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• Palo Alto Networks releases patch for two serious flaws impacting its firewalls
• The flaws were being abused in the wild to drop malware
• CISA added them to its KEV catalog

Palo Alto Networks has revealed it fixed two major vulnerabilities plaguing its firewalls.

The bugs are an authentication bypass in the PAN-OS management web interface (CVE-2024-0012), and a privilege escalation flaw in PAN-OS (CVE-2024-9474). The former has a severity score of 9.3 (critical), and grants crooks the ability to gain admin privileges on the target endpoint, and the latter has a lower score, 6.9 (medium), but helps run commands on the firewall.

Cybercriminals were chaining the flaws to gain admin privileges and run commands on exposed endpoints, it confirmed. Therefore, users are advised to apply the patches as soon as possible.

Added to CISA's KEV

Palo Alto said it was looking into ongoing attacks in which the two bugs were chained to strike “a limited number of device management web interfaces” with malware and arbitrary commands.

"This original activity reported on Nov. 18, 2024 primarily originated from IP addresses known to proxy/tunnel traffic for anonymous VPN services," the company said in an advisory. "At this time, Unit 42 assesses with moderate to high confidence that a functional exploit chaining CVE-2024-0012 and CVE-2024-9474 is publicly available, which will enable broader threat activity."

Both vulnerabilities have since been added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming in-the-wild abuse. Federal agencies have until December 9 to patch the bugs, or stop using the affected firewalls altogether.

Palo Alto said that only a “very small number” of firewalls is being targeted. However, citing data from the threat monitoring platform Shadowserver, BleepingComputer reported that there are more than 2,700 vulnerable PAN-OS instances.

Since a working exploit is already available, and evidence of abuse exists, Palo Alto “strongly” advises its customers to patch up, and restrict access to trusted accounts only.

"Risk of these issues are greatly reduced if you secure access to the management web interface by restricting access to only trusted internal IP addresses according to our recommended best practice deployment guidelines," the company said.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti has joined the roster of leaked Blackwell GPUs
• It will purportedly use the GB203 chip that’s in the RTX 5080
• Obviously it would be a cut-down GB203, possibly with 8,960 CUDA cores

Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs are supposedly arriving at CES 2025, and we’ve just caught a fresh rumor about a new model – a purported RTX 5070 Ti.

So far, the rumor mill has been sharing details about the RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070, so the 5070 Ti is a fresh leak, coming from one of the more regular providers of GPU-related rumors on X, Kopite7kimi.

In this case, Kopite7kimi hasn’t posted any details on X, but instead shared some info directly with VideoCardz.

We’re told that the RTX 5070 Ti is going to have 8,960 CUDA cores, which would mean 70 SMs (Streaming Multiprocessors), and indicates that the graphics card will use a cut-down take on the GB203 chip from Blackwell.

That’s the same chip as the RTX 5080 is rumored to run with (with the GB202 being the flagship GPU for the RTX 5090 alone).

Kopite7kimi also claims power usage will be pitched at 300W for the RTX 5070 Ti, but it isn’t clear what metric the mentioned figure might be (TGP or TDP). At any rate, this is only speculation, so season it liberally.

There’s no info provided about clock speeds at this point, or the crucial video memory loadout. The RTX 5070 has been rumored to run with 12GB of VRAM in the past, worryingly, but other gossip has suggested that a higher-tier variant – like a 5070 Ti or Super – could run with more (to the tune of 18GB).

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Analysis: The ever-swirling rumors around Blackwell

It’s certainly interesting to see the RTX 5070 Ti popping up in leaks now.

It remains unclear if, as per original rumors, Nvidia might just launch a pair of Blackwell GPUs at CES 2025, the RTX 5090 and 5080 - or whether Team Green might just squeeze in another model, such as the RTX 5070, as is already rumored. Or perhaps this RTX 5070 Ti is a possibility? We doubt it, on balance, and Kopite7kimi couldn’t be drawn to comment on that speculation (VideoCardz did pose the question).

