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The Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD will help keep you sane if you photograph birds. Tamron's lenses are usually some of my favorites. Admittedly though, I lean a lot more towards their primes and their constant aperture zooms. But the Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The image quality could be better. But the reliability is fantastic. You'll essentially be relying a lot on Sony's fantastic image sensors to create stellar images. But no matter what, know that you can do them in pretty much any condition you throw at this lens. The Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD will help keep you sane if you photograph birds. Editor's Note: This review was updated in January 2023. Table of Contents Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Ease of Use Autofocus On the Nikon Z9 Image Quality Bokeh Chromatic Aberration Color Rendition Sharpness Extra Image Samples Conclusions Likes Dislikes Pros and Cons Pros Impressively sharp for the price point Weather sealed Speedy autofocus performance Lightweight Very, very affordable at $549 Cons I wish it had a zoom lock I also wish it had a focus limiter Gear Used We used the Sony a7r III with this lens. At a later point, we tested it with the Nikon Z9 as well. Tech Specs Tech specs are taken from the summarizing on LensRentals. Weather sealing Sony FE Mount Works with Sony AI with Animal AF 5.8 inches in diameter 67mm filter thread 15 elements in 10 groups 3 inches in length 2.6 feet minimum focusing 1.2 lbs Ergonomics The Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is a pretty standard zoom for the Sony camera system. It's designed to be one of the simplest lenses to use. And in many ways, it really is. The only control that matters on this lens is the zoom ring. That's it. Said ring is also where you'll place your hand most of the time. The lens almost doubles in size when it's fully zoomed in and has the lens hood on. But if you're photographing birds, then you'll be fine. You'll more or less be far enough. If you put this lens on an APS-C camera, you'll be in even better shape. The front of this lens also has a small 62mm filter. Indeed, this is a compact lens. With enough room, you can put it in a camera bag while attached to a camera. At the rear is the manual focus ring. But I really doubt anyone will ever use it. I didn't. Build Quality The Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is said to be weather sealed. Indeed, we took it out once or twice in the rain. However, it's a tough lens to use in the rain since it tends to be darker. Weather sealing aside, this lens is incredibly lightweight. Tamron has been doing this for a long time, and they need to be commended for it. They're a company that really understands mirrorless cameras. They were originally designed to be smaller and lightweight. This lens adheres to that concept. Ease of Use The Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD has no real controls on the lens. The only big one is the zoom ring. So you're basically just zooming in and out. Some would wonder if it should have a focus limiter. And at times, I really thought that it should. However, I don't think I lost that many shots with this lens. What's more, this lens should have a zoom lock. That helps keep it a bit more compact when it's stored away. But I'm nitpicking here a bit. When photographing birds, use the large tracking focus setting with continuous AF. You're much better off setting the focusing point yourself unless you have a clear shot at a bird feeder or something. Update January 2023 In 2022, an odd tree of Nikon's took grafted branches from Tamron — and started to bear some odd fruit. In some cases, the lenses took Nikon's exterior and pricing. In other cases, Tamron took the exterior and Nikon's Z mount. In this case, the Tamron 70-300mm is available for Nikon Z mount. In Janaury 2023, we tested it on the Nikon Z9 for birding photography. And overall, it did a good job. But there are some weird...

Tamron lenses are fantastic. I'm not sure there's any independent reviewer that would disagree with that. Tamron zoom lenses for Sony FE cameras are notably incredible. Their lenses don't exactly compete with what Sony offers, but they augment it. What's more, they do so while providing a ton of value for what they are. We've reviewed every Tamron zoom lens for Sony FE cameras on the market. And in this roundup, we'll tell you what you need to know if you're considering purchasing. This piece is presented in partnership with TAMRON. We've independently and ethically reviewed all the products in this post already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you. The Phoblographer's various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn't get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn't get photography advice from someone who doesn't touch the product. We only recommend gear that we've fully reviewed. If you're wondering why your favorite product didn't make the cut, there's a chance it's on another list. If we haven't reviewed it, we won't recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Table of Contents Tamron Nomenclature Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2 Tamron 28-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD Tamron 50-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 Di III VXD Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Tamron Nomenclature Here are some common Tamron terms in their lens naming and what they mean. Di: Tamron Di (Digitally Integrated) lenses are performance-optimized for digital cameras. Lenses with the nomenclature Di are lenses for DSLRs featuring full-frame sensors; Di II for DSLRs with APS-C sensors; Di III for mirrorless cameras with full-frame sensors; and Di III-A for mirrorless cameras with APS-C sensors. VXD: (Voice-Coil eXtreme torque Drive) The VXD AF Drive provides the highest levels of autofocus speed and precision in Tamron's long history. It is Tamron's first-ever linear motor focus mechanism for stunningly fast and accurate auto-focusing. Two VXD units are arranged in a floating system and operated simultaneously via electronic control to achieve excellent optical performance at all shooting distances near and far. Focus tracking is vastly improved for sports and racing photography. G1 or G2: First or second generation of a particular Tamron lens. VC: (Vibration Compensation Image Stabilization System) Tamron's VC uses a proprietary actuator and algorithms to deliver an extremely stable viewfinder image with excellent tracking. The 3-coil system electromagnetically drives the lens element that compensates for vibration, which glides smoothly on three balls with little friction. Several lenses offer different modes for panning and video shooting. VC can also be customized with the TAP-In Console or Tamron Lens Utility. VC should always be turned off when using the lens on a tripod. RXD: (Rapid eXtra-silent Drive) The RXD stepping drive uses an actuator to precisely control the rotational angle of the motor, allowing it to directly drive the focusing lens without passing through a reduction gear. A sensor that accurately detects the position of the lens enables high-speed and precise AF, which is ideal when shooting moving subjects or video. Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD The Strong Point: This is a small wide-angle lens that can be used for general shooting. Stick it on the camera and it might be the only lens you need. In our review, we state: “The Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Di III RXD is a fantastic lens when it comes to image quality. This overall makes it a stellar performer.” Buy Now Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2 The Strong Point: This is an update to the previou...

The super-telephoto is one of the most difficult lenses to master both for the lens builder and the photographer attempting to wield such large glass. While no 500mm will be described as tiny, Tamron managed to shed some weight and length while still packing in a lot of zoom. The Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD weighs 3.8 pounds and is roughly eight inches long. With image stabilization built in, the new telephoto is manageable enough to shoot handheld. Editor's Note: This review has been updated on October 10th, 2022. I took the 150-500mm lens on a hike, photographed two soccer games, and chased hot air balloons — all without a tripod. I instantly fell in love with the 500mm reach that's not attached to a stick. I was eager to open up the extreme zoom images. So how do the photographs from a handheld 500mm that's priced lower than many competitors hold up? Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Autofocus On Fujifilm Ease of Use Image Quality Bokeh Sharpness Lens Character Color Rendering Fujifilm Tests Extra Image Samples Edited Unedited Conclusions Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn't Read The Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD does an impressive job putting a 500mm zoom into a reasonably-sized lens. And the lens also manages to control aberration and distortion well. The biggest downside? The narrower aperture and long zoom length mean higher ISOs, along with some corner softness. Pros and Cons Pros Smaller than competing lenses Handheld telephoto shooting Versatile zoom range, with close-up ability Great color and background separation Reasonable price Weather-sealing Fantastic for Fujifilm X mount Cons Autofocus has occasional misses with fast action Soft corners Gear Used I used the Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD with the Sony A7R IV. I stashed my gear in the updated Wandrd PRVKE II backpack. Innovations 500mm is a lot of reach. But, the Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is smaller and lighter than several similar lenses, including the Sony FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 G OSS, the Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR, and the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary. The Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 IS USM is slightly smaller. The Tamron also packs in some optical design and coating meant to preserve image quality. But, the biggest innovation about this lens is, well, that's it's not quite as big. Tech Specs Tamron lists these tech specs for the 150-500mm lens: Focal Length: 150-500mm Maximum Aperture: F5-6.7 Angle of View: (diagonal) 16°25'-4°57′ (for full-frame mirrorless format) Optical Construction: 25 elements in 16 groups Minimum Object Distance: 0.6m (23.6 in) (WIDE) / 1.8m (70.9 in) (TELE) Maximum Magnification Ratio: 1:3.1 (WIDE) / 1:3.7 (TELE) Filter Size: φ82mm Maximum Diameter: φ93mm Length: 209.6mm / 8.3 in (front tip of the lens to the lens mount face) Weight: 1,725g (60.8 oz) (without tripod mount included) / tripod mount 155g (5.5 oz) Aperture Blades: 7 (circular diaphragm, the circular diaphragm stays almost perfectly circular up to two stops down from maximum aperture) Minimum Aperture: F22-32 Standard Accessory: Round-shaped hood, Lens caps, Tripod mount Compatible Mounts: Sony E-mount Ergonomics Monstrous is typically the best word to describe telephoto lenses that reach 500mm. But, while the Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD isn't small, it's smaller than competing lenses. The Tamron is roughly four inches shorter and almost a pound lighter than the Sony FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 G OSS, and the maximum aperture at the wide-angle is brighter on the Tamron. The 150-500mm lens weighs 60.8 ounces, or about 3.8 pounds, adding a few ounces for the tripod collar. It will take up a little more than an eight-inch slot in the camera bag. While lighter than the closest competing lens, the 150-500mm is still hefty glass. It makes the Sony a7R IV front-heavy. After a few hours of use, the grip on the Sony body left a mark...

If you're curious about animal detection autofocus in your camera, then you've come to the right place. We've been curious about it too. What's more, each camera system takes its own approach to how to do it. And it can be very confusing to some folks. At other times, it can be really frustrating. So we're looking at animal detection on various camera systems. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. What is Animal Detection Animal detection differs depending on the camera system. A lot of them incorporate animal and bird detection together. Sony is the major full-frame camera manufacturer that doesn't do this. But basically, it tells the autofocus to look at the scene and prioritize autofocusing on an animal instead of a human, bike, car, etc. Lucky for you, we've reviewed tons of cameras that do this. For the record, we've tested all of the cameras that we're talking about in this post. Canon With Canon cameras, there are a few ways to autofocus. The system can look at a scene and recognize certain things. If you set it to animal vs. human, it will detect all sorts of animals. We've used the Canon EOS R5, Canon EOS R6, Canon EOS R7, and the Canon EOS R3 in animal detection. Each time, it has found both birds and mammals with no issues in animal detection mode. Practically speaking, this means that you're less likely to miss shots. You can be walking around in the forest and have your camera set to animal mode with ease. You can be photographing chipmunks one moment and hawks another moment. Otherwise, you'd need to physically move the autofocus point over the subject to get focus. That's often much harder when it comes to focusing on a bird through trees. But a system that recognized the warbler in the trees can get it faster. Best Cameras for Animal Detection and Bird Detection: Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R6 Canon EOS R3 Canon EOS R7 Nikon Update September 2022: The Nikon Z9 is the most innovative camera when it comes to animal detection for Nikon. It bundles birds and animals together. We've used the Z9 in our review, and found it to be much better than the Z7 II and Z6 II, which only have detection for basically pets. We've also known that the Z9 has improved with autofocus updates. Best Cameras for Animal Detection and Bird Detection: Nikon Z9 Sony Sony has a complicated but effective system. If you take the Sony a1 or even an older camera like the Sony a7r III into the forest to photograph birds and animals, you'll need to set the camera accordingly. The Sony a1, in bird-detection mode, won't do so well getting your dog in focus when you turn your camera to it. As a result, you'll have to go quickly into the menu system and then switch it to animal focus priority. It also works well with the Sony a7 IV. We've done this, and it's been pretty annoying at times. Best Cameras for Animal Detection and Bird Detection: Sony A1 Sony a7 IV Fujifilm Update September 2022: Fujifilm has finally entered the wildlife world! They separate animal from bird detection and have two cameras that can do it. There's the XH2, which is slower than its older sibling, the XH2s. The latter is designed for speed, and with the right lenses, it can perform very well. Best Cameras for Animal Detection and Bird Detection: Fujifilm XH2s Panasonic With a camera like the Panasonic S5, you'll be able to use animal-autofocus detection to photograph birds. There are also Micro Four Thirds cameras like the G9 and GH5 II that can do it. It does a pretty good job overall, but effectively tracking the subjects isn't as good as it is with Sony and Canon. Even when you adjust the focusing profiles, it just doesn't have the same hit rate. Best Cameras for Animal Detection and Bird Detection: Panasonic S5 Panasonic GH5 II OM System The Olympus OMD EM1x has autofocus for animals and birds. But it's really not that great. According to our review: “For wildlife, I walked away very disappointed at the fa...

Culling photos from a big shoot such as a wedding is a process that typically takes hours. For me, the photo cull is a boring task that's best tackled with Netflix and some snacks. But, can artificial intelligence turn that hours-long process into a few minutes? PhotoRefine A.I. Photo Manager is an app that uses artificial intelligence to ease the bore of the cull. Using A.I., the app groups photos together, then searches for the sharpest one. But, mixing artificial intelligence with art is a precarious teeter-totter. Can A.I. really find your best shots? When I first downloaded Optyx. I didn't expect to really like the app. I was worried that, by integrating A.I., I would be losing the ability to pick a photograph based on emotional impact alone. But, Optyx works best with some manual input — and doesn't really judge a photo beyond anything but sharpness. Optyx may have just found the perfect balance between speed and overlooking too many great shots. Optyx was bought out by Zenfolio, where it was added to its suite of tools and renamed PhotoRefine. That also means it's part of the Zenfolio subscription — which is great for subscribers but perhaps not so great for photographers who only want the A.I. culling software. But, Zenfolio has added a bunch of features, including considering the “happiness” in a photo, and refined the user interface. Like Optyx, PhotoRefine won't turn hours of culling into seconds. But, by flagging and color coding photos, it's easier to quickly cull photos looking at small thumbnails rather than zooming in to see what photo is sharpest, or which one has everyone's eyes open. Like any A.I., it's best when mixed with some human input, but simplifies sorting through bursts and similar photos. Table of Contents TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ. PROS AND CONS PROS CONS GEAR USED MAIN FEATURES EASE OF USE REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS CONCLUSIONS LIKES DISLIKES TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ. PhotoRefine does a good job of looking for sharpness and avoiding closed eyes. The sharpness tool works well some of the time, but it doesn't like photos with a lot of bokeh. The manual culling tools allow a good blend between the speed of A.I. and the eye of an actual human. It's a good app for burst shooters, but photographers who only take a shot or two of the same subject won't save time. PROS AND CONS PROS Finds your sharpest photos Groups similar shots automatically Allows for a mix of human and AI culling The user interface is improved. CONS Another app to import to. Sigh. It's not sold as a stand-alone program anymore. I wish it would use zero stars on bad images instead of one. GEAR USED I used the PhotoRefine app on my 2021 MacBook Pro. MAIN FEATURES PhotoRefine is based on several A.I. features. Here's how Zenfolio says the software works: Focus detection: The app looks at each face to evaluate for sharpness, choosing shots with the sharpest focus on faces. A.I. Autocull: This feature groups similar images together, so you can easily pick the best of the bunch. Fast previews: PhotoRefine says that previews are fast so that you can also manually cull faster than Lightroom's previews load. EASE OF USE PhotoRefine requires logging in at the start and sometimes even after the program has been left alone too long. There's no option to remember your username and password. But maybe it sensed my annoyance at having to type my login information twice in one day because the next day it didn't ask me to log in. After opening the program, it also has to analyze the photos, and large albums take a while. PhotoRefine starts out much like any RAW file manager — you must import your photos. The process starts by creating a new shoot, then adding your photos. This process is similar to Lightroom and Capture One. 150 photos took about 5-10 minutes, but 650 took about half an hour. PhotoRefine, however, analyzes photos as it imports. The sidebar lists choices on how loosely to apply groupings, whether to group exposure bracketing and the workflow ...

