Photography Gear

Gear isn't everything — but it's not nothing either. This section covers the cameras, lenses, accessories, and equipment that photographers actually use, with an eye toward helping you make smart decisions rather than just chasing the latest release. Expect news, analysis, hands-on impressions, and the occasional reality check on whether that upgrade is actually worth it.

A Look at the Nikon Z 7 for Landscape Photography

Landscape photographers often prize resolution and dynamic range in a camera above pretty much all other features and specs. This great video takes a look at one such camera, the Nikon Z 7, and how it holds up in practice for landscape photographers. 

Hands on With the New Canon C300 Mark III

Canon recently announced its newest cinema camera, the C300 Mark III, which features a variety of improvements over the Mark II. This excellent video takes a first look at the new camera and what sort of footage and experience you can expect from it in practice. 

f/0.7: A Look at Lenses With Some of the Most Extreme Apertures Out There

The photography world certainly loves its wide-aperture lenses, with most full frame consumer lenses topping out at f/1.2 and a few extreme lenses pushing the limits at f/0.95. However, there is a world of lenses that go far beyond f/0.95, and this interesting video takes a look at that extreme glass. 

Affordable Canon Mirrorless Glass: A Review of the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM Lens

Canon's RF mirrorless lenses have been pretty spectacular, but they are also very expensive, which might make it a bit difficult for some photographers looking for glass to go with the relatively affordable EOS R and EOS RP cameras. This great video review takes a look at the new, much more affordable RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens. 

Pentax: The Dying Brand?

Pentax is one of those loved brand names that inspires confidence and loyalty among its followers, a result of its engineering excellence and value for money. Yet, it has been largely absent from the camera market in recent years. Has it slipped into a commercial coma, and will life support be switched off shortly? 

Should You Be Using Vintage Lenses for Your Work?

With mirrorless camera gaining more of a foothold in the industry in the past few years, vintage lenses have seen a real resurgence in popularity. This quick and great video discusses if you should be using them for your own work. 

Fujifilm GFX 100: Technical Marvel, Ergonomic Nightmare

Fujifilm has revolutionized the medium format digital world. Their cameras came in at one-tenth of the cost of the existing players, and they want to make them even cheaper! I have worked with the GFX 50S for several months and own a GFX 50R, so when I had the chance to spend a couple of days with the GFX 100, I snapped it up. I'll share my experiences with it here. 

New Patent Reveals Sony Could Release Lens That Lets You Take an Image, and Choose Focus Later

A new patent has seemingly revealed Sony’s plans for a potentially game-changing new lens – that being, one that lets you take a photo, and select the focus at a later point.

 News of the Japanese patent comes courtesy of SonyAlphaRumors, who has suggested the product would be a collaboration between Sony and Light.co, who have held a partnership for over a year now.

Flagship Power: A Review of the Fujifilm X-T4

The Fujifilm X-T4 is the latest installment in the company's highly lauded series, and it brings with it a bevy of impressive specs and improvements sure to delight both photographers and videographers. If you are wondering if this camera is worth the upgrade, this great review will give you a good look at what you can expect.  

Is It Worth Spending a Lot of Money on a Camera Bag?

What’s the difference between a good quality, well priced camera bag and a bag that costs more than twelve times less? Photographer James Popsys runs you through some of the pros and cons when it comes to buying a bag on a budget. 

Is There Going to Be a Mass Migration Back to Canon From Sony?

The Canon R5 announcement has pricked up the ears of most of the industry for one reason or another. Already, however, we're seeing photographers claiming they might switch manufacturers for it. Is Canon domination on the horizon again? 

Fstoppers Review: Lensbaby's Velvet 28, Your New Favorite Creative Tool

Since 2004, Lensbaby has been an industry innovator, designing outside-the-box creative lenses and accessories. While other manufacturers chase the expensive, high-tech, spec-fixated market, Lensbaby pursues something entirely different: helping artists find a new creative approach through unique effects delivered by fully analog products.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Tonight marks the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower, with plenty of meteors visible from mid to late April each year, so get your camera ready and learn how to capture them in all their glory. 

A First Look at the Lightweight Samyang 75mm f/1.8 Lens

Samyang recently announced their new 75mm f/1.8 autofocus lens for Sony E mount cameras, and it looks to be a fantastic portrait lens for photographers who want to travel light. This great video takes a first look at the lens and what you can expect from it.  

10 Great Hacks for Using the New Rode Wireless GO Microphones

The Rode Wirelss GO Compact Digital Wireless microphones have been a bit of a game-changer when it comes to ease of recording audio. This short video gives you ten excellent ideas of how to make the most from this very affordable piece of gear. 

What Happens When You Put a Mega-Size Lens on a Gimbal and Shoot Video?

Some things involving esoteric and expensive gear we do because they help us bring our creative visions to fruition or enable new technical capabilities that can improve the quality or efficiency of our work. Some things we do just because we can. This video is about the latter.  

