Lens manufacturer Venus Optics has created one of the most unusual lenses you will ever see. It is called the Laowa 24mm f/14 Replay 2x Macro lens and its design is more similar to the barrel of a gun than a camera lens.
As weird as the design is, it is not the result of physical limitations or lazy design. Instead, the long-barrel design is done on purpose to help photographers shoot shy macro subjects without scaring them away.
The full-frame lens features a two-to-one maximum macro reproduction ratio and is said to work in “extreme” temperatures and conditions, although details of the exact temperature range and capable environments is unspecified.
In fact, not much at all has been shared about the lens in terms of specs. No mention of the amounts of elements used or even a release date have been made. The only information available seems to be that the lens will be released sometime in 2017 for both Nikon F and Canon EF mounts.
No price has been mentioned, but Laowa is known for affordable glass, so it is not likely to break the bank.
The ultimate question is whether or not it will it actually work as intended, in terms of not scaring insects away? That is uncertain as well.
What can be said is it will most definitely scare away human subjects. Not to mention, you probably will not be fitting this in any camera bag you currently own, as it looks to be about 18-inches long.
Full-frame cameras tend to be chunky beasts, but Sigma wants to prove that big imaging doesn't need a big body. Enter the Sigma FP2, the successor to its tiny, boxy fp mirrorless camera. It keeps the same modular design but packs in some serious upgrades, including a 24.5-megapixel partially stacked full-frame sensor, improved autofocus, 6K video recording, and 70GB of built-in storage. Sigma calls it the world's smallest full-frame camera, and while it might be tiny, the same cannot be said for its price tag.
Sigma FP2 brings faster shooting and 6K video
A phone thermal camera is one of those tools you don’t think you need until the first time it saves you from an expensive problem, and the Thermal Master P3 just got easier to try. For Halloween, it’s discounted with the code THERMCAM10, a 10% cut that works out to $107 off the total. It’s also fresh off a win at the 2026 Tom’s Guide AI Awards for best phone thermal camera, which is the kind of third-party nod that separates a serious tool from the cheap clip-on sensors that flood this category.
We are nearing Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, which officially run October 6 and 7. But there is no need to wait until the sale begins to start looking. Early offers are already live, and camera gear is one category where I found enough worthwhile discounts to put together a proper creator-focused list.
I’ve deliberately gone wider than interchangeable-lens cameras here. There are pocket and action cameras, a 360 camera, an instant camera, two wireless microphone systems, and a pair of webcams covering very different budgets. Prices were checked on October 2, and as always with Amazon, they can move quickly.