How Chinese and Korean third-party lenses evolved

PetaPixel has partnered with the fine folks at Harper Finch to deliver a tight collection of limited edition merch, featuring new “Film on Location, You Cowards” and LoCA designs, the long-awaited arrival of BiLPH Hunter, and more!

The Harper Finch x PetaPixel drop is a limited-edition offering that won’t be around for long: just until May 15! Check it out today!

Now saving when you shop for your favorite gear at B&H Photo is even easier with the B&H Payboo Credit Card which lets you Save the Tax — you pay the tax, and B&H pays you back instantly! (Save the Tax on eligible purchases shipped to eligible states.) OR you can pay over time with our 6 & 12 month financing (on minimum purchases of $199 for 6 months, and $599 for 12 months). Terms apply, learn more at http://bhphoto.com/payboo. Credit card offers are subject to credit approval.

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This week was a doozie, with Sony cutting its memory card business back in the wake of the flash memory shortage, OM System looks like they might bring back the PEN, and the DNG is now the officially recognized standard for RAW files.

Plus, after a year of using an absolute ton of very affordable, third-party lenses, Chris and Jordan have some thoughts on what you should look out for if you're tempted by their low, low prices.

We use Riverside to record The PetaPixel Podcast in our online recording studio.

We hope you enjoy the podcast and we look forward to hearing what you think. If you like what you hear, please support us by subscribing, liking, commenting, and reviewing! Every week, the trio go over comments on YouTube and here on PetaPixel, but if you’d like to send a message for them to hear, you can do so through SpeakPipe.

In This Episode:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 08:10 - New LIMITED EDITION PetaPixel Merch drop! https://harperfinch.co/collections/petapixel
• 11:38 - Sony shut down nearly its entire memory card business due to flash shortage: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/27/sony-shuts-down-nearly-its-entire-memory-card-business-due-to-ssd-shortage/
• 16:34 - The ISO has recognized DNG as the official RAW image standard: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/27/after-over-20-years-of-efforts-dng-is-now-the-official-raw-image-standard/
• 20:35 - OM System was weirdly excited to talk about the return of the PEN: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/24/om-system-is-surprisingly-eager-to-talk-about-the-return-of-the-pen/
• 25:48 - Thypoch is making its first autofocus lens (and it's a zoom): https://petapixel.com/2026/03/30/thypoch-teases-a-af-24-50mm-f-2-8-zoom-a-bold-departure-from-its-manual-focus-primes/
• 28:57 - The Mac Pro is dead: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/26/the-apple-mac-pro-is-dead/
• 32:05 - Tamron says prime lens market is saturated, making it difficult to be unique: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/30/tamron-will-make-new-primes-but-only-if-they-are-unique-and-innovative/
• 37:15 - Could Pentax release a DSLR this year? https://petapixel.com/2026/03/26/hype-for-a-new-pentax-dslr-is-high-but-temper-your-expectations/
• 42:48 - Nonprofit will pay $30,000 for three months of documentary photography work: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/30/photography-fellowship-pays-30000-for-3-months-of-documentary-work/
• 44:22 - Navigating the "cheap" third party lens options
• 1:02:55 - What have you been up to?
• 1:08:57 - Tech support
• 1:29:35 - Feel Good story of the week: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/26/airline-wants-a-really-bad-photographer-and-it-might-be-the-best-gig-of-the-year/