Recent Gear Articles

Blackmagic Production Camera FINALLY Will Format SSDs In-Camera

Really, really good news out of Blackmagic today, as they just informed me that they have updated the firmware of the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K to allow for in-camera formatting of the SSD. So will this be coming to the Pocket Cinema Camera and the Cinema Camera? Yes, yes it will.

How To Photograph Jewelry For Catalogs

As a commercial photographer, I specialize in product, food, and architecture. One of the products we've been shooting a lot of lately is jewelry, specifically jewelry for catalog use. In my opinion, jewelry is one of the hardest things to photograph, and many photographers don't know where to start. Whenever we're tasked with photographing shiny, reflective, spherical objects, our studio sounds like a group of sailors on leave with all the profanity flying around (often times strung together to make complete sentences).

The G-Speed Studio Desktop Backup/Working Drive Flirts with Perfection

A lot of my work is on the road, which is why I spent a long time looking for the best mobile storage options before eventually landing on the WD My Passport Pro and the LaCie Rugged SSD. But when I'm not on the road, I'm at my desk editing a wide range of video. It's here that I realized I needed not only a reliable backup, but also a powerful and fast working drive to burn through edits. What I found was the G-Speed Studio, and I love it.

LaCie's Rugged SSD is a Portable Work Drive Monster

I live in constant fear of either accidently formatting a card or having data corruption of information before I get back to my main workstation. Because of this somewhat totally rational fear, I tend to back up cards on location during or right after shoots. To fill this remote backup need, I tested the LaCie Rugged 500GB SSD which offers USB 3 and Thunderbolt 2 speeds in a tiny package.

WD's New Wireless Storage Device Backs-Up SD Cards On-Location

With the rise of smartphones and lack of expandable storage locally, many manufactors have been creating storage solutions with options to access over a wireless network connection. While this isn't anything new, it appears as Western Digital is releasing a one-step solution for photographers needing to backup SD cards on location.

The Case Logic Luminosity Medium DSLR Backpack Has a Large Profile, but Compact Interior

Case Logic has been making bags, tablet sleeves and accessory holders for quite some time, but this was my first time reviewing, and using, a dedicated camera bag from the company. The Luminosity DSLR Split Backpack is a hearty, sturdy bag with a few neat compartments and a unique design that is aimed toward either the professional photographer or pro-sumer who needs to protect their gear while on the go. When considering this bag, know that protection was at the forefront.

New Zeiss Loxia 50mm and 35mm Lenses Announced

A new line of manual-focus lenses, designated with the Loxia title, have been announced by Zeiss. The initial compact lenses to be released later this year, a 50mm f/2 and a 35mm f/2, are crafted specifically for Sony’s E-mount full-frame α7 cameras. Christophe Casenave, product manager at Zeiss, says there is “growing desire for a digital manual-focus experience” on Sony Alpha 7/7R/7S cameras and that the Loxia line is “ready to exceed those expectations.”

Cambo Actus - A Very Tiny Little-View Camera

You may remember back in June when Austin Rogers posted the press release about the upcoming Cambo Actus, a view camera designed to work with mirrorless cameras. Well, it's finally here and the gang over at Capture Integration have put it through it's paces.

Fstoppers Reviews Moment Mobile Lenses

Pictured above are the two lenses currently available from Moment that I stumbled across while browsing Kickstarter and immediately knew I had to have. The 60mm Tele and 18mm Wide are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, while maintaining the sturdiness and incredible optics of products ten times their size. The following are my first impressions after they landed on my porch.

Canon Cuts Prices on Huge List of Lenses, $50 - $1000 Off

Though we have no confirmations that the price drops are permenant, we can probably assume them to last a long time if not forever. Canon has cut prices from $1000 on the higher-end lenses to $50 on the more affordable glass across their product line. In all, there are 26 lenses discounted as of today.

