If you’d eavesdropped on the Wex offices and warehouses in August, you wouldn’t have had to wait long before hearing one name — the Ricoh GR IV. This long-awaited street-shooting compact has been the talk of the photography world since the announcement became official, and it’s fair to say we’re as excited as anyone.
But there’s plenty more to see from August, with new medium format gear from Hasselblad and a clutch of exciting new lenses from Nikon, Sigma and Tamron. And video shooters haven’t been neglected, thanks to the arrival of the DJI Mic 3, a clever refinement of one of the best wireless mics in the business.
Let’s take a look at all the best photo and video gear released in August…
It’s here! This new version of the popular street-shooting compact camera, pairing a high-quality APS-C sensor with a 28mm equivalent lens, the Ricoh GR IV has finally arrived to huge fanfare and excitement among the photography community. Wisely not messing with the successful formula, this new edition keeps the focal length the same, but redesigns the lens with a new optical formula, featuring seven elements in five groups including three aspherical elements to reduce distortion for pin-sharp images.
Sensor resolution has been improved and the upper ISO limit of the GR IV is a whopping 204,800, opening up new options for low-light shooting. Built around speed and agility, the GR IV can start up and shoot in as little as 0.6 sec, meaning you never have to miss the moment while you’re waiting for the camera. And of course, it’s got that slim, sleek design that we just love about this series.
Check out Leo’s blog on the release of the GR IV for a full rundown of what’s new.
Hasselblad’s latest medium format camera pushes large-sensor photography even further than ever with a series of major upgrades. Its autofocus has been upgraded with LiDAR-assisted subject detection, making it better than ever at identifying and locking onto specific subjects. The X2D 100C II can also capture in-camera HDR, producing images with incredible tonal depth and colour accuracy. Its in-body stabilisation system has also been upgraded, now providing an incredible 10 stops of effective compensation.
Released alongside this camera is a 35-100mm f2.8-4 E XCD lens, a standard-to-telephoto zoom that’s built to be lightweight and portable — the perfect partner for an agile camera like the X2D 100C II. With kit like this, medium format photography is more mobile and flexible than it has ever been.
Nikon Z mirrorless shooters get a welcome update to one of the most useful lenses in a photographer’s arsenal. The Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II now has an entirely internal zoom mechanism for greater stability, as well as a declickable aperture ring and an upgraded autofocus system that is both faster and quieter. As part of Nikon’s prestigious ‘S’ line, it’s a lens built to high standards of quality and durability, and its new features make it especially well-suited for hybrid photo and video shooters.
Available mounts: Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Canon RF
A slim, compact wide-angle for APS-C mirrorless, this new 12mm lens from Sigma will no doubt find a lot of favour among vloggers and video shooters. With an equivalent focal length of 18mm, it hits a preferred sweet spot for vlogging, and it has been designed to minimise focus breathing for high-quality video work. Its stepping motor autofocus is fast, quiet and accurate, and the overall build of the lens is lightweight enough to balance well with APS-C Sony, Fujifilm and Canon cameras.
This is an interesting one — it’s actually the first full-frame 200mm F2 prime for mirrorless cameras. With Sigma’s “Sport” designation, it’s a lens made for capturing fast action and movement, providing generous amounts of light for fast shutter speeds thanks to its generous F2 maximum aperture. The lens delivers on optical quality even when that aperture is wide open, thanks to its sophisticated optical construction consisting of 19 elements in 14 groups, and the front element has been treated with Sigma’s Nano Porous Coating and Super Multi-Layer Coating to ensure optimal light transmission for rich, detailed images.
Tamron upgrades its popular wide zoom with a new version for full-frame mirrorless Nikon and Sony cameras. The 16-30mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2 delivers an impressive level of edge-to-edge sharpness right the way through that zoom range, and thanks to the constant aperture of F2.8, you can put it to work in all sorts of different lighting situations. A particularly welcome upgrade comes with Tamron’s improvements to the ergonomics, with better grip texture resulting in handling that feels more tactile and responsive than ever. Sony FE and Z-mount users are set to get some great value from this one.
One of the best wireless mics in the business just got better, as DJI has announced the Mic 3. An update to one of the most popular mic sets for vloggers, the Mic 3 features adaptive gain to automatically balance changing sound levels on the fly, as well as the ability to record up to four sources simultaneously and link to up to eight receivers. This is great if you’re using multiple mics in a challenging, multi-camera setup, and also means that the DJI Mic 3 effectively grows with you, as you can just add to your set when needed. The brilliant charging case is also once again included, allowing the mics to keep going for longer on location.
How do we decide?
Our in-house photography experts, store staff and partners all work collaboratively to pour over our guides and tips articles. We also consider emerging trends and customer feedback to make sure our guides are always up-to-date and reflective of what people are truly looking for. By curating only the best products, our guides provide trustworthy recommendations, making it easier for customers to make informed choices with confidence.
If you would like more advice on any purchase our contact centre staff are here to help. Alternatively, you can reach us via email or social media. And don't forget. If you were to purchase anything based on our recommendations you'll be covered by our full returns policy
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