Cameras

Covering the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League with the Canon EOS R1

Shooting basketball isn’t for the faint of heart.

Published

April 21, 2025

GadgetMatch

Shooting basketball isn’t for the faint of heart.

Unlike the steady pace of road running or the controlled energy of a trail race, basketball is a fast-paced, emotional rollercoaster.

You’re not just chasing players; you’re anticipating sharp cuts, lightning-quick shots, and moments so fast they might as well be in fast-forward. And when you’re capturing those moments on camera, you need something that can keep up.

This is when we’ve used the Canon EOS R1, along with its 24-70mm lens. This powerhouse performed like an all-star during the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

But more than just the technical brilliance of the Canon EOS R1, it was also a reminder of the incredible talent that women bring to the court.

Basketball has often been a male-dominated sport, but women in the Philippines are proving, game after game, that they’re just as fierce, skilled, and passionate.

And when you’re shooting women’s basketball, it’s not just about capturing action; it’s about celebrating the power, grace, and heart of female athletes.

Speed that keeps up

Here’s the thing about sports photography: speed matters.

In basketball, there’s no time to fumble with settings. A split second can make or break the shot, and if you’re not ready, you’ll miss the magic.

That’s exactly what the Canon EOS R1 was built for. We’re talking about a camera that can keep up with lightning-fast plays and snap every important detail in sharp focus.

The Canon EOS R1’s autofocus system is one of the smartest we’ve ever used. It automatically detects and locks onto the players — even when they’re moving quickly or blocked by someone else.

Whether the player is charging toward the hoop or pulling off a fast pass, the R1 makes sure you get a shot that’s in perfect focus.

This camera is fast — and we mean really fast. The Canon EOS R1 shoots up to 40 frames per second. With that speed, you could capture a series of fast, consecutive actions, like a player’s fingertips releasing the ball or the exact moment a player sinks a three-pointer.

It felt like shooting video in still photos. Every frame was clear, crisp, and packed with emotion. Imagine capturing the instant a point guard’s eyes light up after scoring. The R1 let us freeze those emotions in time, exactly when they happened.

Even in low-light situations, the Canon EOS R1 doesn’t break a sweat. Indoor courts are notoriously tricky when it comes to lighting. They’re often dim, with harsh spots that can make shooting feel like a challenge.

With its ability to handle low light and keep things clear, we didn’t miss a single moment, even when the lights were low and the action was heating up.

Solid and reliable like the women in court

The camera’s build is like the women we’ve taken photographs of. Strong, robust, and enduring. If you’re used to smaller, lighter cameras (like we do), the Canon EOS R1 might feel a bit hefty at first.

But once you get used to it, you’ll appreciate how solid and reliable it feels in your hands. It has a battery grip built in, which adds some weight but means you’ll get more shots without needing to recharge. Plus, the R1 feels comfortable to hold, even for long shoots.

We’re used to shooting handheld, and while this one was a little heavier than what we’re used to, the comfort and sturdiness made up for it. If you’re a pro or serious photographer, the R1’s weight and build are more than just practical, they add to the overall experience.

For the more serious photographers who need to shoot a lot of action without worrying about storage, the Canon EOS R1 comes with dual high-speed card slots.

This means you won’t have to stop mid-shoot to swap out memory cards. And with USB-C and full-size HDMI ports, the R1 is all about speed, making transferring your shots or sharing your work a breeze.

Smart features for every moment

Of course w’ve loved the impressive autofocus and speed. It’s the highlight of this flagship camera. But since it’s a flagship, it has some other features that sports photographers would love and make shooting even easier.

For instance, there’s Action Priority Mode where it automatically detects fast movement, so you don’t have to worry about setting everything manually.

Then there’s Face Detection, where the R1 can prioritize specific players’ faces. It’s perfect if you want to focus on your team’s star player or you just want to capture those emotions from key individuals.

And even if you’re moving around or shooting at a lower shutter speed, the Canon EOS R1’s stabilization makes sure your images are smooth and steady. You won’t have to worry about blurry shots while on the move.

Capturing the women’s heart and soul

After an affair with the Canon EOS R1, we can confidently say that it’s a camera and an experience.

From the fast autofocus to the ability to shoot at lightning speed, this camera made capturing every emotional and action-packed moment feel effortless.

Whether you’re shooting fast-paced basketball or another sport, the Canon EOS R1 is designed to make sure you never miss a moment.

And when you’re photographing powerful female athletes, capturing their determination, skill, and spirit, it’s more than just about the game.

It’s about empowering women and showing the world just how much they bring to the court. The Canon EOS R1 helps you freeze those moments in time, and that’s something truly special.

This flagship camera is reliable, powerful, and built to keep up with the pace of the game — no matter how fast things get.

Related Topics:Canon Canon EOS R1 Canon R1

Cameras

Sony announces new FX5 full-frame camera

Newly-developed sensor, Open Gate recording, more enhanced capabilities

Published

July 23, 2026

GadgetMatch

Sony has launched the new FX5 full-frame camera in its Cinema Line series with enhanced capabilities.

The camera is equipped with a newly-developed fully stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor and the latest high-speed BIONZ XR2 image processing engine, which includes a dedicated AI processing unit.

When shooting in S-Log3, the camera achieves 15+ stops of dynamic range. The broad latitude and low-noise performance enable seamless roll-off from highlights to shadows and natural texture reproduction, even in high-contrast scenes.

Three Base ISOs of ISO 800, ISO 4000, and ISO 12800 enable low-noise image expression under a wide range of conditions.

Moreover, Dual Gain Shooting function, supported for the first time in the FX series, maximizes the performance of the image sensor to enable smooth gradation reproduction with even wider latitude, while effectively reducing noise without compromising shadow detail.

For the first time in the Cinema Line FX series, the FX5 supports Open Gate shooting, as well as in-camera recording in X-OCN, Sony’s proprietary RAW format.

This includes a variety of scan modes like 17:9, 16:9, and super 35mm. This allows for flexible angle-of-view selection for the user’s creative intent.

The camera is capable of shooting in 5K at up to 60 frames per second, in 4K up to 120 frames per second and in FHD up to 240 frames per second.

These features bring together the Cinema Line look and operability designed to meet the needs of production environments in a compact, highly portable body.

The Sony FX5 will also include two new optional accessories: a detachable OLED viewfinder and an XLR Handle that enables recording in-camera at up to 96 kHz, 32-bit float.

The camera system incorporates expertise that Sony has cultivated through the development of Cinema Line cameras, which have earned high praise from cinematographers and video creators around the world.

Price, availability

The ILME-FX5 with XLR Handle Unit (SG$ 7,199) and ILME-FX5B Body Only (SG$ 6,399) will be available for pre-order until August 9.

The DVF-EL1 OLED Detachable Viewfinder (SG$ 899) and VMC-BNCU1 Timecode Adapter Cable (SG$ 129) will be available after Mid-August.

Meanwhile, the XLR-H2 XLR Handle (SG$ 1,099) will be available by special order.

On July 28, the FX5 will also be on display atThe Arts House At The Old Parliament from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., giving creators the chance to experience it for the first time.

Cameras

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P launches with dual lenses and a 1-inch sensor

The biggest upgrade yet to DJI’s compact gimbal camera

Published

June 29, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The original Osmo Pocket launched in 2018 as a pocket-sized gimbal camera for people who wanted smooth footage without carrying a full rig. DJI has been building on that idea ever since, and today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, they made the biggest jump yet.

A significant change

The most significant change in the Osmo Pocket 4P is the introduction of a dual-lens system. While previous Osmo Pocket models limited creators to a single, fixed field of view, the 4P provides two distinct options.

The camera features a wide-angle lens backed by a new 1-inch CMOS sensor alongside a 60mm medium-telephoto portrait lens boasting an f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. This second lens fundamentally changes how creators shoot on the ground.

At the 60mm focal length, backgrounds compress naturally to separate the subject from the environment without relying on artificial software rendering, offering an invaluable tool for capturing people at events, during travel, or throughout daily life.

The wide lens captures 17 stops of dynamic range through what DJI calls LOFIC technology, which handles high-contrast scenes like backlit windows or golden hour without blowing out the sky or burying the shadows.

Advanced sensor tech, color latitude

For high-contrast environments, the wide-angle lens captures an impressive 17 stops of dynamic range utilizing DJI’s new LOFIC technology.

This hardware addition allows the camera to effortlessly manage difficult lighting scenarios, like backlit windows or golden hour horizons, keeping the sky intact while preventing shadows from turning muddy.

On the color processing side, DJI has introduced a 10-bit D-Log 2 profile capable of recording over a billion colors. This shift provides editors with significantly more latitude to grade footage in post-production, avoiding the limitations of a baked-in, in-camera look.

High-speed motion, smart framing

In terms of capturing motion, the 4P supports 4K slow motion at 240fps, making it ideal for fast-moving subjects that benefit from a stylized, slowed-down perspective.

A slow shutter video mode is also included, allowing users to organically capture light trails in low-light environments. Physical stabilization continues to rely on a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, drawing directly from the heritage of DJI’s professional Ronin systems.

Weighing just 230 grams, the compact unit incorporates ActiveTrack 8.0 to handle automated subject tracking, maintaining precise focus through the entire 12x digital zoom range — a feature that proves essential for solo creators who need the hardware to handle framing duties.

Practical updates for daily use

DJI has also focused heavily on the realities of on-the-go shooting. The 4P introduces gesture controls, letting users trigger subject tracking or start recording without physically touching the device.

A new 4K Live Photo mode automatically captures a 1.5-second clip alongside every still image, while the main sensor allows for high-resolution 37-megapixel photos that offer plenty of room for cropping in post-production.

The battery charges from zero to 80 percent in just 18 minutes and delivers up to 210 minutes of runtime on a full charge.

Furthermore, files transfer via USB 3.1 at speeds up to 800 MB/s, ensuring that offloading a full day of content is a near-instant process.

Price, availability

The camera launches in both classic black and pearl white, accompanied by a modular accessory ecosystem and DJI Care Refresh protection plans.

It retails for PhP 37,790 for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard. Meanwhile, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo retails for PhP 42,290.

Cameras

Inside an OCR training day with Bring Your Game

Captured on the Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Published

June 19, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The first leg of Spartan Race’s Philippine National Series doesn’t wait for anyone.

We joined an OCR team, BGY BYG aka Bring Your Game, at Bridgetowne Obstacle Park as they put themselves through an obstacle course race simulation. I brought the Canon EOS R6 Mark III to document every athlete giving their best.

Shooting under direct midday sun is its own challenge. The 32.5MP sensor handled the harshness of open daylight without blowing out detail. The 40fps electronic shutter and Pre-continuous shooting meant we were already in the frame before the moment fully happened.

Athletes were moving fast and in every direction, but the 8.5-stop IBIS kept every shot steady as we moved alongside them.

The Dual Pixel CMOS AF II stayed locked mid-sprint, mid-climb, and everywhere in between.

This is what race prep looks like up close.