Photo Geek Weekly

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 189 – Big Sensors & Cheap Lenses

On this episode, I welcoem new guest host Freddy Clark to the co-pilot seat to discuss a new medium format sensor from Sony, cheap third party lenses and why they matter, controversy over important images and poorly defined laws that can impact your photography. All this and more, thanks for listening! Story 1: Sony Develops New 247-Megapixel Medium Format Sensor (via PetaPixel) Story 2: New Lens Company SG-Image Debuts Super-Fast 35mm f/0.95 APS-C Prime (via PetaPixel) Story 3: Pictures ...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 188 – Foam Corruption

Martin Bailey joins the show to discuss data protection, shooting in bad weather, social media, AI resurrections and more! Thanks as always for listening. Story 1: Can Foam Cases Really Corrupt Your Memory Cards? (via PetaPixel) Story 2: Finding Beauty in Gloom: Creative Photography on Dull Days (via fstoppers) Story 3: TikTok is Working on a New Photo App That Could Rival Instagram (via PetaPixel) Story 4: Grieving Father Uses AI to Keep Dead Daughter ‘Alive’ in ‘Digital World’ (via Pet...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 187 – Royal Mistake

Steve Brazill joins the conversation about image authenticity in the media (specially the recent royal incident), Nikon’s acquisition of RED, the faults in the Leica SL3 and an interesting bit of copyright law in the evolving landscape of photography. Thanks for listening! Bonus: Check out Steve’s workshop on live music photography this weekend via Princeton Photo Workshop! Story 1: Has Kate Middleton Just Ended All Remaining Trust in Photographs? (via PetaPixel) Story 2: A Seismic Shift:...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 186 – Sora

Chris Marquardt joins the discussion on all things AI, the newest gear from CP+ 2024, advice for monetizing your photography, secret memory card slots and how CGI is continuing to change cinema – and much more! Thanks for listening. Story 1: OpenAI’s Sora Turns Short Text Prompts into Photo-Realistic Video (via PetaPixel) Related: OpenAI Has Us Asking: What Happened to Ethical Software Development? (via PetaPixel) Story 2: Fujifilm X100VI initial review (via DPReview) Related: Sigma to shi...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 185 – Bad Actors

Preamble: Flickr Turns 20 Years Old Today (via PetaPixel) Story 1: Wedding Photographer Fined $30,000 For Using Images Taken By Other Photographers (via PetaPixel) Story 2: Pro Baseball Photo Competition Announces Inaugral Winners (via PetaPixel) Related: Sports Illustrated Makes Mass Layoff of Editorial Staffers, Throwing Its Future Into Question (via Variety) Story 3: Deepfake ‘Face Swap’ Attacks Surged By 704% in 2023 (via PetaPixel) Story 4: This $35 Wannabe Fujifilm Camera Is Somet...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 184 – Stepping Backwards into Global Shutters

On this episode, Jordan Drake joins the conversation to discuss the latest developments in the cinema space, the first new camera from OM System, a weird “camera” accessory that shouldn’t exist and some fun banter / catching up. Thanks for listening! Preamble: Nikon Releases the First Major Firmware Update for the Z8 (via PetaPixel) Story 1: RED’s New Global Shutter Camera Promises Unbelievable Dynamic Range (via PetaPixel) Story 2: OM System OM-1 II Review: Could This Have Been a Firmwar...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 183 – Complexities of Copyrights

Joseph Linaschke joins the conversation to talk about the new Lumix 100mm macro lens, copyright complexities, new medium format news, the destructive path of AI and the fireworks created by a dying chameleon. All this and more – thanks for listening! BONUS: Don’s Feb 3 – 24 Macro Photography Workshop (online / virtual!) is nearly full, but go here if you’d like to secure one of the remaining spots! Preamble: Check out PhotoJoseph’s video on the new Lumix 100mm F/2.8 macro lens. Story 1: R...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 182 – Vision of the Future

BONUS: Don’s Feb 3 – 24 Macro Photography Workshop (online / virtual!) is nearly full, but go here if you’d like to secure one of the remaining spots! Story 1: Panasonic announces Lumix S 100mm F2.8 macro lens, ultra compact and more than just a macro (via DPReview) Related: Samsung Launches AI-Powered Galaxy S24 Smartphones (via PetaPixel) Related: The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review for Photographers (via PetaPixel) Story 2: How to Print Photos at Home (via PetaPixel) Related: Hahnemuehl...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 181 – We’re Back!

