Gear

The Neewer Flat Panel Reflector is a great tool designed for those looking for the benefit of something such as a V-flat or large reflector frame without the bulk of having to haul them around. The Neewer Flat Panel Reflector is basically a 3 foot by 6 foot wind sail that you can use as reflector or flag during virtually any shoot. At $69.99 the Flat Panel Reflector offers fantastic value for an innovative new light modifier to add to your arsenal.

A camera bag can really make or break your work. I'm one of those people who is terrible at packing light, so when it comes to carrying 50 pounds of gear, I want a bag to be well organized, comfortable, ergonomic, and durable, because I pretty much place my studio on my back. Enter the Mountainsmith Borealis.

Since its transition to digital, medium format has been thought of as bulky and heavy systems for high-profit commercial jobs or for wealthy photographers. Despite the attempt of Leica to create a smaller camera with the S series, no real alternative to the Hasselblad H and Phase One DF/XF has found a place on the market. However, this might change today with the brand-new Hasselblad X1D.

3D printers have recently become cheaper, more reliable, and more capable at the consumer level. On the same token, photographers constantly need all sorts of miscellaneous parts: adapters, clamps, rings, etc. It seems like now is the time for at-home 3D printing to take hold.

The humble beauty dish is a studio favorite but it is not often the first modifier most reach for when heading outdoors. Most beauty dishes are not all that portable and can add significant weight to your kit. With a few collapsible beauty dishes currently on the market you can now easily take that gorgeous light with you anywhere. Joel Grimes shows you how to make the most out of using a beauty dish in an outdoor setting.

A few days ago, a friend of mine brought a DJI Osmo to film alongside his usual DSLR set up. The client questioned them: “Why are you filming on your phone?”

Continuous strip lights have become quite popular for portrait and video work in recent years. Nonetheless, they can be very expensive. In this video, Joe Edelman walks us through his process in creating a full studio kit of strip lights for a fraction of the price.

Tripod plates. If you're like us at Fstoppers, you have a ton of tripods and a ton of tripod plates, and it's sometimes a struggle finding the correct plate to match the tripod. Give the boys a break; I'm trying to teach them how to organize. Not only is "where's that tripod plate!?" a common outburst in the office, but so is "does anyone have their keys?" Thinguma is a tool made for photographers so we don't have to ruin our car keys to change plates.

I think it’s probably a fair assumption to make, that at some point during your photographic journey, you’re going to purchase a piece of photographic equipment. With today's World Wide Web, that can be as easy as a few clicks and a wistful look at your decreasing bank account, but I’m here to make the case for your local, “brick and mortar,” camera store. Well maybe not all of them.

Bendable smartphones have been teased in the past, but this may be the first time we've seen a fully functional prototype that morphs with such ease and to such an impressive degree. It's an intriguing glimpse into a future full of possibilities.

I was all set to write a completely different article. I think it had to do with film, maybe. Not anymore. Now I'm frustrated, so I'm going to write about that instead. I love Fujifilm. I love them until I hate them. The problem is, I never really know what sort of day it's going to be until I'm out shooting.

I am going to be completely up front with you: this is an expensive camera bag. It is, in fact, the most expensive camera bag I have ever owned, and I have owned many. Instead of buying this bag, you could easily purchase a very solid prime lens. But you know the old saying "you get what you pay for"? Well sometimes that turns out to be 100 percent true.

I've had a few months to play with the Phantom 4. I can say with certainty that it is better than the Phantom 3 in almost every way but it costs a good bit more and the Phantom 3 is still one of the greatest drones on the market today, especially at these incredibly low prices.

There may be no camera more eagerly anticipated than the Canon 5D Mark IV. The 5D Mark III is one of the workhorses of the industry, but it's definitely showing its age as of late, and many are clamoring for Canon to catch up. The 1D-X Mark II is certainly promising, but for many wedding and portrait photographers, the 5D series is their bread and butter. Here's everything we think we know about the forthcoming camera.

2015 gave us two great things: the incredible and groundbreaking Phase One XF100 digital back and the Academy Award-nominated film, “The Martian.” While the XF100 brought us to a new frontier of image quality and performance, “The Martian” has brought the idea of Mars exploration back into the spotlight. NASA has even gone so far as to build a prototype Mars mission astronaut helmet. It just so happens that Doug Sonders, one of our own contributing writers, photographed this space-age helmet with the XF100.

I've seen cameras that have been dropped, dunked, run over, even stolen by large animals, but I can't say I've ever seen this. One photographer learned of a small but impressively potent threat to his gear.

