Jeremy Gray
Split image: Left shows a black large-format camera with "Smartflex" branding and "4x5" on the lens. Right displays five colorful Smartflex cameras in orange, black, green, blue, and gray on shelves.

This Very Versatile 4×5 Film Camera Shoots Instax Wide and Works with Smartphones

Zhuoyao Chen and her partner are both large-format camera enthusiasts from China, now living in Tokyo, Japan. The pair, who especially enjoy landscape and portrait photography, have found existing large-format camera solutions lacking in certain key areas, so like many enthusiasts, they began custom-making cameras -- and now one of these will be available to all as the Smartflex Camera.

Jeremy Gray

No Camera Has Received Better Free Firmware Than the Nikon Z9

A Nikon mirrorless camera body with a textured grip, prominent buttons, and a lens mount is displayed against a gold, textured background.

With firmware version 5.10 launching earlier this month, Nikon has made its flagship Z9 mirrorless camera, released in late 2021, even better. The new firmware is the latest in a long series of free post-launch updates that have made the Z9 even better and much more versatile. Many camera companies believe strongly in post-launch support, but arguably, no camera has benefited more from free firmware updates than the Z9.

Chris Niccolls

eKids Bluey Camera Review: This Nightmare Puts the Eww in Review

A person holds a blue camera with a cartoon dog face design on the back. The background is a blurred colorful outdoor scene. The bottom right corner shows "PetaPixel Reviews" text.

My editor-in-chief, Jaron Schneider, tasked me with a Christmas challenge to review a camera unlike anything I had reviewed before. On my doorstep shows up a Bluey-themed kids' camera with the worrisome "eKids" branding on the bottom. I had a family vacation coming up in Alberta's capital city of Edmonton, so it was the right opportunity to put the camera through a rugged baptism of fire. We planned on shooting at the Royal Alberta Museum, which would give us bright and dark conditions in which to test the camera. Even with low expectations, I came away disappointed.

Jeremy Gray
Studio lighting equipment, including two Godox flash units with digital displays, posed against a dark background. In the distance, silhouettes of cameras are visible.

Godox V100 On-Camera Flash Promises Unprecedented Power

Prolific lighting equipment company Godox announced the V100, a new more powerful on-camera flash in the style of the company's V1 and V1 Pro. The V100's claim to fame is the ability to deliver up to 100 watt seconds of power compared to the V1 and V1 Pro's 76Ws output.