Photo Geek Weekly is Back! Steve Brazill joins after a number of missteps restarting this podcast to discuss the missteps of the photography industry in 2023, how to authenticate images properly, new patents for weird lenses and lawsuits over the depictions of product photography. All that and more! Thanks for listening. Upcoming Workshops: Don has a macro photography workshop running from February 3rd to the 24th, and Steve has a workshop on live music photography on March 16th. Both via t...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 180 – Upgrade Path

Story 1: Here Is How I Upgrade My Gear as a Professional Photographer (via fstoppers) Related: Tin House Studio (as referenced by Andy) Story 2: Zeiss is Not Leaving the Photo Biz, But Admits Its Latest Camera Didn’t Sell (via PetaPixel) Story 3: The Mercury Stereo 12 is a Medium Format Stereoscopic Camera System (via PetaPixel) Related: Ondu Eikan is a Modular Large Format Camera Designed to ‘Grow With You’ (via PetaPixel) Story 4: Andy Day discovers potentially unethical use of Unsplash...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 179 – Generative Fill

Steve Brazill joins the conversation to see where AI is going and what can be done about it, lenses that shoot at extremely wide apertures, “efficiencies” and fines at Meta and look at the reputational damage to Outdoor Photographer for not paying their contributors. Thanks for listening! Story 1: Photoshop’s New ‘Generative Fill’ Uses AI to Expand or Change Photos (via PetaPixel) Related Google’s AI Product Studio Removes Need for ‘Expensive’ Photographers (via PetaPixel) Story 2: F-Zero ...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 178 – RED Paradigms

Jordan Drake joins Don Komarechka to discuss the latest offerings by RED, the shutdown of Imaging Resource in a very unceremonious way, the Nikon Z8 and what it means for the future of photography, and an update to an ongoing legal battle over copyright infringement. All this and more – thanks for listening! Story 1: RED Unveils Komodo-X 6K Cine Camera with New Sensor and Faster Framerates (via PetaPixel) Story 2: Imaging Resource Founder Shares the Tale of His Site’s Untimely Demise (via ...

Inside the Lens Episode 11 – Larry T and the Platypod Journey

Don sits down with the always-tinkering genius Larry Tiefenbrunn to discuss his Platypod inventions, when they mean to photographers, the challenges faced with building photographic equipment, and so much more. The latest Platypod crowd-funding campaign has just been launched on Kickstarter – the handle! The discussion culminates at the handle, but it’s a long and winding adventure. Anyone with an inventive spirit or a shred of entrepreneurial energy should listen to this episode! And of co...

Photo Geek Weekly 177 – Cracks in Reality

Stewart Wood is the guest host this week to discuss the growing problem of AI imagery in the photographic space, what might become of Kodak Alaris, why more and more people are switching to DaVinci Resolve and how to get money from Facebook/Meta. Thanks again for listening! Story 1: Artist Refuses Prize After His AI Image Wins at Top Photo Contest (via PetaPixel) Story 2: The Main Kodak Film Business is Up for Sale Again (via PetaPixel) Story 3: Why Video Editors are Switching to DaVinci ...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 176 – Monochromagic

Steve Brazill brilliantly shares his opinions on black & white photography in the digital era, and joins further discussion about privacy / security, the NFT dead horse, AI for science and asinine refund requests. Thanks for listening! Story 1: Hands-On with the Leica M11 Monochrom: An Artist’s Camera (via PetaPixel) Related: Ricoh announces Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome DSLR (via DPReview) Related: Color Filters for Black-and-White Photography: A Complete Guide (via PetaPixel) Story 2: T...

