Review: Singh-Ray Vari-ND Filter – The Best ND Filter
Neutral-density filters are a mainstay of landscape and travel photographers desiring long exposure for specific effects like the motion blur of water. However, outside their utility with outdoor photographers, the ND filter has immediate uses for anyone shooting portraits and working with flash photography. The Singh-Ray Vari-ND is a unique kind of neutral density filter. [...]
Review: Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR II
The Nikon 200-400mm f/4 is specialized lens that solves a specific problem – when a photographer is faced with the need for both reach, relative speed and compositional flexibility. It gives you the reach of 400mm with the flexibility (albeit however limited) of a 2x zoom down to 200mm – right where the Nikon 70-200mm [...]
Review: 16GB Transcend Extreme Plus 600x CF Cards
My 4GB Sandisk Extreme IV CF cards have served me well for shooting somewhere in the ballpark of one thousand bands at concerts and festivals over the last few years. However, when faced with a string of summer festivals, I was in need of a pair of fast, large-capacity compact flash cards for my Nikon [...]
Review: Nikon 35mm f/1.4G AF-S
The latest addition to Nikon’s stable of fast primes, the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G AF-S offers Nikon users a classic focal length with all the cutting-edge features we’ve come to expect. With a big price tag, the question with the 35mm f/1.4G is whether it has the performance to match. We’ve put this fast prime through [...]
7 Signs You’ve Outgrown Flickr
Just about every photographer, pro or amateur, knows that hosting their photos online is a great way to show friends, family, potential clients, and colleges new work. To this end, Flickr has been a popular and extremely easy way to share photos online that has helped foster the talent of countless photographers. However, for all of [...]
Review: Nikon 75-150mm f/3.5 Series E
If you’re looking for an economical, constant-aperture telephoto zoom, I may have the answer for you. No, not a third-party lens like the Tamron or Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8, either of which will set you back nearly a $1000. I’m talking about a 30-year old manual focus lens that Nikon only produced between 1980 and 1983 [...]
Review: Nikon 400mm f/2.8 Super Telephoto
So. You’re a music photographer and you have a big, arena-busting concert to shoot with all the trimmings. The only problem? You’re shooting from over 40-meters away. The solution? Go for a big gun like the Nikon 400mm f/2.8 VR II with lip-smacking Nano Crystal Coating goodness and tell that soundboard who’s boss. Here’s my [...]
Review: Nitecore Defender Infinity
With an beautiful design, tough-as-nails build quality, and the performance to outshine much larger traditional lights, the compact Nitecore Defender Infinity is a serious flashlight. That this small takes ubiquitous AA batteries – including the fantastic Sanyo Eneloop cells – just makes it even more of a killer, tactical tool. Here’s my review of the [...]
Review: Black Rapid DS-1 Double Strap
Let’s just get this out of the way. If you shoot with two DSLRs, you need the Black Rapid Double Strap. There is no better way to carry and shoot with two cameras in my opinion. As a live music photographer, I use two DSLRs for just about everything. I see other shooters trying to [...]
Review: 4Sevens Quark AA LED Flashlight
LEDs have been ubiquitous in electronics for years, but it’s only in the last several years that LED flashlights have really come into their own. These new generation of torches aren’t your standard weak, power-hungry Maglites – they pack super-efficient LEDs that are bright enough to scorch your retina at full power. As a music photographer, [...]
Graph Paper Press – The Best WordPress Themes For Photographers
These days, marketing for a photographers stretches out past the traditional methods of mailers, postcards, portfolio books, and even word of mouth. A website these days is essential for just about any business model, and photographers are no exception. Moreover, blogging and social networking of one’s work is playing an increasingly important role in the [...]
Review: 11″ MacBook Air – The Mobile Photographer’s Laptop?
When the original MacBook Air debuted in 2008, the general reception seemed to be, “Cool – but I’ll pass.” Moreover, due to its premium price point and underpowered offerings, professional photographers didn’t even give the first generation a passing glance. On the release of the second generation of MacBook Airs in late 2010, the new [...]
Review: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 update in 2007 replaced the venerable Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 – itself a beast of a lens and longtime staple in the bag of many pros. With the latest incarnation of Nikon’s midrange zoom, the 24-70mm f/2.8 features a broader range, Nano Crystal Coating, and a built-in AF motor. What’s more, we [...]
Review: Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G – The Best Wide-Angle Lens
The Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G AF-S. Introduced along with the Nikon D3 in late 2007, the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G set a new standard for ultra-wide angle lenses – primes and zooms alike – across the board. After all, it’s not every day that a lens inspires a grass-roots movement to make a Nikon F-Mount to Canon [...]
Review: Nikon D7000 – Nikon’s Best DX Camera
Looking at the new Nikon D7000′s specs, you might be right to confuse the newest DX DSLR as a replacement for the Nikon D300s at first blush. After all, it features many of the same specs, as well as some new features and flat-out improvements to Nikon’s DX line of cameras. Let’s take a [...]
Review: Nikon SB-700
Only introduced in 2004, the Nikon SB-600 has felt outdated for years. This deficit has been especially notable since the replacement of the Nikon SB-800 with the Nikon SB-900 in 2008, which left a huge disparity between the flagship Nikon speedlight and the middle-market option. The Nikon SB-700 changes all of that completely, updating the base-level flash [...]
First Impressions: Nikon SB-700 Speedlight
I’ll be doing a full review of the Nikon SB-700, but I wanted to share my first impressions of this new speedlight.
Review: Mamiya M77 Rubber Lens Hood
A few months ago, I lost the lens hood to my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I. To be honest, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner – the lens hood on that zoom has always had a very weak lock and constantly came loose. And so, rather than buy the stock Nikon hood again, I went [...]
Nooka Zub Zirc
Recently, I had the chance to visit the Nooka Lab in NYC, birthplace of some of the coolest watches around. It was great meeting up with the team, and I picked up a brand spanking new Nooka Zub Zirc to add to the collection.
Review: Nikon 24mm f/1.4G AF-S
While Canon users have been overpaying for beautiful fast primes for years, Nikon shooters have long been denied this privilege, with a distinct lack of “modern” choices in the arena of fast glass. In particular, many have lamented the absence of fast, wide-angle option, especially after the discontinuation of the Nikon 28mm f/1.4 AF-D in 2006. [...]
Review: Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S
The classic 85mm f/1.4 – a long-admired and respected lens in any mount, and especially renowned as the Nikon AF-D, introduced in 1995. As part of their recent push to update all their fast primes – and introduce a few new ones – Nikon’s new 85mm f/1.4G AF-S with Nano Crystal Coating represents a fully modern [...]
Review: Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR
Five-years after the release of Canon’s popular 24-105mm f/4 L zoom, Nikon has finally thrown a wide-range, constant-aperture contender into the ring: the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR. Following the introduction of the Nikon 16-35mm f/4 VR, Nikon’s new wide-angle to telephoto 5x zoom packs a hugely useful range into a compact form factor. However, all the [...]
Review: Think Tank Airport International v2.0 Rolling Camera Bag
For years, I’ve relied on a modular backpack system by Kinesis for hauling my gear through the airports and cities of the world. To it’s immense credit: the bag is 100% customizable and has fit into absolutely every single overhead bin I’ve ever faced, from the cavernous storage of international jetliners to tiny bins of [...]
Comparison Review: Tamron 28-75mm VS Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8
I often get asked about alternatives to the expensive pro lenses from Canon and Nikon. As I rely on the standard f/2.8 midrange zoom for much of my work, I thought that I’d take the time to look at some popular third-party options: the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 and the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms. Just like [...]
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