We're streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! Retouching is part art, part technical savvy. The Nino Batista Premium Retouching Video tutorials build on the latter. The series of 30 retouching videos cover topics from retouching skin to perfecting color. Skin is one of the trickiest edits — and as a glamour photographer, Nino Batista does a lot to work with in his edits. Formerly part of Batista's paid YouTube channel, the retouching tutorials cover more in-depth, advanced skills than the average free tutorial. The videos contain a heavy focus on Photoshop, with some RAW processing in Capture One. Made for photographers who know a few basics but not much else, I picked up a few tricks, even as an avid Photoshop user of more than ten years. Batista covers excellent techniques that are easily adaptable to your own style. Who Is Nino Batista? As a glamour photographer, Nino Batista's work primarily features female models. His photos regularly appear in lifestyle and men's magazines, including Playboy and FHM. Batista is also well-known as a photo educator. He regularly teaches retouching techniques, both online and in person. As a co-founder at NBP Pro EDU Retouch tools, he's also part of the team developing Photoshop plug-ins. Retouching Tutorials — With Plenty of Skin “Tutorials for boudoir photography can easily feel like sitting next to that weird uncle that always makes inappropriate comments at family functions. But, I didn't find that to be the case here.” A quote from this review by Phoblographer Reviews Editor Hillary Grigonis Let's get the obvious out of the way first; Batista's photos offer more to retouch than a basic portrait. As a glamour photographer, the photos he works on in the tutorial are typically of women in limited — and sometimes zero — clothing. The models in the online listing for these tutorials wear much more clothing than the photos in the actual tutorials. That's excellent for photographers learning to retouch skin since there's so much of it to work with. A skin retouching tutorial on the average portrait won't include steps for editing the ribcage, for example. The tutorials go beyond just perfecting the face. As a woman, I did not feel terribly uncomfortable watching the retouching tutorials. Batista regularly threw out phrases like “she's just human” and “common on every human you edit.” He doesn't objectify or berate. Tutorials for boudoir photography can easily feel like sitting next to that weird uncle who always makes inappropriate comments at family functions. But, I didn't find that to be the case here. That said, some photographers may still be uncomfortable watching tutorials on glamour or bodyscape. I wouldn't watch these videos with my kids or my mother looking over my shoulder. If the work on Batista's Instagram page makes you uncomfortable, then this isn't the retouching course for you. What's Included in the Nino Batista Premium Retouching Tutorials? The tutorial set includes 825 minutes of tutorials across 30 different videos. The series includes both short tutorials on a specific technique and start-to-finish edits. Batista works with both Capture One and Photoshop. The videos offer excellent coverage of the different techniques to retouch people for photographers with a little Photoshop experience. Batista covers basic topics like black and white conversions and customizing your Photoshop workspace. More advanced topics are also tackled, including perfecting skin tone and frequency separation. The PhotoWhoa series came after YouTube discontinued its paid memberships. The series includes 30 of those videos. Some, however, are missing — he references a tutorial on Photoshop brushes in one video that's not listed in the class. The Good There isn't one “right” way to edit — and Batista teaches to that. He calls his own editing process organic and teaches to that same tune. He talks about what a tool does, why to use it, and how much....

The Sony a1 shows that electronic shutters are the future. Sony stunned the photography industry when they announced their new flagship camera, the Sony a1. Sony is back to innovating again when it comes to silicon, and this is incredibly exciting. On paper, this camera with its new stacked sensor should impress even the most hard-headed photographers out there. Still, we all know that specs on a piece of paper don't always equate to great real-world performance. We've had our hands on the new Sony a1 for a week, and we've put it to the test in some tough conditions. Will the wow factor from the spec sheet carry over into the wild when we test it? Find out in our full review of the Sony a1. Table of Contents Pros and Cons Pros Cons Too Long, Didn't Read Gear Used Tech Specs Sony a1 – Innovations Sony a1 – Ergonomics Top Panel Camera Back Camera Left Camera Right Sony a1 – Build Quality Sony a1 – Ease of Use The Electronic Shutter Is Nuts IBIS Performance Sony a1 – Autofocus Human and Human Eye AF Animal Autofocus Bird Autofocus Sony a1 – Metering Sony a1 – Image Quality RAW File Versatility JPEGS High ISO Pixel Shift Multi Shot Sony a1 – Extra Image Samples Sony a1 – Conclusions Likes Dislikes Pros and Cons Pros Sony's a1 shows that stacked sensors are the future Detail rich images with great dynamic range Excellent ergonomics (the best Sony camera to date) The a1 features the new touchscreen menu system Fantastic overall autofocus performance 30 frames per second with the electronic shutter with virtually no rolling shutter or banding issues 1/400th mechanical shutter speed with compatible TTL flashes and triggers Sony's 9.44 million dot EVF is a work of art Excellent build quality Good battery life 8K video Excellent performance with CFexpress A cards Cons It has the same old 1.44 million dot LCD The LCD is not fully articulating Bird AF is a work in progress Multi Shot mode is inconsistent Autofocus suffers a little in very low light situations It's $6,499 Too Long, Didn't Read The Sony a1 is a camera designed for professionals who need the best in stills and video. 50MP images at 30 frames per second with autofocus make this camera a must-have for pro sports, pro wildlife, and photojournalists. It's pricey at $6,499. However, if you need a solid camera that can produce high-resolution images by the bucket load and 8K video, the Sony a1is a no-compromise camera that delivers. Gear Used We used the Sony a1 with the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM and the Sony 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 GM OSS. Also used was a Sony CFexpress A memory card. Tech Specs All of the technical specifications have been taken directly from the official Sony website: 50.1-MP 35 mm full-frame stacked CMOS sensor with integral memory Advanced BIONZ XR engine boosts speed by up to 8x 30fps continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking Movie-making with 8K 30p and 4K 120p Wide AF coverage with 759-point phase-detection and 425-point contrast-detection AF points Battery life (stills) – Approx. 430 shots (Viewfinder) / approx. 530 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard) Image Quality Modes – RAW (Compressed / Lossless Compressed / Uncompressed), JPEG (Extra fine / Fine / Standard / Light), HEIF (4:2:0 / 4:2:2) (Extra fine / Fine / Standard / Light) Viewfinder – 9.44 million dots LCD 1.44 million dots Human face and eye AF, animal body and eye AF, and a new Birding AF mode Flash Sync. Speed – (Mechanical Shutter), (Flash Sync. Priority) is (ON) or (AUTO):1/400 s (35 mm full-frame), 1/500 s (APS-C), (Flash Sync. Priority) is (OFF):1/320 s (35 mm full-frame), 1/400 s (APS-C), (Electrical shutter), 1/200 s (35 mm full-frame), 1/250 s (APS-C) Image Sensor-Shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation Continuous Drive Speeds – AUTO/Electronic Shutter: Continuous shooting: Hi+: 30fps, Hi: 20fps, Mid: 15fps, Lo: 5fps,10111213 Mechanical Shutter: Continuous shooting: Hi+: 10fps, Hi: 8fps, Mid: 6fps, Lo: 3fps Sony a1 – Innovations The Sony a1 features a brand new stacked with high-speed RAM stacke...

The Sony a7c is the company's first rangefinder-style camera with a full-frame sensor at heart. I'm incredibly elated that Sony made a camera like the Sony a7c. The entire industry is lacking rangefinder-style cameras. Putting a full-frame sensor into one is the icing on the cake. Maybe it will mean other brands follow suit. Sony made a few sacrifices to create the Sony a7c. This is a real innovation that was proven long ago with the RX1 series. But this camera is different; you can swap the lenses out. The image stabilization isn't up to par with the other Sony a7 camera bodies. And in some ways, I feel the autofocus isn't either. You're also missing a joystick. But otherwise, the Sony a7c has a whole lot going for it. Editor's Note: Our original review was published with pre-production firmware. We've updated this review with firmware version 2.0. Sony a7c Pros and Cons Pros It's tiny This is Sony's first rangefinder-style full-frame camera, and it reminds me so much of the Mamiya 6 Good image quality overall I adore the shutter sound Weather resistance is excellent for shooting in the rain The colors from the images are lovely High ISO output is outstanding, especially in print Focus peaking seems better than previous cameras, but it's still not Canon's Cons No joystick I really wanted the Sony a7r III sensor: that was the most perfect one Sony's IBIS isn't as good as Canon's or Fujifilm's The IBIS in the Sony a7c isn't as good as that of the higher-end Sony a7 models No touchscreen menu I'd really like a frontal exposure dial Sony needs to revamp its delayed shooting option to focus on a subject right before it's going to fire I don't feel like this is the same autofocus as the other Sony a7 cameras. Sony's autofocus needs to be revamped to accurately focus on people of color with dark hair and against dark backgrounds Needs dual card slots 1/200th flash sync Dynamic range isn't that great in Capture One Sony is still prone to getting dust on the sensor with this camera Gear Used with the Sony a7c We tested the Sony a7c with Sony 35mm f1.8 FE Sony 28-60mm f4-5.6 Fotodiox M to E mount adapter 7Artisans 50mm f1.1 7Artisans 28mm f1.4 Samyang 14mm f2.8 II Samyang 85mm f1.4 II Profoto B10 Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Sony a7c Tech Specs Here are the tech specs in brief 24 Megapixel Backside illuminated full-frame sensor 20% smaller and 30% lighter than other Sony a7 series cameras 5 stop of IS Weather sealing 4k video features 10 frame per second in mechanical and electronic shutter The same battery as the newer Sony a7 series cameras Variable angle LCD screen Magnesium alloy body with weather resistance Ergonomics Here it is in silver! Many of us have been waiting a long time for a rangefinder-style mirrorless camera boasting a full-frame sensor. And it's here! Admittedly, I think I made it look more gorgeous in the photos than it is in real life. Personally speaking, my heart belongs to the Fujifilm X Pro 3. And the silver on both cameras is very similar. The front of the Sony a7c has the full-frame E mount area. There are no buttons on the front except for the lens release. I wish Sony put more buttons on the front of their cameras. It would help them feel more like, well, real-cameras! I also wish the front of the grip still had the extra dial. The top of the Sony a7c has three controls. Around the shutter release is the on/off switch. It shares the right side with the mode dial that includes the dreaded Auto mode. There is also a video record button nestled between the shutter release and the exposure compensation dial. To the left of all this is the hot shoe. The back of the camera is incredibly comfortable. It's missing a joystick, and some folks won't like that. Changing the autofocus point with the wheel at the back is more annoying and slower than a dedicated joystick. The LCD screen is the variable angle type. To the right of all this are control buttons and the other exposure dials. To the top left of it is the EVF. It's ni...

Sometimes I find myself shaking my head at what cameras can do these days. The jury is still out as to whether it's shaken in disbelief or wonderment. That is the case with the long-awaited and fairly priced Sony a7 IV. It packs a lot of features that photographers have been asking for along with capabilities that are overkill. I think Sony's next camera could take an entirely black or even stark white image and recover almost every detail. Editor's Note: This review has received updates as of July 2022. Alas, It has been fun watching the community pine for the newest Sony a7 IV leading up to its announcement. Based on what photographers have been asking for online, they will be delighted with the versatility of this camera. Its premise is to build a bridge for hybrid shooters and make their creativity more attainable. While the video functionalities are sure to pique interest, this review will focus on its photographic capabilities. Does it live up to the beloved a7 series? There's no question that it does. The short answer is it's an excellent option for most genres of photography. It's sweeping an even broader net at who this camera is for. Keep reading to find out why. Table of Contents Too Long Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Ease of Use Firmware Installation Improved Camera Stability Autofocus Eye AF Isn't Always Accurate (Update July 2022) Metering Image Quality High ISO Images Raw File Versatility JPEG Quality Extra Image Samples Edited Unedited Conclusions of the Sony a7 IV Likes Dislikes Too Long Didn't Read The long-anticipated Sony a7 IV is finally here and aims to bridge the gap for still photographers and videographers. It's received a bit of a facelift with a beautiful, new OLED screen and a more comfortable grip. The updated face and animal detection with tracking is impressive and fun. It now comes with in-camera skin smoothing to significantly reduce post-processing time. Plus, its price is pretty great for an all-in-one option. Pros and Cons Pros Face detection and tracking Animal face detection and tracking Bird face and eye detection Metering Updated OLED screen and menu Comfortable grip Suitable for a variety of applications Weather-sealed and sensor dust issue is improved Fast autofocus Impressive Dynamic Range Sharp – almost too sharp for some womens' portraits In-camera skin softening to combat incredibly sharp skin pores Cons High ISO performance could be better Color noise in out-of-focus areas at lower ISOs Shutter freezes and the camera becomes unresponsive at times when shooting bracketed High burst mode currently only works if shooting compressed RAW Gear Used We tested the new Sony a7 IV with the Sony 35mm f1.4GM lens, Sony 50mm f1.2 GM lens, and Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 lens. Innovations As far as cutting edge, the new a7 IV isn't revamping the world of mirrorless cameras. What it does is borrow some of the great features of the flagship a1 and is a welcome upgrade to the lower-tier lineup. The upgraded OLED screen, real-time human/animal autofocus, and impressive dynamic range are welcome additions. Tech Specs All technical specifications are provided by the manufacturer. 33.0 MP (appx/effective) full-frame Exmor R™ CMOS image sensor Latest generation BIONZ XR™ image processing engine High resolution with color reproduction accuracy & low noise 15 stop dynamic range for natural gradations Creative Look / Soft Skin Effect 10-bit HEIF format (4:2:2 or 4:2:0) 5.5-step advantage 5-axis in-body image stabilization 828 continuous RAW+JPEG shooting 759 phase-detection AF points (94% coverage) Improved AF-S speed / Improved low light AF down to EV-4 AF tracking for continuous shooting at f22 Real-time Eye AF for Human/Animal/Bird More tenacious Real-time Tracking 4K 60p recording in Super35 format for slow-motion 4k 30p recording, 7k oversampling for high resolution S-Cinetone™ and Creative Look for delivery work 10bit S-Log3 with 15+ stops o...

The Canon EOS R5 is the company's first major professional mirrorless camera, and it's wonderful! There was a time when I was angry at Canon. But when the Canon EOS R launched, that anger subsided. It was a nice entry into the serious mirrorless camera world. But the Canon EOS R5 is arguably the camera they should have launched at the start. This camera can easily become the bread and butter of any professional photographer using it. It can also be a great tool for a multimedia shooter. Better yet, the hobbyist photographer who is passionate about the craft will enjoy what this camera can do. There has been a lot of wrongful bashing of the Canon EOS R5 on the web. And in this review, we're going to talk to the practicality of it all. Note that before you go on, we're not sensationalizing things just for clicks. If you're a shooter that left Canon for another system, we're probably going to tell you a few things you don't want to hear. So, please keep your superiority complexes in check. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. This review has been updated in June 2022. Table of Contents Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used with the Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R5 Tech Specs Canon EOS R5 Ergonomics Canon EOS R5 Build Quality Canon EOS R5 Ease of Use Canon EOS R5 Autofocus Performance Update December 2021 Update July 2022 Canon EOS R5 Image Quality JPEG Output RAW File Versatility High ISO Output TimeLapse Shooting Extra Image Samples from the Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R5 Review Conclusions Likes Dislikes Pros and Cons Pros Well built Excellent battery life So intuitive for a Canon shooter Feels very good in the hand Image stabilization is pretty much second to none Wonderful menu systems Excellent details Weather sealed Reliable Canon's Mobile App connection setup is as simple as ever Doesn't overheat with short clips Wifi sending of full HD video is pretty fast High ISO RAW files hold a fair amount of data. There's great dynamic range and colors, but the noise is a bit painful. Wireless RAW file transmission with Capture One 22 Cons The joystick is in an odd spot In some ways feels like an old 60D, but it's totally not I personally feel the magnification button is in an odd spot Can't transfer 8K video via Wifi 4K movie clips shorter than 30 seconds take a while to send, and then ultimately don't end up on your phone High ISO Raw files above 12,800 tend to get a bit messy The price is a bit high at $3,899 Gear Used with the Canon EOS R5 We tested the Canon EOS R5 with the: Canon RF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM Samyang 85mm f1.4 AF Profoto B10 Canon EOS R5 Tech Specs In Brief: High Image Quality featuring a New 45 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS Sensor DIGIC X Image Processor with an ISO range of 100-51200; Expandable to 102400 Dual Pixel CMOS AF covering Approx. 100% Area with 1,053 AF Areas Subject tracking of People and Animals using Deep Learning Technology In-body Image Stabilizer can provide up to 8 stops of Shake Correction Dual Card Slots for CFexpress and UHS-II SD Memory Cards Built-in 0.5″ 5.76 Million Dots OLED EVF with 120fps refresh rate, Vari-angle LCD Touchscreen 2.4/5Ghz Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Technology Full Specs taken from the LensRentals Listing 45MP Full-Frame Sensor and DIGIC X Processor. The Canon EOS R5's newly designed 45MP full-frame CMOS sensor works in tandem with the DIGIC X processor to produce high-resolution stills and video with plenty of speed. The native ISO range of 100-51,200 can be expanded to 100-102,400, making this camera suitable for working in a wide range of lighting conditions. 8K30 RAW and 4K 120 Video. The EOS R5's 45MP sensor makes internal DCI 8K 30 fps RAW capture possible, in addition to 4K recording at up to 120 fps in 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log and HDR-PQ. Please note that DCI 8K is the only format in which you can shoot RAW with the R5—every other resolution offers All-I or IPB compression. External HD...

