Recent Gear Articles

Canon EOS M Shipping Delayed Until October 31

We just received word from B&H that the Canon EOS M, which was expected to ship yesterday, was delayed until October 31. No word on why as of yet, but for those of you expecting the review from us or to pick one up for yourself, you'll have to wait a bit longer.

Street Photography with the Leica M9 Through the Eyes of William Palank

Perfect travel or street photography is a delicate concoction of the right place and the right time mixed with a superb eye for the extraordinary. William J Palank is one of those individuals who managed to brew that concoction with a supernatural elegance. While traversing the globe, his weapon of choice these days is the Leica M9, a digital rangefinder that produces an uncannily beautiful image. To help us celebrate Mirrorless Month, Palank describes what about the Lecia M9 allows him to shoot at his best.

Want a RED? Get One for a Massive Discount

Normally RED cameras can be purchased from the RED online store for $11,900 USD. However, due to a project where a large number of RED cameras were needed simultaneously for one shot, there are now a limited number of RED cameras that can be purchased at a $5K USD discount. They all have only a few minutes of footage that was ever shot on them. Talk about a deal!

New Aokatec AK-G GPS receiver for Nikon DSLRs

Aokatec has released new AK-G GPS units for Nikon DSLR cameras (and also the Coolpix P7700) which are available on Amazon for $80. The pricing is in stark contrast to the Nikon's GP-1 GPS unit, which costs a rather hefty $194.95 (the GP-1A version for the D600 costs $312).

The Stow-Away Lens Cap Holder

The Stow-Away lens cap holder project on Kickstarter offers an accessory for SLR cameras that attaches to the tripod mound and holds your lens caps (varying from 52mm to 72mm in size) while shooting.

Samsung NX1000 and NX210 Mirrorless Review

These cameras are incredibly similar. In fact, I’m going to treat this as the same camera review while pointing out differences as we go along. So why the $200 difference between the NX1000 and NX210? Let’s see if what's up and how these systems compare with the competition.

SpinLight 360: A New Unique Speedlight Flash Modifier

Creating new ideas in the lighting industry isn't an easy thing. Even if you have a great new idea, getting people to accept that new concept is a long and tedious process. That said, I'm always excited to see innovation. New company SpinLight 360 is about to release a new line of products that look a little unusual.

Ricoh GXR Mirrorless Camera Review

The Ricoh GXR is an oddball. It’s different than any other mirrorless camera out there -- with the GXR, you use the same base body, but switch out sensor/lens combinations. This format has some serious advantages and disadvantages compared to its competition.

Free iPhone App To Control Your GoPro Hero2 Camera Now Available!

UPDATE: 24fps firmware update has been released too!
Ever since the Wifi BacPac was released, I've been waiting for this iPhone App to drop. This FREE App allows users of the HERO2 (the original HERO is not compatible, sadface) to preview their shot and control the camera's settings, all over WiFi. Eventually it will be able to upload and even stream clips to YouTube. This video was posted before, but it demos the features of this previously unreleased app. Read on for the list of compatible devices!

Which Strobe Has The Shortest Flash Duration: Profoto, Broncolor, or Einstein?

In a world filled with portable speedlights and 3200 watt power packs, photographers might overlook another critical feature of their studio lights: flash duration. Basically flash duration is the time your strobe light contributes to the exposure of your photograph (flash actually can act as "constant light"). Earlier this year, we posted about Broncolor's flash duration compared to Profoto, but how does a much cheaper strobe like the Einstein compare? The results are pretty remarkable!

Canon 650D Rates Worse Than Previous Models

While the new Canon 650D (Rebel T4i) does come with a few new features including a touchscreen display and a sensor-based hybrid AF system for improved focus, it seems that the camera itself might have fallen flat... on its sensor. A new comparison test conducted by DXO Mark puts the upgraded Canon 650D (Rebel T4i) up against its predecessors the Canon 600D (Rebel T3i) and Canon 550D (Rebel T2i). The results might just shock you.

Promise Pegasus Portable Thunderbolt Drives Now Available!

It was quite a while ago that I did a piece on hard drives -- the inevitable non-photo, but techy part of every photographer's gear. It's been a while, but manufacturers have been hard at work, including Promise with their Pegasus J2 and J4 Thunderbolt drives. Today, after having been announced back in May, they're finally available to order!

Mark Alberhasky Explains How Mirrorless Cameras Can Trump A DSLR

Around this time last year, I was asked to shoot a wedding for a young couple getting married in Charleston. I came to find out that the groom's father was none other than Nikon advertising photographer Mark Alberhasky. Mark and I hit it off instantly so when I found out he has been shooting wildlife with Nikon's V1 mirrorless camera, I knew he would be perfect for Fstoppers Mirrorless Month. Mark explains how mirrorless cameras can out perform dlsrs

Will Canon's Big Megapixel Camera Be the EOS-1S?

Some new rumors are floating around as to the proposed specifications of the new 'big megapixel' camera from Canon. We have heard the number 46MP, but we haven't, until now, heard about pricing and naming...

