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The Latest News:
Godoxâs New Universal Flash
credits: Godox
Godox just announced a new modular lighting setup, the iT32 iFlash and X5 TTL Wireless Flash Trigger, and it is something interesting for photographers who jump between different camera brands. Instead of buying separate flashes for each system, the iT32 lets you swap out the hot shoe to match whatever camera you are shooting with. The flash itself doesnât have a built-in shoe at all, it connects magnetically to the X5 trigger, which comes in different versions for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and OM System cameras.
The iT32 is compact and simple, about the size of a deck of cards, weighing 170 grams. It has a touchscreen on the back, a tilting and rotating head, and built-in diffuser and reflector panels. It supports full TTL and high-speed sync, along with manual power control from 1/128 to full. Thereâs also an LED modeling light, wireless 2.4GHz control, and magnetic color filters for creative lighting. Recycle time is as fast as 1.5 seconds, and flash duration can go down to 1/30,000 of a second.
The X5 trigger ties the system together. It is both a transmitter and a hot shoe that snaps onto the flash with a magnetic click, instantly syncing the two. You can also use it to control other Godox lights in the X system, not just the iT32. The flash is available to preorder for $79, while each X5 trigger version costs $19.90.
You can see the presentation on Godoxâs YouTube channel here
The Latest Sony A7 V Rumours
credits: Sony
After Canonâs big EOS R6 Mark III reveal, attention in the camera world is already shifting toward whatâs next, the upcoming Sony A7 V. According to new reports, Sony plans to unveil the long-awaited successor to the A7 IV in the first week of December, making it likely the final major camera launch of 2025. A new leaked image of the camera surfaced recently, confirming its design is nearly finalised, and now, Sonyalpharumors says they are â100% certainâ the A7 V will feature a 33-megapixel sensor.
What is still unclear is which type of sensor Sony will go with. Some speculate it might reuse the 33MP sensor from the A7 IV, while others believe Sony has developed an improved or possibly stacked version. A simple rehash seems unlikely, it wouldnât make much sense for Sony to launch a new model with identical internals when rivals like Canonâs R6 Mark III and Nikonâs Z6 III are pushing performance forward. The real differentiator could come down to processing power and AI-driven performance, both areas where Sony has been investing heavily.
The A7 Vâs electronic viewfinder is also rumoured to get an upgrade. The A7 IVâs EVF already offered 3.69 million dots, 0.78x magnification, and full frame coverage, but sources suggest the new model will see improvements. Other reported upgrades include up to 8 stops of in-body image stabilisation, a 4-way fully articulating touchscreen, and dual Type A SD card slots instead of CFexpress. Nothing is confirmed yet of course, but it is clear Sony is fine-tuning the A7 V to stay competitive in the midrange full-frame market.
You can see the leaked photos on Sonyalpharumorsâ website here
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Weekly Photo Technique Exploration
Welcome to a new section of the magazine where every week we will explore a new photography technique from across various photography genres.
This weekâs technique: High Key Lighting Photography
christian lambert
ada lyna
brad balfour
What Is High-Key Lighting?
High-key lighting is a style where everything in your photo, so the subject, background, and shadows, is evenly lit and bright. You reduce contrast as much as possible, so there are few (if any) deep shadows. In the end you get a photo that feels light, fresh, minimal in a sense, and often very polished.
A lot of times you see it in fashion, beauty and product photography, but it also works outdoors, especially for landscapes and nature shots (a lot of photographers like to do high key bird photography for example)
How It Works
The main idea behind high-key lighting is to flood the scene with light, but in a controlled way. You donât want to just overexposing everything, you are trying to balance the light so the whole scene feels bright but still has shape and depth. You are trying to lift shadows rather than erase them (that is the key differentiator, which in turn wonât make your photos look washed out).
The Setup
If you are shooting indoors or in a studio, this is the classic setup:
A big key light, usually a softbox or umbrella in front of your subject.
A fill light or reflector on the opposite side, to brighten any remaining shadows.
A background light, aimed at your white backdrop to make sure it stays pure white instead of grey.
â> Make sure your background is a bit brighter than your subject (around +1 stop). That is what gives you the clean, white look instead of dull greys.
Camera Settings (Indoors)
Aperture: f/4 to f/8
ISO: Keep it pretty low (100â400)
Shutter speed: Match it to your lighting setup (1/125â1/200s if you are using flash).
White balance: Set it manually because auto can sometimes make the whites too warm or grey.
How to Do It Outdoors
Shooting high-key outdoors works best when you work with the right weather and scene.
Overcast days in general are perfect, clouds are like a giant softbox themselves, evening out the light and killing harsh shadows.
Snow, fog, mist gives you instant high-key conditions (so truly optimal).
A simple background/scene is key â> open skies, empty beaches, light-coloured walls, still lakes etc. are perfect.
So to put it in a nutshell, you really want to go for soft, diffused light and lean into minimal compositions/ready made minimal scenes so to say.
Camera Settings (Outdoors)
Aperture: f/8 to f/11 for landscapes, for things like flowers or smaller details open up a bit to around f/4 or f/5.6.
ISO: 100 or 200. Adjust as needed.
Shutter speed: Depends on light conditions. On bright days, you might be around 1/500s or faster. In fog, shade, or softer light, you might go down to 1/125s or 1/250s.
Exposure compensation: +0.3 to +1 EV.
White balance: Again, set it manually.
Metering mode: Use evaluative or matrix metering so the camera reads the whole scene evenly, not just the sky.
What to Do in Post
If your lighting isnât perfect straight out of camera, you can of course fine-tune it in editing:
Raise exposure and whites slightly.
Drop the contrast a bit to soften the shadows.
Pull down blacks just enough to keep the tones smooth but not totally flat.
Be very careful not to blow out your highlights. You want the end result to be bright and airy, but you still need texture and subtle details to make it work.
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