Chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) halted semiconductor shipments to a client that may have illegally sent the chips on to Huawei, according to Bloomberg. That follows reports that TSMC had informed the US government that its chips appeared in one of Huawei's AI accelerators. There's no confirmation on whether the company was acting on Huawei's behalf or where it's based.
TSMC cut off shipments to the entity in mid-October after it noticed that the same chips had appeared in Huawei products. It notified the US and Taiwanese governments of this latest development and is further probing the matter, Bloomberg's sources said. They asked not to be identified given the sensitive nature of the matter.
Yesterday, Bloomberg and The Financial Times reported that Canadian research firm TechInsights had spotted TSMC chips in a Huawei AI accelerator, a clear violation of US sanctions. That brought into question how Huawei had obtained those chips, with a third-party company being a strong possibility.
In 2020, the US Commerce Department implemented trade restrictions against Huawei that barred the company from obtaining chips made by foreign firms. Earlier this year, the US government further tightened restrictions by revoking its licenses with Intel and Qualcomm to produce chips for its devices.
In a previous statement provided to the Commerce Department, TSMC denied any working relationship with Huawei since mid-September of 2020. TSMC also told Bloomberg that it hasn’t produced any chips for Huawei due to the amended restrictions. For its part, Huawei said in a statement yesterday that it hasn't used any chips sourced from TSMC since the 2020 restrictions were enacted.
Rather than using TSMC, Huawei was supposedly obtaining chips from a local partner, China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) — including a 7-nanometer processor for Huawei smartphones. However, US officials doubted that SMIC could build such chips at sufficient scale to meet market demand.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/tsmc-has-reportedly-cut-off-a-company-that-sent-its-chips-to-huawei-124900342.html?src=rss
An Intelsat communication satellite built by Boeing has exploded and broken up in geostationary orbit. Intelsat confirmed the news in a press release, declaring the satellite a "total loss." The US Space Force said it is tracking around 20 associated pieces but "has observed no immediate threats" to other satellites so far (Roscosmos said it was tracking 80 fragments). The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but the news is another blow for Boeing following Starliner's failed crew test flight, problems with the 737 Max and delays to the 777x.
Intelsat said it's working to move customers to its other satellites or third party spacecraft. "A Failure Review Board has convened to complete a comprehensive analysis of the cause," the company wrote. The satellite was uninsured, a spokesperson told SpaceNews.
The explosion fragments could still pose a risk to other satellites. "The problem is that there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the orbits of these fragments at the moment," said a spokesperson for Spaceflux, a UK company that tracks objects in orbit. "They can be potentially dangerous for other satellites but we do not know that yet."
Intelsat 33e is one of six "EpicNG" satellites built by Boeing, and uses the latter's 720MP satellite platform equipped with 16 hydrazine-powered engines built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The type is widely used for telephone, internet and satellite TV/radio broadcast services.
It entered service three months late due to an issue with its primary thruster, and another propulsion issue reduced its service life by 3.5 years. The first EpicNG satellite, Intelsat 29e, was declared a total loss in 2019 after just three years in service, reportedly due to a meteoroid impact or wiring flaw.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/intelsats-boeing-made-satellite-explodes-and-breaks-up-in-orbit-120036468.html?src=rss
Netflix's gaming arm is best known for its indie and mobile titles, but the company recently made a push into AAA by hiring execs from high-profile franchises like Halo, Overwatch and God of War. That strategy may be coming to an end, though, as Netflix is shutting down its AAA studio known as Team Blue, the company confirmed to Game File.
In 2022, Netflix brought on former Overwatch boss Chacko Sonny to head up a new SoCal-based AAA studio. A year later, former Halo exec Joseph Staten was hired on as Creative Director, followed by God of War art director Rafael Grassetti. At the time, both Staten said he was working on a multi-platform AAA game with all-new IP.
Those executives are no longer with the company and Netflix confirmed to Game File that Team Blue has been shut down. Engadget reached out to Staten and Grassetti for comment.
Netflix got into gaming in 2017 with its retro-inspired Stranger Things mobile game. In the following years, its strategy was primarily centered around obtaining mobile publishing rights to respected indie titles like Into the Breach and Terra Nil. It also built a number of mobile games in-house. In 2023, Netflix had nearly 90 such titles in development with in-house and partner studios.
