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Tom's Guide
7 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I tested the Leica Q3 43 for a week and fell in love — there's just one problem
I test some of the best mirrorless cameras here at Tom's Guide. I've tested ones from Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, you name it. And I own a Nikon and Fuji for personal use too. And when you think real hard about cameras, there's one name that always comes up, and that's Leica — premium, classic, sharp, and usually out of most people's budgets. But as is the nature of my job, I'm very lucky that I get to test Leica cameras too. I recently reviewed the Leica M11-D rangefinder and the Leica Q3 43 compact camera. Both of them got glowing recommendations for me, and when I had to return the loan units, I had tears in my eyes (slight exaggeration but you get the sentiment). Pin-sharp precision is what the Leica Q3 43 is all about. Featuring a 60.3MP CMOS sensor and utilizing Leica's best-in-class autofocus system, the Q3 43 captures stunning images with beautiful color reproduction. The new 43mm lens has a standard field of view and comes with a dedicated macro mode. The camera itself is compact and comfortable to use, and for those who like shooting video, it can record 8K/30fps and 4K/60fps footage. Leica cameras are the pinnacle of sharpness and image quality, as my in-depth testing has proven. And I, for one, wish I could get one for myself. But there is a very big hurdle here: four figures that usually come after or before a currency symbol. So what makes the Q3 43 worth the premium? Let me show you. If you were active back in the good ol' days of Tumblr, remember how everyone used to say things like, "That's sharper than Benedict Cumberbatch's cheekbones"? (Or Tom Hiddleston's or Cate Blanchett's, fill in the blanks with your celebrity of choice.) That's how I'd describe the Leica Q3 43's image quality — it's sharper than all the knives in my kitchen. The Q3 43 has a 60.3MP sensor and utilizes Leica's latest Maestro IV processor to make images feel almost ethereal yet lifelike. Color reproduction is absolutely fantastic with a great balance between shadows and highlights. Plenty and plenty of detail is packed in these images, even when you zoom in. Just take a look at the photo of the swan in the gallery above. Feathers? Sharp. Water droplets? Crystal clear. You could use these images straight out of the camera without having to do any post-processing. That's the beauty of the Q3 43. It is a ridiculously good camera that gives you barely anything to complain about. The Leica Q3 43 won me over as soon as I took it out of the box, to be honest. Its ability to capture gorgeous photos and video were the cherries on top of an already delicious cake. There aren't many cameras I test that make me go, "That's a beautiful camera," but the Q3 43 did. It made me actually gasp when I unboxed it. It looks like a million bucks, sporting a compact yet premium look, its front wrapped in a leather-like material. It's as comfortable to hold as it is a treat for the eyes to look at. If you think the Q3 43 is good for stills only, think again. This camera can shoot 4K/60fps and 8K/30fps video, making it great for casual video — I say "casual" because it doesn't have a 3.5mm headphones/mic input/output port, limiting its use out in the field for videography. "So, Nikita, should I buy the Leica Q3 43?" I hear you ask, and I say yes, you should. But if you aren't familiar with the vast world of cameras and have heard whispers about Leicas being great, I have some news for you. These cameras do not come cheap. The Q3 43 retails for $7,380 / £5,900 — but at least it's a fixed-lens camera so you won't need to spend extra on glass over the years. If money is a concern, I completely get it. If you can afford it, though, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't buy the Q3 43. I wouldn't let the price tag put me off because this camera is so ridiculously easy to use with a straightforward control scheme. If it's pure power and image clarity you're after, I can't think of a better camera to recommend. I'm transferring some extra money to my savings account every month now so that I can eventually, one day, get the Q3 43 for myself. That red dot sure costs a lot but to me, it feels like it's worth every cent.
