Freefly has spent the last several years making some of the most impressive handheld gimbal-based stabilization systems and high-end drones for use with cinema cameras and advanced DSLRs. Today, however, Freefly introduced the Movi, a small stabilizer for your iPhone that brings their gimbal tech to the masses.
Photographer and filmmaker Mathieu Stern took to the streets of Paris to see what shots he could produce using three different vintage lenses, creating various different bokeh effects.
When you’re in the market for buying a new monitor, you’re probably overwhelmed by a host of specifications. Size, resolution, color gamut, and panel technology can make all the difference when you look for a new screen to edit your photos on. As a photographer, not all specs are that important. Dynamic contrast for instance; a feature that adjusts brightness and contrast according to what's on the screen at a given moment. In this guide, we’re focusing on buying a monitor that is geared specifically towards post-processing.
Is there a thing of having too many tripods? Over the years, I have tried out several tripods, usually trying to stay more at the affordable end of the price tags some of the tripods have. There have been a few tripods that I have simply returned or sold after not liking them and there's the small stack of tripods that I have held on to. My main tripod is a Manfrotto which is very sturdy and reliable, but it is also a bit heavy for my taste when traveling. In the past, I have left it behind simply because I do not want to carry it. So what’s a good budget-friendly travel tripod?
Two rental giants are teaming up to create the strongest rental company in the United States. Together, they’ll be able to reach 300,000 customers. So what’s going to change?
Tiny drones like the DJI Spark or Mavic are fantastic because they can fit in any bag. However, not all bags are equals when it comes to protection and usefulness. The Miggo Agua Stormproof Drone Lander was designed specifically for compact drones, keeping them safe no matter the conditions you are working in. I’ve had it for a little while now and couldn’t see myself going out for a walk with my drone without it. Here’s my full review of this handy bag.
A black rugged box that costs $50,000, has an "8K" label, sometimes it's called а "weapon," and it also shoots. What is it? A RED camera, of course. In this video, you will see the process of how these professional cinema cameras are manufactured.
Take a 5.5-inch cube you can hold in your hands and imagine it can put out 30,000 lumens of daylight-balanced light. You change intensities and color temperatures not by switching out the bulb, but by switching out light cards. And if you could then snap the lights together via hidden magnets to double or quadruple your power, you'd now have the new Anthem One. You would be right to be wary of all the new products claiming to do everything better and at less cost than its competitors. But Anthem One isn't some Kickstarter project that will be delivered next year. It's already for sale and will ship in just a couple months.
In 2016, David Strauss wrote an article on Fstoppers about how purchasing an ND filter holder set might be a better option. I, being the smartass that I am at times, left the following comment, "Or you can be really cheap and just mean stack exposures :P, plus it prevents long exposure noise." Without doing any actual comparisons between the two, I had made up my mind about filters and decided against them. Recently, however, a close friend of mine, Imran Mirza, asked me to keep an open mind and give neutral density filters a try. For that reason, I have been testing some filters from NiSi over the last few weeks. In my latest video, I compare using neutral density filters to using Photoshop techniques such as mean stacking.
Like many other photographers and filmmakers today, we need batteries for many of our gear and accessories. Many devices today come with their own rechargeable battery but there are still many gadgets and accessories we use that still can take the standard AA or AAA batteries. Keeping many on hand can be a pain in itself, so I tend to keep a set of traditional non-rechargeable batteries as a backup with many rechargeable ones as the main source for these items that need them. What happens with the rechargeable ones will not recharge anymore?
Casey Neistat's latest vlog is a review of the Rylo 360-degree camera. What makes this different than the 360-degree cameras currently on the market is that it comes with software that makes it easy to pick your shot (in other words, the frame that'll fit your 16:9 or 4:3 frame) and compose your video like that. Rylo is a start up, and although Neistat can distinguish which market it is for, I think it definitely can become something many videographers, especially YouTubers, and travel shooters will use.
