Viltrox 35mm f1.2 LAB Z Mount: Bulky But Stunning Image Quality

The Viltrox 35mm f1.2 LAB Z mount lens is a lens that gives you a sense of power over what you see in your camera's viewfinder. Far from delicate or subtle, it makes its presence felt the moment you lift the camera. About a hundred grams lighter than the Nikon 35mm f1.2 S lens,…

Planning to Visit the US? Take It From This American Citizen –...

Planning to Visit the US? Take It From This American Citizen – Don’t. “If I were a tourist, though, I’d pick a less totalitarian place to travel.”

Matt Webb reports on going to algoraves. “There are special browser-based programming...

Matt Webb reports on going to algoraves. “There are special browser-based programming languages like strudel where you type code to define the beats and the sound, like mod synth in code, and it plays in a loop even while you’re coding.” 💬 Join the discus…

nikitonsky is being grumpy

nikitonsky: What do you think this cross button means? Well, it’s not a button. It’s error indicator. Hover to see! Nope, sorry, hover to see a message that you need to click it to actually see the error message! You don’t care about errors, right? Thanks @komarovman for…

Is Pentax Developing a New Compact Film Camera?

Following the launch of the Pentax 17, one couldn't help but wonder in which direction the company is taking. Film photography in 2025 may seem odd, but with more young creators going after vintage image aesthetics, the launch made sense. It now appears that Pentax means to not…

Panasonic S1II E Review Update: Does it Matter for Photographers?

We've updated our Panasonic S1II E review for photographers -- which means that we didn't test all the new video stuff. Photographers should know that this is a pretty minor update overall. The S1II E is the S5 II's sensor with new externals and a new processor. It's a pretty go…

Ragú Unveils Sensory Deprivation Marinara Tank. “The detoxifying marinara is slowly simmered...

Ragú Unveils Sensory Deprivation Marinara Tank. “The detoxifying marinara is slowly simmered to the exact temperature of the user’s body, allowing the mind to drift freely into a meditative gravy state, just like Nonna used to make.”

Disclosure Day

Over his storied career, Steven Spielberg has made only four studio films about aliens: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — the outsized influence of the first two gives the impression that he’…

Seven Voting Laws Every Blue State Should Enact Right Now. “1. Enact...

Seven Voting Laws Every Blue State Should Enact Right Now. “1. Enact a statutory right to vote for every eligible citizen. This may surprise you, but there is no general federal constitutional right to vote.”

Is Canon’s Retro Camera Actually the R6 Mark III in Disguise?

Canon's latest streak of cameras has been exciting, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. One of the reasons is that the company has yet to address the creation of a 'retro-style' camera, one that can compete with Nikon's compact Zf. While there has been no news on its progre…

The Hit Hollywood Didn’t Want. “Sinners is a threat to a business...

The Hit Hollywood Didn’t Want. “Sinners is a threat to a business model built only on regurgitation, on endless return trips to Jurassic World, on more Toy Stories and feature-length toy commercials.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

If we were all Japanese pond frogs, we’d have nothing to fear...

If we were all Japanese pond frogs, we’d have nothing to fear from murder hornets. “When I watched the recorded videos in slow motion, the frogs were clearly stung multiple times yet showed no apparent injury or mortality.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottk…

New Animated Version of Animal Farm?

Hmm, I really don’t know about this one: an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm as a sort of Ice Age-ish comedy adventure? One commenter on YouTube says, “This movie is 100% gonna end with a random dance party scene with the pigs and humans dancing to some…

“The Trump administration’s vision for the United States is one of a...

“The Trump administration’s vision for the United States is one of a white Christian nation. And the path to accomplish it is through the exclusion and removal of all who do not fit that vision — in other words, through ethnic cleansing.”

A roundup of the words/phrases of the year for 2025, including “rage...

A roundup of the words/phrases of the year for 2025, including “rage bait”, “vibe coding”, “Mar-a-Lago face”, “chaos”, “performative male”, and “Kavanaugh stop”. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

The Best Vintage Point-and-Shoot Film Cameras Under $250

Vintage cameras are back in high demand. While we have written about vintage digital cameras over the years, we are bringing you a list of film point-and-shoot cameras that will certainly revive the joy of going analog. Some are still expensive, considering that everyone is a pa…

Born Poor

Born Poor (PBS/Frontline) is a documentary filmed across 14 years about three kids in the US as they grow into young adults while “dealing with an economy where they face more obstacles than opportunities”. Free to watch online (probably US-only, so fire up your VPN if you…

HEDECO’s Spot One: a Modern Upgrade to Bare-bones Spot Meters

Film is not dead, but it’s still expensive. That’s why getting your exposure right matters a great deal to keep it enjoyable and affordable. One tool to make life a bit easier is a spot meter – a device used to measure reflected light in a scene. However, many of them are…

Spaceships, atoms, and cybernetics

Maureen has written a really good overview of web feeds for this year’s HTMHell advent calendar. The common belief is that nobody uses RSS feeds these days. And while it’s true that I wish more people used feed readers—the perfect antidote to being fed from an algorithm��…

Jumping Frog Radius

The 3 Best Full-Frame Cameras Under $1000 for Young Photographers

When it comes to full-frame cameras, one is often faced with the challenge of buying something worthwhile at a reasonable price. For many young creators, the lack of options within their budget range often leads them to pivot to APS-C sensors. While it is not wrong, it often lea…