If you’re just starting out as a filmmaker and looking into buying gear, it may seem overwhelming. So much to buy, so many options – and it can all be pretty expensive. But Matti Haapoja’s latest video is here to make the decisions easier and help you get your first kit. He suggests the first 10 items new filmmakers need to buy and gives you a couple of examples of the affordable, yet high-quality gear.
This photo shows that owning gear is not enough to make you a photographer, you need to know how to use it
by 10 Comments
You may argue whether gear matters or not, but one thing’s for sure: owning fancy gear doesn’t make you a photographer. And this image captured by Detroit-based photographer Holly Romaya is a perfect example that proves this point.
$400 camera vs. $4,000 camera – can you tell the difference?
by 1 Comment
It seems that the question “Does gear matter?” is a subject of an endless debate. Some photographer say it does and some that it doesn’t, but the fact is – you can still take good photos even with cheap gear. And in this video, Peter McKinnon will give you a proof.
Peter took some photos with the super-cheap Canon EOS T100/4000D and the new Canon EOS R mirrorless camera. Can you even tell which photo was shot on which? Take a look at the examples and try to guess, you may be surprised.
Three important things to consider before switching camera brands
by Leave a Comment
August and September have been pretty exciting as far as gear announcements go. Nikon Z7 and Z6 are out, along with the lenses and adapter. Canon’s full-frame-mirrorless system has also been launched, and Fujifilm X-T3 is out, too. Many photographers are thinking whether to switch systems or gear brands, and it’s a kind of a big decision to make. In this video, Mark Denney discusses three very important things to consider before you make the final decision. Because, when you take everything into consideration – you may not need to buy the new gear after all.
Bokeh or Nokeh – What Is Your Preference (and Does It Really Matter)?
by 6 Comments
So I’m down at the dock at the cottage and I decided that I wanted to snap a photo of my coffee to post a fairly typical, quick and easy Instagram banger.
Since the purpose of this photo was straight to social, I arranged the composition and then pulled out my phone to snap the picture (because why would a manufacturer build a camera with Android to be able to do this on an actual camera…).
After snapping the photo, I decided that it actually looked pretty decent – nice enough that I had to run back up to the cottage to grab my DSLR with an 85mm f/1.4…because, well, you know…bokeh.
Why the godfather of sports photography switched from Olympus to Canon. In 1976
by Leave a Comment
In the past couple of years, we’ve heard of many photographers switching from DSLR to mirrorless. Some of them have gone the other way around, and yet some have changed from MFT to mirrorless. They all have their reasons for these decisions, but switching systems isn’t a trend that came with mirrorless cameras. The “godfather of sports photography” Don Morley changed systems a couple of times in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In 1976, he ended up using Canon and he told the story about why he made the final switch.
The photographer’s paradox: do you really need all your gear for each task?
by Leave a Comment
Photographers invest a lot over the years. Not just in their gear, but also in their knowledge and skills of photography, retouching, marketing, and business. We all aim to make perfect photos, but Daniel DeArco shares an eye-opening video on this topic. He calls it “the photographer’s paradox” and he discusses whether you really need “perfect” photos every time and whether you really need to use all the gear you have. You can consider it an important lesson in marketing, and it will make you look at photography from a different perspective.
Watch a Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens make a late entry into freestyle swimming competition
by 24 Comments
Most of us have done something risky on a shoot before. And if we haven’t, we probably will at some point. Perhaps we perched our camera or an expensive flash somewhere precariously for a shot. Maybe it even paid off, and perhaps it didn’t.
For one photographer, the risk certainly didn’t pay off, as he drops what looks like a Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens and 5D style DSLR body straight into a swimming pool. That’s an expensive risk to take, and an expensive mistake to make.
Look after yourself as well as your gear
by Leave a Comment
I don’t know about you, but I’m super paranoid about my gear when I travel, which is pretty often these days. I am a big fan of ThinkTank bags and so have all my lenses, batteries and cameras in carryon ThinkTank bags, which may or may not weigh the required 7kgs that most economy class limits require.
Six must-have camera accessories if you’re just starting out
by 5 Comments
There seems to be many beginners in photography, who enthusiastically buy a mirrorless or DSLR-camera, use it intensively for two weeks, and then never touch it again. Yet some people manage to truly make photography into a passion from the very start, and they go on to enjoy it for years and years.
I believe a core deciding factor for which of these you become, is how good your experience is during the first few weeks with the camera. Furthermore, I believe that the experience is often decided by what kind of accessories you have. In this article I am listing six accessories I believe should be among the first you purchase. Most of them are cheaper than you might expect, especially if you are brave enough to purchase third-party versions.
