The PetaPixel team flew down to Cupertino to witness the 2024 Apple Keynote event and get our first glimpse at the new iPhone 16 Pro. With all the recent push lately to add AI features to the photography aspects of the phone it's nice to see Apple working on updated camera hardware instead.
Versatility is always desirable when it comes to optics. Having a lens that can cover a wide range of focal lengths while collecting a decent amount of light is a supremely useful tool, but it is a challenging game for lens designers to play.
The film photography market has been inundated with new accessory shoe light meters for the last several years. Some are revisions of previous models with lower price points and slight changes. Several are completely new and unique designs.
Light Lens Lab recreates classic optics with a passion for sharing the experience of vintage glass with the masses. There is a previous review of the 50mm f/1.2 "1966" on PetaPixel I encourage you to read, but I wanted to speak about my own experience using it.
Fujifilm Instax instant film brings in a huge amount of income to its imaging division and is a cornerstone of Fujifilm's dominance in the analog arena. With that much popularity, it's odd that we've had to wait so long for a new entry in the Wide series.
Every manufacturer should have a good, fast 85mm lens, and the fact is, Sony already makes one. Sony has been on a real kick lately to update some of its earlier -- and questionable -- lenses that were released near the beginning of the E-mount system. I liked the original G-Master 85mm f/1.4 but it had some flaws and is showing its age.
When Canon released its latest flagship camera, the EOS R1, it was fair to say that it was overshadowed by the humble R5 Mark II. Like a thief in the night, the mantle for the most exciting Canon camera of 2024 was stolen by the R5 Mark II, and for very good reason. I got my hands on a full-production model and decided that a road trip was in order.
As I write this, there is a Pixel 9 Pro XL in my hand with a beautiful, newly designed camera bump -- but what's inside is largely the same as what we've seen before. Sure, Google says they're more durable, have a longer battery life, and feature a redesigned imaging pipeline from the sensor to the photo, but what is the real improvement from last year's model? Well, some would say that the improvement isn't real at all, because the Pixel 9 is all about the powerful new generative AI tools added to the Magic Editor.
We have been extremely skeptical of AI tools, especially as they relate to photography. But today during the launch of the Pixel 9 Pro, Google said its latest round of Gemini-powered AI would be actually helpful and after seeing some of what it can do, we might agree.
Apple's new, redesigned, M4-powered iPad Pro is an incredible tablet. Across many applications and use cases, it is one of the best products Apple has ever made. However, there are times when the iPad Pro feels like it falls short of its promise and potential. Which side of the scale tips farther -- the good or the bad -- depends on the user.
Gordon Laing of CameraLabs is back with another installment of his Retro Review series, rewinding the clock a couple of decades with a look at the Canon EOS 10D.
As much as photographers are seen in the field, camera in hand, you can be sure that at least twice as much time per year is spent at a desk. It's not exciting, it's not nearly as fun, but it's necessary.
For many decades, Tamron has been known for making affordable and convenient super-zoom lenses. Well, they are back to true form with a new 28-300mm ultra-versatile lens for Sony E-mount and I got to try it out at the Calgary Folk Festival to see how it handles.
Nikon is on a roll and the Z6 III is the latest feather in its cap. The Z6 III promises to be the versatile and affordable workhorse in the Nikon lineup but it could lack refinement upon closer inspection. We tested the Z6 III as a final production unit and the findings were enlightening. The Z6 III might have a few cracks in its otherwise sterling armor.
With the worldwide craze for analog photography in full swing, we have seen another blast from the past rise again. Everybody wants compact digital point-and-shoot cameras again, to the point where some models are going for prices similar to when they were released.
If we recommended the Sony ZV-E10 II for many beginner creators last week, why wouldn't we do the same for the Panasonic S9? At first glance, it looks like an incongruous set of opinions.
The Razer Blade 16 is a big laptop in size and capability, though it also comes with some compromises. However, Razer frames its Blade laptops, and they cater to gamers first, a subset of consumers notoriously fickle about performance. Creators aren't far behind with their demanding needs, which Razer knows. They've told me, "We believe gamers are creators, and creators are gamers."
