The Reel

Lomography has announced a new, very colorful version of its Fisheye No.2 35mm film camera. The Graffiti edition model is red, blue, and yellow, with graffiti styling all over its front. It is like the other Fisheye No.2 cameras, meaning it uses a 10mm fisheye lens with a 170° field of view to capture photos to 35mm film. It has a built-in flash, no tripod mount, and uses a single AA battery for power. The Lomo Fisheye No.2 Graffiti is $69 and available now.

Foldable smartphones have been a real mixed bag thus far, especially for photographers. While some of them have had great cameras, like 2023's OnePlus Open, many more have made unattractive camera compromises. Xiaomi is teasing its upcoming 18 Fold smartphone, slated for a full reveal on September 7, and it has a triple rear camera setup and a striking design. There's even a lengthy video on Weibo.

Hopefully the new Xiaomi 18 Fold will incorporate many of the camera features of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, a superb smartphone for photographers with excellent image quality.

VSCO has pushed Studio Pro V1.2 which it says has improved speed, control, and overall flow. With this update (and the previous V1.1), photographers can now preview HSL adjustments instantly for a faster, smoother editing workflow, can swipe through presets directly while editing, and can perform single-image editing while editing a batch of images. The app also allows users to rename files and adjust quality or resolution before export, publish unlimited batches from Studio Pro to VSCO Galleries (and publish up to 10 images to VSCO at once), and cancel edits, exports, and uploads in progress. Nothing major, but nice quality of life updates nonetheless.

Also, VSCO Galleries now connects directly to VSCO Sites, so a photographer’s portfolio site can showcase full galleries. Clients now get to see a more complete story of a photographer’s work and range rather than just a few highlights.

Photography expert Gordon Laing ambushed Chris Niccolls, Manny Ortiz, Hugh Brownstone, Chelsea Mercado, Tony Northrup, and me here at Sony Kando and hit us with 10 rapid-fire questions about photos, cameras, and more (like how we all pronounce "bokeh"). Enjoy!

Apple has announced that it will hold an event on September 9, presumably to announce its next series of iPhones. The tagline this year is "surprise and shine," which doesn't say too much about what to expect exactly, but the company is rumored to be announcing a folding phone this year in addition to its annual mobile mainstays.

Rishi Sanyal, former Science Editor at DPReview, has passed away. He was 46. I and the PetaPixel team (many of whom worked with Rishi directly for several years) are very sad to hear this, but we are also truly grateful for the time we got to spend with this brilliant human. DPReview has published a touching in memoriam that I encourage you to read.

Tonight at 5 PM ET, OM System Ambassador Ben Salb is hosting a free live look at the streets of Japan, photographed with the OM-3.

Best known for macro and insect photography, Ben traded tiny subjects for neon streets, architecture, and everyday moments. He’ll share images and stories from the trip, explain how his eye for light and detail translated to street photography, and answer questions live. You can register free right here.

DJI has teased its next 360-degree camera, very likely the Osmo 360 II, in a short video along with a date and time for the full announcement: September 3 at 7 AM EDT. It will first become available in China, with a global release to follow.

Apple, perhaps deservedly, found itself to be the butt of many jokes when it first announced that it would be selling a microfiber cloth for $19. Well, now it only costs $9, so perhaps that's worthy of a bit less ridicule. I will say, this cloth is spectacular. Probably still wasn't worth $19, though.

The Guardian just published a story about photographer Nick Haymes who, after confronting the fragility of life after 9/11, decided to photograph every moment of his family's life. His book, Chronograph, shows how he documented everything as they grew up.

We are given a ringside seat as arms get broken, beloved pets die and hairs start sprouting from armpits. The mundane side of life – verrucas, messy kitchens, Lina cleaning out an ear with a cotton bud – is captured in the same way as birthday parties and rites of passage.

Sabrent has announced its first air duster, the Blowzer. As reported by Camera Jabber, Sabrent's $69.99 Blowzer X6 Cordless Air Duster is an alternative to using canned air to clean electronics or get dust off of your lenses. However, definitely don't use this to clean your camera's image sensor. There are special kits for that.

Camera Beta on Weibo (spotted by Asobinet) published a photo of a Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro lens that also had a RODE logo inscribed near the lens mount. It's doubtful that RODE is getting into the lens game... this is super weird, right?

Samsung announced that it will hold a Galaxy Event on August 27 where it will introduce another addition to the Galaxy S26 family of devices.

On August 27th, Samsung Electronics will hold ‘Galaxy Event August 2026’ to introduce the newest addition to the Galaxy S26 family — purposefully designed to bring many Galaxy S26 experiences from camera to AI, along with the latest One UI, to those who look for what truly matters most to them.

The event will be live streamed on Samsung.com and Samsung's YouTube channel starting at 9 PM KST.