Fujifilm has said that it's temporarily pausing pre-orders for several of its cameras in the United States thanks to tariffs. A spokesperson for Fujifilm North America Corporation told DPReview that it is "currently not accepting new pre-orders for the X100VI, GFX100RF, and X-M5 (Black) models" so it can "assess various changes including tariffs, and their impact as cost-increasing factors."

The company didn't mention other cameras that are already for sale, such as the X-T5 or the X-H2 series, nor did it say what to expect if you had already placed a pre-order. You can read the full statement below:

"In the U.S. market, we have temporarily suspended orders for some digital camera products in order to assess various changes including tariffs, and their impact as cost-increasing factors. As a result, we are currently not accepting new pre-orders for the X100VI, GFX100RF, and X-M5 (Black) models."

PetaPixel reports that B&H, a major camera retailer in the US, has turned off pre-orders for those models, though other retailers continue to accept them. Fujifilm made no mention of when it expects to unpause pre-orders, or whether the products will end up costing more when they become available again.

Despite Fujifilm's latest statement, the company's stock issues in the US pre-date the tariffs. The X100VI has been on backorder ever since it launched early last year, and we noticed that the silver X-M5 – launched in November 2024 – was out of stock at most retailers in late March, weeks before the initial tariff announcements.

However, there's no denying that the tariffs being levied by the US government have made things complicated for manufacturers and retailers. The initial plan called for tariffs ranging from 24 to 46% to be imposed on imports from countries where most camera manufacturing takes place.

A few days after the initial announcement, President Trump said that most of those tariffs would be knocked down to 10%, though he billed it as a temporary pause for the next 90 days. However, as part of an escalating trade war, the tariffs on Chinese imports have ballooned to 145%. Both the X-M5 and the X100VI are produced in China.

Fujifilm isn't the only company to have reacted to the instability. BlackMagic and Harman – makers of Ilford film – both blamed the tariffs for price hikes on some of their products. Outside of the camera space, Nintendo delayed taking pre-orders in the US for its upcoming Switch 2 game console, though it has since said it intends to start taking orders this week. While the console will be available at its originally announced price, the accessories for it have all gotten price bumps.

It seems likely that we'll see more similar moves as the situation evolves. When we asked economic experts about the impacts of the tariffs on the camera markets, Anjali V. Bhatt, Communications Manager and Research Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told us: "the bottom line is that all photography equipment not made in the US, which is a significant majority of it, will be more expensive."

Click to read about the tariffs' impacts on camera gear in the US

US Public Broadcasting Service's (PBS) outdoor photography show is back for a third season with a broader, national scope and nationwide availability. View Finders has grown from a quiet regional favorite into a nationally distributed, Emmy-nominated PBS series. The show, which is only viewable in the US, is hosted by professional photographers Chris Greer and Paul Daniel. It follows the duo as they explore breathtaking landscapes across the United States, seeking stellar shots while sharing tips on lighting, composition and storytelling through photography.

What began as a YouTube project focused on Georgia's natural beauty has evolved into a cross-country adventure. Season three premiered on March 17th and takes viewers to Grand Teton National Park, the Wind River Range and the White Mountain National Forest, among other destinations. View Finders' mission remains unchanged: celebrate the outdoors, educate the public about these places' ecological and cultural importance and inspire others to connect with nature through photography.

"The show has grown tremendously," Greer, who is also a Georgia College & State University professor, told Flagpole. "It's kind of transformed from a Georgia-based television show to a national television show, and this season reflects that national footprint."

The road to national syndication began after two successful seasons on Georgia Public Broadcasting. In 2023, Greer pitched the series to 300 PBS stations nationwide and received a warm reception. In Greer's opinion, what sets View Finders apart is its unique blend of adventure, photography, and conservation, an angle not often explored on traditional travel shows.

The show also addresses the growing urgency around public land preservation. With interviews from park rangers, ecologists and historians, View Finders integrates expert commentary into each episode. Beyond seeing beautiful places, viewers learn why they matter and must be protected, "so they don't turn into developments and condos."

The View Finders crew captured footage using lenses like SIGMA's SPORTS 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS.

