Accessory Reviews

Accessory Reviews | Adobe | Featured | Software | User Reviews

Adobe Lightrooom 4 – Featured User Review

Adobe Lightrooom 4 – Featured User ReviewPhotographyREVIEW.com member Iceman2058, was the first to write a user review for the latest version of Adobe’s ubiquitous photography workflow and RAW photo processing software, Lightroom 4. He wrote a nice, detailed review and since Lightroom is the de facto digital photography workflow standard, it never hurts to give it some more attention.

If you’re a Lightroom user, we need your review, too! User reviews are the foundation of this site and help photographers just like you decide what cameras, software and photo accessories to spend their hard-earned money on.


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Featured Review: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

by Iceman2058 (Expert)

Review Date: May 3, 2012

Overall Rating: 4 of 5
Value Rating: 5 of 5

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Accessory Reviews | Camera Reviews | CSC | Featured | News | PhotographyREVIEW.com News | Sony

2011 Camera Of The Year – Sony Alpha NEX-7

 
Last year’s camera of the year was pretty obvious to me from early on. And it was the same this year. I took my time, let things settle and took a closer look at the other contenders to make sure I wasn’t missing something. There were four cameras in the running for me – the Sony NEX-7, the Sony Alpha SLT-A77, the Olympus E-P3 and the new Nikon 1 mirrorless camera system. But in the end, I had to go with my original gut decision. The 2011 Camera of the Year is the Sony Alpha NEX-7 compact system camera. The NEX-7 is unique in that it offers true professional-level digital SLR features, build and performance in a mirrorless camera body. That’s been said before about other compact system cameras but the NEX-7 raises the bar a few notches with a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor, excellent electronic viewfinder, 3-inch tilting LCD display, high-speed AVCHD video, customizable exposure control dials and 10 frames per second high-speed burst. And then there’s Sony’s new LA-EA2 transparent mirror adapter, which pushes the NEX-7 over the edge by giving it phase detect AF for DSLR continuous auto focus performance. No one has done that before.

2011 PhotographyREVIEW.com Camera of the Year

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Accessory Reviews | Bags | Canon | Featured | How-To | Lenses | Lowepro | Photographers | Photography Tips | Videos

What’s In My Camera Bag Video – Mountain Biking – Photo-John

 
What’s In My Camera Bag – Mountain Biking – Photo-JohnThis is the second video in our new “What’s In Your Camera Bag” series. People are always asking me what camera and backpack I use when I’m mountain biking. In this episode I show the camera equipment I typically carry when I’m out on my mountain bike and how I carry it. Major issues for riding with a camera are carrying a hydration bladder in your pack and the possibility of breaking your camera – especially if you want to ride with an expensive digital SLR. Weight is also an important consideration. These are big concerns for a lot of people but to me and other working pros they’re really non issues. The bottom line is, you either ride with your camera or you don’t get the photos. I’ve been riding with a digital SLR for well over ten years. Let me show you how I do it.
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Accessory Reviews | Bags | Canon | Featured | Lenses | Photographers | Photography Tips | Videos

What’s In My Camera Bag Video – Photo-John’s Ski Pack

 
What’s In My Camera Bag Video – Photo-John’s Ski PackThis is a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time – a series of “What’s In My Camera Bag” videos, featuring different kinds of pro photographers and their gear. Seeing what we carry in our camera bags and backpacks gives a lot of insight into how we shoot and what’s necessary to get the job done. This video is just the first of many. A lot of my work is backcountry action sports photography so I figured that would be a logical place to start. Since it’s winter now, in Utah, I thought people would like to see the camera gear I carry when I ski and how I carry it. I apologize if I’m a little out of breath in the video – hiking on skis at 9000 feet is hard work.
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Accessory Reviews | Buying Guides | Featured

Cheap Last Minute Holiday Gifts For Photographers

 
Here it is, down to the wire for Holiday shopping again. And you don’t have anything for the photographer in your life yet? Good thing you found this page because we can help. Below you’ll find ten cheap, last minute gift recommendations that photographers will love. They’re all under $100 and most are less than $50. And you should be able to buy them all before the Holidays are over. If you’ve got your own ideas for cheap, last minute Holiday gifts for photographers, please feel free to share them in the comments at the bottom of every page. The more ideas the better!