Breaking Into Concert Photography: TogTools Podcast with Fstoppers' Rebecca Britt

If music and EDM photography is your dream job, this next interview is just for you. The fourth session in the Fstoppers series over at the TogTools Podcast is finally up, and it's a very unique and interesting one. This week's guest is Fstoppers Staff Writer Rebecca Britt who is an amazing commercial and EDM photographer based in Texas. Aside from being with Fstoppers for a very long time, Rebecca is also a team member at Retouching Academy and runs the largest collective of EDM photographers on social media. In this interview, Rebecca shares her own story and gives a lot of useful tips on how to be a successful music/commercial photographer.

Olympus Announces New PEN E-PL7 "Selfie-King"

Olympus announced the successor to the successful micro four thirds E-PL5, creatively named the E-PL7. It has a few new features that MFT photographers will like, but the flip down screen will be getting most of the attention. Olympus designed the screen with optimal selfie composition in mind. The styling of the camera screams "vintage modern," the oxymoron of choice for many camera makers in that market.

10 Signs That You Will NOT Make It As A Successful Photographer

With a saturated market for photographers, there are so many pitfalls a photographer can plunge into that can prevent them from being successful. Taking a step back to analyzing yourself and your business can be the first step to improve and guarantee chances of success for the future. Here are a number of things to look out for, these things can be what is preventing you from reaching your potential.

Fujifilm Announces Fuji X30, Ready for Pre-Order

Fujifilm announced the replacement for the X20, today -- the X30. While the camera still features a 12-megapixel 2/3" CMOS X-Trans sensor combined with the EXR Processor II, the X30 almost doubles battery life, continues the X20's quest for snappier performance, features numerous refinements to the controls and body as a whole, and offers full 1080p video recording at 60fps.

Casper Mini Collapsible Video Stabilizer for Mirrorless Cameras Looks Promising

As much as I like to rely on Tamron VC for moving video shots, it only make the footage less shakey and doesn't make the footage more fluid. This is where camera stabilizers like the Steadicam and the Glidecam have come in, but both options tend to be extremely heavy and take a long time to properly calibrate. There have been a few new innovations in camera stabilization, the latest of which is the Casper Mini which solves both the aforementioned problems and works ideally with smaller cameras, what I think are the future of filmmaking.

Essential Gear: The Photographer's Grip Kit

One of the most overlooked, yet most used items in a photographer's arsenal, is the grip kit. A grip kit isn't something most photographers set out to buy, build, or assemble, it's generally born from necessity. Over the years we find ourselves on jobs needing certain things that we don't have readily available and we end up improvising to get the job done. Usually we make a mental note of how we can be more prepared in the future, which often times leads to adding small "grip" items to our pack list. When we collect enough of these items, they typically make their way into some sort of crate, bag, or box also known as a grip kit.

Building Your Business with the Right Gear: TogTools Podcast with Fstoppers' Adam Ottke

It's that time! We have the third session in the Fstoppers series over at the TogTools Podcast ready for you all to enjoy - and it's a great one! This week's guest is Staff Writer Adam Ottke. Adam shoots fine art and travel photography, but he also serves as the Art Director for a small creative agency he started called Curate the World. In this week's podcast, Adam discusses his love for gear, how he got started in photography and as a writer for Fstoppers, how to hustle in this industry and why collaboration is important for creating strong artistic ideas.

Leica Announces New Leica M-P 240 with Increased Buffer and Understated Aesthetics

Today Leica announced a complementary upgrade to the Leica M, the M-P 240. As in the past, the 'P' designation here implies features are catered toward that of the press photographer. The M-P's virtually scratch-proof sapphire crystal display with anti-glare coatings provide for better outdoor viewing, a doubled memory buffer size now at 2GB allows for longer continuous shooting, and a viewfinder selector displays bright framing options for various focal lengths that help make composition and lens-choice decisions before changing lenses.

Blackmagic Upgrades Firmware for Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera

Blackmagic Design today released Camera v1.9.3, a firmware update that adds histogram, audio meters and media time remaining indicators to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera. These features were also recently added to the Production Camera.

