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It's Called Aphantasia. And Lots of Photographers Probably Have It
The latest from the Phoblographer for November 12th, 2025.
Chris Gampat
November 12, 2025
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Here’s the latest:
Modern Photographers Lack Imagination. But Why?
By Feroz Khan
November 12, 2025
There was a time when we were able to imagine much more freely than we do today. If you saw a photograph in a magazine or a still from a film some decades ago, your brain would instantly begin to wander and wonder. How was that shot lit? What film did they use? How could I creatively come up with something like that? However, chances were that you couldn’t replicate it perfectly. But by chasing the feeling, you got inspired. You also ended up becoming more imaginative, not imitative. So do you have Aphantasia?
The Weirdest Lens Nikon Made
By Chris Gampat
November 12, 2025
I realized that back in 2023, I did a first impressions review of the Nikon 26mm f2.8 Z lens. But I never finished the full review. Perhaps I was too distracted by Labubu cameras made by a licensee of Kodak or something else happened. But the money suck that is my Nikon Zf begged me to go buy another small lens. And so I purchased the 26mm f2.8 off of Amazon via Adorama. And in my use of the lens, I noticed an odd quirk that will only affect a very small number of us.
The Look of This Older Canon DSLR Soothes the Soul
By Chris Gampat
November 12, 2025
I really miss the look of the older Canon 5D Mk II, and I know lots of you folks do too. Our presets are designed to make editing a minimal task so you can get back to shooting! We're in love with Retro Digital. Luckily, that's when we founded the website closer to two decades ago. So we dove into our image archives, looked at how the Adobe Gurus were telling us how to edit, and adapted those methods to create our Retro Digital Lightroom Presets and Capture One Styles. These are in addition to the popular Photojournalism presets that we released a while back.
Want that Retro Digital Kodak Sensor Look? This is Your Best Bet
By Chris Gampat
November 12, 2025
When the Olympus EM5 made its way into the world and I reviewed it in 2012, I was amazed at what Olympus had done. The company mostly eliminated their Olympus Blue signature look that they were known for. Instead, they embraced the look of what their sensors did and added warmth. This time around though, they weren't using a Kodak sensor. Instead, it was a first generation of Sony sensors. To me, this camera and this time period represent an era of peak Micro Four Thirds. With so many photographers these days reaching for those older Kodak sensor cameras, it's easy to see that they're not really available all that easily anymore and that the sensors are bound to start corroding. But thankfully, the EM5 is the closest thing that you can get.
Leica Makes Luxury More Accessible with a New Pay-Over-Time Option
By Nilofer Khan
November 11, 2025
Lieca cameras are legacy devices that are often purchased by serious photographers or passed down within wealthy families. The price of the device is reasonable, considering that these German-made cameras can last a lifetime. However, for many photographers on a budget, buying a Leica is just a dream that they hope to fulfill towards the end of their career. To help those who genuinely care about buying these cameras, the company has launched a new partnership with Bread Financial, allowing photographers some options to aid them in hitting this milestone.
How to Take the Worst Images of Your Life
By Chris Gampat
November 11, 2025
Everyone tells you about the best photographs and how you can make them possible. But there isn't enough to tell you about all the bad stuff out there. The truth is that it's really easy to take bad, lazy images if you're disconnected from the scene, don't feel anything, or you're just spraying and praying that you got something good. Believe it or not, lots of photographers shoot that way now. Or at least, they call themselves photographers.
Times are Tough, Here are 5 Sub $500 Full-Frame DSLR Cameras You Can Buy Today
By Alberto Lima
November 11, 2025
Between tariffs, inflation, a tough economy, and the ever-present reality of how challenging it is to make money from photography alone, buying a new-to-you camera is a source of anxiety. There’s a lot of chatter on the Internet about how you can get a “budget” camera under $2000, but that’s not really a “budget camera” for me these days. Instead, let’s look at some of the highest-rated DSLRs we’ve reviewed at ThePhoblographer, all of which can be purchased today for under $500.
Help the Phoblographer Get to 2,000 Members (Discount Included)
By Chris Gampat
November 11, 2025
In 2025, we're trying to get to a minimum of 2,000 subscribers as part of our membership program! Capture One is discounted for members! The New Phoblographer membership is now based on our website. Yes, we moved away from the app. It was a bittersweet move -- but what we're offering you now is even better. Don't worry -- if you had a membership, we won't be leaving you behind. It's all based on the website. We're working to sort the discounts out again, but those are coming. And best of all, it's on the website. Good photography should be experienced on a large screen. So check out the details below.
Camp Snap Pro Review: The Best Point and Shoot Camera of 2025
By Chris Gampat
November 11, 2025
"Oh my god," I stated out loud when looking at images from the Camp Snap Pro. "The return of red eye in flash!" Yes, I got excited about red eye. If you're reading this, then you may be a photographer who knows nothing about this. It's when you look at an image that was shot with a flash, and someone literally had red eyes. This is because the eyes were adjusted for the dark, and so you'd actually see some of the inner areas of the eyes. It's something that has been missing from the retro digital camera craze. But the Camp Snap Pro has brought it back in such a great way. Camp Snap has been doing awesome work with the release of their original camera, the Camp Snap 8, If you've complained about the price of the Fujifilm X Half, then you'll probably really like this. If you're an experienced photographer, then the Camp Snap Pro takes the idea of what the industry has called "Pro" and then pours cold water on your face to wake you up and remind you to always put the moment over anything else. However, if you're new to the hobby, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what this device can do.