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.

For Sale: A Canon 1D Mark III and 600mm f/4 That Took a Saltwater Bath

If you want to know what the market is like for high-end camera gear that has been destroyed by water damage, check out this eBay auction by a Hastings, Victoria-based Australian photographer who goes by the handle tallguy069. The poor guy accidentally dropped his Canon 1D Mark III DSLR and Canon 600mm f/4L lens ($10,000+ in gear) off a boat into saltwater, completely destroying the functionality of both pieces.

X-ray Photographs of Various Cameras

Memphis, Tennessee-based photographer and X-ray technician Blake Billings has a set of images showing what various cameras look like when photographed with an X-ray machine. What you see above is a Nikon D60 DSLR.

DIY Wireless Remote Created with a Cable Release and Arduino

I need the ability to wirelessly take photos, but my Fujifilm X100 did not have a conventional shutter release -- it has the old fashioned ”cable” release.

After playing around and buying some cheap cable releases off eBay, I was able to build a working wireless shutter using an Arduino, servo, and a cheap wireless shutter for a Canon DSLR.

Nikonos RS Underwater Lenses Modded to Work with Nikon DSLRs

Launched in 1992 and discontinued in 1996, Nikon's Nikonos RS was considered one of the best underwater photography solutions back in the 90s. The cameras and the 50mm f/2.8 macro, 28mm, 13mm fisheye, and 20-35mm lenses still sell for relatively high prices these days. Unfortunately for Nikon enthusiasts, the RS mount lenses were not compatible with F mount cameras... until now.

Underwater photographer Andrej Belic spent over a decade dreaming of using an RS lens on his Nikon DSLR, and over the past year he was able to get the combo working.

Fashion Yourself a Custom Flash Diffuser Using 3D Printing

3D printing is becoming cheaper and more accessible, so photographers no longer need to rely on camera gear manufacturers for simple plastic gear items such diffusers and other light modifiers. Eric Chu over at MAKE recently noticed a photo intern using a piece of paper as a cheap flash bounce. Seeing that the makeshift bounce didn't ever last more than a few days, Chu wanted to offer a better solution... so he decided to produce one himself.

A Demonstration of the Silent Shutters in the Fujifilm X20 and X100s

When Fujifilm announced its latest wave of X-Series cameras earlier this year, the company stated that the big area they're focusing on is "speed". The new X20 and X100s feature extremely speedy autofocus, burst speed, and startup time. The 's' in X100s may officially stand for "speed," but it could just as well stand for "silent" or "stealth". Both cameras feature extremely silent shutters that won't attract attention while you're snapping away.

The video above by nycphotog2006 shows how silent the X20 is even while the leaf shutter is fluttering at a staggering 12fps.

Smaller and Faster Capacitor May Bring a Xenon Flash to Your Next Smartphone

Lenses and sensors weren't the only camera components miniaturized and dumbed down when digital photography jumped over into the world of smartphones: flashes did too. In order to fit everything into a tiny package, smartphone makers have largely opted for LED flashes in their phones rather than the bigger and bulkier xenon flashtubes found in proper digital cameras (a notable exception is the Nokia PureView 808). That may soon change.

Scientists in Singapore have developed a new capacitor that may lead to more powerful xenon flash units replacing the LED flashes found in consumer smartphones.

Nikon Issues Official Service Advisory for D600 Dust Issue, Stance is Same

In October 2012, LensRentals owner Roger Cicala reported that the Nikon D600 seems to collect more sensor dust than other DSLRs. Other owners began reporting the same thing, and different theories began emerging to explain the origins of the annoying specks.

When Imaging Resource reached out to Nikon for comment, it was told that Nikon customers are encouraged to have their cameras serviced if the dust becomes "bothersome." Nikon finally issued an official advisory this past Wednesday regarding the issue, but its message is the same.

Samsung Unveils a Cheaper, Wi-Fi-Only Galaxy Camera

While we're on the subject of Android-powered cameras: Samsung announced a new camera model for its Galaxy lineup this past Tuesday. It's called the Samsung Galaxy Camera (Wi-Fi). As you can probably guess from the name, it's simply the original Samsung Galaxy Camera without the 3G/4G capabilities (and with a smaller price tag). In other words, you'll have to rely on Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet rather than subscribing to a data plan for your camera.

