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.

Xencelabs Pen Tablet Review: Already Better than Wacom

What do you get when you take a bunch of former Wacom employees, start a new company, and give them carte blanche to develop a brand new pen tablet? What you get is Xencelabs, a new player in graphics that is bringing some much-needed innovation to a stale market. This is no cheap knock-off we're talking about, Xencelabs' new Pen Tablet Medium just put Wacom on notice.

The Canon EOS R5 Produces Better Color than Medium Format Cameras

I was recently comparing the Canon EOS R5 (with the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2) to the Hasselblad X1D II (with the Hasselblad 80mm f/1.9). Initially we were aiming to focus primarily on the lenses, but during the comparison, we noticed that Canon was producing fantastic images, and this was predominantly due to the colors.

My Time with the Fujifilm X-E4

I'm not the first on the block to write about the Fujifilm X-E4, but I finally got around to doing it and I’m glad that I did.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Review: Really Big Phone, Really Big Camera

You don’t have to be a mobile industry genius to understand which phone Xiaomi is targeting with the Mi 11 Ultra, as it’s right there in the name: Xiaomi’s squarely aiming at the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with this highly capable camera, the top-spec phone in its Mi 11 device range.

Nikon Z7 II Review: Not Just An Upgrade, But A Remarkable Camera

The original Nikon Z6 and Z7 were personal favorites of mine, but there were a few things "missing" from that mirrorless system that I was hoping would be addressed in the next generation. Thankfully I was not disappointed with the launch of the Z7 II as Nikon pretty much addressed every issue I had with the first generation.

A High ISO Shootout: Pentax K-3 III vs. Sony a7 III

You don’t see many new SLRs announced these days when it seems that most camera enthusiasts talk about mirrorless as the future of photography, but to the surprise of those online voices that proclaim the optical viewfinder dead, Ricoh Imaging has released just that in the Pentax K-3 Mark III.

MSI PS321QR Review: A Gaming Monitor for Photographers

As display technology has improved in leaps and bounds over the past few years, the market has forked into two distinct camps: gamers who prioritize speed, and creators who prioritize color. The 32-inch 2K MSI Creator PS321QR tries to strike the perfect balance between these two needs, offering a compelling combination of refresh rate, response time, and color accuracy for just $700.

In the Field with the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM Lens

After the release of the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens, I thought that that was it: Sony finally released my dream lens. But on a call with Sony a few weeks ago I was told that "something was coming, and it had my name on it."

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Review: The Practical Choice

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN is a compacted take on the popular "desert island" 24-70mm f/2.8 lens that makes a slight concession in focal range at the wide end in order to make itself smaller, lighter, and cheaper: just $900.

A Long-Term Review of the iPhone 12 Camera

I use my phone like most people. I scroll through my social media feeds, order from overpriced delivery apps, and even make the occasional phone call. But in 2021, there’s one feature alone that decides how much I’ll spend on a phone: the camera.

Sigma I-Series Lenses vs Sony G Compact Primes: No Losers Here

After my testing of the new Sony compact primes, I was able to spend some time with the competing set of primes from Sigma that were arguably the reason Sony created its lenses in the first place. Both sets are fun, compact, and extremely portable optics... but which should you buy?

Vivo X60 Pro+ Review: Zeiss Onboard and Loaded for Bear

Vivo is positioning its X60 series as “professional photography flagship smartphones,” making clear that it wants to be regarded as the best mobile shooter available. With its partnership with Zeiss, it might have the tools to actually meet that goal.

Wacom One Review: An Entry-Level Pen Display Perfect for Photo Editing

With the release of the Wacom One in 2020, Wacom lowered the barrier to entry into the world of pen displays and inadvertently created an ideal product for photographers. Where other pen displays in the Wacom lineup are either too big or too expensive, the Wacom One makes a great case for trading in your Intuos Pro for a more intimate photo editing experience.

BenQ PD3420Q Monitor Review: Ultrawide, Ultra-Accurate

One of the most important items a photographer can have is a top-notch display on which to edit their images (or video). The BenQ PD3420Q is the company's latest ultra-wide, and it promises a huge amount of screen real-estate for an affordable price: a multitasker's dream.

Oppo Find X3 Pro Review: Beautifully Consistent Cameras

Oppo isn’t following the herd with the new Find X3 Pro’s camera system. While most companies use different sensors for the main and ultrawide camera, Oppo has used the same sensor, resulting in it having two “primary” cameras. The result is consistency across your photographs, with both the main and ultrawide cameras delivering the same visual tone.

BenQ SW271C Monitor Review: Love the Updates, Hate the Price Hike

With the release of the new-and-improved PhotoVue SW271C, BenQ is once again hoping to win over photographers with impressive color accuracy and targeted photo editing features at a reasonable price. But unlike the original SW271, the SW271C is entering a much more competitive marketplace, at a price that isn't quite so "reasonable" anymore.

Angelo Pelle M-Etropolis Review: $275 Sneakers for Street Photographers

For over six years, I have closely followed the progress of Angelo Pelle, an independent Italian camera accessories and leather goods company that offers what I already considered to be some of the very best handmade leather camera straps and camera cases I have had a chance to use.

Adobe Photoshop’s ‘Super Resolution’ Made My Jaw Hit the Floor

Adobe just dropped its latest software updates via the Creative Cloud and among those updates is a new feature in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) called “Super Resolution.” You can mark this day down as a major shift in the photo industry.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Review: Great Cameras, Inconsistent Software

If you’ve been looking at Samsung’s S21 or S21+ but wished a 108-megapixel camera was on the back just like the S21 Ultra, then Xiaomi has a phone that will interest you. The Xiaomi Mi 11 adds a Samsung ISOCELL 108MP camera to an S21+-sized phone and then tempts you further with an even lower price tag.