The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD could be the best lens for APS-C cameras ever made. The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD could be the best lens for APS-C cameras ever made. It combines weather-resistance with fast autofocus and a lot of versatility. For the record, it's more or less a 24-120mm f2.8 equivalent zoom. And for any APS-C photographer, that's a dream. To boot, it's also incredibly small for what it is. While it feels fantastic on Sony cameras, some Fujifilm photographers might not necessarily want to use it. However, it's great on both camera systems. This review was updated June 27th 2022. A whole other section was created just for the Fujifilm variant. Pros and Cons Pros Small Weather sealed Under $1,000 Image stabilized Basically a 24-105mm at f2.8 Lightweight Cons Tamron is a beautiful diamond being wasted on the sad Ringpop that is the Sony APS-C camera system. What's Innovative About This? The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is the full-frame equivalent of a 26-105mm f2.8 lens. The depth of field will be around f4.2 in full-frame too. But the light gathering and true aperture will still be f2.8. This is the first time we've ever gotten a lens like this. Add onto all this the vibration compensation, sharp optics, and weather sealing features. Then realize that it's under $1,000. To me, this sounds like a no-brainer. It's a truly usable large range that photographers can use with confidence every day. Sigma has their 18-35mm f1.8 lens, but it's not as useable a range as this Tamron offering. For what it's worth, I think this lens is wasted on E Mount. Everyone fawns over the company's full-frame cameras. It has also come to Fujifilm X series. It could also even make the Nikon Z50 seem more useful. Gear Used We tested the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD on the Sony a6600. We also used it with Profoto lighting. Tech Specs Specs are taken from AlphaShooters Lens construction: 16 elements in 12 groupsAngle of view (APS-C): 79゜55′-23゜00′Number of diaphragm blades: 9（Rounded diaphragm）Minimum aperture: F22Minimum focusing distance: 0.19m (7.5 in) (WIDE) / 0.39m (15.4 in) (TELE)Maximum magnification ratio: 1:4.8 (WIDE) / 1:5.2 (TELE)Filter size: φ67mmDiameter: 74.6mmLength: 119.3mm (4.7 in)Weight: 525g (18.5oz)Accessories: Flower-shaped hood, Lens caps included Ergonomics The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a moderately sized lens. I say this because it depends a lot on the situation you're in. But overall, it's simple to use thanks to the construction. You can see above that the only controls are a large zoom ring and a small focusing ring. The exterior is made of plastic. However, the lens doesn't feel like a bad, plasticky lens. It's a ways better than anything Rokinon has made. When fully zoomed in, the lens also doesn't become much larger than it is. And that's really great for real-life use. Of course, that also means that it isn't an internally zooming lens. Build Quality Make no mistake; the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a massive lens for an APS-C camera. But overall, it's still smaller than a Canon 50mm f1.2 RF prime lens. It's also far lighter. The lens is built solidly. It's a plastic body that doesn't feel cheap at all. Tamron is a specialist at constructing lenses like this. There are also nice rubber rings for grip. Of course, this lens is also weather-resistant. We're confident that it will outlast the Sony bodies it was designed for. Overall, this lens is built to be the only one you need. It's lightweight and fairly small. Stuff it into a camera bag slot, and you'll be good to go. Again, Tamron has built one of the most perfect lenses for APS-C cameras. It's again a shame it's being wasted on a format that I don't think sees its future in APS-C. Ease of Use Slap the lens on the camera, point, focus, and shoot. That's all there is to it. The lens has vibration compensation built-in, which translates into better hand-holding at slower shutter speeds. And if you're l...

Capture One is back with the newest rendition of their beloved editing software. Capture One 22 improves some of its best features and introduces several new functions photographers have been requesting. Real estate, landscape, and astrophotographers can now enjoy a powerful HDR merge function. The Panoramic Stitch feature resembles the Brenizer Method and makes it possible to create larger canvases in smaller spaces. Capture One Live adds collaboration tools, while the overall design prepares for the upcoming iPad version. Make sure you have plenty of hard drive space for these functions. You'll see why. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Table of Contents Too Long Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used What's New In Capture One 22? Ease of Use Capture One Live Magic Eraser and local editing Wireless Tethering for Canon and Sony Panoramic Stitch HDR Merge Auto Rotate Performance Conclusions of Capture One 22 Too Long Didn't Read The newest release of Capture One is here, and it has some worthy upgrades. After adding HDR merge and a Panoramic Stitch functionality, the photo editor now has online collaboration, an enhanced Keystone tool, and a magic eraser. Wireless tethering is available for multiple Canon and Sony cameras, and overall performance has improved. The editing program still has room for improvement with its selections, healing, and cloning functionalities. Pros and Cons Pros HDR merge is pretty great Panoramic Stitch is a nice feature Many Canon and Sony shooters will enjoy tethering wirelessly Performance is noticeably improved Re-designed tool tab is easier to learn Capture One Live has simple sharing Customizable workspaces Solid performance Cons The clone and healing masks aren't as precise as Photoshop There still isn't a patch tool The magic brush should be more accurate and functional to compete with other programs Auto rotate isn't geared towards verticals The Live feature really needs notifications Larger catalog sizes Gear Used We originally tested Capture One 22 on a 2019 16” MacBook Pro. The images used were captured with a Canon 5D Mark III, Sony a7 III, and Fujifilm GFX50s II. Tethering was tested with a Canon EOS R5 and EOS R. The 15.3 build of Capture One, released in June 2022, was tested on a 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Pro with images from a Fujifilm X-T4 and Panasonic GH6. What's New In Capture One 22? Main feature upgrades are provided by Capture One. Panorama Stitch HDR Merge Auto Rotate (AI-Driven) Wireless Tethering for Canon and Sony Improved Performance Capture One Live collaboration Magic Eraser tool Enhanced Keystone tool Ease of Use Everything you already love about Capture One performs a bit better. The software has also improved how it captures data. Windows users will be pleased to see more user-friendly catalogs as they have re-engineered them. Mac users will see a quicker response when browsing through images quickly and zoom functionality. With the June 2022 update, the desktop software is now ready for the upcoming iPad app. One of those changes includes re-designed icons in the tool tab. These icons now all finally have labels. One of the most annoying aspects of switching from Lightroom is that there are so many tabs and none of them are labeled. The update will help new users find everything quickly. The only downside is that the tools tab needs a little more space. I had to make it wider to accommodate the Color tab, which was originally hiding in the ellipsis icon. Even with the updated design, Capture One is still very customizable. That's one of the software's stand-out features — being able to customize the workspace to your liking. Capture One Live Update June 2022 by Review Editor Hillary Grigonis Capture One Live is a new collaboration tool that shares collections online for others to view, star, or color code. Five sessions are included with a basic subscription — sharing more sessions at once...

Photographers now can take their pick of cameras that can shoot stills fast enough to actually be movies. But Canon's approach to a speedy flagship is arguably the most different from Sony's and Nikon's. Instead of creating a camera that can shoot both fast and high resolution, the Canon EOS R3 uses a less-headline-worthy 24.1-megapixel sensor. Canon is taking a gamble that the photographers who want 30 fps are also the photographers who prioritize exceptional low light performance over high resolution. And, they're trying to sweeten the deal with an autofocus system that will just focus on wherever you're looking. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Will Canon's gamble pay off, or is the R3 going to lose out to a higher resolution foe? Does the AF in this headline mean autofocus or the Urban Dictionary definition of AF? I spent a few weeks with the Canon R3, shooting everything from wildlife to equestrian to low light portraits. I was blown away by both the autofocus and the noise reduction in the dark. And limited rolling shutter distortion may actually make the R3's top speeds useful. Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read Canon EOS R3 Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Canon EOS R3 Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Autofocus Eye Control AF Ease of Use Metering Image Quality High ISO Images RAW File Versatility Extra Image Samples Edited Unedited Conclusion Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn't Read The Canon R3 has a top burst speed that's actually useful because of a great autofocus system and a faster processor to limit rolling shutter. This camera can not only shoot in the dark but print ISO 128,000 and still look good. While the R5 may make more sense for detail work, the R3 is an exceptional low-light and fast-action camera. Canon EOS R3 Pros and Cons Pros Impressive autofocus performance with both action and low light Face recognition works phenomenally, even on birds and in dark scenes Reduced rolling shutter distortion and 1/180 flash sync with electronic shutter Excellent noise reduction at high ISOs Eye Control AF Built-in vertical grip Lots of great controls Weather-sealed Cons Resolution is lower than competitors (but this is partially why low light quality is so great) Higher learning curve Hot shoe adapter recommended for weather-sealing with older flashes Heavier and larger than the R5 and R6 Pricey Gear Used I used the Canon EOS R3 with the 70-200 f4, 85mm f2 Macro, and 16mm f2.8 RF mount lenses. I also paired the camera with both the EL-1 flash and the Flashpoint R2 Zoom Li-Ion III and a wireless trigger. I stashed the gear in the F-Stop Ajna backpack. The reflections you see in some of the night portraits were created with Lensbaby Omni wands. Innovations Canon wasn't the first to announce a sports-focused mirrorless flagship; it competes with the speed of the Sony A1 and the Nikon Z9. But, there's still a lot of innovation here. Canon has included Eye Control AF, which was previously on some of their film cameras. This moves the autofocus point to whatever part of the frame your eye is looking at. The processor that's behind the 30 fps top burst speed also reduces rolling shutter distortion with faster image processing. Canon EOS R3 Tech Specs Adorama lists the following specifications for the Canon EOS R3, shortened for clarity: Lens Mount: Canon RF Sensor Type: 36 x 24mm (Full-Frame) CMOS Sensor Resolution: Actual: 26.7 Megapixel; Effective: 24.1 Megapixels Crop Factor: None Aspect Ratio: 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 Image File Format: JPEG, Raw, HEIF Bit Depth: 14-Bit Image Stabilization: Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 102400 (Extended: 50 to 204800) Shutter Speed: Mechanical Shutter: 1/8000 to 30 Second, Bulb Mode Electronic Shutter: 1/64000 to 30 Second in Manual Mode; 1/64000 to 30 Second in Shutter Priority Mode; 1/8000 to 30 Second in Aperture Priority Mode; 1/8000 to 30 Second; in Program Mode; Bulb Mod...

We're streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! There's nothing wrong with the way the traditional Leica camera worked. If anything, the Leica M series makes the photographer more aware of what's around them. But let's be honest, autofocus is very useful. And the Leica SL2s is probably the camera that answers the needs of the modern journalist the best. At the heart of the Leica SL2s is what Leica claims to be a newly developed 24MP BSI sensor. This variant of the Leica SL2 maintains the IP54 weather sealing rating, but it also received a speed boost. Editor's Note: We've updated this post as of May 2022. Table of Contents Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Ease of Use Autofocus Metering Image Quality JPEG Output RAW File Versatility High ISO Output Extra Image Samples Conclusions Likes Dislikes Pros and Cons Pros The fastest autofocus on a Leica ILC I've seen. It's now on par with Canon and Sony. Autofocus profiles are cool! Solid build quality Easy to use Beautiful image quality People detection is wonderful. Functionality-wise, the buttons are fantastic with a good layout and give you everything you need. A camera that you truly want to carry around with you everywhere Both Panasonic and Leica lenses have comparable autofocus speeds. Raw files are pretty versatile in Lightroom. FANTASTIC high ISO print capability Cons A tad pricey. But when you consider the weather sealing, it's not bad. I wish it did Qi wireless charging. I wish this had dedicated animal face detection There should be an option to never let the display time out. This is especially true for the EVF-Extended mode. It needs the right strap to be comfortable for long photo walks Still no multiple exposure mode I wish the menu was touch-capable and that it either flipped or tilted/pivoted. Gear Used We tested the Leica SL2s with: Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL Leica 24-90mm f2.8-4 SL Panasonic 24-70mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro Panasonic 16-35mm f4 Lumix S Pro Tech Specs A new 24 Megapixel CMOS BSI full-frame sensor. This sensor is image stabilized. 25fps in the electronic shutter mode, and 9fps in mechanical 4GB of internal memory Up to ISO 100,000 96MP Multishot mode 4K 30p/60P video, Cinema 4K video at 30p/60p No 29 minute filming limit Capture One 21 support 5.76 Megapixel EVF IP54 weather sealing rating and you can shoot with it down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit Dual UHS II SD Card slots Top display USB C Ergonomics The Leica SL2s is pretty much identical to the SL2. The big difference is the blacked out Leica logo up top. But otherwise, this camera is very similar to its sibling. It's still milled from a block of aluminum. The front of the Leica SL2s has a few controls. There are two buttons near the lens release that are customizable. Up top there are a few controls. The biggest things are the wonderful diopter control, the LCD screen, the exposure dial, shutter button, and two other buttons. We set these to ISO and white balance. The back of the camera has little going on. It's dominated by a large LCD screen. The left has a play button, function button, and a menu button. The power on/off switch is also located here. On the right there is another button that I set to the view mode. Plus, there's the joystick. And of course, a camera wouldn't be a professional grade camera without dual card slots. And this camera has them. On the other side are other ports and the USB C terminal. Build Quality The Leica SL2s has an IP54 weather sealing rating. According to the web, that means it can take splashes from any direction and resist a bit of dust. Indeed, the Leica SL2s is one of the toughest and most rugged cameras on the market. I'd argue that it's the most rugged for a photojournalist. Its predecessor quite literally saved the life of an Italian journalist. The build quality of the Leica SL2s has strengthened my beliefs in better cameras. And quite honestly, the next camera I purchase needs ...

On this episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by documentary photographer Dina Litovsky. Dina has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, TIME magazine, and more! Don't forget to hit a like, subscribe, and ring the bell, so you never miss an episode. Links: Dina's newsletter: https://dinalitovsky.bulletin.com Dina's website: https://dinalitovsky.com Dina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dina_litovsky/ https://www.thephoblographer.com

The refined Wandrd PRVKE has plenty of room and plenty of comfort. The Wandrd PRVKE generated a lot of buzz when the backpack launched on Kickstarter. And that was for a good reason — we gave the original bag the Editor's Choice Award. Like most photographers, we're picky about our bags. Now, Wandrd is back with an updated bag by the same name. The updated Wandrd PRVKE II keeps well-loved features like the roll-top, rear access, extra pockets, tripod pocket, and numerous compatible accessories. But, the updated version re-designs the back panel and shoulder straps for more comfort, and adds a luggage pass-through and accessory straps to the shoulders. It also fixes complaints on the earlier bag, such as stronger magnets on the top handles. We called the original PRVKE the perfect camera bag “for the most part.” Can the updated version hit that perfection without any modifiers? Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Wandrd PRVKE II Tech Specs Wandrd PRVKE II Ergonomics Wandrd PRVKE II Build Quality Wandrd PRVKE II Ease of Use What size Wandrd PRVKE do you need? Conclusions Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn't Read The Wandrd PRVKE II is a versatile, well-built bag with a roll-top that's almost like having two bags in one. It's comfortable to wear and easy to use, but you'll have to put the bag on the ground to access all the gear, and the placement of the laptop sleeve makes the back panel stiffer. Pros and Cons Pros Versatile expanding roll-top Comfortable straps and back panel Two access points The design keeps straps out of the way when accessing gear Made from durable, sturdy materials Cons Small objects can fall from the top compartment into the main compartment The laptop sleeve is poorly placed Lenses with tripod collars are too big to easily get through the side access door Without a waist strap, you have to put the bag on the ground for full access to gear. Gear Used I used the Wandrd PRVKE 41L with the Wandrd camera cube (a larger Pro size is available). I stashed the Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II, the 24-70mm f2.8 Z lens, the 70-200mm f2.8 Z lens, a 20mm f1.8, and the 24-200mm Z lens in this bag. I also slipped an iPad Pro and my 13-inch MacBook Pro into the laptop and tablet sleeves. A Manfrotto BeFree travel tripod was stashed in the side pocket. Finally, the roll-top stashed lots of extras for outings with my three kids, including sweatshirts and snacks for everyone. Innovations This updated Wandrd PRVKE II more of a refresh than anything crazy new. It houses more features, like a luggage pass-through and a back panel and shoulder panel designed for more comfort. Wandrd PRVKE II Tech Specs Wandrd lists these tech specs for the new PRVKE bags. You can find this and more in their Amazon Store.: Materials: Waterproof Tarpaulin and Robic 1680D Ballistic Nylon. YKK Weather Resistant Zippers. Dimensions: 21 Liter: 17″H X 11″W X 6.5″D 31 Liter: 19″H X 12.5″W X 7.5″D 41 Liter: 21H” X 12.5″ W X 9″D Volume: 21 L to 26 L (rolltop full extended) 31 L to 36 L (rolltop fully extended) 41 L to 46 L (rolltop fully extended) Weight: 21 Liter: 2.8 LBS 31 Liter: 3.4 LBS 41 L: 3.7 LBS Wandrd PRVKE II Ergonomics Like the original, the Wandrd PRVKE II backpack has a rear clamshell opening, quick access side door, and a roomy expanding roll-top. The 41L is a massive bag that's 21 inches tall. I originally thought I picked the wrong bag for my small torso, but the big bag still fit okay, and I was grateful for the extra space. Let's start our tour on the inside of the bag. The PRVKE doesn't have to be a camera bag — you make it one with the camera cube. (A larger Pro camera cube is also available.) While I generally don't care for bags with camera cube inserts, I wasn't bothered by the Wandrd camera cube because the zipper top and side door are made to tuck out of the way and under the cube. That means you don't have to go through two zippers, but when you remove the camera cube to use the bag for eve...

