Nikon has announced the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4, a fast, normal prime lens for Z-mount cameras that covers the classic 50mm focal length.

The new lens is a virtual twin to the Nikkor Z 35mm F1.4 prime that Nikon announced just three months ago in June. The two lenses share the exact same dimensions, at 87mm (3.4″) long by 75mm (3″) diameter, and the new lens weighs in at 420g (14.8oz.), just 1% heavier than its 35mm sibling.

Notably, the new lens is slightly less expensive than Nikon’s own 50mm F1.8 S prime, which is part of Nikon’s premium ‘S’ series of lenses. It was suggested to us that the non-S lens prioritizes character over clinical sharpness.

The Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 mounted on a Nikon Z6 III Image: Nikon

Optically, the lens comprises 10 elements in 7 groups, including one aspherical element, and has a 9-bladed aperture. This makes it optically simpler than the F1.8 S lens and it lacks that Nano Crystal Coatings of the premium model. It has a minimum focus distance of 0.37m (14.5″) and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.17x.

Other features include a manual focus ring and a customizable control ring, which the ‘S’ model lacks. According to Nikon, the lens should be well-suited to video work thanks to a smooth, twin STM motors, suppressed focus breathing and the clickless control ring. Nikon describes the lens as designed to be drip and dust-resistant.

The Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 has a suggested retail price of $499 and will be available beginning in late September.

Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 specifications

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Apple has announced the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus. The new phones now include a dedicated ‘Camera Control’ button, as well as the ‘Action’ button that was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro in the previous generation. The phones also feature a new A18 processor, which the company says has a 30% faster CPU and 40% faster GPU than the chip found in the regular iPhone 15.

The phone’s ultrawide camera has been upgraded, and now includes autofocus. The company says it can capture ‘2.6x’ more light. It also now allows users to capture ‘Macro’ photos using the ultrawide camera, a feature that was previously limited to the Pro models.

Apple says the iPhone 16 can now capture spatial videos and photos, using both cameras.

The company says the ‘Camera Control’ button allows you to control various features in the camera app. Pressing it will open the camera, and pressing it again will take a picture. You can also press and hold it while in the app to take a video. The button is touch sensitive, letting you slide your finger across it to change zoom level, depth of field, and more.

Lightly double-tapping the Camera Control will let you choose which variable to adjust. Image: Apple

The button also has haptic feedback, which the company says will give you a more tactile feel while taking pictures.

Apple says the button will also provide ‘instant access’ to Apple Intelligence features. According to Apple, pressing and holding the ‘Camera Control’ will bring up an interface that lets you perform a visual search using ‘Visual Intelligence.’ You can point it at an object, and the phone will bring up information about what’s in frame. It can also be connected to third parties, getting information about what the camera is pointed at from services like ChatGPT.

The new design also features what appears to be a smaller camera bump than the previous generation, as the wide and ultra-wide cameras are in line vertically, rather than being at a diagonal.

Earlier in the presentation, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the phones “the first iPhones designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence and its breakthrough capabilities.”

This story is developing… please refresh to see more details.

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Canon has announced the EOS C80, a dedicated cinema camera in a mirrorless-style body. It’s built around a 26MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor and uses the RF lens mount. According to Canon, the C80’s internals closely resemble the Cinema EOS C400, its newest professional cinema camera, including an almost identical sensor, though it lacks some features found on the C400.

The C80 replaces the EOS C70, a camera that proved very popular with independent video producers and small production houses but which used a smaller Super 35mm sensor and included an EF-to-RF 0.71x optical adapter that essentially worked as a speed booster.

The EOS C80’s stacked CMOS sensor can capture video up to 6K resolution and features a triple-base ISO design, with bases at ISO 800, 3200, and 12,800. Dual gain systems work by switching between two different readout paths with different levels of capacitance, giving a tradeoff between a mode that can accommodate a large signal (higher peak dynamic range) and one with less tolerance for light but lower readout noise, better suited to shooting in low light. The implication is that Canon has a third readout option that takes this trade-off further. We’ve contacted Canon for further technical details and will follow up as we learn more.

Image: Canon

In addition to triple-base ISO, the updated sensor supports the newest version of Canon’s dual-pixel autofocus, Dual Pixel AF II. It significantly enlarges the area of the sensor that can be used for autofocus and includes the same AF zones found on the Cinema EOS C400. The new system supports people and animal tracking, and the faster readout speed of the sensor allows the AF system to be quicker and more responsive.

The AF system also introduces a new feature intended to make it easier to rack between subjects. If the AF system is tracking a person, using the manual focus ring on the lens will take over focus control; when the AF system detects that it’s close to focusing on a different subject, it will identify and take over focus tracking on that new subject once the focus ring is released.

Other new features include 12G-SDI terminals to allow for output of uncompressed video signals, Canon’s multi-function shoe, a new lightweight handle accessory for attaching multi-function accessories, a third 1/4″-20 tripod thread on the base of the camera and another on top, and an ethernet terminal. Connections include full-sized HDMI-out, two mini XLR audio inputs, a 3.5mm microphone jack, 4-channel audio support, and a Time Code terminal. There are 13 custom buttons.

Image: Canon

The camera includes the same ND filter system as the EOS C400, with five settings ranging from ND2 to ND10, and there’s a helpful tape measure hook on the top of the camera for planning focus and focus pulls.

The C80 supports three sets of video codecs, notably, the same ones found on the Cinema EOS C400 and the recently announced EOS R1 and EOS R5 II. This common use of codecs across all EOS models, including mirrorless and cinema products, suggests Canon is trying to better align video capabilities across the entire EOS line.

The C80 can capture up to 6K/30p video using the width of its sensor or up to 4K/60p using a Super 35mm crop when using Canon’s Cinema RAW LT (‘light’) codec. It doesn’t support Canon’s higher bit rate Cinema RAW formats, HQ and ST, which require write speeds beyond the ability of the C80’s dual-SD (UHS-II) memory cards.

Image: Canon

The camera also supports compressed codecs, including Canon’s XF-AVC, XF-HEVC S, and XF-AVC S codecs, all of which support video capture up to 4K/60p (downsampled from 6K) in 4:2:2 10-bit color, using either All-I or Long-GOP formats. There’s also slow motion support for frame rates up to 4K/120p and 2K/180p, with autofocus support up to 120p. The camera includes both C-Log2 and C-Log3 gamma curves and supports proxy files.

In addition to standard video, the EOS C80 provides anamorphic lens support with 2.0x, 1.8x and 1.3x de-squeeze. A new vertical interface is available when shooting vertical video.

The C80 also supports two new batteries: the BP-A30N, which ships with the camera and provides up to 170 minutes of continuous recording, and the BP-A60N, which Canon says will provide up to 335 minutes of continuous recording. According to Canon, the previous non-N versions of these batteries will continue to work without any feature limitations but will provide shorter operating times.

Price and availability

The Canon EOS C80 has a suggested retail price of $5499. It will be available in November 2024.

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