Recent Gear Articles

Putting the New Canon R6 Mark II Through Its Paces

We shoot with the Canon EOS R6 Mark II mirrorless camera at a real wedding and a live concert and test the camera that changes the rules when it comes to shooting in low light and at high speed.

A Review of the Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera

The Canon EOS R5 burst onto the scene and instantly showed the industry that the company was extremely serious about contending in the professional mirrorless market. The EOS R6 came with the EOS R5 and brought with it most of the same features as the EOS R5, save for the high-resolution sensor and 8K raw video, and did so at a much lower price. The EOS R6 Mark II builds on that foundation and brings a wide variety of improvements and new features. This great video review takes a look at everything you can expect from the camera.

Is This $8,000 Bokeh Machine Worth the Price Tag?

Portrait photographers will often drop significant amounts of money on top-level lenses, but even by those standards, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct is particularly expensive. At $8,000, can its performance and image quality justify that stratospheric cost? This great video review takes a look at everything you can expect from the lens.

A Review of the New Venus Optics Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 FF Lens

Venus Optics, well known for creating some of the most unique lenses available, recently released the Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 FF, which offers an extremely wide maximum aperture in tandem with a popular in-between focal length. This great video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Which of These Premium 50mm Lenses Do You Prefer?

The wide-aperture 50mm lens is, by far, one of the most common lenses out there, and for good reason, as it is also one of the most versatile, able to tackle a humongous range of scenarios and needs thanks to its neutral focal length and top-notch low-light and narrow depth of field capabilities. Both Sigma and Sony have recently released professional-level 50mm f/1.4 options. So, which is right for you? This excellent video comparison looks at both to help you decide.

Super Telephoto Lenses: Amazing or Overrated?

Last summer I bought a super telephoto lens to capture wildlife in Alaska. After more than half a year of using it as a lens for landscape photography, was it worth it?

The Canon EOS R3 Just Got Smarter

The Canon EOS R3 is already the company's most advanced camera at the moment, and thanks to a new firmware upgrade, it just became more capable.

The DIY Food Photography Setup: The Gear You Shouldn't Bypass

It's annoying, I know. You thought you had it figured out. You thought you'd ticked every box, but I guarantee you didn't. I certainly didn't and haven't to this day! The amount of gear we use as photographers is ridiculous. It makes even the smallest of shoots a test in organization, packing, loading, unloading, setting up, packing down, and remembering to do it all again. But there are some items that simply can't be ignored.

What Does a Box of $175 Worth of Junk Cameras Get You?

We all dream of heading to a thrift store, pawn shop, or storage unit auction and finding a great camera or lens for a fantastic price. This person actually took a chance on a similar auction, dropping $175 on mostly unverifiable camera gear to see if it contained any hidden gems, and this fun video takes you through the unboxing to see if the gamble paid off.

A Quick Look at The New Sony ZV-E1

Sony just announced the new Sony ZV-E1 full-frame interchangeable lens camera. Currently the smallest and lightest full-frame interchangeable lens camera on the market. But who is this camera designed for?

Is This the Best Landscape Photography Lens for Fujifilm GFX Users?

The Fujifilm GFX line of mirrorless cameras has become popular for making medium format more modernized and financially accessible than ever, making it a legitimate alternative to full frame for many photographers. For landscape photographers using the system, the GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR looks like the ideal lens. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

Eye-controlled Autofocus Is Coming to More Canon Cameras

Eye-controlled autofocus, in which the camera selects the autofocus point by detecting which one you are looking at, is one of the niftiest features in the Canon EOS R3 mirrorless camera. In a bit of good news, Canon has confirmed that the feature will be coming to more mirrorless models in the future.

Product and Food Photography: This Is the Way

When it comes to product and food photography, lighting is critical and can make or break the final image. Achieving the perfect lighting can be a complex process, even more so if you are just starting out with this type of photography.

3 Reasons the Fujifilm X-T5 Is a Great Camera

The Fujifilm X-T5 mirrorless camera takes the company's well-established and respected X-T line and adds a range of new features and capabilities, most notable being the new 40-megapixel sensor, the highest ever in an X Series camera. The great video features an X-T5 user discussing three reasons why he recommends the camera.

A Look at Canon's Seven Craziest Lenses

Canon has a long history of producing some of the most interesting and extreme lens designs out there, and they can be a blast to look back on and even use today if you can track them down. This fun video takes a look at the company's seven most extreme designs, ranging from an insane 5200mm f/14 lens from the 1960s to one of the most useful options on the market today.

Will the Canon EOS R5 Soon Shoot 400-Megapixel Images?

Recently, news broke that Canon is likely planning a significant firmware for the EOS R5 later this year, including a high-resolution pixel-shift mode. Now, it appears that mode may offer a whopping 400 megapixels of resolution.

A First Look at the Impressive Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S Lens

The new Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens has arrived, and with it comes some of the company's most extreme design and impressive optical performance. And while it looks impressive on paper, can it hold up in the real world? This great first look video examines the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Deep Review of the Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM Lens

A good wide-aperture 50mm lens is one of the most versatile optics a photographer can own, capable of comfortably tackling a huge range of genres and needs. For Sony users, the new FE 50mm f/1.4 GM offers the promise of high-level performance and image quality in a relatively portable package. This excellent video review takes an in-depth look at everything you can expect from it in practice.

Is Samyang Planning a 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Lens?

Tamron's 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD has been praised for being remarkably versatile and for pushing the boundaries of lens design. Samyang might be joining the party soon, as rumors that the company is planning a similar lens have emerged.

The First Lens Landscape Photographers Should Buy

If you are interested in landscape photography, you might think that the first lens you should pick up is an ultra-wide angle zoom. Those can certainly be useful tools, but there might be a better first lens. This excellent video will show you a potentially better choice.

Can This Affordable Canon Lens Keep Pace with a Legend?

Few lenses are more famous than the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, renowned for its extreme design and insane bokeh, making it a favorite of numerous portrait and wedding photographers for many years. Now available on the used market for about the same price as the far newer RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, you might wonder which is right for you. This great video comparison will help you decide.

A Review of the Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G Lens

The Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G is an impressively versatile and portable wide angle zoom lens at a very reasonable price for the features and image quality you get. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

Some Helpful Advice for Beginners Regarding Shutter Speed

Along with aperture and ISO, shutter speed is one of the three fundamental parameters that determine the overall exposure and look of a photo. Shutter speed has both a technical and creative aspect, as you can also leverage it for making effects that would not be visible to the naked eye. If you are new to photography, check out this helpful video tutorial that will give you some useful advice regarding choosing shutter speeds.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Lens

The 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is a classic design used by countless creatives for genres like sports and wildlife photography, where its versatile focal range and modest aperture offer a lot of reach at far more reasonable prices than top-shelf supertelephoto prime lenses. For Nikon mirrorless shooters, there is the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S, and this great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S23+ the Best Balance of Performance and Price?

In the middle of the lineup between the Galaxy S23 and S23 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ offers a lot of the most advanced features available in smartphones without the top-level price of the Ultra model, making it an appealing option for many users. This excellent video review takes a look at the S23+ and how it holds up in daily usage.

Should You Purchase the 14" or 16" MacBook Pro?

The MacBook Pro is the computer of choice for countless creatives who need high levels of power for advanced editing tasks in a portable device. Now in the M2 generation, the lineup offers a variety of options, but perhaps no choice is more fundamental than size: should you get the 14" or 16" version? There is more to the decision than just size and price. This insightful will show you everything you should consider to ensure you pick the right computer for you.

Photo Backup Systems for Everyone

If you have used computer hardware for any period of time, you probably know that all hardware will eventually fail. With it could go all your precious images and videos and the memories that you have captured over the years. You've probably thought about different ways to back up your computer, mobile phone, and other devices and have already put some of these strategies into place. But are you missing a simple trick or two that will allow you to make all of this really simple and foolproof?

A Review of the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens

The 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is the primary tool of choice for a huge range of photographers and filmmakers who value its versatile combination of a practical focal length range and wide maximum aperture. Such lenses can easily run up to the $2,000 mark, though, making them a purchase many consider twice. However, Sigma's 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens sits at about half that, making it quite intriguing. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and if its performance and image quality can match the pricier options.

Creating Long Exposure Photos With an iPhone

A few years ago, the idea of taking quality long exposures on a phone would have seemed absurd, but major advances in the quality of the cameras in phones and in computational photography have enabled numerous techniques that simply were not possible before. This neat video takes you behind the scenes to show you just what you can accomplish with an iPhone.

Is This the Ultimate Camera for Landscape Photographers?

When it comes to choice of camera, many landscape photographers desire two things above everything else: resolution and dynamic range. And as such, the Fujifilm GFX 100S looks like one of the most ideal candidates for the genre. How does it hold up in practice? This great video review features a respected landscape photographer sharing his thoughts.

A Review of the New Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM Lens

Sony's new FE 50mm f/1.4 GM lens has arrived, and with it comes some of the company's best design features and optical performance. For many portrait and wedding photographers, a top-level, wide-aperture 50mm lens is one of the most important tools in their kit, and thus, the new lens is likely catching the attention of many. Can its performance match its impressive specs? This great video review takes a look.

Here's What Canon Has Planned Next

Canon recently released their corporate strategy for the next few years, and it sheds some light on where they plan to take their camera and lens business.

Settings You Should Change on Your Camera

Modern cameras are tremendously complex and intricate machines, and as such, there are often settings that may not be the best choice for your work and may even cause you to miss a shot or not come home with the best quality images. This excellent video tutorial features a seasoned photographer showing you some important settings you should consider changing to improve your workflow and photos.

A Review of the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens

In recent years, Tamron has entirely reinvented themselves as a company that produces competitive lenses that offer excellent performance and image quality at prices that are often significantly more affordable than many first-party options. One of their latest lenses, the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD, offers a highly versatile focal length range suitable for a huge range of genres and applications. This great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Unleashing the Power of Wide Angle Photography: We Review the Fujifilm 8-16mm f/2.8 Lens

When I got the opportunity to test out this lens, I jumped at the chance. An ultra-wide angle zoom at f/2.8 would be great for so many different photographic applications: landscape, architectural, interior, astrophotography, events, creative, and video, to name a few. Did I get the opportunity to test it out with all of these? No, but what I did get to try certainly produced the results.