Your Camera Is Probably Better Than You

Camera technology has advanced at a breakneck pace, particularly in the last few years, as a bit of an arms race has emerged between the various manufacturers competing for the mirrorless space. It can be easy to get caught up in all that hype, but at the end of the day, it is important to remember that your camera is probably better than you.

Should You Spend a Little Extra for This 50mm Lens?

50mm lenses can cost anywhere from under $100 to well over $2,000, with options filling out that range at just about every price point. While those sub-$100 lenses are fantastic learning tools, eventually, you will probably want to upgrade to a higher-quality option. The Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.8 lens seems to hit the sweet spot between quality and price, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Which Program Handles Fujifilm Raw Files Better, Lightroom or Capture One?

Fujifilm cameras have long been praised for the colors they produce. Lightroom has often been criticized for being incapable of processing Fujifilm raw files effectively. Capture One is generally recommended. Therefore, in this article, we will be comparing Lightroom and Capture One to see which is best for Fujifilm raw files.

A Look at Sigma's Compact Portrait Lens, the 90mm f/2.8 Contemporary

A premium portrait lens with a wide aperture around f/1.4 often commands a high price, usually somewhere around $2,000. And while that wide aperture can be a fun and useful creative tool, you do not always need it to create great portraits. If you want to save money and don't want to carry around a bulky f/1.4 lens, check out this great review of the affordable and lightweight Sigma 90mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens.

Are You Taking Enough Risks in Your Photography?

Learning photography is a challenging thing, requiring you to bring together various technical skills and creative vision simultaneously to make successful images. As such, when you dial it all in, it can be easy to stay in that routine and never evolve your work. That might be the time to ask yourself if you are taking risks in your work, as this great video discusses.

7 Mistakes for Wedding Photographers to Avoid

Wedding photography is a challenging genre that takes a wide range of skills, and it can be easy to make a mistake that derails things. If you are working on improving your skills, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced wedding photographer discussing seven common mistakes and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.

Is Film Still Relevant in Filmmaking?

A photographer or filmmaker's equipment is probably one of the most hotly debated topics, as anyone familiar with photography forums can tell you. There are arguments both for and against either a "fully stacked" or a "minimalist" approach. Dan Mace takes both in this video.

A Look at Some of the Best Budget Gear for Filmmakers

Making good-looking footage isn't an easy or cheap endeavor. While for much work, it still makes sense to spend on the gear you need, sometimes, there's a workaround that is much, much cheaper. This video takes a look at some of the best video accessories you can get for under $50.

A Common Mistake Landscape Photographers Make With Wide Angle Lenses

Landscape photography is a challenging genre, and the tool of choice is often a wide angle lens. Wide angle lenses can be particularly tricky to work with, however. This excellent video tutorial will show you a common mistake landscape photographers make with wide angle lenses and how to correct it and improve your images.

More Extreme Canon Lenses Are Likely on the Way Soon

Canon has had their foot on the gas ever since the release of the EOS R5 and RF 28-70mm f/2L USM lens. It looks like they have no intention of slowing down, with two mightily impressive lenses likely on the way soon.

Shooting for the 'Gram: What Wins, Usage or Composition?

I’ve been in the game for a little while, and along the way, there have been a few "new" things. New flashes, diffusers, scrims, softboxes, continuous light panels, LED wands, animated photos, cinemagraphs, mirrorless cameras, the list goes on and on, not to mention Photoshop and Lightroom, which update more often than I wash my sheets. But the one "new" I was not expecting to face was a new photography usage that has made me have to think anew about composition: Instagram.

Can You Do Wildlife Photography on a Budget?

When it comes to serious wildlife photography, it generally takes some of the most advanced equipment out there to get the best possible shots, as you will often be dealing with situations with low light and a faraway subject, requiring fast shutter speeds, quick burst rates, great autofocus, and lenses with long focal lengths and large apertures. However, such equipment is often extremely expensive. So, what can you accomplish with low-end budget gear? This great video takes a look.

5 Great Compositions for Engagement and Couples Portraits

Engagement and couples portraits can be challenging, since you have to juggle posing two people simultaneously while, of course, dealing with all the other normal parameters, like composition, lighting, and more. If you would like to take a little pressure off yourself and improve your photos, this excellent video tutorial will show you five effective compositions for engagement and couples portraits.

Is This $5,000 Drone Really Worth It?