Photo Geek Weekly 175 – Niche Markets Next

Bonus: Don’s macro photography workshop is nearly sold out! Grab one of the last spots! Jeff Harmon joins Don Komarechka on this episode to discuss the state of the industry, laws that might be catching up to influences, AI bans on political figures and a VERY rare image of an “ELVE”. All this and more, thanks for listening! Story 1: The state of the camera industry, according to the people who make cameras (via DPReview) Story 2: France Proposes Jail for Influencers Who Don’t Disclose Ph...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 174 – Elusive Truth, Elusive Ethics

Ant Pruit joins the conversation on this episode of Photo Geek Weekly to chat about AI, photography media companies, Canon FINALLY getting some much needed features and why truth in advertising is important. Thanks for listening! Story 1: Adobe Firefly is Way Behind: Is the Commitment to Ethics to Blame? (via PetaPixel) Related: Fake Facebook Ad of Flying Car Made with AI Image Generator Fools Buyers (via PetaPixel) Related: Samsung’s Photo ‘Remaster’ Feature Horrifyingly Gave Teeth to an I...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 173 – DPReview No More

Chris Niccolls joins me on this episode of Photo Geek Weekly to discuss the closing of DPReview. It’s the end of an era, folks. We also talk about Panasonic’s further development of organic sensor technology, an AI imagery round-up and how we actually take care of our gear. All this and more! Story 1: DPReview.com to close (via DPReview) Story 2: Panasonic blogs about organic sensor’s improved cross-talk, but doesn’t talk photos (via DPReview) Related: Panasonic Still Hasn’t Finished the O...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 172 – Shoot Someone Else’s Moon

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Steve Brazill rejoins the conversation to discuss the latest AI smartphone controversy from Samsung, editing mistakes and tips, gorgeous mobile images and whether they should be classified separately, and buying very expensive and unexpected cat food. All this and more – thanks to everyone for listening. Story 1: When is a Photo Not a Photo? (via PetaPixel) Story 2: Avoid These Five Photo Editing Mistakes (via fstoppers) Story 3: The Gorgeous Winners ...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 171 – Diverse Professionalism

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Martin Bailey joins the conversation, discussing what the work life of a professional photographer looks like in 2023, how we deal with copyright issues, and the computers can now read our thoughts. Panic? All that and more on this episode – thanks for listening! Story 1: A Week in the Life of a Professional Photographer: What Does It Really Take? (via fstoppers) Story 2: New Copyright Claims Board Rules in Favor of Photographer in First Case (via Peta...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 170 – The Trendmill

Story 1: 5 Worrying Trends in Photography (via fstoppers) Story 2: Panasonic to Add Phase Detection to Future Cameras, Including MFT (via PetaPixel) Related: Sigma Is Done Developing Micro Four Thirds Lenses (via fstoppers) Story 3: The Fox is in the Henhouse: AI Photos Are Beyond the Point of No Return (via PetaPixel) Related: Scammers using AI images of fake earthquake victims to steal donations (via DIYPhotography.net) Story 4: The Nikon Z9’s Selectable Shutter Sounds are Actually Comi...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 169 – Paying to Be the Product

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Alastair Jolly joys the discussion on social media subscriptions, new cameras from Canon, the differences in AI upscaling products and a 3-month gig to photograph a hotel. All this and more, with some love for the GameBoy Camera! Thanks for listening. Story 1: Meta Will Start Charging $12 a Month For Verification on Instagram (via PetaPixel) Story 2: Canon EOS R8 & R50 Announced (via Newsshooter) Story 3: Head-to-head: Adobe Super Resolution vs. ON1 R...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 168 – One Patent to Rule Them All

On this episode of Photo geek Weekly, Jordan Drake returns to regale us with a year’s worth of video announcements, developments, and news! From Patent issues we should all be made aware of with the Nikon Z9, to new cameras from Sony, Fuji, and Panasonic – how has the video space changed in a year? We aim to answer that question. Thanks for listening! Story 1: Nikon’s Z9 2.0 firmware adds internal 8K/60p Raw capture, 120Hz EVF upgrade, pre-buffer and more (via DPReview) Related: RED Sues Ni...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 167 – The Future is Artificial

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Don is joined by Allan Attridge to discuss how AI imaging is changing the photography landscape, the dramatic images from space telescopes in 2022, phase detect autofocus on Lumix and how camera technology is advancing, and the unreasonable demands of a wedding photographer. All this and more! Thanks for listening, and your feedback is always appreciated. Story 1: Google’s Imagen AI produces photorealistic images from natural text with frightening fidel...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 166 – Ukraine

