Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Clearer, sharper, brighter!
In recent years, we’ve spent a lot of money investing in expensive camera tech and lenses that produce flawless and crystal-clear imagery (ironically, that’s a dated expression given that we actually want images to be a lot clearer than crystal). But, is it really necessary? Do we really need to remove all traces of the image making process from our photographs? Have our images lost some of their uniqueness along the way?
Well, if you’d been thinking about picking up Canon’s EF to RF drop-in filter adapter, Breakthrough Photography might’ve just made your decision a little easier. They’re the first third-party company to produce drop-in filters for the Canon adapter, and they’ve kicked off the range by launching a whole bunch of them at once!
Amongst the list of filters for your Canon full-frame mirrorless adapter are several circular polarisers (some with included ND) regular straight NDs as well as variable NDs, a Night Sky filter, infrared filter, a couple of clear filters and a number of interesting coloured polarisers specifically for shooting black and white.
Launched last June, Lensbaby’s OMNI filter system has opened up a lot of creative effects for photographers. More importantly, it’s opened up a lot of consistent creative effects due to its magnetic holders for each of the crystals and doodads it allows you to stick in front of your lens. It lets you position your flares and effects exactly where you want, knowing that they’re not going to budge.
Its abilities have grown, thanks to the release of of the Color and Crystal expansion packs, and now they’ve grown again as Lensbaby announces a new Flare Expansion Pack. It offers four new glass Effect Wands you can place in front of your lens to create new looks and offer even more creative options.
I’m a big fan of step-up rings. I buy all my circular filters in 77mm diameter (the largest diameter of all the lenses I own) and then use step-up rings to be able to use them on lenses with a smaller diameter. It’s a great approach that saves you an absolute fortune because you don’t have to buy your polarizers and variable NDs in five different sizes. You buy the largest size you need and then spend $1-2 each on step-up rings.
But this new device, the REVORING looks like it wants to be the only step up ring you’ll ever need. It’s currently launching on Kickstarter, where it’s already more than quadrupled its goal, and it’s a pretty interesting concept. Although, it’s not going to be ideal for everybody just yet.
Filters were once common to all but compact and disposable cameras for shooting a vast array of topics. I’ve got about 20 here that I can pick from when I’m shooting black and white film, for example. But aren’t filters all just irrelevant now with digital photography where we can change the colour and contrast in post?
Well, no, not all of them. In this video, the team at DPReview TV takes a look at four filters that they say you still need for digital photography. Personally, I’m only really inclined to agree with three of them, but have a watch for yourself and make up your own mind.
Adobe Photoshop Camera was launched as a preview way back in November last year. And now, it’s finally out. It packs a bunch of AI features using Adobe Sensei, the same technology that you’ll see in Photoshop CC. And unlike most Adobe products, this one is completely free to download and use.
Variable neutral density filters have become invaluable tools for many photographers and filmmakers. They allow us to carry less kit to be able to extend our shutter speed in a variety of lighting conditions vs big holders and multiple square format filters. In recent years, their prices have fallen quite dramatically, too, while their overall quality has greatly improved.
Moment’s recently released variable ND filters have come in at a very attractive price, but do they hold up to scrutiny? With the lockdown in Scotland, I haven’t been able to get out to play with them properly in the wild yet, but I have been able to do some testing to get an idea of their capabilities. So, here’s what I think.
As a landscape photographer, I find it both a convenience and an inconvenience to use filters. For example, using filters for balancing light in a scene, eliminates the need for bracketed shooting. This saves space on my memory card and on my hard drive. On the other hand, sometimes things happen so fast that mounting filters spoils the moment. There are also instances when using a filter to smooth the water in a waterfall will save me from blending exposures in Photoshop. On the negative side, adding filters to the backpack takes up space and adds weight.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the creative benefits of using ND (Neutral Density) filters in photography. This can be viewed here. Although I love ND filters they can require a larger initial investment which could be a barrier for people who want to play around with long exposures photography.
What if there was another option that let you adjust the strength of the light reduction which costs less and still offers decent image quality?
Lensbaby’s OMNI Creative Filter System was announced earlier this year for pre-order and is now shipping. It’s an interesting system offering some very unique creative options for both photographers and filmmakers. We stopped by the Lensbaby stand at PhotoPlus 2019 to see it in person and find out all about it.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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