At the end of the year I'll likely be transitioning all of my News/Views into a single format. This is currently planned to be available only by subscription, and via a weekly email as well as a private site (see end of this digest for more on that). Don't worry, the rest of the information on my current sites will remain free.
To give you an idea of what that a weekly digest will look like, I've taken the past week's news and built it into what this week's email would have looked like under this new plan. Enjoy. (p.s. If you're interested in potentially subscribing, be sure to click here to receive further updates as this gets developed.)
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Tariffs Smeriffs. The taxes on new gear may or may not continue, and may or may not be what you think they are.
First, we now have reliable data for exactly how much the US collected in new tariff money in the April to September time frame: ~8%. Wait, aren't all the Trump-stated rates higher? Well, it turns out that (a) those don't always apply because of all the back door exceptions (many of which don't get reported), and (b) where they have been applied, companies at both ends have so far been absorbing some of the impact.
Now we're starting to see the Holiday season promotions. It seems Nikon's pretty much works out to "what our prices were before the tariffs." The US$999 Z5 is back, for example. Sure, there will likely be some "better than pre-tariff" pricing this season, but much of that seems to be earlier generation product or products likely to be updated soon. So, the orange grinch did try to steal Christmas, but apparently didn't bring a bag big enough to carry much.
Better still, it now seems that the Supreme Court actually might agree with me on the tariff matter: tariffs are taxes and only Congress has taxing power (it's part of that taxation without representation thing that produced the Constitution). In this week's public hearing, pretty much every justice seemed skeptical of the administration's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which doesn't mention tariffs, and which was actually written to try to constrain a President's power, not enhance it. A Supreme Court decision in favor of the plaintiffs in the case would, however, have the result of creating yet another period of pricing uncertainty for companies. Would they get what they already paid back? Would the administration put in yet more challenges (or more likely, make policy adjustments that try a different tact to do the same thing) that might leave the whole tariff levels still up in the air?
Stay tuned, as this daytime serial has been renewed for another season.
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FIRMWARE
Nikon continues to try to catch up to themselves
Nikon this week updated firmware for the Z5II and Z50II cameras. Before you get too excited, these weren't feature updates. The primary change in both updates was to conform the Nikon Imaging Cloud wording and messages that appear on the camera, as well as support the better automatic way Flexible Picture Controls, uh Recipes, are delivered to the cameras. The original Nikon Imaging Cloud implementation was really kludgy, but now the engineers in Tokyo have refined it down to just kludgy.
While my tongue was in my cheek last paragraph, I will say that once you fully understand and start using Nikon Imaging Cloud, it can be a real help, first in getting your images up to your favorite cloud, and second in getting Nikon things down into the camera (that's Recipes and firmware updates, which can now happen automatically (SETUP > Firmware version > Auto update > On; see the tip later in this digest). The Z9 generation cameras now all seem caught up with Nikon's latest kludging, uh, developments. Those who bought a Z5II while the free one-year Lightroom deal was active should absolutely explore using Nikon Imaging Cloud, as it connects seamlessly to the Adobe cloud.
The Z50II also gets four bug fixes, most of which you probably never encountered. I haven't.
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ASIAN LENS PARADE
Viltrox 85mm f/2 EVO
The most active of the Chinese lens companies at the moment is Viltrox, who this week brought their 85mm f/2 EVO autofocus lens to the Z-mount (it was previously available for the Sony FE mount).
This US$275 lens is a lightweight (12.7 ounces, 360g), low-priced alternative to all the other 85mm f/1.8 lenses that are now available. But I'm glad they refer to it as a portrait lens, as while the MTF out to about the DX frame looks decent, there's a pretty clear fall off past that.
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ZR GOES XLR
Tascam CA-XLR2d-N adapter can be ordered
The very first option available for Nikon's new digital hot shoe on the ZR was Nikon's own ME-D10 shotgun microphone. Not far behind was Tuscan's XLR microphone adapter. Note that the Tascam option isn't a microphone, but rather a two-line pre-amp that can support and power XLR microphones (and has a built-in holder for one).
