Reviews

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.

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.

The biggest video-centric exhibition took place last week and brought with it a ton of news, including a new dual-lens camera from Insta360 called the X4 8K. There are a lot of conflicting reports on the video quality, though and Jordan Drake has thoughts.

Do you want a compact lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture? Does it have to be as sharp as a G-Master lens without the high price? Sony may have just given you what you asked for, provided that you don't need an extensive zoom range.