Photography Gear

Rebecca, Mike and I are all at Adobe MAX, ready to bring you the news as it breaks. To follow the story, either watch the live stream at Adobe.com and Fstoppers on Twitter to hear our thoughts on what Adobe is bringing to the table this year.  

Known for their industry leading camera sliders and portable jibs, Kessler continues to innovate by creating useful products for filmmakers. Their latest creation is called the Parallax, and in this video, Eric Kessler demonstrates how it works to create a motor-less, controlled panning action on your existing slider.

Lowepro has been quiet for a few months, but recently announced their new Photo Sport Pro 30L AW bag, inspired by the original Photo Sport Pro AW series. The latest back-packin' pal is set to offer the active, outdoor photographer a lightweight, comfortable, supportive and flexible daypack that fits pro-sized gear plus lots of extras.  

Rounding out the batch of lenses announced in January, Sigma has released the pricing and availability of the 60mm f/2.8 DN Art lens for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILCs). It's coming in mid-May and is expected to retail for only $239.  

I know that I am not the only one that runs into this issue. I set my focal point, get the focus that I want and go to take the shot, only to have my focus change when I re-compose. By going into your camera's custom functions, you can set up your camera so that it will only focus when you hit the star button with your thumb.  

Samsung has been pushing all angles lately. They're putting pressure on Apple, their TVs rock (I have one) and their cameras are nothing to shake a stick at (that means they're pretty good). They're at it again, this time with expanding their line with the NX2000, a 20.3 megapixel APS-C interchangeable lens pocket camera mini monster that is stacked with everything Samsung could throw into it.

While browsing the Twitterverse today, I noticed a quick and to the point tweet from Fotodiox that introduced me to a constant LED light fixture that would accept my Bowens mount light fixtures. It promises serious power mixed with the modular adeptness that I just love. Meet the Fotodiox LED100WA.  

One of the most frustrating things that can happen in photography is seeing a perfect moment and snagging a shot, only to get back to your computer and find out the picture was barely out of focus. As a wedding photographer, I can't count how many times my couple has been composed perfectly with that magic moment that only lasts one frame, and my autofocus drags away from their eyes.

Wacom today announced the Cintiq 22HD touch, a new addition to its interactive pen display portfolio, now featuring multi-touch. Combining multi-touch with Wacom’s pen technology, the new Cintiq 22HD touch offers an on-screen experience and a more intuitive and natural way to work. The new Cintiq is expected to retail for $2,499.

Several weeks ago I wrote an article about Profoto's new-ish pack, the Pro-B4, which has a flash duration of 1/25,000th of a second. Well, last week I was finally able to take it for a test drive. And what better way to test an insane flash duration than with water? 

Black Magic unveiled their crazy small Pocket Camera at NAB earlier this year, and some of the first footage recorded on the camera has appeared online from director of photography John Brawley. Unsurprisingly, it looks pretty darn good. 

Admittedly, it's not the most spectacular subject:

Sigma sent out word this morning that the delayed 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens slated originally for release in February 2013 will finally be coming to market in early May for $3,599. Released along with that lens is the much anticipated USB Dock that can be used to fine tune new Sigma lenses will be available $59.  

There is fierce competition among the top digital imaging companies, fighting for several billion in dollars worldwide. I have examined Olympus and Sony in the past, and this year I wanted to bring in Canon and Nikon to see how their last fiscal year treated them.

We've all heard of renowned portrait photographer Zack Arias - not only is he a great shooter, but he's got a reputation for making some bold claims. Make no mistake that the Fuji X100S is a great little camera. Small, compact, feature-packed and with great image quality, you've probably heard quite a bit about it lately. But just HOW good is it?

Firefly is a super slick skater video shot with a JamCopter, a remote controlled helicopter rigged with a camera, that follows a skater and his LED lit board around a city.

When we announced the new 18-35mm f/1.8 lens from Sigma, the excited and joy-filled response from you all was nearly instantaneous (which was rather impressive since it was confirmed at just past 1 in the morning eastern time). I too was particularly excited because of what this lens means to the industry and the future of lens design.

Yahoo's new weather app that was released today just replaced my Apple weather app, and probably for good. Why? Because it's outstandingly beautiful thanks to Flickr image integration. Rather than just showing bland vectors of sun and clouds, Yahoo has backed up their accurate weather forecasting with geolocated imagery from Flickr users. So pretty... 

