Tag Archives: cameras

Most Pocket Cameras Pile On Lenses, Insta360 Luna Pro Leans On One

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Most pocket gimbal cameras chase versatility by piling on extra lenses, extra zoom ranges, extra everything. The Insta360 Luna Pro takes the opposite approach, stripping its flagship sibling down to a single lens and betting that one really good sensor beats two mediocre ones. It’s a stripped-down design philosophy wrapped around genuinely premium hardware, and that trade-off defines everything about how this camera works.

That single lens is no afterthought. A 1-inch sensor pairs with a Leica Summicron optic carrying a 20mm-equivalent focal length and an F1.8 aperture, the exact imaging core found in the pricier dual-lens Luna Ultra. Stripping away the telephoto camera doesn’t touch the part of the system responsible for actual image quality; it just removes the zoom flexibility, letting the Luna Pro undercut its sibling’s price without touching what the sensor sees.

Designer: Insta360

A 4nm chipset and dedicated image processor push that sensor toward genuinely demanding footage, including 8K Dolby Vision HDR recording and 4K at 120fps for slow motion. Ten-bit I-Log color capture means footage holds up under real color grading rather than falling apart the moment you push shadows or highlights, a detail that matters more to someone editing later than someone just hitting record.

Low light gets its own dedicated mode called PureVideo, which leans on AI processing to cut noise while pulling out extra brightness and detail up to 4K60. Rather than treating darkness as a limitation to shoot around, the camera treats it as a condition worth engineering specifically for, useful for anyone filming evening events, dim interiors, or anything after the sun goes down without reaching for external lighting.

Zoom still exists here, just handled differently than a second lens would allow. A 2x mode crops into the sensor’s center while holding a full 4K output, and a 4x “HighRes Zoom” mode uses AI reconstruction to hold onto detail that would otherwise blur. Neither replaces true optical zoom, but both stretch a single-lens system further than its hardware alone would suggest.

The physical shell wraps a 3-axis gimbal around all of this, smoothing footage down to a jitter tolerance of just 0.005 degrees while still allowing fast repositioning during a shot. A detachable 2-inch OLED touchscreen doubles as both a viewfinder and a standalone remote, letting you step back from the camera without losing the ability to frame or trigger a shot.

Forty-seven gigabytes of built-in storage and roughly four hours of battery life round out a camera built for grabbing footage on the move rather than settling in behind a tripod. At $600, the Luna Pro carves out a clear identity for itself: less camera than its flagship sibling on paper, but no less capable where the actual image lives.

The post Most Pocket Cameras Pile On Lenses, Insta360 Luna Pro Leans On One first appeared on Yanko Design.

Reolink’s OMVI 2i Ultra Wireless Security Camera can look in two directions at once: Hands-on at IFA 2026

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Picture a courier walking up your driveway while someone else quietly tries your side gate. A normal pan-tilt camera picks one of them and forgets the other exists. Reolink’s OMVI 2i Ultra handles it by carrying two cameras at once: a fixed 4K wide lens on top that never stops watching the full scene, and a 5MP pan-tilt ball below that spins 355 degrees to lock onto whatever the wide lens flags. Both feeds record at the same time, and you can tap anywhere on the wide view to slew the turret straight to that spot. It debuted at IFA 2026 in Berlin, ships late October, and costs between $200 and $250.

A detachable 10,000mAh pack claims six months per charge, and the 6W SolarEase panel says it needs about thirty minutes of daily sun to stay topped up, against the one to two hours Reolink quotes for rivals like Eufy’s S340 and the Tapo C675D. Those are Reolink’s own numbers, so hold them loosely until somebody leaves one on a north-facing wall through a British winter. The rest is easier to verify. Wi-Fi 6 across both bands, up to 512GB of local microSD with no subscription attached, colour night vision from twin spotlights, a siren, and IP65 sealing. At a kilogram with the bracket, it is a proper lump of hardware rather than something you tuck on a shelf.

Designer: Reolink

Pan-tilt cameras have quietly lied to buyers since the format existed. Sell someone a camera that turns to follow motion and you have also sold them a camera that stops watching everywhere else the instant it does. Reolink’s fix is embarrassingly simple once you see it. Stop asking one lens to be both the guard and the chaser, and give it a second lens that only guards. The wide 4K unit up top runs at 110 degrees horizontal and never rotates, so the scene it opened on is the scene it keeps recording no matter where the PT ball below it wanders off to. Reolink calls this SyncTrack, but the actual idea is closer to division of labour than any clever algorithm. One camera commits to context, the other commits to pursuit, and neither has to compromise for the sake of the other.