If the core count mentioned is correct, it’d be a 16% uplift on the RTX 4070 Ti (as was before Nvidia discontinued that model). Previous leaks around the RTX 5070 have suggested its core count could be relatively low – a 6,400 CUDA core count has been mentioned in the past, for example – and so that looks a bit shakier in light of this latest leak.

It’d be a pretty hefty jump from the 5070 to 5070 Ti if that was the case, a more pronounced leap than with their predecessor graphics cards – although that could be Nvidia’s plan. Either that, or the previous RTX 5070 speculation is off the mark.

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• A Galaxy tri-fold is coming in 2025, according to a South Korean tipster
• Could launch alongside Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7
• Tri-fold will apparently fold inwards to rival Huawei Mate XT

We've already heard murmurs that a Samsung Galaxy tri-fold phone – a foldable with three screens and two hinges – is being prepared for a 2025 launch, and now another well-placed source has added more credibility to the claims.

South Korean tipster Yeux1122 (via Android Authority) reckons that a Galaxy tri-fold is indeed in the pipeline, ready to launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 – so presumably around July 2025.

And... that's all the information we've got from this particular leak. We don't get any more details in terms of specs or design, just another piece of evidence in the case for Samsung releasing a competitor to the Huawei Mate XT.

The Huawei Mate XT, which was unveiled to the world in September, is the first tri-fold phone to be made available to consumers (well, consumers in China at least). It's unlikely to be the last though, as other manufacturers will want to copy the form factor.

More foldables

We can expect a successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 next year too (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Back in October we heard that Samsung had plans for a tri-fold foldable in 2025, which would apparently be launching alongside a budget version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (see our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review for details of this year's model).

While none of these rumors are confirmed just yet, it seems as though Samsung is ready to mix up its foldables strategy in order to get more market share – extra hinges, cheaper prices, and whatever else it can try to tempt more people to make the switch to a foldable.

Google's latest effort in this category has been pretty well received – see our Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review for details – and it seems inevitable that we'll eventually see a foldable iPhone (or iPad), even if it takes Apple a few years to catch up.

That means Samsung, which has been something of a pioneer as far as foldables go, will have to keep upping its game. We can expect to hear more rumors about this tri-fold – which is apparently going to fold inwards – between now and its launch.

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• 300,000 emails from EnamelPin, owner of gs-jj.com, exposed online
• Many originate from .gov or .mil sources, which are used by military or government workers
• The leak exposed the sites links to China

Researchers at Cybernews recently discovered over 300,000 emails from EnamelPin customers were exposed for months thanks to an open Elasticsearch instance.

EnamelPin Inc is the owner of popular gift site gs-jj.com, which sells medals, lapel pins, emblems, and more.

The leaked emails contained personal information such as full names and email addresses, around 2,500 were from .gov and .mil domains. The site is unsurprisingly popular amongst US government officials and military officers, who had ordered products such as coins, patches, and medals.

National Security Concerns

“The emails and attachments exposed sensitive information about high-ranking military officials. They could be used to determine their position in certain Army units, phone numbers, email addresses, and shipping addresses,” Cybernews researchers said.

Other security issues were discovered on the site, such as the exposure of hidden git repository configuration, folder, and file structure of the website.

The data was left exposed for months, according to researchers. The information was publicly accessible from April 22 until December 5, which left many customers at risk, particularly of identity theft.

Whilst EnamelPin Inc is registered in California and aimed at civilians, the leak exposed previous unknown links to China. Researchers found a publicly accessible Git configuration file which revealed the website’s source code repository is hosted on a Chinese server.

The company also has an ‘complete expert team in China’, long delivery times suggest overseas fulfilment, and the customer support team communicate in broken English.

“Due to the Chinese government’s broad powers to access data, it may be risky for US Government and Military officials to use Chinese services, especially in the official settings," Cybernews added.

“This leak raises OPSEC concerns, as ordering patches, emblems, and other items can inadvertently expose ranks, divisions, and personal information.”

