After sharing his DIY square "ring light" build here back in July, photographer Isiah Xiong is back again with another DIY project. This time, Xiong is explaining how he built a DIY version of the $300 the Eyelighter reflector for around $40 to $50 in materials.
You can find the step-by-step tutorial in the 3-minute video above.
Want some cheap and simple do-it-yourself photo equipment? Check out the IKEA store near you. In addition to being affordable options for home items, a number of IKEA products can also be repurposed for your next photo shoot.
French photography website Shootr.fr recently published the above 2.5-minute video that shares 6 different hacks you can do with IKEA items.
If you'd like to experiment with some do-it-yourself photography hacks and tricks, check out this new video by DigitalRev. Over the course of 10 minutes, Kai shares 10 different cheap and simple hacks you can do with ordinary things you'll find lying around your house.
If you need an accessory for mounting your camera to random places, instead of purchasing a Gorillapod (or something similar), you can go a thrifty do-it-yourself route. For just $8, Instructables member Megan Yeomans crafted her own affordable solution that uses vinyl tubing and copper wire. The result is a three-foot flexible 1/4” piece of kit that can be used as a standard tripod, a selfie stick, or an articulated mount.
Back in 2011, we shared a simple tutorial on how you can create a sturdy camera strap using about $7 worth of paracord. Hamburg, Germany-based photographer Bo Ismono recently published the 3-minute video tutorial above on how you can use paracord to make a cheap, simple, and durable wrist strap.
Want a light stick for light painting but don't want to spend a lot buying a commercial product? Light painting photographer Eric Pare recently discovered a cheap and easy solution: tube guards (also known as lamp guards).
Photographers are familiar with the ring light, which produces a pleasing ring-shaped highlight (or “catchlight”) in a subject’s eyes. It’s often used in the fashion industry to create images you see in many magazines. The Square Ring Light is just like that — except it’s a square. I find it makes a unique, almost otherworldly catchlight that really draws attention to the eyes.
Amazon has a rather unusual Lightning Deal going on right now for Prime Day. The company is offering a "Mystery Digital Camera" bundle for 43% off the regular price. The $500 camera is being sold with a case and 16GB memory card for $419.
Tokyo-based editorial photographer Irwin Wong is starting a new series of videos titled …
Last year we reported that Yongnuo is planning to expand its third party lens lineup to include Nikon lenses by the end of 2015. If you've been eagerly waiting to get your hands on a cheap (and possibly look-alike) Nikon lens, your wait will soon be over. The company is planning to launch 50mm and 35mm lenses for Nikon cameras in the coming months.
Need to block out some sunlight and glare from your laptop screen during outdoor photo shoots? Instead of dropping some cash on a pricey sun shade or hood, you could go a thriftier route and use an IKEA storage box instead. They cost just $6, are extremely light, and can be collapsed to not take up extra space in your bag.
Yongnuo has had quite a busy few months. In addition to the Canon lens clones that have generated quite a bit of buzz, the company has also quietly created a cheaper version of the Canon 2X III teleconverter.
One of the big stories in the world of camera gear this past year has been Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo's expansion into cheap clones of Canon lenses. While Canon shooters are buzzing about their new budget glass options, Nikon photographers have been wondering if Yongnuo will ever offer clones of their favorite lenses.
We've got the scoop that answers that question: Yongnuo will offer cheaper clones of Nikon lenses by the end of 2015.
Here's a first-come-first-serve deal alert: if you're a Canon shooter in the market for a versatile zoom lens, you can currently purchase the popular Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS for just $648 new on eBay from the store getitdigital. The lens is currently priced at $1,149 from B&H and Amazon, so that's a savings of $501 (~44% off).
I recently did a simple review that compared Yongnuo's new $40 clone of the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II. Today I will dive a little deeper into how the two lenses stack up optically.
There’s only so much that can be tested in home without fancy gear (MTF charts and the like) so I did a few tests that gauge common aesthetic qualities, using techniques that are often recommended for testing at home.
I got a $2,100 Canon 85mm f/1.2L for $145 earlier this year. To be honest, it was more like $145 plus a couple trips to Starbucks, but it was still a great adventure... and the secret to how I get most of my gear with what little budget I’ve got.
Here's how I did it: trading.
How do you build a quality DIY camera slider on the cheap? Who better to ask than the founder …
I will be the first to admit that I am not a street photographer, not a wedding photographer, and don’t generally shoot in low light, but I wanted to get a review out since I just received my two copies of Yongnuo's $40 clone of the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II.
Back in September, we reported that Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo has expanded its cloned gear business to include copycat lenses, starting with the Canon 50mm f/1.4. Now a new clone has emerged: the super popular "thrifty fifty" Canon 50mm f/1.8 II (also known as the "nifty fifty" and "plastic fantastic").
There may never be a better time to jump into Hasselblad digital medium format than between now and Christmas Eve. All of December, the storied brand is offering steep, thousands-of-dollars-off discounts on its H5D cameras and lenses -- you can even get one for under $10,000!
The Sony NEX-5T, a fantastic little mirrorless camera, has never sold for anything less than $450 on Amazon. In fact, right now, both B&H and Amazon have the body only priced at $500. Which is why it's both surprising and exciting that the 5T kit with a 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens is going for $300!
Videographers need not apply, but photographers interested in picking up their first 4K Ultra HD monitor for photo editing have a heck of a deal they can take advantage of today. Microsoft is currently selling the 28-inch Dell P2815Q 4K Ultra HD monitor for only $300.
That's $200 less than retail and one of the cheapest prices we've ever seen on a 4K monitor.
If you need some extra storage or you've been waiting for a good quality portable hard drive at a great price, we've found a deal you should definitely jump on. The Western Digital 2TB My Passport Ultra is selling at an all-time low price of $80 right now on eBay.
Maybe the 'it's not the gear, it's the photographer' is the proverbial dead horse that's occasionally given a beating, but it's a message that we never tire of sharing with a gear-loving, often gear-obsessed, photography world.
To that end, the short tutorial video above by our friends at SLR Lounge puts some numbers to this idea. The question they're asking: Does taking a picture with 6x more expensive gear, get you a 6x better photo?
If you're a fan of thrifty DIY substitutes for camera accessories, here's a quick and easy one for you: you can easily carry spare batteries (and other items and accessories) on your camera or bag strap using two strips of Velcro.
When Benjamin Von Wong was commissioned to do a series of black and white portraits of SmugMug employees for the company’s gym, he knew he wasn’t going to be taking the easy route. But just because he was going to try to do something really cool, didn’t mean things needed to get expensive.
To spice up the sporty portraits, Von Wong decided to add water into the equation, and thanks to some help from the folks at SmugMug, they were able to make it rain for only $20.
We've shared in the past how a broken lens can be used for "freelensing," or taking tilt-shift-esque photographs.
Photographer and lens hacker Witono Halim did this by buying a broken 50mm f/1.8 online for $25, sawing a piece off, and combining everything into a ugly-yet-functional lens with $2 of duct tape.
High speed cameras that shoot thousands of frames per second are, in general, both big and expensive. But if you're looking for a much more portable and much more affordable option, and you don't mind trading in some resolution, the fps1000 might be the perfect 'poor man's' alternative.
Got $30, a frisbee and some free time this week? Need a ring light? If you answered yes to both of those questions, we've got a neat, quick and super simple DIY tutorial that's perfect for you.
These days, it seems that if you want to get a nice sharp lens, you have to spend $1000 on a piece of L glass. Aside from the nifty fifty’s of the world, there are very few lenses that deliver quality results at a low price. But if you look harder, there are actually a few old lenses that still offer amazing quality for extremely low price. How is that possible? Well, it is. Keep reading to learn how.