DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

Search

 

Submit A Story

Sony is bringing realtime Eye AF and native timelapse to the Sony A9, A7RIII and A7III

by 3 Comments

It looks like Sony are taking a leaf out of the Fuji playbook by introducing new substantial features through firmware updates rather than entirely new bodies. The Sony A9, A7RIII and A7III are about to get quite a significant feature upgrade with new firmware updates coming out over the next few months.

The first firmware update for the Sony A9 is due in March bringing the realtime Eye AF performance expected in the newly announced Sony A6400. The Sony A9 will see Animal Eye AF added in a second update coming in summer. The A7RIII and A7III will also receive these updates in a single firmware in April.

[Read More…]

Yes, you can update your Godox firmware on the mac, and here’s how to do it

by 1 Comment

As good as Godox equipment can be, it has one fatal flaw which puts many photographers off using their equipment. There’s no easy, native way to update the firmware on a Mac. And firmware updates do come fairly regularly for their various models of flashes and triggers. It’s a question I see pop up regularly in Facebook groups, and I’m asked personally quite often, too.

But there is some hope, using an application called VirtualBox to run a virtual Windows operating system inside your MacOS desktop. This video from photographer Ken Falk walks us through the process of updating his Godox firmware on the Mac.

[Read More…]

You still don’t need 4K and 8K is crazy talk – 5 things your film really needs

by 4 Comments

Five years ago, filmmaker and YouTuber, Brannigan Carter posted a video called “You don’t NEED 4K“. And five years ago he was probably right. It was only just starting to come out, the cameras were still ridiculously expensive to acquire, as was the kit to play it back. Unless you were a big Hollywood production company, there just wasn’t all that much point.

But here we are today in 2019. Just about every new camera coming out has 4K video. And 8K is on the way. And now Brannigan is back with a follow-up video saying that we still don’t need 4K, and that 8K is “crazy talk”. Let’s talk a little about that.

[Read More…]

Travel photography isn’t just shooting pretty landscapes – It’s a way of life

by Leave a Comment

Travel photography seems like something that only social media “influencers” do these days, but that is absolutely not the case. Travel photography as a genre and as a specialism for professional photographers is as strong and vibrant now as it ever was. And they don’t get much better than photographers like Karen Hutton.

For Karen, though, travel photography isn’t just about shooting pretty landscapes. It’s a philosophy. An entire way of life. SmugMug caught up with Karen to find out more about her philosophy and what makes her tick in their new film. It’s wonderfully inspiring and packed with amazing photography.

[Read More…]

The Flashpoint R2 Pro Mark II seems a good upgrade from the Godox XPro trigger

by 3 Comments

When Adorama announced that they were starting to go in their own direction with their rebranded Godox kit and actually developing their own compatible products, it was something of a surprise. The initial announcement of the R2 Pro Mark II got a lot of people very excited. It also got a lot of criticism, too. What’s with all the extra buttons? You’re making it too complicated!

Well, now the trigger has started to ship, and the first reviews are out. Photographer Rob Hall has got his hands on one, and he’s put together his thoughts on it in this video after spending some time with it. The short version, though, is to just go get it.

[Read More…]

The Weeview SID 3D is an entry-level 3D camera that’s a whole lot of fun to use

by 1 Comment

Small compact camera technology and tiny sensors have come a long way in the last few years. This is largely due to the advancement of smartphone cameras. But the benefits that those small sensors bring to the table can also be applied to other cameras. Cameras like those which can record 3D video in a package that easily fits in your pocket. The Weeview SID 3D is one such camera, and I’ve had one for the last few weeks.

[Read More…]

This dog films skateboarders better than I ever will

by 3 Comments

If there’s one thing I know about skateboarders, it’s that they’ll go to great lengths to film themselves pulling off tricks. But finding a camera operator to follow you around all the time isn’t easy. At least, not for most people.

For London based illustrator, designer and skateboarder, Rob Mathieson, the solution is simple. Strap a camera to his Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Ladies and gentleman, meet Fatman the Dog, camera op extraordinaire. And it’s one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen.

[Read More…]

Canon is still working on focal length reducing “speedbooster” adapters

by 1 Comment

Canon has been working on their own focal length reducers. Lens adapters commonly sold under “speedbooster” or similar names, these adapters translate a larger projection circle, like that from a full frame lens, to the smaller sizes needed by APS-C and smaller sensors.

Now, a new Japanese patent discovered by Canon Rumors shows that Canon has filed patents covering at least four more reduced optical formulas.

[Read More…]

This is how they clean camera sensors at the Leica Camera AG service centre

by 3 Comments

Cleaning our sensors at home is a fairly straightforward thing to do. I’ve been doing it since I was shooting with a pair of Nikon D100 bodies back in 2002 because sending your camera off to be cleaned was prohibitively expensive back then. These days, most camera stores will offer some kind of cleaning service.

But how do they do it when you send it back to the manufacturer? Specifically, how does Leica do it? This 20-minute video from Leica Society member Hari Subramanyam lets us see the whole process after he took his Leica M (Typ 240) and Leica SL into Leica Camera AG for a sensor clean.

[Read More…]

Recent Posts