analog and display solutions, today launched its new OV50X CMOS image sensor with the mobile phone industry’s highest dynamic range, for movie-grade video capture. The OV50X is a 50‑megapixel (MP) sensor with a 1.6‑micron (µm) pixel in a 1‑inch optical format designed for flagship smartphones that require high dynamic range (HDR) video and preview with single exposure, excellent low-light performance, fast autofocus and high frame rates.</p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.ovt.com/applications/mobile-devices/" target="article-null">Smartphones</a> are used in the majority of video and photo capture today, and cinematic-quality video recording has become a highly demanded feature among consumers for flagship mobile phones,” said Takuritsu Li, marketing manager, OMNIVISION. “Our <a href="https://www.ovt.com/products/ov50x50/" target="article-null">OV50X</a> image sensor was designed with the professional videographer and photographer in mind, featuring a large 1‑inch optical format image sensor that provides close to 110 decibel (dB) single-exposure HDR; consumers can now own a smartphone capable of superior video and photo capture around the clock, even in challenging capture conditions such as sunrise, sunset, nighttime with bright lights, or overcast days.”</p>
<p>The OV50X supports 4‑cell binning for 12.5MP at 180 frames per second (fps) and 60 fps with three-channel HDR. It offers premium-quality 8K video with dual analog gain (DAG) HDR and on-sensor crop zoom. OMNIVISION’s <a href="https://www.ovt.com/technologies/theiacel-technology/" target="article-null">TheiaCel™ technology</a> further expands single exposure HDR close to 110 dB—the highest range possible in smartphones. The sensor also supports 100% coverage quad phase detection (QPD) for best-in-class autofocus performance. The OV50X is built on OMNIVISION’s <a href="https://www.ovt.com/technologies/purecel-plus/" target="article-null">PureCel®Plus‑S stacked-die</a> technology, enabling excellent low light performance.</p>
<p>The OV50X is sampling now and will be in mass production in Q3 2025. For more information, contact your OMNIVISION sales representative: <a href="https://www.ovt.com/contact-sales/" target="article-null">www.ovt.com/contact-sales</a>.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/9492894855/The_Sigma_BF_camera_sits_on_a_Moleskine_notebook.jpeg" target="article-9492894855"><img alt="The Sigma BF camera sits on a Moleskine notebook" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/9492894855/The_Sigma_BF_camera_sits_on_a_Moleskine_notebook.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="The_Sigma_BF_camera_sits_on_a_Moleskine_notebook.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/9492894855/The_Sigma_BF_camera_sits_on_a_Moleskine_notebook.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Richard Butler</em></td>
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<p>Forget about technical specs. The most intriguing aspect of Sigma's newest camera, the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-bf-review">BF</a>, might be the philosophy baked into its name, which CEO Kazuto Yamaki says stands for "beautiful foolishness," reflecting a deliberate design philosophy rooted in Japanese culture and aesthetics.</p>
<p>Where did this concept originate? And how did a bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume influence the camera's design? We explored these questions and more in a conversation with Mr. Yamaki in Japan shortly after the camera's launch.</p>
<h3>On beautiful foolishness</h3>
<p>"BF stands for beautiful foolishness," Yamaki explains. "This phrase was taken from the <a href="https://a.co/d/8gKFkkg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Book of Tea</a>, and the original phrase was ‘a beautiful foolishness of things.'"<br> <br>He elaborates: "There are numerous things in the world, beautiful and ugly, useful and useless. In this context, the original implication of this book was to find beauty in seemingly worthless things, even though this world is judged good or bad based on a utilitarian value. That’s the spirit of the tea ceremony. The author wanted to explain that it’s a part of Japanese culture."</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 420px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/9492894855/Sigma_CEO_Kazuto_Yamaki_celebrates_after_the_launch_of_the_Sigma_BF.jpeg" target="article-9492894855"><img alt="Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki celebrates after the launch of the Sigma BF" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="420" height="525" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS420x0~articles/9492894855/Sigma_CEO_Kazuto_Yamaki_celebrates_after_the_launch_of_the_Sigma_BF.jpeg" width="420" data-filename="Sigma_CEO_Kazuto_Yamaki_celebrates_after_the_launch_of_the_Sigma_BF.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS840x0~articles/9492894855/Sigma_CEO_Kazuto_Yamaki_celebrates_after_the_launch_of_the_Sigma_BF.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki celebrates in Yokohama harbor following the launch of the Sigma BF camera.</p>
<p><em>Photo: Dale Baskin</em></p>
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<p>The philosophy, he suggests, extends beyond appreciating the world to the very act of creating and using the camera. He sees the camera as embodying this principle in multiple ways.</p>
<p>"I took the phrase as having multiple meanings. First, I took it because I liked this phrase. Second, using the camera in daily life can be beautiful foolishness because everyone has phone cameras in their pocket. Third, this is somewhat self-mocking, but I thought that, in order to achieve the best feel, spending seven hours to machine an aluminum ingot to make a part is quite beautiful foolishness."</p>
<blockquote class="pullQuote">"Spending seven hours to machine an aluminum ingot to make a part is quite beautiful foolishness."</blockquote>
<p>Essentially, the camera itself is slightly irrational. It's a product where meticulous, perhaps even excessive, craftsmanship contributes to its unique appeal. But that's not necessarily a bad approach when everyone else is off doing the sensible thing. After all, being different is what sometimes allows you to create <a href="https://youtu.be/2B-XwPjn9YY?feature=shared&t=22" rel="noopener" target="_blank">something iconic</a>.</p>
<h3>Inspired by Coco Chanel</h3>
<p>Hold the BF, and you immediately sense that the camera is something special, even if its design doesn't fit the way you personally use a camera. That's not an accident.</p>
<p>"When we started the project, there was an exhibition of Gabrielle Chanel in Tokyo," Yamaki explains. "In other words, Coco Chanel, she's the founder of Chanel. And, of course, the dresses from a long time ago were quite fascinating."</p>
<p>"But the most fascinating item for me was a bottle of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel_No._5" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Chanel No. 5</a> perfume. It was from 1921. Very simple and minimal, but very elegant, although it's a hundred years old. At that time, I thought I really wanted to make a camera that has a timeless value like the Chanel No. 5 bottle."</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 420px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/9492894855/CHANEL_No5_perfume_1x1.jpeg" target="article-9492894855"><img alt="CHANEL No5 perfume 1x1" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="420" height="420" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS420x0~articles/9492894855/CHANEL_No5_perfume_1x1.jpeg" width="420" data-filename="CHANEL_No5_perfume_1x1.jpeg"></a></td>
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<p>A bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume inspired Mr. Yamaki to create a camera with a timeless design.</p>
<p><em>Photo: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CHANEL_No5_parfum.jpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">arz</a></em></p>
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<p>While in pursuit of this "timeless value," Mr. Yamaki didn't involve himself directly in the design process.</p>
<p>"I did not [suggest] any of my ideas into the design because I trusted the designer. So I did not say anything about the design. I like product design in general, but I don't believe it's good for the CEO of the company to say something about the design. Sometimes, it confuses the designer."</p>
<p>The resulting design is a camera that isn't just unique. It's <em>memorable. </em>Just as he envisioned.</p>
<h3>The joy of photography</h3>
<p>Mr. Yamaki acknowledges the Sigma BF isn't intended for every photographer. It's about embracing the joy of photography and capturing everyday life in a way that brings you happiness. Beautiful foolishness, if you will.</p>
<blockquote class="pullQuote">"It's about embracing the joy of photography and capturing everyday life in a way that brings you happiness. Beautiful foolishness, if you will."</blockquote>
<p>"It doesn't have to be BF, but once you have the camera, you try to find some beautiful scenes in your daily life. Maybe if you see the sunlight coming in, you see some contrast, and you want to take a picture with some kind of subject," he says.</p>
<p>"So if you have the camera in your hand, try to take pictures, and it makes our life more meaningful. Right?" he posits. "So I think of the BF as a simple minimum camera, which you want to bring anytime. It's a nice camera to be on the table at a restaurant or bar, and then you can take pictures with a nice thing. That's the BF."</p>
<h3>Beyond BF</h3>
<p>Mr. Yamaki proudly notes that Sigma builds all of its products in its hometown of Aizu, Japan, a fact Sigma has started to incorporate into its marketing message. Between his philosophy of beautiful foolishness and simple but elegant design, we're curious if he sees the BF as a way of sharing Japanese culture with users.</p>
<p>"I hope so," he tells us. "I would be happy if we could make a product that users can feel a 'Japanese touch' through, not only the design of the camera but also the quality of all of our products. We paid careful attention to every detail, which I believe is very Japanese culture."</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/9492894855/Sigma_camera_and_lens_boxes_on_display.jpeg" target="article-9492894855"><img alt="Sigma camera and lens boxes on display" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/9492894855/Sigma_camera_and_lens_boxes_on_display.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Sigma_camera_and_lens_boxes_on_display.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/9492894855/Sigma_camera_and_lens_boxes_on_display.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<p>Sigma's new product packaging balances sustainability with aesthetics.</p>
<p><em>Photo: Dale Baskin</em></p>
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<p>That meticulous attention extends beyond camera bodies and lenses to details like packaging.</p>
<p>While many companies in the industry have moved to functional but rather pedestrian-looking recyclable cardboard, Sigma has infused its newest product boxes with subtle elegance and style, balancing sustainability with aesthetics. It's a nuance, but the type of detail that matters at Sigma.</p>
<p>Mr. Yamaki's enthusiasm for his philosophy is both contagious and thought-provoking. Next time you go out to shoot, consider just capturing the beautiful foolishness of the world and life. Sometimes, it's best to metaphorically sit back, enjoy your cup of tea, and embrace whatever comes your way to find beauty, even in seemingly worthless things.</p>
<div class="buybuttons"><hr></hr><p class="header-text">Buy now:</p><div class="buttons-wrapper"><a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1881808-REG/sigma_bf_mirrorless_camera_black_.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H Photo</span></span></a></div><hr></hr></div>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4159882243/RGBerries" target="article-4159882243"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/4159882243/RGBerries" width="590" data-filename="RGBerries" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/4159882243/RGBerries 2x" alt="RGBerries"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>Submissions for our April editor's challenge have ended, which means it's time for voting to begin. This month's theme was RGB, and we tasked photographers to come up with pictures featuring a red, green, and blue color palette.</p>
<p>You can <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/challenges/Challenge.aspx?ID=16388" rel="noopener" target="_blank">head to the challenge page</a> to see the entries and vote for your favorites. User votes don't determine which photos end up getting selected to be displayed on our homepage – it is the Editor's challenge, after all – but they do help show support for community members who share their photography.</p>
<p class="actionButton"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/challenges/Challenge.aspx?ID=16388">See the submissions</a></p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/5769344446/0P1A6976__1_.jpeg" target="article-5769344446"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/5769344446/0P1A6976__1_.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="0P1A6976__1_.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/5769344446/0P1A6976__1_.jpeg 2x" alt="0P1A6976 1 "></a></td>
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<p>One of the images already selected as part of the #YourShotOurHOME challenge.</p>
<p>"An adorable Asiatic lion cub sleeps in the middle of the road. The cub was trying to warm itself during a winter afternoon, when the sand was warmer than the other parts of the forest."<br><em>Photo: Hardik Shelat, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hardik_shelat_photography/?hl=en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">@hardik_shelat_photography</a></em></p>
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<p>National Geographic is asking photographers to submit photos or videos that "celebrate the beauty of the planet" for Earth Day. Its editors, along with filmmaker Bertie Gregory, will pick their favorites to share on the company's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natgeoyourshot" rel="noopener" target="_blank">"Your Shot" Instagram page</a>.</p>
<p>Entering is pretty simple: all you have to do is post a photo to Instagram using the hashtag "#NatGeoYourShotOurHOME" before April 22nd. The company says Gregory will pick his personal favorites from the photos submitted and share them in a gallery on the @NatGeoYourShot Instagram page on April 30th.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/5769344446/jassensf_FINAL.jpeg" target="article-5769344446"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/5769344446/jassensf_FINAL.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="jassensf_FINAL.jpeg" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/5769344446/jassensf_FINAL.jpeg 2x" alt="jassensf FINAL"></a></td>
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<p>Another selected image.</p>
<p>"Rising majestically above the California landscape, Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano that stands as a silent guardian of the ancient legends that surround it. A sacred peak in Native American lore, it’s said to be the home of powerful spirits and a gateway to another world. Its snowcapped grandeur and timeless presence remind me of the mysteries that lie beyond the horizon. I took this aerial image while flying my single-engine plane."<br><em>Photo: Jassen Todorov, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jassensf/?hl=en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">@jassensf</a></em></p>
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<p>National Geographic isn't pitching this as a formal contest but as a "fun and open way for people of all photography experience levels to engage with Nat Geo and share how they see the beauty of our planet." As such, there aren't many requirements, though <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/your-shot-faq" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the Your Shot FAQ page</a> recommends posting a resolution of at least 1080px by 1080px, and says that images can't be digitally manipulated beyond "standard color correction and retouching to eliminate dust on camera sensors and film, or scratches on scanned negatives or prints." </p>
<p>You can submit as many photos as you like – if yours is selected, you'll be asked to share the full-size photo, along with a Raw, caption and signed release form. </p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/SmallRig_Battery_PolarPro_Camera_bag_stroppa_Caldigit_ts5.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="SmallRig Battery PolarPro Camera bag stroppa Caldigit ts5" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8379535875/SmallRig_Battery_PolarPro_Camera_bag_stroppa_Caldigit_ts5.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="SmallRig_Battery_PolarPro_Camera_bag_stroppa_Caldigit_ts5.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8379535875/SmallRig_Battery_PolarPro_Camera_bag_stroppa_Caldigit_ts5.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Images: SmallRig, Stroppa, Mitchell Clark, CalDigit</em></td>
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<p>This week was the National Association of Broadcasters' trade show in Las Vegas, where video companies flocked to show off their new tools and accessories. For this week's roundup we're going to go over some of the coolest things we saw, though if video isn't your thing, fear not – there's plenty here for you, too.</p>
<p>First, though, let's see what's on sale.</p>
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<h2>Sales of the week</h2>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Canon</em></td>
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<p>Given that it's a big week for video, it only felt right to highlight that the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFplefd6PWg&t=283s" rel="noopener" target="_blank">EOS R5 C</a> – which is essentially the EOS R5 but with more cooling and video features – is currently on sale for $700 off.</p>
<div class="buybuttons"><hr></hr><p class="header-text">Buy now:</p><div class="buttons-wrapper"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1935YM9?tag=gpsmed-1-20&linkCode=ogv&th=1&psc=1" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">$2999 at Amazon.com</span></span></a><a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1684244-REG/canon_5077c002_eos_r5_c_full_frame.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H Photo</span></span></a></div><hr></hr></div>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/Sony-a7r-iv.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="Sony-a7r-iv" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8379535875/Sony-a7r-iv.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Sony-a7r-iv.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8379535875/Sony-a7r-iv.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Richard Butler</em></td>
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<p>For the more photo-focused, Sony's also running a sale on its <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a7-iv-review" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a7 IV</a>, knocking $500 off the retail price.</p>
<div class="buybuttons"><hr></hr><p class="header-text">Buy now:</p><div class="buttons-wrapper"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Full-frame-Mirrorless-Interchangeable-Camera/dp/B09JZT6YK5" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Amazon.com</span></span></a><a href="https://www.adorama.com/isoa7m4.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Adorama</span></span></a><a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1667800-REG/sony_ilce_7m4_b_alpha_a7_iv_mirrorless.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H Photo</span></span></a></div><hr></hr></div>
<h2>Straps on demand</h2>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Stroppa</em></td>
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<p>Stroppa is a company known for custom-making camera straps out of leather and rope, but the made-to-order nature of its products has always involved a bit of a wait between when you order your strap and when it arrives. The company is <a href="https://stroppa.pl/drops/?c=cee236228e9a" rel="noopener" target="_blank">now selling</a> a selection of its straps in what it calls "Drops," meaning that they're pre-made and will ship right after you place your order.</p>
<p>You'll only be able to get certain styles, lengths and colors, though the company does offer an approximately 20% discount for its pre-made straps compared to if you custom-ordered the same configuration.</p>
<a href="https://stroppa.pl/product-category/drops/?c=cee236228e9a" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Stroppa</span></span></a>
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<h2>Lightweight camera bags</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="292" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8379535875/PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8379535875/PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: PolarPro</em></td>
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<p>PolarPro has announced its RoadRunner lineup of camera bags, which aim to provide ample protection for your camera gear without being too heavy to carry.</p>
<p>The lineup includes 8 and 16L backpacks and three sizes of shoulder bag: a 1L sling for compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100 series, a 6L for a camera and a lens or two and a 12L for larger camera and lens combos, plus an iPad. The bags are padded, and the larger ones include dividers for arranging your gear. The backpacks also include rain covers and side-access hatches.</p>
<p>We took a closer look at the 6L shoulder bag, comparing it to the 7L Peak Design Outdoor Sling – you can <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/articles/8568362006/sling-bag-polarpro-roadrunner-peak-design-outdoor-showdown" rel="noopener" target="_blank">read our thoughts on it here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Shoulder Bags:</strong></p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1886591-REG/polarpro_rd_rnnr_6l_roadrunner_sling_6l.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.polarpro.com/products/roadrunner-shoulder-bag-6l" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at PolarPro</span></span></a>
<p><strong>Backpacks:</strong></p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1886589-REG/polarpro_rd_rnnr_16l_roadrunner_backpack_16l.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.polarpro.com/products/roadrunner-backpack-16l" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at PolarPro</span></span></a>
<h2>A new player in the CFexpress Type A game</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/sandisk-pro-cinema-cfexpress-type-a.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="sandisk-pro-cinema-cfexpress-type-a" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="393" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8379535875/sandisk-pro-cinema-cfexpress-type-a.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="sandisk-pro-cinema-cfexpress-type-a.jpeg" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8379535875/sandisk-pro-cinema-cfexpress-type-a.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: SanDisk</em></td>
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<p>SanDisk has been making CFexpress Type B cards for a while now, but <a href="https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/memory-cards/sandisk-reveals-its-first-ever-cfexpress-type-a-card" rel="noopener" target="_blank">it just announced</a> that it's going to start making the smaller CFexpress Type A cards often used in Sony cameras, too. They'll be part of its Pro-Cinema line, boasting a VPG-200 rating and write speeds of up to 1650 MBps, which should be sufficient for even the highest-end video modes on cameras like the Sony a7S III, a1 II or a9 III.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1881552-REG/sandisk_sdcfea_960g_gn4nn_960gb_pro_cinema_cfexpress_type.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://shop.sandisk.com/products/memory-cards/cfast-cfexpress-compactflash/sandisk-pro-cinema-cfexpress-type-a-memory-card?sku=SDCFEA-480G-GN4NN" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at SanDisk</span></span></a>
<hr>
<h2>Even softer light</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/Profoto-white-softbox.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="Profoto-white-softbox" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8379535875/Profoto-white-softbox.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Profoto-white-softbox.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8379535875/Profoto-white-softbox.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: ProFoto</em></td>
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<p>Profoto has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=794kRlYFN3A" rel="noopener" target="_blank">launched a new 'White' line of softboxes</a>, which it says will provide "softer, natural-looking illumination with reduced contrast and shadows" than more traditional softboxes. They do this by swapping the reflective silver interior for a white fabric one, which the company says will give your images a "smooth, flattering glow."</p>
<p>The line includes softboxes in various shapes and sizes, which include built-in speed rings that should make them relatively easy to mount onto your light. They're also compatible with some of the company's other modifiers, like grids, diffusers and masks.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1883358-REG/profoto_201713_rectangular_softbox_3_x.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Profoto-Heat-Resistant-Removable-Diffusor-Interior/dp/B0F448MMMX/" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Amazon</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.profoto.com/us/en/shop/products/light-shaping-tools/softboxes/?SoftboxRange=Profoto+Softbox&amp;LightModifierColor=White" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Profoto</span></span></a>
<hr>
<h2>External Electronic variable ND</h2>
<div class="video"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="326" id="videoFrame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Js-ZOsiZe58?rel=0&autohide=1&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" width="580"></iframe></div>
<p>Electronic variable ND filters have been around in higher-end video-focused cameras for a while now, letting you easily adjust your exposure without having to reach to the front of the camera to twist a filter ring. However, while we've seen several concepts and prototypes of an external version, they haven't been readily available to buy.</p>
<p>It seems like that's about to change, though. <a href="https://www.newsshooter.com/2025/04/06/tilta-releases-electronic-vnd-4-x-5-65-filter/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tilta-releases-electronic-vnd-4-x-5-65-filter" rel="noopener" target="_blank">According to <em>Newsshooter</em></a>, Tilta has said it'll be launching its matte-box ready 4 x 5.65″ electronic variable ND filter this summer. The filter can cut your light by 1.5 to 5EV and can be remotely controlled by the company's Nucleus system or by using a wheel built into the frame. According to a Tilta representative who spoke to <em>Newsshooter</em>, the company estimates it'll cost between $400-500.</p>
<hr>
<h2>An ultra-rugged battery</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 511px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/smallrig-v-mount.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="smallrig-v-mount" border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="384" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8379535875/smallrig-v-mount.jpeg" width="511" data-filename="smallrig-v-mount.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1022x0~articles/8379535875/smallrig-v-mount.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 511px;"><em>Image: SmallRig</em></td>
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<p>SmallRig has announced its X-Touch Smart Triple-Proof V-Mount Battery X99. That's a lot of information in one product name, but the main takeaway is that it's a 99Wh V-mount battery that's drop-resistant up to a height of 1.5m (4.9') and has an IP54 dust and water resistance rating. Essentially, it's designed to keep your devices powered even in rough conditions... oh, and it has a touchscreen to show various status indicators.</p>
<p>The battery has a variety of inputs and outputs; there are two USB C ports that you can use to recharge it or to charge other devices, a BP port, two D-Tap outputs, a USB A output and 8V and 12V outputs, just for kicks. The company says you can recharge the battery in as little as two hours via USB-C PD.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1890277-REG/smallrig_4984_x_touch_smart_triple_proof_x99.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.smallrig.com/X-Touch-Smart-Triple-Proof-V-Mount-Battery-X99.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at SmallRig</span></span></a>
<hr>
<h2>The ultimate dock</h2>
<div class="video"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="326" id="videoFrame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rTKe1N36Sr4?rel=0&autohide=1&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" width="580"></iframe></div>
<p>Accessory makers are starting to release products that support the latest ThunderBolt 5 standard, which offers speeds up to 120Gbps, triple what its predecessor was capable of. That list now includes CalDigit, one of the most well-known companies for docks and hubs.</p>
<p>This week, CalDigit announced the TS5 and TS5+ – versions of its flagship dock that now use ThunderBolt 5. Both can charge your laptop at up to 140W and drive three displays. The regular TS5, which costs $369, features three ThunderBolt 5 ports, plus one for connecting to your computer, as well as a host of other ports, including 2.5Gb Ethernet. It can support external drives with read speeds up to 6200MBps, double what the TS4 could do.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1891000-REG/caldigit_tbt5_ts5_us_amz_ts5_thunderbolt_5_dock.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<div class="contentTable">
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<tbody>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%"> </th>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">TS5</th>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">TS5+</th>
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<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">ThunderBolt 5</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">3 + one uplink</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">2 + one uplink</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">USB C 10Gbps</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">3</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">USB A 10Gbps</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">2</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">USB A 2.0</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">1</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">N/A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">Card readers</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">UHS II SD, microSD</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">UHS II SD, microSD</td>
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<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">Ethernet</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">2.5Gb</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">10Gb</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">Dedicated display out</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">N/A</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">DisplayPort 2.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="33.333333333333336%">Audio</th>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">3x 3.5mm (one in/out, one out, one in)</td>
<td width="33.333333333333336%">3x 3.5mm (one in/out, one out, one in)</td>
</tr>
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</div>
<p>The TS5 Plus takes things even further with 10Gb Ethernet, DisplayPort 2.1 output and a grand total of 20 ports. None of that comes cheap, though, as the company plans to sell it for $499. It's also worth noting that all the extra USB ports come at the cost of one ThunderBolt 5 one.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1890999-REG/caldigit_tbt5_ts5plus_us_amz_ts5_plus_thunderbolt_5.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<hr>
<h2>An updated tube light</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/Nanlite-pavotube-ii-6xr.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="Nanlite-pavotube-ii-6xr" border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="442" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8379535875/Nanlite-pavotube-ii-6xr.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Nanlite-pavotube-ii-6xr.jpeg"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Nanlite</em></td>
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<p>Nanlite announced the PavoTube II 6XR this week, a 25cm (10") RGB light tube. It's very similar to the PavoTube II 6C in that it has an internal battery and built-in magnets for mounting, but it adds the ability to individually program the tube's 10 LEDs to create various effects. It also supports CRMX and DMX control, which could be useful if you're on a professional set.</p>
<p>Compared to the 6C, the 6XR is slightly dimmer – it maxes out at 457 lumens versus 520 – and it costs $50 more, but if you need finer-grained control, it could be the way to go.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1886511-REG/nanlite_pt6xr_pavotube_ii_6xr_rgb.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<hr>
<h2>A pro grading monitor</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8379535875/Asus_ProArt_OLED_32.jpeg" target="article-8379535875"><img alt="Asus ProArt OLED 32" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="482" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8379535875/Asus_ProArt_OLED_32.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Asus_ProArt_OLED_32.jpeg"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Image: Asus</em></td>
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<p>Asus was at NAB this week showing off its recently-announced PA32UCDM ProArt QD-OLED display, which it says is "designed for professional content creators." Its 32" 4K panel can display 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while running at 240Hz for buttery-smooth responsiveness. It has a "true 10-bit" panel – not an 8-bit one with dithering – and a peak brightness of 1000 nits, which means it supports HDR standards like Dolby Vision, HLG and HDR10.</p>
<p>You can connect to it via ThunderBolt 4 or 5, as well as HDMI 2.1, and it has a built-in USB hub. While its $1899 MSRP may seem like a lot, depending on how serious you are about monitors, for the specs it provides it actually seems like quite a good value.</p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1873086-REG/asus_pa32ucdm_32_proart_4k_uhd.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<p class="actionButton"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/8765226806/accessory-roundup-zoom-film-holder-light-stand">Read last week's roundup</a></p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/3683506102/Ilford-film.jpeg" target="article-3683506102"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/3683506102/Ilford-film.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Ilford-film.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/3683506102/Ilford-film.jpeg 2x" alt="Ilford-film"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Abby Ferguson</em></td>
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<p>It's no secret that things in the United States are in flux right now due to the president's implementation of new tariffs. Companies across all categories are making adjustments, including plenty of <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/articles/2539485452/we-asked-the-experts-how-will-the-us-tariffs-affect-photography-gear-prices" target="article-null">photography-related businesses</a>. Earlier this week, <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/9180175990/blackmagic-design-blaming-us-price-jumps-on-tariffs" target="article-null">Blackmagic Design announced</a> higher prices for some of its products, and now Harman Technology is doing the same.</p>
<p>Harman Technology is the UK-based parent company of the Ilford and Paterson brands; it's well-known for its products for analog photographers. <a href="https://petapixel.com/2025/04/11/harman-is-raising-us-ilford-film-and-paper-prices-in-response-to-tariffs/" target="article-null"><em>PetaPixel</em> reported</a> that the company is raising prices of its film, paper and chemicals in the US in response to the tariffs. <a href="https://www.shutterjunkies.org/blog/filmnews/ilford-film-prices-are-increasing-heres-why" target="article-null">Shutter Junkies</a>, a Texas-based photo lab, shared the information in a blog post, revealing that Ilford and Harman film and paper will increase by 11%. Liquid chemistry will go up by 12% and there will be an 11% increase on most Paterson products. It also says there will be larger increases on Paterson items manufactured in China.</p>
<p>"While we understand how frustrating price hikes can be, especially in a niche like film photography, these increases are a direct result of the newly imposed tariffs. HARMAN, like many manufacturers, is responding to increased costs on their end," Shutter Junkies wrote in its post. "HARMAN has expressed that they hope to reduce prices if and when trade agreements shift." It also added that Phoenix film prices and powder chemistry prices will remain unchanged.</p>
<p>President Trump announced a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/09/trump-tariffs-pause-china-stocks-recession" target="article-null">90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs</a>, but he didn't fully back off. The baseline 10% global tariff that President Trump announced on April 5 is still in place. Plus, he has increased tariffs on China to 125%. That's likely why we're still seeing rising prices even with the 90-day pause.</p>
<p>Shutter Junkies added that the price of disposable cameras would remain unchanged for the stock that they currently have. That's likely to be the case for many companies; pricing for things they already had on shelves or in store rooms will be without markups, but new stock may require a higher price. So, if you need film, you may want to stock up now.</p>
<div class="video"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="326" id="videoFrame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dnTyBiyxC9Q?rel=0&autohide=1&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" width="580"></iframe></div>
<p>This film Friday, we're sharing a video profile of Australian photographer <a href="https://www.trentmitchell.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Trent Mitchell</a>. Mitchell has been a photographer for more than 20 years, working in both digital and film. He won the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize in 2015, has been featured in the International Photography Awards, Sony World Photography Awards and more, and his work has been acquired by the National Library of Australia.</p>
<p><a href="https://flotsamfestival.com.au/" target="article-null"> Flotsam Festival</a> – an annual surf film and photography festival hosted on the Gold Coast of Australia in May – produced the video as part of its Liquid Lens lens series. The series aims to showcase ocean-based filmmakers and photographers who capture "the waves and their riders, while illuminating their artistry, inspirations, and passion for the sea."</p>
<p>Mitchell started using a camera as a tool for his art process diary, but he explained that he didn't know anything about the medium, so he couldn't get good images. Then, a few years out of school, he was doing design work, and he realized photography was the perfect skill to add to what he was already doing.</p>
<p>In the video, Mitchell talks about balancing personal work and working for someone. He explains that he loves personal photography and that paid work has resulted from that. "You can work personal work into your job as well," he says. "They're not these separate things." Spending time on personal projects is an especially good tip for new photographers hoping to get paid work. It not only gives potential clients something to look at before you have much of a portfolio, but it can also be a critical tool for finding your style and voice.</p>
<p>Mitchell also touches on how he doesn't believe the common sentiment that everything has already been done. "Tomorrow's never been done, so there's heaps of opportunity to do new things." He says that while there may be themes that recur, everything's new all of the time, so there are always new things to do.</p>
<blockquote class="pullQuote">"A successful project is anyone you finish"</blockquote>
<p>Finally, the point that stuck out to me the most was when Mitchell explained what makes a project successful. "A successful project is anyone you finish," he said. Mitchell said he has worked on all sorts of things but has plenty of unfinished projects, so they aren't successful. As someone with plenty of unfinished projects sitting on hard drives and in portfolio boxes, this one hit especially close to home.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/4797149227/GettyImages-2209554233.jpeg" target="article-4797149227"><img alt="GettyImages-2209554233" border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/4797149227/GettyImages-2209554233.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="GettyImages-2209554233.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/4797149227/GettyImages-2209554233.jpeg 2x"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Michael Reaves / Staff / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images</em></td>
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<p>Retirement isn't for everyone, as is apparently the case for baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Junior. Most recently, he's been in the spotlight for being at the Masters this week as a credentialed photographer for Masters.com. Getty Images photographer Ben Jared captured Griffey on the course with what looks to be either the Sony 400mm or 600mm lens attached to his camera.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Behind the lens 📸<a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLB</a> Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is working as a credentialed photographer for the first time <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMasters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheMasters</a> <a href="https://t.co/NjQqBDSCJF">pic.twitter.com/NjQqBDSCJF</a></p>
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) <a href="https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1910400982988599653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>Griffey Jr. retired from baseball in 2010 as a 13-time MLB All-Star. He spent most of his career playing for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, though he also had a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. He picked up a camera in 2015 and has been photographing ever since.</p>
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<p>Griffey Jr. originally got into photography not only because of his love for sports, as he explained on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX5kKTNM24Y" target="article-4797149227">Mornings at the Masters</a>. As a celebrity, no matter where he goes, he's sure to garner attention. That attention got in the way of him watching his kids' games, and he was frequently distracted. So, photography became a way for him to avoid all the attention. "My daughter literally stopped dribbling a basketball and just looked at me when she was five. I was like okay, I’ve got to pay more attention to what’s going on," Griffey said. "I figured no one’s messing with the photographer, well let me pick it up, let me try it."</p>
<p>While this is the first time Griffey has photographed the Masters, his photography has taken him to plenty of events. He's worked as a credentialed photographer at MLB, MLS, NFL, NASCAR and IndyCar events. The Masters go on through the weekend, and Griffey Jr. will be there through the end, capturing the event up to the big finale with the iconic green jacket.</p>
<p>Griffey isn't the only former MLB player – or player for the Seattle Mariners, for that matter – to turn to photography, either. Former pitcher <a href="https://rj51photos.com/" target="article-4797149227">Randy Johnson</a>, who played 22 seasons in the MLB, nearly a decade of which was for the Mariners, is also a photographer. Johnson studied photojournalism at the University of Southern California before going pro, when photography went on the back burner, naturally. He has photographed NFL games, concerts and lots of wildlife. His logo – a dead bird – references a famous moment in his baseball career when one of his pitches killed a bird after it flew into the path of the ball.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-Outdoor-Sling-vs-PolarPro-RoadRuner-6L.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-Outdoor-Sling-vs-PolarPro-RoadRuner-6L.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Peak-Design-Outdoor-Sling-vs-PolarPro-RoadRuner-6L.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-Outdoor-Sling-vs-PolarPro-RoadRuner-6L.jpeg 2x" alt="Peak-Design-Outdoor-Sling-vs-PolarPro-RoadRuner-6L"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>This week, PolarPro announced <a href="https://www.polarpro.com/pages/roadrunner" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the RoadRunner collection</a>, a range of photography-focused bags with a lightweight yet rugged design. I recently bought a 7L Peak Design Outdoor Sling, because it promised many of the same things, so I've decided to put it head to head with PolarPro's 6L shoulder bag. We'll compare how the bags are built, what they can carry and who they're made for.</p>
<h2>Two strapping bags</h2>
<p>One of the major differences between these two bags is clear right from the names: the Peak Design is a sling bag, where the strap goes around your body and the pouch rests against your front or back. The PolarPro bag, meanwhile, has a strap that goes around your shoulder and a bag that sits down against your hip or side. Both straps can be completely detached from the bag and have ample padding for carrying even relatively heavy loads.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/PolarPro-On-shoulder.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-On-shoulder.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="PolarPro-On-shoulder.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-On-shoulder.jpeg 2x" alt="PolarPro-On-shoulder"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Kevin Mahoney</em></td>
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<p>PolarPro's strap is made of adjustable webbing with clips on each end that attach to rings on the bag's body. The Peak Design bag's strap attaches with hooks but also has a clasp in the middle, making it easy to buckle and unbuckle.</p>
<p>Perhaps too easy to unbuckle – I've heard several people say they've accidentally opened the clasp, leading to them dropping their bags. While it's never happened to me, it's not hard to imagine; instead of a traditional buckle that you have to press in on both sides, the Peak Design bag opens with a single push of a lever, which isn't really ideal for a bag meant to hold expensive gear.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 500px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-Bag-Unclasp.gif" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="562" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-Bag-Unclasp.gif" width="500" data-filename="Peak-Design-Bag-Unclasp.gif" alt="Peak-Design-Bag-Unclasp"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 500px;">I don't think I want my camera bag to be this easy to unclasp.</td>
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<p>One last gripe about the Peak Design's strap: it's much easier to switch which shoulder you're carrying the PolarPro on since you won't have to adjust the strap at all. If you want to switch shoulders with the Peak Design, you'll have to detach both sides of the strap and flip it around.</p>
<h2>Exterior Design</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/PolarPro-with-tripod-and-water-bottle.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-with-tripod-and-water-bottle.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="PolarPro-with-tripod-and-water-bottle.jpeg" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-with-tripod-and-water-bottle.jpeg 2x" alt="PolarPro-with-tripod-and-water-bottle"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>PolarPro's bag is made out of a 600D ripstop nylon that the company says "resists" water. The Peak Design, meanwhile, is made out of a 210D ripstop material that the company calls "weatherproof," a label it also applies to the zippers. Despite the clear weather sealing, the Peak Design's zippers are about as easy to open as the PolarPro's unsealed ones, which isn't always true for water-resistant zippers.</p>
<p>PolarPro's bag has a beefy, rubberized handle on the top lid, which feels much better than the cord handle the Peak Design uses. However, if the lid for the PolarPro is unzipped, that handle essentially becomes useless, whereas you can use the Peak Design's handle to move it around even if it's open. Doing so is obviously a bit reckless, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-worn-as-sling-cropped.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-worn-as-sling-cropped.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Peak-Design-worn-as-sling-cropped.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-worn-as-sling-cropped.jpeg 2x" alt="Peak-Design-worn-as-sling-cropped"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Kevin Mahoney </em></td>
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<p>Empty, the 6L PolarPro bag weighs 579g (20.4 oz), while the Peak Design weighs 335g (11.8 oz). However, adding the X-small camera cube required to turn it into a proper protective camera bag on par with the PolarPro brings the weight up to 555g (19.6 oz).</p>
<h2>Interior Design</h2>
<p>The Outdoor Sling and RoadRunner shoulder bags have a very similar layout – one main zippered compartment, then a smaller front zippered pocket. Both have a wide array of pouches designed to hold things like lens filters, batteries and SD cards, though I found the Peak Design's to be much easier to use. The ones on the PolarPro have a top flap, which keeps things from falling out when you open the lid but also makes it difficult to insert or remove larger items like camera batteries.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-PolarPro-Interiors.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-PolarPro-Interiors.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Peak-Design-PolarPro-Interiors.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-PolarPro-Interiors.jpeg 2x" alt="Peak-Design-PolarPro-Interiors"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>Those main pouches are the second big difference between the bags. The interior of the Peak Design is the same ripstop as the face fabric, and the compartment doesn't feature any padding or dividers to speak of. To get those features, you'll have to add on Peak Design's X-Small camera cube, which fits neatly into the main pocket, taking up most – but not quite all – of the space. The cube comes with two dividers and can be used separately from the Outdoor Sling.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-with-camera-cube-and-polarpro.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-with-camera-cube-and-polarpro.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Peak-Design-with-camera-cube-and-polarpro.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-with-camera-cube-and-polarpro.jpeg 2x" alt="Peak-Design-with-camera-cube-and-polarpro"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">The Peak Design bag looks far less spacious when fitted with the camera cube you'll want to keep your gear safe.<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>The RoadRunner, however, comes with all of that from the get-go, as its body is essentially a camera cube with rigid, padded sides. The interior is lined with microfiber, which lets you re-arrange the two included dividers however you like. Like with many camera bags, the dividers attach to the side walls with hook-and-loop flaps.</p>
<p>The RoadRunner has an additional zippered pocket on the front, which is quite slim – you could fit a passport or a notebook and pen in there, but not much else. The Peak Design has a pocket that is similarly sized but on the inside of the main compartment.</p>
<h2>Carrying Capacity</h2>
<p>If you're looking to fit the most camera gear possible, the PolarPro is the clear choice, despite the fact that it's marketed as a 6L bag while the Outdoor Sling is marketed as a 7L bag. The reason is that the RoadRunner's rating is for the padded compartment, while the Outdoor Sling's is for the bag overall – the padded X-small camera cube, meanwhile, only has a volume of 3.5L.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/polarpro-with-eos-r5-ii" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/polarpro-with-eos-r5-ii" width="590" data-filename="polarpro-with-eos-r5-ii" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/polarpro-with-eos-r5-ii 2x" alt="polarpro-with-eos-r5-ii"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">There's still a fair bit of room inside the PolarPro when carrying an EOS R5 II with a 20mm F1.4 lens.<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>What does that mean in real-world terms? Well, a Canon EOS R5 II with a 20mm F1.4 prime just barely fits into the Peak Design camera cube – you have to reverse the lens hood to make it work. Meanwhile, the PolarPro can carry that same camera/lens combo<span class="green">*</span> <em>and</em> a Canon PowerShot V1. You could also fit a Lumix S1RII and a 24-70 F2.8 in the RoadRunner, with room to spare for a small battery bank. The Peak Design cube has no chance of carrying even just the camera – it'll technically fit in the main compartment of the sling with no cube but with very little space left to add your own padding, which you'll almost certainly want.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/EOS-R5-ii-in-peak-design-with-cube.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/EOS-R5-ii-in-peak-design-with-cube.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="EOS-R5-ii-in-peak-design-with-cube.jpeg" srcset="https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/EOS-R5-ii-in-peak-design-with-cube.jpeg 2x" alt="EOS-R5-ii-in-peak-design-with-cube"></a></td>
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<p>With the EOS R5 II in the X-small camera cube, there's really not much room left in the Peak Design.<br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></p>
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<p>Both bags are more comfortable with smaller systems. The Peak Design bag would easily accommodate my Fujifilm X-T3 and a pair of F2 primes or my Nikon F3 with a 50mm F2 and a digital point-and-shoot. However, the PolarPro can, too, with room left over for extra bits and bobs.</p>
<p>The story flips if you're carrying stuff that <em>isn't</em> camera equipment. Without the camera cube, the Outdoor Sling can expand a lot more than the PolarPro can. I've carried a X-T5 with a 16-55mm F2.8 attached, two wireless mic packs, a 72mm ND filter with a hard case and two Cliff bars in it, with a fleece beanie to keep it all from banging together. The PolarPro could handle the same gear with no problem, but the beanie and snacks might be a tough squeeze.</p>
<p>I've also carried an XL Patagonia R1 Air fleece and XL Arc'teryx Atom puffy jacket in the Peak Design, and it all just barely fit. The puffy alone fills the PolarPro, with pretty much no room left for gear – that's likely down to it being substantially more structured than the Outdoor Sling.</p>
<p><span class="green">* The EOS R5 II's large viewfinder hump does bow the bag out slightly – I wouldn't try to put too much in the other pockets while carrying it.</span></p>
<h2>External Storage</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/PolarPro-with-tripod" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-with-tripod" width="590" data-filename="PolarPro-with-tripod" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-with-tripod 2x" alt="PolarPro-with-tripod"></a></td>
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<p>Both bags have an option to attach a tripod to the bottom. The RoadRunner uses adjustable webbing, while the Outdoor Sling uses elastic straps. Both solutions have one end attached with a hook, letting you easily detach them to speed up the process of taking your tripod on and off.</p>
<p>In my experience, both bags were relatively comfortable to carry with the aluminum Peak Design travel tripod attached to the bottom, though I probably wouldn't want to carry anything much bigger than that.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/PeakDesign-bag-with-tripod" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/PeakDesign-bag-with-tripod" width="590" data-filename="PeakDesign-bag-with-tripod" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/PeakDesign-bag-with-tripod 2x" alt="PeakDesign-bag-with-tripod"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">Even when carried at an angle on your back, the Peak Design bag does a good job of holding onto the tripod. <br><em>Photo: Mitchell Clark</em></td>
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<p>Both bags also include a back pocket, which can be used to carry pretty much any size phone. Peak Design's has slightly more padding and a magnet to keep it shut but a narrower opening that can make it a little finicky to get your phone in and out, depending on how you're wearing it. Despite the PolarPro's pocket being completely open, it's deep enough that I have no concerns about my phone falling out of it.</p>
<p>Neither bag has any real affordance for carrying a water bottle. Since I almost always want to have one with me, I just attach my bottle to the strap with a carabiner. This is slightly more convenient with the PolarPro since you're generally not going to have to unclip the strap to take the bag off your shoulder. With the Peak Design, you have to make sure the bottle's not going to fall off the strap when you unclip it to set the bag down.</p>
<h2>Aesthetics</h2>
<p>Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so which bag you prefer will likely come down to your personal tastes. However, I do suspect most people will find the Peak Design bag to be more attractive – it's not just a utilitarian-styled box that hangs off your shoulder. The Outdoor Sling also comes in three colors, and I'll admit I had a hard time choosing between them.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak_Design_Colors.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak_Design_Colors.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Peak_Design_Colors.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak_Design_Colors.jpeg 2x" alt="Peak Design Colors"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;"><em>Images: Peak Design</em></td>
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<p>The RoadRunner sling, meanwhile, just comes in black, though it features some tasteful dusty gold accents. The inside of the bag's main compartment is also that color, making it easy to see your gear. The Peak Design bag also features a light gray interior.</p>
<h2>Versatility</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-hipbelt-bag" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-hipbelt-bag" width="590" data-filename="Peak-Design-hipbelt-bag" srcset="https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-hipbelt-bag 2x" alt="Peak-Design-hipbelt-bag"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">The Peak Design is built to act as two different kinds of pack.<br><em>Photo: Kevin Mahoney </em></td>
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<p>That strap brings up the Outdoor Sling's biggest selling point: versatility. You can wear it not only as a sling across your front and back but also as a lumbar pack or belly bag around your waist. This not only gives you a different way of carrying it but also lets you use it in addition to a smaller backpack.</p>
<p>It's also made for a lot more than just carrying cameras. While you can remove the dividers from the PolarPro, you can't get rid of the padding, and its rigid sides and shape make it harder to really stuff it full. The Peak Design bag, meanwhile, is more freeform and can easily accommodate items you'd need when traveling or hiking.</p>
<p>It also comes with a detachable stabilizer strap that wraps around your back and keeps the bag locked in place if you're doing something especially active while wearing it in sling mode. I've taken it with me down a mountain bike trail, and once I added the stabilizer strap, I had no worries about it creeping around to my front and messing with my peddling.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Outdoor-Sling-7L-Stabilizer-Hardware.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-aspect-ratio="4x3" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="443" src="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S590x0~articles/8568362006/Outdoor-Sling-7L-Stabilizer-Hardware.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Outdoor-Sling-7L-Stabilizer-Hardware.jpeg" srcset="https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TC4x3S1180x0~articles/8568362006/Outdoor-Sling-7L-Stabilizer-Hardware.jpeg 2x" alt="Outdoor-Sling-7L-Stabilizer-Hardware"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">The stabilizer strap means you can use the Peak Design on all sorts of adventures. And while I have worn the PolarPro while riding a bike, it was only on a flat, paved road at a very relaxed pace.<br><em>Image: Peak Design</em></td>
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<p>While the 6L RoadRunner bag can't fill quite so many roles, the lineup is a bit more complete. Peak Design also sells a 2L sling, though there's no camera cube made for it to add padding. You also can't get a larger bag without stepping up to the much heavier 10L "Everyday" sling.</p>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="292" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection.jpeg 2x" alt="PolarPro-RoadRunner-collection"></a></td>
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<td class="caption" style="width: 590px;">If you need a bag that's bigger or smaller, PolarPro has you covered. <br><em>Photo: PolarPro</em></td>
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<p>PolarPro, meanwhile, offers a 1L case designed to protect compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100 series, or the Leica D-Lux. There's also a 12L shoulder bag designed for larger loads. The comapny says it can fit a full-frame mirrorless camera and a 70-200mm lens, along with an additional lens and powerbank or mini drone. The larger bag's back pocket can fit an 11" iPad.</p>
<h2>The Extras</h2>
<p>Both bags clearly have a lot of thought put into them, and that's made clear by their design flourishes. For example, both have a lanyard in their front pocket, so you can rest assured that you won't accidentally drop your keys while digging around for something else.</p>
<p>PolarPro also includes not one, but <em>two</em> microfiber cloths attached to the inside of the bag, which can be used for cleaning off lenses, screens and viewfinders if they happen to get grungy on your adventures.</p>
<blockquote class="pullQuote">Each bag has delightful design touches</blockquote>
<p>Peak Design's bag is bring-your-own-cloth, but it has little pockets on the back where you can tuck away any additional straps that would otherwise just be dangling around. And, if you're not carrying a tripod, the elastic straps on the bottom can be used as compression straps to give it a slimmer profile.</p>
<p>The Peak Design can also be used as a chest pouch when paired with the company's Outdoor backpacks – you simply take the sling strap off and lash it to your pack's shoulder straps. If you can do something similar with the RoadRunner shoulder bag and backpacks, PolarPro doesn't mention it.</p>
<h2>Price</h2>
<p>The 6L RoadRunner retails for $99, which initially seems more expensive than the 7L Outdoor Sling, which is $89. However, the X-small camera cube is an additional $50, bringing the total up to $140, though you can bundle them at the time of purchase to knock $14 off the price.</p>
<p>Even with that discount, the Outdoor sling is still the spendier option by a wide margin <em>if </em>you need the camera cube. I have used it to carry gear without the cube, though I wouldn't recommend doing so unless you're very careful and also have soft goods in there to add some padding and gear separation.</p>
<h2>So which bag do I buy?</h2>
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<td class="image" style="width: 590px;"><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/files/p/articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-sling-vs-PolarPro-bag.jpeg" target="article-8568362006"><img border="0" data-thumbnail-height="0" data-thumbnail-width="590" height="394" src="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS590x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-sling-vs-PolarPro-bag.jpeg" width="590" data-filename="Peak-Design-sling-vs-PolarPro-bag.jpeg" srcset="https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~TS1180x0~articles/8568362006/Peak-Design-sling-vs-PolarPro-bag.jpeg 2x" alt="Peak-Design-sling-vs-PolarPro-bag"></a></td>
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<p>If you've made it all the way through this article and are still unsure which bag is for you, this is my take: if you want a bag exclusively for photography gear, the RoadRunner is the way to go, especially if you want to access your gear quickly. It can just plain hold more, and I'd be comfortable leaving the lid unzipped if I'm actively taking my camera in and out of it since it's on the top; unless I'm doing a somersault, the camera's not going to fall out of it. I'm not as confident about that with the Outdoor Sling's zipper placement, though the one time I accidentally left it open, it managed to keep everything inside.</p>
<p>However, if you want a versatile travel/adventure bag that can also carry camera gear, the Peak Design is definitely worth a look – assuming you have a relatively small setup. While the PolarPro can just manage a high-end full-frame mirrorless camera, I wouldn't want to carry one very often with the Outdoor sling. It's happiest with a crop sensor camera and maybe an extra lens, or with a small drone.</p>
<p>To put it another way, I spent $140 of my own money on the Peak Design Outdoor Sling and camera cube, and I don't regret that now that I've tried the RoadRunner, which PolarPro provided as a review sample. However, that's only because I already <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/8600753466/gear-of-the-year-thinktank-retrospective-20-v2" rel="noopener" target="_blank">have a massive camera bag</a> for when I'm testing out the big cameras, and I was in the market for a small, light bag that I could wear while biking, hiking or traveling. If either of those things weren't true and I was shopping for a bag, I'd pick the PolarPro.</p>
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<p><strong>Peak Design Outdoor Sling 7L:</strong></p>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Design-Outdoor-Sling-Eclipse/dp/B0DKC2GHZ4" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Amazon</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1840700-REG/peak_design_bas_7_ep_1_outdoor_sling_7l_eclipse.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.peakdesign.com/products/outdoor-sling?Size=7L&amp;Color=Cloud" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at Peak Design</span></span></a>
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<p><strong>PolarPro RoadRunner shoulder bag 6L:</strong></p>
<a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1886591-REG/polarpro_rd_rnnr_6l_roadrunner_sling_6l.html" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at B&H</span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.polarpro.com/products/roadrunner-shoulder-bag-6l" class="article-buybutton" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="mdc-button text-button mdc-button--raised"><div class="mdc-button__ripple"></div><span class="mdc-button__label">Buy at PolarPro</span></span></a>
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