There was a time when I believed being prepared for landscape photography meant carrying as much gear as possible. 

If I was heading out for a sunrise shoot, I packed for every scenario I could imagine: multiple lenses, several filters, spare accessories, extra batteries, cleaning kits, backup bodies, heavy tripods, and anything else that might possibly become useful. I convinced myself it made sense because I did not want to miss an opportunity simply because I had left something behind.

In reality, all I was doing was making photography harder than it needed to be.

[Read More]

Almost twenty five years ago, a few days after 9/11, I went to a restaurant serving food from Afghanistan. At the time, I still lived in Boston, from which two of the planes had departed that were used in the terrorist attacks. For a while, it was not clear whether Boston itself would be a target, so local employers sent people home.

All air traffic had been suspended, meaning that for the first time I saw the crisp blue sky over the city without any trails left by departing planes. Instead, there was a single fighter jet circling over the city: You could tell that something had broken, even if at the time it was impossible to tell what would emerge next.

It quickly became clear that the response to the attack would be very violent. Afghanistan, which served as the base of the terrorist group behind 911, was going to be the target. The question was not whether there would be violence but how much. Even as the window of critical discourse was closing very rapidly, it was clear to many people that Afghanistan, a country that nobody knew much (if anything) about, would get attacked.

That restaurant I went to was filled with people, and I remember it being very quiet, very somber. It was obvious that everybody had come for the same reason, the kind of helpless attempt to show solidarity with a people who had now become the symbol for something they were not actually responsible for.

And things would get a lot worse as what ended up being termed The Global War on Terrorism (as if abstract concepts were entities you could attack) started to consume the country.

Whatever you want to say about contemporary photography and its many faults, you will have to admit that the books made by photographers about the war and its consequences created powerful records of a time and place that now feels far removed already.

The reality is that there is only so much photographic books can do, given that, well, their audience forms a small niche. But the books made by Peter van Agtmael or Ben Brody clearly delineated how the United States engaged in a circle of violence that would destroy some of its own civic fabric and reduce vast parts of Aghanistan (and Iraq) to ruins.

What these books did not do, though — and just to be very clear, this is an observation and not a form of negative criticism — is to look at Afghanistan (which ended up only the first major battleground in George W. Bush’s ill-fated wars) as more than the stage on which the United States staged its drama.

What about the country itself — Afghanistan? Joël van Houdt‘s new book Afghanistanism attempts to get closer to an answer to that question. An independent photojournalist, Van Houdt photographed the country for 12 years (for five years, he was stationed there), and the book is a distillation of his efforts.

There is much that can be said about photojournalism, and this is not necessarily the forum to do that. With its crooked horizon lines and its endless close-up depictions of yelling and/or crying people (depending on context mostly people who inevitably will be perceived as vaguely threatening for a Western audience) photojournalism keeps churning out a steady stream of visual clichés; and yet I personally still believe that it has value, in particular in the hands of practitioners like Van Houdt who attempt to avoid rehashing the same tiresome conventions in every picture.

“I was interested,” Van Houdt writes in his Postscript, “in documenting the consequences of some of the richest countries, including my own of the Netherlands, invading one of the poorest. […] Most of the photographs in the book were taken when I was not on assignment but during the thousands of hours I spent walking with no specific goal or direction in mind.”

In the Postscript, the photographer is upfront about the challenges faced by anyone doing such work. “I mostly stuck to walking in areas I deemed relatively safe,” he writes, “where I felt welcome.” And he acknowledges the difficulty of possibly getting access to the lives of women, given the complexity of the circumstances.

I personally believe that this it the right approach for a topic such as this one: There is considerable insight to be gained from it despite its limitations. A viewer looking at photographs will always have to be aware of their makers’ limitations. All photographs are the decisions of any number of decisions, which include something — and exclude a whole lot more.

When looking through the book, I was struck by the breadth of its vision. While I do look at a lot of photographs, I cannot be considered an expert on Afghanistan and how it has been depicted. Still, I find it difficult to ignore what comes across as a genuine curiosity on the photographer’s part to pierce through the veil created in part by the cliché conventions of his field.

In the end, Afghanistanism succeeds in embedding what is familiar for a Western audience with a lot more that is not (“embedding” a as word choice might seem unfortunate here, but I will stick with it).

The book comes with a large number of quotes about foreigners waging war in Afghanistan and describing what they encountered and/or thought. I’m slightly torn about the inclusion of these quotes in part because I think that the work itself (by which I mean the photographs) does not actually need it.

Of course, it is good to understand the degree with which the country has been a stage for war (and I suppose that there actually are plenty of people who don’t know this). But I do think that even without the quotes, it would become very clear to a viewer to what extent the richness of Afghanistan has been trampled on by outsiders bringing their wars there (for whatever reasons).

The book is the kind of wonderful production one by now can expect to emerge from the Netherlands, which definitely helps to communicate the photographer’s goals.

And it is now being released into a world that seems to have changed much, even if in actuality only four short years have passed since Van Houdt last went to Afghanistan. The Taliban are back in power, and countries such as Germany (one of the rich nations that sent its soldiers there) are now working with them to deport unwanted refugees (I am not making this up: “German Interior Ministry officials travelled to Afghanistan in 2025 to discuss the practicalities of deportation,” notes this article).

If anything, Afghanistanism serves as a reminder that that busy stage used for the Global War on Terror was and still is actually inhabited by ordinary people whose hopes, dreams, and aspirations are just as human as everybody else’s (their governments’ efforts notwithstanding). The often poignant photographs in the book drive this point home in a fashion that’s almost too hard to bear.

Recommended.

Afghanistanism; photographs and text by Joël van Houdt; 276 pages; self-published; 2026

If you enjoyed this article, please consider subscribing to my Patreon. There, you will find exclusive articles, videos, and audio guides about the world of the photobook and more. For those curious, there now is the possibility of a trial membership for seven days.

Much like journalism, photography criticism involves a huge investment of time and resources. When you become a subscriber, you not only get access to more of my work. You will also help me produce it (including the free content on this site).

There also is a Mailing List, which I use to send out supplementary materials — anything that has me inspired or that somehow seemed worth noting. Some of it is serious, some is not. You can sign up for free here.

Thank you for your support!

Have you ever looked at a photo and wondered, “What’s with all the green and pink colors around high-contrast edges?” That’s longitudinal, or axial, chromatic aberration. LoCA. It’s common, very difficult to prevent optically and nearly as hard to remove during post-processing.

[Read More]

Welcome back to our Question of the Week series! This reader-focused series aims to get our photographic community to share thoughts on all sorts of photography-related topics in our forums. We pose questions about gear, favorite camera stores, advice, problem-solving and more, and you share your thoughts and opinions.

This week, we’re leaning into the holiday spirit! The season of giving (and occasionally re-gifting) is upon us, and that means it’s time to unwrap some memories – both heartwarming and hilarious.

What are the best (and worst) photography-related gifts you’ve received?

What’s the best photography-related gift you’ve ever received? Maybe it was a dream lens that caused you to take on an adventure deep in the mountains, or a handmade camera strap that’s now an essential part of your kit. And what about the worst? Perhaps someone thought you needed yet another “World’s Best Photographer” mug, or that odd lens filter set that turned every photo a shade of green.

In this edition of our Question of the Week series, we want to hear your gift stories: the memorable, the useful and the truly baffling. Share your favorites (and flops) in the forum link below. Photos of the gifts (or what you created with them) are also more than welcome! We’ll highlight some of your most entertaining and heartfelt responses in next week’s roundup.

Click here to answer the Question of the week

The sequence of events is unusually fast, even by the standards of a feud that has been building for over a year. Insta360 launched the Luna Ultra in the US on June 10, 2026, its first true handheld gimbal camera and a direct challenge to DJI’s long-dominant Osmo Pocket line. On the same day, DJI filed two patent infringement lawsuits in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, targeting both the Luna Ultra and the upcoming Luna Pro, and seeking a permanent injunction that would bar the cameras from the US market entirely. On June 12, Insta360 hit back with two countersuits.

What Insta360 is claiming

Insta360’s countersuits assert five utility patents covering technology used in gimbal and 360-degree cameras. The company says DJI infringed patents relating to gimbal stabilization, gimbal directional control, camera smooth stabilization, telemetry overlay, and panoramic video stabilization. According to Insta360, these technologies are incorporated into several major DJI products, including the Osmo Pocket series, the Ronin and RS gimbal series, the Osmo Mobile series, and the Osmo 360.

That last product is worth flagging. The Osmo 360 was DJI’s first entry into the panoramic camera segment, a category Insta360 has historically dominated, so seeing it named in a stabilization and panoramic-video patent claim is pointed. Insta360 frames the move as a defense of its core business rather than an opportunistic strike.

“At Insta360, we prefer to let our products do the talking. But we are not afraid of a legal battle when challenged,” said JK Liu, Founder of Insta360. “We are fully committed to protecting our innovations and will take decisive action to defend our intellectual property from infringement.”

DJI’s launch-day move

DJI’s two lawsuits, also filed in the Eastern District of Texas, target the Luna Pro and Luna Ultra directly. In its filings, DJI argues that the Luna line consists of handheld gimbal cameras with integrated optics built on the same product architecture it pioneered with the Osmo Pocket, and that Insta360 markets the cameras expressly as competitors to that line. The company points to specific design elements it claims as patented, including the long handheld body, the rotating display, the control area with a scroll wheel, and the gimbal arm connection, language that closely echoes the Osmo Pocket 3.

DJI is seeking a permanent injunction, damages described as no less than a reasonable royalty, profit disgorgement, and enhanced damages for what it characterizes as willful infringement, in both cases. The timing suggests DJI had been preparing its complaints since at least the 2026 NAB Show, where Insta360 publicly demonstrated the Luna cameras, and was waiting for the products to go on sale in the US before filing.

Why the US market is the real battleground

The stakes here are sharpened by a fact we covered in our Luna Ultra launch coverage: DJI’s new pocket cameras, including the upcoming dual-lens Osmo Pocket 4P (not formerly released yet) that the Luna Ultra is really squaring off against, are not sold in the United States. That gives Insta360 a clear run at one of the most important markets in the world while DJI’s own competing hardware remains in limbo, available only through grey imports. A US injunction against the Luna line would neutralize that advantage at a stroke, which helps explain both the aggression of DJI’s filing and the speed of Insta360’s response.

Insta360 categorically rejects DJI’s infringement claims, emphasizing what it calls the Luna Ultra’s unique engineering footprint. The company says development of the camera began in 2020, predating any reactive response to the Osmo Pocket, with earlier products including the ONE R, the Link Series webcams, and the Flow Series gimbals helping shape its technology and design direction.

“Luna Ultra is the result of years of independent R&D, not a response to any competitor’s product,” Liu added. “DJI filing lawsuits on the same day we launched Luna Ultra speaks volumes, exposing their fear of competition from a highly competitive product.”

A rivalry that keeps escalating

This is not the first courtroom clash between the two companies in 2026. As we reported in March, DJI sued Insta360 in China over six patents covering drone flight control, structural design, and image processing, alleging the technology had been developed by former DJI employees. That action surfaced just days before DJI launched the Avata 360, its first 360-degree FPV drone, into a niche pioneered by Insta360’s Antigravity A1. The competitive dynamic has intensified across every category both companies touch: DJI entered the 360-degree market with the Osmo 360 against Insta360’s X5, then released the Osmo Nano against the Insta360 GO Ultra, while Insta360 pushed into drones with Antigravity. We unpacked the broader stakes of the dispute on Focus Check ep110.

Patent litigation has become a structural feature of this corner of the market. Earlier this year, GoPro lost its patent case against Insta360 at the ITC, with the exclusion order applying only to older, discontinued Ace series models while Insta360’s current lineup remained on sale. The pattern suggests that for all the legal noise, US courts have so far been reluctant to pull popular cameras off the shelves, which may temper expectations around DJI’s injunction request.

Early sales and what happens next

Insta360 reports that initial consumer response to the Luna Ultra has been strong, with significant demand in North America and a ranking as the top seller in Amazon’s US camcorder category over its first 24 hours of availability. The company says it remains committed to defending its IP portfolio while ensuring continued product availability for creators worldwide.

For working filmmakers, the immediate practical impact is limited. The Luna Ultra remains on sale in the US, and a permanent injunction, if it ever lands, would come only after a lengthy legal process. The more consequential question is strategic: whether Insta360’s counterclaims, several of which touch DJI’s flagship Ronin and Osmo Mobile lines, give it enough leverage to push the whole conflict toward a cross-licensing settlement rather than a courtroom verdict. That is the outcome that has historically ended disputes like this one, and it would let both companies get back to competing on product rather than legal strategy. We will continue to follow the cases as they develop.

With both companies now suing each other in the same Texas court, this has become a genuine patent standoff. Do you see it ending in a US sales ban, a cross-licensing deal, or something else? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!

The competing lawsuits represent the latest chapter in an increasingly intense rivalry as DJI and Insta360 continue expanding into each other’s core markets.

DJI Alleges Luna Ultra Copies the Osmo Pocket

DJI was first to take legal action, filing two separate lawsuits against Arashi Vision Inc., the company behind Insta360.

The first lawsuit alleges infringement of two DJI design patents. According to DJI, the recently launched Insta360 Luna Pro and Luna Ultra closely resemble the design and functionality of the company’s Osmo Pocket series cameras.

“The Luna line comprises at least two products: the Insta360 Luna Pro and the Insta360 Luna Ultra,” DJI states in its complaint. “According to Insta360’s own promotional materials, product teasers, and demonstrations at the 2026 NAB Show, the Accused Products are handheld gimbal cameras with integrated optics—the same product architecture pioneered by the DJI Osmo Pocket—and Insta360 markets them expressly as competitors to DJI’s Osmo Pocket line.”

DJI claims that several key design elements are protected by its patents, including the elongated handheld body, gimbal-mounted camera system, rotating display, control layout, and accessory interfaces.

DJI sued Insta360 on Luna Ultra’s launch day to ban it from the U.S. market.

The camera still hit #1 on Amazon in 24 hours.

Now Insta360 is countersuing with 5 patents.

(1/2) pic.twitter.com/QTyY7Srt4n

— DJI Rumors (@djirumor) June 12, 2026

Four Additional Utility Patent Claims

DJI’s second lawsuit targets what it describes as four utility patent violations.

The company alleges that Insta360 infringed patents covering:

• Gimbal mode switching between follow and lock modes
• Integrated subject tracking with on-device monitoring
• Gimbal control systems driven by image-based tracking
• Self-contained subject tracking and display technologies

“Insta360’s new Luna line of gimbal cameras, including but not limited to the Luna Ultra, supporting accessories, and the Insta360 mobile application, blatantly copy DJI’s patented inventions wholesale,” DJI alleges.

Both lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

DJI is seeking a permanent injunction, monetary damages, royalty payments, disgorgement of profits, and enhanced damages for what it describes as willful infringement.

Insta360 Responds With Its Own Lawsuits

Insta360 quickly responded by filing two patent infringement lawsuits of its own against DJI.

The company alleges that DJI products, including the Osmo Pocket series, Ronin and RS gimbals, Osmo Mobile lineup, and Osmo 360 camera, infringe upon five Insta360 utility patents.

According to Insta360, the patents cover technologies related to:

• Gimbal stabilization systems
• Directional gimbal control
• Electronic image stabilization
• Telemetry overlays
• Panoramic video stabilization

“At Insta360, we prefer to let our products do the talking. But we are not afraid of a legal battle when challenged,” said Insta360 founder JK Liu. “We are fully committed to protecting our innovations and will take decisive action to defend our intellectual property from infringement.”

Insta360 Says Timing Is No Coincidence

The company made it clear that its legal action is a direct response to DJI’s lawsuits.

Insta360 argues that DJI’s filings were timed specifically to disrupt the launch of the Luna Ultra, which was officially unveiled this week after months of teasers and speculation.

According to Insta360, DJI’s lawsuits seek an injunction that could potentially block the Luna Ultra from being sold in the United States.

“Luna Ultra is the result of years of independent R&D, not a response to any competitor’s product,” Liu said. “Development began in 2020, with earlier Insta360 products including the ONE R, Link Series webcams, and Flow Series gimbals helping shape the technology and design direction behind Luna Ultra.”

“DJI filing lawsuits on the same day we launched Luna Ultra speaks volumes — exposing their fear of competition from a highly competitive product.”

A Rivalry That Has Been Building for Years

This is not the first legal dispute between the two companies.

DJI previously filed patent infringement claims against Insta360 in China related to 360-degree drone technology. Those lawsuits surfaced shortly before the launch of DJI’s Avata 360, which directly competed with the Antigravity A1, a 360-degree drone developed by an Insta360 subsidiary.

The legal battle reflects a broader competitive shift within the imaging industry.

For years, DJI dominated the drone and gimbal camera markets, while Insta360 established itself as the leading brand in the consumer 360-camera segment. Recently, however, both companies have expanded aggressively into each other’s territories.

Insta360 has moved into drones and gimbal cameras, while DJI has entered the 360-camera market with products aimed directly at Insta360’s core audience.

Another Major Patent Fight for Insta360

The latest dispute comes only months after Insta360 secured a significant legal victory against GoPro.

In February, the U.S. International Trade Commission rejected GoPro’s patent infringement claims against Insta360, allowing the company to continue selling its products without restriction.

Whether the DJI and Insta360 lawsuits ultimately result in settlements, licensing agreements, or courtroom battles remains to be seen. What is clear is that competition between the two companies has reached a new level as both fight for dominance across multiple imaging categories.

The post DJI and Insta360 Exchange Patent Lawsuits Over New Luna Ultra Camera appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Smartglasses are gradually emerging as a new category of connected imaging devices. While the market is still in its early stages, manufacturers are already exploring new ways to integrate photo and video capture into lightweight wearable products designed for everyday use.

Unlike smartphones, smartglasses without integrated displays do not allow user to preview or assess the framing or image quality in real time while capturing content. This lack of immediate visual feedback can lead to framing inaccuracies, exposure inconsistencies, and other perceptual shortcomings that directly affect the user experience.

At DXOMARK, drawing on more than 20 years of expertise in image quality evaluation and anticipating emerging imaging for image capture, we are beginning to assess smartglasses devices. In this article, we explore the various challenges this new product category must overcome to become a true alternative to smartphones.

Why smartglasses are different from smartphones

Although smartphones and smart glasses can both capture photos and videos, the technical realities behind these devices are fundamentally different.

Smartphones benefit from larger camera modules, more advanced stabilization systems, and highly optimized image processing pipelines. Smart glasses, by contrast, must integrate miniature imaging systems into lightweight frames (ideally below 50g) that remain comfortable enough for extended wear. These constraints directly impact image quality performance, especially in dynamic real-world conditions.

The capture experience itself also changes significantly. Smart glasses record content from a first-person perspective and are often used spontaneously while walking or moving. As a result, head motion becomes directly visible in the recorded footage, creating new challenges for stabilization, exposure adaptation, shutter management, and overall viewing experience.

Unlike smartphones, smartglasses without integrated displays do not allow user to preview or assess the framing or image quality in real time while capturing content. This lack of immediate visual feedback can lead to framing inaccuracies, exposure inconsistencies, and other perceptual shortcomings that directly affect the user experience.

Another major challenge lies in the field of view. Because smartglasses capture scenes from the wearer’s natural point of view, users would most likely expect the recorded image to closely match what they see with their own eyes. Achieving this requires a sufficiently wide field of view, but increasing the viewing angle introduces optical compromises such as flare, distortion, reduced sharpness at the edges and greater stabilization complexity. Balancing immersion, image quality and device compactness therefore becomes a critical aspect of smartglasses camera design.

First observations from our initial evaluations

At DXOMARK, we have recently conducted an initial series of evaluations on smartglasses camera systems. These early tests revealed encouraging progress, but also highlighted several recurring image quality limitations, particularly in real-world usage conditions where motion, lighting changes, and first-person perspective all interact simultaneously.

A strong existing gap vs. smartphones

One of the primary ambitions of smartglasses is to offer a credible alternative to smartphone cameras for everyday capture. While progress is clearly visible, our first observations show that a substantial gap still remains between the two product categories, especially in video performance.

In favorable lighting conditions, such as outdoor scenes with stable illumination and limited dynamic range, the best smartglasses can already approach the image quality of premium smartphone ultra-wide cameras. However, the differences become more apparent in challenging situations.

Apart from favorable outdoor conditions, smartglasses still face significant challenges. High-contrast scenes, indoor environments, and low-light situations remain particularly difficult due to the smaller sensor formats typically used in wearable devices, which limit light capture capabilities. Combined with more constrained processing resources, this often results in higher noise levels, reduced detail preservation, and lower overall image quality compared to modern smartphones.

Video is particularly challenging because natural head motion introduces complex stabilization constraints. Maintaining smooth footage, controlled motion blur, and stable exposure simultaneously remains difficult for most devices.

Our evaluations also revealed strong disparities between brands. More established players already demonstrate better tuning and overall consistency, while newer entrants still face noticeable challenges in exposure, color rendering, stabilization, and low-light performance.

Skin Tone rendering and face reproduction

One of the most visible challenges concerns how faces are rendered in uncontrolled lighting environments.

In these scenarios, skin tones can appear inconsistent or less natural than expected, especially when moving between different lighting environments such as indoor mixed lighting, shaded outdoor areas, or backlit scenes. Small changes in angle or illumination can strongly impact color rendering, leading to perceptual shifts in facial appearance.

We tested several smart glasses and compared them with a smartphone. An example comparison is shown below.

Smartglasses #1

Smartglasses #2

Smartglasses #3

Exposure stability and highlights preservation

A second key challenge relates to exposure behavior in high-contrast scenes.

Smart glasses operate in fully dynamic environments where lighting conditions can change abruptly as the user moves. This often leads to loss of highlight detail in bright outdoor areas, face exposure variations depending on background brightness, and visible exposure adjustments during movement. The most sensitive situations are typically backlit scenes, where the camera must balance environmental brightness and correct exposure of the face or main subject.

Optical Flare and Stray Light Sensitivity

We also observed noticeable flare artifacts in certain optical conditions. When strong light sources enter the lens at specific angles, some smart glasses devices exhibit visible flare patterns or internal reflections. These can reduce contrast or introduce unwanted bright artifacts.

Smartglasses cameras often combine ultra-wide fields of view with largely uncontrolled first-person capture scenarios. As a result, bright light sources may be present within the frame or in peripheral regions of the optical path, increasing sensitivity to flare, ghosting, and stray light artifacts compared with traditional smartphone use cases.

Smartglasses #1

Smartglasses #2

Building Evaluation Methodologies for Wearable Cameras

At DXOMARK, we are developing dedicated evaluation methodologies to better characterize real-world smartglasses performance across a wide range of image-quality attributes. Combining controlled laboratory measurements with perceptual evaluations in natural scenes, our approach is designed to cover diverse lighting conditions and real-life use cases representative of everyday wearable capture.

Stay tuned on dxomark.com for upcoming smartglasses evaluations and benchmark results.

The post Smartglasses : a new product category delivering on its image quality promises? appeared first on DXOMARK.

The post The Swamp Will Change You: A Conversation with Mac Stone appeared first on Luminous Landscape.

[…]

The post The SoulNote D1 MKII DAC IS a Giant Killer. first appeared on Steve Huff Hi-Fi and Photo.

The Sony a7R VI is a high res, high speed full-frame mirrorless camera, built around a 66.8MP Stacked CMOS sensor, able to shoot at up to 30 frames per second.

Key specifications

• 66.8MP Stacked CMOS sensor
• Up to 30fps shooting with e-shutter, 10fps mechanical
• Adjustable pre-capture and Speed Boost options for action shooting
• Up to 8K/30 video with 1.2x crop
• Up to 4K/120p video
• 9.44M dot HDR-capable viewfinder
• Improved stabilization rated 8.5EV correction at the center, 7.0 at the edges
• New, higher capacity ‘SA’ battery
• Wi-Fi 6E

The a7R VI will be available in June, and will retail for $4499, a $600 increase from the a7R V’s launch price, which has since risen to $4199.

Index:

• What’s new
• Body & handling
• How it compares
• Image quality
• Video
• In-use
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

What’s new

New sensor

The heart of the a7R VI is a new, 66.8MP Stacked CMOS sensor. Unlike the sensors in Sony’s previous high-end bodies, the second layer of the sensor isn’t DRAM memory, to buffer the data coming off the sensor, instead it’s described as a processing layer.

Noticeably, this means that the full sensor readout speed is slower than in the likes of the sports-focused a1 II; instead, it’s able to combine the output of its two conversion gain modes, using both the low noise and high capacity modes to give wider dynamic range.

The net result is a sensor that’s much faster than its predecessor (around 5.6x quicker than the a7R V, according to Sony) but with better dynamic range. This should significantly expand the range of photographic situations the a7R VI can lend itself to, without a negative impact on the areas where the a7R V already performed well.

The faster sensor allows the camera to shoot bursts at up to 30 frames per second, using its electronic shutter. This is a huge step forward from its predecessor, which took around 100ms (1/10th sec) to read its sensor in e-shutter mode.

New processor

The a7R VI is built around a “Bionz XR2” processor, similar to the one in the a7 V (though not necessarily identical). This brings features and AF capabilities, including the Auto subject recognition mode, introduced in cameras such as the a9 III, and the ability to recognize subjects from further away, without the need for a dedicated coprocessor for the AI-derived algorithms.

Action-ready functions

The faster shooting is backed up with all of Sony’s latest support tools. For a start, the 30fps shooting is blackout-free, to let you follow the action. The camera also offers an adjustable pre-capture mode that starts buffering images when you half-press the shutter or hold down AF-On, then saves up to 1 second’s worth of images from before you fully press the shutter. This can be tuned down to as little as 0.03 seconds (ie: a single pre-capture frame, in 30fps mode), so that you can compensate for your reaction times without filling your cards with preemptive nonsense.

