Weekly Wash: the 5 biggest camera news stories of the week (July 07)

We may be long past Easter, but this week has seen two long-lost entities rise from the dead.

Panasonic has thrown us a curveball and released a new(ish) superzoom bridge camera with a 20-1200mm lens, breathing fresh life into the category.

OM Digital Solutions, meanwhile, has released a brand new Olympus camera , despite promising that the OM System OM-1 would be the last to ever bear the Olympus brand name.

A Welsh wildlife photographer got fined for going too far to get a shot of an extremely rare pair of nesting birds, and speaking of things that fly – DJI drones: to hoard them or not to hoard them, in the wake of a potential ban?

There's also exciting news for vloggers this week, as Sony announced that a new ZV vlogging camera is incoming next week…

A new Sony vlogging camera drops next week!

Sony will announce a new camera next week, which will be a new member in the company's ZV series of vlogging cameras .

The announcement will take place on Wednesday July 10 at 10:00 EDT / 15:00 BST / Thursday July 11 at 00:00 AEST.

A series of teasers have been posted to Sony's social media channels and sent out as email blasts, and a microsite has been set up on the official Alpha Universe webpage…

Read more: Sony is announcing a new Alpha camera next week!

Wildlife photographer handed hefty fine

A photographer has opened up an old debate surrounding the lengths it's acceptable to go to get the perfect shot, especially when it comes to nature.

Welsh photographer John Paul Haffield appeared before Swansea Magistrates Court this week, where he was found guilty and fined more than £1,600 ($2,040 / AU$3,040), for offenses against the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The charge comes after Haffield was accused of disturbing the nest of one of the country’s rarest birds, resulting in the unsuccessful incubation of one of its eggs…

Read more: Anything for the shot? Photographer fined for disturbing incredibly rare Honey Buzzards and their young

Bridge cameras have been resurrected!

Panasonic has unexpectedly launched a new bridge camera, updating the seven-year-old Panasonic Lumix FZ80 (sold as the FZ82 in Europe). The new version will be known as the Lumix FZ80D in North America, and as the Lumix FZ82D in the UK and Europe.

Many of the key specifications of the newer version are the same as those of the 2017 original – including the design, the 60x built-in zoom and the 1/2.3-inch 18MP sensor. However, some new features are being added to the mix.

For starters, there is now a USB-C socket for simpler charging – and the eye-level electronic viewfinder has been upgraded. The new EVF uses a 2,360k-dot OLED with 0.74x magnification – doubling the resolution of the existing model…

Read more: Bridge cameras are not dead! Panasonic brings Lumix FZ80D & FZ82D back to life

And Olympus also makes a come back

In a move that nobody saw coming, a brand new Olympus camera has just been launched: a special edition astrophotography version of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III , formerly the brand's flagship camera.

When Olympus concluded the transfer of its imaging division to OM Digital Solutions in 2021, it signaled the end of the Olympus brand name appearing on cameras. Well, it was supposed to.

While the company insisted that the OM System OM-1 would be the last camera ever to bear the Olympus brand name, OM has just announced the new OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro – which, as you can see, bears the Olympus logo…

Read more: Olympus is NOT dead! A new camera launches from beyond the grave

Should you panic buy, or panic sell your DJI drones?

A couple of weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban new DJI drones in America – which is now sitting around awaiting the Senate's attention. At first many panicked and rushed to sell their drones – but that might be a very bad move.

We actually spoke to DJI about the proposed ban , who openly called it worrying, but even if it passes it is not likely to be retroactive – meaning that existing DJI products would still work.

In fact, for the drones to stop working, the American government would have to ask a company that it keeps labeling as a "Chinese company" to send a software update that would brick them. Not only would that be exceptionally fascist, but it is asking a lot of a company you've just barred from doing business; when the US government banned Huawei phones, that company didn't brick old models either…

Read more: With a ban being discussed, is now the time to snap up DJI bargains – and hoard them?

Check out our guides to the best drones for beginners and the best camera drones , as well as the best bridge cameras and the best cameras for wildlife photography .