News / Features & Articles

We've just posted the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series of short videos aimed at the novice photographer. In this first segment our hosts Jordan and Mark compare the results from a smartphone and an entry-level digital SLR in everyday shooting conditions such as low light, moving subjects and the challenge of capturing a flattering informal portrait. In future spots we'll be covering more practical shooting advice and diving into creative techniques in an effort to help beginners choose the right gear. Click on the thumbnail to watch the video.

The GigaPan EPIC Pro is an affordable motorized panorama head for DSLRs, built to create high-resolution images from multiple frames. In this article, Ireland-based landscape photographer Carsten Krieger takes the device out into the field to put it through its paces. Click through for a link to the full review. 

In this article, photographer Erez Marom explains how he created his image 'Dark Matter', which was captured at glacier beach in Iceland earlier this year. Marom sheds light on everything from from composition and gear choice to post-processing, and finally, what to call the final, dramatic picture. Click through for a link to the full article.

The Tamrac 5592 Big Wheels SpeedRoller 2X is a serious camera bag, featuring an industrial strength telescoping handle, oversized wheels fortified with ball bearings, and of course loads of space for camera equipment plus a 17-inch laptop. Despite an impressive capacity the SpeedRoller 2X is small enough to carry on to airplanes. It's not cheap though, at a street price of around $400. Do you get what you pay for? Read our review to find out. 

In the second, concluding article of his 2-part tutorial explaining Photoshop's Gradient tool, Jean Miele explains how to use linear, reflected and radial gradients in layer masks to improve your digital photographs. In this article Jean takes us through four clear, easy steps, and also includes more tips for making the most out of gradients in both Photoshop and Lightroom. Click through for links to the article. 

The Phottix BG-5DIII battery grip is a budget-friendly alternative to Canon's BG-E11 battery grip for the EOS 5D Mark III, allowing you to double the battery life and enhance handling when shooting vertical format images. Can it do the same job for less cash, or should you save up for the Canon-branded accessory? Find out in our review. 

Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind, both working professionals and educators, have written a beginner’s guide to photographic lighting with an unusual conceit at its core. By structuring a book around a list of common challenges - what they call the 'top ten worst situations' - they've created a digestible, useful 'lighting 101' guide. In this short review, Adam Koplan takes a look at their book 'Shooting in Sh**ty Light: The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them'.

Adobe Photoshop has become ubiquitous since its introduction more than 20 years ago, but it isn't the only game in town. In this article, we've selected 10 photo editing programs that aren't all as well-known as Photoshop, but which are well worth investigating if you're looking for other options. Click through for a link to the full article. 

We love the work of LA-based street photographer Eric Kim, and we're big fans of his regularly-updated blog. In this 2-page article, originally published on his website, Eric explains how the work of famed street photographer William Klein has taught him valuable lessons that inform his own outlook, and his photography. Click through to read more. 

Ireland is a fantastically varied place with a lot to offer the travelling landscape photographer. In this three page article, Carsten Krieger explains Ireland's enduring appeal to photographers and as well as travel advice, he shares some of his own work, captured all over the 'emerald isle'. Click through to read his article, 'Ireland: A Photographers' Guide'. 

Continuing the move toward cameras without optical low-pass filters, Pentax last year released two versions of its flagship digital SLR, the K-5 II and K-5 II S, the latter with no OLPF. Both cameras retain the same body and 16MP resolution, but get an upgraded autofocus sensor and a new air-gapless LCD. We've started our review, but wanted to put up a quick look exploring whether there's a difference between the two in terms of image quality. 

Adobe has released a public beta version of its Photoshop Lightroom 5 workflow and image editing software and we've had some time to look at its latest features. Available immediately for free download from Adobe Labs, the beta introduces a more advanced healing/cloning tool, automatic image leveling and perspective correction, a new selective editing tool and the ability to edit files that are offline. Click here for all you need to know to begin exploring this new release on your own.

Macro photography can be extremely challenging, but very rewarding if you get it right. In this article - the latest in a series - Erez Marom explains how to use focus stacking to achieve deep depth of field for capturing tiny subjects with a macro lens. Click through for a link to the article 'Focus Stacking in Macro Photography'.

The Canon EOS 1D X and Nikon D4 are aimed squarely at the specific and demanding needs of working pros. We recently sat down with two staff photographers from the Seattle Times for their insights gained through using these pro-level cameras on a daily basis. Find out what it's like to shoot with these flagship models from Canon and Nikon under the pressure of breaking news and tight deadlines.

Photographer and imaging professional Jean Miele demonstrates how to combine images in Photoshop for seamless and natural-looking results. In this article he takes you through the basics of making Gradient tool adjustments to layer masks. Follow along with a simple tutorial that adds a dramatic sky to an interesting foreground. 

Nikon's AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm F4.5-5.6 G ED VR will be eagerly welcomed by many enthusiast and professional Nikon photographers who've been waiting for a replacement for its 12 year-old predecessor. The original 80-400mm was Nikon's first lens to offer vibration reduction but the intervening years have left it looking rather long in the tooth. The latest version boasts a new optical design, built-in SWM focus motor and much improved vibration reduction. In this short article, Barnaby Britton gives his opinion. 

The latest release candidates of Adobe Camera Raw (7.4) and Lightroom (4.4) include improved demosaicing logic for Fujifilm's X-Trans sensor cameras, including the flagship X-Pro1. We found previous ACR versions struggled with fine detail and color accuracy, so were anxious to re-process our X-Pro1 files in ACR 7.4 RC. Is this the update X-Pro1 owners have been waiting for? Have a look at our results.

CP+ 2013: Panasonic is considering which cameras it needs to appeal to the different demands for Micro Four Thirds in different countries. We spoke to Michiharu Uematsu, Special Adviser, Imaging Business Group and Yoshiyuki Inoue, Senior Engineering Planner, Marketing Team, Imaging Business Group. They explain the challenges of making and marketing a high image quality compact and suggest the GH3 won't get focus peaking.

CP+ 2013: Casio wants to make cameras that allow non-photographers to take better images, and that could mean large sensor compacts, says Jin Nakayama, Senior General Manager of the company's QV Digital Camera Division, but don't expect a mirrorless camera. The company, which makes some of Japan's best-selling compacts, has a development strategy Nakayama believes will distinguish it from smartphones while also staying a step ahead of its camera rivals, he says.