Cheap Last Minute Holiday Gifts For Photographers

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Accessory Reviews | Buying Guides | Featured | Lenses

Best DSLR Lens Holiday Guide

 
It’s Holiday shopping season again. But what if you or someone you’re shopping for already has a good camera? If you do need a camera, check out our 2011 Best Digital Camera Holiday Guide. If you already have a good digital SLR, the next thing you should add to your camera bag is a better lens. I’d bet that most photographers are still using the kit lens that came with their digital SLR – not a great strategy if you want the best photos. Look at it this way: you just spent $1000 on a camera – do you really want to be taking pictures through a $100 lens? So a better lens is almost always in order. And lenses are a better investment than cameras. Unlike digital SLRs, which most photographers only use for two or three years before upgrading, a good lens will be with you for decades.

Best DSLR Lens Guide

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Accessory Reviews | Canon | Featured | Lenses | User Reviews

Canon 70-300mm L IS Pro Zoom Lens – Featured User Review

Canon 70-300mm L IS Pro Zoom Lens – Featured User ReviewFor outdoor photographers like me, the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS pro zoom lens was very exciting when it was announced last summer (2010). It offers the reach of a 300mm zoom lens in a lighter, pro-quality, backcountry-friendly package. And from all reports, the image quality and auto focus performance are both very good. At about US $1500, it’s not a cheap lens, but it’s not unreasonable for pro quality, either. Because this is such a cool lens and al K’s review below is our first user review for the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS zoom, I decided it deserved to be promoted to a Featured User Review.

If you own the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS zoom lens, please take a few minutes to write your own review so other photographers can benefit from your experience. User reviews are the foundation of PhotographyREVIEW.com and we need your reviews!


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Featured Review: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens

by al K (Expert)

Price Paid: $1400.00 from K&R Photo
Review Date: November 19, 2011
Used product for: 3 Months to 1 year

Overall Rating: 5 of 5
Value Rating: 4 of 5

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2011 PhotoPlus | Accessory Reviews | Digital Storage | Events | Featured | Memory Cards | Videos

Hoodman Raw Steel – The Best SD Card On The Planet?

 
Hoodman Raw Steel – The Best SD Card On The Planet?A few weeks ago I attended a Leica Akademie workshop (my Leica Akademie M9 workshop article) and was shown Hoodman’s very impressive Raw Steel “ruggedized” SDHC memory cards. I’ve always thought SD memory cards seemed pretty flimsy and when I got to see a standard SD card and a Hoodman Raw Steel SD card taken apart, side by side, I was impressed with the Hoodman card’s superior design and build. I haven’t actually used one, but based on what I’ve seen, the Raw Steel card could be the best SD card on the planet. So when I was at the PhotoPlus Expo a few weeks ago, I made sure to follow up with Hoodman and get more details and some photos of the Raw Steel memory cards.
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2011 PhotoPlus | Accessory Reviews | Events | Featured | Lenses | Sigma

Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 HSM Zoom Lens – A Closer Look

 
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 HSM Zoom Lens – A Closer LookOver the years, in their various incarnations, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lenses have been among the most popular lenses on PhotographyREVIEW.com. It seems like there’s always a Sigma 24-70mm in the top five lenses list on the Home page. That means more people are looking at our Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens review pages than any other lens on the site. It’s often been the most popular piece of camera gear on the site – more so even than the most popular cameras. So why is the Sigma 24-70mm so popular? I visited with Sigma at the 2011 PhotoPlus Expo and took a look at their 24-70mm F2.8 IF EX DG HSM zoom lens and then dug into the reviews and specs to find out why.
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Accessory Reviews | Camera Reviews | CSC | Featured | News | Olympus

Olympus E-PM1 Pen Camera – First Look

Olympus E-PM1 Pen Camera - First LookOn the eve of Olympus announcing the launch of a new camera in the PEN series, I was given the opportunity to try it out. I and a group of testers were taken behind the scenes at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, NY to put the camera through its paces shooting top-tier professional tennis. I pushed the range of the camera’s capabilities shooting on the roof of the stadium at night, in the workshop of the adept and industrious racquet stringers, and ultimately courtside elbow-to-elbow with other pros managing bozooka-sized zoom lenses on pro-grade dSLRs. Here are my first impressions on how it measured up. The smallest of the Olympus PEN series cameras, the E-PM1, is nicknamed the PEN “Mini,” weighing in at a flyweight 7.65 ounces. It is a pared-down, simpler version of the E-P3, but still retains the most popular aspects of PEN functionality.
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