Photography Gear

Gear isn't everything — but it's not nothing either. This section covers the cameras, lenses, accessories, and equipment that photographers actually use, with an eye toward helping you make smart decisions rather than just chasing the latest release. Expect news, analysis, hands-on impressions, and the occasional reality check on whether that upgrade is actually worth it.

Is Samyang Planning a 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Lens?

Tamron's 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD has been praised for being remarkably versatile and for pushing the boundaries of lens design. Samyang might be joining the party soon, as rumors that the company is planning a similar lens have emerged.  

The First Lens Landscape Photographers Should Buy

If you are interested in landscape photography, you might think that the first lens you should pick up is an ultra-wide angle zoom. Those can certainly be useful tools, but there might be a better first lens. This excellent video will show you a potentially better choice.  

Can This Affordable Canon Lens Keep Pace with a Legend?

Few lenses are more famous than the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, renowned for its extreme design and insane bokeh, making it a favorite of numerous portrait and wedding photographers for many years. Now available on the used market for about the same price as the far newer RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, you might wonder which is right for you.

A Review of the Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G Lens

The Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G is an impressively versatile and portable wide angle zoom lens at a very reasonable price for the features and image quality you get. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice. 

Some Helpful Advice for Beginners Regarding Shutter Speed

Along with aperture and ISO, shutter speed is one of the three fundamental parameters that determine the overall exposure and look of a photo. Shutter speed has both a technical and creative aspect, as you can also leverage it for making effects that would not be visible to the naked eye.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Lens

The 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is a classic design used by countless creatives for genres like sports and wildlife photography, where its versatile focal range and modest aperture offer a lot of reach at far more reasonable prices than top-shelf supertelephoto prime lenses.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S23+ the Best Balance of Performance and Price?

In the middle of the lineup between the Galaxy S23 and S23 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S23+ offers a lot of the most advanced features available in smartphones without the top-level price of the Ultra model, making it an appealing option for many users. This excellent video review takes a look at the S23+ and how it holds up in daily usage.  

Should You Purchase the 14" or 16" MacBook Pro?

The MacBook Pro is the computer of choice for countless creatives who need high levels of power for advanced editing tasks in a portable device. Now in the M2 generation, the lineup offers a variety of options, but perhaps no choice is more fundamental than size: should you get the 14" or 16" version? There is more to the decision than just size and price.

Photo Backup Systems for Everyone

If you have used computer hardware for any period of time, you probably know that all hardware will eventually fail. With it could go all your precious images and videos and the memories that you have captured over the years. You've probably thought about different ways to back up your computer, mobile phone, and other devices and have already put some of these strategies into place.

A Review of the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens

The 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is the primary tool of choice for a huge range of photographers and filmmakers who value its versatile combination of a practical focal length range and wide maximum aperture. Such lenses can easily run up to the $2,000 mark, though, making them a purchase many consider twice. However, Sigma's 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens sits at about half that, making it quite intriguing.

Creating Long Exposure Photos With an iPhone

A few years ago, the idea of taking quality long exposures on a phone would have seemed absurd, but major advances in the quality of the cameras in phones and in computational photography have enabled numerous techniques that simply were not possible before. This neat video takes you behind the scenes to show you just what you can accomplish with an iPhone. 

Is This the Ultimate Camera for Landscape Photographers?

When it comes to choice of camera, many landscape photographers desire two things above everything else: resolution and dynamic range. And as such, the Fujifilm GFX 100S looks like one of the most ideal candidates for the genre. How does it hold up in practice? This great video review features a respected landscape photographer sharing his thoughts.  

A Review of the New Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM Lens

Sony's new FE 50mm f/1.4 GM lens has arrived, and with it comes some of the company's best design features and optical performance. For many portrait and wedding photographers, a top-level, wide-aperture 50mm lens is one of the most important tools in their kit, and thus, the new lens is likely catching the attention of many. Can its performance match its impressive specs?

Here's What Canon Has Planned Next

Canon recently released their corporate strategy for the next few years, and it sheds some light on where they plan to take their camera and lens business. 

Some of the key points of the strategy include:

Settings You Should Change on Your Camera

Modern cameras are tremendously complex and intricate machines, and as such, there are often settings that may not be the best choice for your work and may even cause you to miss a shot or not come home with the best quality images.

A Review of the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens

In recent years, Tamron has entirely reinvented themselves as a company that produces competitive lenses that offer excellent performance and image quality at prices that are often significantly more affordable than many first-party options.

Is This the Best Budget Kit for Starting Photography?

Photography can be an exceptionally expensive hobby, but it needn't be in most situations. If you're thinking about getting your first camera and a lens, this budget setup might give you the most back for your buck. 

A Review of the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Laptop

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 laptop is a beautiful device that offers Windows users a lot of versatility in a relatively small package in tandem with long battery life. This great video review takes a look at the 2023 version of the device and the sort of performance you can expect from it in usage.  

Benro Theta: World’s First Smart Tripod You Will Love

As a photographer, you know that having the right gear can sometimes make all the difference, and this includes tripods. With the launch of the Benro Theta, shooting just became more fun and easy. This revolutionary tripod combines portability, stability, and intelligence, making it one of the most essential tools for photographers on the go. 

Is This the Ultimate Bokeh Lens for Medium Format Cameras?

Generally, when it comes to medium format, lenses do not have the same extremely wide apertures many full frame or APS-C options do. Nonetheless, there are a few such options out there for medium format users, and they can offer some extreme and unique results.

A Review of the M2 Pro Mac mini

The Mac mini line has long been popular for offering the Mac experience in a desktop at a very reasonable price and in a small, easy package. The line took a major step forward when Apple started offering their own silicon in the computers, and in the latest iteration, users can now even opt for a Pro chip. So, how good is the new M2 Pro Mac mini?

The Truth About Fujifilm's Optimized Lenses and 40-Megapixel Sensor

Fujifilm recently introduced their latest 40-megapixel APS-C sensor, the X-Trans CMOS 5 HR. Along with announcing two new cameras featuring the X-Trans 5 chip, a list of lenses that are "optimized" for the new sensor was also released. But do you need the optimized lenses to get the most out of the new cameras? I address this and more in my latest video. 

With Tons of Features Is the Isteady M6 Gimbal the Best Yet?

Mobile phones have become more advanced and are capable of capturing high-quality video footage, and with that mobile phone gimbals have also become increasingly popular and are a game changer for content creators, vloggers, and anyone who wants to capture professional quality footage. 

Can This Popular Lens Keep Up With the Demands of a Modern Camera?

In the DSLR days, Canon made a few surprising good wide angle lenses for their APS-C cameras, one of which was the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, which offered a versatile focal length range in a portable and affordable package. Can it keep up with the demands of a modern high-resolution sensor, though?

Five Fantastic Micro Four Thirds Lenses

One of the best parts about the Micro Four Thirds system is the availability of a lot of small lenses that pack a lot of image quality into those tiny footprints. If you are looking to expand your lens arsenal, check out this fantastic video that features a seasoned Micro Four Thirds user sharing five of his favorite lenses for the system. 

Comparing High-end Video Monitors

Samuel Bilodeau compares some of the best monitors on the market to see how they stack up. Are the prices worth it? 

High-end video monitors are usually workhorses. I know some people that swear by their Flanders, and it’s for very good reasons. You’ll pay over $20,000 to get a reliable work tool. It should last a long time and easily integrate into a workflow.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Lens

70-200mm f/2.8 lenses are the workhorses of choice for a huge number of photographers, as they can comfortably tackle many genres and needs and often offer some of a company's best features and capabilities.

A Review of the Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR Lens

Fujifilm's GFX line of medium format mirrorless cameras helped to rewrite the paradigm of the format with a combination of aggressive prices and modern features traditionally reserved for smaller sensor sizes.

We Review the V-Flat Karl Taylor Light Cone

When V-Flat released the new Karl Taylor Light Cone, the comments ranged from dismissive jokes about "the cone of shame" to excitement for a product designed by esteemed commercial photographer Karl Taylor. I decided to take the cones into my product studio and see for myself if this simple tool really delivered the effortless results it boasted.  

50mm Versus 85mm: Side-by-Side Lens Comparison for Portraits

There are several focal lengths that have become staples for portrait photography and both 50mm and 85mm are two right at the top of the list. If you are in the market for a portrait lens, however, which is best for you? This video might help. 

Are Samyang Lenses Good Alternatives to More Expensive Options?

A decade ago, Samyang lenses were known for being sharp, affordable, and manual focus only, but in recent years, the company has expanded their offerings to start including autofocus in many options while still maintaining reasonable prices and impressive image quality. So, how do they compete with current options?

Fujifilm Patents Its Most Versatile Medium Format Lens

Fujifilm's GFX line of medium format mirrorless cameras has reinvigorated the market beyond full frame, and the company continues to invest in expanding its capabilities. Along those lines, a patent has emerged for an interesting lens that would offer a lot of versatility for its users.  

A Review of the Sony a7R V Mirrorless Camera

The Sony a7R line of mirrorless cameras has long been popular for offering some of the highest levels of resolution available in a full frame camera in tandem with a wide range of features that make it suitable for many different genres and applications. We have now reached the line's fifth generation, and the a7R V brings with it some of the company's latest advancements and capabilities.

How to Update Your Canon R6 Camera to The Latest Firmware Update

This tutorial is going to show you how to upgrade your Canon EOS R6 firmware with minimal fuss and easy instructions. 

Since the Canon EOS R6 Mark II was launched, the opportunity to keep your Canon EOS R6 camera up to date is even more important. Canon lists the version 1.8.0 firmware update as fixing the following issues:

This Budget Tablet Is All You Need: One by Wacom Review

Wacom has become a staple in the photography industry. If you're a professional photographer, a graphic tablet can greatly improve your workflow. The issue is that many graphic tablets come with hefty price tags. Fortunately, there is a budget option that is surprisingly brilliant, and that is the One by Wacom tablet. 

How You Can Save Thousands of Dollars on Top-level Professional Lenses

Supertelephoto primes are some of the most desirable lenses out there, but their prices often run upwards of $10,000. You can often pay half or even a third of that without major sacrifices if you are savvy, though, and this helpful video will show you both how and what to expect.  

The Canon EOS R5 Is Getting a Major Upgrade

Recently, rumors have swirled regarding the release of the Canon EOS R5 Mark II mirrorless camera, the follow-up to the company's wildly popular EOS R5. It seems as though that release might take a bit longer than initially thought, but in the meantime, EOS R5 users will likely get to enjoy a major upgrade to their cameras' capabilities.