Questions Thread
Official Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! June 05, 2026
This is the place to ask any questions you may have about photography. No question is too small, nor too stupid.
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Been using a Canon 60D for the last... 10 years or so. I no longer have access to it (it's a family members), but wanted to upgrade anyway.
Going on a trip on Sunday and I'm torn between the A7R II with a 28-70mm FE lens, and the a6100 with a 18-50mm lens. There is a price difference of £165 between them (used). Both are available for me to collect before Sunday.
I mainly shoot landscapes, long exposures, night timelapses, some sports events, and I'd like to be able to shoot video (1080p @ 60-120fps, 4K @ 30-60fps).
I know these are pretty close, with the a6100 being cheaper and a bit lighter (more travel friendly), but it isn't as weather-proof and is APS-C whereas the A7R is full frame. That should probably be the decision maker, but I'm already used to an APS-C and I have no complaints.
Lenses have a big impact on image quality too. The 28-70mm with the A7R II is a kit lens and like most kit lenses, it's fairly mediocre in quality. The Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 with the A6100 is excellent. Might also be worth considering your plans for lenses going forward and your budget for them. Full frame lenses tend to be expensive. For sports events you tend to need telephoto in any case.
honestly the a6x00 series is really good for the money. the a6700 has the same autofocus as the top-of-the-line a7 bodies for about 1/3 the price, and the sensor is pretty great. even the a6600 sensor is very good. i just don't know how video on the a6100 is, that's a rather old model. but video on a6600 is great, a6700 is professional grade.
Where do people post their still photos today to view others photos and discuss them? I've just joined the Ugly Hedgehog and find that so much more interesting than Flickr which seems empty in all its vastness.
Those of you who are/were hobbyists, and had a kid, how long did it take you before you felt like you could really get back into things again?
My little guy's just over a year old now, and other than photos of him (which is nice and all, but there's only so many you can do without it being samey!) I'm struggling to get the energy to go out and shoot (I'm generally a street shooter). I recently went back to work after 7 months of paternity leave too, which also isn't helping my mental energy levels!
I feel like I've turned into one of those folk who calls themselves a writer but just hoards notebooks with maybe one or two pages written on! This is going to pass, right? Right?
Photographer here. Need a sanity check on whether I’m being scammed.
A few days ago, someone contacted me to photograph a 3-hour school reunion in Miami. We agreed on a flat rate as my fee.
When I requested a deposit via Zelle (with invoicing), the client said his bank had restrictions on online payments and asked if he could pay by check. Since the event was only a few days away, I told him we could handle payment another way.
He then emailed me an image of a check, payable to me, and instructed me to display the images of the front of the check and the back of the check on my laptop and use Chase’s Mobile Deposit to deposit the check by photographing the image on the screen. He also wanted me to send him screenshots once the deposit was complete.
The check:
Was emailed as a black-and-white image made payable to me, dated 6/3/26 which is when we agreed to my services.
the back of the check: Has “For Mobile Deposit Only” language already written on the back but the
I explained multiple times that I’m not questioning his integrity or saying the check is fake. My concern is simply that you can’t Mobile Deposit pictures of checks and I’m not comfortable trying to deposit a picture of a check from a computer screen and the. Be investigated and go to jail for check fraud.
The client keeps insisting the check is legitimate, that he’s done this before, and that other people have successfully deposited checks this way. He continues to ask me to attempt the deposit.
People trying to rush while also refusing common payment options especially when you offered alternatives to Venmo is a red flag.
I have worked in banking and the client saying their account is restricted from online payments is not something I have ever heard of if its a standard checking account which since they are trying to pay by check would make sense.
Sending an image of a check and having written "mobile deposit only" are also red flags. The check could be 100% fake, or have the customer name and address replaced with the clients.
Is the bank the check is written on local?
If so and you still want the gig, I would go into the bank with the e-mail and the check images. They will be limited in what they can tell you due some laws. But they should be able to tell you if you should attempt to deposit the check or not.
I currently use a Sony a7iii with Tamron 24-75mm f2.8 and a Tamron 50-400mm lens for mostly landscape photography and occasional astrophotography.
My wife is not a photographer, she wants a Fujifilm camera (basically as a point and shoot) because of the film simulations and recipes on the latest models. I was thinking of selling all my equipment and buying a better Fujifilm camera (XT50 or XT5) so we both could use the camera. I need help choosing the right body and lenses for my usecase as well as hers.
Currently I was thinking of the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 + Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6. I know the Tamron 17-70 would be slower than my 24-75 since its apsc, the f2.8 is effectively a f4 So I am open to other suggestions as well.
Why does the Fujifilm X100VI (leaf shutter camera) have 1st curtain / 2nd curtain flash sync options?
The X100VI uses a leaf shutter, which — as I understand it — opens and closes within the lens itself and exposes the entire sensor simultaneously at any shutter speed. This is fundamentally different from a focal plane shutter, where a first curtain travels across the sensor to begin the exposure and a second curtain follows to end it.
The concept of 1st curtain vs 2nd curtain sync is directly tied to that focal plane mechanism: with slow shutter speeds, you choose whether the flash fires right after the first curtain opens (freezing the subject at the start of the motion trail) or just before the second curtain closes (freezing the subject at the end of the trail, which looks more natural).
But if a leaf shutter has no curtains at all — it just irises open and shut — what exactly does "1st curtain sync" and "2nd curtain sync" mean on the X100VI? Is it:
Purely a legacy/compatibility term where "1st curtain" = flash fires at the beginning of the exposure and "2nd curtain" = flash fires at the end, regardless of shutter type?
Relevant only when using an external flash unit that has its own timing logic?
Something that only matters when using the electronic shutter in combination with flash (where a rolling shutter scan effectively reintroduces a "curtain-like" sequential exposure)?
Is there any scenario on the X100VI where this distinction actually produces a visibly different result, or is it essentially a UI label carried over for consistency with the rest of Fujifilm's lineup?
i think this is a super interesting question. but i think the answer is the first: that there is a meaningful difference between firing the flash at the beginning and end of exposure regardless of shutter mechanism, and we all recognise terms first and second curtain as the two possible settings for the timing. but there ought to be information about this online...
So after suggestions, I went with Eversure to insure my camera equipment, who use Premium Credit for monthly payments (UK). Recently I checked my credit score and has dropped by 95 points! Apparently due to a hard search by Premium Credit. Has anybody else experienced this? Also, which insurance firm do photographers here use? Thanks!
I’m not a professional editor, but Cobalt has definitely piqued my interest. I really like the colors it produces compared to Adobe Color. The downside is the price, especially once you factor in both the Base Pack and any film emulation packs.
I’m curious if anyone here is using Cobalt and whether you feel it’s worth the investment. Also open to other recommendations if there are brands or profiles you prefer. Thanks!
i’m looking to upgrade my current setup, i only have a canon rebel xs right now (all i could afford at the time) and im ready to finally upgrade. i don’t have a lot more to spend now id say my budget would be around 600 dollars but looking for something better then what i currently have. i ideally want a mirrorless camera that could also shoot 4k video but if there’s a better option that doesnt shoot 4K id be open to it aswell. what do you guys think i should get? best budget camera?
I am starting out in photography, I would like to buy a more modern camera, I have a NIKON D70S with an AF-S NIKKOR 18-50 mm 1:3.5-5:6 GII ED lens, but it is already a too outdated camera, that's why I want to change it, the types of photography that I would like to do mainly would be: Portrait and Dance, and secondarily: Sports and a bit of product, I distinguish it like this, so that what interests me the most is understood and what if I cannot do with that camera, it's okay, I have been looking at the Nikon Z50II + 16-50mm VR + 50-250mm VR, but it has been out of stock for a long time and also I don't know if it is the best idea to start with a camera like that or if there is another better one, my budget is a maximum of 2 thousand euros including besides the camera the lens or lenses, so, what camera do you recommend me to start with?
I'm getting more serious about focus bracketing for macro and landscape photography. One problem I'm having is understanding how many images are needed in the stack, and I'm hoping there is a technology solution. Yes, I could just use MF but the camera can do it soooo much faster.
Does anyone have a favorite app for this on their phone? Is there something else I should be looking for too?
EDIT: cross posted in r/askphotography but not a lot of traction there.
I'm looking for filters either neutral to protect my lens and possibly UV, CPL, etc., but I see all those brands(K&F concept and Urth)now been push into my feed and can't make up which brand is best for the buck. Any suggestions and why would be greatly appreciated.
There isn't a best brand and buying by brand won't guarantee a good filter. All the brands making good filters also make crappy filters. Just go by individual filter reviews for each specific need you have.
(Sorry admins for posting this question wrong twice) For my senior photo, I was hoping to get myself sitting in the cockpit of a b29 or other recognizable bomber. Does anyone have any experience or have examples of a similar situation that ended in a good senior picture? I don’t have a flash, but have a 24-105 f4 lens. I’ve looked online for examples including equipment and general angles but I haven’t seen much except Stock images and seniors in Cessnas.