The a7R VI is not, nor is it intended to be, a sports camera

However, despite all of this, the a7R VI is not, nor is it intended to be, a sports camera. Sony talks about the camera being well disposed toward wildlife shooting, but doesn’t list sports as one of its target applications. Having used it in a sporting setting, we found a significant real-world difference between the a7R VI and the a1 II, despite the superficial similarities.

Why the a7R VI isn’t a rival to the a1 II

New battery

Sony is including a dual charger with the a7R VI to help ease the pain of the new battery not being backwards-compatible with the old one.

The a7R VI becomes the first camera to use a new ‘SA’-type battery. It’s slightly larger than the existing Z-type batteries and delivers a higher voltage. It has a capacity of 20.9Wh, a 27% increase over the capacity of the batteries in previous high-end Sonys.

The new unit isn’t much larger than the FP-Z100, with the locationing rails and contacts more tightly integrated into the body so that approximately 30% more cells can be incorporated into the case without increasing the overall size too much.

Expanded video capabilities

The faster sensor also allows for much improved video, even though that’s not immediately obvious from looking at the specs. The 8K mode now stretches to 30p, but still comes with a 1.2x crop, much like its predecessor’s. However, while the a7R V needed a 1.22x crop to achieve 4K/60, the a7R VI can do full-width 4K/120, provided you activate “Field of View Priority,” which comes at the cost of noise reduction.

Improved white balance

Like the a7R V, the VI has visible light and IR sensors designed to help produce more accurate and consistent exposure and white balance. The company says it has upgraded the algorithms that handle both parameters to better interpret things like shaded subjects and light sources, to reduce exposure or WB errors.

Body and handling

New grip

The new, larger battery, which sits longitudinally down the grip, rather than the transverse arrangement of the previous design, means the camera’s grip has been reworked. It’s a subtle change, but the lip around the top of the handgrip is slightly more prominent and the recess on the mount side of the grip, where your fingertips rest, has been reshaped.

Sony stressed that it’s not the same as the a1 II/a9 III design (the shutter button isn’t at nearly so steep an angle, for a start), but it seems more comfortable than even the recent a7 V’s shape.

Another a9 III feature that’s absent from the a7R VI is the C5 function button on the front plate of the camera. This is a shame, as we found it worked well for operating the Speed Boost function that the a7R VI has gained. It’s a function we used most often in combination with using AF-On for back-button focus, so the absence of a front button makes it more awkward to find a control point that can be readily used while also using AF-On and the shutter button.

High-brightness viewfinder

While the a7R VI’s viewfinder resolution remains the same as its predecessor’s, the underlying OLED panel is different. It can go much brighter and offers a wider color gamut than before, making it the first camera we’ve encountered with a viewfinder bright enough to preview HDR imagery. Sony also says it can achieve this brightness even when you’re using both its 120fps refresh and highest quality modes.

Illuminated buttons

Many of the buttons on the back of the a7R VI light up if you press the new illumination button on the top plate. Brightness can be set to low, mid or high, and they can be set to remain lit up.

Another brilliant addition (in the sense of light being emitted) is the provision of back-illuminated buttons. This is a first for Sony and makes a lot of sense for what is its leading landscape camera. A small button on the top plate lights most of the camera’s buttons up, though you’ll need to learn to locate it by touch, as it’s not itself illuminated. This button can be reconfigured if you need, and illumination can be set to always-on, if you prefer this to battery endurance.

The camera uses the same pair of combined CFexpress Type A / UHS II SD slots, letting you choose between fast, warm storage or the better-established, slower, less rugged format.

Fast/slow USB-C

The a7R VI moves to a dual USB-C arrangement, with the upper one offering fast data transfer and the lower one Power Delivery for charging or powering the camera.

The a7R VI’s main USB port is a 10Gbps USB-C socket that can be used for data or power. Just below it is a second USB-C port. Despite the new shape, it’s essentially a continuation of the USB 2.0 (480Mbps) port used for connecting accessories on previous models. The second port is compliant with the USB Power Delivery standard, though, and utilizes high enough power options that it can be used to charge or power the camera.

Every time you connect a USB cable to the camera, it’ll ask you which function you want (eg: Live Steaming, MSC Image Transfer, MTP Image Transfer, etc), and remind you of the data rates of each port, and which port you’re connecting to, though you can set the default behavior if you always want a specific mode.

The downside of this change is that any external accessories you have that used the Micro-B ‘Multi-interface’ socket won’t now work, even though the second socket is still a USB 2.0 port at heart.

Battery

The new NP-SA100 has a capacity of 20.9Wh, a 27% increase over its predecessor. This powers the camera to a CIPA-rated endurance of 600 shots per charge if you use the viewfinder and 710 if you use the rear LCD.

Even when you bear in mind that CIPA ratings tend to significantly underestimate most people’s real-world experiences – double the rated value isn’t unusual, more if you shoot a lot of bursts – these are numbers that are likely to push into the realms of ‘beyond needing to worry about it,’ for a lot of users, with perhaps only wedding shooters having to make use of the two-battery charger that comes with the camera.

That said, it’s worth noting that the charge level will diminish over time if you’re just offloading data over the fast USB port: you’ll want the PD port connected too for prolonged tethered shooting.

How it compares

The a7R V was a high-resolution studio and landscape camera, but the VI’s Stacked CMOS sensor expands its range of capabilities to something much closer to those of Nikon’s Z8 and Canon’s EOS R5 II, which offer both resolution and speed.

Not included on this chart, but still in the conversation, is the Panasonic S1RII. It targets a similar market of hybrid shooters, with a similar set of stills features and the most complete set of video features. It’s not as fast as these rivals but accepts the more widely supported L mount.

We’ve also left off the Sony a1 II. On paper, it seems very similar to the a7R VI, raising the question of whether Sony has just obsoleted its top-tier sports/action camera. However, the actual shooting experience is quite different on the two cameras, in ways we’ve covered in more depth in a separate article.

As for autofocus and handling, the differences between the a7R VI, Z8 and EOS R5 II will all come down to your preferences and use cases (eg, whether you like a top-panel display, need illuminated buttons or both). All three cameras will outperform each other in different scenarios, and some people will prefer one camera’s way of doing things over the others.

Autofocus was the main area where we found the S1RII fell behind this extremely capable competition, especially in terms of tracking reliability, but it offers a less expensive route to resolution if action isn’t a regular feature of your photography.

The one major callout for the a7R VI is its rolling shutter speeds in its e-shutter modes; while it uses a Stacked sensor like the Z8 and EOS R5 II, it’s the slowest of the kind we’ve seen. This means rolling shutter will put an upper limit on how fast the action it can follow is.

Image quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you’ll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

We’re only able to publish the JPEGs of the test scene at the moment, but hope to be able to follow them up with the converted Raw images very soon. But even if we only look at the JPEGs, we can see that the higher resolution sensor is resolving detail that its predecessor couldn’t, putting more of a gap between it and the Canon and Nikon.

The a7R VI’s image quality is truly impressive. 66MP offers the best resolution this side of medium format and is backed up by very high dynamic range. In mechanical shutter mode, the camera appears to be combining the low and high-gain readout modes of its dual conversion gain sensor, something that’s made explicit as an option in 4K video mode.

The s7R VI’s autofocus system is able to consistently deliver 66.7MP’s worth of detail. Sony a7R VI w/ FE 85mm F1.4 GM II | F2.0 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Richard Butler

Dynamic range

The a7R VI does something similar to the recent a7 V, in that it reads out its pixels in both their high gain, low noise mode and again in their low gain, high capacity mode and then combines the results. This takes longer than a single readout, so is only conducted when there’s a mechanical second curtain preventing any additional light capture (ie: mechanical and electronic first curtain modes).

This image is exposed so that the last rays of sunshine on the right are just hitting clipping. This lets you see how much scope there is for then raising the shadows in a very high dynamic range scene (the deep shadows under the underpass are around 12 stops darker than the sunset itself). However, this still isn’t enough to let us see a significant difference between the mechanical shutter version and one shot in e-shutter mode, where those darkest tones are only a fraction noisier. Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II @ 24mm | F8.0 | 1/50 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Richard Butler

This gives the camera excellent dynamic range in these modes. It also means that, unlike single-readout dual conversion gain sensors, there’s no jump in performance once the higher gain step is used: because it’s being used all the way from base ISO.

ISO Invariance | Exposure Latitude

This results in one of the most ISO invariant cameras we’ve yet seen, with there being virtually no noise benefit to applying more amplification by upping the ISO. This gives you the option to maintain your exposure and drop your ISO to protect highlights, with the intention of brightening the image later.

In standard E-shutter mode, the a7R VI’s performance very closely matches the a7R V’s DR behavior, only with the second gain step arriving a stop later, at ISO 640.

However, it’s worth noting that modern sensors already have very good dynamic range, so even in electronic / silent shutter mode, you’re unlikely to see a difference until you get to the very deepest shadows of your images. Even the sunset image above, which contains at least 12 stops of DR, doesn’t make enough use of deep enough shadows to make the differences between mechanical shutter mode and e-shutter mode photographically meaningful.

Finally, although Sony didn’t disclose this to us initially, it transpires that shooting Hi+ bursts in either JPEG mode or Lossy Compressed Raw pushes the camera into a 12-bit readout mode, speeding up readout and boosting autofocus performance but at the cost of reduced dynamic range / more noise in the deep shadows. We’ve added those compressed, burst images to our comparison widget, to let you see the impact.

Video

The faster sensor in the a7R VI not only allows it to shoot stills much faster than its predecessor, it also allows much more extensive video capabilities. As usual for Alpha-series cameras, all the options are in the 16:9 aspect ratio, and there are also no options for Raw capture. You can output a Raw stream to an external recorder, if you wish.

The most obvious difference is the much-improved rolling shutter rates, but the a7R VI also gains a mode, comparable to Panasonic’s DR Boost mode, that combines the low and high gain output of the sensor to deliver much wider dynamic range. As with the Panasonic S1II, this feature is optional, can only be maintained at slower frame rates and approximately doubles the readout times.

The 8K footage, taken from an 8.2K region of the sensor, is comfortably the most detailed. All the 4K footage is taken from the full width of the sensor and derived from 5.0K capture, according to Sony. Given the sensor is essentially 10,000 pixels wide, that would neatly correspond to 2:1 sub-sampling. We’ve looked at high ISO images, where line skipping would make the footage noiser and it remains comparable with the 8K footage. This strongly suggests that one of the benefits of the processing layer of the Stacked sensor is that it can pixel-bin, on sensor.

The rolling shutter numbers for 4K capture are very close to being twice as fast as 8K mode, which would also be consistent with 2:1 subsampling. This number then roughly doubles when Dual Gain Shooting is activated, but the sampling method and detail capture stay the same.

Audio

Like other recent Sony cameras, the a7R VI can record up to four channels of audio, if you connect a mic into the multi interface connectors at the front of the hotshoe.

It can also record, via an optional (and, at $780, quite costly) XLR adapter, 96kHz, 32-bit float audio. This is still relatively rare on hybrid cameras, but the dual analog-to-digital converters needed to exploit the much wider value range of the 32-bit Float notation live in the XLR adapter, so the capability is not built into the camera body.

Even so, the faster rolling shutter rates and the Panasonic-like option to opt for greater dynamic range at the cost of readout speed make the a7R VI a much more credible video camera than its predecessor, again boosting its utility for modern wedding and events shooting.

In-use

The a7R VI is both the most polished camera yet in its series, while also very much being a camera of its series. So the familiar lag when the camera boots up, checks in with the lens, has a bit of a think and then lights up the screen is still present.

Some of the a7R VI’s menus and messages feel like the would have benefited from another round of regionalization.

Similarly, the menus, while much more sensibly arranged and easier to navigate, are still creaking under the weight of the complexity of the camera, and aren’t helped by overly condensed titles and occasional messages that feel like they’ve been literally translated from another language, rather than being regionalized into comprehensible phrasing.

This sense is reinforced by little details such as pre-capture, which is one of the default options in the Fn menu, but doesn’t work until you first switch from mechanical to electronic shutter mode, then engage continuous shooting. Similarly, the camera offers three multi-shot modes that combine Raw files, two of them have menu settings to select which type of Raw file you want, the third simply defers to the camera’s main file type setting. It all feels like it’s become too large of a task to ever finish or refine.

Which is odd, because the camera has some lovely details, such as the fact that the e-shutter sound changes with your shutter speed. Rather than it being the exact same sound whether you’re shooting at 1/8000 sec or 1/8 sec, it’ll simulate changes in pitch, and even the sound of a shutter opening and closing, so that you have an audible cue about exposure time, even when in e-shutter mode.

We found the a7R VI more comfortable to hold than the a7 V.

The camera’s grip feels like an improvement over its predecessor, but still isn’t as well optimized as Sony’s pro-targeting a1 II and a9 III models. For instance, they both have a custom button on the front, which is ideal for engaging the Speed Boost function that raises or lowers the burst rate when held. Without this extra button, the a7R VI has few choices that are easy to hold if you’re already using AF-On for back-button focus and have another finger on the shutter.

