Given the tendency for folks running AirBnBs to covertly film their guests, there’s a built-in hardware kill switch. A mechanical shutter can be slid over the front of the camera, and Ring promises that both the video and audio feeds will be disabled until the cover is moved back. The company is also aware its usual range of colors, or lack of, might cramp your style if you’re buying one for the living room. That’s why this unit will be the first to launch in black and white, but also three new colors: Blush (pink), Charcoal (grey) and Starlight (off-ish white). These new colors will also come to Ring’s standard second-generation indoor camera in due time.

The new Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Camera is available for pre-order today for $80 and will begin shipping on May 30.

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However, the company also unveiled the Focus Pro, a new version of its LiDAR focus system that works either standalone or with the RS4 Pro. This product is more on the cutting-edge side, adding a host of new capabilities to the company’s gimbal and camera systems.

DJI RS4

The mainstream RS4 gimbal is largely the same as the last model, with a carrying capacity of 6.6 pounds (3kg) that accommodates most mirrorless cameras and a good load of accessories. However, the tilt axis has been extended 8.5mm compared to the RS 3, giving you more balancing space for longer lenses or front-heavy add-ons like ND filters. It also uses DJI’s latest 4th-gen stabilization algorithm for improved smoothness and control.

The RS4 can pair with the new Focus Pro Motor (more about that in a sec), allowing smooth focus and lens zoom adjustments at a speed 30 percent faster compared to the original DJI Focus Motor. As before, it uses dual-mode Bluetooth tech so you can pair with and control multiple cameras.

Another new feature is improved stability in vertical shooting, steadying jolts for the influencer crowd even when walking or running. The redesigned gimbal horizontal plates allows for “seamless transitions to vertical shooting,” the company said, allowing for more efficiency in video creation (to let you quickly get out an Insta Story while filming, for example).

As before, it comes with automatic gimbal locking and unlocking for ease of use, along with Teflon coatings on all three axes for smooth operation. A new joystick mode switch lets you change from zoom to gimbal control and the customizable trigger can quickly turn on the FPV mode.

The RS4 supports multiple accessories via the RSA communication port, including DJI’s RS Tethered Control Handle and third-party options (DJI has an SDK protocol for the RS family). IT also supports the new BG70 High-Capacity Battery Grip that extends runtime to 29.5 hours with a 2.5 hour charge time (compared to , while supporting power delivery to camera and USB-C accessories.

Finally, the RS4 supports DJI’s Ronin Image Transmitter, delivering live-action high-definition feeds to other crew members and allowing for remote-control (focus, etc.) capabilities.

DJI RS4 Pro

The RS4 Pro ups the carrying capacity to 10 pounds (4.5kg) as before, while adding side handles and extra mounting points for accessories. It adds a 20 percent motor torque boost to all axes (compared to the RS 3 Pro) to allow for more responsive tracking even with heavy cameras and accessories.

DJI also introduced a car mount mode, optimizing the stabilizer for vehicle shoots, while updating vertical shooting capability and improving axis locks. Like the RS4, it has DJI’s latest 4th-gen stabilization algorithm that’s particularly helpful for fast-moving scenes when carrying a heavy camera.

The primary new capability is functionality with the Focus Pro LiDAR and Focus Pro Motor system, giving cinematographers autofocus capability even with manual focus lenses. It also supports remote control and image transmission, “allowing for remote gimbal operation and intelligent focus assistance,” according to the company.

“In collaborative team shooting, the gimbal operator can control the RS 4 Pro gimbal through devices such as the DJI Master Wheels, DJI Ronin 4D Hand Grips, and DJI High-Bright Remote Monitor. Meanwhile, the focus puller can enable LiDAR Waveform on the High-Bright Remote Monitor for intelligent focus assistance, precisely controlling focus using the Focus Pro Hand Unit,” DJI says.

DJI Focus Pro

For creators and cinematographers, the Focus Pro is the most intriguing product in this release. It’s a LiDAR focus system consisting of the Focus Pro LiDAR unit, Focus Pro Grip, Focus Pro Motor and FIZ Hand Unit. It gives the operator autofocus capability even with manual lenses, or lets them focus manually via a real-time view from the LiDAR’s perspective.

The grip has a full-color touchscreen, 2.5-hour power supply, intuitive visual operation, auto-calibration and data storage for 15 lenses, along with Bluetooth capability for easy start/stop recording. The LiDAR, meanwhile, supports focus at up to 20 meters (three times more than before), and has an ultra-wide 70-degree view for focus. IT has 76,800 ranging points and a 30Hz refresh rate to minimize focus hunting and ensure reliable focus.

Autofocus includes AF subject recognition and tracking, adjustable focus speed and selectable focus area modes, much like a regular mirrorless AF system. The AMF (auto-manual focus) mode, meanwhile, allows for instant switching between manual and autofocus for tricky shooting scenarios. It also helps camera or focus operators by showing the LiDAR waveform. I tried something similar with the Ronin 4D, and while it takes a while to get used to, it’s very effective.

The FIZ Hand Unit allows full remote control over focus, iris and zoom for focus pullers. It uses stepless real-time damping for smooth control, while letting the focus puller be up to 160 meters away. Other features including faster motor speeds, 10ms latency and intuitive dial operation.

Price and availability

The DJI RS 4 is now available for purchase starting at $549 and includes one Gimbal, BG21 Battery Grip, USB-C Charging Cable, Lens-Fastening Support, Extended Grip/Tripod (Plastic), Quick-Release Plate, Multi-Camera Control Cable, and Screw Kit. You can also pick it up for $719 in a combo with a Briefcase Handle, Focus Pro Motor, Focus Pro Motor Rod Mount Kit, Focus Gear Strip, a second Multi-Camera Control Cable, and one Carrying Case. The RS 4 Pro, meanwhile, starts at $869 or $1,099 with the high-capacity battery grip, with the same range of accessories for each.

The Focus Pro creator combo (DJI Focus Pro LiDAR, DJI Focus Pro Grip, DJI Focus Pro Motor and DJI Focus Pro Carrying Case) is $999, or you can buy the All-in-One combo (with the FIZ Hand Unit as well) for $1,899. The RS BG70 high-capacity battery grip is sold for $149 by itself.

DJI RS 4

$549 at DJI

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You can use the cameras to talk to a visitor or delivery person outside your door, and you can program them to work in tandem with your Hue lights and sound alarms to help deter intruders. The devices can notify you of movements, but it has the capability to differentiate between pets, packages or people. Signify also says that end-to-end encryption is enabled by default, so your footage remains private. The new Hue Secure cameras can be used indoors or outdoors, and you can prop up the wired version with its companion desktop stand. Both will be available this autumn, though the wired camera will be a bit cheaper at $218 (€200) than the $273 (€250) battery variant.

If you want something specifically for outdoor use, though, you can also get the Philips Hue Secure floodlight camera. When you trigger a light alarm from the Hue app, it instantly illuminates a large area in any color you want to help ward off potential intruders. This one is coming out later, in the first quarter of 2024, and will sell for $382 (€350).

Aside from the aforementioned security cameras, the new Philips Hue lineup also includes contact sensors. You can stick them on doors, windows and other places, so you can get notified if somebody opens them. Plus, you can program them to work with Hue lights so that they'd switch on or off if the sensors detect doors being opened or closed. The sensors will be available this autumn in black and white for $44 (€40) each or $76 (€70) for a two-pack.

To make it easier to access any Secure device you purchase, the company has also updated its app to add a new Security Center. You can trigger alarms from there, flash lights and sound the siren on the Secure camera. It also gives you a quick way to call local authorities or a contact you trust, so they can check your home in case you're away.

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Sony smartphones are all about the cameras, and there’s good news in that regard, despite what looks like a worse camera array. The Xperia 5 V (yes that’s “five five”) has the same 52-megapixel Exmor T backside illuminated (BSI) Type 1/1.35-inch stacked sensor as the Xperia 1 V, meaning it’s very fast and very good in low-light. In addition, Sony has improved the AI-powered “bokeh mode” to get pictures “closer to the standards of interchangeable lens cameras,” the company said.

As the photo above shows, though, there’s now only two rear cameras — the 48-megapixel Exmor T and a 12-megapixel 16mm ultrawide — rather than three as on the Xperia 5 IV. However, the primary sensor has much higher resolution than the previous 12-megapixel telephoto camera, and can dynamically switch between 24mm and 48mm (around 48mm and 96 mm 35mm equivalent) focal lengths, so you still get an equivalent 2X optical (lossless) zoom that should take much sharper images.

As before, you can shoot 4K video at up to 120fps in HDR, and it comes with optical image stabilization, along with 5-axis gyro-powered electronic stabilization for maximum smoothness. Other features include HDR recording, eye-tracking, “Creative Look” color presets and a new Video Creator app that automatically creates a final video based on your choice of shots and music. And for audio creators, it has a dedicated voice recording mic “that picks up your voice even with other voices and environmental sounds in the surroundings,” Sony says.

It’s also designed as an entertainment machine, starting with the 6.1-inch OLED HD+ (1,080 x 2,520) display (the same specs as the last model). For watching movies, it comes with Sony’s TV Bravia X1 image quality engine for mobile, along with a newly developed front stage speaker system that offers “powerful deep bass” and negates the need for external speakers, Sony claims. And thanks to the power-saving tech, the 5,000mAh battery can go over 24 hours on a charge and maintain 80 percent or higher capacity after three years, according to the company. (That’s a subtle dig at Apple’s iPhone 14, in case you didn’t notice.)

The Xperia 5 V should also be solid for gaming, thanks to the flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Gen2 processor, 120Hz display refresh rate and a larger heat diffusion sheet (it’s available with 8GB or 12GB of RAM, plus 128GB of expandable storage). Meanwhile, the game enhancer adds features like an audio equalizer, voice chat mic and a screen recording function.

Despite a small drop in price in Europe, the Xperia 5 V isn’t cheap. It’s priced at £849 / €999 in the UK / Europe, with availability in “late September.” There’s no word on US pricing or availability, but we should hear something soon — and as a reminder, the Xperia 5 IV cost $1,000 at launch.

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The new Polaroid I-2, however, retains all of the quirks and charm people turn to instant film for, but packs a number of modern amenities and features that might appeal to a more serious photographer. There’s a lot to like, but there is one immediately obvious obstacle: the price. At $599, the I-2 costs four-times as much as the next most expensive camera in the company’s lineup, the Polaroid Now+.

