Zooming in on weird cameras

Unconventional cameras are having a bit of a moment. From the Sigma BF to the Fujifilm Half to young photographers reaching for old digital point-and-shoots, the camera industry has looked a little different over the past few years. Are these moments just flashes in the pan, or part of something bigger?

This week on The Vergecast, Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake of PetaPixel’s YouTube channel join The Verge’s Allison Johnson and Vjeran Pavic to geek out about the last half-decade of camera advancements — the good, the bad, and the Sigma BF of it all.

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Then, Allison is joined by Verge News Editor and fellow phone nerd Dominic Preston to help answer a boatload of listener questions from people contemplating unsure of which smartphone to buy next. They help navigate the intricacies of living in a mixed iOS/Android household to the best options for someone who wants a headphone jack (spoiler alert: there aren’t many).

It’s a mega-hotline-turned-therapy session for iPhone Mini owners reluctant to let go of their tiny phones in a world where phones come in two sizes: big and bigger.

For more on the topics in this episode, here are some links to dig into:

• Sigma BF review: Beautiful Foolishness — PetaPixel
• The Fujifilm X half is Just Plain FUN! — PetaPixel
• Fujifilm X Half hands-on: whimsical, refreshing, and simply fun
• Sigma BF review: the perfect camera for a minimalist
• In pursuit of a viral, five-year-old compact camera
• Samsung Galaxy S25 review: incredibly iterative
• Nothing Phone 3 review: flagship-ish
• If you really want a smaller phone, try the tiny Jelly 2
• Oppo Find N5 review: the final evolution of foldables
• Honor launches the ‘world’s thinnest’ foldable
• Motorola spoiled a good budget phone with bloatware
• The Xperia 1 VII is a greatest hits of Sony R&D
• The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t so ‘ultra’ anymore
• The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)
• My first DIY phone fix made me a self-repair believer
• Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: in great shape
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: stunning, bendy, and spendy
• Ditching my phone for an LTE smartwatch was a humbling experience
• I took my own advice and bought a last-gen iPhone — I regret nothing
• How Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip failed me without actually breaking