Canon and Sony versions of this digital hot shoe adapter have been on the market for some time, as well as an analog one that plugs into your camera's mic/line input mini jack. Word is mum at the moment about whether this new Nikon version supports 32-bit float or not, but if you're rigging up a ZR you'll want to know that, I think. Because this week's news was really only that the unit is now available to pre-order, we have to go back to Tascam's press release, which is vague on the subject. B&H is listing this new device at US$599 (the Canon and Sony versions list at US$499 and are currently on for US$399 or less).
Personally, I'm waiting for a wireless solution, which would be a wireless receiver for the hot shoe slot, plus one or two wireless transmitters that can talk to it. After all, the ZR is compact. Why are we trying to load it up into a RED-sized (and weighted) rig?
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Ready Set Mark III
Canon updates their popular midrange mirrorless camera
The big camera news of the week was Canon's Thursday announcement of the R6 Mark III. The good news is there's a lot that's been improved. The bad news is that it now has a list price of US$2799, or US$500 over the Mark II.
So what are those improvements? First up is that Canon has moved to a 33mp image sensor, which tops out at 7K/60P open gate for video. Faster readout speeds compared to the older model mean less rolling shutter impacts. The stabilization behind the sensor has been improved by half a stop, to a max of 8.5 stops (CIPA).
Other big changes are the switch to CFexpress+SD slots (instead of dual SD slots), the HDMI connector now goes full size, pre-release capture now works in regular Release modes, the shutter longevity metric is now doubled to 500k actuations, plus autofocus is now across the entire sensor area and more matched to the EOS R1 algorithms and features (including Register People). On the downside, the battery life is down from the Mark II. Unchanged are the Rear LCD and EVF stats, as well as the 12 fps mechanical, 40 fps electronic shutter speeds. In something only Canon engineers can explain, the body is the same, only a bunch of bits are just ever so slightly different.
In sort of the opposite of Nikon's handling of the ZR's marketing, Canon is promoting the Canon R6 Mark III—which is really a still photography camera with video (e.g. hybrid)—heavily for the new video features (e.g. 7K open gate recording, oversampled 4K, 4K/120P, Canon Log2, false color display, etc.), despite having introduced the same internals recently in the C50 (a dedicated Cinema camera). Of course, the C50 is US$3900, so maybe Canon's just trying to undercut themselves ;~).
Canon (R6) and Sony (A7) are on similar release schedules and features at the moment. The Sony A7 V is expected early next month, and is also at the 33mp point. Nikon and Panasonic have already fired their salvos, and both with the same 24mp partially stacked image sensor. So for awhile at least, it will be half the players coming to the camera fight with 24 caliber and half with 33.
The question, of course, is whether that sensor count really matters. For still photography, that's a 15% linear resolution increase, which is at the minimum threshold what can be distinguished. Put another way, it's the difference between a 20.2" print and a 23.4" one. In video, the difference turns out to be oversampled 6K 16:9 on the Nikon and fully sampled 7K open gate on the Canon. Again, in practice, not enough difference to really matter except for a very few.
So it really comes back down to what it has always come down to: Canon UX, Nikon UX, or Sony UX (with a quick glance at Panasonic). The new R6 is recognizably an R6. It even quacks like one, to abuse the metaphor. And I've really liked the R6 models to date. They are an excellent choice for most people, if you want the Canon style and interface. The R6 is arguably one of the best mid-range cameras out there, and the new model has just gotten some pick-me-ups.
But realistically, even though the current Sony A7 IV is long in the tooth, the Nikon Z6III (or ZR) doesn't go to 11, and the Canon R6 Mark III is now the youngest of the bunch, these are all extremely good cameras that you'd have to go a long way to find a serious fault with, and I'm not sure that you can manage to do that. Thus, you buy on (1) lens mount; (2) brand and UX loyalty; plus (3) price, in that order. Given that the Nikon is the only one on which you can use the others' lenses on, Nikon wins #1. Given that Canon sells half the cameras in the market, they win #2 on sheer numbers alone. Which leaves Sony with #3 at the moment, as the current holiday price of the A7 IV is US$1999, or US$100 less than Nikon.
