Feed aggregator

We've made it to another weekend, which means another edition of our accessory roundup. Today, we'll be looking at a few lights, some Leica gear, and some rugged accessories, but first, as always, let's check out what's on sale.

The Sony a7R V, a camera with a whopping 61MP sensor that makes it great for landscape or product photography, is currently on sale for $400 off its MSRP.

Buy now:

If you don't need that much resolution, the a7 IV is also on sale for $300 off its MSRP. It's an older model that doesn't include some of Sony's latest tech and refinements, but it's still a capable stills camera.

Buy now:

Pelican is well known for its ultra-rugged hard cases, but the company has recently started making soft goods as well. The Trvl Aegis collection includes several types of bags, including backpacks, slings, duffel bags and rolling bags; some of them feature a "hybrid" construction, which Pelican says provides the "quality construction and protection of a hard case with the versatility of a soft case."

Aegis backpack

Aegis rolling duffel

The hybrid packs come in various shapes and sizes, so you've got options no matter how light or heavy you pack. If you want a bit more protection, the company has also introduced a new line of hard-sided luggage cases, which it calls Trvl ATX. They don't seem quite as burly as the company's classic Air cases but feature creature comforts such as 360-degree spinner wheels, compression straps, and dividing pockets.

The ATX series sits between the Aegis hybrid bags and the standard Pelican Air cases when it comes to durability.

Image: Pelican

Pelican ATX

The company has also introduced a variety of accessory "Modpaks" that let you add organization to your Trvl bags in the form of toiletry bags, extra pouches, and packing cubes.

The $625, limited edition teddy bears appear to have sold out, but there's plenty more Leica 100 gear available.

Image: Leica

Leica is celebrating its 100th year of business this year, and part of the "100 Years of Leica" event is selling a variety of products meant to mark the occasion. Perhaps the most notable are the teddy bears – there were two limited-edition models that have already sold out, designed to look like important members of the Leitz family, as well as a more standard bear holding a plush Leica.

The bear, as well as a variety of other Leica 100 products such as a leather bracelet, magnifier, "100"-emblazoned hotshoe cover and even cufflinks, won't be available until May. However, there are a few knickknacks currently listed for sale in Leica's online store: a set of color pencils that comes with a cut-out paper M camera that you can color however you want, a pin, and a 3D wood puzzle. The latter two are sold out but aren't listed as limited edition, so there's a possibility there'll be a restock.

Nanlite's new COB light acts as an upgrade to its bi-color FC-120B spotlight. The FC-120C has many of the same features, such as the ability to accept USB-C power, Bluetooth app control, and dimming, but it swaps out the LEDs for ones capable of putting out full RGB color.

While this does come with a brightness penalty – the bi-color version can put out 17,450 lux when paired with the included 45° reflector, while the RGB version can only do 12,850 lux – it obviously gives you more options when it comes to what color you want to light a scene with.

The FC-120C uses a proprietary FM mount for light modifiers but comes with an adapter that lets you use accessories made for the industry-standard Bowens mount.

LaCie, a Seagate-owned brand known for its rugged portable drives, has released a new rubber-coated SSD that's meant to withstand drops, dust, water, and even, according to the company, "pressure from a 2-ton vehicle." Appropriately named the Rugged SSD Pro5, it has an IP68 rating and comes in 2 and 4TB variations.

While the Pro5 is undeniably tough, it doesn't come at the cost of performance. The company says you can expect read speeds of up to 6700 MBps and write speeds of up to 5300 MBps and that you should have no issues editing 8K footage stored on the drive. Part of that is thanks to its Thunderbolt 5 interface, which allows for speeds up to 10,000 MBps. If you don't have one of the few computers with Thunderbolt 5 ports, it can be used with USB and Thunderbolt 4, though even the latter won't be capable of hitting those peak speeds.

