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Archive for December, 2020

When to Shoot in RAW vs JPEG (and Why)

31 Dec

The post When to Shoot in RAW vs JPEG (and Why) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

when to shoot in RAW vs JPEG and why

There has been a longstanding debate in the photography community about RAW vs JPEG file formats. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, so determining which one to use isn’t as simple as you might think.

In fact, rather than thinking about RAW vs JPEG as a single choice to make, it’s best to reframe the question entirely. So don’t think about which format to always use.

Instead, think about when to use RAW and when to use JPEG.

RAW vs JPEG example photo
Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II | 180mm | 1/350s | f/4 | ISO 2000

Understanding RAW and JPEG formats

If you’re new to digital photography, terms like “RAW” and “JPEG” might seem a little strange. So what actually is a RAW photo? And what is a JPEG photo?

When you press the shutter button on your camera, it takes in color and light data, then converts the data into a photograph. RAW is one type of file format that your camera can use, and it’s found on dedicated cameras like DSLRs and MILCs.

A RAW file is the unprocessed image data straight from the sensor. It must be converted to a usable image format via a program such as Lightroom or Luminar. RAW files are much larger than JPEG files, and they often don’t look good until they are edited. Therefore, a longer post-processing time is required, and memory cards fill up quicker. But you do get a flexible file that can be endlessly edited to look exactly how you want.

beautiful sunset shot in RAW
Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | 1/500s | f/11 | ISO 100.
A RAW file gave me far more freedom to edit this photo compared to if it had been shot as a JPEG.

JPEG images are RAW files that are instantaneously converted by the camera into a format that is easy to share. In the process, however, JPEGs lose some of the data captured by the image sensor.

JPEG files have widely used since 1992, and the original intent was to create an image format that was a nice compromise between quality and file size. If you’re old enough to remember the early days of the internet, you know that bandwidth was a precious commodity, and a single image file could take several minutes to download on a dial-up modem. JPEG helped solve that problem and quickly became the dominant format for digital photos. This legacy lives on today, and nearly every digital camera and mobile device can shoot JPEG photos.

So which format is better? That’s a question only you can answer, and it all depends on your photographic goals. But it’s a bit like deciding between a truck and a sedan, a microwave and an oven, or whether to wear shoes or sandals.

In other words, it’s not a question of whether JPEG is better than RAW or RAW is better than JPEG. Instead, it’s about deciding when to shoot in RAW or JPEG and why.

fungus shot in JPEG
Fujifilm X100F | 23mm | 1/170s | f/2 | ISO 200.
I didn’t want to edit this photo, so I shot a JPEG and was perfectly happy with the result.

When to shoot in RAW

There’s no question that RAW files offer much more flexibility during the editing process. When it comes to recovering highlights, bringing out detail in the shadows, adjusting exposure, and all other types of edits, RAW reigns supreme.

While RAW does have some downsides, the advantages can easily outweigh the disadvantages.

In general, I recommend shooting RAW in the following situations:

You’re shooting paid photos for clients

When working with clients, you want all the flexibility you can get. The best-laid plans can often go awry, and despite all your preparedness, you can still end up with images that are too dark, too bright, or need severe color-correcting.

This is where RAW excels, as it lets you recover as much information as possible to fix errors or tweak the image to your liking.

couple portrait
Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | 1/3000s | f/2.8 | ISO 400.
Here, the backlighting resulted in a severely underexposed image. I was able to save it because I shot in RAW.

You know you’ll be doing extensive editing

If you are shooting in extreme conditions, you’re pushing your camera and your skills to the limit, or you’re even just taking normal pictures that you know you will be editing, then RAW is a good choice.

If I’m taking more than just casual snapshots, I like to err on the side of caution; I’ll shoot in RAW, even if I’m not sure how much editing I’ll be doing.

a tree branch hanging in front of the water
Nikon D7100 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8G | 50mm | 1/350s | f/1.8 | ISO 110

You might want to edit your images years later

This one is a little tricky, since it’s difficult to predict whether you will or won’t want to edit your pictures years or decades down the line.

Some photographers like to shoot everything in RAW just to be on the safe side. While it’s impossible to predict the future, it’s difficult to imagine any scenario in which RAW files would offer less flexibility than JPEGs or other file formats.

We might reach a point years down the road where machine learning and artificial intelligence are able to give RAW-style flexibility for lossy formats like JPEG, but we’re not there yet. RAW formats are used by world-class institutions like the National Archives in the United States. Such facilities certainly know a thing or two about storing images for the long term, and if RAW is good enough for them, then it’s likely good enough for you.

boy running RAW vs JPEG
Nikon D7100 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8G | 50mm | 1/350s | f/4 | ISO 200.
When my kids were little, I didn’t know as much about photography as I do now. I shot everything in RAW, just in case I needed to edit my photos years later.

