Gear

Canon has issued a product advisory for the 5D MkIII, admitting that the company's newest addition currently on shelves has some issues exposing correctly while the backlight is on. Canon is working on the issue, but has not yet stated anything specific about possible solutions...

Creating 3D images of interiors, with furniture, colors and textures is a time consuming process to say the least. But now Matterport, a device prototyped from an Xbox Kinect, uses twin lenses on a hand held unit to render a three dimensional space. This tech obviously has a way to go but the preliminary results are impressive none the less.

In this second installation, Chris Niccolls over at The Camera Store TV, compares the Canon 5D Mark III and Nikon D800, with photojournalist Mike Drew. Mike and Chris look at how these two cameras handle fast action in low light and how JPEG processing compares to the RAW files. What I really dig about this comparison is that it's not another model shoot but rather a real working world photographer shooting under the unique and difficult conditions of a cutting horse competition.

If you are not a seriously hardcore, professional editor then I doubt you will give the Eizo FDH3601 a second glance. With it's 4k display that supports a resolution of 4,096 x 2,160 pixels or the equivalent of four 1080p displays in a 36.4 inch frame, this monitor would be the perfect companion for Canon's 1D C, C500 or any high res shooter. The display delivers 100% sRGB coverage color gamut as well as

There is no doubt that Nikon and Canon are putting a lot of effort in creating better video features in their flagship DSLR cameras. One of the most talked about new features has been Nikon's clean, uncompressed 1080p output from the camera's HDMI connector. Both the Nikon D800 and Nikon D4 DSLR cameras allow for this feature, but we've wondered just how useful are these new uncompressed files? We decided to test the new Atomos Ninja 1080p external recorder to see if these 12x larger files gave us better image quality for our own video projects.

Canon unloaded a ton of news this morning. Apart from specifically releasing specifications for the EOS 1D C (Cine) DSLR and the C500, they're also apparently working on a few other things, including four lenses and other 4K cameras -- the C300 was definitely just the beginning. Full specs and tons of photos after the jump!

EOSHD.com reports that Canon is working on both lower- and higher-end versions of the C300, the C100 and C500. While we're unsure about the C100, new rumors indicate that Canon could be ready to announce the C500 along with the previously rumored Cinema EOS 1D DSLR made specifically for video! And all this could happen before the weekend, when NAB 2012 is set to kick off. Read on for some specs!

You may remember R.J. Kern and Amanda Tipton from a shoot we featured on here before - well they're at it again and this one is pretty awesome too. Using the PhaseOne 645Df camera and the Capture Pilot w/Camera Control photo app they got some really cool images. They had the models lay flat on a white seamless background while they shot a typical wedding day in a 2D approach. To see more images click here.

Ok, so the Lord of the Rings reference is a bit dramatic. But photographers ask this question of each other all the time: "What lens could you not go without?" Imagine that you had to pick one lens for your camera for the rest of your life. Which lens would that be? Could you be completely satisfied with an 85mm f/1.4, or would you grab the 70-200mm f/2.8? Decisions decisions...

As many of you have probably already read, Sony Corp announced that it is cutting 10,000 jobs, which translates to 6% of its global workforce. Sony has been struggling with negative profits for four straight years, mainly due to its floundering television division. But what does this mean for Sony’s camera division? With the television sector likely getting the main force of the cuts, will Sony rely on growth in their digital imaging division to make up for the numbers?

I don't know if it really is the smallest camera in the world like makers Hammacher Schlemmer claim, but it's probably the smallest camera that looks like a camera! It's powerful 2 megapixel sensor can capture still images at 1600 x 1200 resolution and captures video at 30 fps at 640 x 480 resolution. It even has built-in autofocus!

Hard drives are something we all need. But in an industry that advances (i.e. depreciates) so quickly and with increases in price due to flooding in Thailand, how can we be sure we're getting what's right for us? And how can we stay technologically flexible with upcoming releases when we have 'old' hard drives? Do I need Thunderbolt? Do I need more than two hard drives? How can daisy-chaining help me? These are some of the starter questions that lead into an entire breakdown of what you might need in certain situations.

