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.

Profoto B1X Review: Tough, Powerful, and Worth Every Penny

When Profoto released the cordless, battery-powered B1X monolight in 2017, I was rather skeptical. Why should a company release a new light if it offers mild improvements over the old model? Faster recycling, better battery life, and more modeling lamp output aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Yet the build quality, the ability to freeze motion, and the number of flashes per charge make this light worth every penny.

Nikon 28mm f/2.8 review

Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8 Lens Review: Tiny, Mighty, And Cheap

There has been a lot of chatter and excitement surrounding the Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8 lens when it was announced as a special pairing (along with a special version) with the Z fc camera. As one of the smallest and lightest lenses released for the Z mirrorless system that comes paired with one of the shorter focus distances, the $297 "pocket" lens packs a lot of punch in a tiny and affordable package.

Huion Kamvas Pro 24 Review: A Flagship 4K Pen Display for a Lot Less

The Kamvas Pro 24 (4K) is Huion's flagship pen display: a high-resolution graphics display that delivers most of the benefits of a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 at about half the price. In the two months I've spent using it on-and-off in preparation for this review, I've come to three important conclusions: (1) this is an excellent product, (2) a large 4K pen display is the best way to edit your photos, and (3) I can't realistically use this display as my daily driver.

Thoughts on the Nikon Z9 by Someone Who Has Used Every Nikon DSLR

In all my years in photography, I don’t think any camera has had as much buzz leading up to its release as the Nikon Z9. There were many reasons for that, both good and bad, but now that the camera’s here, does it live up to the hype? After one week of using it, I think so.

Fujifilm INSTAX Mini Evo Instant Film Camera

Instax Mini Evo Review: Instant Film Fun Meets Bad Digital Camera

What makes instant film fun to use decades after its peak in popularity? I’d wager it’s the same things that made it fun back in the day: not overthinking things and staying in the moment while also creating unique-looking prints that convey those fleeting moments so perfectly. The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo takes a different approach.

Nikon Z9 Review

Nikon Z9 Review: It Makes Other Cameras Feel Like Antiques

The Z9 takes a massive leap forward in technology and levels the playing field between Canon and Sony both in its construction and capabilities. While Nikon may have been late delivering a professional mirrorless system, the 120 frames per second (FPS) burst, 8K video, impressive battery life, and "always-on" EVF more than make the wait worth it.

Nikon Z 40mm f/2 Review: Affordable and Surprisingly Useful

Despite a nearly two-year global supply chain shortage, Nikon has been making good on the company's promise to deliver a plethora of new lenses for the mirrorless Z system. Filling in most of the missing gaps from the F-mount lineup with greatly improved lenses, this time with a unique and affordable "in-between" focal length lens for everyday use, the $297 40mm f/2 Z.

Laowa Argus 45mm f/0.95 FF Review: Unique Focal Length and Unreal Bokeh

In the last few years, Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optic has released a plethora of versatile, unique, and affordable fast aperture lenses for most camera systems on the market. Today the company has officially launched the latest lens in the Argus lineup, the Laowa Argus 45mm f/0.95 FF -- one of the first full frame 45mm lenses with a maximum aperture of f/0.95.

Review of the TourBox Elite: My Favorite Editing Tool is Now Wireless

Last year I got my hands on a weird little controller console called the TourBox that would end up being an invaluable part of my editing workflow. I reviewed the original TourBox controller, with its assortment of buttons, dials, and scroll wheels, and loved how it allowed me to map certain shortcuts and functions in Final Cut Pro X, Lightroom, and Photoshop to save a lot of time while editing.

Sony Xperia Pro-I

Sony Xperia Pro-I Review: An Alpha Camera Made into a Phone

The designated "I" in the title says it all. It stands for imaging, making it clear what Sony prioritized when it developed the Xperia Pro-I. This is more like a point-and-shoot Alpha camera first and smartphone second, yet putting the two together does lead to inherent advantages over competitors.

