Gear - Digital Photo Pro

August 18, 2017

Eclipse Photography For The Procrastinator

What to do next week when the sun is entirely hidden

DPP

Photo courtesy of NASA In case you missed it, the solar eclipse is on Monday, August 21, 2017, and I don’t even have glasses yet. So I’ll probably wear a pinhole camera box on my head, but I have a nice camera kit from Canon, the EOS 5D Mark IV, and maybe should at least try to get a shot. I’m based in Seattle, and we’re on 92% of the totality... Read more

August 8, 2017

Monolights Cut The Cord

Go-anywhere battery-powered monolights are changing the way location photographers capture images

David Schloss

Broncolor Siros L Monolights are the unsung heroes of the studio photography world. While they’re compact and transportable, they’re less powerful than pack-based studio gear, and many studio photographers consider them to be a second-tier lighting solution because of the complexity of setting them up and triggering them. New battery-powered monolights... Read more

July 11, 2017

USB-C Hard Drives

New standards promise increased hard drive speed and productivity, if you’re willing to buy new gear

David Schloss

LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive As Apple takes aggressive steps in the computer market to foster the adoption of the new USB-C standard—abandoning all connectors on the new MacBook Pro aside from USB-C—photographers find themselves on the threshold of a new range of hard drive performance, but not without some confusion. The USB-C connector combines... Read more

July 7, 2017

Sony a9: High Speed For Photographers With High Standards

World traveler Ira Block is thrilled to harness the Sony a9’s speed and responsiveness in an inconspicuous package

By William Sawalich / Photography By Ira Block

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks 2017, shot with the Sony a9 from the west looking east. The NY Life Insurance building is on the left and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower is on the right. Sponsored Within minutes of picking up the new Sony a9, globetrotting photographer Ira Block knew something was different. He was holding in his hands a game... Read more

June 28, 2017

Westcott Skylux Light

Dependable, transportable LED lighting in a compact package

David Schloss

Emily Soto/Courtesy of Westcott Westcott’s Skylux is a deceptively small LED light that’s bright, compact, versatile and continues in the company’s tradition of making rock-solid photographic products with innovative design elements. The Skylux looks for all the world like a traditional, small monolight. More accurately, it looks like a lunchbox... Read more

June 22, 2017

Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C — First Hands-On Test

A first look at the new lightweight, affordable super-zoom

David Schloss

Sigma’s new Contemporary 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM has just arrived, and I’ve been spending some time putting it through its paces at a media event in Utah’s Park City. The new lens is, according to Sigma “a state-of-the-art telephoto zoom that brings a new level of portability and quality to the super telephoto market.” Sigma has called... Read more

June 9, 2017

Taking Your Photos With You

Moving images and videos from location to studio or client can seem daunting, but technology is here to help

David Schloss

WD MyPassport Wireless Pro For the location photographer, getting photographs and videos back to the studio or to the client is oftentimes more daunting of a challenge than the actual creative assignment. The files created by still cameras and video cameras keep getting larger as sensor sizes and video resolutions increase. While a lot of location work... Read more

June 6, 2017

iMac Pro, New iMacs And MacBook Pro Target Photo And Video Markets

Updates to the existing lineup and a preview of the iMac Pro renew Apple’s commitment to pros

David Schloss

The history of Apple is tied to that of the creative professional, after all, Apple is the company that ushered in the age of “desktop publishing” with the original Mac computers, and enabled digital photography and digital videography to blossom thanks to affordable, powerful high-end Macs. Apple’s history with professionals, though, has not... Read more

May 24, 2017

Byron’s Blog: Shooting With The Canon EOS M6

Don’t think of it as mirrorless

DL Byron

I don’t think of the M6 as a mirrorless camera—Canon told me they don’t, and you shouldn’t, either. Instead, consider it a compact that will take much better pictures than a cell phone, and, if you’re a fan of the Canon brand, an obvious step-up, gift or camera you’d take on a trip when you don’t want the bulk of a DSLR. The M6 isn’t... Read more

May 22, 2017

A Constant Light: LED Lighting Solutions

Today’s LED lights are brighter, cheaper and better than ever, and ready for your studio

David Schloss

The flash of a strobe is intertwined so closely with the identity of a photographer that it has always been the signal in entertainment that a character is a photographer. Think, for instance, of film-noir dramas, where a news reporter catches a shot of a mobster—their Speed Graphic camera is always seen with a large, round Graflex flashgun popping... Read more

May 10, 2017

Byron’s Blog: A Tough Little Camera

Testing the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, as it survives the elements in the Pacific Northwest—and a bike crash

DL Byron

Tumbling through the air after getting thrown from my bike when the front tire hit a root, I hoped I’d be okay and wouldn’t break a rib, collarbone, or worse. In an instant, I had tucked, and rolled, and hit the ground in motion, minimizing the impact, and protecting my head with my forearms. I got up, did an inventory of myself and the bike, and... Read more

April 17, 2017

DIY High-Power Video Or Still Light For Under $200

We made our own 11,200 lumen LED lighting solution that’s lightweight and durable. Check out the how-to video.

David Schloss

We’re always looking for ways to save time and money in the studio, so we set out to see if we could create a low-budget but powerful lighting solution for photography and videography. After wandering the aisles of the local hardware store, we found materials that allowed us to create our very own studio lighting hack—an 11,200 lumen light that... Read more

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