Gear Reviews

No doubt, the Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lenses are some of the most peculiar to come along in a while, but can they produce the kind of results suitable for professional work? This great video review takes a look at both lenses and the kind of performance you can expect.  

A shift lens is a uniquely useful optic for a variety of applications, particularly for architecture, where the ability to correct perspective and keystone distortion allows you to make buildings look more natural. This excellent video review takes a look at one such lens available for a variety of lens mounts, the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift. 

Who doesn't love a good black and white photo? How about a black and white only digital camera? How about a black and white only digital camera with a fixed lens? Sounds great, right? 

Apple's new Macs with their own silicon have been smashing conventions with highly impressive performance numbers, ultra-long battery life, and affordable prices for the power you get. If you have been wondering about the new MacBook Pro for your own work, this great video review features a photographer pitting the new laptop against his tricked out i9 MacBook Pro. 

No doubt, a wide aperture wide angle lens is one of the most versatile optics a photographer or videographer can have. If you are a Fujifilm shooter and looking for such a lens for your kit, check out this great review of the XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR. 

When it comes to photography, there are a few fundamental basics one needs to cover before shooting. Besides needing a camera, decent battery life, and a reliable and solid support system, you need filters to combat the daylight sun's harshness, introduce contrast, remove the annoying infrared noise, and polarize the sky or any reflections.

Color is one of the most important aspects in photography. If you've read any of my previous articles, color is the thing that I'm frequently yapping on about, because it really is crucial. It's what gives many images that emotional connection that we feel and that connection can make or break an image. 

Some of the most popular lenses that Fujifilm has produced, are its f/2.0 primes. They offer great image quality in relatively tiny packages, while maintaining an affordable price point. Recently, a company called Viltrox has been competing in this affordable category and we decided to compare options from both companies. 

While everyone is talking about the Canon EOS R5, its little brother seems to get less attention. The Canon EOS R6 looks like the same camera, but with less resolution. But the Canon EOS R6 is a complete different camera all together. Let's have a look at it.

A good wide-aperture 35mm lens is one of the most versatile lenses out there, popular for a wide range of photography and videography applications. This great video review takes a look at one such lens, the Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA. 

A good 35mm lens with a wide maximum aperture is one of the most versatile optics a photographer can carry, but these lenses can often reach well above $1,000 in cost.

With the introduction of the extreme XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR lens, Fujifilm fans now have three different choices at the 50mm focal length, each at varying prices and feature sets. This great video review takes a look at all three, the XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR, XF 50mm f/2 R WR, and the XF 56mm f/1.2 R. 

A 70-300mm zoom lens can be a quite versatile optic for a wide variety of work ranging from sports to wildlife and more. If you are interested in adding such a lens to your own kit, check out this comprehensive video review of the highly affordable Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD for Sony E mount cameras.  

Canon shooters are not without options when it comes to 50mm lenses, with a huge range of different optics at varying price points and image quality. This excellent video review takes a look at three of the best options out there, the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, RF 50mm f/1.2L USM, and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. 

The Fujifilm 30mm f/3.5 is the latest lens in their lineup for the GFX series of cameras. But does it stand up to the test? 

One of my favorite types of cameras are instant and my favorite brand for instant cameras is definitely Fujifilm. The simplicity of Fuji Instax cameras means that instead of messing around with settings and so on, you can simply enjoy the results these cameras produce. Recently, Fuji released a new Instax camera and we compared it to the previous model.

When Canon announced their RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lenses, they raised a lot of eyebrows. No doubt, the lenses are unusual, but they also offer ultra-long levels of reach at highly affordable prices, especially compared to other lenses that reach such focal lengths. How do they hold up in practice?

A good supertelephoto lens is often quite expensive, but thankfully, in the last few years, we have seen a large influx of third-party options that offer long reach at significantly more affordable prices. This excellent video takes a look at one such lens, the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary. 

A few months ago, Tamron announced the launch of the 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD for Sony mirrorless cameras. At just $549, it’s less than half the price of the Sony equivalent, but how well does it perform? 

Apple's move to their own chips represents a seismic shift in the computing industry, and given how many creatives rely on Macs, one that has serious ramifications for the photography and videography industry. Now that the first computers with Apple's own chips are here, you might be wondering what kind of performance you can expect.

7artisans is developing something of a reputation for making extremely fast manual focus lenses for refreshingly low prices. How does this 35mm f/0.95 lens perform given that it costs less than $250? 

Of all Canon's esteemed L lenses, the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM probably has the most controversial reputation of all. Though originally meant for DSLRs, it easily adapts to Canon and other mirrorless cameras. Can it stand up to the resolution demands of modern mirrorless cameras? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.  

Wide aperture portrait lenses are some of the most popular out there, but they are rarely cheap. However, in the last few years, we have seen an influx of third-party lenses that are significantly cheaper than first-party options. This excellent video review takes a look at one such lens, the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4. 

The most classically chosen portrait focal length is 85mm, which represents an excellent balance of all the characteristics sought after by photographers. However, portrait photographers will frequently employ a wide range of focal lengths depending on the look they are going for. This great video compares some of the best lenses at 85mm, 105mm, 135mm, and 200mm. 

If you're looking for tips on how to slowly lift the tension of your film, watching Thomas Bezucha's new film, Let Him Go, will serve you well. 

The Canon Cinema line took a major step forward recently with the introduction of the EOS C70, the company's first RF mount cinema camera, allowing filmmakers to take advantage of Canon's stellar mirrorless lenses. This excellent video takes a first look at the camera and how it holds up in practice. 