Pre-capture mode brings a distinct lag and jerkiness to the viewfinder, presumably held back by the camera having to operate in its slower, full-resolution mode while it’s buffering images. This is a shame, because the viewfinder is otherwise very good, combining both high resolution and a good refresh rate at most other times.

It’s a little disappointing that the first camera to offer an HDR-capable viewfinder is also the only mainstream brand to shoot HDR HEIF images but force you to turn off Raw capture to do so (you can shoot HEIF files with the HLG response curve and Raw, but it you want the camera to include the necessary metadata to display the images as HDR, then it’s Raw only).

The first thing that hits you is the camera’s seriously impressive image quality, backed up by excellent autofocus

All of which sounds like we disliked the camera, when that’s really not the case. There are aspects that we felt would benefit from a little more polish, but the fact that it takes so many words to describe them doesn’t mean they’re the main things we took away from the experience of shooting with the a7R VI.

Instead, the first thing that hits you is the camera’s seriously impressive image quality and the degree to which it’s backed up by excellent autofocus. It only takes a single sentence to write it, but that’s the thing that matters most.

The a7R V wasn’t lacking in resolution, but the VI adds even more. Sony a7R VI | Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II | 41mm | F8 | 1/250 sec | ISO 100

The a7R VI isn’t as quick in practice as the Nikon Z8 or Canon EOS R5 II, but instead it offers higher resolution, excellent DR, a very customizable, multi-dial interface and by far the best battery life in class. There are plenty of people for whom that will (and should) matter a whole lot more than some of the menu phrasing needing another round of localization.

Anyone hoping for a cut-price a1 II will find themselves disappointed: you can definitely feel the limitations as you push towards the outer edge of what the camera promises to do. But, then again, it promises to do an awful lot, and it brings its image quality excellence to a much broader range of applications than previous a7R models could.

Impressions Video

Sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don’t abuse it.

If you have a drone and you are in Denver, the first question is usually simple: Where can I fly my drone in Denver? But the answer is not always straightforward, as Denver adheres to both FAA regulations and local regulations that impact airport-related airspace, downtown and park restrictions.

This guide covers the legal regulations, safe flight zones, areas of concern, licensing requirements, and local businesses that may have an interest in hiring a drone pilot in the Denver/Aurora area.

While it is possible to fly a drone in Denver, it is important to adhere to federal airspace guidelines, local ordinances, and location-specific regulations to ensure safety. So, let’s get the detailed information!

Can You Fly a Drone in Denver?

Yes, it is possible to fly a drone in Denver, but only with compliance with FAA regulations and city restrictions. Pilots are required to register their drone if necessary, follow approved altitude limits, and not fly near Denver International Airport, downtown Denver or selected city parks. Failure to follow these rules could result in severe penalties.

Federal vs. Local Drone Laws in Denver — What’s the Difference?

Federal Drone Laws in Denver

When people ask if it is legal to fly drones in Denver, the first thing to understand is the FAA. Federal regulations govern registration, altitude, line of sight, and commercial use that apply everywhere in the United States. These rules are even more important in Denver, where the city is surrounded by busy aviation routes and is located under controlled airspace. For a closer look at how these regulations play out in practice, drone aerial services in Denver offer a real-world example of compliant flying done right. Here are some federal drone laws:

·         Registration is required for drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds for the FAA, and the registration is linked to the aircraft.

·         Recreational pilots must keep the drone within visual line of sight at all times.

·         Unless an authorization says otherwise, the normal maximum height is 400 feet above the ground level.

·         Flying over people is limited, except for a waiver or exception.

·         To fly commercially, drones must be flown under an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.

·         Areas of controlled airspace around Denver may need LAANC authorization for takeoffs.

The rules are federal for a reason, as what’s legal in one location can be illegal in another. In addition, the FAA requires pilots to have knowledge of weather, visibility, aircraft performance, and the surrounding area prior to flight. Violations of these rules may result in a fine, enforcement action, or both for the pilot.

Local Drone Laws in Denver

The second level is local rules, which are just as important as FAA rules. Denver can restrict the use of drones in parks, public recreation areas, and event areas. This means a site can appear available on the map, but may not be available for a variety of reasons, including city policy or temporary restrictions. To better understand how professionals navigate these local limitations, Denver video production companies provide a practical example of working within city-specific drone regulations. Below are some of the local drone laws:

·         Drone flights are not generally allowed in Denver city parks unless a permit is issued or special approval is in place.

·         Local rules may vary based on public land, recreation space or private property.

·         Temporary restrictions can be imposed during major events, emergencies or city activities.

·         Local permission does not replace FAA approval when controlled airspace is involved.

·         Private property is still private and will not permit takeoff or landing without the owner’s consent.

·         The rules may change, and verification is necessary prior to each flight.

For anyone asking, are drones legal in Denver? The answer is yes, but with full attention not only to federal rules, but local rules as well. Making assumptions is not a good idea in Denver. The best way to find out is to check the airspace, check the land rules, and make sure it’s a recreational or commercial flight.

Can You Fly a Drone in Downtown Denver?

For everyone who asks Can I fly a drone in Denver or ” Can you fly a drone in Denver, it is the most sensitive part of the city. Because it is a city in controlled airspace, flying in the downtown area of Denver is severely restricted and may even be limited by specific temporary events. In most cases, recreational pilots cannot simply launch and fly without permission.

·         Downtown Denver is a controlled airspace area, and permits are necessary.

·         Temporary restrictions can occur during sporting events, concerts and large events.

·         Rooftop launches do not bypass airspace rules.

·         Typically, hobby pilots require LAANC clearance to fly in the area.

Commercial operators face the same airspace limits, even if they’re certified under Part 107. If approval is requested by a business pilot, the flight will still be subject to any active airspace status and restrictions. That’s why it’s important to always consider downtown Denver as a high control zone, not a free-flying area, as seen in professional drone data collection and processing operations that routinely manage these exact compliance demands. 

Why Downtown Is Complex?

Downtown Denver is complex because several rules can apply at once. Controlled airspace, city activity, event restrictions, and nearby public safety operations can all affect one flight. A pilot who checks only one part may still end up out of compliance.

·         A legal launch point on the ground does not always mean the airspace above it is legal.

·         Events can create short-term no-fly conditions that override normal flight plans.

·         Airspace authorizations are location-specific and time-specific.

·         The pilot is responsible for both the airspace and the land permission.

This is why the question “can you fly a drone in downtown Denver? “ should always be answered with care. In practical terms, downtown is not a relaxed recreational flying area. It requires planning, approval, and constant attention to current conditions.

Where Can You Fly Drones in Denver?

If you are asking where I can fly my drone in Denver or where you can fly drones in Denver, the best approach is to look at places that are generally more drone-friendly, while still checking current conditions. These areas can change depending on park rules, airspace status, and seasonal access. That is why every flight should be verified through a live airspace app before takeoff.

1.       Chatfield State Park: It is often seen as one of the more practical options for drone pilots.

2.      Cherry Creek State Park: may work in certain areas, depending on current airspace status.

3.      Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge: It can include open areas with better operating conditions.

4.      Aurora Reservoir: It is often used for scenic and landscape aerial work.

5.      Jefferson County: This has open space areas that may offer suitable conditions in selected zones.

6.      Designated RC/drone flying fields – AMA-chartered flying fields can give pilots a structured and approved flying environment.

7.       Private property with owner permission: Private property can also work when the owner gives clear permission, and the airspace is clear.

These locations are not automatic green lights. Even the most drone-friendly areas still require a current check before flying. That is why pilots should use a live verification FAA B4UFLY app or Aloft app instead of relying on old posts, outdated articles, or word of mouth.

What to Check Before Flying

A safe drone flight always starts with a simple preflight check. This is especially important in the Denver metro area, where conditions can change quickly. A responsible pilot should confirm both the land rules and the airspace rules before launching.

·         Confirm whether the site is public land, private land, or a restricted facility.

·         Check the current airspace status before takeoff.

·         Review whether the park, refuge, or open space has local restrictions.

·         Look at the weather, wind, visibility, and sun position.

·         Inspect the takeoff and landing area for people, structures, and hazards.

·         Carry the needed documents, including registration and certification if applicable.

This approach supports safer operations and also helps improve image quality. A prepared pilot can focus on composition, movement, and visual storytelling instead of legal uncertainty.

Where Are Drones Not Allowed in Denver?

When people search for where to fly drones in Denver, it is just as important to know where not to fly. Denver has several locations where drone activity is prohibited or heavily restricted. Ignoring these limits can lead to enforcement action, especially near airports and event spaces.

·         Near Denver International Airport without the proper authorization.

·         Inside Denver city parks without the required permit.

·         Above 400 feet above ground level under normal FAA rules.

·         Over moving vehicles on roads, highways, or traffic corridors.

·         Over stadiums and sports venues during event restriction periods.

·         Near federal buildings, monuments, and other sensitive government sites.

·         Overactive emergency scenes where public safety crews are working.

·         Inside controlled airspace without approved FAA access.

For pilots asking can you fly a drone in downtown Denver, these restrictions matter because downtown may sit close to airport boundaries, event zones, or other sensitive areas. A flight may look simple on a map, yet still be illegal because of a temporary restriction or local rule, which is why professionals rely on precise drone imaging services in Colorado to ensure every flight meets current legal and airspace requirements. 

Why These Restrictions Exist

These rules are not meant to make drone use difficult. They exist to protect people, property, aircraft, and active public operations. A drone near an airport or emergency scene can create a serious safety issue very quickly. That is why professional pilots treat compliance as part of the job.

·         Airports require strict airspace coordination because drone interference can affect manned aircraft.

·         Public parks and recreation areas may restrict flights to protect visitors and wildlife.

·         Stadiums and event venues may be protected by temporary no-fly conditions.

·         Emergency response areas must stay clear for police, fire, and medical teams.

The professional standard is simple: know the zone before launch, not after. That rule is especially valuable in Denver, where urban areas and open spaces can be very close to each other.

Who Hires Drone Pilots in the Denver–Aurora Area?

Many pilots search for companies that hire drone pilots in the Denver, Aurora area because the market for commercial drone work is strong. Drone services are now part of many industries that rely on visual documentation, inspection, and marketing content. Denver and Aurora both have active demand for licensed aerial media.

·         Real estate agencies hire drones for listing photos and property videos.

·         Construction firms use drones for progress updates, surveying support, and site visuals.

·         Legal and insurance teams use aerial footage for incident documentation and claims support.

·         Corporate production teams hire drone operators for brand films, recruiting videos, and event coverage.

·         Media outlets rely on drones for news footage and visual reporting.

·         Energy and utility companies use drones for infrastructure inspection and asset monitoring.

·         Government and municipal teams use drones for mapping, planning, and public safety support.

If you are a drone pilot, this market offers a real opportunity, but only if you are properly certified, insured, and able to deliver consistent results. If you are a business, the value is equally clear: drone footage gives scale, context, and visual clarity that ground-based media often cannot match, as demonstrated through professional drone visual inspection services in Colorado that showcase exactly what high-quality aerial imaging can deliver. 

Why Businesses Use Drone Media

Drone photography and videography create a viewpoint that is difficult to achieve from the ground. In industries like real estate, construction, and insurance, this perspective can improve communication, documentation, and trust. It also adds production value to marketing content without needing large crews or complex setups.

·         Aerial photos show property layout, surrounding landscape, and access points.

·         Video footage adds movement, scale, and visual continuity to a project.

·         Inspection footage can reduce the need for riskier manual checks in some situations.

·         Event coverage becomes more dynamic when aerial angles are included.

For businesses in the Denver–Aurora region, working with FAA-certified drone professionals can simplify the process. It ensures the project is handled by people who understand flight restrictions, visual framing, and commercial delivery standards.

Do You Need a License to Fly a Drone in Denver for Business?

Yes. If the flight is for business, the pilot needs a Part 107 certificate. That applies even if the job is small, such as one paid property photo, a single inspection, or a short promotional video. The legal difference between hobby flying and commercial flying is important, and many new pilots miss it.

·         Business drone flights require the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.

·         The certificate is earned by passing an FAA knowledge test.

·         The exam is taken at an approved testing center.

·         Recurrent training is required every 24 months to keep the certificate valid.

·         One paid drone photo or video makes the work commercial, not recreational.

This matters because commercial clients expect more than flight skill. They expect legal compliance, airspace awareness, organized delivery, and professional communication. In other words, Part 107 is only the starting point. The best pilots also understand composition, camera movement, exposure control, and client workflow. And a service provider like “Rocky Mountain Photography’s pilots” is all Part 107 certified.

Why Certification Matters

Part 107 certification is more than just a rule. It shows that the pilot understands airspace, weather, operations, and federal compliance. For clients, that creates confidence and reduces project risk.

·         Certified pilots are better prepared for controlled airspace planning.

·         Commercial projects often require documentation and repeatable standards.

·         Certification supports more reliable coordination with client deadlines.

·   Insurance and liability planning are stronger when the operator is properly credentialed.

Rocky Mountain Photography states that its drone pilots are FAA Part 107 certified and insured, which supports the trust expected in professional aerial production. That level of qualification is especially important for commercial media work in a regulated city like Denver.

