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.

Do Professional Photographers Need a Mac Pro? No… Not Really

YouTuber Tyler Stalman recently got his hands on a review unit of both the Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR, and while many tech YouTubers have reviewed these extreme (and extremely expensive) Apple products, he's the first we've seen who's evaluated them from the perspective of a professional photographer.

Back from the Drawing Board: Mitakon 85mm 1x-5x Macro Lens Redesigned

Late last year, macro photographers rejoiced at the announcement of a worthy competitor to the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1x-5x macro lens, which has been heralded as the best high-magnification macro lens since its release in 1999. The Mitakon 85mm f/2.8 1x-5x lens held a lot of promise, but it was immediately apparent that something was wrong.

Evaluating Peerspace, the Airbnb of Photo/Video Studio Spaces

If you're shooting often, it can be pretty easy to fall into a rut. Maybe that's just me, but when I feel like I have to shoot, which is often, it can be a challenge to force creativity. I don't have access to a studio all of the time, and even when I do that space doesn't necessarily get my creative juices flowing anymore. It's too familiar; feels too safe.

Panasonic S Pro 16-35mm f/4 Review: The S-Line’s Long-Awaited Wide Angle

In early November, Panasonic announced that they would be releasing a 16-35mm f/4. Ever since Panasonic released the S1 and S1R, people have been asking about a wide angle lens, especially with the availability of a high-res mode in both cameras (96MP in the S1, 187MP in the S1R) making them a great camera for landscape shooters.

Mirrorless 24-70mm Shootout: Which Lens Wins in Sharpness vs Expense?

It took a little while, but we finally have the "desert island" 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for every major full-frame mirrorless system on the market, with some lovely crossover as well thanks to the L-Mount Alliance and Sigma's continued support of E-mount. Though RF and Nikon Z are a bit on their own at present, E-Mount and L-Mount, which encompass a huge number of cameras, now have a lot of options.

I Worked with the Canon 1D X Mark III for Two Days

Last month, as a Canon Ambassador, I had the opportunity to try out the new DSLR flagship camera, the Canon 1D X Mark III, for 2 days. This is neither a technical review nor a test report. The video above will show you how I worked with the new camera.

Hands-On with the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 for E-Mount and L-Mount

Back in mid-2017, I was tasked with reviewing Sigma's first 24-70mm lens, the 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM IF Art lens, and I was extremely disappointed. You can read my whole review here, but in summary, I found it to be sadly inconsistent with its sharpness. Most notably, I found that edge sharpness was really quite bad.

Review: A Landscape Perspective of the Tamron 17–28mm f/2.8 Di III

My main objective in this article isn’t to provide an in-depth review of the Tamron 17–28mm f/2.8 Di III lens, but I hope to offer the reader a few insights in terms of how the lens performs from a landscape photographer’s perspective as a photographer who usually prefers to shoot ultra-wide-angle.

A Comparison of All High Magnification Camera Lenses

For a long time, there weren’t many options for high magnification macro photography without resorting to solutions like lens coupling and reversals. The only lens on most photographer’s radar was the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1x-5x Macro. There were also other options, however, so let’s take a look at how the MP-E 65 compares to more modern and vintage lenses to put to 5:1 magnification and beyond – using a butterfly wing.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch: A Film Director’s Perspective

For a several years now, I have been patiently waiting for a “new” MacBook Pro to arrive. There has been a lot of hype about new processors, increased screen size and resolution, improved
features and connectivity, even better battery life. Myself along with many industry colleagues, have been reaching out to Apple for some time to let them know what we need and why.

Fuji X-T3 vs Sony a6600: Comparing Autofocus, High ISO and More

If you can get past the lack of a full-frame sensor, the Fujifilm X-T3 and Sony a6600 are two of the most compelling and full-featured mirrorless cameras on the market today. So while everyone is arguing over full-frame mirrorless, The Slanted Lens decided to do a little APS-C shootout to see which of these cameras is the better performer.

Testing the Animal Detect Autofocus on the Panasonic G9

Panasonic recently released a major firmware update that adds Animal Detect autofocus to the Lumix G9. As a bird and wildlife photographer, the new feature had me really excited, but how well does it actually work? I took it out into the field to find out.

Ricoh GR III Street Photography Review: Long Live the King!

I’ve been shooting with the Ricoh GR III for the past few months and I can tell you it definitley lives up to the hype. It’s small, stealthy and produces amazing images but is this the ultimate street photography camera? My Ricoh GR III street photography review has the answer.

Testing the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens for 10 Days in California

The trinity is now complete. Since the release of the Canon EOS R about a year ago, the mirrorless camera is my go-to tool for shoots. Not least because of its size and weight, as well as the amazing lenses (RF 28-70mm f/2, RF 50mm f/1.2, and my RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 expedition lens) the EOS R has benefits over its DSLR counterpart.

