Recent Gear Articles

Wacom Announces Two New Cintiq Interactive Pen Displays

Wacom just announced the impending release of two new Cintiq interactive pen displays to their line of tablet/monitor hybrid products- a widescreen HD model as well as a widescreen HD touch Cintiq. In case you didn't know, the Cintiq is like an art board as a monitor, allowing you to use the popular Wacom pens directly onto a screen rather having a separate tablet.

A First Look at the New Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Canon's latest lens, the RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM, is here, and it promises some of the most extreme design and optical performance ever seen, making it an especially intriguing option for a wide range of photographers, including sports and wildlife shooters. This excellent video takes a look at the new lens and what you might be able to expect from it.

TTArtisan's 27mm f/2.8 Punches Well Above Its Weight Class for APS-C Shooters

The TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 lens has garnered attention among photographers seeking an affordable, compact prime lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Available for Fujifilm X, Sony E, and Nikon Z mounts, this lens offers a 40.5mm full frame equivalent focal length, making it versatile for various photography genres, including street, travel, and everyday shooting.

Adventure Camera Bag Solution: Two Red Tabs

I work in some pretty inhospitable environments; in places that take multiple planes, trains, and automobiles to get to. I'm typically trying to manipulate my bags and gear at -31F (-35C), or 100F (40C), trying to get my gear out for a shot in a blizzard, or while bouncing along in a soaking wet zodiac. I've been searching for the perfect bag for a long time.

Fstoppers Reviews the Wotancraft Scout Camera Bag

More and more photographers are starting to adopt a minimalist approach to their photography gear. What this means is that users want and need smaller bags that accommodate their gear. Having a small camera body and a couple lenses is almost useless if you have to let them rattle around in larger traditional camera bags. Fashioned after WWII army backpacks, the Wotancraft Scout shoulder bag has the looks and size to fill this need, but does it have the functionality to stand out in the growing market?

A Review of the Fujifilm GFX 100S Medium Format Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm GFX 100 turned a lot of heads upon its release, offering a modern medium format sensor and features normally reserved for full frame cameras, all in a package that cost less than $10,000. Then came the GFX 100S, which kept almost all the features of the GFX 100 and cut its size and price nearly in half. This great video review takes a look at the camera and how it performs in the real world.

First Look at the New Fujifilm X-T3

Fujifilm is considered the leader in the APS-C mirrorless camera market with its renowned X-Trans sensor technology and high-quality lenses. In this video, you’ll find all the details about the latest X series model released by Fuji: the new X-T3.

"Snap Focus" Pulls Focus On DSLRs Using Bicycle Brake Levers

Filmmaker Brandon David Cole recently started a Kickstarter Campaign for an interesting new product called the "Snap Focus". This device uses brake levers like those found on bike handlebars to add tension through an interchangeable gear system, turning the focus rings of DSLR lenses, effectively creating a very quick rack focus adjustment. Check out Brandon's Kickstarter page for more details on this sweet looking focus puller.

What It Takes to Score American Sports' Biggest Assignment: Super Bowl 50

Your headache from over-drinking (either in celebration or in deep depression) may be wearing off, but for those that had to photograph Super Bowl 50, that headache began days before the big day. The preparation for covering the game took its toll on those that enable us look back on it this week. Fstoppers caught up with ESPN photographer Andrew Hancock to get a look into the gear, setup, and planning to cover the most important event of America’s favorite sport.

Are Modern Camcorders Worth It?

When I worked in camera marketing, one of the toughest sells around the mid-2010s was camcorders. Why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars when a DSLR can give you equivalent image quality and, on paper, do more? YouTuber Tom Buck answers that question after a couple of months of using one.

Manfrotto Releases Six New Carry-on Roller Bags for Camera Gear

If you travel with gear, you know one of the most important rules to follow is to carry on all the cameras and lenses and pricey equipment you can. The expanded line of Manfrotto's Pro Light Reloader carry-on trolleys are designed to meet these needs of traveling creators.

A Review of the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens

The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM lens is an absolute monster in both size and ambition, blowing past the traditional professional zoom aperture of f/2.8 by a full stop and offering photographers a uniquely capable piece of equipment. Is it worth the size and the price? This excellent review takes a look at the lens to help answer that question.

Fstoppers Reviews the Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

Specialized lenses are tricky things. Since they are built for a set of specific purposes in mind, they really need to follow through on that small list of tasks lest they be discarded as an unnecessary expenditure. That is a lot of pressure to make an outstanding lens, so how did Sigma fare with their new 180mm f/2.8 macro? Is it a good addition to your lens collection?

