Episode 449: Canon Breaking, The Shining & More

Show Notes

Welcome back to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 449 for Thursday April 10th, 2025. In today’s episode a $1,900 Canon lens is breaking in two, a long lost photo from the film The Shining and more.

$1,900 Lens Breaks in Two

The Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-8 lens is extremely popular with wildlife and nature photographers thanks to its reach and versatility. That’s precisely why Australian professional photographer Joshua Holko had one with him on a winter wildlife trip in Svalbard, Norway. Unfortunately, while in his backpack, the lens snapped in two, a reportedly not unique occurrence with the RF 200-800mm.

The zoom lens, which is Joshua Holko’s partner Suzy’s, was securely inside a backpack when it broke. 

“It snapped in two while in the backpack during our winter snowmobile trip in Svalbard,” Holko tells PetaPixel. “It was securely packed and not dropped. It was well protected from bumps.”

“It’s clearly got a weak point in construction,” Holko adds.

Canon Rumors, which hears from many Canon community members, says it has heard about six other RF 200-800mm lens that broke in a similar location.

The website says in one of those cases, the lens had hit the side of a safari vehicle, which could explain the incident. However, the unfortunate owner of the other lens says they are not sure what happened as the lens broke while in a bag. He thinks it is possible the lens hit an object inside the bag and broke that way, but he only found the lens was broken after opening his bag to take bird photos in Florida. Canon fixed his lens under warranty, at least.

U.K. rental house Lenses For Hire, which deals with many lenses being used by a wide range of people, has seen the issue too, but only once.

It is important to keep this in context and not leap to conclusions about a major, widespread issue. Many Canon RF 200-800mm owners, presumably nearly all of them, have had no issues with their lenses. However, that doesn’t necessarily calm the nerves or help those directly affected by one of their lenses breaking in half. No mass-produced product will be entirely without problems, but this is definitely an odd situation. For a specific lens to break in the same way across multiple samples should give any company cause for concern.

As Roger Cicala of Lensrentals noted when investigating a different Canon RF lens for a potential issue, Canon is a proactive company and does not shy away from digging into potential issues with its products. Canon has many talented engineers who will find the issue if there is one to find. It could be a weird anomaly and series of bad coincidences, or it could be something more.

No company can test any product for every possible scenario it will encounter once real people purchase and use them over extended periods, whether that involves unusual weather, big temperature shifts, persistent bumps and bruises, etc. The real world is tough on products, and some will inevitably break.

If any PetaPixel readers have had their RF 200-800mm lens snap in half, please reach out via our tip line.

PetaPixel contacted Canon for a statement on the reported RF 200-800mm issues.

“We appreciate this being brought to our attention and take all quality concerns seriously. We encourage any customers experiencing issues with the RF 200-800mm lens to please reach out directly to our customer support team at 1-800-OKCANON so we can better assess the situation and investigate the matter further,” Canon tells PetaPixel.

The Shining Photo

It’s one of the most iconic photographs ever to appear in a film: the haunting group portrait that closes The Shining (1980). After decades of mystery, the original image — sans Jack Nicholson — has finally resurfaced in a photo archive after 45 years.

Nicholson, who plays Jack Torrance, was composited into the stock photo by Murray Close who shot him separately in period-accurate costume and lighting to match the 1920s ballroom image which was chosen from a archive. The final version was re-screened and photographed again to look seamless and aged.

But no one kept a record of where, what, and who was in the original photo. Following an investigation by retired British academic Alasdair Spark and New York Times journalist Aric Toler, it has been revealed the original photo was taken by the now defunct Topical Press Agency at a St. Valentine’s Day Ball in the Royal Palace Hotel, London, on February 14, 1921.

The search took “many hours of hard brute force effort” but Spark tracked down the images in the files of the Getty Images Hulton Archive after trawling through thousands of newspaper archive pages and old photos from jazz clubs. The researchers even enlisted the help of Reddit.

Spark found that the original central figure in the image — who was replaced by Nicholson — was famous jazz dance teacher Santos Casani. The team cross-referenced Casani but nothing returned a result.

But after Spark spoke to The Shining’s official set photographer Murray Close, he realized the image must be in the Hulton Library, which had acquired Topical Press Agency. Close insisted that it was in the Hulton Archive because he recalled picking up prints of the photos.

“The absence led to several potentials,” Spark tells Getty Images. “[Perhaps] it was lost, it had been bought out and removed from the BBC Hulton, it was misfiled (there are over 94 million images.)”

Fortunately, Matt Butson, the Vice President of the Hulton Archives, refused to let it lie and kept trawling the archive. Eventually, he found it after discovering that Topical Press images had been “re-indexed” after the agency was acquired by Hulton in 1958.

The researchers later realized that the only recognizable figure in the photo, dance teacher Casani, had been identified under his previous name, John Golman — making the job of finding him a lot harder.

Now that the mystery of the original photo has been resolved, fans can continue to debate the film’s slightly confusing ending. Director Stanley Kubrick has said the photo shows that Torrance is a reincarnation of an earlier official at the hotel. But there are plenty of other theories out there.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 Close Ups

Fujifilm announced the new Instax mini 41 instant camera, a direct successor to the Instax mini 40. Fujifilm’s new instant film camera promises improved style and performance.

The Fujifilm Instax mini 41 delivers an improved close-up mode with parallax correction. This helps photographers capture better, centered close-up photos, including selfies, by adjusting the position of the “focus” mark to the lower left of the frame. This builds upon the Instax mini 40’s built-in Selfie Mode, which enables close-focusing photography.

The camera’s other significant improvement is an updated, portable design. Building upon the look and feel of its predecessor, released in 2021, the new camera delivers a textured, tactile body that promises a secure, ergonomic grip. The Instax mini 41 sports a subtle metallic-like (not actually metallic) finish and eye-catching orange accents. Like the Instax mini 40, the Instax mini 41 features a retro-inspired design, albeit one from a different, more recent era than the Instax mini 40.

The Fujifilm Instax mini 41 promises to be easy to use, even for beginner photographers. The camera has an automatic exposure function that automatically senses ambient levels when the shutter is pressed, ensuring the optimal shutter speed, flash output, and overall exposure.

“Mini 41 is made for image makers who care about both form and function,” says Bing Liem, division president, Imaging Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation. “Mini 41 takes everything our consumers loved about mini 40 and levels up with enhanced performance and a modern design update — it’s easy to carry, easy to use, and matches the stylish aesthetic so many of users bring to their photography.”

The Instax mini 41 is compatible with Fujifilm’s Instax mini film products, including the white frame, black frame, and monochrome varieties. The company also makes Instax mini films with colorful borders, a contact sheet-style design, and more. The complete lineup is detailed on Fujifilm’s website. Film starts at around $16 for 20 exposures.

The Fujifilm Instax mini 41 will be available for purchase by the end of this month, although Fujifilm has not yet determined the camera’s pricing for the United States market. Although Fujifilm’s official press materials do not detail precisely why there is no pricing yet, it is a safe bet that it relates to Fujifilm assessing the impacts of American tariffs. This article will be updated when pricing information is made available.

A Century of Royal Photos

The Royal Collection Trust announced that over 100 years of rarely seen royal portrait photographs, negatives, and archival materials will be displayed at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh.

The Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography exhibition follows the evolution of Royal portrait photography from the 1920s until the present day. Rarely seen vintage prints, contact sheets, proofs, and documents such as letters and memorandums from the royal archives are included. It is the first time many of these works have been shown in Scotland.

Senior Curator of Photographs for the Royal Collection Trust and exhibition curator Alessandro Nasini handpicked the works to be featured.

Of his selections, Nasini explained, “Portrait photography is a creative process, and it has been fascinating to discover the careful decisions that were made to achieve such unforgettable portraits of the Royal Family, taken by some of the most celebrated photographers of the past century — from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to David Bailey and Glasgow-born Rankin.”

“Although we may be used to seeing photographs on screens, the opportunity to see the original prints up close is rare, as they can’t often be on display for conservation reasons. With archival material providing context into how these photographs were made and used, I hope visitors will enjoy going behind the scenes into the process of creating royal portraits,” he shared.

A highlight of the show is a striking photograph of Queen Elizabeth II by Julian Calder. The image was taken at Balmoral Castle in 2010 and perfectly shows a highlands landscape with the Queen in Royal regalia.

The Royal Collection Trust’s exhibition news details the creation of the important historic portrait.

“Beneath an unpredictable sky and cloaked in the mantle of the Order of the Thistle, the late monarch braved the threat of rain and midges to achieve Calder’s vision, inspired by the 19th-century paintings of Clan chiefs – as seen in a behind-the-scenes photograph reproduced on a panel within the exhibition. In contrast, for her 2007 portrait of the sovereign, Annie Leibovitz — the first American to receive an official commission to photograph Queen Elizabeth II — used digital editing to superimpose the figure against a stormy sky,” the Royal Collection Trust says.

“The past century was an exciting time for portrait photography; techniques evolved rapidly, and the transition from a manual craft to an increasingly digital process is a key theme of the exhibition.”

Photographs included in the exhibition will span a century. Some of the royal families earliest, including ones from 1934, show the young Princess Elizabeth and Margaret. Later portraits show the advances in both photography and printing technology as the portraits became bigger and more colorful. The exhibition is a journey through time, as seen through the lens of photographers and Royal sitters.

“Visitors will discover the multitude of purposes royal portraits have served, from reputation-making portraits of a young Queen Elizabeth II for use on currency and stamps by Yousuf Karsh, to birthday portraits of Princess Anne by Norman Parkinson. A handwritten memorandum from Queen Elizabeth II’s Assistant Private Secretary in 1953 reveals her suggestions for which Coronation portraits should be sent to Commonwealth representatives, used to thank Maids of Honour, and given as family mementos. More recently, a photograph of Her Majesty Queen Camilla by Jamie Hawkesworth commissioned by Vogue shows The Queen with a book in her lap to represent Her Majesty’s passion for literature,” the Royal Trust explains.

The ongoing Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography exhibit runs through September 7th, 2025, at the King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Copyright on Instagram

A photographer is asking the Supreme Court to decide whether a website infringed his copyright by embedding his Instagram posts without his permission.

Websites can use embed social media posts to share images on articles without hosting it directly, but photographer Elliot McGucken is arguing that it violates his copyright.

According to a report by Digital Camera World, McGucken filed a petition for certiorari (a request to review) on March 28 as part of his lawsuit against media company Valnet, Inc. which operates the website thetravel.com.

In his lawsuit, McGucken accused thetravel.com of infringing his copyright in 36 photographs by embedding them without permission from his Instagram page over multiple articles.

If thetravel.com had made new copies of McGucken’s photographs and uploaded them on its website, it would have been a straightforward case of copyright infringement.

However, the website displayed the images by embedding them directly from McGucken’s Instagram page. While Instagram does not grant permission for companies to embed these images, a 2007 Ninth Circuit ruling known as the “server test” established that when an image remains on a third party’s server and is not stored on the infringer’s computer, embedding it does not count as a new display. In other words, embedding the original display of the image in a new context does not constitute copyright infringement.

Digital Camera World reports that McGucken’s petition asks the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the server test and consider whether a website’s unauthorized display of an image violates copyright, no matter what technology is used to show the work.

The district courts and Ninth Circuit court both dismissed McGucken’s complaints. But the photographer is now turning to the Supreme Court to consider if displaying an image using embedding tools infringes copyright laws. The court will respond by May 1.

This is not the first time a photographer has attempted to challenge the server test. In 2023, Instagram beat a class of photographers in a lawsuit that claimed the Meta-owned platform contributes to copyright infringement by letting outside websites embed images.

Photographers Alexis Hunley and Matthew Brauer filed a class action lawsuit against Instagram after Buzzfeed and Time embedded their images without consent. Hunley and Brauer claimed that Instagram abused their copyright by allowing news outlets like Time and Buzzfeed to embed the photos that they shared to their profiles.

However, a three-judge panel at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Instagram was not liable for copyright infringement because when a photo or video is embedded, no copy is made of the underlying content.

