Recent Gear Articles

A Look at a Photography Legend: The Nikon F

Few cameras are more legendary than the Nikon F, having been in the hands of countless professionals over many decades, while still remaining a popular collector's item and film camera today. This awesome video takes a look at just what made the camera so popular and what it is like to shoot with.

Two Years With Micro Four Thirds: Can It Hold up to Professional Demands?

Most professional photographers use full frame, medium format, or APS-C cameras, though micro four thirds has been chugging along for a little over a decade now and maintains a loyal contingent of users who value its especially compact size. Are the tradeoffs in sensor size worth the portability and other features? This great video discusses one photographer's experience with the system after two years.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S Lens

Whereas Canon began their mirrorless lineup with a bunch of extreme lenses, Nikon mostly went for more practical designs for their Z mount. This excellent video review takes a look at one such lens, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens.

A Review of the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens

Almost every manufacturer has a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens or something similar, as it represents a useful and versatile telephoto focal length range for many photographers without the stratospheric price of supertelephoto primes. This great video review takes a look at Sony's version, the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens.

What is the Right Gear for Landscape Photography?

Landscape photography can become an addiction — including your photography gear. When is the right time to give in to the urge of trying something new — and what's important in the beginning?

During COVID-19, Cleaning My Camera Has Taken on a New Meaning

I used to clean my cameras and lenses before every shoot. Now that washing my groceries has become common place, cleaning my camera gear has taken on new meaning. This isn’t likely to change any time soon – even if the world opens back up. How are you dealing with this?

A Quick Review of the Lensbaby OMNI Filters

As the lockdown continues here in the UK, Anete and I are finally getting the time to finish some of the videos we filmed a little while ago. We are currently missing the ability to go out and shoot portraits again, and very much looking forward to end of this lockdown.

Why 2003 Was the Tipping Point: Nikon Relinquished Its Advantage and Canon Cemented Its Digital Future

It was the year of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, iTunes, the final Concorde flight, and the invasion of Iraq. George W. Bush was President, and Tony Blair Prime Minister, whilst Serena beat Venus at Wimbledon and the Devils won the Stanley Cup. In cinemas "Matrix Reloaded," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Finding Nemo," and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" first aired. But what happened during 2003 in the photographic world?

Hands on With the Phase One XT: A Digital Medium Format Field Camera

Phase One’s new XT is the modern-day version of the large format field camera, complete with field camera movements and spectacular large format style lenses. Its distinctive design combined with an IQ4 brain and its innovative tools make for a head-turning technical camera solution.

More Canon Mirrorless Cameras Are Coming in 2021

After getting off to a somewhat middle-of-the-road start with the EOS R and EOS RP, Canon blew the doors off the photography industry with the upcoming R5, which has jaw-dropping specs across the board. Not content to stop there, the company will likely be releasing two more mirrorless bodies in 2021.

Nikon's Professional Mirrorless Camera Is Coming in the Next Year

The Nikon Z 6 and Nikon Z 7 have been generally well received, with the Z 50 filling out the current lineup at the lower end. There is still room to grow in both directions, however, and it seems that will soon be the case, with at least two new cameras expected from the company in the next year or so.

The DJI Mavic Mini Versus the Mavic Air 2: Which Drone Is Right for You?

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is here, and it brings with it a bevy of improvements and new features all within an impressively compact package. If you are trying to decide between the Mavic Air 2 and the Mavic Mini, this great comparison video will help you pick the right drone for you.

Comparison: Is the iPhone SE Camera More iPhone 8 or iPhone 11 Pro?

The new iPhone SE looks mighty tempting to photographers hanging on for dear life to their older generation iPhones. It brings the promise of combining the smarts of the A13 Bionic chip with a single camera unit in a body similar to the iPhone 8, but does that help it’s photography any? Not much, it seems.

A First Look at the New DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is here, and it brings with it a bevy of improvements and new features over its predecessor. This great video review takes a look at the new drone and what you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Nikon Z 7

The Nikon Z 7 currently sits atop the company's mirrorless lineup, with some excellent capabilities that are sure to make it a preferred tool for lots of photographers. If you are thinking of adding the camera to your arsenal, this excellent video will show you what you can expect from it.

A Beginner's Guide to Lenses

Primes, zooms, telephoto, wide angle, zooms, macro, tilt-shift: the sheer variety of camera lenses is astounding, and when you are new to photography, it can be a bit difficult to know what you should be looking for for your own work. This excellent video will introduce you to the most common types of lenses, what they are useful for, and how you can take advantage of them in your own work.

The Canon EOS R5: Thank You, but No Thank You

This is not a negative piece on Canon, nor am I complaining about what Canon is or isn't doing. Now that I have that out of the way, let's get realistic about Canon cameras for a moment.

Wide Angle, Wide Aperture: A Look at the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Lens

A wide angle, wide aperture prime lens is a versatile optic that can jump into a lot of situations competently, ranging from events work to astrophotography. This excellent video review takes a look at just such a lens, the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G.

Save $430 on This Fantastic Sigma Lens Today Only

The moment I first shot with my Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens, it became my go-to portrait lens thanks to its fantastic image quality, great bokeh, and snappy performance. And while I paid full price for mine, today only, you can take $430 off your own copy.

Powerful Video Capabilities on a Budget: A Look at the Fujifilm X-T200

Though Fujifilm's most powerful cameras generally get the majority of the attention, the company has a vast array of more affordable bodies that still have a lot of the capabilities of their more expensive cousins. One such example is the X-T200, and this great video takes a look at what you can expect from it in video work.

A Look at the Nikon Z 7 for Landscape Photography

Landscape photographers often prize resolution and dynamic range in a camera above pretty much all other features and specs. This great video takes a look at one such camera, the Nikon Z 7, and how it holds up in practice for landscape photographers.

Hands on With the New Canon C300 Mark III

Canon recently announced its newest cinema camera, the C300 Mark III, which features a variety of improvements over the Mark II. This excellent video takes a first look at the new camera and what sort of footage and experience you can expect from it in practice.

f/0.7: A Look at Lenses With Some of the Most Extreme Apertures Out There

The photography world certainly loves its wide-aperture lenses, with most full frame consumer lenses topping out at f/1.2 and a few extreme lenses pushing the limits at f/0.95. However, there is a world of lenses that go far beyond f/0.95, and this interesting video takes a look at that extreme glass.

Affordable Canon Mirrorless Glass: A Review of the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM Lens

Canon's RF mirrorless lenses have been pretty spectacular, but they are also very expensive, which might make it a bit difficult for some photographers looking for glass to go with the relatively affordable EOS R and EOS RP cameras. This great video review takes a look at the new, much more affordable RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.

Pentax: The Dying Brand?

Pentax is one of those loved brand names that inspires confidence and loyalty among its followers, a result of its engineering excellence and value for money. Yet, it has been largely absent from the camera market in recent years. Has it slipped into a commercial coma, and will life support be switched off shortly?

Should You Be Using Vintage Lenses for Your Work?

With mirrorless camera gaining more of a foothold in the industry in the past few years, vintage lenses have seen a real resurgence in popularity. This quick and great video discusses if you should be using them for your own work.

Fujifilm GFX 100: Technical Marvel, Ergonomic Nightmare

Fujifilm has revolutionized the medium format digital world. Their cameras came in at one-tenth of the cost of the existing players, and they want to make them even cheaper! I have worked with the GFX 50S for several months and own a GFX 50R, so when I had the chance to spend a couple of days with the GFX 100, I snapped it up. I'll share my experiences with it here.

Flagship Power: A Review of the Fujifilm X-T4

The Fujifilm X-T4 is the latest installment in the company's highly lauded series, and it brings with it a bevy of impressive specs and improvements sure to delight both photographers and videographers. If you are wondering if this camera is worth the upgrade, this great review will give you a good look at what you can expect.

Is It Worth Spending a Lot of Money on a Camera Bag?

What’s the difference between a good quality, well priced camera bag and a bag that costs more than twelve times less? Photographer James Popsys runs you through some of the pros and cons when it comes to buying a bag on a budget.

Is There Going to Be a Mass Migration Back to Canon From Sony?

The Canon R5 announcement has pricked up the ears of most of the industry for one reason or another. Already, however, we're seeing photographers claiming they might switch manufacturers for it. Is Canon domination on the horizon again?

Fstoppers Review: Lensbaby's Velvet 28, Your New Favorite Creative Tool

Since 2004, Lensbaby has been an industry innovator, designing outside-the-box creative lenses and accessories. While other manufacturers chase the expensive, high-tech, spec-fixated market, Lensbaby pursues something entirely different: helping artists find a new creative approach through unique effects delivered by fully analog products.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Tonight marks the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower, with plenty of meteors visible from mid to late April each year, so get your camera ready and learn how to capture them in all their glory.

A First Look at the Lightweight Samyang 75mm f/1.8 Lens

Samyang recently announced their new 75mm f/1.8 autofocus lens for Sony E mount cameras, and it looks to be a fantastic portrait lens for photographers who want to travel light. This great video takes a first look at the lens and what you can expect from it.

10 Great Hacks for Using the New Rode Wireless GO Microphones

The Rode Wirelss GO Compact Digital Wireless microphones have been a bit of a game-changer when it comes to ease of recording audio. This short video gives you ten excellent ideas of how to make the most from this very affordable piece of gear.

What Happens When You Put a Mega-Size Lens on a Gimbal and Shoot Video?

Some things involving esoteric and expensive gear we do because they help us bring our creative visions to fruition or enable new technical capabilities that can improve the quality or efficiency of our work. Some things we do just because we can. This video is about the latter.

Panasonic Releases Firmware 2.0 for S1H Camera: 5.9K Raw Video Over HDMI

The Panasonic S1H is already quite the powerhouse camera, with impressive specs that should satisfy the needs of lots of filmmakers and videographers. Panasonic is increasing the camera's capabilities all the more with the release of firmware 2.0, which will enable 5.9K raw video output over HDMI.