Polarpro’s New Products To Help You Get To Grips With Your Leica Q3 or Fuji X100 Series

If you own a Leica Q3 or Fuji X100 series camera, you’ll fit into one of two camps: those who love the simple, old-school design of the cameras and are happy to use them as is, or those who don’t like the lack of grip. Up until now, there have been very few options to help those wanting a more comfortable solution when holding their little retro-styled cameras. But fear not, PolarPro has just launched a few products to solve this issue. And one of those options is rather sexy too!

Affordable Reach: A Review of the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary Lens

A decade ago, high quality supertelephoto zoom lenses were generally the exclusive domain of first party manufacturers, but in the past few years, companies like Tamron and Sigma have brought affordable and well-performing alternatives to the market. This great review takes a look at one such lens, the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary.

My First Experience Using Hasselblad (X2D Review)

I've never had the highest opinion of Hasselblad. 10-15 years ago I saw two of them completely fail on set. I saw them struggle with autofocus even in a bright environment. I've seen my cheap DSLR take better-looking images in low light.

Five Strategies to Protect Yourself From Losing Camera Gear

Photographers love gear, so we tend to get somewhat upset when gear goes missing. Not only is gear quite expensive, but it often worms its way into our hearts. Our gear often becomes a pride and joy. As a result we want to avoid losing gear as much as humanly possible. Here are some of my favorite strategies for making sure that all my gear comes home with me after every shoot.

Does Fujifilm Finally Have a Fast Nifty Fifty and Is It Worth Buying?

Last month, Fujifilm quietly revealed that it would be opening up the API around its lens autofocus to allow other manufacturers to start making lenses. Following on from the well-received and affordable 85mm f/1.8, Viltrox has created a 33mm f/1.4 — in effect, a nifty fifty — and the early reviews are starting to appear.

Fstoppers Reviews the Fotodiox Wonderpana System for Wide-Angle Lenses

Some people love filters. I personally really like neutral density filters and I know there are those who swear by UV filters. For those of us who love these little glass lens enhancers, we have to separate from that love when we use ultra wide-angle lenses. That is, we used to. Not anymore thanks to Fotodiox’s Wonderpana system which is designed to give us the freedom to use those filters even on convex front elements.

The Perfect Travel Strobe? We Review the Profoto A2

You’d be hard-pressed to find a portable flash at the level of Profoto A2 in terms of build quality, size, weight, power, ease of use, and consistency. It is genuinely a tiny marvel for any photographer. It is almost hilariously simple to set up, and yet, it delivers terrific results. Best of all, if you buy a Profoto A2 between now and October 31, you get a Connect remote for free.

Rode Wireless Go II Review: Buy It Now

The original Rode Wireless Go was probably the best microphone system for the money when it came out. The new version, the Rode Wireless Go II, is better in every single way and still incredibly affordable.

The New Echelon Bag Collection by Lowepro Brings Luxury to the Modern Photographer

Announced this morning at the opening of WPPI, was the new Echelon collection from LowePro. The Echelon collection is designed to blend form with function to create some of the best, and most stylistic bags available for photographers. Not only am I able to announce the new series, over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to try these new bags out.

Canon R3 Versus Sony a1: Which Has Better Autofocus?

Canon’s latest full frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R3, was launched only a few months ago, and we’ve had to wait patiently to find out how its autofocus system compares with that of one of its biggest rivals, the Sony a1. This video puts the pair head to head in a real-world situation.

Fstoppers Reviews the Fujifilm GF 110mm f/2 R

Fujifilm set the bar for APS-C portrait lenses with their phenomenal XF 56mm f/1.2 a few years back and they have done the same for digital medium format with the GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR. The GFX system is an exceptional fit for those shooting high-end portraiture and the GF 110mm f/2 is quite possibly the perfect portrait lens for this application.

How Good Is the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 Macro for Portraits?

Buying a macro lens is useful for a lot of photographers in a number of different genres, however, it's a difficult purchase to justify if you do not do much macro photography specifically. If it had some other purposes it would be a more palatable purchase, and if you take any portraits, it does have.

Surprising Words of Wisdom on Choosing the Right Film Camera

Hamish Gill, who runs a fantastic film-centric blog, 35mmc, has a great article up that addresses an often-asked question he receives: "Which film camera should I buy?" The spoiler is he doesn't have an answer.

5 Misleading Specs That Can Trick Camera Buyers

If you're looking at buying a new piece of equipment, you will likely just look at the spec sheet and compare it to something similar. But even the numbers don't tell the full story.