retro

A bearded man with short hair is smiling excitedly behind two cameras placed on a brick surface. The camera on the left is a Sony Alpha series, and the one on the right is a Canon EOS R5. Both cameras have large lenses facing forward.

Just How Good Are the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 and 40mm f/1.2?

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.

A person wearing a blue shirt holds up a silver and black Fujifilm X-T50 camera with a large lens. In the foreground, the words "PetaPixel Hands-On" are displayed. The background is blurred, focusing attention on the camera.

Hands-On With The Fujifilm X-T50: An X-T5 Lite, or Something More?

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.

Fujifilm X100VI hands on

Fujifilm X100VI Hands-On: It’s Nearly Everything We Wanted

I'm gonna let you in on a dirty little secret of mine: I never liked the original Fujifilm X100. When it first came out, I was -like many others- enamored by the beautiful styling, but the operation of the camera just never gelled with me. The rather boring -- in my opinion -- 35mm lens didn't help things either. It wasn't until I played with the newly designed X100V that I had my aha moment, and realized the appeal of this camera.

Pentax 50mm Review

Pentax 50mm FA f/1.4 HD and Classic Review: A Tale of Two Fifties

I consider myself an ardent supporter of Ricoh/Pentax products and have always endeavored to review its cameras and lenses when many others have chosen not to. I also think that the Pentax brand has really found its niche as more of a boutique manufacturer, focusing on the classic SLR design -- a move that I think makes a ton of sense in today's waning market.

Best Retro Cameras in 2024

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.

PetaPixel Podcast Chris Niccolls holding retro cameras

Is There Any Real Benefit to Retro Camera Design?

This week Nikon launched the Zf, a full-frame retro-inspired camera that packs some serious technology and gives us a glimpse into the company's future. But we have some questions about retro design: is it all nostalgia or is there more to it?

Nikon Zfc Review

Nikon Zfc Review: Lots of Style But Lacking in Substance

The Nikon Zfc is a crop sensor mirrorless digital camera designed to replicate the classic Nikon FM2 Film camera, often considered one of the best 35mm film cameras of all time. While the system looks amazing and definitely brings a huge hit of nostalgia, does it live up to that legacy?

Blurry Photo

Bad Photos are ‘In’ Now, and That’s Okay

Today, I want to talk about bad photos. I'm not talking negatively about them either, because bad photos are in fashion right now. I can hear the sound of a million angry perfectionist photographers thrashing at their keyboards, but hear me out.

Route 66

An Uncropped View of the Mother Road: True-Life Images of Route 66

The nostalgia-inducing, expansive roadway known as Route 66 has been a pop culture darling in the U.S. for decades. But in photographer Jeff Sonnabend’s latest photo series and upcoming book, The Route 66 Primer, An Uncropped View of the Mother Road, viewers are left with an alternatively more grounded and realistic view of the renowned roadway.

My First Digital Camera: A Review of the Sony S70 21 Years Later

For me, the year 2000 was when digital cameras really started to become useful. A wealth of cameras arrived sporting Sony’s latest 3 megapixel CCD sensor at a sub-$1,000 price, with enough resolution to make 7x5-inch prints and more than enough for online use.

Review: Canon’s PowerShot G1 is Still a Joy to Shoot With After 21 Years

21 years ago Canon put everything it could think of into a compact camera aimed at enthusiasts who couldn’t stretch to a DSLR or simply wanted something more portable. The result was the PowerShot G1, launched towards the end of the year 2000, costing $1,100, and the first in an enormously popular series that’s still going strong to this day.

Pentax ‘Cannot’ Go Mirrorless: Ricoh Imaging CEO

In an interview with Alfa Romeo Japan, the President and CEO of Ricoh Imaging Shinobu Takahashi is surprisingly upfront about Ricoh's acquisition of Pentax and the issues the company has had with finding its place in a competitive and collapsing market.