Gear Reviews

Medium format lenses generally have narrower apertures than their full frame counterparts, and it is very rare to see one that opens wider than f/2, which is what makes the Fujifilm GF 80mm f/1.7 R WR so intriguing. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens, including its performance and image quality, and also offers some helpful portrait posing tips in the process. 

Sigma's new 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens is here, and true to Sigma fashion, it is significantly cheaper than first-party options. Does it still offer the same performance and image quality of those first-party options? This excellent video compares the lens to Sony's 35mm f/1.4 G Master to find out. 

Few cameras have been able to reach the same level of cult following that the Olympus XA has built up in recent years. Does the camera deserve the hype? 

Laowa is a company that never stops amazing me with their creative approach to lens design and cornering of a market sector that appreciates their unique designs. Today, we’ll be taking a look at their latest offering for APS-C cameras, the ultra-fast Laowa Argus CF 33mm f/0.95 APO. 

On1 Photo Raw 2021 has come a long way over the last few years. Is it now a viable alternative to both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop?   

Fuji's medium format mirrorless line has rewritten the market, bringing its price range to the point that it competes with upper-end full frame options and offering photographers an entirely new format to choose without breaking the bank.

The Canon EOS R5 has been in the hands of photographers for several months now, allowing them to get a real feel for how it holds up in long-term usage. This excellent video review takes a look at the EOS R5 after six months of usage and how it performs in a variety of genres.  

The Samyang 24mm f/1.8 AF is a remarkably compact lens at a very reasonable price that still offers impressive image quality for Sony E mount shooters. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.  

Fujifilm's GFX series brought medium format to the masses, with prices that competed with the upper end of full frame cameras. The GFX 100 took things further, pairing a 102-megapixel medium format sensor with modern features for under $10,000.

There is a lot of new tech showing up in monitors the last few years higher. With higher resolutions, HDR support, multiple color spaces, and ultra-wide panels, it can be difficult to find the monitor that meets your specific needs. If you're looking for productivity and a clean look, the MSI Prestige PS341W 34" WUHD IPS 5K2K might be worth checking out.  

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV offers fans of the company's micro four thirds cameras the chance to jump into the system at a very affordable price. What kind of features and performance can you expect out of the body? This excellent video review takes a look.  

Medium format is known for producing some of the best image quality. Companies like Hasselblad offer some of the best cameras currently on the market. Its latest lenses for the Hasselblad X1D II are brilliant, so we decided to see how well a full frame camera system such as the Canon EOS R5 would fare against it.  

100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lenses are highly popular among photographers, as they offer the reach of supertelephoto focal lengths and the versatility of a zoom, all in a package that is significantly more affordable than professional supertelephoto prime lenses. This excellent video review takes a look at Sony's option, the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens. 

The newly announced Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art DG DN is the updated version of the previous and popular DG HSM version. With a greater number of elements, more aperture blades, and weather-sealing, all contained in a lighter design, the new lens seems like it could be a brilliant option. However, how does it compare with some of the other options on the market?  

This isn't one of those first impressions or my thoughts about the Sony a1 from behind a desk. In fact, over my course with the camera, I have shot more than 10 thousand frames. So here is the good, the bad, and the ugly.  

Mirrorless cameras have become incredibly advanced in the last few years, but not all of us need top-shelf features in our primary or secondary bodies. For Canon shooters, the EOS RP offers full frame mirrorless at a very affordable price, and this great video review discusses why it is still a relevant body a few years after its release.  

Sony's new FE 14mm f/1.8 GM lens is here, and it stands as one of the widest-aperture ultra-wide angle lenses ever made, giving photographers and videographers unique creative capabilities. If you are interested in what this new lens can do, check out this excellent video review that examines the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice. 

The Canon EOS R5 has turned a lot of heads for its high-powered features, and while those are great to have, not all genres require such advanced capabilities. So, is it worth paying the premium price for the EOS R5 for a genre like landscape photography?

As a photographer, what is it exactly that you look for in a computer monitor? Computer monitors and displays may be an under-emphasized important piece of tech that any serious photographer should invest in.

The Canon EOS R5 is one of the most impressive cameras we have seen in quite some time, and it brings with it a huge range of impressive features and improvements. This excellent video puts it to the test with both native and adapted lenses to show you the kind of performance and image quality you can expect.  

The DJI Air 2S is here, and it brings with it some major improvements and upgrades over the Mavic Air 2 while still maintaining an ultra-portable profile. This excellent video review takes a look at how it compares to the Mavic Air 2 and the type of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice. 

Film photography has seen a bit of a resurgence in the last few years, and if you are just getting into it, the vast array of cameras out there can be a bit overwhelming at first. This great video review takes a look at a classic camera and a great choice for trying out film, the Canon A-1.  

Should smart triggers be a part of landscape photographers’ go-to tools?

Samyang/Rokinon recently unveiled its new AF 12mm f/2 lens for Sony mirrorless APS-C cameras, a prime that will delight keen astrophotographers. Just how good is this new lens? 

This year seems like it’s shaping up to be the second wave of megapixel wars from the major manufacturers. In this review, we’ll take a look at the 102-megapixel Fujifilm GFX 100S medium format mirrorless camera and what it has been like to work with over the last month. 

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is here, providing an update to the company's first-ever Art Series lens with a bevy of new features and improvements, all at a very affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.  

Portrait lenses are some of the most popular optics out there, and as such, photographers have a huge range of choices that offer a variety of capabilities at many price points. This great video review takes a look at one of the best portrait lenses out there, the Fujifilm GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR and the kind of image quality you can expect from it.  

Are you interested in exploring alternative cloud storage systems? In this review, we take a look at Cubbit and what its distributed cloud storage brings to the table. 

We always emphasize the benefits of shooting raw, we spend a lot of money on high-end monitors, and we calibrate those monitors, all so we can create the best foundation for editing our photos and video. But do we do the same for our audio?

Fujifilm's INSTAX line of cameras have been wildly popular for the company, providing photographers and casual users alike an easy and fun way to take photos that harken back to the days of instant film in the 1970s and 1980s. The Mini 40 is the latest model in the lineup, and this great video review takes a look at how it holds up in practice.  

Although there is a huge variation in lens designs and capabilities, the fundamental mechanism of the modern lens is generally about the same. However, one distinctly different type of lens is the mirror lens, and this neat set of videos takes a look at them and how they perform in practice.  

Sony just announced a lens that will get landscape photographers and astrophotographers excited: the 14mm f/1.8 GM. Check out this review from Gerald Undone and find out how it compares to the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM. 

Recently, I got a chance to shoot with the new Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S and compare it to its little brother, the 50mm f/1.8 S to see which is the best fit for my camera bag. 

The Sony a1 might just be the most impressive camera ever released, with specs and features that let it tackle just about any photo or video scenario you can throw at it, no matter how demanding.

For a lot of photographers, the 70-200mm f/2.8 is the most important lens in their bag, covering a huge range of scenarios and needs. However, such lenses are considered professional optics and are often quite expensive.

The Fujifilm XF 18mm f/1.4 is the latest lens announced by the company. This lens has been designed for Fujifilm's X-mount APS-C cameras and offers an exciting upgrade to the previous XF 18mm f/2.0 lens. With its wider aperture and better overall design, it could become a popular option for Fujifilm photographers.  

The great thing about the Fujifilm X Series is that almost all models get the same sensor, allowing you to get the best image quality, even if you decide to go with a budget model. The Fujifilm X-E4 pairs the company's latest X-Trans sensor with a variety of new features and versatile capabilities, all packaged at an affordable price.

If you want to take greater control over your images, a tilt-shift lens can give you the sort of extra capabilities you are looking for. This awesome video review compares three options from Venus Optics, Nikon, and Canon. 

I don’t know about you, but I really hate culling images. I hate waiting for images to load. I hate zooming in to see if it’s in focus. I hate the time it takes to go through so many images. About six months ago, I started using Narrative Select for culling, and it might be the fastest way to cull images.  

How do you know if an umbrella costing $100 is any better than the $5 one? It's quite hard to tell the difference in terms of light quality, especially if you're a beginner. But I assure you, expensive light modifiers are quite different from the regular cheap ones. That difference is noticeable only after you've used them for some time. 

Avoiding converging lines and keystone distortion with a wide angle lens can be tricky, which is why a shift function can be so useful. This great video review takes a look at the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift and the sort of image quality you can expect from it in practice.  

The M1 architecture released by Apple late last year completely blew away the expectations of many tech enthusiasts, myself included. Now that the dust has settled after a few months for apps to grow into the new system, how well does the M1 chip handle photo and video editing? 

Hands down, the best zoom lens you can get for the Sony mirrorless system is the 70-200mm f/4 G lens. I’ve been using it professionally for over three yearsm and it lives up to its reputation. Let me tell you why. 

A wide-aperture 24mm lens is useful for a huge range of applications, from events coverage to astrophotography and more. The Viltrox 24mm f/1.8 is highly affordable but still offers rather good image quality, and this great video review takes a look at what you can expect from it.  

Every photographer has their own workflow, and most of us start by making edits in our raw files. Sometimes, I start in Lightroom Classic; other times, I open them with Photoshop, which takes me to Camera Raw. At times, I use Luminar AI.

At just two inches (five cm) long and 8.1 oz (230 g), the Sigma 24mm f/3.5 DG DN Contemporary is an exceedingly portable lens at an ideal focal length for walkaround work or quick and versatile events coverage. This great video review takes a look at the lens and if its image quality and performance can match its sleek design. 

Sony shooters are now blessed with an array of fairly fast 35mm prime lenses, a glaring void in its lineup not too long ago. The latest addition is the Sigma 35mm f/2, a faux-vintage lens that brings a lot of tactile refinement to a compact and classic form. 

Few film cameras have the reputation and the history of the Mamiya RB67. The Pro-SD version has been somewhat elusive as it's the most recent of the three versions of the RB.  

The Really Right Stuff PG-01 Compact Pano-Gimbal Head allows you to shoot multi-row panoramas without parallax. I bought one a couple of years ago and it's time to share my findings of this compact solution for panoramas.

You do not have to spend a ton of money for a top-level landscape photography camera. This excellent video discusses one particularly good camera that might be flying under your radar.