Why You Shouldn’t Stick with One Camera System

You might’ve seen the news that Fujifilm raised its prices by up to 60%. But that will only affect you if you’re in Japan. So those of us in Europe, Africa, the Americas, and other parts of the world aren’t affected. Still, though, we’re not completely safe. In fact, Fujifilm film prices are receiving a very odd update of some sort here in America. The company is citing the cost of materials, but something seems dubious about all this.

If you told me years ago that nearly every lens on the market made today would be super sharp wide open, I’d be elated. But if you also told me that lenses could be too sharp, I wouldn’t believe you. I mean, how is that possible? Years ago, you’d just consider the best fstop on a lens based on sharpness. These days, that’s not necessarily the case. Photography has changed, and people want something different. So, with over 12 years of testing lenses under our belt, we’re going to talk more about the best fstop and how it’s changed over the years.

I’m a user of various camera systems. If you’re on the Phoblographer’s reviews team, then you’re bound to be a brand agnostic. You can use pretty much any camera and camera system that’s thrown at you. And over the years, I’ve seen cults of camera fans become a very ugly part of photography. For anyone that’s shot for years, this isn’t anything new. But the culture around camera fans and loyalties are awful, divisive things that get in the way of making better pictures and having a more sustainable photo industry.

Four years have passed since the Canon EOS R was introduced. It’s long enough to put yourself through the standard years of American college. That can feel like an eternity in the camera world, but Canon has always been more about sustainability and longer product lives. To that point, their regular discounts on the camera make us think the Canon EOS R Mk II will soon be unveiled. And if it’s coming, then this is what we want to see from it.

If there were ever an event that a Fujifilm user could be hyped for, it would be the Fujifilm X-Summit. This is a time when we see and hear about some of the most exciting products Fujifilm has to offer. It’s how we first heard about the X Pro 3 (my favorite camera from Fujifilm yet). And this year, we’re expecting to see some big things. Fujifilm has been concentrating on its higher-end products. Strategically, this makes sense since they’re in demand and they bring in the most money. When resources and components are scarce, it’s the right path to sustainability. With that said, here’s what we expect from Fujifilm X-Summit in late May.

I remember the smell of the chemicals and the feeling of fixer as it dried on my hands. The darkroom was a form of sensory deprivation until your eyes adjusted to the soft, amber glow of the lights. My first darkroom was a humble space with two enlargers and a closet with a bottle opener for film retrieval. Starry Eyed Surprise was on repeat as I danced and watched the images from my yellow Hasselblad 501cm come to life on pearl paper. To this day, I can’t think of anything more therapeutic.

Let’s think about what we know of the film look. Besides the tones, film is often a lot softer. It’s very difficult for someone to look bad when you’re shooting them with film. We love the look of film photography and what it does. Years ago, photographer Frank W. Ockenfels III discussed how digital is too sharp and clear. But as scanners are replaced with dedicated cameras, film is going to face a problem.

High ISO film emulsions aren’t all that common. In fact, they’re almost as rare as slide film. But when you need to shoot film in very low light, they’re your best bet. With the film renaissance still underway, we’re happy some emulsions are still around for us to use. There’s not much better than loading it into a camera and shooting a party with some analog goodness. So we’re rounding up a few of our favorite high ISO film emulsions. Dive in with us!

The photojournalist is one that constantly needs to be on the move. Sometimes you’re bringing an entire mobile studio with you. At other times, you may be at a location for a long time. So we dove into our Reviews Index to find the perfect photojournalist bag. Let it be known, we’ve probably reviewed the most camera bags of any brand out there. So take a look at some of our favorites.

For over the past decade, every lighting guru has told us to take the flash out of the hot shoe. You’ll probably recognize a few key names if you’ve been around for a while. David Hobby, the Strobist, probably taught all of us how to light. Syl Arena probably taught us all how to shape the light. And Dustin Diaz, the man from Flickr himself, taught us all what’s possible. They all took the hot shoe flash out of the hot shoe and out it onto a light stand. But there are situations where a hot shoe flash is handy in the hot shoe. And overall, they need more power.

Have you ever been so giddy with joy that you squeal just a bit? If you’re a Fujifilm camera owner, there’s a good reason to be this happy! Reports are hinting at new Fujifilm f1 lenses coming in the future. If you’re a Fuji shooter, then this is intriguing news. If you’re not a Fujifilm shooter, you’re probably wondering why your camera brand isn’t making lenses like this. And if you’re a GFX shooter, you’re probably bewildered.

It’s that time again! Mother’s Day 2022 is right around the corner. Have you considered giving your mom the gift she deserves? Well, if the mothers in your life are photographers, then this is the guide that will help you. We’ve carefully selected and tested the best gifts for photographers for Mother’s Day 2022. Take a look at what we like!

If you’re unaware, April is officially Arab American Heritage Month. With that, The Phoblographer has been celebrating the best Arab American photographers. From portrait to wildlife photographers, we’re proud to showcase leading creatives in the Arab American space. This article will look at the highlights and share the best photographers we’ve published over the last four weeks.

There’s a major problem with modern macro lenses. In fact, there are a bunch of problems. Lots of them are telephoto lenses with a fast aperture. And if you focus down to macro ranges, you have to stop the lens down or use focus stacking. If you stop it down, you need to either use a nuclear ISO setting or use fill light. It’s a complicated life if you’re using a macro lens for sure. But through and through, we prefer to use fill light for macro photography. And believe it or not, it’s simpler than you’d think.

The 28mm lens is reasonably odd. It’s a bit wider than 35mm and longer than 24mm. If you choose the 28mm focal length, you’re bound to not go for the longer or shorter options just named. You’ll get the best of both worlds, but it will be a master of none. So why would you choose a 28mm? We’ll explain why, round up photographers who use the 28mm lens, and lead you to the best options.

“We are all born storytellers whether we actively recognize it or not,” says Kenyan photographer Barbara Minishi about the innate capabilities in us all. A regional Fujifilm Grant winner for her colorful environmental portrait series, she tells us why her camera is her most trusted companion. We hate banner...

There is no doubt in my mind that, if there is one company barely hanging in there in the photo industry, it’s Pentax. They haven’t made the monumental mistakes Nikon has in the past, but they’ve run into a lot of unfortunate events. Hoya more or less gutted them a little more than a decade ago. Samsung never ended up buying them. And the Ricoh company hasn’t done much with Pentax. But now, they’re starting to make an effort with building more factories. If anything can grab our attention again, it would be something different: like a digital Pentax 67.

We’re all fans of some photography brands. Some hold a special place in our hearts, and many among us defend them to no end. Other brands we can’t stand, and we secretly wish our favorite brand would do better than them. But this article isn’t about which brands are outshining others. Almost all leading camera manufacturers are guilty of doing (or not doing) one or more of the points below. What is worrying is that some of these unhealthy trends have continued for years. And manufacturers don’t seem to want to address these anytime soon. Which ones do you find most annoying?

“You´ll never know what you get,” says Austrian photographer Mario Aumüller about the results of his experiments with an x-ray machine and vintage cameras. What started as a fun pastime has now picked up steam on Reddit, where analog lovers eagerly await Aumüller’s next post. He loves looking around for old cameras to collect so he can examine their insides in this most unique way.

For a long time, I wondered why Macro lenses needed to be so large. And then the Laowa 85mm f5.6 came out. It’s a very small full-frame lens. Granted, it’s got a lot of trade offs to meet a certain price point and a few other parameters. Before writing this introduction, I took some time to process my thoughts on this lens. Is it good? I think there are surely folks who would want it. To them it will be a great lens.