Are lavalier mics good for interviews? Yes – and they’re the standard for most podcasters, journalists, and YouTubers because they clip to clothing, stay out of the subject’s hands, and keep vocal levels steady as the person moves. After our team spent six weeks testing clip-on mics across solo, two-person, and on-location interview setups, we … Read more
Shaky footage is the fastest way to make a great scene look amateur. After watching rough cuts where walking shots wobbled through every step, I started tracking every gimbal, handle rig, and electronic stabilizer my team could get our hands on. Over the past 90 days, our crew tested 12 contenders across mirrorless, DSLR, cinema, … Read more
An 85mm prime lens at f/1.4 or f/1.8 is the best overall portrait lens because it pairs flattering perspective compression with creamy background separation, and after testing 10 models across Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Sigma mounts for our team, the picks below are the strongest portrait primes you can mount on a camera right now. … Read more
Getting crisp close-up shots of insects, flowers, watches, and tiny products is a different game from everyday photography. A true macro lens is built to focus very close and project a 1:1 reproduction ratio on the sensor, meaning a 1 cm bee wing fills 1 cm of your frame. We tested 10 dedicated macro lenses … Read more
I have spent the last 90 days testing telephoto lenses on everything from backyard warblers to foxes at dusk, and the range of options in is wider than ever. Picking the best telephoto lenses for wildlife photography comes down to your camera system, your subjects, and how far you are willing to hike. Our team … Read more
The best mirrorless camera for beginners in is the Canon EOS R50, a 24.2MP APS-C body with guided Creative Assist menus, fast Dual Pixel autofocus with eye detection, oversampled 4K video, and a flip-out touchscreen that makes vlogging and self-portraits easy. After testing 10 cameras side by side over several weeks, our team found the … Read more
There’s a particular kind of misery that sets in around the third mile of a winter hike, when your fingers stop listening to you and the trekking pole straps feel like ice. I started testing gloves for cold-weather hiking in the Cascade Range six winters ago, and I’ve never had a season go by without … Read more
Looking for the best hardshell jackets for mountaineering? You’re in the right place. We spent the past three alpine seasons putting 10 of the top alpine shells through real climbs — granite scrambles in the Cascades, multi-pitch ice routes in the Canadian Rockies, and a full ski-mountaineering trip on Mount Rainier. Below is everything we … Read more
I spent the past three months field-testing every serious backcountry satellite communicator I could get my hands on — from desert canyons in the Southwest to dense East Coast forests and a five-day Sierra section hike. The goal of this guide is simple: help you pick the best satellite communicator for backcountry travel without wading … Read more
When you hike beyond cell coverage, a twisted ankle or sudden storm can turn a great trip into a rescue operation. That’s why the best satellite messengers for hiking have become essential backcountry gear. We spent three months testing eight satellite communicators and personal locator beacons across the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range, sending … Read more