Last year Sigma made history when they released an 18-35mm zoom with a wicked-fast f/1.8 aperture. Up until then, the fastest wide-to-normal zoom you could get for your crop-sensor camera was something in the neighborhood of a 17-55mm f/2.8 (more than a full stop slower than the current offering from Sigma).
Do you have any old hard drives kicking around? If you fancy yourself a bit of a DIY'er you might be pleasantly susprised at what you can make out of those old storage devices! Youtube user, Rulof Maker, shows us how to make a Steadicam out of 2 old hard drives and a few pieces from the hardware store. How's that for a fun spring project?
Two weeks ago we saw Tony Northrup comparing the Canon and Yongnuo 50mm 1.8 lenses with his thorough video. Now Kai of DigitalRevTV has decided to bring you his own version of this same comparison. In typical Kai fashion, his presentation is perhaps more humorous than scientific, but in between the jokes are some real kernels of truth.
If you are fan of DIY projects or are on a budget, this tutorial shows you all the steps for creating a simple yet effective globe light modifier for Paul C. Buff (RIP) strobes like AlienBees and Einsteins. Unlike many other DIY modifiers, this globe actually attaches the exact same way the retail modifiers do. Best of all, you can buy everything you need for under $25!
If you're into macro photography, Adaptalux could be your new best friend. The new Kickstarter project is aimed to solve a lot of the lighting issues macro photographers face and offer new ways to light objects in creative ways. The Adaptalux is a small device with five ports and five adjustable LED lighting arms with different color outputs.
TenOneDesign, makers of the popular Pogo and Pogo Connect tablet pens (among other things), are the first to market with a Mac desktop application that takes advantage of the Force Touch trackpads in Apple's new MacBook and refreshed 13" Retina MacBook Pro.
One year after the announcement of the original Sony Alpha a7, the new Sony a7II takes calculated steps towards improving function and ergonomics in their full-frame compact system camera series.
It goes without saying as photographers we prefer gear to be highly attractive in both form and function. Usually taking a hit in one department or the other due in part by price or depth in features, it's never a flawless combination.
The Fstoppers FlashDisc has become one of the most popular off camera flash modifiers on Amazon and BH Photo. Many of our readers have been asking for international shipping, and I am excited to announce that the FlashDisc is now available through the Amazon.co.uk store.
Recently announced at the head of WPPI a couple weeks ago, was the Profoto B2 strobe system. The unit, small in comparison of its competitors, was arguably the most exciting product announcement this year at the popular photography convention. However, the burning question everyone has been asking is… is 250Ws enough for on location work like Profoto suggests?
Yongnuo recently released a 50mm F1.8 auto focus lens to compete with the very popular Canon version. The Canon 50mm F1.8 is already considered a bargain lens, so with the Yongnuo coming in at half the already bargain basement price, can it possibly perform equally or even better?
The photographer makes the photo, not the gear. That being said, it’s essential to have the best tools for your career. Would a doctor go into surgery with a blunt scalpel? There's a lot of debate when it comes to the topic "best portrait lens." Personally, my choice of lens until now has been the Nikon 85mm 1.4G.
We share over 1.8 billion photos per day, and thanks to the ever-growing technology in cameras paired with the expansive world of social media platforms it's become increasingly easy to add the title "photographer" to the resume. Apple has searched high and low for the world's absolute best photographers and their work that spans the planet.
"I'm really starting to get tired of how blurry and pixellated my 4k image looks," said no one ever. But in the never ending quest to squeeze the most resolute, highest quality image possible out of our (relatively) inexpensive cameras, Art Sanchez was able to get 8k video from a $2,000 Nikon D800.
The humble memory card is perhaps one of the most overlooked and neglected pieces of gear. It has the incredibly important and difficult task of accurately, quickly, and securely recording and storing all the data our cameras capture and it must do so time and time again.
Elinchrom has been the brand of choice for years many Europeans and Australians photographers alike. They are cheaper than Profoto or Broncolor, offer a good range of modifiers and – unlike Paul C. Buff – have service centers outside of the USA. To many photographers they also have been a great way to get into studio photography before moving up to Broncolor or Profoto.
