It’s September and that means it’s time for apple cider donuts (at least here in Upstate New York) and new iPhones. This week, Apple held its keynote event to announce a few new gadgets, including the latest generation of its iPhones. The lineup hasn’t changed all that much, but the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models do bring some notable camera upgrades. Here’s a rundown of what upgrades you can expect.

iPhone 15 camera

The iPhone 15 vanilla takes a fairly large leap in terms of camera hardware. The new module inside the iPhone 15 has a 48-megapixel sensor that allows it to shoot full-res images or bin the pixels together in order to create larger photosites for better low-light performance. If this sounds familiar, it’s because other manufacturers have been using this strategy for quite some time, and the iPhone 14 Pro models introduced it last year.

The module only includes two cameras—the 48-megapixel wide-angle camera and the 0.5x zoom super-wide. The iPhone 15 also includes a 2x zoom mode that the company claims won’t degrade overall image quality when compared to a normal capture. If you’re looking for true optical telephoto performance, you’ll need to move up to the Pro models.

In addition to the hardware, Apple has made some improvements to its computational photography features as well. Night Mode, which relies on a series of captures including a long exposure to get well-exposed shots in dark situations, now puts more emphasis on high-frequency details. This means you’ll get more texture in objects with small details. Apple weirdly uses a sweater to illustrate this on a fairly regular basis, and the company did just that during the announcement. If you thought sweaters weren’t detailed enough in Night Mode, Apple has fixed that.

The front-facing camera now automatically focuses on your face during calls or selfies, though the hardware doesn’t seem to have changed all that much.

iPhone 15 Pro cameras

The iPhone 15 Pro-series cameras offer more pronounced upgrades. The camera system still includes three individual camera modules, including the wide-angle main camera, the super-wide camera, and a 120mm equivalent 5x zoom lens.

From a hardware perspective, the main camera works similarly to how it did in the previous generation, but it has some extra computational fanciness going on. For instance, Portrait Mode now automatically detects when there’s a person or even an animal in the frame and enables the phone to capture a depth map of the scene. As a result, photographers can add simulated blur in post. Perhaps more impressively, that depth map also allows creators to choose what object in the scene should actually appear in focus. The demo looked almost reminiscent of the promising but ultimately ill-fated Lytro light field camera from many years ago. This feature also works on the iPhone 15.

When shooting with the main camera, you’ll typically get 24-megapixel images created by combining pixels on the 48-megapixel sensor. Interestingly, Apple will now allow shooters to choose the default focal length for the camera when they open the app. So, you can choose between 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm without having to do any zooming in the app itself. I tend to gravitate more toward 35mm lenses in my compact cameras over the wider lenses, so I’m actually pretty excited about this change.

The 120mm equivalent zoom lens effectively takes the iPhone 15 Pro’s zoom range up to 5x. That’s still relatively paltry compared to some other manufacturers who have gone to 10x and beyond, but it’s a new benchmark for iPhones. It maintains an f/2.8 maximum aperture on the long lens, too. Combined with an improved optical stabilization system, that should make the telephoto lens usable in practical situations. After all, things can get a bit shaky when trying to shoot telephoto on a smartphone.

Beyond the actual camera features, the iPhone 15 Pro also offers super-fast transfer speeds over its handy new USB-C connection. That’s useful if you want to move big photo and video files around between camera, phone, and computer.

Which iPhone should you buy for the best camera?

While the iPhone 15 has experienced a big hardware jump from its predecessor, the camera system remains a differentiator between the standard and Pro models. The 5x optical zoom isn’t going to get you absurd moon shots like Samsung’s 10x lens will, but it does give you a practical focal length for real-world situations. Plus, the new focus-shifting options that come with the upgraded Portrait Mode seem really interesting. We’re looking forward to putting together a full review of the new camera system in the coming weeks.

The post What’s new about the cameras in the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro? appeared first on Popular Photography.

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ShiftCam, a company dedicated to mobile content creation, is currently running a Kickstarter for a line of new smartphone lenses. The LensUltra series claims to be the first in the world to use rare earth fluorite, which is often found in much more expensive lenses. They will allow you to get even more quality from your smartphone camera, which is especially ideal for content creators who prefer to use their phone over a dedicated camera.

The series includes seven different focal lengths which cover the full spectrum from fisheye to telephoto. LensUltra also includes two filters—a variable neutral density and circular polarizer—which expand shooting possibilities with your phone and should improve results even more.

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ShiftCam LensUltra details

As mentioned, ShiftCam’s LensUltra series includes seven different lenses. The 60mm telephoto can attach to an iPhones 3x telephoto lens for even more dramatic telephoto perspective. On the other side of the spectrum, the 16mm wide-angle lens offers 0.7x magnification. The fisheye lens covers 200 degrees and creates that classic fisheye distortion. The 75mm Long Range Macro lens allows you to take macro shots from a distance, but can focus from 1.9 to 2.8 inches. There is also a 10x Traditional Macro lens, which can focus from 0.4 to 0.6 inches.

Though any of the above lenses can also be used for video, the LensUltra series also includes two cinematic lenses for dramatic video (or photo) content. The 1.33x anamorphic lens provides a 16:9 aspect ratio, while the 1.55x anamorphic lens results in a super-wide 2.76:1 aspect ratio. Anamorphic lenses squish more image data onto the sensor and require expansion later during the editing process.

To round things out, the ShiftCam LensUltra lineup also includes two lens filters. The variable neutral density filter assists in achieving slower shutter speeds even in bright conditions and the circular polarizing filter reduces reflections and improves vibrancy in bright sunlight. And there is even a filter adapter, which will allow you to use the filters without a lens.

ShiftCam case and Universal Lens Mount

As with existing ShiftCam lenses, they can connect to your phone in two ways. You can either use a ShiftCam case or the Universal Lens Mount. The LensUltra lenses are compatible with most phones with the universal mounting system. If you would prefer a case, it fits iPhone models from the 11 series to 14 series as well as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. The case also provides 6.5 feet of drop protection,, so it will protect your phone on top of allowing you to connect high-quality lenses.

ShiftCam LensUltra pricing & availability

LensUltra is currently on Kickstarter with the campaign running through June 17. The series is not available for outright purchase, yet, with the first shipments are set to arrive in July. But, if you contribute, you will have early access to the lenses. There are different configurations and pledge amounts possible, so you can choose how much you want to invest. The cheapest option that includes a reward is $119 or more and includes a single lens of your choice and either the case or universal mounting system. This option will save you 30 percent on the planned retail price of $169.98.

If you want to go all in, the Deluxe Full Kit requires a pledge of $849 or more. It includes tall seven lenses, two variable neutral density filters (two to five stops and six to nine stops), circular polarizing filter, the case or lens mount, ShiftCam ProGrip, ProLED Light Panel, ProMic Shotgun, and TravelPod Pro. This pledge will save you 51 percent on the planned $1,719.85 retail price.

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Samsung typically uses its flagship Galaxy S smartphone line to show off its latest and greatest mobile camera tech. Now, the company has introduced its new Galaxy S23 line of smartphones and the S23 Ultra comes packing its most advanced mobile camera system so far.

You’ll find a total of five different camera modules on the backside of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The main camera offers a familiar 23mm (equivalent) wide-angle perspective and an f/1.7 aperture. The sensor (called HP2) offers a total of 200 total megapixels, but you won’t always get huge 200-mp images. Pixel binning allows it to essentially combine 4×4 pixel squares into one larger capture area in order to improve details and low-light performance. You can capture full 200-mp photos, but each image checks in at more than 15 megabytes and they take longer to process than their lower-res counterparts.

Low-light gets brighter

In addition to the hardware improvements for low-light shooting, Samsung says it has enabled an AI-powered system specifically designed to identify and eliminate digital noise that typically comes from shooting in the dark. That kind of tool can sometimes get overzealous and start eating into detail or making things look unnatural, so I’m particularly interested in how it performs in the real world.

In addition to the main camera, the S23 comes toting a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, as well as two dedicated telephoto lenses, one with 3x optical zoom and another with 10x optical zoom and a slower fixed aperture. This is a fairly familiar overall camera offering by now, but Samsung says all the imaging hardware here is new for the S23 Ultra.

Expert Raw gets better

For photographers who would rather eschew some of the AI-powered and automated assistance, the Expert Raw functionality makes that possible. The raw photo mode only captures up to 50-megapixel images—you can’t squeeze the whole 200-megapixel resolution out of the sensor. That’s likely a good thing in terms of practicality when it comes to editing. Samsung has also now tapped Adobe Lightroom as the default raw editing software, which should make the whole raw capture and editing process feel more robust right out of the box.

Video improvements

From a video standpoint, you can still expect 8K video at 30 fps or the much more useful 4K at 60 fps. The zoom capabilities include up to 10x optical and 20x hybrid zoom when shooting motion. The Super Steady video mode raises the maximum resolution up to QHD from the paltry 1080p in the previous model. It works in both the standard and ultra-wide cameras. Plus, you can now zoom up to 6x with the image stabilization turned on. I’m very curious to see how effective that is.

