Gear Reviews

There are many options available obtaining smooth motion and my favorite is the Cinetics Lynx. We'll dive into some features of this beautiful slider and go over some usage and my thoughts. 

In any random sample of photographers, you can bet that Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop will be up there vying for honors as image viewers. But what alternatives do you have? Here's my vote. 

Just like many other product lines that cater to smartphone users, the clamp arena is saturated with clones and cheaply made accessories. So when well-known photo accessory company Manfrotto enters with their own original, $50 premium take on the smartphone clamp, should we expect nothing less than greatness? 

For many photographers and videographers, editing and post-production are a vital part of the process. For this reason, it's crucial to have an accurate and effective display to work on in order to produce the best results.  

Inalbeo Color grading puts the finishing touches on an image and can transform a plain photo into a striking one. The Inalbeo Filmic and Inalbeo Grade Photoshop extensions offer two options for photographers to grade images.  

Meet the Irix 15mm f/2.4 Blackstone, a wide-angle lens designed for photographers who need a dependable lens even in extreme situations. The lens, coming to you from TH Swiss Company, first debuted in 2016 and is now widely available for Canon, Nikon, and Pentax mount systems. 

Being able to automate repetitive parts of a retouching workflow in Photoshop directly translates into a saving of both time and money. This saving could make the all the difference in meeting or missing a deadline or making it home early to see your family. How can you make it a reality?

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens is an absolute whopper to look at, but it may well be Nikon's best super-telephoto lens. In this review, it's put through its paces in the gorgeous surroundings of Iceland, with some pretty surprising results.  

Sometimes it pays to appreciate the one you’re with. 

The Sigma 105mm f/1.4 is absolutely massive with a filter thread size the same as its focal length and weighing enough to warrant its own tripod mount. Does the extra size and weight make it a better option than Nikon's own 105mm f/1.4 lens? 

The Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR lens fills a gap in the Fujifilm lens lineup that was previously unfilled. With its red badge that denotes Fujifilm’s top-of-the-line lenses, this standard zoom equivalent for the Fujifilm X system is squarely aimed at the working professional. 

During a night of birthday celebrations for a friend in Laguna Beach, CA I saw amazing lights featured on each table in the place of candles. They did a great job illuminating the immediate areas, but I noticed some people using the lights for their selfies.  

Vjeran Pavic from The Verge isn’t entirely happy with what they’ve delivered. Can it compete? 

For the past two weeks, I had the honor of trying out Hasselblad’s new 21mm f/4 lens. I used this camera pretty much every single day and set out to capture as many different things as I could with it. 

If you’re interested in learning to produce and edit video but feel overwhelmed by the learning curve of mega programs like Adobe Premier Pro, ACDSee Video Studio 3 might be just what you’re looking for. 

In order to stand out from the competition, smartphone companies are placing a lot of their focus on developing the best cameras possible for their devices. The Leica-branded two-lens design of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro camera deserves a closer look. 

Why would a full frame Nikon man spend his hard earned dollars to buy a crop sensor Fuji?  Well, the answer is more basic than one might think. 

I made a realization the other day. I wasn’t particularly deep in thought at the time, but rather it was just one of those moments when a truth suddenly dawns on you and sets off a chain reaction in your mind.

Sony photographers everywhere are rejoicing over the long-coming rollout of Sigma’s Art series lenses on FE mount. But will Sigma’s new Sony-focused lineup be the answer versus the smaller native lens options? 

After years of Fujifilm lens reviews, the term “broken record” now comes to mind when describing the quality and craftsmanship in the glass they produce. The GF 250mm F/4 R LM OIS lens paired with the new GF 1.4X TC WR Teleconverter are no exception and are welcomed additions to the Fuji GFX lineup. 

Everyone knows I am a workflow nut, and for a content creator who posts many cell phone images, the concept of downloading them to your computer then retouching and grading them and sending back to your phone is simply not efficient. Today we will be looking at the VSCO X app for mobile devices and how I like to use it for that very purpose. 

DJI’s new gimbal system is set to be a winner. How do its most important features translate to real world situations? 

The BenQ SW271 is a new, high-end 27-inch 4K IPS monitor aimed at photographers who demand color accuracy at competitive price-point. In this review we will test both the SW271 and its larger cousin, the 31.5-inch BenQ SW320, to see if these big photography monitors lives up to their expectations. 

Point-and-shoot cameras have taken a huge hit over the last five years but several premium and feature-rich models have managed to become quite popular. Sony's RX100 line is often reviewed as one of if not the best in this premium compact category. However, at almost $1,200 dollars who is Sony's newest version meant for? 

Finding the right underwater lighting system can be tricky if you do not understand how light is absorbed. The same concepts on land can be applied, but with a few extra steps. Testing out new lights can be eye opening if you are tired of using a four-strobe setup which can be a workout on its own. 

Let's address the elephant in the room right off the bat, this monitor is absolutely massive. I have a fairly large desk and plenty of space at home to house this beast but it still seems large when viewing in the open. Though, it really comes down to how well it feels when working on it. To be blunt, it feels freaking amazing. 

Last week, Sony unveiled their latest compact camera. Now here’s the clickbait: 24-200mm f/2.8-4.5 Zeiss lens, 24 fps continuous shooting while utilizing its 315-point hybrid autofocus, added touchscreen, Sony a9-inherited Eye AF and face detection algorithms, and 4K video recording. Let’s take a look at the new RX100 VI. 

The idea of disposable air canisters isn’t the most appealing for a number of reasons. But we do rely on them to clean a lot of gear. Here’s a review of a can-less, cartridge-less option that could prove itself to be a great alternative. 

Whether you are looking for that perfect photography gift or something fun to carry with you on your next vacation, Fujifilm has offered instant film for a while now with a variety of cameras and printers that just might be what you are looking for. But we might need some help deciding which of the many models to get.

For many landscape and architectural photographers, a good filter system can be an absolute godsend. The kind of results you can produce are very difficult if not at all possible without them and it's for this reason they are ever more popular. Wine Country Camera is a company that specializes in making filters and their system looks pretty special. 

Sony has been making waves with the a7R III and a9, but a lot of photographers don't need those crazy levels of resolution and frame rates. Instead, they look for a quality camera that can do almost anything asked of it at a reasonable price. The Sony a7 III may just be that camera, with an awesome feature set, excellent performance, and an aggressively competitive price.

When getting into the 4K game, even Dell has enough options to be rather confusing to the average buyer. But there’s a reason the U2718Q 27-inch UHD monitor made my list. It hit in all the right spots. 

When it comes to video editing software many of us may swear by one of the two popular options available from Adobe and Apple. Although they are great, they can be quite convoluted in some sense and the learning curve is extremely steep. Movavi have a fantastic alternative available with their Video Editor 14 Plus software.

There are way too many battery packs on the market these days. That’s just a fact. But since it came out, Omnicharge has been my absolute favorite high-end external charging system. Its USB-C model continues to deliver the quality I’ve come to expect from the company’s excellent products. 

We’re on the eve of another major Apple announcement. While it’s rumored to be purely software based, now is a good time to look at the polarizing 15-inch MacBook Pro with the all-too-infamous Touch Bar and four lonely Thunderbolt 3 ports. 

For lenses 200mm on up, a collapsable travel hood may be something to consider in order to free up bag space. In this comparison review I check out a couple similar travel hoods to determine which is the one to buy. 

From the Envy brand to its latest ZBook line, HP has brought a number of interesting computers to the market in the last several years. But none might be more important to appeasing us pros than putting professional-level storage in a portable, convertible, touchscreen experience. Meet the ZBook x2. 

While having a brick-and-mortar studio is nice, it isn't always feasible. Photographers create backdrops out of their homes, garages, or on set to disguise the location using stands with muslins, seamless paper, or even collapsible options as well. In searching for other options, I found a portable wood look to be the perfect fit.

If you’re anything like me, you love to print your photos. The Polaroid ZIP is an inkless photo printer that is ultra portable and easily fits inside your pocket, but is it really worth the price it's selling for? 

Sony’s longest reaching zoom lens for Alpha mirrorless cameras, the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS, offers versatile shooting possibilities with an extra emphasis on image quality. 

Given the rising popularity of Sony Alpha cameras, it would be stupid not to cater specifically towards that crowd, right? 

I bet you've always wanted to hold the crispiest glass yourself. Kai Wong is here with his selection of the ultimate lenses for Nikon full-frame cameras. Well, we have a couple of lists ready to compare Wong's choices with some other usual suspects.

As a photographer, your camera body is only half the battle. Lenses play a supreme role in deciding overall image quality. Today I got a chance to work with two new manual lenses from Meyer Optik Goerlitz, the Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 and the Trioplan 100mm f/2.8. 

One of the biggest disadvantages to circular screw-on filters is the time and attention needed to get them properly seated in the threads and tightened to the lens. The Manfrotto XUME series of filter adapters aims to solve this by using quick-snap magnets instead. 

In late 2015 the luxury camera company Leica released the Leica SL (Type 601) a full-frame mirrorless camera that came packed with top of the line features ready to compete with Canon and Nikon’s flagship DSLRs. Roughly two years later, and with several new advancements in camera offerings, how does the Leica perform? Can it still compete with other flagship models?

When it comes to gimbals, there are so many great options available these days for almost any kind of setup. Feiyu-Tech is one of those companies that tend to make really good gimbals which have gained a lot of popularity recently. The Feiyu A2000 is one of those gimbals that offers plenty of features and its high weight capacity makes it a fantastic option. 

When Sony released their first mirrorless camera, few were convinced it could ever match up with big DSLR pro bodies such as the Nikon D5 or Canon 1D X II. The Sony a9 is the first attempt to offer pros a mirrorless alternative to these brick-like cameras, but does it stack up? 

There is no shortage of Photoshop actions around the internet these days. Color grading images to having a unique look can be accomplished with infinite possibilities, however, Pratik Naik recently announced the Infinite Color Panel that rethinks the creative process.

When the Fujifilm X-H1 was first released in February this year, I wrote an article about how it was a disappointment. I'm certain many Fuji shooters will disagree with me about this, however, I stand by my points and this latest video from Kinotika describes many of my sentiments. 

Anthem is a new company. So we didn’t know what to expect when we sat down with their new LED light that promises to far outlast any HMI while promising the implied savings that could drive down production costs. 

With recent advances in third-party lens tech and glass quality, Tamron’s new 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD superzoom lens with its small form factor and incredible versatility just might be the best travel and walk around lens for APS-C cameras to date. With a price of $650, this could easily replace two or even three lenses for some users. But who exactly is this lens for?