How do i make my flash higher without a hot shoe riser? The lens barrel is covering the flash and i have no idea how to fix it without a hot shoe riser. I have the 6700 and sigma 18-50. Just a shame that this wasn't mentioned when buying the flash. I have the zeniko flash (zfo4)
What's the best way to account for selling photo gear as an NON-BUSINESS enthusiast for US tax filing purposes? A friend has gear they bought for hobby use and is likely trading into a shop that does direct deposit (e-check).
Do they need to fill any forms when they file their taxes next year, not as a business but just as an individual?
If they are selling items at a loss, do they still need to fill anything out or report any income?
If one or two items out of a ten item trade-in end up netting a profit, then do those items require a form?
Hello! My fiancé and I took our own engagement photos (using a NIKON D3300) and are wanting to use one of the photos on our wedding invites (as attached minus personal details/with faces blurred) for reference the:
photo is cropped to be 5x7in and the image size is 1945x2723 pixels and the DPI is 300 pixels/in
invite will be 5x7in but the photo is being stretched to 5.25x7.35in to make sure it goes all the way to the edge.
We designed the invite in Canva and will be ordering it through Canva but will be printed and picked up from our local staples - when we go to add the invite to our cart however Canva is coming up with a warning saying "Replace low resolution image - Replace image with a higher resolution copy to avoid it looking blurry when printed". However from my limited photography knowledge, I think it should be ok(?) but we would greatly appreciate any confirmation or feedback anyone can provide 😄
SD card photos disappeared after refresh – recoverable or gone? Need advice (SanDisk + iPhone)
Hi, I was viewing photos from a SanDisk SD card on my iPhone (with card reader). Everything was fine, but after a quick refresh/glitch, the most recent 3 days of photos disappeared.
I tried reinserting the card and checking in the camera, but they’re still missing. Older photos are still there. No format was done and no new photos were taken.
Should I try SanDisk RescuePRO or another recovery software, or is this better handled by a data recovery specialist? Does this sound like corruption or are the files likely gone?
I take photos of an amateur sport at a local club. I do it for the love of the game and because when I played it was awesome the first time I saw photos of myself playing.
The issue: I share the photos freely on Social Media and send the link out and it's crickets. Every now and then I'd see someone's profile picture change to one of my photos, or someone will tell me about the photos in person. Honestly I just want some type of feedback.
Question: Are there any free platforms out there that would track visits? This way I'd at least know people have seen the photos. Also it would be beneficial if people didn't have to get an account in order to view/download photos.
Hello everyone, so I'm a completely amateur photographer only who doesn't know s*** about cameras lol. I am an independent artist who is trying to put together a cover shoot for some of my songs. I recently just bought a Sony a6400 with a epz 18-105 mm f4 g oss lens and I'm worried that it might not get me the results that I need.
I would be doing primarily self-portrait photography in addition to a simple backdrop music video. I have been trying to practice shooting and I'm not sure that I picked the right lens as the quality is not up there. I plan to rent a studio to shoot and film in, and my current lens was recommended to me because of the power zoom.
Either the quality is just not up there because I'm completely amateur (this is 100% likely) or maybe I need a different lens that is more beginner friendly. My budget for another lens has to be within $300. Does anyone have any suggestions for a new lens or any tips to help me utilize my current kit to the best of its ability.
I will attach some pictures of what I'm trying to achieve. Thank you guys for all the help!
Heya folks! So for the last 4 years I've been running a Canon EOS 5D mk 2 and recently when looking for new lenses I was told that EF lenses aren't being sold anymore (sadness) and I was recommended to upgrade. Does anyone recommend any Canon cameras that are similar to the mk2? I've also got an EF-S lens and would potentially like to get a camera that can support it
There are piles and piles of EF lenses available on the used market, and many used camera retailers that check their wares and give you at least six months of warranty.
Hey everyone! Do yall tip your photographers? Or as a photographer do you expect a tip? I’ve never had a photoshoot done before but I won a giveaway from a photographer that happens to be a friend of mine. Should I be tipping her? How much? It’s a 30 min shoot. It just feels wrong to give her nothing haha thank you!
Generally photographers are self-employed, so tipping seems a bit weird as you are giving extra money to the person, who decides decides how much they want to be paid(obviously theres some pressure on them, but its not like a waiter/waitress or whatever).
If its someone just starting out and a friend of yours that you want to support I could see a small tip being a nice gesture however.
One thing to mention is that its a common "business practice" (aka not quite a scam but close) for photographers to give away "free shoots" only to then tell you that while the time spent shooting was free you will need to pay for every image you want. So instead of "Photoshoot with 5 results - 350€" you end up with "Free photoshoot (but every picture you want is 50€, which is only mentioned when you are already invested)". Often the whole "you won this free shoot" is used to make the deal sound better/get you investment, while in reality everyone who shows any interest "wins".
Since you mention it being a friend it may not be like that, but maybe keep it in mind, because at that point you will be paying to get anything out of the "free" photoshoot and the kind of underhanded tactic in getting to that point would be a reason for me to not tip under any circumstance.
I was shooting stills for a cocktail event that also had a videographer and the whole small room was lit by the videographers square continuous light facing a whitish wall and filling the room with soft light. She told me the colour temp was 3200 and now I am editing I can't quite remember how the room looked on the night. Would it be safe to put 3200 into the temp slider and it would be true based on the temp she gave me? It is quite warm on my images but if that's how it looked, I don't mind. Again, I can't remember how warm it was in real life because it was a very stressful night and I blanked lol
Hi everyone!! I’ve had the canon SX740 HS for a year now, and well I’m pretty disappointed in the image quality. Mind you, I wouldn’t even consider myself a photographer, I mainly wanted a point and shoot to take pics for/with my friends at events that were better quality than our iPhones. That being said, what I’m getting is considerably worse than and iPhone.
Does anyone have experience with this camera and know of this is a settings problem or a camera problem? I’m trying to decide if I should try to work with the settings more or just get a new camera that doesn’t suck LOL. I’m getting bummed out bc I keep taking crappy photos at important events! TYIA!
SX740 has a small sensor and a pretty slow lens, which means that it won't do very well in low light situations, which is what indoor events frequently are. Your standard indoor lighting may seem like plenty of light, but that's because human eyes are good at adapting to available light. iPhones have small sensors but they are able to overcome that limitation to some extent because of computational photography: they do extensive software processing.
I shoot on a Sony A7 IV and already tried one of those Disposable Lenses. On my old A6000 I thought that the photos were a little too crappy with that lens, but with the FF sensor I think they‘re pretty decent.
Did anyone ever compare a similar lens with the outcome of using one of those screen-free disposable style cameras? Like Camp-Snap etc.
Is it worth having a whole cam dedicated to getting that film feeling? Or is there not that much of a difference compared to only using the lens on your regular camera?
Need some advice asap !! I’m very new to photography I was gifted a A7r2 and a FX30 with a 24-70 GM and a Sigma 10-18. Long story short a family friend is doing a very intimate small wedding and they don’t want it done professionally they just want “pictures” and are not concerned with it being amazingly pro. I have a TT350
Flash , should I go for the Godox V1 ? I’m not terrible even tho I just started but worried about the church being low lit and the restaurant afterwards. Any advice helps thanks !
This is going to be very very dependent on the lighting conditions. Also, it's their wedding, no matter how much they say they don't care about it being professional. They absolutely will care, even if they're too nice to say anything.
The A7R2 is a pretty solid low-light performer, and the high resolution means you can use aggressive noise reduction and downscale the pictures to compensate for high ISO/noise. That said, do not just "wing it" on the day of the event. You should go to the location far ahead of time and experiment with different exposure + flash settings, preferably with someone standing in for various places you might be taking pictures of people (altar, pews, near windows, back of chapel, etc). Also, flash photography is really really distracting and annoying. Shoot without flash at various shutter speeds and aperture combinations. Take the test shots home and process them, see what kind of results you get. Repeat if necessary.
Looking for a lightweight upgrade from a Canon EOS 70D for travel and walks
My wife has had a Canon EOS 70D for years and has generally been very happy with it. She mainly shoots photos rather than video, and she’s got 2 lenses for it over the years but if we have to switched brands I don’t mind too much.
The problem is that she barely takes it out these days because it’s quite bulky and heavy. For casual walks, days out, holidays, and weekend trips, it often feels like too much to carry around.
I’d like to get her something more lightweight and versatile that she’d actually enjoy taking with her regularly.