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A study by data center specialists Onnec has revealed that local authorities in the UK’s 20 largest cities have overwhelmingly approved data center projects, with 89% of applications receiving planning permission over the past five years. Of the 88 applications reviewed, only three were rejected, five were withdrawn, and one remained undecided.

Onnec looked at 44 local councils and their planning applications for the report. The researchers found that data centers are generally approved, which shows local support for digital infrastructure. To provide computing power and data storage for AI deployment makes that support crucial. Only three applications in Sheffield were rejected. Local authorities looked into possible issues around the design and impact of the centers, along with whether they would fit the character of the surroundings or damage the Green Belt.

Data Center Spread

Notably, the British government has made data centers critical national infrastructure to emphasize their report. That said, the report urges a holistic approach to planning and a nationwide approach to achieve the best outcomes. The UK has pledged £6.3 billion in data center investment as part of its work to make the UK a hub for AI. The UK's Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) is trying to reduce the friction in building data centers. It has looked into rejected projects to see where there is room for improvement.

“Data centers are critical for driving AI growth, and with the race for AI supremacy in full swing, the UK has recognized that to get ahead, the right infrastructure must be in place,” Matt Salter, Data Centre Director at Onnec. “Data centers can become the new oil for regions and cities, but only if they are planned holistically – this means considering every aspect of the data center instead of focusing solely on factors such as power and cooling. For example, thinking about the importance of cabling in providing the bandwidth needed to get the most from data center hardware.

London is the largest data center market in Europe, but the report suggests trying to up the availability of data centers elsewhere in the country. Relying solely on London means there is limited power availability along with problems around sustainability. Spreading data centers to other regions would also mean spreading the benefits to the people there. That means improved job opportunities not only for the data centers but for anywhere that the digital skills required for data centers are useful.

“Failing to take a holistic approach will result in sites that aren’t fit for purpose, don’t deliver on the UK’s needs, and degrade over time – poor planning could mean a new data center can feel five years old after the first year of operation, and in need of an expensive retrofit," Salter said. "The UK risks losing ground in the race for AI supremacy if data centers aren’t built to last.”

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• Windows 11 24H2 just got a new optional update (still in testing)
• It makes useful tweaks to the taskbar, Start menu, File Explorer and more
• Microsoft also provides fixes for a range of bugs in this preview release

Windows 11 24H2 has just received an optional update which comes with some useful tweaks to the interface.

This is patch KB5046740 and it’s in preview – so as ever, you might come across glitches if you install it – and the main changes on the desktop are applied to the taskbar and Start menu.

Beginning with the taskbar, Microsoft has streamlined the system tray – on the far right of the bar – with the date and time being displayed in a more compact fashion. The year is no longer shown (as, let’s face it, that’s pretty much redundant anyway), so you only see the day and month for the date, allowing for the time and date to be shown in a small square (instead of the longer rectangle needed to also fit the year in).

The overall effect is a more neatly-sized system tray, especially when you consider that Microsoft has also made it so that when ‘Do not disturb’ mode is on, the bell icon (for notifications) no longer appears in the tray. Again, that saves space and you can still open the notifications center by clicking on the date and time area.

On top of that, a taskbar bug has been fixed whereby if you have the bar set to ‘automatically hide,’ the search box turns into an icon.

As Windows Latest, which spotted all these changes, also points out, Microsoft has tinkered with the Start menu so that you can right click on pinned apps to produce a jump list.

If you’re not familiar with the jump list, it offers quick access to common functions used with the app in question, or files that’ve been recently opened by the app – it’s basically a handy bank of shortcuts.

Elsewhere, KB5046740 adds a fresh bit of functionality to File Explorer’s context menu, so when you right click on a file, there’s a new Phone link option – selecting this shares the file in question to your smartphone. Also with File Explorer, Microsoft has fixed a bug which caused some weirdness with too much spacing between the icons in the left panel.

