Gear Patrol

The Sony RX-1 is the smallest camera to ever feature a full-frame sensor. Specifically, it crams the same 24MP 35.8×23.9mm beast found in the newly released Sony a99 DSLR that boasts an ISO range between 100 – 25600, in a body that measures 4 1/2″x 2 5/8″x 2 3/4″ and weighs only a pound. Those…

Instagram may be the Polaroid of the iPhone generation, but who says you can’t take your filters and print them too? The global film stewards at

What’s black and white and Red all over? The Red Epic-M Monochrome ($42,000). A technical auteur’s delight — director David Fincher is already shooting with it, of course — the brain (body in Red parlance) is based around the newly developed Mysterium-X Monochrome sensor. The sensor, which boasts a native ISO (ASA) 2000, double the…

Fujifilm is currently the biggest champion of retro design in the camera space, and the newly announced Fujifilm X-E1 indicates there’s no end in sight. In many ways, this new edition is just a smaller version of the so-called poor man’s Leica, a.k.a X Pro-1. Many of its features are the same: a 16.3 MP…

With each new improvement to smartphone cameras, the collective cries by pundits and consumers alike at the death of point and shoot cameras grow louder and clearer. Hoping to silence, or at the least quiet, dissenters, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Camera, a cloud-connected pocket blackmailer that offers all the bells and whistles that most…

If you’ve got action on the brain and some road rash/broken bones/brag-worthy scar tissue to show for it, then the Sony Action Cam is the right tool to capture and broadcast your adventures in pain and thrill-seeking. Measuring a mere 2×2.6×0.9 inches wide, it certainly fits the bill for portability — the direct volley at…

Outgrown your 5D Mark II(I) or 7D, but not quite ready to shell out $16 large for the Canon C300? Meet the Canon EOS C100 ($7,999). A budget entry solution into the Canon Cinema EOS system, the C100 is designed for indy outfits or overly zealous amateurs. Offering up similar technology to the C300 including…

We don’t need to tell you that Europe is home to much of the world’s history, art and various cultures. But getting bogged down at tourist traps is not our idea of a getaway. Our advice? Consider the path less taken. How about a former bathhouse turned microbrewery in Amsterdam or the best ice cream…

Make no mistake — the Nikon Coolpix P7700 is a direct shot across the bow of Canon’s Powershot G1 X, packing a similar level of pro features in a compact form. Specifically, the P7700 boasts a large backside-illuminated 1/1.7-inch 12.2MP CMOS sensor capable of shooting up to 8fps, as well as a 7.1x Nikkor glass…

We’ve grown a bit weary of the quest for instant gratification (“can I get a retweet, bro?” comes to mind). But Nikon’s COOLPIX S800c ($350) moves in a positive direction by blending point-and-shoot photography with smartphone connectivity. The included Android 2.3 OS and Wi-Fi allow users to instantly upload shot to social media, use various…

A man dressed in an all brown uniform just dropped off the “grail” watch on your “work” from home day. You feverishly tear the packaging open and hold up the culmination of your hope and dreams as if it were a cub named Simba. Spending two months of salary on this iconic piece of horological…

With the advent of smartphones the compact camera has become about as contemporary as a Walkman. The next step? Being relegated to Urban Outfitters as a hipster’s novelty purchase. Major brands are abandoning the segment faster than dubstep and everyone seems to think that an Instagram filter (#nofilter, please) is what most people will ever…

Finally — after a slew of leaks and rumors — Canon’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera has arrived with the Canon EOS-M. It’s hard to believe 4 years have already passed since the introduction of the first mirrorless cameras, but Canon has joined to the party, more than fashionably late, with the EOS-M. Its target…

The pocket-sized compact camera market, a crowded field where convenience and the almighty megapixel have long come at the sacrifice of photographer-driven adjustability, just added something for the budding enthusiast. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 replaces the LX5 and adds a traditional-style aperture ring that covers F1.4 to F8 to give amateurs more control over exposure…

Video cameras have only gotten smaller and smaller, such that most people think nothing of having a low-res shooter in their phone or laptop. The Point Grey Flea3 is an ultracompact, 4k video camera with high frame rates, but that’s not the camera’s big trick. With USB 3.0, the ~1 inch cube pushes data and…