This is the third time Reolink has built this exact idea in 2026, and each version has been a slightly different argument about what matters most. The X16 landed at CES in January as a 24MP full metal flagship with 16x optical zoom, but it needs an ethernet run to function, which puts a hard ceiling on where it can live. The 3i followed in June with PoE and wired Wi-Fi options at $319.99, still asking for a nearby outlet even in its most flexible form. The 2i Ultra drops the combined resolution to 8MP plus 5MP and, in exchange, cuts the cord entirely. The trade-off is the clever bit, because being able to pop a camera on a fence or a backyard without worrying about wiring is much more convenient than haggling over megapixels.

A squared-off dual-lens head sits above a separate motorized ball, with a solar panel tilting on its own hinge overhead, and the whole assembly weighs a full kilogram once the bracket is attached. Compare that to Reolink’s own Argus MagiCam, a 108-gram cube you stick to a fridge with a magnet, and the difference in ambition is obvious at a glance. This is not a camera trying to disappear into a bookshelf. It reads more like a small piece of maritime equipment bolted under an eave, and that visible mechanical presence is doing some of the deterrence work before the siren ever gets involved.

That dual-lens design is quite literally baked into the name. OMVI reads like omni-vision, a camera built to watch in every direction at once instead of picking a lane. Arlo’s Ultra flagship still wants a wall plug or a proprietary base station to unlock its best tricks, and Nest’s outdoor cameras have quietly stayed wired-first for years now, which makes the 2i Ultra’s fully wire-free build feel like it is actually catching up to how people install things rather than how manufacturers wish they would. No drilled conduit, no hub tucked in a closet, just a battery, a solar panel, and a spot on the fence you actually wanted the camera to go.

That is the real flex against the flagships twice its price. You are not paying for a wall socket you have to plan your whole install around, and you are not paying for a bulky base station eating an outlet indoors either. You get two lenses doing genuinely different jobs, a battery that outlasts most of the category on paper, and a name that finally means something instead of just sounding techy. At $200 to $250, the OMVI 2i Ultra is the version of omni-vision security that shows up ready to mount anywhere the moment you take it out of the box.

The post Reolink’s OMVI 2i Ultra Wireless Security Camera can look in two directions at once: Hands-on at IFA 2026 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Reolink’s $65 Tiny Magnetic Security Camera Runs 9 Months on 2 AA Batteries: Hands-On at IFA 2026

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The worst part of owning a security camera has never been the camera. It is the ladder, the drill, the wall plug, and the moment you realize you aimed the thing eight degrees too far left. Reolink’s Argus MagiCam deletes all of that with a magnet. The 68mm  GoPro-looking cube slaps onto any metal surface in about two seconds, or onto an included magnetic puck with a swivel arm for everything else, turning any surface into a security surveillance monitor (you can even mount it in your car as a dashcam)… and here’s the kicker. It runs up to nine months on two AA lithium batteries. Nine. Whole. Months. I repositioned it three times in under a minute at IFA 2026, which is three more times than I have ever moved a camera bolted to a wall.

Sixty-five dollars buys 1080p, IP67 weatherproofing, dual-band Wi-Fi, on-device person detection, and local microSD storage with no monthly fee attached. Flip the cube over and the back panel detaches to a bay holding two ordinary AAs, the SD slot and the reset button, all serviceable with a coin and a spare hand. Reolink built it around Qualcomm’s QCC730 micro-power Wi-Fi chip for its Power Efficient Series, shown in Hall 1.2 next to the OMVI 2i Ultra. A USB-C port hides under a rubber flap for 24/7 recording when you want it wired. Three colours: black, white, and a mint green that has no business looking this good.

Designer: Reolink

A matte PIR dome sits on the left, a glossy ringed lens sits on the right, and a pinhole mic hides between them, the whole cluster raised on a squared-off black module that reads more like a GoPro’s lens housing than anything borrowed from traditional security hardware. Security cameras have spent two decades pretending they belong on a parking structure, all bullet housings and matte black anonymity. This one borrows its language from action cameras instead, small, chunky, built to be picked up and repositioned rather than mounted once and forgotten, which is exactly why the mint colorway makes sense sitting on a bookshelf instead of bolted above a garage. That GoPro reference is not incidental either. It signals a camera meant to be handled, not just installed.

The battery bay is the real argument here. Somewhere along the way, the smart home industry decided sealed rechargeable packs looked cleaner on a spec sheet, and quietly handed every camera, doorbell, and earbud an expiry date measured in a couple of years. Reolink went the other direction, and the QCC730 chip is what makes that reversal viable rather than nostalgic, since its whole job is sipping power in standby instead of gulping it. Blink has claimed two years off two AA lithiums since its Outdoor 4 launched, though independent testing has repeatedly landed closer to a few months once real motion traffic gets involved. Nine months against a heavier five minutes of daily recording, verified in Reolink’s own side by side tests, reads like the more honest number in the room.