Sure, you can find a YouTuber who'll pronounce one better than the other. At least until they need more ad revenue and have to pronounce something else the new winner. Sure, I can find a feature, function, or performance aspect on any of the three that the other two don't (quite) match. But these are all mid-pack cameras, so they're clustered pretty closely. I'm going to stick by my think of lenses first, honor your brand loyalty second, and hold out for really good pricing if you're going to ignore the first two.
So take your pick on how you want to bias your camera purchase decision. I'd say we're right back to where we were at the height of the DSLR wars, only with Nikon and Sony having swapped market share positions.
Bonus coverage: But what about within a brand? For instance, R8, R6 Mark III, R5 Mark II, or R1? The R8 is the stripper, the low end doesn't have everything and is an all around basic transportation model. You buy it solely on price for basic functionality. The R1 is also easy to figure out: it's the top end of what Canon is capable of doing, and built to withstand abuse. You're not buying that model unless you have income from your photographic endeavors and don't mind carrying a heavy brick around with you all the time. Which leaves the R5 Mark II.
At US$1100 more even after holiday discounts, I guess you'd have to tell me how 45mp versus 33mp and 8K/60 versus 7K/60 really benefits you. Sure, there's a higher resolution EVF, blackout free view, and eye control focus, but are those worth the extra bucks?
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Budget f/1.2
Canon launches the 45mm f/1.2 RF lens
Well, this is one way of keeping the Chinese from taking over the prime lens territory: introduce an autofocus 45mm f/1.2 lens for US$470. Of course, the other way is blocking them from releasing autofocus lenses in the RF mount via patent threats.
This new Canon lens is certainly making headlines (e.g. "surprisingly fast, shockingly inexpensive" and "Fast apertures don't always break the bank"). The reviews will eventually trickle in and likely start changing the narrative. That's because the published MTF chart for the lens looks like this:
So we're starting from a lower-than-usual contrast at the center, and at about the APS-C corners things decline rapidly to really poor ability by the corners. Of course, at f/5.6, there might be a completely different story, but we don't have that data. Canon is leaning heavily on the f/1.2 number, so f/1.2 is where we have to start our contrast, sharpness, and astigmatism assessment. Astigmatism (solid versus dotted lines) seems likely fine, but the other two, not so much. The large difference between the 10 lppm (black) and 30 (blue) is also indicative of an issue, too. Don't expect to be clearly resolving fine detail wide open. It's unclear what, if anything, we'd be resolving in the full frame corners.
That said, we've seen MTF charts like the one above before. In the 1990's mostly. So maybe this is just an "old school" lens for "old schoolers" who happen to have a "new school" camera.
By way of contrast, here's the MTF chart for the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 S:
Now that the Nikon chart represents some really good pixel grappling, which I've verified in my review of the lens. (Note: both Canon and Nikon show theoretical MTF values, not measured ones.)
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Unthreading
dpreview introduces their new fora
I'm mostly convinced that either dpreview staff don't know what makes dpreview into dpreview, or that their new overlords at Gear Patrol are pushing the wrong decisions upon them.
This week dpreview completed their transition from the forum software that the original team had built to an off-the-shelf version from ZenForo. The result makes it problematic for someone like me to continue to post there. I'll get to the why on that in a bit, but first I need to write about what made dpreview so successful initially and for a very long time after (at least up through the Amazon acquisition).
You all know that I'm all about optimal data capture when it comes to photography (and optimal processing, as well). It's a "quality thing." My long career in media has shown me time and time again that top quality information (and commentary) presented well wins the game. We've now seen at least three distinct Internet waves where some have gone for quantity and hype over quality—the current one is AI-generated content—and that approach has simply never won. The Googlization of the Internet has also been what novelist and tech commentator Cory Doctorow calls enshitification. Platforms decay as they pursue profitability and growth the old fashioned way (by serving themselves before their customers).