Quick Reference Table – Denver Drone Rules at a Glance

Best Practices for Professional Quality

Drone media should do more than show a place from above. It should communicate scale, structure, and story. That requires both legal awareness and production discipline.

·         Use controlled camera movement for smoother footage.

·         Match the altitude and angle to the subject and project goal.

·         Avoid unnecessary or overly aggressive motion.

·         Keep shots stable, clean, and purposeful.

·         Deliver footage that supports the client’s message, not just the novelty of flight.

These are the standards that separate casual drone use from professional aerial production. They also explain why businesses choose trained operators for Denver and Aurora projects.

Wrap up:

While Denver is a great place for drone photography and videography for those who are familiar with the rules and plan accordingly, it is not a safe city for the unqualified and uninformed. The factors that influence the location and manner in which a drone can be flown include federal FAA requirements, local restrictions, and controlled airspace. Can you fly a drone in Denver? Where can I fly my drone in Denver, or is it legal to fly drones in Denver? It all depends on where you’re going, what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it for.

Rocky Mountain Photography provides aerial media services that are FAA certified and full-service media production support for professional aerial media. Check out our website for more details!

FAQ

Q1. Is it legal to fly drones in Denver?

Yes, but FAA rules, city restrictions, and airspace approval requirements must all be followed.

Q2. Are drones legal in Denver?

Yes, drones are legal in Denver for recreational and commercial use when rules are followed.

Q3. Can I fly a drone in Denver without a license?

Recreational flying may not require a license, but business use requires FAA Part 107.

Q4. Can you fly a drone in downtown Denver?

Downtown is heavily restricted and often requires LAANC approval before any flight.

Q5. Who hires drone pilots in the Denver–Aurora area?

Real estate, construction, media, insurance, utilities, and government teams commonly hire them and for hiring check out Rocky Mountain Photography.

The post Is It Legal to Fly a Drone in Denver? The 2026 Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

I know… I’m a little late to the party on this one.

But if you’re anything like me, sometimes software updates get downloaded with the best intentions and then life, workshops, editing deadlines, YouTube videos, and approximately 14 cups of coffee later… you finally sit down and properly explore what’s new. Through in an overseas holiday and well, things slide.

And after spending some time looking through the new features in Nik Collection 9, I think DxO may have delivered one of the biggest updates we’ve seen in years.

For those who don’t know, Nik Collection has long been one of my favourite creative editing toolsets, especially for still life work, cinematic portraits, black and white processing, and adding those little artistic touches that would normally take forever inside Photoshop.

What I’ve always loved about Nik is that it lets you experiment quickly. You can go from “nice image” to “ohhh… now we’re talking” in just a few clicks.

And version 9 seems heavily focused on making that process even faster and more creative.

AI Masking Finally Comes to Nik Collection

One of the headline additions is the new AI-enhanced masking tools, including both Depth Masks and AI Masks.

Now, I’ll be honest, I’m generally pretty skeptical when companies throw “AI” into every second sentence like seasoning on hot chips. But this actually sounds useful.

The new Depth Masks analyse the image and create a depth map, allowing you to target adjustments based on distance from the camera. That means you can apply effects to foregrounds or backgrounds without manually painting complicated masks.

For portrait photographers, still life shooters, and anyone working with layered scenes, that could be a genuine time saver.

Then there’s the new AI Masks, which let you click directly on subjects or drag a quick selection box to isolate areas for adjustments.

Again, less fiddling around, more creating.

And honestly? That’s where editing software should be heading.

The New Colour Grading Tool Looks Very Interesting

This is probably the feature I’m most curious about.

Nik Collection 9 introduces a brand-new Color Grading tool inside Color Efex, designed to control shadows, midtones, highlights, and global colour adjustments from a simplified interface.

What caught my attention is the ability to “lock” colour relationships together while grading. So instead of wrestling multiple colour wheels independently, you can maintain harmony between tones while shifting the overall mood of the image.

For cinematic edits, moody still life work, vintage-inspired portraits, or even creative black and white toning, this could be incredibly handy.

And because it’s Nik Collection, it still keeps that “creative playground” feeling rather than becoming overly technical.

Halation, Glass Effects & Chromatic Shift

Now this is where things start getting a bit fun.

Nik Collection 9 adds several new creative effects including:

• Halation
• Chromatic Shift
• Glass Effect

The Halation effect recreates that beautiful soft glow often seen in vintage film stocks, where highlights gently bloom into darker areas.

And honestly… if you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you already know I’m weak for anything cinematic, dreamy, moody, painterly, or slightly nostalgic.

The Glass Effect also sounds like something I’ll absolutely lose an afternoon experimenting with, adding distortion and texture overlays inspired by different glass surfaces.

Meanwhile, Chromatic Shift leans into those imperfect analog printing vibes with subtle colour separation effects.

Used carefully, these sorts of tools can add atmosphere and character incredibly quickly.

Used badly… well… let’s just say not every slider needs to go to 100.

Blending Modes Finally Arrive

Another genuinely useful addition is the introduction of Blending Modes inside Nik Color Efex and Analog Efex.

If you’re familiar with Photoshop blending modes, you’ll immediately understand how much creative flexibility this opens up.

DxO says there are now 18 blending modes available, allowing photographers to dramatically change how effects interact with the image underneath.

This feels like one of those features that won’t necessarily make the flashy headlines, but once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you edited without it.

Workflow Tweaks That Actually Matter

One thing I appreciate is that DxO didn’t just throw in shiny new filters and call it a day.

There are also workflow improvements including:

• Hover previews for presets
• Better mask overlays
• Easier navigation for local adjustments
• Copy/paste local adjustments between images

Small changes? Maybe.

But if you edit a lot of images, those little workflow refinements add up quickly.

Final Thoughts

Nik Collection has always been one of those plugin suites that encourages experimentation. It’s less about technical perfection and more about helping photographers develop a visual style.

And honestly, in a world where so much editing is starting to look identical, I think that matters more than ever.

The new masking tools look genuinely useful, the colour grading additions are exciting, and the new analog-inspired effects feel very much in line with the kind of creative editing many photographers are leaning toward right now.

So yes, I may be a little late talking about Nik Collection 9…

…but better late than never.

And if you’ve been thinking about trying DxO software, don’t forget you can grab 15% off all DxO products for new customers using my affiliate code:

Code: JuliePowell

You can check out the full details on the DxO website and download the free trial if you want to have a play for yourself.

Note: Sample images supplied by DXO

It’s like Canon 5D Mark II vs Panasonic GH1 all over again!

Canon got aggressive with the R8, and finally put the cripple hammer away. This is the bargain value for money full frame camera of our era, they had no choice but to do it – the Sony a7 IV exists. Indeed, the a7 V exists, but it lives in a higher realm of pricing – feature packed for sure, but does it actually offer a better image overall than the R8? I’d say… Debatable.

Then in the Lumix corner, we have the G9 II which on the face of it is not supposed to be a GH7, but it is.

And best of all, this Not A GH7 can be had for around 1200 euros, or less, if you shop around.

The G9 II is an underrated tool. The spec is more aligned with a flagship camera, like the Sony a1 II, than an enthusiast filmmaking tool, and it has far fewer compromises than the EOS R8. If you don’t mind the 2x crop sensor it’s the one to get – but it requires considerate thought in terms of glass. If you’re not careful it can end up looking a bit clinical, but that sensor – the same as the GH7 – is just such a bomb. It’s the closest Micro Four Thirds has ever been to full frame in dynamic range and low light performance, and surpasses all but the very best flagship full frame sensors in terms of speed. The quality of the 4K/120fps is outstanding.

The EOS R8 is a slower camera, and the most glaring omission is the lack of in body stabilisation. If you’re an avid collector of vintage glass or manual focus stuff, you might not miss it – the flagship R1 and R3 behave as if IBIS doesn’t exist when you’re not using native Canon RF mount lenses.

What I do like about the EOS R8 is the straight-forwardness of the body design, how small and thin it is, how good the ergonomics are – a big improvement on the RP – how decent the EVF is, how the cripple hammer was resisted in terms of autofocus and video – two areas where you can barely tell it apart from the much more expensive EOS R6 Mark II.

The lack of IBIS is in some ways a blessing – forcing you to get the sticks out and do stuff properly.

Whereas the G9 II is the closest you can get to the speed and specs of a flagship Sony A1 II, or Nikon Z8 for nowhere near as much money, and you’ll save on the lenses too – and the weight, and the size.

If I were to choose just one…

The EOS R8 does have the full frame image and all the advantages that brings, but to be honest it’s not all just about an ever more shallow DOF – it’s going out of fashion. The full frame advantage is in terms of lenses – a 35mm is a 35mm, a 50 is a 50. With Micro Four Thirds there’s always that nagging crop to factor in.

The G9 isn’t quite as good at very high ISOs, isn’t quite as creamy looking – but it’s a better documentary camera, faster, better battery times, far more feature packed.

And that’s why if I did pick one it would be the Lumix.

The post Battle of the $1000 filmmaking kit: Canon EOS R8 vs Panasonic G9 II appeared first on EOSHD.com – Filmmaking Gear and Camera Reviews.

At AP, we take reviewing smartphones as seriously as we do testing the best cameras – after all, far more images are now shot on smartphones than anything else. I’ve personally reviewed almost every flagship phone in this list, looking at image quality, video quality, editing features, handling, durability, battery life, ease of use, and more, looking at each camera lens and feature in detail. To know more about our testing criteria and what to look for in a smartphone camera, I’ve put together an explainer on how to choose at the bottom of this page.

For most users looking for something for day-to-day photography though, the best smartphone cameras will achieve all that they need, often beating cheap compact cameras. See our smartphone camera photo of the week for inspiration.

• Looking for something cheaper? Check out the best budget and mid-range phones for photography.

So, let’s get stuck into the best camera phones you can buy and don’t forget to download one of the best editing apps for smartphones.

The best camera phones: my quick list

If you want to cut right to it, here’s a quick-reference list of the top rated camera phones me and my team recommend, along with links to get the best prices:

• Best overall camera phone: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Buy now
• Best overall iPhone: iPhone 17 Pro / Max: Buy now
• Best camera phone (but cheaper): Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Buy now
• Best used iPhone: iPhone 16 Pro / Max: Buy now
• Best folding camera phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Buy now
• Best flagship for sports and action: OnePlus 13: Buy now
• Best value iPhone camera phone: iPhone 15 Pro: Buy now
• Best AI phone overall: Google Pixel 10 Pro (and Pro XL): Buy now
• Best for advanced photographers: Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Buy now
• Best for close-ups and macro: Vivo X200 Pro
• Best small flagship phone: Samsung Galaxy S25: Buy Now
• Best value flagship: Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G

Looking for the best deal on premium camera phones? Not only will you find the best camera phones, but you’ll also find some of the best camera phone deals, as our ‘Buy now’ buttons are setup to automatically take you to the best prices, from trusted retailers, plus you’ll also find a list of other retailers below each phone, to find the right deal for you. Check out the Best Black Friday deals.

Read on to learn more about each of these phones, including key specs and the results of our review team’s testing…

Best overall camera phone: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Specifications at a glance:

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a minor update to the S24 Ultra with an updated design, new ultra-wide camera and updated screen. The main camera has the same headline-grabbing 200MP sensor that uses pixel-binning technology as its predecessor.

The S25 Ultra builds on the AI introduced with the S24 Ultra, with a range of additional features for searching, including inside the photo gallery. There’s also been some improvements to video recording, with the ability to use AI to improve the audio quality as well as Log tools.

Galaxy S25 Ultra · f/1.7 · 1/7944s · 6.3mm · ISO16

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a great performing device, and it produces excellent photos and videos. It’s a big device, which will be to the tastes of some, but perhaps put off others – I’d love Samsung to introduce a smaller Ultra variety, but perhaps it believes the market isn’t there.

The native camera app has a lot going for it, including the AI editing suite which can really help to improve your photographs. Whether you’re shooting stills or making video content, the S25 Ultra is hard to beat.

Also good for: The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is going to provide excellent results in most situations, including landscapes, low-light and night, as well as video, vlogging, YouTube, and more. In fact many YouTubers use this camera for video thanks to the wide range of lenses available.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review to see what this smartphone is cable of.

Best Apple camera phone: iPhone 17 Pro and Max

Specifications at a glance:

Whichever iPhone 17 Pro you go for (Pro or Pro Max), you’re getting the same updated camera system on both models, the only differences being the phone size (including the screen and battery). This year we’ve got an update to the telephoto camera, which now has a higher resolution 48MP sensor, a 4x telephoto lens, and offers an 8x “optical quality” digital crop/zoom option, that can give nice results. There’s also an updated 18MP selfie camera with a square sensor making it easier to shoot any way you hold the phone.

I reviewed the phone, and found the overall package extremely good in terms of camera features, but I’m still waiting for Apple to improve the macro performance, which has been overtaken by Android phones which now tend to use the telephoto camera (with a periscope design) to give more pleasing macro images.

These updates may be enough to persuade people to upgrade from the 15 and 16 series, but there have been questions raised about the durability of the new aluminium design.

iPhone 17 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/299s · 6.7649998656528mm · ISO64

The iPhone 17 Pro / Max offer the best iPhone cameras, and if you prefer the Apple way of doing things then this is a great choice. The main choice now, will be whether you want the larger phone, or the more compact phone.