In fact, a collection of bug fixes is applied here, including the cure for a Windows Update fail, and the resolution of a problem where the Windows clipboard history got deleted, leaving it blank.

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: An option you should probably pass on

It’s worth noting that with those tweaks to the system tray in the taskbar, if you don’t like the new space-saving measures, you can turn them off and revert to normal (displaying the full date, with year) if you wish.

This update represents a solid polish of the Windows 11 interface, and also applies a raft of bug fixes which are handy, too. Speaking of bugs, however, we should remind you that this is a preview update, and as such, still in testing – so it could have glitches of its own (or said bug fixes may not work, or they could have unintended side effects).

For this reason, we generally recommend steering clear of preview updates, unless you’re really desperate to get the functionality therein. Just think of them as a glimpse of what you’re going to get soon, anyway, because this update will become the December patch for Windows 11 next month (in just over two weeks, on December 10, in fact).

If you follow Microsoft’s update schedule closely, like us, then you’ll likely recall that in December, the company takes a break for the holidays, so while there’s a main cumulative update issued (on December 10, as noted), there’s no preview or optional update for Windows 11 coming later in December. The next release will be the finished patch for January, which will likely be a minor affair.

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• Arcane's showrunners have suggested it'll be a long time before their next project is released
• Multiple League of Legends (LoL) movies and TV shows are in development, but none are in full production
• The award-winning Netflix animated show's creators will only make something they're "really passionate about"

Arcane's creators have implied it'll be a long time before their next League of Legends (LoL) movie or TV adaptation is released into the wild.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar before Arcane season 2 made its initial Netflix debut on November 9, Christian Linke and Alex Yee warned fans not to expect another LoL project, animated or live-action, in the near future. Indeed, while multiple projects were in development, the pair were keen to stress that "we're not in production on any of those".

The disappointing update comes five months after it was announced that Arcane's second season would also be its last. Speaking on a pre-recorded video posted on Arcane's various social media accounts, though, Linke tempered fans' sadness – mine included – by confirming more LoL adaptations were in the works. Even better, one of the best Netflix shows' co-creators said he hoped to have more news to share before the end of 2024.

A message from #Arcane show co-creator @praeco on bringing the story to a close. pic.twitter.com/TlEhH1EWmYJune 11, 2024

With Arcane season 2's final three episodes set to arrive tomorrow (November 23), viewers may be hoping for a reveal of some sort – either as a post-credits scene or a new project announcement on social media – before 2024 is over. The latter is certainly possible but, considering what Linke and Yee told me when I asked for a status update on what's coming next, I wouldn't bank on the former.

"That's the fun part for us right now," Linke replied when I asked which part of LoL champions and/or regions of Runeterra we'd see in Arcane's follow-up. "Really, we're just focusing on what's next.

"Look, we've played the game [League of Legends] forever and there are a lot of characters we're passionate about," Linke continued. "The way we're exploring this is: 'what are we really passionate about?' and 'what do we have that'll be a great story that our audience will also be passionate about?'. We're not in production on any of those yet. We're really just developing stories and scripts right now, so I can't say anything yet, unfortunately. I wish I could. I wish there was this maturity on the internet where everyone goes 'it's okay if it doesn't work out'. Anything we say to you [Tom] is considered to be a hard commitment that'll ends our lives if it doesn't happen!"

No looking back now. "The Line" ft. @twentyonepilots from the #Arcane Season 2 soundtrack is out now: https://t.co/p633gotM49 pic.twitter.com/6L9R9L01CtNovember 22, 2024

"I think that if we were to say, at any point in Arcane's development, that we definitely knew what the end result of this show would be, we would've lied many times," Yee added. "So yeah, I guess it's good that we did the right thing [not say anything] and continue in that manner as we develop these things.

"A lot of the stories that'll excite [LoL] players and Arcane fans are the same ones that excite us. So, the big message from us is, rest assured, we still have the hunger to tell these stories."