The Polaroid Z2300 Instant Digital Camera is the latest entry in the company’s long line of instant gratification shooters. It combines an SD compatible digital camera, HD video camera and, naturally, a printer into one pocketable device that puts your parents’ Land 210 to shame. Don’t worry about about refilling — or paying — for…

Looking at old Polaroids evokes a certain feeling. Childhood galavanting and family road trips come to mind. In the modern era of megapixels and digital cameras though, Polaroids still take awe-inspiring photos (look what’s inspired Instagram filters). Browse through Craigslist, eBay, your local thrift shop, or KEH.com and you’ll find lots of older Polaroid Land…

For our third installment, we step into the dark to shoot a starscape and nature in it’s most dramatic setting. The night: it’s the time when some of us come alive and the world surrounds us in beautiful neon colors perfectly contrasted against a dark background. It delivers a sense of serenity and awe at…

Canon has sent its DSLR rabble-raising Rebel to finishing school and today it has introduced — with degree in hand — the Canon Rebel T4i ($949, kit). Packed with prosumer grade technology from the 7D and 60D models, the T4i packs an 18 megapixel APS CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 processor, 5 fps shooting, 12,800 ISO,…

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 ($650) is your new Facebook adversary. Sporting a compact design, this little-camera-that-can packs a huge punch with a 1” 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor -— literally twice the size of sensors in other comparable prosumer point-and-shoots. In front of it, sits a ƒ/1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 3.6x optical zoom, while…

GEAR PATROL SPONSORED POST In this second installation of Gear Patrol’s tips for more effectively utilizing your Canon DSLR, we’re turning our lenses onto the city. When it comes to urban photography, sometimes the best results come from the less obvious. Follow along as we focus in one of the most architecturally ambitious and colorful…

GEAR PATROL SPONSORED POST It’s really no secret that DSLR cameras are not only incredibly popular but increasingly easier to use. When the Canon AE-1 arrived on the scene many years ago during the film era, consumers were ecstatic at the camera’s excellent build quality, wide availability of creative lenses, and ease of use —…

Dial down the touristy vibe on your next photo hunt, home or abroad, with a DSPTCH Camera Sling Strap ($48). Designed and made in San Francisco by a photographer — a man quite deft with the lens himself — is made using mil-spec commercial grade nylon webbing and outfitted with a uni-loop connector to ensure…

For the extreme adventurer, the risk of snapping a few limbs is all part of the fun. Breaking a bone is one thing, but breaking your camera? Now that’s just downright scary. Capturing your stunts in all their insane glory requires a rough-and-ready camera like the Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS ($400), a well-armored, yet sleek…

Apply for a coveted spot at REDucation-X, and you might as well begin working on your Oscar speech now. Shooting on the RED EPIC or SCARLET have quickly become the gold standard in the world of independent film, as well as commercial and industrial shoots. The intensive, hands-on program provides students with practical knowledge of…

What’s black and white and has lust all over it? This guy. Meet the Leica M Monochrom Camera ($7,950). Built off the M9 full-frame rangefinder, the M Monochrom will shoot as many colors as your heart desires, so long as they’re between the ranges of black and white. And of course, carrying the lofty burden…

A culmination of the company’s non-comformist sense of self, yet still embracing their storied history, the Pentax K-01 is unlike any other camera in the mirrorless camera world. Indeed, it embraces its lineup of beautiful K-Mount lenses (both modern and from the film days) allowing users to fasten them with a satisfying click, but what…

Nikon’s D3200 ($700) is the newest member of the company’s entry-level DSLR lineup. Following in the footsteps of the popular D3100, the shooter boasts a 24-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor (a 33% step up from its predecessor), an ISO range maximum of 6400 (with the ability to extend to 12800 in boost mode), as well as…

We may not be able to save film from its rapid celluloid burn (nor can Hollywood it seems), but that doesn’t mean people are trying to advance digital in unique ways. Unveiled this morning, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera ($2,995) aims to bring the creative performance of film capture to digital video cameras. For a price…

High-speed photography transforms everyday events from the simple to the sublime and few manufacturers can match the slow-mo sagacity offered by Vision Research. The new Phantom Miro M320S (TBA) is their latest product to drop and as usual, is nothing short of amazing. Equipped with a 3.2 gigapixels/second throughput this tiny three-pounder is capable of…