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‘Back to the drawing board’: Sigma says full-frame Foveon camera won’t arrive this year

09 Feb

Sigma CEO Mr. Yamaki, pictured in the company’s factory in Aizu, Japan.

Development of Sigma’s full-frame Foveon camera has met considerable setbacks and the camera is no longer slated to arrive this year. In a letter to customers, CEO Kazuto Yamaki apologizes for the delay and says the decision comes after ‘careful and rigorous testing.’ No new release date is given at this time, and Mr. Yamaki says that the company has decided to start over with a ‘clean slate.’

The full-frame Foveon project was first announced to the public at CP+ in 2018. At the following year’s CP+, Sigma released more details about the camera and said it would reach market in 2020. Mr. Yamaki discussed with us some of the challenges of taking Foveon full-frame, describing the difficulty of improving interconnected aspects of sensor performance like high ISO performance and color gradation.

Press release:

Development status of the full-frame Foveon sensor camera

Dear Customers,

Thank you for being a valued customer.

At Photokina in September 2018, SIGMA announced the development of an L-mount mirrorless camera equipped with a full-frame Foveon sensor. Then, at CP+2019, we shared our plan to release the camera in 2020 and have worked diligently on the development to meet our commitment.

As a result of careful and rigorous testing based on the latest development information, however, it has become clear that the launch of such a camera would be infeasible within this year. Still at this point, we cannot say for certain when the full-frame Foveon X3 sensor will be put into mass production.

In light of current development progress, we are not in a position to offer any specific release plan at present. We have therefore decided that we should start over the project with a clean slate, putting the production plan for this new camera back to the drawing board and going back to the development of sensor technologies.

Since the earlier announcements, your excitement with the launch of a “full-frame Foveon” has been a tremendous source of inspiration and encouragement for us. Everyone involved in the project has pulled out all the stops to make it a reality. I would like to express my deepest apologies for failing to meet your expectations and having to share this disappointing news.

I would like to emphasize that Foveon sensors are in a class of their own and that they are part of the identity of SIGMA cameras that embodies our ideals and philosophies. We are determined to continue dedicating ourselves to technology development to bring better image sensors to life.

I would like to once again express my sincerest gratitude to our valued customers for the strong support you have offered to us. On behalf of all SIGMA employees, I commit myself to you that we continue striving to live up to your expectation and prove that we are worthy of your trust.

I truly appreciate your patience and understanding.

Warmest regards,

Kazuto Yamaki
Chief Executive Officer
SIGMA Corporation

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Jump from Lightroom to Photoshop and Back Again When Editing Photos (video)

01 Feb

The post How to Jump from Lightroom to Photoshop and Back Again When Editing Photos (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

In this video from Phil Steele of SteeleTraining, you’ll learn how you can jump from Lightroom to Photoshop and back again when editing your photos.

In this tutorial you will learn:

How to make the jump from within Lightroom to Photoshop so you can do more detailed editing using layers, and then bring the photo back to Lightroom.
About making multiple jumps or nested jumps.
How this function works with RAW files versus JPG files.
What the different options mean in the “Edit in Photoshop” dialogue box when editing JPGs.
A workaround to open your original, unedited RAW file in Photoshop.
How to add text to your photo in Photoshop.
How to Save the file and how to change the default settings of the file saving format.
Why you should use only “Save” and not “Save As” when in Photoshop.
The process that Lightroom uses to save and retrieve your image.

Multiple jumps (or roundtrips)

You’ll learn:

What happens when you make multiple round trips (jumps to and from Lightroom to Photoshop and back) with the same file.
The best format to choose after you have closed Photoshop and decide you want to keep editing your edited photo.
What setting to choose so that you don’t loose further adjustments made in Lightroom when jumping back to Photoshop.
The trade-off of jumping back to Photoshop for a second time after making further edits in Lightroom but with a sneaky work-around.
How to make “virtual copies” of your image in Lightroom.
How you synchronize settings from one image to another in Lightroom.

Nested Jumps (or roundtrips)

You’ll learn:

How to jump from Lightroom to Photoshop and then from Photoshop to third-party software such as Luminar.
How to merge multiple Layers into a single Smart Layer so you can open in a third party program/plugin.

Autel pushes back EVO II launch to March after discovering pre-production bug

28 Jan

Autel’s three EVO II drones were set for a late January release, but due to a last-minute software bug the engineering team discovered during production, Autel has confirmed to DPReview that its EVO II drones will likely be pushed back to a March release.

The bug, which ‘could limit flight performance under normal operation,’ according to an email sent to us and copy shared on Autel’s social media accounts, is being addressed on the production line, rather than needing to be fixed by consumers as a day-one software update. Due to the combination of this delay and the Chinese New Year, Autel is estimating that the first units should hit shelves in March, although it notes ‘this is not a set date or time frame,’ as ‘things can always change.’

The post, which is shared in its entirety below, thanks interested customers for their patience as the 18-member Autel team works to get units out as soon as possible.

You can read our original Autel EVO II series coverage for more information about the impending drones and keep up to date with the latest developments via Autel’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channel.

Hello Everyone!

First, we want to thank all of our fans and followers. It doesn’t matter if you just follow one of our social channels, or if you fly our products every day. Your support and enthusiasm have always kept us going here at the Seattle office.

With the announcement of EVO II at CES, the response has been absolutely crazy. This community is exploding, and we thank you for your patience with us as we are still trying to catch up on responses. We also want to be as transparent as possible and give you all periodic updates on the status and availability of EVO II. That way you have the most up to date information straight from us and not just rumors.

Our goal at CES was to get the initial units of EVO II (8k) into the hands of dealers by the end of January. Unfortunately, during production, we found a bug in our software that could limit flight performance under normal operation. Instead of shipping the hardware with a known issue and forcing users to perform day 1 updates, we have decided to delay the rest of production and shipments until we have resolved the issue. Our projected timeline is to have EVO II available for purchase in March. This is not a set date or time frame, and things can always change. But with the information we have today, that is our goal.

The team in Seattle is very small and we are adding channel support as we can. We are looking to start up our website newsletter again in the next few weeks. So for any future updates, please check our website, the official social channels, and emails coming directly from us.

We thank you for your patience. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get a hold of us at support@autelrobotics.com

Thank you all again and fly safe!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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5 Tips to Get Out of a Photographic Rut so You Can Get Back to Doing What You Love!

20 Jan

The post 5 Tips to Get Out of a Photographic Rut so You Can Get Back to Doing What You Love! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Creative ruts happens to the best of us. Fortunately, there are many ways to combat the dreaded photographer’s block. Here are 5 tips to get out of a photographic rut and back into doing what you love!

Canon 5D MK II 50mm lens with Kenko extension tubes, f/1.8 at 1/80th of a second ISO 800

Research

Canon 5D MK II Canon 50mm lens with Kenko extension tubes, f/8 at 1/40th of a second ISO 200

Getting stuck into some artistic research is one of my first tips for getting out of a photographic rut. Whether it’s online or in-print, checking out what other photographers have done can stimulate fresh photographic approaches.

Having a look at contemporary photography can inform your practice with new perspectives. In addition, brushing up on your photo history can give you the motivation to expand on tried-and-true photographic methods.

Don’t limit yourself to researching one area of photography either. Branch out into different genres you are curious about. And don’t forget to explore other types of artistic practice. A lot can be gleaned from disciplines like painting and sculpture – practices that rely just as heavily on light and composition as photography does.

Create a visual diary

Canon 5D MK II Canon 50mm lens f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second ISO 100

Often, writers find that putting ideas on paper helps stimulate creative thought. It’s the same for photographers too.

A great way to organize your favorite research discoveries is to create a visual diary. Visual diaries (or art diaries) have been kept by artists for centuries as a way to consolidate ideas and cultivate inspiration.

Grab a blank visual diary (a portable size works best) and start to add prints, drawings, paintings, notes, journal entries, rubbings, whatever! The idea is that your visual diary is your own physical expression of the creative process. When organized into a visual diary, your photographic trajectory becomes clearer. It can be as neat or messy as you like, don’t overthink it and have fun!

Pick a theme

Tips to get out of a photographic rut blue abstract

Canon 5D MK II Canon 50mm lens with Kenko extension tubes, f/2.2 at 1/320th of a second ISO 100

Another tip to get out of a photographic rut is to choose a single theme to photograph. Pick any theme; abstraction, the seasons, portraits…anything that you find interesting or challenging.

Selecting a specific theme focuses your creativity. Having a theme also simplifies your photographic process, defining a clear goal for you to work on. Furthermore, when you work within a theme, you start to uncover interesting perspectives about a subject you may never have considered before. This feeds your creative momentum, helping to lever you out of photographer’s block.

Try something new

Canon 5D MK II Canon 50mm, f/2.5 at 1 second ISO 100

Photography is made up of an endless amount of techniques and approaches. This provides photographers with many great tools to get out of a photographic rut. Trying something new can be exciting, and it can re-frame your whole photographic practice, kick-starting your creative flow and getting you back in the game.

Investing in new equipment is one way to change-up your photography, but simpler (cheaper) ideas work well too. For example, trying out portraiture or getting into black and white photography can help just as much. You could try photographing a new location or embark on a 365 project. You could also try camera tossing or set your sights on street photography – the choice is yours.

Keep a camera with you

Tips to get out of a photographic rut camera diana

Canon 5D MK II Canon 50mm lens with Kenko extension tubes, f/1.8 at 1/80th of a second ISO 200

Creativity can be fickle, and inspiration can strike at unexpected times. If you are in a photographic rut, capitalizing on these bolts of inspiration is important. The last tip to get out of a photographic rut is to keep a camera with you, ready for action.

Today, many people have a camera constantly within reach on their phones. Concepts like composition and settings on a camera phone are similar to a dedicated camera. This means that taking photos with a camera phone can, in itself, flex your photographic muscles. In addition, you can also record interesting subjects on your phone to return to later with a dedicated camera.

For me, I try to keep a small, plastic camera with me in my pocket or bag. There’s something about having a camera that inspires me to keep a lookout for new photographic opportunities. The whimsical nature of a plastic camera adds an element of surprise to photography too.

Conclusion

Photographic ruts are a stubborn burden suffered by many photographers. Luckily, taking active steps can alleviate the symptoms of a creative dry-spell.

While these tips are drawn from my own experiences, it is by no means an exhaustive list.

Have you been stuck with photographers block? Let me know your tips to get out of a photographic rut in the comments.

The post 5 Tips to Get Out of a Photographic Rut so You Can Get Back to Doing What You Love! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

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Back to Basics: What is the Reciprocal Rule in Photography?

16 Jan

The post Back to Basics: What is the Reciprocal Rule in Photography? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

There are extremely few true “rules” in photography. This is an odd thing to say, especially in an article explaining the “Reciprocal Rule”. In an effort to do you and I both a favor, I think it’s best to get this out of the way right here at the beginning. Whenever we refer to the Reciprocal Rule in photography as…well…a rule, just know that it’s meant as more of a helpful guide rather than an iron-clad rule. Got it? Good.

Now, onward to the good stuff!

In photography, motion is both our friend and enemy. Intentional or anticipated movement from our subjects or camera can result in magically extraordinary photos. At the same time, unintentional motion, specifically unwanted camera shake, can rob our images of sharpness and depth.

Falling short of the Reciprocal Rule requirements. 1/200th of a second at F/5.6 with a 300mm lens.

We’ve mentioned the Reciprocal Rule quite a few times in other articles, but today we’re going to dig a bit deeper and learn more about how to use this extremely simple technique. It very well could be one of the most useful bits of knowledge you can possess when it comes to helping you prevent unwanted camera shake.

What is the Reciprocal Rule?

Banish all thoughts of grade school math and algebra class from your mind when you read the word “reciprocal.” True, the Reciprocal Rule hints at mathematics but the technique itself is incredibly simple.

Simply put, for full-frame image sensors (more on this in a bit) the Reciprocal Rule states that your slowest shutter speed when shooting handheld should not be longer than “1” over your selected focal length in millimeters.

Reciprocal Rule in photography formula

Not so bad, right?

In order to reduce the appearance of inherent camera shake when hand-holding your camera, just don’t allow your shutter speed to dip below the reciprocal of your focal length.

Author’s Note: In mathematics, the word “reciprocal” is generally considered interchangeable with “multiplicative inverse”…which sounds much cooler.

