Recent Gear Articles

Fstoppers Holiday Gift Guide 2014 - Best Photography Gifts Under $75

It's that time of the year again, where your loved ones ask what you'd like for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other celebration you may partake in. Rather than fumble around trying to make a list of things you might need to further your photography career, I thought I'd break down the absolute best gifts for photographers under $75.

Profoto B10 Versus Godox AD400Pro: The Best Strobes Compared

A few months ago, we released our first impressions of the new Profoto B10 portable flash unit, and many of our readers claimed that we didn't give it an honest review because it was wildly overpriced. Today, we are giving the critics what they asked for: we are going to compare it to the Godox AD400Pro.

This Is the Best Portrait Lens I've Ever Shot With

A few years ago, I reviewed the Hasselblad H6D 100c, and one of my biggest complaints was the lenses. This is not the case with Hasselblad's X1D system. Every XCD lens I've tested has far outperformed my expectations, and now, I've found the best portrait lens I've ever shot with.

Stop Wasting Money on Landscape Photography: 2025 Gear Guide

What if I told you that all you really need to start—or even succeed—at landscape photography is incredibly little? It might be hard to believe, considering the most popular photography content is centered around cameras, lenses, and gear. It can send the wrong message to new photographers: that you need a bunch of expensive things to make great images—you don’t, and I’m going to prove it to you.

5 Underrated Items in My Camera Bag

With all the discussion of the best camera on the planet or the most powerful lights, there’s a lot in a professional photographer's bag that goes overlooked. So today, I’m going to take a short look at what’s in my own camera bag.

Is Computational Imaging the Death of Truth in Photography?

I’ve been impressed with the computational imaging I’ve seen with the Google Pixel’s “Night Sight” mode. I’ve also been scared, because there are times where the images that it captures have no correlation with reality, and therein lies the danger of this emerging technology in smartphones.

Missing Focus? Check Out These Helpful Tips

One of the most frustrating things all photographers experience at one time or another is missing a shot because the focus was off. When that happens, the great tips in this video will help you make things right again.

Canon Back to Their Best? A Look at the Canon R5 C

After a long period of mediocrity where Canon sat in the dead zone between going all-in on mirrorless and staying with DSLRs, Canon is back to producing superb cameras. Is this one of their best?

Super Cool Photo Filter Kickstarter Project Has 24 Hours Left

I am a bit of a Kickstarter junkie. I love learning about companies trying to take new products to the market, tossing some money behind them and then watching them succeed. This latest project that I just backed, Fractal Filters, has incredible potential. This is definitely worth checking out! But do it quick, it's funding period ends in less than 24 hours!

Why Are Sony G Master Lenses So Expensive?

Sony's G Master lenses are the cream of their crop, akin to Canon's L series lenses, and they're known for their sharpness, bokeh quality, and well, their prices. What makes them so expensive, though? This great video aims to answer that question.

8 Forgotten Things You Can Bring To Ensure Your Next Shoot Goes Smoothly

The morning of a shoot has arrived and you are running around frantically loading gear trying to make sure that you haven’t forgotten a lens, power cable, or battery that will be the key to making the shoot a success. In the haste of focusing on gear, it can be too easy to forget to load a few simple tools that can come to your rescue and make sure everyone is as happy as possible throughout the shoot.

The Bokeh Factory - Character Uniqueness and More Bokeh

Everyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with style and character of bokeh. I've had countless hours of discussion with friends in the industry regarding minute differences in the "look" of a certain lens. Today I want to share the most unique and comprehensive array of totally unique looks I've found.

Photographer Simulates Vintage Lenses Through Modern DSLR

A while ago we wrote about the Kickstarter project aimed at bringing the historic Petzval Lens to modern day 35mm DSLRs. Shortly after another Kickstarter was launched to bring this Petzval to the medium format crowd. While off the shelf options such as these can appeal to the masses there remain a few inventive photographers such as Dr. Dirk HR Spennemann who prefer to mix their passion for photography and history with some good old ingenuity to bring us a project simply called "The Antique Camera Simulator".

