Reviews

One thing Samsung’s new foldables tell us is that the company is reluctant to put its best cameras into any phone that folds or flips open. Should a device that carries such a premium cut a few corners on the camera side?

In my line of work, a lot of cameras corss my path. Like any good tools, they only do their best work when they match the specific tasks for which they were intended. It seems that lately, the majority of cameras I've looked at have been fairly pricey devices, so I was happy to get to review a new affordable entry onto the market. And of course, I don't have expectations that it will compete with higher-end products, but can the $479 EOS R100 even do what it was designed to?

The Creator Z17HX Studio is MSI’s attempt to give photographers and video editors the fit and finish of an Apple laptop, the color accuracy of a studio-grade computer display, and the performance that comes with the newest Intel and NVIDIA hardware. The good news is that MSI delivers surprisingly well on all of these promises; the bad news is that it had to make one huge compromise along the way.

In Calgary, Alberta, there is a huge annual fair called the Calgary Stampede. A once-a-year celebration dubbed "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth". Full of rides, games, and lots of rodeo events, this show attracts 1.5 million visitors each year. One of these guests was the illustrious Ted Forbes and we thought, why not have a good old-fashioned showdown, wild west style?

After many years of growth, drone technology feels like it has reached a plateau. Even inexpensive drones now have robust collision-avoidance sensors, long battery life, good image quality, and easy-to-use software. So where does the Mavic 3 Pro3 fit in?

The Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 FE full-frame prime lens features an intriguing blend of a wide focal length, a fast aperture, and a low $550 price. Can it possibly be any good?

We finally did it! We reviewed the Fujifilm X-S20 after a very long wait. I fell in love with the original X-S10 when it first came out because it represented a departure from the design stylings of Fujifilm. It also added IBIS to the camera at a price that created excellent value for the dollar. Now the new X-S20 is in our hands, and we take it through its paces.

If there was even a sliver of doubt that Xiaomi wanted the mobile photography crown, the 13 Ultra is the phone to dispel that notion and cement that pursuit. Xiaomi equipped it with the tools to take on the best, no matter who the other brands are.

The Sony a6000 series of cameras have a long history, starting with the insanely popular a6000 in 2014. In the nine years since that fateful camera, there have been quite a few new models and upgrades. However, the last camera to be released, the powerful a6600, came out almost four years ago and it is only now that we have a new model to replace it. The Sony a6700 has just been announced, but was it worth the long wait?

Sony has been working hard to re-release new iterations of its existing lenses because although many of the early lenses were decent, they still left much to be desired. The original G Master zooms, for example, were priced like high-grade professional lenses, but came up short optically.

Venus Optics had a big hit with the original Laowa 24mm f/14 probe lens. What first garnered snickers and jokes, proved to be a unique video lens and the peri-probe lens with a 90-degree rotating end soon followed. Now Laowa has some serious competition from a company with a name I struggle to pronounce.

Pen display tablets have been getting better and more affordable, so it makes sense that all-in-one devices like the Huion Kamvas Studio 16 would follow the same path. But what makes this device a little different is it's a pro pen tablet made for designers, illustrators, and photographers to help them get their art created quickly and easily while also being a fully functional Windows PC.

I recently stated that the Alpha 7RV is my favorite Sony camera to date, and one of the most ideal platforms for what I want personally in a camera. Since then I've had the pleasure of using the Nikon Z8, and it has definitely made an impression on me as the best Nikon camera I’ve used so far. When we saw that the price was similar, it made perfect sense to do a shoot-out between the two.

In its third iteration, the Insta360 Go 3 continues to hone in on what makes this series of action cameras so attractive.

Google has entered the foldable smartphone fray with its $1799 Pixel Fold, a smartphone design that very well could be the future. Blurring the line between smartphone and tablet, the Google Pixel Fold not only provides a much larger screen area for multitasking, but a unique change to how a modern smartphone is used.

One of our favorite types of video to make is buying guides, to help our viewers decide what products are best for them. It also presents an opportunity for me to share my personal preferences about what I would choose. Our latest episode is all about Canon RF mount lenses, and I give you my favorites in the following categories: ultra-wide, normal primes, standard zoom, telephoto zoom, portrait lenses, and macros.

Flair markets itself as "The AI design tool for branded content," but based on hands-on impressions, it leaves much to be desired.

Lume Cube has been producing some interesting and creative lighting solutions for both photographers and videographers over the last few years that add an impressive amount of versatility to their users toolkits including the Tube Light Mini. That being said, the question remains that given the number of competing RGB lights on the market, are they good enough, and are they worth it?

How do you make the excellent Tamron 11-20 f/2.8 DI III RXD for Sony E-Mount even better? You release it for Fujifilm X-Mount as well.

Product photography is often considered one of the most complicated and challenging genres. Besides having the right lenses and props to decorate the shot, you'll need a variety of light shaping options to create the best looking photos. This is where the $399 Halumin H18 Soft Light brings something interesting to the table.

Vivo saves its best camera features for its flagship X-Series, but some of that trickles down to devices like the V27 Pro. It’s just a question of how much happens to fall into place.

It's been a long time coming, but Capture One for iPhone is finally here, and PetaPixel has gone hands-on with the much-anticipated mobile photo editor to see if the app has been worth the wait.

Apple pretty much always hypes the performance of its machines, but in recent years that hype has been justified. The M2 Ultra sounded like an impressive chip on paper, but does it actually do enough to earn its asking price in a market that has gotten very competitive?

The iFootage Cobra 3 monopod has enormous shoes to fill, as the Cobra 2 was one of my favourite video accessories ever made. Has iFootage managed to improve on near perfection?

Jordan Drake -- my YouTube partner -- hands me the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens, and the first thing that strikes me is just how bulky it is. The second thing that strikes me is that we need to go shoot some astrophotography with it.

Photographers use their monitors even more than their cameras, probably by a large margin. Even the best monitors should be calibrated to ensure that the colors users see are accurate. However, calibration can be expensive and tedious. TruHu aims to make the calibration process very easy and much more affordable.

My first experience with an almost full production Nikon Z8 took me to stunning Yellowstone National Park. In the week or so that I had to play with it I found it to be a most enjoyable camera, and I was able to review most of the major aspects of the cameras handling and capabilities. However, there were still some features that I needed to test, and for that I would need to wait for a final firmware Z8.

The Google Pixel 7a is a rarity. It's a mid-range phone that performs above that spec in many areas, making it hard to pass especially when the price starts at $499.

Razer wants you to take your webcam seriously enough that you would spend $300 to get the quality the Kiyo Pro Ultra can deliver.

The DJI Inspire 3 is a drone that I had actually given up hope on ever seeing. The Inspire 2 was released way back in 2016 (the hot camera that year was the Nikon D500, to give you some perspective), and progress with UAVs has been incredibly rapid since then.

Sony’s ZV-1 “vlog” centric camera arrived in 2020 and was met with some divided opinions about the direction Sony was taking with this new video-first camera. At its launch, I was the Vice President at the public relations company working with Sony’s camera division, and I recall how some of the briefings were met with more enthusiasm than others.

Ask nine out of 10 influencers, and the Leica Q2 will still be on their favorites list even though it's three years old. Its timeless styling made it an instant classic, but credit goes to the venerable 28mm f/1.7 Summilux for delivering the goods. Now Leica has released its latest version, the Q3, and we got our hands on a pre-production version to try out.

Ricoh Imaging marches to the beat of its own drum -- I love this about the company. Pentax refuses to jump onto the mirrorless camera bandwagon, and I'm all for the company sticking it out with DSLR cameras.

It's no secret that I have had an anti-Apple attitude in the past. As much as I may have made jokes at their expense, I have nothing against them. My perceived bias stems more from a fierce loyalty to the PC; I use to custom-build gaming rigs as a kid. Ever in search of more gaming power, I saw Macs as boring, work computers. However, now that I'm older, what I truly need a computer for is exactly that -- work.

All the major camera manufacturers love vlogging and as a result they all continue to churn out new models. Sony was one of the first to jump on that bandwagon and has now updated one of its earliest models in the new Sony ZV-1 Mark II.

Wide-angle zoom lenses with fast apertures are few and far between when it comes to Sony APS-C cameras. The Tokina 11-18mm f/2.8 ATX-M takes its shot in this overlooked class.

There just aren't a lot of ultra-wide full-frame prime lenses to choose from. There are plenty of zoom lenses to choose from, however, compact dedicated ultra-wides are in short supply. Cue Sigma to save the day with its brand new Contemporary series 17mm lens. But is this the hero we were looking for?

Arriving in stores only weeks apart and at the same price, the Panasonic S5 IIX and Sony ZV-E1 are full frame, video optimized cameras designed for creators. Obviously, I had no choice but to compare them!

The Insta360 X3 recently improved after the company released a free firmware update that adds mobile-to-desktop reframe data syncing, turns the 360-degree camera into a simple plug-and-play webcam, and enhanced PureShot image quality.

Adventure or travel photographers will sometimes find themselves in rather extreme environments. Alaska, Iceland, Antarctica, or even Yellowstone National Park in the winter can be very cold. So, does Haukland's Parka Pro Photography Jacket successfully combat low temps and wet weather?

As a parent, you hope that your children will emulate your best traits, but also blaze new trails and achieve greatness beyond their own. You hope that lessons will be learned from your own mistakes and that your weaknesses will not be theirs. Is the Nikon Z9 a proud parent?

When I reviewed the Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 I was struck by how bad it was, but also how good it could be. Normally, I rate a lens based on how well it handles flare, how sharp it is, and how well it controls chromatic aberrations. Going by the above criteria, the Argus should have failed spectacularly.

The Nikon Zfc is a crop sensor mirrorless digital camera designed to replicate the classic Nikon FM2 Film camera, often considered one of the best 35mm film cameras of all time. While the system looks amazing and definitely brings a huge hit of nostalgia, does it live up to that legacy?

When it comes to macro photography, having the right lens is critical for achieving the best possible images. As such, the updated $547 HD D FA Macro 100mm F/2.8 ED AW from Pentax brings a refreshed optical formula optimized to work better with larger megapixel DSLR's but, sadly, not much else.

Check out our first YouTube video with Chris and Jordan, and the full written review!

Every time I review a Leica digital rangefinder, the major argument against buying one becomes a matter of price versus practicality. How can I recommend a camera that is neither affordable nor versatile?

The Jackery booth at the Consumer Electronics Show was attention-grabbing, with solar panels and battery power systems laid out in various outdoor dioramas. Each setup was designed to highlight Jackery’s Portable Power System and its Solar Generator line.