Professional Courtesy, Dude: Website Designer vs Wedding Photographer
I was sent an article yesterday. It is entitled “A Photographer is One Ingredient In a Recipe of Many.” I was asked to read it and provide my thoughts.
New Patents Show Canon Hasn’t Given Up on the EF Mount Just Yet
A new patent uncovered by the folks over at Canon News reveals that Canon hasn't given up on improving EF-mount lenses, especially those that appeal to high-end sports and wildlife photographers.
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Z Lens Teardown Reveals Incredible Engineering and Brand New Design
LensRentals' Roger Cicala finally got a chance to crack open the new Nikon Z-Mount 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens, and what they found inside should make Z shooters happy. Not only is lens meticulously engineered and well-sealed, it features a "modernized" design that's unlike any LR has seen from other manufacturers.
Are Street and Documentary Photography Art?
I think the question of whether something is or is not "art" is a bit disingenuous, often used more as a tool for gatekeeping than true analysis or critique. There is no objective standard for what makes something enjoyable as a piece of art, whether that's a photograph, music, sculpture, or a blade of grass in a field.
Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 Teardown Shows Beautifully Engineered Lens that’s ‘Strong, Like Bull’
LensRentals just finished their teardown of the incredibly light and compact new Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and what they found will make Canon users very happy. Not only is this lens a beautifully engineered marvel--a total redesign of the "typical" 70-200mm f/2.8 formula--it is also, in Roger Cicala's words: strong, like bull.
This Influencer-Inspired End Table Doubles as a Lightbox for Photography
This quirky concept creation may be the perfect piece of furniture for the Instagram influencer or Etsy seller in your life. It's called the Photo Table, and it's a half-end table half-lightbox that was "designed for public influencers."
All About Intent: What People Mocking the Fuji X-Pro3 Don’t Understand
The release of the Fuji X-Pro3 this morning came as a bit of a surprise to me; not what was unveiled, but the general reception to it. So many comments (yes, I know you're not supposed to read the comments) of ridicule and annoyance were not what I was expecting. And as I read them (which I promise not to do again) I noticed an underlying theme that was a bit worrying.
Canon Designed a Crazy 50-80mm f/1.1 Lens
Canon is apparently hard at work developing some never-before-seen lenses. A newly published patent shows that the camera company has at least toyed with the idea of a crazy 50-80mm f/1.1 lens.
Peak Design Made a Travel Tripod with Game-Changing Compactness
The San Francisco-based company Peak Design prides itself on creating innovative products for photographers that redefine their categories, and today it's back to disrupt a new niche: tripods. The brand's new Travel Tripod is designed to be one of the most compact and easy-to-use tripods ever made.
Canon’s Left Eye Problem is Frustrating Users with Mirrorless Camera Design
Just as much of daily life is geared towards right-handed people, cameras are often geared toward right-eyed people. Photographer Michael Andrew (AKA Michael the Maven) made this 4-minute video pointing out Canon's "left eye problem" in its latest mirrorless cameras.
Analog is Left but Digital is Right?
Having learned photography in the time of manual analog film cameras, I know digital feels different. And for me, it’s all about the "left and right of photography."
The Usability Issues of the Canon EOS R
After buying the new EOS R, Canon's first full-frame mirrorless, photographer Michael Andrew of Michael the Maven was disappointed by the camera usability. Here's an 11-minute video in which Michael points out the things in the EOS R that drove him crazy.
Flange Distance and Mount Diameter Explained by a Lens Engineer
Nikon has understandably made a big deal about launching their new Z-mount alongside the announcement of their new mirrorless cameras, the Z6 and Z7. The Nikon F-mount was originally released 59 years ago and the company has made backward compatibility of the system a brand pillar.
This Lens Ring Box is a Sharp Way to Propose to a Photographer
Matt Zabloski of Kelo Designs has created a new mechanical camera lens ring box for people who want to propose to a photographer in style. Turning the aperture ring opens the blades and the hidden engagement ring within rises up out of the growing aperture.
This Leica M10 ‘Zagato’ Features Metal Grooves Instead of Leather
Leica has just announced a new ultra-limited edition Leica M10 rangefinder created in collaboration with the Italian luxury car company Zagato. Instead of being covered with leather trim to provide grip, the Leica M10 "Edition Zagato" is covered instead with fine grooves in the metal body.
Leica M Monochrom ‘Stealth Edition’ is Matte Black and Glow-in-the-Dark
Leica has just announced a new special edition of the Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) called the "Stealth Edition." If you're a fan of minimalism and matte black, this may be a look that tickles your fancy.
Sony Creates Groundbreaking Backlit CMOS Sensor with Global Shutter
Sony just announced a groundbreaking development in the world of camera image sensors: it has created a 1.46-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor that has global shutter. This is the first-ever CMOS sensor of over 1MP that has both back-illumination and global shutter.
LENSCAPT: A Hinged Camera Lens Cap You’ll Never Misplace
LENSCAPT is a new "faster lens cap" that's designed to never fall off your lens. It works by screwing onto the lens' filter threads, allowing it to remain secure and safe. The lens cap then pops out to the side, swiveling around a hinge rather than being completely removed, so is always ready for use.
If Adobe Made a Keyboard for Photo Editing…
What if Adobe decided to jump into the keyboard market and create a keyboard for photographers and other creatives? What would it look like? Brazilian designer Vinicius Araújo decided to turn his best guess into a futuristic concept keyboard called the Adobe Keyboard.
