Every year, PetaPixel recognizes the top cameras, lenses, and photography accessories in The PetaPixel Awards. Selections are voted on by the PetaPixel staff and while final awards will be announced next week, we are happy to share our nominees in each of the categories today.
It’s felt like a long six months since Sigma first announced the Aizu Primes (which cost $8,300 each), the company's new series of full-frame compatible T1.3 cinema lenses. Currently available focal lengths include 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, and 75mm. Fortunately, after shooting several projects with them while traveling, I finally have a trio of them at home to do some controlled testing.
The Antigravity A1, the world's first 8K 360° drone, is now available for purchase. The innovative new drone builds upon Insta360's technology, including 360° cameras, stabilization, and AI-assisted video editing.
Leica has made four of its legendary Leica M-Lenses available in stylish new finishes: three in the Leica Safari Design and one in a fresh, glossy black finish.
PolarPro has announced Shift, a three-piece diopter system created to give photographers and filmmakers faster access to close-focus capabilities without the need to change lenses.
As an annual tradition, PetaPixel has published its awards for the best cameras, lenses, smartphones, and more. Last year, we expanded the awards with a new category and that continues this year: People's Choice.
With this week's reveal of the very impressive Sony a7 V, the mid-range full-frame camera market has never been hotter. The oldest competitor of the bunch, the Nikon Z6 III, has been out just a little over a year, while the Canon EOS R6 III and Sony a7 V are brand-new. All the major players have put their best foot forward, but which of them is actually the best when it comes to key specs and features?
Nature photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, acclaimed for his superb remote camera photography, also runs a camera trap company, Camtraptions. Burrard-Lucas' company has just released the PIR Motion Sensor v4, a new camera-trap sensor six years in the making.
The brand-new Sony a7 V ushers in many improvements, ranging from a new image sensor and a first-of-its-kind processor to better autofocus and faster continuous shooting. Let's take a closer look at the most significant changes between the a7 IV and the new a7 V.
Alongside the exciting new a7 V camera, which introduces Sony's first partially stacked image sensor and powerful processor with built-in AI capabilities, Sony unveiled an updated FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II compact full-frame zoom lens.
Canon recently made a huge stir with its excellent do-it-all R6 III and for a while, it looked like the year was going to end with a big win for Canon. But with the Sony a7 V coming seemingly out of nowhere, we have a serious contender for the best all-round camera on the market.
The long-awaited Sony a7 V has finally arrived, just over four years after its predecessor, the a7 IV. Much has changed in the camera landscape, not just for Sony but also for its primary competitors. The Sony a7 V promises a wide range of improvements, including a new image sensor, faster processor, better autofocus, and much more.
Fast prime lenses don't need to break the bank. Pergear has announced a new 50mm f/1.2 manual-focus prime lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras, priced under $100.
You might know funny man Seth Rogen from his hit comedy movies from the 2000s or from Apple TV's new series The Studio. But the Canadian actor recently revealed that he is also an enthusiastic photographer -- specifically panoramic film photography.
When the Fujifilm X half was announced earlier this year it caused a stir for the digital camera's salute to analog photography. But that wasn't all -- the price raised eyebrows, too.
The holiday season is not far off, and photographers may be thinking about what they want as a gift. Here are some gift ideas for photographers of all levels of experience and budgets.
The original Camp Snap camera was released a while back and became an unexpected hit. This digital camera was extremely limited and lacked an LCD screen in an attempt to bring the fun back to photography. Now Camp Snap is bringing this philosophy into the world of video with the Camp Snap 8 (CS-8), a video camera with no LCD, no playback, and only an EVF for framing.
ZWO has announced a new 44-megapixel full-frame camera designed specifically for astrophotography, and its specs are impressive.
Sony has issued significant new firmware updates for two of its most widely used full-frame mirrorless cameras, bringing the a7R V to Version 4.00 and the a7 IV to Version 6.00. The updates expand focus control options, add new video workflow tools, and improve FTP transfer handling, enhancements that align both models more closely with the capabilities of Sony’s newer Alpha bodies.
In a photo industry of ever-increasing prices, it's refreshing to see optics that supply exceptional value for the dollar. The new Canon RF 45mm f/1.2 STM made the entire industry double-take upon seeing an f/1.2 optic for only $479. Surely, there must be a catch, so I took the handy little 45mm to a local Christmas market to explore the myriad lights using an extremely shallow depth of field lens.
BenQ has expanded its Designer series with the PD2770U, a 27-inch 4K UHD color management monitor aimed at small studios, independent creators, and post-production teams by combining professional-level color performance with integrated hardware calibration, without the need for external devices.
While the late Pope Francis' one-of-a-kind Leica kit selling for around $7 million made the biggest headlines, there was a lot of incredible photo gear that sold for huge sums at the recent 47th Leitz Photographica Auction in Vienna, Austria, including a Leica MP black paint that sold for about $1 million, a wild Leica I Mod. A Luxus special outfit, and much more.
Nikon and RED are working together on a new set of Imaging Recipes for Nikon cameras, slated to arrive on December 10. Although details are scarce on these hyped new recipes, there's still a lot to say about Nikon Imaging Cloud's Imaging Recipes.
An intriguing conceptual camera made by a group of former DJI engineers will launch on Kickstarter next month. The RocX made by Farseer can be plugged into a DSLR or mirrorless camera, as well as working on its own.