It seems a new issue has popped up for the Canon 5dmk3. Multiple people are reporting that there is a light leak through the top LCD panel that directly affects metering. The easiest way to detect this issue is to put the body cap on the camera body as well as cover the viewfinder. Then place the camera in "P" mode at ISO800 and press the LCD backlight button.

For those of you that prefer real world testing to shooting test charts, you may be interested in seeing Mark Wallace's newest review. In this video Mark goes out and shoots the brand new Canon 5D Mark III. On paper the 5D3 may not look like much of an upgrade from the M2 but the focusing, metering, and ISO performance show huge improvements.

On the D3100, D5100, and D7000, Nikon placed a rather low video recording time limit for a single clip. Currently, it's somewhere in the area of ten or 20 minutes, depending on the model. However, Nikonhacker.com has come up with a crack that will extend this limit to a much more reasonable 25 to 30 minutes. Read after the jump for more info!

Today, Tamron announced the availability of what they are calling "the new super performance full-frame zoom lens features class-leading resolution and Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization and USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) , with resolution at the top of its class." It is available for pre order now from B&H Photo.

For the photographer who likes to travel light, it has always been a challenge to find flash modifiers that are both effective and easy to use on the go. ExpoImaging has long been making accessories, but their recently released Rogue diffusion panels for their popular FlashBenders will be a welcome addition to any strobist’s kit.

Photographer, Michael J Moore was granted access to a creepy and abandoned state mental hospital for this fashion shoot. He used a combination of lighting setups but mainly, the Phase One 645DF camera with a Profoto 8A 2400W and various Profoto strobes. With all three different lighting set ups, Michael did a great job at capturing that Vanity Fair-esque look that we all know so well.

As photographers, we are always in search of that new unique lighting modifier to add to our bag of tricks. I recently saw this video on Strobist where Amber Gray claims her Broncolor Para FB could actually reduce the amount of post production on her models. That statement seemed a bit bold when I first heard it; usually I credit a great makeup artist for awesome skin texture rather than a specific light. I've never used a ring flash

The web is abuzz with comparison articles on which $3000 DSLR camera is the best bang for the buck. Kevin Good with CrisisLab recently did a side by side comparison of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800 in several real world tests. His tests include Resolution, Rolling Shutter, High ISO Test, and Durability. Each test was conducted to the highest of standards and perhaps might be the most scientific review I've seen yet. Now off to Craigslist to find me some models!

Fstoppers reader Jason Kolsch just put together a beautiful 2 minute promo video of the new Nikon D4. The D4 is shooting stills at an impressive 11 frames per second but the Phantom (the camera that this video was shot with) was shooting at 1000 frames per second. The beauty of gadgets in motion should bring a tear to any nerds eye.

We get asked to show our lighting for our Fstoppers Original interviews all the time but it seems like we always forget to shoot our lighting schemes. StillMotion just released a killer video that shows how they light interviews with key, fill, hair, and background lights. By using Profoto's new HMI lights with Air remotes, you can easily change the output of each light without moving from behind your camera. Of course all of this still applies to still photography as well.

The Canon 5D MkIII and the Nikon D800 are two of the hottest cameras on the market right now. In this video commercial photographer Nathan Elson joins up with The Camera Store's Chris Niccolls to see how these two cameras stack up in the image quality department. Enjoy!

Are you in the market for a new camera/laptop bag? Before you buy a common backpack, you may want to check out the One System by Undfind. The One System includes the One Bag (a messenger style bag) that can hold a laptop or tons of camera gear, and the smaller Waist Shooter that can hold a ton of useful camera accessories at your hip.

In the age of cutting back and serving the mass consumer, seemingly little has been done to cater to smaller, more precisely defined markets. But Canon's new 60Da announced today marks an exception. The camera, now available for pre-order on BHPhotoVideo or Adorama, is Canon's first since 2005's 20Da to be specifically suited for astrophotography with increased infra-red sensitivity to better and more accurately capture the colors of the celestial sky. Find more info and photos as they unfold after the jump!