11 Dumb Things Camera Companies Are Still Doing
As much as we talk about the lack of true innovation in the camera market, particularly when it comes to integration with the Internet and social media, every day I keep encountering cameras that have the same "hey this is the way it used to be" design philosophies underlying them.
A Forgotten Solution to the Problems of Zoom Lenses
For a few years now, I’ve had in my collection one very strange lens. I bought it primarily for its value as a collectible so, up until now, I haven’t really spent much time playing with it. Made in 1975, this manual focus Minolta MC Rokkor-X 40-80mm f/2.8 lens is one strange puppy.
Nikon Patents 35mm f/2 Lens for Full Frame Camera with Curved Sensor
Nikon has patented a new 35mm f/2 lens... for a full frame curved sensor. The news has sparked speculation that Nikon could be planning to use a groundbreaking curved sensor in its upcoming mirrorless camera.
Print: A Concept Digital Instant Camera in the Age of Smartphones
Digital instant cameras are an emerging trend in the world of photography: Polaroid launched the Pop in January, and Fujifilm followed suit with the SQ10 a few short months later. But industrial designer and photographer Jordan Steranka thinks he can do better: his Print is a concept instant camera designed with an ultra-modern aesthetic.
Flickr’s Main Site Now Displays Well on Mobile Devices (Finally)
Over the past several years, the Web has been moving away from having separate website URLs for mobile and desktop versions and toward having a single "responsive" website that changes its look depending on what device you're visiting with. Flickr today announced that its main website has finally caught up to this trend.
This is the Final Design of the Light L16 52MP 16-Camera Camera
Light Rumors has published production product images of the upcoming Light L16 camera. The 4 images show what the 52-megapixel, 16-camera camera will look like when it start shipping.
‘Abstract: The Art of Design’ is a Must-Watch Netflix Show for Photographers
If you appreciate visual art and aesthetics—and, if you're reading PetaPixel, chances are good that you do—then you absolutely must watch the new Netflix original docu-series "Abstract: The Art of Design."
Dear Camera Makers: Please Help Us Left-Hand-Only Photographers
Hi, everyone. My name is Giannis Papapostolou, and I’m an amateur photographer based in Greece. Photography is a big part of my life. However, about a year ago, I had an accident.
The Photographer’s DIET: The 4 Key Elements that Make a Great Photo
What's the 'recipe' for a great photograph? As we embark on this new 365-day journey called "2017," our friends at COOPH teamed up with photographer Craig Semetko to answer this question; and he believes it all comes down to 4 key elements: Design, Information, Emotion, and Timing.
Apple Releases a $300 Photo Book to Show Off 20 Years of Design
Apple just released a $300 photo book. Titled "Designed by Apple in California," the sleek white book chronicles the company's product designs over the past two decades.
Apple Killed Off the Macbook Pro’s SD Card Slot Because it’s ‘Cumbersome’
When Apple unveiled its latest Macbook Pro laptops last month, one change photographers immediately noticed is the absence of a built-in SD card slot. While it hasn't caused as much of a hoopla as the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, the design decision does have a lot of photographers talking and some photographers griping.
CSSCO: Free VSCO-style Photo Filters Made with CSS
CSSCO is a new free and open source project that offers VSCO-style retro photo filters made and used entirely with CSS.
This Camera Strap Snaps to Backpack Straps to Relieve Neck Strain
SNAPSNAP is a new camera strap design that works with a backpack in order to counterbalance the weight of your camera and reduce the strain on your neck -- perfect for travelers who want to keep their heavy camera at the ready for long periods of time.
This Company Wants to Revolutionize 100mm Filter Holders
A new brand called Wine Country Camera is teasing a revolutionary new Filter Holder System that will be released in the fall of 2016. It's a new "timeless" design that rethinks how filter holders should look and work.
How Olympus Designed the PEN-F for ‘Timelessness’
I’ve always found Olympus cameras to have excellent quality. But when I first picked up the PEN-F, it was immediately apparent that the quality of this camera is of a higher caliber. The PEN-F oozes quality.
How the Fujifilm X-Pro2 Was Designed for ‘Decisive Usability’
Digital cameras are notoriously difficult to design and get right. Where do you start? Who is the customer? What features do you include on the camera? There are uncountable ways to approach a camera development and design program.
This is What Instagram Would Be Like on Windows 95
What if Instagram had launched over 20 years ago, and instead of being an iPhone app it had been a Windows 95 .exe program? Russian designer Misha Petrick decided to find out.
This Auto-Extending Selfie Stick Has Fans and Beauty Lights
Want to see the world's most advanced selfie stick? Check out the video above, which shows the Automated Selfie Stick.
What if Digital Camera Sensors Were Circular?
I'm a photographer who is in no way wedded to any particular aspect ratio. I will trim my images to whatever I consider suits them best, whether or not they fall to one of the recognized ratios or some non-integer ratio.
How To Create a Photo Book in Lightroom and Send it to Print
Capturing a collection of photographs and assembling them into a physical photo book can sometimes seem like more trouble than it is worth. Different sites present interfaces with varying levels of efficiency and generally force you to alter your workflow for print optimization. However, did you know that you can create an book directly in Lightroom? Today, we are taking a look at the built-in option available within Adobe’s Creative Suite.
Canon Patents an Expandable LCD Screen That Can Span the Back of a Camera
Canon has some interesting ideas for what cameras of the future will be like. A newly published patent shows that Canon has looked into the idea of an LCD screen that can expand and contract on the back of the camera.