Latest Gear Reviews

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

The G-Speed Studio Desktop Backup/Working Drive Flirts with Perfection

A lot of my work is on the road, which is why I spent a long time looking for the best mobile storage options before eventually landing on the WD My Passport Pro and the LaCie Rugged SSD. But when I'm not on the road, I'm at my desk editing a wide range of video. It's here that I realized I needed not only a reliable backup, but also a powerful and fast working drive to burn through edits.

LaCie's Rugged SSD is a Portable Work Drive Monster

I live in constant fear of either accidently formatting a card or having data corruption of information before I get back to my main workstation. Because of this somewhat totally rational fear, I tend to back up cards on location during or right after shoots.

Fstoppers Reviews Moment Mobile Lenses

Pictured above are the two lenses currently available from Moment that I stumbled across while browsing Kickstarter and immediately knew I had to have. The 60mm Tele and 18mm Wide are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, while maintaining the sturdiness and incredible optics of products ten times their size.

Fstoppers Reviews: RadLab, an All-in-One Ps-Based Editing Platform

I hang out with a lot of wedding photographers and have heard them raving about RadLab, the Photoshop-based editing platform from the guys at Totally Rad!, for the last three-or-so years. The thing they love most about RadLab is the ability to visualize the change a setting will make before applying it — no more Command Z.

If Picasso Were A Photographer

In today's world of hyper-exposure to media and art, it is a rare occurrence when a piece just grabs you by the heartstrings. Day in and day out you see another reiteration of the same old concept. But every once in a while, there's that moment when you come across another photographer’s work that leaves you in awe of their talent and unique vision.

Optimizing Photos for Maximum Quality and Minimum Size

What's the best way to optimize photos so that I can deliver quality to my clients while reducing the file size for faster uploads into the cloud? This has been a question I’ve been thinking about for sometime.

Nikon D810 Review VS D800 VS 5D3 VS FS700

I believe that the Nikon D810 is currently the best all around camera you can buy for the money ($3300) even with competition from Sony's A7R. The more difficult question comes from current D800 owners like me; "Is this camera worth upgrading to?" The answer isn't cut and dry.  

Coversplash: A New Portfolio Option

Coversplash, a new photo sharing and photography forum site, is the creation of four college guys who wanted to create a one stop shop for all your photo needs.

The Sigma dp2 Quattro Review: New Camera, New Sensor, New Heights

There are two things that immediately come to mind when we talk about the new Sigma dp2 Quattro: the new new Foveon X3 sensor (the book), and the shape of the camera (its cover). Do either matter? Are either necessary? Why do/don’t I like it? And overall, should we all go out and buy this camera today? I had some time to myself with the camera for a preliminary review this week.

Workflow Review: Backing Up and Delivering Content with WD MyPassport & My Cloud Mirror

Western Digital makes some of my favorite hard drives, and one drive in particular recently caught my interest: the My Cloud Mirror. The idea of the My Cloud Mirror was appealing: managing my own cloud network that could be accessed from anywhere and also shared out of, but without a monthly fee. Basically, it is a personal DropBox.

The "Cutting Edge Editing & Post Production Tour" Review

The premise for the Cutting Edge Tour headed up by Adam Epstein, five year veteran video editor and post production guru for Saturday Night Live, was a tricky one. I know because I spent a few days bouncing ideas around with him and looking at how to structure the thing. This review will set out specifically what you will (and won’t) find in the workshop. 

Timelapse Machine Review: The Syrp Genie Gets a Lot Right

There is no avoiding it: timelapse is popular right now. With the ability to use relatively low-cost cameras to still generate extremely high resolution video, hardly a day goes by without a new, amazing timelapse video blowing up on Vimeo. The Syrp Genie is a Kickstarter success story, garnering over six times the original asking pledge amount.

Fstoppers Reviews the FoCal Autofocus Calibration Software

There are few things we, as photographers, are more OCD about than tack-sharp focus. We invest so many of our hard-earned dollars into nice glass, painstakingly focus, then spend hours in post afterwards pulling our hair out when the eyes aren’t sharp. While of course sometimes OOF images are due to user error, small variations in the lens and camera can result in less-than-sharp images.

Review in Progress: The Sony a7S and the Promise of 4K

The Sony a7S has been the subject of a hotbed of conversation for the past four or five months as a camera with a lot of potential to really shake up the cinema world. This of course was extremely interesting to me as a videographer.

10 Amazing Changes in the Nikon D810

Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake over at The Camera Store take us to the Calgary Stampede to demonstrate the improved features of the Nikon D810.  While "10 Amazing Changes in the Nikon D810" makes for a catchy title, the truth is Chris and Jordan provide a full-fledged, hands-on field test.

Fstoppers Reviews: Mastin Labs Fuji 400H Preset System

Late last year, Trevor Dayley wrote an article which introduced me to the Mastin Labs Portra 400 film emulation preset system. As a long time Kodak Portra 400 shooter I was thrilled to see side-by-side comparisons of Portra 400 against digital with the preset. They looked darn near identical.

My Weekend With The Phase One IQ250 Camera System: Lifestyle, Swim, Beauty, Fashion, and On-The-Road Edition

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of testing out the Phase One IQ250, and so I thought I would put together a practical write up of my time spent the Phase One IQ250 Camera System, the Capture One software, and whether or not either one has found a permanent place in my workflow. As you’ve probably read by now, friend and fellow Fstoppers writer Zach Sutton recently covered his time spen

Review of the Uinta 30L From Gura Gear: My New Urban Backpack

A month ago I was asked to review the Uinta backpack from Gura Gear and was excited about using it in the city. Gura Gear makes backpacks for outdoor / travel photographers; however, I instantly noticed some features I have been looking for in a bag for my elopement and wedding coverage needs.   The Uinta bag is created to be your one bag for multiple trips.

Michael Schmidt Reviews the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM

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).

New Samsung Pro-Level SD Cards are Winners

When it comes to camera memory cards, most of us gravitate towards Sandisk and Lexar. Maybe PNY or Sony too. Samsung has been making memory cards for other companies for quite some time, but only recently have they decided to branch out and brand them as Samsung. So how do they perform? Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, quite well.