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Features

The Most Popular Photography Gear Purchased in September

Brett Day
No Comments
09/28/2019
5 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Profoto A1 review product images 14

Last Updated on 09/28/2019 by Mark Beckenbach

There have been some outstanding deals on Photography gear in September.

People have been taking advantage of the savings on top-notch photography gear in September. We’ve seen substantial price drops on great cameras, deep discounts on popular lenses, and some great deals on lighting gear too. In this round-up, we will take a quick look at the most popular photography gear that readers of The Phoblographer have purchased in September.

Looking at the list below it’s clear many of you have been taking advantage of the sales on Canon EOS R camera bodies and lens bundles, and of course the Fujifilm X-H1 with the booster grip which dropped down to a crazy low price of $999. Those are two outstanding cameras that you’ll enjoy for years to come. Lighting is also becoming much more popular. The affordable Godox/Flashpoint TT350 was purchased by many, as was the pro-grade Profoto A1. Let’s take a look at the seven most purchased pieces of photography gear from September.

 

Canon EOS R

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Build quality
  • Weather sealed like crazy
  • Autofocus is good
  • Protects the sensor when off
  • Canon’s menu system is still simple
  • Ergonomics feel nice
  • With a lightweight lens, it feels just as nice as a Sony camera.
  • These are some of Canon’s best RAW files that we’ve seen in years
  • Good battery life
  • Fast Wifi transfers, though not as simple as Sony’s

Cons

  • Needs Dual SD cards
  • Needs a joystick
  • The magic touch bar is odd and could use refinement.
  • Optimizing the way the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed dials work, such as the automatic metering for ISO, not cool
  • Canon needs to improve or change their Face and eye detection.
  • Bigger than Sony, but the L lenses are about on par with their G Master glass

Buy now ($1,999): Adorama

 

Sony a7r III

 

dxomark

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Weather sealing
  • Lots of RAW file versatility
  • Sony a9’s autofocus
  • Nice ergonomics
  • The new battery makes shooting with it for prolonged periods so much better
  • RAW files work fantastic with Capture One
  • Touch screen capabilities for shooting
  • Fast shooting capabilities
  • Silent shooting abilities

Cons

  • No one is going to actually use the Pixel Shift imaging mode because it’s so complicated to work with and few people want to use Sony’s own software
  • We’d love a top LCD screen
  • We’d love to navigate the menus with the Touchscreen capabilities
  • Sony got rid of the PlayMemories apps and therefore all abilities to do more with the cameras such as the touchless shutter
  • Wireless flash capabilities need to be enabled via the menu to use them

Buy now ($2,498): Adorama

 

Nikon D850

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Fantastic image quality
  • Built like a tank
  • Buttons that light up
  • The touch screen makes the menu navigation so much better
  • Great color depth and versatility
  • Wifi and Bluetooth
  • Putting the ISO button on the right side of the camera by the grip is the better long term strategy
  • Weather sealing
  • Lots of video options
  • Dual card slots
  • The best viewfinder of any DSLR that we’ve used

Cons

  • Slower autofocus than the Nikon D810 in some situations
  • We wish the white balance levels were a bit more adjustable
  • Sort of shocked the dual card slots aren’t both SD; I don’t know anyone that used XQD. Sony, the developer of the card, doesn’t even use them in their still cameras

Buy now ($2,796.95): Adorama

 

Pro Tip: Buying new photography gear is one thing, but keeping it clean, and making sure it will last many years is something else entirely. We cannot stress how important it is to keep your photography gear in excellent working order by keeping it clean. You need to be going over your photography gear quickly every time you use it, and it requires a deep clean bi-weekly if you want your investment to last. Be sure to keep a basic camera and lens cleaning kit with you at all times. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Fujifilm X-H1

 

photography gear

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Great image quality
  • The best autofocus of any APS-C camera on the market (at the time of writing)
  • Film styles
  • 4K 24p 200MB/second video is fantastic
  • Weather sealing
  • Pretty good battery life if you switch off all connectivity
  • Easiest setup and connection to a mobile phone that we’ve experienced
  • The top LCD screen is nice
  • Dual card slots
  • Versatile images
  • Fantastic EVF

Cons

  • Fujifilm Eterna is overrated
  • Bluetooth on in the background can drain battery life on top of the IBIS
  • The grip and the size overall make it difficult to reach the shutter dial
  • The vertical grip isn’t necessary really, but I see how and why folks would like it

Buy now ($999): Adorama

 

Zeiss Milvus 50mm F2

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Ridiculously sharp
  • Very smooth and precise focusing
  • Great bokeh
  • Weather sealing
  • Not too large of a lens
  • The best colors right out of the camera that we’ve seen with a Zeiss lens yet.

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Considering that we never autofocus when we shoot at macro ranges, the lack of autofocus isn’t as much as a con for us as it will be for someone too lazy to turn a ring on a camera lens

Buy now ($1,283): Adorama

 

Profoto A1

 

photography gear

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Small size
  • The best battery life of any TTL flash we’ve ever used (not strobe, flash).
  • Reliable
  • Fairly simple to use
  • Good color consistency
  • The TTL system works if you want to change camera systems.

Cons

  • Very pricey
  • For the price, this thing is pretty weak. At 75 watt-seconds, we’d expect it to be at least 180 watt-seconds

Buy now ($795): Adorama

 

Pro Tip: As you know, not all cameras, lenses, and accessories are created equal when it comes to being weather sealed. If you like the idea of shooting outside when the skies have opened up, and you’re not sure your photography gear will handle it. fear not. These affordable weatherproof covers quickly protect your equipment. Use them and you’ll be able to get the shots everyone else is missing out on when it rains or snows.

 

Godox Thinklite TT350F Mini Flash (Flashpoint Zoom Li-Ion Mini)

 

photography gear

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Small
  • Lightweight
  • Affordable
  • TTL works well
  • Good battery life
  • Powerful for its size
  • Works with Godox/Flashpoint R2 Triggers

Cons

  • Not the most user-friendly interface
  • Failed to fire on quite a few occasions
  • Poor build quality
  • Slow recycle times

Buy now ($159): Adorama

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