Becca Farsace posts
Posts: 93
Files: 68
B&H Bild meet-up!
Hi folks! Are you in NYC for B&H Bild? Or do you live here?I know it's a bit short notice, but I'm hosting a little photo walk tomorrow at 4pm near the Javits Center. Let's hang for an hour, maybe take some photos, maybe grab a drink, but definitely talk cameras!We will start here at 4pm:Backyard at Hudson Yards20 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001I'll be active in the Patreon chat around that time to let folks know when I'm at the meeting spot and when we are leaving there.Hop...
Newsletter: week of 6/9
What. A. Week.Let's get Liquid Glass, Liquid Ass, and all the hot takes that includewater bottles and Windows Vista out of the way. It looks different, sure, but I'm failing to see what all the hype is about. Can anyone explain?The bigger news was VisonOS's extensive upgrade, with Personas looking mature and the announcement of virtual Widgets that you can place in physical space, like a clock, and iPadOS further turning the iPad into a computer with a menu bar, a redesigned Files ap...
My favorite camera of all time. (ad-free)
This video has been a long time in the making (my entire life, in fact 😅). For readers of the newsletter, you have already seen a lot of photos from and heard about my love of these cheap, fun cameras, but here are a few more photos for the folks in the back:So, what's your favorite camera of all time?
FujiFilm X half review: an almost perfect gimmick (ad-free)
I'm still waiting on an ad approval for this to go live on YT, but everything else is ready, so here you are, bud! Can't wait to hear what you think!I had a lot of fun with the X half, but I don't think anyone should pay $850 for such limitations and slow processing speeds. Thoughts?Here are some of my favorite shots from it (straight out of camera, of course):
Newsletter: week of 6/2
Happy Friday and hello from Chicago! Today, I want to formally introduce you to my partner, Hannah :). She is a book editor at St. Martin's Press, which means she reads every single one of these newsletters, then critiques them over dinner every Friday night 😂. Two weeks ago, her issue was how many times I wrote "holy hell"; apparently, three times is two times too many.Anywho, this week, I had the privilege of joining her on a book tour from NYC to Philadelphia, and now finally C...
I took 1,000 photos with the S25 Edge (ad-free)
I say this in the video, but it really is my biggest takeaway from using this device: size matters.The only question is, are you willing to lose a telephoto lens, have less battery life, and pay a significant amount of money for a slimmer phone? And if you do pay all that money, will you put a case on it that will slightly increase the size of the phone? I'm genuinely curious, please let me know!Anywho, this video took me twice as long to make. I kept second-guessing every cut, and there isn...
Newsletter: week of 5/26
Hello from my couch as I nervously watch the New York Knicks attempt to make it to game six. (we did it <3)I recently became a projector person, hence why my TV is on the floor and not completely gone, but I'm 90% sure that the TV is never going to make it back onto the TV stand. If you own a TV and are happy with it, then you don't need this, I promise. But if you're in the market for something new... a TV the size of a wall is prettttty awesome (so long as you only watch TV in dark...
Newsletter: week of 5/19
Last week, I brought three cameras on my trip to China: a Lumix S1II, a Canon Optura 60 from my childhood, and a 35mm dubblefilm SHOW. The Lumix performed as you would expect-- focus was accurate 95% of the time, image was super sharp, and I had every damn setting and control right at my fingertips. The Canon, which shoots Mini DV tapes, was everyone's favorite to take a turn zooming in and out with, and the 35mm point-and-shoot always gets folks to make the funniest faces. Case in point:Tou...
Newsletter: week of 5/12
Sorry for the slight delay, and hello from 30,000 feet once again! Last week, I was in Changdu, China, visiting the XGIMI headquarters and factory. Full disclosure: XGIMI is a channel sponsor, and the company sponsored my trip. But even from channel sponsors, I only take brand trips that offer exclusive access or give me an experience I can only have by being somewhere specific. This one offered me all that, plus, I got to be in a room full of projector reporters with unlimited time to ask incre...
I tried the most popular minimal phones... so you don't have to (ad-free version)
Alright, you have to see these side-by-side photos of the Nokia (on the left) vs. the Minimal Phone (on the right). The winner is clear to me, but please sound off about which one you prefer. And sorry about the small size, I prioritized getting them right next to each other over scale. Overall, I was pretty surprised and disappointed by the Minimal Phone's performance. Every day, I was met with a new bug and grew increasingly frustrated when doing the simplest tasks. In its current state, t...
Newsletter: week of 5/5
This week, my SIM card was swapped in and out of every mobile phone there is. It started with a Nokia 2780, which has a surprisingly capable 5-megapixel camera (see below). It then sat in the Minimal Phone, which is a buggy mess. Then I had it in the Light Phone III, the Pixel 9a, and back to the S25 Ultra, which I have been daily driving for the last few months.So if I missed your call or text, I am sorry.I will publish a video explaining all of this on Sunday (I think), but for now, all I have...
Newsletter: week of 4/28
With my bike trip postponed, this week was all about pivoting to a new video for next week. So I made my way to BestBuy and picked up an open box Nokia 2780. More on that soon!In other news, there was a big win for App Store developers, GTA is further delayed, Leica released only 100 units of a $10,695 “New York USA” Leica M11 to celebrate the company's centennial, Nothing released the CMF Phone Pro 2, and the Osmo Pocket 3 is now a whopping $800 and, in my opinion, no longer worth its c...
Bike Trip Postponement Update
Waiting for warmer, sunnier days! If you live in NYS and like riding bikes, hit me up.-b
Newsletter: week of 4/21
Hello from the air again. This time, I am en route back to NYC from Austin, TX, where I attended an event I can't say much about yet. I travel alone a lot, and I genuinely love it. This is not to say I don't love traveling with others, but the freedom and independence I feel when jetting through an airport with a pair of ANC headphones in and good music playing are unmatched (I think that Tift Merritt's "Traveling Alone" sums up the feeling pretty well). However, traveling al...
Everything you need to know about Insta360's new camera (ad-free version)
If you're in the camera world, chances are your feeds have been and will be flooded with paid content from Insta360 this week. It's annoying, but I can't blame them because it works. There won't be a soul who doesn't know about the company's latest camera—the $549.99 Insta360 X5.I have to give the company credit; the low-light performance and ability to repair your own lenses on this camera are worthwhile upgrades, and the X series continues to be the most accessible co...
Newsletter: week of 4/14
Hello from the sky! I am currently en route to Seattle to build the solar trailer of my dreams with my friend Brendan.It's been a bit of a hurry up and wait sort of week for me. I started by getting a social video out (big win because I'm trying to grow my presence on IG/TikTok even though I would rather be making YouTube videos) and then rushing to put a YouTube video together, only to find out I had the embargo wrong. Which was a huge relief because I didn't love how the video was ...
Newsletter: week of 4/7
Now feels like the right time to tell you about a big project I've been working on! In a few weeks, I will be biking 450 miles from NYC to Rochester, NY, on an e-bike powered by the sun. Well, kind of. Let me explain.I moved to NYC in 2012 to attend the School of Visual Arts (SVA), a small arts college that I will be paying for for the rest of my life, haha. Having always loved biking, I had a crazy idea freshman year to bike home to Rochester someday and surprise my parents. Cut to over ten...
Light Phone, heavy price tag (ad-free, early upload)
So much got left on the cutting room floor with this one. For example, I had a whole section where I talked about how days would go by without getting a single call or text, and I would realize that maybe I don't need a cell phone at all. Or how much conversation the look of the Light Phone III would spark with tech and non-techy folks alike. It's simply one of those rare gadgets that is so damn different from everything else, that every interaction with it could make a ten minute long Y...
Newsletter: week of 3/31
I'm coming in hot this week- I just spent an hour attempting to connect my laptop to a printer. I swear they have kept that difficult just so we still feelsomething about technology. The current feeling is hatred. How has your Friday been going? 😅In other news, this week felt oddly calm for me. I spent most of my time up in the woods, where we are still getting snow(!!), with a quick 24 hours down in NYC, where it was 70 degrees and humid. I have been jamming on my Light Phone III edit al...
Newsletter: week of 3/24
I am over a week into daily driving the Light Phone III, and I can't stop talking/thinking about it. A large part of that is because most phones are boring, and while the Light Phone isboring on paper, it has been anything but that in practice. For better or for worse, doing anything on it takes thought and slightly more time, and its unique design means that as soon as I pull it out, everyone around me has questions.I have been having a blast! I plan to spend just as much time on the review...
I replaced my camera with a Game Boy (Ad-free)
Okay, who here had a Game Boy Camera in 1999? Since I started making this video and posting about it on Instagram, so many folks have reached out to tell me that they LOVED their Game Boy Camera and Printer. After using one for a week straight, I understand why--this camera is just plain fun to use.Here are some of my favorite photos from it:A special shout-out to 2bitboyand Oleg Drofafor being oh so patient with me as I learned all things Game Boy and for bringing this system into 2025. Also, a...
Newsletter: week of 3/17
Are there any Severance fans out there? Hannah and I stayed up late last night to watch the season finale, and wowee. Because I have been building a lot of IKEA furniture lately, this has been my favorite thread to come out of the final episode so far:via scotthildebrandon threadsIn other news, this week felt oddly exciting for mid-March. Fujifilm releaseda new medium format, fixed-lens camera, Boston Dynamics gave us a new videoof its Atlas Robot being eerily human, and Pebbleis back! Plus, we ...
Newsletter: week of 3/10
The sun is now setting after 7 p.m. in my part of the world, which means a few rays still shine after my work day ends. Sunset hiking season has officially begun, and my mood is 110% better! Sorry, Southern Hemisphere friends.I can confirm this is 100% true. (via terriblemap)Things I read:Photographers Are on a Mission to Fix Wikipedia's Famously Bad Celebrity PortraitsBecause Wikipedia requires all images to be openly licensed, most on the site are old, outdated, or simply bad. EnterWikiPor...
I took 1,000 photos with the Sigma BF (Ad-free)
Once you get past learning how to use a completely foreign camera system with limited buttons on an all-metal body, the $2,000 Sigma BF becomes a great companion. And I highly recommend you rent one for a weekend because of how different it feels from everything else and how it might change your perception of Sigma.The part that didn't make it into the video was my admission that I had been sleeping on Sigma's technology. With limited time using any of their previous camera systems or le...
Newsletter: week of 3/3
Sorry for the delay, bud. After finishing myNothing 500 photos video, I needed to take a few days off. I ate a lot of humble pie on my snowboard and shared some great meals with good friends. Now, I'm so ready to take on my next project—a Sigma BF review. If you have any questions about that camera, drop them in the comments!With that, here is everything I enjoyed last week that you might enjoy, too. A good reminder via leftistgamermemeson Threads.Everything I read:Facebook Cybertruck Owne...
I took 500 photos with Nothing’s new “Pro” phone (ad-free)
sighhh, I just realized that I put the (parentheses) in the wrong place during this video. It's Nothing Phone *(3a) Pro. Sorry, Nothing.Anwho, I am proud of this video. After using my phone for a week, I scripted, shot, and edited the video in about 2.5 days. Plus, I didn't have to work until the early morning to finish it. That feels pretty good!Overall, I love the hardware and software of the Phone (3a) Pro. It feels like a fashion accessory that I am proud to wear. For the most part, ...
Newsletter: week of 2/24
What a week! Canon launched a new point-and-shoot(in Asia, first) to compete with Sony's ZV lineup, Marques claimsthat the Sigma BFis the camera Apple would make if it made a camera (I have so many thoughts because Apple does make a camera and it looks like this...), and since seeing this new home robot, I have not stopped wanting to watch Bicentennial Man.Plus, a new videofrom me if ya missed it! How was your week, bud?A new folding, instant camera from TTartisanWhat I read this week:Many i...
The tech I travel with as a full-time YouTuber (Ad-free)
If I look a bit tired in this video, it's because I am pretty tired in this video 😅. For the last two months, I have been burning the candle at both ends with endless travel, too many "yeses," and far too much optimistic planning. Undoubtedly, I have been rewarded for the hustle with continued growth and the ability to pay the bills, but I also hit a wall creatively and mentally that had me crawling through this edit. Despite that, I am still proud of this one--the eight-minute ma...
Newsletter: week of 2/17
Happy Friday, bud! Another week down and anothertech startuplaid to rest 🪦.A quick question: Do you know anyone who is making something with or for technology? I am looking to chat with people like Michail of dispolens, a 3D printed lens that features the optics of a disposable camera, or Byron, who makes the TeraBiter Halo, a MagSafe solution for hard drives. If you know any makers, or are a maker, let's chat! Now, onto everything else.Last Friday marked YouTube's 20th anniversary. W...
This AI pin listened to every word I said for a whole month (ad-free)
At long last, I worked text on screen, to the beat of my voice, into a video! Edits likethisandthishave long inspired me, but every time I have tried something similar, it has felt forced. Plus, I am typically not rapping, so the text doesn't have a nice flow to it. With this video, though, I knew I wanted to introduce the Bee AI wearable by demonstrating what it has been hearing. So, throughout my testing, I recorded audio on my phone, and, in the edit, I paired that audio with it's wav...