It’s here where our previous discussions of the Reciprocal Rule in photography have ended but that is not the case today! Let’s drill down a little further and examine how the Reciprocal Rule works.

A caveat on reciprocal vs reciprocity

Talking about the Reciprocal Rule in photography can be tricky at times because it sometimes gets confused with another photographic principle called “reciprocity.”

Reciprocity, or more specifically reciprocity failure, is a phenomenon photographers sometimes had to manage back in the pre-digital photography days of film. Simply put, film emulsions become less light-sensitive as they are exposed which requires adjusted exposure times based on the type of film and the duration of the metered exposure.

Each of these 35mm frames is approximately the size of a modern full-frame digital sensor.

Fortunately for us, digital camera sensors don’t suffer from reciprocity failure. However, there are times when autocorrect or well-meaning individuals sometimes confuse the Reciprocal Rule and reciprocity failure as being one and the same when they absolutely are not.

Why does the Reciprocal Rule work?

While the Reciprocal Rule centers around estimating exposures based on your focal length, it is not actually dependent on that variable. In fact, the reason why the focal length of your lens matters is because longer focal lengths result in more constrained angles of view (field of view). The tighter your angle of view, the more noticeable camera shake becomes.

Long focal length camera lens

So, shorter focal length lenses can achieve relatively long handheld exposures over longer focal lenses due to their wider angle of view – not their optical focal length. The Reciprocal Rule is useful because it takes into consideration the progressively decreasing angle of view produced as focal length increases.

Check out this quick video where I breakdown why the Reciprocal Rule works.

Sensor size and the Reciprocal Rule

First, a bit of backstory on sensor sizes, but I promise it will come back around to the Reciprocal Rule.

If you’ve been involved in making photos with a digital camera for any length of time, then you likely have encountered the phrase “crop factor” when talking about digital camera sensors. Albeit there are exceptions, today almost all consumer photography lenses center around the standard 135 film format, commonly known as 35mm.

This is where the concept of “full-frame” digital sensors originated as they are roughly the same dimensions as those of a frame of 35mm film, give or take. Therefore, mounting a lens of a focal length based on the 35mm full-frame film standard to a cropped sensor camera, the field of view becomes inherently more narrow (cropped) due to the smaller sensor size.

Essentially, a cropped sensor will “zoom” a full-frame lens and cause it to have a longer effective focal length.

Hasselblad medium format digital sensor and full frame Sony A7r sensor

Every camera manufacturer’s cropped sensor has a crop factor you can use to approximate the resulting focal length of a full-frame lens when used on a cropped-sensor camera. For example, Canon’s cropped sensor (APS-C) has a crop factor of 1.6x because a full-frame Canon sensor is approximately 1.6x larger than that of its cropped-sensor counterpart.

Canon 5D MK3 compared to Canon 7D MK1 sensor

So, my 50mm lens is considered a true 50mm lens when mounted to my full-frame sensor 5D MKIII. However, if I were to mount that same 50mm to my cropped sensor 7D, it would instantly become approximately an 80mm lens (1.6 x 50mm) instead of 50mm.

The reason why sensor size and crop factors become important when using the Reciprocal Rule in photography is due to their effect on the effective angle of view.

The Reciprocal Rule states that I should use a shutter speed no slower than 1/50th of a second with a 50mm lens and full-frame camera.

A cropped sensor camera with that same 50mm lens would dictate a faster shutter speed be employed since the crop factor has changed the effective focal length of our lens to 80mm.

This results in a reciprocal of 1/80th of a second minimum shutter speed.

Without going much further down the rabbit hole on sensor sizes, just know that the opposite is also true when using sensor sizes larger than the full-frame standard. The resulting “reverse crop factor” would be less than 1x. It would mean that a full-frame sensor camera lens would now produce a wider angle of view, thus, increasing the duration of your allowable handheld shutter speed.

The effects of image stabilization

Another aspect to consider when talking about the Reciprocal Rule is that of image stabilization. More and more often today, manufacturers are building better and more efficient image stabilization into their cameras and lenses. Many of these image stabilization systems offer upwards of 2-stops of reported stabilization (meaning you can shoot 2-stops or more slower shutter speeds).

Lens image stabilization

This means that we can incorporate the approximate stops of image stabilization (should you have it) when making use of the Reciprocal Rule.

It’s actually quite simple.

If you engage your lens or camera’s image stabilization, you are effectively lengthening your allowable handheld shutter speed by ever how many stops the stabilization states it will compensate. Feel free to adjust the shutter speed of the Reciprocal Rule and see if you can manage even longer shutters due to the stabilization.

Final thoughts on the Reciprocal Rule

There are very few absolutes when it comes to making photographs. Every photographer is different, and what works for one might very well not work for another.

This is especially the case when dealing with techniques such as the Reciprocal Rule in photography. Although it attempts to help us prevent unwanted camera shake by providing a quick and easy baseline shutter speed based on our lens, it should not be considered a true “rule.”

Granted, some of us are simply better at holding our cameras more steady than others, but there is no replacement for practice and optimal body mechanics when it comes to producing less shaky photos.

The next time a tripod is not handy or practical, use the Reciprocal Rule to help you increase your odds of getting a sharper photo each and every time you’re shooting from the hip.

12 Days of Belvedere: A look back at puppyhood through sample photos

15 Dec

12 days of Belvedere

ISO 1400 | 1/250 sec | F1.8 | Nikon Z6 + Nikon Z 50mm F1.8 S

Belvedere officially joined the DPReview team last fall as a fourth-month-old pup and quickly became one of our favorite subjects to photograph. By the turn of 2019, he was a common sight in many-a sample gallery. Twelve months later and we have a complete and glorious timeline of his transformation from tiny puppy, to slightly larger puppy!

As Belvedere’s human and Photo Editor at DPReview, I tasked myself with going back through each month of 2019 to select the top pup photo to share with you, my dear reader, along with the gallery it’s from. We feel this is a nice way to not only look back at all the lovely gear we’ve tested, but also to fill the Internet with additional dog photos, because dogs are good and we love dogs.

We intend this slideshow to be enjoyed Advent calendar-style, meaning after today you are allowed to view one additional photo up until the 25th, when all can be enjoyed in consecutive order. Think of it as our holiday gift to you. We’re counting on you to not peek ahead!