We demand a lot of portraits lenses. They must be sharp wide open. They must focus well. Their bokeh must be pleasing. A stellar portrait lens is the holy grail for a lot of photographers. So, just which lens is the ultimate Canon portrait lens?

GoPros are known for being versatile go-anywhere, do-anything cameras. Sybrillo is looking to expand those capabilities with its interesting multipurpose gimbal.

Much to the excitement of the Fujifilm community, Fuji released their XF 90mm f/2 WR in the middle of 2015. Many a voice hailed it Fuji's best yet, and pixel-peepers rejoiced. Some claimed it had the nicest bokeh from a Fuji lens yet, and others the fastest autofocus. Just how good is this latest prime offering from Fuji?

Is this the camera of the future? Two giants have collaborated to create what could be the dream setup, boasting some incredible specs.

2016 is the year of new tripod designs. Edelkrone launched their brand new design two months ago at NAB, and now, another company, Platypod Pro LLC, has announced on Kickstarter their new compact tripod system for low-angle use, both for photographers and videographers: Platypod Pro Max.

There isn't much info about this video, and there is also a bit of speculation as to whether it's real or not, but it's certainly worth sharing. This GoPro captures something spectacular.

Photography is a game of emotions. Think about some of the most powerful images that you’ve ever seen. The ones that have left a lasting impression on you. Sure, they might have gorgeous tones, light, or composition, but the reason they have stuck with you for so long is probably the emotion or mood that the image evokes. Our job as a photographer is to control those moods and to decide which emotion we want our viewer to feel.

Petzval-type lenses have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Lomography's wildly successful Kickstarter campaign was a springboard for their Petzval 85 and later, their Petzval 58 lenses. Now, Lensbaby, well-known for their unique optical products, has thrown their hat into the ring. It's a fun and interesting lens.

Eye-Plug is a new, tiny external camera device that plugs into your Android phone's reversible USB-C port to produce 3D video and photo content in conjunction with your phone's built-in camera. Previewed by Engadget at Computex 2016, which kicked off today in Taipei, the Eye-Plug promises to be useful for a variety of applications and will supposedly cost only $35, which Engadget is unsure about.

It’s easy to be astounded by statistics such as 14 fps and ISO 3,000,000. But when you put everything that Nikon’s latest flagship body offers together, you get a machine that is the first of its kind, and that's really thanks to the combination of two features Nikon obviously pushed to new heights: autofocus, and — yes — ISO sensitivity (which has itself been a point of controversy for the Nikon D5).

Magic Lantern played a phenomenal role in using DSLRs to shoot video content. However, while it's benefits are obvious for Canon photographers, how does it stack up against the cameras of today?

The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens is nothing short of remarkable. With an internal 1.4x teleconverter matched specifically to the lens' optics, it's a unique piece of gear known for its stellar quality. Now, Canon has released a video showing just what goes into making one of their top lenses.

If you follow big name photographers or pages like FamousBTSMag on Instagram or elsewhere, you’ve likely seen a parabolic reflector. Even more likely is the prestigious names that are Broncolor or Briese plastered on the side. The results that these modifiers produce are absolutely gorgeous, there’s no doubt there. They offer the most even light spread of any modifier, a large range of sizes, and incredible versatility. If you’ve done some research, however, you’ll throw the idea of shooting with one out the door because of their incredibly steep price. A few months ago, I stumbled on a company by the name of Parabolix. What I found seemed entirely too good to be true.

There may be no lens in the world more eagerly desired and anticipated than the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art. Sigma's wildly successful Art series of lenses have been a huge hit with their great optical quality and highly competitive pricing, leaving photographers practically begging for a portrait lens. Now, it looks like that wish may be coming true.

Whether your subject is wildlife, landscapes, sports or some other type of distance-related photography, using a tripod is a must for stable, clear images. Yes, there are workarounds, and some photographers insist they don't need a tripod. Award-winning nature photographer Steve Perry has put together an easy to watch video on techniques that work for him when he's using long lenses to capture his subjects.

Snap-on lenses are a big thing in the iPhone world. They open up possibilities for whenever someone is working with a fixed focal length system with a lens that cannot be removed. Now, Lensbaby is giving its fans the option to do the same with their GoPro cameras.

It's not every day when you come across a camera like this. We took a look to how the new Sony RX10 III fared with its impressive spec sheet, and it did not disappoint!

Photographer Mark Thorpe has made a major course change with his move to Japan, replacing wide open spaces, wildlife, and amazing scenes for the bright lights and sometimes claustrophobic life of mega cities. He's replaced his award-winning images of mass migrations and underwater beauty with his new challenge to document vibrant cityscapes through time-lapse photography and shares his knowledge with other photographers in this new video tutorial.