Drones have become something of a staple in modern photography for a number of genres, with the financial barrier to entry now lower than ever. But, there are also high-end drones that cost a fair whack, so are they worth it?

Instagram? Flickr? 500px? Where to Share Your Photos Online?

Remember how great Flickr was at its peak? It was an active photography community to share and discuss images with other photographers all over the world. While the site still functions, it's nowhere near as popular and active as it once was, and it hasn't had a decent refresh in years. Oh, how the mighty fall. Where else can we share images with other photographers?

Planning the Right Place and Time for Astrophotography

Time flies by. We’re already into February. Have you got your astrophotography planned out for the year? For astrophotographers, knowing what’s up in the sky and planning is the key to getting an interesting shot.

Which of These Lenses Is the Better Deal?

A good 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is often worth its weight in gold, and unfortunately, they often cost about that much too. Luckily, in the last few years, we have seen a real influx of much more affordable third-party options from companies like Tamron and Samyang. This excellent video comparison takes a look at two such options, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 and Samyang 24-70mm f/2.8 AF.

Luminar Neo Now Shipping: We Review the Release Version

Skylum has kept reviewers well stocked with pre-release versions of Luminar Neo, and I've reported on the results. Nowm we've got the release version, although it is still not complete, which I'll detail below. Here's our review.

Four Months With the Sony a7 IV Mirrorless Camera

The Sony a7 IV mirrorless camera has been in the hands of photographers for several months now, allowing them to form long-term opinions about one of the most hotly anticipated bodies in recent memory. If you have been interested in the camera for your own work, check out this great video review that discusses a photographer's thoughts after four months with it.

Which Focal Length Is Right for Your Portrait Photography?

When it comes to portrait photography, one of the most important choices you can make is the focal length you use, as it will have significant consequences on the way your subject is rendered. If you are new to portrait photography and wondering about the relationship between focal length and the final image, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you portraits shot between 25mm and 135mm and how they differ from each other.

A Look at the Impressive New Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Lens

When Nikon first got started in the mirrorless world, they released mostly pragmatic, standard lenses. Now that the system is a bit more mature and the impressive Z 9 has hit the market, the company has begun to expand its lineup, with one of the most intriguing options being the new NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens. This great video takes a first look at the lens and what photographers can expect from it.

Why Should Photographers Stay Up to Date With Tech?

Many of us spend hours of our lives reading gear reviews, checking rumor sites, getting excited about a new camera or computer releases, and generally keeping up to date with the technology behind modern photography. Some believe that by staying up to date with new technology we can make better-informed buying decisions and potentially get better at our craft. Some are simply interested in new technology. But how important is it for photographers to stay up to date with the bleeding edge of new technology?

3 Fundamentals for Creating Light and Airy Photos

The light and airy look is a very popular style with clients and really evokes feelings of love, lightness, and happiness. However, a lot of photographers mistakenly assume that it is simply about overexposing what is otherwise a normal portrait image. If you are interested in creating the look in your own work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three important fundamentals for the style.

Learn How to Light With Dani Diamond

Dani Diamond is well known for his portraiture work, particularly his natural light work. But of course, he works with artificial lighting too, and in this great video tutorial, he will walk you through a one-light setup and how he modifies it to create a professional-level portrait.

All the Focal Lengths You Need: A Review of the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD Lens

Photographers who travel a lot or walk long distances know that carrying around a bag of several lenses to cover every possibility is exhausting. A single lens that can cover all those focal lengths can make life a lot easier. One such lens is the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD, and this great video review takes a look at it and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Creating a Brenizer Method Portrait on Medium Format Film

A Brenizer portrait is a composite photograph that is created by combining 9-15 different captures into a single final image. The technique is often performed using a full frame digital camera but the final image has a perspective that resembles an image taken on a medium format camera. In this video, photographer Steven Schultz takes this technique one step further by using a medium format film camera to create a Brenizer portrait.

How to Best Protect Your Camera Gear

There are few horrors in life quite like dropping your camera or knocking it off of a table. We've all been there, but there are lots of ways you can prevent damage. In this video, David Bergman goes through a few of the methods you can use to safeguard your equipment.

Do You Need a Medium Format Camera?

Medium format has seen a bit of a renaissance in the last few years, with bodies gaining advanced features typically reserved for cameras with smaller sensors and coming down in price significantly — to the point that they are viable alternatives to full frame cameras. So, do you need a medium format camera? This great video compares some of the best cameras out there to help you decide.