And for those curious, Belvedere, a rescue pup, is a mix of Chihuahua, Miniature Pinscher and Miniature Short-haired Dachshund. He likes dehydrated squirrel carcasses, licking bald heads, sitting in laps for hours, turning squeaky toys inside-out and whenever anyone puts on a pair of socks. He weighs 18.4lbs and is a very good boy.

*All images by Dan Bracaglia except where noted

January 2019 – Belvedere at 7 months

ISO 2800 | 1/125 sec | F2.8 | Nikon Z6 + Nikon Z 50mm F1.8 S

We started off the year busy, publishing 11 sets of sample images in January 2019, including galleries for heavy hitting products like the Sony a6400, Sigma 28mm F1.4 Art and the Olympus E-M1X. But our top Belvedere pick in January comes from our Nikon Z 50mm F.8 S gallery. This one was a tough choice between two tempting pup picks, both from the same gallery. We opted for Belvedere enjoying a cheese stick, but Belvedere on the couch was a close second (we used it as the lead for the story).

January was also the month we tested the versatile, yet chunky Canon RF 28-70mm F2L as well as the beastly Nikon 500mm F5.6. We also got our hands on a Canon APS-C mirrorless favorite in the Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 STM.

See our Nikon Z 50mm F1.8 S gallery

February 2019 – Belvedere at 8 months

ISO 12800 | 1/125 sec | F5.6 | Fujifilm GFX 50R + GF 45mm F2.8
Photo: Carey Rose

February was a busy months for new gear. We got our hands on pre-production models of the Panasonic S1R and Panasonic S1 (in Barcelona). We also took a pre-production Fujifilm X-T30 for a spin (in Seattle), and freelance contributor Damien Demolder put together a pre-production gallery with the Ricoh GR III (from London).

Additionally we published final production galleries from the Canon EOS RP, the Fujifilm XF 16mm F2.8 and the oh-so-sharp Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM. And yet somehow with all the launches and all the galleries shot, we didn’t publish a single Belvedere photo in February. Shame on us. Fortunately DPR’s Carey Rose captured the above image of our dear pup from a, well, not-terribly flattering angle for a Fujifilm GFX 50R gallery published March 1st. It was technically taken in February so we’ll count it.

See our GFX 50R sample gallery

March 2019 – Belvedere at 9 months

ISO 100 | 1/200 sec | F2.8 | Leica Q2

Things quieted down a little in March. We got our hands on final production versions of both the Panasonic S1 and Panasonic S1R and filled out those galleries with plenty of samples. We also got our hands on Sigma’s outstanding bang-for-the-buck 70-200mm F2.8 Sport as well as their latest long zoom in the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 Sport.

Belvedere popped up in several of those galleries, but our favorite photos of him came from the Leica Q2, shot during a sunny afternoon walk. The weather was just starting to warm up in March and Belvedere’s fur was just beginning to go through a rapid and often comical shed and regrowth phase.

See our Leica Q2 sample gallery

April 2019 – Belvedere at 10 months

ISO 64 | 1/320 sec | F2.8 | Nikon Z7 + Z 24-70mm F2.8 @ 70mm

April was also a somewhat quiet month. We got a final production version of the Fujifilm X-T30 in for testing as well as a final version of the Ricoh GR III. We also shot with Pentax’s new 11-18mm F2.8 ultra-wide zoom and the slightly-less wide Nikon Z 14-30mm F4 S. But it was a different Nikon Z lens behind our favorite April Belvedere shot: the outstandingly sharp Z 24-70mm F2.8. Belvedere’s not even the only handsome pup in said gallery!

Also important: At 10 months Belvedere wasn’t quite fully grown. He no longer fits under the tight space he’s peeking out from in the image above, though he does try from time to time.

See our Nikon Z 24-70mm F2.8 S sample gallery

May 2019 – Belvedere at 11 months

ISO 125 | 1/200 sec | F4.4 | Ricoh WG-60

We shot with a wide array of products in May ranging from the image quality king, Fujifilm GFX 100 (pre-production), to the beginner-friendly Canon SL3, to the Panasonic FZ1000 II premium compact. We also called in and tested a number of rugged cameras for our Best Waterproof Camera Guide, including the Olympus TG-6.

But our favorite Belvedere photo comes from the comparably underpowered Ricoh WG-60, a rugged compact. Which just goes to show, it’s not the quality of the camera that makes the photo, it’s the cuteness of the dog. Here he is soaking up the sunlight from Seattle’s oh-so-long May days.

See our waterproof camera buying guide

June 2019 – Belvedere on his birthday

ISO 200 | 1/40 sec | F2.4 | Samsung Galaxy S10+
Photo: Jeff Keller

Belvedere officially turned one year old in June (June 10th if you want to send a gift, he likes bones) and we had ample opportunity to photograph the birthday boy. June was a month in which we shot with a ton of high-end full-frame lenses including the Panasonic S 24-105mm F4, the Panasonic S Pro 50mm F1.4, the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM and the Rokinon SP 35mm F1.2. We also added a nice selection of images to our Fujifilm GFX 100 gallery (still not final firmware, womp).

But it was the Samsung Galaxy S10+ in the hands of DPR’s Jeff Keller that captured our favorite shot of the young man. A shot that shows him starting to come of age: He’s still got the doofy ‘I’m a puppy’ face, but his coat and body are filling out like a real dog. Nice work, Belvedere.

See our Samsung Galaxy S10+ sample gallery

July 2019 – Belvedere at 13 months

ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F1.2 | Canon EOS R + RF 85mm F1.2L

July was a busy month for sample gallery shooting. With the Seattle rain finally dissipating for the season, we took full advantage of the long sunny days. The Sony a7R IV launched and we got ample shooting time with it in New York City. DPR’s Carey Rose also got his hands on several freshly-launched Sigma lenses in Japan, including the Sigma 45mm F2.8 Contemporary, the Sigma 14-24 F2.8 Art and Sigma 35mm F1.2 Art. We also spent time with Tamron’s wide, sharp 17-28mm F2.8 and took Sony’s excellent do-everything pocket camera, the RX100 VII for a spin.

