It's a kit lens! Run for the hills! Well, maybe not so fast. Over the past decade optics have come far. Take for example this kit lens: the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens. Canon introduced the new telephoto alongside its new flagship APS-C DSLR camera, the EOS 80D. With plenty of zoom...

One of Canon's best APS-C cameras is now discounted by about 22%. If you're looking for a stellar hybrid DSLR, the Canon EOS 80D should be on your short list.

Should I stay or should I go? One of the big questions I get when shooting out and about town is whether or not it's worth sticking with Canon. Often it's specific, like the very dilemma I face in future gear investments: Should I upgrade to a Canon EOS 80D DSLR...

For only $149, a convenient way to give your Canon EOS 80D, 70D, Rebel or other Canon DSLR smooth, camcorder zooms.

It might be time to replace my Canon EOS 80D.

Since I started shooting videos for Stark Insider in 2006 I've tried as hard as possible to make our stuff look like film. I haven't always succeeded, that's for sure. But there's something about the video-ish footage that comes out of a lot of cameras and camcorders that drives...

Shooting wasps is an exercise in patience. That's the first thing I learned. It's also an exercise in liberal sunscreen. Squinting. And, waiting some more. I now have utmost respect for those who stake out exotic locales and spend hours upon hour awaiting the perfect shot of that Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan. And here I...

I've heard about the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom lens for ages. Widely regarded as a legendary lens, it's been on my lust list for as long as I can recall shooting on DSLR. You see it as sporting events all the time, the white casing unmistakably iconic. After selling my...

I found myself doing what I tell myself never to do: taking gratuitous photos of my gear. Sigh. Why on earth do all of us involved in videography feel compelled to do this -- as if we're taking monumentally profound shots of famous landmarks, or memorable events, or loved...

Some times less is more. Often it seems creativity flourishes in an absence of infinite resources. Case in point: Robert Rodriguez. At only 23 years-old, the Texas native -- now, famously -- scrapped together $7,000 to shoot his first film. Not only would his epic work ethic result in the starry-eyed dreamer's...