Fstoppers Gear Reviews

In depth expert reviews and comparisons of the latest cameras, lenses, software, and other technology we as creative professionals rely on.
We Review the Profoto A2: A Speedlight on Steroids or an Underpowered Monolight?

Profoto is busy developing their A series line of flashes. Just look at the recent focus the company has put out on the Clic modifiers, notably, launching the Clic softbox, which we reviewed some time ago. A few users commented that the A1 series flashes will be too weak to be used under certain settings with the Clic softbox, which got me wondering if there is a more powerful flash coming along soon. There was: the Profoto A2.

We Review the Canon EOS R7: How Does It Perform for Casual Photography?

There are two new Canon APS-C mirrorless cameras available. There is the EOS R10, a relatively simple camera, and there is the EOS R7, a camera that promises a lot of things and also delivers a lot. Canon Netherlands gave me this camera for a week when I went on a holiday. These are my findings.

We Review the HEX Ranger Sling XL

The new HEX Ranger Sling XL bridges the gap between a large backpack and a traditional sling, combining elements of both for photographers who want to travel light without leaving almost everything at home.

Live-Stream and Switch Between Six Cameras With the Yolobox Pro

I was sent this live production system that doesn’t require anything else to get you streaming six feeds of live camera action to your social video platforms, all at the same time. It’s an encoder, switcher, recorder, and monitor, all in one. You can even insert a SIM card to stream over your mobile network if your destination doesn't have a stable internet connection.

We Review the Nanuk 935 Hard Case

Why would you get a hard case instead of a backpack? This review of the Nanuk 935 Hard Case will make you think differently about how you store and get your gear from point A to point B. There are other hard cases out there, but this one has a lid organizer, which in my opinion, sets it apart.

We Review the Profoto Connect Pro: Should You Upgrade or Not?

A couple of years ago, I got a chance to review the Profoto B2 flash with the AirTTL trigger. Although I loved the flash, I had some doubts about the trigger. Now, there is the new Profoto Connect Pro trigger. Is it worth the upgrade?

Fstoppers Reviews the Haida CPL VND Pro II, a Variable ND Filter With Polarization

A variable neutral density filter can be very handy. You only need one filter that covers multiple strengths. Haida released the CPL VND Pro II, a variable neutral density filter that works also as a polarizing filter. Haida asked me to review this new variable ND filter with polarization abilities.

We Review the Billingham 72: A Perfect Match for Your Everyday Carry?

When it comes to getting around with my primary camera, collection of lenses, filters, and miscellaneous lighting accessories, I’m a backpacker all the way. But what about those instances when you already have your hands full, but still want a capable camera to bring with you and don’t want to haul out the production-ready camera bag? As a father with two young children, this scenario is an increasingly common occurrence for me, and I believe I’ve found the perfect solution.

Our Long-term Review of the Dell XPS 9510 Laptop for Creatives

It's been nine months since I started to live a nomadic life and do full-time travel and photography. To stay productive on the road, I had to exchange my old and trusty desktop PC for a portable solution. I'm a Windows user and decided to go with the Dell XPS 9510. In this article, I explain why and share how it held up over the past months.

More Than Just a Tablet: We Review the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2

It’s one thing to have a dedicated graphic tablet for editing and a whole world of convenience to have a versatile editing console. Let’s check out why the Inspiroy Dial 2 can be considered more than just a tablet.

All the Ports You Need: We Review the Ugreen USB-C Triple Display 13-in-1 Docking Station

Laptops are more powerful than ever, easily capable of replacing a desktop for many creatives. However, when it comes to the needs of creatives, the ports on most laptops simply aren't enough to cover everything. Enter the docking station. In this review, we take a look at the Ugreen USB-C Triple Display 13-in-1 Docking Station and if it can cover all the needs of a demanding professional.

Fstoppers Reviews the Kandao QooCam EGO: Capturing 3D Magic, but With a Fatal Flaw

Anybody of a certain age remembers the ViewMaster, a favorite childhood toy that read circular reels through a bright red stereoscopic viewfinder, rendering images from those reels in vivid, 3D detail. If nothing else, the color of Kandao’s new QooCam EGO viewfinder gives away that someone at that company has fond memories of the ViewMaster.

Is This the Perfect Camera Backpack for Hiking and Travel?

About two years ago, my long search for a new camera backpack ended as I stumbled upon a company called NYA-EVO. In this article, I review their biggest backpack, the Fjord 60-C. After two years of heavy use for traveling and hiking, I feel competent enough to share why I think it's the perfect camera backpack.

Is the Arsenal 2 for Advanced Photographers?

You may remember my 2019 review of the original Arsenal hardware. It was a block box you attached to your DSLR or mirrorless camera and it automated many of the tasks photographers face on a regular basis. The Arsenal sold quite well. While it had some good points that could speed or improve a photographer's workflow, it left a lot of buyers unhappy and it seemed to wind up on a lot of shelves and in a lot of drawers, rather than in camera bags. Now we've got Arsenal 2.

Is Laowa’s 12-24mm f/5.6 C-Dreamer a Dream to Use? We Test It To Find Out

Laowa's ever-increasing wide angle lens range is getting larger with the introduction of the 12-24mm f/5.6 C-Dreamer for mirrorless cameras. With a fixed f/5.6 aperture throughout the zoom range, an all-metal construction, 15 elements in 11 groups, is this lens a dream to use?

Skin Retouching Made Easy With Infinite Guide

Skin retouching can seem a daunting task if you are a beginner. What brush do you use, what layer goes where, and how do you smooth the skin? And on top of that, you have to remember all the steps involved. So, how does Infinite Guide make the whole process simple?

We Review the Infinite Retouch Portrait Editing Plugin

Portrait retouching is a process that requires consistent, well-practiced technique and an efficient, well-organized workflow to produce professional results in a reasonable amount of time. In this review, we take a look at retoucher Pratik Naik's Infinite Retouch Panel and how it can help you create better results in less time.

We Review the Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 Lens: A Manual Focus Treasure

Do you have a lens in your collection that brings you joy every time you use it? One that begs to be used because of how beautifully it renders the world around you, and you can’t help but wonder how a specific subject might look when photographed with it? I recently found that lens for myself with the Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4, and to be honest, it has been an unexpected love affair.

Quickly and Easily Archive Photos: We Review the Epson FastFoto FF-680W Scanner

Most of us over 30 have at least one box of old photo prints in a closet somewhere, and digitizing them is a worthwhile if tedious task. The Epson FastFoto FF-680W scanner seeks to make quick and easy work of that task while still producing high-quality results, and in this review, we take a look at what you can expect from it in practice.

Portable Power for All Your Devices: We Review the Anker PowerHouse II 300

If you are someone who spends many hours or even days away from a power source, you know how difficult it can be to keep all your devices properly topped off. With a huge battery and a variety of smart features, the Anker PowerHouse II 300 seeks to remedy that conundrum. In this review, we take a look at the PowerHouse and how it performs.

One Charger for All Your Needs: We Review the Ugreen Nexode 200W Charger

These days, most of us are carrying several battery-powered devices at any given time, and that can add up to a lot of cables to keep track of and a lot of inconvenience if you forget to bring along the right power adapter. That's why with four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, support for a range of fast charging protocols, and an impressive 200 watts of total output, the Ugreen Nexode 200W charger is a fantastic accessory for many creatives. We take a deep look at the device in our review here.

This Software Finds Good and Bad Photos Automatically

The worst part about being a wedding or event photographer is having to edit thousands of photos, but I've recently discovered Narrative Select, software that uses AI to make the culling process much faster.

We Review the Megadap MTZ11 Leica to Nikon Z Autofocus Adapter

A few years ago, a small Hong Kong-based company called Megadap raised some eyebrows when they announced their newest product, the MTZ11, which allowed Leica M mount lenses (along with a host of other manual-focus mounts when used with adapters) to be used with the Nikon Z body with autofocus.

In a League of Its Own: We Review the Gitzo Systematic Kit Series 5

The Gitzo Systematic Carbon Fiber tripods are known for a few things: reliability, stability, and price. The build quality, weight capacity, and overall feel of the tripod are great. The price bites. So, is the price justified? Let’s dive in and see.

That’s Not a Lightroom Killer; This Is a Lightroom Killer! We Review ON1 Photo Raw 2022.5

Calling raw handling software a "Lightroom Killer" is a cliche. Nevertheless, this powerful suite of tools is starting to overshadow the Adobe Photographer's Plan. It is now posing a real challenge to Lightroom and Photoshop. ON1 Photo Raw has another update, and now it offers everything most photographers need. It's why I've said goodbye to Lightroom and Photoshop. Will it tempt you too?

AstroPanel Pro 6 Offers Many One-Click Improvements for Editing Your Night Sky Images

Over the years, I've been following the software offerings of Italian astrophotographer Angele Perrone. He aggressively updates his Photoshop extensions, and he adds a lot of very simple functions that would be difficult to accomplish in Photoshop without a lot of time and trouble. So, here's a look at Astro Panel Pro 6 for Photoshop.

Cinestill 400D: The Best Film For Dynamic Lighting Conditions?

CineStill film is hyped to the absolute max, and whether you love it or hate it, they have built a pretty impressive company and injected new life into the film community. Thanks to them, we now have packaged motion picture stocks, ready to shoot in film cameras and be developed in C-41 chemicals.

We Review the MIOPS Flex Camera Trigger

With so many new methods to create images, photography has gone beyond simply just taking a photo. This new device from MIOPS brings the photographer closer to the images they envision by making the process simpler.

Three Months of  Using the OM-1 Mirrorless Camera: Am I Still Impressed?

Only if you buried your head for the last few months would you have missed the enthusiasm for the OM-1. The new camera from the company previously known as Olympus caused quite a stir. How is it faring in the real world? I've owned the OM-1 for a little over three months. Am I still as enthusiastic about it as I was when I first bought it?

Using the TTArtisan 28mm f/5.6 Lens in the Field

Whenever I'm on assignment, I'll typically bring a film camera along with me. For breaking news work, they're not particularly useful; no editor in their right mind is going to wait for me to return home, develop, process, edit, and upload my film frames, no matter how good the final product might be. However, this lens has made me rethink my process a bit.

Luminar Neo Adds Portrait Background Removal to Its Bag of Editing Tricks

Luminar Neo from Skylum has added a much awaited feature: background removal in portraits. Removing a person's image from a photo is nothing new, but it's generally time-consuming if the background is not simple or solid. Luminar Neo does it usually in one click, and if you're a professional or an advanced hobbyist, it is a time-saver.

Godox Parabolic Light Modifiers: Better Than Broncolor?

Parabolic light modifiers are some of the most versatile on the market. Coincidentally, they are also some of the most expensive ones out there. Loved for versatility, hated for the price, and very few photographers actually own them. Godox set out to create an affordable but also a truly parabolic softbox. So, how did they do? Spoiler alert: much better than I expected.

Shooting With the Cheap and Small Canon RF Primes

Canon has a lot of amazing but expensive RF lenses. If you can’t afford these L lenses or don’t want to spend that amount of money, you can also choose the more affordable versions. I took three primes on a trip to France to find out how they perform in real life.

The Best Wireless Headphones in 2022

I purchased the eight most popular noise-cancelling wireless headphones to find the best one. Sadly, there isn't a single set that is clearly the "best," but I can help you choose your next pair wisely.

A Lightroom Killer? We Review Gemstone Photo Editor 12

If the Adobe subscription package is pulling at your budget, perhaps this single payment editing software can give you everything you need, plus more. With so much other software out there, what makes this one any different? In this article, we'll focus solely on the raw editing capabilities of the software to see if it is the answer to your subscription deal.

New Mac User Tries Apple Accessories for the First Time

I recently switched from a Windows desktop to a Macbook Pro, but I still haven't tried many of the Apple accessories that Mac users swear by. In this video, I try out the AirPods Max and the Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, and Mouse for the first time.