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.

Rumor: Sony RX100M3 Pictures, Specs & Pricing Leaked

Although initial reports from rumor sites indicated that the next iteration of Sony's much-loved RX100 was supposed to land late last night, no camera arrived. What arrived instead was a whole slew of leaked specs/pricing info and high-quality product images for those of you who want to get a jump on the rumored camera's official announcement.

Nikon Debuts the Entry-Level 1 S2, Brings the 1 J4 to US Shores

Just when we started to think the big two had given up on making mirrorless cameras for the US market, Nikon goes and changes our mind. After announcing the Nikon 1 J4 for Asia and Europe in early April, the Japanese company has announced that the mirrorless shooter will come to the US after all, and it will be joined by a new entry-level Nikon 1 S2.

Nikon Releases $12,000 AF-S 400mm f/2.8E Lens and 1.4x AF-S Teleconverter

Not to be outdone by Canon's lens announcements from yesterday, Nikon has come back with a few major announcements of its own. And foremost among them (at least in terms of price) is a brand new AF-S 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens that will pair very well with the new AF-S TC-14E III teleconverter... well, assuming you have about thirteen grand handy.

DigitalRev Says Happy 60th Birthday to the Iconic Leica M3 with a Hands-On Review

This week marks the 60th anniversary since Leica introduced the now-iconic M3, a camera many consider to be the best Leica ever produced and still the most successful M-Series camera ever made at over 220,000 units sold by the time production ended in 1966.

And so, to pay homage to this titan of photographic history, DigitalRev decided to give the M3 a proper video and take it out onto the streets of Hong Kong for a good old hands-on review.

Tutorial Shows You How to Convert Manual Still Lenses Into Cine Glass

When it comes to the type of glass used in still photography, versus the glass used in motion picture, there’s quite a dramatic difference in design, quality and price. Quite often, it's the last of those differences that is the most inhibiting for photogs who want to dabble around in motion picture.

To help ease that transition, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has broken down a way in which you can convert still photography lenses into psuedo-cine lenses at minimal cost.

Apple Patent Shows Off Unique Use of OIS for “Super Resolution” Photos

Coming from Apple Insider is a discovery of an interesting patent application by Apple. The application, aptly titled “Super-resolution based on optical image stabilization” explains in words and graphics a way in which an optical image stabilization (OIS) system can be used to capture a series of images at variable angles, then combine them together to create a high-resolution file.

Check Out What Happens When the $6,000 Nikon D4 is Left Exposed in a Storm

Modern flagship DSLRs are generally designed to be extremely weather and water resistent, but it's still not a good idea to leave them exposed for a long period of time to anything more than a light drizzle. What happens, though, if you do?

Lebanese photographer Alexy Joffre Frangieh found out for all of us yesterday after his $6,000 Nikon D4 was left in a storm for over 16 hours.

Lubitel 2 TLR Lens Retrofitted with a Canon EOS Mount

If you want a lens that most or all photographers don't have, one way is to retro fit a vintage lens with a new mount. That's what Washington DC freelance photographer J. David Buerk did with a lens he found on an old Lubitel 2 twin-lens reflex camera, and the results are quite nice.

Fujifilm Launches Its Own Camera Lens Rental Service in Japan

Camera equipment rentals is becoming big business. LensRentals proves it: the 7-year-old company was reportedly on track to take in revenues of $13 million last year.

Now it looks like camera makers may want a piece of the pie as well: Fujifilm has announced that it's launching its own lens rental service in Japan.

Panasonic Cuts the Onion, Fixes Strange Effect Caused by Aspherical Lenses

Have you heard of the "onion ring" effect in bokeh? It's a rather obscure term that emerged as lenses began featuring aspherical lens elements to reduce aberrations and reduce size. Due to the way aspherical lenses are produced, strange "onion ring" lines can appear in out-of-focus points of light.

The term may also soon be a thing of the past: Panasonic has reportedly figured out how to cut the onion (effect), allowing aspherical lenses to produce smooth and pleasing bokeh.

Canon Report Finds 18% of People Bought Counterfeit Gear Unwittingly in 2013

It’s no surprise that a market as vast and broad as photography is going to have problems with counterfeit gear, but the problem might be more prevalent than you think. According to a recent study commission by Canon, it's estimated that some 18% of consumers have purchased counterfeit goods without knowing it, despite the fact that companies like Canon often try to educate customers about this sort of thing.

Not-A-Camera: A Wooden Necklace Turned Into a Full-Fledged Camera

Just look at this necklace. It’s a beautiful wood cutout necklace made to look like a DSLR – a piece of jewelry Rick Ross would be proud of if he were into photography (and if it were adorned with a few diamonds, maybe). But, if you think this little fashion accessory is only that, you’d be greatly mistaken. What you see above is a digital camera fitted into a 1/2” thick sheet of walnut.

Centr Cam Offers 4K 360º Footage Out of a Hockey Puck-Shaped Device

In the never-ending chase to create the most unique camera around, San Francisco-based Centr Camera Inc. has launched a Kickstarter for a new style of camera. Called Centr, this 360º, 60fps, 4K-resolution panoramic camera will allow you to capture incredible footage all around you, in a device roughly the size of a hockey puck.

Sony’s a77 II Has Arrived, and It’s Packing an AF Sensor Worth Drooling Over

Since the last A-Mount Sony came out with, we've seen the a7, the a7R, the a7S, the a3000, the a5000, the a6000 and the a3500. But don't let the names fool you, not a single one of those was actually an A-Mount. This has led many to wonder if Sony had given up on the A-Mount.

Well, today those people have their answer in the form of the a77 II -- in other words, a resounding "No."

New Fujifilm Firmware Brings the X-T1’s EVF Performance and More to the X-E2

Fujifilm is making a name for itself as a company that truly supports the cameras it puts on the market. By delivering major firmware updates for existing models (even ones that have been discontinued and replaced) they make it less likely that people will upgrade, but simultaneously build fierce customer loyalty.

Today, Fuji continues down this road with firmware 2.0 for the X-E2: a major update that brings the X-T1's nearly no-lag EVF performance and more to the older shooter.

Clever Hack Gives Your DSLR Nine Times the Battery Life

When it comes to days where there are long periods of shooting -- particularly video -- it’s always nice to know you have enough battery power to make it through the day. And while Canon’s LP-E6 and LP-E8s are great, they tend to only last about an hour a piece when shooting HD video.

To make sure you have enough battery life to shoot a fair amount and then some, Chris Winter shares a neat little semi-hack he’s come up with to make an external battery capable of lasting up to 9 times as long as a standard Canon battery.

Samsung Unveils the New Galaxy K Zoom: A Camera Phone Worthy of the Name

The Galaxy S4 Zoom camera/smartphone officially has a newer, sleeker younger sibling. Announced late last night, Samsung has taken a bit of the focus off of the Galaxy S5's camera issues with the release of the new, 10x optical, 20.7-megapixel Galaxy K Zoom -- a smartphone that truly earns the right to be called a 'camera phone.'

Some Samsung Galaxy S5 Units Plagued by Camera Failure

Samsung is proud of the camera in the Galaxy S5 smartphone. So proud, in fact, that the company released an ad that called the iPhone out by name. But the company may have jumped the gun now that it has been confirmed that an unspecified number of Galaxy S5s have shipped with cameras that don't work at all.

17 of the Greatest Camera Hacks of All Time

We recently took a look at some of the best camera hacks that will save you tons of money. Today we’ve decided to turn things up a notch and progress to the next level! If you’re the kind of person who loves to take things apart to find out how they work, you’ll love the ingenious camera hacks below.

The FlashQ System Shrinks Wireless Flash Triggering Tech for Mirrorless Cameras

When it comes to choosing wireless flash trigger systems, there’s no shortage of options. From PocketWizards to cheap, $20 systems on Amazon and Ebay, there seems to be one for each and every situation and price point. However, despite all of the options, there is one thing that every single one of them has in common: they're all pretty big.

Of course, when shooting in a studio with a DSLR a PocketWizard doesn't seem that beastly. But when you’re wanting to trigger a flash with a small mirrorless camera or compact camera, none of the options out there right now will allow you to do so without making your camera look like the attachment rather than the trigger. That’s where FlashQ comes in.

Leica Steps Into the 21st Century with the Apple-Esque Leica T Mirrorless System

Leica isn't known for modern styling and innovative design. For the most part, the company sticks with what works, branching out here and there to release a special edition that is sold for an even more outrageous price than the standard version.

But today Leica steps outside of the box with the new Leica T: a APS-C sensor, aluminum unibody camera with surprisingly few physical controls, a large touchscreen and a whole new lens mount.

Lytro Unveils the ‘Illum’: A Beautiful Beast of a Light-Field Camera

More than two years after the debut of the company's first camera, Lytro has come back with a vengeance. Well, actually, Lytro has come back with an 'Illum,' which is the name of a new camera that the company says, "advances the light field category from novelty to game-changing visual medium that could one day rival digital and film."