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Does sensor size matter? Part 2 – What the heck is equivalency?

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Equivalency is one of those topics that not only confuses a lot of people but also turns into some pretty heated arguments. It’s why people think that a lens of one focal length “turns” into another when you put it on a camera with a differently sized sensor. It’s why your depth of field both does and doesn’t change at the same time.

The video above was made as a follow-up to a video recently published by The Slanted Lens to ask does size really matter?. Naturally, when comparing medium format, full-frame, APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras, each with their own unique sensor sizes, it raises a lot of questions. And it did. So, this video is designed to answer them.

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Use household items to light your shot with this DIY approach to product photography

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If you’re still stuck at home and want to practice your photography, particularly small products, you might have been struggling if you don’t have a lot of lighting kit. Product photography often requires a bunch of different light sources to show off its different facets and surfaces. But if you don’t have a lot of gear, what can you do?

In this video, Jay P Morgan photographs a glass drinks bottle on his kitchen table using nothing but things he finds around his house (mainly the kitchen). Using parchment paper, flashlights, oven trays and even a diaper to create a pretty decent shot you can easily achieve in your own home.

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Comparing sensor sizes from Medium Format to Micro Four Thirds – Can you tell the difference?

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The title of this post is a somewhat rhetorical question, because whether or not you’ll be able to tell the difference largely depends on what you’re shooting, the lens you’re using, the level of tech in the sensor and how the final image is going to be displayed. But there are definitely some differences between sensors at different sizes.

In this video, The Slanted lens takes a look at four cameras with different sensor sizes in various conditions to see how they stack up against each other. Interestingly, they don’t just pixel peep on the computer screen, either. They also make 24″ prints to see if you can really spot the difference in the real world.

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Here’s how to light a product with only one or two lights

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Light is one of the key elements of photography, and product photography is no exception. If you’re just starting out, it’s certainly good to learn how to work with light and get the look you want. In this video, Jay P Morgan shows you how to create simple lighting setups with just one or two lights and how to control the light so that you achieve different results.

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How to balance your strobes with ambient light on location

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Many users of flash feel quite comfortable with it in the studio. The studio makes things fairly straightforward. You expose to eliminate all the ambient light and then you add it back where you want it with your strobes or speedlights. But when many newer flash users struggle when they get out on location, where you can’t or don’t want to completely kill the ambient light, but need to add flash.

In this video, Jay P Morgan at The Slanted Lens looks at how to mix strobes with the ambient light and how to balance them outdoors to achieve a good exposure.

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$880 Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 vs. $2,200 Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8: how do they compare?

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When buying a new lens, a common dilemma is whether to go for a native or a third-party lens. The third-party lenses are usually much cheaper, but how good are they? In this video, Jay P Morgan and Kenneth Merrill compare two standard E-mount zoom lenses for full frame Sony cameras: an $879 Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD and a $2,198  Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. How do they compare in terms of sharpness, image quality, and autofocus for both photo and video? Check out the video below for more details.

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How to light glass the easy way

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No matter how much we learn or think we know about photography and light, there’s always a new tip or trick to learn. And Jay P Morgan’s series on the Laws of Light has been packed with them. The series is up to 17 videos now, and the latest deals with a subject that many people find difficult, and that’s how to light glass.

Glass can be a very tricky subject. But Jay P breaks it down into the bare basics in this video, showing you how you can light a drinking glass, by not actually lighting the glass, but by lighting the things that we can see through it.

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This is how different softbox placement affects your portraits

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When photographing portraits in a studio, you can create many different looks using only one light. Depending on how you place it and how big it is, a softbox can significantly change the look and mood of your photos. In this video, Jay P Morgan discusses different factors of softbox placement. And when you learn how they affect your portraits, you’ll know exactly how to achieve the look you want.

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Lighting glossy metallic surfaces is tricky, but here’s how to nail it every time

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Lighting glossy metal objects can be really tricky when you incorporate them in photos. They don’t only reflect light in a pretty harsh way, but they also reflect the scene. In this video, Jay P. Morgan teaches you how to light shiny metal objects so you make them look their best in your shots. He guides you through his setup and gives an example of lighting a BB gun in a studio.

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The Nikon Z6 goes head to head with the Sony A7III with some surprising results

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With Nikon and Canon finally entering the fray and the whole Panasonic/Sigma/Leica alliance thing, it’s starting to get quite exciting in the world of full frame mirrorless. It feels a lot like when DSLRs first came into existence. Of course, we didn’t have Facebook then, so people were more concerned with shooting than measuring.

But these days, kit comparisons are inevitable, especially with the rate at which technology is advancing and new products are being released. In this video, Jay P Morgan looks at the Nikon Z6 and Sony A7III cameras. On paper, they’re pretty close, with both cameras having some slight advantages over the other in certain areas. Some of Jay’s results, though, are quite surprising.

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