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A 24K Gold Camera?

Retrospekt is back at it, this time with a 24-karat gold-plated version of the classic Rollei 35 film camera. If you’re into analog photography, you know the Rollei 35 is a cult favorite—it’s compact, sleek, and has some of the best optics around. Retrospekt took this 1966 classic and gave it the gold treatment, but without messing with its original design. It’s still the same iconic camera, just shinier.

Retrospekt’s team goes all-in for these restorations. They disassemble each camera, check every part, then plate it in 24-karat gold. The result? A beautifully restored, fully functional film camera that feels like a collector's piece but still works like a charm.

Retrospekt’s Creative Director, Michael Kempen, put it well: they wanted to highlight the camera’s natural beauty and still keep it practical for shooting. Each gold Rollei 35 comes in a nice box with custom packaging, a leather case, and a strap designed to look like the original. It’s a high-end treat at $999, following their earlier releases of golden Polaroid SX-70s.

A Competition for the Next Iconic Windows Wallpaper

Photographers worldwide recently competed to create the next iconic Windows wallpaper—a tall order when the goal is to rival Bliss, the legendary Windows XP wallpaper shot by Charles O'Rear. To capture something equally unforgettable, seven photographers took on the challenge for Microsoft Surface, each choosing a unique location in their home country.

Whitney Wolf, Director of Strategy at Superdigital, the agency behind the project, says, “We wanted to honour the Windows legacy while letting creators showcase the hidden beauty of their home countries.”

You can look at all the wallpapers that made it in on the Microsoft Design website.

Apple Really is Getting Back into Photo Editing

Apple recently made a big move back into imaging software by buying Pixelmator, the popular photo editing app developer. With apps like Pixelmator Pro and Photomator, Apple now has some serious editing power in its lineup. While the Photos app has decent editing tools, Pixelmator Pro takes things to a whole new level with advanced AI-driven tools like masking, RAW editing, and background detection—basically a mix of Lightroom and Photoshop in one app.

For years, Pixelmator has felt like it belongs in the Apple ecosystem. Even the Pixelmator team says they’ve always been inspired by Apple’s focus on design and performance, so this acquisition feels like a natural fit. Although Pixelmator has said there won’t be big changes to their apps right now, many users worry that Apple might eventually fold Pixelmator’s features into Photos, which could mean fewer tools for serious photographers.

But there’s also a ton of potential here. Apple could turn Pixelmator Pro into something like Aperture 2.0, filling the gap left when it shut down Aperture in 2014. There’s a real chance Apple could create a solid alternative to Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop, which would be huge for photographers, especially given Adobe’s inconsistent support on iPad.

Click App Enables Photojournalism & Fights AI

The Click camera app is making it easier to trust what we see in photos. Journalists in Lebanon are now using Click to capture images from conflict zones, with each photo digitally signed to prove it hasn’t been tampered with. By embedding time, location, and other data via blockchain, Click locks in the authenticity of every shot—no edits allowed without breaking the digital “chain of trust.”

Beyond journalism, Click is handy for photographers, content creators, and even law enforcement, who can now verify images at crime scenes or for viral moments. The app’s co-founder says it’s all about building trust in a world full of AI and deepfakes. Plus, photographers could soon have more control over licensing directly through the app.

Something to check out

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