In Defense of the Autofocus Confirmation Beep

The latest from the Phoblographer for May 20th, 2025.

Author

Chris Gampat
May 20, 2025

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Here’s the latest:

Polaroid and MoMA’s Polaroid Now Collab Gives Instant Vintage a Modern Twist

By Alberto Lima

May 20, 2025

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has been a cultural institution pushing the boundaries of creativity, highlighting the works of artists from various disciplines going back to the 19th century. In a similar way, Polaroid has been an innovator in photography, introducing the first ever instant films. Now, Polaroid and MoMA have come together to release a special edition Polaroid Now Generation 3 and i-Type Color Film that celebrates creativity, design, and photography in a bold color palette.

Is Leica’s Cheapest Camera Worth the Money?

By Chris Gampat

May 20, 2025

I just went back to my Leica D-LUX 8 review (also called the Leica DLUX 8 and the Leica D LUX 8 from what we've seen), and I counted at least 20 images I shot for the site that I really love. As a reviewer, I'm sometimes so busy making images that I don't get time to sit back and enjoy my own work. And if I were to get the Leica DLUX 8 for the new price of $1,915.00, I'd hope that I, or the photographer who buys it, will shoot images that continue to bring them tons of joy. Originally, this article was going to question whether or not I think that it's worth the price tag. But after looking back at the images I shot with the D LUX 8 and the Fujifilm X100VI, I still like what I shot with the Leica so much more.

7 High-End Cameras That Every Professional Can Rely On

By Nilofer Khan

May 20, 2025

Professional photographers require gear that they can rely on in any situation. These high-end cameras don't only have exceptional sensor resolution, but also are great when it comes to other areas such as autofocus, build, ergonomics, and even a wide range of exceptional lenses. If you are someone who is looking to get the most reliable camera for their needs, we bring to you a few excellent cameras to choose from.

In Defense of the Autofocus Confirmation Beep

By Chris Gampat

May 20, 2025

One of the first things that everyone does when they get a new camera is disable the autofocus confirmation beep. The reason why it's activated to begin with is because of the need for an audio confirmation that the camera you're using is actually acquiring and locking with its autofocus. But photographers instead have just always used the visual cues on the LCD screen or in the viewfinder. They tend to work well enough; but recently with my dive back into retro point and shoot cameras, I've been thinking more about the autofocus confirmation beep. Considering how seriously lacking of a sensory experience modern photography is, I think that it's a great idea to keep is on situationally.

Laowa Showcases Four New Exciting Lenses at China P&E 2025

By Nilofer Khan

May 19, 2025

A few days ago, Venus Optics unveiled Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro, a traditional lens for full-frame cameras. The company showcased the lens at China P&E 2025, a photography trade showcase that has excited many photographers. However, the company did not just display the 15mm, but four more lenses. Here is a quick look at the lenses and their specifications. We believe many photographers would want to get a few of them.

Nikon Photographers: These are the Best Presets for You

By Chris Gampat

May 19, 2025

Save your money and spend less using our presets that work so well for Nikon cameras! If you're looking for a new way to show off your photos, our presets will inspire you. With the Phoblographer's presets, you can speed up how you work in Lightroom and Capture One. You folks asked for them, and now you've got them! Over the years, the Phoblographer's staffers have tested various cameras and lenses as well as film emulsions. So we decided to make Lightroom presets and Capture One presets that look like the classic film look that you'd see in magazines. In fact, we based it off of old-school photojournalism. That's what we named them for; and we think they're some of the best lightroom presets and Capture One presets that you'll get your hands on. This article gives you visual examples of all 20 presets in our Photojournalism Presets Pack, as applied to various portraits we've taken over the years. And if you want, you can purchase them right here at our store.

LK Samyang To Send Its Lenses to Space in 2025

By Nilofer Khan

May 19, 2025

Companies such as Hasselblad, Zeiss, Nikon, and Ansco Autoset have etched their name in history books for capturing images of space. Some of them have been dedicated cameras and lenses, designed specifically for the purpose of making images. For instance, Hasselblad 500C with a Zeiss Planar 2.8/80 lens and Zeiss Ikon Contarex Special camera, each had unique tweaks to meet the demands of space travel. Now, joining this list is South Korean optics manufacturer, Samyang, which is reportedly working with Elon Musk's SpaceX for this venture.

The Future of Photography is Screwed. What Can We Do About It?

By Chris Gampat

May 19, 2025

"Well first off, you have to create work that you think people are going to want to steal," that's what the former event B&H Photo Event Space Director David Brommer had told me to say to customers when I used to deliver talks in the event space during my time employed by the company's offices. We've even written about it. At the time, this worked well enough. At the time, it was a question mostly asked by amateurs with barely any sense of a portfolio. Today, photographers point to their Instagram as a portfolio without any understanding of how to curate images -- and that means that they've just been treating their work as the c-word. That C-word is one that I hate to say and to write: content. Today, Generative AI has scoured the web and consumed it all with the intent of creating imagery that people are asking for. Now, it's so good that it's tough for even Americans to sometimes figure out the difference between what's real and what's not. We saw that happen during the US election recently -- and when I asked some of the experts about the future of photography, I got the sense that they were essentially shrugging their shoulders. And in a way, it felt like they were all but saying, "We're screwed."

Fujifilm File Patents for Cost-Effective Wide Angle Zoom Lenses

By Nilofer Khan

May 19, 2025

New patents are exciting to see, especially when it comes to companies like Fujifilm, which are doing exceptionally well when it comes to manufacturing new cameras and lenses. Per new reports, the Japanese manufacturer has patented two wide-angle zoom lenses, which are for the APS-C cameras. Zoom lenses are useful, especially on APS-C cameras, as they offer more focal range. For instance, XF 16-80mm f4 R OIS WR is a 24-105mm equivalent of 35mm full frame. Similarly, these new lenses hope to give extra reach to X users.