The best April Fools’ Day pranks in photography

April Fools’ Day is here and, as usual, it brings a lot of interesting pranks from various companies all over the world.

April Fools’ Day is celebrated every year on April 1. It is the day when people can play practical jokes, come up with pranks, and create hoaxes without being punished.

Even so, this does not mean that people, companies, and the government are allowed to break the law, but it can certainly lead to a lot of interesting tricks.

Google is at it again on April Fools’ Day

The first prank comes from Google, as the search giant is allowing its users to add emoticons to their photos. Google+ features an algorithm, which can automatically detect the expression on one’s face and then adds emoticons to the photos.

Moreover, Google claims that YouTube, the most popular video sharing website in the world, will be closed down at midnight. The company is holding a contest, in order to determine the best video on YouTube ever, while the winner will be announced on April 1, 2023.

Another joke from the search giant consists of Google Nose, a new service, which allows users to search for smells using their smartphones, tablets, and computers.

One of the numerous pranks played by Google on April 1, 2013 consists of Gmail Blue, which turns everything in your inbox blue and pokes fun at the upcoming Windows 8 “Blue” update from Microsoft.

Getting back to photography-related hoaxes, Canon has introduced the new EOS 7D L camera, which is aimed at left-handed photographers. The DSLR shooter features an 18-megapixel CMOS image sensor, dual DIGIC 4 processors, and a 19-point autofocus system.

The Canon 7D L camera is available exclusively for left-handed photographers, as the shutter button and controls have been moved to the left. The Japanese company describes itself as a leading company in innovation, therefore it has decided to innovate once again, courtesy of The Digital Picture website.

The next pair of pranks comes from a fellow photography website, called Fstoppers. Upon entering the site, internet users will get nauseous, as Fstoppers will spin with 360 degrees and will remain tilted to the left. The “problems” can be fixed with a pair of refreshes.

Fstoppers’ other hoax consists of Bar Refaeli’s first nude photo shoot. The popular model has posed nude before, but she has not shown her entire “treasures”. The website claims that it has the photos. Unfortunately, today is April Fools’ Day.

German people can be funny, too, as FotoBlogazin.de is claiming that Nikon and Sigma have reached an agreement to develop a mirrorless camera. The upcoming shooter will be unveiled this summer, with availability expected for late 2013 or early 2014.

Leica is working on several new premieres

Leica has also made the news today after selling its business to a US-based company. According to trusted sources, the German camera maker is now under the patronage of none other than Disney. As a result, Disney will release the new Leica MM, which stands for Mickey Mouse.

Moreover, 3D Kraft claims that Leica will introduce a 3D camera in the near future. A 3D image has been captured by a prototype of the Leica M 3D, while the shooter itself has been spotted somewhere in Hamburg, Germany.

Smartphone users, rejoice

It seems like Leica, the Germany-based manufacturer, has even bigger plans for 2013, as it has agreed a partnership with Carl Zeiss and Apple. The three firms will work together at the next-generation iPhone, as the iOS smartphone will feature a revolutionary camera that will capture amazing photos.

The Phoblographer claims that the next iPhone will also come packed in a brand new design and form factor, that will look nothing like the iPhone 5.

Microsoft is also playing with the hearts of smartphone users, after publishing a link to the beta version of Instagram for Windows Phone 8.

The company claims that the prayers of Windows Phone users have been listened to, therefore the popular Instagram application is available for download now, two and a half years after the operating system was first released on the market.

Several websites have also revealed their take on April Fools’ Days with the help of several pranks. Let’s begin with Vimeo, which has found out that the internet loves cats. Since a lot of people upload videos of their furry pets on film-sharing websites, the website has decided to rebrand itself into Vimeow.

Vimeow has enough space for all of your cat videos. It allows users to follow their friends by “patiently stalking” them. If one does not agree with the company’s decision, then he will be able to take it to the “litterbox”, formerly-known as the forum.

Imgur is Reddit’s most beloved photo-sharing and storage website. In order to make itself more appealing to film camera users, the website is providing a new way of uploading photos on the internet. It is called Snail Mail and it is available as of today for all the hipsters in the world.

UK-based Mirror Online newspaper has begun allowing its readers to apply Instagram-like filters to its website.

Many iOS and Android smartphones users enjoy taking photos, in order to apply vintage filters to the images, therefore the Mirror is offering the so-called MirrorFilters. The list includes effects such as Ancient, Drunk, MS DOS, backwards, and X-Ray.

Kodak goes crazy, too

And then there is Kodak. The company is looking to use an April Fools’ Day prank as a means to save itself from bankruptcy. The hoax consists of the Kodak Wrist Kiosk, which pokes fun at all the rumors surrounding Apple’s upcoming smart watch.

The Kodak Wrist Kiosk provides the full functionality of a regular Picture Kiosk, though it will reduce the size of the digital prints. The new product comes with an microSD card slot, but images can also be uploaded via USB or Bluetooth connectivity.

Moreover, wearers can upload their photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr using built-in WiFi. The Kodak Wrist Kiosk will become available soon and anybody can get on the waiting list.