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March 19, 2026

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The Latest News:

Viltrox Teases New Evo Series Lenses

credits: Viltrox

Viltrox has been teasing a couple of new lenses at The Photography and Video Show in Birmingham, including two upcoming Evo Series primes, an AF 35mm f/1.8 and an AF 55mm f/1.8. The company has had a busy stretch lately, coming off CP+ 2026 in Japan and WPPI in Las Vegas, and while it did not have a dedicated booth at CP+, it was still quietly showing off some of these upcoming products. Now in Birmingham, the lenses are being shown publicly, giving a slightly closer look at what is coming next.

Both of these new Evo lenses are built around what Viltrox calls a true apochromatic (APO) optical design, something the company is putting a lot of emphasis on. In simple terms, APO lenses are designed to bring red, green, and blue light into focus at the same point, which helps eliminate colour fringing and improves overall sharpness. Viltrox also makes it clear that it does not use the APO label lightly, pointing out that some lenses on the market carry the name without fully meeting that standard. Internally, the company refers to these designs as “Hyper APO,” suggesting it sees them as a step above typical implementations.

Details are still pretty limited at this stage, but a few basics are already confirmed. The lenses will be full-frame primes available for Sony E, Nikon Z, and L-Mount systems, and they will join the existing AF 85mm f/2 Evo in the lineup. There is no word yet on release timing or pricing, but for reference the 85mm is $275.

DxO’s PhotoLab 9.6 Is Here

credits: DxO

DxO’s PhotoLab 9.6 is here, bringing over the more advanced noise reduction technology the company only just introduced with PureRAW 6. This update was pretty much expected, but it is still a meaningful one, mainly because it expands support to a much wider range of cameras. Alongside that, DxO is adding new edge-softening controls for its AI masking tools, plus a compressed DNG export option.

The biggest change is that DeepPrime XD3 now works with Bayer sensors, not just Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensors like before. That opens it up to the majority of mirrorless and DSLR cameras out there. The algorithm handles both demosaicing and noise reduction at the same time, and DxO is pitching it as a strong option for high-ISO shots where you want to hold onto as much detail as possible. It also ties in with what the company introduced in PureRAW 6, so the two apps are starting to feel more closely connected.

On the editing side, the AI Masks tool gets a small but useful update with a new diffusion control, letting you soften the edges of selections and avoid that harsh, cutout look. The update also brings over compressed DNG output, which can shrink file sizes to around a quarter of a standard DNG while keeping image quality the same. There is a catch, though, you cannot convert existing DNGs into this format, you have to start from an original RAW file. PhotoLab 9.6 is available on macOS and Windows, with a new license priced at $239.99 and upgrades from earlier versions at $119.99, while existing PhotoLab 9 users get it as a free update.

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