Image: Sigma

Another signature element of the series is its music. The soundtrack features a blend of independent southern artists and nationally known names like Hozier and Bon Iver. This season highlights music from Athens, Georgia-based acts including Grassland String Band, Family and Friends, and Hotel Friction. Greer believes the combination of powerful music and visuals creates an immersive experience and resonates emotionally with the audience.

All third-season footage from Greer, Daniel, and camera operator Nathan Burnett was filmed using Sigma lenses, as the company is the official lens sponsor. You can watch episodes from all seasons, including the current season, on PBS' official site. The final three episodes for this season will air soon. Greer told us that distribution for the UK, additional European and worldwide markets isn't finalized at this time, though the show could potentially find international audiences at some point.

With electric vehicles, batteries and electronic technologies tend to get most of the attention. But it’s where the electric becomes mechanical that small incremental changes have the biggest impact.

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Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: Eaton, Mechanical, auto-shanghai-2025, Electric Vehicles

The Lamborghini Huracan finally has a successor, and boy, is it a good one! Called the Temerario, which translates to “reckless” in English, it's a plug-in hybrid marking the evolution of the raging bull. Safe to say, the supercar has big shoes to fill.

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DHL Express, the world's second-largest delivery company, has temporarily suspended some of its international shipments to the United States, citing a surge in customs processing requirements tied to new US import rules. The change, which went into effect today, impacts business-to-consumer (B2C) shipments with a declared value over $800, as Fox Business reports. For example, consumers ordering camera gear from Sony or drones from DJI could face significant delays.

The suspension follows a policy revision by US Customs and Border Protection, which quietly lowered the threshold for formal customs entry from $2500 to $800 on April 5th. Under the new rules, any shipment entering the US valued above $800 is subject to a more complex customs process, including additional paperwork, duties and inspections. For logistics providers like DHL, this change triggered an immediate spike in formal entries, creating bottlenecks across international networks.

In a statement to customers, DHL said it saw "multi-day transit delays" for packages over the $800 threshold and confirmed that it would no longer collect or ship those parcels if destined for private individuals in the US. The company stressed in its last announcement that "this is a temporary measure, and we will share updates as the situation evolves." DHL is reportedly scaling up operations to handle the uptick in customs volume, but it hasn't offered a precise date for when service will normalize.

Nikon's Z6III is now subject to processing requirements.

Image: Nikon

The suspension is explicitly limited to international B2C shipments, packages sent from businesses abroad to individual customers in the US, with a declared value over $800. Lower-value packages, including all shipments under this amount, are not affected and will continue as usual.

Business-to-business (B2B) shipments, packages sent between international companies and US-based businesses, are also exempt from the suspension. However, due to increased workload at customs, they may face processing delays. This can potentially impact new product shipments to retailers, including B&H and big-box stores such as Best Buy.

The policy shift has sent shockwaves through international shipping and e-commerce channels. The effects of US Customs change are being felt beyond DHL. Earlier this month, Hongkong Post suspended its sea mail service in response to what it deems unfair trade tactics by the US. DHL will continue processing shipments from Hong Kong but has warned that customers should expect slower processing times and prepare for more changes, in light of more regulatory adjustments expected on May 2nd.

DJI's Air 3, which starts at $1,099 and ships from China, is now subject to additional processing.

Image: DJI

US officials have not publicly commented on the motive behind the customs threshold adjustment. The move, however, is deemed as a broader effort to tighten control over under-declared shipments and counterfeit products, all of which amount to lost tax revenue. It could also increase pressure to localize inventory.

While DHL works to resolve internal backlogs and scale its infrastructure, affected businesses and consumers will be impacted. We've become increasingly reliant on fast global delivery; even a temporary disruption like this has wide-reaching consequences. If you're ordering any new gear from your favorite electronics brand's official website, you should be prepared to track updates and plan for continuous delays.

Tucked into the dramatic contours of the Greek islands, a striking new architectural statement is being built by Greek design studio Mykonos Architects. Dubbed N’arrow House, the residential project is a wedge-shaped subterranean home constructed into a hillside in Crete. The ambitious project is designed to blend seamlessly with the rugged terrain, while challenging conventions of traditional Mediterranean architecture.