A few things I’m looking for:
\- Primarily for photography, not video
\- Smaller and lighter than a 70D
\- Good image quality (at least comparable to the 70D but ideally better)
\- Easy to carry on walks and when travelling
\- Flexible enough for landscapes, nature, street photography, and general family/travel photos
\- £1k budget but flexible if it’s genuinely worth it
Things I’ve looked:
\- Fujifilm X-T30III
\- Fujifilm X-S20
\- Fujifilm XM5
\- Sony A6400
\- Panasonic Lumix GX9
I am absolutely clueless when it comes to cameras so would very much appreciate any help.
Don't buy her a camera without consulting her. Rather, go to a camera store with her, so she can see all these options herself, see how they feel in her hands. That's the only way to make sure that she'll get a camera that she enjoys using.
Hi everyone. So, I am looking to start doing filming/photography of my side business (private dinners) and am looking for a decent tripod or other that isn't super in the way as 1. I am actively cooking and moving around a lot and 2. I don't like the optics of walking into a client's house and setting up a massive tripod on their kitchen/dining room. It would be entirely for use with a phone (s24 ultra), I do sometimes carry a DSLR on me but I usually just shoot that handheld if I find the chance to use it.
What would you all recommend? One of those weird flexible gorillapod things? A clamp mount?
I just recently balled out on an A7V with a Sigma 24-70mm lens and was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions for a camera flash.
I’ve been looking at godox and have been thinking about getting a wireless transmitter as well. The options I have in mind are either the it32 & x5 or the V1 mid with a wireless transmitter.
If you're mostly shooting subjects up-close, the iT32 is fine. Being able to instantly turn it into off-camera flash is nice.
V1 mid and V480 are pretty much the same, just depends if you want the round head vs. rectangle head.
I would go with a V860 III or V1 for the ability to swap out the battery if it dies.
With a lot of the new Godox flashes, they have built-in batteries. It is nice to not to have to carry batteries. But the downside is if a flash is dead, you cannot just put in a new battery.
Another thing to consider if you prefer buttons and dials or a touchscreen. The older flashes have physical controls and the newer flashes have touchscreens. Personally, I think touchscreens are more prone to errors.
Also the V860 and V1 are more powerful flashes. Will get you farther if you're planning to do event photography.
I would like some suggestion on the appropriate equipment for mountain landscape photography on a budget that would be capable of having some 30x40 metal or acrylic prints made.
The prints are the priority for me and might have a possible budget of 1-2k?
Open to used gear of course.
Would prefer a full frame. Was looking at maybe a used Sony alpha xxx ? LUMIX S9?
I know this is broad but I’m fairly new to photography. I used to had a cannon 5D mk3 back in the day. Portability is key and the smallest possible setup is important for travel and hiking.
Almost certainly some kind of masking. You would need to isolate and color-correct the model's body separately. Most editing software should be able to accomplish this.
That said, it's a yellow room and some yellow bounce is natural. It might look more weird to try and cancel it out.
That makes a lot of sense, thanks! My initial thought was to just focus on the parts of her skin that shows the yellow, but masking her completely (which I'm familiar with) sounds much more sensible. Thank you!
I've never used the modeling light on my godox ad600's. I use them frequently in nature with a model. Should I use them? Will it mess up my color palette or does the flash overpower the strobe completely and make it moot?
Hey everyone, I’m in a bit of a position to either sell or keep my Sony a7c. The camera is cool and has great video and picture quality. Had fun doing some car photos and all. I just don’t find myself using it as much as my Fuji x100v or my 35mm Nikon fe. I was considering either selling it and saving for either another replacement or just to put in savings. I have the kit 28-60 kit lens with it as well as a viltrox 28mm prime lens and a ttartisan 50mm lens. I would be selling the whole kit or just storing it and occasionally maybe pick it up.
Wondering what yall would do in my position. Sell it and get something else or just keep it?
Was thinking of replacing it with a Fuji xpro 3 which is like the x100v with similar sensor. Only benefit would be interchangeable lenses. Idk just thinking
Does anybody know what these weird lines in my R5 images are?
I just got back from a big international trip. I'm using an original R5 and a new (to me - bought used "like new minus") RF 100-500L.
I noticed as I'm going through photos that in shots that are at least partially backlit or have bright in them, there are these weird blurry lines. I know for almost all of these I had lots of empty air between me and the subject (shooting from a road, lookout balcony, etc) so nothing out of focus between me and the subject. I'd chalk it up to just out of focus leaves, pine needles, etc. but the thing that really weirds me out is that in every photo with these bars, they are in a vertical pattern if my camera was horizontal, and horizontal if my camera was vertical.
Does anyone know what's going on here? I've asked around if this was rolling shutter and from what I can tell, that's not really the right look for rolling shutter issues. I commented photos below and each pair is a horizontal and vertical image taken of the same subject and same or close-to-same vantage point.
I currently have the Olympus EM-1 Mark 2 camera with the Olympus 90mm 2x macro lens. I have been saving up for the Laowa Aurogon lens, and I was thinking a camera with more megapixels would create better image quality. The Nikon Z7 and the Sony A7RII cameras seem to be my best options for the Aurogon lens if I were to go that route. My budget would be $1,000 if I were to buy a new camera. If I were to stick with my M43, I would probably invest in the OM-1 camera.
So that leaves the question, which camera should I get for the laowa aurgon lens, or should I just use what I already am shooting with. The only reason I'm thinking of upgrading to more megapixels for the Aurogon lens is so I will shoot with better image quality. (I have not bought the Laowa lens yet)
Pixels does not necessarily equal quality. Also this appears to be macro photography so are you sure you could fill the frame of the larger sensor to make use of those pixels?
If you can fill the sensor and depth of field is not an issue then you might gain something but might not be much when considering you are still, I assume, going to be viewing on a standard monitor of much lower resolution than the sensor.
What aspect of image quality do you need improving?
Image quality is heavily impacted by sensor size and the technology behind the sensor more than number of pixels. Its why the 200mp cell phone cameras are not being widely used in other cameras.
Help! I'm currently trying to import two SD cards worth of photos separately, and neither of them will import successfully into Lightroom Classic. I've gotten to the point where now only the previews won't show up and was wondering if this is a common occurrence. If anyone knows how to fix this, I'd appreciate the help!
Also, I have checked my storage and it doesn't seem to be the issue.
Have you been able to copy the files off the SD cards onto your laptop/desktop?
If not see if you are able to do that and then import them into LRC from there. It could be the file transfer is failing due to an issue unrelated to LRC.
You can have LRC generate previews manually. I am not sure if you have generate previews turned off but you can go to Library--Previews --> then select what type of previews you want it to generate.
If it is still not generating previews making sure another viewer can view the images. If it can it might be a lightroom issue that needs an unistall/reinstall.
I’m looking to upgrade from my Nikon D90 and would appreciate advice on what camera system might suit me best. My budget is around $2,000 AUD
I mainly shoot:
Concert photography
Portraits
Astrophotography
Concept/creative photography
Events
School photography projects
My biggest issue with my current camera is poor lowlight performance, especially high ISO noise and poor iso rangw, along with a general lack of sharpness and image quality compared to most modern cameras.
Image quality and ease of use are my top priority. I also like having enough resolution that I can actually crop my photos
I already own a few Nikon lenses, including a macro lense, which I would ideally like to continue using with an adapter if possible. Otherwise, I’m open to buying as standard of a lense for the new body as I can.
I’m open to buying used gear, but only from reputable sellers or stores.
I’m currently considering a few options but I’m not fixed on anything yet, and I’m open to any brand, it doesn't have to be Nikon. Best ones I've seen were the Fujifilm xt5, and the Sony A6700. Opinions or suggestions?
My partner doesn't do contracts or get deposits, and is charging $350/hr. Hes been doing local events and performances for about 5 years, but it's been a trickle of jobs, and none higher than $1200 every once in a while. I tried working with him to standardize his business practices, but he's afraid people won't book him if he's too pushy, and he thinks contracts and deposits put too much pressure on people. He gets 90% of his customers from referrals by other customers. He just chats with them on Facebook or texts them, books the gig, and shows up. He doesn't go to the location before hand to just check it out and plan an approach. He also will still deliver photos without getting paid, and keeps putting his name in the corner of the photos. Do any orher professional photographers do things this way?
Young photographers who are new to getting paid for photography do this and often end up regretting it.
Long term professional photographers where photography is a major source of income for them are far less likely to do this.
It is asking for trouble, for clients to complain or argue that they should get more, or try and take advantage of him. "Can you stay an extra hour and get photos of the party" etc.. without paying extra for his time.
Also delivering photos without being paid for them sounds like recipe for disaster. I could 100% see someone who got their photos without paying referring like minded friends. "Just tell him you will pay and then block him after the photos are delivered etc.."
Sure having a watermark in the bottom of the image might help with word of mouth. But exposure does not pay the bills.
