Nikon Thinks Their New Nikon 28-75mm f2.8 Z Lens is Affordable. Is it?

If you look on the market, you’ll see that a few new zoom lenses have been popping up with constant f2.8 apertures. Sigma has a 28-70mm f2.8 that’s seriously lacking weather resistance. The new Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2 has a ton of weather resistance for under $1,000 — and received top marks from us. Now, Nikon has their own variant in the form of the new Nikon 28-75mm f2.8 Z. You should note that this isn’t one of Nikon’s S-series lenses, but if it’s anything like the company’s 40mm f2, then we’ll be surprised. At the same time, we wouldn’t call $1,199.95 affordable at all for this sort of lens.

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Fujifilm Makes Medium Format Even More Competitive With GFX50S II

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I remember when medium format was revered as the precipice of having made it. Only a select few within the industry had the resources to shoot with a $60,000 Phase One or Hasselblad H-system. Although it was something many photographers aspired to, the minute club was rather pretentious. I remember assisting a photographer at Milk studios and feeling like I’d never be able to shoot that quality of work with my income. Enter Fujifilm. It has been a pleasant surprise watching the journey of Fujifilm’s GFX series shatter that mindset and evolve into what it has become today. And now, with the introduction of the Fujifilm GFX50s II, they are making medium format more accessible than ever.

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Less Than $65 and Great! The BAGSMART Camera Backpack Review

With the BAGSMART Camera Backpack, photographers are getting lots of high value at a super affordable price.

Quite honestly, the BAGSMART Camera Backpack should be at least double the price it goes for. But at under $65, the BAGSMART Camera Backpack is a significant value that gives photographers features and build quality that makes our jaws drop. In my opinion, this bag is a no-brainer. It’s so affordable yet so good that every photographer should pick one up even as a backup camera bag. We tested it out while trekking on hikes, commuting around the city, and with a variety of gear inside. Over the past few months, I’ve personally seen it outdo the quality of more expensive camera bags. Most importantly, this one bag is making me reconsider the entire thought process behind the pricing of camera bags.

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Join Us, We’re Talking About Telephoto Lenses for Landscape Photography

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Photographers: we know that you’re all cooped up inside and want to get shooting. But let’s talk about gear and the whole experience of shooting. We’re doing just that in tonight’s episode of Pro Camera Reviews. Pro Camera Reviews is a new web show featuring discussion of the products the Reviews Team at the Phoblographer are actively reviewing and the gear they’ve just reviewed. It includes open Q&A from the audience towards the end of the show, and will air every Sunday at 7pm EST. You can register for the next episode right here.

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6 Versatile Lenses for Sony FE Cameras Under $1,000

These Sony E Mount lenses aren’t only affordable, they’re super fun to use and produce wonderful images.

There are a plethora of Sony E Mount Lenses available to Alpha shooters, and honestly it can be a little hard to sort through all of the offerings. Sometimes this can lead to fantastic lenses falling through the cracks. In this round-up we’re going to take a look at six third party Sony E Mount lenses that are wallet friendly, will produce outstanding images, and are just a pure joy to use. These third party Sony E Mount Lenses prove that you don’t have to buy official Sony glass, and you don’t have to spend over four figures to get glass that will simply wow you.
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The New Phottix Juno Transceiver Flash Will Work With All Camera Brands

The brand new Phottix Juno can come with an Ares II transmitter for only $149.99

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard or seen anything from Phottix, but with Photo Plus Expo coming up next week we were bound to see something like the new Phottix Juno. The Phottix Juno is the company’s latest transceiver flash unit that gives photographers a pretty darn affordable option vs Godox and Yongnuo. This flash is fully manual and therefore works with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, etc. Though it isn’t revolutionary, it also has the highly coveted side tripod socket that lets you mount it to 1/4 20 mounts.

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Ultra Budget Bokeh: 10 Creamy Lenses That Won’t Break Your Bank

We all love bokeh, after all, what’s not to like?! Actually, there is quite a bit not to like in the form of digits on the price tag. The best bokeh is not a cheap thing to attain, but with that said, bokeh is hardly extremely expensive either. Many lenses that are extremely affordable can offer you bokeh that fights above it’s pay grade.

You want to save money, we want to save you money, but you also want the best bokeh for your money. If that is the case, than this is the list for you, 10 ultra affordable lenses that will give you more bokeh than they should for the price.

