Tag: camera

Is Simple Better?

Photography

There seems to be a move afoot in photography – a move away from full manual control of camera settings and detailed processing of images using one or more editing tools, all the way to letting the camera handle things with automatic settings and built-in profiles. We just pick the mood we are in that day and shoot away.

Say what? Isn’t that what we spent years overcoming? The shortcomings of that dumb box? The mantra that full control over every pixel from capture to delivery is the only way to enjoy photography. A real photographer only shoots in full manual mode. A photograph ain’t finished until it has been “photoshopped”. Not any more. How did this happen?

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How Much Technology is Enough?

Gear, Photography, Tools

There were a couple of articles recently about the growing role of technology in cameras, specifically along the lines of how technology is making photography easy – too easy to be truly artistically challenging, it seems. I’ve written about something similar before, in terms of artificial intelligence and post-processing. This is a bit different. It’s about how much work your camera should do vs. what you should do as the photographer.

I’ll link to one of those articles below, in which the author opens up that argument and concludes the opposite – that technology in fact makes photography more challenging, focusing the artist’s attention on the things that are meaningful and not on the things that are mundane. I agree with that view, with some limitations.

Continue reading “How Much Technology is Enough?” →

Crop Mode in Camera or Crop in Post

Gear, Photography, Tools

There was a bit of a Facebook exchange recently in our camera club about how best to achieve a fill-the-frame image when your lens can’t provide enough reach. This wouldn’t even have been a discussion a few years ago – the only two ways to do it would have been to zoom with your feet (get closer) or to crop in post production. DSLRs offered no other options.

But today’s higher end DSLRs and all (most?) mirrorless cameras offer another option where you can isolate how much of the sensor read-out is captured in the RAW data for a particular image. When converted, that reduced RAW data then “fills the frame” appearing to create a zoom or magnified effect and brings you in “closer” to your intended subject.

The exchange on Facebook fell into two camps: those who called the result magnification and those who said that was misleading. Well, in fact, they are both right.

Continue reading “Crop Mode in Camera or Crop in Post” →

Is It Possible Not to Want the Latest Gear?

Gear, Photography, Tools

I’ve had an interesting experience since my last post (more than one, but only one worth writing about). The Canon EOS R3 was officially released, after many many months of rumor. The announcement confirmed everything rumored.

Full frame, completely new sensor, instant on, super high speed continuous shooting, multiple people and object tracking modes, eye-controlled autofocus, integrated grip for portrait and landscape shooting, huge ISO range. Additionally, file transfer through multiple methods, including wifi and network cable directly to camera. And lastly, new connection options in the hotshoe, allowing for seamless connection of microphones and other accessories.

And I have absolutely no interest in it.

Say what?

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Competition is Bad?

Interesting Stuff, Photography, Tools

There was an article this week from a Japanese market analyst who argued that competition in the camera industry is leading to the decline of the camera industry.  He cited the announcement of Olympus recently who have shut down/sold off their consumer camera business.

I have only one reaction to the story.  Duh! Continue reading “Competition is Bad?” →

Jumping into the Deep End

Interesting Stuff, Photography, Tools

I can’t resist commenting on the release this week of Canon’s new mirrorless flagship cameras, the EOS R5 and EOS R6.  There are lots of technical commentaries out there; instead, I want to document how I felt listening to the details of the release. Continue reading “Jumping into the Deep End” →

What Camera Mode When?

Photography, Tools

Fuji Automatic SettingsModern digital cameras, particularly “prosumer” quality and above, include several different modes or ways of interacting with the camera settings.  Although labelled differently for different manufacturers, all good cameras have modes that range from fully manual (where the photographer picks all of the settings) to fully automatic (where the camera evaluates the scene and picks the settings).

I recently found myself in a situation where the camera appeared to be picking settings for me and I couldn’t override them.  It turns out that the most modern cameras don’t pick settings unless you tell them to, and will give you more and more information to help you make an informed decision about those settings.  You can specify which decisions the camera should make, and which information you should receive so that you can make your own decisions.  I had simply picked the wrong mode for the situation.  Lesson learned. Continue reading “What Camera Mode When?” →

How Important are Megapixels?

Gear, Photography, Tools

Whenever I look at a new camera (purely for interest these days), the first stat I normally read is the megapixel count.  There seems to be a lot riding on this one number, as though it somehow conveys the quality of the images you will obtain and the performance of the camera in different conditions.  We’re also taught generally that bigger is better.

Sony

Sony recently announced its 61 megapixel flagship.  61 megapixels is surely “better” than the 24 megapixels of my Fuji or the 20 megapixels of my aging but trusty Canon.  On all counts, nothing could be further from the truth.  Here’s why. Continue reading “How Important are Megapixels?” →

And So The Battle Begins

Gear, Photography, Tools

As most of you know already, Nikon launched its full-frame mirrorless cameras on Aug 23/18, revealing two models that will appeal to both pros and hobbyists alike.  Priced respectively for those markets, the pro model will be available in September and the consumer model in November.

This isn’t a review of that equipment.  You can get a very good overview of the offering in the great article by M. Zhang from Petapixel.Nikon Mirrorless

What struck me as I watched the launch was just how hard Nikon was struggling to differentiate this product from the offerings already out there.  Perhaps it was the English translation, but “redefine possibilities” and “new light…to pioneer the future” left a lot to be desired as to why I would buy this camera over any other. Continue reading “And So The Battle Begins” →

Seeing Like the Camera – My First Year as a Photographer

Artistic Ideas, Learning, Nina Kirienko, Photography, Tools

As the next college year approaches, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned so far about photography, both in and out of the classroom.  All the technical and operational basics, for sure, along with lots of creative details that more experience and practice will make stronger.  It’s been a great year.

Knocking Down HurdlesBut there is one thing I continue to struggle with overall – it’s simply vision, in all its many forms.  That includes seeing clearly as my old eyes dim with time, developing a personal style and creative direction for my work overall, and maybe most puzzling, understanding how the camera, lighting and all of the other gear can be fully exploited to fulfill that vision.

Continue reading “Seeing Like the Camera – My First Year as a Photographer” →