I’m not just a camera history nerd, I’m also a huge fan of weird things in general. Weird and unique technology is especially fascinating, and I’m sure many readers here share the same sentiment.

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My first digital ILC (interchangeable lens camera) was the Nikon D40, which I purchased during my senior year of high school in late 2007. That camera was followed by the Canon T2i (550D), which I bought in 2010, primarily because of Canon’s significantly more advanced video features; I have always been an active filmmaker as well as a photographer. Like most people, my first two lenses for each of these cameras were the kit 18-55mm zoom and a cheap nifty-fifty prime lens, so the cost of switching systems wasn’t exactly high.

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I have always admired Sigma. It wasn’t regarded in the same league as it is today for its lenses until the Art series came out, but Sigma’s digital cameras have always been singular in design and purpose. The family-owned company has never been afraid to try something new, and honestly, that’s something we need to see a lot more of in the photography world.

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One of the best things I’ve purchased as a photographer (and videographer) was an editing console. I own probably eight at this point, all with their own purposes and advantages.

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Merriam-Webster defines “retro” as “fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned.” With the rise in popularity of shooting on film over the past few years and the extraordinary success of instant cameras among the general populace, I think it is fair to say that retro cameras are likewise lusted after by many.

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I write about a lot of things here at PetaPixel -- reviews, guides, technical articles, opinion pieces -- but one of my favorite topics to write about is the history of photography. As an avid user and collector of vintage cameras and lenses, I have passionately absorbed as much knowledge about their history as possible over many years. Like studying world history, there is much value in understanding where we came from and what got to us where we are now.

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We don’t often extensively cover video gear here at PetaPixel, but we thought it might be helpful to cover some of the best hybrid cameras out there -- those cameras geared toward both photographers and videographers.

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The compact camera, also known colloquially as the point-and-shoot camera, has been a staple of the photography world for over a century. Perhaps the first mass-market compact camera was introduced in 1900 by Eastman Kodak, costing a mere one dollar (about $36 today).

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Photographic printing was once a widespread and vital art form in itself. While there were (and are) various techniques for producing prints from film, the most common in the film era was the use of light-sensitive paper and an enlarger -- the paper would be exposed to a film negative or positive transparency (slide film) via the enlarger in a darkroom, or a digital exposure unit such a minilab machine, which you used to find in just about every drugstore.

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Cameras all have a pretty solid set of features and design elements that appeal to a wide range of users. But, for the most part, pretty much all of them lack a set of features that would make them all a lot more powerful and enjoyable to use.

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The Meyer Optik Görlitz 35mm f/2.8 Trioplan II is a unique lens that performs its best when the bokeh is specifically integrated into a shot and not just a coincidence of the defocus area. That means it's not for everyone, but it has its place.

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Film is back, and with its booming popularity, there are a lot of options to try. These are our top picks for the best 35mm film you can find today for a range of use cases.

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I've been using the Panasonic GH6 for a few months so we could provide a long-term review for what was once a hotly-anticipated successor to the very popular GH5.

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Venus Optics has introduced yet another unique lens to the market: the Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APO for Micro Four Thirds. As a long-time user of the Micro Four Thirds system, I jumped at the opportunity to test drive this lens after I heard “0.95” and “APO” in the same sentence.

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Once a staple of photography for the general populace, disposable (or “single-use”) cameras have become something of a niche -- most people who never stopped shooting film or those younger audiences who are coming to it for the first time choose to use an affordable SLR or point and shoot camera. The image quality is quite superior and a single roll of film is less expensive (though typically not by much) than a disposable camera.

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Photoshop and Lightroom are mainstays in most photographers’ workflows for a reason. While other options abound, no other set of programs matches the popularity and widespread adoption of Adobe’s signature photography software. But while Photoshop’s manipulation capabilities and Lightroom’s processing and editing power are certainly robust, both offer even more power beyond the software itself in the form of plugins.

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If you’re a photographer, you’re likely familiar with memory cards. They’re what our photographs are stored on -- removable flash media that we insert into a slot (or slots) in our camera, take photos, and then (sometimes) remove and insert into a card reader or card slot on our computer.

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I’ve been an Olympus and Micro Four Thirds user since I purchased a used E-M5 in 2016. I love Olympus, and like many others was sad to hear the news when the company’s photo division came to an end. There was a lot of speculation and anxiety over what JIP would do with the business, but the rebranding to OM Digital encouraged confidence. Since then, I have eagerly awaited the new company’s first camera. And now we have it: the OM System OM-1.

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We can spend hours poring over buying guides and recommendations for the fanciest, most expensive pieces of kit to complete our bag as photographers, but in all that excitement, there is one crucial piece of our arsenal that can be overlooked. It hardly qualifies as a bell or a whistle and no one will drool with envy at the sight of it, but it is absolutely one of the most important purchases you will make: the camera strap.

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Vintage lenses are more popular than ever, thanks in large part to the mirrorless revolution as well as affordable, high-quality cinema and hybrid video cameras. These lenses are regularly “cine modded” for video use due to their unique character and less clinical rendering, (sometimes) affordable prices compared to cine lenses, helicoid-driven focus with hard stops, and physical aperture rings (which are often de-clicked).

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