Reviews

Whenever a new autofocus-equipped cinema lens is announced, I always have mixed feelings. While I often find autofocus extremely useful, the manual focus experience inevitably suffers compared to a mechanically coupled manual focus lens. When they were first teased, I was told that this would not be a problem with the new Sigma Cine Zoom with AF lens series. Now I have reviewable copies of the 28-45mm T2 and 28-105mm T3 and get to answer the very important question: Has Sigma really managed to make a breakthrough?

Tamron is turning another page in its lens design and has chosen an impressively fast and wide 12-20mm f/2.8 to lead the way. Is this just window dressing, or has Tamron also upped its image quality game?

Huawei is back -- sort of. The brand that once looked like a serious disrupter in multiple markets only seven years ago is launching its photography-focused flagship phone for global users. The Huawei Pura 90s Pro Max nomenclature is an obvious reference (at least to me) to competitors but the imaging focus is what the Pura models are about.

Nearly nine years after Sony unveiled the Cyber-shot RX10 IV bridge camera, the company is back with its long-awaited successor, the RX10 V. Much has changed in the photography space since 2017, but unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the RX10 V.

This time around, my review process went a little differently. Instead of doing a full deep-dive into one lens, I decided to compare two brand new ones against each other.

High-end mirrorless cameras are pretty much the opposite of what photographers associate with Leica. But can the new 44-megapixel SL3-P change opinions? Leica certainly hopes so.

GoPro needs a win right now. Competition from DJI and Insta360 has never been stronger, its profits are down, and it has not released a flagship Hero Black camera in nearly two years. The GoPro Mission 1 Pro ($699) is its best chance to turn things around.

Often, videographers and video editors are forced to use two separate headphones: one for production and one for personal use. Fender's new Mix headphones are somewhat unique in that they seem designed to adapt to whatever you might need in a given moment with minimal complexity to get there.

Few cameras can claim to have the impact of the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, which delivered a compact, affordable gimbal camera that proved enormously popular. So popular, in fact, that DJI’s closest rival Insta360 has decided to get in on the compact gimbal cam action with the new Insta360 Luna Ultra.

Not everyone needs or wants a foldable phone but if it’s thin and light enough to feel more like a standard smartphone, then is it worth taking the plunge? In many ways, this forms the basis of Honor’s pitch for its foldable lineup, the latest being the Magic V6. Rather than reinvent the category, it simply aims to build off the solid foundation it comes from.

I like rangefinders. When I got back into photography, it was through the experience I had with the Fujifilm X100VI. While not a true rangefinder, it scratched that itch. Later that year, at the urging of Chris Niccolls, I picked up a Voigtlander Bessa R2a, and my fate was sealed.

PetaPixel is expanding its coverage into headphones, but specifically their use through the lens of how a videographer would use them. In the field, at their desk, and while traveling, every videographer and editor has them, and the standard by which they all should be judged is the Sony MDR-7506.

Oyen Digital recently announced the U35 Bolt+ USB4 (80Gbps) portable SSD that makes some pretty lofty promises. Designed for speed and built to withstand the elements, Oyen says it delivers up to 6,000 MB/s transfer speeds. That would be the fastest PetaPixel has ever seen.

Amongst the plethora of different versions of the Leica M 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lenses, the “11873” model has garnered special attention. This double-aspherical design is famous for its lens character and classic glow at wider apertures. Of course, lens aficionados have driven the price of this original lens to astronomical values, which is where Light Lens Lab has stepped in.

The new Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro feature impressive cameras, due in large part to Leica's engineering expertise and Xiaomi's commitment to mobile photography. During extensive hands-on experiences in beautiful Vienna, Austria, I tested Leica's imaging influence, low-light performance, telephoto capabilities, battery life, and all the other features that help set the Xiaomi 17T Pro and its more affordable sibling apart from the competition.

Having previously used both the Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 and Simera 75mm f/1.4, I was expecting great things from the 50mm f/1.4. I've come to find that the Thypoch Simera series is characterized by clean, crisp optics and affordable prices. At $749, the Simera 50mm f/1.4 for M-mount is certainly far more attainable than the equivalent Leica lenses, but can it still deliver high-quality optical performance?

