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Home » Opinion

Opinion

This is where I offer thoughts on developments in photography and video, some of the context behind news stories and industry events, and how these might impact photographers.

The Panasonic Lumix S1R II is amazing, so why are people complaining about its readout speed?

April 14, 2025 by Fotovolo

Panasonic Lumix S1R II

Slow sensor readout speed can lead to ‘rolling shutter’ or ‘jello’ effects, which can affect both stills photography and video. But how bad is the Lumix S1R II’s readout speed, has Panasonic really dropped the ball here and will it really affect your results – or is it the Internet just going crazy with yet another thing to start yelling about?

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Panasonic

How does this keep happening – manufacturers launching cameras they can’t supply?

April 7, 2025 by Fotovolo

Fujifilm X-M5

The culprit this time is the Fujifilm X-M5. Launched back in October 2024, the X-M5 looks a solid little vlogging camera at a very affordable price. It doesn’t have an electronic viewfinder or in-body stabilization, but it does offer open gate 6K video and 4K 60p with only a modest 1.18x crop. It’s also a very nicely made little camera. But, in April 2025, SIX MONTHS after its launch, where can you actually buy one?

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Fujifilm, Sony

The Fujifilm GFX100RF is a spectacular camera, but has an earlier classic been forgotten?

April 1, 2025 by Fotovolo

Fujifilm GFX100RF

I’m full of admiration for Fujifilm’s latest medium format camera. The GFX100RF builds on the viral success of the XF100 VI to take its modern digital-retro roadmap to the next level. With its 100MP medium format sensor, analog controls, fixed 28mm equivalent lens and aspect ratio dial (I would love it for just that ALONE), this is a camera guaranteed to drive luxury camera fans and influencers wild. But amidst all this latest excitement, I do think an earlier model has been cruelly overlooked.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Fujifilm

I got this grip extender for my Canon EOS R8, but why didn’t they make it like this from the start?

March 5, 2025 by Fotovolo

Canon BG-E1

Practically every camera I get I ends up either getting a grip extender just to make it nicer to handle. I did this with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, my Fujifilm X-T5 and my Sony A7R II (actually, I got a full battery grip for this). So why?

Filed Under: Opinion, Reviews Tagged With: Canon

So, the new Sigma BF. Are you AMAZED or HORRIFIED?

March 1, 2025 by Fotovolo

Sigma BF front view

Photography isn’t simply a technical exercise. If it was, we wouldn’t have the enduring Leica M-series rangefinders, the beautiful Hasselblad X1D/X2D wouldn’t exist, and the retro craze currently sweeping the market would never have happened. People engage with the tools they use on a much deeper, more emotional level than we think.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Sigma

I think the OM System OM-3 is amazing, but there’s one thing stopping me getting one

February 20, 2025 by Fotovolo

OM System OM-3

OM System will probably get two sets of responses to the OM-3. One will be that it looks amazing, just like the original OM1 and OM2 film SLRs, and is a retro camera good enough to challenge the legendary Fujifilm X100 VI. The other will be that it’s ‘just’ another MFT camera, without even a new sensor, and too big and too expensive. So who’s right?

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: OM System

Are used digital cameras any good for photography today?

September 30, 2024 by Fotovolo

DSLR

I don’t just shoot with older cameras. I also use a Fujifilm X-T5 for travel and a Canon EOS R8 for video and product photography. I also review many of the latest cameras, so I have plenty of context for comparing the performance of older used models. For regular everyday stills photography, I think so little has changed or advanced over the past ten years that most beginners and enthusiasts, even many professionals, will be perfectly happy with most of the mid-high-end cameras from the past decade.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Sony

The Ricoh GR III looks expensive, limited and dated, so why would you want one?

August 12, 2024 by Fotovolo

Ricoh GR III HDF

By now the whole world knows about the Fujifilm X100 VI and its hipster following, but who knows about the Ricoh GR III? In many ways this camera is even more extraordinary, but while the images it captures are just as impressive, the image it presents is not. It looks old-fashioned, limited and expensive. So why does a small core of enthusiasts still rave about it?

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Ricoh

Has the jump to 40MP really worked for Fujifilm?

August 2, 2024 by Fotovolo

Fujifilm X-T5

Does there come a point when lens optics can no longer keep up with sensor resolution, and has Fujifilm’s 40MP sensor reached that point. Optical properties are not as scalable as you might imagine. You might be able to miniaturize sensors apparently ad infinitum, but lenses have very definite limits to their resolving power and their resistance to diffraction.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Fujifilm

Bridge cameras are back! Panasonic revives this classic all-in-one concept for 2024

July 31, 2024 by Fotovolo

Panasonic Lumix FZ80D/FZ82D

Panasonic has clearly seen the potential of a bridge camera revival, and I think it’s right. Often much-derided in their time, bridge cameras could be making a comeback. And in this social-obsessed, post-resolution content creation universe, the timing might just be perfect. Years ago, bridge cameras were a serious market segment, and maybe it could all happen again.

Filed Under: Opinion

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Fotovolo is published by photography journalist and editor Rod Lawton

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