Shutter Happens – Issue #002

Hey guys. Welcome along to the latest edition of Shutter Happens, my newsletter covering everything that’s happening in the world of photography or at least everything I think is interesting in the world of photography.

DJI Mavic 4 Pro To Debut on 24th April 2025

DJI have always had a punishing release schedule – one that has helped them ruthlessly dominate the consumer and professional drone market. The latest model due for release is the eagerly anticipated Mavic 4 Pro and the word on sites like DroneXL is that we’re looking at a 24th of April release date.

The new drone will feature three cameras with 28mm, 70mm and 168mm focal lengths, but what’s much more exciting is that the gimbal is an all-new design with 360º multidirectional movement. This will make possible a heap of cool new photographic options, not the least of which is true 360º spheres.

The design of the bodies of DJI drones has been getting smoother and more rounded over previous generations and the leaked images of the Mavic 4 show this trend will continue. The design has hardly any straight edges at all.

The other big new feature is an electronic ND filter system. Combined with the drone’s already top-notch ability to hold itself steady in the air, this ND filter system should open up new opportunities for long exposures.

In terms of pricing it’s reported that the Mavic 4 Pro with the DJI RC2 controller will cost $2250USD, $3200 for the Flymore package and Creator Combo with a new RC Pro 2 controller and 512Gb of onboard storage will cost $4400.

Given DJI’s masterful manipulation of the influencers on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, the usual suspects (Potato Jet, McKinnon, iJustine etc) have probably already got Mavic 4 Pros and you can expect a tsunami of one-sided marketing content from them on the release date, with proper reviews following shortly afterwards from the more objective tech/photo/video channels.

Fujifilm Release the GFX100RF Fixed Lens Medium Format Trophy Camera

Fujifilm continue their assault on the high-end camera market with a groundbreaking model that even Leica fans might be tempted by. The GFX100RF is a rangefinder style fixed lens camera with a beautiful big medium format sensor in it and if I could get a good price for one of my kidneys I’d be queuing up to buy one.

The sample photographs I’ve seen taken on that 102 megapixel X-Processor 5 sensor are unsurprisingly gorgeous, complemented by the colour science that Fujifilm have become famous for, along with 20 film simulations including the new Reala Ace.

In keeping with the rangefinder styling, the GFX100RF has a 35mm f/4 lens (28mm equivalent) with a built-in 4stop ND filter, a 5.76million pixel OLED electronic viewfinder and a flip-out style 3.15” LCD screen.

As surprising as the release of this camera is, what’s really got the Fuji nerds (of which I am one) frothing at the mouth, is the aspect ratio dial. This enables you to switch to 4:3 mode (for instance) and use the full height and width of the sensor or to a 65:24 ratio that you find on the old Fuji TX-1 and TX-2 film cameras.

Here in Australia the camera can be yours for $8799 or just under $5000USD. If anyone wants to start a GoFundMe I won’t stand in your way.

Apple Watches With Built-in Cameras?

The tech giants are always looking for ways of innovating in order to keep their products at the top of a gadget-hungry world’s wishlist and Apple have had a pretty good strike-rate over the years. The Apple Watch was a device that pundits originally predicted would disappear without trace but it now generates over $40billion per year in profit.

There have been many rumoured features for the Apple Watch over the years, but the latest is an interesting one – straight out of a spy movie in fact. Mark Gurman, the bloke that seems to know what’s going on in Cupertino better than Tim Apple, has said that the next big innovation will be a camera.

It’s not outside the realms of possibility of course, the camera design in iPhone is incredibly sophisticated, but the purpose of this particular camera is apparently not for taking photographs. Instead the camera (which will be located near the watch’s crown) will be used for visual intelligence.

Given how much Apple have back-tracked on the big AI upgrades they promised customers nearly a year ago, the alleged release date for this feature (2027) seems a bit optimistic to me.

Budget Photography Brand K&F Launch $100 4K Underwater Camera

Over the last 14 years, K&F have established a reputation at the budget end of the photography gear and equipment market with a range that covers everything from lens filters to backpacks. More recently they expanded into the camera market with a range of trail cameras and now they’ve launched an underwater camera for $104.

The snappily named 33FT Waterproof Digital Camera 4K 48MP Dual-Screen Selfie is waterproof to 33ft/10m and is equipped with a Sony IMX258 sensor offering 48megapixel photo resolution and 4K video.

The retro-looking faux-ruggedised design has both front and rear screens and it includes a 2500mAh battery good for about 90 minutes of video recording.

Formula 1 Team Fined €50,000 … for Forgetting Their SD-Card

We’ve all been there. You head out to take some cool shots and discover that you’ve left the SD-card plugged into the computer. To us photographers, that’s an annoyance but to the Williams Formula 1 team it cost them €50,000.

The SD-Card in question is used by a built-in camera that monitors the amount of flexing in the bodywork. The team only noticed after a practice session which was supposed to have been recorded by the in-car camera.

The assumption the team made was that the cameras (which are supplied by the governing body) would come with an SD-card in it, but apparently the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) decided to save a few bucks and have the racing teams pony up for a 64Gb Sandisk card.