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Smartphone maker Vivo has released its latest device, the X200 Ultra. The Vivo X100 Ultra was widely seen as one of the best camera phones from last year, though it was only available in China. Unfortunately, its new device will likely have the same limitation, though it is still worth looking at, as Vivo is marketing it as "a camera that happens to be a phone." Vivo has been teasing details for some time, but today it has officially hit shelves in China.

The X200 features the typical three rear cameras: an ultrawide, a main camera, and a telephoto. Interestingly, the main camera offers a 35mm equiv. focal length, whereas most smartphones use a 24mm equiv. focal length. The 35mm angle of view is more versatile (and natural-looking) than 24mm, which is why it is such a standard focal length for photographers. Though a subtle change, it is nice to see a company rethinking that main camera.

The phone also features a 3.7x periscope telephoto camera that offers the highest resolution of the three, thanks to the Samsung HP9 200MP sensor. Samsung released the sensor last summer and claimed it was the first 200MP sensor for telephoto cameras.

The Zeiss-branded add-on lens offers a 200mm equiv. focal length.

Image: Vivo

Where things get unique, though, is with the optional Photographer Kit. Lately, we've seen many handgrip add-ons for smartphones to make them more camera-like, either from the phone manufacturer directly or from accessory makers. Vivo has gone the latter route. The Photographer Kit includes the 16GB/1TB phone, a camera grip, a shoulder strap, a case and a 2.35x telephoto converter lens. While we've seen a few detachable camera lenses for smartphones lately from the likes of RealMe and Xiaomi, those were concepts and are not currently available for purchase.

Like all of the integrated lenses on the X200 Ultra, the add-on lens was co-engineered with Zeiss. The cute telephoto lens attaches via a custom adapter, sitting over the 200MP telephoto camera. The lens features 13 lens elements with an F2.3 aperture. It offers a 200mm equiv. focal length with 8.7x optical zoom and up to 70x hybrid zoom (a combination of optical and digital zoom), resulting in up to a 1600mm equiv. Vivo claims that images from the optional lens are "highly usable" at 35x.

The grip looks similar to Xiaomi's Photography Kit. It features a vintage look and convenient camera controls, including a shutter button, a customizable control dial, zoom controls and a video recording button. It also offers a 2,300mAh battery to extend the phone's battery life, something that's especially useful when taking lots of photos or videos with your phone.

The X200 Ultra also features two custom imaging chips: one for pre-processing tasks and one for post-processing. It's capable of 4K 60p 10-bit Log video from all three rear cameras, as well as 4K 120p video on all three rear cameras. Plus, even if you don't opt for the Photographer Kit, there's a dedicated shutter button on the phone itself that allows you to slide to zoom or adjust exposure, like Apple's Camera Control feature.

Outside of camera specs, the phone runs on the Origin OS 5 Android skin, which is exclusive to China. It features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1260 x 2800 and peak brightness of 4500 nits. The phone's internals include the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 6000mAh battery, all of which are wrapped in an IP69 rating.

The X200 Ultra is available in China as of today in silver, red or black. According to Android Authority, the 12GB/256GB model is priced at 6499 yuan (roughly $890) while the top-end model (16GB/1TB) is 7999 yuan ($1096). The Photographer Kit, which comes with the top-end model, will cost 9699 yuan ($1329), though you can also buy it without the phone for a promotional price of 1699 yuan ($233) or full-priced at 2598 yuan ($356).

Among the many things we could do to reduce strain on the environment is find greener ways of constructing buildings. You see, cement production accounts for 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide – and a lot of that goes towards making concrete.

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The Sigma BF and a trio of lenses fitted nicely in the sort of bag I'd have thrown over my shoulder anyway.

Photo: Al Power

During the three weeks I've been shooting with the Sigma BF, a surprising number of people asked me what I thought of it. I'm not necessarily going to suggest you should go out and buy one, but I can honestly say I really enjoyed it. Partly because it prompted me to think more about the photos I was taking than I have done in a long time.

In principle I was on vacation, but I thought it might be an opportunity to rekindle my love for photography, distinct from my job that requires that I take photos all the time.

Winters in Seattle are particularly hard: the skies are reliably gray and I've lived here long enough that I'm rarely surprised by a photo opportunity I've not noticed before. For the past few years, all my best sample galleries have been shot while traveling.

