Gear

For the photographer who likes to travel light, it has always been a challenge to find flash modifiers that are both effective and easy to use on the go. ExpoImaging has long been making accessories, but their recently released Rogue diffusion panels for their popular FlashBenders will be a welcome addition to any strobist’s kit.

Photographer, Michael J Moore was granted access to a creepy and abandoned state mental hospital for this fashion shoot. He used a combination of lighting setups but mainly, the Phase One 645DF camera with a Profoto 8A 2400W and various Profoto strobes. With all three different lighting set ups, Michael did a great job at capturing that Vanity Fair-esque look that we all know so well.

As photographers, we are always in search of that new unique lighting modifier to add to our bag of tricks. I recently saw this video on Strobist where Amber Gray claims her Broncolor Para FB could actually reduce the amount of post production on her models. That statement seemed a bit bold when I first heard it; usually I credit a great makeup artist for awesome skin texture rather than a specific light. I've never used a ring flash

The web is abuzz with comparison articles on which $3000 DSLR camera is the best bang for the buck. Kevin Good with CrisisLab recently did a side by side comparison of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800 in several real world tests. His tests include Resolution, Rolling Shutter, High ISO Test, and Durability. Each test was conducted to the highest of standards and perhaps might be the most scientific review I've seen yet. Now off to Craigslist to find me some models!

Fstoppers reader Jason Kolsch just put together a beautiful 2 minute promo video of the new Nikon D4. The D4 is shooting stills at an impressive 11 frames per second but the Phantom (the camera that this video was shot with) was shooting at 1000 frames per second. The beauty of gadgets in motion should bring a tear to any nerds eye.

We get asked to show our lighting for our Fstoppers Original interviews all the time but it seems like we always forget to shoot our lighting schemes. StillMotion just released a killer video that shows how they light interviews with key, fill, hair, and background lights. By using Profoto's new HMI lights with Air remotes, you can easily change the output of each light without moving from behind your camera. Of course all of this still applies to still photography as well.

The Canon 5D MkIII and the Nikon D800 are two of the hottest cameras on the market right now. In this video commercial photographer Nathan Elson joins up with The Camera Store's Chris Niccolls to see how these two cameras stack up in the image quality department. Enjoy!

Are you in the market for a new camera/laptop bag? Before you buy a common backpack, you may want to check out the One System by Undfind. The One System includes the One Bag (a messenger style bag) that can hold a laptop or tons of camera gear, and the smaller Waist Shooter that can hold a ton of useful camera accessories at your hip.

In the age of cutting back and serving the mass consumer, seemingly little has been done to cater to smaller, more precisely defined markets. But Canon's new 60Da announced today marks an exception. The camera, now available for pre-order on BHPhotoVideo or Adorama, is Canon's first since 2005's 20Da to be specifically suited for astrophotography with increased infra-red sensitivity to better and more accurately capture the colors of the celestial sky. Find more info and photos as they unfold after the jump!

Perhaps no DSLR camera has caused such a stir as Nikon's new 36mp DSLR camera. Not only does it provide the most megapixels of any compact DSLR yet, but it also falls below the $3,000 mark! But the question everyone has is "can a small 35mm sensor really come close to the quality of a large medium format camera?" The guys over at DSLR Magazine put the Nikon D800 up against the Hasselblad H4D-40, Leica S2, and Sigma SD1 to find out. The results will most certainly shock you!

Hot on the heels of NAB 2012, Sony's Europe website posted the NEX-FS700E Camcorder. The hitlist of features include a Super35mm CMOS Sensor, 4K RAW output with a future upgrade, up to 240fps @ 1080p, built-in ND filters, and 50/60Hz switching. Pricing is still unannounced, but EOSHD's sources tell them it will only be $8,000! Hit the jump for actual product images and a detailed feature list.

Pye Jirsa from SLRLounge.com recently sat down with Peter Hurley for an exclusive interview. Peter talks about his history as a photographer, his DVD, his favorite gear, business techniques, and PH2. Peter is a huge character and as always he makes the interview a pretty entertaining watch.