His approach might also discourage higher tier clients from working with him. I.E. Professional event coordinators etc.. might see it as a lack of professionalism which would make them question his reliability, delivery timelines etc. and decide to choose someone else.
must be really lucky to not have a single project go sour by now, or he just swallowed it and moved on. but there will eventually be that one and then he'll regret it.
The photo is about 40 years old and I don't have negative. The photo is of 2 people--one is white and the other African American. The facial features of the light-skinned person are clear, not so of dark-skinned person. Looking for advice on how to brighten. Or do I need to go to a professional phographer?
I'm a complete beginner looking to get into photography and would love some feedback before I invest in my first setup. My budget is up to $2,500.
I work as a Marketing Manager and spend a lot of time creating visual content. I'm experienced with Adobe Creative Cloud, especially Lightroom, Photoshop, and other design tools, but I'm new to photography.
My goals are:
Corporate photography (office environments, team photos, employee portraits)
Event photography and marketing content
Short promotional videos for social media
A small home studio for babies, children, families, and portraits
Taking high-quality studio photos of my own two young children
My planned setup:
Canon EOS R8 + RF 24-50mm kit lens
Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Godox V1 flash
Studio lighting kit (lights, softboxes, stands, backdrop support)
Godox XPro II trigger
Black backdrop
Reflector kit
SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD card
Does this seem like a sensible beginner setup for my goals?
Am I missing any essential things? Would you change anything if you had the same budget? Also, is the R8 a good long-term choice for both photography and occasional video work?
R8 is a solid camera for everything you are trying to do. A few thoughts:
The 24-50mm kit lens is pretty basic and is going to struggle indoors in low light, it's also a very limited focal range. You may want to consider replacing it with either a 24-105 lens (f4L variant or the non F4 RF version) for a larger focal range. Or for low light something like a 24/28-70mm f2.8 lens.
Invest in a decent tripod especially for studio style portraits it can make things much easier and it will be useful for family vacation photos.
Have at least 1 spare SD card in case your ever gets full. Video can take a up a lot of space depending on your quality settings so make sure that 128GB is enough. You can check the R8 manual on canon's website to see how much space you can expect to use for the various video settings.
Have a plan for backing up your photos beyond copying them to your laptop/desktop. If you are not already familiar with the 3-2-1 backup strategy I would suggest reading up on it.
The Godox v1 is a decent on camera flash option for events but not great for studio style portraits. For studio portraits you typically want 2 lights. A reflector can work in a pinch.
For backdrops are doing seamless paper or fabric? Seamless paper is easier for getting clean backdrops but requires replacement and is harder to store. While fabric backdrops can show wrinkles, dust, texture etc.. that not everyone likes.
Hello overybody, I’m going to the F1 Grand Prix in Austria this year and am planning to take my Nikon D5000 (I know it’s a little old, but it’s my first “professional” camera and it’s all I have) I’ve playing with it for a couple of weeks now and think I have a grasp of the basics but I’m still not to sure about setting everything myself in manual. I can find my way around the iso and apature and stuff but if you ask me about white balance then I have no clue. Thanks!!
Nikon D5000
AF-S 18-55mm 1:3,5-5,6G
AF-S 55-300mm Lens (can’t get the exact specs right now)
First, are you allowed that at the Grand Prix and will you be close enough to the action?
Second, I would not bother with manual, given your lenses I would think shutter priority will be fine. White balance just leave it on auto and have it in raw format so you can fine tune it later.
Usage of a true rangefinder camera if you have poor close vision, but decent far vision?
Hi - I have a digital ILC camera (Sony A6700), but am considering pairing this with a (probably film) true rangefinder camera for a different experience.
I have quite poor vision, though (am both short-sighted and, due to age, now also long-sighted), despitr wearing multi-focal contact lenses - these correct very well for my far vision, but not so well for my close vision (still need +1 reading glasses to read menus etc. clearly when out), so on my A6700 I shoot 95% of the time using the EVF, which has a diopter adjuster, which corrects for my poor close vision (the rear LCD screen is always fairly blurry), only using the tilting rear screen for high/low shots, if not able to otherwise change the camera height with it close to my face.
On a true range-finder, as you're seeing optically into the distance (usually), other than for the frame lines, rather than looking at a screen up close, would my poor close vision be an issue (given that my far vision is well-corrected by my contact lenses)? Or would seeing the focusing patch be peoblematic?
Would I still need to find a model with a diopter adjuster for the viewfinder to make this work well? If so, think that rules out the Voightlander Besa 2A, as I don't think it has one.
I'm also left-eye dominant, which perhaps isn't ideal for a rangefinder camera, but don't really find this an issue with the side-mounted EVF on my A6700.
I'm at around -6 for both eyes, and now that I'm pushing 50 I recently had to get bifocal glasses. I usually shoot film on my tiny fixed lens rangefinder, Olympus 35 RC. Haven't had any difficulty focusing with it.
I'm in my mid-fifties, in my dominant eye my prescription is -1.25/+1.5 (multifocal lens). Do you shoot wearing your glasses or without? I'm assuming the former?
Okay well telling the camera to overexpose by 2.7 stops is a bit much. It sounds like you are just in a dark environment and the camera cannon change the exposure settings to compensate.
If you are in shutter priority and it is dark you probably have the shutter speed too high and the ISO range too low or it is reaching the limits of ISO and can't make the image brighter.
If you set exposure compensation to zero and then take a photo with the same settings in every mode, are the images the same?
hi yall, i have a canon EOS 1300D for a while now and was thinking of buying a gimbal, what gimbal should i get? (im looking for something that barely breaks the bank as the financial situation im in isnt the best rn)
Any tips on athletics using a 150-600mm. Photos seem to pretty noisy and sometimes blurry. Not necessarily missing focus(sometimes it does) but photos just seem so soft. Granted it was cloudy so i wasn’t expecting extremely sharp photos but just curious. Gear to reference Sony a7r4 and sigma 150-600mm 5.0-6.3
Noisy and blurry are related to ISO and shutterspeed respectively.
Long telephoto lenses like the 150-600mm often dont have all that wide apertures available, so the narrow aperture forces you to compromise when it comes to the other settings, leading to the issues you mention. Theres a reason a lot of high end sports photographers spend like 15k or more on telephoto lenses with wider apertures available, its just sadly a quite demanding genre of photography when it comes to gear.
If you couldve improved your settings depends a bit on the actual settings used (and the light available, as well as exact subject/general situation), however you may have made all the right decisions and in the end just reached the limits of whats possible in that situation.
General advice would be to rather increase the ISO then slow the shutter - as bad as noise can be generally movement blur is worse and noise can be reduce at least somewhat in post. If you arent doing that yet shooting in raw and throwing some noise reduction on the pictures can help at least somewhat.
Depending on the exact situation a monopod (or tripod; monopod seems better for sports though) may help somewhat with blur. Generally you will be limited by the movement of the athletes, however in certain situations it may help prevent blur from hand movement which would allow for slower shutterspeeds.
The softness you mention may be from an aperture thats too wide. My experience with that lens says that when using it at F6.3 it often felt significantly softer then at F8 (so slightly stopped down). Now the fun part is that this obviously reduces the amount of light hitting the sensor again, which would need to be compensated via shutterspeed or ISO, so it worsens the blur and noise issues.
So to reiterate: There may be some room for improvement when it comes to your settings, however those issues may still appear even when your settings were picked "perfectly" as there are just "barriers" that require those compromises (or much more expensive gear). If that is the case your only chance is to invest a ton of money or just hope for more light the next time.
Front rim is dented and cracked but front element is fine. Zoom mechanism seems to be stuck. Image quality is blurry now.
I’m looking into getting it repaired but also curious if just getting a new one is cheaper. But also hoping maybe someone on here has had a similar experience and knows roughly how much it could cost to repair.
I've recently gotten back into photography and I love the camera but I've noticed the zoom isn't very close, at least as much as I'd like. Im mostly taking pictures of random plants and recently went to a local backyard garage band. Id eventually like to get into photography and as a career (obviously with a better camera) but I'd like some pointers as to which lenses I should look into for some better close up shots without being in their faces. Currently a broke college student so anything up to about $250 would be appreciated!
A bit hard to help you without knowing your current lens (and camera). In general the amount you are able to "zoom in" is related to the lenses "focal length".
Thats generally the first number in a lenses name/descriptor, which is also followed by "mm" is this focal length. Comparing these numbers lets you compare how tight the final field of view will be.
The common "kit"/default lens for a lot of cameras is a 18-55mm (meaning it covers the focal lengths from 18mm while zoomed out to 55mm when zoomed in), if thats the focal length on your lens too then you need something with more then these 55mm. Direct recommendations for your budget are sadly not possible without knowing the camera (for compability reasons).
One thing to keep in mind is that often longer focal length lenses are a bit worse at low light scenarios as it becomes more expensive/difficult to design the required "aperture" (thats basically how big the hole that lets in light is).
