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Create stunning shots with the lens specifically built to get Micro Four Thirds cameras closer Four-midable close-ups from macro Laowa VENUS AS A TOY
secures clean edges and high contrast, even when shooting wide open at f/2.8. A nine-blade aperture also lets the lens double as a short telephoto option, producing smooth background blur and a compressed 180mm-equivalent field of view for portraits. Optimised for modern MFT bodies, the 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO includes electronic contacts for in- camera aperture control, EXIF data and improved stabilisation support. Internal focusing maintains a constant length at the 205mm minimum focus distance, making it well suited to field macro work. Weighing in at around 540g, it costs £539. venuslens.net
Get in super close with Venus Optics’ new Laowa 90mm f/2.8
2x Ultra Macro APO in Micro Four Thirds mount, bringing one of its most specialised optics to MFT shooters for the first time. Previously available for full- frame mirrorless systems, the lens now combines its native 2x life-size magnification with the MFT sensor’s 2x crop factor, delivering a 4x full- frame-equivalent magnification without sacrificing resolution. The lens features a complex optical construction of 13 elements in ten groups and uses an apochromatic (APO) design to suppress longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberration. This
Mega drive is a pocket rocket
The world’s first 8TB Thunderbolt 5 portable SSD has been unveiled by Other World Computing (OWC), expanding its Envoy Ultra range into workstation-class territory. Designed to provide speed, capacity and durability in a truly portable form, the 8TB Envoy Ultra gives rapid performance without needing external power or adapters. Thanks to Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, the Envoy Ultra offers transfer speeds in excess of 6000MB/s, delivering up to twice the performance of Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 devices while remaining fully backwards compatible with earlier systems. The Envoy Ultra runs silently due to its fanless aluminium enclosure, and an IP67 rating means it is crushproof, dustproof and waterproof. Prices start at $450 for smaller capacities, with the new 8TB model costing $1700. No UK prices have been revealed.
OWC has also announced a major expansion to its Thunderblade X12 production shuttle RAID, doubling maximum capacity to a massive 192TB. Built around Thunderbolt 5, the Thunderblade X12 uses 12 16TB SSDs to reach up to 6600MB/s peak write speeds and nearly 5990MB/s sustained write performance. No prices have been revealed yet for the 192TB version, but the 96TB is £18,400. Ouch. owc.com
Webcams reinvented by Insta360
OUT OF SPACE This tiny pocket drive (left) packs in 8TB of SSD storage while the Thunderblade X12 (above) holds up to 192TB of data
while natural bokeh adds a convincing shallow depth-of-field effect without being a mirrorless camera. The Link 2 Pro features a two-axis gimbal for smooth AI tracking, making it ideal for presenters and creators who move around on camera. The Link 2C Pro uses a fixed design with intelligent auto-framing, better suited to desks, streaming rigs and conference rooms. At £239 for the Link 2 Pro and £199 for the Link 2C Pro, Insta360 is positioning these webcams as tools for creators who want professional results without too much complexity. insta360.com
Insta360 has unveiled Link 2 Pro and Link 2C Pro, two AI-powered 4K webcams designed to blur the line between standard webcams and full camera-and-mic set-ups. Aimed at streamers and creators, the models promise studio-grade visuals, great audio and intelligent framing, all in a compact, desktop-friendly form. At the heart of both is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor, significantly bigger than most webcams, paired with dual native ISO and advanced HDR. The result is cleaner, more natural video with support for 4K at up to 30fps. Fast PDAF autofocus keeps subjects sharp,
WEB FEAT The new Insta360 cameras offer a major boost in quality
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