Buy now:

So I set myself a challenge: in keeping with Sigma's claims that the Sigma BF is intended as a device to help you capture everyday life, I decided to try to take at least one photograph every day, to document my trip.

There are very few contexts in which you can use this combination of words, but the Sigma BF proved it to be an almost perfect tool for the job.

I should start by saying that I failed the 'one photo a day' challenge I'd set myself. I arguably failed it in two ways: there were a couple of days where, either due to spending the day in transit, or because I was catching up with friends, I decided to leave the camera in my shoulder bag. But I failed in the opposite way, too: although the challenge was to take one photo a day, there were days on which I couldn't narrow things down to a single photo.

For instance, a day spent shooting with a friend from the the Oxford Flickr group (circa 2007) meant shooting too diverse a range of images to be able to limit myself to a single shot. It was one of those days where the act of having a camera with me prompted me to recognize a wealth of photo opportunities I'd have otherwise missed.

Meeting up with an old photography friend, in the midst of his black-and-white photo challenge, meant I shot far more than my photo-a-day target.

Photos: Richard Butler

And I'm quite comfortable with these failures: the 'one photo a day' concept was meant to be a source of motivation: not a chore. There was no room in my luggage for a straightjacket.

On which subject, I think there was only one occasion on which I found myself feeling restricted by the choice of the Sigma: it was a grabbed shot of a vintage bus, which I was hoping to take for a friend who loves historical transport. It started to pull away in the same instant I'd decided to take a photo. The camera turned on quickly enough but, in the split second I had to adjust the shutter speed to cope with the bright sunshine and its sudden movement, I turned the dial the wrong way, made my overexposure worse and missed the moment.

The rest of the time, the BF felt like the right tool for the job. Its exposure-focused interface and pleasantly clutter-free screen constantly asked the questions: "what are you trying to photograph, and how do you want to capture it?"

I packed the BF, a 35mm F2, 24mm F3.5 and 90mm F2.8 into a small bag I could hang off my shoulder, pretty much all the time. There was still room to carry a warm scarf or a jumper, along with my sunglasses: the essentials for spring in the UK, so carrying a bag felt necessary, rather than burdensome.

For me, these lenses made an excellent trio. I quickly grew to love the outrageous vignetting of the 24mm, rarely bothering to engage corrections and instead often adding a similar effect to some of my 35mm shots, using the in-camera processing. The 90mm makes an excellent portrait option, letting me capture friends and strangers alike and, like the 24mm, is a suitable small, lightweight addition to the camera body.

There are a couple of ways in which Sigma could improve the BF, and I've sent some feedback, following my trip (why isn't it quicker/easier to toggle a setting between automatic and manual control, for instance). But overall, I found the considered approach to shooting that it demands was exactly what I needed to remind myself what sets photography as a hobby apart from smartphone snap shooting.

The Sigma BF isn't trying to be a rival or a substitute to most of the cameras on the market, and if judged on their terms, it comes up short. But as a device for encouraging you to capture the world as you pass through it, and engage with the process of doing so, it's an absolute delight. Irrespective of its looks, the way it's so focused on exposure, composition and nothing else is inspiring.

Despite what you might assume, if you've not used it, the user interface isn't a series of compromises to fit with the camera's minimalist look, it's an original and seriously-considered attempt to answer the question: 'what do you really need to take photos?' It makes Leica's very exposure-focused UI look cluttered and conventional by comparison, though it's unarguably a little slower and occasionally fiddly, if time's against you.

Strangers would literally ask me what I was shooting with. Which would give me an excuse to ask to take their picture. They would also tend to ask what I thought of it, which kept that question front-of-mind.

Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN |F5.6 | 1/500 sec |ISO 200
Photo: Richard Butler

What kept catching me off-guard is how good the autofocus is, both in performance and implementation. I was able to leave the camera in AF-C, knowing that eye detection would do its job if there was a person in the photo and that tapping on the screen would focus on something specific if I wanted, even if I continued to adjust my composition. As with the rest of the interface, it's not a complex system that can be adapted to cope with every possible eventuality: it's a system that's so simple but effective that you don't need to think about it, for the type of photography the BF is intended for.

Buy now:

Overall, I loved my time with the BF. A little like the Fujifilm X100 series, it's one of the few cameras it might make sense for me to buy, because it's not trying to do the same thing as most of the cameras I have to use for my job. It's the unusual, though-provoking (and, apparently, comment-worthy) device that lets me capture my life in the gaps between having to take photos for work.