When to shoot in JPEG

Some people are of the opinion that all pictures should be shot in RAW, but I tend to disagree.

While RAWs do have advantages over JPEGs, there’s nothing wrong with capturing JPEG files if they work for you. Just because some people shoot in RAW doesn’t mean you have to!

In general, I recommend using JPEG in the following situations:

You like the look of your camera’s JPEG files

The biggest advantage of RAW is also one of its key disadvantages; having the freedom to adjust your photos ad infinitum isn’t much of an advantage if you don’t really want to edit them.

All camera manufacturers configure their cameras to process JPEGs with a certain look or style. As such, the straight-out-of-camera JPEG files can look much better than RAW files. And if you don’t plan on editing your pictures, then these JPEGs are probably the better option.

girl photographed in JPEG
Fujifilm X100F | 23mm | 1/200s | f/2 | ISO 200.
I like the Fujifilm JPEG files just fine, and as such, I almost never shoot in RAW with my Fujifilm camera.

I shot in RAW frequently – until I got my Fujifilm X100F camera. I quickly realized that I quite liked the look of its JPEG film simulations such as Classic Chrome and Provia. Soon, I had stopped shooting in RAW entirely on my Fujifilm, because I just liked the JPEGs better. I could certainly edit the RAW files, but I realized over time that I didn’t want to. I liked the JPEGs just the way they were (and I still do!).

If you like how your JPEG files look, then don’t worry about RAW and keep using JPEG. It doesn’t make you any less of a person, or photographer, just because you want to let your camera do some of the editing for you.

And even though JPEG files can’t be edited as much as RAWs, you can still make some basic changes, such as adjusting exposure and correcting the color. You shouldn’t expect the same flexibility that you’d get when editing RAW files – but if that’s not your goal, then JPEGs will be fine.

JPEG vs RAW sheep
Fujifilm X100F | 23mm | 1/2000s | f/2 | ISO 200.
I shot this as a JPEG and was still able to tweak the white balance just a bit in Lightroom. Would RAW have worked better? Perhaps. But I like this shot anyway.

You’re capturing casual snapshots of friends and family

RAW files have more flexibility than JPEG files – but if you’re shooting lots of casual pictures or snapshots of friends, family, and everyday life, then RAW just might be overkill.

RAW files take up more space on your memory card, they can be a chore to edit, and they are also difficult to share. The latter is especially important for these slice-of-life photos, and most casual shots don’t really require much in-depth editing, anyway.

people on a dog walk
Fujifilm X100F | 23mm | 1/480s | f/5.6 | ISO 200

When you shoot JPEG files, you lose some of the flexibility of the RAW format – but you gain the ability to easily share photos, and you don’t have to deal with conversions and editing software.

On family vacations, it’s not uncommon to share memory cards before everyone leaves, just to make sure everyone has everyone else’s photos. This is just easier with JPEGs, since every device and operating system works great with the JPEG file format.

You’re photographing sports and fast action

This might seem a little counterintuitive because sports and action shots sometimes need to be edited afterward. It’s difficult to nail the exposure and white balance when shooting some types of sports, which is why photographing in RAW can be useful.

However, it’s not uncommon to end up with hundreds or even thousands of photos after a sporting event, especially if you use your camera’s continuous shooting mode. The sheer quantity of images can turn the task of editing into an arduous process that ends up taking far too much of your time.

boy kicking a soccer ball
Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II | 98mm | 1/750s | f/2.8 | ISO 100.
I shot JPEGs with the Overcast white balance setting, so all I had to do was crop a few shots, instead of meticulously editing the hundreds of photos I got from this game.

As a result, it can actually be a good thing to shoot in JPEG when you know you will end up with a massive amount of photos. You can learn to tweak JPEG settings in-camera, such as lifting the shadows and manually setting the white balance to maintain uniformity across your pictures. This isn’t the same as editing each image by hand, but it’s a lot easier!

The internal buffer on your camera won’t fill up as quickly when shooting in JPEG mode due to the smaller file size. This means you can take more images without waiting around while your camera transfers them to your memory card. Those precious seconds can make all the difference at sporting events or other situations where the action comes frequently and you don’t want to miss a shot.

backyard pool
Fujifilm X100F | 23mm | 1/450s | f/5.6 | ISO 200

A Compromise: RAW+JPEG

If you’re still not sure when to use RAW vs JPEG files, just know that there is no correct answer. Whichever file type you choose is fine as long as it works for you.

If you feel comfortable using RAW, then great. If you’d rather shoot in JPEG, go for it. And if you want the best of both worlds, you really can have your cake and eat it, too.