I wish there was this maturity on the internet where everyone goes 'it's okay if it doesn't work out'

Christian Linke, Arcane co-creator

Considering it took six years to make Arcane's first season and then over three years to make its sequel, it sounds like we're all in for a long wait for another LoL adaptation to launch on Netflix, aka the world's best streaming service. As I said, we won't have another nine-episode installment of Arcane to tide us over in the interim, either, even though there were rumors that Arcane was initially supposed to last for five seasons. Despite reports to the contrary, Linke and Yee told me it was "never the plan" for Arcane to last more than two seasons. In short: while we wait for an official unveiling on its sequel show, you and I will just have to watch Arcane re-runs for many months and years to come.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves too much. Season 2's third and final act will be with us imminently, so remind yourself what happened in the previous three chapters by reading my Arcane season 2 act 2 ending explained piece. Alternatively, check out Arcane season 2's final trailer to see what it teases ahead of act 3's release.

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Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: One-minute review

Lomography has released an updated version of its popular Lomo’Instant Wide camera, with a new glass lens replacing the previous plastic one. The Lomo’Instant Wide remains one of the few and best instant cameras on the market that makes use of Instax Wide format film, but many Lomo fans will be glad that Lomography has listened to customer demand in launching the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass model. It's a direct rival to Fujifilm's Instax Wide 400 camera, which has also been given a modern upgrade and fresh design, (but which doesn't offer as much creative control).

The Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is being marketed as the sharpest instant camera on earth, and as a long-time fan of instant cameras, I was very eager to test this claim. Lomography sent me an early prototype of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass for this review, and I've been hugely impressed.

(Image credit: Beth Nicholls)

Lomography has made only very minor design tweaks with the new model, and it's easy to see why – if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I love the retro suitcase-style design of the camera, though it's a shame that it still has the offset viewfinder, which has been a bugbear since the original Lomo’Instant Wide was first released in 2015. This can cause issues with framing your subject, though the viewfinder parallax markers do help.

In short, this camera takes beautiful and sharp photos with the 90mm glass lens (35mm equivalent) when focused correctly. It allows for creative shooting with a multiple-exposure mode, flash control, exposure tweaking, and bulb settings, while accessories like the splitzer and colored gels add to the instant fun. The remote-shutter lens cap is genius (just be careful not to accidentally trigger it), and the camera can be used in a studio setting too with external flash thanks to the PC sync port and tripod mount.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: Price and availability

The Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is available for $279 / £249 / AU$299, which I think is a very reasonable price given the image quality it produces and its gorgeous design – I'd buy this camera purely for it to sit on my camera shelf.

It's more expensive than Fujifilm's recent Instax Wide 400 model ($149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99), but isn't quite as premium-priced as other wide-format glass competitors like the Polaroid I-2 ($599 / £599 / AU$1,099), which uses i-Type film, or even the Mint InstantKon RF70 (approx $900 / £999 / AU$1,200), which has been considered for some time as the GOAT of instant cameras (sorry).

Anyone who's looking to buy an instant camera should know that film costs are still quite high, and you aren't guaranteed the same quality that you get with one of the best cameras for photography, or even from using a camera phone in most cases. Instant photography should be more about experimentation and having fun, rather than outright image quality. That said, Instax Wide film is one of the more affordable formats, and it's also very accessible and easy to source for most people.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: specs Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: design

• Lots of manual controls
• The built-in flash can be on/off
• Viewfinder is a bit of a mess

The design of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is one of my favorite things about it. I've seen some pretty ugly instant cameras come to market in the last few years, *cough, Instax Wide 400*, but I love the retro-style design of this Lomo, and the glass lens makes it look much more premium than its predecessor.

It's easy to see why Lomography hasn't changed much in the way of design from the Lomo’Instant Wide to the new Wide Glass model. Although, I did question why the selfie mirror has disappeared from the front of the camera with this latest model. I asked Lomography for some clarification, and a spokesperson told me: "We developed this camera more for professional, studio use in mind and less so for selfie shooting, which is why we didn't feel the need for this feature in this instance."

