Gear

Let's face it, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is hard to find. I've been getting barraged with questions from fellow photographers asking me when they could buy the 50mm, or if I have some sort of mystical connection that will allow me an unlimited supply of the lenses for them to tap. The popular lens has been nearly perpetually sold out since the lenses came to the market. I just got word that B&H got a new shipment of Canon mounts for the lens in, so if you've been waiting to buy, you can get the lens right now.

Earlier this year, Nikon unveiled a 3D photo booth that used a system of multiple DSLRs to render a 3D model of a subject. Just months later the technology to do so now fits in your pocket — free.

Sigma wants to encourage new users to try their new dp2 Quattro so badly they've decided to tear down the walls: you can borrow the dp2 and test drive it before you buy it... and even before it’s available to purchase in stores. Though you have to throw down the value of the camera as collateral, if you return the camera you get the money back. Free rental? Yes please.

It's no secret that the majority of the photography and art community tends to lean towards Apple for many of their services. Google is hoping to convert a few of us with the announcement of Android 5.0 L this past weekend. Adding RAW support, full manual controls, and any other features to the camera system might make Android the best option for photographers everywhere.

If you've been holding out for the D800/D800E replacement, today's you're lucky day: it's finally here. Featuring a new 36-megapixel sensor, better ISO range, and shutter and AF technologies from the D4s, the D810 is now available for pre-order from B&H, or you can also pre-order from Amazon, too.

Another famous late-night announcement brings us news of the long-awaited successor to the camera that brought medium-format resolutions to the masses. With its all-glorious 36 megapixels, improved low-light performance, and a new processing engine, the Nikon D810 is finally here... Update: Pre-orders are open at B&H.

I’m a huge fan of Annie Leibovitz and the imagery she has captured over the past few decades. Being a self-taught photographer, I looked to her work time and time again for inspiration and motivation. Over the course of a year, I scoured the internet for information on her lighting setups, equipment and methodology. But, the more I dove in, the less concerned I became about equipment and the more I felt the need to simplify my style.

We all have a half-dozen or so USB thumb drives laying around. You know, the ones you bought to replace the ones you thought you lost, but then found a week later? Maybe they were free at a trade show? I had my fair share and decided to do something about it: I created my new favorite and totally portable live-work "SSD." Considering I just needed one, $16 accessory, it all seemed pretty reasonable to me.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of testing out the Phase One IQ250, and so I thought I would put together a practical write up of my time spent the Phase One IQ250 Camera System, the Capture One software, and whether or not either one has found a permanent place in my workflow.

This past week I've been sleep deprived, socially inactive, and holding a camera in my hands for more than I ever have in my entire life. You see, this past week I've been working with PRO EDU to film my first tutorial series to go on sale at the Fstoppers store this summer. Though learning a lot about my own work and process, I think I learned the most when I used a rented PhaseOne IQ250 system for one of my shoots.

Adobe has announced a great number of updates to the entire Creative Cloud set of applications (every single application is being updated in some way), but let's focus here on just what's new in Photoshop CC: New Motion Blur Effects, Focus Mask and improved Content-Aware color adaptation along with a set of other updates and enhancements to the entire experience.

That's right, the highly popular Photography Plan that Adobe seemed to continually threaten was going to be a limited-time deal, is finally a permanent pricing fixture. They are removing Behance Pro Site from the bundle, but it does contain Photoshop, Lightroom (on desktop and mobile) and now integrates the newly announced Photoshop Mix.

Adobe has made Lightroom Mobile available on iPhone, and has managed to keep all aspects of the software intact despite the much reduced screen size. The application works exactly the same as the iPad app, just on the smaller profile of your iPhone.

Adobe was very clear that the 2014 updates were mainly focused on what they have seen to be a rapidly evolving market: Mobile. Adobe is seeing a rapid pace of change, explosion of mobile, and a world that is continually and incredibly connected. But their software, for real-work at least, is still tethered to a desk. Adobe thinks this is a problem, and sought to solve it.

A month ago I was asked to review the Uinta backpack from Gura Gear and was excited about using it in the city. Gura Gear makes backpacks for outdoor / travel photographers; however, I instantly noticed some features I have been looking for in a bag for my elopement and wedding coverage needs.