Putting together a gallery while on vacation usually risks being something of a busman's holiday. And yet despite spending a couple of weeks constantly thinking about photography, I've arrived back in the office refreshed and ready to see what's arrived in my absence.

*Approximately

The Sigma BF proved a surprisingly capable camera to travel with. Bristol Temple Meads station.

Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN | F8.0 | 1/200 sec | ISO 100
Photo: Richard Butler

During the three weeks I've been shooting with the Sigma BF, a surprising number of people asked me what I thought of it. I'm not necessarily going to suggest you should go out and buy one, but I can honestly say I really enjoyed it. Partly because it prompted me to think more about the photos I was taking than I have done in a long time.

In principle I was on vacation, but I thought it might be an opportunity to rekindle my love for photography, distinct from my job that requires that I take photos all the time.

Winters in Seattle are particularly hard: the skies are reliably gray and I've lived here long enough that I'm rarely surprised by a photo opportunity I've not noticed before. For the past few years, all my best sample galleries have been shot while traveling.

Buy now:

So I set myself a challenge: in keeping with Sigma's claims that the Sigma BF is intended as a device to help you capture everyday life, I decided to try to take at least one photograph every day, to document my trip.

There are very few contexts in which you can use this combination of words, but the Sigma BF proved it to be an almost perfect tool for the job.

I should start by saying that I failed the 'one photo a day' challenge I'd set myself. I arguably failed it in two ways: there were a couple of days where, either due to spending the day in transit, or because I was catching up with friends, I decided to leave the camera in my shoulder bag. But I failed in the opposite way, too: although the challenge was to take one photo a day, there were days on which I couldn't narrow things down to a single photo.

For instance, a day spent shooting with a friend from the the Oxford Flickr group (circa 2007) meant shooting too diverse a range of images to be able to limit myself to a single shot. It was one of those days where the act of having a camera with me prompted me to recognize a wealth of photo opportunities I'd have otherwise missed.

Meeting up with an old photography friend, in the midst of his black-and-white photo challenge, meant I shot far more than my photo-a-day target.

Photos: Richard Butler

And I'm quite comfortable with these failures: the 'one photo a day' concept was meant to be a source of motivation: not a chore. There was no room in my luggage for a straightjacket.

On which subject, I think there was only one occasion on which I found myself feeling restricted by the choice of the Sigma: it was a grabbed shot of a vintage bus, which I was hoping to take for a friend who loves historical transport. It started to pull away in the same instant I'd decided to take a photo. The camera turned on quickly enough but, in the split second I had to adjust the shutter speed to cope with the bright sunshine and its sudden movement, I turned the dial the wrong way, made my overexposure worse and missed the moment.

The rest of the time, the BF felt like the right tool for the job. Its exposure-focused interface and pleasantly clutter-free screen constantly asked the questions: "what are you trying to photograph, and how do you want to capture it?"

I packed the BF, a 35mm F2, 24mm F3.5 and 90mm F2.8 into a small bag I could hang off my shoulder, pretty much all the time. There was still room to carry a warm scarf or a jumper, along with my sunglasses: the essentials for spring in the UK, so carrying a bag felt necessary, rather than burdensome.

For me, these lenses made an excellent trio. I quickly grew to love the outrageous vignetting of the 24mm, rarely bothering to engage corrections and instead often adding a similar effect to some of my 35mm shots, using the in-camera processing. The 90mm makes an excellent portrait option, letting me capture friends and strangers alike and, like the 24mm, is a suitable small, lightweight addition to the camera body.

There are a couple of ways in which Sigma could improve the BF, and I've sent some feedback, following my trip (why isn't it quicker/easier to toggle a setting between automatic and manual control, for instance). But overall, I found the considered approach to shooting that it demands was exactly what I needed to remind myself what sets photography as a hobby apart from smartphone snap shooting.

The Sigma BF isn't trying to be a rival or a substitute to most of the cameras on the market, and if judged on their terms, it comes up short. But as a device for encouraging you to capture the world as you pass through it, and engage with the process of doing so, it's an absolute delight. Irrespective of its looks, the way it's so focused on exposure, composition and nothing else is inspiring.

