review | Chase Jarvis

Jan 21

Nikon Df Unboxing Video + Test Images + First Impressions While Actually Shooting Photos [gasp!]

Video thumbnail of unboxing the Nikon Df camera

When the Nikon Df arrived on the scene a couple months back, I tried to temper the hype (my own included) with a good dose of high expectations. Yes, it looked bad ass. Yes, it housed the same sensor as the D4. Yes, the optical viewfinder has 100% field of view. But as a compact camera fiend and someone whose owned probably 50 cameras or more, I'm no pushover. So when Adorama shipped... read more ›

May 30

The Fuji X100s Review: Brutally Simple & Highly Effective (Even If You Didn’t Want to Admit It)

The Fuji X100s. Better, Faster, Stronger.

I was onto the rush of mirrorless cameras pretty early - mostly from manufacturers sharing with me what was "coming soon", but I admit that I didn't really "get" it, until I started receiving early versions, prototypes and demos from the marketing folks at all your fav manufactures. Only then did I truly understand the punch that these little cameras pack - because they're good. I loved the concept, but hated the tiny sensors and... read more ›

Feb 18

Canon EOS 6D Hands-ON — Canon Giveth, Canon Taketh Away

It seems our exploratory swim in the waters of full-frame DSLRs is far from complete. With the ink from his recent reviews of the D600 and the mirrorless Panasonic GH3 still drying, I asked my homie Ben Pitt to put the Canon EOS 6D between his microscope plates and share his findings here. As you'd expect with a lower-priced semi-pro camera, the EOS 6D is a mixed-bag. It's light and boasts integrated GPS + Wi-Fi,... read more ›

Jan 22

Hands-On Camera Review with the Panasonic GH3 — [Side By Side Comparos + Can it Beat a $250 eBay Bargain?]

Given the response and discussion around last week's post on the D600, I invited pal Ben Pitt back to share another hands on review of a camera that has been competing for eyeballs: the GH3. Since the introduction of the Lumix DMC-GH1 back in 2009, the GH-series' has been gobbling up mindshare for photographers looking for some great technology in a tightly sized and affordable package. I'm a big ol' fan of the mirrorless category... read more ›

Jan 14

The Best Camera — The Everyday, Can Do No Wrong Camera Kit

One of the most common questions we hear from all of you is, "What is your everyday kit?" Our digital cinema guru, Erik, wanted to take a minute to chat gear with you and answer that question from his perspective. Please give him another warm welcome… This post is another installment of a series that our staff is doing about the gear that we consider essential for our work…the stuff we don’t leave home without.... read more ›

Nov 12

5 Things GoPro Nailed with the Hero3 and Why You Need To Care (NOW)

Hey friends - want to take a second to re-introduce Erik, my on-staff video guru. He's been with us for a few years now and, as a film school grad and long time commercial shooter, his opinions are a great asset to my own. One thing we've both agreed to lately? That GoPro is an amazing company and--it's becoming increasingly clear--they really understand what their consumers want. So I'm kicking this one to E-rock (affectionate... read more ›

Dec 05

chasejarvis LIVE [Tues Dec 6]: Your Portfolio Is Your Most Important Asset

UPDATE: if you're reading this post now...The Portfolio Edition of #cjLIVE with Allegra Wilde is TODAY 11:00 Seattle Time, 2pm NYC, 19:00 London! You can also win a portfolio review from one of the world's best... _______ Don't miss, details below.Please mark your calendar, tell your friends, and join me Tuesday, December 6th [details below] for a mission critical episode of chasejarvis LIVE: The Portfolio Edition. How to choose, create, cultivate the #1 thing that... read more ›

Mar 30

Essential HDSLR Gear: The Rode Stereo Video Mic

[Alrighty gear heads. Erik here with a continuation of the series of posts where I elaborate on the gear that I consider essential for my video job here at CJinc. I previously discussed how the Zaucto Z-Finder helps me guarantee the visual quality of my video, and in this post I'll explain how the Rode Stereo Video Mic ensures that my BTS footage will have respectable sound too. Perhaps more importantly though, how it allows... read more ›

Sep 28

Nikon D7000: Benevolent Mischief Remix [music video]

Thanks so much to everyone who tuned in to the sharing of my experiences with the new Nikon D7000 camera in this post here, where I featured the behind the scenes video and a new short film: Benevolent Mischief. It just so happens that I've been sitting on another little nugget since then that I'm excited to share today: the Benevolent Mischief REMIX featuring MC Victor Shade and MTK. Without losing you in... read more ›

Sep 14

Nikon D7000: Camera Road Test With Chase Jarvis

A while back I got call from the Nikon mothership which put the very first HDdSLR--the Nikon D90--into my hands months before the world had seen that technology. I won’t ever forget that experience. That little camera kicked off this whole craze of photo and video convergence that we’re swimming in today. Well...low and behold, a few months ago I got another one of those calls from Nikon. “Chase-san. We have a new... read more ›