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A woman sits at a wooden table examining documents, surrounded by boxes of papers. A camera on a slider is positioned in front of her, and sunlight streams in from a window with houseplants on the sill.

Filming an Interactive Immersive Documentary Using a Custom Blackmagic 3D Camera Rig

Last week, PetaPixel spoke to the creative team behind the new immersive documentary, D-Day: The Camera Soldier, that explores the untold story of a D-Day combat cameraman through reconstructed old photos and footage and current-day interviews for Apple Vision Pro users. Today, Blackmagic Design detailed the miniaturized 3D rig it made for filming the immersive experience.

Leica LUX Re-Review: A Year of Progression, But Still a Few Stops Short

A smartphone mounted on a tripod is taking a black-and-white photo of a street scene. Camera settings are visible on the screen. The "PetaPixel Reviews" logo is overlaid on the bottom right corner.

When I first reviewed Leica LUX, I approached it with a blend of cautious optimism and healthy skepticism. Leica’s decision to enter the mobile photography app space was bold, considering both the reverence surrounding the Leica name and the saturated, high-standard world of iPhone photography apps -- where names like Halide, Obscura, and ProCamera dominate. At launch, Leica LUX showed promise but also left a lot to be desired. Now, nearly a year later, it’s time to revisit it. Spoiler alert: there's been meaningful progress -- but also stubborn blind spots that Leica needs to address if LUX wants to compete at the top tier.

Fascinating Documerica Photo Project Focused on US Pollution in the 1970s

A split image: on the left, a junkyard with debris and the New York City skyline, including the Twin Towers, in the background; on the right, a man in a tank top and painted jeans holds a small dog.

In the early 1970s, the United States was facing growing public concern over pollution, environmental degradation, and the future of the natural landscape. In response, the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a wide-ranging photographic initiative known as Documerica, aimed at capturing the state of the American environment and the lives of people affected by it.

A white Apple logo with a subtle rainbow sheen appears above the text "WWDC25" in a colorful gradient on a light background.

What to Expect at Apple WWDC 2025

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is scheduled for Monday, June 9 at 1 PM ET (10 AM PT). Apple is expected to unveil its new operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and Mac, alongside possible hardware announcements.

Close-up of an OM SYSTEM OM-1 camera with a zoom lens on the left, and a detailed image of a brown duck resting in green grass on the right.

Advances in Digital Zoom Technology Breathe New Life into Shorter Lenses

Although not heavily promoted by manufacturers, the digital zoom feature included in many recent camera models has significantly improved since it was first introduced in the mid-2010s. Early versions were crude, simply enlarging a portion of the sensor’s data without additional processing. As a result, images were widely criticized for poor detail and heavy artifacts—and that reputation still lingers.

Side-by-side images: on the left, a vintage-style camera on a stone surface; on the right, a hand uses a smartphone to browse a photo gallery, with a camera and coffee cup nearby.

Fujifilm X half Companion App: What It Does and Why You Need It

While the Fujifilm X half camera is not expected to arrive for 10 or so days, its companion app has arrived on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Now is as good a time as any to break down what the companion is, what it does, and why all X half owners should absolutely use it. The app is a vital part of the overall X half experience.

Two sets of six camera lenses, one set black and one set white, are arranged in two rows on a white background. Each lens displays focal length and aperture markings.

7Artisans INFINTE Full-Frame Cine Primes Promise Pro Quality for Around $800

After some teasers at NAB, 7Artisans has fully revealed its new INFINTE Series cinema lenses. The full-frame series of cine primes cover focal lengths from wide-angle (16mm) to telephoto (135mm) and support interchangeable PL and EF mounts. However, with adapters, filmmakers can use the new 7Artisans INFINTE lenses on all major mirrorless platforms, including E, Z, RF, and L-mount.

A galaxy seen edge-on with a bright core divided by a diagonal line; the left side is hazy and smooth, while the right side is detailed with blue spiral arms and stars.

Webb Wears Two Hats to Photograph the Sombrero Galaxy

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) first photographed the Sombrero galaxy late last year. Months later, the $10 billion space telescope has set its sights back on the galaxy, this time at different wavelengths of light, completing a mind-bending photo of Sombrero's galactic disk.

Two white camera lenses are displayed on the left, labeled 65 and 135. On the right, two images show a woman in warm, golden light: a close-up and a scene of her sitting at a decorated table.

Viltrox Unveils New Macro and Telephoto Anamorphic Cine Lenses

Viltrox has expanded its acclaimed Epic anamorphic lens line with the debut of the Epic 65mm T2.8 Macro 1.33X PL and Epic 135mm T2.4 1.33X PL. These two new lenses solidify a fully unified cinematic toolset (25mm to 135mm), offering filmmakers a versatile arsenal for widescreen storytelling across the entire focal spectrum.

A collage of three artistic photos: a person silhouetted against a city view, a double exposure of a photographer and urban buildings, and the Statue of Liberty next to a person holding a camera.

Lomography Launches Travel Guides for Globetrotting Photographers

In an age of Instagram-perfect itineraries and AI-generated bucket lists, Lomography is offering something refreshingly human: Lomo Travel Guides, a newly launched collection of city adventures curated not by algorithms but by analog-loving explorers from its global community. Although catered toward film photographers, all photographers can benefit from the new travel guides.