Articles from Jaron Schneider

Clever camera angles and captivating b-roll are important when making a solid and complete video product. When you’re on the move in a car, dune buggy, sailboat or tank, great videographers create enthralling footage by capturing unusual angles and movement. The Delkin Fat Gecko shines as a low-cost, effective suction mount for any slick surface that allows you to get your camera in the face of the mobile action.

Recently, Jeff Cable from Lexar published a blog post explaining a rather curious choice on Canon's part. It seems that the 5D Mark III was built with one very fast CF slot which supports the newer UDMA7 protocol and a standard SD card slot which does NOT support the high speed standard (called UHS). Without UHS support, the top speed that can be achieved by the SD card is 133x. Because the 5D MKIII defaults to the slowest memory card speed inserted in the camera, your CF speed could get short-changed by the SD card.

June is the month to win cameras here at Fstoppers. Not only are we giving away a Canon 5D MKIII or a Nikon D800, but until June 26, you can enter to win a Lytro! This tiny little camera got a lot of hype at the end of 2011, and for good reason. It basically redefined what a still image could be and introduced the new light field sensor unit of measurement, the megaray. So join Fstoppers and Camera Awesome as we give one away!

Days of preparation, hundreds of people, and 57 Profoto strobes culminated in just five minutes and forty-two seconds of fast-paced shooting. In photographer Art Streiber’s own words, “it was pretty huge, and a little out of control.” I’ll say. In an Fstoppers exclusive, we go behind the scenes of one of the largest and most sensitive group photo shoots ever undertaken with 116 of Hollywood’s greatest stars on one stage at one time to celebrate Paramount Studio’s 100th anniversary.

Blair Bunting is a good friend of mine, and by far one of the best commercial portrait photographers out there today. He just published a blog post regarding the highly lauded (while simultaneously seriously attacked) new MacBook pro with retina display. While the display is absolutely breathtaking, it has a serious disadvantage. Is the display too good?

Amidst the leaked Nikon D600 and D400 specs, we have some rumors arising from the Canon side. The Nikon D600 is being called an entry-level full frame, so it's no wonder that Canon is also ready with their foray into this market with their revamped 7DII and replacing both the 60D and the original 7D with the upcoming 70D.

Photographers like pulling for the underdog, and each year photographers are hoping to see Olympus return to the throne they once held, or at least make an appearance in the Court. Back when film was king, the Olympus brand was as strong as Canon, Nikon, and Kodak. But in the digital age and especially in the last year, things haven't been so great. Yet this new advertising campaign could change all that- It's witty, quick, original, and best of all, relatable.

A boatload of new unconfirmed information has been leaked through Canon Rumors regarding the new Canon T4i/650D slated for release this year. Many of you expressed concern over how you thought the touchscreen would perform, and now we are beginning to see all the pieces fall together. Select focus points, zoom and crop, and select your settings from the Q menu that, honestly, was yearning for touch since its introduction.

Sorry for the delay this month folks! I was traveling the Inland Empire (Idaho). That said, it's time to answer the question many of you wait patiently for every month: Who impressed us with the best images uploaded to our Fstoppers Facebook Group? Which images brought the most discussion? Which images were mind blowingly stunning, but went unnoticed? Take a look, because once again you all proved just how talented you are.

We do what we do because we love it. We didn't do this for fame, glory, or accolades. We are just a bunch of photo nerds, gear heads, and working pros who wanted to help others learn how to be better photographers. We learn something new every day, and we hope that you do too. So we were extremely surprised to find that we were just rated the #1 photography site by ExpertPhotography.com.

UPDATE 2: Huffington Post has edited their original article. They now state that the Instagram app deal will close later this year, not the whole app.

In case you were as baffled when you heard that Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 Billion, you weren't alone. But news today shows the reason. Facebook has announced their next product: Facebook Camera.

Like him or not, Mark Zuckerberg has become wildly successful with the social media giant, Facebook. After the IPO hit Wall Street, Zuck surprised his friends and family with an unannounced wedding to his long time girlfriend. His photographer Allyson Magda was caught off guard by the switcheroo of events, but according to Forbes, was able to keep it all together despite the craziness of the day.

Another Canon rumor has emerged that has a few new specs for the anticipated 7D Mark II and the 70D. If you have been looking at the market, there has been a lot of talk surrounding the 7D Mark II and it's supposed specs and release date. With this new rumor/speculation, the talk will only get louder. So what can we supposedly expect?

After the merger of Broncolor and Hasselblad in the United States, it was only a matter of time before we saw more news on the global front from the camera giant. Hasselblad has released the announcement of a major price reduction, over 20% off in some cases in Europe.

It looks like the sleuths at CanonRumors have culled some more information regarding the impending Canon T4i. We reported that Canon was probably going to release at least two cameras in June, and the T4i is looking more and more like one of those. What's it have that's new? Likely a touch screen.

If you spend much time on the app store (or even if you don't) you are inundated with the hundreds of camera apps, every single one of them claiming to be the greatest thing ever. Camera Awesome is no exception. I mean, they make quite the bold statement in the name of the app alone. So let's take a look at what it means to "Awesomize," and dissect this app that promises to take sharper, better-exposed photos with stunning professional effects.

