Episode 201: What’s Real

Episode 201: What’s Real

From PhotoActive by Jeff Carlson & Kirk McElhearn

January 3, 2026 · 33 min · Episode 201

About this episode

The episode discusses the authenticity of smartphone photography and the impact of a new firmware update on Leica cameras.

Is your phone not accurately capturing the world around you? An article in the Guardian questions whether image processing in smartphones is making photos that aren’t genuine. Also, Leica released a firmware update that radically changes the entire interface, leading to a discussion of how important the UI in our cameras is when making photos. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website , Jeff's photos , Jeff on Instagram , Jeff on Glass , Jeff on Mastodon , Jeff on Bluesky Kirk McElhearn: website , Kirk's photos , Kirk on Instagram , Kirk on Glass , Kirk on Mastodon , Kirk on Bluesky Show Notes: ( View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co ) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Now that phones alter our photos without us knowing, how do we know what’s real? Episode 114: Bryan Jones on Why Color Doesn't Exist Leica Q3 firmware update Leica’s engraved fonts Leica TikTok Actions Ring - On Screen Overlay 3M Precise Mouse Pad Kirk’s Snapshot Logitech MX Master 4 Jeff’s Snapshot Moment Tripod Mount for MagSafe Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve…

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Carlson

Topics covered

  • image processing
  • smartphones
  • photography
  • user interface

Keywords

  • Guardian article
  • Leica firmware update
  • camera UI

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Glass, Mastodon, Q3, TikTok, Snapshot, Logitech MX Master 4, MagSafe, smartphones, Leica cameras

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