Even now in 2026, autofocusing lens design out of the Chinese manufacturers is still in its relative infancy. We have seen some excellent autofocus-equipped prime lenses from companies like Sirui and Viltrox, but who knew that a manufacturer known for making boutique manual-focusing M-mount lenses would be the first to market with a zoom?

Sony photographers have a lot of great choices available when it comes to the serious telephoto lens. Whether you are into sports or wildlife, the Sony E-mount has you covered. However, many of these excellent lenses come with big physical dimensions and even higher prices.

One of my favorite zoom lenses of all time is the Sony 20-70mm f/4. Just the fact that a versatile range can be coupled with an ultra-wide-angle field-of-view brings a lot of convenience to the camera bag. I don’t mind the moderate f/4 aperture either, and the size and weight are kept to a minimum because of it. So when Canon released a 20-50mm f/4 L PZ lens alongside the R6 V, I was excited to try it out.

Panasonic is celebrating 25 years in the camera game under its illustrious Lumix brand name. Jaron Schneider and I were invited to attend this celebration in Osaka, Japan, and there was an incredible surprise in store for us: the Lumix L10.

When Canon launched the C50 and R6 Mark III last year, the comparison was pretty simple. But now, a third camera is in the mix complicating that up a bit.

The Sony a7R VI might very well be the last camera many photographers truly need. It won't be the last camera people want, of course, but there is very little this camera cannot do, at least for still photography. It's exceptional and, in many crucial ways, the new standard-bearer in the industry.

Vivo’s “Ultra” phones have always been the company’s best but this one is the first to venture outside the Chinese market. More like a phone in a camera than the other way around, it feels like a camera system built from the sum of its many parts.

While video professionals have grown used to seeing a major update of Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve editing software every April, this year’s update caught the attention of photographers everywhere with the debut of a new “Photo” tool. Headlines popped up instantly proclaiming that photo editing programs Lightroom and Capture One had new competition. But do they? I spent some time with the latest beta of Davinci Resolve 21, and I have some thoughts.

As I've delved deeply into the old and the niche of film photography, I've found myself loving cameras that either have no light meter, no viewfinder, or... neither. In those cases, I have found the L.D. Meter from Chinotechs to be the near-perfect solution.

The best camera features generally go to top flagships for good reason, but mid-range brands like Tecno always try to punch above their weight. The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra may be a phone you’ve never heard of, yet its camera system is varied enough to stand out.

The Nikon Z system needed a new kit lens. The 24-120mm f/4 is one of the best lenses I’ve ever used, but it isn't exactly affordable and is understandably beyond the budget of many beginner photographers. The 24-50mm is a decent optic, but it has a slow aperture range and a limited focal range for general-purpose photography. Even the Nikon 24-200mm and Tamron 25-200mm is a bit too expensive for a beginner.

The Reto company, which is behind the insanely popular Charmera camera, are at it again with a charming 35mm analog camera. They clearly took a design cue from the Ricoh GR series of cameras while heaping on a generous pile of Kodak nostalgia, but the end result promises to be a stylish and simple analog experience for potential buyers.

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra will be the company’s first “Ultra” flagship to go beyond China’s borders, making it something of a global debut. Those in the know recognize the symbolism, but the backbone of this introduction begins and ends with the quadruple rear camera array.

In February, PetaPixel published its review of the Canon 14mm f/1.4L VCM lens and found some issues with its performance in astrophotography. There were many theories from readers and viewers of the YouTube channel as to why this happened, but none of them were right. The truth is a little more interesting.

I think most of us have a strange fascination with 40mm lenses. It seems like a relatively uncommon focal length, and of course, it is overshadowed by the ubiquitous 35mm lenses. In truth, both lenses can do pretty much the same thing, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the 40mm focal length always feels a little exotic.

The Canon RF 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5L STM is an extreme lens. It's the world's widest-angle zoom lens and has a staggering 190-degree field of view; looking into the viewfinder is like taking a step backward.

It was eight years ago that I reviewed the Panasonic ZS200, and I was immediately impressed by the compact size of the camera, along with a massive 15x optical zoom range. Most importantly, the ZS200 didn’t make any compromises when it came to handling and manual control, and the EVF was imminently useful.

