A portrait of a First Nations Elder, a burning gas crater in the Turkmenistan desert, and an image exploring the environmental impact of plastic have taken out the top honors at the 2026 Head On Photo Awards, announced as the Head On Photo Festival opens in Sydney, Australia.
A satellite has captured a sublime image of the International Space Station (ISS) as the two objects sailed past one another in the sky.
In April, I reviewed the Sharge Disk Pro, the industry's first actively cooled hub with a built-in SSD. I liked it, but found that big selling point to be the worst feature: the fan was just the right level of pitch to be noticeably annoying. Just a few months later, Sharge released the follow-up, and it might just be the most impressive example I've ever seen of a company taking user complaints to heart.
95 Certified Keeper Sigma 85mm f/1.2 DG Art 16 reviews 
84 OM System PEN 23 reviews 
93 Certified Keeper Nikon Z8 47 reviews 
86 Certified Keeper Sigma 20-60mm f/2.8-4 DG Contemporary 10 reviews 
New 89 Certified Keeper Nikon Nikkor Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S 9 reviews 
69 Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 5 reviews 
New 82 Sigma FP2 13 reviews 
94 Certified Keeper Sigma 50-120mm f/2.8 DC OS Contemporary 6 reviews 
89 Certified Keeper Sony a7 V 28 reviews 
89 Tamron 16-50mm f/2.8 A 6 reviews 
89 Certified Keeper Sony a7R VI 29 reviews 
84 Apple iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max 61 reviews 
74 GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS 13 reviews 
90 Certified Keeper Canon EOS R6 Mark III 31 reviews 
74 Nikon Z5 IIC 9 reviews 
91 Certified Keeper Canon EOS R5 Mark II 24 reviews 
89 Certified Keeper Nikon Z6 III 58 reviews 
New 83 Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.4 Pro 13 reviews 
42 Godox C100 11 reviews 
89 Certified Keeper Oppo Find X10 Pro Max 40 reviews 89 Certified Keeper Nikon Nikkor Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S 9 reviews 83 Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.4 Pro 13 reviews 82 Sigma FP2 13 reviews 89 Tamron 16-50mm f/2.8 A 6 reviews 94 Certified Keeper Sigma 50-120mm f/2.8 DC OS Contemporary 6 reviews 89 Certified Keeper Oppo Find X10 Pro Max 40 reviews 74 Nikon Z5 IIC 9 reviews 
80 Mandler 50mm f/1.4 Pre-A 5 reviews 69 Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 5 reviews 
93 Certified Keeper Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS 7 reviews 
80 Canon EOS R8 Mark II 17 reviews 
79 Apple iPhone Duo 31 reviews 84 Apple iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max 61 reviews 84 OM System PEN 23 reviews 86 Certified Keeper Sigma 20-60mm f/2.8-4 DG Contemporary 10 reviews 95 Certified Keeper Sigma 85mm f/1.2 DG Art 16 reviews 
87 Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye 10 reviews 
89 Fujifilm XF 400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR 9 reviews 
92 Certified Keeper Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS 8 reviews 
81 Sony FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS 8 reviews A new species of howler monkey has been discovered in Brazil and has already been spied crossing life-saving rope bridges built by conservationists.
Director Rian Johnson and cinematographer Steve Yedlin are used to teaming up to make films and TV shows like Looper and Knives Out. But the two recently collaborated on a smaller screen: a camera app for iPhone.
Photographer Dara Ojo began his macro journey while living in China during the pandemic. Initially, it was a way to explore the natural world during lockdowns, but it became a bigger obsession for the Nigerian-born photographer.
NVIDIA's longtime CEO, Jensen Huang, has resigned following multiple affairs, including one with an alleged spy and a second with an executive who reported directly to him.
Oh Tap! just announced Vault, a photo and video storage platform that features simple sharing and private galleries designed for event photographers.
"A photographer drops in a whole wedding or event, picks the best shots and sends the client one private link with the studio's logo and colors. The client opens it on any phone with no app or sign-in, hearts favorites, approves photos and videos, and can comment on a moment in a video," Oh Tap! founder Prash Prabagaran says. "Every account starts with 5 GB for photos and videos and no card, there's no paid tier, and pros can ask for up to 100 GB."
