Photography Gear

Just back in town after three consecutive assignments, I decided to take advantage of a lazy weekend to test out a few theories about my cameras.  

If you're running a photography business, you probably have to print stuff. If you've been looking for a new printer for office work, B&H has an amazing deal on this Xerox printer today only. 

Wildlife photographers have long faced the problem of requiring extremely expensive camera equipment to follow their passion. Then came the budget 150-600mm and similar lenses that lowered the cost of entry while still getting similar looking results. 

Making decisions about cameras and lenses is always difficult. Most of the time, we have to compromise. Finding out what you love about photography helps you making a better choice regarding your photography gear. 

Earlier this year, Fujifilm released the 16mm 2.8 R WR (AKA the 16mm 2.8). A compact prime lens for their Fujifilm X system. I got to play with it for about three weeks and there is a lot to love, but it isn't without its imperfections.

If you have ever seen my camera bag, you will know it is full of relics from yesteryear. Recently, I purchased a ZEISS Milvus 100mm f/2M ZE Macro Lens, and it changed everything. 

When I moved to Sony, part of the appeal was the smaller body. However, the idea of being able to replace my big, heavy wide-angle zoom with something light and fast seemed impossible. Last month, Tamron released its 17-28mm f/2.8, and I just spent three days using it to photograph a parkour event in central London.

The 2019 iPhone Photography Awards have been run and won. And the wonderful photos that took out the awards only serve to fuel the debate about gear, technique, and vision. 

I have a large and relatively heavy Gitzo tripod that can carry as much as a small elephant. But I also bought an expensive Gitzo traveler tripod because sometimes I want to travel light. The question is, was it worth the money?

In this short video, videographer Max Yuryev puts the Sony a6400 and the Fuji X-T30 to the test to compare and see which one has the best colors straight out of the box. 

If you ask me, curved television sets are a little over the top. Unless you have a television the size of a movie screen, it just doesn’t make financial or practical sense to bend that screen. But when it comes to monitors a few feet from your eyes, Samsung’s CJ791 curved monitor really does make the difference. 

We now arrive at the second of the three tricky letters of the alphabet. Unfortunately, U is uselessly underwhelming but ultimately and uniquely utilitarian! The first an iconic photo of political protest and confrontation, a theme that continues to this day in newsrooms across the world. Then discover Umbo.

Choosing the right lens for any genre of photographer is a minefield and getting into food photography is no exception.

Following the success of its 28-75mm f/2.8 and the hype surrounding the recently released 17-28mm f/2.8, Tamron has just given the world a glimpse of four new lenses for Sony full-frame cameras that it has in the pipeline. 

Your computer's graphics card isn't just for games anymore — with recent updates to essential core products, including Lightroom and Photoshop, there are a number of reasons why you should start paying attention to your GPU. 

The 85mm wide-aperture portrait lens is often a calling card lens for a lot of companies, showcasing some of their best optics at one of the most popular focal lengths. How good is Sony's version? This great video review tests it out to help you decide if it is right for you. 

Go behind the scenes on this short film's set, as videographer and filmmaker, Armando Ferreira, teams up with Nikon for their "Follow Your Passion" competition to win $25,000. 

When I purchased my first large zoom lens it came equipped with a tripod foot. I quickly learned that a standard ball-head wasn't the best way to use one of these beasts on a tripod. This started my venture into the gimbal games and actually helped in ways that I didn't anticipate.

There has never been a better time to be looking for a camera, as there is a veritable plethora of high quality cameras with an array of feature sets and prices available to anyone looking. This fantastic showdown takes a look at a wide variety of some of the most popular and intriguing cameras out there.  

Sony's RX100 line of cameras is well known for packing a ton of technology and great image quality into a very tiny package, making them an intriguing option for photographers and videographers looking for something they can carry everywhere. This excellent video review takes a look at the latest version to help you decide if it is right for you.  

This week we turn to a train wreck of an image — yes the iconic photo "Train Wreck at Montparnasse Station"! But before we get to that, step back to the dawn of photography and understand the principles behind tilting and shifting the lens relative to the sensor. Some of the highest profile photographers use tilt-shift lenses in their day-to-day work, so find out why that is.

Smartphones are naturally held in a portrait orientation, which naturally leads to videos being filmed in portrait orientation. Motorola is seeking to change that with their newest phone. 

Photography is a secretive business, but in this video I show you exactly what equipment I use as a professional food photographer.

Drones are great tools for photography and video, but with technology changing at such a rapid pace, racing drones (FPV) are becoming much more popular and in demand for commercial work. It can be a little overwhelming to learn this technology all at once, so I am here to help you with your first setup. 

The Fujifilm X-A5 is remarkably cheap, coming in at just $499 including a widely respected kit lens, making for inexpensive entry into the popular X Series. But can it hold its own against its more powerful siblings and will it stand up to the demands of a professional photographer? This great review will answer just that question for you.  

If there is one thing as photographers we love more than debating over new camera bodies it is camera bags. Chances are if you're like me you have a closet full and you are always looking to get another.  Each bag is a unique snowflake making it the right tool for the right job. Therefore I need all kinds of different bags with all kinds of different features.

