Recent Gear Articles

Can a $500 Medium Format Zoom Lens Produce Worthwhile Images?

It is no secret that Fuji has been rewriting the paradigm of camera cost by bringing medium format cameras to the market at prices that compete with full frame options, but now, they are doing the same with medium format lenses, offering a zoom that costs just $500 when purchased as part of a kit with the new GFX 50S II. Is it any good? This great video review takes a first look.

5 Things Camera Manufacturers Can and Should Do

In years of covering product announcements and trends for Fstoppers, I’ve observed a camera industry caught between reverence for its storied past and the gravitational pull of an ever-shifting technological landscape. The last decade has introduced mirrorless revolutions, ever-higher resolutions, astonishing autofocus gains, and previously unthinkable low-light capabilities. Yet it’s clear that technical specs alone no longer guarantee relevance.

The Trend Towards Bokeh With Character Continues as Oprema Jena Announces the 58mm Biotar

Bokeh is a topic that often sparks debate and is seen by some as subjective. In a vast sea of endless options for gear, there is nothing that excites me more than a truly special lens with excellent character. Today I'm very excited to share another of my favorite classic lenses being reborn via Oprema Jena, the legendary Biotar 2/58.

RODE Proudly Unveils the Stereo VideoMic X for Beautiful Single-System Audio

RØDE makes some of my favorite audio equipment across the range of prices. Today at IBC they announced something they seem really proud of: the Stereo VideoMic X, an on-camera microphone that excels at capturing amazing audio in short ranges, making it ideal for foley and ambient scene-setting audio in productions.

Sony NEX-7 Mirrorless Camera Review

Hop on a sightseeing tour in your local town, and undoubtedly, at least one person probably has a camera in Sony's NEX line. The mirrorless line has been wildly successful, and the Sony NEX-7 represents its top-notch contender. Let's see if the NEX-7 can stand its ground -- after all, comparing to the Leica we reviewed a few days back is quite the challenge...

Is This Premium 50mm Lens Worth the Price?

A wide-aperture 50mm lens is one of the most commonly owned and versatile options, useful for a wide variety of situations. This great video review compares two options for Sony shooters, the Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA and the Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA.

How to Add Hand Controls to Sony Alpha Series Cameras

Not since the Canon 5D Mark II hit the market have we seen a camera series as a technology revolutionary as the Sony Alpha series. I’m speaking specifically about the a7S, a7S II, a7R II and the a6300. Let’s look at the a6300 for example, 4K video output, great low light capability, an awesome autofocus capability, frame rate options and lens options, all for under $1,000. All those options are packed into a camera that weights 14.3 ounces with a battery.

Polaroid Changes The Game With In-The-Lens Camera Sensors

On December 17th, Fstoppers briefly introduced you to Polaroid's upcoming IM1836 (dumb name for such an innovative product). But what we didnt know at the time was that this camera is not only the first camera to feature interchangeable lenses and Android Jellybean, but also the first camera to have the sensor built right into the lens instead of the camera's body. Polaroid is hoping to eliminate sensor dust that is caused by changing your lenses by putting the sensor in the lens itself.

Landscape Photography With the Nikon 24-200mm

A 24-200mm is a zoom lens with such a range of focal lengths that it makes it perfect for a walkaround lens. The question is, how good is it at the extremes and how useful is it in the wild? In this video, Nigel Danson takes it on a landscape shoot to see how it performs.
How to Make a Paracord Wrist Strap for Your Camera

If you are sick of carrying your camera around on your neck and not interested in spending money on overpriced straps, check out this simple tutorial for creating a cheap, simple, and durable wrist strap using paracord and some basic ingredients. In this three-minute video, German photographer Bo Ismono goes over the process step by step.

Interfit Offering Full Line of Quick-Fold Softboxes

Softboxes, at least traditional ones, suck. They are not fun to put together and even more painful to break back down. In an attempt to relieve this, companies like Westcott made umbrella-style boxes and Phottix took a swing at the collapsible beauty dish. Now Interfit has a hand in the game with a full line of options in the collapsible category, from octos to strips.

A Short Documentary About the People of Times Square, Shot with Sony's A7s

Filmmaker Michael Tapp recently hit me up to share his latest experience with the people you typically find in New York City's Times Square and the Sony A7s. If you haven't spent an evening there, this short documentary (co-produced by Bill Novak) gives you a good sense of what draws 26 million people per year and how the A7s performs under noisy, bright conditions.