I've seen storage manufacturers try all sorts of ways to mitigate heat, with the most popular option being a design that facilitates passive cooling. Sharge went a different route, though, and packed a tiny fan into the wallet-sized DiskPro. It's different, but is it better?

There has long been a grand concept in the digital camera world to have a device that takes great photos and is constantly connected to the internet. This would allow for powerful on-device editing and the convenience of sharing your content immediately. Many attempts have been made to bring the creativity that a larger sensor and interchangeable lenses offer, but have it connected to your favorite apps and social media outlets. These have all failed.

Zeiss is nothing if not consistent. The Otus ML lenses bearing the illustrious blue Zeiss badge have always unapologetically strived to make optical lenses the old-fashioned way.

An ultra-wide lens is not something I often reach for. They can be useful as interior architecture lenses, for capturing dramatic vistas, and even for the occasional shot on the street, however, I usually find the propensity of the lenses to capture so much in the frame a tricky proposition.

Is there room for a new full-frame 35mm film camera? When the Pentax 17 half-frame camera came out, it represented a serious risk to see if beginner photographers would be willing to buy a new camera. When you consider the saturated used camera market with all of the options that are still available, it’s hard to imagine much demand for a camera that will cost substantially more.

Like its flagships, Vivo focuses on mobile photography with its mid-range V Series, and the V70 aims to carry that torch. While not a dramatic shift, key moves with the user experience make this a likeable device for several reasons.

If you ask me, some of the worst smartphone photos are those people take with front-facing cameras. Smaller sensors, smaller lenses, and fewer resources are big reasons why, and as rear cameras continue to evolve (some more than others, anyway), products are released to encourage users to turn their phones around and use the rear lenses instead.

Tamron lenses have some very cool capabilities you may not be aware of -- like the ability to pull focus during a time lapse -- and it’s all thanks to its Lens Utility App. I want to talk about what of these abilities are, but I also want to take this opportunity to shame other lens manufacturers for not offering these same features.

I’ve reviewed my fair share of Fujfilm Instax cameras. Most recently, I played with the creatively powerful Instax Mini 99 and the entry-level Instax 400 Wide for those who want bigger pictures. However, it has been a long time since I’ve tested the most basic of Fujfilm Instax cameras. The latest iteration is the new Instax Mini 13, and I felt that I could test it with a fresh perspective.

I had no idea what to expect with the Oppo Reno 15 Pro once I unboxed it and started setting it up. Billed as an “all-in-one creative partner,” the general premise is to impress with the images it captures, and using it as much as I have, I’m surprised at what it delivers considering the specs.

Since it introduced its own silicon, it feels like every time we review an Apple computer, we make some grandiose statement about how much better it is than before, or how it's the best. That much praise can make it hard to express the meaning of this achievement, as it can just feel like listening to a broken record.

Should Google have even bothered to make the Pixel 10a? I asked myself this question multiple times while using it because I couldn’t always tell where the distinctions lay with its predecessor.

While browsing online shopping, I have often come across unusual and unheard-of 35mm film stocks. My curiosity won out because black and white photography is artistic alchemy, and the film plays a big role in how the final images turn out. So, was this Temu film any good?

It has been seven years since Apple released its last XDR Display and in that time, monitors and what to expect from them have changed a lot. Now that we finally have a new option in the Studio Display XDR, was that wait and new $3,299 price worth it?

Sigma created an art form out of its Art series of lenses. They are beautiful, professional, and often chosen over OEM options. But there is always room for improvement, and the Art series has been on the market for a minute, so new technology inevitably leads to new updates. It could be argued that the Sigma 35mm F/1.4 Art is one of the most popular primes in the Sigma arsenal, and now we have a successor.

A wet and rainy San Francisco was the venue for this year’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event and the testing ground for shooting the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The Ultra model is priced at $1,299, which is the same as last year’s model. I’m going into this review with the usual intention of testing this phone more as a camera and seeing how it stacks up as a creative tool.

In 2018, I reviewed the Peak Design Travel Backpack for Imaging Resource and while that review has since disappeared from the Internet, I can still recall my feelings in extreme detail: I hated it.