There are many smartphone gimbals on the market but one of the most well known comes from the company DJI. The Osmo Mobile 3 is the most convenient version yet considering it is able to fold up for transport, and can be operated with just one hand.

We all love to drool over those beautiful, fast (and oh so expensive) f/1.2 and f/1.4 lenses. But do you really need that top shelf glass, or would you be better served by saving your money and investing in a cheaper version? This great video talks about some of the more intangible facets of lenses and why it's about more than just the widest apertures.  

Mind Shift’s ROTATION180° PANORAMA made by Think Tank has been on the market for a couple of years now, but is its unique quick access feature still useful, and who exactly is the bag designed for? 

If you've got a Fujifilm X range camera and you've switched from Canon, it's been a pain leaving Canon glass in the cupboard. Fujifilm lenses are also expensive, so the transition period used to be tough, until the Fringer EF-FX Pro II adapter.  

It's a case of comfort and user experience. In this review, I analyze what it feels like in hand and see what the added benefits are when putting a phone into it instead of shooting with a regular cover. 

Is 3D printing the next step in niche manufacturing for photography gear? How does a 3D-printed product stack up against its all-metal CNC'ed inspiration? 

Whether you are a photographer or videographer, more and more content creators are adding constant lights as their go-to lighting setups. Quasar Science recently released their 30-watt T8 bulbs with raving reviews, and today, I explore six useful lighting setups you can build with four lights under $80 each.  

Today, I’ll take you for an in-depth look at a new extensive project I shot with the Fujifilm GFX 100. It will be a longer essay meant to give you a hands on experience to help decide if the camera is right for you. 

I like a challenge.

For some time now, the Zhiyun Weebill Lab has been my favorite gimbal. The main reason for this is because it's tiny in comparison to many other gimbals. I can comfortably fit it in a messenger bag, and traveling with it is so easy. However, DJI has definitely caught my attention with their new Ronin-SC.  

As a landscape photographer and videographer, here is a detailed look at my gear list, my preferences, and the reasons behind my acquisitions. 

Sex and stripping seem to go hand in hand, but in this edition of the A to Z of photography, I cover the acclaimed work of fashion photographer Bob Carlos Clark, "Shooting Sex" and then delve into the technical details of the photo finish. 

I got the idea of shooting a total moon eclipse with a long lens. I was thinking about the Canon EF 500mm, but all I could get was a massive Canon EF 800mm lens. The lens turned out to be too long for the eclipse photo I had in mind, but I got a great opportunity to shoot for a while with this long and heavy white beast. 

The Samyang AF 45mm f/1.8 FE lens for Sony E is quite the intriguing lens, providing an autofocus prime with a wide maximum aperture in an impressively small and cheap package for Sony shooters. Does it give you a lot of bang for your buck? This great first look video aims to answer just that question.  

Sony cameras have some incredibly powerful and advanced autofocus systems with intricate settings and numerous customization options. At times, however, all those capabilities can almost be a bit overwhelming. This helpful video will show you the ideal autofocus settings for portrait shoots. 

Venus Optics (Laowa), a small Chinese lens manufacturer founded in 2013, has risen to prominence with their sometimes off-beat, always different, and always high quality lineup of lenses for all the major lens mounts. They have launched niche lenses like the 24mm f/14 probe macro and a series of their flagship close-to-zero-distortion Zero-D lenses.

The Sony a7S II was a very well received camera, but it is certainly ready for the next iteration, and many creatives (particularly filmmakers) are eagerly anticipating the third version and wondering if it will actually come to market. The good news is that Sony has confirmed that a third version is indeed in development and will eventually come to market.  

While their mirrorless bodies have received mixed responses, no one can accuse Canon of playing it safe when it comes to mirrorless lenses, and they're showing no signs of stopping, as patent documents have emerged showing a positively ludicrous lens design. 

Many of us have either done this ourselves or have a friend that has done it. I'm talking about getting out to a location only to learn that you don't have a usable memory card or battery. 

This is a look at how this affordable home security cam can be used for increasing security of your gear while traveling on assignment. Even though it was never designed for this purpose, unlike a lot of other options on the market the Wyze Cam has just the right features to make it possible.  

Canon has been in the game for over 100 years, and along with Nikon, they made the transition from film to digital relatively unscathed. In this photo duel from Denae & Andrew we get to see Canon's last ever film camera, the EOS-1, compete head to head with their first consumer full-frame digital camera, the Canon 5D.

Besides making cool miniature city scapes and stopping converging lines, there are a host of reasons why you should consider buying a tilt-shift lens. 

[Update] The winner has been announced. Congratulations to Eric Au for being selected as the winner of the Fujifilm XT30 with XF18-55mm lens kit! His entry of visiting the Fstoppers YouTube channel snagged him the prize.

 If you missed your chance to participate in this giveaway, keep a close eye out on Fstoppers for more coming in future months. 

Whether you’re making the switch or just starting out with the Sony Alpha mirrorless system, sports photographers will want to watch this video that examines which lenses are worth your while to kit up with. 

Sigma caught the industry by surprise last month by announcing the forthcoming release of the fp, a tiny full-frame mirrorless camera with an unnecessarily lower-case name. More details have emerged, including a quick way of prepping your images and footage for Instagram with a teal and orange color mode that looks, well, interesting.