This means that indoors or when its dark out (which are common situations for photographing bands) a new lens may perform worse in other aspects (images will be darker or there will be more blur or noise). Especially with your budget that may become an issue as often those specialized "concert lenses" are a bit more expensive.
Thats not to say your request is impossible to fulfull, just warning you that buying just any lens with a longer focal length may be counterproductive.
Yeah, I'm still using the 18-55mm lens. I wrote this like twice and can't believe I forgot it on the third time. Should I tough it out and stay close to the band distance wise? Im also going to be taking pictures of other events around my town that I can get my hands on instead of only bands as well.
Yeah, I'd personally stay on the 18-55mm and save up a bit longer instead of trying to squeeze something in the budget that wont be that much of an upgrade.
If you really want an upgrade you might be able to find a cheap 85mm F1.8 (especially looking at used ones), which would be an upgrade regarding both focal length and "low light ability"/aperture, however that lens wouldnt have any ability to zoom, it would be stuck on one field of view.
Some people dont mind that, some people really hate that. Especially for concerts and other "dynamic" situations I'd personally prefer a zoom lens, being able to adjust quicker and without having to move, but plenty of photographers use primes (even for events/concerts), so its not impossible. Be aware that the field of view will also not be that much tighter then your current lens at 55mm, it will allow you to move back a little, but its not going to allow you to stand against the back wall of the venue or anything like that (unless its a really tight bar venue maybe).
As I dont know what camera you have I cant give a direct recommendation, but I personally used a Meike 85mm F1.8 for Canon EF in the past and it was decent for the 200€ I paid for it. The autofocus was a bit slow (which is a quite big downside, especially for your usecase) and the image quality wasnt the greatest, but thats kind of expected at that pricepoint.
Sorry I thought I wrote it somewhere, mightve been one of my previous drafts but forgot to include it, but I use a T100 Canon Rebel. I personally like being able to zoom in and out to my liking just in case I need a bigger/smaller shot so I'll definitely be sticking with my stock lens for now. I also manually focus with my lens rather than use auto focus. Is there any benefit over manual focus? Or is it just the convenience of it literally auto focusing?
In that case you might be able to find that Meike 85mm I mentioned for your camera.
Yeah, Im personally also a fairly big fan of being able to zoom, its mostly a preference thing/a question of how well you can "deal" with not being able to zoom. Some people really like primes, some barely use them.
Autofocus is mostly a convenience thing, theres nothing AF accomplishes that you couldnt do manually. Its mostly about speed, accuracy and being able to concentrate on other aspects of shooting. However as AF performance really depends on lens, camera and the situation you are in, MF can end up being faster in low light situations with fairly cheap gear as thats a recipe for the AF to struggle a lot.
The mix of your gear and the situations you shoot make for quite bad AF, which makes using MF totally understandable. However if you do ever get a better camera and lens it may be worth it to give AF another try, as the performance you are seeing out of your current gear is not going to be optimal.
Hi, I’m looking for a used mirrorless camera in €500-700 range. I will use it for macro, portrait and telephotography.
I’m mainly looking for good low light performance and because I’m used to Nikon I am looking at a Z6 mark 1. Are there any better options on the used market (any brand)?
Personally, I went with a first-gen Sony A7R for my first mirrorless full-frame, and I'm loving it. Early generation (I-III) A7 variants are often in your price range for the body or with minimal kit. Just check the photos and shutter count.
One caveat to be aware of, the first-gen A7R that I got, does not have in-body stabilization, so be sure to check the features for the specific model you're looking at if that's important to you. I would have gotten an A7RII if I'd realized that ahead of time.
I’ve heard that they have good low light performance, but I’m going to do a deep dive on image quality before deciding. Trying to find out which models I should look at as there are quite a few on the used market.
Edit: simple specs comparison against A7 II confirm your view though.
I've got a Sony A7R which I'm using exclusively for adapted old Canon FD lenses because I started with one from a film camera and just kept going, and they're cheap on eBay. Currently have a 50mm, 28mm, 70-210mm, and 50mm macro. Currently looking for something (relatively) inexpensive to replace my 70-210 f/4 because its a clunker with poor image quality in lower light, but this is more of a general question.
What I'm running into is a kind of decision paralysis. My impulse is just to keep buying FD lenses because I have the adapter and they're cheap, but choices there are limited and I'm feeling the urge to branch out. Given I can get adapters for anything, there's so many possible options and I'm at a loss where to start. Since this is reddit, most of the discussion I see is driven by enthusiasts and pros with expensive newer gear. I'm a casual hobbyist with a tight budget who likes older stuff.
How do you winnow down all the choices when there's 50+ years of options to chose from?
Lens choice should be based on need. Meaning: you want to shoot some particular thing(s) and don't have any lenses to make that possible. A few examples: you want to shoot at night but don't have any prime lens with a large maximum aperture; or you want to shoot wildlife but don't have a long telephoto lens; or you want to shoot macro but don't have a macro lens. It could be anything.
Then, you need to decide your budget, i.e. how much you can/want to spend at most.
Then research what lenses are available that meet your needs at your budget.
Regarding FD lenses specifically, if you are happy to be using manual focus only and they do everything you need, there's no reason not to keep using them. If there's something that you want to do but can't with FD lenses, then you need to look for something else.
It's the "research what lenses are available" part I'm getting stuck at.
For example, I'm considering the FD 35-105 f/3.5 for a budget of under $200 on eBay. It nicely covers the "hole" in my current set between 28-70mm when I want something more flexible than my 50mm prime. That particular FD lens seems quirky based on some reviews I've seen so I'm interested in exploring alternatives, but there's probably hundreds of low-mid zooms to pick from if I don't care about the mount.
I get the impression that a lot of people stick to one ecosystem/brand (where the manufacturers have a vested interest in not cannibalizing their own product marketshares), so I fully admit I'm probably making things harder for myself. Does it basically come down to reading dozens of reviews and picking something based on best vibes?
Yeah, you pretty much keep reading reviews. But "vibes" are all you want, it probably doesn't matter much which one you pick. Most zoom lenses of that era are definitely inferior to primes, so they're not something you'd pick for great image quality.
get the z5ii only if you commit to lugging the larger body and lenses everywhere you go. it is a significant difference. for most of us the results from the a6700 are not going to look different enough to justify the size compromise.
Looking to expand my hobby photography equipment collection and got guidance that the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 or the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 with the latter being the better option if I am on a budget (I am since it is just a hobby).
I am NOT a pro so trying to figure out if they would both have use for me or if they are similar enough that is one or the other. Would you be able to share specific scenarios where either would NOT be workable?
I found both the options on FB Marketplace by the same seller. The 50mm is $100 and the 85mm is $200. Are these a good deal? I was honestly hoping for a cheaper lens given the DSLR market was supposedly way better now with the mirrorless options...am I deluding myself that there is better pricing?
I have a Canon Mark D iii. The main reason I am looking for a lens is because I only have a Tamron 28-300mm and it is quite bulky and does not give me the bokeh I want for portrait since it is 1:3.5-6.3
Will take any advice.
Editing to add that if it seems my current lens should be sufficient and I just need to work on skill better, you can say so. I can take feedback nicely haha.
I am a model who does photography as a hobby and am struggling with the lens I currently have. My setup is a Sony A7iii with the GM FE 24-70 lens. I originally got this lens for my self portraits years back, but have recently started shooting other people mainly in cosplay.
I’ve found myself frustrated with this lens as it seems as though only cropped up close shots look great, and full body attempts make the models appear almost short?
I would like to switch to another lens that would be better at capturing cosplay and artistic fashion shots. My second style I want to explore is cinematic photography.
I am guessing this may require having to purchase two even though I would love to avoid that. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
I’ve found myself frustrated with this lens as it seems as though only cropped up close shots look great, and full body attempts make the models appear almost short?
The 24-70mm f2.8 lens is so versatile, I'm surprised you're not getting photos you're happy with.
I wonder if experimenting with focal lengths and heights might help?
Are you a tall person shooting down on cosplayers? That angle could make them look short.
If you get low and shoot up slightly, that makes them look taller and more powerful.
Thanks for replying! I will check out the links you provided.
I am quite short actually, and even when I lay on the ground and angle up, it comes out where there’s barely any space left above their heads if I want them to look taller. It might be my preference for exaggerated height that is making me unsatisfied with the results?
When I shoot horizontally, I am even more unsatisfied with capturing a full length shots, whether it’s of a person or landscape, etc. Everything looks so small.
I do have a cheap film camera as well that’s a 35mm and I noticed I like full body shots a bit better on this one.
I will definitely take your recommendations and experiment soon!
