About Chip Foto Video

Chip Foto Video

Chip Foto Video is a monthly German photography magazine published in Munich by the Chip Communications GmbH, part of the Burda publishing group. First issued in 2003 — with a zero issue in May/June 2003 and the first regular issue in October 2003 — it is the photo and video line extension of Chip, Germany's leading computer magazine. The magazine addresses photography enthusiasts with camera tests, technique features, image editing, video production and the digital imaging workflow. The editor-in-chief is Benjamin Lorenz, and the magazine carries the ISSN 1614-9424. Its sold circulation stood at 11,942 copies in the fourth quarter of 2024 (IVW). Until April 2011, the title appeared as "Chip Foto-Video digital" — a name that marked its origins in the early digital era.

Overview

Chip Foto Video appears twelve times a year and is sold at newsstands and by subscription throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is published by the Chip Communications GmbH in Munich, the Burda subsidiary that also publishes the parent title Chip. The magazine's two-decade run makes it one of the most established voices in German digital photography journalism.

The magazine's concept bridges photography and technology: where traditional photo magazines emphasise the art of the image, Chip Foto Video addresses the digital workflow — cameras, lenses, image editing software, storage, printing and video production. Its readers are photography enthusiasts who approach their hobby with technical interest, from ambitious amateurs to semi-professionals. The title's unique position — a photo magazine from a computer publisher — gives it credibility in both worlds: it understands the camera as an optical instrument and as a digital device.

The title's connection to Chip — one of Germany's most successful computer magazines — gives it unique authority in the technical dimensions of digital photography. Camera tests follow the rigorous methodology of the Chip test laboratory, giving readers independent, measurement-based assessments of image quality, speed and handling. Where other photo magazines rely on subjective impressions, Chip Foto Video provides data: resolution charts, noise measurements, autofocus timings — the hard numbers behind the marketing claims.

History

Chip Foto Video was launched in 2003, with a zero issue in May/June 2003 and the first regular issue in October 2003. The launch came at the pivotal moment of digital photography's conquest: digital cameras were displacing film, image editing software was becoming accessible to amateurs, and photographers needed a magazine that understood both the camera and the computer. The timing proved inspired — the magazine rode the wave of digital imaging's explosive growth through the 2000s.

The title was conceived as a line extension of Chip, leveraging the parent magazine's test expertise and its audience of technically interested readers. Until April 2011, it appeared under the name "Chip Foto-Video digital", emphasising the digital imaging focus that distinguished it from traditional photo magazines. The renaming in 2011 to "Chip Foto Video" reflected the normalisation of digital photography — digital was no longer a qualifier but the default.

Through the following years, the magazine documented the digital imaging revolution: the rise of the DSLR and later the mirrorless system camera, the development of image editing software, the emergence of the smartphone as a camera, the growth of video as a photographer's medium, and the advent of computational photography and AI-assisted imaging. Licensed editions appeared in the Netherlands, Romania and Indonesia, extending the brand internationally — a testament to the global relevance of its technically rigorous approach.

Content and Programming

Chip Foto Video's content covers the digital photography workflow from capture to output. Camera and lens tests — the magazine's signature — assess new equipment with laboratory measurements and practical shooting, giving readers objective data on image quality, autofocus, speed and handling. The tests follow the Chip methodology, renowned for its rigour and independence.

Technique features address the craft of digital photography: exposure, composition, lighting, portrait, landscape, macro and street photography, adapted to the digital medium. Image editing tutorials guide readers through software workflows, from raw development to retouching to print preparation. Video production coverage — shooting, editing, sound and publishing — reflects the convergence of still and moving images, as photographers increasingly work in both media. The magazine's tutorials are practical and step-by-step, designed for readers to follow at their computers.

The magazine also covers the photography community: portfolios, competitions, exhibitions and the work of notable photographers. Its CHIP Fotowelt community platform gives readers a space to share images, discuss technique and participate in the magazine's photographic life.

Coverage and Audience

Chip Foto Video is distributed throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, sold at newsstands and by subscription. Its sold circulation of 11,942 copies (IVW Q4/2024) reaches an audience of photography enthusiasts — predominantly male, technically interested, with substantial spending on cameras, lenses, computers and software. The magazine's readers are the technically engaged segment of the photography community: amateurs who read test charts, compare sensor performance and optimise their workflows, approaching photography with the analytical mindset of engineers.

The magazine's readers are the technically engaged segment of the photography community: amateurs who read test charts, compare sensor performance and optimise their workflows. For advertisers in the camera, electronics, software and imaging sectors, Chip Foto Video offers access to this precisely defined, purchase-ready audience. The magazine's readers buy cameras, lenses and software on the basis of its tests — making it one of the most effective advertising environments in the German photo market, where purchase decisions follow technical evaluation.

Ownership

Chip Foto Video is published by the Chip Communications GmbH in Munich, Bavaria, part of the Burda publishing group. Hubert Burda Media, headquartered in Offenburg, is one of Germany's largest media companies, with a portfolio spanning magazines, digital media and e-commerce. The Chip group within Burda publishes Germany's leading computer and technology titles, and the photo magazine benefits from the group's test laboratories, technical expertise and digital reach.

The editor-in-chief Benjamin Lorenz leads the editorial team, continuing the magazine's tradition of technically rigorous photo journalism. Under his leadership, the magazine has navigated the transformation of photography — from the DSLR era through mirrorless to computational imaging — while preserving the test-driven authority that distinguishes it from art-oriented photo titles.

Digital Presence

The magazine's digital home is within the chip.de portal, one of Germany's leading technology websites, where photo and video content appears alongside the parent brand's computer coverage. The CHIP Fotowelt community platform gives readers a dedicated space for photographic exchange.

Chip Foto Video is present on social media, where it shares photography tips, test results and issue highlights. Digital editions of the magazine are available for screen reading. While the monthly print issue remains the title's core — its test reports and tutorials designed for careful study — the digital channels extend its reach and provide timely coverage of new cameras, software and techniques. The CHIP Fotowelt community — photographers sharing images, critiquing work and learning together — gives the brand a living ecosystem beyond its pages.

The website field in this profile reflects the parent brand's official online home, through which the magazine's digital presence is accessed. First issued in 2003 as the photo line extension of Germany's leading computer magazine, Chip Foto Video has documented the digital imaging revolution from its early days — from the first consumer DSLRs to today's AI-assisted photography — always with the test laboratory's rigour and the photographer's passion — the combination that has defined the title since 2003.