Those can be accessed through Netflix's app and played directly on your device, so they fit in pretty well with its overall streaming strategy. The Team Blue studio venture didn't quite line up as neatly with that model, though, which made it a bit of a surprise. As Engadget's Igor Bonifacic noted at the time, "funding the development of a multiplatform AAA game is significantly more ambitious and, it should be noted, risky."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-has-closed-its-aaa-gaming-studio-133014946.html?src=rss
It seems like forever ago that Netflix's Daredevil series was cancelled (it was 2018 to be exact), but the Hell's Kitchen superhero/lawyer is finally coming back. Marvel Studios announced that Daredevil: Born Again will arrive on Disney+ on March 4, 2025, a bit later than it promised back in 2022. The news was revealed during a New York Comic Con panel that featured returning stars Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Kingpin).
Born Again was first announced in 2022 as an 18-episode, two-season order with some returning characters, new faces and a recast Vanessa Fisk (Kingpin's wife). Executive producer Brad Winderbaum said earlier this year that the series would enter Marvel canon as part of the "sacred timeline." That was significant, as Daredevil and other Marvel Television series on Netflix (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist) were always kept separate from the primary Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The stars of Marvel Television’s #DaredevilBornAgain, Charlie Cox & Vincent D’Onofrio, surprised fans with a special sneak peek during the #NYCC “Marvel Fanfare” panel today.
Charlie Cox's Daredevil has popped up here and there since the series was cancelled, most recently appearing in Marvel Studio's Echo series and catching a brick in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The original Daredevil on Netflix was well-liked by critics and audiences alike, so its cancellation came as a small shock. However, it seemed inevitable once the rival Disney+ streaming service launched, plus the show reportedly didn't generate a massive audience for Netflix and cost a fortune to make
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disneys-daredevil-series-lands-march-4-2025-130017844.html?src=rss
After offering its customers free NACS adapters for Tesla's Superchargers, Ford is telling its customers to stop using them, according to a service bulletin spotted by InsideEVs. The reason cited is a "potential issue" that could reduce charging speeds over time and even cause charging port damage, the company wrote.
The automaker will send a replacement adapter "in the coming weeks" and requires customers to send back the existing adapter, both at no cost. "It is imperative that we receive all adapters affected to reduce the risk of potential vehicle damage," it added.
After signing an EV-charging pact with Tesla in May 2023, Ford EV owners in Canada and the US got a green light to use Superchargers earlier this year. The original deadline for a free adapter was June 2024, but after multiple delays due to supplier issues, the deadline was extended until September 30, and may be further put off due to this latest issue.
The adapters convert North American standard CCS ports used on Ford EVs to Tesla's proprietary NACS cables. Other companies (Nissan, Rivian, GM, Subaru and many others) that cut deals with Tesla offered similar adapters, though many will permanently adopt the NACS standard for future vehicles. Ford itself plans to make the switch in 2025.
Creating a NACS adapter isn't just a matter of changing the pins around, as the latest V4 Superchargers are rated for 250 kW and 615 A — enough to power multiple homes. Earlier this year, Tesla sued the supplier of a cheap NACS adapter, saying it could lead to "catastrophic" injuries.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-tells-ev-owners-to-stop-using-its-free-tesla-supercharger-adapters-120023623.html?src=rss
Move over Sony, Canon is trying to take the lead in bleeding-edge tech for mirrorless cameras. The company’s new $4,300, 45-megapixel EOS R5 II offers advanced features like eye-tracking autofocus (AF) that can’t be found on any recent Sony model. The new camera is also pushing Sony’s A1 and other models in the key areas of speed, video and autofocus. And it’s arguably more desirable than Canon’s own upcoming flagship R1 as it has nearly double the resolution.
I’ve had the R5 II for a few weeks, evaluating not only its practicality and speed for both professionals and serious amateurs, but also how it stacks up against Sony's A1, the gold standard for high-resolution mirrorless cameras. And frankly, I'm impressed.
Design and handling
I love the handling of Canon’s mirrorless cameras and the EOS R5 II may be its sweetest design yet.
The body and controls are very similar to the R5, apart from a couple of changes. Canon moved the power switch to the top right where it’s easier to access, and added a dedicated photo/video switch on the left. The company gave photo and video modes their own settings, making it much easier to jump from one to the other. Canon also made a rare change to its menu system, adding a new olive green tab for control customization. This new tab also contains the settings for eye control AF tracking.