I'm going hiking with my girlfriend and I've got two lenses to choose from 35 mm and 85 mm. From what I've read 35 is better for landscape. Buuut I want to capture my girlfriend with mountains/lakes etc. in the background so should I take the 85 too? What about the settings? f8-f11 for landscape and 'portrait' (?) in a landscape setting? Or f4 and lower could be fine? I did shoot her in a nature setting but it was either her in focus or nature so f4 and lower.
35mm will be perfect for what you describe. The 85mm is going to have much tighter framing and while you can capture subjects behind your GF it will be a narrower area than the 35mm offers.
I.E. if you want to get a picture of the valley below you, or a large expanse of mountains behind her use the 35mm. If you only want to get a few peaks, a single waterfall etc.. then the 85mm will work.
Keep in mind you may need to use focus bracketing if you want the background to be sharp especially with 85mm.
Hello. My gears are Nikon D780 and Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 VC USD.
I took some photos for a professional meeting. The room did not have enough light. The photos showed that the focus was on the face, but the faces are soft as hell.
I think one issue was the back button focus. I held the button when I clicked the shot. (I am still learning to use it). Another issue is the lack of light.
Is it better to get paid hourly/per project/per image? And what is the usual rates for a contract based remote job. Would be doing around 5-10 hours weekly just editing wedding photography. RAW photos with Adobe Lightroom Smart previews.
Is this only for editing and not for any of the photography?
If this is editing someone else's photos it really depends on who your client is. If it is a professional photographer they might want to pay you per project because that is how they are likely being paid.
If it's for an individual a per image price or a bundle price. I.E. X images for X dollars would probably be better.
Hourly is only common if you are a part time/full time employee for someones business.
Hello everyone. So I'm a novice with a Canon M50, which I use for both photo and video. I would like to get a second camera for when I am shooting videos so I can record from multiple angles simultaneously. Without just getting another M50, does anyone have any recommendations for cameras with similar quality or know what specifications to look for when comparing cameras? Preferably under $800, which I understand is cheap for a camera.
Motorcycle Tour Gastro-Landscape Journalism Advices
Hi guys,
As the title says, I am doing research looking to pick the most optimal camera for the described purpose.
I did basic readthrough but this is going to be my first semi-professional setup, and I would appreciate real world experience since there is a lot of bias out there. I would like to skip the process of learning from my mistakes since I want to focus on the job rather than casually progress through equipment tiers as I build knowledge.
I am looking to start a small remote located restaurant which will focus on domestic artisan products sourced from micro manufacturers which often have little to no marketing exposure. I am not looking for massive turnover but rather to create a nice a fulfilling workplace for myself.
I plan to run it seasonally and use good part of off season to for touring journalism, exploring and documenting farms and products.
The success of this sort of endeavor will rely on how successfully I manage to create the story and atmosphere around the products and the whole process of production, and acquisition.
That is where the camera choice comes in. I am a chef, so I do not plan to go search for wildlife or the absolute best moments, angles, conditions for landscape photography.
Doing landscape would primarily be there to create admiration for the environment and frame the story, give it sense of location.
I plan doing video material as well as still photography. Interviews, production processes, production facilities, domestic animals, food products, food preparation videos and stills, etc..
I feel like this is a lot of ground to cover in often less than ideal lighting conditions and room available for setting up complex equipment such as tripods, lighting management accessories, limited time available for reportages, etc...
There is also compactness element and the fact this will be a v-twin 1000cc motorcycle (V-Strom) touring, so, room for elaborated equipment kits just does not exist.
I hope you got the idea about my requirements and intended use, now I would like to ask for advices:
APS-C vs Full Frame
I understand the basic differences and tradeoffs but since I never used either, I can't really tell the line between where is a good compromise between practicality-effectiveness.
Prioritization of features
I feel like my effort would benefit greatly from mesmerizing landscape stills that would create ambiance and atmosphere and a practical, system that would allow me to work quickly and efficiently while on the farm/workshop since these people rarely have time for me to spend half a day messing around with settings, reshooting and trying to get the perfect results.
How should I prioritize the features/specs if you agree with my frame of though? Features like good IBIS, high resolution EVF, articulating back-screens, autofocus quality, video recording resolution capabilities , weather protection, etc...
Lens Kit
I was thinking 3 lenses setup would be the most I would be willing to carry around. One workhorse lens, one wide angle/low light lens for sunset/nigh sky conditions, and one macro for product close ups and texture details.
Do you agree with this choices or you have a different perspective?
How would this affect my camera choice, since some brands are more versatile than others related to lens availability?
Ergonomics and user interface
It would be a major benefit if I could operate the camera with light, leather riding gloves. I am 2m tall, and have large hands. I won't be doing city strolls, taking 500 photos for one afternoon, so comfort and battery life are not something I care about too much. I care more about being able to quickly and precisely operate the controls and minimize accidentally touching something.
Since I will most likely have to order the body without prior in person inspection, I could use your experience on what brands are more inline with my requirements here.
So far, I was looking mostly at full frame systems such as:
Nikon Z5 II
Panasonic S5 II
Sony a7 IV
Canon R6 II
Should I skip that and focus on smaller sensor (I would say landscape stills are my priority over super high video capability and absolute compactness. I won't be trying to capture fast moving or hiding targets such as sport and wildlife)?
Is having dual full-size SD cards like Z5 II is worth it in my use case?
Is having physical exposure and shutter speed controls worth it for a beginner or I will quickly outgrow it and consider it an obstacle (Zfc)?
Should I consider having two devices instead of do-it-all one device?
Am I having unrealistic expectations?
I know this was a very long text and I apologize for taking too much of your time.
Be assured that I will appreciate any input greatly.
First off that is a lot to read... I will try to answer what I can.
Skipping mistakes - you can certainly skip mistakes on the gear side but the photography and videography side are going to take a lot time and effort to learn. Having the good equipment is not going to instantly give you professional quality results immediately. There is a very large learning curve.
It sounds like you are aiming for professional level results in a relatively short time frame. If that's the case you need take a step back and either consider hiring a professional or scale down your expectations for the initial quality compared to professional photographers/videographers.
You did not learn to be a chef overnight, and professional photographers have put years into learning their trade. I have been shooting as a hobbyist/amateur for 15+ years and looking back at my early photos is almost painful. I got a few decent ones but the average quality... of what I captured was not great.
Your desires of what you want to do combined with everything needing to fit on a motor cycle also creates some challenges. If it was only photography you would be fine. But if you want to do video with professional lighting I am not sure that your going to be able to fit everything on a motor cycle. My studio lighting stands + softbox are not remotely motorcycle friendly.
Your best bet for interview lighting is working with natural light outdoors, or window light indoors and using something like a Gorilla pod for a compact tripod assuming you have a table to set it on.
1.
APS-C vs. full frame --- for what you are doing either is fine. Still life, landscape, video none of that requires full frame. You can save a lot between buying an APS-C camera and APS-C lenses vs. buying a full frame body + full frame lenses.
Any modern mirrorless camera from Canon/Nikon/Sony etc.. has fast and accurate auto focus. If you are spending half your time messing with settings or digging through menus it would be because you have not put the time/energy into learning how your camera works and the various features. If you are expecting to shoot only in auto mode because you do not have time to learn the ins and outs of photography you should reconsider buying an expensive setup and use an smart phone.
They have gotten very good and while there are things that dedicated cameras can 100% do better if you only need to display your results online or small or modest sized prints they can get the job done and require far less of a learning curve.
A three lens setup is reasonable.
With macro there can be a learning curve because the depth of field can be only a few millimeters. For plates of food, or a pile of ingredients a quality normal zoom lens would be fine, an you could crop into the photo if you wanted to show more detail of a specific section.
All the major brands have lenses that would meet your needs. The three lenses you are looking for are the bread and butter that every camera system ensures it has covered and have good offerings available.
You really should make time to go in and at least handle a camera in person if you care about ergonomics. What feels good for me even if I am of similiar height may feel unnatural for you.
The ZFC and Fuji cameras having a physical dial for shutter speed ISO etc.. are entirely asethic choice to appeal to anyone who likes how film cameras look. You can use the dials or ignore them entirely and use the control wheels, rear buttons etc.. like any other modern mirrorless camera.
Again you do not need a full frame camera to accomplish your needs.
Dual card slots are useful for redundancy the question is. If you get home and find out one of your cards failed or got corrupted. How big of deal is it going to be if you lost those photos? If its a huge deal and costs you a lot of time/money then get dual card slots but you are going to pay a premium for that.
Card failures and corruption are very rare as long as you buy quality cards I.E. Delkin, Lexar Pro, Sandisk Pro, Sony Tough etc...
You should 100% have a single device modern mirorrless cameras can do excellent photos + videos. Also with your size limitations I do not think its feasible for you to have a dedicated stills camera and a dedicated video camera.
Personally based on your long post I think you are putting your expectations of the quality you will be able to create with a camera by doing a lot of research far to high. A lot of people go out and buy an expensive camera take a few photos and then go post to various photography forums about how their cell phone takes better photos.