A chain is only as strong as the weakest link, so the proverb goes. We could modify that for photography and say that our processing is no faster than the slowest component. It's not necessarily about having the latest great-and-good, but rather about having matched components. And there's no better place to start than when offloading your photos from the camera.
Garmin, the same manufacturer who probably made your first GPS unit that’s now collecting dust in the glove box of your car, also makes cameras. I didn't know this until I cruised the 360-degree video section of B&H Photo looking for something to replace my 2017 Samsung Gear 360 that I was not so happy with (note to Samsung: a stitch line that moves is a dealbreaker). There it was, sitting under a glass case, the Garmin VIRB 360.
Even with all the notes and advice, it’s typically a tough job to find a quality monitor in any price range. This is why I’ve decided to hand you my top recommendations as of November 2017. After sifting through literally hundreds of monitors, I’ve distilled five classes of monitors, among which are Fstoppers top recommendations in either class.
If you're a crop-sensor shooter looking to go full frame, or if you're just really into getting great deals on camera gear, B&H is bundling some serious savings into a pair of Canon full frame body kits through Saturday at 11:59 p.m. B&H is heavily discounting the ever-popular Canon 5D Mark IV to $2,849 (after a $350 Canon mail-in rebate) , and the 6D Mark II to $1,349 after rebate, and bundling them both with some great extras.
Nightscape and wide-angle astro photographers have a number of choices for lenses and gear that they didn't have before and NatureTTL has put together a quick rundown of 3 of the most popular lenses for astrophotography; the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, the Rokinon SP14mm f/2.4, and the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC.
From the outside looking in, the creative industry can be daunting. We think we need thousands of dollars of equipment to take images on par with our peers – but that’s not strictly true. Here’s a breakdown of how I photographed one of British pop’s biggest acts using cheap lights from eBay.
While cameras haven’t yet caught up the standard, the HDMI forum has no problem pushing the envelope out and looking far off into the future.
About this time last year, the Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art series lens was released and I went ahead and decided to pull the trigger and invest in the new glass. I had heard great things about other entries in the art lineup and understandably Sigma's new 85mm focal length was getting a solid amount of hype. For the past year, I have been shooting exclusively with Sigma's 85mm. It's been the only lens in my camera bag and the only lens I've used for a straight year. What follows are my impressions after a solid year of use; what I like about the lens and what I don't like.
The rumor has been floating around for a few days, but new information appears to confirm that Panasonic is about to announce a low light variant of the GH5 camera on December 15. This new camera, potentially called GH5s, would feature a lower resolution sensor in order to improve the low light performance. Here is what we know.
There are many things we have to remember to have with us while on set for a shoot, sometimes those things can be really questionable until you need them. Some of those things can be as simple as carrying extra screws with you, something you might not need but really helpful when you do.
The Broncolor parabolic reflectors are some of the most unique and versatile lighting modifiers out there, with their true parabolic shape creating a beautifully sculpting light and their focusing rod feature allowing one to change the hardness and contrast of the light on the fly. Today only, B&H is offering a rare discount on all sizes, with 20 percent savings across the board.
I’d like to introduce you to the Shimoda Adventure Camera bags, specifically, the Explore 60. It’s a backpack that’s built for outdoor adventure photographers and filmmakers, and has options for 60L and 40L versions. Never heard of it? Well, I’m sure you have used or seen some of the gear that Shimoda’s lead designer has previously worked on. I’ll tell you about this and more in my full review.
Cyber Monday is upon us and we will be sharing some of the best deals on photo/video equipment as we run across them. Today only, you can buy a refurbished DJI Mavic for $699.
When you think of landscape and cityscape photography, you likely think of wide angle lenses designed to maximize the amount of the scene you can fit in the frame. And while these are the first choice of many photographers, this video makes a great case for why you should also carry along a telephoto lens.
In the previous article, we analyzed processor and motherboard options along with power supply and computer cases. Next, let’s talk about graphic cards, memory, and heat management issues. On the storage front, the introduction of affordable NMVe drives allows one to go past the bandwidth limitation of the SATA interface found on traditional SSD. Here is a short guide to help you navigate through the current offerings and avoid the marketing traps in order to build the perfect machine based on your budget.
