SmallRig has announced it is expanding its lineup with a new cage for the Sony a9 III and a1 II. Like SmallRig’s existing offerings, the new cage aims to add additional protection for the camera. Perhaps more importantly, it also offers expansion options, making it easier to attach additional gear like phone mounts, monitors, microphones and more. It offers what SmallRig calls a “brand-new streamlined design with precision-fit protection and unobstructed button access.” It’s available for purchase now for $99.

Image: SmallRig

SmallRig’s latest full cage features a leather grip that fully wraps around the grip of the camera. The leather design allows it to blend in a bit more to the camera, and results in a more polished look worthy of the flagship cameras.

The cage features a three-point locking installation to keep it securely attached to the camera, but doesn’t require removing the D-rings. It uses an integrated bottom Arca-Swiss quick release plate for seamless use on a wide range of tripods and gimbals. It comes with a magnetic wrench on the bottom of the plate for easier attachment or removal.

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Image: SmallRig

Of course, one of the main benefits to a cage is all the extra attachment points for gear, of which this new offering has plenty. It features 1/4″-20 threaded holes, 1/4″-20 locating holes, ARRI 3/8″-16 locating holes, cold shoe mounts, strap slots and QD socket. All of those attachment points make it feasible to add on a long list of handles, microphones, lights, monitors, straps and more. Plus, the HawkLock H21 NATO rail allows you to quickly add or remove handles.

Image: SmallRig

In addition to the full cage, SmallRig also released an L-Shaped Mount Plate for the Sony a1 II and a9 III. The plate is still marked as “coming soon,” and details are sparse in comparison to the full cage. SmallRig did specify that it will offer unobstructed access to switching orientation and feature an integrated bottom Arca-Swiss quick release plate. Perhaps most interesting, though, is the AirTag compartment, helping users keep track of their cameras.

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Canon has developed a 410MP full-frame sensor, which it says is primarily designed for markets such as surveillance, medicine and industrial applications.

Canon doesn’t typically disclose details of sensors it plans to use in its cameras prior to those cameras being announced, which is another strong hint that this won’t be the basis of the next R-series model. Still, it gives and insight into where Canon’s sensor design and technology has got to.

The 410MP chip is a Stacked CMOS design with some signal processing circuitry built into one of the layers of that stack. This design allows it to read all its pixels at a rate of 3,280 megapixels per second. This is sufficient to let it deliver 24K ‘video’ at up to eight frames per second.

Alternatively, Canon says a monochrome version of the chip can bin the output of four neighboring pixels to deliver “100MP” video at up to 24 fps. These numbers suggest the company is talking about full-sensor, ‘open-gate’ 12K footage from the full 3:2 sensor region. Given this is its maximum output rate, it’s reasonable to assume it would have a rolling shutter rate not much quicker than 1/24 sec (ie: around 40ms), which wouldn’t be optimal as the basis of a cinema camera.

Thiose frame rates suggest a sensor that would be well-suited to machine-vision tasks that prioritize resolution over speed, such as checking detailed circuit boards during production, rather than on high-speed production lines where global shutter’s ability to freeze movement might be more valued.

The use of the 3:2, 36x24mm ‘full-frame’ format means the sensor could be used with the vast range of lenses designed for that format, rather than having to specify something custom or very low-volume, by adopting a larger, medium-format size.

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Canon has announced the RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM, a fast wide-angle full-frame zoom that’s meant to be a more budget-friendly option for people looking to shoot photos and videos. The lens is lightweight and compact, coming in at a very similar size and weight as its sibling, the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM.

The 16-28mm is explicitly designed to pair with that lens for enthusiasts wanting constant F2.8 capability on a budget.

The lens’ optical formula includes 16 elements in 13 groups, with 2 aspherical lenses and 4 UD elements. Like many of Canon’s RF lenses – including its higher-end L-series models – the 16-28mm uses of digital corrections as part of its design. At its long end, it has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m (7.9″). The lens is weather sealed to provide some protection against dust and moisture, though there aren’t gaskets on all of its various buttons, switches and rings.

Canon

As its name implies, the 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM uses a lead-screw type stepper motor for focusing, which the company says will provide “fast and accurate” focusing. It also features optical image stabilization, rated for 5.5 stops of compensation at the center of the lens, which gets bumped up to 8 stops when paired with a camera body that can coordinate its sensor stabilization with the lens’.

The lens weighs around 445g (15.7oz) and is 91mm (3.6″) long when retracted. It uses 67mm filters and can be paired with an EW-73E lens hood, though it is sold separately.

The 16-28mm F2.8 becomes Canon’s fourth wide-angle option, sitting between the $550 RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and the $1400 RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM. The new lens has better weather-sealing than the variable aperture zoom but, is less well-sealed than the slower-but-wider F4 ‘L’ series lens. Above all of these sits the $2400 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM.

The RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM will retail for $1149 and starts shipping on February 11th.

Canon RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM Specifications

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