Otherwise, the R5 II’s layout is similar to its predecessor. That’s a good thing, as the control placement is the most natural of any camera I’ve used, from the comfortable grip that provides a secure place to hold, to the nicely tactile controls that fall perfectly to hand.
Moving to the displays, the R5’s 2.1-million-dot fully articulating rear touch screen was already sharp and easy to use, so Canon didn’t mess with that. The R5 II has the same sharp 5.76-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder as before, but the company boosted the brightness and redesigned the optics to accommodate the new eye control autofocus.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The R5 II supports CFexpress Type B cards for capturing 8K RAW video, along with SD UHS II if you’re okay with cheaper and slower media. Other key features include headphone and microphone ports, a full-sized HDMI input and a USB-C port for charging and transfers. Canon also released three new battery grips, including one with a cooling fan that extends video shooting times, as I’ll discuss soon.
I’m a big fan of the R5 II’s design, and my pro photographer friend agreed, saying that like most Canon products, the R5 II's ergonomics are so good the device is comfortable to hold for long periods of time. He also said he slightly preferred the R5 II's handling to his Sony A9 III and A1 cameras, thanks to how easy it is to use with one hand.
Performance
Steve Dent for Engadget
The EOS R5 II offers a blend of speed and resolution that rivals and sometimes even surpasses the Nikon Z8 and Sony A1. That's mostly due to the new stacked 45-megapixel sensor and updated Digic X processor to crunch all those pixels.
The R5 II can shoot bursts at up to 30 fps in electronic shutter mode with a blackout-free view. That’s slower than the R1, but I’ll trade a small hit in performance in exchange for the extra resolution. I was able to capture about 100 RAW frames before the buffer filled. Speeds drop to 12 fps with the mechanical shutter, but there’s rarely any need to use it because there’s no issue with rolling shutter distortion – thanks to the stacked sensor. The R5 II’s new pre-capture mode can record up to 15 photos when you half-press the shutter. That’s great for photojournalists or wildlife photographers who may otherwise miss a shot by a fraction of a second.
Canon’s "Dual Pixel" autofocus has always been good, but on the R5 II it’s the best I’ve ever seen. When shooting bursts with a subject biking toward the camera, 80 percent of my shots were in focus. And the EOS R5 II now tracks animals, birds and vehicles, on top of faces, eyes and bodies of people.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The camera also has a couple of new autofocus tricks, including one called action priority. That keeps the AF focused around the ball in three specific sports: volleyball, basketball and soccer. I didn’t notice any particular AF improvement, as my hit rate seemed to be about the same without it, but dedicated sports photographers might see the difference.
Another new function keeps the tracking point on your subject even if someone crosses in front of them. That did seem to work well most of the time, but it would occasionally wander off and lock onto someone else.
When Canon launched the R5 II and R1 in July, it introduced pre-registered person priority AF that lets your camera memorize up to ten specific people, like star athletes for instance. This feature functioned as advertised, switching AF to a registered person and tracking them instead of other people in the scene.
Finally, I tested Canon’s famous eye control AF that detects where the photographer is looking and moves the subject tracking point there. This is an undeniably cool feature and has improved compared to the first implementation on the EOS R3, but is still too unreliable for professional use.
Steve Dent for Engadget
In fact, the pro photographer friend I mentioned pointed out that though eye control feels futuristic, it’s still a bit too flakey for paid gigs where focus reliability is paramount.
On the R5 II, in-body stabilization is the best I’ve seen on any Canon camera, keeping the sensor rock-steady for handheld shooting, with up to 8.5 stops of shake reduction. It was so reliable that I never felt the need to carry a tripod when using slow shutter speeds.
I’ve always found Sony cameras to be slightly superior to Canon when it comes to autofocus and speed. I can no longer say that, as the EOS R5 II is very even with Sony’s latest models. My Sony-using photographer friend agreed, saying he couldn’t see any real difference between the R5 II his A1 or A9 III.
Image quality
Image quality on the R5 II is largely the same as the R5, and that’s a good thing. The 45-megapixel sensor produces photos as good as or better than the Sony A1 at a much cheaper price, and compares favorably to Nikon’s similarly priced Z8.
