Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• I think if we could figure out a way to ship this, we might rent it. Regardless, we still want some of these, if for no other reason than we wanna play with them! I’m not talking about the Minis in the ad below, but about those long, tube-shaped light modifiers.
• Scott Kelby’s blog is on our daily must-read list. This video, where Scott explains to you why built-in video-editing in Photoshop is a big deal, is one of many reasons why.
• You know those image borders that Instagram, Hipstamatic, and all those other camera apps like to apply? Well, back in the days of film, they had an actual purpose. Check out this post from Pixiq to find out what it was.
• NBC’s coverage notwithstanding, you probably have heard that the Olympics are on. DPReview has a quick post on some truly high-def (think 8K and Gigapan) coverage of the games.
• Photographer Daniel Milnor – whose posts are quickly becoming analogous to high photographic literature to us – talks to another fellow Leica shooter, Eric Labastida. Labastida has a series of images about Tijuana, and this is one conversation you’ll want to take in.
• We absolutely love – LOVE - A Photo Editor‘s Daily Edit column. Check out this one, which features a piece from The New York Times magazine.
• We end this week with a bit about underwater photography, which is… wait. Where’s that shark going with with my gear! Come back you… oh my, what sharp teeth you have. Look, just keep the dang camera, okay?
  

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

These days, it looks like every major camera manufacturer is coming out with a new addition to the MILC (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera) class of bodies and lenses. The latest, of course, is Canon, with its EOS-M camera. These units, typically smaller than your average DSLRs, have been getting better and better, packing some serious punch into a very small form factor.

Thing is, in all the hype behind cameras like the EOS-M and Fuji’s X100 and X-Pro1 bodies, people forget that MILCs have been around before companies like Sony, Fuji, and Olympus made them popular. Way back in 2006, a good three years before Olympus came out with its retro-styled Micro-Four-Thirds-based camera, Leica introduced its first digital rangefinder, the M8. (more…)

Welcome to Photo Finds, a feature where we point you to some of the best photography around the web. This week, we bring you the classic Black and White Documentary work of photographer Daniel Milnor.

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• Time-lapse fans, rejoice! Tom Lowe, one of the masters in this field, has finally released his long-awaited film, TImescapes. Serious fans can even pony up $99 to get the full-resolution, 4K file on a USB stick, or the Cineform-edited file on a hard drive for $299. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the trailer.
  
• From time-lapse to cinemagraphs, alternative forms of motion storytelling are gaining momentum. Here’s a preview of some technology that might just make its way into the next version of Photoshop or Premiere, to make creating cinemagraphs easier.
• Got a ton of images spread out over multiple photo-sharing sites? I do. This app might just be your ticket to locating an upload quickly.
• Landscape photographer Peter Lik is one of the best-selling fine art photographers around today. Here’s a video showing a behind-the-scenes look at his collection of images from New York city. You can find more on Peter’s YouTube channel.
  
• Steadicam shots aren’t easy; here’s one from the movie Hugo that made the operator sigh in relief when it was over. GREAT behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a movie scene (including some interesting peeks into lighting and set movement).
• Remember that Leica B&W digital-sensor-camera that we were scratching our heads about a few weeks ago? Here’s a side-by-side comparison of what it can do for your B&W photography. Of course, I’m sticking with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
• The guys at DigitalRev are awesome. Here’s Kai, giving you 50 photo tips in 15 minutes. Roll tape!
• We leave you today with this outstanding contribution from the folks at The Camera Store in Calgary. Oh Canada!

That’s it for this edition of Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

A Zeiss CP.2 lens on an Olympus E-P2

Every Thursday, we will post a photography-related tip here. These tips are typically inspired by questions we get from our customers. Sometimes we might feature a technique tip, and sometimes a gear recommendation. If there’s something specific you’d like to see in this section, let us know. Email us at [email protected]

Today we’re going to talk about a video camera called the Panasonic AG AF100. The AF100 is from a family of products that adhere to the Micro Four-Thirds standard. So far, Olympus and Panasonic are the two manufacturers making cameras for this standard, but a number of other manufacturers have also signed on to produce add-ons for it. Sigma, Carl Zeiss, Lensbaby and Voigtlander, all venerable manufacturers, have signed on to make lenses for it. (more…)