That premium does buy you the fastest lens in the current Polaroid lineup. It’s 98mm f/8 which, according to the company, is roughly the equivalent of a 38mm f/2.8 on a 35mm camera. I punched the numbers into a few online calculators and got pretty close to that claim, around 40mm at f/3.1 equivalent on 35mm when accounting for the larger film of a Polaroid. That’s not an exceptionally wide aperture, but it’s larger than most other Polaroid cameras which often top out at f/11 or even f/16. And you’d have to go quite a ways back (to at least the 1980s as far as I could tell) to find something faster than f/8 from Polaroid.

The lens is made of acrylic and polycarbonate, instead of glass. But the company claims that the difference in quality was negligible without dramatically driving up the cost of the camera. Again, though, this is an area where I’ll have to take the company’s word, as I have no viable means of testing the claim.

Polaroid is very proud of this lens, though, regardless of how the specs might appear on paper. It’s pitching the camera as a love letter to the instant cameras of yore, and even pulled two Olympus engineers out of retirement to help design it.

It took roughly four years of development to bring the I-2 to fruition and while holding it, you do get the sense that this was a labor of love. Yes, it’s almost entirely plastic, but it feels solid and, in my opinion, looks gorgeous. The matte black body with dark silver and red accents is decidedly classier than the more brightly festooned Now line. Almost every bit of the camera feels fussed over, right down to the underside which features a quote from Polaroid cofounder Edwin Land.

This is also the only camera in the current lineup that can use standard lens filters. This means you can just walk into B&H and grab a 49mm ND filter off the shelf and slap it on. That might be necessary too, since the I-2 has a top shutter speed of only 1/250 of a second. When combined with the 640 ASA of standard i-Type film, it can be tricky to get a proper exposure in bright sunlight.

That shutter speed also means you’re not gonna be freezing any fast-paced action in your frames. That being said, it’s still faster than the Now+ which tops out at 1/200. Oddly the $99 Polaroid Go can actually reach 1/300 of a second, making it the fastest camera in the family, and with a nearly as large f/9 aperture, too. That said, it does use smaller Go film.

What the I-2 has that the Go and all other current generation Polaroid cameras lack is on board manual settings. While the Now+ does offer some options via an app, only the I-2 gives you complete control of the aperture and shutter speed on the camera itself. Both are adjusted via a single ring around the lens, though, so you have to press a button to switch back and forth between them. It’s much easier to opt for aperture or shutter priority mode where you only have to worry about one variable with the ring.

I generally stuck to shutter priority to give me the best chance of avoiding too much camera shake. The placement of the shutter button on the front, while perhaps traditional, isn’t very ergonomic. That might just be down to my tiny hands and the relatively bulky camera. But I did find it introduced slightly more movement than a top-mounted shutter button.

One way of avoiding that would be to use the app, which is excellent, but does kind of defeat the purpose of having all the controls on the camera itself. The app connects immediately when you power the I-2 on. There’s no pairing and almost no delay. If you change a setting in the app it is immediately reflected on the tiny screen on the camera, and vice versa. Having spent the last couple of years fighting with Fuji’s app to even connect, this felt like a revelation.

The app would definitely come in handy, though, if you’re using the I-2 on a tripod. This is going to be particularly useful for landscapes and long exposures. You could even do some night photography and light painting by setting the shutter to bulb mode. There’s also a 2.5mm TS jack for connecting to an external flash if you wanted to go full professional studio with your Polaroid.

The one thing the app can’t do is provide you with a live view of what the camera sees. You will have to physically look through the viewfinder for that. But, I have some good news there: the viewfinder is spectacular. It’s large, bright and there’s a small display underneath that gives you exposure information as well as your shutter speed and aperture. If I have one complaint about the viewfinder it’s that it’s a little tough to figure out where your frame ends on the right side, especially when you’re trying to navigate around the eyepiece with glasses on. But I’ve run into similar trouble on other cameras too.

You can just point the camera in the general direction of your subject and hope for the best however, since the I-2 has a true continuous autofocus system that uses LiDAR. That’s in stark contrast to the other Polaroid cameras which are either focus free or have basic two zone focus systems. You can even press the shutter button halfway on the I-2 to lock your exposure and focus then reframe your shot before taking a picture.

I would still suggest looking through the viewfinder, though. Not because the autofocus is unreliable, but because Polaroid film is too damn expensive for a shoot and pray approach. Even i-Type, the cheapest film compatible with the I-2, is $17 for an eight-photo pack. That’s $2.25 per picture. That’s way too much for you to be hoping a shot comes out the way you planned.

If you’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop in this review, this is it. I shot six packs of film over my couple of weeks with the I-2 and spent a lot of that time just hoping a shot would come out. Even in full auto mode I got inconsistent results. Setting the exposure compensation to -1 could still deliver blown out photos in bright sunlight. And I suspected this is largely down to the pairing of a maximum shutter speed of 1/250 of a second with 640 ASA film. But when I tried SX-70 film with its lower 160 ASA I routinely got underexposed shots regardless of mode. I also shot a pack of black and white i-Type film that repeatedly jammed and only gave me two usable shots.

Yes, part of the charm of analog photography is the unpredictability. As someone who recently got back into shooting film I can appreciate that fact. But this was a tad too unpredictable, especially considering the high cost of Polaroid film and the I-2 in particular. Now, it’s possible I have a faulty unit. I’ve been in contact with the company and I will update if troubleshooting turns up anything. It’s also possible that a firmware update will solve many of my problems. Or maybe this all just a really embarrassing case of user error.