There’s an obvious difference between a Canon Powershot and a Hasselblad, but we all know that it’s not the equipment that makes the photographer. Should you make more money just because you have better equipment?

When traveling (flying, to be specific) for a photo or video job, there’s a lot more planning and logistics that go into being prepared for not only the job, but living out of a suitcase, sometimes without the support of people available to help you. I’ve put together a checklist of things that I often need to consider when traveling for a gig.

This is a bag for the females, the girls, the chicks, the ladies. This is a bag made for women. Women photographers. It’s chic and practical, light but resistant, and most of all, adapts to your needs. It’s a great offer for the urban shooter. The very fact that it exists shows how much the photography sector has evolved in the last years.

If you've been looking for a new bag or organizational accessory, there are some big deals happening this weekend. Get up to $220 off a new Lowepro backpack or make your life easier with a few extra pouches for your go-to items on a shoot. Most of these deals expire on Sunday, May 22nd. Check out your options below.

The original DJI Osmo put the power of a studio steadicam rig in the palm of our hand. It's incredible for the price but it didn't have the highest quality camera. The X5 changes that.

Nikon Rumors reports that Nikon has added several professional DSLR bodies to a list of those allowed to be serviced at authorized thirdy-party repair centers in the United States. This means that for many, both your grey market and USA model bodies can now be serviced within the U.S. for the first time. The list of service centers offering repairs on these bodies is still limited at around seven or eight total, but that's still seven or eight more than it was yesterday.

Google's Cultural Institute was founded in 2011 with the goal of having "important cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to digitally preserve it to educate and inspire future generations." In their pursuit of said goal, Google has just announced their new Art Camera; a robotically controlled gigapixel camera specifically designed for photographing some of the finest works of art in existence.

Broncolor announced two battery-powered strobes today. Coming in 400-joule and 800-joule variants, offering flash durations of as little as 1/19,000s, and in a similar power option, the new Siros L strobes are clearly aimed at the 500-watt Profoto B1 with nearly identical features in all but one area, depending on what's most important to you.

Kickstarter has allowed the photography community to share and create incredible ideas. We all know the success stories. What about the underdogs, though?

You have to be really into iPhonography if you're going to share your pocket with awkwardly bulgy lenses. Finally, we can thank BLIPS for their micro and macro lenses that are so thin, you can still slide your phone into your pocket after you literally just stick on the lenses.

Not too long ago, I remember going through a phase when the process of building up a camera rig was, for me, the most exciting part of owning gear. My decisions were based less on functionality, and more on the question of “will this item make my rig look more like a cinema camera?” Big and bulky was the order of the day, and if people ever advised cliches like: “the best camera you have is the one that’s on you” or “it’s not about what gear you have, it’s about how you use it,” their advice was taken with a pinch of salt.

I love simple, easy to implement solutions to a common problem. The problem in this case, is using any sort of ND, polarizer, or other lens filter on wide-angle lenses that don't have filter threads. Sure, there are filter holder solutions but those can be a bit pricey for a hobbyist. In this video from MrCheesyCam, we're shown a simple way to DIY a filter onto a lens with some tape and card stock.

We've all been there. Our creativity is stagnant, our work has ground to a halt. We begin to convince ourselves that if only we had that new lens or body, we'd be creating world-class images again. Of course, the moment we actually buy that new piece of gear, the reality that our photos are not suddenly transformed sets in. One man had just such a realization, and the result is hilarious.

If you began shooting video within the last five to eight years, it's quite likely that you rode the "5D Mark II wave." Maybe you didn't own a 5D, and still don't, but that camera revolutionized the world of video production forever. Not only did that camera enable many "budget" filmmakers to make top notch content, it inspired almost every manufacturer to begin shoving video into every camera they could. No longer was it necessary to buy a dedicated video camera to create motion pictures. While I will certainly credit Canon with originally bringing professional video capability to the masses, I have to hand it to Sony for rocketing "DLSR video" to another level entirely.

Shooting or being involved in a fashion or beauty shoot is a lot of fun. It’s a day where creative personalities, the photographer, stylist, hair and makeup and assistants as well as the client's creative team get together to produce a story, a body of work that they want to show the world. Everyone is focussed on bringing their best ideas to the party.

The Wotancraft bag company is an up and coming brand that has been making a name for themselves. They are most known for their handmade quality and World War II styling, which features a mixture of waxed canvas and leather. The Commander backpack is no different; with enough room to store a full professional kit, this backpack has the looks and features to make any photographer happy. But how does it hold up to real-world use?