Recent Gear Articles

Fstoppers Review of the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K RAW Cinema Camera

Blackmagic sent me one of their 4.6K URSA Mini Cameras to play with, and after just a few short days of messing around with it, the URSA Mini certainly made an impression. A RAW, 16-bit, 4608 pixel-wide impression to be specific. In short, this camera system is a beast, and comes at a price point that is very attractive.

Fstoppers Review of the Wotancraft Ranger

I know. It’s another one of those dang camera bag reviews. It’s a bag and it holds a camera, why does there need to be a full on review? Well in this case, because Wotancraft is not a well-known name in the industry and there is not a ton of information out there about their products in comparison to other brands. Their Ranger bag is also really good looking. It’s fashioned after World War II military bags and is completely handmade. Plus, I’m a sucker for a good bag review.

Fstoppers Reviews the Canon EOS M6 Mark II

Canon recently launched the successor to the EOS M6 with the aptly named EOS M6 Mark II. It's a seemingly innocent camera that looks almost exactly like its predecessor but is packed with very significant upgrades inside.

Fstoppers Reviews the Hasselblad X1D II

For those of you who haven't heard of Hasselblad, they were one of the first cameras used to shoot from space and are known today to be one of the top medium format companies around. With a recent release of their X1D II and a unique digital back for their v-system, what is it like to shoot with one of these cameras?

Is a 70-135mm f/2L Zoom Lens on the Way From Canon?

Canon's RF 28-70mm f/2L lens has been lauded for its great image quality and for pushing the boundaries of optical design. It seems the company may not be done with such lenses, as rumors of an RF 70-135mm f/2L have emerged.

Hands On Video Review Of The Canon 5DS R

Canon's answer to the wildly popular Nikon D800/D810 is here and it is named the 5DS R. This camera is the same as the 5DS but the low pass filter on the sensor has been removed. In theory this camera should be sharper than the standard 5DS but Chris Niccolls decided to put it to the test.

How to Shoot Better Photos on Your Mobile Phone

You might not always have your camera body on you but what about your mobile phone? Learn the basics of shooting better photographs on your mobile so wherever you go, you'll always know how to make the most of the device you've got with you.

Rokinon's New 14mm f/2.8 Lens Now Has Autofocus

Rokinon is adding to their line up once again with a new lens design that may delight many photographers.The Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 lens looks to be designed in the new style the lens family has adopted the past year. This new lens added to the lineup will hopefully impress not only the daytime shooters, but also the nighttime astrophotographers that have leaned on Rokinon lenses for Milky Way and wide-angle night sky imagery over the past few years.

How to Spend Money Wisely as a Photographer

With 2018 being the year of mirrorless, it is tempting for many of us to fall into the trap of trying to spend our way to good photography rather than using our own talents. And while having appropriate gear is essential to the trade, it’s equally important to think twice before sacrificing your business for the latest trends.

Canon Upgrades Popular Rebel Series with the T5i

In addition to announcing the brand new Rebel SL1, Canon also upgraded the the popular T4i with the all new Rebel T5i. To be honest, I can't see all that much different between the T4i and T5i. Same processor, same megapixel count, same ISO range, and same frames per second performance. Hm.

Artra Lab NOCTY-NONIKKOR 50mm f/1.2: A Retro-Inspired Manual Lens for Bokeh Lovers

Manual focus lenses are seeing a resurgence, combining vintage aesthetics with modern optical designs. The Artra Lab NOCTY-NONIKKOR 50mm f/1.2 fits into this trend, delivering a fully manual experience while embracing the style and charm of classic lenses. With a fast f/1.2 aperture and all-metal build, it promises to appeal to those who value craftsmanship and creative control.

Canon Highlights 3 New Lenses in Their Photokina Announcement

Along side the announcement of the much anticipated 7d Mark II, Canon also highlights three new lenses to their lineup - the 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM, the 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, and the 24mm f/2.8 STM Pancake lens. With many of them sporting the STM autofocus, it's obvious that Canon is looking to compliment those with video in mind.

The GoPro MAX: First Impressions After a Day of Filming With GoPro's Brand New 360 Camera

GoPro has just launched the GoPro MAX, a 360 camera that’s quite difficult to sum up in a few words. Videographer Claudiu Voicu and I had the opportunity to play with it for a few days last week, and even though we ended up destroying it by accidentally dropping it off a roof, first impressions are that it is a lot of fun, especially for content creators seeking to create interesting footage on the fly.

[Gear] iPad3 = Happy Photographers

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...

The Best Battery Powered Strobe You Can Buy

If you're in the market for a new, battery-powered strobe/flash, you've come to the right place. In this video/post we will compare the top 8 battery-powered monolights currently on the market.

What You Need to Know About ND Filters for Photography

ND filters are some of the most commonly used photography accessories out there, and they are great for both creative and technical applications. If you have not used them before, this great video will show you how they work and what they are useful for.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR Lens

A superzoom lens can be tremendously convenient and useful in any situation where you need a lot of focal lengths at the same time or want to avoid changing lenses due to the environment. For Nikon mirrorless shooters, there is the 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens, and this excellent video review takes a look at the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

What to Upgrade First; Light, Modifier, Camera, or Lens

Knowing what will have the biggest impact on your image quality is hard, as it varies so much from genre to genre. For still life and food photography, this is the order of importance I have come up with.

Avoid Photography-Related Injury With This One Simple Tip

Throughout the course of long, mentally intensive days covering events from behind a camera, likely the last thing on your mind is maintaining good balanced posture or equal weight distribution. String multiple days like this together in a short period of time and you are unknowingly causing long-term havoc onto your body, especially as this repeats and builds over longer periods.

Samsung Announces 450MB/s Super Portable SSD T3

Samsung's Portable SSD T1, has been a fantastically tiny and handy external drive since its inception. Yesterday, for CES 2016, Samsung announced its successor, the Portable SSD T3, sharing many of the same features with the T1, such as the claimed 450MB/s transfer rate, 850 EVO-based NAND flash memory, and AES 256-bit encryption that won't slow the drive down. Meanwhile, a new shockproof design almost doubles the weight and adds to its bulk a bit, but protects the drive in up to 1500 g drops. Also new to the line is the 2 TB capacity and USB-C connection.

A Review of the Fujifilm X-H2 Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm X-H2 brought the company's first high-resolution sensor to the X Series along with a variety of upgrades and new features, all with the classic Fujifilm experience, making it a desirable camera for a wide range of users. This excellent video review takes a look at the new camera and the sort of image quality and performance you will be able to expect from it in usage.

Nikon Z9 Firmware Update Makes It Even More Incredible

The Nikon Z-series has a highly impressive firmware update coming, particularly for the Z9. Version 2.0 turns Z9 into a videography and sports photography titan, and if you have any interest in using it for either of those (or a great many other uses), you're going to want to check this out.