To some degree that's what has happened at dpreview. Go look up some of their earlier reviews of cameras and compare them against the current short forms they're using. The level, breadth, and depth of detail is no longer there. Likewise, the older forum postings were fortified with constant Vitamin Knowledge by a large group of like-minded folk willing to share their knowledge, including one of the inventors of CMOS image sensors (he still posts in one forum, but much more rarely; a point that will become relevant in a moment).
People new to anything digital photo—of which there were many—found a Fountain of Knowledge when they came to dpreview, and the wizards that built that were still around to help you sort through it. Eventually the brand wars and their troll armies started watering down things, and a bunch of us wizards left, at least temporarily. Coupled with never quite getting a handle on "news", the decline in the quality of the reviews, the need to find more spaces for ads and affiliate links, and the decline in forum post quality all made the dpreview of 2020 not so good as the one earlier in the century.
So let's talk about the change in forum software. It does several things that make it so I can no longer spend the time sorting through forum posts and offering help. First, there's the density of information change. On a full page on my 5K display, I now only see the titles for 12 forum posts in a full height window (and that's with an ad blocker running). It can be less if people write really long post titles. I can see about that many more with a full scroll, then I have to start hitting the Next Page buttons (currently 1410 Next Pages in the forum I usually respond in). So here's a key problem that losing the threaded view the old forum software had: the density of information is now terrible. The likelihood that just a few posts get commented on goes up, as no one is going to want to constantly keep clicking buttons and then doom scroll to find all of today's posts.
Density of information comes up as a problem in other ways, as well. I just clicked on one thread I had been responding in. With the old forum software I could see the headings for 50 or more posts, including the original one that set off the thread. Today? I see—again, this is on a 5K Retina display—just the original post fully. Then to find where I had responded in the thread I have to scroll through completely opened posts from others. I don't need to see those again in their entirety. Moreover, there's an already open "reply" area for me taking up space at the bottom of the first page, but I think that if I fill anything in there, I'm actually adding to the end of the thread, not specifically to that location in the thread. So more wasted space, because since most of the threads I participated in tended to hit the old maximum 150 posts mark: I don't need to scroll through (currently) five more screens of this, each with an extra place to post a reply.
Finally, dpreview has always had the problem of people quoting an entire post in their response to it. In the old threaded view, this was not disruptive to info (title) density in the old threaded view. In the new view, even though the quoting is automatically minimized to five or six lines (with Click to Expand taking another line), this is pushing the per-pageview information density down still further.
The problem for me is simple: the old dpreview forum design allowed me to quickly scan and find relevant things to respond to where I might help, while the current dpreview forum design means I have to scroll through every expanded post and (often) click through multiple pages of those. I don't have the time for that. So starting today I'm going to reduce my presence on dpreview, probably to near zero. I know others who did the same when the almost-closure happened a couple of years ago. I should also point out that, though Reddit also has a poor density per page, I can at least doom scroll through the entire r/Nikon very quickly to find interesting posts, click on one, and then doom scroll through a threaded view of the post and responses. Much less time wasting.
Thus it's a sad day here in Anticrapville.
Bonus coverage: If you think that what I might be getting ready to try with my sites is an attempt at antishitifying, you're now staring at the head of a nail centered on the target. If I'm going to consider continuing my work at photography and technology education, I need to do better, not worse. I don't want Doctorow pointing at me as an example.
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No Surprises
Nikon discloses first half 2026 fiscal results
(Reminder, Nikon's fiscal years start in April and end the following March, and the ending date determines the "year").
The first half of their fiscal year showed Nikon mostly hitting their marks with the Imaging unit, with sales being slightly up from their forecast in August and income perfectly matching. That's still down from last year's first half, though unit volumes are up (mostly due to strong Z5II and Z50II sales, which have lower average selling prices than last year's Zf/Z6III binge). Foreign exchange rates and tariffs also had a negative impact on profit compared to last year.
