In today's episode Lux previews the new Halide Mark III app, a photographer finds 70-year old film in a $13 camera and a Kodak Apparel Pop Up in Hong Kong.
Show Notes
Welcome back to the show everyone, Liam here and this is Episode 491 of the Liam Photography Podcast for the week of January 29th, 2026. In today’s episode Halide Mark III from Lux, a photographer finds 70-year old film in a $13 camera, a Kodak Apparel Pop Up in Hong Kong and more.
Lux, the makers of popular iPhone camera app Halide, have launched a public preview of Halide Mark III. While Lux is offering just a first look at Halide Mark III right now, it has taken the wraps off a huge new feature: Looks.
Halide Mark III’s initial reveal arrives about five years after Halide Mark II, which introduced an all-new design, improved RAW image capture technology, and more. In the years since, Halide Mark II received many significant updates and transformative features, including a very impressive new image processing pipeline called “Process Zero” in mid-2024. Process Zero uses no AI and features no computational photography, promising truly natural-looking iPhone photos.
There are two new Looks: the first is Process Zero II. This updated version of the acclaimed Process Zero promises major upgrades, including HDR support, the ability to use it in Night Mode, and the option to use it with Apple’s ProRAW photo format.
Process Zero II promises more vivid and realistic images, still without any algorithms or computational photography. The upgraded engine also adds tone-editing support, letting photographers recover some of the shadows and highlights they typically lose when using Process Zero. However, for those worried this will make Process Zero photos look more like regular iPhone shots, Lux says the results will be “much more subtle” than the iPhone’s native camera app.
The second new Look is called Chroma Noir, which is built on Halide Mark III’s new analog-inspired Film Engine.
“Over the last three years, we took a deep into the details of analog photography that give it its charm, and emerged with an original film-simulation engine,” Lux explains. “To showcase some of its powers, we’re launching our first simulation: a black and white look we call ‘Chroma Noir.’”
Chroma Noir promises a unique blend of modern imaging technology and lo-fi, old-school charm. The Look works with HDR, which Lux says “really works” despite sounding like a contradiction. Of course, HDR can be disabled. In fact, the film simulation that gives Chroma Noir its distinct old-school look can be turned off, too, leaving just a very nice black-and-white photography mode.
Today’s Halide Mark III is just the first step in the full Mark III launch expected later this year. As its developer explains, this is just a taste. There will be a new design, many more Looks, and much more coming to Halide Mark III. The app’s complete set of Looks is being developed by colorist and image scientist Cullen Kelly, who has performed color editing and grading on Oscar-nominated films and high-profile projects for HBO, Netflix, and Apple. Kelly also has a YouTube channel dedicated to the art and science of color grading. Halide Mark III’s Looks are in excellent hands.
iPhone photographers can get their hands on Halide Mark III’s first preview right now by clicking the “3” icon inside the Halide Mark II app. The public preview and final version of Halide Mark III will be available to all Halide subscribers and anyone who purchased Halide Mark II. Subscriptions start at $19.99 annually or $59.99 for a one-time purchase.
A photographer was stunned to discover that a vintage camera he bought at a charity shop still contained undeveloped film holding photographs taken in post-war Switzerland.
The amateur photographer purchased a 1930s Zeiss Ikon Baby Ikonta camera for $13 (£10) from a second-hand charity shop in Wilton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, in the U.K. The camera appeared ordinary at first, but once home, the photographer, who asked to be anonymous, realized it still contained an exposed roll of film.
Inside the camera was a roll of Verichrome Pan 127 (VP) film from 1956, which had never been developed. Unsure whether the film could be saved, the photographer took it to camera specialist Ian Scott at Salisbury Photo Centre, a Fujifilm retailer, to see if anything could be recovered.
Scott tells PetaPixel that the film was carefully developed using Rodinal developer at a ratio of 1 to 100 over 60 minutes with no agitation. The process revealed a series of 70-year-old photographs showing an unknown family and skiers in Switzerland, including images taken outside the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz.
Several of the skiers are wearing numbered bibs sponsored by baby milk brand Cow & Gate. Scott says the individuals in the photographs have not yet been identified, and Salisbury Photo Centre is asking anyone with information to come forward. Because Verichrome Pan 127 film was only sold starting in 1956, and because the Cow & Gate Ski Trophy took place across Switzerland during the 1950s, Scott believes the photographs were likely taken later in that decade.
In a further interview with The Daily Express, Scott calls the discovery of the decades-old photographs “an exciting mystery.”