Commons Myths About Mirrorless Cameras

The rise in stock of mirrorless cameras has been significant in the last decade, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the difference between them and DSLRs.

Sounds of the Shutter

When buying a new camera, the first thing you'll notice is the change in sound from the mechanical shutter. When I bought my 5d Mark II for the first time, I was convinced that my shutter was broken, based on the low pitched ‘clunk’ it was making. Thanks to these latest YouTube videos, we can sit back and experience the sounds of all the shutters for our favorite cameras.

Sigma Introduces New Camera Lineup: The dp Quattro

Sigma today announced the new generation of high image quality compact cameras “SIGMA dp” that incorporates a newly developed Foveon X3 direct image sensor (generation name: “Quattro”). Sigma is saying it is unique and without peer among image sensors, the Foveon direct image sensor is similar to traditional color film in that its multiple layers capture all of the information that visible light transmits.

A Superior Way You Can Compare Camera Lenses

When manufacturers give specifications of lenses, there is a lot of detail that is meaningless to many consumers of their products. When we writers review them, we tend to give the same information. Here’s a method I think would be much more helpful to most photographers.

What Do You Have For Your Photographic EDC?

EDC (everyday carry) items have always intrigued me. What people carry with them on a daily basis says a lot about who they are. Not to mention it's a great way to discover those can't-live-without items I never knew I needed. So I'm curious (and I know you are too): What do photographers carry with them on a day to day basis?

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade: That Is the Question.

We are constantly pressured into buying the latest cameras. As the bottom has fallen out of the camera market, maybe it’s time that camera manufacturers had a rethink about what they offer us. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for and against both upgrading and changing your system.

The 12 Best Prime Lenses for Sony Shooters on a Budget

The Sony system is blessed with an abundance of thirdparty manufacturers making excellent glass. Many of them are available for a discount right now, so here’s a short roundup of the best autofocus prime lenses available on the FE mount, from wide to telephoto.

A DSLR Shooter’s Guide to Medium Format Film

For the last 2 years I've made my living shooting architecture with DSLRs, mostly short videos of California's fanciest multifamily apartment communities. When my client Synergy Corporate Housing asked me to continue that mission with all of their international properties in 10 major cities across 8 European countries, the first thing I thought when I saw the 32-day itinerary was, "bring a Hasselblad."

GoPro Releases Karma Drone Alongside Hero5 Black and Session Cameras with Gorgeous, Action-Packed Video

GoPro has brilliantly teased us with its careful, controlled releases of Karma drone videos. Today, they've launched the new Karma alongside a pair of Hero5 cameras that are as wonderful to see as the Karma itself. Advanced stabilization looks impressive in the videos (see the mountain biking scene at 1:53), but something to note is how cinematic the image quality now looks. It won't be as easy to tell GoPro footage from other high-quality cameras. And about that Karma: does $799, remote, backpack case, and gimbal handgrip included get you excited?

The Power of Telephoto Lenses in Landscape Photography

When you think of landscape photography, does a wide angle lens come to mind as the go-to choice for capturing the vast beauty of nature? While wide angle lenses undoubtedly excel at framing expansive vistas and foreground elements, the importance of having a telephoto lens in your bag for landscape photography should not be underestimated. Let's explore the often-overlooked role of telephoto lenses in landscape photography. You will discover how telephoto lenses can enhance your creative possibilities, capture stunning details, and unlock new perspectives in your landscape images.

This Windows Laptop Challenges the Speed of Apple's M1 MacBook Pros

The Apple MacBook Pro M1 has shown impressive results. With the latest round of software optimizations for the M1 processor, it seemed to be unbeatable. However, Gigabyte is demonstrating incredible results. The combination of Intel and Nvidia seems to be offering better performance than a top-spec Apple MacBook Pro M1.