You can save $30 on Topaz Labs Photo AI software.

Click here to learn more about Photo AI 4.

A new version of Nik Collection has been released. A 30‑day trial is available.

Nik Collection 8 expands Photoshop’s photo‑editing potential across all seven plugins thanks to new integration and powerful features

Version 8 unlocks the full power of Photoshop masks, and upgrades make Nik Color Efex better than ever. Plus, Nik Silver Efex has been rethought to ensure effortless black‑and‑white images.

Paris (France): DxO today unveils Nik Collection 8, the latest version of its celebrated creative plugin suite for photographers. This new release brings a completely redesigned Photoshop panel, powerful new masking functionality, and significant improvements to Silver Efex and Color Efex, delivering a more dynamic editing experience.

“With Nik Collection 8, we wanted to enhance both creativity and efficiency,” said Boris Oliviero, Product Director. “We’ve re‑imagined the Photoshop workflow, making it easier than ever to apply powerful effects, refine local adjustments, and move seamlessly between plugins.”

POWERFUL NEW MASK OPTIONS

Photographers can now import masks directly from Photoshop into any Nik Collection plugin, making full use of Photoshop’s powerful selection tools. A new feature in the Local Adjustments panel also lets users transfer masks effortlessly between plugins. And when ready, photographers can send masks created in Nik Collection straight back to Photoshop for further refinement.
With Nik Collection 8, your masks remain accessible at every step of the workflow, whether they originate from Photoshop or a Nik Collection plugin.

A SMARTER, MORE FLEXIBLE RETURN TO PHOTOSHOP

Bringing edits back into Photoshop is now more intuitive. Users can choose to:

• convert edits into a Smart Object for non‑destructive editing;
• apply changes to the current layer or create a new one;
• generate a new layer with a mask, providing additional flexibility.

SEND EDITS AS LAYERS TO PHOTOSHOP

Photographers can now send their Nik Collection edits directly to Photoshop as a new Photoshop layer while continuing to work inside Nik Collection. This allows users to test multiple ideas for an image without breaking their creative flow, and have all of their edits immediately at hand once back inside Photoshop.

BRAND‑NEW PHOTOSHOP PANEL FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY

Nik Collection 8 introduces a fully customizable and dockable Photoshop panel, replacing the traditional Nik Palette. This new design allows photographers to save screen space by choosing which plugins to display, and launch any plugin with a single click for a more fluid workflow. Plus, all of the essential controls for managing layers and masks are immediately accessible.

MAJOR UPGRADES TO NIK SILVER EFEX

Nik Silver Efex, the industry’s leading black‑and‑white editing tool, gets significant usability and feature boosts:

• Color Reference Image: view the original color image while working in black and white.
• Streamlined interface: matches Nik Color Efex and Nik Analog Efex, keeping filters on the left until used.
• Better logic when applying presets: only relevant filters appear on the right when a preset is selected.
• New Local Adjustments: ClearView and Selective Tones can now be applied locally.
• New Filter Looks: every filter now includes pre‑defined options for quick application.

NEW COLOR MASKS BRING PRECISION EDITS TO NIK COLOR EFEX

Targeting local adjustments just became more powerful as the suite now lets photographers select a range of colors for changes. Click on the desired color, tweak the handles as required, and start making adjustments.

QUICK EXPORT UPGRADED FOR A FASTER WORKFLOW

It’s now quicker to switch to TIFF format when using the Quick Export button, and export options are instantly accessible so users can tweak the configuration directly without navigating a menu.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Nik Collection 8 is available today from the DxO website (shop.dxo.com) for macOS and Windows:

• New license: 159,99 $/€ – 145,99 £
• Upgrade from Nik Collection 6 or 7: 89,99 $/€ – 79,99 £

On May 2, 2025, Canon published a new patent application that outlines multiple wide-angle prime lens designs, seemingly developed for sensors around 1.4 inches in size. The application suggests a focus on compactness, with provisions for integrating an ND filter, iris diaphragm, and shutter – a configuration particularly suitable for video-oriented imaging devices.

Patent Overview

• Publication Number: P2025070387
• Publication Date: May 2, 2025
• Title: Optical System and Imaging Device
• Application Date: October 20, 2023
• Applicant: Canon Inc.
• Applicant ID: 000001007

The patent describes a small, lightweight wide-angle optical system that arranges key optical elements – such as the iris diaphragm, neutral density (ND) filter, and shutter – in optimal internal positions.

Background

Modern imaging devices, including digital cameras, smartphones, vehicle cameras, and security systems, require compact lenses that maintain high image quality across wide angles of view. Smartphone cameras, in particular, rely heavily on fixed-aperture prime lenses made with plastic-molded aspherical elements. These lenses are also expected to house an ND filter, iris, and shutter, all while maintaining a short overall length, especially important for video applications.

Previous designs (e.g., Patent Document 1) struggled to accommodate these components without increasing the lens diameter. Positioning the ND filter and shutter too close to the aperture limited internal space, while placing them farther away resulted in a bulkier external design.

Canon’s latest approach attempts to solve this by efficiently integrating all components in a compact form factor.

Design Notes

The optical systems described here appear to support an ultra-wide angle of view, roughly equivalent to 20–24mm in full-frame terms. While the image height seems modest for a 1.4-inch sensor like that used in the PowerShot V1, this is likely intentional – reserving part of the sensor area for electronic image stabilization.

