Photography

Here’s Your Sign to Reconsider Micro Four-Thirds

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III sitting on a bag with several lenses around it.
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Summertime is meant for travel. The suns out, work slows down, the kids are out of school, and your next excursion is calling. Your phone might be the easiest way to capture some of those memories, but there’s nothing quite like having a proper camera on hand to document the experience. If you’re not sure where to start and looking for some affordable options check out this list of Micro Four-Thirds cameras to capture all the summer vibes.

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Why You Need a Silly Camera

Image of a camera with its sensor exposed against a black background.
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As a product journalist, I have access to a wide range of gear for hobbyists, pros, and the general public. Lately, I’m seeing more and more pitches from companies touting “professional” features in cameras that target an audience that will never need them. Many consumer cameras available today allow you to shoot 8K “open-gate” video, offer continuous burst rates of 120 fps, and some even claim to autofocus in near-total darkness. None of these features has made someone a better photographer – you’ll need a silly, simple camera for that.

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Harman Announces Phoenix II Color Film and We’re Stoked

Harman Announces Phoenix II Color Film and We’re Stoked Film is (thankfully) not dead. That’s the message from Harman, as today they announced the release of their latest film emulsion, Phoenix II. Back in 2023, Harman produced its first color negative film, and today’s announcement reminds us that their foray into color isn’t a one-off but a serious attempt to create something unique specifically for photographers. The Phoenix II film stock is available as a 36-exposure ISO 200 emulsion in 35mm or in 120 formats, edge numbered one to 19. It produces a stronger contrast, more balanced color, and finer grain than its predecessor, but keeps all of the character that made the original special. Compared to traditional color films (like a Kodak Gold 200 or Fujifilm Superia 400), it may produce images that lend themselves to high contrast, cooler tones, but from the samples Harman provided, I’m really loving the feeling they elicit. They sit somewhere between nostalgic and cinematic without being heavy-handed either way. Harman’s Phoenix II can be processed in C41 chemicals, which should make it easy and relatively inexpensive, unlike some cine film stocks that require special processing or more expensive E-6 processing. For me, the exciting part of this announcement is the fact that there are companies that are still seriously pushing the boundaries of film. Finding new and innovative processes and in turn, giving photographers a new set of tools to work with. Even if you’re not a pro, the more options available to hobbyists or simply the artistically curious, the more likely we are to see innovation in art. And there’s no downside to that. A recent conversation about some of the boredom I’ve had with new digital cameras revealed what I’ve known for years—most digital sensors are made by Sony, and this has made the resulting images kind of monotonous. In my opinion, analog film continues to capture viewers’ attention and imagination because of its organic nature—no two film stocks are alike, and even the same film stock can look wildly different over time. I’m excited by this bit of news, and while I might not make a dime from the images I make with Phoenix II, I hope that it will help me create images that are not only unique but also timeless.
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Film is (thankfully) not dead. That’s the message from Harman, as today they announced the release of their latest film emulsion, Phoenix II. Back in 2023, Harman produced its first color negative film, and today’s announcement reminds us that their foray into color isn’t a one-off but a serious attempt to create something unique specifically for photographers.

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Going Wide with Sigma’s 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens (X-Mount)

The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 Closeup.
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Shooting wide is a new obsession for me. I’ve long loved the 35mm—50 mm focal length for most of my photography, but there are several times when opening things up can help you create spectacular images. Using a wider field of view presents a few challenges, but the rewards are worth it. With the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 Contemporary Lens, Fujifilm photographers can go ultra-wide with great results. Here’s what I learned from using this lens as my daily driver.  

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Hasselblad Eyes the Streets with the XCD 4/28P Wide Angle Lens

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The name Hasselblad is legendary. From editorial to fine art and especially in street photography, you’ve probably heard the name if you haven’t seen photographers’ work coming from a Hasselblad. The latest P Series lens looks to take things back to the streets with the XCD 4/28 P. Here’s what we know so far.  

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Going All-In on Analog Photography with Monica K. Rose

The Noisecast -All In With Monica K Rose
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The Noisecast is back with another interview with New York-based photographer, Monica K. Rose. Monica is part of a growing number of photographers that are going all in on analog photography – challenges and all – and allowing the character of film photography to shape her creative vision. Monica started out her creative career first by making portraits for social media and quickly discovered her passion for conceptual photography in large part due to her experimentation in analog photography.

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Fujifilm Shooters Rejoice – Sigma Announces New 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Lens for X Mount

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Today, Sigma announced a new Contemporary Lens for Fuji X-mount cameras – the new 15-50mm F2.8 DC DN. The new lens joins the previously released X-mount fast primes: the 16mm F1.4, 30mm F1.4, and 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary lenses giving photographers a fast standard Zoom lens. Here’s how this lens stacks up. 

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A Huge Firmware Update is Coming to the Fujifilm X-H2S

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We’re a little late to the party but this is one of those updates that need to be seen – earlier this week, Fujifilm and Adobe announced their intention to bring a camera to cloud (C2C) connection update that will leverage Adobe’s Frame.io collaborative workflow and tools with Fujifilm’s latest flagship camera.

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No Micro Four-Thirds Is Not Dead

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No, Micro Four-Thirds (MFT) is not dead! I feel like at least once a year I have to write this down. I’m often asked, “MFT cameras can’t keep up with a full-frame like Sony, why bother?” To be fair, 5 years ago that question had Canon instead of Sony in it so I guess Sony should’ve stopped making cameras then. In either case, it’s a really ill-informed question equating sensor size as the only determining factor in what makes a good camera or worse, a good image.

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