Gear

I started using Syrp for time-lapse and motion control almost a year ago and I find the system very good for what it is; a way for photographers to step into motion control at a relatively low price point. The first piece of Syrp kit I purchased was their Genie Mini and having the ability to pan was a way to add more interest in any time-lapse I wanted to create. After a month I went ahead and purchased the rest of their 3-axis kit including the Syrp 5.2' Magic Carpet Long Track Slider which has been great to use. The only issue is if you want a longer slider, Syrp doesn't make a way for you to connect two of their metal sliders together. With very little ingenuity, you can connect as many metal sliders together as you'd like at a relatively low cost.

After enough time in the broadcast industry, it's hard not to have a soft spot for Portabrace. They are incredibly well made. However, outside of generic television and news gathering, I would say that Think Tank, Lowepro, and Pelican are the top dogs. I never found a Portabrace bag suiting my needs entirely, nevermind that they can cost a small fortune — until now. I managed to pick up an amazing backpack for just $99 after instant savings from B&H.

The Nikon D850 has more people excited about its release than any other camera for quite some time. With a plethora of features and a wickedly competitive price point, it looks to be quite possibly the most complete all-around camera ever released. This hands-on first look examines if that translates well in real-world usage.

I absolutely love flying my DJI Phantom 4 Pro. This is my first quadcopter, and from talking with other pilots, the Phantom 4 Pro clearly evolved from previous generations. I am continuously implementing my Phantom in my still photography work and by no means is this a desire for obsolescence. The Phantom 4 hasn't been on the market that long and there are a ton of great accessories available that make it even better, too. This is part review of the Phantom 4 Pro and part feedback for what I hope inevitable future updates bring for so many pilots. While there is still time ahead of the next release, here is my wishlist for features that the Phantom 5 Pro might carry.

EISA recently named the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Art as the best DSLR lens for 2017-2018, and based on my experience with this lens, I have to agree. It is a fantastic lens and performs at a very high level, with incredible detail rendering capabilities and beautiful bokeh. For the longest time, the 135mm focal length had a little bit of a gap that really needed to be filled. Canon has their version, which although is a great performer, it just can't match the likes of the Zeiss 135mm f/2. However, due to having autofocus, many tend to choose the Canon version over the Zeiss. With the release of the Sigma version, it would seem that one may no longer need to compromise.

NASA has a long history of sending cameras to space. Most notably, Hasselblad medium-format and Nikon SLRs and DSLRs have been NASA's go-tos for decades. But in a recent order that must be amongst the largest in its history for a single order of camera bodies, NASA just bought 53 Nikon D5 cameras worth over $340,000. What off Earth could NASA be doing with all those D5s?

The new Nikon D850 is a monster of a camera, so much so that even this Canon shooter is longingly peering over the fence a bit. In a recent interview, the company revealed a bit more information about the soon-to-be-released camera.

As photographers, we’re often on the bleeding edge of technology, and these days, the bleeding edge often includes an app for that. However, manufacturers are increasingly relying on apps to control their hardware at the expense of dedicated physical controls — and it’s a practice that must stop.

Through its Deal Zone, B&H currently has the B+W Kaesemann Circular Polarizer MRC Filters for about more than half off for the rest of the day (until midnight ET). The 77mm size is just $49.95 (58% off of $119.95 normally) while the 58mm size is also available for $29.95 (67% off of $89.95 normally). The B+W brand is a well-known, high-end filter brand, and its multi-coated Kaesemann filters are its own gold standard.

The Nikon D850 was announced tonight. With an extremely high-resolution 45-megapixel sensor, 7-plus fps shooting, and a ton of professional improvements to its predecessor, this really is the camera to do it all — and the price is on the low end of previous estimates at $3,296.95. Pre-orders are now up and are promised to begin shipping in September with free expedited shipping.

We'll have to wait to get our hands on one to see if this camera really can be the Swiss army knife of DSLRs that it seems to be, but we now have details from Nikon's official D850 announcement, including the U.S. price.

Like the Nikon D750, the Canon 5D Mark IV is the parent brand’s attempt at making what’s arguably the most versatile professional full-frame camera system that fits the needs of most professional photographers, except that it beats the D750 on nearly every metric that matters, as it should for a newer camera. Still, Nikon’s D850 easily strips the versatility title from Canon for plenty of reasons, not the least of which is resolution. The 5DS line, however, isn’t the only thing at which Nikon is taking aim with the new D850.

An updated version of the Biotar 58mm f2 will join the already announced Biotar 75mm f1.5, as the first two pieces in Oprema Jena’s lineup of modern remakes of classic lenses, the company announced today. Oprema is offering 58 people the chance to get the Biotar 75 and Biotar 58 – both originally produced by Carl Zeiss -- as part of a special rewards bundle in the current Kickstarter campaign for the Biotar 75. The 58 Biotar 58s will be pre-production models with serial numbers between 1 and 58. A pledge of $1,999 USD would allow someone to get both lenses at $2,500 less than the combined projected retail price for the lenses. The Biotar 75 is expected to go on the market next summer at a projected retail price of $2,499, with the Biotar 58 following by the end of 2018 at a projected retail price of $1,999.

A color calibrator was perhaps the best non-photographic photographic purchase I've ever made. If you're not calibrating your displays, this helpful video will show you exactly why you should reconsider that.

There will always be a lot of heated debate between photographers regarding who manufactures the best camera. While Sony, Canon, and Nikon all have their pros and cons, which of their flagship models actually takes the crown?

The eclipse is coming. You know the one — it’s been the topic on most photographers’ lips for weeks. Have you thought about how you’re going to shoot it yet? On August 21, 2017 (this coming Monday), North America and some parts of South America, Africa, and Europe will get to experience one of the most spectacular sights available to us down here on earth: a solar eclipse.

With the solar eclipse almost upon us, it is important to remember that there is a real reason why it can be dangerous to photograph. If somehow you missed all the articles and news stories talking about how to watch and photograph the eclipse safely and you are planning to go out and shoot it last minute unprepared, here is one last example of what not to do.

Live streaming on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook is nothing new in the age of social media. It’s a fantastic tool for marketing or just showing how much fun you’re having on a fun new adventure. What if you were able to completely immerse your viewers in the environment you're streaming? InstaAir 360 is one such a camera and I was given the opportunity to work with it.

You may have heard Morten Rustad’s name being bandied about alongside words like “time-lapse,” “Norway,” and “that’s-so-fricken-cool.” That last one might not be an actual word, but you catch my drift. Morten’s pretty good at what he does, and he’s teamed up with film equipment company Syrp to let you in on how he does it.

It's becoming increasingly apparent that Canon will be announcing an 85mm f/1.4L lens with image stabilization fairly soon, and as the time draws nigh, more detailed specifications are beginning to emerge. The lens is sure to be a hit and a major competitor to the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art.

Since the arrival of digital photography almost 20 years ago now, the photographer’s workflow and its equipment have changed quite significantly. While investing in a solid camera, tack sharp lenses, and reliable storage equipment is a very good idea, one piece is often misunderstood or underrated: the monitor. Having a poor monitor is kind of like looking at your work while being color blind. I know that for a fact because I have been relying on poor screens for a long time. Recently, I’ve been given the opportunity to try the ViewSonic VP2768 for you, and I think it’s an amazing screen. Here’s why I think you should consider it if you don’t already own a great monitor.

I've reviewed the earlier version of Samsung's T-series SSD drive, but today, they've announced a new version with better performance across the board. Up from 450 MB/s, the Portable SSD T5 now offers up to 540 MB/s read and 515 MB/s write speeds. It also comes in new colors. The 250 GB and 500 GB sizes will come in Alluring Blue while Deep Black will be reserved for the 1 TB and 2 TB capacities.

To filter or not to filter, that is the question. Photographers will argue until they're blue in the face about the issue of using protective filters. Luckily, Lens Rentals is here with science to tell you exactly how good a slew of options are.

Maha Powerex AA and AAA batteries have been my go-to choice for nearly a decade. Their longevity is crazy reliable and they really hold their own in the long term. Maha recently updated their battery lineup with the Powerex Pro while adding some new accessories at the same time. Check out the new goodies after the break.

There’s an incredible amount of excitement going into next weeks solar eclipse here in the United States. If you’ve been planning to watch the eclipse yourself and have “solar eclipse” glasses that you bought from Amazon, then check your email. TechCrunch is reporting that over the past 24 hours, Amazon has sent out recall notices to tens of thousands of buyers of the glasses because they were not able to verify the glasses were safe and met the certification standards to view the eclipse safely.

You probably don't need someone to tell you to pack your camera, lenses, and a few spare batteries (if you do, we need to talk). But there are some little accessories and non-photography items that can make your shooting life vastly easier and often save you a lot of time. Here are 15 such items to keep in your bag.

In the quest to achieve smooth panning shots for cinematographers everywhere, there are several different methods and tools to use. Usually, if you want to do a targeted curved panning shot around your subject, you would have to set up a track and dolly system. With the advancement in drones, you can now use those for outdoor shots, but what if you wanted something that didn’t require as much space and work indoors?

Hasselblad holds a special place in the photography community and is well known for making some of the best cameras currently available. I have been using the H6D-100c camera system for more than a year, and I wanted to see if it holds up to the perception. With its huge 100-megapixel sensor, this camera does produce some very detailed and beautiful images. The latest "orange dot" lenses from Hasselblad have all been rated up to and potentially even beyond 100 megapixels, making them very effective. With that in mind, it would seem nonsensical to compare this camera to a full-frame system, however after seeing some of the results, the opposite is true.

In a two-part release, NikonRumors posted the Nikon D850's presentation slides. Although written in Japanese Chinese, we can infer a number of specifications about the D850 (and anyone who speaks Chinese is welcome to help us translate the rest!). Some highlights include greater viewfinder magnification, 9 fps at full resolution, and up to 14 fps, perhaps, in bursts of up to 51 of some kind of uncompressed raw-format images with an MB-D18 battery grip.

In part two of our Micro Four-Thirds lens guide, we focus on some of the best telephoto lens options. The 2x crop factor of this format offers photographers and videographers some seriously impressive reach which is compact and affordable compared to full-frame alternatives.