Digital cameras changed photography, and now smartphones are changing digital cameras. There’s never been more interesting ways to take a picture or record a video, and there’s also never been more ways to view those images. We’re focused on finding the most interesting innovations happening in all parts of photography.
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Canon set a new record with its 410-megapixel 35mm camera sensor
The new sensor features a resolution equivalent to 24K, but don’t expect it to show up in Canon’s consumer cameras any time soon.
Despite the popularity of shooting on smartphones, today Panasonic announced four new professional camcorders.
Ranging in price from $1,299.99 to over $2,199.99, according to PetaPixel, the cameras can capture 4K at up to 60fps and can live stream at 1080p over Wi-Fi or ethernet. The most useful upgrade might be a switch to USB-C, providing more options for powering the cameras.
I appreciated Professor Hany Farid’s comments about AI photo manipulation in this recent episode of WBUR’s On Point. He addressed Pixel camera lead Isaac Reynolds — the segment’s first guest — and Google’s hypothesis about helping people create memories, not photos. I also contributed a few thoughts to the conversation, including the word “boogers.” Take a listen.
The Slow Mo Guys shared a new perspective on the complex inner workings of an Omega Speedmaster mechanical watch using a couple of Phantom slow motion cameras upgraded with microscope lenses.
At 10,000 frames per second and 10x magnification, watching tiny gears in motion feels more like peeking inside London’s Big Ben. (You can skip ahead to the good stuff here.)
I was about to complain about the lack of cameras at Nikon's CES booth when I came across this display. It's a modified Z9 inside a special thermal blanket, and it will accompany astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis III mission. The big, simplified buttons will be easier to press with massive gloves on. Super cool!
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The best stuff we’ve seen at CES so far
Robovacs that pick up after you, desktop supercomputers, laptops with growing screens, and a furry monster that clings to your purse.
The company behind Reolink is launching the Camovue Talon Pro Trail Cam sometime before the end of March. It can identify 12 animal species — including wild boar, deer (bucks and does), mountain lions, elk, ducks, weasels, cattle, goats, turkeys, raccoons, and foxes — and send alerts over 4G. It’ll last for two months on 10 AA batteries or much longer when paired with a rechargeable battery pack and solar panel.
PetaPixel’s Chris and Jordan have another installment in their year-end YouTube tradition — ranking the best and worst cameras and lenses of the year amidst an array of silly drinking games.
I’m willing to forgive them for not naming the Pentax 17 Best Camera, but only because Chris’s dog makes an adorable cameo.
Why is every picture of the New Jersey drones so bad?
Turns out that drones in the night sky are about as hard to photograph as Sasquatch.
A quick swipe through TikTok shows the popularity of point-and-shoots with The Youths, and camera companies are catching on. Panasonic recently announced the new $499.99 ZS99, a refresh of its ZS80 from 2019, adding USB-C and vertical video support while removing the EVF.
The $849.99 (with a lens) G97 mirrorless camera is also launching alongside it. Both modest upgrades are due in February.
Designed for high volume photographers (think school portraits) who need their subjects perfectly positioned every time, Canon now offers a new Cropping Guide feature for its EOS R50, R10, and R7 cameras.
The $120 upgrade also includes standard picture frame guidelines, and although it only requires a firmware update, Canon is requiring cameras be sent in for service to get the new feature.
It looks like the Sony A1 II is coming soon, as Sony has posted a livestream for November 19th at 9AM ET.
There may also be a new super fast 28-70mm f/2 lens announced along with it.
The original A1 of 2021 is an excellent camera for pros, though Nikon and Canon have since played catchup with the Z9 and R1.
That’s what Fujifilm says it’s doing, teasing a new GFX Eterna camera for 2025 that will use the same 102-megapixel sensor in a filmmaking-focused form factor.
These are usually for high-end industry pros, though Fujifilm’s GFX line is one of the most affordable options for medium format photo cameras.
Some audience pictures snapped by Adobe Principal Director Terry White at today’s Max event started appearing in Frame.io in real-time as he was taking them, without needing to connect the camera to a computer.
And because his account was synced with Lightroom, they appeared there too — meaning there’s basically no delay for photographers to get their snaps ready for editing.