What you give up for all that convenience is resolution, and it barely registers as a cost. This is a 1080p sensor at a moment when 4K battery cameras exist, sure, but 1080p is still plenty sharp for spotting a face at the door or a raccoon in the bin, and the fixed bitrate keeps file sizes sane on a modest microSD card. Night vision runs through a single mono IR LED instead of anything approaching colour, which is standard fare at this tier, not a shortfall specific to Reolink. For a camera this cheap, this easy to place, and this forgiving on power, trading a few thousand pixels feels like a fair swap rather than a compromise. The MagiCam was never trying to be the sharpest eye on your property. It is trying to be the one you actually keep charged, and on that specific promise, the AA drawer you have been ignoring for a decade just became a legitimate accessory again.

The post Reolink’s $65 Tiny Magnetic Security Camera Runs 9 Months on 2 AA Batteries: Hands-On at IFA 2026 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Someone Just Built a Digital Camera That Ejects Photos Like Real Film

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Every digital photo you’ve ever taken lives the same way, buried in a folder, scrolled past, forgotten within the hour. The Camera with Digital Film refuses that fate for its images. It captures a scene digitally, then commits that single shot to a small e-paper cartridge you can pull out, prop up, and actually look at, closer to a printed photograph than anything living inside a phone.

The trick sits in the cartridge itself. Slide it into a slot at the top of the boxy 3D-printed body, press the shutter, and a Raspberry Pi with a 5-megapixel camera module does the capturing. The e-paper screen inside that cartridge then flickers and settles into a finished image built from just four colors, black, white, red, and yellow, giving every photo the flattened, graphic quality of a screen print rather than a snapshot.

Designer: Jens (Strange Inventions Lab)

That four-color limit isn’t a technical shortcoming so much as a deliberate constraint. Before the image locks in, a script reduces the raw capture down to that palette while letting contrast, brightness, saturation, sharpness, and dithering get tuned until the picture actually looks intentional on a screen that small. The result rewards patience over speed, closer to darkroom fussing than instant gratification.

Pull the cartridge free afterward, and the photo doesn’t disappear. E-paper holds its image even with the battery removed, so that little rectangle becomes a physical object you can lean against a monitor or stick to a fridge door, exactly the kind of permanence chemical film offered and most digital cameras never bothered to replicate. Slide it back in later, though, and the same cartridge accepts a brand new shot, erasing the old one entirely.

That’s the real design move here: film that behaves like film until you decide otherwise, then behaves like a hard drive instead. No single cartridge is precious in the way a Polaroid frame is precious, since nothing is technically lost by overwriting it, yet each one still holds its picture with enough physical weight to feel worth keeping around for a while first.

The build itself skips screws entirely, relying on header pins to hold the cartridge snug against its contacts, with a small grab tab added later so removing a used cartridge doesn’t turn into a fight. It’s a minor detail, but one that matters for a device whose entire personality depends on how satisfying that swap feels in the hand, less like ejecting a memory card and more like pulling a photo out of a machine meant to produce them.

There’s a quiet argument buried in this project about what digital photography gave up along the way. Endless storage solved scarcity but erased the ritual of a photograph actually existing somewhere outside a screen. This camera doesn’t try to out-spec anything on the market. It just asks what happens when a picture has to earn a place in a slot before it’s allowed to disappear.

The post Someone Just Built a Digital Camera That Ejects Photos Like Real Film first appeared on Yanko Design.

Polaroid Just Made the Pokémon Camera Every Fan Wants

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It’s been 30 years since Pokémon invaded our lives and we’ve witnessed a whole generation of trainers trying to catch them all. The beloved franchise has had several exciting tie-ups with various brands in the past months to celebrate this momentous anniversary, and each one has gotten us excited to collect these interesting collaborations. From clothing to gaming gear, it’s been a year of Pokémon everywhere you look.

If you’re into the whole analog photography trend, then you’ll be truly excited (like me) about this newest brand partnership. The Polaroid x Pokémon collection is more than just logos and pictures stuck onto cameras. It’s one of their largest collaborative efforts, bringing together the tactile joy of analog instant photography and the beloved Pokémon universe into nine limited-edition pieces that are equal parts functional and collectible.

Designer: Polaroid x Pokémon

The main characters in this collection are of course the three special-edition Polaroid cameras. The Polaroid Now Generation 3 camera now comes in a Poké Ball version and is the hero piece of this entire collaboration. The camera’s body comes in white with bold red and black accents, just like the iconic instrument you use to capture the creatures. It has a Poké Ball shutter button and Poké Ball patterns across the full camera body, making it your tool to capture moments instead of Pokémon but looking almost exactly the part. Beyond the design, the Polaroid Now Gen 3 also packs a solid technical punch with a two-lens autofocus system that automatically chooses the best lens for each shot, so every memory comes out crisp and beautifully Polaroid-esque.