Tom's Guide
12 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
We benchmarked Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac: here's how well it runs on Macs vs. Windows PCs
Nearly five years after launch, Cyberpunk 2077 now runs natively on Macs — and it runs well, if you rely on Apple's MetalFX upscaling tech. I know because here at Tom's Guide our crack team of testing experts has been hard at work in our lab this week benchmarking how well the game runs on a slew of modern Macs. Now we have numbers for how well Cyberpunk 2077 runs on everything from a 2021 M1 Max MacBook Pro to a cutting-edge M4 Max Mac Studio, and the results should get you excited if you've been dreaming of playing CD Projekt Red's cyberpunk RPG. Because our testing reveals that while even the latest Macs can't match the gaming prowess of the best gaming PCs, if you fine-tune the settings and enable MetalFX resolution scaling you can get some pretty good framerates playing Cyberpunk 2077 on your Mac. Before we dig into the data, I wanted to quickly remind you that Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate runs on most Macs with Apple silicon—but there are some key caveats you should know about. Notably, to run it your Mac must be packing an M1 chip or newer and have at least 16GB of unified memory. So we couldn't test how well it runs on an entry-level MacBook Air M1 or MacBook Air M2, for example, because they only have 8GB of memory. On top of that, only Macs with M3 or newer chips support the game's ray tracing features. So as you're looking through our test results, remember that only the M3 and M4 Macs can even run the game with ray tracing enabled. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate launched on the Mac App Store Thursday (July 17), and our testing team immediately downloaded a few copies and started benchmarking it on every Mac we could lay our hands on. So while we haven't yet had a chance to comprehensively benchmark it on every possible Mac configuration, we do have a nice spread of test results that gives you a good sense of how well the game runs on Apple silicon old and new. The quick answer is: pretty well! However, you have to give yourself over to Apple's MetalFX resolution scaling and the nebulous "For Your Mac" graphical preset in order to get a decent framerate playing Cyberpunk 2077 on most Macs. When we did our best to fine-tune the graphical settings to match what we use when running Cyberpunk 2077 benchmarks on Windows PCs, the framerate tanked. If you'd like to get a sense of how different these two configurations look, click to zoom in on the screenshots below. To show you what I mean I'm going to list the specific settings we used for these benchmarks below. But if you're not interested, you can skip straight to the results! Read our test settings ▼ We ran these benchmarks on every Mac we could find using two graphical settings configurations, the vague "For Your Mac" setting that Apple recommends and a slight modification of the "Ray Tracing: Ultra" preset that we use when benchmarking this game on gaming laptops and desktops. On the oldest Macs that did not support ray tracing, we used the "Ultra" preset instead. For full transparency I'm going to share our exact Mac testing settings here so you can see for yourself how we came by these numbers, but if you're more interested in the results feel free to skip down to the next section! Ray Tracing: Ultra "For this Mac" Resolution Scaling Off MetalFX MetalFX Sharpness N/A 0.5 Target FPS N/A 60 Minimum resolution N/A 50 Maximum resolution N/A 80 Frame generation Off Off Texture quality High High Ray tracing (reflections/shadows on, lighting ultra, path tracing off) On Off Crowd density High High Field of view 80 80 Film grain On On Chromatic aberration On On Depth of field On On Lens flare On On Motion blur High High Contact shadows On On Improved facial lighting geometry On On Anisotropy 16 16 Local shadow mesh quality High High Local shadow quality High High Cascaded shadows range High High Cascaded shadows resolution High High Distant shadows resolution High High Volumetric fog resolution Ultra Ultra Volumetric cloud quality Ultra Ultra Max dynamic decals Ultra Ultra Screen space reflections quality Ultra Ultra Subsurface scattering quality High High Ambient occlusion High High Color precision Medium Medium Mirror quality High High Level of detail High High Vsync 60 60 Windowed mode Fullscreen Fullscreen Resolution 2560 x 1440 2560 x 1440 Before I start comparing Windows and Mac results side by side, let me run down how our many Macs performed in these tests. As you can see from our testing, you basically cannot get a steady 30 frames per second or above at max settings on any Mac we have on hand. However, if you're willing to use the "For this Mac" preset and lower the