On the heels of photographer Yosh Enatsu's A7s killer low-light test, DxOMark comes out to confirm that the A7s is the new champion of low-light cameras. Expected to ship July 1st, the camera can still be pre-ordered at B&H.

Hiking season is in full swing and in the last few years I've incorporated a lot of video and photography while on week long trips in the backcountry. When every pound of weight counts, you have to choose your gear carefully. In this post I’ll share my tricks and tips for making a useful kit without weighing you down.

If you have never taken the time to learn some of the basics of camera care then this is your video. System checks, cleaning, strap threading, and general maintenance are all covered in this video published by Canon USA. But don't let the excessive Canon logos fool you. These care tips are just as useful to all our Nikon shooters too.

Softboxes, at least traditional ones, suck. They are not fun to put together and even more painful to break back down. In an attempt to relieve this, companies like Westcott made umbrella-style boxes and Phottix took a swing at the collapsible beauty dish. Now Interfit has a hand in the game with a full line of options in the collapsible category, from octos to strips.

GoPro is getting ready to release their official IPO (Initial Public Offering) and join the stock market within the next 2 weeks. I received an email from GoPro yesterday asking if I wanted to participate and reserve the power to buy some of their IPO's and I instantly signed up and transferred funds.

When someone tells a photographer that “their camera must be really good,” chances are the photographer will respond with an eye roll. The debate surrounding gear verses skill in the photography world is a tired albeit consistent discussion. Let’s not kid ourselves, gear does in fact matter. However, does a photographer need top of the line equipment to produce mind-blowing images? Take a look at this collection and decide for yourself.

In February of this year, Sigma announced the next generation of their fixed lens professional camera series, the dp2 Quattro. We have had a bit of experience holding the new camera but none shooting with it. We expect that to change as today they announced the pricing and availability of the new camera, which will come to market at $999.

Panasonic has released what looks to be a "bridge" camera between point and shoot and "complex, bulky DSLRs" called the DMC-FZ 1000. The fixed-lens 25-400mm f/2.8-4 on a 20.1MP 1-inch sensor performs up to ISO 25600 and 50 fps continuous shooting, and features 4K shooting at 30 fps, 1080 at 120 fps, 720 at 240fps and 480 at 360 fps all for under $900.

Adobe is hosting a special event on June 18 to show the world what's new in their Creative Cloud set of applications, but today they released a short video highlighting one of the features they're working on in Photoshop: a new way to make automatic selections based on pixels in focus against those out of focus.

One of the main issues some of you might have with Lytro is the rather boxed in and silo-ed image viewer that we have had experiences with in the past. Well, Lytro is opening things up to a bigger audience with the launch of a new open-source WebGL player, with 500px as their flagship partner. Prepare for Lytro images to get a lot more reach.

There is one thing that constantly keeps cropping up in both my own work, and in the work of others I see around me. I've worked with more and more photographers and videographers lately who just shoot with a single zoom for most of what they do. So many people I see seem to be producing strong work with one decent zoom. This post asks a very simple question that keeps bouncing around in my head. "Just how many lenses do we actually need?".

The LitePanels 1x1 has arguably been the industry standard for LED lighting in many news and documentary productions. At the recent CineGear show, LitePanels demoed their latest product, an update to the award winning 1x1. The new "Astra" light claims to have an output 4x greater than the original 1x1. Nate Weber from Newsshooter.com shares the first look in this video.

Michael Schmidt of Chemnitz, Germany, shares a video review of Canon's new and quite affordable EF-S 10-18mm IS STM lens. The lens features silent focusing thanks to its stepping motor (STM) and even throws in built-in image stabilization (IS). While the lens exhibits some minor issues (some expected distortion seems quite controlled for this focal length), overall image quality seems fantastic and the lens' focusing motor is truly silent and smooth.

Though it's not yet safe to say that 4K has "landed," it is getting close. There are more capable hardware solutions landing on the market every day. G-Technologies is getting ready to show off some new 2K and 4K ready storage solutions for the market: the G-DRIVE ev 220 and a new G-RAID with removable drives.

It's official! The world's fastest mirrorless camera lens is going to be shipping worldwide in the very near future. With a 40mm focal length perfect for many situations, the lens is topped with a maximum aperture of f/0.85. The prime lens is now in stock based on their press release. Looks like the Voiglander 17mm f/0.95 has some competition now!