You might have heard the rumors about a new wide angle zoom lens with a crazy open aperture of f/1.8. Those rumors have just been confirmed to us by Sigma: it's real and it's the first zoom lens to maintain an f/1.8 aperture over the entire length of the zoom range. Now that is exciting. Meet the 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens.  

Having the right gear as a photographer can get quite expensive. We spend all our money on the camera and lenses only to find out later we need all kinds of other gadgets and gizmos to run our business. Often we invest in something that we use a few times and then it gets buried in our bag never to be touched again.

Pentax/Ricoh has released a new 16 megapixel APS-C camera called the GR (the last GR was released in 2011) that looks to compete directly with the popular FUJI X Pro1, the Canon G1X and the Sony RX100. This is a market that Nikon recently entered with their Coolpix A, and one that is likely to continue to grow.

You might have heard some rumors spinning around earlier today regarding Lightroom 5, and those have been confirmed by Adobe in a Beta release of their latest iteration of the product.

The Novo is a GoPro Hero 3 that has been modified to control exposure, change focus and give the user the ability to swap lenses. Radiant Images along with View Factor Studios have tweaked the GoPro into a smaller aluminum body with more camera controls.

Wanting to differentiate their affordable lines from their super high end products, Redrock Micro is going to offer a line of premium products under a new label: Redrock Black. The accessories will be made specifically for Canon EOS Cinema, Sony F and FS series, Red cameras, and Blackmagic cinema cameras.  

While walking the floor at WPPI, there was one item we kept seeing over and over again: the MeFoto tripod. It seemed like everyone had one, and we had never heard of the brand. So we spoke with the guys at the MeFoto booth who agreed to let us test them out. Now after using all three sizes of MeFoto tripods, I can see why they were everywhere: they’re excellent.  

Chinese company DEO-Tech has apparently developed a lens adapter that allows Leica M lenses to autofocus when attached to a Sony E-mount. They did this by first mounting a Lecia lens into a Contax G Biogon 28mm f/2, and when they use that with their Contax G - NEX AF adapter it becomes a lens usable on a Sony NEX.

Earlier this week at NAB, Benro extended its video product line by adding a Heavy Duty 3-leg folding base to the classic A38F and A48F models making them ideal for a variety of video shooters. Also new to the lineup are two twist lock versions giving the customer their choice of lock for both the S2 and S4 video monopods.

As a wedding photographer, I run around a lot and need to be ready for any moment. Because the day of a shoot can always bring surprises, I have a motto of always being prepared with extras of everything. Usually this means my assistant or I lug around a bag or two with extra flashes, batteries, and other accessories.

For those photographers who do most of their work on the move, finding light-weight equipment that can really adapt to different situations is a tall order. Sometimes, even the most compact tripod or light stand still won’t fit into spaces or stay out of the way. The gratuitously named Nasty Clamps aim to amend that situation with their attach-anywhere attitude.  

Not that your standard cable release is obsolete but Trigger Happy is an innovative cross platform mobile app that allows for easy camera control with phone, tablet or iPad. Born out of a Kickstarter campaign last year, the app, when combined with a three foot audio cable that is included with purchase, can fire most Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus DSLRs.

In addition to announcing their freakishly tiny cinema camera, Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Production Camera 4K, a new high resolution 4K digital film camera with an innovative large Super 35 size sensor with professional global shutter, combined with precision EF mount optics and high quality Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) file recording for $3,995. 

Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, a pocket-sized digital cinema camera that includes full-size features such as Super 16mm sized 1080HD sensor, super wide 13 stops of dynamic range, built in SD card recorder for Apple ProRes, lossless compressed CinemaDNG RAW capture and active Micro Four Thirds lens mount, all very attractive price of $995.  

In addition to a new cage for the GoPro, Redrock Micro today announced the all-new One Man Crew, a new class of motorized 'parabolic slider' that operates unattended and delivers elegant cinematic motion. The One Man Crew is being touted as particularly effective for individuals and small crews who want their footage to stand out and have the look of being shot by a professional camera crew.

Redrock Micro announced today its new line of Cobalt Cages and accessories for the GoPro cameras, including support for the new GoPro HERO3. The Cobalt Cage delivers an aluminum housing that encases the camera for protection, mounting and rigging support, and extensive accessory attachments.  

The Phottix Mitros TTL Flash was announced in early 2012 but saw another full year of development before it was finally officially released in March of 2013. That kind of time spent building a product really resonates with me, and I was expecting a finished product that was going to stand up to the rigors of daily use. I was not disappointed.  