resolution to 1200p you can get decent performance on even a 13-inch MacBook Air. (Ray Tracing) Ultra "For this Mac" 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max (1920x1200) 31.2 78.9 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max (3456x2160) 9.5 43.4 14" MacBook Pro M2 Pro (1920x1200) 36.1 41.4 14" MacBook Pro M2 Pro (3042x1890) 15.8 30.5 13" MacBook Air M3 (1920x1200) 4.3 34.7 13" MacBook Air M3 (2560x1600) 2.6 27.3 15" MacBook Air M4 (1920x1200) 6.1 34.4 15" MacBook Air M4 (2880x1800) 2.8 22.8 16" MacBook Pro M4 Pro (1920x1200) 14.1 65.8 16" MacBook Pro M4 Pro (3456x2160) 4.8 38.8 Mac Studio M4 Max (1920x1080) 29.5 108.8 Mac Studio M4 Max (3840x2160) 8.5 60.2 You might also notice that the older M1 Max MacBook Pro appears to run the game better than the new MacBook Pro M4 Pro, and the reason is simple: M1 and M2 Macs don't support ray tracing, and the game is a lot less demanding without it. So if you have a newer M4 Mac, don't sweat it: disabling ray tracing should give you a nice framerate boost. However, I'd personally be bummed to lose that feature because I find it adds a nice patina of realism to the game. Now let's compare those results to what we saw when we ran the game on some of the latest and best gaming laptops we've recently tested. Before you look at the numbers, keep in mind that this is a raw performance test so we do not enable any graphical upscaling tech like the MetalFX resolution scaling available on Mac. So that means none of these test results were generated using any Nvidia DLSS, AMD FSR or Intel XeSS upscaling. Ray Tracing Ultra Asus TUF Gaming A14 RTX 4060 (1920x1080) 29.6 Asus TUF Gaming A14 RTX 4060 (2560x1600) 15.3 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 5080 (1920x1080) 49.6 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 5080 (2880x1800) 24.3 Razer Blade 14 RTX 5070 (1920x1080) 39.6 Razer Blade 14 RTX 5070 (2800x1800) 9.1 HP Omen Max 16 RTX 5090 (1920x1080) 71.5 HP Omen Max 16 RTX 5090 (2560x1600) 46.8 As you can see, the numbers are generally better than anything you can get running the game on Mac with no upscaling enabled. One notable exception is the 2025 Razer Blade 14, which seems to struggle with this benchmark at its native 1800p resolution. But of course, since we don't benchmark our review units with any kind of upscaling enabled you don't get the full picture of what's possible on a modern Windows gaming laptop with framerate enhancements like Nvidia's DLSS. To show you what I mean, look how fast a modern gaming laptop (the Asus ProArt P16 with an Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and 32GB RAM) can run Cyberpunk 2077 with graphical settings cranked to max (Ray Tracing Overdrive) at its native (2560x1600) resolution with increasing levels of DLSS 4's Multi Frame Generation enabled. Ray Tracing Overdrive Multi Frame Gen x2 73.4 Multi Frame Gen x3 83.7 Multi Frame Gen x4 110.6 That's fairly typical of the performance increase I've seen on multiple gaming laptops and PCs after enabling DLSS and Multi Frame Gen while playing Cyberpunk 2077. Admittedly, when Multi Frame Gen debuted with the first GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards in January I didn't love how the higher levels (3x-4x) seemed to cause disorienting graphical glitches in some games, but nowadays CD Projekt Red and Nvidia seem to have fine-tuned it and even at Multi Frame Gen 4x I rarely see any issues in Cyberpunk. While we haven't yet had a chance to test every config of Cyberpunk 2077 on every Mac, it's pretty safe to say that even the most tricked-out Mac Studio M3 Ultra probably won't run it as well as an equally expensive Windows gaming PC with the latest and greatest. But let me tell you, I've been reviewing some very expensive gaming PCs recently (like this $7,399 Corsair Vengeance i8300) and despite sporting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and cutting-edge components that thing struggles to surpass a solid 80+ FPS with all graphical settings cranked to max—even with DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen 4x enabled. That's in part because Cyberpunk 2077 is a very demanding game that employs some of the latest graphical tech you can get, so it's remarkable that our testing shows you can now play it on a MacBook from four years ago and expect a decent 30-60 FPS, especially if you enable MetalFX upscaling and trust in Apple's "For Your Mac" config. There's no shame in relying on it either, since you also need to rely on DLSS or FSR to get great framerates in the game at peak settings when playing on Windows. So while Windows gaming machines still seem like the best place to play Cyberpunk 2077 if you care about graphical fidelity and performance, it's clear Apple and CD Projekt Red have done yeoman's work to bring one of the best PC games to Mac.
