Latest Gear Reviews

If you're a full-time photographer, or have been in the game for a while and are making consistent money with your camera, there's a good chance you've got a pretty solid invoice system set up (if you don't then you need to!).

Since the new Sony a9 announcement and subsequent release, it’s been earmarked as an honest competitor to the sports and wildlife scene.

Just recently, I was able to test out the Venus Optics 105mm f/2 STF lens. After having it and using it here and there for a few months, I came to the conclusion that it would not be a bad addition to my photo bag. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this lens considering I've never really had a prime telephoto lens before. 

Fujifilm has made quite the name for themselves in the camera industry. They completely changed the game with the release of the original X100 and have since been turning out great camera after great camera. In a similar fashion, Fujifilm is looking to change the way you view medium format cameras with the recent release of the Fujifilm GFX 50s.

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.

Lowepro recently announced an update to their popular Flipside series of backpacks aimed at meeting the modern photographer and videographer's needs. Here I review the largest and most robust of the series, the Flipside 500 AW II. 

This is not your typical list of must have photography apps — no Snapchat, Instagram, or Photoshop here. Although you might not have heard of many of the names I'm about to recommend to you, each one has earned its place on my phone because it plays a part in making my life as a photographer much easier. 

I love editing photos. For me, pressing the shutter is only the first 10 percent of the adventure. So, any product that promises to not only speed up the editing process, but just as importantly, make it more intuitive, is an intriguing proposition. Enter Palette, which transforms editing from an exercise in mousing sliders to a real, tactile process. 

The favorite plug-in amongst many photographers just got a little better, which is great news! In case you haven't read my last article covering what JPEGmini does and what it's all about, it's both a software and plug-in that cuts the file size of every high-resolution photo in half while still retaining photo size and resolution. Sounds impossible, right?

How could you make photo editing more intuitive? Both working professional photographers and beginners would really benefit from a more intuitive, time-saving way of interacting with Adobe Lightroom. Dragging sliders and rating images can be, well, a drag sometimes.

Photographers today demand a lot from their equipment, and we expect a lot when purchasing gear that we plan on traveling with. Fstoppers takes a look at a lightweight carbon fiber travel tripod that’s packed with the features you may be looking for. 

I tend to be fairly wary of brands I've never heard of before, particularly when it comes to buying something that is meant to keep my camera from falling over, but the guys over at K&F Concept offered to let me test out one of their tripods so I figured I might as well throw caution to the wind and give it a go. Is the K&F Aluminum Tripod the perfect value tripod for you?

Broncolor is often thought as one the most exclusive flash manufacturers. Its studio units are renowned to be built like tanks and to be remarkably consistent in terms of color and exposure. The Move L is no exception even though it’s meant to be used outdoors.

Ah, scanning. If you're not printing in the darkroom, it's a necessary evil when dealing with film. You could argue that outside of the moment of exposure, scanning carries the most weight in determining the quality of the final image. For those that choose to develop their film at home, scanning is the next step in our workflow.

So, it's kind of a running joke in the office whenever we see an email about a bag that someone wants us to review: "Wow! Do you think it will hold all the things!?" Because let's be real, a camera bag is just that: a bag to hold your camera and other gear. I've used the same cheap camera backpack for about five years now, and it was starting to look a little raggedy.

Pixrit is the latest in social media content managers specifically targeting photographers. With tag lines like, “Designed for photographers, by photographers,” and, “Schedule 1 month of sharing in less than 5 minutes,” they have set high expectations for a service that already has some strong competition.

When I received this bag I have to admit I had never heard of K&F Concept as a company before. A quick examination of the bag and I could see that this large travel backpack style bag wasn't something cheap you would pick up at Walmart.

It's been three years since Leica brought us the original aluminum wonder Leica T. While it was given a refresh last year, that update flew under the radar of even many Leica fans as it did little more than change the name. The brand new TL2, however, is a ground-up reworking of the entire platform.

The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) is Sky-Watcher’s newest time-lapse and astrophotography tracking platform. It’s their attempt at a compact lightweight mobile setup that's both beginner friendly and easily packed into your camera bag.

Electronics company MGCOOL has recently put out several new sports action cameras in the style of GoPro targeting the 4K and affordable market. The Explorer 1s both feature rich and capable of 4k at 24FPS packs a lot in for the low price of $70.

Colorists and video production folks are already familiar with LUTs (Lookup Table) and likely already use them for color grading videos. This is the next level for working with LUTs.

UPDATE:  ENDS TODAY! Have you ever wished you could have a decent sized softbox fit in the palm of your hand? Swedish photographer Vincent Palma and his team have created a 24 inch light modifier that folds down into a mere 8 inches.

I recently wrote about how photographers should be seriously looking at the medium of video as a skill that should be in their repertoire. Hopefully, some of you were inspired enough to start capturing your own moving images and now you're ready to edit the footage. VSDC Free Video Editor could be just the piece of software you've been looking for. 

"Could you Photoshop this for me?" I'm pretty sure that's something every photographer hears on a far more regular basis than any of us would like. I get it, people want better photos. Maybe they didn't see that trash can in the background, or they couldn't get everyone with their eyes open at once, or they didn't like the color of shirt they were wearing in the photo.

If you're a fan of Lightroom presets, the PIC Presets Collection might be the most complete set you've ever seen. Check out our review of the full system and find out how if they offer the versatility you're looking for.