Meanwhile, the smaller but equally famous Polaroid Go cameras have been transformed into two Pokémon-themed devices that go well beyond just having a logo attached to them. You have the Pikachu Edition, which comes in the franchise’s distinct, vibrant yellow, complete with a Poké Ball shutter button and a lightning-bolt tail wrist strap to carry it around. The Sylveon edition, meanwhile, features pink, white, and blue fairy-type colorways, along with Sylveon graphics and a themed wrist strap. Both are built on the Polaroid Go Generation 3 platform, also known as the world’s smallest instant analog camera, making them as pocket-friendly as they are charming.

Aside from the cameras, there are other items in the collection worth getting excited about. There are three exclusive Pokémon-edition film packs, each featuring custom-designed frames and dark slides that make every print feel like a collectible. For the Polaroid Now Gen 3, the i-Type Color Film pack comes with Poké Ball-motif frames. For the Go Gen 3 cameras, you have the Pikachu Edition and Pokémon Edition Go Color Film packs, the latter featuring beloved characters like Eevee and Togepi. These aren’t just rolls of film; they’re tiny pieces of Pokémon art wrapped around every shot you take.

If you want to fully accessorize your Pokémon camera setup, the collection has you covered there, too. There’s the Polaroid Go camera case designed as a round Poké Ball zip case, the Polaroid Go Photo Album styled in the same Poké Ball design for storing your instant prints, and a universal camera strap with a matching Poké Ball pattern. That strap is a particularly thoughtful touch, as it works with both the Polaroid Now Gen 3 and the Go Gen 3, keeping your entire setup looking cohesive no matter which camera you bring out.

The entire nine-piece collection launches globally in limited quantities, so this one is for the early birds. Pre-orders open on August 25, 2026 on polaroid.com and through the Pokémon Center in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, with the full global release dropping on October 5, 2026. Whether you’re a lifelong Pokémon fan, a Polaroid collector, or simply someone who loves a beautifully designed limited-edition drop, this collection is genuinely hard to pass up. After all, why just catch Pokémon when you can capture your best moments with them, too?

The post Polaroid Just Made the Pokémon Camera Every Fan Wants first appeared on Yanko Design.

Camera Batteries Go Missing, So This $70 One Tracks Itself

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Camera batteries are one of those accessories that photographers never think about until something goes wrong. They’re small enough to vanish into the bottom of a bag or a jacket pocket, common enough to own several of and regularly mix up, and important enough that losing one mid-trip can force an early stop to a shoot. The solution most people reach for is buying more of them, which only increases the number of things to keep track of.

The FALCAM TagBatt addresses the problem from inside the battery itself. Compatible with Sony’s NP-FZ100 form factor, it integrates Apple’s Find My tracking technology directly into the cell, so the battery carries its own location data wherever it goes. If it ends up left behind at a studio, a venue, or the seat pocket of a flight, the Find My app will flag it and show its last known position.

Designer: FALCAM

Because the tracker lives inside the battery rather than clipped to a camera strap or screwed into a cage mount, it’s considerably harder to spot. An opportunistic thief who grabs a camera bag and removes any obvious Bluetooth puck from the outside can’t strip out what’s already built into the power source. It’s the kind of discreet integration that external trackers can’t quite replicate, no matter how small they get.

The tracking isn’t the only thing the TagBatt changes about how a camera battery behaves. A built-in USB-C port lets it charge directly from any standard USB-C source, including a power bank or a travel adapter, without needing the dedicated Sony battery charger that typically takes up its own space in a kit bag. Pop it out of the camera, plug it in overnight, and it’s ready in the morning without routing around a charger at all.

Capacity comes in at 2,600mAh against the OEM Sony NP-FZ100’s 2,280mAh, which translates to a modest but real advantage per charge. An advanced decoding chip handles the communication with the camera’s internal systems so the body treats it as it would any genuine battery, with accurate charge-level reporting and none of the “non-genuine battery” warning messages that typically accompany third-party cells.

Compatibility covers a wide sweep of Sony’s current lineup, including the Alpha 7 series through the Alpha 7 V, the Alpha 9 series, the Alpha 6700, the FX3 and FX30, and the ZV-E1, among others. A Canon LP-E6 version is also available now, with Nikon EN-EL15 and Fujifilm NP-W235 versions confirmed to be in development.

