Why use React?

This isn’t a rhetorical question. I genuinely want to know why developers choose to build websites using React. There are many possible reasons. Alas, none of them relate directly to user experience, other than a trickle-down justification: happy productive developers will ma…

The Best Gear for Photographers: The Phoblographer’s 2025 Editor’s Choice Awards

It's time for our Editor's Choice awards list. The year 2025 saw some really and truly fascinating releases. In some ways, I've never been more excited for the future of photography. In other ways, I hope that this year was more than just a wake up call. It proved that it needs…

We Designed This to Protect Photographers and Their Cameras

Hey pros! Listen up! Our photography insurance program is designed to be there when photographers really need it! We’re giving you more than the competition can in different ways! Here’s a little-known fact: the warranty of your camera or lens doesn’t necessarily cover wha…

All of the Rivers

Perhaps inspired by All Streets, Ben Fry’s map of all the streets in the US, Nelson Minar built a US map out of all the rivers in the country. Minar put all the data and files he used up on Github so you can make your own version. [This is a vintage post originally…

Satellite Imagery

“Art is valuable precisely because it is not easy to create. We...

“Art is valuable precisely because it is not easy to create. We are interested in art, in any and all of its forms, because humans made it. That’s the very thing that makes it interesting; the who, the how, and especially the why.” 💬 Join the discussion o…

If Quantum Computing Is Solving “Impossible” Questions, How Do We Know They’re...

If Quantum Computing Is Solving “Impossible” Questions, How Do We Know They’re Right? “In order to validate quantum computers, methods are needed to compare theory and result without waiting years for a supercomputer to perform the same task.” 💬 Join…

Thoughts and Prayers

This is the trailer for an HBO documentary called Thoughts and Prayers about “the impact of the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry on schools and communities across America”. It’s tough to watch, as is this clip from the film in which a girl describes a bag…

I’ll Say It: You Don’t Need a New Camera or Lens. These Help

I know, we're one of the biggest websites often doing camera and lens roundups. But here's the thing: most of the time, we haven't been rounding up new cameras or lenses. Why? Because we realize that the used camera market is more affordable and that the newer cameras and lenses…

In a London increasingly dominated by rideshare services, some drivers are still...

In a London increasingly dominated by rideshare services, some drivers are still opting to study for years for The Knowledge, “the grueling examination that requires applicants to essentially memorize more than 100 square miles of city streets”. 💬 Join the…

The Best Full Frame DSLRs: There are Only Two That Still Matter

Full-frame cameras are everyone's favourite. However, it is often the case that people gravitate towards mirrorless cameras instead of DSLRs in 2025. But we are here to tell you otherwise. DSLRs may seem outdated, but they are far from it. You still have the chance to work with…

21st-Century Culture Has Hit a Wall. “We — creators and audiences alike...

21st-Century Culture Has Hit a Wall. “We — creators and audiences alike — have to make an effort to encourage bold new forms of culture. Even failures and half steps will be more interesting than overly market-tested products.” 💬 Join the discussion on…

My Recent Media Diet, the Japan Edition

Konnichiwa! I’m back from Japan and finally getting over my jetlag, which took much longer than I expected. Here’s a list of all the things I’ve been reading, watching, listening to, and experiencing over the past few months.1 Let us know what movies, books, art, TV, music…

Sony’s Best Sensor is Nearly a Decade Old Now

Though photographers don't really take DXOMark all that seriously anymore, but in terms of lab tests, they're very thorough. Crazy enough, the Sony a7r III is still considered by the company to be the best camera in terms of sensor output. It even beats the Sony a7r V. I encoura…

How Gen Z is Rewriting the Rules of Photography

When one talks about the history of photography, it is pretty evident that every generation has made some inspiring contributions to the medium. The boomers were responsible for pushing image-making as a documentary of truth (photojournalism), but also shaping how we look at our…

Thypoch Drops an Ultra-Compact $500 Lens for Leica & Fujifilm Shooters

Leica photographers get the best of both worlds. Not only do they get a chance to work with some stunning image quality, but also with lenses that are inspired by the past. Thypoch, a third-party lens manufacturer, often comes up in conversations about such lenses. And today, th…

Chindōgu: The Japanese Art of “Unuseless” Inventions

Chindōgu is the Japanese practice of inventing things that are not exactly useful but neither are they useless; they’re more unuseless, a term coined by chindōgu’s originator Kenji Kawakami. Some examples are tiny umbrellas for shoes, chopsticks with a tiny fan on them to…

My Car Is Becoming a Brick. “Cars used to be entirely mechanical...

My Car Is Becoming a Brick. “Cars used to be entirely mechanical objects” but now “certain models are destined to age their way out of compatibility with the latest software” (like smartphones). 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →