Fstoppers Gear Reviews

Sigma is known for making high-quality affordable lenses. Here’s why the new Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN lens is a lens you should consider.

While instant photography cameras like Fuji’s Instax series have gained a large following amongst a younger generation discovering the beauty of instant prints, lugging around a sub-par camera just for the hard-copy photos is a drag. That’s where portable photo printers such as Liene’s Pearl K100 Portable Photo Printer come in.

Is it a graphic tablet, a monitor, or both? Let’s take a look at the implications of what a 22-inch pen display can offer for your editing and retouching workflow.

Sigma recently released a prime wide angle lens, which promises to be fabulous. Does it live up to the high standards of the other lenses in its class?

Constant lighting has dropped dramatically in price, with companies like SmallRig making excellent products — along with accessories — that are refreshingly accessible. How good is the SmallRig RC120B, a bicolor packing a decent amount of power and coming in at just $259?

If you shoot a lot of astrophotos, you know all about gradients. They are almost always present in your images, and they have to be removed to smooth out the sky background and make your images look their best.

This review is for you if you’re a Capture One Pro user and are wondering if the iPad version is worth adding to your workflow. It is also for those who don’t yet use Capture One but are looking for a budget-friendly introduction to it and already own an iPad. I will be looking at the application’s features, pros and cons, and comparing them to the desktop version.

The fleet of lenses I use is old. Actually old to the point where I am genuinely surprised how it still works. Nonetheless, the old Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS is still a good choice for many photographers. Here is why I will be holding onto my copy of this excellent lens.

As someone that is as deep in the Apple ecosystem as it gets, I will still pick the BenQ PhotoVue SW 321C over both Studio Display and even the ProDisplay XDR. Not only is this monitor objectively better, but also way more affordable. In this article, we will review the BenQ PhotoVue SW321C.

I tested a range of raw camera files in different development programs in a quest to find the ultimate development tool. This time it is the turn of DxO PhotoLab 6. Lightroom is good, and Capture One was better. How does Photolab 6 compare, and is it worth the investment?

The 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens from Sigma is an affordable, fast prime lens. On paper, it looks like it should be a fabulous piece of glass. I put it through its paces to see if it lived up to its marketing blurb.

Sony just announced an all-new full-frame lens, the FE 20-70mm F4 G, which combines an ultra-wide focal length with a standard zoom.

There's definitely more than meets the eye with this new standard zoom lens option. Aside from a wider range and a smaller size, let’s see what else this has to offer.

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens is the new addition to the Sigma range for Fuji X Mount to accompany their three existing contemporary f/1.4 prime lenses. So how does this lens fair when it comes to image quality, value for money, and useability? We test it to find out.

Compositing in Photoshop comes in many forms, from product and portrait enhancement to fantasy-style images. Every digital artist will have their own workflow, as there are many different ways to get the final results.

Tamron has updated their ever-popular 28-75mm lens with a new second-generation version that packs a punch for Sony E mount users. Read on to see how it performed in the field when challenged by a variety of subjects and lighting conditions.

The Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR is hailed to be one of the sharpest Fuji lenses for its size and very reasonable price, so how does it fair on the Fuji X-T5 with its 40mp sensor? It's one on a list of lenses that Fujifilm recommends you use to get the best out of the sensor, and if that in fact is the case it certainly does it well.

Capture One has a great reputation for image quality but comes with a premium price tag. Does it live up to its reputation, and is that extra cost worth it compared to other programs? I tested it side by side with Adobe Lightroom Classic.

At first sight, the Canon EOS R6 Mark II doesn’t seem to be much different compared to its predecessor. But looks are deceiving. Perhaps it’s the best mirrorless camera for a reasonable price you can buy at this moment. Canon Netherlands gave me this camera for a review.

As part of Sigma’s Contemporary lens line, the 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is designed to offer exceptional image quality and performance all in a small, convenient package. With a 35mm equivalent of 84mm, this lens is great for portraiture, street photography, pet photography, travel work, and any low-light shooting situations.

Many professional photographers are certain to have images that were taken on outdated cameras or taken on low-resolution sensors. But what happens if you want to print these images large or bring them up to current camera technology standards? Well, Luminar Neo might just be the answer for you.

Sharpening your images can either go two ways: oversharpened or not quite the mark of what you are seeking. What if you had full control of the sharpening process in a simple, straightforward plugin? Sound interesting?

I received the brand new Sony a7R V from Sony Netherlands for a review. It was a wonderful opportunity to find out if the autofocus is as good as advertised. Looking at the camera in a critical way makes me wonder: which photographer is the camera intended for?

The fifth generation of Sony’s a7R line is expected to be a very capable camera for a wide variety of photography styles. Let’s see what aspects of this camera will be useful for landscape photography.

When Techart sent for review the TZM-02 Leica M to Nikon Z autofocus adapter, there was one small problem in that I couldn't source any Leica lenses for the review, only Canon EF. But the great thing about the adapter is that it can be stacked with additional adapters, allowing for versatility for a wide range of lenses, including the Canon EF mount. Armed with both adapters, I set about testing the capabilities of these on the Nikon Z 7II.

Getting it right in camera is definitely the best thing to do. If you can correctly light, compose, and white balance your footage and images, then you're probably going to have an easier time. However, there are situations when the lighting just isn't working or you need to capture footage in less-than-ideal situations. In those situations, use Topaz Labs. Right now, they're having a Holiday sale.

With SmallRig’s multitude of tools and support gear, you’d probably have a lot of expectations for their tripod. Let’s see what this carbon fiber travel tripod has to offer.

A couple of days ago, my colleague, Ivor Rackham, had a positive review of Affinity Photo 2. What many people miss is that Affinity Photo is also an excellent astro image-processing tool.

With ever-increasing lens choices from both first-party and third-party manufacturers, how do you know what lens is going to be right for you and your needs? Articles such as this on Fstoppers and YouTube videos all help in your search, but how do you narrow your search to the best lens for your requirements?

At first glance, Affinity Photo 2 doesn’t seem that different from the previous software version. However, as you delve more deeply into it, you’ll find a host of valuable improvements since the last release of this versatile photo editor. It’s affordable too.

As a digital artist, being able to easily get your hands on overlays and effects for your images can sometimes be a costly experience and, at times, not provide you with enough scope of selections for your edits. One of the plugins I have in my collection is Infinite Texture, which provides a whole host of editing possibilities, from simple sky replacement to more complex edits.

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.

There are plenty of difficult lighting scenarios when conventional solutions simply can't deliver. Be it weight, space, or any other limitation, small lights are a must in any photographer's kit. Despite not being the most powerful, they are often most used on sets and locations. Among the sea of small lights, a few stand out. One such one is the Specular KYU-6. Here are my thoughts on this light.

Since the launch of the X-T1 in 2014 Fujifilm have a range of cameras that appealed to both amateur and professional photographers alike. So with its 40MP APS-C sensor and up to 7 stops of IBIS is the new Fujifilm X-T5 the best in the range and should you consider upgrading?

Topaz Labs, the company behind the wildly popular DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI, has made a huge change. These apps, once a triad of separate programs to fix your photographs, are now combined into one beefy app that is here to save the day. Meet Topaz Photo AI, your new best post-processing friend. Let me show you how I used it to save my low-light wildlife photographs.

The popularity of toy cameras has waxed and waned over the decades. The novelty factor for plastic cameras like the Diana and the Holga is often in friction with the dependability and overall image quality, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In an age of corner-to-corner perfection, the stray light leak or vignette can provide shooters with a way to stand out from the crowd.

Although I've watched videos and read reviews about Topaz products, I had never actually tried them, remaining faithful to my workflow and not venturing farther afield. I do like software and seeing what it can do with my images, but felt safe with what I currently use. So, what could Topaz Photo AI bring to the table that I couldn't already accomplish?

Over the past two years, I've been trying to replace my Induro CT-114 tripod. Looking through countless offerings of various brands, I learned that finding a tripod that fulfilled all my requirements and didn't cost a fortune wouldn't be easy. As Leofoto released their LQ-365C, I thought I had finally found the perfect tripod. In this article, I share if this assumption turned out to be correct or if I regret my purchase.

Canon has released a series of nice primes that are reasonably priced and in a friendly size and weight. Most of these lenses also have 1:2 macro abilities. The latest one is the RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM. Let’s find out if it's just as great as its siblings.

Pen tablets and controllers for editing and retouching definitely help photographers, especially when working on large batches of images. These editing tools from Xencelabs seem to expand that to a whole new level.

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens is a small, light, and fast zoom lens suitable for a wide range of subjects. I spent a week testing the 18-50mm, and I was very impressed with this tiny powerhouse of a lens, which is now available for Fujifilm X Mount cameras.

Infinite Color for Infinite Tools is a color grading plugin for Photoshop. We put it through its paces.

Let me rewind the clock by a decade: it’s the tail end of 2012, and the NYPD was in the process of clearing out Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. Over the last year, Occupy Wall Street had been picking up steam, with an encampment filling the better part of the park and protests regularly spilling out into the streets.

With shorter daylight hours and longer dark, cold, and wet nights, it's time to think about what to shoot indoors: something new perhaps? For myself, it's going to be trying something new, and that's macro with the Astrhori 85mm f/2.8 Macro Tilt lens.

If you value accurate colors and a high-quality computer display, Eizo is one of the better choices. The company released two professional 27-inch screens towards the end of 2022. One of them has 4K resolution and the other WQHD resolution. Let’s take a close look at the latter.

The folks at Skylum who make Luminar Neo have promised more extensions by the end of the year, and there are three more new ones coming soon.

ON1 Photo Raw 2023's is reaching a point where we don't need other apps to process our photos. It indeed addressed some of our most significant developing and editing annoyances.

Camera filters have improved a great deal over the last decade. It wasn't that long ago when it was completely acceptable for filters to produce blue-cast images with a significant loss in detail. We now have manufacturers producing highly innovative filter systems, such as the new Kase Wolverine IV Magnetic filter system.

The new OM-5 camera may, at first look, take you by surprise. However, you may have noticed that OM Digital Solutions (OMDS) knows what they are doing. As their first anniversary arrives, they yet again deliver another excellent camera for a specific type of photographer.

The fifth Extension coming to the Luminar Neo editing platform is Focus Stacking, a tool for achieving a deep depth of field in a photo by merging (or stacking) up to 100 source images. Now, creating photos that are in sharp focus from the front to the back of the image becomes much easier, whether you’re shooting macro photography, portraits, or landscapes.