Sony A7R III with FE Distagon 35/1.4: Best Street Photography Combo I've Ever Used (for now)

Was back in the city just over a week ago, roaming some of my favorite neighborhoods with what I've called the best "medium format" camera of 2017, the a7R III. Yet here I am proclaiming it the best street photography combo I've ever used. How is that even possible? AF performance, optical performance, IBIS, dynamic range, sparkling sensor for stills and vids, that's how.

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Panasonic G9 Mini-Review: Let's see this in Slow Motion!

We've got part one of a review for the Panasonic G9 for you today! In this episode, we see how the Panasonic G9 compares to the Panasonic GH5, Sony FS5, Sony a6300, and the Sony a7r III (sort of). 

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All My GH5 Videos in One Post!

Well, this is one way to play catch up: put all the videos I've done on the Panasonic GH5 and related lenses over the last couple of months in one post. Enjoy -- and if you like what you've seen here, please remember to give a thumbs up, subscribe to our YouTube channel and consider using our affiliate links or even directly supporting us with a contribution via PayPal in the "MORE" section below each video on YouTube. Thanks!

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Fujinon MK 50-135 T2.9 on Sony a6300 with Zacuto Scissors: Killer Combo

Along with its wider brother (MK 18-55 T2.9), Fujinon's 50-135 T2.9 cine zoom has just gorgeous image quality -- especially when paired with Sony's little a6300. The key is to truly lock the lens down on such a small body, and for that Zacuto's Scissors is fantastic: it locks the lens in place on your rail system by literally screwing into the lens itself, so you don't get flexing in either direction. If you have a Sony e-mount camera, you'll want to take a look at this pair. You may also want to look at the rig I used to hold it all together, the Sachtler Ace Baseplate; SmallRig 15 carbon fiber rods; Really Right Stuff L-bracket; and the edelkrone FocusOne.

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I've Got to Figure Out How to Keep Up on This Blog

Just a quick note to apologize for leaving so much off the blog. This is all a very part-time thing I'd like to make almost-full time (we start shooting a documentary short tomorrow),  Still sorting it out. Will try to get a pile of YouTube videos reposted here over the next couple of day, but you can always go straight to our YouTube channel. Thanks for your patience!

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PhotoPlus Expo, Part 2: New Sigma Cine Lenses Should Worry Canon, Zeiss

It was only a matter of time before Sigma went up-market to take on Canon and Zeiss in the cine lens space. With pricing just announced on their 18-35mm and 50-100mm zooms of around $4,000 a pop -- and a meaty, solid and precise 85mm T/1.5 in my hands for all of 90 seconds -- it seems clear to me that Canon and Zeiss should be worried.

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Three Days with a Pile of E-Mount Lenses, an a6300, an a6000, an RX10 III, an iPhone 6s+, and a Couple of Bags: What Better Way to Stress Gear than at a Presidential Nominating Convention?

It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, but this time (unlike in April) I wasn’t official press. Forget about a tripod or monopod - Secret Service rules prohibited even selfie-sticks. Forget about a lot of glass, especially long, fast glass: not only would everything have to be hand-held, but those same rules stipulated no backpacks and no bags bigger than 18” x 13” x 7.” And then there were the closed-door meetings where even if I had been press, no press were allowed. Traveling small, light and unobtrusive were the orders of the week. Heads-up: this is a post about gear -- not politics -- but if you don’t want to see photographs from the Democratic National Convention in Philly (along with protests) you’d better stop reading here.

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Hasselblad X1D: Is This the Camera that Will Save Hasselblad?

Just six months ago I wondered if Hasselblad -- among other beloved photography brands -- would "...fade, like old photographs, into the sands of time." Fast forward to April of this year, when Hasselblad announced a brand new H6D in 50 and 100mp versions, coupled with the best software interface in a camera I've ever seen -- and an eye-watering price of $32,995 for the 100mp model, body only. Now Hasselblad as announced another new camera, the X1D at $8,995 (body only). While the X1D has the same sensor and user interface as the H6D-50c, it is roughly one third the price and less than half the weight. What does this mean for photographers -- and for Hasselblad?

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Another Nail in the Coffin of Entry-level/Budget Enthusiast DSLRs? Sony RX10 Mark III Takes On the Sony a6300 with Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8

I didn't think I'd like this camera: I'd chosen to buy Sony's RX100 Mk IV last year when I faced the choice. But then I returned that camera when I realized it didn't have enough reach and I didn't like futzing with the pop-up viewfinder (I loved everything else).  Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when an RX10 Mark III loaner showed up on my doorstep, in the middle of my on-going love affair with the Sony a6300 and a just-arrived Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 - a true rock 'n roll combo. So I did the obvious - I pitted them against each other during a family portrait shoot. I’ll cut straight to the chase: the Sony RX10 Mk III is so good – and so close to an a6300 with the already-legendary Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 - that if you can’t get amazing photos with it, the problem is…ahem…do you see it coming… YOU (or, in my case, me). Even bigger: the RX10 Mark III may be another nail in the coffin of entry level/budget enthusiast DSLRs.

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First Images from the Sony RX10 III May Make Me Change My Mind About Super Zoom Cameras

Whenever I hear about 20x, 25x or even more lenses on smaller sensor cameras, my eyes glaze over. They're going to be crap, right? Umm...well, I've only had the Sony RX10 III in house a couple of days and I've had a lot of other things going on, but these first few images -- straight out of the camera, no nuttin' -- look pretty damned good. Then again, for $1,500 they ought to.

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Sony’s FS5 is the Best Get-It-Right, NO FUTZING AROUND Interchangeable Lens Video Camera for the Money Out There Today. Here’s Why.

Those of you who know me will remember that I’ve drooled over the Sony a7S II and again over the a7R II, yet my favorite camera these days is Sony’s a6300. I put it in my bag as I headed to Oaks, PA last month, part of a team covering a Bernie Sanders event (this is not a political post, don’t worry). I got some great footage with it. But the camera I chose as my primary was Sony’s FS5 with their Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS lens. Here’s why. 

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