Interestingly, only Example 3 assumes a different sensor size.

The PowerShot V1, for context, features an 8.2–25.6mm f/2.8–4.5 zoom lens, which encompasses the optical system type discussed in this patent – though it’s physically much larger. If Canon applies this new design to the V series, we might not see a huge leap in performance. Still, there’s hope for a truly compact model with a non-protruding lens, which would be a welcome development for vloggers and mobile content creators.

Example 1

• Focal length: 9.47
• F-number: 2.88
• Half angle of view: 47.57
• Image height: 10.36
• Overall length: 27.22
• Back focal length: 7.41

Example 2

• Focal length: 11.68
• F-number: 2.88
• Half angle of view: 41.11
• Image height: 10.19
• Overall length: 27.14
• Back focal length: 7.56

Example 3

• Focal length: 6.75
• F-number: 1.85
• Half angle of view: 46.56
• Image height: 7.13
• Overall length: 18.77
• Back focal length: 3.35

Example 4

• Focal length: 8.41
• F-number: 2.88
• Half angle of view: 50.47
• Image height: 10.19
• Overall length: 29.95
• Back Focus: 7.16

[via asobinet]

If you want this piece of gear then you have more or less 13 hours to get it.

Canon EOS C500 Mark II at a glance:

• Full-Frame CMOS Sensor, DIG!C DV 7 Chip
• Full-Frame, Super 35, and Super 16 Modes
• DCI 4K/2K, UHD 4K, and HD Modes
• User-Changeable Lens Mounts
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Internal Canon RAW Light Recording
• Internal XF-AVC Recording
• 2 x CFexpress Card Slots, SD Card Slot
• Canon Log 2 and Log 3 Gamma
• 4-Channel Audio Recording

B&H Photo has the Canon EOS C500 Mark II on sale for very limited time at $4,999. Compare at $10,999.

More selected deals:

• Get Excire Foto (AI powered photo managment) with 15% discount by using code “canonwatch” at checkout
• USA: Canon USA | B&H Photo | Amazon US
• Germany: Amazon Germany
• Refurbished lenses and DSLRs at Canon Store (best deals might be found here)

I am bit late to the party. Canon announced the already rumored PowerShot V1 and EOS R50 V. The Canon PowerShot V1 is scheduled to be available in April 2025 for an estimated retail price of $899.99. The Canon EOS R50 V is scheduled to be available in April 2025 for an estimated retail price of $649.99 for the body only and $849.99 with the RF-S14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ.

Preorders are live:

Canon PowerShot V1:

America: B&H Photo, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Canon EOS R50 V:

America: B&H Photo, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Canon press release:

For All Creators: Canon’s New PowerShot V1 and EOS R50 V Expand EOS/PowerShot V Series

MELVILLE, N.Y., – March 26, 2025 — Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, answers the needs of video creators with the new PowerShot V1 and EOS R50 V. Both cameras are part of Canon’s growing EOS/PowerShot V Series which seeks to help all creators, including cinema, livestreaming, vlogging, and VR, heighten their visual story telling.

Canon Reinvigorates Point-and-Shoot

If you’re a creator, you want the ability to pursue your own visual expression without compromising quality. Something lightweight and compact that can be used anytime or anywhere to lift your vision forward—a camera that works with you. Designed with a smart and modern concept, the PowerShot V1 is a reliable partner boasting key features including:

• A newly designed grip created for both normal and selfie shooting.
• Ultra wide-angle zoom lens—approximately 17-52mm for movie recording and 16-50mm/F2.8-4.5 for still imagery.
• New 1.4 type sensor with approximately 22.3 megapixels for stills.
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF II for PowerShot for improved AF speed and subject detection tracking performance when compared to the PowerShot G7 X Mark III.
• A cooling fan inside the body to help enable longer video recording.
• A still image/movie shooting switch for quick and easy transition—the first in a PowerShot camera.
• Continuous still shooting at up to approximately 30 frames per second, a mechanical shutter with a maximum speed of 1/2000 seconds, and an electronic shutter with a maximum shutter speed of 1/16,000 seconds.

The Canon PowerShot V1 is also designed with workflow top of mind. Creators can leverage high quality video calls and livestream on a PC with a single USB cable, and the camera works intelligently with smartphones—both wired and wirelessly—via the Canon Camera Connect app.

Cinema Quality in the Palm of Your Hand

A movie-focused, high-performance camera that can fit in the palm of your hand? Yes—it does exist, with the EOS R50 V. The legacy of Cinema EOS technologies is splashed throughout, making EOS R50 V one for all creators who have high artistic ambitions to take to the next level. Key features include:

• Video-focused design elements such as a livestream button, movie recording button in the front of the camera, and a tripod screw hole for vertical shooting.
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF II for quiet and smooth AF.
• Ability to shoot 4K crop at 60fps and YCC 422 10bit.
• Compatibility with the newly launched RF-S14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ, the first RF-S lens with built-in power zoom.
• Four different methods of livestreaming: UVC/UAC, HDMI, Camera Connect, and Live Switcher Mobile multi-camera.
• APS-C sensor and DIGIC X image processor for rich bokeh.
• Image creation consistent with Cinema EOS with five presets for editing, such as Canon Log 3.

Creators are not one-size-fits-all, and EOS R50 V was built through creator feedback to make content creation easier. With modern design elements, customization options, and a new lens bundled together, the EOS R50 V is destined to be in your gear bag.