Sony NEX-7 Mirrorless Camera Review

Hop on a sightseeing tour in your local town, and undoubtedly, at least one person probably has a camera in Sony's NEX line. The mirrorless line has been wildly successful, and the Sony NEX-7 represents its top-notch contender. Let's see if the NEX-7 can stand its ground -- after all, comparing to the Leica we reviewed a few days back is quite the challenge...

Five Unusual and Perhaps Innovative Camera Designs

Some might argue not to fix what ain't broken, but then again, where's the fun in that? Whether or not these designs actually result in a camera that works better than those we have become accustomed to, I'm happy that there are some out there who just aren't satisfied with resting on the design laurels of others. Check out these five interesting, and perhaps really innovative, camera designs. Would you pick one up if you saw it on a shelf?

Ultimate Lens Bokeh From The Canon 50mm F1.0

Many photographers don't know it, but Canon used to produce a 50mm lens with a F1.0 aperture. Yes, one-point-zero. At the time, this was the fastest SLR lens in production. While it was being made the lens retailed for $4,210. In 2000 the lens production was stopped and was eventually replaced by the F1.2 version. Why? The lens actually wasn't very good... except for the bokeh.

How Does The iPhone 5 Camera Compare To A DSLR?

There was once a photographer who said the best camera is the one you have with you. Today that camera is probably the one built into your smart phone. But just how well does that old saying hold up when you compare say an iPhone 5 to a Nikon D3s or Hasselblad H4D? The guys over at Bammo have put all three cameras through the paces and the results might shock you. Find out which camera has the most resolution, dynamic range, and fastest ability to upload to Facebook.

Redrock Micro Announces the New 'lowBase' for Tall DSLRs and the RED

Redrock has announced the release of a pro-grade baseplate specifically for taller DSLRs and Red Scarlet/Epic called the lowBase. The lowBase is designed specifically for taller camera bodies so cinema accessories can be easily adapted and rigs can be quickly configured. It also works with popular DSLRs configured with a battery grip, such as Canon 5D MKII, Canon 5D MKIII, Canon 7D, Canon 60D and Nikon D800, all starting at a price Redrock hopes you'll love: $200.

Kodak Discontinues T-Max P3200 Film

This is for all you film fanatics out there. Grab yours as its still in stock! Kodak announced that it is discontinuing the Professional T-MAX P3200 film due to "low sales volume". In the past few months Kodak stopped producing digital cameras, sold its sensor business, increased the price of film by 15%, and discontinued three slide films in an effort to reorganize its business.

Did BH Video Just Leak The New Canon 3D DSLR Specs?

Because of some lucky searching, someone found a listing for the rumored Canon 3D that was briefly up last night on BHphotovideo's website. Recent rumors point to a full-sized body, and this is pre order listing is consistent with those claims. But could an imminent announcement be in store for us this month?

Considering the Choice: To E, or not to E

Forgive me for the non-linear article to follow, but this is my first evaluation of the transitive properties of the figurative "E" and it's marginal utility in the life of the Nikon D800. Whereas others may tell you which camera can photograph grass or your pet Weimaraner, I would like to talk about the real life application the D800 has to those of us that call this hobby a job.

Reviewing the 'Ultimate' Mirrorless Camera: The Leica M9

The Leica M-series has long been the standard for rangefinder photography -- or so I've heard. Since the Leica M9 is a rangefinder, we know it's also mirrorless. And thus, this will be the introduction of the camera to 'look up to' throughout this month's reviews. If you're interested in a mirrorless system, despite whether or not this fits your idea of what's possible, I highly recommend you read on, as there are some great introductory explanations here.

World’s First: Metz Mecablitz 52 AF-1 Flash With Touchscreen

One product got a lot of attention during the Photokina 2012 show. The new 52 AF-1 touchscreen flash from Metz (a world’s first). The flash unit will come in Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic, Leica and Sony versions. The estimated price is around €250. Full specs and features can be found in the press release:

Sony Buys Shares of Olympus, Makes Good on Promise to Support Camera Division

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony is buying up a healthy share of Olympus stock, furthering on their previous announcement that the two companies would share tech and co-produce product. This is a huge, bold move that makes real Sony's promise to continue to build their camera division. Sony, I am impressed. You're on your way to making me a believer.

 Learn To Use The Canon Rebel T4i In Depth With John Greengo

For someone on the move, the Canon T4i is not a bad option. This camera is the smallest you can get without going mirrorless. From 9am-1pm today only, creativeLIVE will be hosting an intensive workshop with Photographer John Greengo. John will go in-depth with the Canon T4i and show you how to get the most out of what you have in the least amount of time.

The New Panasonic GH3 Has Impressive Specs, See It In Action With Philip Bloom

Amidst all of the hype over the new DSLRs from Canon and Nikon (the 6D, 5DMIII, D800) Panasonic seems to have slipped under the radar with some still shooters, and I don't think this is one that us video people should simply brush off. This new camera body comes equipped with wifi, a weather sealed body, and In this video, see Philip Bloom using preproduction GH3 on a short film shoot...

How To Make Smoke Lay On Water

In this lighting lesson, Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens offers a very cool DIY effect; how to make smoke lay on water. Achieving smoke and wind in photography are two very difficult tasks that Jay P. made very easy by showing this step by step process. Have you guys ever experienced with smoke and wind? If so, share your images and how you did it in the comments below.