affordable

How to Build a Wall-Mounted Battery Charging Station on the Cheap

Photographer and YouTuber Duncan Dimanche has posted a quick tutorial that'll show you how to create your own DIY wall charging station on the cheap. Depending on your needs this setup can cost as little as $60, and the results look almost as good and functional as some of the more serious builds we've featured.

Acer Unveils Affordable ConceptD 3 Ezel Laptop for Creators

Earlier this week, Acer unveiled a new crop of computers, including a rugged laptop, some monitors, a creator desktop, and the product we're most interested in: a more affordable ConceptD 3 Ezel laptop that's aimed at creators on a budget.

How to Create a Basic Home YouTube Studio for Less Than $100

If you've been thinking of trying your hand at vlogging or starting a YouTube channel, it might surprise you to learn that you can create a nice-looking "YouTube Studio" setup at home for less that $100. In this video, Boston-based videographer Kellan Reck takes you step-by-step through the whole process.

Tokina Unveils New 11-20mm f/2.8 Zoom Lens for Crop Sensor DSLRs

As promised back in March, Tokina has just the ATX-i 11-20mm f/2.8 CF: an ultra-wide angle zoom lens for crop-sensor DSLRs from Nikon and Canon. With a fixed f/2.8 aperture and affordable price tag, it should prove to be a very popular option for APS-C users.

Sigma Unveils Affordable 100-400mm f/5-6.3 Lens for Mirrorless Cameras

After some very accurate leaks last week, Sigma has officially revealed four products today: an affordable 100-400mm f/5-6.3 telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras, two teleconverters for L-Mount mirrorless lenses, and a USB dock for Sigma's L-Mount and EF-M Mount mirrorless lenses.

NiSi Unveils Its First Macro Focusing Rail for Precise Focus Stacking

Cinema lens and filter maker NiSi continues its expansion into strange product categories. This time, the company has released its first macro focusing rail: a competitively-priced addition to the market that gives macro enthusiasts a lot of control and some nice-to-have features for precise focus stacking.

Lexar Unveils Ultra-Portable CFExpress Card Reader for Just $50

Being an early adopter of any technology usually comes with a hefty price tag, and CFExpress is no exception. The cards themselves are up to 3x to 6x more expensive than comparable SD cards, and the card readers out there can get pretty pricey on the high end. Enter Lexar.

Yongnuo Unveils ‘Nifty Fifty’ Lens for Sony APS-C Cameras

Yongnuo has unveiled a new 50mm f/1.8 lens, expanding its "nifty fifty" lineup to include the YN50mm f/1.8S DA DSM for Sony's E-Mount APS-C cameras. We don't have a price yet, but we expect this to be the cheapest 50mm lens you can buy for Sony's a6000 series once it hits stores.

How to Capture a ‘Dramatic’ Food Photo Using Cheap Gear

Food photographer Joanie Simon of The Bite Shot has put together a helpful tutorial that shows you how to capture "dramatic food photography" using an extremely cheap DSLR. Specifically, she picked up a used Canon Rebel T2i with a kit lens for just $200.

An Ode to Vintage Lenses and How I Stopped Giving a Damn About Sharpness

As with a majority of newbies to photography, the obsession with gear and chasing the newest toys proved to be irresistible to me. I spent far more time reading reviews, comparing charts, watching youtube videos, and looking for deals than actually going out and shooting.

How to Build a DIY ‘Pixelstick’ for About $22

You might have heard of the Pixelstick. “Nothing compares” is one of their tag lines. And this is true... at least price-wise. I have always wanted one to at least try out some light painting with it, but the Pixelstick retails for €400 here in Germany and $349 in the United States.

This is Why the Cheapest Photographer Doesn’t Always Get the Job

Photographer Heather Lahtinen of the Flourish Academy recently took on one of the most common complaints among working photographers: that cheap photogs are "saturating" the market and stealing all the jobs by undercutting better photographers on price. Lahtinen says this is "the biggest load of crap" she's ever heard.

Elinchrom Unveils Affordable ELC 125 and ELC 500 Mid-Range Monolights

Elinchrom has just released two new mid-range monolights that are both full-featured and surprisingly affordable for what they offer. The new ELC 125 and ELC 500 boast to 131Ws and 522Ws of power, respectively, and offer everything from standard options like TTL and HSS support, on up to more niche features like "Smart Pro-Active Cooling" and light-up logos that indicate flash group.

Creating Homemade Photography Backdrops on the Cheap

Anyone who has had any exposure to still life photography or studio work will know just how expensive backdrops can be. I have a couple from Kate Backdrops company, one of which I use very often, but I've been hankering after a few more.

Wedding Photography Pricing Myths Exposed

Wedding photographer Taylor Jackson recently took on what he's calling "wedding photography pricing myths." In a 30-minute video, Jackson tackles some of the most common tips, advice, and outright myths that he found online, setting the record straight for beginners who want to get into this business.

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Vintage Lenses

Photographer and YouTuber Mark Holtze thinks that you (and everyone else) should give vintage lenses a try. And in the video above, he lays out his top 5 reasons why you should try vintage glass in 2020.

A $60 DIY Photo Ceiling Rail Lighting System

What started off as a quick lighting test in my garage has turned into a full investigation and installation of my own DIY photography ceiling rail system. My shooting space measures 7x10 feet (2x3m) -- not a great space for shooting portraits.

Filmmaker Tries 5 Creative and Crazy S*itty Rig Camera Hacks

Filmmaker and YouTuber Dan Mace is a big fan of the S*itty Rigs blog, where creatives share the crappiest DIY rigs they've ever used in order to get the shot on a budget. In his latest video, Mace tries out five of the rigs that he felt had the most potential... so you don't have to.

Deal Alert: The Nikon D5 is Now $1,000 Off

As Nikon prepares to reveal the Nikon D6 flagship DSLR in earnest, the Nikon D5's price has dropped to an all-time low. Whether you want the XQD or CF memory card version, you can now pick it up for "just" $5,497, or a full $1,000 off the suggested retail price.