Hasselblad Continues CMOS Craze with 200 Megapixel H5D-200c MS

As one might expect (though perhaps not quite so soon after the H5D-50c announcement), Hasselblad has taken to Instagram to announce the H5D-200c MS, a 200-megapixel, multi-shot variant of the H5D-50c. The camera, which can still produce normal 50-megapixel stills at 6200 x 8272 pixels, also ads 4- and 6-shot capabilities for applications such as fine art reproduction, product photography, and more. At its highest resolution, the 200c MS produces massive and glory-clenching 600MB, 16-bit TIFF files.

ONA Releases New Bags: Prince Street and Berlin II

ONA, makers of some fine fashion-forward camera bags, has announced the availability of new camera bags: the Prince Street and Berlin II. The bags are designed to carry a camera, two lenses, an iPad and personal items. The Berlin II is a Leica collaboration and made for the Leica M-System. It features one signature red rivet and a red interior.

Nebo Motion Control Slider is Super-Portable and Lightweight

There is no denying it: there are a lot of motion control devices and even more slider options out there. With the success of Kickstarter, it seems like we get a new awesome idea every week and it can be hard to keep up. That said, I was recently pointed to the Nebo Motion Control Slider and decided to share it with you all because it's actually pretty cool despite entering a very crowded market.

DIY Diffusion Panels For Less Than $30

When it comes to diffusion panels, several companies have prefab "blades" intended for holding diffusion materials that fit nicely into grip heads and knuckles, but at nearly $100 a pop, buying several of them may not fit into everyone's budget. Earlier this week, fellow Fstopper Clay Cook put together an awesome post about building your own V-Flats. His post got me thinking about some of my own DIY projects.

How to Shape Light Using a Parabolic Reflector

In this video, Karl Taylor and Urs Recher experiment with and demonstrate the uses of a Parabolic reflector. Using a model who is wearing white against a white background, they produce a number of portraits demonstrating how to shape the Para light to separate the model from the background. The versatility of this practice is quite astounding as the photographer is able to stand in front of the light and have it still perfectly illuminate the model and is a simple one light set up.

Profoto TTL-N Remote for Nikon Announced and Available for Pre-Order

While Canon users have had this for some time, Nikon users have been waiting for a TTL remote to control their Profoto B1 flashes. Finally the Air Remote TTL-N has been announced and is available for pre-order on B&H for $395. Allowing TTL use up to 300 feet away or normal use at up to 1000 feet, these radio remotes also let you control the power output on multiple units at a time, building on the already fabulous Air system and opening it up to Nikon users with the B1.

Worlds Fastest Camera Shoots at 4.4 Trillion Frames per Second

How fast is your DSLR's frame rate? Does it shoot at 4.4 trillion FPS? Doubtful, but researchers at the University of Tokyo have created a a system they call "sequentially timed all-optical mapping photography" or STAMP for short. Shooting at 450x450 pixels with a record breaking frame rate of 4.4 trillion they are able to tote the worlds fastest camera title.

Why I’ve Gone Back To Shooting Film...And Why You Should Too

Our DSLRs have confused us. We obssess over the wrong things. Sharpness at 400%; bokeh characteristics of lenses produced from what-must-surely-be prancing magical unicorns; high speed burst frame rates that make cameras sound like gatling guns; 4k resolution to shoot better cat videos; 100 auto focus points that still won’t focus on what we need them to; and noise performance at 400,000 ISO. Absolutely none of these will make your photographs better. Shooting film will though, here's why.

Syrp's New Magic Carpet Slider Adds More Functionality for Timelapse and Video

Syrp's timelapse machine, the Genie, rocks at what it does despite some limitations. You can read our full review of the unit here. Many of those limitations are made easier to swallow once you see what you can do with the new Magic Carpet slider, a tool with a lot of options for both video and timelapse.

Maxell Revitalizes Its Brand with New Camera Accessories

Maxell Professional Media, in an effort to continue diversifying from its well-known CD/DVD manufacturing business, announced it will release various camera accessories including three-way power shoe adapters, USB and other power connectors, and an interesting shoe clamp that will let you add a cold shoe just about anywhere.

