Camera News, Giveaways, and Retro-Digital Tech Discussed
The Pulse of Photography: News & Gear
This episode of the Petapixel podcast dives into a variety of industry news, ranging from ambitious crowdfunded camera projects to technical lens updates and a highly anticipated giveaway. Despite a last-minute schedule change, the hosts provide a deep dive into the following topics:
The "I'm Back" Film-to-Digital Project
• The hosts analyze the latest Kickstarter from I’m Back, a company attempting to bring digital capture to analog film cameras via an APS-C sensor positioned inside the camera.
• Key Concerns: The hosts expressed skepticism regarding the long-term usability, pointing out the need for awkward external attachments, battery longevity issues, and the reliance on external Bluetooth triggers.
The Resurrection of the WideLux X
• Jeff Bridges and his partners are bringing back the WideLux panoramic camera.
• Key Points: Priced at $4,400 with limited availability, this project is a passion-driven attempt to honor the original swing-lens technology. While expensive, it offers modern reliability with a two-year warranty.
Lens Customizability & Updates
• Sigma Updates: Specific Sigma lenses (including some legacy DGDN Art series) now support enhanced functions like using the focus ring as a command dial and T-stop information display on selected Panasonic cameras.
• Viltrox Improvements: Viltrox has updated their Lab series lenses, removing the disliked LCD screen and refining the aperture ring based on community feedback. The hosts praised the company for effectively listening to user complaints.
Camera Giveaways & Retro Dreams
• Canon G7X Mark III: The hosts are giving away the limited edition 30th-anniversary model. Listeners are invited to drop a link to their portfolio and a description of their intended use in the comments.
• Point-and-Shoot Nostalgia: The conversation shifted toward which vintage point-and-shoots would make for the best modern digital reissues. Suggestions included the Olympus XA, the Leica Minolux, and the Nikon 35 Ti.
"I want to see the 2005 Mustang of the camera world—a modern version that harkens back to classic design."
Technical Q&A and Community Feedback
- Computer Hardware for Photographers: Addressing a user's question, the consensus is that current Apple Silicon (M-series) MacBooks remain the gold standard for photo editing over building custom PCs, primarily due to the current high cost of flash storage and hardware components.
- The Golden Age of Reviews: Reflecting on a vintage Pop Photo review of the Nikon F4s, the hosts discussed how the industry has shifted. Detailed, long-form technical journalism has largely been replaced by the rapid, high-frequency pace of modern digital camera launches.