Videomaker Magazine

Blackmagic Design has announced a new range of low-cost, portable video capture and playback options. The Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Express 3G family also supports USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 connections, making the devices compatible with Mac, Windows and Linux computers. Blackmagic Design has announced two products in the series. The UltraStudio Express Monitor 3G plays back to 3G-SDI and HDMI. The Recorder 3G captures from the same connections.

Alongside the launch of its new SL3-P mirrorless camera, Leica also announced two new full-frame L-Mount prime lenses. The Summilux-SL 50mm ASPH. lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.4, while the APO-Macro-Elmarit-SL 100mm lens is a little slower at f/2.8. Leica says its new Summilux-SL 50mm is the world’s most compact autofocus lens with this focal length and a maximum aperture of f/1.4. It measures just 3 inches (75.5 mm) in length and 2.9 inches (74 mm) in diameter.

ProGrade Digital has announced two high-capacity CFexpress 4.0 Type A memory cards in its Iridium series. The cards come with dual VPG certification. ProGrade Digital’s current fourth-generation CFexpress Type A cards top out at 480 GB and 960 GB. The new Iridium cards push that to 512 GB and 1 TB. A PCIe Gen 4 interconnect with an NVMe 1.4c controller interface delivers what ProGrade Digital calls exceptional performance.

Midjourney is fighting back against the Hollywood studios that are suing it for copyright infringement. According to a report by Variety, the AI company wants Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. to reveal how they train their own AI algorithms. Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros started legal action against Midjourney last year.

BenQ has announced a new 27-inch 4K monitor that delivers a color-accurate display for video editing and photography. The BenQ PD2732U is the first monitor released in an updated Creative Pro series. The BenQ PD2732U features a 27-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS LCD panel. It displays up to 1.07 billion colors at a maximum brightness of 400 nits, with HDR10 support and a 1000:1 static contrast ratio.

Apple has launched some powerful new updates for its Creator Studio suite of apps. The company added new AI capabilities, which Apple says make Creator Studio even more connected, capable and intelligent. Final Cut Pro in particular has gained several new features for Mac-based video editors. Final Cut Pro’s new AI tools start with Generate Captions. It uses on-device AI to transcribe your audio, then builds subtitles perfectly in sync in the timeline.

Adobe has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Topaz Labs, a Dallas-based AI company that specializes in video and image enhancement models. Topaz Labs’ lineup includes Topaz Video, an AI-powered desktop app for Windows and Mac. It handles upscaling, sharpening, stabilization and denoising. A slow-motion mode generates interpolated frames for smoother movement. Rendering happens locally, so your files never leave your computer.

Leica has launched the latest camera in its L-Mount SL-System. The company calls the Leica SL3-P its most advanced full-frame mirrorless camera yet. For video shooters, the headline number is 8.1K Open Gate 3:2 capture at up to 30 frames per second (fps). At the heart of the SL3-P sits a new 44-megapixel BSI full-frame sensor measuring 8,144 by 5,424 pixels. It delivers up to 14 stops of dynamic range and an ISO range from 50 to 200,000, though video caps out at 100,000.

GoPro has launched its new GoPro Wireless Mic System. The complete kit packs in two transmitters, receivers for just about any device and a charging case to hold it all. The complete kit ships with two transmitter mics, a TRS receiver for cameras with a 3.5 mm input and a USB-C receiver for smartphones. All four pieces tuck into the charging case, which tops each one off twice on a single charge.

Adobe is rolling out its creative agent AI across several Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop, Premiere and Illustrator. The company is also expanding the agentic features inside Firefly, its all-in-one creative AI studio. Adobe is using that creative agent to bring AI Assistants to a handful of Creative Cloud apps. Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Frame.io are first in line. For now, the feature ships only as a public beta in each app.