Canon Patent Shows Fingerprint Recognition Built Directly Into the Camera Grip
If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed much in decades of camera design, it’s that anyone can pick up your camera and start firing away or messing with your perfectly dialed-in settings. A newly published Canon patent might be looking to change that with a brilliantly seamless approach to biometric security.
According to a recently published US patent application (US 2026/0279095 A1, published September 17, 2026), Canon is exploring the integration of fingerprint sensors directly into the camera’s grip.
Here is what makes this implementation so clever: rather than forcing you to press your thumb against a tiny, dedicated sensor before you can shoot, Canon’s design incorporates the sensors into the very places your hand naturally rests.
How it Works
The patent details biometric reading zones located on both the front grip (where your fingers wrap around the body) and the rear thumb rest. Because the sensors are embedded into the natural contact points of the camera body, the camera theoretically authenticates you the moment you pick it up and hold it in a shooting position.
Why This Could Be a Game-Changer
While a fingerprint-locked camera sounds great for thwarting thieves, the real-world applications for working professionals go much further:
Instant Profile Loading: Imagine working in a busy media agency or sharing gear in a studio. You pick up a pool camera, and the moment you hold it, the body recognizes your print and instantly loads your specific custom shooting modes, autofocus preferences, and button assignments.
Settings Protection: Prevent assistants, second shooters, or curious clients from accidentally overwriting your custom menus.
Theft Deterrent: If a camera requires biometric authentication to shoot, format cards, or access the menu system, its resale value on the black market drops significantly.
As always with patents, an application doesn’t guarantee we’ll see this feature on the next EOS R-series body tomorrow. However, it gives us a fascinating glimpse into how Canon is thinking about the future of camera security and personalized user experiences.
Would you want biometric security on your next EOS body? Let us know in the comments!
Venus Optics has just officially released its latest optical marvel: the Laowa FF II TS 24mm f/2 C-Dreamer tilt-shift lens. Bringing a rare and ultra-fast f/2 aperture to the wide-angle tilt-shift space, this new lens is aimed squarely at architectural, landscape, and astrophotography professionals looking for ultimate creative control without breaking the bank.
Unprecedented Speed for a Tilt-Shift One of the most standout features of this new 24mm lens is its fast f/2 maximum aperture (featuring 14 aperture blades). This is a highly unusual spec for a wide-angle tilt-shift lens, making it not only perfect for perspective control in architecture but also an incredibly capable tool for astrophotography and creating beautiful shallow depth-of-field “miniature” effects.
Robust Build and Optical Excellence Constructed with a premium metal body weighing in at approximately 860g, the lens features an advanced optical formula of 13 elements in 10 groups. This includes 5 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, 2 aspherical elements, and 4 high-refractive-index elements to effectively control wide-angle distortion, chromatic aberration, and flare. It also features a 77mm front filter thread, allowing for easy use of CPL or ND filters.
Key Tilt-Shift Capabilities:
Shift: ±12mm to correct converging vertical lines in architectural shots.
Tilt: ±10° to manipulate the focal plane for edge-to-edge sharpness or creative miniature effects.
Rotation: 360° rotating tail, allowing photographers to easily switch between horizontal and vertical shooting without having to readjust the tripod head—ideal for panoramic stitching.
Medium Format Compatibility While designed as a full-frame lens, Laowa has engineered the TS 24mm f/2 to be fully compatible with medium-format systems as well, ensuring that GFX and XCD users can fully utilize the tilt-shift functions without compromise.
Pricing and Availability Currently, the Laowa FF II TS 24mm f/2 C-Dreamer has only been officially announced for the Asian market, where it is priced at a highly disruptive 7,650 RMB (roughly $1,080 USD). This represents a significant price drop compared to first-party tilt-shift alternatives. While it is currently limited to Asia, an international release is expected very soon, meaning photographers globally shouldn’t have to wait long to get their hands on it.
Once fully available, it will cover an impressive six lens mounts:
Full-Frame: Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Panasonic L
Medium Format: Fujifilm GFX, Hasselblad XCD
Whether you are shooting urban cityscapes, starry night skies, or commercial real estate, the Laowa FF II TS 24mm f/2 looks to be a highly versatile and budget-friendly powerhouse.
All forms of memory have ballooned over the past few years. While the initial savings aren’t impressive, the extra coupon B&H Photo is offering provides additional savings over other retailers like Amazon. You won’t see the savings until it’s in your cart, and they’re only active for the rest of the day, so don’t delay. You will save $70 over Amazon by ordering from B&H Photo.
ON1 Photo RAW 2027: A New RAW Processing Engine, Improved NoNoise AI, New AI Culling Assistant and More
ON1 announced ON1 Photo RAW 2027, the next version of its all-in-one, non-destructive photo editor and organizer, with pre-orders opening today and shipping expected in early November
Photo RAW 2027 will deliver major image-quality enhancements that include: an all-new RAW processing engine for sharper detail, richer color and more natural shadows and highlights; an improved NoNoise AI that removes noise while preserving more detail, along with new models for wildlife, portraits, astrophotography and scanned film, plus a sharper Tack Sharp deblurring engine; improved Brilliance AI models for more natural automatic enhancements with less manual work; and a new Culling Assistant, available to Photo RAW MAX 2027 customers, that groups similar photos, flags closed eyes and out-of-focus shots, and processes large batches automatically.