You see, most cameras let you choose a mode called RAW+JPEG. As you might expect, this mode saves both RAW and JPEG files for every shot. It can eat through your memory cards in a hurry, but as long as you don’t mind the increased storage requirements, you can avoid making the RAW vs JPEG decision altogether and just use both formats.

coneflower close-up
Nikon D7100 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8G | 50mm | 1/350s | f/2.4 | ISO 100

RAW vs JPEG: Conclusion

When I first started getting into photography, I suffered from a severe case of RAW guilt.

I thought that if I didn’t use RAW, then I wasn’t a real photographer, because real photographers shot in RAW. I thought JPEGs were for the unwashed masses and should be shunned by any picture-taker who took themselves seriously. It took me far too long to realize that this type of gatekeeping has no place in photography.

As long as you have a process that works and you’re happy with the result, then don’t let anyone tell you that you’re doing it wrong. And if you haven’t yet figured out when to use RAW vs JPEG and you’re looking for some advice, then hopefully this article gave you some ideas.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about when you shoot in RAW versus JPEG and why. So share your opinion in the comments section below!

The post When to Shoot in RAW vs JPEG (and Why) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.


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Gear of the Year: Carey’s choice – Sony a9 II

31 Dec
Photo: Dan Bracaglia

We were being out-paced by a semi-truck on a dirt road off an Idaho interstate in a mad gambit to skip an hour’s worth of stop-and-go traffic. As the 18-wheeler rounded a corner far ahead of us, leaving our sight, I felt a bit of humility. Mostly relief. Though if we’d wanted, we could easily have kept up with the truck in the little Subaru we were bouncing around in.

It was nice to take comfort in the certainty that every photo I would take on this trip would be reasonably exposed and perfectly focused.

But earlier, we’d been tailing the truck a bit closer and all the dirt it kicked up made us feel like we were crash-landing on the Red Planet in a Martian storm. The subsequent realization that we’d left our cell phone reception back by the highway also encouraged a little more caution.

Visitors visit parts unknown in Craters of the Moon National Monument. Processed and cropped slightly in Adobe Camera Raw.
ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F8 | Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM @ 141mm.

We were on our way back from Bozeman, Montana, from a DPReview video shoot on a farm. In normal times, road tripping to parts unknown is one of my favorite activities, and the ensuing uncertainty is honestly part of the appeal. But the additional uncertainty of the pandemic weighed on me a little bit. Every rest stop, every carefully vetted Airbnb stay was a risk, necessitating masks and buckets of hand sanitizer.

So it was nice to take a small bit of comfort in one thing – the certainty that every photo I would take on this trip would be reasonably exposed and perfectly focused. I had Sony’s a9 II with me, and free from worrying about whether or not the camera would do its job, I came away with some of my favorite photographs I was able to take this year.

Why it matters

It may not have bird detection, but the a9 II’s tracking is just solid.
ISO 100 | 1/1000 sec | F5.6 | Sony 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM @ 100mm

Back when I wrote our review of the a9 II, I said it had the best autofocus performance money could buy. Canon’s subsequent EOS R5 and R6 cameras have come close to closing the gap, and they have pretty awesome animal detection algorithms. But the a9 II’s tracking just works incredibly well, pretty much all the time; it’s tenaciously sticky and tracks anything I put the AF point over, and the camera can track human eyes that are absolutely tiny in the frame.

As a tool for the type of work I wanted to do, the Sony a9 II did the job.

It’s also easy to forget that there are plenty of cameras out there for which we don’t recommend using subject tracking all the time. Heck, even Sony’s a7R IV, which, on paper, features the same implementation, can struggle with fast action. (Admittedly, this could be the massive resolution, but if the AF can’t keep up, what’s the point of all those megapixels?).

The clouds roll into Mount Rainier National Park. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw.
ISO 125 | 1/160 sec | F8 | Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM @ 137mm

Shooting with a camera that has the most dependable subject tracking I’ve used really freed my mind to focus on composition and capturing a variety of moments. As the camera tracked my chosen subject and kept it in critical focus, I could easily experiment with my composition with my eye to the finder and end up with an image I was happy with.

No camera is perfect, but this one is pretty darn good

I have to admit, one of the great frustrations of my job is that in over five years of living, breathing and testing cameras, there isn’t one camera that does everything exactly the way I want. Yes, I know that might be the most #firstworldproblem ever. Maybe I’m just too picky.

Great eye detection means the a9 II didn’t get tripped up at all by the foreground elements in this Montana farm photo. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw.
ISO 100 | 1/160 sec | F2.8 | Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM @ 70mm

The Sony a9 II, for all its impressiveness, still has some interface lag, convoluted menus and a handful of other quirks. It’s overkill for many people, while others would value more megapixels or slightly greater dynamic range over the a9 II’s speed and AF tracking. Oh, and the touchscreen kind of stinks.

You’ll also notice that the images presented here are processed through Adobe Camera Raw (original JPEGs in the gallery below). Sony’s JPEG engine has some of the best detail retention and noise reduction on the market, but I just felt like some images needed a more personal touch to really replicate what I saw in front of me as I hit the shutter button. That would admittedly be an issue were I a full-time sports shooter on a tight deadline.

The road ahead will always be windy and more than a little uncertain. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw.
ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F8 | Sony FE 24-70mm GM @ 24mm

But as a tool for the type of work I wanted to do, it did the job. It may not be a camera that I fully enjoy the experience of using, but the confidence it inspires is hard to overstate. And that made all the difference on an uncertain road trip in these uncertain times.

And lastly, happy new year to everyone reading (and thanks for reading this far). Here’s to hoping for some slightly more certain times ahead, and thank you for being a part of DPReview.

Read our full Sony a9 II review here

Sample gallery

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2020

31 Dec

The post dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

top nature and wildlife photography tips of 2020

Do you want to improve your nature and wildlife photography, fast?

Then take a look at our best nature and wildlife photography tips from 2020. They’re packed full of helpful advice, all designed to help you capture stunning photos!

Starting with our most popular nature photography article of the year:

1. 5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

2. 10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

3. How to Take Vibrant, Razor-Sharp Macro Photos of Flowers

How to Take Vibrant, Razor-Sharp Macro Photos of Flowers

4. Tips for Doing a Backyard Photo Safari

Tips for Doing a Backyard Photo Safari

5. Macro Photography for Beginners

Macro Photography for Beginners

6. 10 Incredible Bird Photography Tips for Beginners

10 Incredible Bird Photography Tips for Beginners

7. Photographing on Your Home Patch and Why You Need One

Photographing on Your Home Patch and Why You Need One

8. How to Choose the Best Lens for Wildlife Photography

How to Choose the Best Lens for Wildlife Photography

9. How to Photograph Beautiful Winter Snowdrops (or Other Flowers)

How to Photograph Beautiful Winter Snowdrops (or Other Flowers)

10. Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners

Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners

11. 10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in Your Backyard

10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard

12. How to Photograph Sun Flares: 14 Tips for Beginners

How to Photograph Sun Flares: 14 Tips for Beginners

13. 10 Tips for Improving Your Wildlife Photography

10 Tips for Improving Your Wildlife Photography

14. 6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography With a Telephoto Lens

6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography with a Telephoto Lens

15. Tips for Photographing Birds in Flight

Tips for Photographing Birds in Flight

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed these nature and wildlife photography tips!

And if you want to keep improving your photos, make sure you subscribe to the dPS newsletter. We’ll send you weekly tips, tricks, and techniques – so that you can take your photos to the next level as quickly as possible!

The post dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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DPReview TV: We share our 2021 predictions while freezing our asses off

30 Dec

It’s time for our annual predictions episode! Chris and Jordan tell us what to expect from each camera company in 2021. And like true Canadians, they do it while ice fishing.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

  • Introduction
  • Canon
  • Pentax
  • Fujifilm
  • Leica
  • Nikon
  • Sigma
  • Olympus
  • Panasonic
  • Sony
  • See you next year!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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dPS Top Post-Processing Tips of 2020

30 Dec

The post dPS Top Post-Processing Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

dPS top post-processing tips of 2020

If you’re looking for a quick way to improve your photos…

…then I highly recommend you take your post-processing knowledge to the next level.

Unfortunately, learning to post-process isn’t easy – which is where these tips will come in handy!

So without further ado, here are the most popular post-processing tips of 2020:

1. 5 Things to Do to Every Photo In Lightroom to Improve Your Photos

5 Things to Do to Every Photo In Lightroom to Improve Your photos

2. Luminar vs Lightroom: Three Reasons Luminar is Better (and Two Reasons It’s Not)

Luminar vs Lightroom: Three Reasons Luminar is Better (and Two Reasons It’s Not)

3. How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing

How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing

4. RAW vs DNG: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?

RAW vs DNG: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter?

5. A Beginner’s Guide to Layer Masks in Photoshop

A Beginner’s Guide to Layer Masks in Photoshop

6. Lightroom Moon Editing Tips for Awesome Moon Photos

Lightroom Moon Editing Tips for Awesome Moon Photos

7. 10 Tips for Using a Graphics Tablet for Easier Photo Editing

10 Tips for Using a Graphics Tablet for Easier Photo Editing

8. Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits

Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits

9. 8 Vital Tips To Crop Your Photos For Stronger Compositions

8 Vital Tips To Crop Your Photos For Stronger Compositions

10. Capture One 20 Review: Time to Make the Switch From Lightroom?

Capture One 20 Review: Time to Make the Switch from Lightroom?

