For the past few years DigitalRev has done the "Cheap Camera Challenge" with a professional photographer and a crappy little toy camera. This year's challenge consisted of Strobist's David Hobby, a 2MP Buzz Lightyear toy camera and 3 of the best named speedlights of all time, the Family Jewels FUQ 690.
Fuji's latest mirrorless systems are some of the best in their category because of their new X-Trans sensor technology that allows for sharp, moire-free images without the blurring anti-aliasing filter. Now, we have specs on the newest updates to Fuji's line, the X100s and X20, both with new, X-Trans II sensors and speedy phase-detection autofocusing...
Samsung just announced the replacement of the excellent NX210 camera with the new NX300. While the 210 was quite good as it was, the NX300 offers several features that make the camera something quite different -- in a very good way...
Whether you were excited for this lens or not, the Canon 24-70mm f/4 IS L lens from Canon is available now. I was rather baffled when I heard the news of its release last November, and I'm still scratching my head at this one. It just seemed like a money grab to me. Nevertheless, if you want it, you can pick it up starting today.
Photojournalist John D McHugh was so fed up with copyright infringement on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that he has taken drastic measures and built an iPhone app called Marksta specifically to add watermarks to images uploaded to social networks.
Though we are still working on our review of the Canon 6D, Gizmodo just published their Lightning Review and besides the expected nods to the high quality of the stills, the unexpected moire issues they found in video have me frowning.
2013 is shaping up to be a pretty interesting year with regards to Canon bodies, even after 2012 brought us some pretty great ones.
When we all first heard about the light field sensor in the Lytro camera, there was a considerable amount of excitement. Many of us really saw something great in the ability to focus our images after the fact. But when the tech actually made it to market, it turned out that though neat, it wasn't really practical yet.
I'm originally a marketing/advertising dude, so I'm always looking at ads. I actually watch commercials intentionally to see what brands are doing to promote their product. I just stumbled across this banner, and it's baffling to me how this got past the creative director's desk. I mean, really?
Pop Photo released a great guide for all things photography (including everything from high-end DSLRs to light wands and iPad apps) that were released this year. So if you don't know what to spend your new Christmas money on, check it out. Everything is on there for a reason -- and quite a few have been reviewed and are highly recommended by Fstoppers writers...
Teasing products isn't new, but it's kind of fun to see how companies mix up their strategy. Canon France just posted a picture to their Facebook account with the caption: "Nous allons bientôt partager des infos qui vont changer la façon dont vous regardez le monde..." which translates to: "Soon, we will share information that will change the way you look at the world..."
Samyang's T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS USM tilt-shift lens has been delayed until March 2013, but we're coming on that date soon enough. In the meantime, pricing via Samyang Russia came in around $1,100 after the conversion, significantly cheaper than its Nikon and Canon counterparts, each roughly $2,000.
Do you really, REALLY love Pantone? Did you forget to send your all important retoucher a gift this holiday? Do you have some Christmas money left over that you want to blow on your beloved Pantone? Check out the new Perfect Matching Scarf. This collection of 6 scarves will leave you set for life to match any outfit you could ever wear. Also, you will look like a moron. Enjoy!
The Canon faithful were likely a little disappointed they didn't see the drastic price cuts that the Nikon D600 saw just before the holiday, but we can take slight solace in the current sale price of the Canon 6D this week on B&H and Amazon. Though not quite as steep as those D600 deals, the 6D can be grabbed for just a hair under $2000.
In the last several years camera development has taken huge strides in giving photographic capabilities of stills to video. Non film makers now have the capability of taking cinematic quality video without needing to upgrade from their dslr. In this video, Untitled Film Works unpacks the continual merging of stills and video.
I use my iPhone camera more than any other camera I own. It is on me all the time and is so convenient to quickly share photos from. Even on photo shoots I always find myself pulling out the iPhone for a couple BTS snaps or video. I have had the iPhone 4 since it came out and it has been showing it's age.
PhotoRumors has a lineup from the Japanese magazine Impress' annual predictions of products to be released. The predictions include educated guesses and previously discussed products that will certainly come out, including news with Fuji's X-Trans sensor, Olympus' E-5 replacement, and a new Nikon with the D4 sensor!
Ok, you're probably pretty skeptical right now reading that title alone. I hear ya, so was I. Really Right Stuff is known for extremely high quality carbon fiber tripods, not cases, and definitely not something in mobile computing. After hearing my surprise, the guys at Really Right Stuff laughed and made me think of it this way: the iPhone is the most popular camera on the market.