It has been a long time coming, but the EOS R1 is finally here. For years, the Canon R1 has been teased and hinted at before getting an official announcement two months ago. Now, finally, we at PetaPixel got our hands on an early test with the R1 body. That said, I cannot stress enough that it was a very early look.
The Canon EOS R1 has been hogging all the attention with announcement dates, sneak peeks, and speculation. It had been a long time since we saw a new flagship camera from Canon and now we had one in our hands. But with all the fanfare going on about a new "1" series camera, another Canon release quietly slipped under the radar -- until now.
Ricoh has experienced much success in the compact digital camera market with its GR series. Drawing on a lengthy heritage of its GR 35mm film cameras, the latest digital version is the popular GR III, and within that, is the GR III HDF.
Pen Display Tablets have typically been a professional's tool. While incredibly useful and precise, they have usually been quite large, sometimes even mounted to a workstation. In the last few years, portable options, like the $749 Wacom Movink 13, have become increasingly more viable for both hobbyists and professionals alike.
Sony's new ZV-E10 II corrects all of the issues I had with its predecessor and delivers an affordable and performant hybrid creators' camera. It isn't without compromises, but it is far and away the best attempt in this space we've seen yet.
Just last month, Xencelabs announced a new "industry first" $1,249 4K OLED Pen Display targeted at professional digital creatives requiring quality and portability. The tablet has compelling features and big ambitions. Can it live up to these lofty goals?
When the Fujifilm X100 first hit the market it took the world by storm. A pocket-sized camera with stellar good looks and a retro-inspired control scheme, it was instantly coveted by photographers aplenty. We wanted to take a retrospective look at the X100 series from the beginning and give you the low-down on the upgrades and quirks over the years.
A couple of weeks ago, Leica announced the Leica LUX camera app, the legendary German company’s first smartphone app for taking photos. While the company has produced its FOTOS app for many years, this is its first dedicated to smartphone photography.
The Google Pixel 8a offers compelling, worthwhile photography features at an accessible price point. It’s hardly a perfect smartphone, but it gets a lot of things right the moment you pull it out of your pocket and start snapping away.
As a creative who often has to travel for my clients, the amount of gear and accessories needed to get a job done can often lead to a lot of headaches when trying to get everything connected to my laptop, especially if I'm shooting large campaigns where I need to ingest a ton of data.
The iPad is quickly becoming a more viable tool for creators to use as their main workflow solution. The recent introduction of Final Cut Pro for iPad has been a big part of the improvement to making the iPad more useful for my own work. Now, Apple released a new version, along with Final Cut Camera for iPhone, which brings some thoughtful enhancements to the table.
I’ve been in the camera review business for over 15 years and in that time I’ve been fortunate enough to have tested and taken photographs with countless cameras, spanning a wide variety of designs and intentions. Curiously, as I prepared to review the Pentax 17 it occurred to me that I had never once reviewed a new production 35mm film camera in all that time.
Nikon's Z6 III brings a lot of technologies to the table and packages them into a camera that seems purpose-built to win the $2,500, mid-range, full-frame camera fight. It may be priced to compete with the middle of the camera pack, but it's swinging punches like a flagship.
Recently, I've pushed myself to look at third-party lens brands from China, which offer interesting character at a relatively low price. I wanted to try out the lenses that cost more money but might provide a more compelling user experience and the Voigtlander manual focus primes could be the answer.
The Panasonic GH series has always been some of the best hybrid cameras ever made, and the new Lumix GH7 brings the best features of the GH6 and last year's G9 II together in a single body. It's basically a perfect camera for me as the sensor size is the only thing I consider a compromise.
Maingear has been a big name in custom PCs for over 20 years and has earned a sterling reputation for its high-end PCs, especially for gaming, and strong customer support. While its flagship MG-1 line, ranging from just over $1,100 to the $4,000 machine I tested, has plenty of features for hardcore gamers to drool over, the MG-1 can also be an outstanding option for creatives.
Sigma introduced the world's first full-frame, mirrorless, f/1.8 lens: the 28-45mm f/1.8 Art. But if no one has ever made a lens like this before, do we even need it? Let's look at the facts with this rather odd entry and see if it's a hidden gem or a mad science experiment.
Viltrox has been busying itself with full-frame Z-mount releases over the last year, building upon the core of its business which has been centered around APS-C. In fact, the last Fuji X-mount release was the "Pro" monikered 27mm f/1.2 that I reviewed in August 2023. The new 56mm f/1.7 sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, retailing at an extremely modest $139. It may be budget in price, but its performance is far from it.
"Medium Format cameras can’t shoot sports, action, and wildlife," they said. Well, maybe now they can.
One of my favorite cameras of all time was the Panasonic GM5. With its interchangeable lenses and ultra-compact design, I could truly take it anywhere and still have full manual control. Compromises had to be made given such a small design, and the Micro Four Thirds format did limit potential image quality, but I had an EVF and a creative camera that was perfect for travel.
The Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS was truly a legendary kit lens. It broke the stereotype of bare-bones kit lenses that came packaged with slow apertures and pedestrian optics. I say was because it now must make way for a new lens to take center stage. The new Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 has very big shoes to fill indeed.
The Hobolite Iris, the company's latest addition to its lineup of LED lighting equipment, is small enough to slide into a pocket yet versatile enough to deploy in a variety of ways. The main reason why is because it integrates into the broader Hobolite ecosystem, with particular compatibility with the existing Hobolite Micro light.
PetaPixel editor-in-chief Jaron Schneider got his hands on the new M4-powered iPad Pro already, and is actively putting it through its paces for a comprehensive review. My iPad Pro arrived last night, and I opted for Apple's "Nano-texture" glass option. So far, it is much better than I expected.
Sigma updated its 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art with a new body design, a new autofocus motor, and a reworked optical formula to make it lighter, smaller, faster, and sharper. That's the promise, anyway, but is it true?
Fujifilm is consistently updating its line of mirrorless cameras to make use of the latest film simulation modes and sensor technology. It is no surprise, then, that it has released a 40-megapixel version of its insanely popular X-T double-digit line to bring high resolution to an affordable platform: the X-T50.
The first Fujifilm GFX 100S had my favorite form factor of any GFX camera due to its take-anywhere size. I loved the smaller body design of the latest GFX 100 II, and of course all the improvements to autofocus and film simulation modes as well as an emphasis on faster shooting and video. But it was only a matter of time before the latest improvements transferred over to the GFX 100S line and the wait is now over.
Apple's iPad Pro (2024) is a marvel of modern technology. Sleek, bright, and thin, it feels like technology we were promised when I was a kid. But for as many times as I stood mouth agape at it, I felt pulled back -- and that's not necessarily entirely on Apple to fix.
Hasselblad has introduced a new 25mm prime lens to add to its already crowded wide-angle assortment. I've reviewed the 30mm f/3.5, and Hasselblad also has 28mm f/4 and 21mm f/4 lenses. However, this new wide prime splits the difference and has an even brighter f/2.5 aperture.
I love short telephoto lenses because of how versatile they can be for anything from portraits to landscapes.
The Vivo V30 Pro may be a mid-range smartphone, but with Zeiss in the mix, the camera takes a decisive step forward compared to its predecessors. Until now, Vivo reserved its collaboration with Zeiss for its X Series, but no longer. The Zeiss tech makes the more affordable V Series more interesting to photographers.
I've used a lot of different microphones over the past few years, but recent experience with Shure on The PetaPixel Podcast put its SM7db at the top of my tier list. Shure's new MV7+ doesn't quite unseat my number one favorite mic, but it comes darn close.
The Honor Magic 6 Pro is a quality smartphone with a camera array built to make the case that it has the goods to be among the best. Honor is a spinoff of Huawei, which let the brand go in 2021 in a bid to evade U.S. sanctions. Since then, Honor has carved out its own purpose and identity, including a current attempt to go public with an IPO.
It is highly unlikely that you have not heard of the Fujifilm X100VI. Similarly, you've probably seen some polarizing discourse around it. For some reason, it's seemingly only appropriate to love this camera or dunk on it. There is no in between.