Category: Equipment
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Review of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
With new products coming into our office all the time, and new products being limited in their releases, it’s always a bit of a scramble in the office to get your hands on the newest products to test. But the rental stars had aligned, and I had a full weekend before the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema…
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Teardown of the Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Camera
We published our teardown of the Canon EOS-R and then had to decide which of the Nikon Z cameras to do. We decided to go with the top-end Nikon Z7. The Nikon Z6 would be the more appropriate comparison from a price standpoint; the Nikon Z6 is retailing for $2145, the Canon EOS-R for $2299, and the…
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Gear I Love – The Canon 100mm F/2.8L IS
A couple of years ago, I wrote a love letter of sorts, to a lens that I don’t own, but rent as often as I can, the Canon 200mm f/2L IS. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to try the holy grail Canon 200mm f/1.8L IS, and my shooting style has changed considerably. So with that, I thought it was…
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Teardown of the Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera
I’ve wanted to look inside the new Canon and Nikon mirrorless cameras since the moment they were announced, so I’m probably more excited about this than you guys are. I’m really not sure what to expect. Early on, when we took apart a Sony A7R, we were struck by how clean and straightforward…
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Biggest Product Announcements at Photokina 2018
Since its introduction 1950, Photokina has taken the title as the largest trade show related to photography in the world. This biennially held trade show takes place every two years in Cologne, Germany and brings in nearly 200,000 people for each event. With it transitioning to an annual show…
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The DJI Mavic 2 Pro: Equal Parts Accessible and Impressive
If you’ve been delaying getting into this “drone thing” because what you could afford wouldn’t give you the quality you want, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro makes a strong case to end up in your bag. In short, the DJI Mavic 2 comes in two flavors – the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. As largely a…
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Roger’s Rants: My Canon/Nikon Mirrorless Camera Unfanboy Opinion
I’ve gotten about 632 texts and emails over the last couple of weeks. About half of them are “I’m a Nikon / Canon shooter. Should I preorder a Z / RF camera?” My answer is generally no. The reason is simple; unless you just have to play with the new technology and have money to burn, wait until the…
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Review of the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III Lens
The history of the 70-200mm is far shorter than many may suspect. With the original Canon 70-200mm f/.28L, from Canon at least, being released in 1995, many people are shocked to hear that we’ve had seven different iterations of this lens in just 23 years. And that’s only counting the Canon…
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Lens Teardowns and Comparisons of the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II and III
Years ago, I introduced Roger’s Law of New Product Introduction AKA The Fanboy Uncertainty Principle. *Roger Cicala, 2013* But what about new releases that really aren’t new? Usually, they fail to reach sufficient quantum energy to generate much of an opinion either way. They are the dark matter of…
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First Impressions Review of the DJI Ronin-S Gimbal
We’re past the point of, “they’re all the rage.” Compact brushless gimbals and other types of affordable DSLR stabilizers have become staples for wedding videographers, music video shooters, and vloggers. Nearly forty years of innovation that started with the Steadicam, a pricey and complicated…
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First Look of the “Bokeh Master” Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art Series Lens
A couple of years ago I was super excited about the Nikon 105mm f/1.4E. I was so excited I wrote an ode to it. So when Sigma announced their own version with the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art Series, I immediately got excited. I’ve been a massive fan of the Art series primes since they first debuted, and…
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MTF Tests for the Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 Art Series Lens
Most of you know I’m a big fan of Sigma’s Art prime lenses. They give superior optics at excellent prices just about every damn time. I’ve been more mixed in my opinions of Sigma’s Art zoom lenses. I thought the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 Art was the best 24-105mm I’ve ever tested (and I hate testing…
