Jim Fisher

My Experience

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.

My Areas of Expertise

• Mirrorless camera systems

• Lenses

• Drones

• Action cameras

The Technology I Use

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems regularly, and I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer, and swap between a Canon EOS R5, a Nikon Z 7 II, and a Sony a7R IV when taking product photos for reviews. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights, Gitzo and Peak Design tripods, and most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently use a 27-inch Retina iMac for photo and video editing, but have a Mac Studio on order, along with a calibrated BenQ display. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage.

I split time with a few different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I reach to Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was a 3.2MP Canon PowerShot Elph, and my first interchangeable lens model a 6MP Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear, and still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat and a 1947 Leica Summitar lens for personal work.

To relax at home, I spend time reading Marvel Unlimited comics on an iPad Pro, kick back with a good (or bad) movie on a 4K LG television with an Apple TV 4K streaming box, and enjoy story-driven video games on the Xbox Series X.