analysis

PaaS: Photography as a Service

The age of the camera is slowly coming to an end—especially the bulky DSLR and all its associated declinations.

What’s Really Behind Getty Images’ Acquisition of Unsplash

It was so close to the first of April, it sounded like an April’s fool hoax: the gentle freedom-loving all sharing company would be selling to the greedy capitalistic money-making titan. Or, in other words, Getty Images was acquiring Unsplash. The two unlikely partners officially became at the end of April, sending ripples through the stock photography world and beyond.

How Much Does Lens Sharpness Matter?

Many of us enjoy quality. Be it a car or a lens, there's a pleasure in using quality things. And in the case of lenses, how perceivable is the quality of the images captured?

7 Composition Techniques Seen in The Queen’s Gambit

Now and then, it just so happens that I find a show or movie that visually amazes me. I was blown away by the colors of Grand Hotel Budapest and by the cinematography of Birdman. The hit Netflix series The Queen's Gambit is one of those surprises that I have discovered recently.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max: Real Pro Photography

Over at Halide HQ, we’ve been busily working away on a very deep, technical analysis of what’s new in iPhone 12 cameras this year. All four of ’em. On Friday, we got our hands on the final iPhones in this year’s line-up, the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Is There Anything Nikon Can Do to Keep Up With the Competition?

On the 14th of October, Nikon is set to announce its latest cameras. These are due to be updates to the Z 7 and Z 6 mirrorless cameras. There are a lot of expectations, but the biggest expected update for these cameras is... the second card slot.

The Problem with Using Large Format Lenses on a Digital Camera

Large format photography still enjoys the status of a noble branch in image-making. Legendary names like Planar, Dagor, Heliar, Symmar, and Angulon -- to mention just a few milestones in lens’ history -- bear an almost supernatural aura of excellence.

Why the Sale of Kodak Paper and Chemistry to China is a Good Development

When a few days past, the news circulated that Kodak Alaris had sold its paper division to Hong Kong-based Chinese company Sino Promise, reactions were mixed and ranged from disinterest over protectionist outrage to the fear that analog photography would finally meet its demise.

Does Micro Four Thirds Have a Future in Photography?

The photography industry has been shrinking and the COVID-19 pandemic has not made things any better. This smaller market is being shared by the same number of companies, which could mean some huge changes for the industry. As formats go, Micro Four Thirds isn’t looking strong through this time.

Why UV Filters are Basically Useless on Modern Cameras

We’re going to ask a controversial question: What do UV filters do, exactly? A UV blocking filter, (not to be confused with a UV Bandpass filter, which has the opposite function) is perhaps the most standard lens filter out there. It’s sold with every beginner lens filter kit along with polarizers and ND filters, and sometimes it’ll even ship with your camera.

The State of the L-Mount Alliance, One Year Later

For Canon, Nikon and Panasonic/Leica/Sigma, 2018-2019 was the first year where they all truly “went for it” when it comes to full frame mirrorless. All three released full-frame mirrorless cameras, and all three seemed to have different priorities with those releases. In this three-part series, we’re looking at each of these companies in their first year and evaluate where each of them stands today in what is now a very competitive market.

Why Did Canon Just Now Decide to Wake Up?

Last night we got our first official glance at Canon's vision for their future in the R5 development announcement, and it looks to finally be an example of full-frame mirrorless taken seriously. In a morning discussion here at PetaPixel, the question was raised: why did Canon just now decide to wake up?

In (Partial) Defense of Flickr

On December 19, 2019, Flickr (and SmugMug) CEO Don MacAskill posted a letter entitled “The world’s most-beloved, money-losing business needs your help.” MacAskill described how SmugMug saved Flickr from an imminent demise at the hands of Verizon, and how the company needed the photo community to step up to staunch the money-losing operation.

The State of Canon’s RF Mount, One Year Later

For Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic, 2018-2019 was the first year where they all truly "went for it" when it comes to full-frame mirrorless. All three released full-frame mirrorless cameras, and all three seemed to have different priorities with those releases. In this first of three segments, we're going to take a look at each of these companies in their first year and evaluate where each of them stands today in what is now a very competitive market.

The Clash of Palladium and Silver

September 21st, 1979. Forty years ago, British rock photographer, Pennie Smith immortalized the destruction of a Fender P-Bass guitar by Paul Simonon of The Clash on the stage of The Palladium in New York City, on gorgeous B&W 35mm film.

Is ‘Ali vs. Liston’ the Greatest Sports Photo of the Century?

I'm Martin from the All About Street Photography channel, and today I want to talk about the photo "Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston" by photographer Neil Leifer. I am going to take a closer at the story behind the photograph and why is this picture so iconic.

A Closer Look at the Iconic Cyclist Photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson

What's up photography fans? It's Martin from All About Street Photography, and today I want to talk about Henri Cartier-Bresson's iconic photo of a cyclist, titled Hyères, France. I am going to take a closer look at the composition as well as at the story behind the photograph.

Scientific Errors in Those Nat Geo Milky Way Photos

The night sky offers an unlimited source of markers (e.g. stars, constellations, Milky Way, etc.) that never lie about the time of year and location in the world you shot a night sky picture from. You don’t even need to be a professional astronomer or to double-check RAW files to prove it.

Learning Photography From a $90.3 Million Painting

Last month, legendary British painter David Hockney's 1972 painting titled “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” (shown above) sold for a jaw-dropping $90.3 million, the highest auction price ever for a living artist!

The Usability Issues of the Canon EOS R

After buying the new EOS R, Canon's first full-frame mirrorless, photographer Michael Andrew of Michael the Maven was disappointed by the camera usability. Here's an 11-minute video in which Michael points out the things in the EOS R that drove him crazy.

Canon vs Sony: Skin Tones in Portraits and How to Correct Them

After years of shooting portraits with Canon cameras, photographer Sean Tucker recently switched over to Sony gear. After many people warned him that his portraits would suffer from Sony's "terrible" skin tones, Tucker decided to put the cameras to the test himself in the 20-minute video above.

Why Kodak Died and Fujifilm Thrived: A Tale of Two Film Companies

The Kodak moment is gone, but today Fujifilm thrives after a massive reorganization. Here is a detailed analysis based on firsthand accounts from top executives and factual financial data to understand how and why the destinies of two similar companies went in opposite directions.

Was the Fujifilm GFX a Mistake? Should Fuji Have Gone Full-Frame Instead?

Of all the current camera manufacturers, if you were to call me a fanboy of any of them, Fujifilm would be the most accurate. There’s good reason too: it produces some of the best cameras on the market and its commitment to offering meaningful updates, after the fact, is uniquely wonderful.

Why That $699 MacBook eGPU May Be a Waste for Photographers

Last week, Apple and Blackmagic unveiled a new $699 external GPU (eGPU) that brings "desktop-class" graphics performance to MacBook Pros. But if you were hoping that it would be a godsend for speeding up your sluggish Photoshop or Lightroom for post-processing photos, you may want to check out this new 16-minute review by photoshopCAFE.

The Nikon D850’s Sensor is Made by Sony: Report

The Nikon D850 contains one of the most highly regarded sensors on the market today, and Nikon has touted the fact that it was designed entirely by Nikon and not simply an off-the-shelf sensor. But in case you were wondering who its manufactured by, a new report has now concluded that it's a Sony-made sensor.