Recent Gear Articles

A Review of the Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera

The EOS R is Canon's first serious entry into the mirrorless market, and it has definitely been a bit of a polarizing camera. This fairly comprehensive review takes a good look at the camera and what Canon got both right and wrong with it.

Leica Announces New Leica M-P 240 with Increased Buffer and Understated Aesthetics

Today Leica announced a complementary upgrade to the Leica M, the M-P 240. As in the past, the 'P' designation here implies features are catered toward that of the press photographer. The M-P's virtually scratch-proof sapphire crystal display with anti-glare coatings provide for better outdoor viewing, a doubled memory buffer size now at 2GB allows for longer continuous shooting, and a viewfinder selector displays bright framing options for various focal lengths that help make composition and lens-choice decisions before changing lenses.

Is Micro Four Thirds Useful for Landscape Photography?

When it comes to landscape photography, there are generally three sensor sizes: APS-C, full frame, and medium format, but even smaller than APS-C is micro four thirds. In a genre that often requires significant physical exertion, such portable cameras can be quite attractive, but can those especially small sensors keep up with the demands of professionals and enthusiasts? This great video takes a look.

A Look at the Affordable and Versatile Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens

Tamron really hit it out of the park with the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD, which offered an incredible balance between performance, image quality, portability, and, perhaps most importantly of all, price. The second iteration of the lens is now available, and it builds on the original with a range of improvements. This excellent video review takes a look at the new version and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

This Legendary Camera Is Just $330

There have been a few digital cameras that have been landmarks in the industry, whether as major technological steps forward or impressive performers. One such groundbreaking camera was the Canon 5D Mark II, and this neat video takes a look at the camera and how you can still use it for great shots even 14 years after it was released.

Our Long-term Review of the Think Tank Airport Security Trolley

It has been 11 years since I bought the Think Tank Airport Security V2 trolley as my main bag for weddings. It served its purpose, and I’m still happy with the bag. In this article, I want to review the bag based on my findings from the first moment I bought the Think Tank trolley back in 2011.

Check Out This New Camera Stabilizer That Costs $45,000

The Steadicam was invented in 1975 as a mechanical way of stabilizing video cameras. In 2013 Freefly introduced the Movi, an electronic gimbal that basically made your average Steadicam obsolete. Since then the price of electronic gimbals has plummeted to a level that the average consumer can actually afford. That hasn't stopped Sachtler from creating a hybrid stabilizer that costs $45,000.

Just How Good Is the Tiny Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH. Lens?

At just two inches long and 4.6 ounces (130 g) in weight, the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens is ridiculously portable, making it a great wide angle option for Micro Four Thirds photographers and filmmakers. If you are looking for a wide angle lens with a wide aperture for your kit, check out this awesome video review that takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

9 Stupid Reasons to Buy a New Camera

There are a million reasons to buy a new camera. Some are more valid than others. In this article, I take a look at some of the silliest rationales for buying new cameras.

Westcott Flex: First of Its Kind Now Available

Announced earlier this year, the Westcott Flex is now available in stores. This unique device bridges the gap between a light and a light modifier, as it is a little bit of both. This fully­ bendable mat features a 10” x 10” surface lined with 166 dimmable LED diodes and outlined with a moldable 1⁄4” black frame. Weighing in at just 5 ounces, its compact design allows it to be easily concealed on set and allows for easy travel.

A Beginner's Guide to Lens Hoods

It is not probably a topic that has you glued to the edge of your seat with anticipation, but few accessories can have a more universally positive effect on your image quality than a lens hood. If you are new to photography, this helpful video will explain how they work and why so many photographers use them.

Fstoppers Reviews the HoldFast Roamographer Camera Bag

HoldFast is known throughout the photography community for their amazing and well-made dual camera straps. What most people don't realize is that they also have a camera bag. The Roamographer bag has the same attention to detail as their straps and is also constructed out of the same great-looking leather. It's designed to look like a vintage doctor's bag and provides both style and function.

Adobe Makes $9.99 Photography Plan Permanent

That's right, the highly popular Photography Plan that Adobe seemed to continually threaten was going to be a limited-time deal, is finally a permanent pricing fixture. They are removing Behance Pro Site from the bundle, but it does contain Photoshop, Lightroom (on desktop and mobile) and now integrates the newly announced Photoshop Mix.

Fstoppers Reviews The Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL

When I first started shooting flash, I would lug my big studio lights and battery packs from location to location. But after a while, this became such a hassle that I stopped doing it. I instead settled for using a hot shoe flash or just shooting with no flash at all. But this may change now that Elinchrom has the new ELB 500 TTL. Not only does this light offer a significant increase in power compared to a traditional hot shoe flash, but it also does it with a much smaller package than standard studio lights while maintaining the benefits of TTL and HSS.

Colorspike: A New Way to Add Color to Your Work

Looking for an easier way to light up your subject in a variety of different ways? The creative duo from Bitbanger Labs that launched the pixelstick is back with a new invention, colorspike. It’s an animation-driven light that with photographers and video shooters alike.

Do You Need to Upgrade? A Comparison of the Sony a7R IV to the a7R III

Sony surprised pretty much everyone when they recently announced the a7R IV, the latest in their line of high-resolution full frame cameras and an update to the a7R III. While the a7R IV has a lot of great features and upgrades, the a7R III is quite the powerhouse itself, and you may be wondering if you need to upgrade. This great video overview discusses the differences between the two and will help you decide which is right for you.

Tamron Is Releasing a Ton of Lenses for Sony Cameras Soon

Tamron has been absolutely killing it with their highly lauded lenses for Sony's full frame cameras, the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD and 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD. It seems the company is showing no signs of stopping, with an announcement of four brand new lenses on its way in October.

What Is the Best Supertelephoto Zoom Lens for Sony Cameras?

Supertelephoto zoom lenses are some of the most versatile out there, suitable for a wide range of genres and scenarios. Sony shooters have a lot of great choices when it comes to such lenses, and this excellent video compares four of the best options from Sony, Sigma, and Tamron.

6 Reasons To Shoot 4k Video Even If You Can't View It Yet

Last week I wrote a post about how Nikon really needs to jump on the 4k bandwagon. I got a few comments that basically said; "Why do you care about 4k? nobody even owns a 4k TV at this point." They were right, 4k TVs aren't very popular, but I have no interest in producing 4k videos right now. I want to shoot 4k footage to enhance my 1080p videos.

Fstoppers Reviews the Hasselblad X1D-50c

The Hasselblad X1D-50c is one of the more recent of the more affordable medium-format digital cameras to come out. And it sports Sony’s 50-megapixel CMOS sensor that has made these cameras much more affordable than their predecessors — all in a body that is by no small margin the most compact and portable in its class. The only question is can it perform?

GH5 Owners Choose Teams Over Autofocus Issues

A few days ago I wrote a post about the issues many GH5 users were having with continuous autofocus while recording video. Instead of trying to determine if there is in fact a problem or not, many photographers have simply chosen a "team" as they pick one of two sides; The GH5 is either the most incredible camera created by God himself, or it's total crap.

What's the Best Computer for Your Work, the Mac Studio M1 Ultra or MacBook Pro M1 Max?

Apple's M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra chips have blown the doors off the industry by providing highly powerful performance with equally impressive efficiency to match. The Max and Ultra chips sit at the top of the line, but the Ultra chip is only available in the desktop Mac Studio. So, should you opt for the Studio and its top-level power or the versatility of a MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip? This excellent video comparison will help you decide.