When DJI announced the Inspire 1 drone, I didn't get it. It was a much larger and more expensive quadcopter that had only a slightly better camera attached to it. I had no interest in the Inspire 1 until they announced the new Zenmuse X5 Micro 4/3 camera/gimbal system. I currently have one and I can tell you, it's pretty amazing.
Having seen plenty of Apple iPhone 6s reviews and comparisons over the last few weeks, including the newly famed Lee Morris iPhone fashion shoot, it could be said we have had enough. Though as primarily a mobile shooter myself, I was looking for something a bit more in-depth and something that got down to the very details of the phone's camera capabilities. Thanks to the ever so talented travel photographer Austin Mann we have what I have been waiting for and it's the best iPhone review I have seen yet!
The E-mount lens family for Sony mirrorless cameras seems to be growing larger every day. Today, Zeiss announced a new addition to their manual-focus E-mount Loxia line: the Loxia 21mm f/2.8. Joining the 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 Loxia lenses already available, this trio aims to provide the high level of image quality that Zeiss glass is known for, and look good while doing it too.
Are you looking to upgrade your body or grab a new lens? Canon USA just announced a new promotion that offers a pretty stellar extended warranty with the purchase of qualifying gear from an authorized dealer through January 9.
Eric Fossum, the inventor of the CMOS image sensor, the sensor in almost every modern digital camera, has teamed up with Jiaju Ma in developing the Quanta Image Sensor (QIS). The QIS represents a significant leap forward in low-light sensitivity that has major implications for both scientific imaging and consumer electronics.
A little over a year ago, I got to live out one of my worst nightmares. I had a day where the personification of my anxiety sprouted legs and ambled right into the middle of a wedding ceremony that I was photographing. Mr. Anxiety-Incarnate snuck into a church, and like a biblical plague, snuck right back out and took something precious with him. Never to be seen again was $12,000 worth of gear that was stored in my roller bag. That’s right, I lived out the photographer’s terrifying dream equivalent to showing up to a high school class naked.
While it seems like there is a new selfie stick on the market every other day, PolarPro, an action camera accessories manufacturer, is set to begin production on a pretty cool extension pole. The PowerGrip H2O is a fully waterproof, battery-integrated extension pole that can not only mount your GoPro but charge it as well.
Coming early next year, Voigtlander will be giving some new ultra wide-angle lens options to Sony mirrorless photographers. Today they announced plans to release a 10mm f/5.6, 12mm f/5.6, and a 15mm f/4.5 as native Sony E-mount designs in spring 2016.
Kai and friends at DigitalRev TV have got their hands on the very new and very exceptional Milvus lenses from Zeiss. Their test includes the 21mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.4, and 85mm f/1.4 models that make up the core of this new lens system. These new lenses were designed from the ground up to keep pace with the insane resolving power that modern digital camera sensors are capable of.
Lately it seems that DJI has been releasing innovative video tools every single month. Known primarily for their ultra popular Phantom and Inspire 1 drone systems, DJI just announced today that they are releasing their own handheld 4K camera and gimbal called the Osmo. Together with the Ronin DSLR stabilizing system and the Micro Four Thirds Inspire 1 Pro, the Osmo is yet another product that will change the way photographers and videographers can capture stabilized footage on a budget.
So outrageous are the looks of the L16 camera, you might find yourself checking today's date to make sure we haven't entered into April. But no, this is completely real. Light, the company behind the L16 camera, took a compact body and crammed 16 cameras, each with its own plastic-covered lens, into it. The idea is to create an all-in-one camera with multiple focal lengths, allowing the L16 to use computational photography to combine resulting images for higher quality photos from an aggregation of photos taken with small sensors.
Today I attended Microsoft's press event in NYC. I assume that they wanted me there because I am one of the few photographers who doesn't currently use Apple computers. I was excited to see the new Surface Pro 4, but I wasn't prepared to see a Macbook Pro and iPad Pro killer.
Sony Corporation announced today that it will spin off its semiconductor business into its own company in April 2016. Other parts of the corporation will see a restructuring of operations while all of the research and development, business, sales, and other operations related to the semiconductor and image sensor business will benefit from more autonomy under one separate roof. It has long been known that while Sony's other ventures have struggled recently, their semiconductor business does extremely well, as it is positioned as a market leader, whereas many manufacturers (including Nikon and Apple) use their sensors almost exclusively.
Before I had a Wacom, I seriously questioned the ability that a touchpad without a screen would have to improve my editing workflow. Also the screen-integrated models were way too expensive for me to consider at the time. Those of us that have them now, however, see them as an invaluable tool in our work — and it’s one we probably want to protect.
If you thought the megapixel war was over years ago then you might shocked by the latest cameras released by Nikon, Sony, and Canon. The D810, A7RII, and 5DsR are the biggest and baddest pieces of artillery on the front line, and today the team at Fstoppers is going to determine once and for all which camera is the best. With enough megapixels to challenge some of the most popular medium format cameras, these compact full frame cameras pack a lot more punch than you would think. Don't believe us? View the full high res images and take the poll yourself!
Two of Nikon's most popular professional cameras have hit all-time lows in online pricing for new, non-grey-market models with full warranties in the U.S. The Nikon D810 currently sees a $500 discount on B&H while the D750 sees a $400 discount, each selling for $2,796.95 and $1,896.95, respectively. That makes these bodies the cheapest they've been by $200 (for the D810) and $100 (for the D750).
Nope, we're not joking. Photographer Kotama Bouabane is creating photographs using coconuts. While he used the fruit in several different ways to create images, his most interesting method simply involves tape, a coconut, and some photo paper! Read on and check out the video for more!
Fuji has just announced a new addition to their popular Instax camera line with the release of the new Instax Mini 70, promising an increase in image quality and a brand new "Selfie" mode.
Yesterday we released the iPhone Bikini Shoot, a video in which I do a professional quality photoshoot with minimal gear. The point of the video wasn't to say that the iPhone was a better camera than a professional DSLR, it was meant to inspire photographers to use the gear they currently own to create beautiful images. Obviously the iPhone is infinitely worse than any current DSLR for stills but surprisingly it appears to be a far better video camera than my $3000 DSLR when there is enough light present.
"Oh, this is going to be good," I chuckled to myself. Fstoppers co-founder Lee Morris had just posted an article and video called "The New iPhone Fashion Shoot: Bikinis, Foam Core, and Flashlights." I knew the response would be fast and passionate. I wasn't disappointed.
Recently our own Lee Morris shot a model photoshoot entirely with an iPhone 6s Plus, showing that with proper lighting technique, a good model, and proficient use of editing software, you can obtain professional looking results with even the most humble of cameras. Andrew Weber, a professional sports photographer, decided to take it one step further by capturing the unpredictable environment of a primetime NFL game with only his iPhone 6s Plus in hand. Weber was kind enough to answer some of our questions and provide a great sampling of his photos from the shoot.
RED Digital Cinema has announced the latest addition to its line of professional cameras, the RED RAVEN priced at $5,590. RED RAVEN is the lightest and cheapest camera among the RED Cinema lineup. This camera is capable of capturing 4K resolution footage at up to 120fps or 2K resolution at 240fps.
Recently, PRO EDU posted video reviews of the new iPhone 6s, which is getting major attention for its new video capabilities, namely its ability to record 4K video. In these two video reviews, PRO EDU takes a look at the dynamic range and stabilization ability of the new phone, as well as its overall video quality. PRO EDU, known for their video tutorials on photography topics, uses the iPhone on productions regularly, as I experienced firsthand, during the filming of the Dani Diamond Portrait Tutorial in my hometown of New Orleans.
The Fujifilm X-Series cameras have made quite a stir in the photography community over the past few years by asking us to take mirrorless cameras seriously. Since the debut of the X-Pro1, Fuji has released numerous iterations, but has really showed it was serious with the X-E2 and X-T1. Now, we have the X-T10, a scaled back X-T1. Where does it fit and who is it for?
Today I got an iPhone 6s and the only feature that really excites me is the option to shoot in 4k video. As I've said before, I don't care to export videos in 4k, I just want higher quality 1080p footage. I decided to do a quick test comparing the 4k capabilities of the iPhone 6s to the hottest camera on the market today, the Sony A7RII.
Aside from some people getting theirs early and others being in time zones where "today" was "yesterday," the iPhone comes out today in the U.S. And of course, those who have theirs have already spent plenty of time comparing various features. This new video by Giga Tech highlights the differences between the iPhone 6S' and 6S Plus' respective video qualities when it comes to video stabilization. The larger Plus model features optical stabilization as its predecessor did while the smaller size of the smaller 6S only leaves room for digital stabilization — and the difference is quite dramatic.
It comes up when I'm driving someone around and they ask where my car charger is (I don't have one). Or when I'm having a party at my house and my guests asks to go into my office to plug their iPhone into my computer. You don't have to live like this anymore. There is another way.
When people first get into wedding photography, one of the main pieces of advice they will hear over and over is, “You can’t reshoot a wedding." This instantly leads to photographers asking, “How do I protect my images?" Image backup and cataloging is sort of like baking a cake. Every photographer is going to have a different recipe to how they do things. Over the years my process has evolved into what it is today. This process came about in part from learning by fire, and another part came from learning from others. If you don't want to use my entire process, I at least hope part of it can become a helpful addition to your workflow.
Casey Neistat got his hands on the new iPhone 6s before its official release. He took the phone around Manhattan and captured a range of 4k footage. Although YouTube does compress everything, it looks good, and I'm excited to put this phone to the test myself.
The original Holga camera was made in 1981 as an ultra-cheap medium format camera for families in China. 35mm film came out soon after destroying the 120 film market, but the Holga camera was then picked up in foreign markets by photographers looking for surrealistic, lo-fi looking pictures. This camera comes full circle today with the creation of the Holga Digital.