But at the end of the day it’s hard to imagine that anyone but the most experienced and most fanatical of Polaroid shooters will be comfortable spending $600 on a camera only to hope it can deliver more hits than misses at over $2 a pop.

Update, September 7 2023, 10:35 AM ET: This story originally stated that Polaroid claimed the 98mm lens was the equivalent of 50mm on 35mm film. This has been updated to reflect the correct equivalence of 38mm.

Polaroid I-2

$599 at Polaroid

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The key feature is the new 25.2-megapixel dual native ISO sensor. It carries the same resolution as the GH6, but adds hybrid phase-detect (PDAF) autofocus with 779 points that's married to Panasonic's AI subject tracking. The new system allows not only for faster tracking, but better AF in backlit conditions, low illumination and other tricky conditions. It recognizes not just faces and eyes, but also human bodies, and can track animal eyes, cars and motorcycles.

Panasonic is promising blackout-free burst speeds of 60 fps with continuous AF and the electronic shutter, or 10 fps in mechanical mode. At the same time, the buffer takes three seconds to fill, meaning you can grab around 160 RAW+JPG images before shooting slows. It's also got a pre-burst shooting function (0.5-, 1- or 1.5-second settings), meaning photographers won't miss a decisive moment if they're a bit late on the shutter.

Panasonic also borrowed the "Dynamic Range Boost" function from the GH6. It's essentially an HDR photo mode that combines low and high ISO images to produce a composite with both low noise and high saturation. The G9 II also has Panasonic's handheld high-res mode that combines multiple images to create a 100MP JPEG photo with extra detail. It uses the camera's IBIS mechanism to keep the camera steady, meaning no tripod is required.

As for the IBIS, it's also borrowed from the GH6 and delivers 8 stops of compensation, or 7.5 stops in 5-axis Dual IS 2 mode (used for longer telephoto lenses). As with other recent models, the G9 II also offers Active IS for shooting on the move, and Enhance IS to correct larger shake when running or walking.

The G9 II has a weather-resistant design, a new 8-direction joystick and supports an all-new optional $350 camera grip (also compatible with the S5 II/S5 IIx). The 1,840K dot LCD display fully articulates for vloggers and self-shooters, of course, and it comes with a decent 3,680K dot OLED. Other features include microphone/headphone ports and a full-sized HDMI port.

Panasonic downplayed it a bit, but the G9 II is now the company's most powerful Micro Four Thirds mirrorless model for video, thanks largely to the PDAF. It can shoot 4:2:0 10-bit 17:9 5.7K video at up to 60 fps, or 10-bit 4K at up to 120p. It also offers 4:3 open gate (5.8K) and 4:3 anamorphic shooting (4.4K). Plus, it supports regular MP4 formats (including I-frame) and Apple ProRes — not bad for a camera aimed at photographers.

You can shoot V-Log/V-Gamut video with 13+ stops of dynamic range, while applying your own LUTs in real time to see how graded footage will look. Panasonic also has a few new creative looks including Leica Monochrome "for deep black-white contrasts."

Other handy video features include a red rec frame indicator, a frame marker and AWB (auto white balance) lock. You can capture video not just to the dual UHS-II SD cards (relay, backup and allocation recording), but also to an SSD via the USB-C Gen 3.2 port. It also supports external ProRes recording via HDMI. The major drawback compared to the GH6 is the lack of a fan and a dedicated cooling design — so it may shut off during long recordings at high frame rates in hot conditions.

The Panasonic G9 II arrives to the US in early November for $1,900. That's $200 more than the original G9 at launch, but a bit less than OM System's OM-1 Micro Four Thirds camera. Along with the G9-II, Panasonic introduced the new $1,600 Leica DG 100-400mm f/4-6.3 II Power OIS lens (200-800mm 35mm equivalent), ideal for wildlife and macro photography. It also unveiled the $1,150 Leica DG 35-100mm f/2.8 (70-200 35mm equivalent).

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Where the GFX100 was gigantic in size due to the built-in battery grip, the GFX100 II has separated those two things, so the camera body alone is considerably smaller (the grip is sold separately for $500). It has a new 9.44 million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF), the highest in the industry, that's removable as before. That allows the use of an optional $569 tilt adapter that makes low-angle shooting easier. The rear touch display tilts up, down and a bit to the side, but doesn't flip out (sorry, rich vloggers).

With the latest X-Processor borrowed from the X-H2S and X-H2 cameras, the GFX100 II can shoot at 8fps (up from 5fps before), pretty darn fast for a medium format (43.8 x 32.9mm) sensor camera. It now comes with subject-detection autofocus with face/eye detection, and can also track animals, birds, vehicles and other fast-moving subjects like insects and drones — both for photos and video.

The body looks more like the X-H2/X-H2S than other X-series cameras, with just a single mode dial and a large LCD display on top. It offers 5-axis in-body stabilization with up to 8-stops of shake reduction. In terms of storage, it supports dual cards with one CFexpress Type B and one SD UHS-II slot — and you can also capture video to an external SSD via the USB-C port. Other features include headphone/mic ports, a full-sized HDMI port and an ethernet port. It even supports timecode jamming for video via the Atomos AirGlu BT.

If you want to shoot video with a nearly 70mm-sized frame, the GFX100 II can do that impressively well also. It supports 4K at up to 60p using the full width of the sensor, and even keeps rolling shutter to a reasonable level — likely via line skipping or pixel binning. There's even an 8K mode, albeit with a 1.53 times crop, that reads the sensor pixel-for-pixel with some upscaling. On top of 8K, UHD and 4K DCI modes, it can shoot anamorphic video at up to 4.8K.