When shooting in RAW mode at lower ISOs, the R5 II offers good dynamic range in high contrast bright and dark scenes. Like other stacked sensor cameras, though, there’s a bit more noise than with regular CMOS sensors. Quality also drops slightly in electronic shutter mode, so it’s better to use the mechanical shutter in tricky lighting conditions.
High ISO performance isn’t too bad for such a high-resolution camera either, with noise staying under control up to ISO 12,800. After that, the R5 II doesn’t quite measure up to models like the Nikon Z7 II or Sony A7R V, as both of those offer cleaner images with less grain.
Steve Dent for Engadget
If you don’t want the hassle of processing RAW, JPEG rendering is excellent straight out of the camera, with well balanced sharpening and noise reduction. For low-light shooting, skin tones are flattering at all ISO settings, and the best among all cameras in this price range.
One new notable feature on the R5 II is the AI-powered upscaling applied after the photo is taken. The result isn’t quite as good as a dedicated app like Topaz, but it’s not bad considering it’s in-camera processing.
Video
The original EOS R5 would have been a darn near perfect video camera if not for its pesky overheating issues. Canon has improved this to a degree with a new passive cooling design and $400 fan grip. With those updates, heat is only really an issue at the highest resolutions (8K 60p and 4K 120p). However, these limitations are less severe on the rival Nikon Z8.
Steve Dent for Engadget
Aside from the heating issue, the EOS R5 II has impressive specs. It can shoot up to 8K 60p and 4K 120p video, but does so with far less rolling shutter than the R5, again thanks to the new stacked sensor. The camera now has Canon Log 2 (CLog 2) capability that allows for higher dynamic range capture than the R5.
Video autofocus is outstanding at all resolutions, with rapid acquisition of the subject and reliable tracking. Face- and eye-detection work very well, and I only occasionally noticed AF lag with fast-moving subjects.
As for stabilization, I could shoot smooth footage while handheld in optical mode with no crop, provided I didn’t move the camera too much. Digital stabilization allowed for more movement while only cropping in a touch, and the enhanced setting let me shoot smoothly while walking with a 1.5x crop. Panasonic’s S5 II is still the best in this regard, but the R5 II is close behind.
As for quality, video on the EOS R5 II is extremely sharp, particularly with supersampled 4K HQ. Other 4K modes are subsampled, but nearly as sharp. Rolling shutter is well managed, so you won’t really notice it unless you do whip pans or jostle the camera while shooting.
Canon’s excellent color science delivers warm skin tones and accurate colors. RAW video allows lots of room for adjustments in post, while the CLog 2 brings dynamic range up to 14 stops to enable shooting in contrasty conditions. With all this, the Canon R5 II is now my go-to camera for shooting video — even over Sony and Panasonic models.
Wrap-up
Steve Dent for Engadget
The $4,300 EOS R5 II is Canon’s best camera in years, thanks to improvements in key areas like autofocus, video, shooting speeds and overall feel. Newly introduced tech like eye control AF is less useful, but it’s still nice to see Canon try to innovate, and the feature should improve in subsequent models.
The R5 II is up against some great competition in this price range, especially the $4,000 Nikon Z8 that holds its own against this camera in most situations. However, Canon’s autofocus is slightly faster and more reliable, and I greatly prefer the R5 II’s handling. The only other full-frame option with a stacked sensor and similar resolution is the Sony A1, which costs $2,200 more.
The main issues with the R5 II are overheating, the wonkiness of action priority and unreliable eye control autofocus. However, it now stacks up extremely well against Sony's A1 in terms of speed and autofocus, while offering superior stabilization and handling. Which one you choose may simply come down to brand preference or existing lens collection.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/canon-eos-r5-ii-review-canons-most-powerful-camera-yet-puts-sony-on-notice-160013865.html?src=rss
Many of DJI's drones including its latest consumer products are being held up at the US border, the manufacturer said in a blog post today. It appears to be a customs matter and not related to proposed US legislation to ban DJI products (the Countering CCP Drones Act) currently in US Congress. However, the holdup means that sales of DJI's latest Air 3S drone will be delayed, the company told The Verge.
"The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has cited the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), as the reason for the current holdups," the DJI ViewPoints team wrote. "This assertion made against DJI, however, is entirely unfounded and categorically false."