We've covered quite a few SmallRig video lights in the accessory roundup, but none as small and portable as the RF 10C. It's a 10W light that's around the size of a flashlight, that the company pitches as being perfect for "backlighting and background light for smartphone video shooting." It can cast light in four colors, depending on what your scene calls for: "sunset orange," blue, white and red.

The RF 10C has a built-in battery, rechargeable by USB-C, and comes with 20 gobos that let you cast light in the shape of a heart, window, semi-circle, and more. The light has two standard 1/4"-20 mounting threads, and the extending barrel gives you the option of having a diffuse or narrow beam.

Read last week's roundup

We've been thrilled with the response to our DPReview pop-up store, which opened before the holidays and features limited edition items from our 25th Anniversary collection of DPReview swag. If you've been planning to place an order but haven't done so yet, act soon: the pop-up store will disappear on January 31.

What’s in the store? You'll find the DPReview logo on apparel like t-shirts, sweatshirts and baseball caps. Of course, to honor DPReview’s early history, many items are designed in dark mode with a black background.

Visit the DPReview pop-up store

If you’re a camera nerd, head over and take a look.

If you’re not feeling nerdy enough to want DPReview-branded swag, we've also designed products with photo-friendly slogans like ‘Say Cheese’, ‘Photo Department’, and ‘I ♥ Bokeh’.

Readers have been asking us about DPReview merchandise for years, so we decided to do something about it. So, if you’re one of those who’s emailed or messaged us asking where to find things like DPReview shirts, now is your chance.

Of course, when you buy our gear, you support DPReview and our mission to bring you the best online information and reviews about digital cameras.

All items in the DPReview pop-up store include free worldwide shipping.

If you have specific questions about products or ordering, you can contact store@gearpatrol.com for help.

In the 1860s, two brothers, Nelson and Roswell Moore, photographers from Connecticut, got the idea to use the then-nascent technology of photography to preserve images of the last veterans of the American Revolution.

Photos: Nelson and Roswell Moore

As a photographer with a strong interest in history, I often find myself captivated when the two worlds collide. Looking at pictures of historical events, even seemingly mundane ones, sparks my imagination and transports me back in time.

More than the historical events themselves, I’m drawn to the people in these photos. I try to envision their lives, their experiences and the world they inhabited. I remind myself that they aren’t just historical figures frozen in time but real people who led lives as complex as you or me, and I often wonder about their experiences, the people they knew, and the eras that shaped them.

Perhaps this is because old photographs serve as a reminder of our own mortality. Historical photos whisper to us that our time on Earth is finite and that one day, we, too, will become subjects of historical curiosity.

This fascination with the past, coupled with my interest in photography, is probably why a recent video by the BBC caught my attention, telling the story behind portraits taken of some of the last survivors of the American Revolutionary War.

The Revolutionary War was fought between Great Britain and her American colonies from 1775 to 1783 over Americans' desire for independence. Ultimately, the colonial forces prevailed, and, as we all know today, the United States became an independent nation.

Fast forward about eight decades, and the US found itself embroiled in yet another conflict: the American Civil War. It was around this time that two brothers, Nelson and Roswell Moore, photographers from Connecticut, got the idea to use the then-nascent technology of photography to preserve images of the last surviving veterans of the American Revolution.

According to the BBC, newspapers at the time would publish details of the United States federal budget. This included lists of Revolutionary War veterans who were still receiving government pensions. Don Hagist, author of The Revolution's Last Men: The Soldiers Behind the Photographs and editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, told the BBC that by the 1860s, it was becoming apparent that very few Revolutionary War veterans remained. This realization spurred the Moore brothers to track down what they believed to be the last six living veterans to capture their portraits.

The Moore brothers' portraits were unveiled in 1864 and subsequently published that same year in the book The Last Men of the American Revolution by Reverend E.B. Hillard. The book also included biographies of each veteran, based on interviews conducted by Hillard, although, according to Hagist, Hillard likely employed some creative license in his biographical accounts.

