The Brightin Star 35mm f1.4 Brings Nostalgic Charm for $159.99

In a world now filled with clinically sharp lenses that tout blazing fast autofocus, it can be refreshing to see one that isn't looking to promote itself along those lines. The Brightin Star 35mm f1.4 Manual Focus Lens reminds you that photography is as much about feeling as it…

Is Fujifilm Updating its Oldest, Classic Lens Soon?

Fujifilm has introduced some truly exceptional lenses over the years for X-mount users. The 23mm f1.4, the 50mm f1, and the 70-300mm f4-5.6 are examples of the company trying to broaden its horizons. It now appears they are keen on further broadening the portfolio, especially a…

Divers

“Divers documents the restless anticipation of walking to the platform’s edge and the fleeting serenity found in jumping.” Lovely. Just lovely. (via colossal) Tags: diving · slow motion · sports · video

Claudette Colvin, Who Refused to Give Her Bus Seat to a White...

Claudette Colvin, Who Refused to Give Her Bus Seat to a White Woman, Dies at 86. “History had me glued to the seat.” Her refusal predates Rosa Parks’ similar stand, but she was deemed “too dark-skinned and too poor” to be a civil rights symbol.

Olive Oil Sculptures

Suzanne Saroff makes unusual photographic sculptures, including these dynamic olive oil shapes. Tags: art · food · photography · Suzanne Saroff

I Was Kidnapped by Idiots. “Later, he tried the ‘good cop, bad...

I Was Kidnapped by Idiots. “Later, he tried the ‘good cop, bad cop’ routine on me but undermined the effect by playing both characters himself, on alternate days, which just made him seem deranged.”

16 Part Epoxy

Jamelle Bouie: “The American public, then, is left not with a president...

Jamelle Bouie: “The American public, then, is left not with a president but with a man who imagines himself master and behaves like a tyrant. A man whose agents brutalize ordinary citizens and then defame them in the wake of their deaths…”

Stop complaining about paywalls existing. “These paywalls are attempts to make this...

Stop complaining about paywalls existing. “These paywalls are attempts to make this dying field viable. When you get personally offended by paywalls, you’re essentially saying we should work for free.”

Evoto AI’s Headshot Generator is an Assault on Photography

At this year’s Imaging USA conference, Evoto AI caused quite the controversy with its “accidental” release of their latest AI “photography” product – Evoto AI Headshot Generator. Evoto AI has been aggressively pitching its software to photographers for several years,…

Why it’s So Easy to Fall in Love with Black and White Street Photography

Black and white photography is something that so many photographers and viewers enjoy. I remember years ago that many said that it was like a crutch to making images look better. But the truth is that this is nothing more than generational trauma manifesting itself through teach…

Switch

A bit has been flipped on Google Search. Previously, the Googlebot would index any web page it came across, unless a robots.txt file said otherwise. Now, a robots.txt file is required in order for the Googlebot to index a website. This puzzles me. Until now, Google was all ab…

Donald Trump Is Waging War Against Human Conscience. “The lust for mud...

Donald Trump Is Waging War Against Human Conscience. “The lust for mud has taken up many guises in our history and has been many given names of late — neo-reaction, post-liberalism, fascism. But the name familiar to most is evil.”

Zoe Saldaña is now the highest-grossing actor of all time (bc of...

Zoe Saldaña is now the highest-grossing actor of all time (bc of Avatar & Marvel). 2. Scarlett Johansson, 3. Samuel L. Jackson, 4. Robert Downey Jr., 5. Chris Pratt. Would be interested to see inflation adjusted rankings…

Currently listening to this Thai house mix from Meltmode, played from a...

Currently listening to this Thai house mix from Meltmode, played from a tuktuk tooling around the streets of Bangkok.

Everwhat

Logisms I like "everwhat" and "everwhen." Just wanted to say that. Still trying "Life is a casino with no house, so go ahead and influence your own bets. The future is a black swan hatchery that will produce colors other than black and white. Every species is a mistake that work…

Thypoch Took a $3,000 Lens and Made it Only Around $550

Third-party lens makers are now keen on launching vintage lenses with a modern heart, and one to achieve this seamlessly is Thypoch. The company has already introduced some exciting models so far, including the Eureka 50mm f2 and the Simera 35mm f1.4. Adding to this growing list…

Lunchtime

In the late 70s and early 80s, photographer Charles H. Traub roamed the streets of Chicago, New York, and Europe to take photos of people during the lunch hour. Colorful and direct, animated and intimate, the portraits are shot close to the subjects, composed seemingl…

Flashback 35 Review: Is This Better Than the Camp Snap Pro?

If you only focus on the specs of the recent crop of new point-and-shoots that have come out, then you're greatly undervaluing what they've been able to accomplish. It really started to take off with the Camp Snap camera. Then came the Camp Snap Pro. The Echolens, in many ways,…

This Photographer Is Building a DIY XPan Using an Olympus

Film photographers have been exploring new ways of creating images. From using expired film to working with half-frame formats to create diptychs, analog photographers are at the forefront of change. However, this photographer from Reddit has taken it a step further, building an…

This New Fujifilm instax Camera and Printer Could Change How You Print Photos

It is always assumed that Fujifilm's best-selling cameras are its X-series and GFX models. However, this is far from true. The company's most profitable series is the Instax, which, as of 2025, had reportedly sold 00 million units around the world. Thus, it is no surprise that F…

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema Review: Why You Shouldn’t Get it

Many of Fujifilm's cameras in the past few years have been incredibly frustrating to me. The brand that sold photographers the idea that their X Trans sensors could perform on the same level as full-frame sensors quickly pivoted within a few years to making their own medium form…

North America kind of sucks at elevators. “Elevators cost nearly three times...

North America kind of sucks at elevators. “Elevators cost nearly three times as much in North America compared to its peers. What is going on here?” (Maintenance fees can be 10x as expensive.) 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

How Will the Miracle Happen Today? “Kindness is like a breath. It...

How Will the Miracle Happen Today? “Kindness is like a breath. It can be squeezed out, or drawn in. You can wait for it, or you can summon it. To solicit a gift from a stranger takes a certain state of openness.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →