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The Slanted Lens

An in-depth look at the Canon EOS R8 vs Sony A7c – Which is better?

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When it comes to cameras, “better” is often a very subjective term. The needs of each person and the features each camera offers don’t necessarily mean that a given camera is “best” for everybody. So where does the recently released  Canon EOS R8 (buy here) fit in? Generally regarded as the replacement for the Canon EOS RP, the EOS R8 seems tailor-made for vloggers and social creatives.

But how does it stand up to the competition? And is it “best” for your needs? While “better” is often subjective, there are things that can be tested to see what specific features are objectively better. In this video, The Slanted Lens looks at the Canon EOS R8 and the Sony A7c (buy here) to see how the two compare and which of those specs are objectively better.

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Here’s how to light and photograph shiny metal objects like a pro

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In addition to glass, shiny metal is one of those materials that are very tricky to photograph. Metal objects require specific lighting to bring the best out of them and make them look appealing and not overly bright and reflective.

If you want to learn how to properly light metal items, Jay P. Morgan comes to the rescue. In this video, he gives you some useful tips and guidelines on lighting and photographing that tricky, shiny metal like a pro.

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Three cheap and easy DIY reflectors you can use to take your portraits to the next level

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Reflectors are one of the most valuable tools a portrait photographer can own. And we’re not talking about monetary value, but usefulness. Their cost is relatively inexpensive, but the value they can bring to your images can be pretty immense. But what if you’re just starting out and don’t want to buy one or several reflectors of varying sizes? Or what if you just don’t have the size and shape of reflector you need in an emergency?

Well, here’s Jay P Morgan from The Slanted Lens here to save the day with three DIY options that you can repurpose for use as very effective reflectors. You might already even own one or all of the things he shows off in the video and not even thought about using it as a reflector before.

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Shooting a giant crazy wide angle f/2 projector lens on the Fuji GFX100

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Weird lenses are always fun, and they seem to be popping up quite regularly. But there isn’t much out there that’s weirder than this. This is a super wide-angle Iwerks f/2.0 lens, designed to project 70mm film. Here, though, Jay P Morgan is using it the other way around to get an ultra-wide view on the world shooting portraits in a local market.

Jay P’s shooting the somewhat ridiculous looking lens on the Fuji GFX 100 medium format camera – which still doesn’t cover the entire projection circle of this insane lens. Originally designed to project images inside a domed cinema, it actually works pretty well for shooting some interesting looking indoor portraits, thanks to that wide f/2.0 aperture.

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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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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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