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Camera Conspiracies isn’t happy as he explains “Why I’m leaving Pansonic FOREVER”

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The whole “I’m switching from this brand to that brand” or “I’m done with whatever brand” videos have been done to death, but this one from Kasey at Camera Conspiracies popped up on my feed last night after the announcement of the Panasonic S5 and I have to say, it’s pretty hilarious.

He talks about Panasonic’s strengths (which are now mostly at least matched by the competition) as well as their weaknesses in the way that only Kasey can. The complaints mentioned in the video (the main one being the DFD autofocus) aren’t anything new, either. Panasonic’s flagship GH5 was plagued with autofocus issues and that was released three and a half years ago.

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This 5x macro is possibly the strangest lens you’ve ever seen

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There are a lot of oddball lenses out there these days. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Look at Laowa’s crazy lookin’ 24mm f/14 2x macro probe lens, for example. I’ve played with that one myself and it’s a lot of fun and pretty awesome. The Yasuhara Nanoha Macro Lens for Sony, though, takes the reach much further, going all the way to 5x. And the best bit? It costs a mere $399.

You might wonder what’s so unusual about it. Well, for a start it’s got a strange removable hood thing that houses several LED lights, powered by USB (yup, it’ snot for firmware updates, just powering LEDs).  But that’s not all. This thing… Well, Arthur Reutov’s made a video about it. So, why don’t you have a watch?

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Still the best motorised mini slider I’ve tried – Smartta SliderMini 2

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The SliderMini 2 is Smartta’s latest iteration of the SliderMini, its small form factor motorised slider. It’s largely the same as the original and you can read that review here, but it has received a couple of significant changes since the original that allows it to offer much more versatility.

Like the original, the SliderMini 2 is a super-compact slider that allows for easy portability for use just about anywhere. I’ve been using the SliderMini 2 for the past few weeks now in order to try to answer two very specific questions. But first, how about some pretty (yes, I know that’s subjective) sample footage shot using it?

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Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 vs Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 DS – Is it worth the extra cost?

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Canon’s announcement of two RF 85mm f/1.2L lenses for their mirrorless camera system was quite surprising. One of them has that “DS” moniker, or “Defocus Smoothing” and the other does not. It was announced early last year, but what does it actually do? And how do the two lenses stand up side-by-side?

The DS version of the lens costs significantly more than the non-DS version, at $2,999 vs $2,599. But is it worth the extra cost? Does it really make a difference? In this video, photographer and YouTuber Christopher Frost takes a look at the two side-by-side in order to find out.

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The NiSi NM-180 Macro Focusing Rail makes shooting for focus stacking a breeze

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While more commonly known for their filters and their upcoming cine lenses, NiSi recently announced their new NM-180 Macro Focusing Rail. Focusing rails are essential pieces of kit for serious macro photographers that allow them to create images that might otherwise be impossible, but how well does the new NiSi NM-180 stack up? Maybe pun intended.

I’ve been using the NiSi Macro Focusing Rail for a few weeks now. The short version of this review is that for what it costs, it’s an extremely well-made device, that has some thoughtful design considerations and does exactly what it’s supposed to. In my opinion, it’s well worth what it costs. But how do focusing rails work and why do you need one?

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This is a Canon EOS R5 review for photographers… JUST photographers

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With all the talk of the Canon EOS R5’s overheating and shortcomings for filmmakers lately, it can be difficult to remember that this camera was primarily designed for shooting stills. And stills is what still primarily interests a lot of would-be Canon EOS R5 owners. In fact, there are many photographers out there who are only interested in stills and don’t care about video one bot.

So, how does the EOS R5 hold up as a photography camera? You know, it’s primary purpose? Well, Gordon Laign at Camera Labs has posted an extremely in-depth review of the EOS R5, and it should answer just about every question you might have about the camera and how well it works for photography.

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Can cheap ND filters be good? The K&F Concept SN25T1 filter kit says yes

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Over the years neutral density filters have become a staple in my photography. Allowing me more control over my camera exposure.

Good quality filters demand a premium, and while the price has fallen over the years, I often get asked why they cost so much. Particularly for the superior glass filters and filter holders. Well, they don’t have to.

Enter the new K&F Concept SN25T1, a 100mm filter kit with 10stop ND costing just over $70.

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This in-depth Nikon D6 review covers everything wildlife photographers need to know

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If you wanted an in-depth and extensive review of how well the Nikon D6 performs for wildlife photography, then you’re in for a treat. This 44-minute wildlife-focused review comes courtesy of wildlife photographer Steve Perry over at the Backcountry Gallery, and it covers just about everything you could ever want to know about the D6 and how it performs for this task.

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Desview R5 – The new low-budget on-camera monitor king of 2020?

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The Desview R5 on-camera monitor is one of the new models in the latest wave of low-budget field monitors that packs in a number of high-budget features. It’s a 5.5″ touchscreen monitor that offers HDMI passthrough, DC power output and advanced features like LUT support, waveform and vectorscope.

Its main competitor is arguably the Feelworld F6 Plus (review here), which recently released a firmware update which also adds waveform and vectorscope. They’re both at a very similar price point and offer similar features, so how does the new Desview R5 stand up? Let’s find out.

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B&H’s entire Sony A7S III review video has leaked online hours ahead of official announcement

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Well, we knew a B&H video for the Sony A7S III would be coming as soon as the announcement was official, but it looks like it’s leaked out a little early. It’s been uploaded to the YouTube channel House of Intent, although they don’t say how they acquired the video and I wouldn’t like to make a guess, although it is only 720p resolution, so it’s unlikely they had access to the original source.

But it is the complete 16-minute review, going over just about every feature the Sony A7S III will have to offer. Obviously, there’s a big focus on video in the review, as it’s a video-centric camera, and while it doesn’t offer 8K RAW, it has no recording limits and a new passive cooling system means it’s far less likely to overheat.

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