Reviews

Expert reviews of the latest digital cameras, lenses, lighting products, accessories, phones, photography-editing software, and more. PetaPixel tests state-of-the-art products in the photo industry and provides insights and recommendations for photographers to make informed purchasing decisions.
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Geekom A6 Review: Sub-$500 Mac mini Competitor Is Surprisingly Good

Over the last few weeks, I've been testing the Geekom A6 mini PC as my main working computer for editing/retouching photos as well as streaming and even gaming, (it's the first "real" PC I've used in more than 15 years so I just had to). While this tiny device is not the fastest or most powerful computer out there, it offers a surprising level of performance at a very easy-to-swallow $449 price.

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Camp Snap Camera Review: Light-Hearted and Nostalgia Packed

Every summer as a child, I attended a day camp during the school break because my single-parent mother had to work to make ends meet. Of course, I wanted to stay home and play video games but I soon began to love learning archery, making new friends, and exploring the wilderness without TV or computer screens to distract me. Many wonderful memories were made and I look back on these times fondly. It is this nostalgia for a simpler and more adventurous time that Camp Snap Photo is trying to market with its popular little 103B Camp Snap camera.

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Canon EOS R5 Mark II Review for Underwater Photography

The Canon EOS R5 Mark II is 2024's top underwater camera for underwater photography. It represents a significant upgrade over the original Canon EOS R5 which has reigned as the world's most popular underwater camera for the last four years.

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Vivo V50 Review: Marvelous Mid-Range Photo Prowess

There’s something unassuming about the Vivo V50 when first looking at it, yet its camera performance should be a wake-up call to others. The company still sees this phone as unique for its Aura Light in portrait photos but the more significant improvements come from everywhere else.

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Fujifilm GFX100RF Review: An X100 All Grown Up

Fujifilm's GFX medium format camera line features versatile and relatively affordable cameras in an industry normally dominated by prestigious names like Phase One or Hasselblad. However, Fujifilm also makes the insanely popular X100 series of cameras which make for a perfect compact companion to the traveling urban photographer. So what would happen if you combined the over-your-shoulder convenience of the X100 with the raw image quality of the GFX? The answer is the GFX100RF.

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Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Review: A Long-Awaited Return

In the DSLR days, Sigma was well known for making affordable super-zoom lenses that traded convenience for some image quality. However, recently, Sigma has transformed itself into a preeminent optics manufacturer, building high-grade lenses that many professionals prefer over OEM glass options. Now Sigma is back at it, and it's a welcome return.

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Mac Studio with M3 Ultra Review: A Dream Machine for Video Editors

Apple calls its new M3 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio its most powerful computer ever. It's a big claim and comes with a price tag to match. Apple's ambitions create two questions, and we will answer them both: Is the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra truly Apple's most performant computer, and if it is, is it worth it?

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Sigma BF Review: Riding The Knife’s Edge of ‘Too Simple’

One of the most fundamental lessons taught in any art form is to strip away the excess; to streamline and distill down to its essence, only the most essential parts. We see this in many art forms such as sculpture, writing, and even photography, and now we have it in a camera. But is it possible to go too far?

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Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air Review: Performance Without Price

Viltrox is steadily expanding its line of lenses and I’ve committed to making 2025 the year that I review more of them. Viltrox lenses have earned a glowing reputation and I very much enjoyed the 135mm f/1.8. But the latest 25mm f/1.7 comes in at an incredibly low price of $179. Can a lens this affordable make a favorable impression or is it too good to be true?

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Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 First Impressions: Still Legendary?

I distinctly remember when the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 lens first entered the market. It was a lens designed to project a larger circle of light onto the sensor and therefore it was huge. As bulky as it was, this oversized design enhanced the overall sharpness of the lens, especially toward the corners, and quickly cemented itself a legendary status. However, the Zeiss Otus lenses were designed for DSLR cameras and it has been six years since the 100mm Otus was released. A lot can happen in six years and the other manufacturers have had plenty of time to catch up in terms of optical performance.