Luxi is a Clip-On Adapter That Transforms Your iPhone Into a Proper Light Meter

Back in March 2011, we featured an iPhone app that lets you use your iPhone as a makeshift light meter. The app apparently works pretty well, but if you've been looking for a fancier solution involving your iPhone, one has finally arrived.

It's called the Luxi, and is a small clip on accessory that turns your iPhone into a proper light meter.

Sample Photos: Check Out the 2/3-Inch X-Trans Sensor Quality in the X20

Fujifilm has released seven official sample photographs shot using the new X20, a slick little retro-styled compact camera with a 12MP 2/3-inch X-Trans CMOS sensor. The X-Trans sensors in Fujifilm's APS-C X-Series cameras (e.g. X-Pro1 and X-E1) are very highly regarded for their image quality and low light performance, so it's interesting to see how the same tech performs on a much smaller sensor size (APS-C sensors are about 6.5 times larger than the X20's 2/3 sensor).

“Snow Flowers” on the Front of a Lens

Apparently if you shoot in certain environments that are cold enough, beautiful patterns of snow and ice form on the front element of your lens. This is what photographer Alessandro Della Bella's glass looked like as he was shooting at an altitude of around 10,000 feet on Mount Titlis in temperatures of around 1° F.

Sony NEX-3N Mirrorless Camera and A58 SLT Become Official

After having their photos and some specs leaked this past weekend, the Sony NEX-3N and A58 finally became real today through an official announcement by Sony. The new mirrorless and pellicle mirror cameras were unveiled alongside a set of new lenses, and offer some pretty standard upgrades to current models.

A Leaked List of Specs for an Upcoming Canon 7D Mark II

A more complete list of specs has emerged for the rumored Canon 7D Mark II. The camera may be a miniature counterpart to the EOS-1D X, likely featuring a smaller body, less features (maybe), less weathersealing, and a lower price point than the 1D X.

Sony A58, NEX-3N, and Lenses Outed as Leaked Photos Emerge

Sony has a couple of new cameras and a set of new lenses coming out, and we're starting to get a better idea of what we'll be seeing announced very shortly. Expect to see a new SLT camera called the A58, a new mirrorless camera called the NEX-3N, and a trio of A-mount lenses.

Massive 1,000+ Piece Camera Collection Being Auctioned on eBay

Want to own a giant collection of vintage cameras, but don't want to spend a lifetime acquiring them one by one? If you have deep pockets and money to burn, here's your shot: collector Brain Cue of Alameda, California (kka20101 on eBay) is selling his massive camera collection that he has spent over 50 years building up.

Building a 20×16-Inch Ultra-Large-Format Camera by Hand

South East England-based photography student Mark Hilton came up with an ambitious New Year's resolution this year: he's in the process of building his own 20x16 "ultra-large-format" camera by hand. It's a camera that's designed to expose Ilford Harman Direct Positive paper.

Your DSLR is a “Rainforest of Bacteria,” But It’s Probably Okay

Did you know that 90% of the cells in (or on) the human body are bacteria and other microorganisms? Have you ever thought about how many bacteria live on your DSLR camera? Chicago Tribute staff photographer Alex Garcia recently dove into this second question while visiting the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago.

First Photos Captured Of and With HTC’s Upcoming Ultrapixel Smartphone?

Last week we reported that HTC is preparing to launch a new camera sensor technology called Ultrapixels, which aims to improve image quality using a Foveon-style stack of three sensor layers. The smartphone imaging war is heating up, after all, an rivals like Nokia are investing heavily in photography technologies of their own (e.g. PureView).

We're reportedly just days away from seeing the official launch of the new HTC phone (which may be named the M7 or the HTC One), and leaks are beginning to spring. There's a good chance we now have the first product shot of the phone and the first published shot captured with the phone.

Rankin Documents Photo Shoot Using 15 Autographer Wearable Cameras

One of the big emerging ideas in the camera world is the idea of wearable cameras that automatically capture your memories for you. Memoto is the wearable camera project that caused the biggest splash in 2012, but a month before it was announced, there was another camera that made a quieter entrance. It was the Autographer, a camera shaped like a pack of gum that uses a number of different sensors to intelligently snap photos during interesting moments in your life.

To demonstrate its potential for documenting life's memories, the company asked renowned photographer Rankin to document a photo shoot using its prototype cameras.

First Sony NEX-3N Photo Leaks, Shows an Electronic Zoom Dial

Look what we have here -- it's the first leaked photograph of the upcoming Sony NEX-3N mirrorless camera. The leaked photo, first published by sonyalpharumors, shows a camera that may be arriving sometime over the next couple of months alongside an (also rumored) Playstation 4.