NAB (National Association of Broadcasters tradeshow) is this week and Tiffen just announced their new Steadicam Fawcett Exovest for the show. It is a semi-rigid exoskeletal vest that transfers the weight and torque of supporting a Steadicam system into anatomically appropriate areas, without interfering with natural movement.  

Camera stabilization is always a tricky game, with no easy solution. Cheap stabilizers are often difficult to balance, and expensive ones are often bulky, and make mobilization a problem. Introducing MōVI by Freefly, a stabilization system that is expected to change the DSLR movie scene forever, and its already got award winning videographer Vincent Laforet’s stamp of approval. 

The Einstein E640 strobe from Paul C. Buff is compact, light weight unit capable of shouldering studio work yet portable enough to take on location. The unit weighs in at four pounds and because it is self contained, it does not require a battery pack which cuts down on gear bulk.

Samsung today announced a WiFi version of the Samsung GALAXY Camera, building on their previously released GALAXY Camera 3G. Centered on the Android Jellybean 4.1 platform, the GALAXY Camera is a loaded point-and-shoot camera with a familiar, intuitive user interface and access to Android applications from the Google Play market. The GALAXY Camera is set to retail for $450.  

An interesting system is in development via Kickstarter for video professionals to get excited about. The LineCam can most easily be compared to a zipline style "track" that can either be operated through gravity (with the Glide) or via remote control (with the Flow).

With the recent push into mobile editing software like Adobe Photoshop Touch, it's no surprise that additional support in various forms will start to crop up. Today Wacom released a new Bamboo stylus designed specifically for smartphone and tablet editing, which is a plus for anyone who lacks dexterity in their fingertips (like myself).  

From the press release:

Finally, Nikon has released a firmware update to address some minor issues. Some major features include 100% viewfinder in HDMI-out (up from 95%) in the D600, improved AF-C tracking performance for the D800, and support in both cameras for that new 800mm f/5.6 that I know you all ordered recently... Update: Even more DSLR firmware updates added from Nikon, too! 

Since the inception of DSLRs, RODE Microphones have never been far behind when it comes to making accessories to capture better audio for our filmmaking projects. Their iXY Mic for the iPhone came out recently and was well received, but this new product is quite a step forward. The i16 Mic from RODE captures a staggering sixteen tracks simultaneously at 24-bit/96kHz.  

Award-winning action sports production company and lifestyle brand Teton Gravity Research (TGR) has become the first to acquire the new Gyro-Stabilized Systems (GSS) C520 system, the most advanced five-axis gyro-stabilized camera platform in the world. Mounted on the underside of a helicopter, the 4K bird's-eye-view footage is remarkably stable.  

The "Sun & Cloud" from Superheadz Japan, looks to be the the world's first solar powered digital camera.

This digital camera boasts the ability to shoot stills (3 megapixel) and video (640 x 480) within a 6x6x8 inch box.

Brock Whittaker, a landscape photographer in Phoenix, AZ recently decided to take it upon himself to look at some of the unknown and dated telephoto lenses that can be bought on eBay for ridiculously cheap. Among those, he was able to pick up a Sigma 400mm f/5.6 APO, Five Star 500mm f/8, Sears 2x Teleconvertor, and a Generic 3x teleconverter all for $50.

Zeiss lenses have been around for over 120 years, but admittedly "product design has never been the foremost factor." In designing their new high-end Distagon lenses coming to the market at the end of 2013, Zeiss wanted to really consider aesthetics in the project.

Phottix has released a new product designed to fix one continual issue for photographers that love shooting with umbrella modifiers: though they are easy to transport and use and fast to set up, because of the inherent design they are almost impossible to tilt on a traditional light stand. To rectify this issue, Phottix made Multi Boom Flash Bracket.  

Adobe bought Behance a few months ago in what was said to have been a move to expand the social functionality of the Creative Cloud. Today Behance posted a blog about what is to be expected from them in 2013 post-acquisition.  

In the year ahead, here’s what you can expect from Behance

If you're in any job long enough, you're bound to come across quirky industry developments that just might help your work flow. Photography is no different. What's this you might ask? At first glance it might seem like a video game controller with a cleverly placed sticker on it.  At first glance, you're kind of right.

New Zealand based company Syrp Ltd, has officially launched the Genie, a new film equipment accessory set to "revolutionize motion controlled time-lapse." Following a hugely successful product launch on Kickstarter.com early last year, the Genie is one of those few products that is actually making it to market.