Photography often feels like a battle against physics, where image quality supposedly demands heavy glass and aching backs. However, four accomplished OM SYSTEM Ambassadors challenge assumptions that Micro Four Thirds cameras cannot compete with full-frame alternatives. Macro specialist Ben Salb, wildlife veteran Eric Rock, bird and nature photography duo Lisa and Tom Cuchara, and landscape artist Matt Suess each abandoned full-frame systems for a smaller alternative. They reveal how shedding …
Thypoch is launching another new lens that blends modern imaging performance with old-school inspiration. The Thypoch Eureka 28mm f/2.8 ASPH. is extraordinarily compact and pays tribute to the gorgeous Ilford Advocate camera's built-in Dallmeyer Anastigmat 35mm f/3.5 prime lens.
Panasonic has announced a firmware update for both the S1 II/S1 IIE and S1R II that improves video record times significantly while also making adjustments across the board. Panasonic says these changes directly respond to user feedback.
Venus Optics has announced an unusual new lens that does a bit of everything. The Laowa 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5x Macro, as its name suggests, tilts, shifts, and focuses very close while promising no distortion. The versatile new lens aims to provide photographers with extensive control over "every line and perspective."
Chinese lens maker Brightin Star has announced an upgraded version of its ultra-fast 50mm f/0.95 prime lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Moment has announced an upgraded version of its Macro lenses for smartphones. The Moment Macro II lenses have more, better glass, promising improved image quality and sharper close-up shots.
PolarPro, perhaps best known by photographers for its filters, has unveiled an unusual and sharp new purpose-built tool for photographers: The Blade.
KEH is the nation's largest pre-owned camera retailer and while the company says that remains its focus, an expansion of its trade-in program now means photographers can trade-in their gear and use the value of that equipment combined with manufacturer trade-in bonuses -- which are as much as $800 right now -- towards new gear.
In September, it was announced that the late Pope Francis' unique Leica M-A and Leica Noctilux-M 1:1.2/50mm ASPH would be auctioned for charity. The auction took place over the weekend and the camera and lens sold for €6.5 million (about $7 million), one of the highest charitable results ever achieved by a Leica camera.
Last week, reports surfaced that showed the company was closing two facilities, both of which primarily focused on producing lighting equipment. An Arri spokesperson has denied that Arri is exiting lighting manufacturing, but did not comment on any reductions in manufacturing capability.
It was already surprising that the relatively pricey Hasselblad X2D II 100C sold so well at launch in Japan, but now the new medium-format camera has done something even more unusual by sticking around at the top of Japanese sales charts even after the initial launch hype died down.
Leica's new M EV1 camera, which gains an electronic viewfinder but ditches the rangefinder, is now available in the United States following a short delay.
The Kodak Snapic A1 is a new $99 point-and-shoot film camera from Reto, the company that released the incredibly popular blind box Charmera camera earlier this year. The Snapic A1 isn't just going for vibes like that keychain camera does, though, as it is a real 35mm film camera with some advanced features.
Between writing the polarizing opinion that Canon should revisit the EOS R's much-maligned Touch Bar and reviewing the excellent Canon EOS R6 III in recent weeks, it has become even clearer just how bizarre the original Canon EOS R actually was when it arrived in 2018.
The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is a fantastic new medium-format mirrorless camera. It introduces many compelling new features and breaks new ground not only for Hasselblad but for the medium-format photography space in general. It also nearly took the dynamic range crown away from the Fujifilm GFX100 II.
Negative Supply has launched the Pro Film Carrier 4×5, an all-new sheet-film holder designed to deliver higher precision, improved workflow, and broader format compatibility for photographers digitizing large-format negatives.
TTArtisan has announced that two new full-frame Dual-Bokeh cine primes, the 50mm T2.1 and 85mm T2.1, are joining its expanding lineup of cinema lenses built with creative filmmakers in mind.
NYA-EVO has announced a new Fjord 80 adventure backpack that can compact as small as 60L but grow to 80L, depending on the needs of the photographer.
Fujifilm has unveiled a beautiful new limited-edition GFX100RF Fragment Edition medium-format camera. It combines the GFX100RF's exceptional features and performance with a custom look by Fragment Design, a Japanese fashion label helmed by fashion designer, musician, and artist Hiroshi Fujiwara.
SmallRig has rolled out its most extensive Black Friday promotions yet, offering significant discounts across tripods, batteries, lights, phone cages, mobile accessories, and rigging tools. With savings of up to 30%, creators can upgrade key pieces of kit at some of the lowest prices of the year.
Ulanzi is expanding into dedicated audio products with the introduction of the A200 Mini Mic. The new microphone aims to offer creators a compact, affordable solution while delivering performance typically found in higher-end models.
Peak Design's heavy-duty, pro-oriented tripod series -- which raised $4.6M on Kickstarter earlier this year -- is rolling out to store shelves for general availability starting today.
Leica is by far the leading company to create monochromatic versions of its most popular camera models, and that is because, love it or hate it, black and white exclusive cameras sell really well. Now the Leica Q3 gets the Monochrom treatment that we've seen in the recent Q2 and M11 models. It comes with a higher price at $7,790 and the limitation of only shooting monochromatic images, but it also comes with some image quality improvements.
Leica is bringing monochrome back to the Q-series with the Q3 Monochrom. It is largely the same as the original Q3, but it features a version of the 60-megapixel sensor without the color Bayer filter, which results in what Leica claims are sharper photos with far better noise performance.
Prism Lens FX, known for its professional cinema filters, has announced the Shield Series of cinema filters, a redesigned approach to the traditional 4x5 that promises improved performance and usability in fast-paced video workflows.
TTArtisan has released its AF 23mm f/1.8 APS-C prime for Sony E and Nikon Z, as promised, expanding the lens beyond the Fujifilm X version that debuted earlier this year. Priced at just $127, the lens continues TTArtisan’s push toward affordable autofocus primes across multiple systems.