The camera will reportedly feature the same 16-megapixel sensor as the current Sony NEX-F3, but with one major difference: an electronic zoom dial.

Ultrapixels & PureView: Mobile Photo War Between HTC and Nokia Heating Up

Mobile photo sharing has become one of the big photography trends over the past couple of years, and smartphone makers are now working hard to win the affections of smartphoneographer by developing better cameras and sleeker features. Two of the big players in the game, HTC and Nokia, are both generating some buzz this week through reports that they have some big photo-related plans in store for their upcoming phones.

The two (proprietary) technologies that are making headlines are: HTC's "Ultrapixels" and Nokia's "PureView."

Take a Gander At These Official Sample Photos Shot Using the New Leica M

Back on September 17, 2012, Leica held a launch party in Germany to unveil its new Leica M full-frame digital rangefinder, which does away with model numbers in favor of simply using the model name. People are referring to the camera as Leica M (Type 240).

Glimpses of the camera's performance have been hard to come by so far (we did see some high ISO samples back in November 2012), but now Leica has officially released seven full-resolution sample photographs showing the camera's image quality.

Astronauts on the ISS Use a ‘NightPod’ to Stabilize Their Low-Light Photos

Astronaut photographers on the International Space Station have been beaming quite a few photographs of Earth as of late, but have you ever wondered how they manage capture relatively sharp photographs of Earth's cities at night?

The speed at which the ISS hurtles around our planet is indeed a major challenge for low-light photography, and astronauts in the past have tried to overcome it by using high-speed film or by doing some manual tracking (which is very hit-and-miss). Luckily, space shooters nowadays have a new special tool up their sleeve: the NightPod.

Convert Your DSLR Battery Into a Power Supply Unit That Plugs Into Outlets

When Milan-based engineer and photographer Andrea Biffi needed a constant source of power for his Canon 40D in order to shoot time-lapse photos over many hours, he decided to save some money by going the DIY route. Biffi turned a defunct lithium DSLR battery into a power supply unit that can be used with everything from a wall outlet to a car battery.

You can do the same thing at home, but you'll need a bit of engineering know-how to accomplish the hack.

Ricoh Shows Off Camera That Captures a 360-Degree Photo in One Shot

At the CP+ show in Japan, Ricoh is showing off a new camera prototype its developing that can capture full 360-degree immersive photographs with a singel push of the shutter. The omnidirectional camera looks like a cross between an electric toothbrush and a hammerhead shark. Lift it up into the air, press a button, and it will capture an image that shows every direction around you.

Lynx A: The World’s First Point-and-Shoot 3D Camera

Tired of capturing the world as 2D photographs? What if you could just as easily capture things as 3D models? That's what Lynx A does. It's the world's first point-and-shoot 3D camera that produces 3D models with the push of a button. The company claims that "you can use a point-and-shoot Nikon, you'll find the Lynx A even easier to use."

Flip Cap: A Screw-On Lens Cap That You Won’t Ever Lose Track Of

Lens caps are a great solution for protecting the front element of lenses when they're not in use, but can be misplaced when you take them off. On the other hand, screw-on lens filters are a great solution for protecting the lens' glass as well, but they introduce an additional layer of glass between your camera and the world. Is there a middle ground?

At the CP+ trade show in Japan, Kenko International is showing off a new product that aims to deliver the best of both worlds. It's called the Flip Cap, and is a lens cap that screws on permanently, but flips out of the way when you're using your camera.

A Look at How Nikon’s Nikkor Lenses Are Made, From Start to Finish

On January 28, Nikon announced the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Nikkor lens brand, and that the total number of lenses manufactured since the beginning has exceeded 75 million units. The lineup now includes more than 80 types of lenses.

To celebrate the occasion, Nikon released the above video, which offers a behind-the-scenes look into how its widely used lenses are made. The video starts from the production of the glass from sand and goes through final assembly, all in three-and-a-half minutes.

Etching Square Format Lines Into a DSLR Focusing Screen

Alternative focusing screens for DSLRs aren't hard to find, but they usually don't have any guide lines geared toward photographers who are used to framing scenes in a square format. Zurich-based photographer Howard Linton is one such shooter. Linton decided to take matters into his own hands by modifying his DSLR's focusing screen with custom lines etched in using an X-Acto knife.