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Spekular is the light that does it all for photographers

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Spekular is spectacular! Hmmm – a little over the top? Not really. I recently had the opportunity to put this new LED lighting system from Spiffy Gear to the test. Spiffy Gear are the folks that brought us the Light Blaster (buy link).

Spekular is a modular lighting system that can take on all kinds of shapes depending on your needs and this can save you money and the time needed to pack and set-up light modifiers especially when you are working on location. Spekular comes as a kit of 4 LED sections. Each section is built with aluminum and ABS plastic. The sections can be configured using the included hinged connectors or with the accessory extension kit.

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Hands On Review of the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm Classic Portrait and Art Lens

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A couple months ago, Lensbaby provided DIYP with a new Lensbaby Velvet 85mm Classic Portrait and Art Lens for review.

I happened to be on my way to Europe at the time, so I took the opportunity to try out the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm along the way.

Up until this point, I had never used a Lensbaby lens, so I was pretty excited to see what I could do with the Velvet 85mm – so much so that I left my usual 85mm (the Sigma ART f/1.4) at home in favor of the Lensbaby.

In total I spent six weeks photographing with the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm – in this review I will present my thoughts.

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Field Test: Loupedeck photo editing console

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So I’m going to start this Field Test back to front and for one reason only, the LoupeDeck system blew my socks off and if you’re a wedding photographer.. in fact, if you’re into any genre of photography, the Loupedeck is a game changer. I used it to edit a full wedding from start to finish, it not only halved my editing time, it made the experience of editing fun again. I was in my element editing with the Loupedeck, I was waking up early to start editing because my workflow had become so smooth and ergonomic… and they’re not even paying me to say this, seriously! I could end the field test here and just say get your hands on one, but if you need more persuading take a read below:

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Kai’s hands-on review of new Leica TL2

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Leica TL2 was recently announced, and Kai Wong got his hands on one of these mirrorless cameras to bring you a review. He’s walking around the city of Bath, taking photos and videos and trying out the camera. If you’re thinking of cashing out almost $2,000 for Leica TL2, Kai’s review could give you some insight and help you make a decision.

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Review: The Laowa 15mm f/2 FE lens delivers fine results at a fair price

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A few weeks ago Laowa sent me a copy of their first lens dedicated to Sony’s full frame e-mount system, the 15mm f/2. This lens is meant for landscape & astrophotographers who want to capture as much of the beautiful night sky as possible; which means wide and fast.

Last year I was able to get a copy of their 12mm f/2.8 for Canon and used it on my Sony A7Rii with a Metabones adaptor. I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed the lens. A lot of what was great about that lens can be translated over to this one as well. First, let’s talk about the physical design and characteristics.

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Four Years With Stocksy United: A Photographer’s Review

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I have been a contributing photographer with Stocksy United for four years now, so I thought I would reflect a little about my time with Stocksy.

Back when I was accepted to Stocksy in 2013 (there is a robust application process) my goal for stock photography was to earn a little extra cash to go towards gear and travel by selling photos that I would take anyway – mostly leftover images from commercial gigs and family photos.

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How the DJI Spark with the official controller competes with the DJI Mavic Pro

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We’ve seen a couple of videos now comparing the DJI Spark, but only using a phone as the controller. This means it has pretty limited range, and the handling isn’t that great. Of course, there is a separate controller available for the Spark, but it’s been “coming soon” since release. So, nobody’s tried it. Until now.

Not surprisingly, Casey Neistat is one of the first to get his hands on the Spark controller. In this video he puts it head to head with his Mavic Pro. This is something he’s done before with a prototype unit. But now he has the retail release and it comes with the controller. Is it worth the extra cost? Or should you just save for a Mavic? Casey’s video should help to answer that question.

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eMotimo Spectrum St4 Review – Hands on With 4-Axis Robotic Motion Control

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What does it mean to have 4 axis robotic motion control?

Starting with just an eMotimo Spectrum St4 you have two axis robotic motion control – rotation (pan) and up-down (tilt). Add a slider and you’re got another axis – forward and back (push/pull). Add a new eMotimo Focus Fz unit and you’ve got your fourth axis – focus or zoom. (Or skip the slider and add a second Fz unit and you’ve got focus and zoom!)

So what exactly can you do with robotic four axis motion control? Think complex time lapse sequences with multiple silky smooth movements. Think live action video with precise movement and focus, zoom or aperture control.

If you are a timelapse photographer or film maker, the eMotimo Spectrum can enable you to make impossible shots – the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

But what is it like to work with 4-axis motion control in the field? Continue reading for our hands on review of the eMotimo Spectrum St4.

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DIYP reviews the Saramonic MixMic powered XLR microphone adapter

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Switching from the built in microphone to one that sits on top of the camera is the first step in getting quality sound. Whether it’s your primary audio source or simply offers a clearer track for syncing in post, external mics are the way to go. They help to eliminate handling noise and are often directional to help reduce random sound coming from your environment.

The Saramonic MixMic is one such system. Although designed primarily to be used as a on-camera microphone, it offers a lot of versatility. It’s comprised of two main parts. The MixMic XLR Adapter itself, and the Saramonic NV5 microphone. And you can add a second microphone if you wish. It offers features that you can grow into and expand upon as your abilities and needs increase.

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A professional photographer’s review of the OnePlus 5’s camera

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I was lucky enough to be contacted at the end of April by OnePlus to be part of the shooting campaign for the new OnePlus 5. At the end of April, I received a working prototype of the OnePlus 5 and my duty was to test the camera, giving some feedback to the company and recording some nice pictures to use for the launch of the device.

I’ve to point out that my prototype was hidden by a quite bulky white cover that was impossible to remove. In this way, I wasn’t able to have an idea of the final look of the device until I got my final unit some days ago.

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