Fortunately, these invaluable photographs are not confined to the BBC's archives. They’re preserved and freely available for download from the Library of Congress, an exceptional resource for historical imagery of all kinds.

As it turned out, the six men photographed by the Moore brothers weren't the only remaining Revolutionary War veterans. Following the publication of their photos and Hillard's book, other veterans came forward. However, the images captured by the Moore brothers remain invaluable historical artifacts, preserving the likenesses of men who fought for America's independence. Gazing into their eyes, I’m struck by the realization that these men could have met George Washington in person.

One of photography's enduring truths is that we often can’t predict which images will hold significance for future generations. History will ultimately be the judge. However, as photographers, we possess the ability to capture and preserve these visual records, even if their immediate importance is not readily apparent.

Next time you see an old historical photo, pause for a moment to think about the person or people in that photo. Who were they? What were their lives like? And reflect on the fact that, someday, far in the future, someone may be looking at a picture of you, wondering the same thing.

Finally, have you had the opportunity to capture any photos of historical significance or photograph something important before it disappeared forever? If so, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Panasonic has made it clear: the torch has passed from its Lumix Sync app to the Lumix Lab app. If you own one of the company's modern phase detect autofocus cameras – that's the S5 II, S5 IIX, G9 II, GH7 and S9 – Lumix Lab can now do pretty much everything that Sync could do, alongside all the new features it brings to the table.

When Lumix Lab originally launched alongside the S9 in May, Panasonic was clear that it wasn't ready to fully replace Lumix Sync for its older cameras; it didn't support critical features such as remote shooting, remote shutter control, image transfer, or live streaming.

That's changed this week, though. Panasonic released firmware updates yesterday, as well as an update to Lumix Lab, which work together to let you fully control and sync your camera from your phone.

Beyond the functions that already existed with Lumix Sync, Lumix Lab adds several features around Look Up Tables, or LUTs, which are essentially color presets that you can apply to your photos and videos. It has a section that lets you download ready-made LUTs from creators, and you can even create custom LUTs using the app's photo editor. You can then use those LUTs in Lumix Lab, applying them to photos you've synced over from your camera, or send them to your camera, where you can use them with the Real Time LUT that can automatically apply them to your JPEGs and videos.

Lumix Lab also has fairly robust editing features for both photos and videos. You can use it to adjust colors, exposure, sharpening, and more and to apply effects like grain and vignetting. Continuing the LUT focus of the app, if you like the adjustments you've made, you're able to save them as a LUT for later use. Lumix Lab also lets you apply a variety of pre-set crops to stills and videos, making it easy to share them on platforms with a specific aspect ratio, and you can trim videos if you only want to use a small portion of them. Finally, you can share your edited photos and videos straight from the app.

At the moment, it doesn't seem like the Lumix Sync app is going anywhere – owners of the S1, S1R, the newly released G97, and other older cameras will still need to use it to sync photos to their phones, after all.

However, if you haven't given Lumix Lab a shot yet, and have one of the cameras it works with, it's probably worth a try. It can now not only do the things Lumix Sync could, but much more, making the experience of shooting with your camera and sharing with your phone that much nicer. Even if those don't interest you, it's also worth noting that the latest updates to the S5 II, S5 IIX, GH7, and G9 II could make it more annoying to use with Panasonic's older app, as a camera-to-phone Wi-Fi connection will now require password authentication – the ability to use the app without inputting a Wi-Fi password has been removed.

Lumix Lab is a free download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

OM System is working to build excitement for a launch happening on February 6. The company released a short teaser video, offering brief glimpses of an unreleased OM System camera. This video follows up on a post from the OM System CEO at the beginning of the month announcing that the company is working on a new camera and lenses. That statement, combined with the content of the video, makes it safe to assume that the focus of this announcement is indeed a camera.

The dedicated teaser webpage poses the question, "Are you born to create?" It also promises "something exciting" coming soon and encourages people to tune in to "discover what’s next in the world of creative photography."