“The exposed film has been inside that camera waiting for someone to unearth it for maybe 60 or 70 years — it’s so incredible that history was literally sitting there on a charity shop shelf,” Scott tells The Daily Express. “It’s just amazing that they’ve been in there 60 years and nobody has seen them, not even the photographer who took them! Now we take pictures on a digital camera, you see it straight away but these were just lost.
“It does make you wonder what other sort of treasure troves are hidden in a camera, in a shop waiting to be developed.”
Kodak has found success licensing its brand to fashion and technology retailers. Notably the Kodak Charmera, a tiny keychain camera made by Reto, was in demand last year.
In October, the film photography company collaborated with Reebok to make some Kodak-branded sneakers among other clothing, and last summer PetaPixel reported on how there are at least 123 brick-and-mortar Kodak Apparel stores in South Korea.
Now Kodak Apparel, a South Korean clothing brand officially authorized by Eastman Kodak, is continuing its push in the Far East: a pop-up store in Hong Kong has just opened.
Timeout reports that the large 2,500 square foot store is located at Airside in Kai Tak. Footage taken from inside the store shows a retro-themed store where the Kodak-branded sweatshirts, t-shirts, and baseball caps are permeated with Kodak motion picture film canisters, 1950s era televisions, and Kodak disposable film cameras.
As mentioned above, it is a pop-up store and won’t be around forever. There are currently opening offers, including keychains, stickers, and shopping bags, if the customer spends over a certain amount.
Visitors can also enjoy three Korean-style photo booths: a receipt print-out booth, a high-angle booth, and a classic Kodak-themed booth featuring a selection of vintage frames.
Customers who spend $500 in-store and follow the official Instagram account (@kodak.style.hk) can receive a complimentary set of Kodak stickers, with the option to purchase a limited-edition shopping bag for just $1 more. Those who spend $800 will receive a retro light box keychain, while higher spending unlocks gifts of increasing value.
Kodak Apparel started in South Korea and is part of a broader trend in the country called “newtro,” which literally combines “new” and “retro”. CNN, National Geographic, Lockheed Martin, and Discovery are other U.S. legacy brands that have become popular among fashionistas in Seoul. The stores don’t just sell garments; they also offer luggage, sunglasses, and less obvious items like paint, solar panels, power generators, and flashlights.
The Kodak Apparel store in Hong Kong is located at Shop 102, 1/F, Airside, 2 Concorde Road, Kai Tak.
A trail camera captured a grizzly bear walking in the Bangtail Mountains of Montana — the first official documentation of a grizzly since modern recovery efforts began 50 years ago.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks confirmed the sighting after a trail camera on Custer Gallatin National Forest land captured images of a single subadult male grizzly on December 17. The camera was set up by a member of the public.
FWP officials say the sighting is notable but not unexpected. The Bangtails lie near areas with recent grizzly activity, including a similarly sized bear seen traveling along the Yellowstone River near Livingston in the fall. Other recent sightings in the broader region include a grizzly documented in the Shields Valley in 2023.
“It’s pretty common for bears to be seen late in the fall,” FWP spokesperson Greg Lemon tells the Montana Free Press. “While bear activity is much lower over the winter, there’s always a chance there are a few out.”
Montana Free Press notes that the Bangtail sighting is part of a broader pattern of grizzlies expanding into areas of Montana where they have not been regularly documented for decades.
Benjamin Alva Polley, a columnist for Explore Big Sky, says that two main grizzly populations: the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, are pushing to the edges of their range and that it’s a matter of time before the two populations become intertwined.
Intrepid bears, such as the one seen in the trail camera photo, have to cross the I-90, a four-lane interstate where they must risk speeding vehicles. Some are struck and killed.
FWP continues to emphasize that Montana is bear country, with grizzly populations becoming denser and more widespread. The agency urges residents and recreationists to be prepared for encounters anywhere in the western two-thirds of the state. Recommended precautions include carrying bear spray, traveling in groups when possible, making noise to avoid surprising bears, and avoiding attractants such as animal carcasses.
Under remote night skies, Tom Rae captures the cosmos and landscapes in breathtaking detail, revealing a world both unseen and unforgettable. Rae’s surreal and immersive astrophotography transforms the wilderness into experiences of awe and wonder.
Tom Rae discovered photography at the age of 12, beginning with landscape photography as a way to express creativity and tell stories about the world. What started as a hobby quickly evolved into a serious creative pursuit, eventually leading him toward professional work in astrophotography. Rae was fascinated by how his camera could reveal things invisible to the naked eye, a quality that continues to define his approach.