Over the last few years, the iPhone has become more and more a part of our culture and it now holds a strong position in the photography industry and community. The iPhone is no longer just a phone with a camera, it's something that many professionals actually use. You may have read an article on Fstoppers about how even Time Magazine shot 12 of their covers using the iPhone. Previous to that, a Sports Illustrated photographer used the iPhone to take pictures of an NFL game.
Finding (and asking for) gifts for photographers is near impossible. They’re either way too expensive (we all want that a9, too) or we photographers already seemingly have everything we need. Hopefully, we can help a bit with some ideas, deals, and advice about shopping for your photographer friends or for yourselves, as the holidays also present prime opportunities to restock studio essentials.
Common questions I hear, especially from newer photographers are “What lenses should I buy,” or “how do I get that creamy, blurry background in the photo?” Another very popular one is after posting a photo is “what lens did you use to get that soft background?” Well, there are several different answers for the blurry background, one method is in post after the fact, but it’s better to get it in camera. So, how do you get a blurry, bokehlicious photos in camera?
Just like motor vehicles have critical parts that are crucial to the safety and functioning of the vehicle, so too do photographers have gear that they need to work every time to get the shots they desire. It’s what makes you able to get the shots you want and it also gives you your unique style which translates into your photography and work. Second to that, you get the items that change and improve your process of making images. And with the style of photography I pursue, often straight from my bike, the Capture Pro Clip is one of those game-changers.
There’s nothing quite so frustrating to anyone in the business, as having your camera become outdated in less than a year. When I look at the current line up of camcorders, I’m beginning to think that they’re about to be replaced by the cameras that should have been released in the first place. The camcorder market is falling behind.
Despite an early report from photographer Drew Geraci last week, it seems that the Sony a7R III may still be affected by the so called “Star Eater” effect. What is really going on?
Leica Camera AG today announced an expansion to its APS-C camera lineup with the classic-looking CL mirrorless camera. The CL is the second Leica camera manufactured in Germany and, while the CL and TL2 models are technologically similar, the CL eschews the TL2’s sleek, high-tech form factor for a more traditional Leica design. The black version of the CL will hit stores at the end of November.
Photographers and filmmakers probably spend more time on their computers that behind a camera. We own thousands of dollars in gears, yet some of us waste a considerable amount of time struggling on a sluggish PC. However, for the price of a good lens you could dramatically improve your productivity by speeding up the entire post-shooting phase. Here is a short guide to help you navigate through the current offerings and avoid the marketing traps in order to build the perfect machine based on your budget.
Are you still buying external hard drives? It's time you consolidated all of your data on a NAS device and today, you can win a Synology DS418 NAS.
Cameras have always been at the forefront of technology. They've always pushed the boundaries of what's possible. Perhaps then it is unusual to have such a high tech sector so closely wedded to art. That is what makes photography such a passion for me. And while there will always be those that push the creative elements, with the camera purely a utilitarian device for achieving that, others will take the bleeding edge, create new imaginings, add unusual twists and embellishments, and take that edge even further. Commercially then, it doesn't pay to be second. Be at the edge and take advantage of it.
Photography today is more accessible than ever before because cameras are everywhere: not only shaped as DSLRs, but in phones, tablets, laptops, and in the James Bond ball-point pen. It is easy to press a button a capture something your camera is pointed to. Lots of people are thinking about taking the snapshot game to another level: buying a professional camera and making professional photographs. Most of these purchases end with disappointments, but there's not much talk about them. This article will take a peek behind the scenes of the failures newbies face when they first try using a DSLR.
There are many different ways to carry a camera with you, and depending on how you do carry the camera or even multiple cameras could determine what accessories you might need to help you out with that. As I typically strap my camera around my neck or occasionally crossbody, the standard manufacture strapped that comes with the camera does the job, but it's not quite as comfortable as I would like. I am also one of those photographers that don't like to advertise which camera I have on me when I am walking around so that was another reason for me to ditch the manufacture strap that 's included in the box. With so many choices on the market, what's a good camera strap to get?