Calling the situation a "misunderstanding," DJI said it's sending documentation proving it complies with the UFLPA. It added that it has no manufacturing facilities in and doesn't source materials from Xinjiang, the region that's a red flag for the US in terms of Uyghur forced labor violations. It also noted that it's not a listed entity under UFLPA and that its supply "undergoes rigorous due diligence by respected US retailers." US Customs and Border Protection has yet to comment on the matter.
While the US House of Representatives did pass the a bill to block DJI's drones, the Senate removed that clause from the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. It was later re-introduced as an amendment, though, and could still make it into the final bill. If so, imports of new DJI drones could be blocked, but a ban wouldn't likely prohibit current owners from using them. DJI has a massive share of the worldwide drone market upwards of 70 percent as of 2021, according to Statista. including as much as 90 percent by public safety officials.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-confirms-that-us-customs-is-holding-up-its-latest-consumer-drone-123007447.html?src=rss
Amazon's latest version of its popular Kindle Paperwhite has arrived, marking the sixth iteration if you're keeping score at home. The new model is the thinnest Paperwhite yet and has a refreshed 7-inch screen that's a touch larger than the previous model's 6.8-inch display. It also has the highest contrast of any Kindle thanks to the oxide thin-film transistor display tech.
Amazon boosted the speed as well, promising 25 percent faster page turns. It's waterproof as before but uses a new material with a premium soft touch grip. The Kindle Paperwhite comes with 16 GB of storage and is available in three colors, Raspberry, Jade and Black. It's now available at Amazon for $160.
As before, the company also released a premium version with more bells and whistles, the Paperwhite Signature Editing. Storage doubles on that model to 32 GB and it features an auto-adjusting front light along with optional wireless charging. The Paperwhite Signature Edition comes in Metallic Raspberry, Metallic Jade and Metallic Black for $200.
Amazon
If it's a budget reader you're after, Amazon has refreshed the entry-level Kindle, too. The new 12th-generation model comes with an updated 6-inch screen, offering a higher contrast ratio for more legible text, plus a front light that's 25 percent brighter at the maximum setting. It also gets a performance update that boosts page turning speeds. It comes in black or a new "Matcha" color and is now on sale for $110.
Along with those models, Amazon also unveiled its first color Kindle, the Colorsoft, that could be ideal for graphic novels and other digital color-oriented content. It promises "rich, paper-like color" using an oxide backplane display, plus high contrast on both color and black-and-white content. It's now on pre-order for $280 with shipping set for October 30th. Finally, Amazon is releasing its second Kindle Scribe reader that doubles as a note-taking device (not unlike the reMarkable tablets). It'll arrive on December 4, but you can pre-order it now for $400.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/amazons-new-kindle-paperwhite-reader-has-a-larger-screen-and-faster-page-turns-130050515.html?src=rss
DJI just announced the dual-camera Air 3S drone and there’s some all-new cutting-edge tech hiding in the nose. A LiDAR sensor is there to provide extra crash protection at night, a time that’s often dangerous for drones.
The Air 3S also has a new main camera with a larger sensor better suited for capturing video in low-light. And it now comes with the company’s ActiveTrack 360, which it first introduced in the Mini 4 Pro, allowing the device to zoom all around your subject while tracking and filming them.
There are a bunch of other little improvements, from storage to the new panoramic photo mode, all at the same $1,099 price as the Air 3 was at launch. To see if it lives up to DJI’s hype, I tested all of its new capabilities, especially the new night-flying obstacle avoidance.
Design
The Air 3S looks a lot like the Air 3 and weighs just 0.1 ounces more at 1.6 pounds. Since it’s over 250 grams, you need a permit to fly it in the US and elsewhere. Unlike the Avata 2 or Neo, the Air 3S is obviously not suited to fly around people, but DJI does offer propeller guards for a bit of extra safety.
The Air 3S’ camera module is larger as well because it holds a new 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor camera with a 24mm f/1.8 lens, up from from the previous model’s 1/1.3-inch sensor. This setup supports 4K recording up to 120 fps and 1080p at 240 fps, along with D-LogM to improve dynamic range. DJI also boosted the maximum ISO to 12,800 for improved light sensitivity. The secondary 70mm (3x) zoom camera is unchanged with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, and it supports the same video specs and color modes as the primary.
The Air 3S is DJI’s latest drone with its ActiveTrack 360 system. Once you start tracking a subject, you can change the camera angle using an onscreen control wheel. The drone will then figure out the best way to change positions while also avoiding obstacles. It does so using six vision (camera) sensors, two downward facing infrared time-of-flight sensors and the new LiDAR.
Another key change on the Air 3S is its 42GB of internal storage, up from 8GB on the Air 3 — something that’ll be handy if you forget a microSD card or fill one quickly. You can transfer files to your PC either by a Wi-Fi connection or the drone’s USB-C port. The wired method now works even if the drone is turned off.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The Air 3S can hit up to 45 mph in sport mode. That’s fast and there’s no obstacle detection with this setting, so you need to know what you’re doing. In normal mode, which does support obstacle tracking, speeds drop down to 23 mph. You get about 12.5 miles of range in the US via DJI’s latest O4 transmission system, or half that in Europe. One small change is that the Air 3S now transmits 10-bit 1080p 60p video rather than 8-bit as before, improving remote video capture quality.
Battery life on the Air 3S is excellent at 45 minutes, which equates to about 38 minutes under working conditions. With the optional Fly More kit that includes three batteries and a charging hub, pilots should be able to fly most of the day. Like the Mini 4 Pro, the charging hub supports power accumulation, so you can transfer energy from the weakest batteries to the strongest for longer flights.
Finally, the Air 3S appears to have the same propeller system as the Air 3 and emits about the same amount of noise. It’s pretty quiet for such a large drone, and once it gets up to around 150 feet, you can barely hear it.
Performance
Steve Dent for Engadget
I tested the ActiveTrack 360 function while walking, biking and driving a car to see how it worked at various speeds. When tracking my car at around 20 to 25 mph, it stayed locked on while easily avoiding trees and power lines.
I found a bike trail among some widely spaced trees and another with denser foliage. In the first section, the drone weaved smoothly around obstacles while keeping the bike in frame. After a few minutes, I was confident it wouldn’t crash and was able to focus on creating some cool shots. The drone occasionally hesitated when it encountered obstacles, which spoiled some footage. However, it never crashed or lost track of the bike.
Things weren’t quite as easy on the dense brush trail. When I changed the camera angle, the drone would occasionally pick a bad route, get hemmed in by branches and stop. A few times the propellers knicked leaves or branches, throwing the drone off keel. It never crashed or took any damage, but I replaced the propellers out of an abundance of caution.
Steve Dent for Engadget
That experience taught me that the Air 3S’s sensors can miss small obstacles, so it’s wise to stay away from those situations and use propeller guards if you can’t avoid them. You also need to make sure the drone has enough room to maneuver when using ActiveTrack 360 to change camera angles.
Later, I took the Air 3S out at night to test the LiDAR, flying it up around trees and next to buildings. Previously, this would have been very risky, but the Air 3S successfully detected and avoided all obstacles. This new low-light capability will be especially helpful when you need to bring the drone home in the dark. Keep in mind that the LiDAR only works in the forward direction, so avoid going backwards or sideways at night.
Video quality
Steve Dent for Engadget
To test the video quality, I shot aerials with the Air 3S, at dawn, in the daylight and at night. With the larger 1-inch sensor, 4K video is more detailed than ever and the camera produces vibrant, accurate colors and nice skin tones. It also does a great job in variable light conditions when using the DLogM setting. That came in handy when I was biking in the forest with a mixture of dappled sunlight and shadows. The 4K 120 fps setting is nice for creating dramatic shots with moving subjects, and there’s no discernible loss in quality compared to the 30p or 60p modes.
The Air 3S promises up to 14 stops of dynamic range, DJI promises, matching high-end mirrorless cameras. That’s impressive for a drone. If things are too bright, DJI includes an ND filter kit to reduce brightness and avoid high shutter speeds that can make video look choppy.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The secondary 70mm-equivalent telephoto camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor is the same as before and similar to the one on the Mini 4 Pro. To that end, it’s not as sharp as the main camera and not as good in low light. However, DJI tuned it to closely match the main sensor, so it’s now easier to combine shots from each. This camera also supports D-LogM video to boost dynamic range.
