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.

Wacom Says MacOS 10.13 High Sierra Support Coming by Late October

Despite nearly four months passing after Apple released the MacOS 10.13 High Sierra developer beta on June 5, Wacom apparently needs more time to sort out their tablet drivers for the new operating system. High Sierra was released today to the public, however Wacom is advising not to upgrade just yet to keep your tablets working. 

iPhone 8 Vs. $30,000 RED Camera: Slo-Mo Showdown

The iPhone 8 now shoots 1080p up to 240 fps which is genuinely an impressive feature. This is especially true when you consider the fact that currently there isn't a single DSLR on the market from Canon or Nikon that can shoot at those frame rates.

Eleven Items Photographers Should Be Buying in Bulk

We all know that buying in bulk has its financial benefits, but how many of us actually utilize these habits for our photography? Here are 11 items that will not only save you time and money if bought in larger quantities but will also help minimize stress while on a photoshoot. 

This Adapter Lets You Autofocus Manual Focus Lenses

If you own a Sony mirrorless camera, you probably know that an adapter can open up a veritable treasure trove of vintage lenses or allow you to use other manufacturers' current offerings. Of course, the one major drawback is that you often lose (or never had) autofocus in these situations. This neat adapter gives you back that ability. 

Quick Review of the Aukey Clip-on Circular Polarizing Filter for Smartphones

The circular polarizing filter is one of the most important pieces of equipment to own as a photographer. Its effects are one of the few that can’t be faked in post-processing. It didn’t even occur to me until browsing Amazon that circular polarizing filters are now being made for smartphone cameras, and that got me excited to try one out. 

Canon SL2/200D Vs. Canon 80D: Best Entry-Level Camera Comparison

The latest entry-level DSLR released from Canon, the SL2, is one with some very interesting features. It is now the cheapest DSLR currently available with Dual Pixel autofocus making this a very interesting and capable camera. If you haven't tried Dual Pixel autofocus before, it may just change the way you work because it is simply incredible.

Fstoppers Reviews the RapiDome Collapsible Speedlight Modifier by Photoflex

There are a ton of speedlight modifiers on the market today. Some utilize the miracle material we call Velcro, others use rare-earth magnets to affix their product to your flash. Photoflex takes a more traditional approach with their latest speedlight modifier by developing a collapsible octobox style modifier specifically designed for speedlights. 

First Look at the New Profoto A1 Flash

I’ve been a Profoto user for quite a while now, loving my B1s and B2s for wedding photography, and my D1s for studio photography. I’m a huge fan of off-camera flash, especially when it can be easily manipulated into looking like natural light when I need it to.

Profoto Announces World’s Smallest Studio Light: Profoto A1

After weeks of rumors, Profoto officially announced their latest A1 flash; a speedlight sized powerful flash, which can be used both on or off camera. The company calls their latest product “the smallest studio light” and considering its features, they seem to be right.  

Fstoppers Reviews the Sigma Art 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Ultrawide Zoom Lens

Sigma has been killing it lately with their Art series of lenses, and this entry doesn't stray far from the pack. With a great build, low distortion, and a very competitive price, it’s a contender for the best ultrawide lens available in its class. I had one for a few weeks and got to see if it lived up to the hype and high bar set by its fellow Sigma Art lenses. 

Canon Is Developing Lighter Supertelephoto Lenses [Rumor]

Supertelephoto lenses are a love/hate relationship for a lot of photographers: they showcase some of the best optical engineering companies have to offer, but carrying them around is quite a workout. Canon is seeking to cut that weight with its supertelephoto lenses in development. 

The Fujifilm GFX 50S as a Travel Camera

Over the past few years, we’ve seen digital medium-format photography go from something of a hulking utilitarian beast into something a little more elegant in terms of usability. The Phase One and Hasselblad flagships, although coveted by many, were only attainable by a select few and really only intended for methodical work.

Three Main Ways to Sync Strobes to Your Camera

When it comes to off-camera lighting with strobes, there are three main ways to sync your camera so the lights fire when you click the shutter. In this week’s video with Jay P. Morgan from the Slanted Lens, he goes over the three ways to sync your strobes. 

Why Can't My DSLR Shoot 4K 60p, but the iPhone Can?