“Photographers told us what mattered most: image quality, less time culling, and tools that keep getting more dependable,” said Dan Harlacher, VP of Product.
The release also responds to feedback from the ON1 community: a redesigned, simplified masking experience applies masks consistently across layers, Effects filters, and local adjustments, along with an instant hover preview and other enhancements; plus dozens of smaller refinements, including a new Light Theme, higher-contrast controls and smoother onboarding. Under the hood ON1 has been improving performance: AI-powered tools run faster on Windows, and the app is more stable for all-day editing sessions.
The retouching tools also get updated: The Perfect Eraser removes distractions over larger areas while preserving detail and lines, available to every tier, and Photo RAW MAX customers and subscribers gain cloud AI rendering for Generative Eraser and Crop. A new Loupe pane and improved Compare view will help photographers review and compare shots without leaving Grid view. New Folder Actions make batch processing images easier, no keywords or manual sorting required. Photographers can also share directly to Flickr, Windows users get native sharing, and the mobile app ships alongside desktop in early November.
ON1 Photo RAW 2027 is available as a one-time purchase or as a subscription. Customers can also get ON1 Photo RAW MAX 2027 by subscribing or choosing ON1 Photo Studio, ON1’s all-access subscription plan.Pre-orders open today at on1.com. Owners of Photo RAW 2026 can pre-order 2027 at a loyalty price, personalized after sign-in. New customers and those upgrading from older versions can purchase version 2026 today, then receive 2027 at no extra cost when it’s available this fall. Photo RAW 2026 will also keep receiving updates through the year-end.
Here is a recap of the major new features and updates to ON1 Photo RAW 2027:
New RAW Processing Engine: Delivers richer colors, sharper details, and more natural shadow and highlight rendering straight out of the camera.
Rebuilt NoNoise AI: Features new AI noise reduction models specifically tuned for wildlife, portraits, astrophotography, and scanned film to clear out noise while preserving natural texture.
Updated Tack Sharp AI: An improved de-blurring engine that recovers soft or slightly out-of-focus shots more effectively.
AI Culling Assistant (MAX Exclusive): Automatically groups similar photos, flags closed eyes, and identifies out-of-focus subjects to dramatically speed up your review process.
Simplified Masking Experience: Apply masks consistently across layers, local adjustments, and Effects filters, complete with an instant hover preview so you can see results before you commit.
Improved Brilliance AI: Provides more natural automatic enhancements across a wider variety of photo styles, reducing the need for manual tweaking.
Faster AI Performance: AI-powered tools run noticeably faster, with added speed gains on Windows machines using dedicated ML execution providers.
Enhanced Perfect Eraser: Removes distractions over larger areas while retaining realistic detail. MAX users also gain optional cloud-based AI rendering for Generative Eraser and Crop.
New Loupe Pane & Compare View: Inspect faces and subjects up close or compare multiple shots side-by-side without leaving the Grid view.
Automated Folder Actions: Automatically apply metadata, presets, and export settings to new photos as soon as they land in a watched folder.
Workspace & UI Refinements: Includes a new toggle for Light and Dark themes, a smoother sign-in experience, higher-contrast controls, and an updated font for better readability.
Expanded Sharing & Support: Direct sharing to Flickr, native Windows sharing to email, and broader compatibility for the latest camera RAW file types and lenses.
High-draw cinema cameras (BMPCC 6K Pro, Canon EOS R5 II, Panasonic GH6), field laptops, video lights
Safety Certifications
FCC / CE / PSE / RCM / ISED
Airline Carry-On
Fully compliant (< 100 Wh)
Key Innovations: Modular Power, Engineered for Rigs
Dual-Identity Mounting System
The back of every Nano unit features a standard 1/4″-20 threaded hole and a locating hole, paired with a detachable metal V-mount plate secured by a 1/4″-20 slotted screw. This means the Nano adapts instantly to how you work:
On set: Mount it directly to camera cages, tripods, magic arms, or crab clamps using standard 1/4″-20 screws, or attach the V-mount plate for full V-lock compatibility.
Off set: Detach the V-plate and it transforms into a sleek, everyday power bank for travel and personal devices.
Built-In 67 cm Retractable USB-C Cable
Cable management on set shouldn’t eat into your shoot time. The Nano series integrates a 67 cm (26.4 in) retractable USB-C cable that pulls out for use and retracts automatically:
Pull-to-use, release-to-retract: Extend only the length you need to power your camera, monitor, or light.
Zero clutter: Eliminates loose cords, prevents snagging, and means one less cable to forget in your gear bag.
3TFT Color Smart Display
Uncertainty has no place on a commercial shoot. The built-in TFT color display provides real-time system diagnostics at a glance — and with a single press of the button, you can dive deeper:
Live power metrics: Battery level, plus input and output wattage for each port.
Cell health monitoring: Battery health percentage, total cycle count, remaining cycle life, and operating temperature.
