In today's episode I cover the latest exciting news in the world of photography from whether or not Sony will release an a7V, Laowa's new 200mm F/2 primes lens with AF and other top stories for this past week.
You can find the show notes here.
You can find the show notes here.
Show Notes
Welcome back to the show everyone Liam here and this is Episode 476 of the Liam Photography Podcast for the week of October 16th, 2025. In today’s news, Sony’s Mid Range cameras, Laowa’s new 200mm F/2 Dreamer, Skiing Mount Everest and more.
French photography publication Phototrend interviewed a senior product manager from Sony France, discussing a wide range of topics, including APS-C, full-frame, and hybrid cameras. The official even discussed the widely expected future Sony a7V camera.
Phototrend‘s interview, spotted by Sony Alpha Rumors, was with Fabrice Abuaf, Senior IP&S Product Manager for Sony France.
Right off the bat, Abuaf dished on the success of the Sony a7 III and a7 IV cameras.
“These are the most balanced [cameras] in our range, offering a good compromise between photo, video, and budget,” Abuaf said in French, edited for clarity. “Even though these models are not the most recent, they continue to sell extremely well.”
At least, that’s the case in France. Abuaf tells Phototrend that in other regions, including Asia, different cameras are more popular. In Asia specifically, Abuaf claims that the a7C II is the most popular, “probably for cultural reasons.” He cites the left-justified EVF as one reason why the a7C II may sell better in Asia.
However, overall, that class of full-frame mirrorless camera — a7 IV and a7C II — sells extremely well globally.
Although full-frame cameras are popular in France (Abuaf says Sony has 35 to 36% market share in the full-frame segment there), Sony’s APS-C cameras remain a good choice for many consumers. Abuaf acknowledges that Sony’s APS-C cameras, which do not feature a central EVF, are less popular in Europe, though. It would be interesting if Sony built an enthusiast-oriented APS-C camera with an a7 IV-style body, but it would mark a significant departure for the company.
Phototrend, noting that it “expects a lot from the Sony a7 V,” asked Abuaf about this expected camera. The senior manager reiterated that Sony cameras are “designed to last” a long time and that, despite its “relative age,” the a7 IV remains a best-selling camera for Sony.
“There is obviously a waiting effect, a ‘buzz’ around the [a7 V], as [there was] for the a7S III in its it time,” Abuaf says. “But our philosophy is not to renew at all costs every year. We build sustainable ranges, with major innovations for every generation. The a9 III, for example, marked a real technological [breakthrough] with its global shutter sensor.”
While there is no telling when an a7 V might arrive, many photographers are expecting it, given that the a7 IV turns four years old this month. That’s quite long in the tooth for a Sony Alpha camera, especially a mid-range model. Abuaf doesn’t give much away here, but his insistence that Sony only releases new models when there are “major innovations” on offer at least offers photographers hope that when the a7 V arrives, it will be a marked step-up from the a7 IV.
Abuaf also touched on the Sony a1 II’s popularity. Although the new flagship camera didn’t necessarily seem that exciting at launch or offer many breakthroughs, it has proven a smash hit among professionals.
“Yes, [the a1 II] is a real success,” Abuaf says. “From the moment we started, we have experienced a strong demand and we were immediately in short supply. Many professionals who already used the Alpha 1 have [upgraded to] the a1 II, seduced by its level of maturity.”
Sony, like everyone else, has noticed the two newest video-first hybrid cameras to hit the market: the Canon EOS C50 and the Nikon ZR.
“We are watching the competition carefully, of course,” Abuaf says. “But we are especially proud of our FX range, which has largely inspired other brands.”
The senior product manager touts the FX2’s workflow features, in particular, and is adamant that video users understand what Sony FX-series cameras can offer them in professional environments. Sony won’t chase “specifications” with its cameras, per Abuaf.
Among the many other topics discussed in the full interview, it is worth considering what Abuaf has to say about the Sony RX1R III premium compact camera. This camera has been nearly a decade in the making, and its $5,100 price tag has left some photographers feeling a bit jaded.
However, as sales charts have shown and Abuaf confirms, photographers are buying the RX1R III. Abuaf suggests that the RX1R III’s success so far indicates that there remains a strong market for the product, despite it being a niche luxury camera. Hopefully, this means that photographers won’t need to wait another 10 years or so for the next version.
