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The Latest News:
LensBaby’s New Twist 28 Lens
credits: LensBaby
LensBaby has officially announced the Twist 28, a manual focus 28mm lens with a fixed f/3.5 aperture, built into a small pancake-style body. The feature that makes this lens a bit more special is its Petzval-style rendering, where the centre of the photo stays relatively sharp while the outer areas fall off into that characteristic swirling blur instead of a smooth, even background.
On the technical side, the lens uses a fairly simple four-element optical design with anti-reflection coatings. Compared to modern lenses, that is a stripped-down setup, which is part of why it produces that distinct look rather than correcting for things like field curvature or edge sharpness. The fixed aperture means there is no way to adjust depth of field through the lens itself, so exposure and look are controlled through shutter speed, ISO, and subject distance. It also does not have filter threads.
The Twist 28 is designed for full-frame cameras, where it gives a 90-degree field of view, and it can also be used on APS-C bodies, where that drops to about 64 degrees. It is available for RF, X, Z, E, and Micro Four Thirds mounts, and weighs 140 grams. The lens will begin shipping later this month for $189.95.
You can see full details and sample shots on Lensbaby’s website here
SmallRig’s New Fujifilm X-E5 Accessories
credits: SmallRig
The Fujifilm X-E5 is already a pretty beautiful camera, arguably one of the best-looking new models released last year, and SmallRig wants to make it even more stylish and functional with a new wooden grip and Arca-Swiss tripod plate attachment.
The new grip mount plate comes in black or silver metal finishes to match the camera body, paired with either an ebony or rosewood wooden grip. It also includes a set of matching accessories, like a wooden shutter release button and a hot shoe cover, which continue the same look across the camera. In terms of weight, the grip adds 51 grams. It also integrates an Arca-Swiss-compatible base, meaning it can go straight onto a tripod without needing an extra plate, and it keeps cutouts for battery access.
Functionally, the added grip is probably the more practical part here. The X-E5 has a relatively slim body with only a minimal front grip, which works fine with smaller lenses but can feel a little less secure with heavier ones. This attachment gives you a bit more to hold onto without making the camera noticeably bulkier. The grip is expected to start shipping on April 21 for $50, and SmallRig is also offering the wooden shutter button and hot shoe cover separately in finishes like rosewood, walnut, and ebony for $13.99.
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Weekly Photo Technique Exploration
Welcome to a new section of the magazine where every week we will explore a new photography technique from across various photography genres.
This week’s technique: Trichrome Photography
IIford
IIford
IIford
What Is Trichrome Photography?
Trichrome photography is a way of creating colour photographs using only black-and-white images. Sounds a little odd, yes, but just let me walk you through it → you take three separate photos of the same scene, each one through a different colour filter → red, green, and blue. Later, you combine those three filtered shots into one full-colour photo.
This method goes way back to the late 1800s, when photographers did not yet have true colour film. They would use trichrome to create colour prints by carefully aligning three separate exposures. It is slow and a bit fiddly, but it lets you build real colour from scratch and the results can have a very cool vintage + almost ‘surreal’ look (it is definitely worth a try in my opinion).
How It Works
Take three photos of the same scene. Each one is shot through a different filter: red, green, and blue. The filters block out all other colours, so you are basically recording the brightness of just that one channel (you can get some cheap filters on amazon, or you can also try using those transparent (yet often colourful) plastic document films/sheets a lot of people have at home).
Once you have your three black-and-white photos, you line them up and assign each one to its corresponding channel in editing (red, green, blue). When combined, they form a full-colour photo.
Keep in mind → Because you are shooting three separate frames, anything moving in your scene will appear misaligned or create rainbow-like “ghosting” (you can see it in the clouds of the photo up top for example (the very first one)). This can be a problem, or it can be part of the charm if you lean into it creatively.
Gear You Need
A digital or film camera that lets you shoot in full manual mode.
Colour filters (red, green, blue). Or, as mentioned you can use the transparent document films. Experiment with colour gels is another option.
A tripod, because you need your shots to line up as perfectly as possible.
Editing software like Photoshop, GIMP, or Affinity Photo to combine the images.
Camera Settings
Manual mode → Lock in your exposure so it does not change between the shots.
Aperture: Something mid-range, like f/5.6–f/8.
Keep ISO low at around 100–200.
Shutter speed: Will vary depending on the light and filter strength, but aim for evenly exposed frames.
How to Do It Step by Step
Mount your camera on a tripod and compose your shot.
Place the red filter on your lens and take the first photo.
Change to the green filter, take the second photo.
Change to the blue filter, take the third photo.
In post, open all three photos and assign each one to its proper RGB channel. When you merge them, you will have a colour image.
A Few Last Points
As noted before, If anything moves (clouds, trees, people), it will create misaligned colour fringes. This can be frustrating or it can give you interesting rainbow effects.
The filters you use do matter to some extent. Cheap gels or those document films may not block colours cleanly, which can make your final photo a little off. But again, sometimes that is part of the fun.
Some photographers intentionally shoot busy, moving scenes like city streets so the colour fringing becomes the whole point of the end result.
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