Recent Gear Articles

Nikon D850 Dynamic Range Tested and Compared

It would seem that the Nikon D850 can do no wrong and with this latest test and comparison from Tony Northrup, the results seem even more positive. The dynamic range was something a lot of photographers were concerned about, especially due to the higher megapixel count. At ISO 64, it's safe to say that the dynamic range of the D850 is a solid improvement over the Nikon D810. As Northrup demonstrates in his video, the D810 suffered from a heavy magenta cast in recovered shadows whereas the D850 has a more neutral and pleasing look to it. At higher ISO, however, the differences between the two Nikon cameras may not be as significant.

Why You Should Add a Macro Lens to Your Arsenal

Do you have a macro lens in your camera bag? If you don’t, is it because you don’t shoot macro photography? If you do, are you limiting the use of the lens? There are several lenses out there that some photographers use only for a specific reason, and a macro lens is one of them which many photographers limits to macro photography. What if I told you the lens has many more uses than just extreme up-close photos which they are known for.

How Easy Is It to 3D Print Gear?

One thing most photographers have in common is the love of gear. We know it's not about what's in your bag, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't value good design and ease of use when considering a tripod clamp or ND filter kit. But what if you could design it yourself, and have it produced? Film Look's latest video shows what they printed for themselves. I would never have thought about battery cases, but now I need it, and it would keep my bag much more organized.

How to Properly Pack Your Photography Bag for the Outdoors

Thomas Heaton is a landscape photographer based in the United Kingdom and has grown exponentially in popularity since gaining steam on his YouTube channel in the early part of 2016. While known for giving a great professional insight into the world of professional photography, he’s also a great educator on handling yourself in the outdoors. In his latest video, Heaton goes through the entire contents of his hiking backpack and explains each items utility and how it fits together as a system.

Rent a Camera to Help Someone Get His Family's House Back

A few days ago, Lee Morris wrote up a story about fellow Fstoppers Writer Andrew Richardson's unfortunate circumstance after he came back to the first home he purchased just three weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit only to see it completely flooded. A contractor told him it would cost at least $50,000 to repair the home that Andrew had already started remodeling with his wife, Desiree, to make it their own. We're a photography website, so it seems only fitting for me to try and help by letting you rent film cameras through Film Objektiv while helping Andrew at the same time.

See Nikon D850 Autofocus Features in These Hands-On Videos

Sporting the D5's 153-point autofocus system and metering sensor allows the D850 to take full advantage of the sensor inside it to produce stunning results. However, Nikon also added a number of new software-based features to really take advantage of this system. Below you can watch a series of videos that show these various features, from Focus Stacking and Focus Peaking to focusing at -4 EV. Also, get a peak through the viewfinder to see the electronic vibration reduction, and more.

Get a Great Deal on the Tamron 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD Lens

The Tamron 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD lens is the only normal focal length lens you can get for Canon or Nikon that has image stabilization built in. It's a unique lens that has been generally well received, and with this deal, it's an excellent bargain.

The Lily Drone is Back… Kind Of

Back in 2015, the “Throw-And-Go” Lily Robotics drone was building steam and making waves. Its Kickstarter campaign centered around its ability to launch out of water and to be thrown off a cliff to immediately rescue itself and follow its adventurer as they traveled quickly over any terrain. The Lily drone had massive appeal and was slated to be an incredible way to capture and film outdoor enthusiasts and people who just wanted a durable drone to take with them on their adventures.

The Sony a9 Is So Fast That You Can Make a Movie From Still Image Bursts

The Sony a9 is a pretty exciting camera, as it's the first mirrorless camera to take square aim at the two highest-level DSLRs, the Canon 1D X Mark II and the Nikon D5. It's made waves for many features, not the least of which is its insane continuous shooting rate of 20 fps. This video highlights just how fast that is using a clever method.

How to Properly Use a Gimbal for Smooth Video

So you bought a gimbal! Great! But now you're wondering why your gear is still coming out slightly shaky and why the gimbal isn't doing as promised and creating a buttery-smooth video for you like magic! Odds are you're not quite using it right. But thanks to Christian Santiago, we can get a great virtual lesson on what you should be doing to shoot like the pros.

Sandisk iXpand Base: An Easy Photo Backup Solution for iPhones

When was the last time you backed up your iPhone photos? For many people, taking the time to back up what are often some of our most cherished photos rarely gets done consistently. Sandisk recently tried to solve this problem with the release of their iXpand Base, a flash drive and charger made specifically for iPhones.

Unleashing Creativity with Nikkor AF D Primes

As a former computer scientist, I’m all about finding efficiencies in my workflow and making my life easier. Some people might call it laziness. Logically, after years of shooting with a traditional DSLR kit, I was ready to ditch it in favor of moving to a small and light mirrorless set up. However, no other camera body appealed to me as much as my Nikon bodies for professional shooting. The combination of the great grip and ergonomics, fast and accurate autofocus system, solid battery life, and great image quality makes them a delight to use professionally. I didn't want to let go of the camera bodies so I decided to try something else first…

The Sony RX0 - The Action Camera That's More Than Meets The Eye

Sony is the most exciting camera brand right now. There I said it. They just keep bouncing from field to field making huge leaps and bounds in technology and the latest example of that is the entirely new, exciting Sony RX0—Sony’s first foray into the action sports world. But it's not exciting for the reasons that you might imagine.