Read our full iPhone 17 Pro review.

Best Samsung camera phone (but cheaper): Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Specifications at a glance:

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra succeeds S23 Ultra as Samsung’s flagship model, and is Samsung’s top dog in terms of photography, until that is, the S25 Ultra came out (see above). Its main camera has the same headline-grabbing 200MP sensor that uses pixel-binning technology as its predecessor. However, the telephoto camera has been upgraded to a new 50MP 5x telephoto zoom from the previous 10MP 10x telephoto seen on the S22/S23 Ultra.

A new generation of AI technology is introduced with the S24 series, utilised during image capture and said to improve night photography, noise performance, zoom quality and HDR imaging among others. AI is also relevant in the new on-device and cloud-based editing features like its new Reflection removal tool. Speaking of reflection removal, which is really useful, the S24 Ultra also has one of the best screens on any phone, thanks to the anti-reflective coating on the screen.

Galaxy S24 Ultra · f/3.4 · 1/169s · 18.6mm · ISO32

The S24 Ultra records video up to 8K 30fps, and with AI can also be used to create slow-motion videos by generating interim frames in a video, letting you create slow-motion videos after you record them.

Following our full review, I noted the incremental improvements to the cameras and features in Samsung smartphones, but there were some areas where I’d like to see some additional improvements, namely in macro. I did conclude, though, that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the best camera phones currently available in the mainstream, and I stick by that. Now that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has been announced, look out for S24 Ultra deals.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review to see what this smartphone is cable of.

Best used Apple camera phone: iPhone 16 Pro and Max

Specifications at a glance:

Whether you go for the iPhone 16 Pro or the 16 Pro Max, you’re getting the same camera system, the only differences being the phone size (including the screen and battery). This iPhone update sees the ultra-wide-angle camera updated, as well as a new photo control button on the side that helps give quicker access to photo settings (such as zoom, etc). Hardly as ground-breaking as Apple would make out, but a welcome addition.

I reviewed the phone, and found the new controls useful, but would have liked to see Apple improve the macro performance, which has been overtaken by Android phones, and I’d also like Apple to improve the selfie camera, which struggles in low-light.

These updates may not be enough to persuade people to upgrade from the 15 Pro Max, but if you want a very good iPhone, and don’t want to break the bank, then the 16 Pro / Pro Max is a good choice, especially as prices for used or refurbished are much lower than new models.

iPhone 16 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/8130s · 6.7649998656528mm · ISO80

These are also the best iPhones available for zoom, thanks to the 5x telephoto camera.

Read our full iPhone 16 Pro review, as well as our 16 Pro Max review. JW

Best folding camera phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

Specifications at a glance:

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is the latest folding phone from Samsung, and until this model, I’ve felt that there was not enough focus on the camera system to be good enough for photographers, however, that has changed with the Z Fold7. The main camera has the same headline-grabbing 200MP sensor that uses pixel-binning technology as the flagship S25 Ultra, and the ultra-wide camera now has auto-focus to enable some nice macro photography.

Like the S25 Ultra there are some nice AI features, with a range of additional features for searching, including inside the photo gallery. There’s also been improvements to video recording, with the ability to use AI to improve the audio quality as well as Log tools.

Galaxy Z Fold7 · f/1.7 · 1/7944s · 6.25mm · ISO50

Where the Zold 7 really stands out is in the folding screen design, which gives you an impressive 8.0inch inner screen, where you photos look amazing, and your video recording and editing has plenty of room. When folded the phone still feels like a normal phone, thanks to the extra thin design. If your budget allows, this truly is a wonderful phone to use.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 review to see what this smartphone is cable of.

Best flagship for sports and action: OnePlus 13

Specifications at a glance:

This flagship phone from OnePlus features an impressive array of specs that make it a worthy contender for the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google. And it does this at a significantly lower starting price of $899 / £899. It has everything you would expect from a high-end phone with AI features, a generous 6.82” screen, sturdy battery life and of course a capable triple-lens rear camera setup.

There is a 23mm wide angle, a 15mm ultra-wide angle and a 73mm triprism lens that provides approximately 3x optical zoom. All three lenses have a 50MP sensor, however, the main wide angle lens uses a larger, 1/1.4inch sensor whereas the others are smaller. Thanks to the firm’s continuing partnership with Hasselblad there’s a 1x, 2x, and 3x Portrait mode that emulates the look from Hasselblad camera lenses.

You can record up to 8K resolution at 30fps but keep in mind the space these videos will occupy, there’s also a 4K 60fps option and of course slow-mo at 1080p 240fps. The OnePlus 13 currently holds the position of highest peak brightness smartphone screen on the market with an incredible 4500 nits, so you can not just record high-quality video but enjoy watching even in very bright sunlight.

Thanks to a dual exposure algorithm that merges a regular and a long exposure shot, photos are sharp with very minimal motion blur, this makes the OnePlus13 ideal for shooting sports, action and fast moving subjects. Combine this with the Burst function in the dedicated Action mode and you won’t miss a shot.

Read our full review of the OnePlus 13

Best Apple camera phone: iPhone 15 Pro

Specifications at a glance:

While not the biggest iPhone on the block – that being the iPhone 16 Pro Max – the iPhone 15 Pro offers a balanced set of features that make it realistically the best option for most users. It’s no great jump from the previous year’s iPhone 14 Pro, but the iPhone 15 Pro makes several clever usability upgrades that improve the experience for the smartphone photographer and videographer. Now that the 16 Pro is out (see above), this phone should be available for less, while stocks last.

For instance, portrait mode can now kick in automatically when the facial recognition system detects a human subject (or a pet, for that matter). What’s more, an image can also be turned into a portrait post-capture. Video shooters get new Log profiles, which allows for much more flexibility when it comes to colour-grading footage. And Apple has finally relented on the port and given us the widely used USB-C connection, rather than its proprietary Lightning port. At last!

In our full review, we concluded that the improvements to the iPhone 15 Pro over the iPhone 14 Pro are relatively marginal, and that it was another excellent device. Neither this model nor its bigger Pro Max cousin has quite done enough to dethrone the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the current king of the hill when it comes to smartphone imaging.

Read our full iPhone 15 Pro review, as well as our comparison piece on the iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro to learn more about this excellent camera phone. Plus read our comparison of the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Best AI phone for photography: Google Pixel 10 Pro (and XL)

Specifications at a glance:

The Google Pixel series has long been a choice for those who put the photography features before everything else. The Google Pixel 10 Pro continues that tradition with improvements being made to the cameras, as well as shooting features, with enhanced zoom as well, thanks to additional AI improvements.

There’s a great triple camera setup on the back with an ultra-wide camera with AF, a main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), and a 5x telephoto camera, also with OIS. The phone also provides a 2x zoom, and a 10x zoom, that uses Super Resolution Zoom to provide ‘optical quality’ zoom, and in my testing, I found this actually worked really well! Beyond 10x zoom the camera system will use AI to add additional detail to images, giving you images that look better than the blurry mess of digital zoom.

There’s also a great selfie-camera, with 42MP, which uses pixel-binning to give 10.5MP images. There’s auto-focus, and the selfie camera is wider than the 8 series, meaning you can get more in the shot. The ultra-wide-angle camera has a bright f/1.7 aperture, compared to the f/2.0 aperture on the Pixel 8 Pro.

Pixel 10 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/10s · 6.9mm · ISO789

As a Google phone, the HDR shooting has been updated, and is now more impressive, with the phone coping with high dynamic range situations incredibly well, whether that’s outdoors, or in low-light conditions. There are further improvements made to the AI features on offer as well, with Add-me being a particularly useful feature for people who want to be in the shot when taking group photos.

Unfortunately the phone doesn’t record 8K video on the phone directly, maxing out at 4K 60fps, so if high-resolution (8K) video is what you’re looking for, other phones do this better. There are also others that also offer 120fps 4K video. Other negatives, include the macro performance of the phone, which is lacklustre. Using the ultra-wide-angle camera and cropping into the shot gives an image lacking in detail.

Google give you a choice of size, with the larger 10 Pro XL, and smaller Google Pixel 10 Pro, both featuring the same impressive camera system, so you can choose which size is best for you.

Best for: AI features that are easy to use, plus night and astrophotography. Google phones have an impressive night mode, as well as support for astrophotography. The AI editing is particularly impressive as well, and Google have hit the ground running with this.

Read our full Google Pixel 10 Pro review to get all the details. JW.

Best for advanced photographers: Xiaomi 15 Ultra

Specifications at a glance:

There’s an awful lot to like about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, starting with the Leica branded camera system. It’s packed with a great range of features, including a one-inch main sensor, putting it ahead of most rivals. You can shoot using all three lenses in 50MP mode, and the telephoto camera has been upgraded to a 200MP unit for improved telephoto zoom. Video performs pretty well and it has a slew of options including slow motion, night video, video pro mode and a tracking mode.

While the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is not cheap, it fares well when compared to competing flagship models. It is also likely to drop in price more quickly – on the second-hand market too – compared with the likes of the bigger name (at least in certain markets) Samsung and Apple phones. Keep an eye out for an emerging gap in prices.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra · f/1.63 · 1/989s · 8.72mm · ISO50

Our review found it to be an extremely capable smartphone which produces excellent results in a wide variety of different shooting scenarios, with some impressive close-up macro performance as well. In our opinion, it even gives the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra a run for it’s money, which is saying a lot! The only thing lacking is in the selfie-camera, which doesn’t feature auto-focus.

Read our full Xiaomi 15 Ultra review.

Best for close-up photography: Vivo X200 Pro

Specifications at a glance:

This flagship smartphone by Vivo comes with an impressive triple set of cameras created in collaboration with Zeiss. All cameras are equipped with high resolution sensors with auto-focus and OIS (optical image stabilisation), and the 200MP 3.7x periscope camera gives macro features. These specs make the Vivo X200 Pro a formidable competition for the well-known flagships.

The main 23mm f/1.75 camera features a 50MP 1/1.28inch sensor, which is larger than many other phones. It delivers consistently impressive results with plenty of detail, excellent colour reproduction, and reliable exposure. Moreover, the dynamic range is great with HDR automatically turning on when needed.

The Zeiss APO floating telephoto camera is a periscope design, and it gives you amazing looking close-up photos, even in poor lighting, with plenty of detail. It is also backed by a 200MP sensor, helping capture even more detail. Finally, the last ultra-wide-angle 15mm, f/2 camera provides nice results, with good colour and exposure, as well as good levels of detail. The camera app gives you quick access to 0.6x, 1x, 2x, 3.7x and 10x making it feel like you’ve got way more cameras than there actually are.

vivo X200 Pro · f/16 · 1/20s · 22.48mm · ISO2230

In use, the Vivo X200 Pro proved a highly capable camera phone that more than justified its flagship price tag. The larger sensor on the main camera means the high-ISO performance is excellent, making the phone immensely capable in low light. We noted in our review that the selfie camera is a little weak and lacks autofocus. It’s also worth noting that this phone is currently only available in some markets. If you can get hold of one though, it’s an amazing performer with highly capable cameras. Hopefully next years update will be more widely available.

Best for: Macros and close-up, with great low-light performance. This is the phone I use for product photography, with the telephoto lens producing great results.

Read our full Vivo X200 Pro review.

Best Small Samsung flagship: Samsung Galaxy S25/S25+

Samsung Galaxy S25 (4000mAh battery, 6.2inch) / S25+ (4900mAh, 6.7inch):

If your budget is a bit tighter but you still want to get most of the S25 Ultra specs, the S25 or the S25+ is an ideal choice. The biggest differences from the S25 Ultra are the lack of headline grabbing 200MP super-high resolution main sensor, no dedicated macro mode, and only three lenses instead of four. But in reality both are very capable and well performing camera phones.

Both S25 and S25+ feature an identical camera set-up, with a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP main wide camera, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 12MP front selfie camera (with AF), and up to 8K video recording from the main camera. For video or vlogging, the S25/S25+ offer a great setup, as the selfie camera can also be used for 4K video recording.

Galaxy S25+ · f/1.8 · 1/5862s · 5.4mm · ISO80

The only difference between these two flagships are their size, price, and battery life. Both have a smaller body than the S24 Ultra, however the Samsung Galaxy S25+ measures 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3mm and features a 6.7inch Dynamic AMOLED screen which is not far off from the S25 Ultra’s 6.9inch size. If you want to go for a smaller version opt for the Samsung Galaxy S25 with 6.2inch screen, it sits more comfortably in the hand, however its smaller size means smaller battery too.

Best value flagship: Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G

Specifications at a glance:

The Tecno Camon series of phones is Tecno’s flagship range of smartphones designed for photography. The Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G is the top of the range model (the Camon 40 Pro sits slightly beneath it), and offers a premium triple camera setup for roughly half the price of flagships from the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Google. However, it’s only available in certain markets, so if you find yourself in that market, count yourself one of the lucky ones. It’s priced so competitively it’s likely to fit both in this list of premium camera phones, as well as our list of the best budget phones.