11. How to Create a Photogram Effect With a Digital Process

How to Create a Photogram Effect with a Digital Process

12. 8 Core Lightroom Retouching Techniques to Enhance Your Photos

8 Core Lightroom Retouching Techniques to Enhance Your Photos

13. How to Convert a Photo to a Drawing in Photoshop

How to Convert a Photo to a Drawing in Photoshop

14. Mastering Noise Reduction in Lightroom: The Essential Guide

Mastering Noise Reduction in Lightroom: The Essential Guide

15. RAW Photo Editing in Lightroom: How to Make Your Photos Look Real to Life

RAW Photo Editing in Lightroom: How to Make Your Photos Look Real to Life

Conclusion

If you enjoyed these post-processing tips, then I highly recommend you check back on Thursday – which is when we reveal our final set of top tips from 2020!

Specifically, you’ll get to discover the most popular nature and wildlife photography tips of this year.

So make sure you don’t miss out!

The post dPS Top Post-Processing Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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dPS Top Photography Tips of 2020

30 Dec

The post dPS Top Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

dPS top photography tips of 2020

Over the last few days, we’ve been featuring our top photography tips of 2020, including our best gear tips, landscape tips, and portrait tips.

Today, we’re taking a look at all dPS articles from this past year – and picking out the most popular.

So if you’re looking for a whole bunch of high-quality photography advice…

…check out our top photography tips of 2020!

1. Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Women

Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Women – Part I

2. 6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

3. 5 Things to Do to Every Photo in Lightroom to Improve Your Photos

5 Things to Do to Every Photo In Lightroom to Improve Your photos

4. Understanding Depth of Field for Beginners

Understanding Depth of Field for Beginners

5. Luminar vs Lightroom: Three Reasons Luminar is Better (and Two Reasons It’s Not)

Luminar vs Lightroom: Three Reasons Luminar is Better (and Two Reasons It’s Not)

6. Beginners Tips for Night Sky and Star Photography

Beginners Tips for Night Sky and Star Photography

7. A Beginner’s Guide to Focus Stacking

A Beginner’s Guide to Focus Stacking

8. Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Men

Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Men

9. 7 Mistakes Beginner Photographers Make The Camera Can’t Be Blamed For

7 Mistakes Beginner Photographers Make The Camera Can’t Be Blamed For

10. Your Camera’s Metering System Explained

Your Camera’s Metering System Explained

11. 5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

12. 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home

10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home

13. 13 Tips for Improving Outdoor Portraits

13 Tips for Improving Outdoor Portraits

14. 10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

15. How to Predict Dramatic Sunsets

How to Predict Dramatic Sunsets

16. 5 Reasons You Should Still Use a DSLR in 2020

5 Reasons You Should Still Use a DSLR in 2020

17. The Best Camera Settings for Portrait Photography

The Best Camera Settings for Portrait Photography

18. How to Choose the Perfect Focus Mode for Every Situation

How to Choose the Perfect Focus Mode For Every Situation

19. 6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes

6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes

20. Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home

Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed these top photography tips from 2020.

And make sure to come back tomorrow, when we reveal the best post-processing tips of the year!

The post dPS Top Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Nikon Z6 II vs Canon EOS R6 – which is best for you?

28 Dec

Introduction

Canon and Nikon dominated the DSLR market for around two decades but the move to mirrorless saw Sony gain a significant foothold in the full-frame space before the former ‘Big Two’ weighed in.

The second-generation full-frame mirrorless cameras from both brands are hugely capable though, so in the absence of an update from Sony, the Canon EOS R6 and Nikon Z6 II are the midrange models to beat.

But which is right for you?

Ergonomics

An extra dial on the rear edge of the camera represent the R6’s greatest divergence from Canon’s DSLR ergonomics.

For many years, the biggest distinction between Canon and Nikon was their respective approaches to ergonomics: which one you found most comfortable was probably the best way to choose between them. And, to some extent, these distinctions are carried through in their latest mirrorless models.

The Z6 II hand grip will be familiar to Nikon DSLR users, as will the positioning and function of its command dials. These tend to be very ergonomic, with the dials well placed under the thumb and forefinger. It’s a smaller camera but finds plenty of room for control points without feeling cluttered.

Canon, meanwhile, has diverged a little more from tradition. The R6’s grip is still a lot like a larger Canon DSLR (less overtly hand-shaped but providing a solid, comfortable substrate to hold onto). The R6 gains a command dial on its shoulder, in addition to the vertical dial on the back plate and the dial behind the shutter button. We’ve found this latest iteration to be an improvement on a familiar setup, and appreciate the extra flexibility it gives.

Sensors

To a great extent, the biggest difference between the two cameras is in the sensors they use. The Nikon uses a 24MP BSI CMOS chip, shared with several rivals. In this instance it has an undisclosed number of pixels devoted to providing phase-detection autofocus.

The Canon uses a 20MP sensor using the older FSI CMOS technology but using Canon’s ‘Dual Pixel’ design in which pairs of photodetectors are used at each pixel, meaning the entire sensor can be used for phase-detection autofocus, and without even the minuscule risk of glitches or artifacts that comes with dispersed phase detection layouts.

