fbpx

DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

Search

Submit A Story

Reviewing Sony’s first ever digital camera 25 years after its release

by 5 Comments

Even though they didn’t really start to take off as a camera manufacturer until after they bought Minolta in 2006, Sony’s been in the digital camera game for quite a while. They were one of the first companies to release one to general consumers and if memory recalls, they actually weren’t too bad for their time. This one even has a selfie mode!

Of course, the 25-year-old Sony DSC-F1 can’t keep up with their new A1 flagship, as evidenced in this retro-review by Gordon Laing. He puts the camera through its paces to see how it performs and points out some of the issues with using proprietary tech and connections in hardware, making things somewhat inaccessible for future generations.

[Read More…]

The DigitalFoto Tree Frog is an awesome pocket LED light for small products and macro

by Leave a Comment

Over the last few years, I’ve become a big fan of small pocket-sized LED lights. They used to not be as good as they are now, offering pretty limited functionality and they just didn’t produce great colour. But LED tech has come a long way since in a few short years, leading us to where we are today with products like the Digitalfoto Tree Frog.

I have two DigitalFoto Tree Frog lights that I’ve been using to light my 3D printer for live streams and for shooting small product photos and b-roll. We’re still in lockdown here, so that’s pretty much all I can point my cameras at right now. One of Tree Frogs I have is a pre-production model and the other is a final retail version. For this review, I’m only going to focus on the retail version.

[Read More…]

The Gitzo Légende tripod and backpack offer quality well above their current price point

by Leave a Comment

The Légende is the newest travel tripod and bag combo from Gitzo, with both products sharing the same name. It’s currently running as an Indiegogo campaign and will go on general sale once it’s over, with the ability to buy either item individually or both as a kit.

I’ve been trying out both the tripod and backpack for a couple of weeks now and putting them through the limited paces I can while we’re still on lockdown here in Scotland, but here are some of my thoughts on Gitzo’s new Légende tripod & backpack combo.

[Read More…]

Organic looking images? The K&F Concept Black Mist filter reviewed

by 3 Comments

Can a filter really help make digital images look more organic/film-like?  We take a look at the new Black Mist filter from K&F Concept.

Essentially, the Black Mist filter is designed to add some atmosphere into an image. As if there was a slight fog or mist present. You can see it here in this shot of my son. Taken on a nice clear but overcast day. Using the Black Mist filter makes it look like there’s a slight haze in the distance.

[Read More…]

Nikon 50mm F1.2 S review – Going head-to-head against the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art

by 1 Comment

Like how Nikon has been aggressively marketing the internal diameter of the Z mount being 17% larger than the Nikon F mount, the larger mount allows more flexibility in the optical design of the Z lenses just like their newest 58mm f0.95 Noct lens. Today I won’t be testing on the 58mm f0.95 as I’m not really a fan of manual focus. We will take a look into how Nikon latest 50mm F1.2 lens will hold up against the popular 3rd party lens – Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art series.

[Read More…]

The Insta360 GO 2 is an amazing wearable first-person camera (also available in Minions flavour)

by 2 Comments

The more I’ve travelled to shoot photos and video over the last few years, the more I’ve come to appreciate the benefits of smaller and lighter kit. Ok, so I haven’t done much travelling in the last year… Ok, I haven’t done any at all, really, but the point still remains that smaller is often better suited to the task when you’re out exploring.

And today, Insta360 has announced something very small to help document your exploration adventures. It’s the update to their popular Insta360 GO wearable FPV camera, the Insta360 GO 2. I’ve been testing one for a few weeks now, and I’ve really come to like it. Oh, and they’re releasing a Minions version, too. Yup, a Minions version.

[Read More…]

The Godox ML60 – The ultimate lightweight and portable interview light?

by 2 Comments

The Godox ML60 is an interesting little light. I say little because it’s similar in size to the company’s AD300Pro strobe, which is really tiny. The ML60 isn’t a strobe, though. It’s a 60 Watt continuous LED light and it can be powered either from an AC adapter in the studio or a pair of NP-F style batteries out on location.

For its size, it puts out a whole heck of a lot of light, and with the Godox S2 modifier, you can use it with Bowens S mount modifiers. It’s also near-silent, too, which has been a big problem with a lot of LED lights over the last few years. But how good is it? Let’s take a look.

[Read More…]

Silicon Power 1TB Superior microSD card – Faster than SanDisk at less than half the price

by 8 Comments

Many of you know I’m a fan of big memory cards. Sometimes you just need a lot of tiny portable storage. Some of you might have seen my thoughts on the SanDisk Extreme Pro 1TB microSD card (review here), and it’s still going strong as both a portable backup card and for shooting footage in my Insta360 cameras.

So, when Silicon Power reached out to me to try their 1TB Silicon Power Superior microSD card, suggesting that it was just as quick but less expensive than the SanDisk, I had to see for myself. After all, that’s a pretty bold claim.

[Read More…]

Fujifilm X-E4 and XF27mm f2.8R WR first look – Sleek and sensible

by 1 Comment

Well well well. It sure looks like the X-E line isn’t dead afterall. One of the most pocketable APS-C Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras just got even more pocketable, and even more sleek and stylish. All of it without compromising features of the models that comes before it.

But is there really a place for a camera in 2021 that doesn’t have any form of weather resistance? Well, I guess we’ll have to find out, cause one thing that Denmark has had a lot of these past 3 months is shitty weather. And I brought the X-E4 into most of it!

[Read More…]

Reviewing the low-budget XP-PEN Deco mini7W Bluetooth graphics tablet

by Leave a Comment

XP-Pen has just launched its new tablet, the Deco mini7W. It’s a small but powerful table and the fact that it connects wirelessly to the computer makes this tablet much easier to use and much more versatile. I just had to test it, and when XP-Pen sent me this one to test, I was completely delighted with it.

I’ve been editing my images with a pen for a long time. With the mouse, I can’t get the level of control and detail that a graphics tablet and a stylus pen can give me. Working with a stylus pen is, for me, much more natural.

[Read More…]

Recent Posts