Gear

If you spend any time surfing photography forums and Facebook groups, you will undoubtedly see a constant flow of questions asking for the best way to nail focus. Maybe you are one of those people that find themselves struggling. The trick is that most cameras have a setting that will help you focus like a pro. That trick is called back-button focus, and once you use it, you’ll never want to go back.

Back in August, NASA purchased 53 unmodified Nikon D5 bodies. Over the weekend, ten of those went on the OA-8 International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission. The ten new bodies will join the current D4 cameras that are currently used for both photographing Earth and checking solar panels and other external systems on the ISS.

Be honest: when was the last time you drooled over the latest piece of gear? If you're like most of us, it was probably more recently than you'd care to admit. And while there has been a lot said on the subject, I think this rant really cuts to the heart of the matter.

Like most technology we own, our cameras will eventually stop working. Not only is this bad news for our bank balances, but if a camera were to die mid-shoot then it could potentially land us in a world of professional problems. Minimize these risks by knowing what to look out for and the kind of plan you need to have in place for when that inevitable disaster strikes.

One thing I've found to be of paramount importance to any form of video, cinematic or otherwise, is the quality of your sound. Your movie can have beautiful visuals but if the audio is of poor quality it has the potential to turn away viewers. I started vlogging a few months back and discovered just how important sound was when it came to producing my videos on YouTube. Soon, I realized just how bad the audio was and knew it was time to invest in a proper solution. Enter the Rode VideoMic Pro Plus.

Trying to decide between Canon and Nikon may seem like a no-brainer for many professionals with years of experience. For the most part, when a professional picks a certain camera manufacturer it's for the long term and they rarely switch. Previously the cost and time required to make the transition from one to another was simply not worth it, especially considering the fact that the differences in real-world use were mostly minimal. Recently, however, it seems the gap between Canon and Nikon seems to be growing with Nikon cameras being noticeably better. Jared Polin gives his thoughts on the current line up between Canon and Nikon.

Being involved with video more and more recently, I have been wondering this myself, why choose a cinema lens over a regular photography lens when it comes to video? Photography and Videography are similar in many ways, however, video seems to be a whole different world when it comes to codecs, shutter speed, lighting, lenses, aperture, focus, and so on. In this video, Greg and Caleb share some knowledge on what lenses should be used where.

Reflex is a new brand aiming to give 35mm film photographers a new camera option instead of going with a dated SLR design (the 13-year-old Nikon F6) or buying in the used market. But it’s not just a rehash of the classic film SLR design. Users can change film using a special “I-Back” system, and even change out the lens mount quickly and easily.

Fstoppers Analog Review is a quick throw down on some of photography’s greatest equipment. In a world where we are constantly defined by the rapid progression of technology, these posts are intended to remind us about our love for the fundamentality of capturing life in silver and light. Each week we’ll review another piece of pivotal photography equipment, discuss the history, review its capabilities, and share our results! This review will go to the fabulous Nikonos V, a waterproof 35mm camera with a history as deep as diving itself. This handy sidekick will blow you away with its capability!

Panasonic have just announced the Panasonic Lumix G9, a high-end Micro Four Thirds camera that is photography focused. Similar in size and spec to the video feature rich GH5, Panasonic describe the G9 as their ultimate stills offering.

The iPhone X is finally here. It's a pretty amazing smartphone, but today, I only care about one thing: how well can it shoot video and can it be used as a professional tool.

If you live in the United States (and aren’t fortunate enough to reside in Arizona), you probably set all of your clocks back an hour on Sunday to switch out of daylight saving time. I’ll put aside, for now, the arguments about why the daylight saving time system is outdated and annoying, and just ask you this: did you remember to change the clock on your cameras?

I recently got myself the Fujifilm X-T20 for traveling. The next trip was to Vietnam with my family and I knew it was going to be a showcase of people, culture, and life that I am unfamiliar with, and therefore something I wanted to document. The reason I chose the X-T20 was that it’s small, light, packs a punch with colors, and its ease of use, very reminiscent of the film cameras back in the days. What I didn’t get was a Fuji X-mount lens to go with it, but I got a Fotasy adapter to fit my old Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, my Vivitar 28mm f/2.5, and Tamron 80mm-210mm f/3.8-4 to the X-T20.

In the fall of 1962, the fifth American astronaut brought an iconic camera with him. It was custom built for the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, and would ensure that Hasselblad was marked in history as the camera that photographed earth. Fifty-five years later, we may never see a camera quite like it. Famed Photographer Cole Rise has spent the last two years embarking on fixing that.

If you’ve been photographing a short time, you may just now be looking into a tripod to add to your kit. You may have purchased a tripod early on and are now realizing that the plastic tripod from the big box store wasn't the most positive choice for taking images and now you’re looking at tripods that don’t break the bank. Usually we are looking at tripods out of absolute necessity and are thinking that they are mostly all the same, which like most things, is simply not true. Tripods have a multitude of features depending on what your needs are, and for those looking at investing into a new tripod should watch this breakdown video from Joe Edelman on choosing a tripod that fits your needs.

The HERO6 is the latest action camera from GoPro. Although it boasts some pretty cool features and specs, it's missing some much needed optical stabilization. Currently, it only has digital stabilization available which crops the footage slightly, and even then this feature is only available when shooting at 4K 30fps. If you intend on shooting at 4K 60p, which to be fair is the main attraction of this camera, then, unfortunately, there is no internal stabilization available, meaning the footage from the camera can be very shaky and not pleasant to look at. This can be corrected in post with some potential adverse effects or, you can use a 3-axis gimbal.

After running a handful of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns to date, beginning with its Capture camera clip, Peak Design needs no introduction. Now the company produces everything from large and small straps to the incredibly popular and diverse Everyday line of bags including backpacks, messengers, slings, and more. This morning, Peak Design is updating some of its most popular products including its flagship Slide and Slide Lite straps, the Capture camera clip, and the Pro Pad in a quick, five-day Kickstarter campaign just in time for the holidays — and we have quick reviews of them all.

The Sony a7R III is the highly anticipated update to the very popular a7R II. Since it uses the same sensor as its predecessor, it might seem like this is more an incremental release, but this helpful video will highlight the newest and most improved features to help you decide if it's worth the upgrade.

Hasselblad has announced five new lenses for the X1D. This is fantastic news because ever since the X1D was released, its biggest problem was its lens line up. If you've been considering buying the X1D, now may be the perfect time.

In a showdown of competing presidential (and vice-presidential) photographers, the White House released new official portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday. The two portraits were shot by two different photographers, and it’s evident in the style of each photo. The question is, which photographer did it better?

When the Panasonic GH5 came out, it was intended to be targeted towards video people. This camera tops out the GH4 by far with its in-body stabilization and variety of frame rates and recording options. However, when the GH5 first came out, it seemed that it still needed a bit of work. Now with the V2.0 firmware upgrade, these problems seem to be solved and this camera has been beefed up pretty good when it comes to video.

Video is so hot right now. If you are a videographer, you are doing very well with the number of opportunities at your disposal on the freelance and commercial front. If you are a photographer, you have an entire world of chances to jump into the scene quickly, cheaply, and with access to high-quality equipment across the board. What about 360-degree video though? That is where Rylo comes in, a 360-degree camera that claims ultra-smooth cinematic footage for the everyday creative.

The first sales of the holidays are starting to trickle in and with them comes an exclusive deal for MacBook Pro laptops. Apple is setting out to discount select MacBook Pro model signature laptops up to $700 off with their Apple Care campaign. Not only do you get instant savings on a new laptop, Apple Care is also being offered at 15 percent off.

First shipped on September 8, 2017, the successor to the popular Nikon D810 is still potentially months away from hitting some customers' hands. For those who waited until the official launch of the camera, finding a D850 body before the holidays could prove to be challenging from some of the larger retailers.

A lot of information came out of NikonRumors regarding the current status and future of the XQD format, which is so far only used by Nikon's high-end DSLRs since the D4. Lexar's XQD cards recently showed as discontinued on numerous online stores, leaving Sony to be the sole manufacturer of the fast (but expensive and sometimes unavailable) cards. Now, the future looks much brighter for XQD with Lexar announcing they will still distribute and fill stock of their own XQD cards and rumors of Hoodman's entry into the market. There's even news of developments with CFexpress, which will replace XQD in the future.

Another day and another DxOMark rating has been broken. This time, however, I don't think it comes as a massive surprise. The Nikon D850 has so far been highly commended, and most, if not all, reviewers probably consider it to be the best DSLR currently available on the market. DxOMark gave it a rating of a clean 100 making it the highest rated stills camera for a brief moment. Since then, Hasselblad has taken that crown with the X1D-50c.

Broncolor is recognized in the photography industry as one of the most high-end flash brands available on the market. They are best known for their very reliable power pack systems and their extensive range of light shapers. Amongst the latter, there is one in particular that makes any photographer's eyes light up, and it’s the Para. It’s such a gorgeous piece of gear that some people even use it to decorate TV shows. But don’t think for a second it means it can’t perform just because it’s beautifully designed. It’s quite the opposite as you’ll discover through this Broncolor Para 88 kit review.

The Hasselblad X1D-50c is one of the more recent of the more affordable medium-format digital cameras to come out. And it sports Sony’s 50-megapixel CMOS sensor that has made these cameras much more affordable than their predecessors — all in a body that is by no small margin the most compact and portable in its class. The only question is can it perform?

Following the announcement of the Sony a7R III, I had the chance to use the new a7-series flagship mirrorless camera for an evening of studio shooting. Here are my first impressions on handling, Pixel Shift Multi Shooting, the much improved autofocusing system, and 10 fps continuous shooting.

I love strip lights; they're probably my favorite when it comes to lighting. However, like everything that has to do with lighting, they're expensive — often much more so than their design and realization seem to command. Luckily, there are clever photographers out there with DIY projects like this one to save the day (and your wallet).