Perhaps no DSLR camera has caused such a stir as Nikon's new 36mp DSLR camera. Not only does it provide the most megapixels of any compact DSLR yet, but it also falls below the $3,000 mark! But the question everyone has is "can a small 35mm sensor really come close to the quality of a large medium format camera?" The guys over at DSLR Magazine put the Nikon D800 up against the Hasselblad H4D-40, Leica S2, and Sigma SD1 to find out. The results will most certainly shock you!

Hot on the heels of NAB 2012, Sony's Europe website posted the NEX-FS700E Camcorder. The hitlist of features include a Super35mm CMOS Sensor, 4K RAW output with a future upgrade, up to 240fps @ 1080p, built-in ND filters, and 50/60Hz switching. Pricing is still unannounced, but EOSHD's sources tell them it will only be $8,000! Hit the jump for actual product images and a detailed feature list.

Pye Jirsa from SLRLounge.com recently sat down with Peter Hurley for an exclusive interview. Peter talks about his history as a photographer, his DVD, his favorite gear, business techniques, and PH2. Peter is a huge character and as always he makes the interview a pretty entertaining watch.

Via NikonRumors, this is something everyone should know about: a do-it-yourself $30 wifi kit for the Nikon D4! It really speaks for itself. Read on for the details. Who knows, maybe something similar could be done for the 1D X. I wouldn't be surprised at all...

Between great announcements, imagined concepts, and juicy rumors, there's never a dull time for gearheads. These last few weeks are no exception. In the full post, read of Zeiss' new 15mm lens, the only Leica you can bring to a white party, some w i d e Hasselblad rumors, and then some.

It's bound to happen. With new gear comes new bugs and Canon Rumors has already reported on the first two issues with Canon's 5D MarkIII.

Issue One:
Image Stabilization Noise
A couple of lenses have been exhibiting strange noises when the shutter button is half depressed on the 5d MarkIII but the image quality is not affected and the noise does not occur during Live View. The two known affected lenses are

Everyone knows that Rebates come and go. Right now however many companies have substantial rebates on some of their top gear. The bad news is apparently a lot of these rebates are coming to an end on April 1st (no joke here). We recently got a phone call from the guys at BH Photo, and I've combined all the major deals into one post. If you are in need of some new lenses, cameras, or computer storage, be sure to check out the full post.

Even though both Patrick and I purchased the Nikon D4 and D800 the day the preorder became available (and we are NPS members) the cameras still have not been shipped to us. Ironically B&H was kind enough to send us a 5DM3 for review and we should receive it by tomorrow. Neither of us are Canon shooters so our review may take a while but until then, check out this full review by Philip Bloom.

Photographer Dave Hamilton takes us behind the scenes on his latest shoot with hockey legend, Trevor Linden. This video is very informative and well produced - including a lighting diagram for each of the different setups. Aiming to get that perfect cover shot for Vancouver View Magazine's April 2012 issue, Dave was able to get some nice shots using his Canon 5D Mark II.

TrekPak on KickStarter is one of the lastest funding projects aimed at photographers. A innovated design that allows owners of large camera bags and pelican cases alike, easy adjustments of compartment space without having to fight with velcro inserts.

What is going on with cameras these days? First we learned that the $6000 Nikon D4 is not a significant improvement over the D3S in terms of resolution or ISO performance. Now we are hearing that the Canon 5D Mark III is not a significant jump in video quality compared to the 5D Mark II that was released 4 years ago. I was shocked to see this video of a $900 Panasonic GH2 outperforming the $3500 5DM3 in terms of sharpness. Check out the full write up and 100% screen caps at EOSHD.

Last week one of the most respected camera review sites, DxOMark, listed the brand new Nikon D4 as the best digital DSLR camera to date. The D4 ranked so well that it was actually the 2nd best digital camera period falling behind only by the Phase One IQ180. Today both those cameras fall to a shocking competitor..the much less expensive Nikon D800!