Price and availability

We’ll be running a deeper dive into the camera performance in the coming weeks as we get a chance to test out Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone. Right now, the flagship model starts at $1,199. There are cheaper versions. The standard Galaxy S23 starts at $799 and the Galaxy S23+ starts at $999, but neither device offers the top-tier 200-megapixel camera found in the Ultra.

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‘Tis the season for product announcements, and right on queue, the new iPhones are here. As we’ve come to expect (with some exceptions), the press event came with some big news; the most notable for us is the camera specs. The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus camera updates are rather modest, though there are still some noteworthy changes. The main excitement is from the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which Apple CEO Tim Cook says is the “most innovative pro lineup yet.”

iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max camera

Apple has long been pushing the boundaries on phone photography, striving for better cameras and smarter computational photography. There have been years with lackluster changes, but we were glad to see that that is not the case this year, especially with the two Pro phones.

48-megapixel sensor

The biggest news from the event is the new 48-megapixel camera on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. That’s a massive jump from the previous 12-megapixel sensor found in the iPhone 13 Pro. But pixels aren’t everything, the new sensor is also 65% larger than its predecessor which should result in far superior light gathering capabilities. The main camera also gets Apple’s latest, second-gen optical image stabilization.

It utilizes a quad-pixel design and takes advantage of pixel binning—the process of grouping individual pixels together to act like larger ones—for better low-light performance. The binning process means that most photos will be a more standard 12-megapixels, but you can take advantage of the full 48-megapixel resolution with Apple’s ProRAW format.

Better low-light photos & new flash

Low-light performance was clearly an area of focus for Apple in these new phones. The phone utilizes Apple’s “Photonic Engine,” which leans on the powers of computational photography to provide better color and preserve details, even in minimal light.

Overall, Apple claims that low-light performance, compared to the previous generation, will be 2x better with the main camera, 3x better with the 13mm ultra-wide angle, and 2x better with the telephoto. They’ve also greatly improved “Night mode,” taking full advantage of the main camera’s increased light-gathering powers. 

Related: What is computational photography?

Also relevant to low-light situations is the new flash. It’s been redesigned with nine LEDs which change patterns based on the focal length you are using. It’s twice as bright as before and should enable you to get much more dramatic images with the built-in flash.

More zoom flexibility

There is also a new 2x zoom feature when shooting with the main camera. It uses a crop from the middle 12 megapixels of the quad-pixel sensor to give you a 48mm equivalent field of view. The new ultra-wide-angle camera also boasts improved macro abilities.

A better front-facing camera & 4k Cinematic mode

At the front of the phone is a new “TrueDepth” camera that provides autofocus for the first time. It utilizes a faster f/1.9 aperture for, you guessed it, better low-light performance. 

Video users also get some exciting features, including a new “Action mode” for smoother results while moving. And “Cinematic mode” is now available in 4K at 30 and 24 fps.

iPhone 14 & 14 Plus camera

The iPhone 14 and 14 plus have more modest camera updates, some of which are borrowed from the Pro versions. For example, the front-facing TrueDepth camera has been upgraded with an f/1.9 aperture and newly added autofocus. They also provide access to Action mode for smoother video and an improved “TrueTone” flash. Apple also included its Photonic Engine for improved mid and low-light performance, up to 2x on the ultra-wide camera, 2x on the TrueDepth camera, and 2.5x on the main camera.

In terms of updates only relevant to these phones, the main camera now has a larger f/1.5 aperture. It also has a new ultra-wide angle for more sweeping views. 

Additional updates

All four phones still utilize Apple’s Super Retina XDR display, but both are now brighter. The 14 and 14 Plus have 1200 nits of peak HDR brightness and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, while the Pro versions have up to 2000 nits, which is twice as bright as the iPhone 13 Pro. It will make viewing the screen in bright conditions much easier. They all use Apple’s “Ceramic Shield” front cover to protect against falls and bumps.

The Pro options get the new A16 Bionic chip, which Apple says is the fastest chip ever in a smartphone. It has a 1Hz refresh rate and an Always-On lock screen so that you can see widgets and notifications with a quick glance. This isn’t anything new for Android users but is new to Apple phones.

Pricing & availability

The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will be priced at $799, and $899, respectively, and are available for preorder starting September 9. The iPhone 14 will be available on September 16, while those wanting the 14 Plus will have to wait until October 7.

The iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999, and the Pro Plus at $1099. Preorders also begin September 9, with full availability on September 16.

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Just four months after launching, Snap (the company formerly known as Snapchat) has grounded its Pixy selfie drone. The diminutive $230 drone got middling reviews and suffered from low presales. Somewhat understandably, given the current economic climate, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told staff that future development was being halted as “part of broader reprioritization of company resources”.

Related: Pixy is a tiny, $230 selfie drone built for Snapchat

But the Pixy’s swift crash from grace got us all thinking here at PopPhoto about other products that were announced with great fanfare and then—just didn’t do much. Some are pure vaporware and never even launched, others were just colossal flops. These are some of our favorite defunct photo gadgets.

Light L16

The Light L16, announced in 2015, crammed 16 different smartphone cameras into one super-sized smartphone-sized package. It could take 52-megapixel images with a full-frame equivalent focal length of between 35mm and 150mm. Because every image was a composite of the 16 cameras, the resulting depth map made it possible to adjust the focus and depth-of-field in post. Light claimed the L16 offered DSLR-like image quality and great low light performance—though the reviews (when it finally launched in 2017) said otherwise, and considered some of the user experience “a chore”. 

Instead of working on a follow-up, Light took a huge $121 million funding round from SoftBank and established partnerships with mobile phone companies like Nokia. 

That didn’t work out either, and in 2020 the company abandoned consumer imaging to focus on the automotive industry. It was quietly acquired by John Deere earlier this year. Presumably, there is no plan to release a consumer camera. 

GoPro Karma Drone

For action camera company GoPro, the drone market must have seemed like a gimme. Plenty of drones were (and still are) using its Hero line of cameras to capture aerial footage, so why not cut out the middleman and release its own drone?

When the GoPro Karma launched in 2016 the reviews were fine. It wasn’t as feature-filled as DJI’s offerings, but the removable stabilizer grip was considered a clever touch. Then they started falling out of the sky. GoPro had to issue a recall and then re-released it a few months later. 

Understandably after that fiasco, consumers weren’t that interested in the Karma, and with sales also poor for the company’s other products, the company was restructured and scrapped its entire drone division in 2018. 

Lytro in general

Unlike many companies on this list, Lytro managed to launch two products that actually did what they claimed to. Unfortunately, the underlying light-field technology—while undeniably impressive—just didn’t really deliver in the real world. 

Lytro’s schtick was that its cameras took photographs at multiple depths. The resulting merged image could have the focus and depth-of-field edited in post. This genuinely worked with both 2012’s Lytro Light Field Camera and 2014’s Lytro Illum—but the user experience left a lot to be desired. 

Photographers, it seemed, preferred having a nice-to-use, high-resolution camera, even if it meant handling focusing and aperture themselves. 

Lytro pivoted to VR, flailed around a bit, and was then sold to Google in 2018—who promptly shut it down. 

Kodak’s “New” Super8 camera

In 2018, Kodak announced a brand new Super8 camera. Despite shooting film, it had a few digital touches like an LCD viewfinder and an SD card slot. It was due out later that year and we even got some test footage.

And then… nothing. 

So you can imagine how surprised we were when researching this article to find that, at least according to Kodak’s website, it’s still in development. Sure, it doesn’t look like it’s been updated since 2018, but there is a reservation form where you can sign up to purchase a camera—should they ever materialize. 

Nikon DL series 

In 2016, Nikon announced the DL series of 4K compact cameras designed to go head to head with Sony’s RX100 series. There would be three models with different zoom ranges: the DL 18-50, DL 24-85, and the DL 24-500. All were due to cost less than $1,000 and, at least from a spec perspective, looked like they could be a great option for street and travel photography. 

But then there were problems. An issue with the integrated image processing circuits caused a delay. And that delay turned into a full-blown cancellation in 2017 without even a single unit sold. 

(Nikon’s KeyMission foray into action cameras was equally misguided, but at least the cameras made it to market.)

What about you?

Have you got any favorite defunct photo gadgets? Think we missed a spectacular flop? Then let us know at info@popphoto.com.

The post 5 defunct photo gadgets that were supposed to ‘change everything’ appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Often, we escape into nature for solitude. It’s a chance to disconnect from a buzzing world and savor some silence. That will no longer be the case at one mountain, though. Tanzania recently established an internet connection on the “Roof of Africa,” Mount Kilimanjaro, which happens to be the continent’s highest peak. While the connectivity may improve safety, it also makes it a lot harder to resist snapping (and instantly sharing) photos. 

Related: Selfie-snapping photographer falls into Mount Vesuvius 

Joining Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro gets Wi-Fi 

“Today Up on Mount Kilimanjaro: I am hoisting high-speed internet communications (broadband) on the Roof of Africa. Tourists can now communicate worldwide from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro,” Nape Moses Nnauye, Minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology wrote on Twitter.

Government-owned Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) installed the broadband network at 12,200 feet, with the goal of installing internet at the summit (19,300 feet) by the end of 2022.

With that, the mountain joins Mount Everest, which has had 4G since 2013, and fiber-optic broadband since 2017. The internet access at Mount Kilimanjaro has two goals: safety and tourism. 

Tourism and safety are the principal goals of Mount Kilimanjaro Wi-Fi

NPR reports that over 35,000 people attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro each year, but around one-third will turn back due to altitude sickness and other factors. 

“Previously, it was a bit dangerous for visitors and porters who had to operate without internet,” Nnauye said.

However, Mount Kilimanjaro’s Wi-Fi is sparking a little tension between the needs of tourists and those of the locals. According to the Center for Global Development, less than 45% of Tanzania has cellphone reception or Internet access. Services are provided by international private companies who prioritize cities with high population density, at the expense of rural areas. NPR reports that corporations had previously refused 3G and 4G services to areas around the mountain due to low demand. 

While the priorities seem a tad out of order, tourism is central to the country’s economy, which may explain the officials’ thinking. The World Bank reports that “the economic system around tourism had grown in value over the years and in 2019 was the largest foreign exchange earner, the second largest contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the third largest contributor to employment.” 

Country-wide Wi-Fi is coming

Despite the qualms about the order of priorities, internet connectivity is coming to the entire country. The Tanzanian government is working to install high-speed broadband for all citizens in a project called the National ICT Broadband Backbone. TTC will operate the service. 

The measure aims to improve the country’s socio-economic and cultural development. Additionally, it will provide aid to the neighboring countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which will receive internet via international submarine fiber optic cables. 

The post Share that selfie: Mount Kilimanjaro now has Wi-Fi appeared first on Popular Photography.

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For such expensive devices, Samsung’s eye-catching Galaxy Z Fold phones have long lagged the field when it comes to their camera setup. That’s perhaps understandable, as the folding screen tech is both expensive and bulky, leaving less room and cost for decent cameras. It’s sad news for photographers, though, as it’s meant you have to choose between a huge screen or great cameras. But that’s about to change, to some degree, with the launch of the new flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 was also simultaneously-announced, but given its camera specification is much lower, we’ll just focus on the Fold4 in this article.

How does the Z Fold4 fit into Samsung’s lineup?

Related: The era of the ‘always-on’ smartphone camera is here

Let’s start off with the not-so-great news: The just-launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 still isn’t the equal of other flagships, with Samsung’s own Galaxy S22 Ultra among the phones that can still beat it in terms of specs, for far less money. But while it’s still not a top-tier setup, the Fold4 should still best everything else in Samsung’s current smartphone lineup.

What’s new since the Fold3?

The Fold4’s camera setup has been mostly rethought since the Fold3 and is effectively now on parity with the non-folding Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus. The main camera sensor has been upgraded from 12 to 50 megapixels, and its size increased such that Samsung says it can now gather 23% more light than before.

The previous 12-megapixel, 2x zoom telephoto camera has also been replaced by a 10-megapixel, 3x zoom camera. (Coupled with 10x digital zoom, this now allows a maximum of 30x zoom, up from 20x in the previous model.) Finally, there’s a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera that carries over from the Fold3.

All three main cameras retain the same apertures as before, with the main camera being the brightest at f/1.8, the ultra-wide in the middle at f/2.2, and the telephoto being an f/2.4 optic. The wide-angle and main cameras also retain the same pixel pitches and fields of view, with a 123˚ FOV and 1.12μm pixels for the ultra-wide and an 83-degree FOV with 1.8μm pixels for the main camera. The telephoto camera retains a 1.0μm pixel pitch, and Samsung has yet to publicly state an FOV range for the uprated zoom lens.

Loads of other tweaks, some of which will make imaging better too

Of course, even for the unchanged ultra-wide camera, there will likely be changes to Samsung’s image processing algorithms, and perhaps image quality improvements to be found. The company is also noting some UI improvements. Among software changes, Samsung is calling attention to both its “nightography” and portrait modes, which it says offer better low-light image quality. Samsung has also added video digital image stabilization and added support for recording videos at up to 8K resolution.

Of course, there are many other changes throughout, including a current-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor upgrade, which should make for a snappier performance across the board. There’s also an improved hinge, more durable displays, and a stronger frame. Samsung has further made numerous upgrades to the operating system itself, including a new taskbar that aims to make better use of the generous screen real-estate.

Where the S22 Ultra still bests the Fold4

So how does the S22 Ultra still better the Z Fold4? The biggest differences are that the S22 Ultra’s main camera has double the sensor resolution 108 megapixels vs. 50 megapixels), and the Fold4 lacks its 10-megapixel, 10x periscope zoom camera altogether. The newer phone replaces that with a non-zooming 10-megapixel selfie camera for use when folded, and there’s also a secondary four-megapixel selfie camera hidden under the screen when the phone is used unfolded. (This latter is now said to be harder to see through the screen itself.)

On the one hand, it’s not a great look that the company’s flagship folding phone *still* lags noticeably behind its flagship traditional smartphone. But at the same time, this is already a pretty bulky, hefty, and extremely expensive phone. Had Samsung shoehorned in the full camera setup from the S22 Ultra, it likely would’ve broken the psychologically important $2,000 barrier not just for its 1TB phone, but likely for the 512GB variant too, while making the phone even chunkier in the process.

This compromise means you’ll still get a pretty decent camera experience alongside the folding form factor. If you’re focused mostly on photography, though, the S22 Ultra will remain a much better option. And that fact is likely why Samsung isn’t doing that much to call attention to its new camera setup. As of right now, the company has uploaded eight promo videos for the Fold4 to its YouTube channel, but none even mentions the camera, instead focusing on changes to the screen, hinge design, and Android 12L operating system.

Price & availability

Available in the US market from August 26, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is priced to start from $1,799.99 for the base 256GB model. The 512GB model is ordinarily $1,919.99 but is currently discounted to the same price as the 256GB model for preorders, while you’ll pay $2,159.99 for the top-of-the-line one terabyte model.

Color options will include Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, or Burgundy. Burgundy models are available only in the lower two capacities, and these as well as the 1TB model will all be available only directly from Samsung.

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Meet the new Xiaomi 12S Ultra, a flagship smartphone co-developed with Leica. It pairs a brand-new and (by smartphone standards) absolutely huge, 50-megapixel, image-stabilized, one-inch sensor with a Leica Summicron 23mm f/1.9 ASPH main lens, alongside a duo of smaller-sensor ultra-wide and telephoto cameras.

Related: Best camera phones

Xiaomi debuts its Leica partnership & Sony collaboration

Xiaomi is clearly determined to capitalize on its newfound Leica partnership, which it was able to poach from one-time rival Huawei earlier this year. It’s equally adamant that this is more than just a branding exercise, referring to Leica as having “co-developed” all three rear-facing lenses and “co-engineered” the imaging profiles for a Leica-approved aesthetic. It further says it not only applies Leica’s “stringent optical quality testing standards,” but also uses its “world-class optical design capabilities.”

Related: 200MP Samsung sensor used for giant cat print

The new phone also debuts a tighter partnership between Xiaomi and the dominant sensor supplier Sony, which, as we’ve mentioned recently, controls 40% of the entire CMOS image sensor market. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has stated on the Chinese social networking site, Weibo that his company both helped Sony to define the basic specification and participated in the actual design process. He has also revealed that the two companies split the $15 million development cost equally in exchange for Xiaomi having first-out-of-the-gate rights in its home market.

What Xiaomi doesn’t have, however, is a global exclusive. It turns out that the Sony IMX989 sensor featured in the 12S Ultra is the same chip that’s already available in the Japanese-market Sharp Aquos R7, which went on sale just this month. Admittedly, though, the Sharp isn’t using quite the entire sensor area, but rather pixel-binning the centermost 47.2 megapixels. (Pixel binning is the process of grouping pixels together during image capture.) Still, that should be near-indistinguishable from the full 50 megapixels in real-world use.

The main camera is the really big news, pun intended

The main camera’s one-inch sensor is the big news here, and it’s considerably larger than the sensors found in most other flagship smartphones. Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 1/1.65-inch main camera sensor, the 12S Ultra’s is roughly 2.5x the surface area, which should result in some noticeable image quality advantages. (The initial samples, below, are pretty darn impressive).

The sensor makes use of a Quad-Bayer pixel array, which bins information from four adjacent pixels to reduce noise, increase dynamic range, and improve lowlight performance. It also sports on-sensor phase detect autofocus, which works in tandem with the camera’s laser AF.

According to Xiaomi, the main camera has an eight-element lens, and while it doesn’t provide counts for individual types, these include both aspheric elements and elements which have been edge-blackened to prevent stray light. Anti-glare and hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings are also used, and there’s a spin-coated infrared cut filter too.

More on the smaller sensor wide and tele cameras

As well as the aforementioned 50-megapixel, 1-inch IMX989 camera, the Xiaomi also has two 48-megapixel cameras, each of which sits in front of a 1/2-inch Sony IMX586 sensor. These sensors are just a smidgen over a quarter of the surface area of the main camera’s sensor. And unlike the main camera’s phase detect AF, these cameras use Dual Pixel AF.

Both lenses are also Leica Summicron ASPH-branded, with the ultra-wide optic being a 13mm f/2.2 macro lens and the telephoto camera being a periscopic 120mm f/4.1. The latter has optical image stabilization, which should be helpful when shooting both stills and video. The front-facing camera offers 32-megapixels of resolution.

This isn’t a camera bump, it’s a camera dinner plate!

If all of this has your curiosity piqued, now is the time to temper your expectations just a little, aesthetically at least. Nearly the entire top third of the phone’s rear surface is dominated by an absolutely colossal, dual-level camera bump.

The lower of these two levels is rectangular and occupies almost the full width of the phone. Atop it, a circular panel protrudes wedding cake-style, almost its entire surface clad in glass to give the appearance of a “lens.” In fact, it’s housing for no less than three full camera/lens combos, as well as what we’re presuming is a twin-LED flash strobe.

The Leica partnership extends to software, too

As well as its work on the lens front, Leica is said to have participated in creating the tone curves and profiles necessary to deliver a “look” representative of the company’s own aesthetic.

The “Leica Authentic” profile is appearing in a smartphone for the first time and is said to yield a natural look with contrast in shadows and highlights, plus “a good sense of three-dimensionality.” The “Leica Vibrant” profile, meanwhile, seeks a middle ground between Leica’s favored aesthetic and that of Xiaomi’s. You can see examples of both of those looks below.

Other noteworthy features of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra include a 1500-nit, 120hz, 6.73-inch 2K display with DCI-P3 gamut, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor with heat pump cooling, 10-bit DNG raw capture, 30 fps burst capture, 24fps 8K video capture, 4K Dolby Vision HDR recording and playback, 120 to 3,840 fps slow-mo, 67W wired/50W wireless charging, and IP68 weather sealing.

Price and availability

Available from July 12th, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is being sold in three versions. The base version has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage for around 5999 yuan (US$900), while the intermediate model boosts the RAM to 12GB for 6499 yuan (US$970). Finally, the hero version is also equipped with 12GB RAM but doubles the storage to 512GB for 6999 yuan (US$1050). Plans for sale outside of China have not yet been revealed.

Xiaomi 12S Ultra sample images

Xiaomi has provided the following sample images showing the new 12S Ultra in use.

The post The new Xiaomi x Leica smartphone has the world’s largest camera sensor appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Meet the new Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2, a portable printer that users can pair with their smartphone to turn any image in their camera roll into an Instax Mini print. The second-generation printer offers a number of fun new features including customizable frames, color modes (filters), INSTAXAiR (which lets users “draw” on prints “in the air”), and a mode that even lets you use their smartphones like an Instax camera. 

Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2 key features

The new INSTAXAiR feature allows users to add custom graphics to images by pressing the feature button on top of the printer and pointing the LED light at their smartphone screen. Doing so will allow you to draw on the print, or add effects including bubbles, petals, or glitter to an image. (You can watch a demonstration of the feature in the video above.) Users can also record videos of their unique drawings, which will be saved through printable QR codes. 

The Instax Mini Link 2 also contains a number of pre-designed frames that can be overlaid on images—you can add stickers to an image too. Images can be printed in Instax-Rich Mode for enhanced colors or Instax-Natural Mode for standard-looking tones. Users can also adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation before printing their images. Images transfer from the smartphone to the Mini Link 2 printer in approximately 15 seconds. It supports continuous printing and is capable of printing about 100 INSTAX prints per charge—the unit charges via micro-USB.  

The Instax Mini Link 2 is also compatible with the Fujifilm X-S10 mirrorless camera— no word yet on whether other X-mount camera models will be supported in the future.

First Impressions

We had a chance to check out the new Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2 prior to launch and were impressed by what this little smartphone printer has to offer. 

Inside the app, there are three different print modes: Simple Print, Video Print, and Instax Camera. Simple Print lets you choose any frame from your camera roll and turn it into Instax Mini print. Video Print lets you print out any moment from a video, live photo, or Boomerang.

Instax Camera mode turns your smartphone’s camera into an “Instax camera” and lets you compose images to fit the Instax format. When in this mode, the printer can be used to zoom in and out and the printer’s power button can be used to fire the shutter. While this is certainly cute, we think that it’s probably more realistic that people will use the Instax Mini Link 2 mainly to print frames off of their camera rolls (i.e. it’s awkward to use). We are, however fond of the ability to print stills from videos. 

The customizable stickers and ability to draw on your prints with the INSTAXAiR feature add a level of interactivity to the process of making Instax prints that’s similar to the filters found in TikTok or Instagram Stories. That said, some aspects of this feature seem more useful than others.

Price & availability

We’ve long been fans of Instax products and the new Mini Link 2 Printer doesn’t disappoint. Ultimately, we think it’s an excellent tool for turning favorite images—the ones lurking in your phone’s camera roll—into tangible prints to be shared with your loved ones. 

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2 will be available on June 22, 2022, in Soft Pink, Clay White, and Space Blue for $99.95.

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After a decade of attempts, the European Union has agreed to implement new regulations that aim to simplify the way you charge all electronics. The upcoming law mandates the use of USB-C chargers for smartphones, cameras, and more. And though it carries no weight outside of Europe, it’s likely that its impact will still be felt globally.

Despite protests from the likes of Apple, which stands to lose lucrative revenue from the licensing of its rival Lightning connector, the new regulations are set to go into effect starting in the fall of 2024. The law covers most small- to medium-sized portable electronics and is composed of three main parts.

The new law has three main requirements

The first part of the new regulations mandates that USB-C connectors be used for all mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld game consoles, and portable speakers that are capable of charging via cable. Laptops will also be part of the law but are given a longer grace period for designs to be adapted.

The second part, meanwhile, requires that manufacturers support the USB Power Delivery protocol such that charging speeds are harmonized regardless of brand. Manufacturers would also be expected to provide clear information about their charging power requirements or capabilities on their product packaging.

The final section of the new law requires that all manufacturers offer product bundles that allow customers to forego the charger entirely. At the manufacturer’s discretion, bundles including the charger are still allowed, but only if a charger-free version is also provided.

There’s no mandate for a version with a bundled charger to be included, however. That being the case, most manufacturers will likely just stop including chargers in Europe, rather than complicating things by selling multiple variants of the same product.

Great news for consumers and the environment alike

While the news is likely being greeted with much gnashing of teeth at Apple, in particular, it’s a pretty clear win for the European public. Despite the company’s protestations that the mandate will stifle innovation in the oh-so-innovative cable and connector market, the reality is that the physical design of Apple’s own connector was laid down a decade ago.

One could make an argument for more notable innovation in Apple’s MagSafe connector, but variants of MagSafe have been on the market for more than 15 years and the idea predates Apple’s usage by years more. Clearly, there’s not a lot of actual innovation in this area and those few innovations can continue apace so long as compatibility between competing products is retained.

By standardizing USB-C/USB-PD design and requiring charger-free bundles, Europeans will no longer be faced with an ever-growing pile of incompatible USB chargers and cables that accompany each new gadget purchase. With customers able to use the same chargers and cables for all of their electronics, European landfills will less rapidly fill up with unwanted and discarded chargers and cables.

Existing products can continue to be sold unchanged

As noted, the law is expected to take effect for most products starting in the fall of 2024. Laptops are the only product being given a longer grace period, but these too will be expected to use USB-C chargers within 40 months of the other product categories. That should, in turn, put implementation of the requirement for laptops somewhere around the start of 2028.

Products that are already on sale will be grandfathered in and can continue to be sold. That wouldn’t apply to minor refreshes like the recently-launched Ricoh WG-80, though. Such refreshes would now also need to update the connectivity to comply with the new law. That could in turn have knock-on effects on other areas of the design, perhaps even requiring changes to the processing pipeline. (Cameras often rely on system-on-chip processors which have features like their USB support baked-in.)

If the scope of that change becomes too large, it could push the cost of the redesign too high to be worthwhile, resulting in older, lower-margin products like point-and-shoots being withdrawn without a replacement.

Markets outside of Europe are likely to be affected too

While it is entirely specific to the European market, it’s also likely the new law’s effects will be felt in other markets around the world. If manufacturers chose to treat other markets separately from Europe, that would increase their own development and manufacturing costs, after all.

In the interests of keeping their own costs to a minimum, we’d expect to see manufacturers standardizing USB-C globally once the law takes effect. Of course, product bundles already vary by market so it’s possible we could still see charger-only bundles outside of Europe, but that change will likely also become global over time.

Wireless charging could be the next battlefield

Although the law has yet to be formally approved, it seems that’s largely a ceremonial step. With the ball now set in motion, it’s unlikely to be overturned by manufacturers this late in the game. Already, the European Union has laid down tentative battle lines for the next stage in the war on waste.

While this iteration of the regulation covers only wired charging, allowances have been made for it to be revisited in the future. Two reasons for this are provided: To allow for developments on the wired charging front and also to initiate similar compatibility and sustainability requirements for wireless charging.

We can only hope that, too, comes to fruition. Wouldn’t it be great if all our products, wired or wireless, needed only a couple of chargers between them?

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