Following my recent post on the reasons why I switched from Micro Four Thirds to Full Frame mirrorless, I thought I should share my thoughts on lenses which work well for the A7 series. As a Sony A7RII user, new to Sony, the choice of lenses is not far from infinite. This is both a good thing but also presents a challenge. Is so much choice… too much choice?...
I often get the feeling that photography is talked and written about as if its practitioners have an innate knowledge of the terms involved. Any craft or profession comes with its own specialist language, but if you’re new to it—and even if you’re not—you can often feel overwhelmed by the terminology, let alone the technicalities of the medium. Thinking back ‘hyperfocal distance’ is one of the terms that most baffled me....
The number of people who get to photograph is not huge, but the number of people who get to see a Polar Bear actually using a camera is close to zero. Photographer Roie Galitz was leading a photography workshop in Svalbard when the team encountered a big male Polar Bear. Little did they know that the bear had artistic aspiration. Roie tells DIYP: Luckily, both the gear and the bear were unharmed during this encounter....
We know Yashica as a legendary Japanese camera manufacturer. But sadly, the more recent gear launched under this name didn’t exactly live up to its reputation. We probably all remember the Y35 DigiFilm fiasco. However, Yashica didn’t get discouraged and it has just teased a new product. Yashica posted a photo grid on its Instagram reading “2022 Yashica coming soon…” Unfortunately, there’s no word on what we can expect. Is it a new film?...
For most of us, getting our photo taken for things like a drivers license or passport is something we dread. We know the photos are going to look bad. It’s just the way they are. The lighting is flat, bland, boring, horrible, and definitely doesn’t show us at our best. When “reality star” Khloe Kardashian had to get her new drivers license, though, she didn’t want that. Oh, no. So, she took Keeping up with the Kardashians lighting director Landon Hosto along with her to get that perfect shot....
There aren’t too many third-party autofocus lenses on the market for Nikon Z mount. In fact, the only two that springs to mind are Yongnuo’s 85mm f/1.8 DF DSM and Tamron’s 70-200mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD, both released earlier this year. Now, Yongnuo’s about to release another one. A teaser posted to Yongnuo’s Facebook page, hints at an upcoming Yongnuo 35mm f/2Z DF DSM lens being released soon. Perhaps even later today....
If you’re creative, it’s amazing what you can make from things that you’d otherwise just throw away. Mathieu Stern has made an awesome miniature scene out of trash. In his latest video, he gives you some ideas on how you can use trash and a few toys and create pretty cool dioramas. What you will need depends basically on your imagination. As for Mathieu, he used a few toys, and everything else was made out of trash: random plastic bits, parts of a broken clock, and some cardboard packaging (an egg carton would do as well)....
One of the main symptoms of COVID-19 is low levels of oxygen in a person’s blood, even when they feel fine. So when the pandemic started spreading, doctors would always measure your blood oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter: a special clip attached to your finger or ear. But soon, you will be able to do it at home with the same accuracy. All you’ll need is the device you use for taking selfies or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram in bed....
Facebook has gone under fire a few times so far for censoring “nude” images that are artistic, iconic, or merely show nude statues. And after Facebook censored the famous Nik Ut’s photo “Napalm Girl,” it looks like YouTube followed the same footsteps. Martin Kaninsky of All About Street Photography recently uploaded a video that tells the story behind this iconic photo. However, it was soon flagged for violating YouTube’s Child Safety Policy....
Zeiss has announced their newest set of cinema lenses for advertising and movie production. Although these lenses are smaller than their counterparts, the German company promises that they will offer top of the line results for filmmakers. The Supreme Prime line comprises of 13 lenses altogether with focal lengths between 15mm to 200mm Ten of the lenses will feature a maximum aperture of T1.5. The outliers are 15mm and 150mm with T1....
It’s being reported by Sony Alpha Rumors that Zeiss are planning to launch the world’s first lens with ALON lens elements. Perhaps a 35mm f/1.8 Sony FE mount pancake lens. ALON is Aluminium Oxynitride, which is essentially “transparent aluminum“. Yes, that’s right Star Trek technology is coming to lenses. Maybe. The tip received by SAR is as follows… So, if the rumours are true, then not every element in a new lens will be made from ALON, just a small handful....
Agoraphobia is not merely a fear of open spaces. It’s a fear that certain environment is unsafe and with no easy way of getting away. Artist Jacqui Kenny has been living with this disorder, which affects her ability to travel. However, she has managed to find the way to take “travel photos” from the safety of her room – using Google Street View. This project came to life accidentally, while she was exploring Google Street View and taking some screenshots....
Now, more than ever, racism is a touchy subject. National Geographic’s April issue is being devoted entirely to the subject of race. Naturally, this is going to upset a lot of people. No matter what one’s thoughts on the subject, somebody’s going to be upset by those thoughts and opinions. But National Geographic is holding their hand up and taking responsibility for their own actions. They challenged John Edwin Mason, a professor of African history and the history of photography at the University of Virginia to investigate the history of their own coverage of “people of color” in the USA and around the world....
If you travel a lot to shoot photos or video, then there will likely be a lot of things you keep in your bags to make your life a little easier. If you’re planning to make a trip to shoot something, you might not have thought things through quite as well as you think you have. In this video, the folks at NOMO Films show us eleven essential items that they take with them on their travels....
As a professional photographer, you really need to know your stuff. And there are some things you should be able to do fast, without thinking or even without looking. Ed Gregory from Photos in Color has a list of 16 things every photographer should be able to do in less than 10 seconds. If you’re a newbie, you may still need more time to do some of these things, and pros should already be able to do them in no time....
Even if you don’t use a smartphone for creating videos, it can still be a useful addition to your workflow. There are tons of apps out there you could find useful, and Sareesh Sudhakaran from Wolfcrow shares some of them in his latest video. This is a list of 18 apps he actually uses, so take a look and you may find something useful for yourself, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U34UWUkC8s&feature=youtu.be Note that Sareesh uses iPhone, so not all apps may not be available for Android users....
With cameras and lenses out of the way, it’s time to light your scene. So, you’ll need lights. I’ve noticed a distinct trend over the last year towards continuous lights, so while there are some flashes and strobes in this list, we’ve put quite a few of our favourite continuous LED lights in this year’s list, too. This one was on last year’s list, too, but it’s seen a nice price reduction since then and still remains a very popular lighting kit....
Light is something that plagues us all, whether we’re photographers or filmmakers. There’s either never enough, or it’s coming from the wrong direction, or it’s too hard or soft for what we need. So, we often need to add our own to get that look that we really want. So, with cameras and lenses out of the way, that’s what we’re going to be covering in our lighting gift guide....
No matter if you are a professional photographer or a hobbyist, I’m sure your photos are important to you. Therefore, it’s essential to have a good backup system so you can avoid any situation that may result in losing them all. David Bergman suggests an effective 3-2-1 backup system. It will protect your images from any situation that may hinder them, and save you from losing years of work....
The first piece of gear you need for capturing photos and videos is the camera. So, you’ve bought it and used it, but there are some items you should also invest in right after your camera. The guys from The Film Look suggest five things you should buy right after your camera. They focus on the filmmaking stuff, but most of these can also be applied to those who want to upgrade their photo gear, too....