Despite what you might assume, if you've not used it, the user interface isn't a series of compromises to fit with the camera's minimalist look, it's an original and seriously-considered attempt to answer the question: 'what do you really need to take photos?' It makes Leica's very exposure-focused UI look cluttered and conventional by comparison, though it's unarguably a little slower and occasionally fiddly, if time's against you.

Strangers would literally ask me what I was shooting with. Which would give me an excuse to ask to take their picture. They would also tend to ask what I thought of it, which kept that question front-of-mind.

Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN |F5.6 | 1/500 sec |ISO 200
Photo: Richard Butler

What kept catching me off-guard is how good the autofocus is, both in performance and implementation. I was able to leave the camera in AF-C, knowing that eye detection would do its job if there was a person in the photo and that tapping on the screen would focus on something specific if I wanted, even if I continued to adjust my composition. As with the rest of the interface, it's not a complex system that can be adapted to cope with every possible eventuality: it's a system that's so simple but effective that you don't need to think about it, for the type of photography the BF is intended for.

Buy now:

Overall, I loved my time with the BF. A little like the Fujifilm X100 series, it's one of the few cameras it might make sense for me to buy, because it's not trying to do the same thing as most of the cameras I have to use for my job. It's the unusual, though-provoking (and, apparently, comment-worthy) device that lets me capture my life in the gaps between having to take photos for work.

Putting together a gallery while on vacation usually risks being something of a busman's holiday. And yet despite spending a couple of weeks constantly thinking about photography, I've arrived back in the office refreshed and ready to see what's arrived in my absence.

*Approximately

Back in January, Dragon Tiny Homes unveiled its Aria tiny house, which offers a very compact and affordable towable residence. The firm has now followed that model with the upgraded Aria 24, which has a redesigned interior that increases living space to produce a comfortable home for two.

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Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle

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Scientific research continues to uncover interesting connections between the gut microbiome and human health, including everything from depression to PTSD to autoimmune disease. Another example of this are emerging ties between gut health and autism. Exciting new research, now moving to Phase 3 human trials, has found boosting microbial diversity via fecal transplants can dramatically reduce autism symptoms in the long term.

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Form following function is a pretty important principle in architecture, but few buildings lean into the idea quite as hard as the Gambit Office, by KWK Promes. Designed for a pipe distribution company, the building appears to be almost totally made from metal pipes.

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Tags: Building and Construction, Office, Aluminum, Building Facades

If you're among the half of US adults who have tried to lose weight in the last 12 months, you'll be aware of how enthusiasm wanes once you hit the difficult "plateau" that feels like everything grinds to a halt. But new research shows that this is merely an adjustment period on the journey, and success lies in how you move past it.

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Tags: CSIRO, Weight Loss, Obesity, Fat cells, Diet, Psychology

A benzodiazepine seeping into waterways is causing young Atlantic salmon to behave strangely, with fish in the wild migrating more rapidly and taking more risks on their journey from river to ocean. It even seems to be messing with their social dynamics.

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Category: Biology, Science

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Around this time last year, New Jersey's Velotric announced the waterproof Fold 1, a folding ebike "built for adventurers and urban commuters alike." Now the company has added a more capable Plus model to its catalog.

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Tags: ebikes, Pedal-assisted, Foldable bike, Folding

What started as an attempt to shift the creative landscape is now a thriving ecosystem of photographers, filmmakers and storytellers. We spoke with a few people who have participated in Sony's women-centered initiative, Alpha Female+, about how it's become a source of connection, mentorship and validation for them and thousands of other artists.

Founded in 2018, the Alpha Female+ community was Sony's response to a long-standing issue: the underrepresentation of women and marginalized voices in photography and filmmaking. What began as a Creator-in-Residence grant for five artists has grown into an international community with over 16,000 active members in its Facebook group alone.

"We wanted to do our part in making our world a more equitable place," said Michaela Ion, the program's creator, who has spent nearly two decades at Sony in various entrepreneurial-type roles. "The only way we will succeed in ensuring all voices are represented is if we support each other in that endeavor."

At the heart of the community is the weekly micro-grant program, which offers small cash prizes to creators who submit work around rotating themes. It's more than a contest, though. It's a springboard for confidence, collaboration and connection.