Photo Geek Weekly is back! This is going to be a heavy episode, so prepare yourself for a discussion about the role of photography in a war setting, surrounding the war in Ukraine. It might not be an easy conversation to listen to, but it needs to happen. Story 1: List of journalists killed during the Russo-Ukrainian War Related: “If They Are Crushed, It Will Be Temporary”: What One War Photographer Has Learned From Documenting the Conflict in Ukraine Story 2: Ukrainian hackers created fak...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 165 – Built to Order

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Martin Bailey and Don Komarechka jointly host a podcast! Published to both streams, we discuss the change in business strategy for Ricoh / Pentax, weird ways to use film cameras, another discussion of NFTs and why the connection to Facebook is even worse, and what you give away when you enter a photo contest. All this and more – thanks for listening! Story 1: Questioning the value of ‘mass production and mass sales,’ Ricoh is looking to take a more dire...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 164 – R5 out to C

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, wow has there been some big announcements! The Canon EOS R5C and the Leica M11 are the big topics discussed with fellow photo geek Jordan Drake, as well as the improved Phantom S991 and “flare filters” from Moment and what that means for those looking for an anamorphic-style on the cheap… does it do the trick? Hint: It does not. All this and more – thanks for listening! Story 1: DPReview TV: What we know (and think) about the Canon EOS R5C (via DPReview...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 163 – NFT Distrust

Photo Geek Weekly returns with the first episode recorded in Bulgaria! Don Komarechka is joined by Steve Brazill to discuss some of the newest stories in the photography space. Yes, we tackle NFTs and please send hatemail to [email protected]. Other stories include the K|Lens and the very cool VR / depth map / 3D possibilities of such hardware, a new EF lens mount adapter from Benro that allows for the use of two simultaneous filters, liquid polymer lens technology and so much more. Thanks ...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 61 – False Hope and a Better Histogram

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Chris Marquardt offers his sage opinions on a great many topics including photo contests, artistic and technical imaging education, what waveforms are for and beer than can('t) develop film. Still probably pretty tasty, though! Thanks for listening! Story 1: The Winning Photo of the $120K HIPA Prize Was Apparently Staged (via PetaPixel) Related: HIPA Photo Contest Official Rules Related: Chris Marquardt's "Dark Hedges" image Story 2: Photos Inside the A...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 60 – Faster Innovations

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, we struggle to fully comprehend what's going on in the first story, which may amuse you! Succinct opinions carry forward through the rest of the stories about the RED Hydrogen future, Yongnuo's first camera and what printing means today and why it is disappearing from retail. Another great episode! Story 1: New photography approach gives traditional cameras ultra-high imaging speeds (via phys.org) Related: Single-shot compressed optical-streaking ultra-h...

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 59 – Pushing Past Luxury Appeal

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 58 – AI, Weird Lenses and the Eccentricities of ISO

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 57 – Mirrorless for the Masses

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 56 – Thievery and a Dying Industry

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, fellow photo geek Shiv Verma jumps into the conversation with a wise opinion on every topic: photo contests and image theft, Lumix Pro services now available, Kodak Alaris and their search for funds / buyers / investors, and the shuttering of one of my favourite magazines, Outdoor Photography [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 55 – Lumix S Launch!

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Frederick Van Johnson joins Don to discuss the exciting launch of the Lumix S cameras, the evolving state of the film photography industry and the decline and closure of The Arcanum. If you enjoy photo geekery, you’ll love this podcast! Story 1: Panasonic S1/S1R review in progress (via [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 54 – Olympus and Innovation

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Don is joined by veteran photo tinkerer Chris Niccolls to discuss the new Olympus OM-D E-M1X as Chris has had the camera hands-on, and the podcast continues with the value of our social media accounts, why a 1TB memory card might be “too soon” or at least “too [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 53 – A Sharp Surprise

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Steve Brazill joins the discussion to chat about the unexpected 8K camera announcement from Sharp, CES news from Intel and Panasonic, and what RED has in store for “modules” for the Hydrogen smartphone. All this and much more awaits! Story 1: Move over Blackmagic: meet Sharp’s 8K consumer [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 52 – The Court of Public Opinion

