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A Guide to Third-Party Chinese Lens Brands

Lenses are big business: while we have seen the value of camera shipments nose-dive year-on-year, lens value has slowly increased and is now equal to about a third of the camera market. It's for this reason that third-party manufacturers have increased their stake in this market and particularly at the low-cost end where Chinese manufacturers proliferate. Who are these companies and what does their appearance presage in terms of the camera market as a whole?

Ep. 370: It Sure Sounds Like Nikon Wants Out



Episode 370 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Photographer, Scott Bline

Ep. 369: Is This Another Sign DSLRs Are Dead? – and more



Episode 369 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Photographer, Austen Hunter

Ep. 368: Canon Introduces the EOS R7 and R10 – and more



Episode 368 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Photographer, Jon Erlien

A Photographer’s Kit for Getting Out of a Creative Rut

For photographers, creativity is the difference between a nice photo and a NICE photo. But what happens if you’re not feeling very creative? That’s when I like to dive into what I call my “photographer’s creative kit,” a bunch of different things to try.

Laowa 85mm f/5.6 Review: The Smallest 2x Macro Packs a Big Punch

The new Venus Optics Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2x Macro lens is one of the smallest macro lenses that I’ve ever used for a full-frame sensor. It is even smaller than the Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2:1 for Micro Four Thirds, and that’s no mean feat!

Ep. 354: To Buy Used Gear…or Not? That Is the Question – and more



Episode 354 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Photographer Irene Rudnyk

A Review of the Sony Alpha 1 for Wedding Photography

Ever since the a9 in 2017, Sony has dominated the spec charts. As with all camera brands, different product lines had different strengths -- speed, resolution, video. In 2021 however, Sony dropped a surprise with the Alpha 1, which combines the best of everything that came before it.

A Review of the 7Artisans 60mm f/2.8 Mark II Macro Lens

Macro photography in the field is not always easy or comfortable, often requiring long hours outdoors in the heat. So now more than ever, I’m seeing the benefits of lightweight lenses and bodies.

Ep. 317: AI Is Coming To Getcha! Or Help. – and more


Episode 317 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Street and portrait photographer, Jaleel King

Fixing the Bad Grip on Sony’s Mirrorless Cameras

Sony's a7 and a9 series of mirrorless cameras have a bad reputation for their grip ergonomics, and rightly so. I love my Sony a7 III and it's still the best camera on the market for my particular needs, but the grip just isn't anywhere near as good as what you find on a pro DSLR.

The $399 Laowa 25mm Macro Lens vs the $1,050 Canon MP-E 65mm

In January 2018, I had the opportunity to test a pre-production version of Laowa's first lens in 2018, the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x. It is a niche high magnification macro lens touted to be the answer or alternative to the Canon MP-E 65mm for non-Canon users (especially Nikon macro photographers).

How to Get STF-Style Bokeh Without a $1,000+ STF Lens

Smooth Trans Focus (STF) was invented by Minolta in the 1980s and became available in the Minolta 135mm f/2.8 STF in 1999. The special design of the lens with an Apodization (APD) filter allows for the smoothing of out-of-focus areas, or bokeh. The APD filter reduces the light transmitted through a lens, but the strength is gradually decreased toward the center of the filter.

10 Macro Photo Tips for Beginners

In this article, I'll be sharing 10 macro photography tips for beginners who are just starting out in the genre.

High Magnification at a Low Price: How I Built a Super Macro Rig for $230

Last year, I bought a macro lens for the summer. Just a normal one with 1x magnification. I fell into a beautiful and mesmerizing world of minuscule flowers and bugs. I found that in macro photography, you don't have to travel to beautiful places to take beautiful photos -- you can just walk around in your backyard, and discover a whole new world.

Using Incognito Flash Lamps to Illuminate Partygoers at a Table

Faced with another birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, a place my daughter loves but low ISOs do not, I decided to get creative. I shot a collection of photos with a set of three Yongnuo YN-560 and YN-560 II flashes with a diffuser cap/"omni bounce" inside of small lampshades placed along the table.