In 2024, the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports was highly regarded in the PetaPixel’s ranking of Sigma's 2024 optics. As one of Sigma’s high-end Sports lenses, it offers many pros and few cons. One of the most common requests we've seen has asked us to test its performance on one of the most challenging subjects: birds in flight.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Honor Magic 7 Pro has the potential to revolutionize mobile photography, but its image sensors and software computation may be holding it back.
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.
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.
The Vivo X200 Pro sets the benchmark for what a telephoto lens can do on a smartphone.
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.
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.
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.
For those lucky enough to have one of the new Thunderbolt 5-equipped Macs, including the latest MacBook Pro and redesigned Mac mini, there are very few Thunderbolt 5 external SSDs to take full advantage of the new speed. LaCie's new Rugged SSD Pro5 aims to address that problem. But does it do so effectively?
The PetaPixel team is in San Jose, California for the Samsung Unpacked event and is working hard on our review of the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra for photographers. However, we did get an early briefing and first look at the latest high-end phone from Samsung and we have some thoughts about the most exciting features.
In North America, the number 13 is hardly lucky, but the OnePlus 13 may be the one that finally pays off for the brand. Coming off a solid predecessor in the OnePlus 12, the 13 takes several parallel steps in the right direction to make it a serious contender for one of the best of 2025.
Why buy a product from Leica with many of the same internal components and capabilities as the far more affordable entries from the other makers? Leica seeks to answer that question with its latest SL3-S, a 24-megapixel design aimed squarely at cameras like the Panasonic Lumix S5IIX.
More than ten years ago, I decided to dip my toe into the world of aerial video when Chris Niccolls and I reviewed the DJI Phantom 2 for The Camera Store TV. Two crashed drones in less than a week later, I decided to leave aerial footage to the professionals. But now DJI has introduced the $439 Flip, with incredibly low weight, just enough video quality mojo, and some cool automated tricks. It might be the perfect compliment to my YouTube camera kit, but I wanted to see how it performed in the field before committing to having it in my bag.
The majority of professional photographers pray at the Church of the Holy Trinity. That is to say that they make their daily bread with an ultra-wide f/2.8 zoom, a general-purpose 24-70mm f/2.8, and a 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto. This is a tradition that has held true for decades from the time of the autofocusing film SLR to the modern mirrorless cameras of today. Good things come in threes so today we look at the best three lenses from the three biggest companies.
It's well-known that I am not a fan of the 35mm focal length. It's also well-known that I am in the extreme minority on this. Everyone loves a good 35mm lens which is a prime candidate for a faster f/1.4 aperture. Samyang has answered the call with its latest "Prima" series of lenses which promise to be optical standouts with sophisticated autofocusing.
It’s 4:37 PM Friday at a long-range planning meeting in Leica offices in Wetzlar. Attendees want to get on with their weekend. Fritz is talking.
The OnePlus 13 got its reveal, but perhaps even more revealing is how much the company is trying to make its flagship more accessible. To do it, it’s embracing MagSafe (albeit only with its phone cases) and including a software feature in OxygenOS to enable sharing with iPhone users. Even faster wired and wireless charging, plus a demonstration of heavy water resistance involving a dishwasher. All that is on top of a focus on improving action photography.
Viltrox has been making waves in the lens space for a while now, but its LAB series, a new push into professional-grade optics, takes the company's ambitions up a notch (or two). The Viltrox LAB 135mm f/1.8 aims to deliver professional performance at a much lower price. Does it deliver the goods?
Here, we thought that the smartphone would kill the point-and-shoot digital camera. There is, instead, a steady resurgence with more and more (mostly young) people purchasing used point-and-shoot cameras. The Panasonic ZS99 aims to capitalize on the trend, offering a modernized take on an older P&S model.
The Lomography Lomo'Instant Automat Wide Glass aims to be the best instant camera on the market, and in many ways, it lives up to this ambitious goal.
My editor-in-chief, Jaron Schneider, tasked me with a Christmas challenge to review a camera unlike anything I had reviewed before. On my doorstep shows up a Bluey-themed kids' camera with the worrisome "eKids" branding on the bottom. I had a family vacation coming up in Alberta's capital city of Edmonton, so it was the right opportunity to put the camera through a rugged baptism of fire. We planned on shooting at the Royal Alberta Museum, which would give us bright and dark conditions in which to test the camera. Even with low expectations, I came away disappointed.
The LincStudio S1 Tablet from LincPlus Studio S1 may look like a standard run of the mill tablet, but this portable pen display has a bit more hidden up its sleeve. The retouching tool is also a fully functional handheld PC that, while not without its shortcomings, has a surprising amount to offer traveling creatives.
Jordan and I regularly give our two cents about the lenses we enjoy the most from each of the major manufacturers. Taking each brand in turn, we list our favorite wide-angle, normal zooms, normal primes, portrait, and telephoto lenses. However, we have never tackled the Micro Four Thirds system, which is unique because it has two major OEM manufacturers that can share lenses. This gives us roughly twice as many optics to sift through, but we managed to narrow it down.
Some of the best traditions are holiday traditions. Turkey at Thanksgiving, pumpkin carving at Halloween, and Christmas trees loaded with decorations are some of the cherished classics but undeniably, the greatest of them all is our annual Best and Worst camera gear roundup.
Hasselblad is a name that screams premium optics at a premium price. However, Hasselblad recently developed a line of more compact and somewhat more affordable lenses categorized under the “P” for portable moniker.
For years, my wife and I have been aimlessly stuck in a first-world conundrum. We enjoy traveling, and like most folks, we enjoy capturing photos and videos of our trips as keepsakes that remind us of the tremendous experiences we have been fortunate to have. But whenever we have considered buying a dedicated camera for our travels, we just haven’t been able to pull the trigger.