Tom's Guide
13 hours ago
- Health
- Tom's Guide
I'm a personal trainer — improve your squats and runs with this 5-move ankle mobility routine
If your squats and runs have been feeling a little harder than usual, your ankles could be the culprit. Lack of mobility in this crucial joint can cause problems throughout your kinetic chain, resulting in reduced full-body range of motion, increased pain, and even debilitating injuries. Before hitting the squat rack or the treadmill, you'll want to warm up your ankles properly. I always give these five ankle mobility exercises to my personal training clients before any lower body strength training or high-impact cardio sessions. If you've got a yoga mat and a resistance band, you can do this five-move ankle mobility routine too. Not only is it a great way to prepare your body for exercise, but it can also help improve your balance and reduce overall stiffness. In addition to the yoga mat and resistance band, you'll also need a moderately heavy weight and a rolled-up towel. These exercises are appropriate for all fitness levels, but I'll always recommend checking in with your medical team before starting anything new. Meeting with a personal trainer to learn proper exercise form is also a plus. The exercises are: You can view a video on how to do banded ankle dorsiflexion here Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The exercises in this routine address full ankle joint range of motion, promote proper joint mechanics, and strengthen surrounding muscles and tissues. Banded mobilization exercises work by using a 'distracting' force provided by the resistance band. This pulls bone surfaces away from each other, which can open up impingements within the joint and improve alignment. The better your ankle mobility, the more efficiently your body can move. Improved ankle mobility can lead to better form when walking, running, or performing lower-body exercises. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
'Invincible' just got a major update ahead of season 4 — and it's adding a new cast member
"Invincible" season 5 is officially greenlit. Yes, season 4 still won't be here until next year, but according to Variety, Prime Video has seen enough to renew its animated superhero show for another season — despite the fact that audiences haven't seen an episode of the show since the season 3 finale. But that's not the only "Invincible" news we've learned. In its report on the season 5 renewal, Variety also revealed that Matthew Rhys will be joining the cast in an undisclosed role — but I think I know who he's voicing. When "Invincible" creator Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment announced that season 4 will debut sometime in 2026 via an Instagram post, that wasn't the only thing it revealed. The post also announced that "Thragg has been cast." A post shared by INVINCIBLE (@ A photo posted by on Thragg is a familiar name for fans of the "Invincible" comics. Also known as Lord Thragg or Grand Regent Thragg, he is the ruler of the Viltrumite Empire. Since his casting was announced, he's been expected by fans to serve as the main antagonist for Mark Grayson / Invincible going forward. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 30-day free trial for Amazon Prime! Why pay for Prime Video when it's included with Amazon Prime? Try it free for 30 days. Thragg is even more powerful than Conquest in the comics, and those who watched season 3 know how difficult Conquest was to defeat. It's been expected that a bigger name will be cast to voice Thragg, and with the announcement of Rhys joining season 4 in an undisclosed role, I think we've just learned who Thragg is. To be clear, this is entirely speculation. But an actor of Rhys' caliber would make total sense to voice the villainous emperor. Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately: Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I've tested all the viral hacks for sleeping in the heat - this 'obvious' one was the worst