Last week we reported the possibility that Google and Apple would snatch up the Kodak patents, but news out says that instead Kodak has made the sale to Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation, who are to pay approximately $525 million for them. Kodak is touting the sale as building "Kodak’s momentum toward a successful emergence in the first half of 2013."
A few days ago my buddy Bryan Bowden called me and said that he was in possession of the currently unreleased Black Magic Cinema Camera. This camera could be the next big thing in videography because it's incredibly cheap ($3000) for what you get (2.5K RAW footage).
I started a new project recently creating portraits on 11x14 film. I have had an 11x14 back for my Deardorff for several years, but I have never shot much in that format. I decided to try a couple sheets in hopes of kick starting a new project.
Redrock Micro today announced upgrades to their support rigs for DSLRs in the microShoulderPad, tool-less microBalance QR counterweights, and improved hand grips. The new improvements now come standard on all Redrock rigs, and are available as upgrades to existing customers.
New microShoulderPad with FieldTech Molds to Shape of Shoulder
A couple weeks ago I reviewed the outstanding Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens and could not speak highly enough about its merits. In the week that followed, every single camera review site that I have read seemed to come to the same conclusion. Recently, Dx0 Mark also rated the Sigma lens, and said it was "one of the sharpest lenses, mounted on Canon, ever measured by DxOMark website."
Creative lenses have become a popular way to do things “in camera.” Sure, there are hundreds of options for numerous editing programs that can do creative effects in post, but there is something to be said about getting everything in camera as it’s happening, including tilt shift effects. Unfortunately for most of us, tilt shift lenses are just not in the budget.
B&H just listed four popular L glass lenses on discount when you add them to your cart. If you wanted to pick up new optics for you camera and were saving up for some L glass, you might want to take a look. On sale today, the 24-70mm f/2.8 L II, the 70-200 f/2.8 L, the 16-35 f/2.8 L, and the 50mm f/1.2/ L.
A few days ago, I went to Drobo's offices for a Q&A as well as some time with the new devices that Drobo promises are faster than ever. What I found surprised me...
Ever have a filter get stuck on the front of your lens? I personally have not, but I can imagine how irritating it can be. Travel photographer (and friend of mine) Craig Pulsifer posted the method he was instructed to use by Canon Professional Services to his blog. His warning: this is not for the faint of heart. 1. Use hacksaw to cut rim of the filter down to the glass.
This is a crazy concept that is truly amazing: Directed by Emmy-award winner Patrick Moreau of stillmotion, the docu-short PULSE profiles the making of the BioBeats app, a new technology that utilizes cameras to generate custom music based on a human heart rate. The subject of this short is awesome in itself, but it's also one of the first Short films to be done on the Canon C100.
UPDATE: D800e is now showing $200 discount! If you were waiting for a great deal on a Nikon camera, perhaps waiting was actually a good decision. Tonight a D600 kit with a 24-85mm VR lens, a Lowepro bag, a monopod, an extra battery, and a 32 gig memory card is on sale for $1,995 (reduced significantly from original MSRP $2,696) and the D800 is an additional $200 off.
Last week, Facebook took Instagram preview support away from Twitter, and Twitter obviously was pretty prepared for that. Today you can download an update for Twitter that gives you a list of Instagram-like options with which to tweet till your heart's content. Yay?
Red Giant, known for its video editing tools such as Plural Eyes, which a lot of Fstoppers writers use for syncing audio and video with ease, is having a sale! They have plenty of other neat bits of software, too. So head over and check them out. Code 2012BSF40 will get you the discount here on their site.
This Do-It-Yourself equipment video by Jay P Morgan of The Slanted Lens features Cinematographer Lars Lindstrom as he shows us how easy it is to build your own camera shoulder rig. To make this rig all you'll need is some standard PVC piping and a few other items from your home-improvement store.
Canon has just filed for a patent for a 100% coverage optical viewfinder, which wouldn't be that exciting except that this one is tiny. Instead of the traditional physical adjustment, this patent focuses on an electronically switched transmission / non-transmission of the liquid crystal.
That headline basically says it all, but in case you needed confirmation: yes, today Adobe is pushing retina support to all Illustrator and Photoshop users on the Creative Cloud and perpetual customers (those using discs). Unfortunately, if you're on a PC this update does not affect you, but I think we all could have predicted that since this kind of addresses a Mac specific problem.