With the recent announcement of the Profoto B2, Elinchrom's position in the ultra-portrable strobe pack market was somewhat overshadowed as the former exceeded the Elinchrom Quadra Hybrid in many aspects. Not to be outdone, Elinchrom has now announced the release of its next generation on-location pack and head kit known as the ELB 400.
Leave it to the same university that would probably save our world from an apocalypse to, until that need arises, create better, smaller lenses. Harvard’s School for Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) recently expanded on a previous design for flat optics by adding nano silicone antennae that actually bend the light.
Four new full-frame E-mount lenses have been announced by Sony which include a 35mm f/1.4, 90mm f/2.8 Macro, 24–240mm f/3.5–6.3, and 28mm f/2. In addition to these lenses, two lens converters were also unveiled for the newly announced FE 28mm, turning it into either a 21mm f/2.8 ultra-wide or a 16mm f/3.5 fisheye.
Announced this morning at the opening of WPPI, was the new Echelon collection from LowePro. The Echelon collection is designed to blend form with function to create some of the best, and most stylistic bags available for photographers. Not only am I able to announce the new series, over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to try these new bags out.
Back in 2013, Profoto announced the Profoto B1 Studio flash, which would go on to change the world of on location photography. With battery powered TTL, the Profoto B1 was an all in one unit, allowing up to 200+ flashes at full power. Well today, they announced it's sidekick, the B2.
Nikon announced its new flagship DX-format (APS-C) DSLR, the D7200. While these announcements are often lacking in the excitement that their big brothers command with new releases, this one has two new tricks up its sleeve.
We have all seen the comparison from one iPhone to the next as the newest tech is announced and the previous model is shot off as outdated and useless. This time we look at the evolution of mobile shooting and the tech that brings us into a new era of photography.
Making generous use carbon fiber throughout the 4K cube that will be released as the Arri Alexa Mini, Arri's newest camera takes a direct stab at RED's Dragon, as both feature incredibly similar specifications — even their 2.3 kilogram weight. Of course, Arri isn't new to the game; they know enough to bring some game with the Mini.
After 13 years of being involved in academia as either a student or instructor, I stumbled upon possibly the best way to save big on photography gear: educational pricing discounts.
I’ve been shooting stills and video alongside the rest of the crew with Clear & Cold Cinema, while working on the Michigan Ice Film. Before I departed sunny Colorado, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Mountainsmith Descent Pack, and I don’t know what I would have done without it.
I haven't had the Meike MK-DR750 Battery Grip and Wireless Remote for long, but I can already tell I'm definitely keeping it. Not only does it fit well enough and do everything as promised, but it also comes with a wireless 2.4GHz (not infrared) remote control that can trigger the Nikon D750 to which it's attached.
Camera manufacturers are still cramming ever more pixels into their sensors. Canon has recently announced that it is releasing a 50MP full frame camera which has left many speculating about its technical limitations due to sheer physics. One solution of course is to move up to a larger medium format sensor but prices can be prohibitive for many.
As done in the past, Nikon is now offering its "lens only" instant rebate sale at the end of their fiscal year. Now is the perfect time to snag that new lens you've been drooling over. The sale is set to expire at the end of the month, so that means you've got until February 28 to pull the trigger.
Nikkor LensesFX lenses:
Even wonder what goes on in the boardrooms of our favorite camera manufacturers? For many users over the last few years, there’s been regular questioning over decisions that the Big Two (Canon and Nikon) have made.
Sigma's hot, new sports telephoto-zoom lens is now available for pre-order in both of its configurations, the Sport and Contemporary models. The Sport model features superior image quality along with increased weight and a heftier price tag. It comes in Nikon F, Canon EF, and Sigma SA mount options for $1,999.
Sigma continues to make a splash with their line of Art lenses. The newest addition to the line, the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens was just announced on Monday, and today Sigma released the price for the lens, coming in at $849. The lens is already available for pre-order on B&H.
Nikon has officially announced the newest addition to their lineup of DSLR cameras, the D810A, designed specifically for astrophotography. The camera appears to be a modified version of the D810 camera announced last June, but with a few new features that are designed with astrophotography in mind.
Just announced by Sigma is the newest in their covenant Art series of lenses with the 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. In the past couple years now, the Sigma Art lenses have been considered by many the best in their class in terms of sharpness, so the news of a 24mm Art has gotten photographers everywhere excited. Along with this announcement is the dp0, an update to their mirrorless camera systems.