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The caveman cooling method has been causing a stir online during the recent heatwaves. The viral trend recommends closing windows and curtains during the day to keep the hot air hot. It's often used in bedrooms to create a cooler environment for sleep, similar to the dark of a cave. Fairly obvious, right? The caveman method is less a sleep 'hack' and more the advice your grandparents passed on. But while the caveman method comes recommended by experts (and a fair few Tom's Guide comments), I won't be using it this summer. And no, it's not just that the heat has gone to my head... Why I won't be using the caveman method The caveman method is a very sensible (and as Tom's Guide readers have pointed out, "obvious") method to keep your room cooler in a heatwave. And I'm a pretty sensible person so I've surprised myself by turning my nose up at this not-exactly-a-hack-it's-so-obvious sleep hack. Full disclosure: I have tried the caveman method before. While calling it 'caveman' might be a modern viral trend, shutting your windows and blinds has long been a popular method to cool down your house. Which brings me to my first problem: it didn't make my room feel much cooler. My room was now both dark and hot My room is on the east of the house, so I get a great dollop of sunlight to wake me up in the morning. This is normally a good thing — I wake up fresher when there's sunshine to help me along — but in a heatwave it means my bedroom is stifling by early morning. I leave my windows and curtains open in the night to let cold air in but that's followed by heat as soon as the sun rises. Even if I close my curtains once my alarm goes off, the damage is done. Instead of the cool cave I'm dreaming off, it just leaves me in a warm, dark room. Which brings me to the next problem... It sends me circadian rhythm out of sync Against all good advice but as a necessity of space, I have to work in my bedroom. To prevent work ruining my sleep, I have strict boundaries. I make time for breakfast every morning to define the start of the day and I go for a walk every evening to separate work from relaxation. And the final crucial element is that I keep my room bright when I'm working, pitch black when I'm sleeping. I have a SAD lamp and an eye mask to ensure I can achieve this no matter the conditions outside. But the caveman method plunged my workspace into 'bedtime' mode. My SAD lamp brightened things up but within a few minutes it started pumping out its own heat. My dim overhead lamp is cooler but the low light just made me feel sleepy. And I was also miserable. That's what a stuffy, dark room will do to you. My circadian rhythm was all over the place, further confused by the still-bright conditions of my evening walk. I crawled into bed with my head firmly stuck in 'work' mode. In my only slightly cooler room I tossed and turned with a racing mind. When I did fall asleep, I dreamt of mattress deals. Should you use the caveman method? The caveman method is undoubtedly an effective way to cool down your house, as evidenced by the fact people have been using it for eons. However, while cooling might seem top priority when trying to sleep in a heatwave, our circadian rhythms have their own demands. For me, that means a clear separation between my workspace and my sleep space, even though they're in the same room. This was something the caveman method worked against. So for cooler sleep I'll be leaving the Stone Age to jump forward a few millennia and leaning on ye olde electric fan method. 3 methods for cooler sleep I'll be using instead 1. Making my own air con A few years ago I bought a mini fan on a whim and it has since become one of my prized possessions. Despite a small size it packs a cooling punch during warm weather, especially when combined with a frozen bottle of water. To make your own air con, all you need is a fan and some ice. Simply face the fan towards your bed, place a bowl of ice (or a bottle of frozen water) in front of the fan and turn it on. The fan will blow the cold towards you. 2. A warm shower before bed In the morning vs evening shower debate I tend to fall on the side of 'whatever's most convenient' but during summer a warm shower can help me cool down before bed. Moving from the warmth of the shower into a cooler bedroom causes my core temperature to drop, bringing me closer to the perfect temperature to sleep. It also washes off the sweat, sun screen and allergens that threaten to ruin my mattress and my sleep when I go to bed in summer without an evening shower. 3. Ditch the duvet and use a top sheet While I swap my winter bedding for lighter, airier options at some point in mid-spring, during a heatwave even my most breathable duvet is too much. I'd kick off my covers entirely except I like the weight of even a thin blanket. So in summer, I'll switch my duvet for a top sheet. It's snuggly but not warm. Solve the daily Crossword