You can see an example client gallery here and look at Oh Tap!'s terms of use and privacy policy here.
Yesterday, Adobe announced a bunch of updates across its ecosystem and while many of them are really great, the overwhelming sentiment online is negative due to the company's focus on AI. This might be a good time to resurface a story I wrote back in April, because it seems just as relevant now as it was then.
We are continuing to build PixelMeter in direct response to your requests, which last week led to the addition of a comparison tool and now, today, we've opened up user reviews. Consider this a first pass, so only PetaPixel Members will be able to leave reviews. We hope this cuts down on review bombing and we'll look at possibly opening this up to non-Members in the future.
You can find the option to add a User Review on any product page under critic reviews. Let us know what you think!
RØDE Capture, the compay's all-in-one mobile content production app, is now available on Android. It is designed to simplify mobile production by bringing microphone configuration and video recording controls together within one interface. Depending on the connected microphone, available audio controls include gain adjustment, Gain Assist, Noise Reduction, split or merged recording modes and high-pass filtering. The app supports a broad selection of RØDE microphones, including products across its Wireless range, compact on-camera microphones and USB desktop microphones.
"A key feature for Android users is Direct Connect, which enables compatible RØDE wireless transmitters to connect directly to a smartphone without requiring a separate receiver," RØDE says. The app is available to download now from Google Play.
Tamron has announced the return of its annual Photo and Video contest. Entries are accepted across seven categories (Landscape, Wildlife, Portrait, Macro, Video, Legacy, and Fast Action) and winners will receive $1,000 cash as well as a choice of a Tamron lens worth up to $1,299.
"Entries must be captured using current Di and Di III Tamron lenses, as listed on the company’s website for qualifying categories, apart from submissions entered in the Legacy category. The Legacy category is open exclusively to work created with discontinued Di, Di II, and Di III lenses," Tamron says.
Each category winner is eligible for the first-place prize along with seven more each second and third place prizes worth $500 and $300. Full contest rules can be seen on Tamron's website. Submissions will be accepted until November 30.
Last month, CineStill partnered with NBC to photograph the Emmy's red carpet event entirely on film, but didn't stop there: it also processed and scanned the film on location.
"For the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, we partnered with NBC to celebrate their 100th year by photographing the entire event — from the red carpet, to the awards show, to backstage BTS — all on film. But we even took it a step further by processing and scanning the film live on-site during the awards. Select photos on film were then published the next day by VanityFair as an exclusive behind the scenes look at the Emmy’s on film," Cinestill explains.
"All of the images were photographed by Ashley Osborn and Brian Wright, entirely on 800T, both in 35mm and 120 Medium Format film."
In addition to the short video above, CineStill just published a blog detailing the whole experience.
The writers behind Saturday Night Live have turned their wicked pens toward wedding photographers, mocking them for being overly enthusiastic.
It's true that the pressure of nailing all of the shots on a bride and groom's big day can make a photographer frantic, but drones inside the church is definitely OTT.
Fujifilm has announced the return of its Create With Us tour that originally started with a Seattle event in 2023. The event continued in Austin for 2024, followed by Minneapolis the following year. Now the event is going nationwide and kicking off first in Dallas on December 5, 2026 and Miami on January 16, 2027.
"Each stop on the tour will offer something a little different, shaped by the local creative community. Planned activations include Hands-On Demo stations, where attendees can explore Fujifilm cameras and lenses, guided photowalks, sponsor-led product demos, workshops led by experienced industry professionals, and a networking meetup to finish out the day," Fujifilm says.
Admission to these events is free. Fujifilm says these two events mark the beginning of a wider schedule, with more destinations to be announced in the future. To see what each event is offering and to register to attend, visit Fujifilm's website.
Images 2.6 has arrived in ChatGPT. Beyond expected improvements like faster image generation, Images 2.6 can also turn a prompt or photo into an editable animated GIF. The memes will go wild.