TECNO CM8 · f/1.8 · 1/3491s · 5.56mm · ISO51

All camera units on this feature a 50MP sensor, and on the back you get cameras that offer ultra-wide angle (14mm equivalent), wide-angle (23mm equivalent), and 3x telephoto (70mm equivalent), and on the front you’ll find a 50MP f/2.4 camera with auto-focus! The phone can also record 4K video at 60fps, has a generous 5100mAh battery, with fast charging, but unfortunately wireless charging isn’t included.

Read our full Tecno Camon 40 Premier review

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How to choose the best camera phone for the best photos

Sensors and image quality

Comparing the headline specs of camera phones can be a useful way of getting a sense of how they perform, and which ones might be better than others. Digital photography enthusiasts may gravitate towards comparing camera resolution (megapixels or MP for short), however this often doesn’t tell the whole story.

Does megapixel count matter on a camera phone?

In short, no, not really. Most smartphones will use a higher resolution sensor, whether that’s a 50MP, 64MP, 108MP or 200MP sensor, and still give you a 12 or 16MP image. Nobody wants to get 108MP or 200MP photos emailed or shared to them anyway, so no, megapixel count doesn’t really matter on a camera phone, despite what the marketing might claim. There are some small benefits to higher resolution sensors, in the form of cropping and lossless zoom, but beyond that, there are also disadvantages.

Smartphone cameras generally use very small sensors, due to their physical size and shape, and this can mean a lot of image noise in high-resolution shooting, however, some use larger 1inch sensors. Modern phones make up for this by taking multiple shots and merging them together into one photo, allowing for lower noise, and greater dynamic range, so a small sensor isn’t as much of a disadvantage as it once was.

When we talk about a smartphone’s main cameras (i.e. the rear cameras), we’re really talking about more than one, as modern smartphones use a camera array made up of multiple lens modules. This is what allows smartphones to shoot at different perspectives; generally there will be a standard wide lens, an ultra-wide-angle lens, and then sometimes a telephoto lens or a macro-lens for close-ups.

The different lenses use their own sensors, and as such will tend to have different megapixel counts. Some of the latest smartphones even use quad camera arrays with four modules, while other manufacturers are experimenting with optical zoom lenses, though this tech is in its early days, with mixed results.

Battery life

You should also consider battery life, as some phones last the day while others do not. Most flagship phones have a battery with 5000mAh which should give a good amount of longevity, however, smaller phones often have smaller batteries, so it’s something to be aware of.

Video

The top video resolution will be of interest, almost all flagship phones will offer 4K video, but do they also offer it from the selfie camera? The best phones for video also offer 8K video, or 4K video at high frame rates of 120fps. You’ll also want advanced lens options and good quality audio recording. If you’re shooting video, battery size is particularly important, as it tends to eat away at a phone’s battery faster.

Check out the best smartphones for video if that’s your priority, but otherwise, continue reading.

Is iOS or Android better for photography?

One big thing to think about is whether you want to use a phone that runs iOS vs Android as its operating system. Both systems have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to smartphone photography, as well as general use as a smartphone.

If you already use a lot of Apple products like MacBooks then an iPhone will integrate better into your system. However, Android phones offer a lot more choice and flexibility with third-party apps. These days, Android phones from market leaders like Google and Samsung have some of the best cameras in the business.

When choosing a phone, whether Android or iOS, it’s worth checking how many years of updates you’ll get, as some phones give much longer than others, meaning better value for money for you.

You can check out our guide to iPhone vs Android: which is better for photography for a detailed comparison.

Is there a DSLR-quality camera phone?

With smartphone camera technology continually advancing, you may be wondering whether they have equalled or even surpassed the quality of traditional interchangeable-lens cameras like DSLRs or mirrorless models. However, for the time being, the answer is no, and this is largely to do with physical hardware limitations.

A premium digital camera can pack in a physically larger imaging sensor, which allows it to produce images with higher quality, and lower noise without multi-shot processing. In bright sunny conditions, the difference may not be as noticeable, but in low-light conditions, this is where you’re more likely to notice it. The majority of mirrorless and DSLR cameras also provide more resolution, with 24MP, 40MP, 47MP and 61MP (etc) sensors giving the full-resolution, without pixel-binning.

Cameras also have the advantage of interchangeable lenses – being able to put on an 85mm f/1.4 lens is always going to give you better results than a smartphone’s portrait mode. Granted, if you were to look at the two images side by side on a small phone screen the differences might not be so obvious. But the moment you try to view the image on a larger display, or print it, the difference in quality will be obvious.

The acceleration of progress in smartphone cameras has certainly raised the question of whether they can replicate the quality of digital cameras and DSLRs. Ultimately, with their interchangeable lenses, larger sensors, and raw imaging capability, the answer is: not yet. Some genres and shooting situations, such as portrait photography and macro photography are certainly better served by a camera than a smartphone, but phones are catching up quickly.

And, smartphones have their advantages, of course, they’re convenient, they’re always online, and they’re the camera you always have on you. If you’re still not sure which is right for you, then have a look at our guide to Smartphone vs Digital Camera: Which is better?

Why isn’t the Sony Xperia on the list?

We reviewed the flagship Sony Xperia 1 VI phone, and whilst we have seen a number of improvements in the phone from Sony, we found that the telephoto zoom camera on the phone gave disappointing images, and the portrait and low-light images couldn’t match other flagship phones. There are some unique features on the phone, such as a manual focus close-up macro mode, and a lot of manual controls, but for most people, this could end up being a frustrating shooting experience. However, if you do need a phone with a headphone jack and MicroSD slot, this is one of very few flagship phones with these features. Check out our full Sony Xperia 1 VI review to see if it’s right for you.

Recent updates

• October 2025 Update 2: iPhone 14 Pro removed as best value used iPhone, see our guide to the best iPhones for photography for all price options. Google Pixel 8 Pro removed as only available to buy refurbished and second-hand. Intro text clarified, and Google Pixel 10 Pro updated to Best AI phone thanks to all the AI features that make it easier to get great photos. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra removed as newer phones can offer the same level of zoom (through clever hybrid zoom), and S23 Ultra is getting old, and therefore will get less updates compared to newer models. How we test section expanded to explain in more detail how we test the phones.
• October 2025 Update: iPhone 17 Pro review now live on site, and added as the best iPhone camera ever made. Updated low-light photo taken with the Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Now you know the best camera phones for photography, check out our guide to the best camera phone accessories and best camera phone tripods and mounts.

Related reading:

• Best smartphones for macro
• Best smartphones for street photography
• Best smartphones for portrait photography
• Best smartphones for low light

Follow AP on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

The post Best camera phones for photography in 2025 appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Well, this is it—the last-ever TOP post on TypePad. TypePad is scheduled to close down tomorrow, although who knows what will happen and when. We’ll all see, I guess.

I will be posting for the foreseeable future over on Patreon, where I urge you to become a visitor or, better yet, a supporter. Voluntary donations from readers have become the biggest income generator for The Online Photographer. It has changed many times over the years, first ads, then affiliate income, then print sales, etc., but that’s where we are now.

This morning, on Patreon, I published the long-promised version of the Dogs Baker’s Dozen with the photographers’ comments attached. It was super easy, and a pleasure. I have to say that during its decline, images had become increasingly difficult to publish here on TypePad. It would sometimes take an hour of work (and frustration) to get one to post successfully. Sometimes I’d have to give up and come back to it later. The folks from TypePad couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and if they couldn’t, I certainly couldn’t. Sigh. The handwriting on the wall wasn’t that difficult to read. 

At the lower right-hand corner of this site it says, or used to say, “Member Since 06 / 2007.” I actually started TOP in 2005 on Blogger—our 20th anniversary is coming right up at the end of November. Considering that my “stretch goal” in 2005 was to keep the blog going for as long as one whole year, that’s pretty amazing. A whole year seemed next to impossible in November of 2005. For the most part, it’s been the perfect job for me. The work suits my skills and interests, and the circumstances (self-employed, set my own schedule, limp when I’m feeling down and crank when I’m feeling energetic) also suit me. I have no idea how many people have come and gone over those 20 years, but it could easily be well into six figures. And I’ve been especially lucky in attracting so many great readers. I initially started ‘Featuring” comments to foster discussion and a sense of community, but something better happened—I attracted a whole lot of thoughtful, intelligent, educated people with extensive knowledge in this and other fields, and provided an outlet for them to share their own knowledge, experience, and musings. I have been so influence by readers I can’t even tell you. Virtually every aspect of my life has been touched by something I learned from somebody who reads my blog. 

It’s still kind of an open question whether TOP will be able to continue—a forced relaunch on a different site, with a different look and a different setup, is a rough transition even when it’s carefully planned for months in advance. Executed pell-mell on short notice and under duress, well, let’s just say the conditions are not favorable. But I’ll try. It’s not like I have much choice. I can’t retire. To repeat one of the jokes I like and repeat again and again, “my retirement plan is to keep working.” 

Well, I don’t want to go on and on, because this could disappear before 24 hours have passed. It’s been a good 18 years and three months since June 2007. That’s 6,700 days, and I’ve written something here on most of them—about 9,400 posts total. 

Sic transit gloria mundi (thus passeth the glory of the world). Good luck to us all, and I hope I’ll be seeing you! 

Kind regards,

Mike

In the heart of the old Burned-Over District

September 2025

     

Related Stories

• City Life vs. Country Life
• Please Follow Me Over On Patreon
• Another Idea… (Blog Note)

 

Almost 20 years ago to the day, a teenager made an unwise camera choice* to record what he was experiencing in case he might later forget. In reality, the choice was really to consciously notice the world around him and single out the bits that mattered – starting immediately with the things he was involved in, which at the time was the crazy period of growing up known as ‘university’. He’d used the family camera before, of course – for the obligatory vacation and landmark images and with the admonition not to ‘waste film on pictures without people in them.’ University represented freedom and the first time he could decide what to aim the camera at – back then, merely his friends’ silly poses and an image or two without people that he felt compelled to take, but wasn’t sure why. It wouldn’t be until much, much later that the process was a conscious one and more importantly, transcended the medium.

*APSC Fuji 1010 Tiara, if you must know. It was battery hungry, the film was expensive and the image quality was questionable. But hey, it was small and unobtrusive, and the really cool looking Ricoh GR1v was way too expensive for a student, even then.

I had no idea that the decision to start seeing the world around me would not just sustain me through the creative depression of the corporate wilderness for the better part of a decade, but take me to places I’d never even dreamed of. It would give me a respite in lunch-hour sized chunks from the sheer mind numbing boredom of audit. It would bring me to the attention of the watch collecting community – in lieu of actually being able to afford anything at the time – and brand principals in the early days of online forums, and later supply my first professional job. It would take me through a part time contributor position at a magazine that would lead to editor, disagreements over commercial/editorial integrity and the formation of this site, to write the truth and present it how I felt was right, independent of influence or dependency on advertising. It would lead me to make ‘pictures without people in them’ for companies and individuals I’d never thought I’d be involved with, let alone creatively contributing to. It would put me in a position to take user feedback and personal experience to directly develop better products with just about all of the major camera manufacturers – and it would leave a lot of things tainted in the harsh light of reality. It would train me to think like an entrepreneur and be self sufficient, and give me the ability to present the best face of my projects to the world. It would give me a meditative reprieve from times when I didn’t want to dwell too much on my immediate situation. It would lead me to question and seek to understand art, human psychology, my own motivations, and what truly motivates us; it would help me to understand the meaning of balance in more ways than one. Above all, it would make me close friends around the world. For all of that, I’ll always be thankful.

It hasn’t always been an easy ride, as anybody close to me will confirm. I’ve had my fair share of uncertain income, business mistakes, taking on jobs I wasn’t entirely sure I could pull off and unpleasant surprises from clients, unrelated individuals, industry peers and entities and everything in-between. I’ve been the target of jealousy and smear campaigns and entitlement and copyright infringement. Some of that frustration I’ve shared here before. Months of drought alternated – often back to back – with months so full I barely had time to sleep and was running on pure adrenalin. I’ve held anywhere between three and six ostensibly full time jobs at any given time, for most of my full time professional photographic career since 2012 – a close friend once joked that I was doing the work of six for the pay of two and a half, which is not far from the truth. I entered professional photography at a rapidly changing time and probably the last period to really make a run of things before fragmentation into quantity, the whole social media influencer mess; my guess at the time was I’d have 3-5 years before I’d have to figure out what to do next.

During the times I’d previously dabbled in trying to turn pro, I’d figured out that I would have to have a diversified approach: a professional portfolio that was focused enough to look specialised but with enough skills to take on pretty much any job; a public presence to build reputation and audience; something with more consistent income like teaching or education (which turned into workshops and videos); and something to put all of the pieces together to deliver unique value: this would be the consulting side for the camera companies. It seems that the strategy worked a little too well, because to this day people seem to assume all I do is reviews – even though that’s less than 5% of the content of this site. But they played an important part since validation is by far the most commonly searched-for thing photographically. Why that’s the case, I’ll never know – everybody has different objectives and opinions are therefore of at best relative value.