In the last decade, cell phones have made huge leaps forward in technology and capability. It's simply incredible what they are capable of these days, and the amount of processing power and features they have would have been unimaginable not so long ago. The latest iPhones are capable of shooting beautiful images and video up to 4K at 60p.

New Kid On the Old Block: The Polaroid OneStep 2

It looks like there’s a “new” kid on the block, and it happens to be our old friend Polaroid (Or is it "old guy on the new block," or "new old kid on the old new block," or something else entirely? I don't know...). There are a number of instant-print cameras on the market, but to me, they’re all missing at least one of two things: the brand recognition of the Polaroid name and t

Is the Nikon D850 for Men Only?

The Nikon D850 is quite the beast of a camera. It holds a massive 45.7-megapixel full-frame sensor that can record 4k video and create 8k time-lapses. It can shoot at a blazing fast seven frames per second and has an enormous 51 image buffer when shooting 14-bit raw images.

Learning From The Masters: Albert Watson Photographs Dancer Sergei Polunin

Albert Watson. Legend. Period, end. With a career spanning five decades and multiple iconic images, his career in fashion and portraiture would be the aspiration of any budding photographer. Alongside Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, PDN recognized him as one of the twenty most influential photographers of all time.

Is The Nikon D850 The Best Wildlife Camera Too?

When it comes to wildlife photography, high megapixel cameras aren't normally the first kind of cameras that most people tend to think of. Cameras such as the Canon 1DX Mark II, the Nikon D5, and the Sony a9 come to mind, due to their incredible burst rates, rugged build quality, and amazing autofocus systems.

Apple Announces iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and More

It's a big year for Apple. This is the year Apple finally introduces some major technological upgrades from augmented-reality and improved cameras to OLED screens in its iPhone lineup. And in doing so, they've released three new models alongside each other, the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X.

Kodak Announces Printomatic 10-Megapixel Instant Zink Print Camera

Continuing with its strong comeback in the still photography arena, Kodak recently announced a digital camera called the Printomatic that is capable of printing instant photos. The camera uses a 10MP sensor and saves images to a digital card, but built into the camera is also an inkless printer system that prints on 2" x 3" Zink paper using heat. 

A Beautiful Look at the Assembly Process of a Leica Camera

Leica might be the most polarizing camera brand among photographers, but I think most will agree that they're beautifully crafted machines. This lovely short film goes behind the scenes, giving an inside look at the manufacturing process and what goes into making a Leica camera. 

Zero Distortion: A Review of the Laowa 15mm f/2 Lens

In the last few years, Laowa, a Chinese company, released some very interesting lenses. Several of their wide-angle lenses have been praised for excellent performance and can be bought at relatively reasonable prices. The Laowa 15mm f/2 is one of these lenses and is currently the fastest 15mm lens that you can buy.

Fstoppers Reviews Polar Pro Filters for Drones

Designed for DJI photographers and cinematographers alike, PolarPro's Cinema Series for the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced includes six incredibly useful filters: three neutral density filters and three polarizing and neutral density filters. I had been looking at filters for quite some time and wasn't sure where to begin so this set was the perfect place to start.

Playing With the D850: Do You Really Need That Newest Camera?

I had the glorious opportunity to play with the highly-anticipated (at least for me) upgrade from the D810, the D850. I wanted to touch on a few things, namely the hype and if one really needs this new camera. For me, absolutely I do and I'll explain why.

Nikon D850 Dynamic Range Tested and Compared

It would seem that the Nikon D850 can do no wrong and with this latest test and comparison from Tony Northrup, the results seem even more positive. The dynamic range was something a lot of photographers were concerned about, especially due to the higher megapixel count.

Why You Should Add a Macro Lens to Your Arsenal

Do you have a macro lens in your camera bag? If you don’t, is it because you don’t shoot macro photography? If you do, are you limiting the use of the lens? There are several lenses out there that some photographers use only for a specific reason, and a macro lens is one of them which many photographers limits to macro photography.

How Easy Is It to 3D Print Gear?

One thing most photographers have in common is the love of gear. We know it's not about what's in your bag, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't value good design and ease of use when considering a tripod clamp or ND filter kit. But what if you could design it yourself, and have it produced? Film Look's latest video shows what they printed for themselves.