Olympus Announces OM-D E-M10 Mark III with 4K Video, 121 AF Points, Same Price

Olympus packed a big punch into a tiny camera today with the announcement of its OM-D E-M10 Mark III. The camera features a 16-megapixel sensor and can shoot at 8.6 fps. These features, added to the 3-inch touchscreen and even the 5-axis in-body stabilization, are nothing new. The treat here is the addition of 4K video with a respectable 102 mbps bitrate and a new 121-point autofocus system — all for the same price that the Mark II sold for yesterday technically still sells for today.

Make Your Carnival Photos More Interesting With a Neutral Density Filter

I’ve been to the New York State fair for more years than I can count. It’s a great time. There are carnival rides, animals, music, and lots to photograph. Oh, and of course, corn dogs. But in recent years, I’ve found myself carrying less and less photographic gear to the fair and just enjoying the moment. Except that I wasn’t really enjoying the moment because I wasn’t making photos. That's why this year I decided to challenge myself to make different photos of the same event.

How to Get the Most From Nikon’s Auto AF Fine Tune

Camera bodies and lenses are factory calibrated by default, but sometimes they require further adjustments to achieve better results when focusing. With the Nikon's AF fine tune feature on supported models, you can manually make precise adjustments to fix any focusing problems.

A First Look at Canon's New Tilt-Shift Macro Lenses

Along with the new 85mm f/1.4L IS, Canon recently announced three new tilt-shift lenses with macro capabilities, an intriguing combination that should excite product, food, macro, and portrait photographers alike. Here's a first look at working with the lenses and some scenarios where their unique capabilities really come to the forefront.

A First Look at the New Canon 85mm f/1.4L IS Lens

I have to admit that the new Canon 85mm f/1.4L IS lens has me fairly excited. The prospect of a modernized, wide-aperture 85mm lens with image stabilization and first-party autofocus is very intriguing, and if it performs up to hype, it should be a real winner. The video takes a first look at the lens and shooting with it.

Panasonic GH5 Firmware 2.0 Update Details Finally Announced with a Few Surprises

Panasonic just published the full release notes of the promised free firmware update for the GH5. Upon release earlier in the year, early adopters of the camera have been blown away with its performance, yet have come across some several teething issues that have been fed back to Panasonic. This release aims to correct some of these issues while also introducing improved All-I modes for higher bit-rate video recording.

Four Low-Cost Products I Wish Someone Told Me to Buy When I Was Getting Started as a Photographer

When first getting started, photographers often become mesmerized but also overwhelmed by the sheer scope of learning they must do to figure out all the various new gadgets and doohickeys that they have recently acquired. Usually, this focus tends to be towards more expensive photo-related tools, while some of the seemingly trivial tools end up being cast aside with the thought that they simply aren't worth the effort and can't possibly be all that important. When I was first getting started I wish someone had given me a good shake and simply told me to spend a few dollars and pick up the following tools as they would be invaluable for the indefinite future.

Nikon D850: Savior for Nikon?

I’m sure everyone at this point has explored the vast array of articles discussing all the technical aspects of the newly announced D850. If you haven’t here is one from your very own Fstoppers writer, Adam Ottke. You can read the announcement here. While I agree with most of the assessments that I’ve read or watched so far in that the camera will be a powerhouse with really innovative features, my thoughts come back to what was in the news just a few months ago. What is the financial health of Nikon? Do they still need help from other companies like Fujifilm? Most importantly, should I invest in new equipment from a company whose financial standing is in question? With all this in mind, I did some research.

Hands-On With Hasselblad X1D-50c's New Firmware, Adds Electronic Shutter and Multiple Focus Points

The Hasselblad X1D-50c is the company's most affordable medium-format camera and represented a major shift as the world's first mirrorless medium-format camera. Hasselblad released a new firmware update that brings two new features users have long asked for: electronic shutter capture and more, multiple, user-selectable focus points. How well do these features work? I'll tell you, firsthand. While you can look out for a full review of the X1D-50c in a bit, I took the liberty of loading the new firmware update onto the camera and took it for a quick test drive.

Seventeen New Tricks of the Nikon D850 and How They’ll Help Your Photography

If you try to pinpoint a single reason that the D850 is creating as much buzz as it is, it would be nearly impossible. This isn’t an amazing camera that has a singular standout feature. It’s the precisely and perfectly juxtaposed array of many new features, big and small, that culminate in the D850's success as a standout camera. Here’s a quick dive into some of the top, more obscure tricks the sold-out D850 brings to Nikon’s top line, how much they’ll really help your photography, and what limitations these features have.

Nikon D850 ISO Performance Seems Much Improved Over D810

The Nikon D850 features a completely new sensor developed in-house by Nikon. It's also the first backside-illuminated sensor in a Nikon full-frame DSLR. That allows it to perform up to one stop better than the D810, despite the higher pixel count, according to Nikon. But the latest tests look even better. It's now possible that the wealth of positive reviews of the D850 are about to get another, albeit small, addition.