Fujifilm Patents Its Most Versatile Medium Format Lens

Fujifilm's GFX line of medium format mirrorless cameras has reinvigorated the market beyond full frame, and the company continues to invest in expanding its capabilities. Along those lines, a patent has emerged for an interesting lens that would offer a lot of versatility for its users.

This Cheap Lens Makes Everything Look Like a Dream

A lens that costs only a few hundred dollars and gives a unique, dream-like image? That's certainly going to catch the attention of many photographers and videographers, but how good is it?
Using Variable Neutral Density Filters In Bright Sunlight

Gary from F8 Photography and Mikey from Lightenupandshoot have crossed paths while traveling through Hong Kong. Lee and I ran into Mikey out at WPPI in Las Vegas a few months ago where he told us of some up coming adventures he had planned for Southeast Asia. These guys are really laid back and excited to break out into a photoshoot at any given time. In this video they take a ferry over to a local island to capture a few images of some friends they made in Hong Kong. Around 2:30, Gary talks about using a Variable Neutral Density Filter to almost completely destroy the ambient light while still shooting wide open at f1.2 and maxing out his shutter sync speed at 1/250. I've never attempted this technique, but it has been made famous by many photographers including Joey L. Does anyone have an opinion about these variable neutral density filters or use this technique in their own work? If so feel free to post an image in the comments below.
Plastic Lenses Are Awesome so Stop Being Sniffy About Them

Cheap, soft, and lightweight, with woefully slow autofocus and shoddy build quality; however terrible they might be, plastic lenses are great value. Quite why people get so agitated about this topic is a bit of a mystery because cheap glass can be amazing. Here’s why.

New "MeCam" Will Change The Way You Shoot BTS Video

So this is pretty cool! MeCam is a tiny helicopter that follows you around capturing video of you "all day", or as long as the battery lasts I suppose. This new technology, which is still being refined by the creators Always Innovating, boasts that MeCam will be able to instantly upload the video to your social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and more! This could be a great way to film yourself during a shoot, while setting up your lights or while stuffing your face full of Doritos while you're waiting for the "models" to "show up".

Is This the Best Portable Camera and Lens Setup for Portraits?

Whether you're shooting on a micro four-thirds sensor or medium format, beautiful portraits are attainable. But if your goal was to have the lightest, most portable setup that can create high-quality portraits, which body and lens would you choose?

Depth Of Field: What’s Best For Your Story?

A couple of months ago, I created a video tutorial to show how camera movement can affect your story. The take away from the video and article was that filmmaking should be about the sexiest camera movement, but instead the focus should be on camera movement that fits your story. Learning how to put my story first was something repeatedly drilled into my head while attending a workshop by filmmakers “Stillmotion” last year. Stillmotion's story-first approach has been the key to their success and has helped them land huge contracts shooting the Superbowl, Callaway Golf and Canon just to name a few.

Do You Need Two Card Slots in Your Camera?

If you are new to photography, you have probably noticed professionals talking about the need for dual card slots a lot, sometimes so much so that they will refuse to buy a camera that only has a single card slot. Why is that so important? Do you really need two card slots? This excellent video features an experienced photographer discussing some of the reasons photographers use two card slots and how they can benefit you.

Get This Great Lens for Over Half Off Today Only

Photographers who do not need an f/2.8 aperture or who want a light, portable lens they can drop in their bag and forget will certainly appreciate the Tamron 70-210mm f/4 Di VC USD, and today only, you can get it for more than half off, bringing the final price to just $379.

A Stills Review of the Fujifilm X-E4 Mirrorless Camera

The X-E4 is the newest camera in Fujifilm's X Series of cameras, and it brings with it a range of new features and improvements at a very reasonable price. This great video review takes a look at the camera from a stills perspective and the kind of image quality and performance you can expect from it.

A Review of the New M3 MacBook Air for Photographers

The MacBook Pro is generally thought of as the workhorse for creatives, but the Air series should not be overlooked, and you might be surprised what you can accomplish with one. This great video review takes a look at the new M3 MacBook Air and how it performs for photography-related tasks.

Sony a7R III Weather Sealing Teardown

Just how weather resistant is that Sony a7R III? Here’s an inside look at one of the hottest selling cameras to see how sealed it really is.

WD Launches 233 MB/s Fast, Portable & Bus-Powered Thunderbolt Hard Drive

WD, of the Western Digital family, has announced the new My Passport Pro, the first portable, Thunderbolt-powered dual-drive solution for you hard drive discerning folks. Designed For Mac systems, My Passport Pro has user-selectable RAID functionality, doesn't need power adapters or extra cables, and clocks in at up to an impressive 233 MB/s.