How to Properly Pack Your Photography Bag for the Outdoors

Thomas Heaton is a landscape photographer based in the United Kingdom and has grown exponentially in popularity since gaining steam on his YouTube channel in the early part of 2016. While known for giving a great professional insight into the world of professional photography, he’s also a great educator on handling yourself in the outdoors.

Rent a Camera to Help Someone Get His Family's House Back

A few days ago, Lee Morris wrote up a story about fellow Fstoppers Writer Andrew Richardson's unfortunate circumstance after he came back to the first home he purchased just three weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit only to see it completely flooded.

See Nikon D850 Autofocus Features in These Hands-On Videos

Sporting the D5's 153-point autofocus system and metering sensor allows the D850 to take full advantage of the sensor inside it to produce stunning results. However, Nikon also added a number of new software-based features to really take advantage of this system.

Get a Great Deal on the Tamron 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD Lens

The Tamron 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD lens is the only normal focal length lens you can get for Canon or Nikon that has image stabilization built in. It's a unique lens that has been generally well received, and with this deal, it's an excellent bargain. 

The Lily Drone is Back… Kind Of

Back in 2015, the “Throw-And-Go” Lily Robotics drone was building steam and making waves. Its Kickstarter campaign centered around its ability to launch out of water and to be thrown off a cliff to immediately rescue itself and follow its adventurer as they traveled quickly over any terrain.

The Sony a9 Is So Fast That You Can Make a Movie From Still Image Bursts

The Sony a9 is a pretty exciting camera, as it's the first mirrorless camera to take square aim at the two highest-level DSLRs, the Canon 1D X Mark II and the Nikon D5. It's made waves for many features, not the least of which is its insane continuous shooting rate of 20 fps. This video highlights just how fast that is using a clever method. 

How to Properly Use a Gimbal for Smooth Video

So you bought a gimbal! Great! But now you're wondering why your gear is still coming out slightly shaky and why the gimbal isn't doing as promised and creating a buttery-smooth video for you like magic! Odds are you're not quite using it right. But thanks to Christian Santiago, we can get a great virtual lesson on what you should be doing to shoot like the pros. 

Sandisk iXpand Base: An Easy Photo Backup Solution for iPhones

When was the last time you backed up your iPhone photos? For many people, taking the time to back up what are often some of our most cherished photos rarely gets done consistently. Sandisk recently tried to solve this problem with the release of their iXpand Base, a flash drive and charger made specifically for iPhones. 

Unleashing Creativity with Nikkor AF D Primes

As a former computer scientist, I’m all about finding efficiencies in my workflow and making my life easier. Some people might call it laziness. Logically, after years of shooting with a traditional DSLR kit, I was ready to ditch it in favor of moving to a small and light mirrorless set up.

The Sony RX0 - The Action Camera That's More Than Meets The Eye

Sony is the most exciting camera brand right now. There I said it. They just keep bouncing from field to field making huge leaps and bounds in technology and the latest example of that is the entirely new, exciting Sony RX0—Sony’s first foray into the action sports world. But it's not exciting for the reasons that you might imagine.  

Make Your Carnival Photos More Interesting With a Neutral Density Filter

I’ve been to the New York State fair for more years than I can count. It’s a great time. There are carnival rides, animals, music, and lots to photograph. Oh, and of course, corn dogs. But in recent years, I’ve found myself carrying less and less photographic gear to the fair and just enjoying the moment. Except that I wasn’t really enjoying the moment because I wasn’t making photos.

How to Get the Most From Nikon’s Auto AF Fine Tune

Camera bodies and lenses are factory calibrated by default, but sometimes they require further adjustments to achieve better results when focusing. With the Nikon's AF fine tune feature on supported models, you can manually make precise adjustments to fix any focusing problems. 

A First Look at Canon's New Tilt-Shift Macro Lenses

Along with the new 85mm f/1.4L IS, Canon recently announced three new tilt-shift lenses with macro capabilities, an intriguing combination that should excite product, food, macro, and portrait photographers alike. Here's a first look at working with the lenses and some scenarios where their unique capabilities really come to the forefront.