The Pakpod is Kickstarter's latest small-camera tripod to hit the market. It's not made of carbon fiber or even metal. It won't stand much higher than a couple feet. And it looks a little funny - let's be honest. But it does one thing better than any other tripod I've ever seen: it attaches to anything (even under water).
Help me settle this ongoing argument. In his article, my good friend Neil Van Niekerk tells his readers "Fall out of love with your 50mm lens. Use it when it is appropriate." He goes on to say that the 50mm is not appropriate for tight portraits; even uses my photos to demonstrate his point. I say he's wrong.
Canon's latest cameras are compact, but pack a punch (maybe). While some might be compelled to ask themselves about the reasons behind releasing the lackluster EOS M10 at all, the G5 X and G9 X both fit well into Canon's high-end compact lineup with interesting features that might draw the casual shooter looking for something a bit more spectacular than le quotidien.
EOS M10
Without a huge media hoopla, today Apple announced updates to some of its entire all-in-one desktop lineup. The 21.5-inch iMac now offers a 4K retina display, the 27-inch iMac now comes standard with the 5K retina display, the Mac sees its first Skylake debut, and Apple's Magic keyboard and mouse accessories see great updates (at a price).
When DJI announced the Inspire 1 drone, I didn't get it. It was a much larger and more expensive quadcopter that had only a slightly better camera attached to it. I had no interest in the Inspire 1 until they announced the new Zenmuse X5 Micro 4/3 camera/gimbal system. I currently have one and I can tell you, it's pretty amazing.
Having seen plenty of Apple iPhone 6s reviews and comparisons over the last few weeks, including the newly famed Lee Morris iPhone fashion shoot, it could be said we have had enough. Though as primarily a mobile shooter myself, I was looking for something a bit more in-depth and something that got down to the very details of the phone's camera capabilities.
The E-mount lens family for Sony mirrorless cameras seems to be growing larger every day. Today, Zeiss announced a new addition to their manual-focus E-mount Loxia line: the Loxia 21mm f/2.8.
Are you looking to upgrade your body or grab a new lens? Canon USA just announced a new promotion that offers a pretty stellar extended warranty with the purchase of qualifying gear from an authorized dealer through January 9.
Eric Fossum, the inventor of the CMOS image sensor, the sensor in almost every modern digital camera, has teamed up with Jiaju Ma in developing the Quanta Image Sensor (QIS). The QIS represents a significant leap forward in low-light sensitivity that has major implications for both scientific imaging and consumer electronics.
A little over a year ago, I got to live out one of my worst nightmares. I had a day where the personification of my anxiety sprouted legs and ambled right into the middle of a wedding ceremony that I was photographing. Mr. Anxiety-Incarnate snuck into a church, and like a biblical plague, snuck right back out and took something precious with him.
While it seems like there is a new selfie stick on the market every other day, PolarPro, an action camera accessories manufacturer, is set to begin production on a pretty cool extension pole. The PowerGrip H2O is a fully waterproof, battery-integrated extension pole that can not only mount your GoPro but charge it as well.
Coming early next year, Voigtlander will be giving some new ultra wide-angle lens options to Sony mirrorless photographers. Today they announced plans to release a 10mm f/5.6, 12mm f/5.6, and a 15mm f/4.5 as native Sony E-mount designs in spring 2016.
Kai and friends at DigitalRev TV have got their hands on the very new and very exceptional Milvus lenses from Zeiss. Their test includes the 21mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.4, and 85mm f/1.4 models that make up the core of this new lens system.
Lately it seems that DJI has been releasing innovative video tools every single month. Known primarily for their ultra popular Phantom and Inspire 1 drone systems, DJI just announced today that they are releasing their own handheld 4K camera and gimbal called the Osmo.
So outrageous are the looks of the L16 camera, you might find yourself checking today's date to make sure we haven't entered into April. But no, this is completely real. Light, the company behind the L16 camera, took a compact body and crammed 16 cameras, each with its own plastic-covered lens, into it.
Today I attended Microsoft's press event in NYC. I assume that they wanted me there because I am one of the few photographers who doesn't currently use Apple computers. I was excited to see the new Surface Pro 4, but I wasn't prepared to see a Macbook Pro and iPad Pro killer.
