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.

My Nightmare with USPS Insurance in Shipping a Camera Lens

Photography is amazing, but it does require gear. I recently moved from Canon to Sony, so I had to offload a camera body, lenses, flashes, and triggers. I purchased out-of-pocket insurance on all of my gear packages just to have some peace-of-mind.

Why the Fujifilm GFX 100 is Next Level

There has never been a camera that combines such stunning image quality, resolution, dynamic range, autofocus performance, overall handling, and ergonomics like the new Fujifilm GFX 100 does.

Street Photography Compositions with the Ricoh GR III

At first glance, all we see is a dinky point-n-shoot camera; not much to it. It slips inside my front pocket, I mean, how powerful can it be? Well, photographers shouldn’t be fooled by its size and minimalism; like many of our subjects in the street. The Ricoh GR III is called a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” for a reason.

Using the D1, Nikon’s First Homegrown DSLR

It is June 15th, 1999. The box office is being dominated by the release of the first new Star Wars in 16 years, even though it is tainted by one Jar Jar Binks. Until this day, photography was largely dominated by a technology that had existed for over a hundred years. It was a technology pioneered by George Eastman in his invention called, the Kodak. Over the many years from 1885 onward, it became known to the photographic community and to the world as “film.”

Yes, The Huawei P30 Pro Can Shoot the Milky Way (and Even Meteors)

My Huawei P30 Pro arrived at 4:30 pm on April 6th, and I knew the night sky in Mersing would be amazing for me to try out this low-light beast. I had read a lot of good reviews on P30 Pro, but I was still skeptical, so I booked a room at my regular resort on the same day and drove 3 hours to get there.

Review: Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 is a Portrait Zoom with Endless Flexibility

Back in February, Tamron announced the development of three new lenses: the 35mm f/1.4 for DSLRs, the 17-28mm f/2.8 for Sony FE, and the 35-150mm f/2.8-4 for DSLRs. We just received the 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD for Nikon F mount to test out for a few days. It’s always exciting to test out new gear, and especially exciting when it’s a unique lens like the 35-150mm.

Justifying the Noctilux and Its Place in My Workflow

I have gone through the gear of almost every major brand during my early photography journey, buying my way through cameras and lenses until I arrived at my current setup, which has remained more or less the same for my entire professional career. Despite settling on a brand known for its high price point, I have been comfortable with all of my camera and lens choices except one, which is what I’ll be discussing here.

A 3.5-Year Review of the $4K Leica Q

If there’s a fundamental flaw with product reviews, it’s the typically short duration that reviewers have with the item before hitting a publishing deadline or needing to return the product to the manufacturer. With rapid product refreshes, the lifetime of any particular product can be short, which can often render longer evaluations as impractical.

Using a 50-Year-Old $100 Lens on a Modern $4,500 Camera

I made a big purchasing decision a few months ago by investing in the new Fujifilm GFX 50R camera. It is a larger-than-full-frame ‘medium format’ sensor camera. The 50R was by far the most affordable medium format option in its class at the cost of $4,500.

My Bad Experience with Drobo as a Wedding Photographer

I hate it when I see photographers writing articles like this. I always think, "why bother?… just let it go, this isn’t going to change anything." But here I am anyway, tapping away to release some of this pent up anger. And I don’t expect this to change anything for me, but I sincerely hope it can stop at least one other person making the same mistake I did: buying a Drobo.

Review: Meike 50mm f/1.7 is a Cheap and Compact Lens for Nikon Z

Although it’s been six months since the Nikon mirrorless Z system was announced, there’s still a dearth of native Z mount lenses, and the ones that are available are in my opinion somewhat overpriced (starting at $599 for the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 S). While the FTZ adapter does work remarkably well, it adds quite a bit of bulk to even the smallest F mount lenses. This is where I believe the Meike 50mm f/1.7 finds its niche.

Review: Topaz Sharpen AI is Amazing

I got an email notifying me of the release of Topaz Sharpen AI, a program that enhances details and fixes out-of-focus/blurred shots. I initially expected that it was something similar to Adobe Enhance Details, which slightly enhanced the details of some specific shots and didn’t work for many other images. Topaz provided a demo fully-functional for 30 days, so I decided to give it a try.

A Pro Photographer’s Review of the Leica M10-D

Could you and would you shoot with a digital camera without an LCD screen that costs and arm and a leg? I spent two days in Singapore wandering the streets with the Leica M10-D and here are my thoughts.

A Comparison of PhotoShelter and Squarespace for E-commerce

I recently I canceled my PhotoShelter account after being with the service for 8 years, and I wanted to provide a better understanding of the pros and cons of PhotoShelter and Squarespace. I currently use Squarespace and while I wouldn’t say the service is without its faults, I do believe that it is a better service for my needs.

