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Poll: If I Was A Camera Maker I Would Focus On…

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Imagine if you were head of the camera division at Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji or any of the other big (or small) brands. You now have the power to invest in the features you would like to see coming on the next version of the camera where would you put the research money?

We’ve seen some interesting news from Magic Lantern, who pushes for better video. We know that that is huge. We’ve seen the low light/high ISO battle between Nikon’s D800 and Canon’s 5DmkIII so that must matter to some. Nikon’s D800 36MP behemoth is now rumored eat megapixel dust from Canon’s new 75MP monster.

Which aspect do you think matters most, or is it something else altogether? This is your chance to decide on the future of cameras. Vote and have your say or leave a comment with your thoughts.

7 Photographers – Each Take A Different Angle On The Same Light Modifier

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It is always interesting to see how different people respond differently to the same raw material. Specifically for this post, how seven different photographers interacted with the same lighting modifier.

When I first built the Light Blaster, I gave several photographers a copy of it during various phases of development. Some got an almost finished product, while some got a 3D printed prototype held together with spit, epoxy glue and rubber bands.

The Light Blaster™ Is A Reality Altering Strobe Based Projector

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We are very excited today to announce a brand new light modifier done by our sister company – Spiffy Gear. It is called The Light Blaster™.

The Light Blaster (or Blaster for short) is a unique light modifier that enables you to project an image onto a subject or a background. Imagine that, the ability to create a new world at the click of a shutter.

It is small, portable and and only requires a speedlight and any SLR lens to work. Things you already probably have. We’ve designed a high quality product specifically built to keep costs at a minimum while pushing the creative potential to the maximum! The advantage of having an interchangeable lens means that you can simply switch up the focal length to achieve different results: 35mm to blast an entire wall, 200mm to paint a heart on a chest.

The Wonderful World Of Lumix G1 Mated With Ancient Lenses

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The Panasonic Lumix G1 was the first camera to feature a mirrorless interchangeable lens. It was ground breaking. Today the market is saturated with variations on micro 4/3 and mirrorless cameras, yet Yuji Takahashi gave his G1 a new life by mating it with ancient lenses from the past. How ancient? some go all the way back to early 1900’s.

Sunday Poll: If The Photo-Fairy Gave You $1500 What Camera Gear Would You Buy?

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Here is a poll which is a little bit different than the ones we usually run. If the photo-fairy went down from heavens and granted you with a $1500 check which you must spend on photography gear, how would you spend it? Share with us in the comments.

While you don’t have to spend the entire amount, any access money is magically returned to the fairy.

The photo-fairy chose $1500 because it is exactly enough for either 1 or 2 big items or a whole bunch of smaller items, your pick.

If you are lacking inspiration, you can check out the Amazon photo store for reference, but don’t feel obliged to pick from there. Feel free to pick any item(s) related to photography in the world.

[The image at the top (taken from the Australian War Memorial collection) shows what I think a Possum would probably get form the photo-fairy]

Magic Lantern’s Focus Peaking Makes Freelensing A Snap

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Freelensing is a form of photography where the lens is hand held in front of the body and is not inserted into the bionet. If you ever tried it, it is pretty cool and creates tilt/shift like effect, only with a random aspect to it because you are… well… hand holding the lens. This is why it’s called Freelensing.

If you are new to the subject, or just want a refreshment, Luke Roberts has a great introductory tutorial on freelensing (which is where the title sketch was taken from).

One of the harder things to do while freelensing is focusing, you are constantly moving, the camera is moving in relation to the subject, and the lens is moving in relation to the camera. This is where Magic Lantern can help. Magic Lantern is a custom firmware pack for Canon DSLRS which adds features to the camera.

Tips On Building Lighting And Shooting On A DIY Green Screen

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It’s been a long time since we had a good green screen tutorial here on DIYP, and Lars Lindstrom over at The Slanted Lens just came up with a pretty sweet tutorial on how to build a DIY green screen (also known as Chroma Key).

Aside the awesome car defying video, they also shared a few tips with the blog about lighting and shooting against a chroma key – DIY or not. More after the jump.

Should You Blow On Your Lens To Clean It?

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I think it is safe to say that for thousands of years photographers (me included) have been cleaning lenses by blowing on the lens and then wiping it with a piece of cloth.

Nikon discourages that, saying that breath contains acidic elements that can damage your lens. In reply to a Nikonian who asks “How do I clean the camera lens?” Nikon support replies:

The best way to clean a lens is to use a piece of lint free lens cleaning tissue and a small amount of Lens Cleaning solution. Do not use anything containing abrasives or  solvents, only use Lens Cleaning Solution.

First we recommend taking a small blower brush to blow off or brush away loose dust or debris.

Next, place a drop or two of cleaner on the tissue (never directly onto the lens) and then wipe the lens in a circular motion, beginning in the center and working your way outward, removing any marks or smear.

If the above supplies are not available a clean, dry, soft, lint free cloth can be used to clean the lens. Do not breathe on the lens to fog it for cleaning. There are harmful acids in breath that can damage lens coatings. Just use the blower bulb, then brush, and wipe the lens in a circular spiral from the center outward.

The same method can be used to clean the viewfinder eyepiece of Nikon cameras.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Rolling Shutter

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Rolling Shutter is the way that most DSLR are shooting video. (and point and shoots and iPhones too). For 95% of the time it does not really matter what type of shutter is used for capturing video, in the other 5% it matters a lot. Following is a break down and explanation of what is Rolling Shutter why it is being used and what are its quarks.

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