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Stephen Kampff
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Articles written by Stephen Kampff

Target Practice: 600mm Lens vs Shotgun

Kaiman Wong is back at it, showing that a Nikkor 600mm lens can shoot clay pigeons too – just not in the destructive sense. Who will win?

Are Gimbals Destroying the Cheap Steadicam?

B&H recently ran a deal on a product I had my eyes on a couple years back: the Steadicam Solo Stabilizer and Monopod for getting smooth shots. It was originally $500, but you can pick it up now for as low as $150. Where did it all go wrong?

The Biggest Problems in the VFX Industry

On Sunday night, "The Jungle Book" took home the Oscar for best visual effects. It shines a spotlight on how a story can rely so heavily on VFX, but how the industry continues to sideline the people behind it. A newly released short documentary is showing us just how digital art is a race to the bottom.

Great VFX: How You'll Never Notice It

We all know that visual effects have come a long way in recent years, but it’s always worth remembering that the best of the lot are the kind you don’t notice. This video – a wonderful tribute to VFX – is a smart way of showing off exactly what can be done.

Don't Knock VR Until You Try 360 Photos

Whether it’s all a gimmick or not, photos in virtual reality are amazing. They’re easy to create, and throw your audience into a straightforward, immersive experience. If you haven’t tried making one yet, you should.

Huge Discount on Apple’s Pro Apps for Students

In a smart move from Apple, they’ve opted to compete with Adobe for the hearts of students. For $199, you’ll be able to pick up $630 worth of software. Here’s how it works.

Selling Oxygen: How Politics Inspires Photography

Imagine if we started selling oxygen as a commodity, as a medicine for a sick and polluted planet. What would that fantasy look like? Benjamin Von Wong explores this in his latest series, and is bringing to light the very real market for oxygen in China.

Everything You Might Not Know About the GH5

This week I had the pleasure of visiting Adorama in NYC, for a deeper look at Panasonic’s groundbreaking camera. While there, I discovered some interesting specs that aren’t being talked about. Let’s take a look at the innovations and pitfalls of the camera at a deeper level.

Here to Stay: KitSplit Buys out CameraLends

It looks like Gear-Sharing could be here to stay after KitSplit announced they are buying out San Francisco based CameraLends. This will likely lead to a more reliable and capable rental service that bypasses regular rental houses. Will this be successful? Would you trust the system?

Should We Be Paying for Firmware Updates?

Remember when Apple used to charge money to update your iPhone? While we’ve gotten rather used to free mobile updates over the past couple years, the trend is as strong as ever with our cameras. Should this still be the case?

Should You Give the Client a Wireless Video Monitor?

Caleb Pike released a string of interesting and fresh camera hacks over the past year. This time, he's tackling wireless monitoring; a problem that we all know can be expensive and time consuming. Does this leave you open to criticism before you've even finished the shot? Is it the equivalent to handing over raw images? Let's talk about how to do it, and why you should do it.

Learn How Teleport Your Kid with Action Movie Dad

Some Dads bring their kids to the playground, some even play the same sport. Action Movie Dad sends his son to other worlds with his VFX know how and childlike imagination. This time around, he's showing us exactly how it's done.

Man Invents Camera Rig for Terminally Ill Photographer

“Memories are important, because with a terminal illness, you’re not going to live a full life,” explains James Dunn. Suffering from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin condition that causes blisters and extremely fragile skin, he can’t use a camera without assistance. However, that may now have changed.

Perfect for Gimbals: Using Your Phone as a Monitor

The biggest downside to using a gimbal is losing basic controls of the camera. Sure, you can use a monitor, but you can't actually control the camera. Could your phone fix this problem?

Bowling Ball Hits RED Camera: Real or Fake?

Look, accidents happen. Unfortunately, the worst happened to a $30,000 RED Epic while shooting on a bowling alley. A dumb idea? Or was it planned?