DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

Search

Submit A Story

Long Lenses

Using lens hoods in cold weather could be ruining your photos

by 5 Comments

I typically tend to not venture out with my camera when it’s that cold, but it has been known to happen from time to time. One thing I hadn’t experienced when I had been shooting in the cold, though, is random lens softness. So, this video from Steve Perry surprised me a little. He noticed that he was getting very soft images on his Nikon Z9 when shooting wildlife out in cold (single digit °F) temperatures.

And this isn’t just a Nikon issue, either. His wife was having the same problem with her Canon EOS R5. During further testing, he added a Sony body into the mix and that one, too, was soft. Very soft. He was getting the same results with them all regardless of whether it was a Nikon, Canon or Sony camera and lens combo. It turns out that it might actually be a heat issue.

Are you guilty of “scene stuffing”? How to avoid this landscape mistake with long lenses

by Add Comment

While most landscapes seem to be photographed with pretty wide lenses and is often the key selling point of wide and ultrawide lenses, they don’t have to be. You can shoot landscapes with just about any lens, and they can be particularly interesting when you use a long telephoto.

But shooting landscapes with telephoto lenses isn’t always straightforward. It’s easy to mess things up and ruin your composition. One particularly common mistake is what Mark Denney calls “scene stuffing”, and in this video, he explains what it is and how to avoid it.

This filmmaker found a 400mm f/6.3 prime lens for his GH5 for only €2

by 2 Comments

It’s not much of a secret that I’m a big fan of M42 lenses, especially for things like video or timelapse. I’ve got a few dozen of them that I use when I’m after a particular look and feel that would take a lot of work to achieve with more modern glass.

But occasionally I see a video or photos using an M42 lens that I haven’t come across before. In this case, it’s a Soligor 400mm f/6.3 lens. A lens that filmmaker Victor Bart managed to pick up for the princely sum of €2. In this video, he shows it off on the 2x crop Panasonic GH5, for an equivalent field of view to full frame 800mm.

Pros and cons of teleconverters: should you really buy them?

by 7 Comments

Long lenses are a must for certain types of photography, but they can be a huge investment. This is why people often opt for teleconverters. This may or may not be the best option, and maybe you’re having second thoughts whether you should buy a teleconverter or not.

In his latest video, Jay P. Morgan talks about the advantages and disadvantages of teleconverters. If you can’t make up your mind whether they’re worth the investment, this video might be of great help for you.

How to add some extra stability to your long lens shots on tripods

by 1 Comment

Working with real big lenses is fun, but often troublesome.  Handholding with image stabilisation can help, but only until your arms get tired, which is where the trusty tripod steps in to give you a solid foundation on which to rest your lens.

But even when working with tripods, the view can sometimes be a little unsteady.  In this video, wildlife and nature photographer Steve Perry offers us a few tips to help improve stability when using big long lenses on tripods.

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts