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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.

How to Make a DIY Wood Photography Backdrop

Want a tabletop wooden backdrop you can use for photographing everything from products to babies? Here's a 10.5-minute video by Erik Tande of DIY done wrong showing how you can make your own for basically zero cost.

Budget Gear Guide: The Best Cheap Off-Camera Flash Set-Up

When photographer Scott Choucino of TinHouse Studio first got into off-camera flash photography, he found himself struggling to find good info on putting together a solid affordable setup. That's why he created this video: a beginner's guide to his favorite super-cheap off-camera flash set-up.

How to Take Macro Photos on a Budget

Want to get started in macro photography but don't have much to spend? There are ways to jump into the niche using mostly the gear you already have (assuming you don't have a dedicated macro lens). Here's an 8-minute video by NatureTTL that'll point you in the right direction.

Yongnuo Unveils YN200 Godox Clone and YN560-TX PRO Radio Transmitter

After teasing releasing teasers for the YN200 pocket flash and YN560-TX radio transmitter last month, Yongnuo officially revealed the Godox AD200 clone and the TTL and HSS compatible transmitter this week, hoping to reclaim a bit of the budget gear market that Godox has all but taken over.

Zhiyun Unveils Cheap, Compact Crane-M2 Gimbal for Compact Cameras

Earlier today, Zhiyun added a lightweight, affordable, compact gimbal to their Crane lineup. Called the Crane-M2, the small 3-axis gimbal is targeted at travel shooters and vloggers who want to capture the smoothest possible footage with their compact camera, smartphone or action cam.

Deal Alert: Huge Price Drop on Nikon D5 and D810

If you're in the market for a full-frame DSLR and you don't mind picking up a model that's a few years old, now is the time. Yesterday, Nikon launched the biggest price drops yet on both the Nikon D5 and the Nikon D810, taking $500 off the flagship D5, $1,000 off the 36.3MP D810, and a whopping $1,600 off the D810 kit with the 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens.

The $10 Backdrop: Cheap vs Expensive Seamless for Portraits

Photography. It’s expensive. And who really has the money to buy all the name brand photo gear? I certainly don’t. With that said, expensive equipment does NOT make the photograph -- the photographer does, which is why I am exploring various non-photography-specific gear and using it for my photography.

How to Build a $30 DIY Rain Machine (and How to Shoot with It)

I’ve written about this project in the past, as I originally made the rain machine and shot with it in 2012, but we’ve now done it in video form! Hopefully it shows a little more detail about the construction and how I shot with it.

This is Why You Don’t Hire a $0.25 Photo Retoucher

After discovering retouching services being offered on Fiverr, the popular platform that lets freelancers offer ultra-cheap services, photographer Irene Rudnyk recently decided to conduct an experiment to see what kind of results you can get for $10 and less.

‘P’ is For Pariah: The Nikon 500m f/4 P Lens on a Sony a7R II

My family and I recently moved back up to North Carolina. It feels so good to be back in the place we feel is home to us. Now surrounded again by all this State’s natural beauty and wildlife, I’ve had quite the itch to ramp up my efforts in bird photography that began down in Florida.

The Developist is an In-Development DIY Auto Film Processor

A truly mass-market (and widely adopted) at-home automatic film processing machine has yet to appear in the world of photography. Photographer Mark Webb didn't want to wait around for one to show up, so he cobbled together one with his hardware and software knowledge. It's called the Developist.

$20 Work Light vs $900 Studio Strobe for a Food Photo

How does a $20 work light from a hardware store compare to a $900 studio strobe when it comes to food photography? Photographer Skyler Burt of We Eat Together recently decided to find out. He pitted a HDX 500w halogen work light against a $900 Elinchrom Pro HD 500W monolight.

How to Make a Portrait Backdrop for $5 with Dollar Store Items

Professional portrait backdrops can cost over $1,000 apiece. If you'd like to get creative without getting broke, photographer Jessica Kobeissi has a thrifty DIY idea for you in this 4.5-minute video. She shows how you can create a custom backdrop using less than $5 in materials purchased from your local dollar store.

How to Shoot Product Photos Using a $10 IKEA MELODI Lamp Shade

Lighting equipment can be expensive, but sometimes you can get great results using makeshift products that won't put a dent in your wallet. Here's a 15-minute video from Dustin Dolby of workphlo that looks at how you can shoot high-quality product photos using something as basic as an IKEA MELODI lampshade.

Canon Rebel T100: The Cheapest DSLR Ever?

In addition to announcing the entry-level Rebel T7 this week, Canon also announced its new EOS 4000D DSLR over in Europe. When the camera is official in the United States, it might become the cheapest DSLR ever launched.

This Video Was Shot on iPhone… A $32 iPhone 3GS from 2009

Matteo Bertoli is known for shooting cinematic 4K videos with the latest smartphones and apps to hit the market. But for his latest project, he decided to use the cheapest smartphone he could fine: a $32 used iPhone 3GS from 2009. This 2-minute video is what resulted.

$10,000 vs. $425 Portrait Lighting: Can You Tell the Difference?

How much of a difference is there between using an expensive high-end lighting setup and shooting the same portraits with cheaper gear? Photographer Patrick Hall of Fstoppers made this illuminating 9.5-minute video that compares a $10,000 studio lighting setup with a $425 option. Can you tell the difference between the resulting photos?

Doing a Low-Budget Photo Shoot with DIY Props for Less Than $75

I love DIY props and big scenes in photography that are well designed. Not many of us photographers have the place or money to create our own stages so I wanted to challenge myself to make one in our living room with a very low budget.

This ‘Broken Digital Camera’ Was Quite a Bargain

I bought this "digital" camera last summer. I saw it on a table at a boot sale (if you're American, that's a bit like a yard sale). As I picked it, up the seller snapped: "£4. Screen is broken. Won't turn on."