At $69.99, the TagBatt costs more than a standard third-party replacement but considerably less than the Sony original, and it comes with two capabilities that the original simply doesn’t offer. For photographers who travel frequently, work in locations where gear occasionally goes astray, or are just tired of carrying a charger they’d rather leave at home, the trade-off makes a fairly straightforward case.

The post Camera Batteries Go Missing, So This $70 One Tracks Itself first appeared on Yanko Design.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: Finally a Pocket Camera That Flatters Faces

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PROS:


  • Dual cameras can handle any kind of occasion or scene

  • 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile better supports professional needs

  • Easy-to-use ergonomic controls

  • Coherent design language across Vlog Combo accessories

CONS:


  • Slightly heftier and top-heavy than previous Osmo Pocket models

  • 10-bit D-Log 2 isn't available on the 60mm med-tele camera

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is a camera worth carrying, and more importantly, worth reaching for.

Compact cameras have gotten remarkably capable over the past few years. Smartphones shoot impressive footage, action cameras have become tiny powerhouses, and entry-level mirrorless setups deliver results that would have seemed professional a decade ago. But most of these smaller options share a common visual limitation: they default to wide-angle perspectives that capture environments and movement well, without always doing the most flattering things to faces and portraits.

That’s the gap the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is designed to close. Building on the stabilized pocket-gimbal formula that made earlier Pocket cameras popular, this fourth-generation model adds a dedicated 60mm medium-telephoto lens alongside the wide camera, with an f/1.8 aperture purpose-built for more flattering, more cinematic portrait shots. It’s a design decision that shapes not only how the camera performs, but also how it makes you think about framing. But is that enough to make a significant difference, or does the Osmo Pocket 4P have other surprises in store? Read on to find out.

Designer: DJI

Aesthetics

At a glance, the Osmo Pocket 4P still belongs to the same family as its predecessors, with a compact upright body, a small rotating touchscreen, and a stabilized gimbal head on top. Look a little closer, though, and the dual-lens arrangement immediately sets it apart. There’s something more camera-like about it now, in the best possible sense, rather than a gadget that happens to record video.

DJI offers the Pocket 4P in two finishes, classic black, which was our review unit, and pearl white, both of which carry a premium, polished feel without going into flashy territory. The materials have that familiar blend of structured plastic and matte-finish surfaces that DJI tends to do well, feeling solid without being unnecessarily heavy. Neither colorway draws attention to itself in an obvious way, which actually works in the camera’s favor as a daily-carry tool.

What makes the design feel complete is how the accessories extend the camera’s visual language rather than disrupting it. The fill light clips on cleanly, the handle and tripod give it a more grounded foundation, and the FrameTap remote adds a secondary screen without making the whole setup look like a patchwork rig. Fully assembled for a shoot, the Pocket 4P has the coherent look of a purpose-built creator system, not a Frankenstein of parts.

The presence of two lenses changes what the camera communicates even before it’s switched on. Earlier Pocket models read as action-friendly video tools. The Osmo Pocket 4P reads as something closer to an intentional image-making device, and that shift comes almost entirely from the addition of the portrait lens. Rather than simply adding more specs, DJI gave this camera a more considered point of view, and that reads clearly in the design.

Ergonomics

One of the best things about the Osmo Pocket line has always been how easy it is to grab and go, and the Osmo Pocket 4P keeps that up. It slips into a jacket pocket or small bag without fuss, and it’s ready to record almost immediately. Twisting the touchscreen to power it on takes barely a second, which matters more than it sounds when something worth filming is happening right now.

Handling the Pocket 4P day to day is comfortable, especially once the threaded handle is attached. It gives the camera a stable grip and a flexible mounting solution for tripods and other accessories. The touchscreen is compact and works well for quick adjustments, though it favors speed and simplicity over deep menu navigation. That’s a natural consequence of the body’s slim profile and carry-first design philosophy.

The dual-lens head makes the camera noticeably heavier and more top-heavy than earlier Pocket models, and you’ll feel that difference during longer sessions. But that added mass is a physical consequence of housing a second optical system in such a compact body, which makes it a worthwhile trade. The included handle and mini tripod become genuinely useful for that reason, giving the whole setup a more balanced, natural feel.

Performance

At the heart of the 4P’s imaging system is a 1-inch CMOS sensor paired with a 20mm wide lens, and alongside it, a 1/1.28-inch sensor powering a 60mm medium-telephoto lens with an f/1.8 aperture. Together, they give the camera two genuinely different visual identities: the wide camera for movement, environments, and establishing shots, and the telephoto for faces, details, and compositions where subject isolation matters most.