Other notable galleries include the Canon EOS M100 (in Mexico), the Panasonic Leica 10-25mm F1.7, the Sony 35mm F1.8, the Fujfilm GF 50mm F3.5 and the Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4. Gosh that’s a lot of galleries. But our hands-down favorite Belvedere photo was shot with one of our favorite portrait lenses of the year, the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L. Just look at that happy boy! He knows the bokeh is creamy.

See our Canon RF 85mm F1.2L
sample gallery

August 2019 – Belvedere at 14 months

ISO 125 | 1/30 sec | F2.8 | Canon G5 X mark II

August saw major launches from two brands, Canon with its enthusiast APS-C siblings in the Canon EOS 90D and Canon EOS M6 Mark II and Sony with its APS-C siblings in the Sony a6100 and the Sony a6600. We also finally got our hands on a final production Fujifilm GFX 100 as well as a final production Panasonic G95.

Additionally we shot with the very sharp Nikon Z 35mm F1.8 S, the Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 and the Tamron 35-150mm F2.8-4. Finally Canon’s two latest compacts, the Canon G7 X III and the Canon G5 X II also showed up at our office for sample shooting and testing. Our favorite Belvedere photo from the month was taken on the latter. Note: If Belvedere looks extra fluffy in this image it’s because he had just received a bath after his very first puppy swim.

See our Canon PowerShot G5 X II gallery

September 2019 – Belvedere at 15 months

ISO 64 | 1/2500 sec | F1.8 | Nikon Z7 + Z 85mm F1.8

September was a somewhat quiet month for sample galleries, yet Belvedere managed to sneak his charming face into two of them. These included the all around-excellent Tamron 35mm F1.4 gallery and the also-impressive Nikon 85mm F1.8 S gallery. We also shot with the iPhone 11, Sony 16-55mm F2.8 and Phase One IQ4.

Now I’ll be honest, my dear humble readers, I truly struggled with which Belvedere photos to pick as the winner for this month (OK, I shot them all). My decision ultimately came down to which image had the most likes in our gallery (10). Either way, September was a very good-looking month for our dear staff pup.

See our Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 S
sample gallery

October 2019 – Belvedere at 16 months

ISO 1000 | 1/100 sec | F2.8 | Canon M200 + EF-M 32mm F1.4
Photo: Carey Rose

October saw the launch of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 III, the Fujifilm X-Pro3 and the Nikon Z50 – cameras we were able to shoot galleries for, prior to announcement. We also got our hands on Canon’s impressive RF 24-70mm F2.8L lens and shot our very first test samples on the Nikon Z 58mm S Noct (under very controlled settings). Additionally, we were thoroughly impressed with the real world output of the Google Pixel 4.

But our favorite Belvedere sample of the month came from Carey Rose with the Canon EOS M200. I’m not sure if Carey set out to capture Belvedere working hard on the job, but he sure did. Warming laps takes a lot of practice and dedication!

See our Canon EOS M200 sample gallery

November 2019 – Belvedere at 17 months

ISO 100 | 1/800 sec | F2.8 | Leica SL2 + Sigma 45mm F2.8

We had the chance to shoot with some really nice telephoto glass in November, including with the Fujifilm XF 200mm F2 as well as the jaw-dropping Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L. We also took Sony’s 70-350 F4.5-6.3 for a spin and explored around the city with the super-compact Sigma fp full-framer.

But it was the beastly Leica SL2 behind November’s top Belvedere pic. And if you zoom into 100% you can even seem some dreamy bokeh from the Sigma 45mm F2.8 on my dear dog’s nose.

See our Leica SL2 sample gallery

December 2019 – Belvedere at 18… no wait, 6 months

ISO 1000 | 1/200 sec | F1.4 | Sony a6500 + Sigma 56mm F1.4
Photo: Carey Rose

December has been a busy (and dark month) and it’s not over yet! As such, we’ve only published a handful of galleries so far. These include our Panasonic S Pro 24-70 F2.8 gallery, our Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L gallery and our full-production Nikon Z50 gallery. But sadly, none of those galleries contain images of our fuzzy pal (what fools we are!).

But not to worry! DPR’s Richard Butler reminded me of a classic Belvedere photo shot by our very own Carey Rose with the delightful Sigma 56mm F1.4, this time last December (no, Belvedere isn’t Benjamin Button).

See our Sigma 56mm F1.4 sample gallery

12 days of Belvedere – The wrap

ISO 64 | 1/320 sec | F1.4 | Nikon Z7 + Tamron 35mm F1.4

And that’s a wrap on the year. There you have it, 12 months of Belvedere in 12 days. Thank you kind reader, for following along on this fun and important journey through puppyhood and gear reminiscing. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed each slide, one at a time and didn’t jump ahead. But even if you did, Belvedere forgives you. He’s just that kind of dog.

Until next year. Woof!

See our Tamron 35mm F1.4 sample gallery

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A Simple Technique to Put the Pizzazz Back Into Your Photos

14 Dec

The post A Simple Technique to Put the Pizzazz Back Into Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Kent DuFault’s Complete Guide to Long Exposure Photography

Day 3 of dPS Holiday Deals comes courtesy of our good friends at Photzy, who can always be counted on for fantastic quality photography training. Today you can pick up Kent DuFault’s Complete Guide to Long Exposure Photography from Photzy + 2 bonuses worth $ 60 for just $ 17 USD.

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Today, you are going to take a major step in your photography – mastering long exposure.

Imagine showing your friends and family your own, gorgeous long exposure shots. And imagine other photographers online, seeing your shots and jealously asking you: “How did you do that?” That’s where you’ll be after reading this guide!

“The Complete Guide to Long Exposure Photography” is your exclusive guide to creating magical long exposure shots, from best-selling photography teacher, Kent DuFault. There is no other training out there that will turn you into an amazing Long Exposure Photographer with greater speed and accuracy!

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Best wishes,

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PS – You can still grab yesterday’s amazing two course Composition and Light combo deal from Photography Concentrate – save 75%. Buy here.

We receive an affiliate commission when you purchase from our trusted partners.