Peer-to-peer services have become very common these days with companies like Uber, Airbnb, and even eBay demonstrating how popular and huge those respective markets are. Platforms such as these have become a major part of daily life for many of us and the trend for growth seems very positive. The photography and videography industry is another that has seen immense growth in recent years, due to the number of new individuals joining the profession.
The Canon Pro-100 printer is on sale and it's so cheap it's worth buying even if you don't need a photo printer. The $455 package only costs $79.
Although everyone has a different "favorite" lens, the 24-70mm 2.8 lens usually ends up being used the most. It's standard zoom range and fast 2.8 aperture makes it usable for almost any type of photography. Today, I'm comparing the three most popular 24-70mm lenses to determine which one is best.
If you spend any time surfing photography forums and Facebook groups, you will undoubtedly see a constant flow of questions asking for the best way to nail focus. Maybe you are one of those people that find themselves struggling. The trick is that most cameras have a setting that will help you focus like a pro. That trick is called back-button focus, and once you use it, you’ll never want to go back.
Back in August, NASA purchased 53 unmodified Nikon D5 bodies. Over the weekend, ten of those went on the OA-8 International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission. The ten new bodies will join the current D4 cameras that are currently used for both photographing Earth and checking solar panels and other external systems on the ISS.
Be honest: when was the last time you drooled over the latest piece of gear? If you're like most of us, it was probably more recently than you'd care to admit. And while there has been a lot said on the subject, I think this rant really cuts to the heart of the matter.
Like most technology we own, our cameras will eventually stop working. Not only is this bad news for our bank balances, but if a camera were to die mid-shoot then it could potentially land us in a world of professional problems. Minimize these risks by knowing what to look out for and the kind of plan you need to have in place for when that inevitable disaster strikes.
One thing I've found to be of paramount importance to any form of video, cinematic or otherwise, is the quality of your sound. Your movie can have beautiful visuals but if the audio is of poor quality it has the potential to turn away viewers. I started vlogging a few months back and discovered just how important sound was when it came to producing my videos on YouTube. Soon, I realized just how bad the audio was and knew it was time to invest in a proper solution. Enter the Rode VideoMic Pro Plus.
Trying to decide between Canon and Nikon may seem like a no-brainer for many professionals with years of experience. For the most part, when a professional picks a certain camera manufacturer it's for the long term and they rarely switch. Previously the cost and time required to make the transition from one to another was simply not worth it, especially considering the fact that the differences in real-world use were mostly minimal. Recently, however, it seems the gap between Canon and Nikon seems to be growing with Nikon cameras being noticeably better. Jared Polin gives his thoughts on the current line up between Canon and Nikon.
Being involved with video more and more recently, I have been wondering this myself, why choose a cinema lens over a regular photography lens when it comes to video? Photography and Videography are similar in many ways, however, video seems to be a whole different world when it comes to codecs, shutter speed, lighting, lenses, aperture, focus, and so on. In this video, Greg and Caleb share some knowledge on what lenses should be used where.
Reflex is a new brand aiming to give 35mm film photographers a new camera option instead of going with a dated SLR design (the 13-year-old Nikon F6) or buying in the used market. But it’s not just a rehash of the classic film SLR design. Users can change film using a special “I-Back” system, and even change out the lens mount quickly and easily.
Fstoppers Analog Review is a quick throw down on some of photography’s greatest equipment. In a world where we are constantly defined by the rapid progression of technology, these posts are intended to remind us about our love for the fundamentality of capturing life in silver and light. Each week we’ll review another piece of pivotal photography equipment, discuss the history, review its capabilities, and share our results! This review will go to the fabulous Nikonos V, a waterproof 35mm camera with a history as deep as diving itself. This handy sidekick will blow you away with its capability!
