Equipment

Photographers use all kinds of equipment to craft their art, from cameras and lenses to lights and accessories. We cover the latest news and information on the tools of the trade in the photography industry.

Review: Meike 50mm f/1.7 is a Cheap and Compact Lens for Nikon Z

Although it’s been six months since the Nikon mirrorless Z system was announced, there’s still a dearth of native Z mount lenses, and the ones that are available are in my opinion somewhat overpriced (starting at $599 for the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 S). While the FTZ adapter does work remarkably well, it adds quite a bit of bulk to even the smallest F mount lenses. This is where I believe the Meike 50mm f/1.7 finds its niche.

Profoto Accuses Godox of Stealing Its A1 Design for the V1

Godox is getting ready to launch the V1, its affordable rival to the $995 Profoto A1 round head flash, but it may soon hit a major roadblock: Profoto is accusing Godox of patent infringement, saying the Chinese lighting company copied its A1 designs for the V1.

Making MAYA, the Only Darkroom Timer You’ll Ever Need

MAYA is a darkroom timer project that was born out of necessity when my old darkroom timer had started to malfunction. It has become a pretty successful crowdfunding campaign so far, exceeding 300% of its initial goal with a few days left to go.

CFexpress Memory Cards Will Come in Three Different Sizes

The CompactFlash Association's new CFexpress standard is getting ready to take its place as the new dominant memory card format, and six companies have already announced CFexpress cards: Apacer, Delkin, Lexar, ProGrade Digital, SanDisk, and Sony. But here's something you might have missed: CFexpress will feature three different card sizes.

How Much a Full Pro Camera and Lens Set Costs for Each Brand

Photographer Terrance Lam's friend recently purchased Sony's entire line of pro G Master lenses. Curious about how the cost stacks up against other ecosystems, Lam decided to do some research and find out how much equivalent camera and lens kits cost for other brands.

Meyer Optik Gorlitz Admits Nocturnus was a Modified Chinese Lens

After years of launching lenses through much-hyped Kickstarter campaigns, Meyer Optik Gorlitz died in 2018 but was brought back to life after its parent company, net SE, was acquired by the German company OPC Optics. With a new owner, Meyer Optik is now confessing that yes, the Nocturnus was actually a modified Chinese lens.

How to Make a Rifle Stock for Your Camera

Want a camera stabilizer that's sure to attract (perhaps unwanted) attention? Just add a rifle-style stock to it. Alex over at I did a thing made this humorous 5-minute video showing how he built such a stabilizer for his own DSLR.

This is Yongnuo’s Micro 4/3 EF-Mount Android 4K Mirrorless Camera

Yongnuo teased and revealed a smart mirrorless camera called the YN450 late last year, and the unusual device sparked a good deal of attention. The YN450 was just on display at the CP+ 2019 show in Japan, and cinema5D spoke to a rep for this 4.5-minute video that provides us with a better idea of what this camera is.

Sony: E-mount Can Take f/0.63 Lenses

At its a6400 announcement event back in January, Sony also gathered press together for a presentation in which it aimed to debunk some of the things being said about its E mount in recent days. One of the interesting facts shared is that the E-mount supports a maximum aperture of f/0.63.

The Problem with Camera Phones (That Nobody Talks About)

Once upon a time, the biggest problem with camera phones was the camera itself. One of the world's first camera phones, the J-SH04, was released in 2000. Boy have we come a long way, right? It could shoot tiny 0.11-megapixels images. It went up from there.

Shooting Street Portraits with a Go Go Gadget Octobox

My name is Brendan Burkett, and I believe I have created an original device and street photography method. What I have done is attach a softbox to my back for ultimate portability. This allows me to get street portraits with a very unique light.

Leica Unveils the Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH L-Mount Lens

Leica has announced the new APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH prime lens for the L-Mount, which is found on Leica's SL mirrorless camera as well as all cameras that are launched as part of the L-Mount Alliance between Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma.

Turning a Car Parking Monitor Into a $25 DIY External DSLR Screen

I was often disappointed by my Canon 5D Mark II not having a flipping or better yet a detachable monitor. Instances of this happened when I placed the camera on a fully extended tripod and had the camera pointed downwards to make a photograph of something on the floor. Getting one’s eye above the view screen was sometimes impossible.

Oppo Bringing 10x Zoom Smartphone Camera to Market

Oppo is teasing an innovative new smartphone camera system it has created: one that offers a 10x optical "lossless" zoom. The latest reports say the module is already in mass production and the first phone packing it will be out within months.

Is Bowens Really Back? Yes, And It’s Manufactured by Godox

For those of you that are unaware, a couple of weeks ago, the U.K. online photography retailer WEX photographic, quietly announced that Bowens was coming back and to many, myself included, this was a huge surprise.

This Widest-Ever 4.9mm Fisheye Lens Can See Behind Itself

LensRentals founder Roger Cicala is known for disassembling camera gear and sharing his findings on his company blog. Now he has done the opposite: he's sharing how he built (from scratch) a prototype 4.9mm f/3.5 "hyperfisheye" lens, the widest fisheye lens ever made. It's a lens so wide that it can literally see behind itself.

The EOS RP is a New Low for Canon

Prior to Canon releasing its first full-frame mirrorless camera, I wrote an article discussing how Canon will dominate the mirrorless industry. Many of you made fun of the title, which was fair enough; the comments did make me chuckle.

Torture Testing Sony’s TOUGH SD Card to See What It Can Survive

Sony claims its new TOUGH line of SD memory cards are the toughest and fastest SD cards ever made, so the folks over at Cameta Camera decided to put that claim to the test. Here's a 12-minute video in which the NY-based camera store subjects a card to a variety of torture tests to see how it holds up.