Two Photographers Die

Two photographers have died at a music festival in Mexico City after a crane holding a decorative artwork fell over on Saturday (April 5).

The crane was holding up an ornamental metal object when it toppled over at the AXE Ceremonia music festival. Miguel Angel Rojas, 26, and Berenice Giles, 28, have been named as the two photographers. No other people have been reported as injured.

The festival — which saw British pop star Charli XCX play — was canceled following the tragedy. Performances from Tyler, The Creator and Massive Attack — who were scheduled to play on Sunday — were called off.

“With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of the two people who were injured during today’s incident,” AXE Ceremonia says in a statement.

“We are deeply heartbroken by this loss. We are reaching out to their families to support them during this incredibly difficult time and to provide them with all our care and solidarity. The safety of our community has always been our priority, and we continue, as from the very beginning, to maintain close collaboration and complete transparency with the authorities.”

The object that fell was a large decorative artwork attached to a small crane. Pictures of it online make it fairly obvious that the structure was liable to fall since it looks top-heavy.

Among the angry criticism online, people shared advice from the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) — an organization promoting the safe use of powered access equipment online — that says “Do not Attach Banners to Scissor Lifts.”

“Many scissor lifts are specifically designed for indoor use only with zero wind. Even outdoor machines may be at risk of being blown over when elevated in high or gusting winds,” IPAF says.

“Scissor lifts are not designed to hold banners. Attaching banners to a scissor lift will increase the surface area and create a ‘sailboard’ effect which will destabilize or potentially turn over a MEWP [Mobile Elevating Work Platform].”

Rolling Stone reports that Rojas and Giles both worked for an outlet called Mr. Indie. Tributes have poured in on Giles’ Instagram page.

Lexar Goes Gold

Lexar showed off the world’s first stainless steel SD cards last September and has followed them up with fancy new gold memory cards at NAB 2025.

The new Lexar Armor Gold UHS-II SDXC memory cards and previously showcased Armor Silver Pro cards come in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities. Notably, the Lexar Armor Silver Pro cards will be exclusive to Amazon, while the higher-end Gold cards will be available through Lexar’s typical network of authorized retailers.

The two card series differ in terms of promised specifications and speeds. While both cards promise the same maximum read speeds of 280 MB/s, the Armor Gold delivers faster write speeds of 205 MB/s versus the Silver Pro’s top write speed of 160 MB/s. There is a slight caveat here, though, as some of the lower capacity Silver Pro cards are slightly slower — 120 MB/s write speeds.

While maximum performance is better for the Lexar Armor Gold SD cards, both Armor lines promise video speed class 60 (V60) performance, ensuring they can capture 4K and 6K footage. They are also all constructed from stainless steel, which PetaPixel editor-in-chief Jaron Schneider characterizes as “kind of heavy” and extremely tough and rugged feel. Lexar claims its new Armor SD cards are 37 times stronger than typical SD cards, and they all promise IP68 water and dust resistance.

Beyond being made of metal, Lexar’s new SD cards also differ from regular SD cards by ditching the typical “ribs” on the back and a write-protection switch. Lexar says these design tweaks make the cards sturdier. Further, despite being made of stainless steel, the SD cards are thin — fully complying with the strict thickness requirements of the SD Association (SDA). There are no worries about fitting these metal cards in any cameras or accessories. Lexar also extensively engineered the cards against electrostatic shock or overheating, so they should also be all set there.

So far, Lexar has only shared pricing for its 128GB and 256GB Armor UHS-II SDXC cards. The Lexar Armor Gold UHS-II SDXC memory card will cost $69 for the 128GB version and $119 for the 256GB one. As expected, the Silver cards are slightly less expensive, priced at $64 and $114 for the 128GB and 256B options. Lexar tells PetaPixel that the Gold cards will begin shipping in the next two to three weeks, while the Silver card should arrive at Amazon in a couple of months.

Atomos Drops Global Shutter

Atomos has abandoned its image sensor development project, the company’s COO Peter Barber told PetaPixel today at NAB 2025.

In October 2022, Atomos announced that it had successfully developed a new 8K image sensor. A month later, the company said that its 8K sensor would be called “Sapphire F8,” and shoot 8K video at up to 60 frames per second. The global shutter sensor promised phase-detect autofocus and excellent thermal performance.

Atomos’ then-CEO Trevor Elbourne told PetaPixel in November 2022 that the 17×9 sensor (8,192 by 4,320 pixels) could also record 4K video at up 240 frames per second and Full HD footage 360 FPS. Elbourne promised 15 stops of dynamic range and HDR recording using line-by-line dual exposure technology. Further, he said the Sapphire F8 drew only two watts of power during 8K recording, an impressively low power draw.

“Across all the modes, including high-resolution 8K, we maintain full 12-bit ADC resolution across the entire operating range. Often you trade off ADC precision, but we don’t do that. That’s fairly unique,” Elbourne said at the time.

Since then, news has been scarce, and Atomos has essentially not spoken about its image sensor project at all. Atomos has been busy at NAB 2025 in Las Vegas, announcing a wide range of products, but Sapphire has been noticeably absent. Despite having high hopes for its Sapphire image sensor project, Atomos abandoning its efforts to make an image sensor is not altogether shocking.

Beyond numerous corporate changes at Atomos, including Atomos co-founder Jeromy Young returning to the company as its CEO in January 2024 and industry veteran Peter Barber, who told PetaPixel about Atomos abandoning its sensor dreams today, joining the team as its COO and Executive Director, sensor development is very resource intensive. Although it is disappointing to see a promising 8K global shutter sensor project abandoned, it highlights the extreme challenges that face companies trying to make image sensors. Even a relatively straightforward sensor is complicated to design, develop, and make commercially viable. These challenges are amplified when making a global shutter sensor like the Sapphire F8 that makes so many ambitious promises.

Pixboom’s High-Speed Camera

New company Pixboom is showcasing its upcoming slow-motion camera, Spark, which it is designing with the aid of its community.

Pixboom is a startup that has used an innovative approach to design its debut camera, Spark. The company has a community forum where filmmakers and enthusiasts can chime in with thoughts, feedback, and ideas to co-create Pixboom’s products. The forum also shares behind-the-scenes looks at engineering its first Spark camera.

“This is all about giving you the best camera to take your stories and ideas to the next level. So we’re turning to our community of creators and engineers to share your thoughts, feedback, and wildest ideas of how to make our cameras even more awesome. You’re the ones who dare to dream, so let’s work on making your dreams easier to capture together,” writes Pixboom.

“Bring your engineering spirit, your curiosity and your passion — we’ll bring ours too. Ready to co-create with us? Head over to our forum and let’s start building something extraordinary together. Because at the end of the day, the best creations are the ones we create as a team.”

The result of this collaboration between the community and the manufacturer is a high-speed camera, and the first iteration was just shown at NAB.

Pixboom’s Spark is a high-framerate camera that shoots 4K video at up to 1,000 frames per second (FPS) and 2K video at 1,800 FPS. Pixboom states that Spark is the “world’s first consumer-grade BSI high-speed camera.” It features a Super35 BSI global shutter for high sensitivity and performance. Using Pixboom’s lossless RAW file format, the camera promises unlimited recording time for maximum creative freedom.

Another key aspect of the Spark is its user-friendly design, which the company promises is suitable for filmmakers of all skill levels interested in creating high-speed footage.

“We’ve pioneered a camera that fuses innovation with imagination, and celebrates purposeful play. We’re setting out to inspire filmmakers of all levels and backgrounds to get up close and personal to electrifying moments and redefine storytelling,” Pixboom says.

Now, approaching its final stages, Pixboom has again opened up the camera’s design for feedback, inviting filmmakers to become a part of the story.

“It’s time for you to join us on our journey, we’ve come this far but to realize our ambition we’ll need your help. Technology is nothing if it isn’t useful for those it was designed. So let’s finish shaping our camera together and show the world the new possibilities of slow motion,” Pixboom shares.

Pixboom says more details will be revealed soon, and the ambitious Spark camera is targeting a July release window.

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