"People now generate more than four billion images per week across ChatGPT and the API, up from more than three billion per week that we shared eight weeks ago during the launch of Images 2.5," ChatGPT says. "On average, that's more than 500 million images per day."
A photographer who has covered a Los Angeles high school football team for free over the past 28 years says she was abruptly told she could no longer take photos, despite meeting all the required qualifications.
The 35mm focal length is the most popular prime lens on the planet, and for part two of our look at the Zeiss ZM lenses, I’m not just going to talk about one lens; I’m showing you three!
A leading South Korean politician is facing fierce backlash from the country's media after referring to photojournalists as a “pack of hyenas” in an online chatroom -- an insult that has prompted a formal police complaint from press photographers.
Leica has announced a new special edition version of both the M-A and M11-P cameras that brings what the company describes as a classic design that it also rarely uses: hammertone.
Blackmagic Design has announced the Ambisonic Microphone, a new professional mic designed to capture spatial audio for immersive video productions.
A photographer has sued Sony, accusing the company of posting his "iconic" 1974 portrait of Stevie Wonder on Instagram without permission.
A pizza shop customer used AI to edit a photo of their pizza in a bid to get a refund -- but it ultimately failed.
Annie Leibovitz has teamed up with Hollywood star Florence Pugh and British carmaker Jaguar.
What makes a great photography adventure? People travel with their cameras for different reasons. For some, travel itself is the main attraction, with photography opening the door to longer, richer experiences. For others, it is the chance to develop new skills by photographing new landscapes, wildlife, or cultures around the world.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) biologists caught a one-in-a-million fish in Oswego, New York, and it sure is a looker.
A new retro-inspired digital camera with a waist-level viewfinder has quickly raised nearly $270,000 on Kickstarter, absolutely shattering its meager $4,996 funding target.
This week on the PetaPixel Podcast, the team discusses the updates coming to Canon's EOS Cinema line as well as Nikon's ZR, Wandrd tried to reinvent the camera strap, an Jordan Drake sits down with Jared Raab, cinematographer of BlackBerry and Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie.
Metalenz has acquired Israeli startup PxE Imaging. PxE's claim to fame is its Holocoder technology, a replacement for the Bayer color filter found on traditional image sensors.
The 1839 Awards has announced the winners of its annual Photographer of the Year contest, celebrating exceptional, creative photography across multiple categories. Photographers from nearly 80 different countries entered the 2026 edition.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard's new documentary about Richard Avedon, succinctly titled just Avedon, has arrived on Netflix, and is being lauded by critics. Early indications suggest it's a must-watch, especially for photography fans.
Leica is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Noctilux lens family with the launch of a book that is centered on the optical achievement over the years. "From the first series-produced Leica lens with aspherical surfaces to the newest wide-angle variant, this book tells the story of how an audacious idea became a legend," Leica says.
I know how to take pictures, but ask me how the lens on my camera is made and I have a lot less to say. A visit to the Okaya Manufacturing Site in Japan, followed by some research afterward, gave me a lesson in a subject I’d never understood particularly well. I wanted to understand how the glass inside a lens is crafted, how the tools used in that process are prepared, and how people learn to do that work.
Canadian photographer and inventor Peter Modzelewski has launched Forma on Kickstarter via his independent photo gear studio, Oramod. It is a pocket-sized optical viewfinder designed for a wide range of film and digital cameras.
In May, VSCO came under scrutiny for wording in its Terms of Use that seemed to give the company permission to use certain user content to develop, train, and improve generative AI or machine learning models. It has now taken the extra step to clarify that it doesn't do that, and won't.
Home security can now fly. Amazon-owned Ring has announced the Ring Drone Cam, a $250 indoor flying security camera designed to automatically patrol a home's interior.
The good news keeps coming for photographers using Adobe's software. Alongside big Lightroom Classic updates, Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) has been updated today to version 19.0, ushering in a wide range of tweaks, some of which are major.
