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Tamron releases Lens Utillity Mobile for Android to reconfigure your lenses in the field

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Tamron released its Lens Utility app for Windows and Mac desktops back in October 2021. It’s a great tool that works like similar software from other manufacturers, letting you upload firmware, configure switches and doohickies on lenses or tweak your focus limits, preset distances and various other features. Well, not everybody wants to drag a desktop or even a laptop around with them everywhere. Now, you don’t have to.

The Lens Utility Mobile app, teased back in August, has now officially been announced. So far, naturally, it’s only available for Android devices, as the lenses that support this feature all have USB-C ports. Android smartphones let you hook up pretty much anything you want to them, whereas iOS devices don’t, even if you do have a USB-C to Lightning cable.

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Hollyland’s new Lark C1 wireless mic for smartphones lets you keep charging your phone while it’s in use

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We got to see a sneak peek of it at IBC 2022 in Amsterdam last month but now Hollyland has officially announced their new tiny wireless microphone system for iPhones. It’s the Hollyland Lark C1 and it’s essentially an update to the Lark M1 that doesn’t require a headphone jack or adapter cable. It’s available with a Lightning connector for iPhones or a USB-C connector for Android devices.

The Lightning version is fully Apple MFi-certified and both versions are fully plug-and-play, automatically detecting when the receiver is plugged into your smartphone. They’re dual-channel receivers, allowing for two microphones on two transmitters. There is also a Lightning or USB-C socket on each receiver allowing you to continue charging your mobile device while you’re recording.

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You’ll soon be able to tune your Tamron lens features via smartphone

If you’re using Tamron Lens Utility to tune your Tamron lens features, it’s about to become even easier and more accessible. Tamron has announced the development of Tamron Lens Utility Mobile, a dedicated app for mobile devices. So, other than your PC, you’ll now be able to conveniently use the software on your smartphone and tablet, wherever you are.

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Here’s what Lightroom CC looks like running on the Zeiss ZX1 camera

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It’s been a bit of a journey for the Zeiss ZX1. Announced in 2018, teased in late 2019, and released last year (that feels weird), it’s a fully integrated camera, with a 37.4-megapixel full-frame sensor, built-in Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/2 T* lens and 512GB of internal storage. It shoots 4K UHD video at up to 30fps and 1080p up to 60fps, features built-in WiFi and Bluetooth and it’s powered by Android.

That last feature is possibly the most interesting thing about this camera, as it means that it can run Android apps. Apps like the bundled Lightroom CC that allows you to edit your images in-camera and share them straight to social media and your other devices. The folks at DPReview TV took one for a spin to show exactly how it works.

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Amber X is a privacy-focused in-home cloud storage for your photos you can access anywhere

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With all the goings-on at Google and people looking for alternate cloud storage options, sometimes it’s easier to just be your own cloud. I use Resilio Sync for this, but that does usually mean building up a dedicated PC. The Amber X wants to simplify that process with an inexpensive cloud-storage-in-a-box solution that lets you store your data and retrieve it anywhere.

Amber X is currently running on Indiegogo, where it’s long since passed its goal. It has a couple of days left to go, with pledges starting at $129. But we’ve got you a special link that’ll let you get your hands on one for just $119 – about the same cost you’d pay for a year of Google Photos or iCloud for the same storage, except there’s no subscription with this!

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Profoto brings AirX Smart-TTL flash functionality to Android

Profoto has announced that they’ve expanded their recently announced AirX Smart-TTL functionality to Android, allowing you to shoot photos using your Android smartphone with your Profoto lights. The software is currently in beta and is compatible with the Profoto A10, B10, B10 Plus, C1 and C1 Plus lights.

When it comes to smartphone compatibility, though, it’s a little bit limited at the moment, only working with a range of Samsung Android devices. But, remember this is just a beta version, so I think we can expect the functionality to expand to other devices over the coming months. Here’s a video from its initial launch for iOS.

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Android users, this app will tell you if your phone camera is spying on you

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When Apple introduced a new security feature in iOS 14, I wondered if Android users would also get a feature that reveals if their camera is spying on them. Well, there’s an app for that. Access Dots is an Android app that lets you know if any of your apps accesses your camera and microphone without your knowledge.

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Android 11 will restrict third-party camera app access to stop them stealing location data

Google is making some changes in Android 11 that you may not like if you prefer third-party camera apps. Soon you will basically be forced to use your native camera app as default even if you’d rather choose a different one. But according to Google – it’s for your own safety.

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Hands on with Yongnuo’s weird Android-powered YN450M Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera

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Yongnuo seems to have a very unusual approach when it comes to cameras. They’re not the first to launch an Android-powered mirrorless camera. Samsung already did that. But their initial dip into their world of camera manufacture. Their latest camera, and probably the only one to actually be released, is the Yongnuo YN450M.

It’s an Android-powered Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera that takes regular Micro Four Thirds lenses, and it’s been teased in one form or another for the last couple of years. But this video from Linus Tech Tips appears to be the first time somebody’s actually gotten their hands on one and put it through its paces.

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“Sorry, I just wanted a pretty photo” says photographer whose photo bricked thousands of Android phones

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I don’t remember that a sunset photo has ever caused such a stir like it did earlier this month. The photo bricked phones of hundreds, if not thousands Android users who used it as a wallpaper. But it wasn’t done on purpose. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Scientist and photographer Gaurav Agrawal just wanted to capture a gorgeous last minute sunset. When he edited the photo and published it on Flickr, he didn’t even dream what mess it would cause.

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