It can record Apple ProRes vide in three formats (422 HQ, 422 and 422 LT), along with H.264 and ProRes 422 proxy files. The higher-quality codecs require CFexpress Type B or USB SSD capture.

Fujifilm clearly thinks that pros will use the GFX100 II for video, as it offers waveform and vectorscope overlays to help nail exposure. It has front and rear tally lamps, the ability to use fractional shutter speeds to avoid flicker and an optional fan accessory that allows for unlimited 4K/60p recording times. And as mentioned, it supports timecode sync and jamming, so it can work in a multi-camera shooting environment. On top of all that, it supports up to four channels of audio.

Along with the camera, Fujifilm introduced a new $2,300 55mm f/1.7R WR lens (44mm equivalent in full-frame terms), along with two tilt-shift 30mm and 110mm lenses for architectural an artistic shooting ($4,000 and $3,500 respectively). The GFX100 II launches in "early fall 2023 for $7,500, compared to $6,000 for the GFX100S and $10,000 for the GFX 100.

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Aside from one improvement, the camera is largely the same. However, it has new omnidirectional obstacle sensors that eliminate the blind spots on the Mini 3 Pro. It also comes with a new feature called ActiveTrack 360 that lets you program camera moves when tracking a subject.

DJI92100

DJI Mini 4 Pro

With multiple useful new features, DJI’s Mini 4 Pro sets a high benchmark for small drones.

ProsManeuverableImproved obstacle avoidanceNew ActiveTrack 360 feature is greatSolid image qualityConsStill far from crashproofA bit expensiveNot the best for night scenes$759 at DJI

Small drones are the best way to track fast-paced action, as they’re maneuverable and less prone to damage when crashing. With all the improvements, the Mini 4 Pro is better and safer at that than its predecessor — at least on paper. Now, let’s find out if it lives up to that in the real world.

Design

The Mini 4 Pro is still under 250 grams so it can be flown without a license or registration in many regions, but it has subtle design changes all around. The four forward- and rear-facing sensors are now placed so that they can see to the sides as well, and the body is a bit more streamlined. It has larger cooling vents, slightly smaller rear arms and new landing feet at the front. The camera/gimbal shield is smaller and easier to put on, and it has a new guard that protects the propellers when it’s stored.

As before, the gimbal tilts up 60 degrees and down 90, and the camera flips 90 degrees to give you full vertical resolution for social media. At the rear is a microSD port, and the Mini 4 Pro has 2GB of internal storage for emergencies.

The Mini 4 Pro comes with one of two controllers, the basic RC-N2 that requires a smartphone, and the RC2 with a built-in screen. Since it uses DJI’s new Ocusync 4 transmission, first introduced with the Air 3, it only works with the new controllers and not the older models — for now, anyway.

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DJI Mini 4 Pro review images

DJI Mini 4 Pro review: The best lightweight drone gains more power and smarts

You can buy it with a $55 ND filter set for sunny days, which I’d recommend if you can afford it. DJI also offers a wide-angle 18mm equivalent lens attachment ($40), but it has significant barrel distortion and can cause focus issues.

The drone also supports DJI’s Lightcut, an editing app that lets you generate quick videos for social media. As DJI says, it allows “one tap generation of captivating videos by merging ActiveTrack, MasterShots, and QuickShots footage,” while automating sound effects and more. It also works wirelessly, so there’s no need to download footage to your smartphone.

Performance

Given its small size and maneuverability (and the same sensor as DJI's Action 4), you can think of the Mini 4 Pro as a flying action camera. The light weight (and low price compared to, say, a Mavic 3 Pro) also makes crashes less consequential.

Maximum speed is a decently fast 35 MPH in sport mode, or 26 MPH in regular operation. It can handle winds up to 24 MPH, an impressive figure for a sub 250 gram drone. In operation, it can look like it’s being buffeted fairly hard by the wind, but you wouldn’t know it from the footage thanks to DJI’s gimbal and stabilization technology.

The Mini 3 Pro was effectively blind on the sides, but the Mini 4 Pro offers protection all around like the Mavic 3 Pro and Air 3 — thanks to four new omnidirectional sensors on top and two on bottom (along with a time-of-flight sensor). It also uses DJI’s APAS, which offers automatic braking and obstacle bypass for extra security.

If you’re spending $760+ on a drone, you may not want to test the obstacle detection limits. That's my job, so working with my drone pilot friend, I had it follow me while I walked and biked among trees and other potential snags. I did have a few crashes, but here’s what I learned on how to avoid them.

The sensors are visual, so they don’t work in dim light. And dense forest with fine branches is a no go — the omni sensors can miss those, but the propellers won’t. Finally, the Mini 4 Pro detects obstacles best when traveling forward, less so when going sideways, and worst of all when flying backwards.

It did work around well-spaced trees with thick branches and plenty of leaves, near buildings and generally around well-defined obstacles. It was able to maneuver around those, choose decent routes and reacquire subjects if they disappeared. That helped me capture some nice action footage, though one should always remain wary of accidents.

ActiveTrack 360 adds camera moves to the usual subject tracking to create dramatic shots. It looks confusing at first, but the idea is pretty simple. You use the so-called steering wheel to “draw” a route on concentric circles, and the drone will follow it, ducking any obstacles it encounters.