The 3-axis mechanical gimbal allows for incredibly smooth footage, which is a hallmark of DJI drones. And if you need to shoot photos, the Air 3S produces sharp and color accurate RAW images that can be manipulated in post for great results.
Wrap-up
Steve Dent for Engadget
The $1,099 Air 3S is DJI’s most technologically advanced drone yet thanks to the LiDAR sensor, updated 1-inch camera and ActiveTrack 360 subject tracking. The obstacle detection is a strong point, and though the drone isn’t invulnerable, I felt very safe flying it once I figured out its limitations.
As usual, DJI’s main competition is itself. The Mini 4 Pro is priced at $759 but lacks rear sensors and has inferior image quality. The triple-camera Mavic 3 Pro has a larger sensor that produces a slightly more cinematic image, but it costs $2,199. And of course, you can also look at DJI's Air 3, which has now dropped a bit in price. The only real non-DJI alternative is the $2,099 Autel Evo II Pro 6K (kit), which has just a single 1-inch camera and is also a lot more expensive.
I think the Air 3S is a better choice than the Mavic 3 Pro for most video creators, because video quality is outstanding and it has superior obstacle detection. If I were a content creator looking for a high-end drone right now, the Air 3S is the one I’d buy.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-air-3s-review-lidar-and-improved-image-quality-make-for-a-nearly-faultless-drone-130002876.html?src=rss
Fujifilm has released its first sub-$1,000 camera in a long while and resurrected the 11-year old "M" branding with the $799 X-M5. With that price, it's primarily aimed at photographers on a budget or vloggers looking to step up from a smartphone. Fujifilm cut a few features like a viewfinder (EVF) to get to that price point, but it does have the company's latest 26-megapixel X-Trans 4 CMOS sensor and decent video specs.
For a camera without a viewfinder, the X-M5 should handle pretty well. It has front and back control dials, along with a top setting dial that includes a new "Vlog" mode. It also comes with the same film simulation dial found on the X-T50, to help social media users and creators create cool photos straight out of the camera.
Fujifilm
When in vlog mode, you get a full GUI interface on the touchscreen for easy access. That includes things like a "portrait enhancer," background defocus and product priority, much as we've seen on Sony's vlogging products.
For vloggers, it has a 3-inch, 1.04-million dot fully articulating rear display that's hopefully bright enough to use in sunlight (because, again, no EVF). There are both headphone and microphone ports for vloggers, but they're not located on the left as usual. Instead, Fujifilm placed the 3.5mm mic input on the rear (where the EVF would usually go) and the headphone port on the right side. That's to avoid having the display hit the mic or headphone cable when it flips out, as can happen on other cameras.
You'll never mistake it for a sports camera, but the X-M5 can shoot 8 fps bursts with the mechanical shutter, or an outstanding 20 fps in electronic mode (both with continuous autofocus). It can capture a decent 82/60 compressed RAW frames in those modes before the buffer fills, again very respectable for such a small camera.
Video is also pretty strong, with 6.2K open gate 3:2 capture, 4K 60p and Full HD at up to 240 fps (these specs match the X-T50 as you may have noticed). There's a bit of crop for 4K 60p (1.18x) and FHD past 120fps (1.29x) but otherwise everything is one-to-one.
Another thing missing is in-body stabilization so the X-M5 is limited to what the lens provides or electronic stabilization. In the latter mode, there's a minimum 1.32x crop for 4K 30fps video and a significant 1.44x when shooting 4K 60p. The small body also has overheating limitations when using LP (long play) recording, but those can be reduced with a $200 fan attachment.
Fujifilm
Other features including three internal microphones that allow for surround sound-like capture, a 9:16 short movie mode for TikTok creators, high-speed movie transfer, up to 440 frames of battery life and a single UHS-I card slot.
I couldn't understand what Fujifilm was thinking when it released the X-T50 for $500 more than the X-T30 II. Now we know — it's hoping budget buyers will gravitate toward the X-M5 instead. It goes on pre-sale today for $799 and Fujifilm also unveiled the 16-55mm f/2.8 (24-70mm full-frame equivalent) lens selling for $1,199 and XF500mm f/5.6 super telephoto (750mm equivalent) now on pre-order for $2,999.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/fujifilms-x-m5-is-its-first-sub-1000-camera-in-years-140715888.html?src=rss