Shooting the New Kodak Ektachrome 100 in the City at Night

Last week, after much anticipation, I received back my first rolls of the new Kodak Ektachrome 100, exposed in Chicago over the Christmas holiday (thanks to Denver Digital Imaging Center). After all the hype and fanfare surrounding Kodak releasing a new chrome film this far into the alleged afterlife of film, I was excited to see the results. Spoiler alert: the wait was worth it.

What It’s Like Attending a Best Buy Photography Workshop

After I saw an ad on Facebook about an upcoming Best Buy photography workshop, I got the idea to attend it, and I thought other photographers would be interested in the experience, too. I signed up, paid the $50 to attend the workshop, and got an email confirming my registration.

The Medium Format Experience

To shoot medium format had been a longtime dream of mine, but I have to admit I didn’t know it would be such a mindblowing experience. The 51.4-megapixel Pentax 645Z arrived on the market in 2014 and was the first camera to ever exceed 100 points in the DxOMark sensor test. For some unknown reason, the score and review weren't published until 2017.

A Review of 35mm Kodak Ektachrome E100 Film

Those who follow my work know that I consider myself a large format photographer. I will photograph with a medium format camera, particularly when I’m trying to save weight on a backpacking trip or save time when I’m teaching a photography workshop, but 35mm has been somewhat shunned in my arsenal, being a format I deemed too small to be used effectively for my work.

Experiments in Antique USSR Film

Want to hear a communist joke? Well, they are only really funny if everyone gets them, but if you still want to hear it, then Soviet: A worker standing in a liquor line says: “I have had enough, save my place, I am going to shoot Gorbachev.” Two hours later he returns to claim his place in line. His friends ask, “Did you get him?” “No, the line there was even longer than the line here.”

The Move to Mirrorless From DSLRs

Back in May of last year, I finally made the move and got myself an a7 III. I had wanted a Sony body for quite some time but was hesitant to switch. Before getting into my long-term review, I’ll first explain what made me make the switch.

Human vs Machine: Can This AI Retouch Photos Better Than You?

Artificial intelligence is no longer a new concept in photography. Complex algorithms allow machines to choose auto contrast and exposure settings in all modern editing software. They're getting better all the time. What I haven't seen before however, is a tool that successfully automates face retouching. Until now, that is.

Pushed to the Limit: Kodak Portra 3 Stops Over

At night, it can be especially difficult getting enough light to shoot film. There are no color emulsions with speeds higher than ISO 800, and most stocks don’t even exceed 400. Pushing enables you to add sensitivity past the recommended ‘box speed’ of your film.

Review: Xennec’s CityScape BackPack 15 is Sleek and Spacious

Peak Design is probably the most well-known camera bag brand to leverage Kickstarter to launch their products, going way back as early as 2014 with their camera straps. And since then, there have been many camera bags brands who have tried to follow their footsteps -- some successfully, and some not.

Google Pixel 3 vs. Sony a7R III: A Low-Light Shootout

Google Pixel 3 smartphone has a Night Sight feature that uses AI to capture "mind-blowing" photos in near darkness. Photographer Pierre T. Lambert wanted to see how the tech stacks up against a pro-grade camera, so he did a low-light shootout pitting it against the Sony a7R III.

Fixing the Bad Grip on Sony’s Mirrorless Cameras

Sony's a7 and a9 series of mirrorless cameras have a bad reputation for their grip ergonomics, and rightly so. I love my Sony a7 III and it's still the best camera on the market for my particular needs, but the grip just isn't anywhere near as good as what you find on a pro DSLR.

I Bought the New iPad Pro So You Don’t Have To

I’m no stranger to the iPad. In fact, it once caused me not to get a job at an Apple store shortly after college. I was asked in an interview, “What do you think of the new iPad,” and I answered honestly (mistake number one in a job interview I would learn).

Review: Elinchrom ELB 1200 HS is Top for Action Photos in Bright Sun

Some months ago, I did a speed riding photoshoot with FriedeFly in the Swiss Alps. I was able to try out some new stuff in the snow and managed to capture some really nice shots. During the shoot, I also played around with my old Jinbei DC II 600 V flash since I was fascinated by shots of skiers made with flash that overpowers the sun.

The Usability Issues of the Canon EOS R

After buying the new EOS R, Canon's first full-frame mirrorless, photographer Michael Andrew of Michael the Maven was disappointed by the camera usability. Here's an 11-minute video in which Michael points out the things in the EOS R that drove him crazy.

Hands On with the Small but Mighty Profoto B10

I got my hands on a pair of the new Profoto B10 for some hands-on shoot testing from Profoto. If you just want to see the photos, scroll to the end of the article. If you want to get a little background on the ideas and the tech, read on.

I’ve Never Flown a Drone. Here’s My Review of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Since the 2010 launch of the Parrot AR.Drone, consumer interest in drones has skyrocketed. DJI’s ubiquitous Phantom, originally released in 2013, has spawned multiple iterations and the company has further developed product lines like the Spark and Mavic to fill various niches and price points.