Recent Gear Articles

Turn Your iPhone Into a Powerful On-Camera Monitor With This Tool

On-camera monitors are an essential tool for anyone doing video work, but a proper display is often quite expensive. Modern iPhones and iPads have spectacular screens, however, and in those displays are a ton of potential for filmmakers. The Accsoon SeeMo acts as a go-between for your camera and iPhone or iPad, allowing you to feed it an HDMI signal from your camera and use it as an on-camera monitor. How does it perform in practice? This great video review takes a look.

An f/0.95 Lens for $249? Can It Provide the Image Quality Professionals Need?

It is no secret that photographers like wide-aperture lenses, and with the advent of mirrorless cameras, we have seen the release of many 50mm f/0.95 lenses, offering photographers ultra-narrow depth of field and loads of bokeh. One such lens is the Meike 50mm f/0.95, which offers that extra-wide aperture for a variety of APS-C mirrorless mounts and does so at a very affordable price. Can it still offer professional quality, though? This excellent video review takes a look.

Why Tripods Are Sometimes Overrated for Landscape Photography

Perhaps no accessory is more strongly associated with landscape photography than the tripod, and for good reason. That being said, some photographers insist on using them for every shot, no matter the circumstances. Can that actually be a hindrance? This great video dives into the use of tripods in landscape photography and why sometimes, it is better to just hold your camera.

Pushing a Camera to its Limits on a Low Light Husky Ride

If you want to know how good your camera is, pushing its abilities as far as they will go is the way to find out. Combining speed, vibration, and low light stretches its photographic capabilities, and flying mud, rain, and thick fog help too.

An Exciting Canon Lens Is on the Way

Recently, rumors emerged saying that the Canon EOS R6 Mark II's release was imminent. That story continues, and it seems that in addition to the new camera next month, we will also see a mirrorless version of one of Canon's most legendary lessons.

A Review of the New OM System OM-5 Mirrorless Camera

The OM System OM-5 mirrorless camera is here, and it brings with a lot of the company's innovative features and technology at a relatively affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at the new camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Versatile Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Lens

A wide-aperture 24mm lens is useful for a huge range of applications ranging from astro work to event photography, and when you add in macro capabilities and image stabilization, it becomes all the more versatile. The Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM has all those things, making it quite the intriguing option for a lot of photographers, and this excellent video review takes a look at just what kind of image quality and performance you can expect from it in usage.

A Look at One of the Most Interesting Lenses Made

The AstrHori 85mm f/2.8 Macro & Tilt lens is one of the weirdest options you will come across, and at $329, it is also surprisingly affordable. So, what all can you do with it, and does it offer the performance and image quality needed to make all those strange functions worthwhile? This great video review takes a look at the lens and what you can expect.

A Review of the New Venus Optics Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APS-C APO Lens

Venus Optics has established themselves as a company that produces unique and high-quality lenses that enable new and interesting creative approaches. Their newest lens is the Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APS-C APO, made for a wide variety of APS-C mirrorless cameras. This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

First Look at the New Sony a7R V

The latest and greatest from Sony is finally here and the Sony A7RV has the latest in autofocus technology

Nikon Launches Firmware 3.0 for the Z 9

After a promising launch and a massive update with version 2.0, Nikon has announced the release of version 3.0 for their flagship mirrorless camera.

We Review The GoPro HERO 11 Black: Good But Not Groundbreaking

Delivering an updated product once a year every year guarantees a spike of hype and sales, but brings with it some challenges — challenges that continue to get bigger as a product matures and competitors arrive. The GoPro HERO11 Black launched last month, but what do the latest upgrades mean for a company whose value has fallen by 90% from its peak just a few years ago?

A Look at the New iPad 10 and iPad Pro M2 Tablets

iPads have evolved from fun content consumption devices to seriously powerful creative tools, and they are fantastic options for a wide variety of photo and video work. The latest generations of the standard and Pro models are here, and they bring with them a wide variety of new and improved features. This excellent video review takes a look at both the new models and the sort of performance and experience you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G Lens

The 24mm focal length is popular for offering a versatile wide angle of view, but not one so wide that significant distortion starts to become an issue. For Sony photographers and filmmakers, the FE 24mm f/2.8 G offers a very portable design meant to pair with company's lightweight mirrorless cameras to offer easy run-and-gun shooting. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Sony ZV-1F Versus Sony ZV-1: Which Is Better?

