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- This 50mm f1.4 is Less than $600. And It Beats Sony's Lenses
This 50mm f1.4 is Less than $600. And It Beats Sony's Lenses
The latest from the Phoblographer for October 16th, 2025.

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Here’s the latest:

Viltrox 50mm f1.4 AF Pro Review: If You Miss Zeiss, You’ll Love This
By Chris Gampat
October 16, 2025
Recently I’ve been yearning for the late 2000s and early 2010s. And not just to recapture my youth. It’s more because of the fact that I loved image quality from back then. Thankfully Viltrox sent me their 50mm f1.4 PRO LAB lens. And let me tell you, something about it screams of the Zeiss Sony collabs of this time.

These are Some of the Best Presets for Event Photographers
By Chris Gampat
October 16, 2025
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.

The 3 Best Cameras From 2021 To Choose Today
By Nilofer Khan
October 16, 2025
Today, it is quite challenging to come across a bad camera. Almost all cameras are capable of producing decent photographs, thanks to their autofocus capabilities and low-light quality. However, finding an absolutely perfect camera that meets your demands is challenging. If you're looking to buy the latter, these devices will certainly help you. Here is a look at the three cameras that won our highest honor.

What Happened to Eric Kim?
By Chris Gampat
October 16, 2025
For the 15+ years that I've run the Phoblographer, I've maintained a great memory of where I was when I was doing something and what camera gear I was using when I was doing it. But for the life of me, it's been so long since I last saw Eric Kim in person that I can't even find the image that I've shot of him before. In May of 2025, I sent Eric an email about how his blog has changed. What used to be a place for lots of incredible photography tips turned into a spot for SEO-based street photography articles and lots of cryptocurrency talk.

VSCO Just Made Editing Seamless With Its New AI Lab
By Nilofer Khan
October 15, 2025
Platforms such as VSCO ensure that photographers get the best of both worlds. The chance to showcase their work to like-minded people, but also to edit their images to perfection before they do that. Over time, the company has expanded, introducing various portals tailored to the diverse needs of creators. Today, they announced AI Lab, …

The 4 Nikon Small Sensor Cameras Behind Award-Winning Photos
By Nilofer Khan
October 15, 2025
Nikon cameras have held a special place in the hearts of many photographers. Their flagship models, such as the FM2, the D4, and the newly launched Z9, have all continued to deliver the results that photographers desire. However, it is not just the full-frame models that have performed well. The company's APS-C lineup is a serious competitor. The following four cameras have proved this by winning major awards.

The Latest Photography Trend? Shooting “Film” Without Any Actual Film
By Nilofer Khan
October 15, 2025
Since digital took over, there are many purists who want the same 'film-like' experience with their digital camera. For some, it is the colors of the film, for others, it is the beauty of the hazy frames. However, there is a third group that wants to shoot just like you do with film: limiting the frames. A new site called Real Analog Film has found a way to help creators, but it seems that this has led to a debate on the internet.

Exclusive: The Founder of Camp Snap Shares How Cameras Don’t Have to Cost a Lot of Money
By Chris Gampat
October 15, 2025
"I don't know yet," says Brian Waldman to me after I ask him what's bringing him joy today. "I had a big breakfast; that was bringing me joy, but then I ate too much." Brian Waldman is the founder of Camp Snap -- a camera company that has popped up in the past few years and that's challenging the entire Japanese camera industry in the point and shoot sector of the market. After speaking more to one another about joy, life, and how it should be, we get to a point where I'm really struck by something he says.

We’ve Got the Tea That You’re Looking For
By Chris Gampat
October 15, 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 …