Last summer, photographer and director Dixie Dixon was called upon by Nikon to shoot a campaign for their new touch screen DSLR, the D5500. This incredible opportunity had one interesting challenge in store for Dixon, however; All of the material would be photographed and filmed — kit lens, auto settings, and Photoshop-free — using the consumer-level D5500 itself.
Rudy Winston (from Canon USA pro productions team) breaks down the differences between Canon's EOS 5DS and 5DS R cameras. At $3699.00 and $3899.00 respectively these 50.5 Megapixel full-frame offerings will take some serious consideration before committing resources. Fortunately, in this detailed 15 minute video, Rudy outlin
With companies like Profoto and Elinchrom offering an increasingly broad range of self-contained strobes, Broncolor was no doubt feeling left out with its predominantly pack and head oriented lineup. That’s all changing now with the release of the new Siros strobe; a compact, wall powered, feature rich and wallet friendly flash unit.
Thunderbolt docks have always been something that I've wanted, but haven't absolutely needed. The $300-$500 price range of these little all-in-one boxes didn't spark urgency in my search for the perfect dock either. Given a little time for the excitement (and price) of Thunderbolt-related technology to die down a bit, however, the prospect began to grow more interesting.
Canon announced the addition of two new DSLR cameras to its EOS Rebel lineup: the EOS Rebel T6s and the EOS Rebel T6i. Featuring a newly developed 24.2 megapixel Canon CMOS imaging sensor, both cameras deliver the highest resolution available amongst EOS models with an APS-C format sensor. Both cameras feature built-in Wi-Fi and NFC capabilities.
After weeks of rumors and speculation, Canon has finally confirmed that the megapixel monster known as the 5Ds/5Ds R is real, and coming to stores here soon. Boasting 50.6MP full frame sensor, Canon has surpassed Nikon and Sony, offering us the highest resolution to date for a DSLR camera system.
GoPro released updates v02.00.00 for the HERO4 Black and HERO4 Silver cameras yesterday. The updates bring a smattering of new features to the cameras, notably higher frame rate video modes, a Time Lapse mode, auto image rotation, and the ability to add HiLight Tags during playback using the LCD Touch BacPac, as well as other smaller features.
Announced early this morning, Samsung has unveiled the newest in their camera lineup with the NX500. With a 28mp CMOS sensor, it's hard to believe this brilliant little camera can also shoot video at 4K resolution, all while packed into a small, nearly pocketable system.
Canon's flagship DSLR video body, the EOS-1D C, had its price slashed by the huge sum of $4,000 yesterday. The 4K shooting machine was selling for $11,999 since its release date two years ago. Recent price changes went into effect in Hong Kong two weeks ago and then North America starting February 1.
The Venus 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro lens has many wondering if the relatively small price tag ($379), coupled with the intriguing 2x magnification and 14 blade aperture, is as good of a deal as it seems. Macro photographer Thomas Shahan was sent one of these lenses to try out, and his results look promising.
This month I posted an article asking how you would build a new photo kit from the ground up with only a thousand bucks. The responses were all awesome (if you haven't left one yourself be sure to check it out, I'd love to hear from you), but they had one thing in common: everyone bought used gear.
One of the most intimidating things to learn when it comes to lighting is how to choose the right light modifiers. There are countless umbrellas, softboxes, octaboxes, stripboxes, and beauty dishes offered. All these contraptions help shape the way light spreads in different ways, and the appearance of the people and objects we photograph will be affected by this.
As a photographer, my skill set is constantly put to the test. In most cases, I’m handed an idea on a slab of wood and the mission is to hand that idea translated to a tangible artifact back to my client on a silver platter. It’s never an easy process, but it’s a part of my job.
Since launching their two mobile photography lenses last year, the Moment team in Seattle has been working hard to improve other aspects of the mobile photography experience. They have revealed their newest creation, the Moment Case, which works in conjunction with their mobile app and current two lenses.
The CASE remote is a wireless device that creates a mobile hotspot attached to your camera, providing you with live-view connectivity on your mobile device. One can easily control shutter triggering, HDR, focus stacking, time-lapse, and photo transfers from your iPhone, Android, or tablet. Fstoppers had the opportunity to give this device a spin and here's what we thought.