After Banning Some Third-Party Lenses, What Does Canon's RF Future Look Like?

Recently, Canon banned the production and sales of some third-party lenses for its RF mount cameras. Many photography enthusiasts bemoaned the decision and claimed Canon would lose out because of it. Now that Canon has confirmed the prohibition, what does the future look like for its RF mount cameras and lenses?

Why Did Olympus Fail?

In January 2021, OM Digital Solutions acquired the Olympus Imaging Division, and though the cameras and lenses live on, the original iconic company was gone in some sense. So, what caused the downfall of one of the most respected and oldest photography companies on the planet? This interesting video takes a look at the history of the Olympus Imaging Division, where things started to go awry, and why it led to its ultimate failure.

Will Advancements in Technology Bring Back the Shoot and Burn?

The "shoot and burn," a photoshoot in which the photographer immediately delivers the images with minimal edits, saw a peak in popularity in the first decade or so of digital, when the novelty and convenience of digital files made the prospect of instant delivery enticing for a lot of customers, especially in genres like family photography. Now, with the rise of AI-powered culling and editing software, there loom some interesting questions: will the shoot and burn see a resurgence, and will it be a good thing for photographers?

5 Helpful Beginner Tips for Better Photos

When you are new to photography, there is a lot to try to learn all at the same time: creative vision, controlling technical parameters, editing, and a lot more. If you are new to photography and looking for some guidance on how to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five great tips and techniques for creating better photos in no time at all.

Dealing With Burnout as a Professional Photographer

Being a professional photographer is a demanding career that requires you to wear many hats and rarely allows time to catch one's breath. As such, burnout is a common issue among professional photographers. So, when you experience it, what can you do? This excellent video essay features an experienced photographer discussing his experiences with burnout and how he handles it.

Can This Affordable 85mm Lens Compete With More Expensive Options?

85mm lenses with wide maximum apertures are some of the most popular out there, particularly for portrait photographers, where their flattering focal length and narrow depth of field make them ideal for photographing people. Nonetheless, such lenses can cost well north of $2,000, which is what makes the Meike 85mm f/1.8, which costs less than $200, so intriguing. Can it keep up with more expensive options, though? This great video review takes a look at its performance and image quality to answer that question.

How Good Is the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens?

With lenses like the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, Tamron has shown that in addition to creating pragmatic, affordable lenses, they also have their eyes on those that push the boundaries of design and offer unique capabilities. One such lens is the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD, which offers an unusually wide range of focal lengths, and this excellent video review takes a deep look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

5 Reasons Why Black and White Shouldn’t Be Used for Landscape Photography

I asked in a Dutch photography community how they feel about black and white photography for landscapes. It seems it's not generally accepted, and many strange reasons are given why black and white shouldn’t be used. I’d like to share a few of those reasons that caught me by surprise.

Escaping the Freedom Deficit: Canon Canada’s Side Hustle 101 and Free Business Seminar

It should go without saying that everyone reading here at Fstoppers is interested in taking photos. I know that many of you also want to shake things up and make some money doing it. With three new upcoming start dates, it’s worth taking a look at Side Hustle 101, the product of Canon Canada’s new partnership with The Maker’s Collective.

How to Find the Right Composition for a Landscape Photo

In between specialized equipment, camera settings, forecasting, creative vision, and more, it takes a lot to learn how to create compelling landscape photos. But perhaps nothing is trickier to learn than the art of composition. If that is something you struggle with a bit, check out this great video tutorial that features a range of helpful advice from an experienced landscape photographer.

Has Canon Made a Big Mistake?

Canon recently caused a fair amount of controversy when it came out that they had requested that Viltrox stop manufacturing autofocus lenses for the RF mount, as they feel doing so infringes on their intellectual property. The incident seems to explain the curious lack of third-party lenses for the RF mount. Has Canon made a mistake?

How Can You Make a Great Photograph?

It's something we are all seeking. There is no doubt that some photographers are fantastic at what they do, but even the best won't create a great shot every time. So, is there a secret formula to creating one?

Helpful Advice for Better Landscape Photos

There are a lot of approaches to landscape photography, and each offers different benefits and drawbacks and places different demands on your time, effort, creative vision, and technique. If you would like to improve your landscape images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will walk you through a few shots and offer some great tips and advice along the way.

You Don’t Always Need a Camera Bag

Like most photographers, I own more than one camera bag. There is my main bag, my video gear bag, my small kit bag, my rolling bag for airplane travel, and that one, never-been-used, just sitting in the back of the closet, camera bag of unknown origin.

5 Mistakes Made by Landscape Photographers

Landscape photography takes a combination of technical skill, creative vision, and the ability to work in and with a wide range of conditions. There are some common mistakes all landscape photographers make at one point or another, and this fantastic video tutorial details five of them and what you can do to fix them or avoid them in the first place.

We Review the Hasselblad X2D 100C Medium Format Mirrorless Camera

The Hasselblad X1D 50C and X1D II 50C helped to redefine the paradigm of medium format, putting a large sensor inside a sleek, small body. Now, the X2D 100C is here, and not only does it double the resolution of its predecessors, it brings with it a bevy of impressive improvements and new features. In this review, we take a look at the camera and what you can expect.

How Mistakes Can Lead to Better Photos

Landscape photography is a genre with an above-average emphasis on technical skill and perfection, and we often try to avoid making any mistakes. Mistakes are not always bad, though, and occasionally, they can even lead to "happy accidents," as Bob Ross would say. This great video shows how mistakes can sometimes be a good thing and why you might want to embrace them just a bit more.

A Review of the New Venus Optics Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro APO Lens

Venus Optics is well known for making unique, interesting, and versatile lenses that offer capabilities that are not possible with other options. Their newest lens, the Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO, offers the promise of fantastic image quality in tandem with ultra-high levels of magnification, all at an affordable price. How does it perform? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.

What Focal Length Should You Use for Portrait Photography?

In order to create great portraits, you need to have a lot of great components: lighting, composition, as well as camera and lens choice. Deciding what focal length to use for portraiture can be difficult, so in this article, I will make a few suggestions on lenses you should use for your next portrait photoshoot.

New Blur Filter in Photoshop Works Incredibly on Portraits

Some of Photoshop's most recent updates have added some incredibly powerful editing tools. This new blur filter not only works amazingly well on landscapes images, it is stunning on portraits as well. See how to use it here.

Do You Actually Need a Tripod for Landscape Photography?

When it comes to landscape photography, few pieces of equipment are considered more vital than the tripod. And while it is certainly a fantastic piece of equipment, it also significantly alters your workflow. So, do you really need a tripod? This great video examines the question and if you can afford to leave your tripod at home the next time you head out.

Where Is the Canon EOS R1?

The Canon EOS R3 has been quite well received, and though it has some top-level professional capabilities that help it compete with cameras like the Sony a1 and Nikon Z9, it is not meant to be Canon's flagship mirrorless camera. That title will belong to the EOS R1, whenever it gets here, but when will that be?

The Better You Get at Photography, the Harder It Gets

It sounds counterintuitive, but there is a lot of truth to it: the better you get at photography, the harder it gets. Why is that? This excellent video discusses this seeming paradox and how you can avoid falling into a rut because of it.

Testing the iPhone 14 Pro for Nighttime Street Photography

Mobile phone cameras have taking gargantuan strides forward in the last decade, to the point where they are unquestionably able to compete with dedicated cameras in certain areas. So, how is the new flagship iPhone in one area it claims dominance?

Why Is Exposure so Crucial in Landscape Photography?

It is no secret that the proper exposure is fundamental to creating a good landscape image, but it is even more important than you might think. If you would like to improve your landscape photos, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer discussing some of the many reasons that getting the proper exposure is so crucial to a successful shot.

Help! What Can You Do When Your Photo Mojo Abandons You

How many times have you been stuck in a photographic rut? If your photo mojo got up, walked out, and slammed the door in your face, then there are things you can do to get it to come back. It has happened to me.

Common Misconceptions About Artificial Lighting

Artificial lighting is its own world, and it can be a bit overwhelming to try to tackle it all when you are new to the pursuit, which leads to some common misconceptions about the different types of flash, what they are used for, and how they work. This excellent video tutorial examines a lot of those misconceptions and offers a lot of helpful information that will make you better prepared to tackle working with artificial light.

Which of These Versatile Lenses Is Right for You?

A few years ago, if you wanted good image quality from a supertelephoto zoom lens, your only real choice was a first-party option. In the past few years, however, we have seen a real surge in high-quality third-party options that offer a lot of versatility and image quality at prices that often significantly undercut first-party lenses. This great video review takes a look at three of those, the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VXD, and Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary.

5 Important Traits of Successful Photographers

Becoming a successful photographer takes a combination of a lot of factors coming together all at the same time to make successful images, some objective and some subjective. And while every photographer will have a unique approach to the craft, there are some common traits that almost every successful creative has. If you would like to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses five common traits of successful photographers.

5 New (and Old) Movies You Must Watch as a Photographer

Going into the colder autumn months, we start to spend more time at home, especially in cities with a lot of rainfall, such as Munich or London. Sitting down with a cup of warm tea or mulled wine and enjoying a movie is one of the many things I look forward to each year.

All About That Tab in Lightroom You Never Knew About

Though we often think of Photoshop as the complex behemoth, Lightroom has plenty of little nuances and hidden features as well. One of the least discussed is the Camera Calibration tab, which sits at the bottom of the Develop module and can give your photos the kind of subtle boost that takes them to the next level. This excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about what the Camera Calibration tab does and how to use it.

Our Long-term Review of the Think Tank Airport Security Trolley

It has been 11 years since I bought the Think Tank Airport Security V2 trolley as my main bag for weddings. It served its purpose, and I’m still happy with the bag. In this article, I want to review the bag based on my findings from the first moment I bought the Think Tank trolley back in 2011.

How to Film and Edit a Vlog Quickly

Many thought vlogging would be a brief trend, but it's safe to say that was not an accurate prediction. Many content creators weave in vlogs as a way of engaging their audience further and more regularly. However, shooting and editing vlogs can be highly time-consuming unless you know what you're doing.

Drone Pilot's DJI Avata First Flight Review

DJI recently released the Avata, and it's made quite the buzz around town. So, how did this experienced drone pilot find flying the DJI Avata for the first time?

How to Photograph Your Own Cookbook

It’s one thing to plan a restaurant shoot or a client brief for a particular project, but how do you go about planning and photographing a much longer project, like a cookbook? In this post, I’m sharing my tips on how to photograph a self-published cookbook, but the advice holds true for a longer project like an e-book too.

A Review of the Fujifilm XF 18-120mm f/4 R LM PZ WR Lens

In the past year, Fujifilm has been on a tear, releasing a wide range of powerful new cameras and versatile lenses. One such lens is the XF 18-120mm f/4 R LM PZ WR, which combines a do-it-all focal length range with a variable power zoom for filmmaking applications. This excellent video review takes a look at the 18-120mm f/4 and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

19 Lesser-known Keyboard Shortcuts for Photoshop

Photoshop is a tremendously intricate and layered program, and it can often take several clicks to navigate to the function you want. Keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time and help keep you in the creative zone instead of trying to hunt down the feature you need. This excellent video tutorial will show you 19 lesser-known keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop that are sure to make you a more efficient editor.

Does Sex Sell in 2022?

Recently, Lewis Capaldi “took his clothes off and traumatized the general public all in the name of shameless self-promotion.” The conclusion was that sex sells. What does this mean for photographers who work in the advertising world? What does this say about the body of work you should have? Read on to find out.