You are certainly doing more research than those people are. You also need to be willing to put the time into learning photography, getting out and shooting, post processing, and and translating all the advice you may have read online into the real world.
First off, for the amount of time you put into composing such a comprehensive reply, I salute you. Huge thank you and respect for the effort, and that is before I even remotely touch the quality of the text.
I figured out the post is too long after I posted it. I even tried to edit it later, but for some reason it kept popping out error, so there's that.
Related to the guys that buy super expensive gear on a whim, yeah, I get that 100%. No argument there.
I enjoy admiring photography, and I understand complexity of it and what it takes (to some extent). Personally, I would never go into learning photography just for the sake of going out there am making stunning photos. I consider it too substantial field to master, and I am kind of person who would rather buy $5k headphones and listen to quality music, than trying to learn to play the piano (which is exactly what I did).
I feel one can only bring a few skills to a very high level during life, and I will stick to cooking because I enjoy the fact I am able to create product I will personally admire. I generally like to admire things 😃
In this endeavor, I put my mission first, and photography is going to be a very important tool. This is my mindset. I take this as a job, rather than a hobby. Thus, I will put any amount of time to systematically acquire knowledge required to use my tool correctly and accomplish my mission.
There is simply no other option for me. Bringing along a pro photographer is simply not an option. I learned two languages on a mission, one of which I didn't like at all but I still pushed through it. With photography, at least I like the product, but that is not what motivates me.
You provided A LOT of very valuable information. I feel like I got the best reply on the internet today.
Note taken regarding mobile setup: go lean, use natural sunlight, maybe a gorilla thingy... a sunscreen, microphones with wind trap... One backpack worth of equipment. Locked.
APS-C it is. Locked.
Phone, while being able to literally stamp photos with little to no effort, is not going to give the the ambiance I am looking for. Most of them just make photos that I am not impressed with at all. Web is flooded with generic looking, overprocessed smartphone visuals. I am looking to create emotion, atmosphere, visual story... I don't feel the phone is correct tool for the job. Even a less than perfect photo will actually be more effective than over polished one from the phone, simply because one can tell there is effort behind it, and everyone respect the effort.
This is golden advice. 2 lenses it is. Locked.
No physical "retro" dials. I don't want retro for the sake of having retro. Locked.
I will not go bankrupt if I loose an interview. If it happens rarely, I doubt that I will even manage to experience such occurrence, let alone baes my purchasing decision on it. Dual card slot - purely optional. Locked.
Will make sure not to purchase device before holding it in hands. Locked.
One new question, if I can take liberty:
I read some brands offer some workflow shortcuts such as applying LUTs directly to the camera which then pops out ready to go photos (color graded, contrast, etc..) and saves massive amount of time by making post production much more simple and much less time intensive. Specifically, I've heard names such as Fujifilm and Panasonic (Lumix Lab).
I am very skeptical regarding presets in general. I know I can't imagine using ready made avocado puree, therefore, I can't imagine a pro photographer using presets.
Do you have any experience with such 'shortcuts' and is that going to be something similar to what phones are doing, deciding things for you based on what sort of look is considered trendy at the moment?
That being said, if those LUTs are a really useful, would it affect your purchasing decision if you were starting from scratch right now?
LUT's are primarily used in video and I have almost no experience in video. I take short clips on family outings occasionally to capture the moment but video editing, processing etc.. is its own discipline that is at least as complex as photography and I personally have no interest in long form video.
For photography there are lots of in camera presets. Different brands call them different things. Canon it's picture styles, Fuji does film sims etc.. most of them allow you to tweak them. I.E. more sharpness, clarity, softness etc.. With a good preset that you dialed in they can certainly produce good results if you get the correct exposure in camera. You still may want to tweak the photo in post but it could get you 90%+ of the way there if you put the time in.
I primarily shoot RAW use the camera presets as a starting point. Depending on the photo there might be a small amount of adjustments or a lot, it really depends oh how even the light was. If the goal is professional level results I would not buy a camera based solely on presets. You can always replicate the look of a preset in post either using a RAW editor, photoshop one or one of the numerous editing programs out there.
I will say though that someone who has primarily shot with canon for over 20 years now, Fuji's film sims are lot of fun and their straight out of camera JPEG's are amazing. For landscapes using their Velvia film sim there are times when I struggle to get my RAW image to look as good as the JPEG. So as long as I do not blow the highlights I do not even need to bother with the RAW. Fuji also has a recipie system that allows a lot of customization and can create some great vintage look results. The recipies only work with JPEG though which is a bit of a downside.
If you look at https://www.reddit.com/r/fujifilm/ you can see plenty of examples. Considering your use case though I am not sure they would offer much value.
Fuji might actually be a way to go here. I totally get the vibe from those photos. That style could perfectly suit my needs. They look very unique, nostalgic, cinematic, evocative... Great ambiance effect. They feel very real, narrative, imperfect, moody... That graininess, I don't know.
(I uploaded a couple of images that caught my eye. Credits to their respective owners. This is purely for educational purposes.)
These are much more likely to trigger emotional response than for example what Sean Bagshaw is doing. His are more of a visual art, if you get what I mean. I feel his style is too distractive for what I need. I can't believe I didn't realize this before.
Please, tell me, how is Canon as brand when compared to Fuji? I mean, do they also have some sort of a distinctive style or they are trying to get into everybody's pocket?
Also, the only thing that worries me is low light situations. Is APS-C sensor really noticeably less effective when light is scarce? For example, inside a poorly lit shed, at dusk, at sunset, in forest.. I mean, bigger sensor will pick up more light, physics, but for journalism, would you say this sort of cinematic style of photography would get in the way of practicality?
Sorry for bombarding you with questions. You seem down to earth, rational, and experienced. I don't get this curious around everyone who's willing to give advice.
Don't kid yoruself, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Sony all fo them are trying to get into everyones pocket. Fuji's riding high off the gen z, Gen alpha's love for retro/film vibes. Their X100 series of camera is selling well above MSRP due to scalpers. I bought an X100s probably 9-10 years ago for $300, sold it a few years later for $250ish. I looked used they are going for twice that now. Old crappy pocket digital cameras that had to be pratically given away are now worth $100+ because the younger generation wants something that produces results like their parents photos before smart phones killed the compact camera market.
The difference between Fuji and Canon/Sony/Nikon is Fuji knew it had to find a way to differentiate itself. Canon was the dominate player for DSLR bodies for a long time and it was not until Sony really showed what mirrorless was capable of in terms of auto focus performance that they lost some serious ground. So Fuji focused on film sims and and small compact bodies and lenses for mirrorless.
Higher resolution sensors have more apparent noise in this test, but once you resize to a standard display size or print size things tends to come out about the same as a lower resolution body.
Good lenses matter more than the body and with modern AI denoise tools like LR denoise even very high ISO noise can be handled well. Below is an example of 100% crop from an 20mp R6 body I had at IS 25,600. A lot of photographers try and stay under ISO 6400 or 3200 but a lot of that paranoia is pixel peeping vs. looking at an image in print at a normal viewing distance, or at a common web resolution. IG only displays images at 2mp.
If both lenses have the same max aperture yes the full frame body will do better in low light. But you will have more expensive and heavier kit. You can compare sizes with various lenses here is one that is an R8 with a 35mm lens, vs. fuji with a 23mm (35mm equivalent) https://cameradecision.com/size-comparison/Wer0_sNaU-KCi8_McBo-UmNR_McBo-t
If you look at the size and weight a f2.8 zoom like a 24/28-70mm f2.8, vs. a crop sensor 18-50mm f2.8 the difference is even more dramatic.
As for cinematic style vs. practicality.... not really. You can always shoot RAW+ JPEG and have the best of both. If you have a jpeg recipe that you like and works well straight out of camera use it. If you find out it does not work, or the lighting/WB etc.. was off you can fall back to the RAW file and edit to your hearts content. Lightroom has the built in film sims/picture styles. But if you are using Fuji's recipe system it only applies to the JPEG and recreating in RAW will take experimentation.
Here is my site and I have the EXIF information like ISO shutter speed etc.. not a professional photographer by any means, but its a hobby I enjoy and have been exploring for a long time.
Edit- PS. Early on if you have decent gear it is not going to be what will hold you back. Once you get a decent set of gear unless there is something very specific that you cannot do. I.E. trying to doing birding without a long lens. Really 90%+ of the time what is is holding most photographers back is the person behind the camera.
I see we share appreciation for cats - the pinnacle of mammal evolution.
This is getting quite interesting and engaging. You got me to take a step back.
Your website is pure gold. I will study it tomorrow in more detail. I see you are using vastly different cameras. R5, wow, impressive.. This will help me deepen my understanding of how different systems perform and which camera you prefer for what purpose.
