Photography Gear Reviews, Tutorials and Articles

Benro TSL08CN00 Carbon Tripod Review

August 22, 2024June 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

August 13, 2024June 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 22, 2024June 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. Better Beamer Design 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 …

How to Charge a DSLR Using Solar Power and USB

July 11, 2024May 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.

Best Third Party Camera Lens Caps?

August 29, 2024April 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

July 11, 2024April 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 …

Breakthrough Photography Universal Arca Quick Release Plate Review

August 29, 2024April 18, 2017 by Dan Carr

UPDATE: After publishing this review, the folks at Breakthrough Photography reached out to me to let me know that they just launched two additional sizes in their quick release plate lineup: an 85mm plate designed for the foot of longer zoom lenses or super telephoto lenses, and a smaller 40mm plate for mirrorless cameras and point and shoot cameras. They offered to send these additional plates to me so that I could add photos to this review, which has now been completed. Hopefully nobody is still screwing their cameras directly onto a 1/4″- 20 stud on their tripod’s ball head? …

Tamrac Anvil Super 25 Super Telephoto Backpack Review

August 14, 2024January 19, 2017 by Dan Carr

I’ve had the Tamrac Anvil Super 25 in my office for a few months now, and I’ve taken it on a couple of wildlife photography trips here in Canada, packed with my Canon 200-400 f/4 L IS attached to a Canon 5D Mark IV. That’s exactly the kind of setup that this bag is designed for; A super telephoto lens and a camera. In my experience, there’s two scenarios where a bag like this is a useful piece of kit. Firstly, when you’re shooting a sports event and your super telephoto lens doesn’t fit into your regular roller bag or …

My Top Three Pieces of Photo Gear for 2016

September 24, 2020January 6, 2017 by Matt Jacques

To kick things off in 2017 I’ve just launched a new vlog, and for the first episode I’ve taken a look back at the top three most trusted pieces of photo gear from my kit in 2016.

Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E VR Review

August 21, 2024November 25, 2016 by Matt Jacques

Exploring the Creative Possibilities of a Super Telephoto Lens I’ve been a Nikon DSLR shooter for over 10 years now. Starting out with the small but mighty 6-megapixel D70S that did so much to crack open the hobbyist/amateur market, I’ve been lucky enough to build up my skills and photographic repertoire just as digital photography technology seemed to evolve and mature in parallel. For many, that initial leap in to the DSLR world is soon followed by the realization that the performance and creative capabilities of any camera are limited nearly as much by lens choice as by megapixels, shutter …