Sony Corporation announced today that it will spin off its semiconductor business into its own company in April 2016. Other parts of the corporation will see a restructuring of operations while all of the research and development, business, sales, and other operations related to the semiconductor and image sensor business will benefit from more autonomy under one separate roof.
Before I had a Wacom, I seriously questioned the ability that a touchpad without a screen would have to improve my editing workflow. Also the screen-integrated models were way too expensive for me to consider at the time. Those of us that have them now, however, see them as an invaluable tool in our work — and it’s one we probably want to protect.
If you thought the megapixel war was over years ago then you might shocked by the latest cameras released by Nikon, Sony, and Canon. The D810, A7RII, and 5DsR are the biggest and baddest pieces of artillery on the front line, and today the team at Fstoppers is going to determine once and for all which camera is the best.
Two of Nikon's most popular professional cameras have hit all-time lows in online pricing for new, non-grey-market models with full warranties in the U.S. The Nikon D810 currently sees a $500 discount on B&H while the D750 sees a $400 discount, each selling for $2,796.95 and $1,896.95, respectively.
Nope, we're not joking. Photographer Kotama Bouabane is creating photographs using coconuts. While he used the fruit in several different ways to create images, his most interesting method simply involves tape, a coconut, and some photo paper! Read on and check out the video for more!
Fuji has just announced a new addition to their popular Instax camera line with the release of the new Instax Mini 70, promising an increase in image quality and a brand new "Selfie" mode.
The new model will offer three new colors, as well as improved image quality and a new "Selfie" mode according to Fujifilm's press release.
Yesterday we released the iPhone Bikini Shoot, a video in which I do a professional quality photoshoot with minimal gear. The point of the video wasn't to say that the iPhone was a better camera than a professional DSLR, it was meant to inspire photographers to use the gear they currently own to create beautiful images.
"Oh, this is going to be good," I chuckled to myself. Fstoppers co-founder Lee Morris had just posted an article and video called "The New iPhone Fashion Shoot: Bikinis, Foam Core, and Flashlights." I knew the response would be fast and passionate. I wasn't disappointed.
Recently our own Lee Morris shot a model photoshoot entirely with an iPhone 6s Plus, showing that with proper lighting technique, a good model, and proficient use of editing software, you can obtain professional looking results with even the most humble of cameras.
RED Digital Cinema has announced the latest addition to its line of professional cameras, the RED RAVEN priced at $5,590. RED RAVEN is the lightest and cheapest camera among the RED Cinema lineup. This camera is capable of capturing 4K resolution footage at up to 120fps or 2K resolution at 240fps.
Recently, PRO EDU posted video reviews of the new iPhone 6s, which is getting major attention for its new video capabilities, namely its ability to record 4K video. In these two video reviews, PRO EDU takes a look at the dynamic range and stabilization ability of the new phone, as well as its overall video quality.
The Fujifilm X-Series cameras have made quite a stir in the photography community over the past few years by asking us to take mirrorless cameras seriously. Since the debut of the X-Pro1, Fuji has released numerous iterations, but has really showed it was serious with the X-E2 and X-T1. Now, we have the X-T10, a scaled back X-T1. Where does it fit and who is it for?
Today I got an iPhone 6s and the only feature that really excites me is the option to shoot in 4k video. As I've said before, I don't care to export videos in 4k, I just want higher quality 1080p footage. I decided to do a quick test comparing the 4k capabilities of the iPhone 6s to the hottest camera on the market today, the Sony A7RII.
Aside from some people getting theirs early and others being in time zones where "today" was "yesterday," the iPhone comes out today in the U.S. And of course, those who have theirs have already spent plenty of time comparing various features.
It comes up when I'm driving someone around and they ask where my car charger is (I don't have one). Or when I'm having a party at my house and my guests asks to go into my office to plug their iPhone into my computer. You don't have to live like this anymore. There is another way.
When people first get into wedding photography, one of the main pieces of advice they will hear over and over is, “You can’t reshoot a wedding." This instantly leads to photographers asking, “How do I protect my images?" Image backup and cataloging is sort of like baking a cake. Every photographer is going to have a different recipe to how they do things.
Casey Neistat got his hands on the new iPhone 6s before its official release. He took the phone around Manhattan and captured a range of 4k footage. Although YouTube does compress everything, it looks good, and I'm excited to put this phone to the test myself.
The original Holga camera was made in 1981 as an ultra-cheap medium format camera for families in China. 35mm film came out soon after destroying the 120 film market, but the Holga camera was then picked up in foreign markets by photographers looking for surrealistic, lo-fi looking pictures. This camera comes full circle today with the creation of the Holga Digital.
For almost 40 years, Tamrac has been producing bags aimed towards photographers who embraced the great outdoors. Their brand new collection of Anvil backpacks — which replaces the Expedition line — continues their tradition while making a number of exciting design choices that make this collection their best ever.
This week ONA announced a big release of an all new bag line, called The Black Collection, aimed mainly at the travel photographers. The all black designs stray away from their usual highly artistic and unique all-leather look, but loses little in the way of features and build quality.
I love great camera deals. Lee loves great camera deals. Casey is a big 'ol Debbie Downer about camera deals, but he lives in Seattle so he's required to be a contrarian. For those of you who also love camera deals, today is a great day because those killer prices on new Nikon D810s and D750s are back!
It was some time ago now that I reviewed one of Lowepro's first ProTactic AW bags when it first came out, and it was quite well received on this end.
If you're a mirrorless camera user in search of a third party lens, you could be in luck. Today, Rokinon announced the release of their new high speed 21mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC Compact and the 50mm f/1.2 AS UMC Compact “made for mirrorless” lenses.
The Movi gimbal stabilizer by Freefly changed the video world when it was released a few years ago, and the new "Mimic" controller aims to make the system even better. Instead of controlling the camera movement with a standard controller with joysticks, you can now use your arms as though you were the one holding the camera.
Since 2012, many have considered the Canon 5D Mark III to be the proverbial workhorse of the photography industry. It's a great all-around camera. It's not perfect, though. It's also three-and-a-half years old. In the meantime, manufacturers like Sony and Fujifilm have vaulted ahead in the innovation game. This is Canon's chance to take back the spotlight.
Today, Pentax posted a teaser page on its website, announcing the debut of a full frame camera, finally bringing to fruition a camera system many have long thought was in the making. Pentax, the company that peculiarly has a medium format camera and a line of APS-C cameras, but no full frame system, is finally filling that gap and frankly, we're excited.
First, second, third, and fourth generations of several companies’ drones are now out on the market. But it’s only as we head into 2016 that the drone race is really on and that all the other possible players with their collectively interesting ideas who might have lagged behind a little are now crossing the halfway point.
The Steadicam was invented in 1975 as a mechanical way of stabilizing video cameras. In 2013 Freefly introduced the Movi, an electronic gimbal that basically made your average Steadicam obsolete. Since then the price of electronic gimbals has plummeted to a level that the average consumer can actually afford.
It can be too easy to focus on giant light modifiers and expensive strobes as being where you should spend your money when optimizing your studio, but it can also be handy to consider some of the cheaper, less obvious, options that will help make your shoots go smoothly.
With all the hype surrounding the release of the Sony a7SII, the wait to order it is finally over. Sony has created this camera body to revolutionize the way cinematographers shoot with DSLRs. Although the cameras probably won't ship for another month or so, this camera is worth being first in line for.
The current king-of-the-hill 35mm, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 A DC HSM, costs $900. That's not too shabby for a lens that absolutely dominates its "L" and high-end Nikon competition, which both cost significantly more. Canon and Nikon offer budget 35mm options: a f/2.0 IS and f/1.8G, respectively, both of which cost under $600 and are no slouches themselves.
The iPad may work as a laptop replacement for casual web and email surfers, but for us photographers, it's not really a professional tool. Many photographers still own an iPad as a digital portfolio or for casual use, but its simplified operating system makes using it professionally very difficult.
The new Canon 5DsR is already known for its crazy large megapixel count. At just over 50 megapixel, it is currently the highest megapixel full-frame DSLR on the market. The file size of each detail packed raw file is around 60mb. That’s about 16 images per gigabyte of card space. Now imagine 825 images being combined into one super sized panorama.
