Cosina has just announced a new and improved version of its Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 lens. Seven years after launching its predecessor, Voigtlander Nokton Vintage Line 50mm F1.5 Aspherical II VM lens is about to hit the stores. And if you like the retro swirly bokeh, you’re gonna love this lens. The new Voigtlander Nokton features a classical exterior, but a modern and redesigned optics system. The housing is made from metal, and the optical construction is made from eight elements in seven groups....

It’s nothing new that Instagram celebrities share fake stuff on their profiles: from fake pancakes to a (poorly) photoshopped trip to Paris. But sadly, millions of followers believe that their lives are indeed just as glamorous as they portray them. YouTube and Instagram star Gabbie Hanna decided to do something about it. She posted a series of photos from this year’s Coachella, but all of them were photoshopped. Rather than being busted by followers, she admitted herself that she faked the whole thing....

In this age of “fake news” and misinformation, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find truly genuine honest content online, particularly on social media, some platforms are trying to do something about it. In this case, Instagram. Instagram says they began working with third-party fact-checkers back in May in the USA, and now the programme being expanded globally. Instagram says that when content has been rated as false or partly false by these third-party fact-checkers on the platform, its distribution is reduced, removing it from Explore and hashtag pages....

It’s not strange for Instagram to get new features, and then we see them on Facebook as well. After Stories, now it’s Reels’ turn. From now on, Reels are also available on Facebook, and there’s even a chance for you to monetize them. Facebook has announced the launch of Reels in a post, noting that for now it’s only limited to the US. However, there’s a chance that the TikTok-like feature will be rolled out globally....

Instagram really, really wants you to post Reels. It wants it so much that all your videos are now automatically being turned into them. At the moment, some users are unable to post videos unless they’re in the Reels form. Social media consultant Matt Navarra spotted it first and shared a screenshot on Twitter. And Meta later confirmed – all videos are taking the new form. Judging from Matt’s tweets, the same thing is happening on Facebook....

Instagram has introduced a new set of mindfulness-oriented tools. This time, it’s not about taking a break from scrolling, only about switching to a different topic if you’re dwelling on something long enough. The new feature is meant for teens, nudging them away from content that might be harmful for them. However, users will get notified if they spend too much time exploring one topic, whether it’s considered harmful or not....

Instagram’s swipe-up links in Stories are about to disappear. The app is ditching this format in favor of something new – link stickers. Some users are already seeing the change and using it. However, many have been left without an option to add links to their Stories until the new feature is officially rolled out. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong often notices upcoming changes to Instagram, and the same happened this time....

We already know that Instagram’s become just a merge of many other apps, but at this point, it’s getting ridiculous. Its latest feature is called “Candid,” and it lets you capture and share what you’re doing right now, with both the front and the back camera taking the photo. Sounds familiar? Yup, it’s the same as BeReal, which is, ironically, marketed as “anti-Instagram.” I noticed the unusual new(ish) format yesterday on Gleb Feels’s Instagram (by the way, his videos are my happy place)....

Famous digital camera company RED seems to be preparing something new in their line – a smartphone with a 6K camera. According to a patent filed by RED’s James Jannard and other inventors, they are developing a new and improved “multi-layer handheld electronic device.” Apparently, it will be a smartphone of unique design for more stable grip. But what’s more interesting – it could have an integrated 6K 3D camera and an ability to mount external lenses....

Some might look at these images from photographer and lens enthusiast Hispan, and call him a monster, but I look at them and just see the marvel and beauty of engineering that is the legendary SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 lens. It’s a classic amongst both photographers and filmmakers and lets you produce some fantastic imagery. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), this particular SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 was no longer usable for its intended purpose....

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a remarkable image of a rare sight. It immediately sparked my imagination and reminded me that we’re connected to our universe in all sorts of ways. The latest JWST image shows two stars “dancing,” forming trails around them. There are at least 17 concentric dust rings around the pair, and they are surprisingly alike human fingerprints. This star duo is collectively known as Wolf-Rayet 140, and it’s located just over 5,000 light-years from Earth....

Japanese mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc. has developed a drone that displays spherical images during flight, the first of this kind in the world. In the experimental flight, it displayed spherical images of the Earth or the company’s logo. The drone has a frame with eight LED-embedded supports. They revolve around the frame’s axis three times per second and create the illusion of an illuminated sphere of images that floats in the air....

A new interesting project has been launched on Kickstarter, and vintage camera fans might like it. Meet Jollylook: a simple folding instant camera made entirely from recycled paper and cardboard. When you fold it, it takes no more room than a smartphone box. It’s a mechanical camera with no electronic components whatsoever. Just cardboard, paper, a pair of lenses and a plastic cartridge for instant mini photos. It’s more environmentally friendly than the packaging of a regular camera, as it uses less material and it’s all recyclable or recycled....

When a photographer decides to use flash, it typically starts something like this. Photographer posts online asking which flash to buy, gets a lot of responses, and buys a flash of some sort. They go and shoot with it, and are then disappointed with the look of hard light. So, the next logical step is to post online again asking “Which modifier should I get?”. The problem is, it’s not that simple....

First photos of Leica S3 leaked ages ago, and earlier this year we saw the specs leak as well. But now it’s official: Leica S3 is out. It’s a medium format DSLR with 64MP 30 x 45mm CMOS sensor and 4K and full HD video, and as you have probably expected, it’s a pricey piece of gear. Let’s dive in and find out more about what Leica’s new medium format camera has to offer....

If you are a long time reader of the blog, you know that we are big fans of Magic Lantern. Magic Lantern is a piece of software that you can install on Canon DSLRs to gain extra abilities that the original camera firmware did not have. They have added RAW video, more dynamic range, and about a million other little features like peaking, zebra lines, better audio control, built in timelapse and more....

We’ve featured several great, budget-friendly product photography lighting setups. And if you ask for such a solution for video, Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter demonstrates one in his latest video. It’s easy to set it up, allows plenty of variations, and it costs less than $50. And while Caleb focuses on shooting video, you can, of course, use this setup for stills as well. You will need 24″x24″ softbox with diffuser40W LED studio light bulbPlastic storage boxes (or books)White foam board (optional)...

It’s not uncommon that Instagram photos end up being stolen and shared without credits. Some even got sold for big money (remember Richard Prince?). But, recently a Red Sox fan ended up having his $650 World Series ticket stolen – all because he posted it to Instagram. 28-year-old Robbie Johnson from Wellesley got a ticket for the World Series. And just like many people do, he took a snapshot and posted the photo to Instagram to share his excitement....

So this is an interesting idea I haven’t seen before. Called the Memistore, it’s an SD card “wallet”, of sorts. But it’s not like any others I’ve seen. This is a small unit that sits either in your camera’s hotshoe or screws into the tripod socket. The Memistore is being funded through Kickstarter. and has only just launched, so there are plenty of early bird specials for those interested....

All the crazy lens adapter combos seem to be coming out of the woodwork now. Yesterday we had the Leica M to Nikon Z adapter, which adds autofocus capability to those old manual focus lenses, and today we’ve got the Monster Adapter LA-KE1, which lets you use your Pentax K mount AF lenses to Sony E and retain autofocus aperture control and EXIF data. You can’t buy it just yet, though....