20mm, f/2.0

60mm, f/1.8, 3x zoom

The 1-inch sensor on the wide camera carries 17 stops of dynamic range, which means tricky lighting situations, such as backlit faces, strong sunsets, or mixed indoor light, tend to resolve more naturally than you’d expect from something this small. Colors look accurate and grounded rather than oversaturated, and skin tones in particular come through with a warmth and believability that most compact cameras don’t typically manage.

20mm, f/2.0

60mm, f/1.8

The 60mm telephoto lens is where the Pocket 4P starts telling a more complete story. At f/1.8, it creates a natural compression and background separation that a wide lens simply can’t replicate, which makes portrait shots, talking-head videos, and product close-ups look considerably more flattering and cinematic. Wide-angle lenses can make subjects look slightly distorted, particularly around the edges of the frame. The telephoto doesn’t, and that difference is immediately noticeable.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)

Video recording shows how seriously the Osmo Pocket 4P takes its professional aspirations. It supports 10-bit D-Log 2, a color profile with enough tonal latitude to recover highlights and lift shadows in post-production without the footage falling apart, making grading feel genuinely flexible. The standard color profile also deserves credit for looking natural and grounded straight out of camera, giving creators who don’t want to grade a polished result with minimal effort.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)

Stabilization comes from a 3-axis mechanical gimbal rather than electronic cropping, keeping footage smooth in a way that feels physically grounded. ActiveTrack 8.0 handles subject tracking reliably enough that solo creators can set the camera up, step in front of it, and let it do the work. Slow-motion recording is equally impressive, with the wide lens supporting exceptionally high frame rates that transform ordinary moments into something far more dramatic.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)

The telephoto camera is best treated as a specialized portrait and close-up lens rather than a full duplicate of the main sensor. It doesn’t support D-Log 2, only 10-bit D-Log, so that color workflow difference is worth planning around before a shoot. The 103GB of built-in storage, fast transfer speeds, and a quick-charging battery that holds up through hours of shooting on a single charge make the overall experience feel refreshingly low-friction.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8, 3x zoom (Bottom)

Sustainability

There’s a practical case for the 4P being a more sustainable choice than it might first appear. A compact camera that handles wide landscapes, tight portraits, slow-motion action, and stabilized everyday shots is genuinely harder to outgrow. That kind of versatility tends to extend a product’s useful life, making it less likely that a single creative limitation will push someone toward a hardware upgrade they don’t actually need.

DJI’s ongoing firmware support has already added meaningful features since launch, including 10-bit HDR recording and auto media transfer to compatible iOS devices. The 103GB of built-in storage also means one less memory card to buy, lose, or eventually replace, and the broad accessory ecosystem lets the camera adapt to new shooting scenarios without requiring a full hardware upgrade. That’s a quieter form of sustainability, but a genuine one.

Value

Although available solo, the Osmo Pocket 4P also comes in a Vlog Combo that packs significantly more than just the camera itself. The box includes a threaded handle, FrameTap remote with its own screen, fill light, DJI Mic Mini 2 wireless microphone, mini tripod, and carrying accessories. Pricing it as an assembled creator kit rather than a standalone camera body makes the overall cost feel far more proportionate to what’s actually being offered.

Compared to a smartphone, the Pocket 4P offers better stabilization and a more cinematic image. Compared to an action camera, it brings a portrait lens and a significantly more refined look. And compared to a mirrorless kit with a separate gimbal and microphone, it’s dramatically smaller and faster to deploy. It won’t replace a dedicated mirrorless setup in every scenario, but for most creators, it comes close enough to matter.

Verdict

What makes the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P worth noticing goes beyond better hardware or higher specs. DJI made a considered design decision to add a second lens that genuinely changes how the camera approaches perspective. That 60mm portrait focal length lets it tell more complete visual stories, handling the wide context shots and the tighter, more flattering moments that a single wide lens simply can’t manage as naturally.

For travel creators, vloggers, portrait-focused photographers, and anyone who’s wanted something that shoots more like a serious camera without the bulk, the Osmo Pocket 4P makes a genuinely strong case for itself. There are trade-offs, but they’re manageable, and the overall package in the Vlog Combo configuration is one of the more thoughtfully considered compact creator kits available right now. It’s a camera worth carrying, and more importantly, worth reaching for.

The post DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: Finally a Pocket Camera That Flatters Faces first appeared on Yanko Design.

Canon scrapped its most ambitious vlogging camera ever… Here’s what the patent reveals

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Canon has filed three separate patents chasing a handheld vlogging camera, five years apart, and each one solved a completely different problem than the one before it. The version everyone read about this spring is a fixed lens gimbal with a smart shutdown sequence, built to compete with the Osmo Pocket 4, and it traces cleanly back to a 2024 filing. Its real ancestor sits further back, in a December 2020 patent that rarely gets mentioned in the same breath, and it deserved better than being forgotten. That filing wasn’t a gimbal camera at all, despite early reports calling it exactly that. It was a pistol grip built around an interchangeable lens mount and a motorized head that only pans and tilts, aimed at creators who wanted a real sensor and real glass in something you could frame with one hand. Had Canon actually built it, this would have been the most ambitious vlogging camera the company ever attempted, not the fixed lens compromise it eventually shipped toward instead.

