Thunderbolt 5 is finally reaching real-world machines, and the enclosure market is catching up. The ORICO X50 is a new fanless option supporting TB5 compatibility, and after testing it out, I think it’s worth checking out.
Getting fast, high-capacity storage has become a bottleneck in modern workflows. Codecs keep getting heavier, and a well-specced internal SSD can feel cramped quickly. Upgrades can be difficult or unreasonably expensive; enter the Express 4M2, a four-drive enclosure that addresses all these issues.
Fast portrait primes for APS-C often force a compromise between price, build, and image quality. The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro aims to sidestep that trade-off by delivering flagship-level optics at a price that undercuts most competitors. But how big can APS-C glass go and still work for the system?
Network-attached storage is like mattress shopping for creators: incredibly useful, rarely exciting. But after trying the Zettlab D6, I came away feeling like this is one of the first pre-built NAS products that genuinely tries to be something more than a black box humming in the corner.
Reliable power on location is a necessity for creators, but high-capacity units are often expensive. The OUPES Exodus 2400 aims to challenge that with a compelling feature set at a budget price. I put it through its paces to see if it can keep up.
Fast prime lenses often command a premium price, keeping f/1.2 apertures out of reach for many budget-conscious photographers. Pergear is looking to shake up the entry-level market with its new Pergear 50mm f/1.2 APS-C lens, offering incredible speed and vintage aesthetics for just $99.
The 35mm focal length is a staple for almost every photographer, but native options often come with a hefty price tag. I recently took the Meike 35mm f/1.8 Pro AF for a spin to see if this budget-friendly full frame lens could stand up to the rigorous demands of modern high-resolution sensors.
Packing for a trip always involves tough choices. Do you bring that heavy ultra-wide zoom for just a few shots? Viltrox AF 14mm f/4 Air has an answer that makes the decision incredibly easy, and it comes in a tiny lens that costs less than a nice dinner for two.
Modern cameras are data monsters. High resolutions and fast frame rates create a storage bottleneck for professionals. Lexar Professional SILVER 2TB CFexpress 4.0 Type A card aims to solve that problem for Sony shooters at a surprisingly reasonable price point. Does it succeed?
YoloLiv, known for its live streaming encoders, is stepping into the dedicated webcam market with a bold claim: mirrorless quality in a webcam. The newly announced YoloLiv YoloCam S3 aims to deliver professional-grade visuals with plug-and-play convenience, targeting creators, streamers, and professionals.
The Godox X3Pro is a new TTL wireless flash trigger promising unprecedented control. It brings a 2.4-inch touchscreen, control over four groups, and expanded per-light adjustments to your lighting workflow.
A reliable flashlight is a must-have in any camera bag. The Wuben X4 tries something different, with its unique rectangular design, powerful main beam, and versatile side light. It promises to be a versatile light, but does the pursuit of doing everything compromise its performance?
Hollyland has consistently been at the forefront of wireless audio capture, and their latest flagship, the LARK MAX 2, represents a push to consolidate nearly every desirable modern audio feature into a single comprehensive system. Are all these features important, or is the result overly complicated?
While new lenses aim for perfection, many think they are too sterile. The flaws of vintage glass have become unexpectedly sought after. The problem is that shooting with them is an expensive and impractical endeavor. This new plugin for DaVinci Resolve aims to solve this problem. Can it deliver?
We have all been there. It is pre-dawn at a landscape you’ve been waiting for weeks to shoot, or you’re packing up after a wedding reception has ended. You need to find that memory card you just dropped, but your phone flashlight just isn’t cutting it. While a phone flashlight is certainly convenient, it is rarely the right tool for the job.
Godox has built a reputation for delivering capable and affordable lighting, with flashes like the Godox V1 and Godox AD200 becoming go-to workhorses for countless photographers. But with every new product, the question arises: is it just a minor spec bump or a genuine leap forward? The new Godox V100, the company’s flagship on-camera flash, arrived promising two major advancements: a significant power increase to 100 Ws and a modern touchscreen interface. Is that enough to make it worth an upgrade?
The humble SD card might be one of the scariest points of failure for photographers. Consider your entire shoot stored on a fragile plastic wafer: what can you do to protect your images “in flight”? Lexar’s answer with the ARMOR GOLD is to ruggedize the SD card format to the max, armoring it in metal and eliminating points of failure. But does it still make for a good memory card?
Godox has announced the AD400Pro II, the follow-up to its popular 400 Ws all-in-one outdoor strobe. The original AD400Pro became a go-to for many photographers thanks to its balance of power, portability, and cost. With the new generation, Godox is adding refinements aimed at making the light faster, more flexible, and easier to use in multi-light setups. Here's everything new in the strobe.
There is a moment in every photographer’s career when a single camera bag is no longer enough. Maybe it starts with one C-stand, then a sandbag, a hard case of lenses, a power station, and before you know it, you are making three trips back to the car. This is the point where you have to stop looking for a bigger bag and start looking for a smarter solution. RockNRoller has long been a staple for road crews, and its new R9 Mighty series is aimed squarely at creatives who want that same level of reliability offroad and on mixed terrain.
With every new generation of camera producing larger files and higher bitrates, the demand for faster transfer speeds is relentless. Now, with Apple's M4 Pro and M4 Max chips ushering in the new Thunderbolt 5 standard, the goalposts have moved once again. Can the OWC Envoy Ultra deliver the next step-change in portable drive speeds?
Sony photographers and videographers have a choice when it comes to memory cards: stick with common and cheap SD cards or step up to the significantly faster, albeit pricier, CFexpress Type A format. Pergear has been making Type A more accessible for a little while now, and their latest Master CFexpress 4.0 Type A card aims to push performance boundaries further, at a great price. Does it deliver?
If you’re in Sony’s Alpha system, the NP-FZ100 battery is a familiar sight. It powers a huge range of cameras, from the a7R V to the a6700, FX3, and FX30. While the battery itself is a solid performer, Sony’s charging solution is a basic, single-slot affair with little feedback beyond a blinking light. This has created a huge market for third-party solutions, and the FirstPower NP-FZ100 Dual LCD Charger Kit is one of the more interesting options. It promises not just to charge your batteries, but to do so faster, smarter, and in a more convenient package.
The world of continuous LED lighting is more competitive than ever. In this landscape, Nanlite has carved out a place by offering powerful, reliable, and cost-effective lighting. The FS-300C brings a newer lighting trend—multi-color LEDs—along with high power ratings to an attractive price point. Does RGBW lighting really make a difference?
With power stations, everyone wants more capacity and longer life, but nobody wants to lug around a 60-pound brick. The Dabbsson 2000L aims to strike a balance by packing 2 kWh of energy storage into a surprisingly portable form factor at a very competitive price point. Is the Dabbsson 2000L an ideal entry point for creators looking for a large power station?
I’ve relied on power stations for outdoor shoots and location work over the past year because they eliminate battery anxiety and bridge the gap between studio and location setups. With the Power 2000, DJI elevates the power station with a high-capacity unit featuring user-friendly design and tight integration with their ecosystem. Is it worth adding to your gear?
For mobile-first creators, capturing good audio can be challenging, often being more expensive and complicated than the point-and-capture nature of mobile video. Hollyland is aiming to solve that problem with its new Lark A1, a dual-channel wireless microphone system designed specifically for mobile devices that prioritizes simplicity while keeping costs impressively low.
As creatives, we spend a lot of time at our computers, where the cumulative strain on our hands, wrists, and shoulders is a real concern. While ergonomic mice and chairs have become more common, the keyboard often remains an afterthought. Enter the ZSA Moonlander, a split, ergonomic keyboard promising a highly customizable and comfortable typing experience. It aims to be a premium solution for discerning users and keyboard aficionados. But is it a worthwhile investment for creative professionals? I've been testing the Moonlander over the last few weeks, and here are my thoughts.
The Thunderbolt and broader USB-C hub space is crowded with options from budget to premium, offering a dizzying array of ports. ProGrade, makers of excellent high-performance storage, are diving into this space with their first hub: a Thunderbolt 4–based hub designed around their card reader ecosystem. Does this hub have what it takes to stand out from the crowd?
Lenses like the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art and Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM have long dominated the fast 35mm space on Sony E-mount. But Viltrox, with its new 35mm f/1.2 FE LAB, is aiming right at the high end. Is this latest entry in Viltrox’s already impressive LAB series a competitor for the best-performing 35mm on E-mount?
As creators, we're constantly managing massive raw libraries and hefty high-resolution video clips. External hard drives quickly turn into clutter, and direct-attached storage can limit flexibility when switching between devices. Network Attached Storage (NAS) is the logical next step, but historically, high-performance solutions with features like 10GbE have been prohibitively expensive. Enter the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus: promising robust hardware, content-creator-focused capabilities, and affordable 10GbE connectivity. In this review, I tested it to see if it genuinely delivers for demanding creative workflows.
In the world of content creation, data is king, and losing it is a nightmare scenario, especially when you’re out in the field. While portable SSDs offer blistering speeds, their cost per terabyte can still sting, particularly when you need to store hefty raw files and uncompressed videos. The SanDisk G-DRIVE ArmorATD updates the classic portable hard drive with extra durability and a modern USB-C interface. But in an era dominated by solid-state speed, does this rugged hard drive still have a place in a creator's bag?
Pushing your camera's ISO is often a necessary evil in photography. Whether capturing the ambiance of a dimly lit wedding reception, the sprawl of the Milky Way, or the split-second action of wildlife, higher ISOs let you get the shot. The trade-off, however, is digital noise—that grainy, color-speckled texture that can obscure fine details and degrade the overall quality of your images. There are now several contenders vying for a spot in your noise reduction workflow, but which one truly delivers the cleanest results without introducing new problems?
Freewell aims to simplify the modern card storage conundrum with their Pro Reader, a device that promises not only high-speed reading of multiple formats but also integrated storage for cards when you're out in the field. I've been testing one out to see how it fits into a creator's workflow.
Panorama photography presents unique challenges, both in the field and during post-processing. For years, PTGui has been a favorite powerhouse tool for photographers needing more control and better results than the basic stitching tools provide. Now, with the release of PTGui 13, this already excellent panorama stitching software gets a significant update, focusing on a streamlined DNG-based workflow, performance boosts, and useful new features. Is it worth the upgrade?
The ingest process is rarely the most glamorous part of being a photographer or videographer. It can often feel like a bottleneck, especially when you're juggling multiple card formats, dealing with slow readers, or fighting a tangle of dongles after a long shoot day.