Sony's recent ZV line of compact cameras has caught many people's attention for a number of reasons, particularly vlogging and video. But which is the best option for you and why?

Is This FujiFilm's Best All-Around Lens?

Each one of us has a favorite go-to lens, be that a prime, a wide angle, or a telephoto. There's always one lens we will tend to use more than the rest. But what if you could only take one lens with you on travels? What one would it be?

A Review of the Affordable Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 Lens

Viltrox has earned a reputation for producing very affordable lenses whose image quality often surpasses what you might expect at their respective prices. And at $429, the AF 13mm f/1.4 lens continues that trend, offering a wide focal length and wide aperture for Sony, Fujifilm, and Nikon APS-C users. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

The Joy of the Fujifilm X100V Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm X100 series of mirrorless cameras has long been popular for both its image quality and for the shooting experience it provides. If you have never used one and are curious about what it is like, check out this excellent video review that discusses just why it is such a fun camera to work with.

A Year With the Sony a7 IV Mirrorless Camera

The Sony a7 series has become one of the most highly respected and popular lines of mirrorless cameras, well known for offering an excellent balance of photo and video features that allow creatives to produce professional work in just about any situation. So, is the a7 IV still the hybrid camera to beat? This great video review takes a look at how it holds up after a year of usage.

Which Canon Mirrorless Kit Lens Is Right for You?

While Canon initially focused on full frame cameras and lenses with the RF mount, the release of cameras like the EOS R7 and EOS R10 and associated RF-S lenses has shown that the company also intends to develop APS-C options in tandem with the full frame line. For those APS-C cameras, there are two relatively new lens options, the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM. Which one is right for you? This excellent video comparison will help you pick.

A Review of the New Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Lens

Tamron has established itself as a maker of both pragmatic lenses at practical prices and more unique designs that the photo world has not seen before. The new 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is one of those more unique designs, offering an interesting focal length range that sits between two more traditional zoom ranges (16-35mm and 24-70mm). This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art Lens

Macro lenses with short telephoto focal lengths are some of the most useful and flexible optics a photographer can own, giving you access to a world of detail all around us, but also doubling as a fantastic option for tack-sharp portraits and more. The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art offers that versatile combo at a relatively affordable price ($799), and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it.

Do You Really Need That Ultra-Expensive Lens?

Canon makes some really impressive lenses, but of course, they come at prices that match that stellar performance. Do you really need that to spend that much, though, or would you be better off going with a more affordable option? This interesting video compares two 50mm options from the company to help you decide.

DaVinci Resolve Coming Soon to Your iPad

Today, Blackmagic Design announced that its prominent post-production platform, DaVinci Resolve, will now be available on the Apple iPad.

A Review of the New Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Lens

The new Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is one of the more interesting lenses to come along in a while, offering an intriguing focal length range that sacrifices reach at the long end compared to a 24-70mm for the ability to go wider than the usual 24mm, putting it somewhere between a standard zoom and an ultra-wide angle zoom. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

Gear Up for Real Estate Photography on a Shoestring Budget

One of the most consistent opportunities we have as photographers to earn money with our cameras is photographing real estate and hospitality properties, such as Airbnb rentals, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take a huge investment to offer quality images for this purpose.

We Review the Rotolight PRO NEO 3 and PRO AEOS 2

When the Rotolight package was delivered to my doorstep, I was apprehensively excited. I was apprehensive because light is everything in photography, and LED lights are notorious for disappointing me. But I was not disappointed. To say I had to rip myself away from playing with it in the studio to type up my review would not be an exaggeration. This light is prodigious.

5 Things I Look for in a Cinema Camera

The definition of a “cinema camera” seems to be ever evolving. So what are some of the things that set them apart from mirrorless?

A Review of the Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Lens

24mm lenses with wide apertures are some of the most versatile out there, offering a reasonably wide (though not overly so) focal length in tandem with a lot of light-gathering and subject-isolating power. The Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM takes that versatility and adds in macro capabilities and image stabilization, making it quite the intriguing option. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.