In image quality terms, there’s not a lot to choose between them. The Nikon has fractionally higher resolution capture and slightly better dynamic range (less read noise, meaning there’s more information in the very deep shadows before it’s swamped by noise). However, the difference is small enough that the Canon’s finer sharpening means its out-of-camera JPEGs end up looking similarly detailed than the Nikon’s, despite the lower resolution.

Interface/menus

Both cameras use menu systems inherited pretty directly from their DSLR forebears. This is great in terms of familiarity, but both are beginning to creak somewhat with the sheer number of menu options crammed into them. Nikon’s ‘Setup’ menu has some of the best navigation cues in the business, but other sections are just long lists of options with few hints about the logic used to order the options and insufficient indications to find your way back. Thankfully both cameras have My Menu tabs into which you can collect the options you change most often.

Both cameras offer a decent degree of customization, though not to the point where every button can be reprogrammed to access any possible function. The Nikon lets you customize its ‘i‘ quick menu, with separate choices for stills and video, but it omits the useful option to assign a focus area mode (or area mode + AF-On) to a button, which the company’s DSLRs offered. The Canon lets you do this, via the ‘Switch to registered AF func’ option, though there’s less need to do so. The Canon’s quick menu isn’t customizable but you can add a series of functions to the list accessed with the ‘M-Fn’ button, for semi-fast access.

Autofocus

Canon (top) combines face/eye detection and tracking in a single, unified AF mode. Nikon (bottom) lets you access face/eye detect as an option in two AF area modes; AF Tracking is a separate mode, accessed with a custom button.

The autofocus systems of the Z6 II and R6 are likely to be seen as revelatory to most DSLR users, and will seem like a pretty big step forward to anyone whose camera is more than a few years old. In both instances, the subject tracking performance and face and eye detection is extremely impressive.

Where they differ is how simple it is to access these capabilities. On the Nikon you need to choose whether to engage subject tracking or to use face detection, and then decide whether to limit face detection to a zone within the scene, to let you pre-select which person you wish to focus on.

On the Canon, once you’ve changed the settings so that you get to choose the initial AF position, you can just point your focus point at a subject and it’ll track it, using face and eye detection if it’s a person or just using generic subject tracking if it’s not. The whole process is easier to understand and quicker to operate.

Video

Video is one of the areas in which a distinction begins to appear, though again it’s more nuanced than simply being a case of ‘camera X is better.’

The Canon has the better-looking specification on paper: there’s a slight crop to all its video but it’ll shoot UHD 4K video in 24, 30 and 60p, whereas the Z6 II will apply a significant crop when 60p capture arrives in 2021. Using a cropped region makes it harder to find a lens that gives a wide-angle view, and gives the higher noise level of using a camera with a smaller sensor (APS-C in the case of the Z6 II’s 60p mode).

The Canon can also shoot 10-bit footage internally, giving more flexible Log footage or HDR TV-ready video. The Nikon requires an external recorder to record 10-bit data, making it less flexible. That said, there’s an extra-cost option to upgrade the Z6 II to output a 4K Raw video stream, which can be encoded as either ProRes RAW or Blackmagic Raw, but the footage is line-skipped, so it gains processing flexibility but loses some quality with regards resolution, moiré and noise.

There’s not a lot of difference in the appearance of the UHD 24, 25 and 30p footage both cameras can capture, other than the Nikon having less pronounced rolling shutter distortion of moving subjects. Neither camera is great in this regard but the Canon is visibly less good.

The latest firmware for the Canon has alleviated our original concerns about video overheating. We wouldn’t necessarily choose it if you need to shoot large amounts of stills and video back-to-back in a can’t-miss-a-moment setting, like a wedding, but for most video projects where stop/start recording is the norm, it’s no longer significantly different to its peers (so long as you turn the camera completely off between clips). Both cameras will stop internal recording after 29minutes, 59 seconds, which limits their appeal for long-run capture anyway.

Video Autofocus

What’s great to see is that both cameras behave very similarly in stills and video mode, but don’t carry too many settings over from one mode to the other. Both cameras retain separate exposure settings for stills and video, and let you define different white balance, color mode and custom button settings for the two shooting styles, if you wish. This makes jumping from stills to video and back easier, since it avoids accidentally shooting a series of Log-gamma photos or video clips with 1/200th shutter speed.

Where the Nikon has a slight edge is that its AF interface behaves in exactly the same way in stills and video modes. This means you can set an AF tracking point in advance or try to trust face detection (with the risk that the camera will re-focus if your subject looks away). On the Canon, the only way to achieve AF tracking in video is to tap the rear screen, meaning you can’t prepare for a subject’s arrival in the frame and you risk shaking the camera as you select them. The performance once the cameras are subject tracking is pretty similar.