You Probably Don’t Care About the Leica SL2, and You’re Worse Off For It

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never used a Leica. I don't think I'd ever even held one or knew much about them other than the occasional story of an outlandishly expensive iteration on a camera previously on the market. I had preconceived notions about the kind of company Leica was, about their goals, and about their strategy. I expected very little, regardless of what they were going to show me.

Deep Fusion Demo: Trying Out Apple’s Computational Photography Tech

Apple has released iOS 13.2, debuting the 'Deep Fusion' computational photography tech that it showed off during the iPhone 11 keynote, and we decided to take it for a quick spin to see what all the fuss is about. Spoiler Alert: If you care about photography and own an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, update your phone ASAP.

My Broken Godox Flash: A Tale of Bad Customer Service

Back in July, my Godox TT350O flash went wrong. I simply got an E9 message on the LCD and it wouldn’t work at all. It was annoying as I had enjoyed using Godox flashes and wireless transmitter up until then and had even recommended them to others.

I Tried Unsplash for Two Years, Here’s What I Learned

It is now exactly 2 years since I started uploading stock photos to Unsplash, the "slightly" controversial stock photo platform where everything is free for everyone. I thought this would be a good occasion to share what I've gained from my presence on Unsplash.

Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR: The Ultimate All-Around Lens for Fuji?

Back in July, Fujifilm announced a versatile new zoom lens for its X-Series cameras: the XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR. This new, compact, and highly versatile lens ought to be a great addition to many photographers, and we got the chance to shoot with a pre-production version for a few days.

BenQ SW270C Photo Editing Monitor Review: Worth the Upgrade

BenQ has finally launched the SW270C monitor, the successor to the best-selling 27-inch SW2700PT model, which has been a favorite among budget-conscious photographers. I had the pleasure to be one of the first European photographers to test the new SW270C, and made sure to properly put it through its paces for one whole month before writing this review.

Review: Meike MK-MT24 is a Solid and Affordable Wireless Macro Flash

The Meike MK-MT24 is one of the most interesting lighting products I’ve ever used. The concept of this product is similar to some macro flash systems that have been on the market for years -- especially the Nikon R1C1 -- but while I knew of their existence, I’ve never once considered them due to their exorbitantly high price (the R1C1 is over $700).

Review: Apple’s Night Mode Strikes the Right Balance of Technology & Art

Make no mistake, the new iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max smartphones from Apple are all about the camera system. From the new ultra-wide angel camera, to better Smart HDR, to Night Mode and beyond, Apple has gone to great lengths to catch up with the Google Pixel, and photographer Austin Mann thinks they've done it... and then some.

The Medium Format Experience: High ISO and the Milky Way

For several years I had believed that shooting a medium format camera at high ISO would yield terrible results. Most likely there would be no point in trying, I thought. However, a few days ago I nevertheless brought the Pentax 645Z and the Pentax 25mm f/4 out into the darkness where the zoombies reign — in my imagination anyway.

Panasonic Lumix S1H: A Review of the Best Hidden Features

A few days ago, Panasonic released their new LUMIX S1H. The S1H has gone to town with new features designed to match most filmmakers needs. The features that filmmakers have grown to love in the GH series are now available and improved upon in the full-frame S-Series.

Review: Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art for Sony FE, Sigma’s Fastest Lens Ever

Back in early July, Sigma announced the development of three new mirrorless lenses that were designed to be used with Sony and Panasonic full-frame mirrorless cameras from the start, unlike their previous E-mount Art Primes, which looked like they had an MC-11 grafted onto them.

A Prime Lens Photographer Tries Out Tamron f/2.8 Zoom Lenses

Being in the photography game over 12 years has given me some fixed routines that are hard to break. Routines like focusing solely on prime lenses. In the last few years I've been carrying 20mm, 35mm, 85mm, and 200mm fixed focal length lenses on my camera bag while occasionally wondering if the grass looks greener on the flexible focal length side.

Who is the King of Compacts? Ricoh GR III vs Fuji X100F

If you’re going to get serious about shooting all the time, the best camera you can buy yourself is a quality compact. High-end DSLRs and interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras can be intimidating to shoot with for the everyday photos, not to mention an unnecessarily heavy load to carry. A compact is a camera you can take everywhere that will distinguish you from other "phonetographers" in both improved control and image quality.

Sony a7R IV: First Impressions and Real-World Photos

A few weeks ago, Sony asked me if I wanted to do a quick test run with the (at that time) unannounced Sony a7R IV. I was pleasantly surprised as I (and I am sure many others) expected the a7S III to come out first. I agreed and was excited to be one of the first in the world to test the new camera.

Review: Lensbaby Omni is a Fun Way to Get In-Camera Effects

Lensbaby has become a bit of a household name in recent years and for those of us searching for a more unique look to our images, Lensbaby has been there to provide a whole host of creative solutions. Its latest product is no different, but this time around it isn't producing a new lens, but instead a ‘creative filter system’ called the Omni.