The post A Simple Technique to Put the Pizzazz Back Into Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

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Back to Basics: Deciphering Shutter Speed and Motion

27 Nov

The post Back to Basics: Deciphering Shutter Speed and Motion appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

One of the things I love about photography is its simplicity. Now, I know that might be a contested statement in today’s seemingly endless world of digital photography. There are hundreds of cameras, likely thousands of lenses and virtually limitless combinations of the two. Not only that, but there are so many ways we can use our cameras. Landscapes, portraiture, street photography, architectural, abstract, wildlife, nature…the list continues. And yet, for all it’s technological and creative facets, the basics of photography remain alarmingly simple even today.

shutter-speed-and-motion-beginner-tutorial

The principles of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO constitute something called the “Exposure Triangle” and yes, I know, you’ve probably heard of it before today. The thing is, it is often these most fundamental nuances of photography that present themselves with the most difficulties, especially for beginners (and some pro) in photography.

It’s shutter speed and motion that we will be discussing today in this edition of “Back to Basics”. To be more precise, we’re going to be talking about the ways shutter speed relates to motion so that you will gain a more concrete understanding of how shutter speed affects your photos.

Shutter speed or shutter time?

Many years have passed since then, but I still remember how confused I was the first time I understood that shutter speed had absolutely nothing to do with how fast the shutter of my camera opened and closed.

Up until then, I had intuitively assumed that some cameras were simply made with faster shutters than others. I mean, come on, give me a break! I was new.

Anyway, I finally realized that shutter speed refers to the amount of time the shutter remains open…and not how fast it mechanically opens or shuts. So many concepts about shutter speed seemed to click (pun intended) in my mind.

shutter-speed-and-motion-beginner-tutorial

One of the greatest epiphanies brought about by this sudden revelation was the direct relationship between the time the shutter is open and how apparent subject motion became within my images. In reality, Einstein was right when he put forth that everything is indeed relative.

So, in a way, there are no slow or fast shutter speeds. There are only longer or shorter shutter times relative to the inherent motion of your camera and subject.

Let’s drill down a little deeper on this.

Shutter speed and the effects of motion

For just a moment, let’s pretend you are the fastest runner in the world – absolutely no other human can beat you in a race. That’s great.

But now I want you to picture yourself running next to a cheetah.

Suddenly, your speed doesn’t seem quite so fast, but let’s not stop there. Let’s say that cheetah decides to race the world’s fastest jet plane, and the jet wins every time. Then put that furiously fast jet up against the speed of light, and, well, you get the idea.

The point is, your camera’s shutter speed interacts with motion in the exact same fashion.

Back to Basics: Deciphering Shutter Speed and Motion

A shutter speed (or think shutter time) of 1 second is no problem at all when your camera is mounted securely on a tripod. Take the camera off the tripod and shoot handheld at the same shutter speed, and it becomes difficult not to introduce camera shake into the image.

The same is true for subject movement; we can blur or freeze motion depending on our selected shutter speed.

shutter-speed-and-motion-beginner-tutorial

Perceivable subject motion is due to the relationship between the amount of time the shutter is open and the speed of the subject itself.

Practical examples

Let’s pick a shutter speed randomly; we’ll say it’s 1/60th of a second. If you’re shooting a still object which has absolutely no motion in relation to your camera, like this switched off ceiling fan, then everything appears calm and still.

Back to Basics: Deciphering Shutter Speed and Motion

For the time being, we’re just going to pretend that you love shooting photos of ceiling fans. So you decide to snap another image with the fan now switched on, and the situation changes.

The blades of the fan are now moving through space much faster than 1/60th of a second shutter speed can capture with the result being perceived blurring of the blades.

At 1/60th of a second, the blades have blurred

This is where Einstein sweeps in to save us. All we have to do to take control of the motion of the blades is to make our shutter speed faster than the speed of those ceiling fan blades. Let’s dial it in.

shutter-speed-and-motion-beginner-tutorial

At 1/125th of a second, the motion begins to become less pronounced…

Image: …and 1/500th of a second all but completely freezes the motion of the blades. Another s...

…and 1/500th of a second all but completely freezes the motion of the blades. Another stop faster (1/1000th) and the motion would be completed arrested.

The implications of this are absolutely profound for you and your photography. Once you understand that shutter speed is the deciding factor in controlling the amount of perceived subject motion in your images, you can then control how apparent that motion appears in your photo.

How does shutter speed relate to ISO and aperture?

So how exactly does the shutter speed play into the whole Exposure Triangle thing? I’m glad you asked.

All of the pieces of the Triangle: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed; all of them determine the amount and duration of light that enters your camera. Each of these factors complements each other in that you can achieve similar exposure outcomes by adjusting the variables in relation to one another. In our case, since we’re dealing with shutter speed, we’ll be needing to adjust our aperture and/or ISO to compensate for our shutter speed selection.

shutter-speed-and-motion-beginner-tutorial

Entire articles (and books) here at Digital Photography School have been written on each of these subjects, so I’ll be brief. But be sure to check out this cool cheat sheet on the Exposure Triangle for more info.

Simply put, for every full stop of adjustment in shutter speed you make, you are either doubling or halving the amount of light which enters your camera. This means a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second is twice as fast and lets in half the amount of light as 1/125th of a second.

Alternatively, a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second is approximately twice as slow as 1/125th, and therefore lets in double the amount of light. So, 1/250th of a second is one stop faster than 1/125th of a second with 1/60th of a second being one stop slower.

You still might be saying, “but what does this have to do with aperture and ISO?” We’re about to find out, I promise.

The connection comes into play when you realize that ISO and aperture are also measured in stops, albeit in slightly different ways, but in stops nonetheless. This means that we can directly relate shutter speed to our ISO and aperture by thinking in terms of stops.

shutter-speed-and-motion-beginner-tutorial

Let’s say we are shooting a moving subject at 1/60th of a second at F/5.6 and ISO 100. The image is exposed correctly, but the subject is blurred. We find that a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second (two stops faster) will freeze the motion, but it also leaves our scene underexposed by two stops since we have effectively decreased the amount of light by a factor of four.

To maintain our exposure, we must somehow compensate for the reduced amount of light from the faster shutter speed by either increasing the ISO by two stops or shoot an aperture that is two stops wider than F/5.6. So to maintain the same exposure, our new exposure settings would be either 1/250th of a second at F/2.8 and ISO 100 or 1/250th of a second at F/5.6 and ISO 400.

Some considerations for shutter speed

Here are a few helpful tips that you should keep in mind when it comes to shutter speed. Some of these are simply good everyday practices, and others might be new to you.

