The Canon EOS R8 is a relatively affordable entry point into Canon's full frame mirrorless system, making it an intriguing option for a wide variety of users, whether as a main or backup body. This great video review takes a look at the camera and the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Capture One has a great reputation for image quality but comes with a premium price tag. Does it live up to its reputation, and is that extra cost worth it compared to other programs? I tested it side by side with Adobe Lightroom Classic.
The 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is the workhorse you will find in a ton of photographers' bags, as it provides a useful zoom range in tandem with a wide maximum aperture. That being said, such lenses are generally rather expensive. If you do not need that wide aperture, you can save a lot of money and get more reach by opting for a lens like the NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S. 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.
Even just five years ago, this would not even be a question. However, in recent years, continuous lighting has made some remarkable strides, and it is now a viable alternative to traditional strobes for a lot of work. So, which is right for your portrait photography? This excellent video comparison features an experienced portrait photographer sharing her thoughts.
Generally, when it comes to medium format, lenses do not have the same extremely wide apertures many full frame or APS-C options do. Nonetheless, there are a few such options out there for medium format users, and they can offer some extreme and unique results. One such option is the Mitakon Speedmaster 65mm f/1.4 XCD for Hasselblad mirrorless cameras, and this great video review takes a look at the sort of images you can create with the lens.
"Vintage" point-and-shoot digital cameras are all the rage among Gen Z today, and while you can cruise eBay to find something used to scratch that itch, what can you get for about the same money new?
Parabolic light modifiers are some of the most versatile on the market. Coincidentally, they are also some of the most expensive ones out there. Loved for versatility, hated for the price, and very few photographers actually own them. Godox set out to create an affordable but also a truly parabolic softbox. So, how did they do? Spoiler alert: much better than I expected.
Tamron has updated their ever-popular 28-75mm lens with a new second-generation version that packs a punch for Sony E mount users. Read on to see how it performed in the field when challenged by a variety of subjects and lighting conditions.
While the ports on modern laptops are enough for most users, photographers and filmmakers have much higher connectivity demands than the average person. A portable hub can be a lifesaver for a creative on the go. In this review, we take a look at the Anker 555 USB-C 8-in-1 Hub and if it can provide both the ports and performance a demanding workflow requires.
Few lenses are more famous than the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, renowned for its extreme design and insane bokeh, making it a favorite of numerous portrait and wedding photographers for many years. Now available on the used market for about the same price as the far newer RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, you might wonder which is right for you. This great video comparison will help you decide.
Fine art photography can be very lucrative, but it is a business and may not be for everyone.
If you've used Instagram in the past six months, you might have noticed the slow decline of photography on your feed. Reels are the main culprit of that change, but there's more to it than you might think.
Since the launch of the X-T1 in 2014 Fujifilm have a range of cameras that appealed to both amateur and professional photographers alike. So with its 40MP APS-C sensor and up to 7 stops of IBIS is the new Fujifilm X-T5 the best in the range and should you consider upgrading?
I love using Capture One. Recently, I have been working with the latest release: Capture One 23 and Capture One Live. Loved by enthusiasts and professionals alike, it is feature-heavy software. In this article, I would like to share some of the hidden and little-known features of this great software.
Along with shutter speed and aperture, ISO is one of the three fundamental exposure parameters, and as such, mastering it is crucial to taking full control of your images. If you are new to photography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of how ISO works and how to use it.
You can spend years working on perfecting your technique and developing your creative voice, and while those are crucial to finding success as a professional, they are not all you need. Understanding the ins and outs of running a business is a requirement of being a professional photographer, and this great video tutorial will run you through some of the things you need to know.
Spring is here, and that means that flowers are blooming everywhere you look, and they make for marvelous photo subjects. Of course, you can photograph them in a natural way that shows off the surrounding light and environment, but a black background can add a sense of drama and show off the vibrant, eye-catching colors of the blooms. It does not take that much equipment to do so either! This excellent video tutorial will show you what you need and how to go about doing it.
Often, as a wildlife photography enthusiast, I would love to have more reach when out in the field. This excellent video features a brilliant young photographer who is looking for a big performance from this small portable device.
There is no good time to start a photography business, but there are certainly some more challenging times.
The Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR is hailed to be one of the sharpest Fuji lenses for its size and very reasonable price, so how does it fair on the Fuji X-T5 with its 40mp sensor? It's one on a list of lenses that Fujifilm recommends you use to get the best out of the sensor, and if that in fact is the case it certainly does it well.
Getting it right in camera is definitely the best thing to do. If you can correctly light, compose, and white balance your footage and images, then you're probably going to have an easier time. However, there are situations when the lighting just isn't working or you need to capture footage in less-than-ideal situations. In those situations, use Topaz Labs. Right now, they're having a Holiday sale.
Adobe recently rolled out one of its biggest Lightroom feature updates in quite some time: AI noise reduction. Promising to vastly out-perform the previous system, the new functionality has some stiff competition from many other options. How does it perform in practice? This great video overview takes a look at what you can expect.
Creating a successful landscape image takes a combination of several factors, including good technique, knowledgeable planning, lots of patience, and more. And as such, it can be a lot to try to master when you are first starting out. If you are new to landscape photography and looking to improve, check out this great video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer sharing three tips that will put you on the right track.
LED video lights have made remarkable strides in the last few years, and you can now get professional-level options at affordable options. One example of this is the new Colbor 220W Bi-color COB LED video light, which offers impressive features and performance at a very affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at the light and how it holds up in usage.