How to Compose a Landscape Shot With an Extremely Wide Angle Lens

Wide angle lenses are the standard choice for landscape photography, but they challenge the photographer to compose images in which a huge part of the scene is in the frame. This great video tutorial follows a photographer as he shoots with a super-wide angle lens and shows you how to compose with such a challenging focal length.

A Simple Approach for Landscape Photography in Bad Light

Bad light is something every landscape photographer will have to deal with at one time or another, but that does not mean you have to pack up your bag and head back home without any worthwhile images. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer walking you through dealing with poor lighting and still coming home with interesting photos.

Fstoppers Reviews the Sony Xperia 5 III Smartphone for Photography

When I got asked to review a smartphone I had my doubts. I don’t believe a smartphone can be used for serious photography. But I realized it was an opportunity to see if my opinion was biased or not. I received the Sony Xperia 5 III to look closer at its photographic abilities.

A Look at the Fujifilm GFX 100S Camera and GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR Lens

Fujifilm's medium format mirrorless cameras have gained popularity for offering superlative image quality and modern features normally reserved for cameras with smaller sensors at significantly more affordable prices than traditional medium format options. The great video follows a photographer as he compares the GFX 100 to the GFX 100S along with the GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR lens.

A Review of One of the Craziest Lenses Ever Made

Generally, the longest focal length lenses available are 800mm f/5.6 options, aside from rare or discontinued examples. And even as a prime, such a lens is massive. So, you can imagine just how big things get if you want to make a zoom that can reach 800mm with an f/5.6 aperture, but that is just what this lens known as the "Sigmonster" can do.

3 Important Tips for Photographing Blue Hour

Trying to capture a perfectly balanced shot during blue hour has its challenges. These three tips will have you capturing more successful images for your portfolio.

How to Properly Expose Canon Log on the R5 and R6

Shooting video has never been better for consumers and with C-Log and C-Log 3 profiles on some Canon cameras, you gain access to far more malleable footage when it comes to post-processing. However, when you look at the preview of log footage, it looks like it's sitting beneath a high pass filter in Photoshop, so how do you properly expose for it?

5 Mistakes Landscape Photographers Make With Wide Angle Lenses

Wide angle lenses are often the option of choice in landscape photography, but they can present some unique challenges that make them difficult to produce strong photos with. If you are newer to landscape photography, this helpful video tutorial will show you five common mistakes landscape photographers make with wide angle lenses and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.

A Review of the Sony a7 IV Mirrorless Camera

Perhaps no camera has been more highly anticipated in the last few years than the Sony a7 IV, and now that it has been available for a few months, photographers and filmmakers have had a chance to evaluate the latest entry in the company's highly respected line of hybrid mirrorless cameras. This excellent video review takes a look a look at the new camera and the sort of performance and quality you can expect from it in practice.

Should You Use Flash for Indoor Photography or Only a High-ISO Setting?

Often, I read about natural light photographers who prefer a high-ISO setting above the use of flash. The latter is considered unnatural and unflattering light. Perhaps that photographer should consider the benefits flash can offer without the sacrifice of a natural-looking photo.

What Does This Strange Lightroom Function Do?

If you have not taken a deep dive into Lightroom's new masking features yet, you are definitely missing out on some impressively capable and easy-to-use tools. One function inside the new system is a bit strange, however, and it is not immediately obvious what it is and how to effectively use it. This helpful video tutorial will show you the Intersect function, the logic behind it, and how to use it to create better, more efficient, and more precise edits of your images.

Can This Samyang 50mm Keep Pace With a Premium Sony 50mm Lens?

A high-quality 50mm lens with a wide aperture is one of the most versatile options a photographer can own, suitable for anything from portraits to events and more. Sony shooters have an overabundance of 50mm lenses to choose from, and this excellent video review compares two of them, the premium Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA and the more affordable but still impressive Samyang AF 50mm f/1.4 EF II.

XXL Printing: What To Consider for Printing Bigger Than A0

How many megapixels do we need? What do we have to consider already out on location, that we are able to print big afterward? How do we choose the right printing material, and how can we be sure to get the best possible printing result in the end?

Tips to Improve Your Results From Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro has become a staple of video editing and attracted many editors to it. Like most modern software, it is deep and nuanced, however, and you can always learn more. In this video, one expert takes you through some of his best tips.