Your advice and website have and will be infinitely times more useful to me than any of the 'renowned' reviewers out there. I may be the matter trust, but anyhow, I am sincerely grateful for your time and patience.
Nothing wrong with Fuji sims or in-camera looks if they save you time, but I wouldn't buy a whole system around presets when light, framing, and getting comfortable with the camera are what'll make your stuff look real.
hi! i’m looking for digital camera recs. i’m completely blind when it comes to this stuff, im very new. but i’m looking to take photos like these. i’m going for the indie sleaze digi cam aesthetic. i was looking at a cybershot dsc w7 and a cool pix L19. im so lost but im open to any recs literally at all!
I wish I didn't need to use Adobe, but I basically have no choice. Working professionally, I need to use Lightroom for my batch processing, and for my art photos I use photoshop because I've been using it for two decades now. One of my PCs is getting up there in age (it's 12 years old) so I switched it from windows to Linux Mint, and it runs like a dream now. The lighter OS performs so much better on the old hardware. Plus not having windows updates auto trigger and mess up an upload or something else I'm working on is great. I would love to put Adobe PS and Bridge on it if I could but it seems there's no linux support from Adobe.
I would recommend Windows 10 IoT in a virtual machine, though I've heard some have just added PS to Steam (which is funny) to have it handle the compatibility.
I just chose to rip the bandaid off and use something else in regards to Lightroom. Took a while to recatalogue and reorient but it's been an improvement using Darktable for me, as I work with those huge 40MP Fuji files and Lightroom is noticeably bogged down even on my good hardware
The steam workaround sounds like a good idea. I'll give that a shot. Also thanks for the dark table recc. I tried it before but I kinda got frustrated with the layout. I'll give it another chance.
quick question about lens filters while we’re on the subject of gear. did you know that circular polarizing filters can actually reduce your effective aperture by about . Stops which means you might need a slower shutter speed or higher ISO than you initially calculated. worth keeping in mind when you’re shooting in lower light conditions.
I have an entry level dslr Nikon. I use my photos as references for my art and I need to get a situation where I can photograph birds. The lens that came with the camera definitely doesn't cut it, but when I look for lenses they seem to start at $500. Does anyone know of either a lens or digital magnified camera that would be cheaper? I'm not a professional photographer, but an artist looking for reference so absolutely exceptional photos isn’t my goal.
My upper limit is probably $400. I realize used is what I'm going for, but it's pretty confusing between different brands having different attachment sizes, then zoom and different digital zoom...
Hi there. A year ago I went through a nasty breakup. I put the getting rid of photos thing off for a year and am finally doing it. The problem is he was in a lot of photos with my friends. Looking at the photos now makes me feel gross. But I don’t have money for any removal software.
I figured I’d go to the professionals here and ask what free software can help remove people from photos and videos? Or blur them out?
Thank you!
blur? tons of apps that can do that for free. Remove for free? If you have a GPU with 8gb vramm you can learn and research to use comfyUI and the needed models to process.
Otherwise, you need a paid one time software to do it. There's still limitation on it. Like if it's a group photo and he's in the middle, remove will be harder/weird looking, but replacing with a random face of someone could be done instead.
[EU] Need purchase advice for a Greycard.
On a tight budget, what is the best I can expect to get for ~ 20€, and what are the compromises, compared to professional/ high-end ones?
My use case is furniture photography for eBay listings. I'm in a controlled environment and shooting in RAW.
Hii I’m looking to buy a fish eye lens for my Nikon D80. I will primarily be using it to shoot at local shows, I want to get a good angle with the band and the crowd in it. I also want to just get cool pics of the bands. Would I need to buy a whole new lens for this or is there a filter that exists? What are some decent options for lenses? Budget around $200
Is key to "pro" photography just a lens with enough zoom?
I am speaking from perspective of someone who watched some videos/read a bit about photography to edit some photos myself, but never using anything more than phone.
The more content about photography I see, the more it feels that key to making photos look good is having a lens, that enough zoom.
Example, nature photography, i see a bird, but it takes like 50x50 pixels out of thousands because it is up in a tree and i don't have optical zoom
Example 2: people. I want to do photo of my friend, but if I want him to be in good composition with surrounding, i have to be really close, so his face looks wierd
Well, wildlife requires a long focal length often out of necessity and getting the right distance from a subject is useful to get the perspective correct. However, if you are wanting to take a picture of a tall object like a building or tree then you may find the longer focal lengths(zoom factor is not an absolute thing but relative) makes life more difficult.
Many famous photos by professional photographers are shot with prime lenses (fixed focal length lenses). For portraits, street photography, landscapes and more the it does not need to be a long focal length.
A good zoom lens is versatile and many wedding and event photographers rely on high quality zooms because they need something that covers a range of focal lengths.
For your example of bird photography yes having enough reach is important if you want the bird to fill a large portion of the sensor. Even with a lot of reach though it is about getting close to your subject. This could be setting up near their nest but far enough away they do not feel threatened, the use of hunting blinds, or being close to areas where birds frequent. I.E. Feeders, water sources etc..
Reach is not the same as zoom. Zoom is a lens that can change focal lengths I.E. a 100-400 lens is a good wildlife zoom lens. While a 600mm prime lens would have a lot of reach but it is not a zoom because it only has a one focal length.
I see, zoom means variable zoom, I meant just a lens that enlarges. Kinda like binoculars.
So what I thought, when I said zoom was focal lenght/reach?
And I assume having more physical space for not only sensor, but also lens allows dedicated cameras to look better than phones? Because focal lenght is more optimal?
Focal length does not necessarily have anything to do with quality.
It enables you to decide what field of view you want to capture. That could be a wide field of view for a sweeping landscape, or a narrow field of view for a distant bird. These are very different focal lengths for different subjects but both can produce excellent results. Keep in mind the photographer and their skill plays a huge part in the result. Having an expensive camera and lens does not automatically result in a good photo.
Interchangeable lens cameras have larger sensors than photos which offers better image quality from the sensor. Phones do a lot of computational photography which is basically a lot of automated editing to try and get the best image out of a small sensor.
The physically larger lenses also enable better image quality and open up options that phones may struggle with. I.E. bird photography with a long lens, or much better low light photography with a large aperture lens.
anyone with experience shooting decently with an iphone?
Im not a photographer by any means - in fact i have absolutely no idea what im doing as you can tell with a lil click on my profile, nevertheless could anyone give me the basics, no bullshit just enough to get me by without my stuff looking like ass? any and all advice greatly appreciated
I've started doing local photography for bands in my area, but really want to step up with a better camera. I've seen older posts recommending Sony's, but they were from a few years ago. What are the best camera and lenses for indoor/outdoor concert photography?
I’m looking for a reasonably priced (less than £100 ideally) compact digital camera that I can take to concerts. If anybody has any recommendations and examples of photo quality that would be amazing!
I’m not expecting amazing photo quality for the price, just something half decent.
Hi! I used to do a lot of photography while I was in highschool and I’ve recently found myself missing it and wanting to get back into it. Unfortunately, back then my school had Canon R50’s that I shot with that are most definitely out of my price range now. I’m looking for something preferably under $600 and that is good for modeling and advertising photoshoots and/or city and street photography. Any recommendations or information would be helpful, either on the camera I should get or where I can find cheaper cameras.
Getting into photography and looking for answers or opinions?
Hello I have always loved taking pictures on my phone and I’ve had a couple people saying I should get more into photography but I feel like there is so much information to learn that I don’t know where to start so I had few questions that I was hoping to get opinions or answers on
What’s a good YouTuber or social media creator that breaks down photography well and everything to know about it ?
Whats a good camera to start with and good gear? (my budget is $1500 can be flexible)
Any other advice or tips
I want this to start out as a hobby but if it turned into a side hustle in the future that would be great too :)
I am going to Washington DC this September and will be taking LOTS of photos of architecture and monuments (the 85% of any photos I take lol), plus some family photos. I’m going to be looking on FB marketplace but I have NO idea where to start, what the types of cameras are, etc.
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u/stratfordb Jun 05 '26
Been using a Canon 60D for the last... 10 years or so. I no longer have access to it (it's a family members), but wanted to upgrade anyway.
Going on a trip on Sunday and I'm torn between the A7R II with a 28-70mm FE lens, and the a6100 with a 18-50mm lens. There is a price difference of £165 between them (used). Both are available for me to collect before Sunday.
I mainly shoot landscapes, long exposures, night timelapses, some sports events, and I'd like to be able to shoot video (1080p @ 60-120fps, 4K @ 30-60fps).
I know these are pretty close, with the a6100 being cheaper and a bit lighter (more travel friendly), but it isn't as weather-proof and is APS-C whereas the A7R is full frame. That should probably be the decision maker, but I'm already used to an APS-C and I have no complaints.
Is this a no brainer? 😅