It's a fair point, and the camera does admittedly look much smarter without it. I managed to still take a selfie with this camera despite the lack of a selfie mirror, which you can see in the sample images section, and I'll talk more about how I captured it in the performance section below too.

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(Image credit: Beth Nicholls)

In terms of build quality, the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass does have a fair bit of weight to it, and it feels incredibly sturdy and premium thanks to the metal lens barrel and glass element. There are two buttons on the back of the camera, one for toggling the flash and the other for multiple-exposure mode, plus a switch for selecting the level of exposure compensation and a dial at the bottom for selecting modes.

I think it's great that the flash can be turned on and off, although be aware that it's always-on by default when you turn on the camera, so if you don't need it remember to turn it off once you're ready to shoot. There are two LED lights above the flash button, one to let you know when the flash is charged (it will light green or blue) and another to tell you it's on.

The shutter button is the striped rectangular button on the front of the camera, and I love that it not only looks cool but has a nice clicky feel to it. The viewfinder is a bit of a mess, though. I often had to triple-check that what I could see through the viewfinder actually lined up with the direction in which the lens was pointing. Inside the viewfinder there are close-up frames to help you compensate for parallax and get a more accurately composed shot, but you still need to keep an eye on this.

(Image credit: Beth Nicholls)

The only real gripe I had with the design in terms of handling was the lack of grip, and the width of the camera, which made it hard to carry around at times (Lomography doesn't include a camera strap accessory with this camera, and I didn't have a spare). I understand that instant cameras, and especially wide-format ones, tend to be on the large side, and this is something that can't really be helped.

I found it slightly annoying that the print counter on the back of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass counts up from 1 to 10 once a new film had been loaded, and that when it shows 10 that means you have one print left to shoot. I'm used to instant cameras counting down from 10, so this took some getting used to.

However, I really like that Lomography included another little window on the back of the camera for you to see the yellow stripe on the film cartridge, as a quick way to tell if film is loaded. Not many film cameras I've used have this, and it's a nice touch.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: Performance

• Can capture super-sharp shots
• Selfies and portrait shots are tricky (use a tape measure)
• Remote shutter-control lens cap

Testing the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass was my first experience of using a Lomography camera, and it took me some serious trial and error to get used to the zone-focusing modes for close-up shots. There are four zones – 0.3 m, 0.6m, 1-2m, and infinity – and you can switch between these by twisting the lens. The original Wide’s closest focus zone is 0.6m. I've used manual instant cameras before, like the Instax Mini 99, and had no issues. So I'm not sure why this particular Lomo camera was so tricky to shoot with – maybe it's just me.

I ended up wasting a ton of film during the testing process with the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass, but I learnt plenty. Pro tip: take a tape measure with you on shoots if you want to gauge the exact distance from the lens to your subject, and measure from the film eject slot, and not from the front of the lens.

Lomography says it plans to release an official camera strap with distance markers soon, to help with assessing the distance for zone-focusing, and this will be available from the Lomography online shop (it's not available at the time of writing).

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Speaking of accessories, the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass comes with possibly the coolest camera accessory I've ever used: a remote shutter-control lens cap. You just need to put in 1 x CR2025 (3V) battery, and you can click one side of the lens cap to act as a remote shutter, while the other side offers an additional button with a timer feature. It works really well, although you do need to be relatively close to the camera for it to pick up the signal, as I found when using it to take a selfie in 0.6m mode.

The Lomo also comes with colored gel filters to place over the flash, as well as a splitzer lens attachment for more control over multiple exposures. I wasn't sent these extra accessories with the prototype camera, only the lens cap, so I didn't get to test them unfortunately. I would have loved to use the splitzer for creating multiple exposures, which came out beautifully in most cases using the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass, and this kind of creativity paired with the unknown element of instant analogue photography gets very addictive.