A portrait lens is up there as one of the key acquisitions in pretty much every photographer's lens collection. The release of Viltrox's auto-focus 56mm f/1.4 in Fuji X-mount is therefore highly anticipated because it combines AF and a fast aperture all at a highly economical price point. Is it worth the money? 

I've had the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens for a couple of years now, and it's my favorite lens. Canon has recently introduced an RF version improvement of this lens in the form of a 100-500mm f/f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens. 

Perhaps no lens is more commonly relied on by professionals in challenging environments than the 70-200mm f/2.8. So, which company makes the best version? This great video review compares the respective 70-200mm f/2.8 options from Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Panasonic to see which one is best. 

Canon's new mirrorless cameras and lenses have hit the market in a fury, offering superlative features and groundbreaking designs. If you are looking for a great combination for portraiture work, check out this fantastic video featuring the Canon EOS R6 and RF 28-70mm f/2L on a portrait shoot. 

Photoshop has a lot of power, but for many editors, some of the features are arcane, involve multiple steps, or are too complicated to bother with. That's where Photoshop Extensions come in. It's an architecture that Adobe provides that falls between a plug-in and a Photoshop Action.

A superzoom can be a fantastic way to cover all your bases without having to carry around an entire bag of lenses with you. If you are looking for such a convenient lens for your own work, check out this great review of the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS. 

Let’s talk about the newest software from Skylum called Luminar AI, editing software that is powered by AI technology.  In recent years, there has been a rising consumer base of casual photographers, and the demand for more user-friendly editing software has been increasing.

When it comes to niche cameras, Leica is probably somewhere near the top of the list. This is especially the case with Leica Monochrom cameras. The most recent release from the company is a black and white version of the compact fixed lens camera, the Leica Q2. The new Monochrom version promises lots when it comes to image quality.  

For many architectural photographers, the widest viable lens has been the Canon 17mm tilt-shift for some time. In some sense, this lens is pretty much a requirement, because there are plenty of occasions where a 24mm lens just isn't wide enough. The problem is that this lens isn't exactly cheap, but fortunately, we now have a new alternative.  

Fuji shooters who are also bokeh fanatics have a new top choice: the XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR. Does it offer sharpness and autofocus performance to match? This fantastic video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance you can expect in real-world usage.  

The Sony a7C is the latest camera in Sony's highly popular and respected line of mirrorless cameras, and it is quite a departure in design from previous cameras in the series. This great video review takes a look at the camera and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.  

DJI's Osmo Pocket gimbal was a great device, offering capable performance in a tiny package that could go anywhere with ease. The Pocket 2 comes with a bevy of new features and improvements over the original model, and this fantastic video review takes a look at what you can expect from it in practice.  

Canon just announced the launch of the RF version of one of its most popular lenses: the 50mm f/1.8 STM. How does this nifty fifty compare when placed up against an f/1.2 lens that's more than $2,000 more expensive? 

No doubt, the Canon EOS R5 is a fantastically powerful camera, but it is also on the more expensive side of things, and it might have more features than you actually need. The EOS R6 contains a lot of the advanced capabilities of its big cousin but comes in at a much more affordable price. Does that make it the best all-around mirrorless camera?

2019 CES award-winning YoloBox looks like a tablet monitor when you unpack it, but it so much more than that. If you’re planning on streaming an event like a wedding live on location, it’s the only device you need to connect to your cameras and sound equipment, so you can share it with an online audience on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch, all at once. 

Canon's 85mm f/1.2 lenses have long been some of its most highly lauded and impressive optics, but along with that extreme design comes a high price tag. But Canon offers a much more affordable 85mm f/2 lens for its mirrorless cameras alongside the famous f/1.2, and that lens is only a quarter the price of its more extreme cousin. Is the f/1.2 worth that extra price?

The Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens is the mirrorless version of the highly popular EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens, and along with an extra 100mm of reach, it brings with it many other improvements as well.

A good wide angle lens can be a fantastic tool in a wide variety of applications, but such lenses can also be rather expensive. If you are willing to compromise an extremely wide aperture for the still-wide f/2.8, you can save a lot of money, though. This excellent video review takes a look at one such affordable lens, the Fuji XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR. 

The Fujifilm X-S10 is the latest addition to the company's respected X Series line of cameras, and it features a lot of the latest tech, including 4K video and fast continuous shooting rates. How does it perform in practice? This great and comprehensive takes a look at the camera and what you can expect from it in real-world usage.  

Traditionally, if you want the best quality images, you have to invest a lot of money in very expensive lenses. However, there are a few budget gems out there, and they can give you sharp images while saving you a boatload of cash.

A 45-megapixel sensor, 8K video recording, 8-stop in-body image stabilization, Dual Pixel AF, and 12 frames per second shooting; What do these things have in common? They are all present on the seemingly wildlife-prepared Canon EOS R5. Here’s a hands-on look at how well it pulls it off. 

The DJI Mini 2 is here, and it brings with it a bevy of useful improvements and new features, all in the same impressively light and small package that can easily be dropped in your bag on the go. This excellent video review takes a look at the new drone and the kind of footage you can get from it in real-world usage.  

A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is one of the most versatile and popular lenses among professionals and amateurs alike, and while they are certainly not cheap, they are powerful tools that can handle a wide range of situations from sports, to portraits, to weddings. This excellent video review takes a look at Canon's mirrorless version of the lens, the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. 

For the last three years, I've filmed everything on the Pansonic GH5. It was almost the perfect camera except for three things: autofocus, low-light performance, and shallow depth of field. In comes the Sony a7S III.