DPReview had to rewrite its own coverage once it worked through the Japanese documents, since the initial assumption of Osmo style stabilization didn’t hold up against what the patent actually claimed. Control came from a rear touchpad and a front trigger for preset framing points, with the display flipping automatically depending on lens orientation. Canon even filed a follow up patent for a lock to stop the lens twisting free mid motion, evidence of how much engineering went into a product that never left the drawing board. The mount in the drawings lines up with EF-M, a system Canon has since confirmed is finished, lenses gone and shipments halted for good. Comparing that abandoned idea to this year’s fixed lens gimbal makes one thing obvious, Canon already had its most ambitious vlogging camera worked out on paper years ago, and simply never pulled the trigger.

A 360 degree pan and roughly 270 degrees of tilt let the lens swing from a landscape shot to a selfie without repositioning the grip. A rear touchpad aimed the head, a front trigger locked preset framing points, and two buttons handled recording and playback. The camera also read its own orientation, flipping the display when the lens rotated backward and switching to vertical when the grip turned ninety degrees. A hot shoe up top took a mic or a light. None of it needed a phone paired over Bluetooth, unlike most gimbal cameras built since.

Patent application 2021-004930 would have added a lock to stop the lens releasing by accident, since a lens on a motorized head has nothing solid to brace against while you twist it free. CanonNews and DPReview both read the mount as EF-M based on the tab position in the drawings, backed by a separate filing for an add on grip and adapter meant for larger lenses. Canon’s own documents admit the tradeoff, since a bigger adapted lens would have limited the head’s pan and tilt range, while a compact EF-M prime would have kept full motion. It is a rare case of a patent documenting its own compromise instead of pretending the idea scales cleanly. EF-M is gone now, with Canon USA confirming shipments in the region have ended, so this camera never got the chance to grow into a second generation of lenses.

Canon’s April patent takes the opposite bet, a fixed lens gimbal with a folding head and a shutdown sequence smart enough to know when nobody is holding it. That is a sensible answer to the Osmo Pocket 4, though a smaller idea than the one Canon shelved earlier, since a fixed lens will never accept a wider prime the way an EF-M mount could have. Canon spent five years learning that practicality sells better than ambition, and this year’s patent proves the lesson stuck. Somewhere in Tokyo sits the version of this camera that would have actually mattered to people who own lenses, and Canon decided it was too complicated to build. Whatever ships next will be more reliable than the 2021 concept, but it will also be the safer camera, worth remembering next time Canon calls something a first for creators.

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Kodak Just Made a $35 Film Camera That Replaces Disposables

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There has been a proliferation of various kinds of cameras in the market, driven by a growing demand for nostalgic and analog devices. While some of them look analog, they’re just retro-styled gadgets that still capture digital pictures. But there’s also a market segment producing actual film cameras, with varying levels of complexity and expertise required to operate them.

For those looking for a simple point-and-shoot film camera, the Kodak EC35 is a reusable 35mm film camera that lets you explore analog photography effortlessly. It bridges the gap between the carefree convenience of a disposable camera and the longevity of a proper reusable one. Think of it as the spiritual successor to the once-popular single-use camera, but this one is built to last and designed to grow with you.

Designer: Kodak

While there’s room for analog cameras that let you play around with various settings, lenses, and focus options, there are times when you just want a film camera that’s simple enough to point and shoot. The Kodak EC35 is one such camera that removes the usual complexities of film photography and lets you load, shoot, rewind, and enjoy the process without any hassle. Whether you’re a complete newcomer to film or simply someone who wants a grab-and-go option for everyday adventures, the EC35 fits the bill perfectly.

True to its beginner-friendly promise, the EC35 is a fully focus-free camera equipped with a 25mm, 2-element optical-grade acrylic lens fixed at an f/10 aperture, which means there’s no adjusting, no guessing, and no fussing over focus. The shutter speed is set at a fixed 1/100s, keeping things consistent and reliable every time you press the shutter. A built-in electronic flash handles low-light moments, powered by a single AA alkaline battery. Film transport is handled manually through a satisfying wind and rewind mechanism, a small ritual that serves as a reminder that there’s something special to look forward to at the end of each roll. A simple optical viewfinder sits above the lens, keeping the entire interface clean and intuitive.