In the past week, we have reported on some hot button issues. First we dropped the story regarding Time Magazine's controversial cover. Not long after, Elle Brazil was next up to the plate with yet another contentious cover. Let's look at what some of you had to say and discuss the issues further, because I know I wasn't the only one who felt that there were those of you who were getting really fired up.

CanonRumors is reporting that Canon plans to unveil two new cameras in June, not counting any PowerShot updates. One of the expectations is their long-awaited mirrorless debut, but that rumor has been swilling around for over a year.

Less than a week remains to enter our SmugMug giveaway! We are teaming up with SmugMug to give away a full year of SmugMug Pro and their site customization service. That's a $450 value that is worth every cent. So, have you entered yet?

Today Stockholm-based camera accessory brand Visualante announced the impending launch of their new line of skate-inspired camera bags. Five new bags will be available in Fall/Winter of 2012. In a highly competitive industry (especially here in the USA, but maybe it is different in Europe), it will be interesting to see what these bags bring to the table that isn't already out there. We've got the full rundown of currently available information.

Canon SLRs are known for their high quality video and that did not go unnoticed by the videographers behind the latest box office smash hit "Marvel's The Avengers." The Canon EOS 5D MKII and the EOS 7D were selected as the stunt and action cameras that shot the outrageous scenes. The Canon cameras were perfect for capturing "intense action and visual effects" which "required close-quarter action work with unrepeatable stunts."

If you recall, earlier this week we announced the availability of a new iPhone app that you can use to trigger your camera in various ways called TriggerTrap. Though I am still waiting on my dongle, I've had some time with the app and have to say, I'm excited to hook it up to my DSLR.

When I caught wind that the tripod masters at Really Right Stuff were about to release a new product, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love new gear. Because it had not even finished final production yet, they unfortunately could not send me a brand new one in time to satisfy my desire to see it. However, they didn't want to disappoint and instead sent me the prototype! Score! Let’s take a look at the TFA-01 Pocket Pod.

For many of us, Polaroid cameras hold a special place in our hearts. What started as the original instant camera evolved into an art form beloved by hipsters and pro photographers alike. Polaroid has struggled lately, as digital photography has forced the instant photo classic out onto the fringes. App developer Appadana licensed the Polaroid name to build an iOS version of their cult classic camera and make it modern. The result: Polamatic.

It’s rare these days to find a product that is so well rounded that it can appeal to an entire market of users. Especially in photography, it is not uncommon to find products that claim to be designed “for beginning to advanced users” but suffer greatly from the attempt to spread out over such a vast range. SLR Lounge's Lightroom DVD is advertised to be an A-Z Lightroom mastery experience, so does it live up to it's claim?

When we were told that the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC lens was shipping on April 26, I can't understate how stoked Pat, Lee and myself were. Since we read the press release, we have been itching to get our hands on one. Why? Because this lens fills a void we have been aching for since DSLRs started shooting quality video.

Hey Canon fans, corporate has issued their statement regarding light leak issue on the new 5D which Fstoppers reported on April 7. Their official statement has allowed them to resume shipping the hot-selling camera. In their words "this phenomenon will not affect your captured images."

Today, Bon Appetit featured a very comprehensive blog post from food photographer William Hereford. Rather than just talking about just a particular technique or style, Hereford also writes to the burgeoning food photographer/enthusiast and tries to answer the question: What is the camera you should go with if you want to get into commercial food photography? The answer may surprise you.

I have seen a lot of remarks and questions as to why Nikon released a 24 megapixel consumer camera. Why did they pack so many megapixels into a crop sensor? The ISO performance is likely to suffer (though we won’t know for sure until we test it out). The smarter move? Keep the megapixels the same and increase the ISO performance. So why didn’t Nikon do this?

Earlier this week we announced the upcoming Blackmagic Cinema Camera, an extremely well-priced 2.5K resolution high-definition video camera. Well, it didn't take long for this sucker to go up for sale, and now you can pre-order it at B&H Photo. At such a tempting price point, who here is going to grab one as soon as they can?

After two weeks, several thousand entries, many MANY pleading comments and messages, the time has finally come to reveal the winner of our Tamron lens giveaway! The winner receives the coveted Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD lens for Sony, Canon or Nikon crop-sensor mount (winner's choice). So... was it you?

Only a few days remain if you want to win the Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD lens for Sony, Canon or Nikon crop-sensor mount (winner's choice) worth $649! Got a full frame camera? That's ok! If you win, you can opt for the 28-300mm Di VC model.

Ok, so the Lord of the Rings reference is a bit dramatic. But photographers ask this question of each other all the time: "What lens could you not go without?" Imagine that you had to pick one lens for your camera for the rest of your life. Which lens would that be? Could you be completely satisfied with an 85mm f/1.4, or would you grab the 70-200mm f/2.8? Decisions decisions...

As many of you have probably already read, Sony Corp announced that it is cutting 10,000 jobs, which translates to 6% of its global workforce. Sony has been struggling with negative profits for four straight years, mainly due to its floundering television division. But what does this mean for Sony’s camera division? With the television sector likely getting the main force of the cuts, will Sony rely on growth in their digital imaging division to make up for the numbers?

I don't know if it really is the smallest camera in the world like makers Hammacher Schlemmer claim, but it's probably the smallest camera that looks like a camera! It's powerful 2 megapixel sensor can capture still images at 1600 x 1200 resolution and captures video at 30 fps at 640 x 480 resolution. It even has built-in autofocus!