The Imaging group remains the largest component of Nikon, still with 46% of its sales, as well as being one of two truly profitable divisions in the first half of the year (the components business is the other).
Nikon now claims to have launched 50 Z System lenses. The number is actually 46, as Nikon apparently is including teleconverters and the SE versions of the 28/40mm lenses in their count. But hey, they promised 50, and they lived up to it (two quarters late).
A new disclosure was also made: EssilorLuxottica, the Italian company that owns Lenscrafters, Pearl Vision, Sunglass Hut, Oakley, and Ray-Ban, among others, now owns 10.5% of Nikon's stock (and is authorized to buy as much as 20%). Here's looking at you, kid. The future's so bright, it now includes shades.
Bonus coverage: Meanwhile, Canon and Fujifilm reported increased sales, though Canon also reported hits to their profits due a number of intersecting reasons. Something is going to have to give in the ILC market, though: either we need to see significantly more overall volume, or further Fujifilm and Nikon unit volume growth will have to come at the expense of Canon and/or Sony.
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Tip of the Week
Yellow dots now appearing in Nikon menus
Nikon has been mostly quiet about this (probably because the where and why has been changing), and I don't currently document this in my books (for the same reason), but you may now see yellow dots in your menus (Z9 generation cameras only, though not the Z9 ;~):
These happen when you've got a SnapBridge or Nikon Imaging Cloud connection active on your camera and those services want to push (or have pushed) something down to you. This started with firmware updates (via SnapBridge only), but now includes Recipes you might have selected on the Nikon Imaging Cloud site for download to cameras.
The dots appear as a solid yellow ● on unselected items versus a hollow black ◦ on selected items (why isn't it just a black dot?). But if you see ● on a menu item (as with on the SETUP menu tab, above), it means that something is pending (it may or may not have been downloaded to the camera). This brings us to another new feature that Nikon (and I) have been mostly quiet about: SETUP > Firmware update > Auto update.
Auto update allows you to have the camera automatically download a firmware update from Nikon Imaging Cloud. Nikon's documentation is a teeny bit misleading, as they state that three things have to be true for this to work (1 Nikon Imaging Cloud connection turned on, 2 camera turned off, and 3 camera powered via USB). Not true. The update will get noticed even if the camera isn't plugged into USB power delivery and will be downloaded to the camera, if possible. It just won't be installed. Also, Nikon sometimes forgets in their instructions to tell you that there needs to be a card in the camera, as that's where the update will be downloaded to.
Previously, the only way you'd know that your camera had a pending firmware update is that you went to Nikon's download site, or you noticed a "New firmware is available for your camera" text box at the top of SnapBridge. Now your camera can not only tell you, but even make sure you're updated.
Here are the steps to set up a Z9 generation camera (ironically not the Z9 itself; do I have to flog Nikon on the lack of a full set of firmware on the Z9 again?) to update firmware automatically:
- Make sure you've connected your camera to Nikon Imaging Cloud: NETWORK > Connect to Nikon Imaging Cloud > ON.
- Set up the automatic update system: SETUP > Firmware update > Auto update > On > [time]. This step determines what time each day the camera will do the checking, with 00:00 being midnight. Note that Auto update may be scrolled off the Firmware update screen if you have a firmware update file already on the card in the camera.
- Make sure that your camera is turned off and connected to USB power.
Personally, I don't like keeping my camera connected via a cable to a USB power source. First, the camera isn't in a bag or secure storage when you do that. When your cat or dog comes to investigate and knocks your camera off your desk...well, don't blame me. If you forget it's there and accidentally snag the cable, you, too, could pull your camera off the desk, so I hope you have carpet with a thick pad underneath. I follow all of Nikon's steps except for USB power. When I see a yellow dot the next time I pull the camera out of its storage, I just go immediately to SETUP > Firmware update > Update (from Nikon Imaging Cloud) and perform the update.
While I've mostly written about firmware, above, the same thing can happen on the PHOTO SHOOTING > Set Picture Control menu if you've got pending Recipes for download.