The full Phototrend interview includes discussions on tariffs, third-party lenses, adapters, the RX100 series, Sony’s new 100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master lens, and more. It is a fairly candid interview and sheds light on Sony’s Alpha business and philosophies.
Laowa has announced its highly anticipated 200mm f/2 AF FF C-Dreamer fast telephoto prime lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras. The affordable new lens makes the highly coveted 200mm f/2 combination accessible to a wide range of photographers.
When Sigma launched its excellent 200mm f/2 DG Sports lens this summer, it broke new ground. It was the first 200mm f/2 telephoto prime lens designed natively for full-frame mirrorless cameras. However, at $3,299, it is a premium lens at a luxury price. Older DSLR models were even more expensive, including Nikon’s classic AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2G ED VR II at $4,600 and the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM for $6,000. Laowa aims to offer premium performance at a not-so-luxury price.
The new Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF, the second 200mm f/2 lens designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, is $1,999 for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts. A Canon EF version is also available, since Canon has blocked third-party full-frame lenses with autofocus from the EOS R system. The EF version is $1,799. Laowa notes that the EF version can be used on Canon EOS R cameras via third-party EF-RF adapters.
“Traditionally, 200mm f/2 lenses have been exclusive to high-end professionals due to their hefty cost and weight. Laowa changes that with a design that weighs less, features accurate autofocus, and comes at an accessible price of USD 1,799–1,999,” Venus Optics, the maker of Laowa lenses, explains. “Built for full-frame cameras, the Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF brings legendary bokeh, compression, and low-light performance to a wider audience of portrait, sports, and event photographers seeking flagship results at a fraction of the cost.”
The new 200mm f/2, which Venus Optics describes as “the holy grail of telephoto glass,” promises professional results, including high resolution and beautiful bokeh. This, along with the focal length, makes the lens well-suited to a wide range of photographic subjects, including portraits, sports, and even some wildlife. A 200mm f/2 may be especially good for indoor sports, where light is often at a premium. 200mm f/2 lenses have classically been popular choices for basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball.
Venus Optics says the lens’s optical design, which comprises 11 elements in nine groups, effectively suppresses chromatic aberration, ghosting, and flare.
Laowa, which makes its fair share of manual focus lenses, has designed its new 200mm f/2 lens with autofocus, essential for the sports and wildlife subjects the lens is intended to capture. Laowa promises “fast and accurate” autofocus that easily tracks fast-moving subjects, although real-world testing is required to determine just how good the AF is.
The lens also offers a fairly short focusing distance of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet), allowing photographers to capture close-up shots with the new 200mm f/2 lens. It’s not a macro lens, but its maximum magnification of around 0.15x should open up some creative possibilities.
Traditionally, 200mm f/2 lenses have also been quite heavy. The new Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF weighs just 1.6 kilograms (3.7 pounds) for the EF mount version. This is a bit lighter than Sigma’s latest lens, and roughly half the weight of classic DSLR 200mm f/2 primes. The mirrorless version of the lens is just under 180 millimeters (around seven inches) long. The lens accepts 105mm front filters, but the E and Z-mount versions can also take 43mm rear filters.
The lens features five customizable function buttons on its barrel, a rotating tripod collar, and a weather-sealed design.
The Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF C-Dreamer lens is available to order now via the Venus Lens website and authorized retailers. The Canon EF version is $1,799, while the Sony E and Nikon Z variants for full-frame mirrorless cameras are $1,999 each.
To stand on top of Mount Everest — the world’s highest peak — is to quite literally stand on top of the world. And while most people will carefully climb down, Red Bull athlete Andrzej Bargiel recently made history by skiing down without any oxygen.
And yesterday, Bargiel and Red Bull shared POV footage showing the extreme athlete standing on the roof of the world and then descending. It is treacherous, and Bargiel falls over a few times, causing him to cough as he gasps for air.
On Everest, there is only a third of the oxygen available at sea level. This made it incredibly dangerous for Bargiel, who was supported by a team. He started at 8,849 meters (29,000 feet), and skied down without any ropes or fixed lines. He spent 16 hours in the death zone, the area above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) where humans cannot live for an extended period.
