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Sony just surprised the photography world by unveiling the RX1R III, a fixed-lens 35mm full-frame compact camera. Coming nearly ten years after the RX1R II, it has a 61MP Exmor R sensor along with Sony’s latest image processing technology that promises low noise and high dynamic range. 

Apart from all the new tech, the RX1R III is smaller and more streamlined than before and considerably lighter at 17 ounces than its main competition, Leica’s Q3 and the Fujifilm GFX100RF. With that, it’s designed to be a “carrying around” camera for street photographers, serious amateurs and others. 

That small size is due in part to the Zeiss Sonnar T 35mm f2 lens that sits partly inside the body. While more compact than before, it has the same optics as the last model and offers high levels of sharpness and color rendering, according to Sony. It comes with a macro ring that enables users to get as close as 20cm to subjects and feature’s Sony’s new “Step Crop Shooting” function that allows 35mm, 50mm and 70mm focal lengths by cropping into the sensor, just like the GFX100RF can do with a similar button. 

It has up to 15 stops of dynamic range thanks to the high-res sensor and image processing engine. It also features an anti-reflection coating and no optical low-pass filter to boost image quality, though that can cause some moire and other artifacts. Shooting speeds aren’t quick at just 5 fps, though it’s obviously not designed to shoot sports.

The EVF is middling with 2.36 million dots and 0.7x magnification, though the rear panel offers a decent 2 million dots of resolution. However, unlike the one on the previous model that tilted out and up, it’s fixed in order to save weight and size. It also lacks any in-body or optical stabilization, relying solely on electronic stablization. 

With Sony’s latest Bionz XR and AI processors, it promises accurate tracking of “subjects, human bodies, heads and the position of eyes,” Sony said, even if their faces aren’t visible. It uses 693 phase-detection AF points covering around 78 percent of the image, just like Sony’s A7R V. 

It’s not nearly as powerful as the A7R V for video, but can still handle 4K 30 fps video with 10-bit 4:2:2 color sampling, along with 1080p video at up to 120 fps. No log mode is available, but you do get the log-like S-Cinetone that boosts dynamic range a bit. Other features include a single SDXC UHS II slot, a mic input (but not headphone jack), a microHDMI port and a USB-C input. 

As you might expect, the RX1R II is not cheap. It’ll go on pre-order soon for $5,100, with shipping set to start on July 31st. Sony is also offering a handful of accessories (also expensive), including the $300 (!) thumb grip, $250 body case and $200 lens hood (!!). 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sonys-61mp-rx1r-iii-fixed-lens-compact-camera-is-finally-here-after-a-ten-year-wait-152707087.html?src=rss 

Apple just announced a commitment of $500 million over several years to buy rare earth magnets from the US-based company MP Materials. These rare earth magnets are used in a number of products, including iPhones, MacBooks and the Apple Pencil stylus. The American-made magnets will be shipped throughout the world, to help “meet increasing global demand for the material.”

MP Materials is the only fully integrated rare earth producer in the country. The two companies have also pledged to work together to improve upon a processing facility in Texas, building a series of manufacturing lines specifically designed for Apple products. Once finished, the factory will “support dozens of new jobs in advanced manufacturing and R&D.”

“American innovation drives everything we do at Apple, and we’re proud to deepen our investment in the U.S. economy,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States.”

Apple and MP will also team up to create a recycling facility in California and have promised to develop “novel magnet materials and innovative processing technologies” to enhance magnet performance. 

This is all part of Apple’s pre-existing pledge to invest $500 billion in the US over the next four years, which is a slight increase over the $430 billion pledged in 2021. Adjusted for inflation, these amounts are essentially the same.

Apple basically pioneered the use of recycled rare earth elements in consumer electronics. It began using these materials back in 2019, in the Taptic Engine of the iPhone 11. The Pentagon recently became the largest shareholder of MP Materials, as rare earth materials are also key components in a range of military weapons systems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-commits-500-million-over-several-years-to-buy-us-made-rare-earth-magnets-152930080.html?src=rss 

Redditors in the UK will now have to verify their ages before they can view mature content. Just like Bluesky, which announced a few days ago that it was rolling out age verification features, Reddit had to enforce the new rule to comply with the UK Online Safety Act. The UK’s new requirements are meant to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate posts. Reddit will use a third-party company called Persona to verify a user’s age. Users will either have to upload a photo of their government ID or take a selfie, with the latter option presumably enough for people who absolutely don’t look like a minor anymore.

In its announcement, Reddit said that that it will not have access to those photos and will only be saving their verification status, along with their birthdates. That way, users won’t have to re-enter their birthdays every time they try to access restricted content. The announcement also said that Persona will only be keeping users’ photos for seven days and will not be able to see their Reddit information, such as their posts and the subreddits they visit. 

If a user is under 18, Reddit will hide restricted content from them and will limit ads in sensitive categories, like gambling. They will no longer be able to view sexually explicit content, anything that encourages suicide and disordered eating, as well as anything that incites hatred against other people based on their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability and gender. Reddit will also restrict anything that encourages violence and any post that depicts “real or realistic serious violence against a person, an animal, or a fictional creature” for minors. They won’t be able to see posts encouraging challenges that are highly likely to result in serious injury, along with posts encouraging people to ingest harmful substances. Content that shames people’s body types and other physical features will be restricted, as well. 

Users outside the UK will not be affected by the new rule, but Reddit said that it may need to verify the ages of people in other regions if they adopt similar laws. Reddit also said that it “would like to be able to confirm whether [users] are a human being or not” in the age of AI and will have more to announce about that later. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-begins-age-verification-checks-for-uk-users-134516723.html?src=rss 

Rivian, the American EV manufacturer, is integrating Google Maps into its navigation app. The update should provide Rivian owners with more detailed information about their route, disruptions and places they’re passing. 

These new features include updated traffic data and reroutes if another option turns out to be quicker along your journey. Drivers will also have access to real-time road disruption reports from the Google Maps community. Plus, places of interest should now be available right on the map. Rivian already used Google Maps’ information for searching places, but now everything from hours to ratings should show up on the display. The newly available technology also extends to Google Maps’ satellite images.

Rivian’s navigation app already included features such as range on arrival, charging information and charging stops along your route. The update comes with a new design that Rivian claims has better “glanceability” and “access to information.” 

The company has faced some setbacks and concerns. In February 2024, Rivian laid off 10 percent of its salaried workforce due to a $1.5 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2023. Then, in October, reports emerged that the EV maker’s only factory received 16 initially serious violations in 21 months from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to Bloomberg, injuries included an amputated finger, a broken skull, and having symptoms like vomiting and dizziness after having to paint without protections. Rivian has disputed these claims.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rivian-adds-google-maps-features-to-its-navigation-app-140033783.html?src=rss 

Prime Day might have ended last week, but that doesn’t mean the sales are over. Amazon still has discounts on some of our favorite items, including our pick for best dual-zone air fryer. 

Right now, you can get the Ninja DZ401 Foodi Air Fryer for $160, down from $250. The 36 percent discount actually brings the device to the same as its Prime Day sale price. It’s a 10-quart model with a smart cook thermometer. It has six modes, including air fry, reheat and dehydrate. Plus, it warms up so quickly that you barely notice the preheat. 

The Ninja DZ401 Foodi Air Fryer’s biggest achievement: allowing you to cook two different foods in two different settings at the same time. It’s not meant for small kitchens, but if you have a lot of counter space and a big family, then it’s a great option.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-ninja-air-fryers-is-36-percent-off-right-now-142051997.html?src=rss