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Is TTArtisan’s new 35mm F0.95 lens the Noctilux for Fujifilm X-mount?

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After releasing their first autofocus lens for Fujifilm X-mount, the TTArtisan 27mm ƒ2.8 (review here), TTArtisan is here again with a pleasant surprise in its yet latest release. Announced last week, the TTArtisan 35mm ƒ0.95 seeks to break new boundaries for Fujifilm X-mount. For Fujifilm native lenses, there are currently no lenses of this spec with the closest in terms of maximum aperture size, the classic XF35mm ƒ1.4, and of course, the more modern XF33mm ƒ1.4 (review here).

I was pleasantly surprised that TTArtisan has designed and built a lens of these specifications smaller than the already compact native XF35mm ƒ1.4. Let us take a closer look at the technical details before going into how it performs.

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The SmallRig RC 450B is a medium power LED light in a streamlined package

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A few months ago, SmallRig entered the LED lighting market with the RC120 and RC220 COB units (reviewed here and here). Even in our initial review, we said that the true verdict of these lights would be their ecosystem. And now, SmallRig is adding four new lights to the mix: RC 350D, RC 350B, RC 450D, and RC 450B. This is a mix of daylight and bicolor lights at 350 and 450 Watts output.

The new lights show Smallrig’s commitment to the LED line, and I would not be surprised if there are more lights to come at higher ratings. After all, this is the path we saw Aputure, Nanlite and Godox go with their road map.

This review, however, will focus on the series leading light, the RC 450B, a 450 Watts Bi-color LED light. (The rest of the series is similar in functions)

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Testing six AI-based noise reduction programs for astrophotography

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In a detailed technical blog I compare six AI-based noise reduction programs for the demands of astrophotography. Some can work wonders. Others can ruin your image.

Over the last two years, we have seen a spate of specialized programs introduced for removing digital noise from photos. The new generation of programs use artificial intelligence (AI), aka machine learning, trained on thousands of images to better distinguish unwanted noise from desirable image content. At least that’s the promise – and for noisy but normal daytime images they do work very well. But in astrophotography our main subjects – stars – can look a lot like specks of pixel-level noise. How well can each program reduce noise without eliminating stars or wanted details, or introducing odd artifacts, making images worse?

To find out, I tested six of the new AI-based programs on real-world – or rather “real-sky” – astro photos. Does one program stand out from the rest for astrophotography?

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DIYP reviews the Sirui Dragon flexible LED light strip

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The market for photo and video LEDs is becoming quite commoditized. Having good CRI (95+), both RGB and white LEDs, or an app, is not enough to compete in the market anymore. This is why brands are turning to fight either on price, quality, and service or, most interestingly, on features and innovation. Enter the Sirui Dragon Light, a bendable, app-controlled RGBWW LED strip. While this is not the first bendable light (see KYU-6), it is the first big, high-output flexible light. And this is worth a look.

Sirui is well known for its tripod line and its anamorphic lenses, so it is interesting to see how their knowledge of other photography lines will translate into making an LED. And right off the bat, you can see it is not a tube, it is not a panel, it is not a COB, it is something else entirely.

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I am shooting over 100 weddings in 2022, and I just moved from Strobes to LEDs

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It may sound crazy, but by the end of 2022, I will have shot over 100 weddings. It was quite a tolling year, but I did not want to leave anyone who got their wedding delayed due to COVID without a photographer and… The floodgates opened.

As a photographer who shoots so many weddings, I am very picky about my gear. I care about a lot, but pushed to the wall, I would say that durability and size/weight are the two most important factors when it comes to choosing gear. There is more to come, but the TL;DR is I’m in love with the Godox ML60Bi LED light.

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Hands on with the ShiftCam ProGrip

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Smartphone photography is on the rise, there’s no question, and we’ve had our eye on the ShiftCam ecosystem since their Kickstarter announcements. The ShiftCam ProGrip has gone beyond the Kickstarter phase and is now out there for purchase, along with other items in their line-up. There are other systems available to hold our smartphone and make it look and feel more like a camera, but ShiftCam seems  to be up there as one of the better systems. Here’s why:

As a travel photographer and educator, I am constantly shooting, and when I don’t have my ‘proper’ camera with me, I turn to my iPhone. It’s often said that the best camera is the one you have with you, and with the advances being made in phone camera tech, I  find myself using the images I make with my phone more and more often. To that end, I want to be able to treat my phone more like a ‘proper’ camera, and part of that experience involves the look and feel. Rather than feeling like I’m holding a phone, I often want to feel like I’m holding a camera. And beyond that, I want to be able to attach my phone to my tripod.

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The PortKeys LH5P II monitor is also a clever camera remote

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If you are shooting video, you know how annoying those built-in camera monitors can be. Even if they are slightly bigger. Even if they tilt. Even if they flip out. They are just not very convenient when you need to do work on a bigger scale. I am not dissing them completely. Some situations call for small built-in monitors. But you want an external monitor when you need accuracy and a bit more real estate. Today, we will look at PortKeys LH5P II, which is not only an on-camera monitor but also a clever camera remote.

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The best switcher / streamer: YoloBox Pro vs Feelworld L2 vs ATEM mini

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Today we are comparing The BlackMagic ATEM mini vs. the Feelworld L2 vs. the Yololiv YoloBox Pro. There is a comparison cheat sheet right after the jump, but for the full post, keep reading.

When Covid hit, we all started streaming from home. In fact, I recall when webcams were in such high demand that you couldn’t even get them for their weight in gold.

Now, a webcast is just the base, and if you want to play in the big league, you are probably in the market for a switcher/streamer kind of device.

I would say that there are three types of switchers out there: The BlackMagic ATEM mini type, with a lot of buttons and things to press; the Feelworld L2 type, with a small monitor and a traditional T bar; and the Yololiv YoloBox Pro type that kinda look like an oversized tablet. But which one should you choose? Let’s break it down.

Those may seem like three completely different devices. But in the end, they are all used for the same purpose, switching, streaming, and recordings. And so let the fighting begin

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The new NiSi 9mm f/2.8 lens for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds is perfectly imperfect

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NiSi is a popular name when it comes to lens filters, but they’re still a pretty small brand when it comes to the lenses themselves. So far, they’ve only released one, a 15mm f/4 manual focus prime lens for Sony E mount cameras. Well, that’s changed today with the release of the new NiSi 9mm f/2.8 manual focus lens.

This one, though, isn’t a full-frame lens. It’s APS-C and it’s available for Fuji X, Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z and Micro Four Thirds mount cameras. I’ve been shooting with the Micro Four Thirds version for a few weeks now, so let’s take a look at what it can do and why I think “perfectly imperfect” is the best way to describe this lens.

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DIYP reviews the SmallRig Forevala W60 dual wireless Lav mic

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It seems like the new videography gear t get the “everybody makes one” is the wireless lav. RODE were the first with their RODE GO and RODE GO II (reviewed here), and now you have them from Godox, Joby, DJI, and many more.

SmallRig, who by now is making a lot more than cages and rigs, are the last to enter this product nitch with their Forevala W60. We took the unit for a spin, and this is what we found out.

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