For more stories like this, please subscribe to The Phoblographer. I have been a Nikonian photographer for more than a decade. Yet, after trying the company's first full-frame mirrorless, I chose to stick with a DSLR. I simply didn't have the confidence in the Z7 and Z6 autofocus system and lack of ability to record to two cards at once. That's exactly what Nikon focused on in the second generation, however. The Nikon Z7 II keeps much of the first generation intact but steps up the autofocus, adds a second card slot, and moves to dual processors. Then, there's also the price bump of a few hundred bucks. So, has Nikon earned my trust back with the Nikon Z7 II? I didn't fall in love instantly like I had hoped, but gradually, the Z7 II earned my confidence. The Z7 II isn't perfect, and it doesn't outperform the competition. But, it's a camera many photographers could still manage to fall in love with, especially paired with a Z system lens. Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Autofocus Ease of Use Metering Image Quality High ISO Images RAW File Versatility Extra Image Samples Edited Unedited Conclusion Likes Dislikes Is the Nikon Z7 II Worth it? Too Long, Didn't Read The Nikon Z7 II corrects much of what disappointed me in the first version, including a much better autofocus system and dual card slots. The Z7 II is beautiful inside and out: it takes beautiful pictures, and it's also beautifully designed. But, while finally competitive, there are a few annoyances to contend with. Pros and Cons Pros A much-improved autofocus system Durable magnesium alloy build with weather-sealing Image quality is great, especially with native Z lenses In-body image stabilization Dual card slots with XQD/CF Express and SD Cons While improved, the autofocus isn't as good as Canon's R series Eyepiece rubber sometimes blocks the eye sensor Viewfinder blacks out Gear Used I used the Nikon Z7 II with the Z 50mm f1.2 S, the Z 70-200mm f2.8 VR S, and the Z 24-200mm f4-6.3 VR. I used the Wandrd Sling strap, as well as the Wandrd PRVKE II and Lowepro Flipside backpacks. Innovations The Nikon Z7 II is more about fixing complaints about the first generation than crazy innovation. It adds the dual card slots, improves autofocus performance, and upgrades video to 4K at 60 fps (93 percent crop). The biggest change is the move up from a single processor to two, which improves performance. Tech Specs These Nikon Z7 II tech specs are a shortened version of the full specifications available from Nikon USA: Sensor: 45.7-megapixel full-frame CMOS RAW: 12 or 14 bit Two card slots with XQD/CF Express, SD EVF: .5 inch, 3690k dot 3.2 inch 2,100K dot touchscreen with tilt Shutter: 30 sec. to 1/8000, Flash sync up to 1/200 10 fps burst ISO: 64-25,600 (32-102,400 extended) AF: Hybrid phase-detection/contrast with AF assist beam, -3 to +19 detection range, 493 focus points 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization Video: 4K at 60 fps (93 percent crop of the sensor), up to 29 minutes 59 second recording time Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Li-ion battery rated at 360 to 440 depending on settings Weighs 21.7 ounces 5.3 x 4 x 2.8 inches Ergonomics Little has changed on the exterior of the second-generation Z7. Save for the little “II” in the corner on the camera name, it would be difficult to tell the two apart at a glance. The biggest exception? The second generation has both the XQD or CF Express slot and an SD slot. That's a must-have for working professionals who need to back up their images in the field. The Z7 II weighs 21.7 ounces, which is significantly lighter than the Nikon D850. It's also more compact, yet the grip is almost the same size, so it doesn't have the uncomfortable hold of a compact camera. A long-time Nikon DSLR user, the control scheme on the Z7 II feels like home. The top houses an LCD screen. Dual control wheels flank the shutter, on/off, record, ISO, and exposure compensation on the ...

Anna Neubauer joins us on this episode of Inside The Photographer's Mind. She's here to talk about her recent success at the Sony World Photography Awards, her motivation to photograph children, and to discuss a project she's currently working on. Enjoy the show. Please leave a comment, hit a like, and subscribe. Links: https://www.anna-neubauer.com/ https://www.instagram.com/annaneubauer_photography/ https://www.thephoblographer.com/

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by fine art photographer Jennifer Thoreson. Jennifer joins us to discuss her series Testament, her photography career, and her latest, moving project, The Prayer Glove Project. Links: https://www.jenniferthoreson.com/ https://twitter.com/jennthoreson https://www.thephoblographer.com/

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by underwater photographer Brett Stanley. Brett joins us to talk how his creative process, the types of clients that visit his home studio, and what type of personal work he likes to do. It's a fantastic show and one you're sure to enjoy. Don't forget to subscribe and share! Links: https://brettstanley.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brettsphoto/ https://www.facebook.com/brettstanley... https://www.thephoblographer.com/

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind we're joined by our Reviews Writer, Brittany Smith.

We're all fans of some photography brands. Some hold a special place in our hearts, and many among us defend them to no end. Others we can't stand yet secretly wish our favorite brand would do better than. But this article isn't about which brands are outshining the others. Almost all leading camera manufacturers are guilty of doing (or not doing) one or more of the points listed below. What is worrying is that some of these unhealthy trends have continued for years. And manufacturers don't seem to want to address these points soon. Which ones do you find most annoying? You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. This isn't an exhaustive list by any means. These points are ones that I've been discussing amongst my fellow photographers for nearly a decade now. It makes me wonder, why despite these issues being addressed in camera forums, do manufacturers pretend like they're a non-issue. Isn't the voice of the consumer valid to them? Isn't it annoying when existing users reach out to brands with feature requests, only to have them ignored? Camera Manufacturers Not Providing Firmware Updates to Capable Older Cameras Fuji is the most notable exception to this. I'm not a user of their cameras, but it always brings me a smile to see them releasing firmware updates to old cameras. Many of these aren't just updates that perform bug fixes. In many cases, they've brought the AF performance of previous-generation cameras almost on par with their current ones. Let's take the example of the Fuji X-Pro2, a camera that was released to the public in early March 2016. Firmware version 5.00 made the following improvements: The low-light limit for phase detection autofocus has been improved by approximately 1.5 stops from 0.5EV to -1.0EV, raising the precision and speed of autofocus in low-light environments. The range at minimum aperture has been expanded from F8 to F11. For example, even when using the XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR with the teleconverter XF2X TC WR, phase detection autofocus can now be used. Major improvements have been made to the AF-C performance while operating the zoom, which provides major benefits when shooting sports and other scenarios in which the subjects moves unpredictably. Finely-detailed surface textures of wild birds and wild animals can now be captured at high speed and with high precision as a result of improvement in phase detection autofocus. Fuji's firmware releases are testament to the fact that even older cameras can perform better at things like autofocus and subject tracking. Of course, they do this without having to resort to newer or dual processors. Manufacturers try to push consumers to purchase newer models to be able to get improved features. Yes, we'd all like faster AF. We'd never complain if Eye-AF was added as a feature with a firmware update. Just don't keep spinning the annoying old tale that new features need newer processors. Fuji's clearly proving that older processors can be improved upon if brands just took the effort to work on them. You don't always need that latest camera; sometimes all you need is just a newer firmware for your current one. By continuing to support even first-generation models of their X-line of digital cameras, Fuji keeps their fan base loyal. We wish more camera manufacturers would do this. In September 2020, a whole bunch of their cameras received firmware updates. These included the X-T4, X-T3, X-T2, X-T1, X-H1, X-Pro3, X-Pro2, X-Pro1, X-E3, X-T20, and X-T30. No doubt, it takes up a considerable amount of their R&D budget, but by continuing to innovate this way, they make sure their customers stick by them. Plus it frees up customers from wanting that newest camera and instead focusing their budget on buying better lenses. Not Innovating Enough to Fill a Genuine Need I can't pinpoint which camera model was the first to introduce a handgrip as part of its ergonomics. But you've probably realize...

Every single one of them are good. Every single camera these days is very good and has gotten to a point where they're all capable of taking great photos. But there is a lot more that goes into making a camera. Believe it or not, they're all mostly the same in some ways. And it's easy for someone to sit there and think that one camera is very similar to another until you pick them up and use them. With this in mind, cameras need to diversity. They Can All Achieve Fast and Accurate Autofocus, But They're Not the Same Years ago, some cameras just wouldn't be able to autofocus. They would be as slow as molasses. The performance would be bad for both contrast and phase-detection. But that's all changed. They can all autofocus. Will they always be able to autofocus quickly? No. Can they all keep a moving subject perfectly in focus? No. Do they all have animal and bird face detection? No way. And you can surely bet that they all don't have vehicle detection. However, they can all autofocus and take a portrait of a subject in good lighting. The performance will really vary in low lighting. More importantly, the speed will really vary depending on the brand used. But again, if you just want them to take a picture, they can all do it pretty well. Even Sigma, much maligned by many reviewers, can make a camera that can do the very basics. They're all more or less copying one another. When one brand does face detection, so too does another. Some brand will try to do animal detection, and then another brand will too. Because they're constantly copying each other, the products become the same. Most are Weather Resistant, and That's Very Important Most cameras have weather resistance these days. And we're happy about that. It's not important just for going out into the rain, but also for overall sensor protection. Plus, your cameras will keep working in tip top shape for longer if they're built better. The way I like to think about this is like what my mother did to the poor Camry we had growing up. She'd use it to haul hundreds of pounds of stuff from Home Depot. The entire suspension system would be screwed up. Of course, there are cars designed to do that kind of stuff. A 1997 Camry couldn't do it in 2011. Similarly, your Nikon z50 isn't going to resist what a Nikon Z7 II will. The Sony a7c won't stand up to everything the Sony a1 can either. At this point though, more and more weather resistant cameras need to be hitting the market. There are also folks that say that weather resistant cameras don't necessarily need weather resistance. But it's a big issue for anyone that actually uses their cameras, warranties, insurance, etc. All Ergonomics Follow More or Less Two Design Variants All cameras follow one of three designs: The SLR: like most cameras with a raised viewfinder. The rangefinder: in my opionion, this is the best. The box: Hasselblad and Sigma more or less do that. So with that in mind, there are subtleties that make one camera look and feel different from another. Sometimes it's a small thing like thumb grips. Other times it can be the exterior materials. But when they're all copying one another or changing things slightly, it's easy for everything to be the same. They're All Using More or Less the Same Sensors All sensors come from maybe three companies: Canon, Sony, or Tower Jazz. So they're all getting the same image quality until they start doing this own tweaks via the processor and more. This is a big problem. At the root of it all, most cameras on the market have the same Sony sensors in them. What's the point of discussing image quality if they've got the same starting point? The processor and the tweaks companies make can surely have something to do with it. But again, they're all more or less similar.

Ready for a fight? Don't worry, I jest. The Phoblographer would never encourage our readers to step into the realm of combat. However, we do love combat sports, and we especially love it when photographers document the heat of battle. We've done many stories over the years that focus on fight photography, and below are some of the very best of them. Enjoy. Want to get your work featured? Here's how to do it! Kevin Lynch Doucments Combat Sports And The UFC The UFC is one of the most popular combat sports organizations in the world. The organization has had to work hard to be accepted, with states like New York only recently licensing fights. Beyond the tough-guy persona, the fighters are humans. They're normal men and women, just like you and I. Photographer Kevin Lynch documented that for the best part of a decade. He made pre and post-fight portraits of the athletes and really became connected to them. It's beautiful. Take a look here. Katerina Gregoriou Incorporates Combat Sports Into Shattered Glass Katerina Gregoriou is an exceptionally talented photographer. We interviewed her back in early 2020 and took a closer look at her photography series, Shattered Glass. The work aimed to uplift women who were involved in jobs and social groups traditionally reserved for men. Part of the work involved photographing a woman who sumo wrestles, a space where you'll seldom find women. You can read about it here. Greg Bowl Shoots Entertaining Combat Sports Professional wrestling struggles to find its identity. Is it entertainment, or is it combat sports? I tend to think it's the former rather than the latter. Either way, it involves combat, even if it is scripted and staged. Greg Bowl was making images of pro wrestling way before it went global. He sent us his series, and we loved it so much we arranged an interview. He has many cool stories to tell and plenty of awesome photos to share. Take a look here. Erin Lefevre Shares Fight Like a Woman Way back in 2015, Erin Lefevre joined us to share her photography project, Fight Like a Woman. The work covered professional fighter, Casey Morton. Rather than create a bunch of action shots, Lefevre delved into what happens behind the scenes in the life of a professional boxer. It's fight photography that thinks outside the box. It's fascinating stuff and certainly worth your time and attention. See the images here. August Udoh Shows us The World of One-Handed Fighting Dambe fighting was born in West Africa. Back in the day, butchers and fishermen were the main competitors. However, today the sport is enjoyed by people from variant backgrounds. Unlike traditional boxing, fighters can only use one hand and fight over three rounds. Photographer August Udoh made some terrific portraits of local fighters and shared the history behind the West African sport. Take a look here. Do You Photograph Combat Sports? Whether you like combat sports or not, they're here to stay. There's something intimate about two people going into battle. If you study the sports closely, you'll recognize the strong bond two fighters have after the war is over. Because of the emotions and psychology linked to combat sports, they're the perfect subject for photographers to document. If you have some cool fight photography that goes beyond what the mainstream sees and shows something deeper, send it to us. You can use the form above to make contact, and if we like it, we'll certainly be in touch. Do you like combat sports? What do you think of the examples shown above? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading! Lead image by Kevin Lynch. All images used with permission. Check out more stories on our Flipboard page!

If an app version is incremented by a whole number, this usually indicates that many new features have been added. In some cases, it could mean an almost complete overhaul of the app itself, both visually and functionally. Rarely have I seen an app undergoing such an upgrade that negates the core purpose of the app itself. Judging by the recent reviews I've seen on the App Store, I'm not the only one who's facing these problems with the FilmLab 2 app. I hope the app's next update corrects what I've observed, which I detail below. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Table of Contents Too Long; Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Ease of Use It's Not Easy Anymore How Good Are the Changes in Version 2? Improved editing tools (after clicking a photo using the camera, or selecting a photo from the Photo gallery) Who Thought It Was a Smart Idea to Remove the Crop Tool? That Yellow Overlay What's With the Colour Cycling? Delayed Response to Pressing the Shutter Button Conclusions Likes Dislikes Too Long; Didn't Read I wouldn't call this roundup scathing, but I really think the folks at Develop and Fix, Inc need to fix the main reason why someone would use this app (to seamlessly and flawlessly preview negatives). Version 1 of this app was really amazing. But the experience of using version 2 might be why someone will look for another app that does the same feature better. I used the Android version a lot when working on my Negative Supply Basic 35mm Kit review earlier this year. That app worked great (and still does on version 1.5.0, released on Apr 17th, 2020). It was a real time saver when it came to picking negatives to scan for the review. In September, the developers got in touch to state that the iOS version 2 was in beta. The apps we tested on my iPhone and iPad weren't the beta ones though. They were tested on FilmLab 2 after it was released to the App Store. If you've got the FilmLab iOS v1 app, I strongly recommend not upgrading it to v2 for now. You'll see why in the review below. Pros and Cons Pros FilmLab has moved to a freemium model The mobile version now uses the same colour conversion engine as their desktop software There's an optional Pro version that allows you to import and edit files stored on your mobile device Finer, in-app edits with numerical adjustment values for each slider Integration with Files app on iOS to allow file imports from Photos library, memory cards, iCloud etc. All edits done in the app are non destructive Pro upgrade has the same license as the Desktop app. You don't have to pay extra for the license on multiple devices Cons What was earlier a simple inversion of the negative (which allowed you to see what the photo was) now has the preview screen cycling through Yello, Cyan, and Magenta, as well as varying levels of exposure when the app's camera is open and focused on the negative Eventually the negative preview has a highlighter pen-yellow tinge to it The headaches that come from viewing (or trying to preview) your negatives because of the above points Previewing the negative has become a lot more painful in version 2 Gear Used iPhone SE on iOS 14.8; FilmLab 2.0.1 (non beta) iPad 6th Gen on iOS 15.0.2; FilmLab 2.0.1 (non beta) Huawei P30 Pro on EMUI 11.0.0; FilmLab 1.5.0 (to compare new version against previous) Negative Supply 35mm Basic Kit Ease of Use “FilmLab makes it easy to view and digitize film negatives. All you need is your iPhone or iPad, and a light table or other back light.” I hadn't tested version 1 of the app on iOS, but assuming it had similar functionality to version 1 on Android, I would agree with the above statement. I heavily relied on it while working on my Negative Supply 35mm Basic Kit. Having to sift through tons of negatives to pick a handful of images for that article wasn't easy. Then I discovered FilmLab (for my primary phone using Android). I didn't even use the LightSource ...

When it comes to camera bags, I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done here at The Phoblographer. We've arguably reviewed the most camera bags of any publication. And our team comes in a variety of body shapes, plus we're of different genders. I've been reviewing Manfrotto bags for a long time, and they always seem to do something that doesn't get it quite right. That's what I experienced with the Manfrotto Advanced Active III for the most part. I purposely held off on writing this for a month. Why? I wanted to sit with my feelings on it and step away from the experience. But after some time away, I still feel the same. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Too Long; Didn't Read The Manfrotto Advanced Active III could've been better with the addition of a few things like a waist strap and better side pockets. In our meeting with Manfrotto, they told us it didn't need a waist strap. But, we found this to be a poor understanding of the modern photographer. Pros and Cons Pros It's all black. A decent amount of pockets and compartmentalization It can hold a surprising amount of gear, just not in the camera section. For what this bag is, it's comfortable but could've been made so much more so. It's only around $109. Cons I wish there were a canvas and leather version of this bag. I understand that can be too heavy, so I'd settle for treated hemp. It really needed a waist strap. The side pockets feel restricting. I don't quite understand how the top compartment is so huge yet the camera compartment is so small. I think all backpacks these days should have a roll-top standard. It lets a photographer expand the capabilities of the backpack. Innovations In the grand scheme of things, the Manfrotto Advanced Active III isn't reinventing the wheel. Everything that we've seen from this camera bag we've seen from others. So what makes it stand out? Manfrotto's padding is quite good and gotten better. But this is across the entire latest refresh of products. Gear Used We stuffed the Manfrotto Advanced Active III with: Sony a7r III Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 Tamron 70-300mm FE Macbook Pro 2015 Books Filson mask Tech Specs The tech specs for this bag are borrowed from the Adorama listing. The Advanced Compact, Active, Befree, Gear, Fast, and Travel backpacks offer a diverse variations of backpacks that differ in overall capacity, designated compartments for camera gear and personal items, and various options for access points to the gear compartments that complement the needs of every creator with any kind of on-the-go workflow. Black Microinjection 3D Logo: Characteristic feel of the Manfrotto Bag collections' new sleek and minimalist design Gray Hypalon Pullers: Durable lightweight accents for the main gear compartment access Gray Functional Details Total Black Polyester Fabric: Characteristic feel of the Manfrotto Bag collections' new sleek and minimalist design Manfrotto Branded Lining M-Guard Dividers – Improved Protection Harmonized Harness System with Chest Strap Ergonomics The Manfrotto Advanced Active III is a fascinating bag. First off, if you've ever wanted a camera bag that doesn't look like it's a camera bag, this is probably one of if not the best option on the market. When you look at it, you wouldn't at all think it's a camera bag. It's also got a very plain, nondescript look. The low profile of the bag mostly permeates through the rest of the design. Manfrotto's big logo, red tabs, and structured back pad make things look a bit different. On the side of the bag, there isn't much in the way of pockets. Quite honestly, you can forget about bringing a tripod with this bag. In my opinion, Manfrotto took the support strap to hold a tripod and put it on the wrong side. The pocket below isn't very expandable. However, the pocket on the other side is easily expandable enough to accommodate a tripod...

