Gear Reviews

In the past few years, we have seen an influx of insanely wide lenses, including 11mm, 10mm, and even 9mm options. With a careful approach, these lenses can provide a very unique look to your images. This great video review takes a look at such a lens, the Venus Optics Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL. 

Viltrox comes with a pedigree for manufacturing good quality lenses at a low price point, so the entry of the 23 mm f/1.4 in Fuji X-mount and Sony E-mount is highly anticipated, not least because it is nearly $600 cheaper than the Fuji equivalent. Is it worthy of the hype and does that make it the perfect travel prime?

The 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is one of the most important in a wide variety of photographers' bags, but such lenses are rarely affordable. Nonetheless, with third party alternatives becoming both more available and of higher quality in recent years, it is a great time to look at different options. This great video review takes a look at the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD lens. 

The Sony a7S III was one of the most eagerly anticipated cameras of the last few years, and now that it is finally here, you might be wondering how it actually performs in the real world. This great video review takes a look at the new camera and what you can expect from it in practice.  

With a huge 45-megapixel sensor that can churn out raw files at 20 frames per second, the Canon EOS R5 sounds like it could be the perfect camera for capturing wildlife. This in-depth review looks at how it performs out in the field shooting birds. 

The Nikon Z 5 offers shooters the chance to get into full frame mirrorless territory at a relatively affordable price, while the NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 lens backs that up with a small footprint and extremely reasonable cost. How do they hold up in practice? Check out this great video to see. 

A high-quality 85mm wide-aperture lens is the holy grail for a wide variety of photographers, offering the ability to create sharp portraits with backgrounds blown to smithereens. However, such a lens is rarely cheap, but Sigma's offerings frequently undercut first-party brands, including Sony. Can their new 85mm f/1.4 Art keep up with Sony's own 85mm f/1.4 G Master?

Most lenses with a very large zoom range sacrifice either image quality or portability, but a lot of strides have been made in the last few years. If you are looking for a single lens that can handle almost any situation you throw at it, check out this great review of the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD for Sony E mount. 

A 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is the workhorse of choice for a wide variety of photographers and videographers, and nowadays, there a ton of options out there, many at affordable prices. If you are looking for such a lens, this great video compares the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art to the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD lens. 

Sigma's Art series is well known for offering high optical quality at affordable prices, and a 50mm lens is one of the most popular for a lot of photographers. If you are looking for a 50mm lens, this great video review takes a look at the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens for Sony E cameras. 

Does this new glass from Tamron live up to the expectations?

How often is it that you miss that great selfie expression, kid photo, or sports play because you didn't have your camera running at the right time? It happens to me a lot, but a new app for iOS and very soon coming to Android called SnipBack has some good ideas to fix this issue, and it makes me think that our pro gear could learn a few lessons here. 

I got a chance to review the Canon EOS 1Dx mark III for a few weeks. It is the newest generation of the amazing 1Dx DSLR, made for extreme fast sport and action photography. I took the opportunity to photograph the dogs in the park, to see how it performs.

The Mamiya RZ67 is hands down one the best medium format cameras ever made.  In this video, Willem Verbeeck offers a relatively extensive review and breakdown of the Mamiya RZ67. For those that are not aware, I own the Mamiya RB67, the older, heavier, less-expensive, and more basic sibling to the Mamiya RZ67.

These were the two cameras I considered endlessly before finally opting for the Canon EOS R5. Here, we see them both put side by side, taking portrait photos in an identical setting for all intents and purposes. Can you tell the difference between the two? 

Sony's G Master lenses are the best the company has to offer, but Sigma's Art series often offers comparable performance at more affordable prices. If you are looking for a top-notch portrait lens and wondering which is right for you, check out this helpful video comparison between the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM and Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lenses. 

Sony makes some of the best compact cameras out there, and the ZV-1 is one of their latest and most unique models, with a wide variety of features designed especially for vloggers. This excellent video review takes a look at the ZV-1 and the sort of performance you can expect from it in real-world usage. 

Canon's RF mirrorless lenses have been widely lauded for their stunning optical quality, but they are also quite expensive, and some photographers may not want to pay top dollar for them.

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art lens was one of the most highly anticipated lenses in recent years, and Sigma recently released a new version for Sony E and Leica L mirrorless mounts that offers a smaller size and performance improvements while maintaining an affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at the new version and what you can expect from it. 

No doubt, one of the most useful advancements mirrorless cameras have brought is eye autofocus, and in the past couple years, the technology has seen some major improvements. Now that Canon, Nikon, and Sony all have advanced mirrorless cameras, it is time to reevaluate just how good each brand's version is, and this helpful video does just that.  

Zeiss lenses are well known for their stunning optical quality, but along with that quality come high price tags. This great video review takes a look at the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 lens and the sort of performance you can expect from it in practice.  

The Canon EOS R5 and R6 cameras have created a lot of excitement in the photography world, and for the tons of photographers who already have deep investments in the EF lens library, the question of whether adapted performance can keep up with professional demands looms large. This great video shows you the kind of performance you can expect in real-world usage.  

For a lot of photographers, a superzoom is the lens they can leave on their camera most of the time for walking around and tackling whatever they can throw at it. For Fuji shooters, the closest lens is the XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens, and this great video review shows you how it holds up in practice.  

The iMac is a highly popular choice for lots of creatives, but runs the range from a little over a thousand dollars to well past $10,000, with options at every price point in between. How much power do you really need? This excellent video review takes a look at the base model iMac 5K model and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.  

The Intrepid camera is likely one of the most popular film cameras today. It became that way through offering a good product at a low price.  

A lot of creatives work on the go and enjoy listening to music or watching movies while they are doing their work. A good pair of noise canceling headphones can make a big difference in giving you a quiet environment in which to be productive, and Sony may just have the best pair ever. 

The Canon EOS R5 has been making lots of waves for its array of top-shelf features, but the EOS R6 is also a solid performer with a great feature set for a wide range of photographers. This helpful video review takes a look at the camera from a stills photography perspective and what you can expect from it in practice.  

Insta360 is looking to change how we view action cameras, but can they compete? 

I’ve spent some time with the Insta360 ONE R, and I don’t hesitate to say it’s one of the best action cameras you can buy right now. With recent upgrades, it’s gotten better too. Can Insta360 compete against DJI and GoPro? Why would you buy a modular camera?

My biggest post-processing challenge in photography is image noise. Unlike studio photographers who can precisely control every aspect of lighting, I've been photographing most of my campaigns handheld in natural light for more than 15 years.  

Canon's new RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lenses are quite unique, and they offer an affordable chance for photographers to check out extreme focal lengths. If you are interested in them, check out this excellent review.  

Last week, Sigma announced their brand new 85mm f/1.4 lens for Sony full-frame cameras. Its predecessor was already something of a hit, but is this updated version better choice over Sony’s own FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, which costs an extra $600? Spoiler alert: one is definitely better than the other. 

The Fujifilm X100V is the fifth entry into the company's quirky and beloved series, and it is easily the best version yet. Here are my thoughts on this great camera. 

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art was one of the most hotly anticipated lenses in recent years, and now, we have an updated version specifically for mirrorless cameras that is both smaller and with lots of improvements. This great video review shows what you can expect from it in practice.  

Tons of creatives work on laptops, the Achilles' heel of which is often the GPU. For anyone who wants to improve their performance without investing in an entirely new machine, an external GPU could be the answer. 

No doubt, camera equipment can be quite expensive, particularly if you want the best of the best. But what if you go to the other extreme, using the cheapest possible equipment you can find? This fun video follows a photographer as he goes on a shoot with the cheapest camera he was able to purchase on Amazon. 

Tons of professionals regularly rely on 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses for a wide range of purposes. Fuji shooters have the option of the XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR, and this excellent video review shows what you can expect from it in practice.  

No doubt, Canon's RF lenses are some of the best on the market, with their 85mm f/1.2L sitting near the top in terms of image quality. However, that lens comes in two options, and you might be wondering which version is right for you, the DS or non-DS version. This excellent video review shows the differences between the two to help you decide which is right for you.  

The Canon EOS R5 has finally hit the market, and it brings with a wide range of incredible video features, but in addition to those, it is a highly capable stills camera. If you are looking at the EOS R5 for its stills features, this great video review will show you what you can expect from it. 

Photographers care more about image quality than the average person, and given the current situation, many of us are streaming more content than ever. That's why the Nvidia Shield TV Pro caught my attention, as it offers some impressive features and controls that should please even those with the highest standards. 

This week, I borrowed a $12,000 600mm lens and decided to shoot portraits with it. Random? Yes. Weird? Of course. But I learned some things I never would've experienced had it not been for this, so here's my review of the 600mm behemoth for shooting portraits. 

The Canon EOS R5 is finally starting to ship to eager customers, and it brings with it an impressive bevy of features for photographers and videographers alike. How does it hold up in real-world usage? This great video review will show you everything you need to know.  

Aerochrome film is an incredibly rare infrared film, famous for its otherworldly color palette. Can RNI’s Aerochrome profile pack really deliver the same unique results from a regular digital image? 

The Canon EOS R5 has been generating lots of buzz for its crazy video features, but it also comes with Canon's latest 45-megapixel sensor paired with a highly impressive autofocus system, making it a great option for stills shooters as well. This great video compares the EOS R5's image quality to numerous other popular cameras to show what you can expect from it in practice.  

The Sony ZV-1 brings a lot of the company's fantastic compact camera technology and adds a variety of features designed specifically for bloggers. This great video review takes a look at the camera and what you can expect from it in practice.  

The Canon EOS R5, R6, and Sony a7S III are new to the scene and have generated a lot of buzz, but there have also been concerns about overheating issues, particularly with the Canon cameras. This great video compares the EOS R5 to the a7S III when it comes to overheating and shows what you can expect in real-world usage.  

The Insta360 Titan has to be the most aptly named 360 camera on the market in many senses of the word. Size, image quality, price tag — take your pick. The Titan delivers on its name in all of those ways, but is it worth it? 

The Canon EOS R5 and R6 cameras have generated a lot of buzz in the past few weeks, but one feature that has not gotten as much attention is their Animal AF capabilities. This great video takes a look at their performance and what you can expect from them in practice.  

The Fujifilm X-T4 is the latest in the company's beloved X Series, and it comes with lots of improvements and new features compared to its predecessor, sure to make lots of photographers and videographers happy. If you have been considering adding it to your kit, be sure to check out this great review so you know what you can expect. 

I've lived with the Dell XPS 15 laptop as my main computer for all my photo and video editing for the past year. Should you buy it for your photo editing? Here's my full review of what it's like as a creative content maker, warts and all. 

The Leica M10-R is soon to be released and boasts impressive camera features. This video review from a predominantly film photographer offers a unique perspective on a full frame, mirrorless rangefinder camera that promises to satisfy even the strictest of photographer's specifications.