“Photography for me began as a creative expression and curiosity. It was when I first picked up a camera to begin landscape photography in 2017 at 12 years old, that I had found the perfect way to express visual creativity, and tell stories about the world simultaneously,” Rae says.
By 2019, Rae’s growing curiosity about space led him to explore astrophotography, despite early attempts that he describes as “terrible.” Over time, these experiments honed both his technical skills and his creative vision, allowing him to merge landscape photography with night sky imagery in unique and compelling ways.
“I loved how my camera could reveal more than what my eyes could see, showing something that is real but not visible. My journey has not only developed my creative skills, but heavily developed my communication and philosophical skills, which must exist in order to convey complex insight into whatever my image is trying to display,” Rae adds.
Photography has thus become for Rae not just an art form but a medium for reflection and connection, shaping both how he observes the world and how he invites others to see it through his lens.
Rae’s photography is rooted in landscape and night photography, with a focus on atmosphere, scale, and the emotional resonance of place. He gravitates toward raw, remote, and otherworldly environments that feel timeless, finding that the night sky in particular allows him to explore these qualities fully. While Rae often visualizes the image he wants before capturing it, he emphasizes the importance of remaining flexible in response to changing conditions.
“My photography style is rooted in landscape and night photography, with an emphasis on atmosphere, scale, and a strong sense of place. I’m drawn to environments that feel raw, remote, and otherworldly. I find that night images are able to fulfill this. My creative process is influenced by natural light, weather, and the emotional response a location evokes, often allowing the conditions and landscape to guide the final image,” Rae says.
Inspiration comes both from nature itself and the work of other photographers. Rae’s approach has evolved, shaped by careful observation of light, atmospheric conditions, and the emotional responses that particular landscapes evoke. This blend of technical precision and creative intuition allows him to capture images that feel both natural and immersive.
“I always can visualize an image before I shoot it, but sometimes you have to be adaptable! I have been inspired by so many other photographers and artworks throughout my time photographing the night sky, and my approach and vision has developed so much since I began,” Rae says.
Ultimately, Rae’s creative process is both deliberate and responsive. He allows each environment and moment to guide him, letting technical expertise and intuition work together to achieve images that communicate not just what the eye can see, but what it can feel.
For Rae, the most meaningful part of photography comes when light, composition, and timing align perfectly to convey the essence of a place. Capturing a moment that can transport viewers and evoke emotion is what drives his practice, giving purpose to long nights under the stars and demanding technical challenges.
“The most rewarding part of creating an image is when everything aligns: light, conditions, composition, and timing to produce a photograph that reflects how a place truly felt in that moment. Knowing that an image can transport someone into that experience, or spark curiosity and emotion, is what makes the process meaningful for me,” Rae says.
Whether photographing auroras, glow worms, or the Milky Way, Rae emphasizes the importance of being present in the environment and experiencing it fully. That immersion, he believes, translates into the final image, giving viewers a sense of awe and perspective.
“Being on scene, underneath beautiful night skies, aurora, glow worms, or whatever beauty planet Earth offers, is an experience of awe that few other things can replicate,” Rae adds.
These moments of wonder are central to Rae’s work, turning technical photography into a profoundly human experience that invites the viewer to share in his encounters with the cosmos.
Rae’s workflow is meticulous, beginning with research, location scouting, and planning. He studies maps, revisits locations, and uses apps such as PhotoPills and Skyguide to simulate night sky conditions relative to landscapes. Once in the field, Rae balances precision with adaptability, responding to light, weather, and other variables while capturing the image as he envisioned.
“My workflow usually starts with research and location scouting, whether that’s in person or studying maps, planning compositions, or revisiting locations multiple times. I use apps like PhotoPills and Skyguide to simulate the orientation of night sky objects relative to the landscape. Once on location, I remain flexible, responding to changing light and conditions,” Rae says.
Rae’s equipment is carefully chosen to meet the challenges of remote and technical photography. He uses full-frame and astro-modified cameras, wide-angle and prime lenses, star trackers, and robust tripods to capture the highest-fidelity images of the night sky. For him, gear is a tool to support the vision rather than define it.
“I use a deliberate capture process, focusing on getting things right in camera to fulfill my vision. Post-processing is used to refine the image and combine reality with my creative desire for the image, while staying true to the scene and atmosphere I experienced in the field,” Rae says.
Technical mastery, combined with preparation and patience, enables Rae to achieve images that are both visually stunning and immersive, reflecting the full scope of the natural environment and sky above.
Rae frequently returns to themes of vastness, scale, and the relationship between the night sky and the landscape. He seeks remote deserts, mountains, coastlines, and other dark-sky environments, often including a human element to give viewers perspective and immersion.
