For decades, the April Fools' Day tradition has given journalists around the world permission to write a little fake news every April 01. And there has been plenty of photography-related fooling over the years.
We remember one from the Eighties when Olympus (now OM System) claimed that photography had been first discovered by a Japanese monk in the 18th Century, over a hundred years before Daguerre and Fox Talbot.
And there was the one about the 16-2000mm zoom for your SLR that a magazine reported was going to go on sale from April 01. Of course, nowadays the joke is on that writer with cameras like the Nikon Coolpix P1000 with its 24-3000mm lens!
In recent years, the internet has brought a new level of sophistication and fun to the April Fool – as you can reach more people on the right day, and support your fictitious tales with links and videos. We've trawled through the last few years to bring you seven of our favorites…
1. Kodachrome makes a comeback
Everyone just wishes that this one were true... and this was therefore an inspired news story from The Phoblographer on April 01 2018. Fujifilm, Kodak and others have all been re-introducing silver halide films that they had previously discontinued. But the death of Kodachrome back in 2009 was a particularly painful one for professionals and enthusiasts that had cut their teeth on this classic yellow-boxed emulsion.
"Rejoice, photographers: those of us who never got to shoot Kodak Kodachrome seem to be getting a chance after all," went the news piece.
"Almost 10 years after the company announced the death of the beloved film emulsion, Kodak is letting the world know that Kodachrome is indeed going to be returning to shelves very soon after Ektachrome hits stores."
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If only it were true… but the specialist chemistry used to develop Kodachrome, which was done in a handful of Kodak sites around the world, is reason enough why this analog reincarnation will never come to pass.
2. Underwater instant camera
This one dates from 2014 from the fun-loving crew at Lomography. Instant cameras were at that point starting their meteoric return to people's affection - and Lomography had entered the market with its own retro-inspired range of instant print models. But this Fool's jape involved the idea that they were launching an underwater instant camera, that spurted out the prints as you swam around in the pool or sea. Called the Lomo'Instant Caribbean it even had its own launch film to make the idea that bit more credible.
"Following the incredible response and enthusiasm on our Kickstarter campaign, we are thrilled to say 'Ahoy mateys!' with the release of the Lomo'Instant Caribbean Edition," began the fiction.
"The world's first and only dedicated underwater instant camera, the Lomo'Instant Caribbean Edition opens the door to the exciting world of underwater instant fun. Test the waters and take it for a dive with the turtles in Barbados or catch the waves on your next surf trip in Maui!"
3. Rogge & Pott's Re-35
This is one of the most sophisticated April Fool tomfooleries of recent years. The Re-35 was an ingenious hoax that claimed that a company had invented 35mm canisters that would bring digital imaging to your old analog SLRs. The canisters came with their own patented scratch-resistant Flexisensor that pulled out to replace the silver halide film, and then recorded the image onto the digital memory. The Re-35 canister then hooked up to your computer using a convenient USB connection.
A pop-up message on the website now explains all: "Some things are too good to be true! Re-35 does not really exist. We (the design company Rogge & Pott) created Re-35 as an exercise in identity design. We invented the 'product' because it was something that we had wished for for a long time (as many others). We launched the website and sent out 'press releases' on April first – thinking, that the date would make clear, that Re35 is just wishful thinking – a classic April Fools' Prank!"
However, the joke is now on Rogge & Pott – the I'm Back company now produces digital backs and film canisters that really do bring old film cameras back to life.
4. GoPro's handy accessory
With over three million Instagram followers, Murad Osmann's #FollowMeTo project became well-known the world over – and was much copied by others. But the trouble with this style of selfie is that you need a friend or assistant to be able to get the shot, which shows you holding hands with the person holding the camera.
GoPro's April Fool solution in 2018 was to suggest a new addition to the army of existing GoPro accessories.
"We've all been there: picturesque view, perfect light, exotic location...but you're solo. It's just you and your GoPro. Sure, you can frame in a nice landscape shot, or even snag a classic selfie, but expectations are looming," read the GoPro news release.
"Your parents have been hounding you for years about settling down with 'the one', and lately, even your friends are starting to drop subtle jabs about your choice for independence. Why not continue to enjoy the journey alone while giving the impression of companionship? Introducing Armie, the ultimate mount for living up to expectation." Not bad for $59.99!
5. DSLR for left-handers
Head back to 2013 and The-Digital-Picture.com came up with a great idea for the 10% of the population that are left-handed. It was the 'news' that Canon was introducing a new special-edition of its EOS 7D DSLR, which had the grip on the left-hand side of the body rather than on the usual right-hand side, offering 'reversed ergonomics' for long-suffering southpaws.
"Canon has been a world leader in innovation for over 65 years – and the EOS 7D L is another innovative product that we are proud to have associated with that heritage,” said the made-up company executive.
However, southpaw cameras do exist – take a look at Yashica's real-life left-handed camera!
6. Mirrorless camera for left-handers
Dutch retailer Kamera Express took the left-handed baton 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 – a supposed leftie version of the Sony A7R V. Then it went even further and posted a straight-faced video preview to YouTube!
Making use of a 3D-printed mockup of an A7R V for southpaws, the retailer really went the extra mile in its commitment to the bit. It was so well done that we wonder how many people clicked the pre-order button when it was live… or how many people were so tickled by the store's sense of humor that they ended up placing orders with it for real cameras!
7. Medium format disposable camera
We loved this very-credible hoax from 2021. Disposable film cameras have been very popular in last few years, and the Fujifilm GFX series has created renewed interest in medium format cameras. So why not combine to the two and make a medium format disposable camera?
This April Fools' jape was dreamt up by Fujiaddict.com. The Fujifilm GFX Disposable 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 would be sold with the addition of a deposit that would cover the development cost of the 120 film, but would also cover you receiving 102MP scans of your images (and therefore encourage you to buy a Fujifilm GFX100 or GFX100S digital camera)!
