This week DJI has surprisingly announced the DJI Mini SE Drone in the States, making it the cheapest DJI drone yet, and being in the sub-250-grams category, you’ll be able to use it without having to worry too much about restrictions.
Besides this drone, we have a smartphone with an under-display selfie camera, underwater casing for your smartphone, and much more.
Here’s the best news I’ve selected for “The Photography News Show”!

DRONE NEWS

DJI Mini SE Drone Available in the States

The DJI Mini SE was launched 2 months ago in South East Asia and South America, and as I reported in episode 8, DJI issued a statement saying they would not sell this drone in any other markets. Evidently, something has changed because this drone is finally available in the United States.

So, what makes this drone so special?

Weighing less than 249g, it falls into the sub-250 grams category, which has fewer restrictions than any other drone, as you can fly in more scenarios without even needing to register your drone with your country’s aviation.

• Maximum flight time of 30 minutes
• 4 km video transmission
• 3-axis gimbal camera
• 2.7K video capture
• DJI QuickShots modes

And the cool thing is that it comes at $299, including the remote controller, which makes it the cheapest DJI drone yet.

That makes it the ideal 1st drone for anyone who wants to get started with aerial photography and videography without having to worry about all the regulations. That’s a big plus as you will be able to use the Mini SE way more often than a bigger drone, and you’ll get beautiful aerial memories of your family, travels, or epic views of your outdoor activities.

And being so light and compact, you’ll always want to have it in your bag.

While if you’re in Europe, the Mini SE is currently not listed anywhere, but seeing that it has arrived in the U.S., I think it’s just a matter of time before we get it over here as well.

CAMERA NEWS

Canon Patents a New Grip Design

Bigger cameras normally have a pretty decent grip, and in some cases, you need a battery grip to improve it. This design feature has always been the same, but that might change soon.

Canon has, in fact, published a patent application where it shows an innovative grip solution. You would basically have a hole between the grip and the lens mount, which would grant you a super solid grip.

It’s a design that reminds me of the one used in kid’s toys, but at the same time, I find it very interesting as I think it would drastically improve the handling of the camera. 

Do you think we’ll see this design implemented in the future? Would you like it?

SMARTPHONE NEWS

Xiaomi MIX 4 Smartphone With Under-Display Selfie Camera

Phones keep getting better, with bigger screens and tinier bezels, but the selfie camera is always in the way, taking away space from your screen. Prototypes for under-display cameras have been around for a couple of years, and the 1st smartphone with that technology was announced 1 year ago by ZTE. That camera was still kinda visible, and the quality was pretty bad.

Time has passed, and Xiaomi has just launched the MIX 4, its 1st smartphone with an under-display selfie camera.

This is the 1st time we see this technology featured in a high-end product, and bear in mind, Xiaomi has a reputation to hold up to as it currently is the 2nd most used brand in the world, right after Samsung. The camera is basically invisible, and the phone uses both hardware and software to deliver pictures with correct colors and details.

This smartphone will most likely be available in China only, but this is still exciting news as it shows that the under-display camera technology is finally ready to be used in consumer products, so I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing more of it from different brands in the upcoming future.

ACCESSORY NEWS

Underwater Smartphone Casing: SeaLife SportDiver

Talking about smartphones, this week I’m showing you a very interesting accessory that can turn your smartphone into an underwater camera.

It’s called the SeaLife SportDiver, and it’s an underwater housing designed to fit most smartphones, both Android and iPhones.

To facilitate operations, the housing communicates with your phone via Bluetooth and using SeaLife’s camera app, you’re able to easily shoot underwater using the buttons of the case.

It can be used down to 40 meters (or 130 feet), it includes an underwater color-correction filter, and coming at $299 it can be a great accessory to capture some sea life without having to spend a lot of money on a big camera housing; you can grab it at this link.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Moths Flying at 6,000 Frames Per Second

This week we have an underwater video of a new species of jellyfish, found floating at almost 700 meters (or 2,300 feet) below the surface. It was captured with a remotely operated vehicle called Deep Discoverer, part of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, which is researching previously unexplored ocean habitats.

We still know very little about our oceans, so I’m excited to see lots of new species in the future!

WEIRD NEWS

Videographer Falls Into Pool at Luxury Indian Wedding

The imaging world can be at times weird!

This week we have a filmmaker that was filming an Indian wedding when he fell into a pool.

He saved his camera, and the even funnier thing is that there’s a slow-motion video of the bridal couple’s reaction, which with almost 4 million views is ready to become an internet meme.

RUMORS

Nikon Z9 Coming With 160 FPS Burst

The hottest rumor of the week is about the upcoming Nikon Z9.

As I’ve reported in previous shows, it was tested at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and this week we have news about its specs. It will feature a 45-megapixel sensor, and in low-resolution mode, it’s rumored to have a burst up to 160 frames per second. The resolution of those files is not specified yet, but it would be a truly impressive spec especially for sports photographers.

Fujifilm GFX 50S II

While the other rumor of the week is about Fujifilm’s upcoming camera, the GFX 50S II.

We have some leaked images of it, and it should be launched at the beginning of September. It should be the cheapest medium format camera that Fujifilm offers, so, let’s wait and see!