April Fools’ Day and the photography industry are made for each other. No other hobby combines such intense dedication to the tools and such deep pockets of wishful thinking. Which makes photo manipulation exceptionally easy (and fun)!
Whether it’s a missing dream lens, irreversible film stock, or a camera designed for the other 10% of the population, the best April Fool’s tricks hit that sweet spot between what makes sense and what doesn’t.
Last year’s crops did not disappoint, and the old ones we are returning to did not disappoint either. Here are 10 of our favorites, old and new.
1. Viltrox “Air” lens
Viltrox built its reputation on its Air Series: a line of compact, lightweight Sony E-mount, Nikon Z-mount and Fujifilm X-mount primes. So when the company announced a new Air lens for April 1, 2025, it was being honest.
However, when we dug into the details, it revealed that the new lens is completely air-conditioned. Its Nano Gaseous Polymer Material construction provides a 99.9% reduction in size compared to traditional lenses, an infinite field of view, pre-focusing, and compatibility with every camera out there.
“Each gram has been developed in a pneumatic way – so light that even the wind can carry it – it offers a shooting experience” without real weight,” Viltrox wrote on Instagram. It’s a joke that works well when you know the name, and it’s well received for those who know it.
Lomography knows its audience: analog enthusiasts, who sometimes run out of film at the worst possible time. So for April 1, 2025, the company announced a solution: a 36-display canister that fits 106 frames in a way. The secret? “Special nanoemulsion hypercompression technology” and, as Lomography noted, “a lot of caffeine.”
“More photos, less,” the brand promised on Instagram. “Now you can capture every fleeting moment, every stray cat, every latte art – all without changing the scrolls.” This is the kind of April Fool that makes you laugh and sigh a little, because you honestly wish it was.
3. Shutterstock Physical Library
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Back in 2019, a popular stock library decided that the future was in the past. Shutterstock has announced plans to build the world’s largest image library, with enough platform for more than 250 million images and 14 million film reels, operated around the clock by robots.
“Sometimes innovation means going backwards,” the company explained, bluntly, in its announcement video. Among the promised highlights: “Happy Millennials Holding Sparklers” and “Tube Sock Vectors: An Anthology”. It remains one of the most powerful April Fools in recent memory: knowingly, self-deprecatingly because of the craziness of photography itself.
4. Kodachrome goes back
In this funny news story from The Phoblographer in 2018. Fujifilm, Kodak and others were said to be reproducing the silver halide films they had previously discontinued. “Rejoice, photographers: those of us who never got to shoot Kodak Kodachrome seem to be getting our chance after all,” read the caption.
If only it were true. Unfortunately, the professional chemistry used to produce Kodachrome, which is made in several Kodak locations around the world, is a sufficient reason why the rebirth of analog will not happen.
5. Instant underwater camera
Extra Long Film wasn’t Lomography’s first April Fool’s trick. This 2014 Japanese said it was introducing an instant underwater camera, which produced images while you were swimming in the ocean. Called Lomo’Instant Caribbean, it even has its own launch film.
“After the amazing response and enthusiasm to our Kickstarter campaign, we are happy to say ‘Ahoy mateys!’ with the release of the Lomo’Instant Caribbean Edition,” began the pep talk. “Explore the waters and dive with the Barbados turtles or catch the waves on your next Maui surf trip!”
6. Rogge & Pott’s Re-35
The Re-35 was a popular 2011 April Fools’ game by German design firm Rogge & Pott, which claimed to have invented a 35mm lens that would bring digital imaging to your old SLRs. The canisters are believed to have come with their own hidden patent Flexisensor, which came out to replace the halide film, then prints the image into digital memory. The Re-35 canister then connects to your computer using a simple USB connection.
A pop-up message on the website explained it all: “Some things are too good to be true! The Re-35 doesn’t really exist. We invented the ‘product’ because it was something we had wanted for a long time (like many others). However, the joke was already on Rogge & Pott: the Ke Khutlile company continued to produce digital backs and film cameras that really brought old film cameras to life.
7. GoPro active device
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You’ve probably seen the #FollowMeTo photo trend: a photo taken from behind, showing someone holding hands with someone in the lead. It was popularized by the photographer Murad Osmann, whose Instagram account gathered more than three million followers. The catch? You need two people to pull it: one to walk ahead, one to hold the camera.
GoPro’s 2018 April Fool was a product that solved this problem for solo travelers: a prosthetic arm, called Armie, that was attached to your body and stretched a fake arm to appear as if you were holding it.
“We’ve all been there: the perfect view, the perfect light, the amazing scenery… but you’re alone,” reads the press release. Why not continue to enjoy the trip alone while giving the idea of being with friends?
8. DSLR for lefties
Back in 2013, The-Digital-Picture.com came up with a great idea for the 10% of the population on the left. It was ‘news’ that Canon was introducing a new special edition of its EOS 7D DSLR, which was held on the left hand side of the body instead of the usual right hand side, offering ‘reversed ergonomics’ for the patient south feet.
“Canon has been a world leader in innovation for more than 65 years – and the EOS 7D L is another innovative product that we are proud to associate with that heritage,” said the company’s CEO. That said, southpaw cameras really do exist: check out the Yashica left-handed camera!
9. Mirrorless camera for lefties
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Dutch retailer Kamera Express took the baton left and ran with it in 2023, going so far as to list an actual pre-order page on its store website for the Sony A7L V; the alleged leftie version of the Sony A7R V. It then went one step further and posted a video preview facing YouTube.
Using a 3D-printed mockup of the A7R V for southpaws, the seller really went the extra mile in his commitment to the bit. It’s so well done that we wonder how many people clicked the pre-order button while it was in progress.
10. A medium format disposable camera
Disposable film cameras have become very popular in the past few years, and the Fujifilm GFX series has sparked a renewed interest in medium format cameras. So why not combine the two and make a medium format disposable camera?
This April Fools jape was dreamed up by Fujiaddict.com. The Fujifilm GFX Disposable, they dibbed, would come with “a 60mm f/4 lens and 25 frames of 400H 1600 ISO 645 film inside. If the program is popular, Fujifilm will also offer ACROS 645 inside as an option for $6.45 more”.
The blog suggested that Fujifilm will be sold with the addition of a deposit that would cover the cost of developing the 120 film, but will also cover you to receive 102MP scans of your images. Today, of course, you can now buy a compact GFX medium format camera (Fujifilm GFX100RF), but this comes at a lower price than a disposable.
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