While more than 6,000 people have reached the summit, fewer than 200 have done so without supplemental oxygen — and none had attempted a ski descent. At the altitude of Everest’s summit — roughly the cruising height of a passenger jet — the reduced air pressure means climbers are breathing only about one-third of the oxygen available at sea level.
“It’s one of the most important milestones in my sports career,” Bargiel says in a press release. “Skiing down Everest without oxygen was a dream that had been growing inside me for years. I knew that the difficult autumn conditions and plotting the descent line through the Khumbu Glacier would be the greatest challenge I could ever face.”
Photographer Bartłomiej Pawlikowski captured several of the images of the feat. According to his website, Pawlikowski is a self-taught sports photographer based in Podhale, Poland, near the Tatra Mountains. He has experience on high-altitude expeditions, including Everest, the Karakoram, the Andes, and Patagonia. He was a semi-finalist in the 2023 Red Bull Illume Emerging Category, one of the most prestigious sports photography competitions. Pawlikowski’s experience as a ski instructor and speleologist allows him to navigate challenging terrain while capturing compelling images.
VSCO, the Visual Supply Company, has announced AI Lab. It is a suite of new AI-powered editing tools to help photographers achieve professional-level results inside VSCO.
AI Lab is launching with one tool, Remove, which, as its name suggests, enables photographers to erase unwanted elements from their images without sacrificing resolution or realism. VSCO users can utilize Remove to erase distracting elements from their images, including unwanted passersby and distracting background elements.
“Since our inception, VSCO has supported authentic creative expression and has provided photographers with many ways to achieve their desired success,” says Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO.
Wittman continues, “We see how much AI is impacting photography, and are focused on bringing AI tools to our community that are designed specifically to support photographers in achieving creative excellence while respecting the art of their photography.”
AI Lab joins VSCO’s prior AI-based offering, VSCO Canvas, which is an AI-powered mood boarding platform designed for creatives and photographers.
VSCO’s new AI Lab relies upon Black Forest Lab’s FLUX.1 Context model combined with proprietary, purpose-built tech made for photographers “who demand high-quality edits that look authentic, not artificial,” per VSCO.
Although Remove is the first tool available in AI Lab, the company is also developing Upscale, which will launch soon. This will enhance image resolution and sharpen details while maintaining color accuracy.
VSCO’s next-generation AI-powered imaging tools aim to help photographers save time and perform less manual editing.
“AI is undeniably shaping the future of modern photography, and Iʼm very pleased with VSCOʼs strategy to add important AI-based instruments that uphold the craftsmanship photographers care about,” says wildlife photographer Philipp Gerasimov. “The VSCO Remove tool delivers edits with required visual fidelity that enhance my photos without compromising creative intent.”
AI Lab supports editing high-resolution RAW photos, creates non-destructive copies to preserve original images, and, in the case of Remove, features Brush, Tap, and Lasso tools to select and remove objects.
AI Lab is available now within VSCO Studio on iOS to VSCO Pro members. Pro membership includes unlimited AI editing, other advanced tools, and access to VSCO’s entire library of 200+ presets and film effects.
In February, the legendary photo company Zeiss unveiled a pair of new Otus ML prime lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras. The Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 arrived shortly after launch. Now the new Otus 85mm f/1.4 has arrived.
Back in February, Zeiss said of the Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 that it would arrive later this year. The time has come, and photographers can purchase the fast new manual focus portrait prime lens for $2,999. It is available in Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Sony E mounts. None of the specs have changed since the original reveal near the beginning of this year, but given the time elapsed, it is worth revisiting the lens.
The Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 features 15 elements across 11 groups, including two aspherical elements and five pieces of anomalous partial dispersion glass. Zeiss makes special note of the lens’s “relatively few glass-air surfaces” and its Sonnar optical design, created nearly a century ago by Dr. Ludwig Bertele.
The Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 lens is quite hefty, weighing around 2.3 pounds (a bit over one kilogram), although there are minor differences across each of the three mounts. The lens is around five inches long (just under 130 millimeters).
Speaking to PetaPixel at CP+ in February, days after Zeiss unveiled its new lenses, Petra Visuri, Product Manager of Photographer and Mobile Imaging, Zeiss Photonics and Optics PNO) explained that the new Otus ML lenses channel the spirit of the company’s legendary Otus primes for DSLR cameras. However, the move to mirrorless afforded Zeiss more flexibility in optical design, thanks to the different mount systems
Further, given that mirrorless cameras are, all else equal, smaller and lighter than their DSLR counterparts, Zeiss wanted to make its new lenses smaller and lighter.
