Chris Niccolls

Articles by Chris Niccolls

A person holds a Canon EOS R1 camera close to the camera while smiling. The image has the PetaPixel logo and the text "Hands-On" in the bottom right corner.

Canon EOS R1 First Impressions: More an R3 Mark II Than a New Flagship

It has been a long time coming, but the EOS R1 is finally here. For years, the Canon R1 has been teased and hinted at before getting an official announcement two months ago. Now, finally, we at PetaPixel got our hands on an early test with the R1 body. That said, I cannot stress enough that it was a very early look.

A person with gray hair and a beard smiles and points to a Canon EOS R5 camera with the lens removed, showcasing the camera sensor. The image has a "PetaPixel Hands-On" logo in the bottom left corner.

The Canon EOS R5 Mark II First Impressions: The Real Star of This Show

The Canon EOS R1 has been hogging all the attention with announcement dates, sneak peeks, and speculation. It had been a long time since we saw a new flagship camera from Canon and now we had one in our hands. But with all the fanfare going on about a new "1" series camera, another Canon release quietly slipped under the radar -- until now.

A close-up view of a Nikon Z series mirrorless camera body. The image highlights the lens mount and sensor area with an orange arrow pointing towards it, emphasizing the central feature of the camera. The camera buttons and grip are also visible.

The Best Lenses for Nikon Z-Mount

Nikon has done a great job providing a robust full-frame lens lineup for the Z-mount. There are so many choices that we thought it necessary to help narrow the field for you to this list of our favorite options across different focal lengths.

A person with grey hair and a beard is leaning on a wooden table, smiling at the camera. In front of them, there are six different Fujifilm X100 series cameras lined up. The text above reads "EVERY X100 EVER." The background has an industrial look with brick and metal elements.

Reviewing Every Fujifilm X100 Camera Ever Made

When the Fujifilm X100 first hit the market it took the world by storm. A pocket-sized camera with stellar good looks and a retro-inspired control scheme, it was instantly coveted by photographers aplenty. We wanted to take a retrospective look at the X100 series from the beginning and give you the low-down on the upgrades and quirks over the years.

A close-up shot of a vintage Pentax camera on a tripod with a waterfall in the blurred background. The camera's branding and lens details are clearly visible. Overlaid at the bottom right is the "PetaPixel Reviews" logo.

Pentax 17 Review: A Brand-New Film Experience Worth Having

I’ve been in the camera review business for over 15 years and in that time I’ve been fortunate enough to have tested and taken photographs with countless cameras, spanning a wide variety of designs and intentions. Curiously, as I prepared to review the Pentax 17 it occurred to me that I had never once reviewed a new production 35mm film camera in all that time.

A bearded man with short hair is smiling excitedly behind two cameras placed on a brick surface. The camera on the left is a Sony Alpha series, and the one on the right is a Canon EOS R5. Both cameras have large lenses facing forward.

Just How Good Are the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 and 40mm f/1.2?

Recently, I've pushed myself to look at third-party lens brands from China, which offer interesting character at a relatively low price. I wanted to try out the lenses that cost more money but might provide a more compelling user experience and the Voigtlander manual focus primes could be the answer.

Two men are standing in front of a traditional Japanese building. One man holds a blue camera towards the viewer. The PetaPixel logo and the text "Hands-On" are displayed in the bottom left corner.

Panasonic Lumix S9 Initial Review: Small, Pretty, and Confusing

One of my favorite cameras of all time was the Panasonic GM5. With its interchangeable lenses and ultra-compact design, I could truly take it anywhere and still have full manual control. Compromises had to be made given such a small design, and the Micro Four Thirds format did limit potential image quality, but I had an EVF and a creative camera that was perfect for travel.

A person with a beard and mustache enthusiastically gestures towards a DSLR camera set on a rock. The background features a forest scene. There is a "PetaPixel Reviews" logo in the bottom left corner of the image.

Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 Review: A Lot To Live Up To

The Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS was truly a legendary kit lens. It broke the stereotype of bare-bones kit lenses that came packaged with slow apertures and pedestrian optics. I say was because it now must make way for a new lens to take center stage. The new Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 has very big shoes to fill indeed.

A person wearing a blue shirt holds up a silver and black Fujifilm X-T50 camera with a large lens. In the foreground, the words "PetaPixel Hands-On" are displayed. The background is blurred, focusing attention on the camera.

Hands-On With The Fujifilm X-T50: An X-T5 Lite, or Something More?

Fujifilm is consistently updating its line of mirrorless cameras to make use of the latest film simulation modes and sensor technology. It is no surprise, then, that it has released a 40-megapixel version of its insanely popular X-T double-digit line to bring high resolution to an affordable platform: the X-T50.

A close-up shot of a Fujifilm GFX100S camera with a large lens resting on a rock, with a blurred background of trees and water. The PetaPixel logo and the words "Hands-On" are displayed in the top left corner. A person with a beard is looking at the camera.

Hands-On with the Fujifilm GFX 100S II: Medium Format for the Masses

The first Fujifilm GFX 100S had my favorite form factor of any GFX camera due to its take-anywhere size. I loved the smaller body design of the latest GFX 100 II, and of course all the improvements to autofocus and film simulation modes as well as an emphasis on faster shooting and video. But it was only a matter of time before the latest improvements transferred over to the GFX 100S line and the wait is now over.

A man with a slight smile looks at a camera mounted on a tripod in the foreground, with a city's blurry lights in the background. the image includes a "petapixel reviews" label.

Hasselblad XCD 25mm f/2.5 V Review: Bright and Wide

Hasselblad has introduced a new 25mm prime lens to add to its already crowded wide-angle assortment. I've reviewed the 30mm f/3.5, and Hasselblad also has 28mm f/4 and 21mm f/4 lenses. However, this new wide prime splits the difference and has an even brighter f/2.5 aperture.

Two men in the foreground smile and point at a camera, while in the background, an arrow points from the men to two women walking and talking.

The Very Least You Need to Be a Pro Portrait Photographer

We always want our YouTube videos to both educate and entertain but sometimes, we also want to push ourselves beyond standard reviews and try something different. For our latest photo challenge, we wanted to see just how minimal we could go with our gear and still be able to pull off professional-grade images.

Best Black and White Profiles

Testing Which Camera Has the Best Black and White JPEG Profile

I love the beauty and simplicity of black-and-white photography, and there's little process simpler than setting a camera to your preferred black-and-white mode and running wild with straight-of-the-camera JPEG files. But not all black-and-white picture profiles are equal, so which is the best?

OM System Telephoto lens review

OM System 150-600mm f/5-6.3 IS Review: Can’t Argue With a 1200mm Equivalent

An OM System 150-600mm f/5-6.3 has been sitting in the office for months and I haven't touched it since I tested the OM-1 Mark II. Finally, the cold weather had given way and I had no excuse to ignore it anymore. A trip to the Calgary Zoo would let me test out not only the wildlife capabilities of this lens but also the excellent macro versatility that the lens offers.

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 Art hands on review

The 50mm f/1.2 Art Proves Sigma Has Mastered Lens Making

I normally dismiss ultra-fast aperture lenses because they tend to be overly large, overly expensive, and overly excessive. I rarely want to have the shallowest depth of field possible, and an f/1.2 lens is only two-thirds of a stop brighter than a reasonably priced f/1.4 lens. But what if I can have my cake and eat it too?

Chinese Lens Showcase

Chinese Lenses Don’t Always Seem Like Cheap Toys Anymore

I have to admit that I haven't given enough time to review the many, many lenses that are coming to us out of China. The only thing harder than knowing which Chinese camera companies belong to which other camera companies is knowing how to pronounce the often strange naming conventions given to the brands.

Instax Mini 99

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is a Lot of Fun

I haven’t used an instant camera in a very long time, and I must admit that when the new Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 showed up I was a little flippant about it. After my time with it, I'm happy to admit I was wrong.