Canon EOS R3 review, main photo of the front of the camera

Canon EOS R3 Review: Blazing Speed Meets Robust Body

Canon’s latest mirrorless camera takes on a new shape and reaches all new heights in performance. With its stacked 24-megapixel sensor, blackout-free silent shooting, eye-control autofocus, and improved subject detection, the EOS R3 might just be the new camera to beat.

Unistellar eVscope 2 Telescope Review: Fun, But Lacks Image Quality

A few months ago Unistallar and Nikon announced the launch of a new smart-telescope called the eVscope 2. The two companies claimed it was the world's most powerful and simple-to-operate digital telescope for consumers. While I absolutely agree the system is incredibly easy and actually fun to use, dubbing it as the world's most powerful is a hefty over-promise.

DJI Mavic 3 flying

DJI Mavic 3 Review: The Hype is Justified

Drones are fun. It doesn’t matter if we’re flying them or looking at drone photos and videos, there’s still that sense of wonder and awe as earthbound humans. That excitement carries over to watching not only any new drone, but in this case a high-end one that promises so much. There’s always inherent hype when a company like DJI announces a drone, and in the case of the Mavic 3, it may be justified.

StellaPro Reflex S Review: One Light to Rule Them All?

There have been a lot of interesting light solutions for creatives released in the last few years, but they were either a slight improvement over a previous generation (like the Profoto A1 to A1X) or something to serve a niche corner like the Lumee from Spiffy Gear. Nothing has been really groundbreaking... except perhaps for the StellaPro Reflex from Light and Motion.

Apple MacBook Pro with M1 Max Review: Hail to the King

It is extremely difficult to come into a review of the new MacBook Pro with a truly neutral mindset. The original M1 was just so darned impressive that a follow-up naturally has enormous shoes to fill. Somehow, not only does the MacBook Pro powered by M1 Max meet expectations, it exceeds them: this computer is a marvel.

Google Pixel 6 Pro Astrophotography Review: Stellar Results

There are two things a camera should have to be good at astrophotography: a large image sensor and the ability to manually control camera settings. Yet somehow, the Google Pixel 6 Pro manages to capture stunning astrophotographs with the press of a single button. The image sensor, though much bigger than previous iterations of the Pixel line-up, is still tiny in comparison to mirrorless or DSLR cameras. But it’s the powerful machine-learning software within that makes the Pixel 6 Pro so good …

XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 Review: A Great Portable and Affordable Pen Display

XP-Pen's new Artist Pro 16 is one of the most compelling entry-level graphics displays on the market. It's lightweight, well-built, highly customizable, color-accurate, and all for a price that will make Wacom owners blush. It's not a perfect product, but no other Full HD pen display on the market offers this kind of experience and build quality for just $450.

Kolari EF to EOS R Drop-In Filter Adapter: Tons of Creative Options

A little over a year ago, Kolari Vision released its lineup of high-end and ultra-rugged drop-in filters for Canon's EF-to-RF mount adapter with a built-in filter slot, making the company the first to come to market for such a product. But does getting to market first make them any better than the competition? Is the price worth it?

Sony Alpha 7 IV Review: The Best Camera Sony Has Ever Made… Almost

Three and a half years ago, Sony made a statement with the Alpha 7 III. The company wanted to plant the idea that its “base model” did not mean basic. At the time, that camera was specced beyond its price, and it hit everyone by surprise. Now, with the Alpha 7 IV, our expectations are much higher. Did Sony do it again?

HP ZBook Studio G8 Review: Rock Solid Performance, Painful Price Tag

HP's ZBook lineup -- which encompasses the lightweight ZBook Firefly, the affordable ZBook Power, the powerful ZBook Fury, and the best-of-all-worlds ZBook Studio brands -- doesn't attract a lot of attention. As a mobile workstation-class device, the ZBook Studio is not as flashy as most gaming laptops or as affordable as most "creator" laptops, but in many ways, it's better than both.