Special note: a tragic helicopter accident in New York City this week claimed the lives of five people excited to see and photograph Manhattan from the air. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims and the pilot who managed to make it out alive.
Read moreSony a7 III: De-Tuned a9 for 60% Less
The a9 for the rest of us, arguably the best hybrid on the market. Then again...
Read moreI'm Not Going, Part 3
It got more and more fun as we went along, with more friends joining in the merriment. Yes, that's legendary blogger Ken Rockwell on the left, and YouTube phenom Jared Polin of FroKnowsPhoto in the middle. And there's more...
Read moreI'm Not Going, Part 2
Suddenly, an off the cuff test of our new mid-2017 Macbook Pro 13" for 4K video editing while on the road turned into a romp as a micro-series with industry friends.
Read moreI'm Not Going, Part 1
First in a four part series begun on a lark to test the 4K editing performance of my new road warrior laptop, the mid-2017 MacBook Pro 13" with touch bar. I was hoping it would be almost as fast or perhaps a little faster than the computer I was replacing, my mid-2012 MacBook Pro 15."
Read moreMONGO Panasonic G9 AF + GH5 Hack Review
Yes, I should have tested the hack at 30fps for completeness' sake, though I chose not to -- at least for this video -- because I don't shoot in 30fps (let alone 60fps), and some YouTubers said you got some advantage even at the lower frame rate. I found this to be true, but...
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Gear discussed:
Panasonic G9: B&H, Amazon, Adorama
Panasonic GH5: B&H, Amazon, Adorama
Sony a6300: B&H, Amazon, Adorama
Sony a7r III: B&H, Amazon, Adorama
Leica DG Vario Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0: B&H, Amazon, Adorama
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GX9: Mind. Officially. Blown.
If you're a current GX8 user, or insist upon a flippy screen, you may be disappointed. But if you're just about anyone else, holy moly -- this is an incredible street photography camera, especially when paired with the jewel-like DG Leica 15mm f/1.7 and the Monochrome-L and grain effects.
Check pricing & availability (yes, we get a small commission if you buy ANYTHING at either seller, no cost to you, with our thanks) at: B&H, Amazon
If you'd like to see more videos like this, please also consider supporting our work directly via paypal. And again: thanks!
Gear reviewed:
The Hasselblad X1D Has Me Thinking: Episode 2
The X1D is a critical -- THE critical -- camera for Hasselblad, legendary medium format manufacturer. But what IS medium format in 2018? Certainly not what it was when medium format was king...
Read moreSony 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.
Read moreThe Panasonic GH5S: Another Great Conversation with Panasonic's Sean Robinson
Back in ancient times (less than two months ago), I sat down with Panasonic marketing and all-around good guy Sean to talk about the new Panasonic GH5s. Yes, the low light performance is stellar - I saw it with my own eyes. No, it doesn't have IBIS. But there are good reasons for this...
Read moreOn the Road Storage for 4K Editing: Glyph 2TB Atom RAID Has You Covered
The Glyph 2TB Atom RAID is ideal for those who need to edit a single large project under extreme deadline pressure in the field -- and carry everything themselves. The Glyph is smaller than a wallet and works at comparable speeds to even my G-Speed Shuttle XL, which is quite a feat.
Read morePanasonic 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).
Read moresmallHD Focus: An Exceptionally Clear Winner
Much as we love the people and capabilities of Sony cameras, the compromises the company has made in battery life, menu clarity, rear LCD panel brightness and articulation on their a6 and a7 cameras leave much room for improvement. smallHD wasn't the first company to figure this out, but the product they made to address it -- the Focus -- is the best solution we've seen to ALL of it.
Read moreTripod Wars: Sachtler Flowtech FSB6 vs. Cartoni SDS 8
For those of you who remember the review of the Cartoni SDS 8, it currently holds the blog's record for fastest set-up and take down times. However, Sachtler released the Flowtech tripod series, which also promises light-weight and fast operating speed.
So, if both tripods are in the same price range, and they both promise a light-weight tripod with a quick operating speed, how do they actually compare? It's time to strap in for a battle of the Tripods.
Read moreAmbivalence About Thanksgiving & Black Friday, But 3 Top Deals
After more than half a century of looking forward to coming together as a family across distance and generations in one location to share a meal and stories, it finally dawns on me that Thanksgiving is actually the perfect Three Blind Men & An Elephant's "one person's subjective truth may not be another's, and neither may be the actual truth. But...
Read more2017 Gear of the Year Awards, Plus Our Second Annual Elephant Award
Sit back, kick up your feet - even close your eyes if you'd like -- as we cover the best gear of the year and explore the best example of the Three Blind Men and Elephant ethos of recognizing that one person's subjective truth may not be another's, and neither may be the actual truth.
Read moreSony a7R III: 2017 Medium Format Camera (!) of the Year
Reasonable people can disagree, but after spending two days and nights shooting with the a7R III and a pile of glass, OMG - it's clear to me that the a7R III competes with medium format digital cameras more than it does with most full frames, and blows them all away for video. Your mileage may vary.
Read morePanasonic GH5 Cage Review (My Favorite Thus Far): smallRig
The 3BME YouTube community is amazing as I was shown yet again - this time by viewer Gregory Gallaspie, who has co-designed a GH5 Cage configuration with smallRig that is my new favorite. Zacuto is more robust and smoother, but the GH5 Cage smallrig configured for my particular needs is just outstanding - and half the price. Does that mean the Zacuto is over-priced? Not necessarily - watch.
Read morePanasonic G9: Whoa.
The G9 took me completely by surprise -- and I know I'm not the only one. I REALLY like it.
Read moreI Join Tony & Chelsea Northrup's Quest to Supply Water Filters to Hurricane Maria Victims in Puerto Rico →
What do we use our gear for? Today, I published a PSA for the Northrup's clean water project with Michael the Maven, and contributed a limited number of signed prints for those who'd like one. Feels good to be part of that community called...humanity.
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