“We had to bring this same experience and same magical images to a compact and lightweight form,” Visuri said in February.
One thing that Zeiss did not want to do in the move to mirrorless was employ digital lens corrections, which are commonplace among first-party manufacturers.
“With the Otus way, we are not relying on any of those. That’s part of the design goal,” Visuri told PetaPixel. “In one way, [digital corrections are] fair. If it makes the job of the photographer easier, that’s fine. But when we design the design intention and also the goal we want to achieve, what we want to preserve with Otus and the new Otus ML family is that we do not need to rely on those corrections.”
The Zeiss Otus ML lenses, including the 85mm f/1.4, also buck modern trends by eschewing autofocus altogether. Both the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 and the new 85mm f/1.4 are entirely manual focus. However, modern mirrorless cameras should make the manual focusing experience much easier thanks to live view and the ability to easily zoom in through the viewfinder or on the camera’s rear screen. Zeiss has also refined the focus ring on its new Otus ML primes, promising smooth, silent, and extremely precise focusing control.
“The primary advantage [of manual focus] is that you control your story creation,” Zeiss says. “You decide what it is you want to see in focus, the focus and depth of it. You control your story.”
The Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 is available now for Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Sony E mounts for $2,999.
Just this week, three different photography-focused kits for smartphones made the news. Vivo, Oppo, and Nubia all have specialized kits designed for enthusiast mobile photographers, and each promises to improve smartphone camera capabilities above and beyond what phones can do out of the box.
Consider Vivo, which unveiled the X300 and X300 Pro smartphones yesterday in China. Both these models work with Vivo’s smartphone photography kit that launched alongside the X200 Ultra flagship earlier this year.
This Zeiss-branded kit includes a camera grip case with dedicated camera controls, a filter adapter ring, and an add-on Zeiss zoom lens that extends the telephoto reach of compatible Vivo smartphones. The lens attaches to the phone via the included case, and at least for the new X300 Pro, it works alongside digital zoom and the new 200-megapixel image sensor to deliver 1600mm-equivalent reach.
Chinese smartphone brand Oppo unveiled a Hasselblad-branded camera kit for its upcoming Find X9 Pro this week. This Oppo Hasselblad Professional Imaging Kit was revealed on Weibo and will snap onto the back of Find X9 series smartphones, expected to launch this week in China. The Hasselblad-branded teleconverter, magnetic ring light, magnetic handle, case, and shoulder strap promise to improve the overall mobile photography experience for Find Oppo X9 series owners.
On Weibo, Oppo asserts that these new magnetic accessories, including the ring light and flash, are the first of their kind in the mobile industry.
Not to be outdone, another Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Nubia, also revealed a photography kit this week on Weibo. This one looks different from the other two, employing a retro camera-like design, but its core functionality is similar. It includes a case, filter adapters, and not one, but two detachable lenses. The kit features a telephoto lens and a second portrait-oriented optic.
The kit will work with the Nubia Z80 Ultra smartphone, which is expected to launch next week in China.
These new kits, or in the case of Vivo, an older kit getting new compatibility, join Xiaomi’s photography kit offerings, which focus on improving the in-phone photography experience. Xiaomi has opted to add a filter mount for its Leica-engineered camera systems and a camera-inspired battery grip to its handhelds.
For those keeping score, that’s three different major photography companies getting involved in photography kits for Chinese smartphones. Arguably, Nubia’s kit, which doesn’t feature any photo brand partnerships, at least at least looks the part of a classic Leica with its red dot logo and classic aesthetics. Vivo is working with Zeiss, Oppo with Hasselblad, and Xiaomi with Leica. Even if OnePlus is letting its Hasselblad partnership expire with its upcoming OnePlus 15 flagship phone, it’s clear that many Chinese phone companies continue to want to work with classic names in photography.
It’s also clear that these smartphone makers are putting significant effort into improving their phones’ photography capabilities, even if it means adding a bulky case and a long lens to their devices. Although computational photography helps compensate for relatively small image sensors and lenses in smartphones, there is no substitute for more real, physical glass, especially when it comes to portrait and telephoto performance.
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