Do you edit your photos, post them, and leave them to sit on your hard drive, never to be touched again? If so, you might be missing out. This great video features an experienced photographer discussing why you should consider digging into your portfolio to pull out those older photos to edit again.
While the EOS R system and RF mount have proven quite successful, they actually were not the company's first foray into the mirrorless market. That honor belongs to the EOS M system, but it seems (unsurprisingly) that the company is continuing to wind down those cameras and lenses to focus on the RF mount.
Photographing star trails is more than just taking pictures. It takes time to shoot on location, and it takes even more time to edit the images afterward. I have ten tips that can help you get amazing star trails.
I was extremely excited to get my hands on the Sony a7 IV last December. It promised to be a camera with a lot to offer and for me, felt like a huge upgrade from my much loved Sony a7 II. As the successor to the successful a7 III, expectations couldn’t be higher, so it certainly had a lot to live up to. 10 months of heavy use later, I couldn’t be happier with it. Here’s five of the many reasons I’m completely obsessed with the Sony a7 IV.
If you are looking for amazing tips of posing models and how to use natural light, this video has it all. In this video, Michael Sasser travels to Bali, Indonesia and shares behind-the-scenes footage along with lots of tips and tricks that will help you in boudoir and portrait photography.
One of the best parts about the Micro Four Thirds system is the availability of a lot of small lenses that pack a lot of image quality into those tiny footprints. If you are looking to expand your lens arsenal, check out this fantastic video that features a seasoned Micro Four Thirds user sharing five of his favorite lenses for the system.
Retouching hair can be a challenging and time-consuming process, but with the right knowledge and carefully practiced technique, you can avoid the frustration and improve the quality of your portraits. If you would like to make your portraits better, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know about retouching hair.
I have already written two articles about focus stacking here. The first article dealt with how I use automatic focus bracketing in the field, and in the second article, I shared my focus stacking workflow in Helicon Focus. To provide you with even more tools, I now show you how I combine focus stacking with exposure blending.
Fujifilm recently introduced their latest 40-megapixel APS-C sensor, the X-Trans CMOS 5 HR. Along with announcing two new cameras featuring the X-Trans 5 chip, a list of lenses that are "optimized" for the new sensor was also released. But do you need the optimized lenses to get the most out of the new cameras? I address this and more in my latest video.
For Fujifilm photographers, the XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR and XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR offer both a wide angle and a normal focal length in tandem with a wide maximum aperture, making them versatile options for a wide range of genres, including wedding work, street photography, portraiture, and much more. How do they hold up over time? This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from them.
The 7D line of APS-C DSLRs from Canon were some of the most popular the company ever made, bringing many of the features and capabilities from higher-level full frame cameras like the 5D and 1D series to far more affordable cameras. Now in the mirrorless age, the EOS R7 has picked up that torch and brought along a modernization of the body with a range of upgrades. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera after six months of usage and if it holds up to the needs of professional photographers.
I’ve always had a set of “work” cameras and “fun” cameras, the former being big, heavy professional tools and the latter being the kind I’d bring on family trips and for street photography.
News recently broke that Viltrox, a brand known for their affordable lenses, has stopped manufacturing for the Canon RF mount after rumors that Canon had asked them to pull their products. Canon recently confirmed that news, and it certainly raises questions about the future of third-party lenses for their mirrorless cameras.
When I was looking for a camera that could shoot higher resolution than my Canon 5D Mark IV, I had three options: Phase One, Canon 5DD, or mirrorless. I ended up getting the Canon 5Ds, and after using it for a bunch of work, here are my long-term thoughts.
The standard lens of choice landscape photography is an ultrawide zoom, something like a 16-35mm f/4. When working in a genre in which you have no control over the placement of elements in the scene and there is often significant physical effort to get to a location, a zoom can be a major convenience. Nevertheless, a prime lens still has its place. This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing the benefits of using a prime lens for landscape work.
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.
Black and white cameras are a bit of a rarity, but they have been steadily present for years, and many photography purists swear by them both for the experience and the quality of images they provide. And so, as both a black and white camera and a DSLR, the new Pentax K-3 Mark III is an especially interesting camera. How does it perform in practice? This great video review takes a look at everything you can expect from the camera.
One of the trickiest aspects of landscape photography is that, unlike many other genres, you have no control over the elements in the frame, and as such, it can be tricky to find your individual voice and sense of creativity. It is not impossible, though. This great video tutorial discusses the topic and offers a range of helpful advice on how to find your creative voice in the genre.
Wireless mics have come a long way in the last few years. In this post, we will look at four different systems, with a focus on the newest mics from Rode and DJI.
ChatGPT has been a breakthrough moment for some industries this past week. It can literally turn ideas into reality, but is it good enough to create motion graphics in Adobe’s After Effects?
Canon’s cinema line of cameras ushered forward the post-DSLR years for video users, and now, they could be set to do the same with mirrorless designs.
Why would you get a hard case instead of a backpack? This review of the Nanuk 935 Hard Case will make you think differently about how you store and get your gear from point A to point B. There are other hard cases out there, but this one has a lid organizer, which in my opinion, sets it apart.
Any photographer who walks long distances or spends hours on their feet with their equipment knows that every last ounce matters. And so, the idea of a single lens that can cover just about every focal length is quite intriguing. Tamron's 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD makes that promise, and this excellent video review takes a look at it and the image quality and performance you can expect from it in usage.