Screens/viewfinders

There’s not much to choose between the cameras in terms of viewfinders. The Nikon has an edge on paper, but it’s not a big enough difference for us to notice in real-world usage.

Both cameras use 3.69M dot OLED viewfinders, but the Nikon’s optics mean that it gives a slightly larger 0.8x magnification from the panel, rather than the Canon’s 0.76x figure. However, while both cameras default to a high-resolution, 60 fps refresh rate, the Canon also offers a 120 fps high speed mode, which can be useful when you’re trying to follow action.

The Nikon has the better rear screen, with a 3.2″ 2.1M dot touchscreen (1024 x 680 pixels) rather than the Canon’s 3.0″ 1.62M dot panel (900 x 600 pixels). But we suspect the way the screen moves – up/down tilt for the Nikon, full-articulated for the Canon – will have more of an impact on your preference than the difference in the panels themselves.

Fans of a top-panel status LCD will prefer the Nikon, since the Canon doesn’t have one.

Features

Both cameras have been packed with just about every feature their respective maker can think to offer. Both cameras offer intervalometer functions, for instance, though only the Nikon also includes a time-lapse feature that builds a high-res movie file. In return, the Canon includes a mode to shoot high dynamic range 10-bit HEIF files for use on HDR displays, which the Nikon doesn’t.

Interestingly, neither includes a multi-shot high-res mode of the sort offered by a majority of other manufacturers. If you indulge in one of the types of photography that can benefit from such modes, you’ll have to look to Panasonic.

Both cameras can charge or operate using power over a USB-C connection. The Canon is rated as offering between 10 and 24% greater battery life than the Nikon, though frankly the larger battery used in the Sony a7 range is a safer choice if this is a major concern for your shooting. Both the Canon and Nikon offer battery grips to extend shooting times as well as provide duplicate controls.

Adapters and legacy lenses

Both the Nikon and Canon are designed to attract photographers already entrenched in the companies’ respective DSLR systems, so both are available with adapters to use existing lenses.

Nikon’s FTZ adapter doesn’t include a focus motor, which means it’ll only autofocus with AF-I, AF-S or AF-P lenses that have their own focus motor. This still allows autofocus with around 90 Nikon lenses launched since 1992. The company says a further 270 lenses can be manually focused, before you even consider third-party lenses with built-in motors.

Canon, meanwhile, offers three EF-to-RF adapters: a simple pass-through tube like Nikon’s design or more expensive variants with an additional settings control ring or built-in filter mount. Because the EF mount always used in-lens AF and aperture drive, there are fewer compatibility considerations when using existing Canon lenses.

Many users report good experiences with adapted lenses, but the sheer number of lens designs, motor types and the subtle differences between DSLR and mirrorless AF systems means there’s always scope for variability in performance. While this compatibility is nice to have, we tend to find there are image quality, AF consistency and often size advantages to using lenses designed for the new mirrorless mounts.

Conclusion

Overall, there’s something almost nostalgic about how well-matched the Canon and Nikon are. But, unlike the DSLRs of a decade ago, there’s more of a price difference between them. The Canon EOS R6 retails at an MSRP of $ 2,499 whereas the Nikon Z6 II can be purchased new for $ 1,999 (body-only in both cases).

So the R6 is substantially more expensive, but for us, the ‘it just works’ nature of its autofocus, the 10-bit stills and video capture and (nearly) full-sensor 4K/60p video make the Canon a slightly more convincing and enjoyable all-rounder, hence it getting a Gold award to the Nikon’s Silver. But the differences aren’t huge: they’re both extremely good cameras.

And whereas, ten years ago, I’d have said: ‘buy the one that fits most comfortably in your hand.’ I’m again in a position where it’s not really the cameras themselves you need to focus on most. The depth of any existing investment you have in DSLR lenses and the availability of new, native versions of the lenses you expect to use most often should be the more significant factor.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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dPS Top Photography Gear Tips of 2020

28 Dec

The post dPS Top Photography Gear Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

As a photographer, you can love gear or hate gear – but you can’t live without it!

top photography gear tips of 2020

So if you’re looking to level up your gear knowledge, check out our top photography gear tips of 2020:

1. 5 Reasons You Should Still Use a DSLR in 2020

5 Reasons You Should Still Use a DSLR in 2020

2. Tamron Announces First Mirrorless All-In-One f/2.8 Zoom

Tamron Announces First Mirrorless All-In-One f/2.8 Zoom

3. Your Guide to the Fujifilm JPG Film Simulations (with Sample Images)

Your Guide to the Fujifilm JPG Film Simulations (with Sample Images)