The Studio Essential - How To Construct High-Quality V-Flats And Why

Ever since I started diving into studio photography the term “V-Flat” has been a big mystery to me. Google and YouTube have been the quintessential resource for photography knowledge and for whatever reason there isn't much detailed information on how to construct a V-Flat or what purpose they actually serve. It took time to sift through the noise of nonsensical DIY fabrication and even more time to unfold the enigma of this studio essential.

Fstoppers Reviews Cecilia Gallery Camera Straps

There are few things I see photographers skimp on more frequently than a good camera strap. While the default manufacturer straps can certainly get the job done under most circumstances they're pretty limiting in terms of style and functionality and can serve as a un-needed advertisement for the gear you're packing. The guys over at Cecilia Gallery want to give you an alternative to the stock strap that provides a similar minimalistic design with high-quality materials and some cool little nuanced touches.

High Speed Lenses Now Available: f/0.85, f/0.95 and f/1.6

B&H now has a great selection of some high speed lenses available for purchase. These pieces of glass will allow for you to take your creativity to an entirely new level and there is one in nearly every price range, from the lows of $599 all the way up to the high end pricing of $2079 with the Handevision IBELUX 40mm f/0.85 Lens, the Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Lens and the SLR Magic 12mm T1.6 Hyperprime Lens.

Getting Started With Camera Drones: How One Small Rig Can Add So Much Production Value

Aerial videos that have been shot by drones have been flooding YouTube for the last few years, especially as the cost and expertise needed to get into it has come down. A birds-eye point of view can add a lot of production value to a video project, but where does one start when looking to get into aerial video? I spoke with Brent Foster who told me about the doors that shooting aerial video can open, as well as the challenges they present.

Microsoft Hyperlapse Project Aims to Make First-Person Videos Enjoyable at Last

First-person cameras, such as the ubiquitous GoPro, have been filming hours of footage from their owner’s journeys for years now. These lengthy uncut videos don’t hold much interest to most people, but a team of Microsoft Researchers are aiming to change that by using some remarkable technology they hope to release as part of an upcoming app.

Nikon Is Giving Brand New D610 Cameras To D600 Owners

Remember the Nikon D600? It's a great camera other than the fact that the shutter would spray oil all over the sensor. The oil can't easily be seen at wide open apertures but it's a major problem when you stop down. Due to a class action lawsuit Nikon is replacing D600s with new D610... For some people.

An Unforgettable Giant Ring Light and How You Can Make Your Own

The largest ring light I've ever seen consists of 27 bulbs and is four feet in diameter. Six months ago, I built it. With so many questions left unanswered, I put together a short film that explains how I built it, why it was built, and why it's the most amazing light I've ever used to date.

Buy The Studio Gear We Used To Start Fstoppers And Our Photography Careers

12 years ago I assisted a commercial photographer and I fell in love with photography and decided to make it my career. I started little by little buying all of the gear from another fellow photographer in an attempt to go pro as soon as I graduated college. Tomorrow, all of that gear will be sold.

Nikon D810 Review VS D800 VS 5D3 VS FS700

I believe that the Nikon D810 is currently the best all around camera you can buy for the money ($3300) even with competition from Sony's A7R. The more difficult question comes from current D800 owners like me; "Is this camera worth upgrading to?" The answer isn't cut and dry.

RED Epic Dragon First Look and Dynamic Range Tests

Magnanimous Media posted a video detailing some of RED's newest technology as they go through the performance of the sensor in the new 6K-capable Epic Dragon. In what is perhaps one of the most interesting and visually appealing ways to display RAW and ungraded vs. graded footage, Magnanimous Media's video shows quite some promise for the new sensor that promises better color, dynamic range, and low-light shooting with clean video at ISO 2000.

B&H Deal: 25% Off Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens

B&H is running a pretty good deal on the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens right now. It is regularly priced at $199 and now can be purchased for only $149. We are unsure as to how long this deal will be going on so take advantage of it now if you have been in the market for this lens or patiently waiting for a nice sale to pop up.