Adobe releases a new version of it's flagship editing software Photoshop every year or two. Usually the releases are pretty uneventful except for a few new automated features that full time editors rarely use. Adobe Photoshop CS6 changes this trend and might be the biggest revamp to the photo editing software yet. You can download Photoshop CS6 Beta here to test the software for free, and in the full post I'll touch on a few key features that might make this update worth considering.

You may remember Canon's promo video for the 5d Mark III that I posted a couple of weeks ago, which showcased the, ehem, interesting sport of Radball. Love it or hate it, I think we can at least agree that it was pretty entertaining. Canon recently released a companion to the promo video which goes behind the scenes into the filming of the piece.

The Nikon D4 may not be a huge improvement over the D3S in terms of image quality but as a video camera there is no comparison. The most important updates include audio controls that allow you to dial in silky smooth sounding audio from an external mic as well as an audio out jack for headphone monitoring. The camera can also shoot at 1080P in standard full frame, 1.5 crop, or 2.7 crop meaning that you now can get almost a 200mm reach from a 24-70mm lens without losing quality. In this video I'll show you how to manage these new features.

As a wedding photographer I was really never interested in the D800. 36mp in ideal light for commercial jobs sounds fantastic but shooting thousands of images in a dark reception hall and having to deal with massive files horrified me. Because of this I purchased a D4 hoping for high ISO performance in a more manageable 16mp file. After I tested the performance of the D4 in low light and finding it was no better than the D3S, I am giving the D800 a second look.

Last night we put 3 Nikon cameras up against the new Nikon D4 in a studio ISO test and the D3s won. Don't get me wrong, the D4 files look fantastic, and beyond ISO 6400 the D4 did have slightly less color noise compared to the D3s but when we compared the images side by side we saw a pretty significant drop in contrast and sharpness. Even though the D4 has more megapixels, it appeared to be capturing less detail.

Photographer/film-maker Jason Bognacki successfully attached a 93 year old camera to his Canon 5D. It's a Piccolette Contessa-Nettel (1919) folding camera. Check out the results and see for yourself. The images are so much sharper than you might expect. What do you think?

Hello Fstoppers' Fans. We just wanted to give Peter Hurley a well deserved pat on the back for just being featured in the Gadgetwise section of the New York Times and to toot our own horn over the success of our first full length tutorial DVD. If you're still in the dark and don't know what all the hype is about then check out the published article where Peter shares a small part of the DVD with, "Six Tips for Better Portraits". Or you can skip all that and jump right into grabbing, "The Art Behind The Headshot" DVD. The most comprehensive DVD on how to get the ideal headshots for your clients.

Yesterday we got a call from LensProToGo.com and they told us that they had gotten in the new Nikon D4. Both Patrick and I bought the camera but it isn't due to show up before Monday. LensProToGo said they would over night the camera to me so that we could get a head start on reviewing the camera and now I will be able to shoot a real wedding with it tomorrow. This is the unboxing video of our first Nikon D4.

We all fall off the tech wheel every now and then. And lately, it's been anything but easy to keep up with all that's been happening. Well, worry not. We have an update for you on everything that's happened and everything that should happen soon. Read on for info on Canon, Nikon, Leica, and Zeiss...

The Nikon D800 has been much criticized for its enormous megapixel count. And some have worried that packing 36 megapixels into a full frame sensor might lead to decreased low-light performance. These samples, however, push those worries aside. It's no D4, but for 36 megapixels, I think Nikon should win an award for this. Canon took a different route with the 22-megapixel 5D Mark III, but that paid off, too. See for yourself in the full post!

It's already been an exciting month for gear enthusiasts. Obviously, the major camera body announcements from Canon and Nikon have taken most of the spotlight. We have also seen new Pocket Wizards, as well as a shinny new version of Adobe Lightroom 4 come out. But what about the glass? Sure, Canon revised a few lenses, but I'm talking about a whole new lens. Carl Zeiss is apparently looking to step up and fill this void.