Latest articles by Matthew Richards
The best light stands in 2025: solid support for studio flash heads, LED panels and more
buying guide Give a firm footing to studio lights, reflectors, backgrounds, and other accessories, with the best light stands on the market
The best Sony wide-angle lenses in 2025: widen your horizons, literally!
BUYING GUIDE These are the best Sony wide-angle lenses, for full-frame A1, A7 and A9 bodies, plus E-mount APS-C A6000-series cameras
Hello, Mr Blue Sky: how a cheap backdrop gave me a ‘blue-sky thinking’ moment
Indoor portraits, still-life shots and product photography are easy enough, apart from those pesky, cluttered backgrounds that ruin everything. I’ve rediscovered the joy of backdrops – thanks, Kate!
The best lens for portraits in 2025: short-tele primes perfect for pictures of people
Buying guide Check out these picture-perfect portrait primes Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, Leica and Sigma mirrorless cameras, plus plenty of budget-friendly alternatives
Neewer TH16 3-way geared tripod head review: a smart head that’s geared for precision
Review The Neewer TH16 3-way geared tripod head is all geared up for a full range of movement in just about any direction you can think of
Best Canon flashgun: which Speedlite will be best for you?
UPDATED Our comprehensive guide will help you choose the best Canon flashgun that suits your needs and budget
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Master review: a world-first speed thriller of telephoto zoom
Review A world-first, the Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Master is a whole f/stop faster than f/2.8 ‘trinity’ telephoto zooms
I bought second-hand DSLR lenses and saved a small fortune on lenses for my mirrorless camera
OPINION Why on earth would you slap old glass on a new camera? I found two very good reasons in the shape of a Sigma wide-angle zoom and macro prime…
Godox iM20 review: a tiny flash that’s less pop-up, more pop-on
Review The Godox iM20 is amazingly small, and an ideal fit for cameras that lack a pop-up flash
3 Legged Thing Luna light stand review: stand and deliver!
Review The multi-purpose 3 Legged Thing Luna is a light stand and more. It really delivers on all fronts and is impeccably turned out
Benro FS20PRO Video & Foto Head review: could this be the only tripod head you’ll ever need?
Review The Benro FS20PRO Video & Foto Head is like a bunch of different tripod heads, all rolled up into one conveniently compact and lightweight package
Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 Lab review
Review The Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 Lab is the second in the company’s exotic ‘Lab’ line-up of lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras
Sigma 24mm f/2 DG DN | C review: A fast wide-angle prime that keeps the weight off
Review The Sigma 24mm f/2 DG DN | C is from an extensive range of compact and lightweight ‘I-series’ prime lenses in Sigma’s Contemporary line-up
The best photography lighting kits: for studio, location and video
Buying guide We select the best photography lighting kits with mains power, battery power, and continuous LED lighting for video
The best standard zoom lenses in 2025: fast everyday zooms
BUYING GUIDE Here's my pick of the very best standard zooms to replace your kit lens for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, L-mount, and MFT cameras
Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod with FS30 Head review: a travel tripod kit that aims for mythical status
Review The small but mighty Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod + FS30 kit takes its name from a legendary bird of prey, said to be strong, dexterous and a stunning, auspicious creature. Let’s see…
Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS | C review: a travel lens that aims to really put the ‘super’ into superzoom
Review The travel-friendly Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS | C delivers a monster 18.8x zoom range, and is available for a wide variety of APS-C format mirrorless cameras
The best telephoto lenses: top zooms for bringing your subjects closer
UPDATED These are the best telephoto lenses for your camera, for Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and more, both mirrorless and DSLR
When nasty little digital cameras come good – I've been tripping the plastic fantastic on a quest for a budget point-and-shoot compact that actually takes okay photos
Opinion I’ve had the displeasure of trying some truly awful bargain-basement cameras but a certain cheap plastic compact has changed my opinions
Yashica City 100 zoom compact review: a name steeped in photographic history adorns this affordable point-and-shoot camera
Review The Yashica City 100 is a cut above run-of-the-mill cheap plastic digital cameras, with a more exotic feature list and superior performance, albeit with a step up in purchase price
Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air review: A neat and tidy standard prime for Nikon Z and Sony E-mount cameras
Review The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air aims for a compact and lightweight build at a budget price, without sacrificing performance
The best Nikon standard zooms: everyday lenses for Nikon mirrorless cameras and DSLRs
Buying guide Upgrade your kit lens and invest in one of the best standard zooms for your Nikon Z-mount or F-mount camera
The best Sony lenses: top E-Mount lenses for Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras
BUYING GUIDE These are the best Sony lenses, including Sony and third-party lenses for both full-frame and APS-C cameras