The Sigma dp2 Quattro Review: New Camera, New Sensor, New Heights

There are two things that immediately come to mind when we talk about the new Sigma dp2 Quattro: the new new Foveon X3 sensor (the book), and the shape of the camera (its cover). Do either matter? Are either necessary? Why do/don’t I like it? And overall, should we all go out and buy this camera today? I had some time to myself with the camera for a preliminary review this week. Here are some thoughts.

PocketWizard Adds More TTL Support: Nikon D810, Canon 1D X and Host of Other Canon and Nikon DSLRs

PocketWizard has expanded their TTL compatibility to several popular Nikon and Canon cameras, including the Canon 70D, 1D X and 6D as well as the Nikon D810, D610 and D4S. The update to its ControlTL firmware is for both Nikon and Canon versions of its MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radios. The update is available today and can be installed into your radio triggers via USB connection to your computer.

Workflow Review: Backing Up and Delivering Content with WD MyPassport & My Cloud Mirror

Western Digital makes some of my favorite hard drives, and one drive in particular recently caught my interest: the My Cloud Mirror. The idea of the My Cloud Mirror was appealing: managing my own cloud network that could be accessed from anywhere and also shared out of, but without a monthly fee. Basically, it is a personal DropBox. I had a pretty set-in-stone process for working remotely and delivering content which has included DropBox, but I decided to give a wholly WD workflow a shot and see if it could do the job just as well, if not better.

Watch This Startling Shark Attack and Appreciate All That Cameras Do

There is a good chance this video will make you jump. You may even pee your pants just a little. The REMUS SharkCam equipped with GoPro cameras gives us a clear view of what it would be like to be attacked by a great white. Watching this video I couldn't help but appreciate how cameras have opened the world to us. How else could we experience something like this...

Dead Weight: Tony Irons’ Large and Medium Format Film Photography

I recently produced a documentary on fine art photographer Tony Irons, showcasing his new photography exhibit entitled “Dead Weight.” The collection includes images created in a studio setting on large format film and landscapes photographed in and around Taipei, Taiwan.

Today is the Last Day You Can Grab Hasselblad Certified Pre-Owned Gear for 20% Off

Having recently moved from a DSLR into medium format digital, I can affirm the transition isn't a cheap one. Besides shelling out tens-of-thousands of dollars for a body and digital back, you've also got to buy a new set of lenses which average around $4k each. Add tether cables, tripod mounts, additional batteries, and filters, you're in the hole for the equivelent of a home mortgage. Every once in a while, the manufacturers will offer incentives and/or savings and for Hasselblad, July happens to be one of those times.

Timelapse Machine Review: The Syrp Genie Gets a Lot Right

There is no avoiding it: timelapse is popular right now. With the ability to use relatively low-cost cameras to still generate extremely high resolution video, hardly a day goes by without a new, amazing timelapse video blowing up on Vimeo. The Syrp Genie is a Kickstarter success story, garnering over six times the original asking pledge amount. After using it for several months, I have to say it gets a lot right, but it still left me wishing it did more.

Behind The Scenes – Up The Ante With A GoPro

I’ve always been enthralled with first person movie scenes, games and music videos. Clocking countless hours with Duke Nukem 3D in my parent’s basement on an old Packard Bell PC planted a seed that forever changed me. To this day I think The Prodigy's breakbeat electronic hit “Smack My Bitch Up” is one of the greatest first person videos of all time.

EOSHD Crowns A7S King of Video, Deposes Canon 5D Mark III Magic Lantern

If you want to learn video on DSLRs and the like, there are few better resources than EOSHD. Andrew Reid is extremely knowledgable (it actually frightens me how much he knows) and is excellent as a real pro talking about, often, consumer equipment. He recently did a large test with the A7s against a set of cameras, and he says it's replaced his go-to 5D Mark III with Magic Lantern raw.

Zack Arias Debunks the Full Frame / Crop Sensor Debate

Zack Arias has always been an avid Fuji shooter (starting off with the fabulous X100) and was one of the biggest influences in my decision to finally take the plunge and co-purchase an X-Pro 1 this summer. In this video Zack knocks some sense into you about how silly the full frame / crop debate really is by reviewing the progression of different formats from eight by ten through 4:3. Take a look.