The recognition went beyond financial reward for Allegra Hutton, a recent micro-grant recipient who was also nominated for Sony's Creator of the Year award. "Winning a micro-grant from Alpha Female is such an incredible honor. More than that, it feels like a deep validation that my work has meaning," she explains. "As artists, we pour so much of ourselves into what we create, hoping it resonates with someone. This recognition reminds me that my voice matters."

"Put me underwater, and the 14mm F1.8 GM is my new fave (it's also pretty stellar for astro)." This was one of Allegra's two micro-grant winners.

Copyright: © Allegra Hutton, all rights reserved

A conservation photographer, Hutton uses her talents to spotlight environmental issues and inspire climate action. Her images capture devastation as well as hope. While the emotional weight of her subject matter can be heavy, the community helps lighten the load.

"There are days when I think about the wildlife that has died, the ice melting, the wildfires, the plastic. These thoughts get loud," she states. "But I remind myself that this climate anxiety is what drives me. It shows that I care."

In photographer Lisa Wolfe's opinion, the Alpha Female+ community offers inspiration and a blueprint for creative momentum. "Sometimes I need an external prompt to get going again. These weekly themes give me just enough structure to stay active," she explains. "The community isn't about competition. It's about encouragement."

Lisa's image of Arches National Park with the Milky Way won a micro-grant several years ago.

Copyright: © Lisa Wolfe, all rights reserved

Wolfe, whose work blends documentary and fine art, finds deep value in seeing how other photographers interpret the same theme. "You'll see ten wildly different responses to the same prompt. That pushes you to think in new ways or try a technique you've been avoiding. It becomes less about perfect work and more about consistent creative practice."

She also praised the group's openness and generosity. "There's a culture of feedback, but it's never harsh or performative. People genuinely want to help each other grow, and that's rare online."

Many creators initially chose Sony for its technology; however, they stay for the people. "I'll stay a Sony user forever because of the community," Hutton says. "There's something so special about finding a group of like-minded creatives who inspire, support and genuinely root for each other."

Hutton's favorite lens for shooting topside wildlife is Sony's 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS.

Copyright: © Allegra Hutton, all rights reserved

Wolfe echoed her sentiment. "Creating in isolation is exhausting. This community reminds me that I'm not doing this alone. And that reminder can be the difference between creative burnout and finding your next idea."

The Alpha Female+ group is designed to encourage participation at every stage of an artist's journey. The community organizes everything from meetups and mentorship programs to year-long creative challenges and the Alpha Female+ Creator of the Year Award.

"We're constantly blown away by the work that's shared in the group," Ion said. "The talent is so vast, and the intentionality of the stories is humbling and impressive." But talent alone doesn't win grants or build connections. Showing up does. "The most successful creators we see are the ones who participate regularly. Even if their early entries aren't perfect, they grow. They get better. And they become more confident in their voice."

Her three core principles for creators hoping to grow within the community are to keep showing up, push past self-doubt and actively engage with others. "The best, most successful communities focus on giving. That shows in how we uplift each other and how we give ourselves the opportunity to create."

Sony's Alpha Female+ Creator of the Year Award is accepting votes until Tuesday, April 29th. The Alpha Female+ community is free to join on Facebook.

With a name like the Ultimate, you'd expect this latest tiny house by Escape to offer something extraordinary, and thankfully it doesn't disappoint. It's the firm's largest model to date and provides a seriously spacious interior layout that offers a massive 720 sq ft (almost 67 sq m) of floorspace.

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Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle

Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home

A new study has set off alarm bells, attributing the overuse of computed tomography – or CT – scans to around 5% of new cancer diagnoses annually. Since 2007, this imaging technology has seen a 30% rise in use in the US.

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Category: Cancer, Illnesses and conditions, Body & Mind

Tags: University of California San Francisco, CT scan, Radiation, Diagnostic devices, Medical Imaging, Cancer, Diagnostic tools

A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has revealed a subtle yet significant phenomenon beneath the North American continent; its ancient bedrock is slowly dripping into the Earth’s mantle. This dripping has created a funnel-like structure concentrated over the Midwest of the United States, horizontally pulling the ancient rocks before they sink.

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Category: Science

Tags: Geology, University of Texas, Earth