You'd be shocked at just how simple it is to get the redscale look that everyone loves and craves. The redscale look derives from the organic look that you can get from film. And so, I'm going to preface this piece by saying you should just go shoot film. But you can totally get the look digitally too in-camera. Better yet, you don't need to do post-production at all. In this short, useful photography tip, we're going to each you how to get the redscale look. Want more useful photography tips? Click here. If you're organically shooting for the redscale look with film, it will vary depending on how you expose for it. Years ago, we reviewed Redscale by Lomography. We said the following: “.the shorter your exposures are, the more red and orange the film results will be. But the longer your exposures are, the more normalized they'll look.” So basically, the less light you give it, the more extreme the look. The more light you give it, the less the effect will be. You'll need to dial in the look according to what your own preferences are. Of course, if you shoot digital, you might want to just try the look. Well, you don't need some fancy preset and you don't need to even step into post-production. You can shoot the image and then just port it straight to your phone. That means you can just focus on creating the entire time. Here's how to get the redscale look. Tungsten Light and Daylight White Balance Tungsten-colored light is a big way to start getting the redscale look. How do you know what Tungsten light looks like? Well, is there warm light in the room or whiter light? If it's warmer, it's closer to Tungsten. Does the light remind you of the warmer lights you see in bars? If that's the case, then that orange light is closer to tungsten. Most street lamps are also tungsten-colored. Whiter light is more daylight colored. Combine tungsten light in the environment with daylight white balance to get the redscale look. Your camera should have a daylight setting. But daylight white balance is anywhere between 5200-5600 Kelvin on your camera. Yes, this means, that you need to manually set the white balance by kelvin and not by using the white point option. This is just one way to do it, but there is, of course, yet another way to get the look too! 10,000 Kelvin White Balance In most lighting situations involving the outdoors or daylight, you can get the redscale look using 10,000 Kelvin white balance on your camera. For most cameras, this is the most extreme option on the warmer end. Want the extremely warm look with the clothes to be a different tone? Well, use a flash or shoot in daylight. Everything will have a tint of orange going over it and you'll get a pretty awesome look without needing to do post-production. Some of you might wonder if this is possible with an orange filter on the lens. However, that's not the case. An orange filter just makes the entire scene orange. That's a cool look for sure, but it's not quite the redscale look that you want.

“I somehow see Plexus as a portrait project – a portrait of what has faded, and what is still lingering,” explains photographer Elena Helfrecht. “Maybe it can be seen as a sort of conjuring.” I originally poured over the images in Plexus on a mobile phone, and realized I wasn't doing her work justice. When I looked at Plexus on my iMac, I had a completely different experience. I immediately thought of the Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and more of the found-footage horror movies that dominated my younger years. That's where I became enamored with the series. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. I think Plexus is not a series that belongs in print. To be honest, I think that would ruin the series. It belongs on your screen in dark mode, with you staring at the photos. When you peer into the work, you can almost feel its moving elements. Combine this with the fact that Plexus explores generational trauma, and you've got a recipe for a cinematic piece of photographic work. Personally, I'm also a huge fan of the direct flash, no Photoshop or post-production, and the use of black and white. The Essential Camera Gear of Elena Helfrecht Sony a7r II Flash I am mostly working digitally, as this allows me to experiment with the utmost flexibility, and without material (and financial) restrictions. My main tool is a Sony A7RII, which I chose first and foremost because of its capabilities to work in low light. Phoblographer: It looks like you've used a lot of direct flash. How did this help you express yourself creatively? Elena Helfrecht: The beauty of flash is its ability to highlight forms and structures and to blacken out the background. This often helps me to elevate the subject I had in mind. Since one overarching concept of the project is the visualization of psychological structures, and the exploration of how they are connected through different times and international contexts, the materials of the photographed subjects become a symbol for these aspects. Flash, together with the reduction of color, even them out and make them appear as one fabric. Phoblographer: How much Photoshop was used in this project? Was most of it created in-camera? Elena Helfrecht: While I always work on contrasts, lighting, and minor retouching, the whole project was created in-camera. “The beauty of flash is its ability to highlight forms and structures and to blacken out the background. This often helps me to elevate the subject I had in mind.” Phoblographer: A lot of your work is in black and white. What do you feel it does for your creativity? Elena Helfrecht: A reduction of colors emphasizes form and structure, and it breaks down the image, so only the essentials are left. In turn, the image becomes more abstract and the eye is guided towards shapes and textures, which often helps to materialize the vision I had in mind. Recently, colors frequently seem more and more like a distraction to me. If I use color, it has to be for a very specific, often symbolic, reason. Phoblographer: What photographers have influenced you? How have they done so? Elena Helfrecht: It's not only photography that influences my work, but my roots actually lie in art history. I think Symbolism and Romanticism have influenced me a lot. And then there is literature and movies, too. Some photographers I adore are Joel-Peter Witkin, Roger Ballen, George Shiras, Frederick Sommer, Annegret Soltau, and Francesca Woodman, for example. I believe we are constantly influenced by what we see and experience. Phoblographer: Almost all of these images were shot in portrait orientation. How does that help viewers understand what you're conveying in the images? Was that a purposeful creative decision? Elena Helfrecht: I somehow see Plexus as a portrait project – a portrait of what has faded, and what is still lingering. Maybe it can be see...

If you're a fan of landscape photography, then you're probably aware of the feature on Olympus cameras called Live ND. Since it was introduced years ago, no other camera manufacturer has implemented it into their cameras. Granted, there has also been a worldwide pandemic that's restricted productivity and innovation. But still, Olympus cameras, and therefore OM System cameras, are very capable. For a while, they were the only ones with vehicle AI autofocus tracking. But in truth, Live ND is one of the coolest things they've made. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Have you ever gone to photograph a landscape and then needed to bring along ND filters? It's not all that inconvenient, but you may have a whole stack of them in a case. Lots of them also vary by quality. Some remove all colors casts and provide maximum sharpness. Other filters make the image softer and dreamier. While I personally like the latter look, not everyone has the same taste. So Live ND gives photographers a bit of help with things like that. It acts as an artificial ND filter. Unfortunately, it was a feature that also wasn't talked about a lot. That's a problem with the way camera reviewers often do their jobs. Instead of focusing on some of the major new innovations, they mostly focus on image quality. But in reality, no one can tell the difference between a Canon photo or a competitor's. Reviews Editor Hillary Grigonis proved this a while back. These days, in many cases, sensor size won't matter until you get to the extreme edges of photography. Sure, Olympus can't do high ISO imagery as cleanly as other cameras. But if you add their art filters, you'll get unique image quality. When it first hit the scene, I thought a lot of other manufacturers would've copied it. I mean, it would make sense for Sony, Canon, or Nikon to do something similar. But at the same time, I thought Panasonic cameras would've gotten it as they have the Live Composite feature. That wasn't the case. And instead, OMDS keeps this tech to themselves. And bravo to them! In a world where too many cameras do the same things, OMDS is standing out. At this point in time, image quality is such a small factor to buying a camera. You can do a whole lot with post-production. Of course, we always say we'll try to do the least post-production possible. But that really truly happens with very few camera systems. We wish Olympus applied their Art Filters to their RAW files in Capture One. We also wish that several brands weren't on an endless quest to achieve clinical perfection. But, in a camera world where many manufacturers use the same components, features are what will differentiate them from each other. With that said, there's a lot of praise the the OM system deserves. At the same time, they surely can improve their animal autofocus detection, high ISO output, and perhaps even add more AI to the system. Since they use a smaller sensor, AI is truly their future. It works the processor nowhere as hard as it would with a full-frame sensor. With that said, I'm hopeful for the future of OMDS. I just hope all the manufacturers start to realize that photography can all be done within the camera.

For $600, the Sony 40mm F2.5 G delivers portability, speed, and pretty good image quality. Sony's G lenses have a reputation for high-end image quality — but with a price to match. Sony's newest optics in the series were announced on March 23. These put G series sharpness in a trio of compact lenses that are $600 each. The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G, alongside the new 50mm and the 24mm, is now the most affordable of the E-Mount G lenses. The question is, did Sony sacrifice too much to reach that lower price point? The most obvious sacrifice is the aperture — and f2.5 instead of the f1.8 or f1.2 of pricier lenses. By going with a slightly narrower aperture, Sony has managed to create a weather-sealed lens that weighs around only six ounces. I tested the Sony 40mm f2.5 G in a portrait session to see just how well the $600 lens holds up. Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Sony 40mm f2.5 G Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Autofocus Ease of Use Image Quality Bokeh Sharpness Lens Character Color Rendering Extra Image Samples Edited Unedited Conclusions Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn't Read. The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G looks almost exactly like the 50mm f2.5 G and even captures similar images. But, the lens is a bit more flexible with a closer autofocus range. That, plus the slightly shorter focal length, makes the affordable, compact lens a good option for working in tight spaces. Pros and Cons Pros Light and small Aluminum build with unique hood design Weather-sealed Wider autofocus range than the similar 50mm Sharp photos Accurate color Affordable Cons Not the brightest G series lens Bokeh isn't quite perfect Some chromatic aberration Gear Used I paired the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G with the A7R IV body. In some portraits, I also used a Wescott reflector. Innovations The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G doesn't really do anything drastically new. But, it does put some high-end touches into an affordable, compact lens. Sony 40mm f2.5 G Tech Specs Aluminum build Weather-sealed Internal focus with double linear motors Minimum focus distance 11 inches (9.8 inch in manual focus) Measures 2 3/4 inches long Weighs about six ounces Ergonomics Except for the numbers on the lens, the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G looks identical to its sister lenses, the 50mm f2.5 G and the 24mm f2.8 G. The lens trio share both a similar control scheme and size. The 40mm weighs around six ounces. Mounted, the lens only sticks out from the camera body about two and a half inches. That creates a well-balanced system that doesn't pull the front of the camera down. The lens has three simple controls near the mount. Near the left hand, the barrel houses an autofocus lock button and, just below that, a switch to move to manual focus and back. A bit tucked away on the opposite side of the lens, an aperture de-click switch sits near the camera grip. Like the 50mm and 24mm, it lacks a focal distance scale. The aperture control ring has a thin textured grip. Below that, flush with the lens, the different aperture settings are clearly labeled. The lens turns with a satisfying click or with the de-click switch, smooth and without hesitation. At the front of the lens, the focus ring is wider, with a slightly smoother texture. Reaching for a ring without taking your eye from the viewfinder is easy to do by feel. At the front, the Sony 40mm f2.5 G has a hood that feels more like part of the lens than a separate hood. The hood is only about a fingertip deep but has a small lip at the front that should also help keep out rain and fingerprints. The hood is so small that there's no need to reverse it for storage. A 49mm filter can be attached to the hood itself or the lens with the hood removed. Build Quality Made from aluminum, the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G doesn't feel like a budget lens. The lens is sturdy yet not overly heavy. The lens cap feels a little more budget, but that's partly because it's a tiny 49mm cap. The lens is also weather-sealed. While I didn't...

I'm going to preface this post by saying that none of the established manufacturers are making bad camera bags. We'd know; we've reviewed the most of any photography publication. Just take a look at all our camera bag reviews! The bags are all varying degrees of mediocre to good, but none of them are truly awful. Even if they can't be used as camera bags, they can be used for something else. But the modern camera bag industry has a big problem. I'm going to partially credit the idea for this post to my friend, Michael. One day, Michael said that there were too many camera bag manufacturers. And I agree with this. Michael specified that there are so many camera bags, but camera brands are making fewer and fewer cameras these days. While the camera industry shrunk, the camera bag industry grew. How does that make sense? Honestly, I don't know. But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Kickstarter. Brands have been using Kickstarter for years to fund their products. This helps brands that otherwise might not have made it to market have a fighting chance. And that's great for them. The newer camera brands have done some innovative things that have changed the photo industry. Without them, the camera bag industry would be incredibly plain–more so than even vanilla. It would be plain like Greek yogurt. So why is this a problem? Well, it's becoming tougher for things to become more unique. The problem was already plaguing the camera world. But in the camera bag industry, manufacturers copy one another in some ways all the time. Some stand out from others through materials. Some have pretty different and innovative designs. I think you get the point. What do we do about it? This is a tough question. There are only a few types of bags that make sense in the camera bag industry: backpacks, slings, messenger bags, duffels, and roller bags. I haven't seen a lot of totes do a fantastic job at being camera bags. But I did some research into what types of bags could work. The Bucket. A bucket bag is sort of like a giant lens cloth. Just imagine one with dividers in there. It wouldn't need to hold a laptop, but it could work as a messenger bag or sling style bag. Randoseru. A special type of backpack with quick access. Plus, there's a hard front shell. Who wouldn't want this? Battle Bag: From the same website as above, these could be modified with the right know-how. I tried to years ago, but I failed. Guitar bag: I used to carry guitars and basses with me. They were awesome. But creating a larger bag that could hold lenses, cameras, lights, etc, could be pretty awesome if it would have a definitive shape. Further, lots of brands don't use materials like canvas and leather because they feel they're too heavy. But with the right design and support, they can work much better. Most camera bags are made from nylon. In recent years, other materials have come up. What about hemp? Or why not silk? Or how about recycled scarf materials like wool and cashmere? I think brands need to try new things.

For more stories like this, please subscribe to the Phoblographer. The sad truth is that peel-apart film has been gone for many years now. In its final, last years, it didn't get enough love. For decades, it was used primarily as a way to get a preview of what you were shooting on medium format cameras. But it evolved into other things after that. Recently, Supersense tried recreating it poorly. But if you have some of the original Fujifilm stuff, then you've got something special. Lots of folks don't know what to do with them. So we're going to walk you through. Oh, and by the way. My favorite camera to shoot peel-apart film with was always the Polaroid 180. Put it In the Fridge. Now. If you happen to get some, trust me on this. Put it in the fridge. Peel apart film is an actual film. And film has organic matter in it. Like all other organic materials, refrigeration helps preserve them. Whatever you do, don't put it in the freezer. This film has an actual chemical in it that gets sorted through the photo once you shoot and pull it. Then it develops. Putting peel apart film in the freezer lets that film bubble possibly burst. Then the film is useless. So put it in the fridge. Let it Defrost When You Want to Shoot it When you're ready to shoot your Peel apart film, let it sit outside for a while. Let it adjust to room temperature for maybe around an hour or so. This will get it prepped to shoot. And that brings us to our next step. Don't Shoot it In the Cold Years ago, you could easily shoot Peel apart film in the cold, put it in a cold plate, and then warm it up with your body heat. At this point, all Peel apart film is pretty expired. So you're best off just shooting it in warm weather. Aim for at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the room or the outdoor space you're shooting. Years ago, I took a date out in the winter with this film. I pulled it through the roller when it was too cold out, and the photos never developed because of that. When you pull the image, make sure you're in the warmest place possible. That will make the chemical saturation its richest. Overexpose it By at Least a Stop of Light Typically, you're supposed to overexpose expired film anyway. When you use Peel apart film, you're going to have to expose it. Use a light meter and get the best reading you possibly can. Then add a stop or so extra of light. Sometimes you'll need to add two stops. This is the only way that you can get an image that will look really great. The Secret: You Can't Overdevelop It Always remember, this isn't digital, and it's not really the darkroom. You can't overdevelop Peel apart film. You can sit there, let it develop, and it will just stop after some time. Peel apart film usually tells you how long you need to wait until it's done developing. You can underdevelop the shots, though. Don't do that. It's a waste. Keep the Other Side, It's a Negative You Can Develop at Home with Bleach Lastly, when you're done shooting, don't throw away the other side of the instant film. That side contains a negative that's easy to develop at home. Just use bleach or some toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. Then you'll be able to get a beautiful negative that you can scan in and make it look gorgeous.

Getting a pure white background doesn't need to be done with post-production at all. Sure, you'll shoot photos, but you don't need to spend a whole day or two editing them just right. Instead, you can do it all easily in-camera. But trust us when we say that it's a lot easier to do with flash than it is with LEDs. LEDs will mean that you're more or less just spending more time editing in post-production. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. What You Need A white background with a lot of lighting control. Ideally, you'll use a box with a white interior A flash with a large diffuser like a softbox, a beauty dish, or something. Another flash, possibly. How to Do This Getting this done is pretty easy, but it will change depending on what you're using. Set up. your white box on a hard, stable surface With the white box's opening towards you, cut the top of it so that you can put a flash over it. Shut all the blinds and curtains in the room to kill all ambient lighting Place the light modifier with the flash inside over the top Meter the scene. If you're using TTL flash, set it to be one stop extra of power. TTL works by looking at the ISO and the aperture. The faster your shutter speed, the more ambient light you'll kill. The slower it is, the more will come in. If you're just using a white background, you'll need a second flash. With your subject in front of the white background, meter them and photograph them with a flash accordingly. Have the second flash firing at the white background and make sure that it is a stop more powerful than the main light. “When you use your light meter to check the output of the lights, your main light should be weaker while your back light should be stronger. For the image above, our main light (which was next to the camera and in front of our model) was metered to f8 at ISO 100. The back light (hitting the background and positioned off to the side) was metered to f11 at ISO 100. Therefore, the light in the back is brighter and therefore gives the effect of a seamless white. It would have also worked if my main light was set to f5.6 and my back light was set to f8. Same with my main being set to f2.8 and my back being set to f4.” Getting a background to go pure white. The Idea The idea here is that you're trying to make the background really go all bright white. This is a lot more complicated to do with LEDs and also just doesn't give you the crisp quality a flash can. To get the background to appear purely white, it needs to be brighter than the subject you're photographing. That's how you make it stand out. And it makes sense. If you were photographing a portrait subject with bokeh balls in the background, the bokeh balls will stand out because they're brighter than your subject. The same idea is being applied here. If you don't have all these, you should take a look at our tutorial on how to do it with a window, a reflector, and one flash. Of course, you'll have to do some post-production. And if you're like me, you want to avoid post-production as much as possible and get it right in-camera to begin wtih.

For more stories like this, please subscribe to the Phoblographer. Trust us, we've done the tests. When it comes to weather sealing tests on cameras, there's arguably no better solution than the stuff that we've done to various cameras and lenses. We've actually gone out and used the cameras and lenses in the worst weather conditions. Our reviewers do this and a whole lot more. We push the gear to the edge because we know that you'll want to. With all this said, we decided to talk about how to protect your camera. Here are the things we keep in mind before we go out. What Qualifies Us to Talk? For a number of years, we've really wondered about how durable cameras really are. Reps have told us that if you take a camera into the rain, that they'd be fine. But is that really the case? Some reps still say this. But only some cameras are advertisers as weather resistant. So over the years, we've routinely tested various cameras in the rain, snow, sand, etc. Our build quality tests are a major part of our reviews. And we're committed to making the entire industry create cameras and lenses that can stand up to the elements. Oh yeah, and we've heard Olympus uses this test of our every time they talk about weather sealing. If a brand is alright with it, then we are too! Trust us, we know how to protect your camera. Is Your Camera Marketed as Weather Resistant? First off, figure out if your camera is weather resistant. This is a big thing to figure out. Here's a general guide, there could be more. But these cameras are the most popular.: The Fujifilm X Pro 3, XT4, and the the entire GFX lineup are weather sealed. Here's a guide to weather sealed Fujifilm lenses. Every Canon RF camera body has weather sealing. Our Canon RF lens guide should help you. Every Nikon Z full frame body has weather sealing. We've also got a guide to Nikon Z lenses. Every Sony a7, a9, and a1 camera body have weather sealing. Every Panasonic S series camera body has weather sealing. If you're going to use Olympus, do yourself a favor and just go for the Olympus OMD Em1 Mk III and the Olympus OMD EM1X. The Leica SL2s and Leica SL2 are IP rated, and the Q2 is as well. Protect Your Camera. Check All the Ports It's important to check all the ports on your camera. Make sure that they're fully sealed. Check the USB ports, the battery ports, the SD card ports, the audio jacks, etc. If the doors are a little loose, don't risk bringing your camera into the rain. It's not worth it. Something else to consider looking at is the hot shoe. In the past years, manufacturers have sealed the hot shoe very well. But some cameras, notably Sony, don't have as much sealing. Your Lens If you're taking your camera out into the rain, you need to ensure the entire package is protected. Lenses are where it gets really, really difficult. Some brands will say their lenses are weather-sealed, but they're not. Instead, there will be sealing right around the mount and maybe at a spot around the focusing ring. A few lenses are fully completing their weather sealing when you add a front lens filter. Other brands go above and beyond to fully weather seal the lenses. Personally speaking, if I'm buying a modern lens, there's no way I'm not going to buy a lens that isn't fully weather-sealed. Constantly cleaning a camera sensor is a major annoyance that's avoided with just a few extra bucks. Extra Ways to Protect Your Camera There are a bunch of other options to keep your camera protected. For example, you can cover your camera with a plastic bag and ensure that the entire thing is fully protected. There are also things like camera skins. Alternatively, if you're outside, an umbrella helps a lot.

Landscape photography is fun for both the consumer and the creator. The consumer gets to enjoy remote parts of the world they may not have otherwise seen. And the creator gets to have the thrill of adventure and the sense of tranquility that often accompanies this type of photographic practice. Of course, we've shared plenty of stunning images made by the best landscape photographers around, and in this article we're going to celebrate our favorites. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Cath Simard Turns Her Landscape Photography Into NFTs Cath Simard joined us as a guest on Inside The Photographer's Mind. She's an introvert who loves going on long hikes alone and creating images nothing short of mindblowing. She's used her photographic style to tap into the NFT market. In this podcast, she told us she'd made more money through NFTs than in her whole photography career. Check out her story here. Caitlin Fullam Creates Surreal Landscape Photography Beyond the joys of landscape photography, Caitlin Fullam has a deeper motive to go out and create. “These photos were an escape for me during a dark time,” she told us in a recent interview. She aimed to create out of this world images that made her feel like she was escaping the world she felt trapped within. She certainly accomplished her goal, not just with herself, but for us too. Spending time with her photography lets us forget reality, even only for a fleeting moment. Check it out here. Alicja Zmysłowska Combines Dogs and Landscape Photography Love dogs? Mesmerized by landscapes? If it's a yes to both, you're going to love the photography of Alicja Zmysłowska. She finds the most beautiful locations and places man's best friend in the center of them. She doesn't Photoshop the dogs into her landscape photography. Instead, she allows the human to stay with them (with a leash) and then photoshops them out. Zmysłowska has a range of cameras and lenses at her disposal, turning to the Canon 5D Mark III, the Canon 5D Mark IV, and the Canon EOS 5DS for her bodies, and the Canon 16-35mm 2.8L and the Canon 135mm 2.0L for her glass. Check out her full story here. Paolo Pettigiani Landscape Photography Goes Infrared Peru and Bolivia are home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in Latin America. So many photographers hit these spots to create landscape photography. Because of that, Paolo Pettigiani decided to put his own twist on things. Opting to shoot with Kodak Aerochrome, a now-discontinued infrared film roll, Pettigiani made a series of images that stand on their own. We're glad he still had access to the film roll! Check out his here. Ludwig Favre Makes Haunting Images Ludwig Favre began his journey in photography at the tender age of six. And it's a passion that's stayed with him ever since. He shoots his haunting, mysterious landscape photography in Oregon, a part of the States known for its glorious nature. Favre uses a Panasonic Lumix S1R and pairs it with the Panasonic Lumix 16-35mm f4 to make most of his work. However, he also uses the DJI Mavic 2 Pro to offer a different perspective. You can see his work here. Send Us Your Landscapes! We would love to see your landscape photography if you feel it's worth our attention. You can send it in using the form below. If we like it, then we'll be in touch about giving you a feature. Which was your favorite landscape photographer from the selection above? What gear do you enjoy using when making landscape images? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading. Want to get your work featured? Here's how to do it! Lead image by Caitlin Fullam. All images used with permission. Links to certain pieces of gear are included in this article. The Phoblographer gets a small cut from any purchases made via the links. It helps us keep the lights on, and we thank you for your support.

Buying a film camera can be very confusing. After all, you can't really ask questions about the megapixels. Further, the autofocus doesn't have things like face and eye detection. Film cameras let you do things much differently from digital. They're fun! In 2022 though, it's nonsensical to ask yourself the same questions folks did back in the '90s and prior. You could say that your camera took good pictures, but it would be the film that did it along with the lenses. We're diving into the questions you should ask yourself about how to buy a film camera. And I'm sharing my experience from buying them for over a decade. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Table of Contents Choose the Right Shops (eBay, Blue Moon Camera, and More) Point and Shoot, Rangefinder, or SLR? Medium Format, Large Format, or 35mm? Your Best Bet Is All Mechanical Check Out the Lens System (If There Is One) Choose the Right Shops (eBay, Blue Moon Camera, and More) First off, choose the right shops. If you're wondering how to buy a film camera, don't get it from an awful source. You can't always trust Craigslist. And so let's dive into this a bit more: Some retailers do nothing to prep the camera for resale. Some will buy it straight from a buyer for a stupidly low price, and then sell it straight to you for more than they bought it for. I wouldn't go with any of the big guys unless it's a really big purchase of a camera that's also very rare. Even the people I know who work at the big camera shops don't buy their used film cameras there. Some retailers go as far as revamping and refurbishing the cameras. Blue Moon Camera, our partner for the Rare Camera Store initiative, does this! eBay can have good shops, but be sure to check the ratings. Etsy can be an awesome place to buy cameras if you can get them at the right price. Look around at prices on the market. Don't be afraid to be confrontational. The truth is that you're not going to be sitting there one day when you retire regretting you were confrontational. Hold them accountable. If the store you're looking at is charging more, ask them what's justifying the extra cost. Good shops will be transparent with you. Point and Shoot, Rangefinder, or SLR? There are lots of tough questions you need to answer as far as how to buy a film camera. One of them is about the camera type. A point and shoot will keep things simple. A rangefinder is one of the smallest and most versatile. Plus, they can transition easily into digital if you're reaching for something with Leica M-mount. An SLR can transition into digital too, though a bit poorly these days. SLRs show you what you're getting in the viewfinder, while other cameras give you an approximation. Personally, I reach for point and shoots and rangefinders. There are affordable SLR film cameras, but I've got a good enough experience with modern day mirrorless! Medium Format, Large Format, or 35mm? Here's another big question! What format are you intending to shoot? 35mm is a small format, but if you think about how to buy a film camera and what you're buying it for, it could be the tactile experience. If you're going for 35mm, get it because it feels good, the film you want is easier to get in 35mm, or it's just fun. Otherwise, just go medium format or large format. Most digital cameras can outdo what 35mm film does these days. But medium format can outdo digital in many ways. Your Best Bet Is All Mechanical THIS IS A BIG ONE!!! Cameras with electronics are prone to failure. Some cameras are a combo of both mechanical and electronic. For example, look at the Leica M6 or Leica CL. They're mechanical cameras but the meter uses electronics. If anything, your Leica M6 will just become a Leica M4! Mechanical cameras will also mean that they'll keep working pretty much no matter what. If your camera needs a battery to power the shutter, buy with caution. Check Out the Lens System (If There Is One) S...

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by our EIC, Chris Gampat. Links to Gear Discussed: OM System OM1: https://amzn.to/3BXy4Es (Full review: https://www.thephoblographer.com/2022...) Nikon Z 28mm f2.8: https://amzn.to/3C1mnws Canon QL17: https://amzn.to/36PQfAD Please subscribe to the channel hit a like, and leave a comment! Thank you. https://www.thephoblographer.com/

What is a leaf shutter? If you started in photography under a decade ago, we're pretty sure you may know the answer to this question. Even if you started in digital a decade ago, you might not know what a leaf shutter is. But these types of shutters are mostly gone from cameras these days. However, for a period of the last decade, photographers clamored for them. Leaf shutters have a distinct number of advantages for lots of different photographers. But as time went on, those advantages mostly disappeared. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. What Is a Leaf Shutter? Having a leaf shutter means that the shutter is in the lens. When film was dominant, there were a few cameras that used leaf shutters. Notably, the Mamiya 6 and Mamiya 7 series cameras used leaf shutters. So too did many point-and-shoot cameras. The leaf shutter is opposite of the focal plane shutter, which has the shutter right in front of the film plane or the camera sensor. The focal-plane shutter is built into the camera instead. Modern cameras can be confused as having leaf shutters because the shutter opens up, adjusts itself, and then opens back up at times. But that's not the case. The shutter is still built into the camera. Leaf shutters have a few distinct advantages. And as stated before, some of them are moot at this point in technology. “These lenses are specialized. Modern leaf shutter lenses are handmade by small, employee-owned companies, not mass produced on assembly lines. Not everyone on the block shoots with them. And their price is a direct reflection of quality. You get what you pay for. When it comes to using them with high resolution medium format cameras of the highest quality, you want to pair them with a lens that is sharp lens with amazing clarity to boot. You would't put cheap tires on an Indy car.” – Why Leaf Shutters Matter Little to No Camera Shake With a leaf shutter, you're not getting a whole lot of swing or shake. When a camera's shutter fires, it can cause a shake. But with a leaf shutter, it's very gentle. For years, this was a great advantage. It's one of the many reasons why the Fujifilm X100 series of cameras took off. The leaf shutter, colors, and style of the camera made professionals really want it. But these days, the benefits have been pretty much superseded. Lots of cameras have image stabilization built into the sensor and the lens. We can make a very strong argument for 10 stops of image stabilization outdoing the camera shake negation that a leaf shutter can achieve. If you're still shooting with film, we think leaf shutters are amazing. If you've ever fired a Pentax 67, you can probably understand why. There's a certain romance to the sound of that big, loud shutter on the legendary Pentax camera. But you probably also know how difficult it can be to shoot with. Of course, there are leaf shutter options for the Pentax 67. However, they're very expensive. At that point, you're just better off trying to score a Mamiya 7 or Mamiya 7 II. You'll lose the whole through-the-lens viewing experience, but you'll get more stability. If you're using a modern or vintage point-and-shoot camera with a fixed lens, then you're also going to experience a leaf shutter. The well-known Yashica GSN Electro 35 sports an electronic leaf shutter. A Faster Flash Sync Faster flash sync is a great advantage of the leaf shutter. To understand why this is important, you'd need to understand how flash works. So we're going to break it down for you: Shutter speed: controls ambient light's effect on the scene Aperture: controls the output of the flash power in TTL flash mode. In manual mode, the aperture controls how much of the flash's light output affects the scene. ISO: controls the overall sensitivity of the scene to both ambient light and flash output lighting. Obviously, there are situations during t...

If you look on social media, lots of photos have a particular format. Sure, you can share landscape-oriented photos pretty easily. But the ones that take up the most space are vertical images and portrait-oriented images. Photography hasn't really caught up though. Photography has long been based on the idea that images will be printed onto paper. Then it was oriented towards computer screens. But the dominant devices these days are smartphones, and landscape-oriented imagery on smartphones doesn't make sense. Instead, portrait and square photos are more practical. For this reason, I think a square camera sensor would make the most sense. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Back in 2016, Hasselblad had a concept for the V1D. This was a camera that used a medium format sensor and cropped the image down to a square format. It was a weird but fascinating idea. While it ended up being vaporware, they were surely onto something. A square sensor format camera could be just what the industry needs right now. You're probably saying, but why not just crop the image? I'd argue back that you should have the image right from the start. A lot of cameras have a square format JPEG image option. It's very fun to use. But medium format film cameras that used a 6×6 square format existed for years. I think a square format sensor could be the next big, fun thing in cameras. A square camera sensor would change a lot of things. The body shape wouldn't need to be so long. Instead, it could be cubed. The way folks composed images would totally change. And if they wanted to create a landscape or portrait-oriented photo, they could use an in-camera stitching method. Sony has a sweep panorama feature, but imagine doing it with a square camera sensor. Specifically, I think a square camera sensor in a camera body like a Hasselblad 500C with a top-down LCD could be amazing and fun. Every camera these days more or less follows two shapes: a traditional DSLR or a rangefinder style. Sigma has tried and failed with a lot of ideas. But why does the industry continue to ignore a critical part of history? Many photographers have gone back to film to use Mamiya SLR film cameras partially because they love the format and the experience. So why can't that be done a different way digitally? I think a square camera sensor device could also be really simple to make lenses for. The camera would basically just use the center area of the lens where the image quality is best. And making a sensor larger than a Fujifilm GFX sensor would be the way to go here. So who would do something like this? I think Hasselblad would be best. But let's face it, they barely seem to exist as a camera company anymore. Tamron, years ago, owned Bronica. They make a ton of lenses and it would be amazing for them to team up with Sony to make their own square format cameras. Fujifilm might also make sense. But could this actually happen? Unfortunately, I don't think so. I think camera manufacturers often try to be very safe. And for business, that makes sense. But I wouldn't believe anyone who told me there isn't a demand for a square format sensor camera. If it were good, I think folks would totally buy it. It's perfect for social media. And, again, most photos these days are consumed on social media. This website's audience is 65% mobile-based.

You've probably read me say a bunch of times that the DSLR is dead. It truly is such a case. Using a DSLR in 2022 is like using a fax machine in 2009 when you could instead just send an email. It can do the job, but there is better technology that can do the job more efficiently. Mirrorless cameras and even your phone and incredibly capable these days. But just in case, here's how you can give your DSLR new life this year. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Convert it to Infrared This is an obvious choice for many photographers. Convert the camera to an infrared sensor option of some sort. The folks over at Kolari Vision can do this pretty easily for you. It doesn't make much sense to bring along a big, heavy camera unless it has a specific purpose. So give your DSLR new life by making it shoot in a completely different way. This way, your mirrorless camera can specialize in shooting in a more conventional and normalized way. But when you want to get more creative and fun, you can bring this one out and just enjoy the process. These days, there are lots of different infrared options. Some are designed to look a bit like Kodak Aerochrome. You'll still need to do a bit of processing, but you'll enjoy the overall experience. Change the Focusing Screen to Support Manual Focus Lenses This was a personal project that for years, I wanted to do but never ended up doing. Give your DSLR new life with a new focusing screen. DSLRs have interchangeable focusing screens a lot of the time. If the viewfinder is offering 100% coverage, then it's a bit more difficult. But if it's something like 97%, then changing the focusing screen above the prism is easier. Zeiss and other brands used to make things like split screens and more. Grab an old Canon DSLR, change the focusing screen, and then go grab some old Zeiss glass on eBay. Forget all about autofocus. Turn this camera into the manual focus dream that you've wanted for a while. You'll see just how different the experience becomes. It's never going to be as nice as looking through a Pentax Spotmatic film SLR and it will be nowhere as wonderful as a Pentax 67 II. But it's still going to be really nice overall. Can you use these with your autofocus lenses? Yes, but the experience won't be the same as it will for manual focus lenses. It starts with the old-school shutter slapping sound and goes from there. Lots of mirrorless cameras lack the audible romance of DSLRs; even though they gain a whole lot in return. Give it an Angle Finder and Shoot in a Different Way I truly wish that more DSLRs had removable viewfinders, but they don't. So instead, you can give your DSLR new life by modifing the viewfinder to shoot in a completely different way. It's nowhere as cool as using a medium format camera and having a big hood finder. But it's still a totally different way of shooting. By looking down at the screen like this, you're giving yourself a different experience. Of course, you could do this with a rotating LCD screen if it has one. But it's still not the same experience at all. Angle Finder photo by sachinese on Flickr.

For more stories like this, please subscribe to the Phoblographer. I'd like to believe that the photo industry has advanced quite far, despite still being behind phones somehow. I think that we're now at a point where cameras can do even more. For example, a bunch of cameras try to do high megapixel modes and lots more. And years ago, they did panoramic modes as JPEGs. But I genuinely feel like it's time they took that further. My idea: a panoramic RAW file that stitches together using similar tech as the high megapixel and multiple exposure modes. A while ago, camera manufacturers started saying that they've maxed out what's possible with still photography and that they'd focus more on videos. But I sincerely disagreed. Modern cameras are competent tools, but camera manufacturers aren't imaginative. That's why it's shocking that the panoramic raw photo mode hasn't become more commonplace. You're probably sitting there wondering why manufacturers haven't made this yet. Well, for the past two decades, they've all been telling us that we can do that in post-production instead. But lots of us don't want to sit in front of a computer slaving away to combine an image. However, if I needed to, I'd surely bring a panoramic raw photo that's ready for me into Capture One to do some minor edits. The best part of this is that so many brands can do this differently. Canon can do this using the same multiple exposure technology that they've had for years. You're just blending the photos together left to right. Sony doesn't have a multiple exposure mode anymore. But they had a panoramic mode. Nikon can have panoramic RAW and apply its cool creative effects. The Sunday and Somber look are bound to make the mountains render really cool! Panasonic can do panoramic raw and apply their L Monochrome or Cinelike profiles to the images. Just imagine something genuinely looking like Panovision? Leica has the durability in their cameras to really encourage this. I'm not sure why Olympus doesn't have this. They're the brand I'd most expect to do panoramic raw. Fujifilm is where this would probably be the best. Imagine a panoramic RAW file in Velvia or Classic Chrome? It would look just like those old Nat Geo spreads in magazines. Naturally, these would be huge RAW files. So I'd expect the imaging processors to take a bit of time to line everything up. But Sony used to make this the easiest with their Sweep panorama mode years ago. For some odd reason, everyone got rid of it, and it hasn't been back since. Yet, most modern cameras can do things like apply clarity, high dynamic range, etc. So just imagine a high dynamic range panoramic raw image with clarity bumped up a bit. And you'd get both a Raw and a JPEG. Wouldn't that be awesome for landscape photography? And what about cityscapes? Some of the closest I've gotten to this is with a 16:9 photo aspect ratio. But that gives us a smaller image. Why can't I have a bunch of raws combined in-camera? Just also think about the beautiful prints you could make. Further, imagine when the camera gets older, you convert it to infrared. Now you can get infrared panoramic photos. You're more inclined to stay with the camera system then and won't want to switch. Camera manufacturers want people to stick with their system more than anything else.

Let's be very honest here, Zeiss lenses are fantastic. They're capable in every single way. For years, they also had some of the best image quality you could ever get from a lens. Zeiss lenses were available for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Leica-M, and Fujifilm X cameras. But they quietly disappeared from the photo industry with more of a focus on cinema. So what happened? Well, I'd like to relay what I've seen in my 12 years of journalism and covering the Zeiss company. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. For many years, Zeiss has been known as a premium lens manufacturer that offered a wonderful look. They were popular among Leica photographers and a few Canon photographers who used 5D cameras. The lenses gave a look Japanese manufacturers just weren't offering. Zeiss optics were better: sharper, more contrasty, more vivid, and delivered beautiful focus fall-off. It's was sometimes pretty obvious to tell when you were seeing a Zeiss image. We were reviewing them not long after I started the site in 2009. My first experience with Zeiss lenses was back in 2010. That's over a decade ago. And even when I look back at that very old blog post, I still get goosebumps about how nice those photos are. A few times, I've gone to eBay to find some of those old Zeiss gems for DSLRs. You'd be amazed at how well they've held their value. Back in 2013 though, the entire lens industry began to change. This was a time when major tsunamis and other effects of global warming were wiping out factories. It was also a time when third-party lens companies stepped up and created lenses that turned peoples' heads. Zeiss announced the 55mm f1.4 Otus lens. They touted that this lens, when shot wide open, would be as sharp as their competition's lenses stopped down. And as we saw, they were right. I think every photographer at the time was drooling over that lens but also hesitant because of the insanely expensive price. Zeiss touted this lens as a no-compromise lens to create the single best optic, but they neglected a few major points. A lens costing over $3,000 should have weather sealing and autofocus, but they didn't have either. Still, the image quality really did prevail. Around the same time, Sigma announced they'd be coming out with a 50mm f1.4 Art lens with autofocus. Amazingly, it held its own with the Zeiss 55mm Otus lens at a far cheaper cost. Lots of folks decided to go with slightly worse image quality fully understanding they could edit the images later on. They really wanted autofocus though. Zeiss understood this–and found ways to press on. They delivered the Touit series of lenses for Fujifilm X mount and Sony E mount. We reviewed all of those and really liked them. But again, it was sometimes the price that held us back. Then Zeiss partnered with Sony on the full-frame cameras by delivering the Loxia and the Batis lens lineup. The latter had autofocus, but we haven't seen anything from the company's lens division since 2019. By that time, they had pretty much given up on DSLRs. For the record, The Phoblographer has reviewed the most camera lenses of any publication in real-world reviews. We've done entire lens guides for their Milvus lenses while their Batis and Loxia lenses are rolled into our Sony FE Lens Guide. Trust me, if we could test them, we'd do so. Across the board, our staff tends to really like the challenge manual focus lenses give us. It makes our jobs a lot less monotonous. There are some very odd, dark secrets in the camera and lens world. Some manufacturers make lenses for others. Other brands have closed-door deals. But Zeiss never managed to get autofocusing lenses for Canon or Nikon. However, they all had autofocus contacts for manual focusing. If Zeiss had just made some autofocus lenses, things probably would've been different. So why did Zeiss stop making lenses for Son...

In the global pandemic, a lot of people became bird photographers. Tons of folks took to the countryside, but a lot of us also stayed in big cities. Believe it or not, big cities are great places to photograph birds. In fact, we reviewed a ton of lenses doing just that. So we're giving readers some tips on how to photograph birds in cities based on our actual experiences. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Set Up a Local Birdbath or Bird Feeder It might seem like common sense, right? Instead of going out and hunting for the birds, bring them to you! We've seen a few different things that people do to get birds to come to their windows or close by. Some folks leave bird seed on their windowsill. We've seen other folks leave nuts and fruit on their windows or fire escapes. I personally set up a birdbath on my balcony that I sometimes fill up. If you don't have any sort of space to do this, look for local parks, lakes, community gardens, etc. One cool idea is to hang a bird feeder from a line of some sort. If your home has an old-school clothes line, try hanging a feeder from there. The reason to do these things is to find a way to get the birds to come around at different times of the day. Birds are almost always looking for food. So if you can get birds to come to your home or space and pick up some food, then you've got an opportunity to photograph them. Ideally, you want the birds higher up from ground level. We've seen folks throw rice away near trees to let sparrows eat the rice. This isn't always safe, and can't lead to attractive photos. The backgrounds will be way too busy. Putting berries out on plate on a fire escape or out a window sill is a much better idea. Start Early in the Day The first thing you should always know about how to photograph birds in cities is that they're out and about early in the day. Sometimes you'll see and hear them around at sunrise. At other times, you'll see them congregating in certain trees around 9am or 10am. You'll typically get the best light earlier in the day when people are commuting and going to work. If you're in a city, there are lots of different places you can look. Most wildlife and birding photography is talked about in the outdoors and countryside. But the truth is that big cities are where tons of birds go because of the free food sources available. Here in NYC, lots of folks flock (pun intended) to Central Park to photograph birds. But my personal favorite place is Forest Park in Queens, NY. Look around for fruit and berry trees. Lots of birds like going to these trees and bushes for a snack. In parks, people might sometimes throw a bagel on the floor. If the squirrels don't get to it, the birds will. One of the big problems about photographing birds in cities is that you mostly find pigeons or sparrows. But it's possible to find other birds if you understand their diet. According to What Birds are in my Backyard, here are some of the most common birds. We've done a bit of research to also add in what they eat. Blue Jay: Peanuts and sunflower seeds. Try to make sure the nuts aren't salted. American Robin: Fruits, berries, earthworms. Northern Cardinal: Sunflower seeds, grains, fruits. American Crow: Grains, nuts, seeds, berries. Black-capped Chickadee: Insects, seeds, berries. Mourning Dove: Sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and shelled peanuts. American Goldfinch: Seeds European Starling: Insects, berries, and seeds. Song Sparrow: Insects, seeds, berries. Downy Woodpecker: Beatle Larvae. Red-winged Blackbird: Insects, corn, and wheat. House Sparrow: Grains and seeds Common Grackle: Seeds, grains, and rice. Red-bellied Woodpecker: Nuts, foods, and seeds. White-breasted Nuthatch: Seeds and peanut butter mixtures. Tufted Titmouse: Sunflower seeds and nuts. Dark-eyed Junco: Seeds, weeds, insects. Gray Catbird: Insects, holly berries, c...

Most photographers automatically protect their camera with a padded bag — but what about the tripod? My own tripod is, admittedly, a little beat up from just being tossed in the bed of my pick-up truck. When I saw Manfrotto had launched a dedicated tripod bag to go along with the new accessories to their Tough series hard cases, I decided to give my tripod a much-needed break from the bumps and test it out. The Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod bag uses a roll-top design that allows the bag to expand to accommodate more tripod sizes. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Made for attaching to Manfrotto's Tough series hard cases, the bag can also be used as a stand-alone tripod carrying case. It sports both a shoulder strap as well as a handle, along with those hard case attachment points. Priced at $60, it's one of Manfrotto's more affordable options for tripod bags that can accommodate a 34-inch folded tripod. Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Ease of Use Conclusions Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn't Read The Manfrotto Pro Light Tough is great as a stand-alone camera bag or added to a Tough hard case. The size is better suited for mid to large-sized tripods — small travel tripods will have a lot of extra space. While I wish there were an extra pocket, it's a solid, reasonably priced tripod-carrying solution. Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag Pros and Cons Pros Three ways to carry — shoulder, hand, or attached to a Tough series hard case Expandable design Lots of room even for heads with larger levers Comfortable to use Durable, water repellent fabric Cons No extra pockets Zippers are not water resistant Gear Used I tested the Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag with the Manfrotto BeFree travel tripod, as well as the Vanguard VEO 3T+ 264CB without reversing the legs. I also tested this attached to the Manfotto Pro Light Tough 55 hard case. Innovations Two key features set the Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod bag apart from other options: an expandable design, and compatibility with hard cases. The bag's design allows it to accommodate smaller travel tripods as well as larger heavy-duty tripods. Four attachment straps are designed to attach to the front of Manfrotto's Pro Light hard case line, but this bag can also be used by itself. Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag Tech Specs Manfrotto lists the following specifications for the Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag: Weight: 1.19 lbs Minimum Weight: 1.19 lbs Internal Dimensions: 7.09 x 3.94 x 34.65 in External Dimensions: 7.87 x 4.72 x 36.02 in Color: Black Volume: 11.5 L Material: Nylon, Synthetic Fabric Tripod Compartment Dimensions: 7.09 x 3.94 x 34.65 in Types Of Gear: Tripod Type Of Bag: Carrying Solution Ergonomics The main compartment of the Manfrotto Pro Light Tough Tripod Bag can be from 30 to about 36 inches tall. That's thanks to a roll-top that's secured with a slide-on clasp on the outside of the bag. With the top fully expanded, you can fit up to a 34.65-inch folded tripod inside. The bag is narrower at the bottom and wider at the top. That means video heads with larger handles and dials will fit, provided the head is smaller than about 7 inches by 3.9 inches. A zipper runs three-quarters of the bag's length down one side and all the way through the top end. Even with the roll-top folded, that leaves a large enough opening to easily pull the tripod out. If you use the bag for the same tripod, you can adjust the roll-top as needed and leave it. You don't have to undo the roll-top to unzip the bag. But, you do have to thread the zipper underneath the roll-top clasp. Reversing the zipper so that it started at the other end would have made it a bit faster to unzip for photog...

Follow along and Listen to this Article by pressing the button. Give it a try! You're probably wondering why all these camera reviews sound the same. Well, quite frankly, we're wondering why all these cameras are the same! For as good as the Nikon Z5 is, it should've been released years ago. This is what the Nikon Z6 should have been. And the Nikon Z6 II should've gotten some insane boosts. In some ways, Nikon is still the company we've known for over a decade. They're still pretty much the best at high ISO output in some ways. Additionally, their cameras can still take good pictures. There's also the really fun Nikon color profiles that irritatingly can't be applied to your RAW files. Make no mistake, the Nikon Z5 is a good camera. In fact, it's my favorite that Nikon has made in a long time. But Nikon isn't innovating. They're struggling to keep up, and there's nothing that's compelling us to buy from them unless you're probably a YouTuber. Ultimately, it's mostly the same internals as everything else with a better exterior. Editor's Note: Update as of February 2022, these updates are in bold. Editor's Note: We just talked to Nikon and have to issue an apology on our error. Lots of Nikon cameras do not have a textured ISO button. However, we've tested lots that do. I'll rephrase this to say that little things like that really do count. Or having the illuminated buttons totally count. Further, in regards to weather sealing, everything should have an IP rating these days. It's critical to the future of our industry. Table of Contents Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Ease of Use Autofocus Image Quality JPEG Output RAW File Versatility High ISO Output Extra Image Samples Conclusions Likes Dislikes Pros and Cons Pros Dual card slots The Single most reliable Nikon mirrorless camera I've used in terms of autofocus, battery life, and performance Weather sealing This is what the Nikon z6 should've been at the start Beautiful image quality I like the shutter sound Charges while shooting video if hooked up via USB C This is a finally proper camera for a working photographer AF-F mode tracks beautifully in the video modes. I've never played with the various more lively color modes. They're very fun and great for webcam use! A fantastic webcam. This and the Panasonic S1 have arguably been the best at tracking my face. I really wish that Nikon pushed their creative presets a lot more. Their Sunday preset is so gorgeous. It's only around $1,400 at the Nikon Store on Amazon. Cons No-textured ISO button to look for in the dark. Really Nikon? When we pressed them on this, they didn't answer us. Which makes us believe that they think our question isn't important. We finally got an answer and were able to clarify that no Nikon cameras have the textured ISO button. Why can't their creative presets be applied to the RAW files in Capture One? No buttons that light up in the dark 4K video mode crops the image when using it as a webcam I miss the top LCD screen of the higher end camera models Gear Used We tested the Nikon Z5 with the 24-70mm f2.8 and the 35mm f1.8. Tech Specs Here's a summary of the essential specs from the LensRentals listing. If you're interested, rent it before you buy it. 24.3 Megapixel Backside illuminated full-frame sensor Hybrid image autofocus; five-axis vibration reduction ISO 100 – 51200 Weather sealing 4K UHD video with a crop 14-bit RAW depth 4.5 fps shooting 1/200th flash sync speed 1,040,000 Dot LCD screen 1.3 lbs. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Ergonomics The Nikon Z5 continues Nikon's DSLR-feeling mirrorless camera trend. When you look at it, this camera seems pretty serious. But instead, it's not one of Nikon's most serious offerings. It's eventually going to be targeted at the mid-tier when Nikon's highest level cameras come out. On the front of the camera, you've got a few controls. There's the lens release. But there are also two customizable buttons. These buttons affect autofocus an...

“We're closing up shop,” is what they told me. Behind my face mask, my jaw had dropped. But the rest of my body language permeated complete shock and heartbreak. I moved back to Queens in 2020 and 37th Ave Photo had been my local film lab since coming back. But now they're gone. The knowledge of the old man, his son, and their incredible work has disappeared. In over 12 years of running the Phoblographer, the love story involving film labs has surely had its share of heartbreaks. When people want to find a film lab, they often ask friends. Everyone has one that they use and like. Lots of folks like CRC for one reason. I personally used to use Luster. A bunch of folks in North Brooklyn adore Kubus. But things change and the quality tends to shift. Kubus might be great at one point of the year and awful at another point while also selling expired film that isn't refrigerated. CRC might scan your black and whites and have dust all over them. Luster will do a great job but they'll be incredibly expensive. Duggal will do a great job but cost you an arm and a leg. There's always something with film labs. But finding the one for you is sometimes more heartbreaking than actual relationship-based heartbreak. The problem with the film lab industry in NYC is huge. Some of them just send your film to another developer at times. Turnover is also pretty vast. The profit margins are slim because film is such a niche product still. Surely, it's grown over the years as Fujifilm has cited that Millenials and Gen Z alike use it. It's unfortunate, as I've heard of some wages paid are minimum wage. I don't think this is the case with bigger labs, but at the smaller ones, it's probably part of what's wrong with them. This is a compound problem that I think is going to get worse. The manufacturers have raised the prices, and I hope that that will go back into developing new film that can't be duplicated with a digital preset. But when film prices rise, people buy less film. When people buy and shoot less film, they get less developed. So the film labs get squeezed with a big problem. Have you ever tried scanning your film? It's an incredibly annoying process. It can take a really long time to get them right too. And believe it or not, I don't think that film labs charge enough. But if the prices went up, people would complain. I'm sure some of you are sitting there saying “Just shoot digital.” But no. Digital is a great experience, but film is a completely different type of ceremony. I'll liken it to vinyl. When you're listening to vinyl, it makes sense that you'd sit around and do nothing else but listen to the music. After a while, you're going to need to get up and flip the record over. You obviously don't have that issue with digital music. Similarly, with film, you have to experience the ceremony of being careful with your shots. Sure, you can do that with digital, but lots don't. I've seen photographers shoot in burst mode and shoot 500 images of one look. You're not going to do that with film. And a lot of digital photographers don't shoot digital in the same way they do film.

If you told me years ago that nearly every lens on the market made today would be super sharp wide open, I'd be incredibly excited. But if you also told me that a lens could be too sharp, I wouldn't believe you. I mean, how is that possible? Years ago, you'd just consider the best fstop on a lens based on sharpness. And these days, that's not necessarily the case. Photography has changed, and people want something different. So, with over 12 years of testing lenses under our belt, we're going to talk more about the best fstop and how it's changed over the years. How it Used to Be: The Story of the Best Fstop When I first started the Phoblographer over 12 years ago, lenses were much different. They were mostly developed for film cameras and then were ported over. Very few were developed with the idea of being digital first. And back then, you used to have to stop the lens down to get to the best fstop. On full-frame 35mm, it used to be around f8 to f11. It varied based on which medium format option you were using, but you'd try to get the same equivalent. This also applied to APS-C and Four Thirds sensors. Shooting a lens wide open set you up for a host of problems back then: Your lens would be very soft wide open, which is nice these days. Your lens could have a whole bunch of color fringing, which can be seen as lens character these days. Vignetting was abound, which is easily correctable these days. You'd also probably not get your subject in focus because DSLR and Film SLR autofocus wasn't so great. Then things changed. And Then The Zeiss Otus Line Happened I remember that there was a short period of time where a lot changed. A bunch of tsunamis and storms destroyed lots of factories out there. Then, oddly enough, the industry bounced back with curiously good optics. They came to Zeiss and Sigma first. The Zeiss Otus lens lineup was pretty much unbeatable. The Sigma Art lens lineup was also unbeatable for image quality. Then Sony got it, Tamron caught on, Nikon, Tokina, etc. Optics just got a ton better. This was incredibly curious because Zeiss specifically started to market that you didn't necessarily need to stop the Otus lens lineup down. They went about showing the press tons of MTF charts where the Zeiss 55mm f1.4 Otus lens would have equivalent sharpness of the nearest competing lenses. However, the Otus was doing it wide open while the competition was doing it at f5.6 or f8. It was remarkable technology; if not incredibly flawed. Zeiss did what they do with an insane price tag, no weather sealing, and a few other things. Then Sigma's 50mm f1.4 Art started to outdo the Otus. Sigma has always been strong with clinical image quality at the cost of build quality, character, and autofocus speed. It was the same back then as it is today. So by all means, back then, Zeiss started to say that the best fstop is shot wide open. That started to change the rest of the industry. Combine this with the rising megapixel count on camera sensors and improved flash technology and you've got a winner. Today, What is the Best FStop? It's hard today to find a lens that isn't sharp wide open. Lensbaby purposely does this, and that's awesome. But otherwise, all the other camera and lens manufacturers strive to get sharp wide-open performance. By all means, the best fstop and all it means has changed since then. There used to be the idea of the sweet spot: which referred to when the lens was at its sharpest. And today, arguably, it's more about a balance between pleasing bokeh and sharpness. It depends on what sensor format you're using. But generally speaking, most photographers think the best fstop is either wide open, f4, or f5.6. Lenses are super sharp wide open, and honestly, most of us on staff here rarely have good reasons to want to stop down unless the exposure calls for it. High megapixels on camera sensors mean that much more value is given to a lens. Combine that with flash and what specular highlights do, and you've got a wi...

I typically prefer backpacks for camera gear. But, when I knew I would be shooting a 10-hour wedding while seven months pregnant, I invested in a waist belt with lens pouches. I parked the heavy backpack, but could quickly access the essentials without adding additional weight to my back. My son is now two-and-a-half, yet I still switch from my backpack to a waist belt for long wedding days. So when Manfrotto announced the new Street Camera Waist Bag — in one of my favorite colors — I was eager to try it out. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. The Manfrotto Street Camera Waist Bag is a compact, 2L bag that can fit a lens or two from compact mirrorless systems, a compact camera, or a smaller drone. Besides being worn around the waist, it doubles as a sling. And despite being quite tiny, it can still house a water bottle or compact tripod using connection straps on the bottom. While another extra pocket would make this bag nearly perfect, the Street Waist is a good option for minimalist photographers. Table of Contents Too Long, Didn't Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Ease of Use Conclusions Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn't Read The Manfrotto Street Waist is a small, “fanny pack” style bag that also converts to a sling. I loved using it as a lens bag for fast swaps, but it needs a few tweaks to be perfect. Hoever, all of that may be forgivable because of a $40 price tag. Pros and Cons Pros Minimalist design Quick to access lenses Comfortable Can be worn as a waist bag or sling Straps for mini tripod or water bottle Great color Really affordable Cons No SD card pockets Pretty small — only the smallest bodies will fit here, but works great for a lens bag (excluding big telephotos) There's no strap padding when worn as a sling. Zippers are not weather-sealed. Gear Used I used this bag with the Leica M Macro 90mm f4, M Summilux 90mm f2, and the M Telyt 135mm f3.4. I also tested this lens with the Fujifilm 50mm f1 R WR and the Fujifilm 90mm f2 R LM WR. In both cases, I used the Street Waist as a lens bag for holding multiple lenses, rather than holding a body and one lens. And I still was able to barely fit the Fujifilm X-T4 in with the 90mm detached. Innovations While waist bags aren't as plentiful as backpacks and messengers, they're not impossible to find. The Manfrotto Street Slim isn't the only bag that converts from waist to sling or even the only one that allows a tripod attachment. But, it sits at a very competitive $40, is one of the few options that are not black, and has a minimalist design. Tech Specs Manfrotto lists the following specifications for the Street Camera Waist Bag: Minimum Weight: 0.66 lbs Internal Dimensions: 8.66 x 2.76 x 5.51 in Camera Insert Dimensions: 7.48 x 2.76 x 4.72 in External Dimensions: 9.45 x 5.12 x 5.91 in Volume: 2 L Tripod Connection: Yes Compatible Drones Models: DJI Mavic Pro, DJI Mavic Pro Platinum, DJI Mavic Air, DJI Mavic 2 Pro, DJI Mavic 2 Zoom Material: Synthetic Fabric Types Of Gear: Point & shoot, Smartphones, Mini tripod Type Of Bag: Carrying Solution Water Repellent: Yes Ergonomics The Manfrotto Street Waist bag is quite compact. Vertically, it won't fit lenses longer than about 2.75 inches; stashed horizontally, a single lens under about 5.5 inches can ride along. For mirrorless cameras, I find the small size works best as a lens bag rather than one to carry all your gear. I could fit one lens and my X-T4 body, but I had to detach the lens first. As a lens bag, it fit my two Fujifilm lenses nicely, with a narrow spot between them that could stash batteries. With the Leica M system, which has much narrower lenses, I fit all three lenses and still had an extra slot big enough for batteries. As a small bag, photographers should carefully measure their gear to see if the Street Waist is the right fit. The Street Waist is a very minimalist bag. There are just...

I have a very love-hate relationship with it when it comes to retouching. It is incredible to have a recipe of minor fixes that gives an ordinary image something extra. But, to get the desired result, switching between programs is frustrating and time-consuming. Capture One has made vast improvements to its software and continues its reign as the industry standard. The software could become the standalone, raw editor for most photographers' arsenals if they were to double down on this Capture One wish list with a future update. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Capture One does a lot of things well. Color grading, black and white tones, and basic global adjustments are easily performed with the software program. Recent upgrades such as Canon native wireless tethering, panoramic stitch, and HDR merge are welcome functionalities. As good as the program is however, there are some improvements I would love to see them make. Answering this Capture One wish list would allow them to become the all-in-one editing suite they're capable of being. Masking and Selections Photoshop is still the go-to if you are looking to make precise adjustments to a specific area of an image. Their selection functionality is significantly more advanced than what is possible with Capture One's magic brush. It simply lacks the precision and speed offered in Adobe. Take window pulls in real estate photography as an example. Even with the added benefit of HDR merge, precise selections within the highlights are still challenging to do well. For portraiture, making adjustments to the background should be more efficient. Color Corrections Capture One has simplified color-correcting inconsistent skin tones. Normalizing magenta fingertips to match the more golden hues has become relatively easy. After perusing the forums, it has become evident that many photographers are requesting frequency separation type capabilities. The addition of a color-matching brush would be a great start. This would allow portrait photographers to blend skin colors for close-up beauty images better. Real estate photographers could even out color casts around the edges of the frame. It would be fantastic to do all color finessing within the construct of one application. Ethical Skin Retouching Capabilities The anticipation of the addition of style brushes within Capture One was met with a slight feeling of deflation. Dodging and burning brushes with the pen pressure is pretty good. But, it could be improved with updates to overall opacity and flow capabilities, perhaps multiple options. The healing brush and clone stamp are sufficient for near-flawless skin or digitals for model test shoots. However, more notable imperfections become problematic within the software. The addition of a patch tool on par with the quality and speed found in Adobe would be a huge upgrade. As it is, it is lethargic and feels a bit proprietary in comparison. So, in an industry where time is money, time is best-suited working with skin in a different program. Final Thoughts One of the things I appreciate most about Capture One is that they listens to their customers. Now that many of these desired tools have been integrated into the software, I'd love to see them commit to making it as competitive as possible. I hope one of their subsequent upgrades lets me fully untether from Adobe.

There are a lot of things to know when it comes to photography terminology. More importantly, you can know what things mean, but can you apply them? Well, we're going to talk about that a little bit here in this article. Back when I started this site, I wrote about photography terminology. And today, I'm revamping that piece with a bit of modernization for what's happened. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Shutter Speed- This is how long your camera's shutter stays open for and it can be read on either the back of your screen or within the viewfinder. It is typically a fraction or a whole number. For example: 1/15 = a fifteenth of a second 1/1000= a thousandth of a second 1”= 1 second 15” = fifteen seconds Here are the basic rules to follow: The longer the shutter speed the more motion that will be captured and the stiller you need to remain. This is great for capturing nighttime scenes. The faster the shutter speed the less motion will be captured. This is great for capturing fast-moving objects like sports action. The longer your shutter speed is, the more the camera is going to pick up your own shaky hands. So you'll get the effects of camera shake. Image stabilization can help with this. But the best thing to do is to use a tripod or hold the camera in an efficient way. On your camera, this can be seen with the S mode. Aperture- This is also known as an F stop. It controls how much of your image is in focus or not (IE what is clearly and sharply seen and what is blurred out.) It also controls how much light comes into the lens of your camera and hits the sensor (the equivalent of film.) In general: f1.4 = Enables high shutter speeds, not much is in focus. f2.8 = Enables almost as high shutter speeds, more is in focus. Great for portraits. f11 = Needs slower shutter speeds, much more is in focus. f22 = Needs the slowest of shutter speeds. Everything you point your lens at should be in focus. Best used with a flash unless there is tons of available bright light. If you have a smartphone or a drone, it most likely won't have a variable aperture. It will be locked at one setting because the sensor is so small. It's a bit useless to have a working aperture. So the blur is created using software. On your camera this is also known as AV mode. Bokeh- Bokeh can mean a few different things. Colloquially, it will refer to the quality of the out-of-focus area in a photo. But it's been adapted into the vernacular to just mean out of focus area. Various things affect the bokeh. The coatings on the lens elements can add more or less contrast. More contrast can sometimes mean that your subject pops out from the background. We've typically seen with Leica Apochromatic lenses that you'll get some of that special “pop.” Further, the number of aperture blades also affects bokeh. The fewer aperture blades there are, the less pleasing the bokeh balls in the background can be. But this also depends on the focal length. Depth of Field- This is what is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably and sharply in focus. It can be controlled using your F stops. ISO- Light sensitivity of your camera's sensor. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your camera will be to light and the grainier your images will be. The lower the ISO, the less sensitive the camera will be to light and the less grainier your images. Higher ISOs allow for faster shutter speeds. ISO 100 = great for daylight use, no image grain. ISO 400 = great for twilight use, a bit more grain. ISO 1600 = much more suited towards low light or high action where you need to stop fast movement. ISO 6400 = Even better suited to low light and fast action, but delivers grainy images. In recent years, cameras have gotten so good that ISO 6400 can print images at 17×22 inches with little to no grain. ISO is something that's a lot more flexible with digital cameras than it is on film. With film emulsions, yo...

If you look at it, there are two schools of thought in photography. There's gear and photos. Some people are great with gear. Other people are great photographers. Just because you've got an expensive camera, it won't mean that you can shoot a great photo. More importantly, it doesn't mean that you also understand how to create a great photo, the idea of a moment, etc. I've also met a ton of photographers really into their art that barely know how to use their cameras. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Here are the facts, some people are just into cameras and other people are into photography. There's a huge difference. Some people are into knives, but they're not into cooking. Other folks are into gaming, but they're not into building their own computers. A reasonable amount of people are into cars, but not necessarily driving them. Some folks are into archery, but not necessarily geeks about bows. In the same vein, someone could really like whiskey, but not care about the distilling process. This is something all of us need to keep in mind. It's fine if cameras are your hobby. You can own a bunch of cameras because you like them. Cameras are an incredibly fun hobby. If you buy them used, you're going to probably get a great buy. More so than any other tech besides TVs, cameras are used pretty carefully. You can't really go wrong when buying a used camera the way you can with a refrigerator or something. At the same time, photography can also be a hobby. You can be just fine with your 30-year-old camera and just like the act of taking photos. Your phone may be enough and you'd be really into the stories of the photos, looking at them, etc. It's an enjoyable thing for sure. Some folks on the other hand might really like paging through photos in a book. Now here's the bigger thing: it's wonderful if you're just into cameras. At the same time, your interest in photography is equally just as wonderful. But I think we all need to go deep down inside of our souls and figure out which one we are. You could say that you're into street photography, but you may actually just like using cameras. Similarly, you could say you love Sony cameras, but you may have never touched anything else in your time shooting with cameras. Can you genuinely be into both? Sure, but not a lot of people truly are. If I looked at our staff, I could easily see who is more into cameras and who is more into photography. Some people are a bit of both. If I looked at brand ambassadors, I can easily tell who is into photography, who is into cameras, and who is both. There are people who call themselves photographers that end up just doing tons of layering in Photoshop. At the end of the day, they could do that with any camera. So they're mostly just into being actual photographers and photo editors. If you're making it this far, you're probably wondering why this matters. I think that it needs to help change the conversations about both cameras and photography. Some cameras are a more tactile experience. You obviously pick up a Leica for a specific experience. But when you look at a bunch of the other cameras on the market, the experience is very similar. Conversely, when you look at the different types of photography, they're all much different. So why then haven't camera manufacturers tried to make themselves as diverse as there are photography genres?