As it turns out, my workload split itself pretty much equally between professional work, education, consulting, and this site. In the last eight and a half years, I shot 202 assignments excluding those for my own watch company; led nearly 50 workshops around the world including smuggling six Americans into Cuba in 2014; produced close to 200 hours of educational video and two years of the weekly photoshop workflow series; wrote 1,815 posts (and owe Robin Wong a big thanks for another 80+) and replied to nearly 99,000 of your comments. At peak, there were nearly a quarter of a million unique visitors every month. I had half a dozen exhibitions internationally and nearly fell out of a plane making a series that in the end, never got shown. I worked with Hasselblad, DJI, Zeiss, Olympus, Leica, Sigma, Sony, was ambassador for three of those brands and nearly started my own camera company. I wore out three keyboards writing this site, and a further four Wacom tablets in retouching and post processing. Lastly: I don’t have an exact number, but my best guess is I shot more than two million images.

That’s a lot of work – an entire lifetime, for some; certainly a career’s worth for me. (And for increasing numbers of dishonest others, a place to steal content to farm ad revenue.)

If things are starting to take on a tone of finality, that’s because this is the point at which I confirm the suspicions you’ve been having: MT the writer and mingthein.com are both going into retirement. Between the demands of my ‘other’ job, not being able to travel, and trying not to repeat myself – I’ve run out of things to say. There really isn’t anything meaningful which we have not covered on this site in the usual rational, systematic fashion with plenty of images – there are certainly subtleties on subtleties about approach and theory and philosophy that we could continue to debate, but at that point, I’d be writing dissertations for an audience of at best, one. The truth is, I’ve said everything I wanted to say and more; I’ve done enough thinking and dissection about how and why I shoot that the whole enormous mass has become intuitive – and I want to go back to applying that and shooting the things that interest me, for me, without feeling the need to create content for the entertainment of somebody else. The internet has a nasty habit of a short attention span: they tend to look at things in tl;dr terms and not bother to use the search function. There is admittedly quite a lot of frustration in having a comment taken out of context and applied without relativity; a really good example is the inability to decouple equipment from process from creative objective. Yes, I go through a lot of gear. No, it isn’t for the sake of having the Next Best Thing or some sort of placebo – it’s because I’m in search of what I think of as envelope; the ability to achieve very specific creative objectives, which change – and therefore so must the tools.

But it does get tiring having to explain this all the time. I’ve always said that the very best position to be in as a photographer is an amateur: a person who engages in the activity for the love of it, without the constraints of shooting to a client’s expectation – be that a social media audience or a paying employer. This is my chance to go back to being an amateur, at least for a little while. The whole COVID situation has enforced a strange motivation on us creatives: at the start, I had one of my most productive periods because there wasn’t a lot else to do being under lockdown and unable to leave the house. But it was productivity in a different avenue – I did a lot of designing, and almost no writing or photographing. I’ve long come to accept that creativity needs multiple outlets; a single medium isn’t enough to fulfil one’s vision. But for photographers, the last few months has been a bad period not just professionally but also creatively: when you’re constrained to the same familiar environment you’ve probably already photographed to death within the first few months of moving in, what’s left? You’re forced to either not shoot, reshoot the same images, or try to see something different in the familiar. Many documented the personal process of lockdown, including myself; but after a while, routine looks the same. But the process of doing it felt oddly familiar: it was like starting to shoot all over again, and I kinda liked it.

The first time you do anything creative is difficult, because you’re not just grappling with trying to get the desired outcome from the building blocks you’ve got, but also the entire mechanical process of things. There are experiments that yield results that move you for reasons you don’t quite understand, and unfortunately cannot repeat; and others that fail completely. It was really that feeling of challenge and constraint again, and with the very same initial backdrop of documenting my personal sphere: it’s very easy to make different images of different subjects you’ve never seen before; it isn’t so easy to make different images of subjects you see all the time, but likely fail to notice. I found myself being forced to real see again, and in the process realised how much I’d been stuck in my comfort zone. The weight of experience becomes a tangibly corporeal thing that can sometimes hold you back from experimenting because of the expectations attached. Ironically, it seems the task of exiting my comfort zone would happen within the most comfortable of zones.

Except this time I had the vocabulary and technique to get the images I saw in my mind’s eye; but I just need that eye to see differently. I needed to not care about who would see the images (i.e. nobody); what I would use them for; what else I had to do with my time – in short, nothing more than whether I liked the result or not. All of the rational means of assessing and curating I use like the four things aren’t so much ignored as practiced and internalised to the point of becoming intuitive. I have had, and can have, pretty much whatever hardware I want; I can extract the full potential from that hardware. I needed an irrational, emotional thing to match an irrational, emotional process – something limited and constrained, but not constraining; something tactile and encouraging but not emotionless and functional. Yes, I did buy something; no, I’m not going to say what it is so I can avoid the risk of having it ‘spoiled’; I don’t need the affirmation of the internet that I made the right choice – I know I made the right choice for me. I enjoy the process of using it and it enables and encourages the kind of images that I’m making now – the images in this post – that move me but require no justification to anybody else. Odd as it may sound, the lack of negative emotional connotations for my tools is very important to me. It’s one of the reasons I have very few holdovers from previous collaborations/jobs/engagements; the creative in me needs a new, clean tool for a new job, and the businessman needs fiscal efficiency and low wastage.

There will always remain the need for dichotomy and contrast, however: I will still continue to produce work for my long-standing clients, and I’m fairly sure this creative loop will result in better work than before. I will still produce all of the images for my watch company because there’s a certain nice continuity between seeing a design that doesn’t exist, to translating it through physical process into an object, to being able to highlight detail and intent. As much as I hate retouching dust (now worse than ever with the kind of resolution media asks for and the insensitive cropping that accompanies it) – we aren’t going to move to CG imaging. Hell, I don’t even composite images – I’ve had more than one client surprised when they find out all of the watch images are a single shot in-camera and you can really see the same thing with your own eyes if the lights are set up right. It is a hard-won and exceptionally masochistic lost art that I have no intention of relinquishing.

At the same time as the world around us is changing and I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to travel to the places I have with the freedom we had previously – the immediate world around me is also changing. My daughter is growing up, and as much as I never quite understood the obsession and lack of objectivity that comes with photographing one’s children – it’s starting to make a little more sense to me. The last coupe of years have seen less photography and documentary of the younger one, offset against being busy with other things or directly involved and not having free hands or mental space to shoot – but I have the sudden realisation that time has skipped a gear and now seems to be progressing faster again. It’s certainly time to for me to put a bit more effort once again into trying to freeze her personality in a defining moment or two. She’s also turned into a bit of a camwhore, but I guess the outcome was always binary with a photographer father: either comfortable with being in front of the lens, or avoiding it entirely. At times I’m probably almost more self-conscious than she is about the camera.

In a post-pandemic world, I’m left wondering if faces are going to become a very personal thing; a mask lends a degree of not just immunological protection but also personality protection; it’s almost like the anonymity of the internet. We’re seeing a lot of bad behaviour that’s a lot harder to do if you know the person in front of you, and they know you; it’s just no longer personal anymore. Maybe if we go back to being able to travel again, we’re never quite going to have the same experience because people won’t look different; the subtle cues we get from the faces and expressions around us will be lost behind the mask. It makes me really want to take up portraiture; not just of the people I know or posed models, but a wide variety of subjects – almost more to feel what’s really going on at the present moment than to make an interesting image. I’ve said previously that portraiture is really the record of the relationship between the photographer and subject; but perhaps it can be more – it’s also the unspoken thoughts and emotions behind what was held back.

There are professions that are always going to be a bit morose no matter how you view them – an undertaker, for example – but photography isn’t one of them. Anything creative (except perhaps accounting) should come with a sense of liberation and the satisfaction of having made order and beauty out of incoherent parts. When that joy is no longer present, then I sincerely believe you’re doing it wrong. There is a tricky balance between focusing entirely on photography and not having any meaning to photograph and focusing on other things and failing to see; the pro almost inevitably errs on the former side, and the majority of the population, the latter. The hobbyist gets lost in the camera store. I look back at the highlight reel of my own work, and realise the images that spoke to me then and still speak to me today are almost all spontaneous, and produced during those fleeting periods where curiosity balanced opportunity – the last day of a work trip set aside for personal meandering; the free afternoon of a workshop; the time when the weather was crap and we shot documentary on the assembly line instead of on location.

Planned images are limited by one’s means and imagination. Serendipitous ones are unlimited by chance and one’s subconscious. I need to travel again, but not hold any preconceptions about what I’m going to see, or inhibitions against photographing it. Development of any kind – creative or otherwise – can only happen if the right things are broken down in the process. It means leaving your comfort zone and trying something new; of not being afraid that the next step may lead down a dead end. Professional photography, this site, teaching, consulting – has gone from being dangerously scary with a side of doki-doki excitement to business as usual; nobody told me what I was supposed to do, but I eventually found a comfortable process. It’s probably going to be harder to break those habits than anything.

I feel like the only obvious thing left is the question of what’s next – Horologer MING is now no longer a new venture; at some point in the last year I got the distinct feeling we’d transitioned from being the new kids to having our own defined niche in the industry establishment. The plan was already brewing during peak photography for me; by 2016 the wheels were in motion and in 2017, our first model was released to much nail biting and eventually success. In the three years since our public debut, we’ve released 16 models, been shortlisted for and won the industry’s biggest award, and become both commercially viable and sought after. We won’t make the mistake of growing too fast and being unable to uphold the level of collector engagement we started off with; instead, we’ll aim for a sustainable point that lets us have meaningful conversations with our buyers, make watches that continue to interest us personally and have the resources, time and mental overhead to make interesting images and drive engaging cars. I’ve come to realize that the spark required to keep one’s enthusiasm alive is maintained both by not fixating too much on one thing and being open to cross-disciplinary inspiration; it’s hard to keep an open mind if you can’t see beyond your immediate situation.

I’m not ruling out another publicly shared/photographic project in future, but right now I have no idea what form that might take – or if it will happen at all. I’ve been so caught up in the ‘business as usual’ of keeping this site/ client commitments/ teaching/ consulting etc. running that I’ve frankly not had a lot of time to think about a major change in format or direction. Perhaps it will eventually come after some time off, and probably like most inspiration – come at the least expected point. The truth is, I’ve been a photographer for so long at this point – longer than I haven’t been one – I can’t stop being one. It isn’t possible to turn off the seeing, it isn’t possible to completely lose that impulse to frame and capture – even if it diminishes from time to time. I do know this, however – it’ll have to be something that lets me make images in line with my creative and personal benchmarks first and foremost; I will always be the “client”. The curation thus remains simple and there is nothing to defend, apologise or make excuses for – or be overly sensitive of an external opinion about.

I started off wanting to record my experiences. At around the same time, I acquired more than a passing interest in watches and cars; I got a ‘real’ job to pay for that and realised it wasn’t at all what I wanted to do, even if I was quite successful at it. I didn’t really become ‘me’ until I accepted that I would have to take some risks and do an unlikely combination of things to make the puzzle work; it came back to photography, and then watches. Even my watch collecting journey has gone in a circle from affordable to knowledgable and off the deep end to back to now producing accessible pieces with the benefit of knowledge obtained after coming back from the abyss – it is somehow therefore fitting that the ‘retirement camera’ is also the descendant of the one that resulted in my biggest previous creative shift, and a company I’d worked with previously. My fate indeed has as strong sense of deja vu about it – but I’m okay with that, because it feels like I got a second chance. Some of you may be disappointed that this post doesn’t contain a sort of retrospective ‘best of’; I’d argue the opposite because it’s instead a glimpse into what’s to come. I’ll leave a clue: it’s really about photographing light first, transients second, and everything else as a supporting actor. Light and timing transcend the subject from what it is most of the time, into what it could be.

It’s been an intense eight and a half years. Thank you to all of you for the support*, encouragement, challenges and friendship – it’s time for me to start making pictures for myself again, and I hope you all continue to do so too. New comments will be disabled from the end of September and I will no longer be replying, but the archive listings will be updated and site itself will remain active for the foreseeable future – producing it was a huge undertaking and there’s a lot of emotional attachment here. It only makes sense to leave it up as a resource – perhaps inspiring some people, perhaps rewarding others with a kernel or two of insight. If it accomplishes that much – I’ve achieved far more here than I set out to do. MT

*And a special thank you to the patrons who’ve donated monthly to keep the site running – I will manually cancel the subscriptions on 1 September.

Finally, for the next two weeks all workshop videos at the teaching store will be 50% off with the code FULLCIRCLE50 (not combinable with other bundles). I’ll also be making the Weekly PS Workflow Archive available for purchase as a set here (92 episodes and 120+ hours of material covering a huge range of examples of both my own and reader images). This is the ideal (and last) chance for you to complete your set if you are missing videos.  

MING 18.01 H41 diver, August 2020 / 3rd anniversary release. In a 40×12.9mm grade 5 titanium case with matching bracelet, synthetic diamond coated bezel, ceramic superluminova X1 and 1km depth rating. Available while stocks last at www.ming.watch

__________________

Images and content copyright Ming Thein | mingthein.com 2012 onwards unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved