Latest Gear Reviews

In depth expert reviews and comparisons of the latest cameras, lenses, software, and other technology we as creative professionals rely on.

Fstoppers Reviews ProGrade: A New Professional Memory Card Company with Pro-Level Support

ProGrade Digital is a new professional memory card built by former executives and employees from both Lexar and SanDisk. Today, ProGrade Digital launches its first product lines including CFAST 2.0 and SD UHS-II memory cards as well as a dual CFAST 2.0 and SD card reader. But the best part about ProGrade is its professional-level support and rigorous testing. 

Fstoppers Reviews the Edelkrone SliderONE PRO: The Ultimate Motorized, Portable Slider?

Edelkrone has established a glowing reputation as builders of thoughtful, premium camera stability and slider products. The latest addition to this line was an upgrade to their motorized, all-in-one slider, the SliderONE PRO. Here is our in-depth review after spending six weeks with this professional, app-controlled video accessory.  

SmartSlides New Beat-Matching Feature: Creating Professionally Beat-Matched Slideshows in Minutes

Pixellu is a startup known for making extraordinarily intuitive and time-saving software for professional photographers. A company started by photographers for photographers, Pixellu aims to help streamline the workflow of product delivery, effectively giving photographers back their time, while simultaneously adding value to the final product the photographer delivers. 

Fstoppers Reviews the Acepen 2150, a 21-Inch Pen Display That Costs Less Than $500

When it comes to retouching as best as possible, a graphics tablet is crucial. It gives more control and allows for fine adjustments that are extremely hard to get with a mouse or trackpad. I’ve been a longtime Wacom Intuos Pro user and always loved it. However, I’ve always wondered what it was like to edit on a screen.

Is This the Most Versatile LED Light on the Market?

Recently, Spiffy Gear had released a very unique-looking light named Spekular. What caught my attention was its ability to combine, shape, and separate one single "light" in so many different ways. From my perspective, having the variety of options for on-the-go shooting held value. I ended up taking the LED light kit for a spin.

Fstoppers Reviews the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus

CalDigit, a company known for its high-quality devices aimed at working professionals, have just released the latest update to their popular Thunderbolt Station line of products. Fstoppers took a look at the last iteration, the Thunderbolt Station 3, in August of last year and it was a good device that lacked a few simple things that would make it a great device.

Fstoppers Reviews the PolarPro Elektra Cinematic Color Presets

Working with multiple cameras in filmmaking is almost inevitable. Most of the time you are in a situation working with cameras of different brands or different models. Matching the picture from these cameras can be a painful process involving color charts, reference frames, creating custom LUTs (look-up tables), etc.

Hands-On First Look with a New Lightroom Update that Promises Faster Speeds

Adobe touted much faster speeds with the release of Lightroom Classic CC (essentially, Lightroom 7). However, results seemed inconsistent. Even so, these early inconsistencies seem to have gone away with subsequent updates and bug fixes. And thankfully, Adobe will soon release another update to Lightroom that promises even better speed increases.

Fstoppers Reviews the Godox XPro Wireless Flash Trigger for Fujifilm

It seems that every time I close my eyes, Godox releases a new product. Their array of hot-shoe flashes, portable strobes, modifiers, and other flash gear seems to have no end. The great thing about a company like this with a fast product cycle is that technology develops very quickly.

Fstoppers Reviews the WiMiUS L1 4K Action Camera

The WiMiUS L1 4K action cam is a competitively priced budget alternative to a market that has quickly become saturated with tiny cameras from a huge variety of companies looking to stake their claim in the action sports market.

Fstoppers Reviews the Fujifilm X-E3

Fujifilm silently added the X-E3 to its rangefinder-type mirrorless X-E series, and its been on the market for a while as the fourth member of the series. It has some improvements, both inside and outside, such as a touchscreen and Bluetooth, and size-wise, it is more compact in comparison to other Fuji X-E series cameras.  

Fstoppers Reviews Alien Skin Exposure X3

Alien Skin, the makers of one of the most popular Photoshop plug-ins for photographers, released the latest iteration of their standalone raw photo editor in November 2017.

Fstoppers Reviews the Benro ProAngel Tripod

Benro has been familiar name in the tripod game for some time now, and recently they’ve been picking up some new fans including Fstoppers’ Lee Morris. Last summer, they launched a new line of travel tripods under the ProAngel moniker.

Kanto's YU4 Active Speakers: A Better Desktop Audio Experience

As a photographer, I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk, both producing and consuming content. I have a supportive chair, high-end monitors, and all sorts of peripherals cluttering up my desk. All to make that time easier, comfortable, and more productive. One area a lot of people either don't think about or just skip is speakers.

Fstoppers Reviews the All-Leather Blackforest Vinson Camera Messenger Bag

Early in my photography path, I didn’t pay much attention to the different kind of camera bags that were available. I knew I wanted a bag that could carry everything at the time, and I was looking for a backpack style camera bag. As time passed, my lenses collection grew which I didn't need to carry (or even use) it all.

Fstoppers Reviews NiSi 100 x 100mm Nano IRND 3.0 10-Stop ND Filter

The 10-Stop ND filter is one of the favorite filters of most landscape and urban photographers, as it extends the exposure time and makes possible achieving different results. The filter market is growing and NiSi is quite popular these days. So I decided to test NiSi 10-Stop ND filter with V5 holder system to see if it is a good option.  

Fstoppers Reviews the Beautifully Crafted Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary Lens

Sigma continues to amaze with their lineup of lenses ,and at the end of the year, I finally got to try out one for the Micro Four Thirds (M43) and Sony E mount system, the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary lens for APS-C cameras. I used this on my Olympus OM-D EM5 II for a week in Florida while art-directing a shoot, and overall, I was pleasantly surprised and might pick it up.

Fstoppers Reviews Pixelmator Pro: Not the Photoshop Alternative You're Looking For

In late November 2017, Pixelmator Pro was released to those eagerly awaiting a new photo editing solution on the Mac. Whether it was to finally escape the never-ending Adobe Creative Cloud subscription fee, or for those just getting started in photography and looking to get their toes wet, there was a good amount of hype and excitement leading up to its release.

The Gnarbox: Incredible Tech, But Who Needs It?

The Gnarbox was the most popular new product at this year's Photo Plus Expo. It's a waterproof external hard drive with card slots, USB jacks, and Wi-Fi. This tiny box allows you to backup and edit your photos and videos from your smartphone without the need for a laptop. But who would want to do that?  

The Most Useful Free App for Drone Users

A few weeks ago I reviewed the PolarPro filters for the DJI Spark and loved them. But to make full use of my drone and the adequate ND filter, PolarPro has created an app that I’m sure you’ll appreciate too. It’s available for both Android and iOS, and it’ll help you make sure you can fly your drone in the best conditions possible.

First Impressions of the Think Tank Photo Spectral 15 Camera Shoulder Bag

As a professional photographer, I’m obsessed with my bags. I am pretty satisfied with the stroller bags I am using, but when it came to the shoulder bags, something seemed to be missing. As someone who constantly travels to shoot, a good shoulder bag is an asset. So when Think Tank launched the new Spectral 15 bag, I decided to try it out.

Wireless 1080p Video: Fstoppers Reviews the Nyrius Aries Pro HDMI Transmitter and Receiver

Life as a photographer or videographer means cords — lots and lots of cords. Personally, I hate them, mostly because I'm a klutz and will invariably wrap myself in them and take down the entire set in one fell swoop. I've done my best to minimize wires in my life, but one area that's remained stubbornly dependent on physical connections is broadcasting anything on my television.