You can change parameters including the inner and outer radius, inner and outer height, camera speed and ground proximity. That makes it possible to get a wide variety of shots. The tricky part was figuring out which side the drone considered to be forward and backward — DJI should work on this to make things clearer.

If you plan carefully you can get some gorgeous, swooping ActiveTrack shots. The usual obstacle caveats apply, though, and it also adds complexity — because you have to figure out where the drone is going to be when you arrive at your end point. With all that, it’s best to practice in an open area before trying it in a complex environment.

Of course, the Mini 4 Pro still has DJI’s automatic modes aimed at social media users, like MasterShots, QuickShots and Panorama along with Hyperlapse. It even includes the Waypoint feature from the Mavic 3 Pro, which lets you pre-program complex drone moves and repeat them — a sophisticated feature for a small drone.

For the latter feature, you launch the drone and select the Waypoint function, fly to a spot of interest and set the correct camera angle. Once there, you tap “+” on the screen (or hit the C1 button the RC2 remote) to program a waypoint. Repeat that process through all your points of interest, and once you’re done, you can play back the sequence. The drone will smoothly fly to each point the same way each time, so you use it to show a scene during the day and then later at night, for instance.

The Mini 4 Pro uses Ocusync 4 transmission first seen on the Air 3 that sends 1080/60p video up to 20 km, compared to 1080/30p over 12 km with Ocusync 3. Those distances are lower here in Europe because of transmitter power rules.

In use, it provides a noticeable improvement in connectivity, with fewer dropouts and much greater range — even if the drone goes behind obstacles. The change is very noticeable here in Europe with smoother video and dropouts now very rare. It should be even better in the US, where you could send the Mini 4 Pro on a pretty long trip.

The standard 2,590 mAh Intelligent Flight Battery has a bit more capacity than the Mini 3 Pro’s 2,453 mAh cell, but range remains the same at 34 minutes. In real-world flying, we saw about 25 minutes before hearing the return-to-home warning, so plan accordingly.

If you have a Mini 3 Pro, its cells appear to be compatible with the new drone, so that’s a good thing if you already own that model. In the US, you can get the Plus batteries that provide up to 45 minutes of range, but local rules block their use in Europe.

The RC-2 first seen on the Air 3 is DJI’s third screen controller after the RC and the RC Pro. It’s significantly better than the RC, with a brighter screen, better feel and more precise controls. The other option is the non-screen RC-N2 (requiring a smartphone), which is similar to the RC-N1 model but with O4 compatibility.

Camera

The Mini 4 Pro’s camera has the same 1/1.3 dual ISO sensor as its predecessor, using an identical 24mm equivalent lens with a fixed f/1.7 aperture. That’s a pretty sizable sensor for such a small drone, just a bit smaller than the 1-inch sensor on the Mavic Air 2S.

The difference is that it now supports 4K slow-mo at up to 100 fps, or 1080p at 200 fps. The motion is embeded 30fps, but it’s still a nice feature for wildlife, crashing waves and more. That’s on top of 4K at up to 60fps and 1080p at 120fps. It has a two times digital zoom for 4K and four times at 1080p, with a slight loss in sharpness.

There’s also support for DJI’s D-LogM, which boosts dynamic range and gives you more flexibility in post. DJI has a LUT that makes it easy to convert it to regular video — but some editing is required for best results. You can also shoot in DJI’s HLG mode, which again boosts dynamic range. You can see the results right away on an HDR TV, but you’ll need to do an HLG to REC.709 color-space transform to use it with regular video. Both support 10-bit 4:2:0 capture for improved fidelity and reduced banding.

Quality is about the same as a really good smartphone — but not on par with a mirrorless camera or DJI’s pro-level Mavic 3. Video is sharp with accurate colors. The automatic mode delivers nice video, though it sometimes over- and underexposes on sunny or dark days. You can change exposure compensation, but nothing else. Luckily, a fully manual pro mode is available for better control of color balance, LOG, HLG, shutter, ISO and more

The Mini 4 Pro can shoot sharp 48-megapixel images or combine four pixels into one for 12-megapixel images with improved night sensitivity. You can easily fix over- or under-exposed photos if you use the RAW DNG format.

Low-light sensitivity is good but not great —- better than, say, a GoPro 12. Shooting at twilight, video was less clear than a similar scene shot with the Mavic 3 Pro. The drone also offers a “night” mode that effectively boosts dynamic range, making dimly-lit scenes pop better.

In all, image quality isn’t perfect, but remember that this is a $1,000 lightweight drone. It beats all other models in that category, and it’s better than many heavier drones, too.

Wrap-up

Once again, DJI’s Mini 4 Pro sets a benchmark for small drones. It has multiple new useful features, including updated obstacle detection, ActiveTrack 360, O4 transmission and Waypoints. All of those make it a solid budget choice for action sports, events, aerial photography, industrial applications and more.

Its main competition is the Autel Evo Nano Plus, currently on sale for $580. That model has a similar 50-megapixel 1/1.27-inch camera sensor, three-way obstacle avoidance, subject tracking, and more. However, it’s limited to 4K 30p and doesn’t offer a remote with a screen. If you have a bit more to spend, DJI’s Air 3 offers more stability and an extra tele camera.