Measuring just 119mm wide, 65mm tall, and 41.5mm deep, and tipping the scales at only 102 grams, it’s genuinely light enough to slip into your pocket or tuck into the tiniest of bags, no camera bag required. It also features the iconic slide cover to protect the lens, a nod to beloved retro camera designs that delivers a satisfying, tactile feel and adds a distinctly vintage appeal. In a world dominated by digital photography, there’s something undeniably charming about carrying a film camera that looks, feels, and shoots the part. It’s the kind of camera that fits seamlessly into your everyday routine rather than demanding a special occasion.

The Kodak EC35 comes in seven different colorways, specifically Midnight Black, Vanilla White, Butter Yellow, Lavender, Powder Blue, Blush Pink, and Avocado Green. Whether you lean toward bold and moody or soft and dreamy, there’s a shade for every personality. The wide color range also makes it a surprisingly thoughtful gift for anyone who is curious about film photography but doesn’t quite know where to start.

The Kodak EC35 shoots on 35mm film with a 25mm, f/10, 2-element optical-grade acrylic lens and a fixed shutter speed of 1/100s. It is fully focus-free and comes with a built-in electronic flash, a manual wind and rewind film transport system, and a simple optical viewfinder. The camera runs on a single AA alkaline battery and weighs just 102g (3.6 oz), with dimensions of 119(W) x 65(H) x 41.5(D) mm. It is available in 7 colorways and is priced at $35.

Available on its own or as a bundle that includes a camera strap and a 24-frame roll of Kodak Ultramax 400 film, the EC35 is one of the most accessible entry points into analog photography today. Note that a battery is not included, but at just $35 for the camera itself, that’s a small price to pay for a device that makes real film photography available to virtually anyone. For beginners, collectors, and anyone who simply loves the look and feel of a film camera, the Kodak EC35 makes a compelling and wallet-friendly case for going analog.

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Insta360 X6 Leak Reveals a Shorter, Stockier Body, and I Have Battery Concerns

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The internet has spent actual years begging for a mini smartphone. Compact flagships, tiny bezels, something that fits in a single palm without needing a spreadsheet to justify the screen size. Samsung teased it, forums campaigned for it, and every rumor cycle ends the same way, with a phone that somehow got taller instead of smaller. Insta360 looked at all that unmet demand and, whether on purpose or by accident, decided to answer it in the one product category nobody was petitioning about. Their upcoming X6 leaked this week, and the headline isn’t just the spec bump, it’s the shape. Shorter. Stockier. A real departure from the elongated body the X series has worn since the X3.

Roland Quandt of WinFuture broke the story, spotting the camera listed early at a retailer alongside official marketing images that confirm the redesign in full. The X6 keeps the dual fisheye lens setup on front and back for capturing 360 degree footage, along with the small side mounted display that’s handled preview and settings duties since earlier generations. What’s changed is everything around that formula. Performance climbs to 8K at 50 frames per second in full 360 mode, up from the X5’s 30fps ceiling. Pricing leaks put the base model at 689 euros, with an Essentials Bundle running 789 euros. No official launch date has surfaced yet, though a retail listing at this stage usually means an announcement isn’t far behind.

Designer: Insta360

Nobody asked Insta360 for a smaller camera specifically, but the timing scratches an oddly similar itch to the mini phone conversation. We wanted small and premium in our pockets, they’re apparently delivering small and spherical instead, and the resemblance to a standard action cam silhouette is doing a lot of the visual work here. Gone is the candy bar proportions that made the X5 and X3 instantly recognizable from across a gear bag. In its place sits something that could plausibly be mistaken for a GoPro at a glance, at least until you clock the second lens staring back at you from the rear.

That shrink isn’t free – the X5’s battery wasn’t tucked into a corner somewhere convenient, it ran along nearly the entire length of that longer chassis, functioning almost like a structural spine as much as a power source. Compress the spine and you’re left with a real engineering decision to make. Either the cell itself shrank, sacrificing some runtime in the process, or Insta360 found a differently shaped battery that fits the new footprint without giving up capacity, or there’s some internal repackaging happening that redistributes components in ways this product line hasn’t tried before.

None of this has been confirmed yet, and that’s precisely the fun part of covering a leak this early. The images give us the exterior story clearly enough, right down to the reshaped corners on that side display and a button layout that looks reorganized to fit the tighter shell. What they don’t give us is a teardown, a battery spec sheet, or any hint of how Insta360 is managing thermals for a higher frame rate inside a smaller volume. Cramming more compute into less space usually means better heat engineering somewhere, or a compromise the company hasn’t disclosed. We’ll be watching for the official reveal, because this is the kind of redesign that deserves receipts, not just render leaks.

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