APS: The Forgotten Film Format War of the 1990s
In February 1996, five of the biggest names in photography, companies that spent the rest of the century trying to bury each other, walked onto one stage in Las Vegas and formally launched a film format they had built together in secret. The five of them had already sunk around $500 million into it between them and expected to spend roughly that much again. Fifteen years later almost nobody remembered it existed.
Apple’s New Mac mini Gets M6, M5 Pro, and Genlock for Video Work
Apple has announced updated versions of the Mac mini with M6 and Mac mini with M5 Pro, bringing faster CPU, GPU, storage, and AI performance to the compact desktop while adding Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, faster Ethernet, and genlock support. Preorders open August 25, 2026, with the computers scheduled to begin shipping on September 22, 2026.
Apple's New Mac Studio Gets M5 Ultra, 512 GB of Memory, and Thunderbolt 5
Apple has announced a new generation of Mac Studio, bringing its M5 Max and M5 Ultra processors to the compact desktop along with faster storage, Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and significantly expanded unified memory options.
The new Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499, while the Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499. Preorders opened August 25, 2026, with general availability scheduled for September 22. Configurations with 512 GB of unified memory are expected in late October.
Apple Unveils M6 and M5 Ultra With Major CPU, GPU, and Memory Upgrades
Apple has announced two new Apple silicon chips aimed at very different levels of desktop computing: M6 for the new Mac mini and M5 Ultra for the new Mac Studio. M6 introduces Apple’s first 2 nm chip design, while M5 Ultra uses a new quad-die architecture to push CPU, GPU, memory, media, and AI performance further at the high end.
No Room for the Generalist Photographer
Two centuries of photography prove some pictures are timeless, but today photographers are forced to pick a lane. Or are we?
Johannes Brahms’ Sonata No. 1 vibrates from the speakers. Opus 38. I’m told it’s in E minor. Any unsuspecting passersby down below can surely hear it leaching out from these open windows.
His genre may have been classical, but that style sure as hell is Brahms.
Dark Patterns: Why Subscriptions Are Worse Than Ever
One Adobe employee compared a Creative Cloud to heroin for the business. The subscription you rely on to do your job is also the one built hardest to leave.
The One-Light Setup That Handles Almost Any Portrait
Flash portraiture stops most people cold at the same spot: too much gear, too many settings, and no clear order to put it all together. The fix turns out to be a single light, a handful of budget parts, and a repeatable routine you run the same way every session.
A Fast APS-C Prime for Under $200: What You Actually Get
A moderately wide prime with an f/1.7 aperture that costs around $176 sounds like a corner-cutting exercise, yet this one holds up on real cameras. Budget glass gives beginners a way into fast primes without draining a bank account, and the tradeoffs decide whether that's a bargain or a regret.
Nikon's Cheapest Full Frame Beats Its Flagship at One Thing
Nikon now sells a full-frame camera under $2,000 that focuses in the dark better than the pricier bodies above it. That claim sounds backward, since the entry-level model is supposed to inherit leftover parts, not outperform the flagship.
How a Photograph Becomes a Statement
Two photographs can be equally strong in composition, light, and technique, yet only one continues to unfold after the first impression. The difference often lies in what the elements of the frame are actually doing.
To make that difference easier to see, I separate four functions: subject, attribute, relation, and inflection. They are not stages of artistic development or measures of merit. They show what a photograph rests on and whether that matches its author’s intention.
How Sony Went From Camera-Industry Outsider to a Full Frame Mirrorless Leader in About a Decade
In 2005, if you asked a working photographer to name a Sony stills camera, you would get a shrug and maybe a Cyber-shot pointed at you. Sony had no professional lens line, no professional autofocus heritage, and no seat at a table Canon and Nikon had set for themselves decades earlier. A little over ten years later, Sony was selling the most talked-about full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market, and both of its rivals were scrambling to answer.
Two Months of Bird Photography With the OM System OM-5 Mark II
Shedding a few pounds of camera gear changes how far you actually hike, and it decides which moments you catch and which ones you miss. Bird photography rewards patience and mobility in equal measure, so the size and feel of the camera in your hand can matter as much as its sensor.
Three Skills That Beat Any Camera Upgrade
A perfectly sharp photo of something nobody wants to look at twice loses to a slightly soft photo of something interesting. That single trade-off runs underneath a whole approach to shooting that treats technical skill as the least of your worries.
How I Got the Shot: Photographing Theme Park Rides in the Dark
Who doesn't love a good theme park ride photo? Faces contorted in delicious mixes of fear, anticipation, and fun make for interesting photos. And while it's easier than ever to buy the photos, sometimes all you get is crushing disappointment in the form of thumbnail-sized photos that look like they were taken with a potato.
Remove Clothing Wrinkles in Photoshop Without the Healing Brush
Creases across the front of a t-shirt sit exactly where the eye lands. Clothing wrinkles and backdrop fold lines are the kind of problem you can't always control on the day, and fixing them by hand eats hours you'd rather spend somewhere else.
Reduce the Clutter: A Case for Owning Less
Selling most of your camera collection sounds like a crisis. For this creator, it turned into a way to shoot more freely and pick up a hobby he'd dropped over a decade ago.
Will Nikon Be Taken Over?
Speculation is circulating again that the Ray-Ban owner's steadily growing position in Nikon could be a first step toward buying the camera maker outright.
The latest round of chatter, flagged by Nikon Rumors citing Yahoo Japan, revives a theory that has come and gone several times. The idea is simple: EssilorLuxottica keeps buying Nikon shares, so some people read that as groundwork for an eventual acquisition. That reading runs ahead of anything the companies have actually said or done, as there is no bid, no filing, and no confirmation from either company.
How the Polaroid SX-70 Became the Most Beautiful Camera Ever Made
In April 1972, at Polaroid's annual meeting, Edwin H. Land reached into his jacket, pulled out a camera folded flat enough to hide in a suit pocket, and in about ten seconds fired off five color photographs. There was no timer to watch, no negative to peel away, no wet chemistry to wipe off your fingers. That was the SX-70, and more than fifty years later, it still looks like it wandered in from a future that never quite arrived.
Five Tips to Improve Your Panning Images
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Panning is an integral part of sports and action photography, but mastering the technique can add interest and intrigue to many genres. I am going to break down the five things I consider when trying to create a good panning image.
Step 1: What Kind of Photo Do You Want?
A successful panning shot starts by thinking about what you want the shot to look like. How much motion blur do you want/need? Are you going for an artistic, slightly abstract feel, or do you want a very detailed subject with enough blur to convey motion to the viewer?
Why the Background Makes or Breaks Every Shot
The subject in your photograph is often the easiest part to get right, and the hardest work happens everywhere else in the frame. Power lines on the horizon, a chimney breaking a clean skyline, or a background cluttered with too many competing shapes can quietly wreck an otherwise strong image.