Today (make sure you watch this CreateNow event that you could register for last week) Adobe is unveiling a host of changes to Photoshop and the Creative Cloud. There is a good amount of new stuff, but I'm going to highlight the things I think you guys will find most useful and stuff that I found to be the most interesting as far as a a lot of power and flexibility in a program.
Some deals are just so good that you will drop everything you are doing (or planning) just to take advantage of some savings. Let me tell you how Lee and I both just bought Nikon D800 cameras for $2,200. Yesterday our friend Pye Jirsa published an article on SLR Lounge about how their local Staples did not honor a national coupon for 30% off all cameras purchased in store.
You're in a pinch and some kid who's never seen a camera before just grabbed yours, front element first, leaving a nice handprint just before your shot of the usually stern village chief lifting his kid into the air. There's no time to grab that lens cleaner in your bag, so what do you do?
Fewer things get me as excited and enthusiastic about gear in my studio than something reliable. I just want it to work. Part of the reason I haven’t shot much on a Nikon is that it takes too much thinking for me. Having shot on Canon for 10 years, I just like using something that my hands just understand. The same goes for tripods, lights, and most definitely applies to lenses.
Canon USA has published a service advisory regarding issues users are reporting when trying to watch uploaded videos on YouTube. It's a relatively minor issue, and I'm glad it's not as big a deal as the D600 dust concerns. However, I just wish Canon and Nikon would put out cameras that were truly complete, and had no widespread issues to speak of in their first few weeks on the market.
Snapseed saw an update in the past 24 hours that brings it into the fold of Google products, along with the newly refurbished (and dramatically improved) Gmail app. Snapseed's logo has changed and loading screen now shows the Google+ name. The app also saw the addition of a new filter and new frames. Most importantly, Snapseed is now free.
Never thought I would see this again, but Ilford has announced a set of black and white disposable film cameras that shoot at 400 ISO film, each giving up to 27 exposures per camera. You have to be somewhat impressed with this, since as much as Kodak continues to discontinue products, Ilford seems determined to keep film alive.
Epson today announced the availability of the SureLab D-Series dry printers, aimed at studios who produce a high volume of prints and are looking to bring that in house. This is Epson's first foray into this kind of high volume, high quality printing and it should end up on the radar of many studios around the country.
Adobe has a smattering of changes and updates coming to Photoshop and the Creative Cloud next week, and they are hosting a live online event to go over all of the expected changes. We've been given a sneak peak of what they're going to cover and though we can't specify yet, we can say that some of the updates are significant.
Some rumors have surfaced regarding the possibility of an updated EOS M with a built-in EVF, but not until late 2013 sources say. That makes sense given the timeline release for the original M.
B&H just updated the price of the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, one of our recommended gifts under $500, and has dropped the price to $299 when it's added to your cart. That's a pretty good discount if you're looking to pick up a normal lens for yourself or for someone on your gift list this holiday season.
This morning our pals at PopPhoto tweeted, "The most popular photography story this morning is the Exif of Reuters' best images of the year. Not the pictures. Doing it wrong." I have to agree with them here. Instead of focusing on the images, the story is instead focused on what they were shot with. Is that what we are reduced to? Oogling over gear?
If you've always wanted to get into wedding cinematography then this is your jump start. Starting at 9AM tomorrow, Monday December 3 creativeLIVE will be hosting a FREE Wedding Cinematography workshop With Vanessa & Rob. Together, they've got a career's worth of film-making knowledge and will be packing it into this three day course.
I just got an email from one of our readers saying that Amazon is currently selling the Canon 5D Mark III for $2999.00, the lowest price this camera has ever sold for. If you were waiting for a deal this is it. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended in a few hours. Check it out here.
Canon's highly anticipated dream lens, the 200-400mm f/4 with a built-in 1.4x teleconverter that was seen at the Olympics has been used "in the wild." CanonRumors reports that one of its readers, Ben, got to use the likely $11,000 lens in South Africa for a bit after speaking with a product manager...
In this video from The Slanted Lens, Jay P Morgan shows us a behind the scenes look at how you can achieve that colorful, rich-looking sunset. This is a technique that is a must if you do any type of portraiture or wedding photography. Your clients will be really happy with the results, not to mention it will look great in your portfolio. This photo shoot is for writer, Robert L.