All that said, the Mini 4 Pro isn’t cheap for a budget drone. It’s priced at $759 for the drone with a battery and RC-N2 controller, $959 with the RC2 controller and $1,099 for the Fly More kit with three batteries and a charger, the RC2, a carrying case and extra props. Still, if you’re in the market for a drone in that price range, nothing else can really touch it.

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It all comes down to how modern smartphone cameras deal with photography. When you click that camera button, billions of computational operations occur in an instant, resulting in a photo you can post online in hopes of getting a few thumbs up. In this case, Apple’s software didn’t realize there was a mirror in the shot, so it treated each version of the subject as three different people. She was moving at the instant the photo was taken, so the algorithm stitched the photo together from multiple images. The end result? Well, you can see it above.

Smartphone camera software always pulls from many images at once, combining at will and adjusting for contrast, saturation, detail and lack of blur. In the vast majority of cases, this doesn’t present an issue. Once in a while, however, the software gets a tad bit confused. If it was three different people, instead of one with a mirror, each subject would have been properly represented.

This is something that can actually be recreated by just about anyone with an iPhone and some mirrors. As a matter of fact, there’s a TikTok trend in which folks do just that, making all kinds of silly photos and videos by leveraging the algorithm's difficulties when separating mirror images from actual people.

The post What did an iPhone camera do to this poor woman's arms? appeared first on Best News.

With all those extra talents, the Pocket 3 could serve as a standalone vlogging camera – but it’s also considerably more expensive than its predecessor. To find out if it’s worth the extra money, I did some extensive testing to see what it could — and couldn’t — do.

DJI91100

DJI Osmo Pocket 3

With improvements in image quality, tracking and other areas, DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 is more versatile than ever.

ProsBig 1-inch sensorBetter in low light10-bit LogBig swiveling touchscreenLong battery lifeConsExpensiveNot great for photos$519 at Amazon

DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 is a portable camera that’s relatively simple to use, small enough to carry with you and easy to maneuver in tight spaces. It’s stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal to make shots smooth and fluid. It can pan, tilt and roll across a wide range of 303, 278 and 283 degrees, respectively.

At 5.5 inches long and 179 grams, it’s a bit heavier but nearly as compact as the Pocket 2 (117 grams and 4.9 inches long). It resembles its predecessor at first glance, but a closer look reveals some big changes.

The first thing that jumps out is the 16:9 2-inch screen that has nearly five times the area of the Pocket 2’s 1-inch display. Better still, it flips sideways and automatically rotates the camera to match, so you can shoot either in landscape or portrait modes with no need to dive into settings. However, note that going into vertical video mode doesn’t flip the camera like it does on DJI’s Mini 4 Pro drone. Rather, it just crops the video, reducing the resolution from 4K to 3K.

I wouldn’t call the menu system on the Pocket 3’s touchscreen intuitive, as it involves either swiping from the sides or touching icons to access functions. Without a lot of visual clues for guidance, you need to memorize all the functions.

The other noticeable feature is a larger camera head that houses a 1-inch 9.4MP sensor with a true 16mm diagonal size. That’s nearly three times that of the Pocket 2’s 1/1.7-inch sensor. Knowing DJI, we might see the same sensor on upcoming products like the Mini drones and Osmo action cams.

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DJI Osmo Pocket 3 review image gallery

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 review image gallery

The fixed 20mm equivalent lens has a relatively fast F/2.0 aperture. The wide focal length means it’s not ideal for portraits or product shots. It does have a two times digital zoom to double that, at a cost of some resolution.

There are now only two physical buttons, record and gimbal control. The microSD card is still on the left side, with USB-C port on the button as before. Should the position of the latter be inconvenient, the included handle moves it to the side.

Battery life is outstanding for such a small device, with 135 minutes available with the built-in 1,300mAh battery, rising to 240 minutes with the optional ($99) 950mAh battery handle. On top of that, the Pocket 3 can be recharged from 20 to 80 percent in just 16 minutes, so DJI is finally embracing fast charging on its devices – something that’d be nice to see with its drones, too.

What about the Mimo app? While its use was required previously for some functions on the Pocket 2, most things can now be done straight from the camera screen, apart from Glamor and a few other settings. It’s still handy for monitoring and controlling the camera remotely, of course.

The Pocket 3 is available by itself or in a Creator Combo that gives you a battery handle, mini tripod, 0.75x lens adapter and carry bag. You also get the DJI Mic 2 Transmitter that pairs automatically with the Pocket 3, giving you a high-quality wireless mic and providing an audio backup. DJI should be announcing the Mic 2 as a separate product in the near future. If you already own the original DJI Mic, the Osmo Pocket 3 is compatible with that model as well.

Performance

Above all, the Osmo Pocket 3 is a gimbal designed to provide smooth and stable video. Operation is very much point and shoot to keep the subject in frame, as the gimbal and autofocus do the rest. As before, it offers three modes: follow, tilt lock and FPV mode.

Follow aims the camera where you point it while locking off roll to keep the camera level. Tilt mode also locks the tilt function to keep the horizon level, while FPV keeps all three unlocked so that the camera tilts, pans and rolls as you move the camera.

It’s not just the larger sensor that helps the Pocket 3 create cinematic video. The optical stabilization allows for slower shutter speeds that create natural looking motion blur — something that’s impossible on action cameras, as electronic stabilization isn’t compatible with motion blur.