Panasonic Releases Firmware 2.0 for S1H Camera: 5.9K Raw Video Over HDMI

The Panasonic S1H is already quite the powerhouse camera, with impressive specs that should satisfy the needs of lots of filmmakers and videographers. Panasonic is increasing the camera's capabilities all the more with the release of firmware 2.0, which will enable 5.9K raw video output over HDMI. 

The Canon EOS R5 Boasts Huge Video Specs

The Canon EOS R5 is confirmed to shoot 8K raw video footage, with dual card slots, one CFexpress and one SD UHS-II, and five stops of in-body image stabilization (IBIS) that works in combination with the IS in RF lenses. 

There are some pretty huge numbers in the specs announced today:

Why Doesn't Every Professional Camera Have This Feature?

Shooting while tethered is probably the best way for many photographers. It's obviously not ideal for certain kinds of photography, like events and weddings; however, for those that shoot on a tripod, being tethered to a larger screen can make all the difference. 

What Happens When You Put an $8 Lens on a $4,500 Medium Format Camera?

When you think of shooting with a modern mirrorless medium format camera, it is probably a safe assumption that you imagine pairing it with an equally top of the line lens. However, half the fun of mirrorless cameras is that you can adapt thousands of lenses to them. So, why not stick an $8 vintage lens on it and see what happens? 

83x Zoom and 4K Video: A Review of the Nikon Coolpix P950

Professional lenses generally top out around 10x zoom ranges. However, certain bridge cameras have wider zoom ranges, with some pushing extreme ratios like 100x. This great video review takes a look at one such camera with a crazy 83x zoom range of 24-2,000mm, the Nikon Coolpix P950.  

How to Make Impactful Photos With an Ultra-Wide Angle Lens

The wide-angle view is probably the most used in landscape photography these days. It shows the landscape and can make some highly impactful photos. Here, I show you how to use an ultra-wide-angle lens to make impactful photos. 

The Differences Between Pro and Amateur Cameras

Photography is one of the few professions where the amateurs can have the same equipment as the professionals.  If you have the desire and/or money, then you can shoot on the same rig that the great names in photography use. But there are a few differences. 

10 Helpful Tips for Working With a Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photography

A wide angle lens is one of the most common pieces of gear in any landscape photographer's bag, but such focal lengths come with their own unique challenges. If you struggle with creating effective images with your wide angle lens, this excellent video will give you 10 helpful tips for working with it. 

Huge Backpack Savings at f-stop

If you're anything like me, you're always struggling to find the perfect bag for the job at hand. While we can usually justify getting another bag based on function, it's often the cost that stops us from investing.

A Comprehensive Comparison of Six Popular Macro Lenses

A good macro lens is one of the most versatile optics a photographer can own, able to shoot a wide variety of subjects from portraits to the small details around us with sharp results. If you are looking for a macro lens of your own, this fantastic video compares six popular options to help you decide which is right for you.  

8K Video on a Phone: Just How Good Is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

4K has become the standard resolution for a lot of video production and consumption, with the cutting edge of the camera world eyeing 8K devices. Samsung's latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, has some jaw-dropping camera specs, including 8K video, and while those numbers are certainly impressive, you might wonder how well they hold up in the real world, particularly on a phone.

The Two Filters You Actually Have to Have

With Photoshop, there’s not much need to carry around a book of physical filters anymore, but there are still two that you have to make sure you have. Want to know why? 

Two Years With the Sony a7 III: How Does It Hold up in the Long Run?

The Sony a7 III has been around for a couple of years now, but even among newer cameras, it stills strikes a competitive balance of capabilities and price for both photographers and videographers. This great video review takes a look at how the camera holds up after a couple of years of usage.  

Same Quality at Half the Size: How Good Is Canon's New Compressed Raw Format?

The majority of photographers shoot raw files because the larger file sizes over JPEG are offset by the big gains in post-processing flexibility. Nonetheless, companies are always doing what they can to give photographers options for smaller file sizes with minimal quality loss, with the latest from Canon being the Compressed Raw format on their new mirrorless cameras.

A Look at the New Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Lens

The 70-200mm f/2.8 is a staple lens for many photographers across a wide range of genres, but such lenses are rarely cheap to come by. If you are looking for a more affordable alternative, check out this great review of the new and highly anticipated Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD lens. 

How 1987 Led to Canon's Domination of Photography

In 1987, Ronald Reagan was president, Mathias Rust landed his light aircraft in Red Square, and the stock market crashed on October 19, dropping 22% in a single day. Fox also made its primetime debut, the Simpsons aired for the first time, and "Robocop," "Dirty Dancing," and "Good Morning Vietnam" were all released. But what happened in the photographic world? 

Bad Reasons to Upgrade Your Camera Gear

Let's be honest: camera gear is fun, and it can be a blast to get a new piece of equipment to play with. That being said, gear is also expensive, and it can be easy to convince ourselves we need that shiny new camera or lens when we actually do not. This great video features one filmmaker discussing some of the worst reasons he has upgraded his gear over the years.