Via NikonRumors, this is something everyone should know about: a do-it-yourself $30 wifi kit for the Nikon D4! It really speaks for itself. Read on for the details. Who knows, maybe something similar could be done for the 1D X. I wouldn't be surprised at all...

Between great announcements, imagined concepts, and juicy rumors, there's never a dull time for gearheads. These last few weeks are no exception. In the full post, read of Zeiss' new 15mm lens, the only Leica you can bring to a white party, some w i d e Hasselblad rumors, and then some.

It's bound to happen. With new gear comes new bugs and Canon Rumors has already reported on the first two issues with Canon's 5D MarkIII.

Issue One:
Image Stabilization Noise
A couple of lenses have been exhibiting strange noises when the shutter button is half depressed on the 5d MarkIII but the image quality is not affected and the noise does not occur during Live View. The two known affected lenses are

Everyone knows that Rebates come and go. Right now however many companies have substantial rebates on some of their top gear. The bad news is apparently a lot of these rebates are coming to an end on April 1st (no joke here). We recently got a phone call from the guys at BH Photo, and I've combined all the major deals into one post. If you are in need of some new lenses, cameras, or computer storage, be sure to check out the full post.

Even though both Patrick and I purchased the Nikon D4 and D800 the day the preorder became available (and we are NPS members) the cameras still have not been shipped to us. Ironically B&H was kind enough to send us a 5DM3 for review and we should receive it by tomorrow. Neither of us are Canon shooters so our review may take a while but until then, check out this full review by Philip Bloom.

Photographer Dave Hamilton takes us behind the scenes on his latest shoot with hockey legend, Trevor Linden. This video is very informative and well produced - including a lighting diagram for each of the different setups. Aiming to get that perfect cover shot for Vancouver View Magazine's April 2012 issue, Dave was able to get some nice shots using his Canon 5D Mark II.

TrekPak on KickStarter is one of the lastest funding projects aimed at photographers. A innovated design that allows owners of large camera bags and pelican cases alike, easy adjustments of compartment space without having to fight with velcro inserts.

What is going on with cameras these days? First we learned that the $6000 Nikon D4 is not a significant improvement over the D3S in terms of resolution or ISO performance. Now we are hearing that the Canon 5D Mark III is not a significant jump in video quality compared to the 5D Mark II that was released 4 years ago. I was shocked to see this video of a $900 Panasonic GH2 outperforming the $3500 5DM3 in terms of sharpness. Check out the full write up and 100% screen caps at EOSHD.

Last week one of the most respected camera review sites, DxOMark, listed the brand new Nikon D4 as the best digital DSLR camera to date. The D4 ranked so well that it was actually the 2nd best digital camera period falling behind only by the Phase One IQ180. Today both those cameras fall to a shocking competitor..the much less expensive Nikon D800!

Adobe releases a new version of it's flagship editing software Photoshop every year or two. Usually the releases are pretty uneventful except for a few new automated features that full time editors rarely use. Adobe Photoshop CS6 changes this trend and might be the biggest revamp to the photo editing software yet. You can download Photoshop CS6 Beta here to test the software for free, and in the full post I'll touch on a few key features that might make this update worth considering.

You may remember Canon's promo video for the 5d Mark III that I posted a couple of weeks ago, which showcased the, ehem, interesting sport of Radball. Love it or hate it, I think we can at least agree that it was pretty entertaining. Canon recently released a companion to the promo video which goes behind the scenes into the filming of the piece.

The Nikon D4 may not be a huge improvement over the D3S in terms of image quality but as a video camera there is no comparison. The most important updates include audio controls that allow you to dial in silky smooth sounding audio from an external mic as well as an audio out jack for headphone monitoring. The camera can also shoot at 1080P in standard full frame, 1.5 crop, or 2.7 crop meaning that you now can get almost a 200mm reach from a 24-70mm lens without losing quality. In this video I'll show you how to manage these new features.

As a wedding photographer I was really never interested in the D800. 36mp in ideal light for commercial jobs sounds fantastic but shooting thousands of images in a dark reception hall and having to deal with massive files horrified me. Because of this I purchased a D4 hoping for high ISO performance in a more manageable 16mp file. After I tested the performance of the D4 in low light and finding it was no better than the D3S, I am giving the D800 a second look.

Last night we put 3 Nikon cameras up against the new Nikon D4 in a studio ISO test and the D3s won. Don't get me wrong, the D4 files look fantastic, and beyond ISO 6400 the D4 did have slightly less color noise compared to the D3s but when we compared the images side by side we saw a pretty significant drop in contrast and sharpness. Even though the D4 has more megapixels, it appeared to be capturing less detail.

Photographer/film-maker Jason Bognacki successfully attached a 93 year old camera to his Canon 5D. It's a Piccolette Contessa-Nettel (1919) folding camera. Check out the results and see for yourself. The images are so much sharper than you might expect. What do you think?

Hello Fstoppers' Fans. We just wanted to give Peter Hurley a well deserved pat on the back for just being featured in the Gadgetwise section of the New York Times and to toot our own horn over the success of our first full length tutorial DVD. If you're still in the dark and don't know what all the hype is about then check out the published article where Peter shares a small part of the DVD with, "Six Tips for Better Portraits". Or you can skip all that and jump right into grabbing, "The Art Behind The Headshot" DVD. The most comprehensive DVD on how to get the ideal headshots for your clients.

Yesterday we got a call from LensProToGo.com and they told us that they had gotten in the new Nikon D4. Both Patrick and I bought the camera but it isn't due to show up before Monday. LensProToGo said they would over night the camera to me so that we could get a head start on reviewing the camera and now I will be able to shoot a real wedding with it tomorrow. This is the unboxing video of our first Nikon D4.

We all fall off the tech wheel every now and then. And lately, it's been anything but easy to keep up with all that's been happening. Well, worry not. We have an update for you on everything that's happened and everything that should happen soon. Read on for info on Canon, Nikon, Leica, and Zeiss...

The Nikon D800 has been much criticized for its enormous megapixel count. And some have worried that packing 36 megapixels into a full frame sensor might lead to decreased low-light performance. These samples, however, push those worries aside. It's no D4, but for 36 megapixels, I think Nikon should win an award for this. Canon took a different route with the 22-megapixel 5D Mark III, but that paid off, too. See for yourself in the full post!

It's already been an exciting month for gear enthusiasts. Obviously, the major camera body announcements from Canon and Nikon have taken most of the spotlight. We have also seen new Pocket Wizards, as well as a shinny new version of Adobe Lightroom 4 come out. But what about the glass? Sure, Canon revised a few lenses, but I'm talking about a whole new lens. Carl Zeiss is apparently looking to step up and fill this void.

Canon's flagship 1D X was announced quite early. But thankfully, it's now available for pre-order at B&H PhotoVideo or at Adorama! The 1D X features full 1080p video, better autofocus, an insane 12fps continuous shooting at the full 18 megapixels, and improved metering, among plenty of other features you'd expect from the best of the best at Canon. Find all the information you'd want on Canon's page. B&H even says quantity is limited, so if you want it anytime soon, pre-order now!

If you grew up during the late 1980s through early 1990s, then you can remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Using a combination of action figures, about 60 hand-drawn backdrops, and over 4,000 individual images, director Kyle Roberts pays tribute to this classic cartoon with a stop motion animation. This is one you won't want to miss.

In this oh so clever DIY video by Casey Neistat, he shows us how he fashioned a replacement lens hood on his Sigma lens by re-using the cap from a peanut butter jar. I'm sure that this method wouldn't work with every lens but if you ever get into a situation like this and need a quick fix, this video just might come in handy.

With NAB just around the corner, the rumor mill has started to spin with regards to what Canon is planning on announcing near the start of the annual video conference held in Las Vegas. Contenders include a 4K DSLR style camera, new cinema lenses similar to those released back in November, or something completely different.

While drinking my morning coffee, happstr (a curious little site that helps you find your happy place) asked me, "What makes you happy?" My wonderfully supportive and beautiful wife? A photo career that nurtures my soul? Having the freedom to live anywhere and do anything I want? And then it hit me. It's the 9th and exactly one week from today, Apple's "the new iPad" will be on the shelves. You know you're a gadget fanatic when...

BH Photo's double instant rebates are back from now until March 31st. You can save up to $400.00 on cameras, lenses and speedlights. They are currently offering the double rebates on the Canon 60D, Canon 7D, and the 5D Mark II.

Brothers Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas make quite the team. They're wildlife photographers based in Britain who have devised some clever means to get closer to some of the world's most dangerous animals. In 2009, they created a remote-controlled camera nicknamed BeetleCam and set out to photograph animals in their natural habitat. Armed with the knowledge they gained from the first trip, they went back a second time, and their results are nothing short of stunning.

Today, Lightroom 4 is available for pre-order through B&H or on Amazonfor $150 and will likely start shipping as soon as tomorrow. The price is news on its own, as it's half the price of previously released versions of Lightroom. Adobe is really making this accessible to everyone!

The next evolution on the Intuos line is here with the Intuos5. After our initial first impressions, we decided to take a closer look at this tablet, along with a comparative look at what changes Wacom has made from the Intuos4. With this review, you'll be able to get a full undisclosed look at one of the best tablets to date.

Canon France has just released what has got to be the most interesting promo video for a new camera in some time. Not only do we get a sneak peek at the video quality and capabilities of the 5d Mark III, but we also get a look into the sport of Radball: something I can only describe as "soccer meeting BMX meeting Urban Outfitters."

Hey guys! Creative Motion Design is in their final month of the Nikon D3x Camera giveaway which means you've still got a chance to enter and win big! All you have to do is log onto Creative Motion Design's Facebook page and enter an image that correlates with this month's theme, "water". If you win March's theme, you'll automatically be entered into the final contest to win a Nikon D3x.

To our surprise, Wacom was generous enough to send us one of their brand new Intuos5 graphic tablets to review. If you missed the press release, check it out here. We were elated to get out hands on the next version of the popular Intuos line to test out so soon! We also have a set of unboxing pictures below for you to check out. Although we will have a full detailed review soon, here is our first impressions of the Intuos5.

It seems with every new version of Photoshop, Adobe finds a way to add something both useful and unbelievable. First we had the new Content Aware. Then rumors of a tool that makes your blurry images sharp and focused. Now apparently Photoshop CS6 is going to let you add nearly authentic shallow depth of field to your otherwise infinitely sharp photos. Obviously most photographers will do this with a fast lens but

Hey Guys! Hopefully you've been saving up because the Canon EOS 5D Mark III is now available for pre-order at BH Photo, Adorama and Amazon! If you're still on the fence, read all about the specs in our previous post here.

[BH Photo] [Amazon] [Adorama]

Along with the 5D Mark III just announced, Canon announced a new speedlight, the 600EX-RT. The 600EX-RT is Canon's first speedlight to introduce a wireless radio capable of communicating with up to 15 other units at a range of 30m. Just as impressively, the flash features the same weatherproofing standard as Canon's flagship 1D X. Pre-Order the new speedlight at B&H.

You heard right: the camera that changed everything has been updated! The preferred video DSLR of the industry just got even better with the Canon 5D MKIII (pre-order at BHphotovideo). But is this new camera good enough to withstand the pressure from Nikon's two new bodies? MAYBE... Read on to find out all the new features, accessories, and how it stacks up against the latest DSLRs.

Big fan of tablets? Today, Wacom announced the release of the newest addition to the Intuos family, the Intuos5. With the addition of multi-touch options (recognizing both Windows and Macintosh gestures), a heads-up display system called Express View, an upgraded ergonomic pen (although all Wacom pens will work with the Intuos5), and optional wireless connectivity, the Intuos5 looks to offer everything current tablet users have been clamoring for.