Gear Reviews

Released today, I got my hands on the ultrafast Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm T1.0 Cinematic Lens, and it surprised me how good it was. 

This new lens joined the three other T/1 lenses they have in their Micro Four Thirds (MFT) stable: the 17mm, 25mm, and 35mm.

Cameras like the EOS R7 and EOS R10 have shown that Canon is serious about APS-C mirrorless cameras in addition to their quickly growing full frame line.

Phone cameras have gotten increasingly better year over year, yet no matter how much they improve, they always fall short in comparison to professional cameras. This year is different. 

We have gotten to the point where smartphones can create professional-quality photos in a wide array of situations.

Tilt lenses are some of the most versatile out there, allowing you to control depth of field independently of aperture, a unique capability that allows for both major technical advantages and highly creative images. However, such lenses tend to be quite expensive, which is what makes the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 Tilt lens, which sits at about $200, such an intriguing option.

Another worthy contender enters the ring. Tamron has just released the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD. With this lens in my bag, I am freshly back from a whirlwind trip to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Check out what I saw and my thoughts on how the lens performed. 

Some months ago, I was excited enough to place a preorder upon hearing of the announcement of Sky-Watcher’s Star Adventurer GTi, the latest in their Star Adventurer series of star trackers. In September, I finally received it and have been checking it out. Let’s see if it has indeed met my expectations. 

Canon makes some spectacular portrait lenses, but they tend to command equally spectacular prices, and many photographers might not wish to shell out several thousands dollars for one. At $499, that makes the RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM a breath of fresh air, and when you add in the versatility of 1:2 macro capabilities, it looks like a very intriguing option.

If you’re in need of a versatile telephoto zoom lens, there aren’t many choices for the RF mount. Unless you use the EF-RF adapter, there are only two options available, the RF 100-500mm or the RF 100-400mm. Is the much cheaper RF 100-400mm a wise choice? 

At an affordable price and with impressive magnification, the Venus Optics Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro APO looks like an intriguing lens. What kind of image quality and performance can you expect from it? This excellent video review takes a look.  

At half the price of the Nikon equivalent, how does the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF Lens for Nikon Z fair? Pretty darned good in my opinion. Third-party lenses can be a hit-or-miss affair with a lack of sharpness, and cheap construction, Viltrox, however, is certainly not guilty of that. 

The Sony ZV-1F is here, and it brings with it a lot of great features in a small package and at an affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at everything you can expect from the new camera. 

Cameras are constantly improving. Keeping up with the latest model and its arguably better performance can instill a need for a perpetual upgrade and a bad case of G.A.S. Well, I'm here to turn back the clocks and look at a 20-year-old compact digital camera that is a lot more capable than we might give it credit for.

Together with the EOS R7 Canon released the entry-level EOS R10 mirrorless camera. Although I didn’t expect that camera to be special, it turned out to be a surprisingly capable camera. If you want to step into the Canon EOS mirrorless world, you can’t go wrong with this little gem.

Many of my Canon's RF mount mirrorless lenses have been spectacular performers, but on the other hand, many of them have been quite expensive — sometimes eye-wateringly so. At $299, that makes the Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM a refreshing prospect? Can its performance and image quality surpass its budget price, though?

In working for Fstoppers, we often get the chance to test and review new gear. When an assignment to try the new Sigma 150-600mm popped up, my ears instantly perked up. Superzooms are my secret weapon, and I am excited to share the results of my testing with you. 

Knowing how to balance flash and ambient light is one of the most important skills a portrait photographer can have, as it will give you the maximum creative and technical versatility needed to tackle just about any scenario.

50mm lenses with wide apertures are quite popular, offering a versatile focal length in tandem with a lot of light-gathering power and narrow depth of field for portrait work.

Few cameras have been more hotly anticipated in the last decade than the Sony a7 IV, particularly after the a7 III became one of the most popular cameras in several years for its impressive combination of versatility, quality, and affordability. So, how has the a7 IV held up in the long run?

The Sigma Art Series has earned a reputation for impressively sharp lenses that offer loads of image quality at prices that often significantly undercut those of equivalent first-party options.

Probably no camera brand is more polarizing than Leica, with some photographers being incredibly loyal to the brand and others seeing their cameras as overpriced niche products. So, what is it about their cameras that keep photographers coming back to them over and over? This interesting video takes a look at the Leica M11 and discusses why it is such an alluring camera.  

50mm lenses are some of the most popular and versatile options out there, able to tackle a wide range of scenarios with ease. They are available at prices ranging from below $100 to well over $2,000. At $598, the Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 G sits in the middle of all that. So, does it offer premium image quality and performance for that mid-range price?

With the release of cameras like the EOS R7 and EOS R10, Canon has shown they are interested in developing APS-C mirrorless cameras alongside their full frame mirrorless line. In tandem with that, we have seen the introduction of RF-S lenses specifically designed for the APS-C format.

If you are new to videography, the name Zhiyun may not be familiar to you. But make no mistake. This is a brand you want to pay attention to.  

Olympus has been assigning the Zuiko name to its range of high-quality lenses since 1936. Zuiko-branded lenses were made for SLR, rangefinder, and automatic point-and-shoot cameras in medium format, 35mm, and even half-frame formats. Assessing the best of anything in photography leads to vivid debate and lots of room for subjectivity.

The Canon 7D line of APS-C DSLRs were quite popular during their era, as they offered professional features seen in much more expensive lines like the flagship 1D series at a much more affordable price. In the mirrorless era, the EOS R7 has taken over that role, and it brings with it an impressive range of new features and upgrades that make it an intriguing option for a wide range of options.

What happens when a non-vlogger takes a spin with Nikon’s new social media-focused Z 30 compact camera? 

Canon's 7D line of advanced APS-C DSLRs were some of the most popular cameras of their time, offering professional-level features in a much more affordable body, making them attractive to a wide range of photographers. The EOS R7 is the mirrorless successor to the 7D line, and it inherits that heritage and modernizes it with some impressive new features and upgraded capabilities.

24-70mm f/2.8 lenses and some of the most versatile and popular choices out there, as they can tackle a huge range of needs and scenarios with easy. For Sony shooters looking for top quality out of such an option, there is the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage. 

Nikon has recently released the NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8 lens. See how it performs with seascape photography and whether it's worth buying or not. 

The Fujifilm X-H2 is the company's latest entry in its highly popular X Series line of mirrorless cameras, and it brings with it some impressive new features, the most notable being its new 40-megapixel sensor, the highest ever in an APS-C camera.

Tamron is one of the most exciting companies in the photography world right now, putting pressure on other manufacturers by releasing lenses that offer a ton of performance for their respective prices and that often push the envelope of design.

The Fujifilm X-H2 mirrorless camera is the company's newest option in the X Series line, and it is a major step forward, being the first to offer a high-resolution sensor — the highest ever in an APS-C camera, in fact. There is more than just that sensor to be excited about, though.

Standard zoom lenses with f/2.8 apertures are some of the most popular workhorses out there, as they cover many commonly used focal lengths and offer enough light-gathering power to handle a wide range of scenarios and needs. However, such lenses can be quite expensive, which is why the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD, which comes in at $799, is such an intriguing option.

In January 2021, OM Digital Solutions acquired the Olympus Imaging Division, and though the cameras and lenses live on, the original iconic company was gone in some sense. So, what caused the downfall of one of the most respected and oldest photography companies on the planet?

85mm lenses with wide maximum apertures are some of the most popular out there, particularly for portrait photographers, where their flattering focal length and narrow depth of field make them ideal for photographing people. Nonetheless, such lenses can cost well north of $2,000, which is what makes the Meike 85mm f/1.8, which costs less than $200, so intriguing.

With lenses like the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, Tamron has shown that in addition to creating pragmatic, affordable lenses, they also have their eyes on those that push the boundaries of design and offer unique capabilities.

The Hasselblad X1D 50C and X1D II 50C helped to redefine the paradigm of medium format, putting a large sensor inside a sleek, small body. Now, the X2D 100C is here, and not only does it double the resolution of its predecessors, it brings with it a bevy of impressive improvements and new features. In this review, we take a look at the camera and what you can expect. 

Venus Optics is well known for making unique, interesting, and versatile lenses that offer capabilities that are not possible with other options. Their newest lens, the Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO, offers the promise of fantastic image quality in tandem with ultra-high levels of magnification, all at an affordable price. How does it perform?

A few years ago, if you wanted good image quality from a supertelephoto zoom lens, your only real choice was a first-party option. In the past few years, however, we have seen a real surge in high-quality third-party options that offer a lot of versatility and image quality at prices that often significantly undercut first-party lenses.

It has been 11 years since I bought the Think Tank Airport Security V2 trolley as my main bag for weddings. It served its purpose, and I’m still happy with the bag. In this article, I want to review the bag based on my findings from the first moment I bought the Think Tank trolley back in 2011. 

In the past year, Fujifilm has been on a tear, releasing a wide range of powerful new cameras and versatile lenses. One such lens is the XF 18-120mm f/4 R LM PZ WR, which combines a do-it-all focal length range with a variable power zoom for filmmaking applications.

Viltrox has established themselves as a company producing extremely affordable lenses that nonetheless offer good image quality and respectable performance.

Looking for a competitively priced compact flash that will fit in your pocket and work with your Fujifilm X-T4, your Sony Alpha, and your Leica M6? Check out our review.  

When it comes to do-it-all lenses, few can tackle a wider variety of needs and shooting scenarios than a high-quality 50mm lens with a wide aperture, which is suitable for anything from portraits to low-light events coverage.

Fujifilm's latest X Series camera, the X-H2 is here, and it brings with it a 40-megapixel sensor, the highest ever in an APS-C mirrorless camera. Along with all that resolution comes a wide range of impressive features, and this excellent video review takes a look at all those features as well as the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.  

Sony shooters have a huge array of portrait lenses available to them, and if you are in the market for one, it can be hard to know which one to pick for your needs, style, and budget. If you need a bit of assistance with that decision, check out this excellent video that will show you five great portrait lenses for the Sony E mount.  

The DJI Osmo Action 3 camera is here, and it brings with it a huge range of improvements and new features that make it a competitive option for anyone needing a durable and versatile action camera. This excellent video review takes a look at the new camera and the sort of performance and quality you can expect from it in use.  

Apple's transition to the company's own chips has seen a massive increase in power and efficiency, and nothing has shown more raw capabilities than the M1 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio. So, how does the computer hold up after several months of usage?

Lenses like the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD have shown the company has their eye on creating options that can replace several more specialized optics in a photographer's bag.