Photography Gear Reviews, Tutorials and Articles

Peak Design Capture Lens Review

June 30, 2021July 15, 2017 by Dan Carr

The Capture lens is an innovative lens carrying device that pairs with a Peak Design Capture Clip quick release system. I’ve reviewed the Capture Clip in the past and found it to be very useful when you want to have fast access to a camera. This Capture Lens device allows you to have just as fast access to one or two lenses, and should be of particular interest to event and wedding photographers where carrying a big bag of additional gear all day is usually not at all practical. Video Review If you want to see the Capture Lens in …

MindShift Gear PhotoCross Sling Bag Review

April 21, 2022June 29, 2017 by Dan Carr

I’ve reviewed a lot of MindShift Gear products in the past, but this is the first time they’ve brought a sling-style pack to the market so I was very curious to see what their take on it would be. MindShift is the sister company to Think Tank Photo, but their products focus entirely on the outdoor photography markets such as landscape, adventure, travel and wildlife photography. Pretty much all of the camera bags I use for work on a daily basis are MindShift ones, but I’ve never actually owned a sling before so I was excited to try one out …

How to Fix Cloudy Plastic Camera Rain Covers

November 13, 2019June 23, 2017 by Dan Carr

Having a good rain cover in your photo kit is a great idea because clouds, snow and thunderstorms can often produce very dramatic images. If you’re a working professional, you also need to be able to guarantee you can work in any condition, particularly photojournalists and sports photographers. I’ve reviewed a number of rain cover on this site in the past, and they typically fall into two categories: Firstly you have ultra lightweight covers that don’t totally enclose the back of the camera. These covers take up less room in your bag, so you can typically leave one in there …

Benro TSL08CN00 Carbon Tripod Review

September 20, 2020June 22, 2017 by Dan Carr

Every photographer will need a tripod at some point and it’s an overwhelming decision to make when there are so many options. Some cheap tripods can actually be a hindrance because photographers believe they are getting a stable platform when they aren’t. Another common problem is that people end up with a tripod that is too small, and therefore two uncomfortable to use, or too heavy and therefore too cumbersome to carry. These experiences leave a bad taste in their mouths with regards to tripod usage, and they tend never to want to use one again. High-end tripods such as …

REVIEW: Peak Design Range Pouch

June 30, 2021June 17, 2017 by Dan Carr

I’ve used all kinds of Peak Design products in the last few years, and always been impressed with the bomber construction of their camera bags so I thought I’d purchase one of the Range Pouches to check it out and see how it compares to their other products. The Range Pouch is available in three different sizes and starts at $35 for the small size, $40 for the medium and $45 for the large. There’s really no rules about what you can carry in the Range Pouch, although obviously most people will be thinking about putting a lens in it, …

Better Beamer Flash Extender Review

August 12, 2021June 9, 2017 by Dan Carr

Sometimes it’s necessary to use a flash for wildlife photography just to add a little fill, or add a catchlight to the eye of your subject. The problem is that most hot shoe flashes simply don’t have the necessary range and power to adequately light up a subject that is as far away as wildlife often is. The Better Beamer Flash Extender is a solution to this problem! Priced at only $35 from B&H, it uses a simple plastic frame that attaches to your flash, and a thin plastic fresnel lens that sticks to the end of it using hook-and-loop. …

How to Charge a DSLR Using Solar Power and USB

June 9, 2021May 30, 2017 by Dan Carr

Using a combination of Goal Zero solar panels and Nitecore USB chargers you can charge your DSLR batteries when mains power is unavailable.

How to Add a Quick Release Strap to a Camera with Arca Swiss Type Plates

January 20, 2020May 10, 2017 by Dan Carr

Hopefully nobody out there is still manually screwing their camera onto a bare 1/4″ 20 thread on top of their tripod? Using a quick release plate is a much better option because it’ll save you valuable time, prevent wear on the camera and also offer a way to protect the bottom of the camera from scrapes and scratched when you put it on the ground. This final reason alone has always had the plates paying for themselves when it comes time to sell old gear on the second-hand market. The problem with these plates is that it can make it tricky …

Best Third Party Camera Lens Caps?

June 18, 2019April 27, 2017 by Dan Carr

Last week I wrote about the great little universal Arca-type plate from Breakthrough Photography, and it reminded me to mention their lens caps too. I like to keep a stash of spare lens caps in my gear closet because I’ve wasted far too much time over the years looking for ones that have been lost. Life is too short for that! I’ve come to peace with lens cap loss! If I can’t find a lens cap within 30 seconds, I just move on. More often than not, they simply turn up again anyway and if they don’t, Breakthrough Photography make …

Aerial Photography With The DJI Phantom 4 Pro

December 7, 2019April 25, 2017 by Matt Jacques

Last month, I picked up a new DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ drone, or rather UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). I’m still on a fairly steep learning curve when it comes to aerial imaging, but thought I would share some of my initial impressions of this equipment as a photography platform. While UAVs have taken off (sorry, couldn’t resist) in terms of their popularity over the past 5 years or so, DJI remains the market leader and their most recent offerings represent a significant jump in terms of both video and still imaging quality. The bad news for anyone just tuning in to the …