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Sony FE 16mm f/1.8 G Review: Worthwhile Compromises for Compactness

Alberta, Canada, has been pounded by polar vortex after polar vortex, pushing daytime temperatures down to -25 Celsius before any wind chill factors in. As Alberta-born Canadians, Jordan and I can brave the frigid temperatures for the sake of the show, but with our lavalier microphones refusing to hold a charge and our camera EVFs running at eight frames per second, we pressed on to review a fascinating little lens on what we knew would be a taxing day.

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Panasonic S1R II First Look: The Ultimate Hybrid?

I wasn't looking forward to a trip halfway around the world even though I've always wanted to see northern Norway. My main concern was the two full days of flight time to partake in the two-day-long launch event, but the rumors pointed to a long-awaited S1R replacement so it was worth the toil. The weather turned out to be very wet and very cold, but the camera may have made it all worthwhile.

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If iPhone Video is So Good, Why Would Anyone Need the Osmo Pocket?

PetaPixel's Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake aren't the norm: one of them presents while the other one operates the camera. Modern content creators typically work alone, and that includes me. That means the same number of tasks that are enough of a burden for two full-time jobs is somehow supposed to be crammed into one person.

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DJI Neo Versus HoverAir X1 Pro Max: Affordable Versus Performant

When it comes to autonomous, compact drones, ZeroZero Robotics’ HoverAir X1 ProMax is a clear winner over the DJI Neo. We can pour over all the specs, put each drone’s real-world performance head-to-head, and dissect the footage frame-by-frame. The X1 ProMax will win every single time.

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Nikon 28-135mm f/4 PZ First Impressions: Prestige and Power

If you had told me only a few years ago that Nikon would release a video-focused power zoom lens, I’d have called you all kinds of names. But since the release of the Z9, it has become abundantly clear that Nikon intends to capture the hearts of videographers and cinematographers, a strategy which has become even more clear since it acquired RED about a year ago. Now we have the first Z-Mount video-first product from Nikon, the Nikkor Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ.

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BenQ SW242Q Review: A Great Photo Editing Display in a Tiny Package

If you are anything like me, choosing a monitor smaller than 27 inches would be a hard decision to make when it comes to photo editing or video production. So it was pretty surprising that even with its smaller footprint and arguably "odd" 16:10 aspect ratio (2,560 by 1,600 pixels at max resolution), the $479 BenQ SW242Q 24 inch IPS display stands out as a very attractive option for retouchers and editors.

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OM System OM-3 Review: A Classic Reborn

I have gone on the record with two stances for a while now: manufacturers need to cash in on their classic heritage and someone needs to make a compact Micro Four Thirds body. OM System just announced the new $2,000 OM-3 camera and while it certainly covers the first request, it kind of misses on the second one.

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Nikon 35mm f/1.2 S Hands-On First Impressions: Optical Excellence

Nikon has created a compelling lineup of prime lenses that feature fast apertures and premium optics. The 135mm f/1.8 Plena anchors the telephoto end and the 85mm and 50mm f/1.2 lenses bring incredibly bright apertures to the normal ranges. It makes sense that the logical foray into the wide-angle is going to start with the new Nikkor 35mm f/1.2 S.

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Our Favorite Weird Zoom Lenses That Buck Conformity

The photographic world tends to flow into a state of normality, order, and conformity. Certain lenses just work for most situations, and the popular choices of the professionals quickly become the traditional tools of the masses. It seems everyone starts with a general-purpose lens that covers a rough full-frame range of 28mm to 70mm or so, and then eventually, you end up with something wider and something longer.

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Hohem iSteady M7 Review: Big, Bulky, But Brilliant

A cursory search and scroll on YouTube for the Hohem iSteady M7 will position the new smartphone gimbal as an emerging titan in the gimbal space. All kinds of content creators have gone to great lengths to detail the seemingly endless list of features built into the M7, including its patented AI tracking technology that works with any smartphone.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: It Smooths Out the Rough Edges

The PetaPixel team flew back to San Jose, California for 2025's Samsung Unpacked event ready to review the new Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone as a tool for creators. Although all the new S25 phones feature a brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm processor and similar AI-based tools, it is the $1,299 Ultra which has the latest camera hardware that we want to focus on.