Weekly News Roundup

News

Jan 25

The photography world moves fast, and it’s easy to get lost in the noise of spec sheets, gear leaks, and social media trends. But at The Monochrome Collective, we believe that keeping up with the industry shouldn’t feel like a chore, it should be a way to fuel your own creative fire.

Weekly News Roundup is our new Sunday ritual. It’s where we strip away the fluff and look at the stories that actually matter to the craft. Every week, we’ll bring you the pulse of the industry: the hardware that changes how we shoot, the exhibitions that challenge how we see, and the cultural shifts that define what it means to be a photographer in 2026.

Adobe Draws a Line in the Sand

The biggest digital news of the week comes from Adobe. In the latest update to Lightroom Classic and Creative Cloud they have rolled out what they are calling Content Credentials.

This is essentially a digital nutrition label for your images. When enabled in your camera and software it creates an encrypted chain of custody for the file. It shows exactly when the photo was taken, what camera was used, and crucially what edits were applied afterward. The goal is to differentiate human created imagery from generative AI.

This is a necessary step but it will be a difficult adoption curve. For photojournalists and documentary photographers this will likely become a mandatory standard very soon. For the rest of us it is an interesting tool to prove our work is genuine. The real challenge will be getting the general public to actually check these credentials when scrolling social media.

The Return of the Half Frame

In a move that absolutely nobody saw coming Pentax has officially announced a brand new mechanical film camera. But there is a twist. It is a half frame camera.

Building on the success of their recent film project they are releasing a compact rangefinder that shoots vertical images by default and gets seventy two exposures on a standard roll of thirty six. It is entirely manual with a fixed 25mm lens and a built in flash.

The biggest barrier to entry for film right now is the cost. By doubling the amount of shots you get per roll Pentax just cut the price of shooting film in half. The vertical format is also perfectly suited for the modern era of smartphone viewing. Expect this camera to sell out instantly when preorders open next month.

Sigma Breaks Another Speed Limit

Just when you thought mirrorless lenses could not get any faster or heavier Sigma announced their new 28mm f/1.2 Art DG DN lens for Sony E and L mounts.

This is a massive piece of glass aimed squarely at wedding and event photographers who need to work in abysmal lighting conditions. Early reviews suggest it is incredibly sharp even wide open but it comes with a significant weight penalty.

Do most people need an f/1.2 wide angle lens? Probably not. But Sigma continues to push the boundaries of optical engineering just because they can. If you are a low light street photographer or an environmental portrait shooter who loves obliterated backgrounds this might just be your new favorite lens.

The Darkroom Renaissance of Peter Dreyer

In a world dominated by AI generation and instant digital files the art of the physical print is making a massive comeback this month. Fine art photographer Peter Dreyer is being celebrated for his forty year legacy of darkroom mastery.

His recent work highlights a technique called Reverse Reflex Photography which uses chemical manipulation to create dreamlike one of a kind artifacts. It is a timely reminder that while digital sensors get better every year there is still a tactile magic in the darkroom that cannot be perfectly replicated by a slider in an app.

As the line between AI and reality blurs we are going to see a huge shift back toward physical "proof of work." Whether it is a hand developed print or a carefully crafted digital edit that leans into traditional grain there is a growing appetite for the "human touch" in photography.