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Don is joined by Allan Attridge to opine on how and when to deal with copyright issues, the future of Canon cameras with the push to mirrorless, the doomed fate of photojournalism and why you should probably reconsider using microstock websites for your best work. Always a great [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 51 – Viral Photos Have Rights

On this final episode of Photo Geek Weekly for 2018, Mike Howard joins the discussion about how your copyright is seen in the eyes of the law when a photo goes viral, Facebook bugs and intentional acts that give away your privacy, possible new beginnings for Meyer Optik and the best humour/engineering/geekery video I’ve seen [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 50 – Foveon Evolution

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Steve Brazill is welcomed back to discuss the strategies required to bring Foveon to a full-frame format, what you discover when you take apart a new Canon RF lens, and musings on photojournalism and the potential demise of Tetenal. Another great geeky discussion! Story 1: This patent might [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 49 – Ethics vs. Subjective Reality

For this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, we welcome back Mike “Sharky” James to the discussion. With Sharky’s background in photojournalism the discussion around ethics and morals in photography based on the definition of an image as documentary or as art is well worth listening to. We bring it back to tech at the end [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 48 – One Wavelength at a Time

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Ibarionex Perello is the guest host to chat about limit-pushing technology to get better images, what makes a new sensor even better, how wide is too wide for apertures and a host of helpful tips to improve your photography. Thanks for listening! Story 1: Meta-surface corrects for chromatic [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 47 – Squarespace Might be a Screwdriver for Photographers

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Jordan Drake joins the fray to discuss what “free” means to photography, how you are judged by your follwer counts, fun pocket smoke machines and No Tresspassing vs. No Photographers. All this and a few fun rabbit holes to go down on this episode – give it a [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 46 – The Future is Night Sight

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Brian Matiash joins the conversation to discuss the latest dramatic impact of computational photography in the form of Google’s Night Sight, the potential mishaps with 500px in UI design, firmware updates and why they matter, rounding out the discussion with a law suit facing Adobe. A very thoughtful [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 45 – The Fran STD, When to Share and When to Shoot

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Steve Brazill returns for the anniversary episode! We chat about cautiously optimistic cinema gear, the continued evolution of Flickr, the pressures of street photography and the fate of small sensor cameras. A lot crammed into a single episode, and it’s well worth the listen! Story 1: Cinemartin launches [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 44 – Instant Gratification

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Don is joined by the delightfully wise Andy Ihnatko to discuss photo industry trends towards instant gratification with little or no editing, along with the next steps for companies like Canon, Yongnuo, and even RED. Finally our late-breaking discussion on the first round of “improvements” to Flickr and [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 43 – Martin and the Rangefinders

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Martin Bailey joins Don for a discussion about rangefinders – good and bad – as well as camera teardowns, colour science and VERY temporary lenses you make yourself. Enjoy the photo geekery! Story 1: Yashica’s ‘Unexpected’ Y35 Camera is Worse Than Anyone Expected (via PetaPixel) Related: Pixii is [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 42 – Adobe and the Speed of Light

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Allan Attridge jumps into the discussion on all the Adobe updates, a 10 trillion frame per second camera, the final fate of Meyer Optik Goerlitz and a service using Kodak branding to scan your analog media. All this and more in a fantastically geeky discussion! Story 1: Tons [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 41 – Lenses, AI, and DIY Fun!

On this episode of Photo Geek Weekly, Don reminisces with Bryan Weiss about the joys of Google+, and we talk about this weeks stories: Eight new lenses under the Laowa brand, the AI tech used to polish photos taken with the iPhone XS, and a lot of fun do-it-yourself tricks for creative exploration that won’t [...]

Photo Geek Weekly Episode 40 – Of Asteroids, Seeing Everything and the Future

Episode 40 of Photo Geek Weekly brings back PhotoJoseph (a.k.a. Joseph Linaschke) for a discussion about cameras on asteroids, 360 degree 3D video and what it can be used for, The first camera from Zeiss and it’s odd feature set, and more information about the Panasonic / Sigma / Leica partnership that will shape new [...]