Search results for: photography history half frame cameras
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by Luke Rollins · Posted
Viltrox's AF Pro series began in 2025 with the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro FE, signaling the emerging third-party lens maker's entry into the professional prime lens.
Currently, the series has 85mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4 full-frame, autofocus options for both Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount full-frame cameras. The series is especially notable for being one of a shallow roster of third party 85mm lenses with fast maximum
by Luke Rollins · Posted
What is it about the 2000s look that is so compelling right now? One could chalk it up to the eternal recurrence of 20-year nostalgia cycles, of which the retro digicam revival would be yet another instance. But this kind of historicism elides the character of what is missed, and why its retrieval is attempted in the first place.
Smartphone bad; we know this. Rejecting the smartphone, however, does not immediately lead one to retro digicams. One could just as easily move toward the nostalgia of film as toward the competent excellence of today
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Throughout the history of photography, few aspects have remained the same. Famous names have come and gone, but few have remained strong in their place as pillars of the industry. Among those names sits Olympus, better known today as OM Digital Solutions.
Founded in 1919 as Takachiho Seisakusho, the future Olympus aimed to domestically produce microscopes. It wasn’t until well into the 20s that the moniker “Olympus” came to be, and it wasn’t a camera that bared the name either—it was one of their microscopes. In fact, their first camera wouldn
by Luke Rollins · Posted
FUJIFILM spent most of 2025 in the wake of 2024's X100VI camera, riding the wave of its internet virality to an instantly sold-out product that remains out of stock pretty much everywhere. This year the company delivered three new cameras and a new lens, all of which iterated on their winning X100VI concept. The company also cannonballed into the deep-end of the cinema camera space with the announcement of their large format sensor camera and a video-friendly power-zoom lens.
The GFX100RF, or the Medium Format X100VI
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
As we begin to wrap up the year, we’d like to look back at some of our favorite product launches and moments in the photo industry. As it turns out, this has been quite the year for Nikon. Today, we’re looking at some of the best releases Nikon saw in 2025, from upgrades of existing models to integration of the RED cinema camera technology.
Nikon Z5 II Mirrorless Camera
In April, Nikon delivered a much-needed update to their entry level full-frame camera. The original Z5 was never the fastest camera in its class, but it had a larger battery
by Luke Rollins · Posted
“Compact and lightweight form factor” wasn’t always just a mirrorless camera marketing slogan. A century ago, it was the necessity that gave birth to the Leica camera, as inventor Oskar Barnack designed his prototype in part to reconcile his debilitating lung ailment with a less physically demanding kit. Released in 1925, the popularity of the Leica I camera, particularly among young photographers, helped drive the widespread adoption of the 35mm film format and the compact, lightweight setups it afforded.
Available as an accessory to
by Christopher Witt · Posted
Humans’ fascination with the stars is as old as our ability to think and ask questions. For millennia we, as a species, were limited to observing the heavens with just our eyes. Of course, back then we were able to see more because light pollution didn’t exist, but making detailed observations was impossible. The invention of the microscope led to the development of the telescope, which allowed people to finally start exploring the larger universe. As technological advances were made and telescopes got bigger and better, their reach and the
by Shawn C. Steiner · Posted
OWC has been aggressively pushing into the memory card space over the past few years—a move that only seems natural for a company already known for creating excellent storage solutions. With a history of reliable and fast memory options, it should come as no surprise that their card offerings feature top-of-the-line specs or push the media further than it has in the past. That is certainly the case with the Atlas Pro
Posted
Back in late 2022, Ricoh Imaging/Pentax had announced that it was working on a “new project involving the research and development of new Pentax-brand film camera products.” Today, we finally get to see the fruits of that labor: the Pentax 17. This is a brand-new 35mm half-frame film camera built using a wealth of inspiration from Pentax’s rich history of film camera development. It’s perfectly simple, elegant, and functional, just as a film camera
by Shawn C. Steiner · Posted
After a relatively quiet summer, this past week's busy release schedule is putting us back in action.
RØDE announced an even more impressive mic system for creators: the Wireless PRO. This brings 32-bit float recording and other "pro" features, like timecode, to the series.
Tamron continues to show off more and more glass and better compatibility with the development of a
by Cory Rice · Posted
My grandfather bought a Pentax P3 the week I was born. A year of tenuous exposures later, he replaced it with a more automated Pentax SF1. And so, the camera used to take the photos in this article spent the next three and a half decades in a shoebox in Pittsburgh.
During my last visit back home, my grandfather pulled me into his kitchen. “Whaduya think I can get for these?” He dropped a stack of dusty magazines, a half-evaporated snow globe, and the well-worn P3 on his kitchen table. After breaking the disappointing news that none of his
by Jill Waterman · Posted
How does one begin to reconcile the unspoken sacrifices a mother makes to build her children a better life? For photographer, filmmaker, and experimental storyteller Diana Markosian, the key to understanding such mysteries of her childhood was through recasting long unexplained events in a monumental art project told through an embedded narrative—a nested story to honor her mother’s sacrifice.
Photographs © Diana Markosian
Above photograph: The Arrival, 2019, from Santa Barbara (Aperture, 2020)
Markosian was born in Moscow, in 1989, to
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
It is a bit strange to think that many of the citizens of today’s world created their first-ever photograph casually with a smartphone or other mobile device. For those who grew up in the age of film, while we might not remember the first image we created—although we likely knew it was a moment of permanence and carried a small cost (film and developing), we may remember, and have fond memories of, the very first camera we used or owned.
While some cannot look fondly on their first picture-making machine, some photographers have a
by Jill Waterman · Posted
Instead of an apron, food photographer Joanie Simon wears many hats—commercial and editorial imagemaker, recipe developer, photo educator, Blogger, YouTube Influencer, Livestreamer, and content creator extraordinaire. For more than a dozen years, Simon has built her brand into a powerhouse of creative content and learning, to whet the appetites of both foodies and photographers alike. Her straightforward approach to this specialized field is of value to shutterbugs at all levels of experience, from beginners on cell phones to experienced pros.
by Jill Waterman · Posted
Jean Fruth is a diehard baseball fan. “Growing up in New York, with two great hometown teams, how could you not connect with the sport?” she asks. As a teen, she worked in a restaurant owned by serious Mets fans who had season tickets, “And they would take me to games,” she reminisces. “And my grandfather was a Mets fan, listening to games on the radio.”
Such formative influences foreshadow her ultimate path to becoming one of baseball’s preeminent photographers, yet it took many years of exploration for Fruth to put a plan into action. “My