I recently tested out the Hasselblad CFV II and 907X with the XCD 4/45P lens, which Hasselblad totes as the smallest medium format setup on the market.
As an avid advocate for iPhone photography, I have written a ton of articles on the matter. However, I never reviewed the actual device I am using for my photos. Having had it for a year, it's time to give the iPhone 14 Pro a long-term review, as well as answer the question of upgrading to the 15 Pro.
In 2002, QT Luong became the first person to photograph all U.S. National Parks with a large-format camera. His experience in traveling these beautiful, natural lands is simply inspiring. He was even a featured artist in the epic Ken Burns documentary, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” With all his knowledge and stories gained from decades of creating stunning imagery across the United States, I feel fortunate that Luong authored his photography book, “Treasured Lands.”
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Fujifilm cameras, and their Instax cameras are part of the reason why. I've owned several Instax cameras over the last few years, and now the SQ6 might just be the best one yet.
Recently, Wacom updated their Intuos tablet line with a new version of the Intuos Pro. With many tweaks, the new version is definitely a step apart from the old. Find out if it's worth the upgrade!
It's no secret that producing still as well as motion gives any photographer an edge over his competition. As the years go by, creating animated content is getting increasingly more accessible. In this article, I review Flugo, an iOS app that turns any still portrait into an eye-catching motion shot.
Hear me out on this one. As a concert and event photographer (and music lover), I will argue until my dying breath that the most important piece of equipment we have after our camera is ear protection. In fact, this made my recently published list of 10 concert photography tips for everyone. I've gone through nearly a dozen different kinds of earplugs over the past five years, but the Music•PRO high-fidelity earplugs from Etymotic are something absolutely unique, and I'm thrilled to be able to review them. They're electronic. And they're alive.
As photographers, we tend to care more about our cameras and lenses than the gear we use to process our images, such as monitors. It’s a shame, because it’s crucial too. Let’s find out in this review if the ViewSonic VP2785-4K could make your workflow better and easier.
Peak Design is responsible for running some of the most successful Kickstarter projects to date. The company has now launched updates to its existing series of popular Everyday bags while adding a few new ones into the mix. This time, they’re even skipping Kickstarter: everything ships today.
Peak Design is known for their functional designs of camera accessories that are coupled with sleek and modern aesthetics, and the Everyday Sling is no different. Available in three sizes: 3L, 6L, and 10L, the Everyday Sling has you covered whatever your shooting and wherever your travels take you.
Akin to the store brands that are found next to the name brands on the shelves in a brick-and-mortar supermarket, AmazonBasics products have become a go-to for equal quality at a budget price in the online realm. Daily-use items have traditionally been the mainstay for AmazonBasics, but more recently they’ve expanded and driven further into the comparatively niche markets, including photography. In this review, I take a closer look at the AmazonBasics Carbon Fiber Monopod which was released in April 2017.
GuraGear has been making headlines with its new Kiboko City Commuter. The bag promises to be the perfect match between capacity, durability, and weight. Made not only for photographers, but content creators in general, the bag has a lot to live up to. Let’s see how it performs in the real world.
Last month we posted an article about a unique LED lighting solution called “Strahlen” that was crowdfunding. On paper, the specs of these lights look great, but how well do they perform in a real production setting? I got my hands on a kit of Strahlens, and after an interview shoot with them I found out that they were the real deal.
The Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro Hard Drive is one of the best options for photographers looking to back up and access their files on the go. Western Digital updated the line in 2017 with new firmware features and capacities. Check out our review to see how the new version fares!
As photographers and retouchers, we tend to rely only on a few of the numerous tools and techniques available in Photoshop. So why clutter our workspace with tools that are useless when everything could fit on a single panel? It’s precisely why the Retouching Toolkit by Conny Wallstrom exists.
In photography, faster lenses are better, aren’t they? Many struggle to see the benefits of having a range of f/4 lenses. But, if you start using them, you’ll realize there are good reasons for challenging that assumption.
Subscribing to the Adobe Creative Cloud is a big financial step for most beginning photographers. In this article, I’ll figure out if the free and open software RawTherapee is a real competitor when it comes to developing an image.
When I wrote an article back in January about my photo backup strategy, I received a polite email from a company called ioSafe that, in so many words, informed me in the nicest way possible how quaint my solution of rotating hard drives was.
A diffusion filter gives halation with lights, especially in low light scenarios. It also softens skins and harsh textures when shooting portraits. The aim of these filters are to get an organic, dreamy, almost cinematic effect in photography and video production.
I recently reviewed the SunwayFoto PCL-R5 L-Bracket for the Canon EOS R5/R6. Shortly afterward, I found another interesting L-Bracket made by Peipro, which has an interesting feature that other L-Brackets do not, so I chose to buy one and check it out.
This unique laptop from ASUS offers more than just a powerful computer. Let’s take a look at how the ProArt StudioBook 16 can contribute to your post-processing and retouching workflow.
Loved by many when it came out and adored by a solid user base today, the Fujifilm X-Pro2 was truly a hit camera made so well that it still has not truly been replaced even by the newer X-Pro3. And thanks to its age it is finally attainable even for the ones not willing to spend a ton on a quality camera.
Petzval-type lenses have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Lomography's wildly successful Kickstarter campaign was a springboard for their Petzval 85 and later, their Petzval 58 lenses. Now, Lensbaby, well-known for their unique optical products, has thrown their hat into the ring. It's a fun and interesting lens.
Maybe it just fell through the cracks for just me, perhaps it did for you as well, but recently through a friend I found out about the Amazon Locker concept. With Amazon Prime's rapid growth, so has the complaints about stolen packages and damaged packages from shipping companies. So to counter-act, Amazon doubled down and introduced this concept as far back as 2011. I gave it a try recently where I am based in Tampa, here's how it went.
This is not the sharpest tool in the shed, nor does it have some crazy autofocus performance. Yet, this is my new absolute favorite lens. Read on to find out why the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 is a fantastic choice even in 2024.
Canon released the 1D X Mark II last year, representing the next generation of its flagship model, a camera meant to be without compromise — top of the line capabilities, durability, and performance. As even consumer-level cameras reach sometimes stratospheric heights, the truly professional models have had to reach for even greater heights to continue to distinguish themselves. Read on to see where the 1D X Mark II fits in.
If you've wanted to try macro photography but didn't want to outlay on all the special equipment necessary, you're in luck. If you're an iPhone user, SANDMARC has a 100mm Macro lens you can screw onto your phone, and I put it through its paces.
I fell into a canal in Venice with the ThinkTank StreetWalker HardDrive Bag on my back. I was walking too close to the edge while looking at the bridges and architecture, and how the water brushes up against them, when I stepped on a moss-covered section of the canal ledge. I slipped, hit my bum on the ledge, and gently slid into the canal. There was no splash, and my head didn't go below water, but the ledge was so slippery that I couldn’t get out by myself. I was floating in the canal for what was the longest 30 seconds of my life.
One of the biggest hits at a wedding reception (or any event) is the photobooth. It’s an area where guests can gather around and make ridiculous faces, dress in silly props, and have an overall great time. When running a photography business that shoots events, we are always asked if we offer photobooth services, so I think it's a natural evolution to want to incorporate one into your packages. When I first found the booth from Photobooth Supply Co, it instantly stood out from all the other options.
Do you own a drone? Have you thought about picking one up this holiday season? I can almost guarantee that you have been looking at something by the world leader in drone manufacturing DJI but what if I said you had options? Yuneec exploded on the scene as a real drone competitor with the debut of the Typhoon H with object avoidance which was a game changer for drones at the time. Today, the most popular drones are within the DJI family but Yuneec continues to innovate and build an incredible product easily rivaling that of the now famous Phantom line.
Viltrox has released a new single-color LED continuous light under their Weeylite brand. At $179 for the base package, it's a compelling option. So, is this the end of the strobe? Find out in this exclusive Fstoppers review.
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.
It’s been seven months since the Canon EOS RP has been out in the market. While most others are looking at the performance of the camera in a general sense, I put it to the test and tried to find the right context for such a camera.
Apple's new Mac Studio has created an entirely new class of desktop computers for the company, offering some insanely powerful capabilities that should be able to tackle anything even the most demanding photographers and filmmakers can throw at them, all at a price that starts significantly below the Mac Pro line, making it an impressive value. In this review, we take a look at the new computer and just how much power it houses.
It seems to me that releasing a good lens these days isn't enough. There has to be some edge that the marketing department can use. Hasselblad recently released a tiny medium format lens for the X1D series of cameras, and I had a chance to test it out.
Backup and storage solutions are 10 a penny these days, and with so much choice, knowing which ones to choose becomes increasingly more difficult. Each of these solutions has its own advantages and disadvantages. Whether that's cost, security, compatibility, or capacity, these solutions can range in price from free to hundreds of dollars per year.
Leica has just announced its successor to its full-frame mirrorless camera, and it just might be a sign they are listening to the demands of professional photographers. The Leica SL2 has a 47.3-megapixel sensor, an updated Maestro III processor, and is capable of 20 fps bursts. It can shoot video up to 5K 30 fps, C4K 60 fps, and has 5-axis IBIS.
Believe it or not, we work exclusively on Windows computers in the Fstoppers office. Normally, we work on desktops with dual monitors, but when we travel, we reach for one of four different laptops.
I know this article is sponsored, and some of you may pull back a little because of that. I don't blame you; I mean, I'd personally have reservations too, but I genuinely mean every bit of praise I give to Luminar 3. This software is seriously awesome, and in this article, I'm going to explain why.
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.
Have you ever tried to look at the sun? Its fierce light can damage your eyes and make you blind. Haida has introduced the One Million X Edition Neutral Density Filter, which should allow you to photograph the sun in a safe way. I got a chance to use this amazing filter.
Michael Schmidt of Chemnitz, Germany, shares a video review of Canon's new and quite affordable EF-S 10-18mm IS STM lens. The lens features silent focusing thanks to its stepping motor (STM) and even throws in built-in image stabilization (IS). While the lens exhibits some minor issues (some expected distortion seems quite controlled for this focal length), overall image quality seems fantastic and the lens' focusing motor is truly silent and smooth.
Sony just announced three new compact wide angle lenses for APS-C cameras after a long while. Let's take a look at what’s new with these lenses and if they are worth checking out.
Laowa now has a total of six lenses with an aperture of f/0.95, so how useful is it to have this aperture, and what are the results? As a landscape photographer mainly, this maximum aperture is something I had never really considered, although I do understand the usefulness of such an aperture for different types of photography, especially in low light and video. So, how does the lens perform throughout the apertures, and does it have the ability to provide results that are in line with or better than similar lenses in this price range? I tested it to find out.
Street photographers are a funny breed and have special requirements for their equipment. Ardent street photographer and owner of Fundy Software, Andrew "Fundy" Funderburg, worked closely with Matthew Swaggart of leathergoods masters Holdfast to create an uncompromising luxury camera bag specifically for those that shoot rangefinder and other mirrorless cameras and need to work light and fast. We spent the past six weeks using one ourselves to see if they succeeded in their quest.
Introduced alongside the FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 last week, Sony has added its own take on the “Nifty Fifty” to their lens lineup. Aimed at photography hobbyists, the FE 50mm f/1.8 will only cost $248 and gives a wide aperture option to those that may be only shooting with the FE 24-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens at the moment. Here are my first impressions of the new 50mm f/1.8 after briefly shooting with the lens.
Having been a Profoto user for most of my career, I have experienced pretty much everything they have to offer. I have bought a substantial amount of Profoto equipment myself and use it as my daily driver. Being a huge investment, I wondered if it was worth it. Well, here are my results.
Today Sony finally announced pricing and shipping times for their upcoming release of the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master OSS lens and teleconverters. First introduced in early February alongside the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM and FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lenses, the 70-200mm GM will be shipping in July and cost $2,600. The 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters designed to exclusively fit the new 70-200mm GM will each cost $500 and ship in July as well. Sony allowed me to use one of the first retail production models off the assembly line and share my images with you, so let’s dive into sample images and my thoughts on how it stacks up.
In the last few years, monitor technology has gone in a number of new and unique directions, with technology like ultra-wide aspect ratios, HDR support, and 8K resolution. Each of those features appeals to a particular user, but it almost seems like content creators have been left out.
If you would put your trust on just one tripod for all the shooting requirements that you commonly face, what features are non-negotiable for you? Let’s see if this carbon fiber tripod from Benro would fit that description.
