Photography Industry News: AI, Cameras, and Accessories

The hosts discuss AI alternatives to Adobe, Getty’s financial plans, and new releases from Godox, Sony, Sigma, Tamron, Fujifilm, and OM System. Also: baseball photography and an unusual camera bag.

The PetaPixel Podcast covers photography and gear news

In the latest episode of The PetaPixel Podcast, Chris, Jordan, Sarah, and the host break down the week’s news—from image editing and photojournalism to cameras, lenses, and accessories. The conversation starts with baseball photography before moving on to industry news.

Baseball photography comes up at 08:06. As bonus material for the episode, the team suggests taking a look at the workflow of Matt Dirksen, photographer for the Chicago Cubs. He photographs the season, capturing the action, then imports thousands of photos after games. The episode explains how ProGrade Digital memory cards, card readers, hubs, and docking stations help keep this workflow running.

The main topic begins at 15:25: free, open-source projects have been created with the help of artificial intelligence to replicate the capabilities of Adobe Photoshop, Premiere, and Lightroom. Then, at 24:25, the hosts discuss Getty Images: the company has filed for bankruptcy, and its future is tied to plans to go private.

At 28:01, the conversation turns to Godox and its magnetic xenon flash for iPhone. The hosts compare this approach with Profoto’s attempt to popularize a similar product. The next segment is about Sony: at 34:30, they discuss two new microphones. One is an omnidirectional model capable of recording spatial audio directly to a smartphone; the other is the ECM-W5 wireless system.

Manufacturers have also been focusing on APS-C: at 48:34, the hosts discuss new releases from Sigma and Tamron. At 52:19, the conversation shifts to a new Fujifilm Instax Square camera. Another topic in the episode is the OM System PEN camera: at 55:47, its popularity is linked to the possibility that some buyers, including those who preordered, may have to wait until next spring for deliveries.

At 1:01:50, the hosts discuss how Japanese companies, in their view, misread the market for cameras aimed at content creators. Then, at 1:20:43, the participants talk about what they’ve been working on lately. The episode’s final featured story comes at 1:29:50: photographer Hugh Brownstone and Oberwerth have created an expensive camera bag inspired by New York.

Episode timestamps: introduction — 00:00; baseball photography — 08:06; Adobe Creative Cloud alternatives — 15:25; Getty bankruptcy filing — 24:25; Godox flash for iPhone — 28:01; new Sony microphones — 34:30; Sigma and Tamron APS-C news — 48:34; Fujifilm Instax Square camera — 52:19; OM System PEN — 55:47; cameras for content creators — 1:01:50; the hosts’ current projects — 1:20:43; Hugh Brownstone and Oberwerth camera bag — 1:29:50.