Adobe's MAX press kit focused on just a few updates to Lightroom and gave Lightroom Classic no specific attention, but that doesn't mean that the popular RAW editing and organization app hasn't received big changes. Lightroom Classic 16.0 is here, and it includes a ton of meaningful improvements.
The finalists for this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) have been announced -- a competition showcasing the very best of close-up, macro and micro photography.
Beni, the adorable rolling robot which made waves with tech YouTubers when its beta version was first shown off last July, is now a finished product. Mondo Robotics has announced the robot cameraman is available to purchase today for $799.
Peak Design has expanded its line of Roller Pro rolling luggage to include three new hardshell suitcases called Roller Lite, which appears to be a play on the design's ability to retain hardshell exteriors but with lighter construction than what the style is known for.
Just over a year ago, Aura unveiled its first cord-free e-paper digital picture frame, the 13.3-inch Aura Ink. The company has now introduced the Aura Ink 10", a smaller e-ink digital frame that builds upon the success and technology of the original Aura Ink 13".
Adobe has been developing agentic AI for years, and at this year's Adobe MAX in Miami, it looks like it has finally been fully unleashed. Adobe is ushering in significant expansions to the Adobe Creative Agent, which users can direct using text across not only Adobe's Firefly AI platform but also Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop and Premiere.
Adobe is updating Premiere with a ton of AI-based tools and assistance as well as promising a new, wholly revamped approach to color grading.
Today at Adobe MAX 2026 in Miami Beach, Adobe announced a wide range of updates to its core applications and technologies, including Photoshop and Lightroom.
Leica has announced the Cine Play 1 Plus, an upgraded version of its compact 4K smart projector that increases brightness and contrast compared with its predecessor.
A photographer has died after she was struck by a vintage airplane that she was taking pictures of.
IMAX reported its strongest quarterly financial performance in the company’s history last week, with record box office, revenue, and profits for the third quarter of 2026.
ProMaster, a brand known for making quality gear for every kind of creator, is bringing you deals you can’t miss this holiday season. From a multitool tripod and stylish rolltop backpack to a portable studio kit and adaptable softlights, there’s something for everyone (including you!). These products are on sale for a limited time, so shop now to take advantage of the sales and check your favorite photographer off your list!
Artizlab has announced the Classic-M 1:1.4/50mm, a new 50mm prime lens that emulates the character and appearance of the classic Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4 (E43) lens.
The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) has unveiled the incredible winning photos from its annual 2027 Showcase. The award-winning images show wildlife doing amazing things, stunning landscapes, and the most beautiful nature from around the world.
Red Bull Rampage is one of the most demanding events in mountain biking, but the challenge isn't limited to the riders. Photographers covering the competition must navigate steep, unforgiving terrain while carrying heavy equipment, often with only one opportunity to capture a defining moment.
Moment has announced the Go Front Pack, a small sling bag that the company says was inspired by hydration and running vests. It mounts on the user's chest, giving them immediate access to a phone, lenses, filters, and cables without bouncing when the wearer moves.
Sirui has announced the Aurora 15mm f/1.6 and 24mm f/1.4 wide-angle lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Italian filmmaker Claudio Ripalti released Director Mode, a new iPhone and iPad app that lets videographers monitor and control up to four wirelessly connected cameras. As of now, the app works with a wide range of Canon and Sony bodies.
A New Zealand weather camera has captured a remarkable 20-year time-lapse showing two decades of changing skies over Lower Hutt -- a city close to the capital of Wellington.
Wyoming is the most AI-paranoid state in the U.S., recording 4,700 annual searches per 100,000 residents. Vermont ranks second with 4,300, followed by Alaska with 3,600.
Nvidia, a $4.5 trillion company at the time of writing, has a new CEO scandal. Nvidia said on Sunday that its board is investigating whether its CEO, Jensen Huang, had been targeted by foreign intelligence as part of an extramarital affair.
A Red Baron pizza worker who was filmed being harassed by a prankster pretending to steal $20 from him has paused donations on a GoFundMe page set up on his behalf after it neared $800,000.