The gimbal generally does a good job of smoothing video, in scenarios ranging from cars, to running to rapid panning. Without electronic stabilization, Z-axis (up and down) motion is still present, so you’ll need to walk smoothly to avoid it.

The Pocket 3 and DJI Mic 2 is a practical combination, allowing you to vlog easily with smooth, high-quality video and excellent audio quality. It’s also discreet, as the Pocket 3 is small and the Mic 2 allows you to speak quietly, even in a crowd.

As with DJI’s original Mic, the Mic 2 offers consistent sound quality and levels while keeping outside noise to a minimum. It has decent range with the Pocket 3, though DJI has yet to specify that exactly (again, we’ll learn more when the standalone Mic 2 is released). Given the wide angle lens, you’ll probably never get too far from the Pocket 3 – but it worked fine for me with a camera mounted on a car and me inside, for example.

Like DJI’s drones, the Pocket 3 has ActiveTrack subject tracking. You enable that by double tapping a subject or selecting it from the Mimo app. From there, the head will tilt and pan to follow the subject and keep it in focus.

This function works automatically when selfie mode is activated either by touching the icon or triple-pressing the joystick. In this case, it goes into face-tracking mode and keeps your face centered screen no matter where you move the camera.

Another function called dynamic framing also tracks faces, but lets you change the framing at the touch of a button. DJI also introduced a new mode called spin shot that rotates the camera 90 or 180 degrees to create a stylized scene.

Video and image quality

The Pocket 3 can shoot 4K at up to 60 fps in normal mode, and now includes both a 10-bit D-LogM mode and HLG mode for HDR shooting. It has a 9.

DJI also added 4K 120p shooting via a special slow-mo mode. This is handy for high-speed scenarios, particularly when combined with camera moves. At launch, this mode didn’t support 10-bit and D-LogM/HLG modes, but via a recent firmware update, those modes now work at 4K 120p as well.

Another new function is low-light video mode, designed to improve performance in dim scenes. In this setting, it’s limited to 30 fps max and ISO is boosted up to 16,000, compared to 3,200 in regular video mode.

The Hyperlapse and time lapse settings work the same as on DJI drones, giving you a time lapse option that’s great for showing the quick passage of time. The other two modes are Panorama for wide shots and, of course, photos.

Image quality is outstanding for a device this tiny, with the large sensor beating any smartphone except for maybe Sony’s Xperia Pro-I. In normal mode, video is sharp and colors are vibrant. In photo mode, JPEGs look good straight out of the camera, but you can also shoot RAW for more flexibility in post.

As mentioned, the Osmo Pocket 3 isn’t ideal for things like portraits or product beauty shots due to the relatively wide-angle 20mm equivalent lens. Yes, you can do a digital zoom to double that, but resolution dips well below 4K when you do that, due to the relatively low 9.4-megapixel (MP) sensor resolution.

Such a field of view doesn’t tend to flatter subjects (you generally want about 35-100mm), and moving the camera close can even cause distortion. So if you produce content around those things, the Pocket 3 isn’t ideal as a standalone camera.

The D-LogM function boosts dynamic range significantly, particularly in high-contrast or on sunny days. It also helps with creative color correction and to match scenes with other cameras, particularly DJI’s own drones and action cams. It’s easier to adjust than most log modes, so I leave it on all the time.

The larger sensor also makes the Pocket 3 much better in low light than before. Normal video mode goes up to ISO 3200, while low light mode ramps that up to ISO 16,000, letting you film in very dim rooms. It also appears to crank up noise reduction at upper ISOs though, so expect some loss of detail.

While low-light capability is improved, the sensor resolution drops significantly from 64MP on the Pocket 2 to 9.4MP on the new model. That’s not bad per se, as we’ve seen low-resolution sensors on high-end cameras like the Sony A7S III. However, it means that any digital zooming for video results in a loss of resolution (4K is 8.4MP), and photos aren’t nearly as sharp on the Pocket 3.

Autofocus can be an issue with larger sensor cameras, but the Pocket 3’s phase detect AI system is generally reliable. That applies whether you’re shooting multiple subjects in FPV mode or using Active Track or Face Tracking.

Rolling shutter is really pretty minimal, with just a light amount of skew on fast moving subjects like trains. That’s aided considerably by the gimbal, of course, which eliminates any strong jolts that could cause jello-like video.

One big issue is focus breathing, though, as the frame changes substantially when you focus from a far to a near object. If possible, it would be good for DJI to add a breathing compensation feature as we’ve seen on Sony and other cameras.

Wrap-up

With improvements in image quality, tracking and other areas, DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 is more versatile than ever. The image quality puts it in the category of high-end compact cameras and you get incredible optical stabilization equivalent to a handheld gimbal with none of the hassle.

It has no major flaws, except for the $520 price for the gimbal alone, or $699 in the aforementioned kit. For that, you could get Sony’s ZV-1F vlogging camera, or for $150 more, Sony’s ZV-10 mirrorless camera with a much larger sensor. Neither of those can do exactly what the Pocket 3 can do, but then again the Pocket 3 isn’t ideal for portraits, product shots and other types of content either.

The Pocket 2 was embraced mainly as a second camera for grabbing some stabilized shots. The Pocket 3 costs $170 more, though, so it’s not something you’d pick up on a whim. DJI is no doubt hoping folks will be willing to pay the extra money if they embrace it as a standalone vlogging camera. It can certainly serve that purpose, but only if your focus is on creating cinematic shots — and not on people or product-focused content creation.

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