Overall, Push-to-Camera is a good, new thing Nikon is doing. I hope to see them expand on this and improve it (e.g. NX Studio needs a Push-to-Nikon-Imaging-Cloud option that can further push to the camera as a personal Recipe).
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Video of the Week
What did Thom last photograph in Botswana?
The following video contains stills from my most recent trip:
Cameras and lenses: Z8, Z5II, IR converted Z7II, 600mm f/6.3 VR S, 28-400mm f/4-8 VR. A little tip: the 28-400mm f/4-8 doesn't hot spot on IR converted cameras! That's highly unusual for a zoom lens, and makes for a compact kit with the Z7II.
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Wrapping Up
And in other news
▶︎ Leica will now sell you the SL3 Reporter, replete with scratch-resistant olive-green finish, aramid-fabric armor, and blacked out buttons and dials (but the dot is still red). It'll only cost you US$500 to bling out your new Leica. Or is that black out? Sure to be on every war reporter's Christmas wish list.
▶︎ DxO went full update with new versions of PhotoLab (9.2), PureRAW (5.5), and Nik Collection (8.2). The two most interesting new features are that (1) PhotoLab can now work directly with Photoshop (ala ACR) and create Smart Objects, where you can go back and change your demosaic choices, and (2) Nik Collection Analog Efex now has paper texture blending.
▶︎ Tenba introduced the new Roadie v2 Spinner 22, a rolling camera case that can also be used as a backpack. Though virtually every story I've seen about this new bag claims "first-ever rolling camera case that converts into a backpack." Nope. I'm not sure that it was first, but the ThinkTankPhoto Airport Takeoff v2.0 can do that, too (as can a couple of other ThinkTankPhoto backpacks). The Tenba might be the first to do that with four wheels (spinner) as opposed to two (leaner). Note also that the Tenba Roadie is close to, but not quite, overhead compliant (it's a half-inch too big in two dimensions). At US$500, you'll want to pay close attention to that if you fly with it, particularly on some International carriers.
▶︎ In the photographic-adjacent category of video, Atomos introduced the Ninja TX GO, a new US$799 5" 6K touchscreen HDMI monitor-recorder claiming to be able to do (in an update) direct adjustment of exposure settings on the camera (Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, and Z CAM are mentioned). This appears to be the "new thing" for external HDMI devices, as the just introduced Portrays LH5C monitor is claiming the same camera control features. So something's been brewing in the Tokyo labs that everyone seems to agree on. The Ninja TX GO also goes to 1500 nits (500 more than the Nikon ZR) and records to an internal CFexpress Type B card or external SSD drives.
▶︎ And here's another video tidbit that will produce some head scratching: Sirui this week announced three autofocus, anamorphic, t/1.8 primes (50mm, 75mm, and 100mm), in the new Astra series. These US$999 optics are lightweight, which will help with gimbal work. But here's the head-scratcher: the new lenses will come in L-mount, FE-mount, and Z-mount. Only the RED Z-mount cameras currently support anamorphic capture. Does this announcement suggest we might also see video squeezing coming to, say, a ZR?
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Congratulations on making it this far. As you can see, this weekly "newsletter" style for News/Views can be quite elaborate and lengthy, particularly once I add in video instruction and other items. The fact that it will be sent weekly is part of its benefit: you're not going to have to scroll all my sites daily to find what I might have written, because you've subscribed for everything to come directly to your email InBox as it gets published each week. By putting everything in one spot, in a single format, it also saves me time.
My current intention is to remove News/Views from all but the zsystemuser.com site (where you'll still get short, one line news items about the latest Z offerings), remove all ads and affiliate links from my sites, and generate on-going revenue through modest subscription fees that include the weekly News/Commentary newsletter, ongoing video instruction/presentations, monthly hangouts, and more. I call this new thing byThom Max, because I'll be on maximum while doing it, including going to all the trade shows I can, as well as other events, and covering them for the newsletter, as well.
I'll have more about byThom Max when I kick it off in 2026. In the meantime, if you're interested in subscribing, click here to receive updates.