The video, naturally, doesn't show much. It does, however, highlight a front dial, which must be a focus of the new camera. That dial shows four options, named Mono, Color, Art and CRT. We've seen such a dial before on the remarkably popular Olympus PEN-F. Based on the limited information in the video, it doesn't appear to be a follow-up to the PEN-F, as the teaser shows a more traditional SLR-style EVF in the center of the camera, as opposed to the left-corner EVF found on the PEN-F.

Luckily, February 6 isn't too far off, so full details will be coming soon. You can sign up to receive notifications for the launch on the teaser webpage and keep re-watching the 15-second video to attempt to glean more information.

SmallRig has announced it is expanding its lineup with a new cage for the Sony a9 III and a1 II. Like SmallRig's existing offerings, the new cage aims to add additional protection for the camera. Perhaps more importantly, it also offers expansion options, making it easier to attach additional gear like phone mounts, monitors, microphones and more. It offers what SmallRig calls a "brand-new streamlined design with precision-fit protection and unobstructed button access." It's available for purchase now for $99.

SmallRig's latest full cage features a leather grip that fully wraps around the grip of the camera. The leather design allows it to blend in a bit more to the camera, and results in a more polished look worthy of the flagship cameras.

The cage features a three-point locking installation to keep it securely attached to the camera, but doesn't require removing the D-rings. It uses an integrated bottom Arca-Swiss quick release plate for seamless use on a wide range of tripods and gimbals. It comes with a magnetic wrench on the bottom of the plate for easier attachment or removal.

Buy now:

Of course, one of the main benefits to a cage is all the extra attachment points for gear, of which this new offering has plenty. It features 1/4"-20 threaded holes, 1/4"-20 locating holes, ARRI 3/8"-16 locating holes, cold shoe mounts, strap slots and QD socket. All of those attachment points make it feasible to add on a long list of handles, microphones, lights, monitors, straps and more. Plus, the HawkLock H21 NATO rail allows you to quickly add or remove handles.

In addition to the full cage, SmallRig also released an L-Shaped Mount Plate for the Sony a1 II and a9 III. The plate is still marked as "coming soon," and details are sparse in comparison to the full cage. SmallRig did specify that it will offer unobstructed access to switching orientation and feature an integrated bottom Arca-Swiss quick release plate. Perhaps most interesting, though, is the AirTag compartment, helping users keep track of their cameras.

Canon has developed a 410MP full-frame sensor, which it says is primarily designed for markets such as surveillance, medicine and industrial applications.

Canon doesn't typically disclose details of sensors it plans to use in its cameras prior to those cameras being announced, which is another strong hint that this won't be the basis of the next R-series model. Still, it gives and insight into where Canon's sensor design and technology has got to.

The 410MP chip is a Stacked CMOS design with some signal processing circuitry built into one of the layers of that stack. This design allows it to read all its pixels at a rate of 3,280 megapixels per second. This is sufficient to let it deliver 24K 'video' at up to eight frames per second.

Alternatively, Canon says a monochrome version of the chip can bin the output of four neighboring pixels to deliver "100MP" video at up to 24 fps. These numbers suggest the company is talking about full-sensor, 'open-gate' 12K footage from the full 3:2 sensor region. Given this is its maximum output rate, it's reasonable to assume it would have a rolling shutter rate not much quicker than 1/24 sec (ie: around 40ms), which wouldn't be optimal as the basis of a cinema camera.

Thiose frame rates suggest a sensor that would be well-suited to machine-vision tasks that prioritize resolution over speed, such as checking detailed circuit boards during production, rather than on high-speed production lines where global shutter's ability to freeze movement might be more valued.

The use of the 3:2, 36x24mm 'full-frame' format means the sensor could be used with the vast range of lenses designed for that format, rather than having to specify something custom or very low-volume, by adopting a larger, medium-format size.