(Image credit: Beth Nicholls)

The mode dial on the back of the camera has options for A (automatic), B (bulb), f/22 (for manually setting exposure – the prototype I was sent has an f/6 marking but just ignore this), and 1/30 (shutter speed) which is primarily useful for shooting in the studio or when using a tripod. I stuck with using 'A' a lot of the time, and switched to 1/6 (f/22) whenever I wanted a super-sharp shot.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time testing the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass, although I didn't manage to get a single clear macro image, despite many many attempts. With that said, for every blurry and out-of-focus macro shot I got a perfectly crisp landscape shot, so maybe this balances out.

I also found that the prints produced exhibited a lot of vignetting, even when the exposure compensation was set to zero. A bit of research has told me that this tends to be a common theme with Lomography cameras, and it's considered one of those love-it or hate-it aspects of instant photography. Not every print came out like this, and in a lot of cases it occurred when I didn't use flash, so perhaps this contributed to it.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: Sample images

You'll be able to see from the sample images below just how many tries it took for me to get a clear image of my dog surrounded by autumn leaves. What I thought would be within the 0.6m zone was actually sharper using the 1-2m mode – it was all very confusing. This is not an easy-focusing point-and-shoot instant camera like some others I've used, and you'll really need to work at it to get the focus right.

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(Image credit: Lomo’Instant Wide Glass review) Should I buy the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass? Buy it if...

You love wider prints
The Lomo’Instant Wide Glass uses Instax Wide film, which is double the size of credit card-sized Instax Mini prints. If you're serious about showing off your photos there’s nothing like shooting on wider-format film for the maximum amount of detail in your images.

You care about quality
Instant cameras aren't typically known for being sharpshooters, but the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass changes things with a glass lens, and the option for pairing with an external off-camera flash for studio-quality prints.

You're looking for a speedy turnaround time and love the retro vibes
Instant cameras aren't for everyone, but those who appreciate the artistry and nostalgia behind analogue photography will love the gimmick of having an image appear before your eyes, as opposed to shooting with a film camera where developing can take weeks (and is more expensive than ever).

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(Image credit: Lomo’Instant Wide Glass review) Don't buy it if...

You're big into macro photography
I had a difficult time using this camera for close-up shots, and while this doesn't necessarily mean that you will too, instant cameras in general aren't typically used for macro shooting, and can be extremely fiddly to master, with zone-focusing and extra lens attachments to work with.

You hate spending money on film
Instant cameras are an investment. If you want to keep shooting with your camera, then expect to spend a fair amount on film costs (and accidentally waste a few shots), and ensure that you're stocked up. Instax film, and camera film in general, can be very expensive, but it's worth it if you ask me.

You want an easy point-and-shoot
Unlike some instant cameras on the market, the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is aimed at more advanced users and is much more complicated to use than your standard point-and-shoot cameras. This is great if you're willing to learn and master the controls, but not if you want something quick and easy.

How I tested the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass:

(Image credit: Beth Nicholls)

• I used five packs of Instax Wide film (50 shots), including one pack of the black-edition Instax Wide film (10 shots)
• I shot with the camera in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations, and in cloudy, overcast, and sunny weather conditions
• I experimented with self-portraits, landscape shots, multiple exposures, and closer subjects (which I didn't have much luck with).

I used the new Lomo’Instant Wide Glass instant camera for a few weeks, and I fell in love with it pretty quickly (it was hard to give it back) after putting in so much time and effort to get to grips with it. This involved learning how to master the focusing zones by shooting the same subject using different focus points, using a tape measure to accurately measure distances, and physically moving both myself and the subject to determine what worked at which distances.

I put the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass through its paces in most areas and settings, excluding studio use (I sadly didn't have access to one). I tested the performance of this camera by venturing around my home city of Bath in the UK to capture landscape images, and shot portraits and still lifes, using my dog and house plants as my primary test subjects. I got an all-around feel for the camera's handling and user-friendliness too, with the biggest pain point being the viewfinder.

First reviewed November 2024

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture alerted federal authorities about several illnesses in the past week.

(Image credit: Stephanie Schuller)