Equipment
Understanding Camera Log & How It Can Improve Video Workflows
Video imaging techniques historically, have been a battle of compromise between quality and price point but the prosumer digital video market is finally showing signs of bargaining power. In terms of image quality, raw offers unparalleled advantages because you are capturing sensor data rather than…
A Breakdown of Lighting Options Available for Photo and Video
A month or two ago, I wrote an article about the fundamentals of lighting and discussed core lighting techniques used for both photo and video to better understand artificial light both in a studio or on location. Continuing the trend, I wanted to answer the question that so many people will often…
Rental Camera Gear Destroyed by the Solar Eclipse of 2017
We recently had quite a spectacle in the United States, with a Solar Eclipse reaching totality throughout a large portion of the United States. Being that this was the first solar eclipse passing through the Continental US since 1979, excitement ran wild on capturing this natural event using the…
Comparing Drones – DJI Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 Pro, and Inspire 2
As mentioned last week, Lensrentals.com has drones! I can see you opening another tab to reserve your copy (wave to the drone flying outside your window), but first, let’s take a minute to find out which one best suits the needs of your shoot and free-flying spirit. You may already be acquainted…
Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Sharpness Tests
Well, I’ll say to start with I’ve probably had more requests for the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM MTF tests than any lens in recent memory. People are excited about it. About half the requests have been very reasonable “I’m hoping to see MTF results before I decide between this lens and that.” And, as…
We’re Now Renting Drones – And Here is Your Guide
Starting today, we’re going to start offering drones available for rental. Obviously, this is a bit of a dicey decision, as there is a lot of variables that come into play when it comes to flying, renting, and servicing drones when compared to video and photography equipment. However, we’ve decided…
Comparing Sony’s Ultra Wides – the Sony 16-35mm f/4 ZA, 16-35mm f/2.8 GM & 12-24mm f/4 G
Picture this: you have a choice of three lenses with nearly the same specifications; how do you choose between them? This is probably the thought when considering Sony’s 16-35mm f4 ZA, the Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM and the Sony 12-24mm f4 G. I’m here to tell you, in not so many words, that they are all…
Taking Apart the Zeiss 85mm T2.1 CP.3 Cinema Lens
Long ago, in an office far, far away we did a teardown of the Zeiss 85mm CP.2 lens. Since we’ve already seen the earlier model, we thought it would be interesting to take a peek inside the new Zeiss 85mm CP.3 lens as well. We’re going to have to work on them eventually, and it’s always good to have…
Why We’re Going to Start Testing Cinema Lenses. And Why We Haven’t Before.
Here we go again. This isn’t my first time pissing off the status quo; I’ve been doing it for years. We spent the last few years developing better metrology (lens testing) for photography lenses. The reason was relatively simple; photography cameras with higher resolutions began to see flaws that…
Lensrentals.com Review the New Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Series Lens
I feel like I’ve written this a thousand times at this point, but credit is deserved where credit is due. There is no lens manufacturer in the world who has done a better job than Sigma Lenses at rebranding their image from a lowly third party manufacturer to a staple in the lens market. With their…
Sharpness Tests of the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art
We’ve had a number of fun, new lenses to test this summer and one I was pretty eager to get to was the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art, for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s a 14mm lens that has a wider aperture than f/2.8, and that’s certainly interesting. Second, it’s a new Sigma Art prime lens, and…
Sharpness Tests of the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8
Sony released the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens a while ago, and while it’s the kind of lens I generally love, we just now got enough time freed up to test it and present the results. As with most brands, and 85mm f/1.8 lens gives a lot of the advantages of a fast prime while saving a lot of money over…