In today's episode I over the latest stories from our friends at PetaPixel.
You can find the show notes here.
You can find the show notes here.
Show Notes
Welcome back to the show everyone Liam here and this is Episode 477 of the Liam Photography Podcast for the week of October 23, 2025. In today’s episode a camera that can record at the speed of light, new products from Peak Design, Ricoh’s first Black & White camera and more.
Brian Haidet of the AlphaPhoenix YouTube channel has recorded a laser beam at two billion frames per second (FPS), recording the path of light as it bounces across his garage.
Haidet, who has a PhD in Materials Science, previously built a one billion FPS camera and iterated on that previous design to improve “virtually everything” over the course of the last 12 months.
The camera itself consists of one mirror, one lens, two tubes, cable, “one of the weirdest camera flash bulbs probably ever built” — and a few hundred lines of python.
“It’s not only fast enough to watch light move, it’s fast enough to see the past,” exclaims the ebullient Haidet.
“Light moves about six inches, or 15 centimeters, per frame of this video. This beam of light is traveling at the Universe’s speed limit. Light in any reference frame will never move any faster or any slower than this speed.”
While all of this sounds amazing, and the video recorded by Haidet really does show light traveling around his garage, there is a significant asterisk.
Haidet’s two billion FPS camera can only record video in 1×1 pixels. Since he can only record one pixel at a time, Haidet has to keep pointing the camera in different directions which allows him to “tile” the image. Tiling is something astrophotographers do to get high-resolution images of celestial objects by combining lots of photos they have taken.
“If all these videos are synchronized and we take many, many, many, one pixel videos, we can tile these videos next to each other and play them all back at the exact same moment and give something that looks like a video,” Haidet explains.
The scientist argues that the camera still gives a representation of a true two billion FPS camera, while also saving a stupendous amount of money. “It really wouldn’t give any better of a results,” Haidet adds.
Haidet previously created an infinite loop timelapse that spins so that the stars stay still. Using a Sony A6000 and a Samyang 12mm, he focused on the North Star and rotated the images at the same speed as the Earth’s movement.
Peak Design has launched all-new minimalist camera straps and a custom-built, tool-less Field Plate. Both new product lines are made from the ground up for photographers and build upon Peak Design’s established approach to design and usability.
The new fixed-length camera straps come in multiple materials and colors, while the new Field Plate securely attaches to 1/4-20″ threads on camera bodies and works with Peak Design’s tripods, Capture clips, straps, and most third-party Arca-type tripod heads.
The new Peak Design Form straps combine the company’s Anchor Link quick-connection system with its most “elegant” and simple strap design yet. The streamlined straps feature ultra low-profile hardware and no visible stitching, O-rings, or connectors.
“The result is a minimal aesthetic with a faster, flatter connection that can hold up to 200 pounds and blends seamlessly into most any camera setup,” Peak Design says.
The Form Rope straps are made from a custom braided nylon and polyester blend rope that promises extreme strength, some padding, and a bit of stretch. These are finished with glass-reinforced nylon Anchor housings, which Peak Design says add durability.
On the other hand, the Form Leather straps are made using premium full-grain ECCO leather and feature machined aluminum hardware. The leather strap features a custom sealed finish, which Peak Design promises delivers “a smooth slide with just the right amount of grip.”
Both the Form Rope and Form Leather straps are fixed length, so photographers will want to select the correct length for how they want to carry the camera. There are small, medium, and long lengths, plus a dedicated size for using it as a neck strap and a short wrist cuff version.
The Form Rope camera strap comes in Black, Ocean, and Kelp colorways. The Form Leather will be available in Black, Amber, and Tan. The Form Rope ranges from $39.95 for the wrist strap to $49.95 for the three longer sizes. The Form Leather Strap starts at $59.95 for the cuff wrist option to $79.95 for the full-size straps.
Peak Design’s new Field Plate promises to “push traditional camera plate design into new territory.” It’s a bold claim, but ultimately, a camera plate is an essential part of a full-fledged photography kit, and a good plate is critical.
What makes Peak Design’s new Field Plate special is that it features a pop-up thumb drive screw that lets photographers apply necessary torque to attach (or remove) the plate without any external tools. No more coins, keys, or hex tools required.
A simple press deploys the mechanism, which can then be twisted by hand and pressed again to stow it. Peak Design says this intuitive design “delivers a premium feel while maintaining Peak Design’s signature slim stack height.” Further, the new Field Plate promises compatibility with most third-party Arca-type tripod heads, plus, of course, full compatibility with Peak Design’s own products.
The Peak Design Field Plate is available now for $39.95.
Peak Design, which doesn’t actually release all-new products all that often, announced a lot for photographers today.
“For more than a decade, photographers around the world have trusted our quick-connecting camera straps, and it’s incredible to spot our little red Anchor Links almost everywhere cameras are carried,” said Peak Design CEO and Founder Peter Dering.
“The new Form straps are our distillation of that heritage into something streamlined, premium, and classic. And while we were at it, we took a fresh look at the humble tripod plate, resulting in the new Field Plate, which makes mounting your camera as simple as using your thumb,” Dering continues.
Ricoh Imaging has announced the development of the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome. This will be the first high-end GR compact digital camera series model explicitly designed for black and white photography.
The Ricoh GR IV Monochrome, as its name suggests, is built on the existing GR IV platform, which launched with the standard model last month. The standard GR IV is selling very well and is sold out at many photo retailers. Ricoh Imaging also announced today that the promised GR IV HDF camera will arrive in “winter 2025.”
However, while the core features are the same between the GR IV and the upcoming GR IV Monochrome, there is one crucial difference: the image sensor. The GR IV Monochrome is equipped with a new, dedicated monochrome image sensor. It is still a 25.7-megapixel ASPC chip, which suggests that like most other monochrome cameras, the GR IV Monochrome will utilize the same basic sensor but ditch the Bayer pattern color filter array on top. Standard digital cameras only capture color data thanks to the primary color filter, as CMOS image sensors are monochromatic by nature.
Alongside the monochrome image sensor, Ricoh says the GR IV Monochrome will feature special Image Control options specialized for black and white photography “to deliver the expressiveness and depth unique to monochromatic images.”
The specifications, which are subject to change, list Standard, Soft, Hi-Contrast, Grainy, HDR Tone, and three custom Image Control settings. Photographers will be able to adjust each Image Control across many parameters, including high and low key, contrast, contrast (highlight), contrast (shadow), sharpness, shading, clarity, toning, grain effect, and HDR Tone Level.
From a design and features standpoint, the GR IV Monochrome promises many of the same improvements as the standard GR IV, including the improved 18.3mm f/2.8 (28mm equivalent) built-in prime lens, better Shake Reduction (SR) image stabilization system, revised design, and swifter autofocus. There is one notable design change, though, and that is that Ricoh has stripped all the color from the GR IV Monochrome’s body, including the green power indicator light on top, which is now white. The GR logo on the front is also now black, although it is typically just gray anyways. In product photos supplied by Ricoh, the camera’s actual finish also appears smoother.
The Ricoh GR IV Monochrome is expected to launch in Spring 2026 for an undisclosed price. The standard GR IV is $1,500.
Lomography has announced the Lomo MC-A, a brand-new 35mm film camera with a built-in 32mm f/2.8 autofocus-equipped prime lens.
Lomography, a company that celebrates and promotes all things analog, describes its new film camera as “A master of creativity” and “unapologetically analog.” The camera, available in black and silver colorways, features a metal body and a “premium 32mm f/2.8” multi-coated Lomo glass lens. The company says its new camera delivers shots with “unmistakable analog character.”
The camera features three shooting modes: auto, aperture priority, and fully manual. The company says that by including these modes, the camera will be accessible to newcomers without removing creativity from photographers who desire it.
“In auto mode, switch off your mind to shoot instinctively, feeling first, framing second,” Lomography says. “Switch to aperture priority or manual mode, and a new dimension of creative freedom opens up: shape every shot to your preference, with aperture, zone focus, shutter speed, ISO control, and creative flash modes.”
Speaking of flash, the camera’s built-in flash has a guide number of 9, offering 3.2 meters of coverage at ISO 100 and f/2.8. Available flash modes include automatic and a first-curtain long exposure programmatic flash mode. The camera also has a PC sync flash socket, and its built-in flash works with Lomography’s color gel filters.
Concerning autofocus, details are scarce. However, the lens is capable of focusing as close as 0.4 meters (1.3 feet), and zone focus is available at 0.4, 0.8, 1.5, and 3 meters, plus infinity.
The Lomo MC-A’s built-in 32mm f/2.8 lens features five elements across as many groups, and features multi-coated glass elements. The aperture ranges from f/2.8 to f/16. The lens has a 30.5mm filter thread and works with various Lomography accessories, including a protective UV filter and Splitzer attachment.
The MC-A’s shutter speed ranges from bulb to 1/500s. The longest selectable shutter speed besides bulb mode is 1s. There is exposure compensation from -2 to +2 EV. The camera supports manual ISO settings from 12 to 3200 and can read DX codes.
Film advance is manual via a lever, and the camera supports unlimited multiple exposure shooting.
The Lomo MC-A is powered by a USB-C rechargeable CR2 battery, which ships with the camera. The new film camera is 125.8 x 69.5 x 42 millimeters (4.95 x 2.74 x 1.65 inches), and it weighs 332 grams (11.7 ounces) without its battery.
The Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm camera is available to purchase now for $549 directly from Lomography. It comes in black and silver metal finishes.
DJI published a promotional video earlier this month that featured footage captured in heavily restricted airspace, including in United States National Parks and on Navajo tribal lands where drones are banned. The video quickly caused controversy, leading DJI to remove it.
As initially reported by DroneXL earlier this month and followed up by National Parks Traveler this week, DJI published a Mavic 4 Pro promotional video that included beautiful aerial landscape shots, including many in the American West.
The issue is that some of these beautiful scenes are shot in places where flying a drone is heavily restricted and requires permits. In some cases, like at Navajo Tribal Park locations, flying drones is entirely banned except for very rare, special circumstances. A video like the one in question is unlikely to meet these stringent standards.
The video, which was titled “The West Awaits — Epic Road-Trip Journey Captured With 100MP Mavic 4 Pro,” was removed days after DroneXL‘s article, per National Parks Traveler.
PetaPixel contacted DJI for comment on the video and its removal, and the company promptly responded. The comment below comes from a DJI spokesperson:
“We thank the drone community for bringing this to our attention. DJI places the highest priority on compliance to local rules and regulations, and are currently investigating the situation internally. The video — which was produced by an independent creator and not commissioned by DJI — has been removed for now.”
Ultimately, DJI is responsible for the content it posts online, even if an independent creator created the video. Admittedly, drone pilots, from amateurs to pros, must constantly navigate an often complicated regulatory and legal landscape when flying their drones. There are many locations where drones are not allowed, period, and many more that require specific permits and permissions.
DroneXL captured numerous screenshots from the video before it was taken offline, showing scenes from Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Death Valley National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, and more.
At the time of initial reporting, it was speculated that DJI might have secured the necessary permits. However, since the video was removed, it’s a safe bet that this isn’t true, or at least DJI itself is uncertain if it’s true.
A much more likely explanation for how the footage was captured was that it was done without the required permits, which is illegal. Flying a drone in a National Park has been against the law for over a decade, with few exceptions, and is punishable by a significant fine and potentially even jail time. Repeat offenses would naturally incur additional penalties. No experienced drone pilot would be able to reasonably claim they did not know it was illegal to fly drones in National Parks without special permits.
As expected, comments on the video before it was removed included numerous questions about how the footage was filmed, given the well-known restrictions surrounding filming in National Parks and on tribal land.
Although former President Biden signed a law before his term ended that made filming and photographing in National Parks easier, it did little to make it easier for people to use drones in parks. As DroneXL notes, there are good reasons for these restrictions, including protecting people’s peace when enjoying nature and protecting wildlife. Drones aren’t exactly quiet. Some pilots fly irresponsibly, which unfortunately leads to greater restrictions for everyone else.
When a company like DJI, undoubtedly the biggest name in the drone space, publishes a video with footage potentially filmed illegally and without any mention of permits, it can make matters harder for law-abiding drone pilots and may encourage others to flout regulations.
That said, maybe DJI’s investigation will find that some of the included footage was captured after its creators secured the proper permits, and it can come back online in a revised form. That would be great. However, if it was captured illegally, keeping it offline forever is the right move.
Guide to Ansel Adams Wilderness
Four miles into my hike in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, I started daydreaming about Adams’s mule, that stalwart equine that carried his large-format camera, developing equipment, tent, provisions, and other supplies on his excursions into California’s high country.
How marvelous would it be to have my own beast of burden to relieve the backache and leg strain induced by my 40-pound backpack? Having no such option, I put one foot in front of the other, and soon my imaginary companion wandered off into the woods as the trail ascended into some of the most spectacular terrain I’d ever seen—soaring, ice-scoured peaks, fissured slopes dotted with pine trees, and intimate valleys cradling lakes and verdant meadows threaded by clear, cool streams.
That afternoon, we camped beside a still lake rimmed by ponderosa and lodgepole pine; at sunset, I took my camera down to the shore to capture a perfect reflection of sheer cliffs rising from the water and rose-tinged clouds drifting above.
Adams and his mule spent a lot of time in this part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and in adjacent Yosemite National Park, an area much better known to photographers—and millions of hikers, campers, and sundry tourists who visit each year. That’s the appeal of the AAW for the photographer—stunning vistas without the crowds that swarm photo locations in Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and other popular national parks in the region.
There are no roads in this federal wilderness, so photographing it means traveling on foot, often for miles over rough, stony trails. Your compensation for sore muscles and maybe a blister or two: fresh air, quietude, and the opportunity to bring home unique images of beautiful places well off the beaten path of casual hikers and sightseers.
Originally established as the Minarets Wilderness, the AAW extends south and east from Yosemite and includes the “Minarets”, a jagged ridge of peaks in the Ritter Range, one of the highest massifs in the Sierra Nevada. In 1984, the California Wilderness Act enlarged the Wilderness and renamed it to honor Adams, a passionate environmental advocate whose iconic monochrome photos of the region helped rally public support for preserving wilderness in California and across the country.
Elevations above 8,000 feet bear the marks of the last Ice Age—sculpted peaks and ridges, and deep lakes left behind by retreating glaciers. Portions of the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails, favorites of backpackers on long-distance thru hikes, wind through the Wilderness. Overnight camping is controlled by a trail permitting system that limits the number of hikers and horse riders entering the Wilderness daily from May through October.
Communities in the region where you can stay overnight (last chance for a hot shower!) and pick up supplies before hitting the trail include Bass Lake off U.S. 41 north of Fresno, and Mammoth Lakes on the eastern slope of the mountains, reached via U.S. Route 395. Trailheads on the western and eastern edges of the AAW provide access to great views of the Ritter Range and beautiful alpine lakes. A panorama of snow-capped mountains and lakes scattered like jewels on granite slopes radiates from the 10,000-foot summit of Madera Peak, reached from the Fernandez trailhead and Lillian Lake Trail.
A 4.5-mile hike from the Agnew Meadows parking lot off State Highway 203 brings you to the aptly named Thousand Islands Lake, offering a front-row view of the glacier carving between towering Banner Peak and Mount Ritter. Agnew Meadows is also the starting point for a hike to picturesque Ediza Lake, crossing the middle fork of the San Joaquin River and passing waterfalls and rapids along Shadow Creek.
For first-time AAW trekkers, I strongly recommend signing up for a group hiking tour. It’s easy to get lost in the High Sierra—a perilous situation after nightfall, when temperatures can dip into the 30s, even in the summer. An experienced trail guide can lead you safely off main trails to epic vantage points and magical spots you’re unlikely to discover on your own. Reputable firms that organize multi-day trips include Wildland Trekking, SA Expeditions, and Yosemite Guide Service, which customizes its trips to fit individual interests and capabilities.
Trekking guides secure permits for overnight camping, prepare meals, and often provide essential gear such as sleeping bags, tents, and hiking poles. Some, including SA Expeditions, offer packhorse service to schlep your heavy gear each day to your campsite.
You need to be in reasonable shape to hike the Sierra, where the thin air makes the heart pump and steals the breath. The physical challenges of the trail require minimizing weight in your pack, including camera kit; your back will thank you for leaving the heavy tripod and 500mm telephoto lens at home (If you have packhorse support, you may be able to make more room in your daypack for photographic gear).
On my purely bipedal foray into the Wilderness, I carried a fixed-lens compact camera that rode easily around my neck and could be stuffed under my raincoat in the event of thunderstorms. A mirrorless APS-C or Micro Four Thirds body coupled with a superzoom—or two smallish lenses covering focal lengths from wide angle to medium telephoto—would also fit the bill. If you’re on a group trek that doesn’t allow for frequent stops to change lenses or filters, a smartphone is an invaluable option for shooting on the move.
Compositions are everywhere you look in the AAW: the ever-changing play of light and shadow on the mountains; shapes and patterns formed by the confluence of flowing water with burnished stone; white pine and hemlock trees twisted into surreal forms by wind and the weight of winter snow. On calm days, lakes turn into limpid mirror pools that capture reflections of sheer granite walls, rocky islets, and clouds.
The challenge is managing the strong, ever-changing alpine light, and being ready to seize moments on the trail or in camp when a composition presents itself. Mountaintop vistas beg for wide-angle or pano treatment, but a telephoto perspective can also pay dividends in the Wilderness, letting you home in on details like rock formations, isolated trees, and distant lakes that would otherwise be lost in the vast landscape.
Dark skies and dramatic clouds are part of Adams’ distinctive style. A polarizing filter can channel your inner Ansel by darkening blue sky and making clouds pop in your photos. (In addition to a polarizer, I used a graduated neutral density filter to tone down bright skies and sunlit ridgetops while lightening foreground elements such as shaded shorelines and lake reflections).
While shooting like the master, why not go all in and try the monochrome look? The juxtaposition of expanses of white stone with darker features such as evergreen trees and lakes can make for compelling images when color files are converted to black and white in post. Or, if you have black and white film in your camera, it’s fun to experiment with colored filters to subtly—or not so subtly—alter the tonal values of your negatives. Adams made liberal use of red, orange, and green filters to achieve his signature brooding skies and heighten local contrast in the scene.
Shooting opportunities don’t end after sundown; far from city lights, Wilderness skies are among the darkest in the Lower 48, an inky backdrop for the constellations, planets, and the Milky Way arcing over tarns and ghostly-white ridgetops. An ultra-light tripod is sufficient to support a small camera with a fast, wide-angle lens; I packed a tiny tabletop tripod that I could balance on a rock or log.
After your photographic adventure in the AAW, you can extend your trip—assuming your legs haven’t turned to jelly—by exploring Devils Postpile National Monument, adjacent to the Wilderness southwest of Mammoth Lakes. Prime photo locations include an impressive columnar rock formation and 100-foot Rainbow Falls, aptly named for the hues that shimmer in its misty outfall on sunny days. Or maybe you’re just looking for a hot shower and a decent phone signal. Red’s Meadow Resort, a summer mountain lodge just two miles from the Monument, offers showers for a fee, in addition to rooms, a restaurant, and a general store with Wi-Fi.
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