Gear Reviews

If you’re a photographer, admit it: there was something about variable ND filters that most of us hated. This new filter line from H&Y aims to fix exactly that.

I've been looking for a bag that meets my needs for a long time. I've always been a traveling photographer, taking my gear to some of the hottest, coldest, wettest, and driest places on the planet. A bag has to do a lot to make the grade. Escalating my needs, over the last few years I've also been working as a photography guide in Canada's sub-Arctic, the high Arctic, and Antarctica. These regions don't settle for everyday quality. In these extreme environments, the bags either work or your gear gets ruined. I've taken five different bags to task and only two have protected my gear effectively from the elements. The Peak Design Travel Backpack is one. 

Getting fast, high-capacity storage has become a bottleneck in modern workflows. Codecs keep getting heavier, and a well-specced internal SSD can feel cramped quickly. Upgrades can be difficult or unreasonably expensive; enter the Express 4M2, a four-drive enclosure that addresses all these issues.

The DJI RS 5 isn’t just a minor iteration; it is a thoughtful evolution of what a mirrorless gimbal should be. While it maintains the familiar silhouette of the RS series, the quality-of-life upgrades—particularly regarding balance and automation—make it one of the most frictionless tools I’ve used in the field.

I like to carry minimal gear and travel light when on vacation or a travel photography adventure, and my favorite camera hasn’t changed after 7 years of ownership—it’s the Nikon Z50. Finding the right lens has always been a struggle, though, until I got my hands on Viltrox’s AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro.

The L-Mount Alliance was first unveiled at Photokina 2018. It was positioned as a long-term ecosystem play—one that harmonized multiple brands and prioritized system longevity over short-term competition. For years, the alliance remained relatively compact, dominated mainly by lens options that often leaned toward the premium end of the market, produced by brands that pioneered the alliance, such as Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma. 

Fast portrait primes for APS-C often force a compromise between price, build, and image quality. The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro aims to sidestep that trade-off by delivering flagship-level optics at a price that undercuts most competitors. But how big can APS-C glass go and still work for the system?

The head of the tripod that you use can greatly affect your efficiency in shooting, which can indirectly affect your creative output. Geared heads often seem too complicated and cumbersome, but this one from Leofoto might be worth a try.

The NIKKOR Z 24-105mm f/4-7.1 is Nikon’s latest attempt at the do-it-all full frame zoom that stays small, light, and relatively cheap. If a single lens lives on the camera most days, this one raises a very specific question: how much performance do you give up to get that kind of range in such a lightweight package?

The Canon EOS R6 Mark III sits in that uncomfortable spot where the spec sheet looks like an easy “yes,” but real use can still surprise you. If you shoot fast subjects, record serious video, or expect one body to cover both without excuses, the R6 Mark III is the kind of camera you want judged by what it does under pressure.

Wireless charging usually involves a trade-off. You get the convenience of simply dropping your phone onto a pad, but you sacrifice speed. MagSafe made things better with magnetic alignment, but even at 15 W, it felt like a compromise compared to plugging in a cable. The new Qi2.2 standard changes that equation, and Anker's Prime Wireless Charging Station represents one of the most compelling implementations I've used. At $149.99, this isn't an impulse purchase. But after a week of daily use charging my iPhone 17 Pro Max, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra 3, I'm convinced the price is justified for anyone who values both speed and portability in their charging setup.

A sub-$500 autofocus f/1.2 prime sounds like a pricing error, especially in Canon RF. The real question is what you give up to get that bright aperture in a lens that stays small.

A 20-200mm travel zoom sounds like a dream until you try to live with one. This video puts two real options head-to-head and forces you to think about what you actually shoot when you only want to carry one lens.

A do-it-all zoom sounds like freedom until you hit the usual traps: soft corners, jittery focus, and a slow aperture right when you need light. The video takes the Tamron 25-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 into an actual portrait shoot and treats it like a real tool, not a spec sheet.

Are you a smartphone photographer or videographer? Then the Haida MagSafe Magnetic Filter Holder and smartphone filters might be a nice addition, giving you some extra creative options. I received a set from Haida to try out. Curious? Read about my findings in this review.

Sony's a7 V sounds like the obvious upgrade if you want a faster, more responsive full frame body without jumping to a flagship price. The catch is that a spec sheet won’t tell you where the real compromises hide.

A single-lens travel setup sounds simple until you try to cover 25mm through 200mm without hating the compromises. The Tamron 25-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 aims straight at that problem, and the details in this review land right where your real-world shooting gets messy.

High-ISO files can look fine at thumbnail size, then fall apart the moment you zoom in and see the grit crawling through feathers, skin, or shadows. If you rely on noise reduction, the real question is what each tool does to detail when the file is already stressed at ISO 12,800.

The Kodak Charmera Keychain Digital Camera is a tiny Kodak novelty that looks like a toy and sometimes behaves like one. It’s still the kind of device that can change how you shoot on a normal day, especially when you’re sick of chasing perfect files.

An f/1.4 lens can make portraits look calm and intentional, but it can also punish mistakes in focus, corners, and color fringing. If you are considering a manual-focus short telephoto, the real question is what you gain in look and feel and what you quietly give up.

85mm portrait primes get marketed as “special,” but the real story is how fast they focus, how they handle, and what you trade to save size and money. If you shoot people on Sony E-mount, this head-to-head is the kind of comparison that can keep you from buying the right focal length in the wrong package.

The PolarPro Center Split Filter is the latest in-camera optical tool designed for photographers and filmmakers who want to push their visuals beyond the ordinary. Rather than relying on digital effects during post-production, this filter creates a dreamy aesthetic during capture.

The Leica Q3 Monochrom is the kind of camera that forces a decision: commit to black and white at capture, or keep color as an escape hatch. If you care about low-light street work, high-ISO texture, and files that hold together when you push them, this one sits right on the fault line between “tool” and “habit.”

Buying a camera in 2026 can feel like getting cornered into more megapixels, more features, and more expense than your shooting actually demands. If your gear keeps getting bigger while your camera stays in the bag, the real cost is lost time and missed photos.

Rugged yet refined, spacious yet sleek—the FocusPoint 30L RollTop is the camera backpack that keeps up with your photography, whether that’s on the road or at your favorite local coffee shop.

A lens like the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II | Art isn’t just about getting more light, it changes the way depth and perspective sit together in a single frame. If you shoot people, street, or any scene where the background needs to fall away without turning into mush, 35mm at f/1.2 can be the difference between a photo that feels ordinary and one that has bite.

Ah chargers, the unsung heroes of our camera bags. When Anker sent over their new Nano Charger with the built-in smart display, I was skeptical. A screen on a wall charger? It seemed like a solution in search of a problem. After a week of daily use, I can admit I was wrong. This little charger has genuinely changed how I think about portable power.