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The Best Cheap Lenses for Shooting Concerts

Chris Gampat The Presidents of the United States Pokemon White and Black The Phoblographer (6 of 15)

What does a photographer need from a lens when it comes to shooting concerts? To be honest, all you need is a fast prime lens with a semi-wide to normal field of view. Many concerts are held indoors (though there are surely a wealth of festivals held outside) and when you’re right up against the stage what you’ll need the most is the ability for your camera to soak up all the light it can and stop fast moving action. At the same time, you sometimes don’t want to spend a whole ton of money because your gear is sure to get banged up.

In a situation like this, you’re best off going with a solid prime lens. We went through out reviews index and scoured for affordable options for the photographer who wants to shoot concerts and eventually get into music shooting.

Here are some great affordable options for an aspiring concert photographer.

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First Impressions: PocketWizard Plus X

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer PocketWizard Plus X First Impressions product photos (1 of 7)ISO 2001-200 sec at f - 5.6

Today, PocketWizard announced their new Plus X radio flash transmitters. The new (and super affordable) refresh is also one of the fastest in the company’s history. Luckily, the triggers are backwards compatible with the older ones as well. Some of the key features of the new Plus X are a claimed range of 1,600 feet, automatic sensing whether they should be in transmitter or receiver mode, a 100 hr battery life, 10 channels that can be controlled via the retro twist dial, a 3.5mm sync port, tri-color LED for a battery life indicator, camera triggering with another remote (which the Plus IIIs had) and more.

Our triggers just came in the door and we’ve had a little bit of playtime with them already. And so far they’re quite tempting–especially at the $99 price point.

 

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(UPDATE: PHOBLOGRAPHER READERS GET 10% OFF) Cheap Photo: The New Straps from !mo Are Beautifully Retro Vintage: Will Do Well In Your Instagram Feed

Talk about some beautiful and retro styled goodness, Rigu now has new straps in from !m0 (when you figure out how to pronounce it, please share). There are a bunch of different varieties with the cotton straps being able to hold 180lbs before they break (that weighs more than I do) and the neoprene ones can bench press 120lbs. The Neoprene also has some snazzy quick release buckles for faster strap transfers from one camera to another if you’re a collector like I am.

You can do a lot more than stare at these straps on your screen, as they’re available in a bunch of different varieties on Rigu’s page. And even I have to say that they’re pretty damned affordable.

Editor’s Note Update: Make a purchase using this link and enter the code PHOBLOG10 and get 10% off of your purchase.

The Phoblographer’s Guide to Affordable Film Rangefinder Cameras

Check them out: forum after forum will be plagued by people asking for affordable rangefinder cameras. Indeed, these cameras have always been surrounded in a certain mystique and many are curious about and yearn for the simplicity that comes with shooting one. Personally, I trained myself on a Leica CL, and the skills and style I developed during that period have stuck with me even into my DSLR shooting and now mirrorless shooting styles. In fact, they’ve even become apparent in my use of strobes.

In the end, once you train yourself or learn how to use a rangefinder, you’ll develop a special courage and learn new skills that will teach you to only become a better photographer. If you don’t want to break the bank while doing so, here are a list of affordable rangefinders to keep your eyes out for.

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Review: Benro Travel Angel A-1691TB0

Let’s face it, nobody likes to lug around a tripod. Yes, they provide stable shooting platforms but they also add extra weight and take up valuable space that not all photographers are willing to spare. You can opt for a compact, ultralight carbon fiber tripod, but that usually results in an ultralight wallet. The other option is buying an affordable, “traditional sized” tripod but then you add at least 8 lbs. to your load. Not surprisingly, most people opt for the second option which is why tripods are often left at home. So what do you do? Enter the Benro Travel Angel.

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Sigma's 85mm F/1.4 Lens Gets $899 Street Price

Sigma has announced pricing and availability for its 85mm F/1.4 EX DG HSM lens. The bright portrait lens will be available with a suggested retail price of $1,400 and an approximate street price of $899. On an APS-C camera, the lens has the equivalent focal length of 127.5mm, making its F/1.4 aperture quite an impressive feat. For APS-C cameras, the lens comes with a hood extension to reduce outside light.

Loads of Great Deals Right Now at B&H Photo & Video

If there was ever a camera posting where I’ve found great deals on cameras, it is this one. Seriously guys, I found the motherload today.

Refurbished Olympus EP-1 with Kit lens: $489.95

Used Canon 5D Mk II (Body only): $2099.95

Used Canon 7D (Body only): $1,399.95

Used Canon T1i with 2 lens kit: $584.95

Used Canon XS with kit lens: $389.95

Used Canon XSi with kit lens: $479.95

Refurbished Nikon D5000 with kit lens: $569.95

Also available still is the rare Canon 50mm F1.0 L lens

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