4. 4 Tips to Choose the Right Lens for your Photography

4 Tips to Choose the Right Lens for your Photography

5. Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

6. Godox TT685 Thinklite TTL Flash Real-World Review

Godox TT685 Thinklite TTL Flash Real-World Review

7. 10 Tips for Using a Graphics Tablet for Easier Photo Editing

10 Tips for Using a Graphics Tablet for Easier Photo Editing

8. 9 Solutions for Common Camera Mistakes Beginners Make

9 Solutions for Common Camera Mistakes Beginners Make

9. Nikon Z8 60 MP Mirrorless Camera Rumored, Along With D850 Successor

Nikon Z8 60 MP Mirrorless Camera Rumored, Along With D850 Successor

10. Two Nikon DSLRs Will Ship Next Year (Plus New F-Mount Lenses)

Two Nikon DSLRs Will Ship Next Year (Plus New F-Mount Lenses)

11. How to Conserve your DSLR Battery When You are Running Low on Power

How to Conserve your DSLR Battery When You are Running Low on Power

12. How to Use Photography Filters for Amazing Long Exposure Landscapes

How to Use Photography Filters for Amazing Long Exposure Landscapes

13. How to Use Old Lenses with New Digital Cameras (with Bonus Video)

How to Use Old Lenses with New Digital Cameras (with Bonus Video)

14. How To Find Your Lens’ Sweet Spot: A Beginner’s Guide to Sharper Images

How To Find Your Lens’ Sweet Spot: A Beginner’s Guide to Sharper Images

15. 5 Benefits of Using Photography Filters when Taking Photos

5 Benefits of Using Photography Filters when Taking Photos

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed our top photography gear tips from 2020.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article, where we reveal our top overall photography tips of the year!

The post dPS Top Photography Gear Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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The dPS Top Landscape Photography Tips of 2020

27 Dec

The post The dPS Top Landscape Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

dPS top landscape photography tips of 2020

Today, we’re featuring the most popular landscape photography tips published in 2020.

So if you want to improve your landscape photography, take a look at these helpful landscape tips:

1. Beginners Tips for Night Sky and Star Photography

Beginners Tips for Night Sky and Star Photography

2. How to Predict Dramatic Sunsets

How to Predict Dramatic Sunsets

3. 6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes

6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes

4. A Step-by-step Guide to Long Exposure Photography

Step-by-step Guide to Long Exposure Photography

5. 12 Tips to Help You Capture Stunning Landscape Photos

12 Tips to Help You Capture Stunning Landscape Photos

6. How to Photograph Long Exposures to Create Dreamy Images

How to Photograph Long Exposures to Create Dreamy Images

7. How to do Long Exposure Photography and Light Trails at Night

How to do Long Exposure Photography and Light Trails at Night

8. Important Considerations for Great Coastal Photography

Important Considerations for Great Coastal Photography

9. How to Use Photography Filters for Amazing Long Exposure Landscapes

How to Use Photography Filters for Amazing Long Exposure Landscapes

10. 5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos

5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos

11. 5 Benefits of Using Photography Filters when Taking Photos

5 Benefits of Using Photography Filters when Taking Photos

12. 6 Tips For Capturing Better Urban Landscapes

6 Tips For Capturing Better Urban Landscapes

13. 6 Tips for Photographing Amazing Light Trails at Blue Hour

6 Tips for Photographing Amazing Light Trails at Blue Hour

14. Tips for Cyber-Scouting Photo Locations So You Can Get the Best Shots

Tips for Cyber-Scouting Photo Locations So You Can Get the Best Shots

15. Photographing Stars Using a Kit Lens

Photographing Stars Using a Kit Lens

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed these landscape photography tips!

And make sure to come back tomorrow, when we’ll reveal our top photography gear tips of 2020.

The post The dPS Top Landscape Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Weekly Photo Challenge – Best of 2020

27 Dec

The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Best of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Seems a bit odd to be sharing a post entitled ‘best of 2020’ but amidst all of the chaos, I’m sure there were moments that you fondly captured, or a photograph you made at some stage in 2020 that made you smile? This week, leading into the New Year, we invite you to share YOUR favourite photograph that YOU photographed in 2020.

Tag your images on social #dPSBestPhotosOf2020

Weekly Photo Challenge – Best of 2020
Searching for critters

This year, for me, I made very few images for regular clients (hotel/food images) and mostly just photographed the boys on their adventures, when we were able to leave the house etc. Special moments for me, maybe not even the best photograph or appealing to others, but special to me and that what makes it my ‘best of 2020’

Your photograph will be special to you – don’t worry about what others think! – if you’ve not shared a photograph in our challenge before, now’s your chance!

As ever, we’d love you to share your photograph in the comments on this post, or you can share them on social media and tag us, find the details and instructions below.

Great! Where do I upload my photos?

Simply upload your shot into the comments field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favourite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them.

Weekly Photography Challenge – Looking Up

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Best of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.


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