“Recently, I have been diving into glow worm photography, which is an extremely difficult but rewarding type of imagery. I love displaying a sense of place in these caves and allowing the viewer to feel the experience of being in there,” Rae says.
Among his proudest works is Sky Fire, capturing the Milky Way arching over Aoraki/Mount Cook during a once-in-a-lifetime geomagnetic storm, including a rare Stable Auroral Red arc. Another is Lightning Lake, where the Milky Way rises over glacial waters illuminated by red airglow, creating a scene Rae describes as otherworldly.
“There are a few images and series that stand out to me, particularly those created under challenging conditions or during moments that required patience and persistence. These images often carry a deeper personal connection, as they represent not just the final photograph but the experience and effort behind it,” Rae says.
Each image reflects both technical skill and the emotional resonance of being present under extraordinary night skies, turning ephemeral moments into enduring works of art.
Tom Rae’s future projects focus on continuing to refine his craft, exploring new locations, and expanding into workshops and educational content. He is committed to sharing the experience of astrophotography, helping others develop their creative vision while inspiring awe and curiosity about the cosmos.
“Looking ahead, I’m focused on continuing to refine my craft, explore new locations, and push deeper into long-term projects. Helping others to develop their own photography experience, artistic vision, and to experience all that our night sky has to offer is what fulfills me as an educator,” Rae says.
Through his work, Rae seeks to balance creative experimentation with opportunities for others to engage with photography, combining technical mastery with shared experience. His images and teaching aim to connect people with the universe, revealing the awe and beauty of the natural world and night sky.
By capturing light, landscape, and cosmic phenomena, Tom Rae turns remote wilderness into immersive experiences that inspire curiosity, reflection, and wonder, encouraging all of us to look up and experience the universe anew.
Since 1966, the Leica “Noctilux” name has reflected the legendary company’s best optical achievements. There have been many beloved, classic Noctilux lenses over the past 60 years, but until now, not a single one has been a 35mm prime, one of the most traditional focal lengths of all. With the new Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH., this void has finally been filled.
Like all the Noctilux lenses that came before it, the new Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH. promises to combine a very fast aperture with superior imaging performance. After all, the “Noctilux” name itself comes from the Latin words “noctu” and “lux,” which mean “night” and “light.”
Leica promises that its new compact, fast prime delivers sharp, clear photos with high contrast and a distinctive look. As for bokeh, the company says it is “velvety smooth” at f/1.2, and performance is consistent across the entire focusing range thanks to a floating element. The lens focuses as close as 0.5 meters (1.6 feet).
This is Leica’s first Noctilux lens to feature this extended close-focusing capability, as prior models have tapped out at 0.7 meters. Granted, only the new Leica M EV1 camera will be able to take advantage of this new closer focusing distance in all situations, as rangefinder cameras will require Live View or the Visoflex viewfinder to focus closer than 0.7 meters.
As for the rest of the optical design, the lens features 10 elements arranged across five groups, including three aspherical lenses.
There is more to this new lens than breaking new focal length ground in the Noctilux family. The lens relies upon a new optical process, Precision Glass Molding (PGM). This process expands what is optically and mechanically possible, per Leica. It delivers aspherical elements with “an unprecedented degree of geometric freedom and surface precision,” enabling Leica’s optical engineers to use more complex, precisely manufactured elements than ever before.
The new in-house PGM process means sharper lenses with fewer aberrations, improved micro-contrast, and natural bokeh, all inside lenses that are physically smaller and lighter. The new aspherical molds have tolerances as fine as just three nanometers per millimeter of diameter.
“A level of precision that translates directly into visible image quality. This combination of optical design freedom, extreme surface accuracy and complete in-house manufacturing control represents a true step change in Leica lens engineering Made in Germany,” Leica promises.
As for the promise of a smaller, lighter lens with superior image quality, the new Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH. Weighs 416 grams (14.7 ounces) and is only 50.2 millimeters (1.98 inches) long. The lens accepts 49mm front filters.
For comparison’s sake, the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical IV for Leica M is very similar to the new Leica Noctilux in terms of its size and weight. The Nokton is even lighter than the new Leica Noctilux, tipping the scales at just 300 grams (10.6 ounces), while measuring about 52 millimeters (2.04 inches) long. They are very similar in terms of their size, but not so in price. The Voigtländer Nokton is $1,000, while Leica’s new lens is nearly 10 times as pricey.
Groundbreaking optical technology rarely comes cheap, and the Leica Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH. is no exception. The new lens is available now for $9,650 through Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store, and authorized dealers.
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