The longer the focal length of your lens (higher zoom), the more apparent subject motion and camera shake will become. So plan accordingly if you are intending to employ longer shutter speeds by making sure you have a sturdy tripod and even a remote shutter release for your camera.
At times there will be situations when you can’t equalize your exposure using your camera settings alone and still achieve the level of motion you want for your final photos. This is where a good quality neutral density filter will truly be worth its weight in gold. I recommend keeping at least one in your bag no matter what sort of photography you shoot.
When shooting long exposures of the night sky, make use of the “600 Rule” to approximate the longest shutter time possible before stars begin to streak based upon your lenses’ focal length. The 600 Rule states that 600 dived by your focal length will give you an approximate maximum shutter speed from which you can base your other exposure factors.
Reduce camera shake when shooting handheld by implementing what’s known as the “Reciprocity Rule”. Simply put, this guideline states that you should not shoot a shutter speed which is slower than 1 over your focal length. This means that with a full-frame sensor and an 85mm lens, you should never shoot slower than 1/85th of a second. If you’re using a crop sensor camera, then the formula would be 1 over (focal length x sensor crop factor). You can find the crop factors for virtually all digital camera sensors with a quick web search.
Use mirror-lockup (if your camera has this feature) when making long exposures. In DSLR/SLR cameras, the mirror mechanism flips out of the way during exposure. This can cause camera shake, especially when using a lightweight camera and lens setup. Mirror-lockup moves the mirror out of the way prior to exposure so that the camera remains as steady as possible.
Cover your viewfinder during extremely long exposures. Much like mirror-lockup, DLSR/SLR cameras make use of an optical viewfinder which means light can creep in through the viewfinder during long exposures. It’s a good idea to cover the viewfinder with tape, a lens cloth, or the dedicated viewfinder cover that comes attached to some camera straps should you be shooting ultra-long exposures (upwards of a minute or more) to ensure stray light doesn’t ruin your exposure. Some older film DSLR cameras actually have a build-in viewfinder cover for this exact reason.

Summing up shutter speed

If you’re just getting into photography, I hope this article on deciphering shutter speed and motion helps to demystify some of the enigma surrounding shutter speed (time) and aids you in becoming a more confident photo maker.

If you’re a seasoned photographer, then hopefully the information here will serve as a gentle refresher course on just how simple it is to control your photos using only the most basic of photographic principles.

Shutter speed is directly related to motion and therefore becomes a relative construct based on the inherent motion in our scene (or camera). Depending on the desired outcome, we can control the perception of this motion using our shutter speed.

Shutter speeds that are relatively slower than the motion in the scene will cause blurring. Shutter speeds relatively faster than the motion within the scene will freeze that motion. That is truly priceless knowledge, and once you learn how shutter speed interacts with aperture and ISO, you will be able to have virtually complete control over your photography. Once you understand the basic fundamentals of photo making, everything else becomes almost secondary.

Do you have any other tips on shutter speed and motion that you would like to share? Please do so in the comments!

The post Back to Basics: Deciphering Shutter Speed and Motion appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

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6 Tips for a Faster Lightroom Workflow So You Can Get Back to Taking Photos!

20 Nov

The post 6 Tips for a Faster Lightroom Workflow So You Can Get Back to Taking Photos! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Many photographers rely on Lightroom to organize, edit and share their photos. While this software has a vast array of tools to help people in several key areas, it has not always been known for speed. Recent updates and GPU acceleration have helped, but if you really want to have a faster Lightroom workflow, there are some simple things you can do to supercharge your post-processing. These aren’t hacks or plugins, but simple tweaks to Lightroom that can make your life a lot easier.

6 Tips for a Faster Lightroom Workflow So You Can Get Back to Taking Photos!

1. Apply a preset when importing images

The first thing you can do for a faster Lightroom workflow is to apply a preset when importing images.

Lightroom has a mind-boggling number of options and sliders to adjust when editing images. If you find yourself using the same types of edits on most of your pictures, you can use Presets to shave hours off your editing. Most people already know this, but you might not be aware that you can apply Presets when initially importing your files.

On the right side of the Import screen, there is an option for “Apply During Import.” Use this to select one of the many presets built into Lightroom (or select one of your own that you may have saved) and have it automatically applied to your pictures as you import them.

faster Lightroom workflow

In the screenshot above, you can also see an option called Nikon RAW import. That’s a custom preset I made that contains specific adjustments I like to apply to my Nikon RAW files, which gets me to a good starting point when editing. That alone has helped me with a faster Lightroom workflow, but applying it to a batch of photos on import is even more of a speed boost.

Don’t worry about messing anything up if you apply presets on import. Like everything else in Lightroom, they are non-destructive, meaning you can always go back and change things later.

2. Sync settings across multiple images

If you have spent any time editing multiple similar images in Lightroom, particularly from an event or photo session with clients, you have no doubt found the Copy/Paste Settings to be useful. Right-click on any image in the Develop module and choose “Develop Settings->Copy Settings…” Then check the boxes next to any (or all!) the settings you want to copy.

Finally, go to another photo, right-click, and choose “Develop Settings->Paste Settings.” Or better yet, use Ctrl+C (cmd+C on mac) and Ctrl+V (cmd+V on mac) like you would on any word processor.

I shot dozens of pictures of this wasp. The Sync Settings option let me instantly edit a single image and then apply those edits to all my other images in an instant.

This process works great, but what if you want to paste your settings on to five, ten, or a hundred images? Even the fast method of using Ctrl+V starts to feel like a chore.

Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Image 21 is selected, and Images 17-20 are also highlighted. After clicking the Sync… button, all the edits from 21 will be applied to 17-20.

In the Develop module, select a single picture in the filmstrip at the bottom of the screen. Then hold down the [shift] key and select more images. Finally, click the “Sync…” button to synchronize any (or all) of your edits on the original image to the rest that are selected.

When I discovered this trick, I almost fell out of my chair! I didn’t just speed up my Lightroom editing. It supercharged my editing.

3. Straighten your pictures with the Auto button

I’m always a little leery of anything that says Auto when I’m editing pictures. I don’t need my computer to do what it thinks is best – I want my computer to do what I think is best! At best, I use some Auto options, like when setting white balance on RAW files, as a rough draft that I go and refine.

However, there is one Auto setting that I have learned to use over and over again. Learning to embrace Auto for straightening my photos has saved me a lot of time and really led to an overall faster Lightroom workflow.

Image: The Auto button in the Crop & Straighten panel can really help make things go faster when...

The Auto button in the Crop & Straighten panel can really help make things go faster when you need to straighten your photos.

The reason Auto works so well for straightening images is that it doesn’t try to make a guess which affects the artistic goals of the photographer. It simply looks for straight lines such as light poles, buildings, or horizons, and then adjusts images accordingly. It works far more than I initially thought. Plus, it can really speed things up when editing in Lightroom.

My tripod was askew when I shot this, but Lightroom fixed it with a simple click of the Auto button.

4. Automatically organize with smart collections

Collections in Lightroom are an easy way to organize your images. You can create as many collections as you want, and one photo can exist in multiple collections. What you may not realize is that Lightroom lets you create Smart Collections, which are populated dynamically according to rules you specify.

To create a Smart Collection, choose the + button at the top-left of the Collections panel. Then select “Create Smart Collection…” and specify your parameters for the Smart Collection.

faster Lightroom workflow

As an example of how this can lead to a faster Lightroom workflow, I create Smart Collections to sort my photos by month for an entire year. I do this each January, and for the rest of the year my photos are automatically sorted month-by-month without me having to do anything.

Image: I create Smart Collections for my personal images at the beginning of each year. My images ar...

I create Smart Collections for my personal images at the beginning of each year. My images are then sorted automatically.

These Smart Collections also do not include any photos with the keyword “PhotoSession” which I apply to all images that I take for clients. Photos with that keyword go in another set of Smart Collections that I use to keep client images separate from personal photos.

Smart Collections can contain dozens of parameters including Rating, Pick Flag, Color Label, Keyword, even metadata such as camera model or focal length. They are an incredibly powerful but very simple way to make your day-to-day Lightroom editing significantly faster.

5. Multi-Batch Export

Lightroom has long offered customizable export presets. These allow you to export photos with certain parameters specified such as file type, image size, quality setting, and even specifying custom names.

faster Lightroom workflow

New in the November 2019 update to Lightroom Classic is the option to perform a single export operation that utilizes multiple Presets. This means you no longer have to do an export operation for full-size JPGs at 100% quality, another export for low-resolution proofs at 80% quality, and so on.

Just check any boxes in the Export dialog box for the presets you want, and Lightroom will take care of the rest!

Image: The November 2019 update to Lightroom Classic lets you select multiple presets for a single e...

The November 2019 update to Lightroom Classic lets you select multiple presets for a single export operation.

This is a great way to save time when you are ready to export your images. It’s not the kind of workflow addition that will change your life, but it’s another simple but highly effective process you can utilize to shave precious minutes from your editing. And as someone who exports a lot of photos regularly, those minutes add up.

6. Cull on Lightroom Mobile

One of my favorite aspects of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan is the synchronization between Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Mobile. While the mobile version of Lightroom isn’t as full-featured as its desktop-based big brother, it does one thing incredibly well that has made a huge difference for me when editing photos for clients.

Click the checkbox next to any Collection to sync those photos with Lightroom CC. This means you can access low-resolution previews of all those images on the web, your phone, or tablet. (Note that this does not work with Smart Collections, only regular Collections.)

6 Tips for a Faster Lightroom Workflow So You Can Get Back to Taking Photos!

I don’t find Lightroom Mobile particularly useful for detailed editing, but it absolutely runs circles around the desktop version when it comes to culling operations. If you have an iPad, this could honestly change your entire approach to culling your images. It also works pretty well on other mobile devices too.

Load a picture in any collection that you have synced to Lightroom CC and then click the Star icon in the lower-right corner. This switches to a mode where you can quickly assign star ratings or flags to any picture. Tap one of the Flag or Star icons at the bottom of the screen to change the status of the image. A quick swipe of your finger will load the next image.

Tap the star icon in the lower-right corner of Lightroom Mobile to quickly assign Flags and Star Ratings with a swipe of your finger.

This is all well and good, but there’s one trick here that will send your culling into overdrive.

Slide a finger up or down on the right side of the photo to change the Flag status. Slide a finger up or down on the left side to assign a Star rating. Then swipe to the next image and repeat.

All your edits on Lightroom Mobile, including Star ratings and Flag statuses, are instantly synced back to Lightroom Classic on your computer.

I’m not kidding about the speed of this operation, either.

I used to dread the culling process, but now it takes a fraction of the time it used to. A few weeks ago, I returned from a photo session with over 1,100 images. In about an hour, I was able to cull them to a fraction of that amount, thanks to Lightroom Mobile.

Image: There were hundreds of images from this session that I had to sort through. Lightroom Desktop...

There were hundreds of images from this session that I had to sort through. Lightroom Desktop makes this a burden, but Lightroom Mobile makes it a breeze.

All six of these tips have saved me a huge amount of time over the years. I hope they are useful to you as well.

If you have any other tricks or suggestions for a faster Lightroom workflow, leave them in the comments below!

The post 6 Tips for a Faster Lightroom Workflow So You Can Get Back to Taking Photos! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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What is it like to come back to a DSLR after shooting mirrorless?

10 Nov

With the 18-135mm attached, the 90D is a larger camera than I’ve become used to carrying. It didn’t get the way of enjoying my vacation, though.

I’ve been a professional photographer since 2012, when the DSLR reigned supreme. The Canon 5D Mark III was my main body that I used exclusively for photography work. As my personal and professional interests gravitated towards video, I took the plunge and placed an order for the Sony a7R III in February 2018. A year later, I added the Fujifilm X-T3. Slowly but surely, those mirrorless cameras replaced my DSLRs as they better supported my overall vision of being a hybrid photo and video shooter.

However, the 2019 release of the Canon 90D piqued my interest. How was Canon’s DSLR technology faring in a world where many declare the DSLR to be on its way out? I took the 90D on vacation to Hawaii and committed to using it exclusively for a week. Here are my conclusions.

First impressions

The Canon 90D with the 18-135mm kit lens is both bulky and heavy. It’s not a discreet camera by any means. Many people (myself included) gravitate towards mirrorless cameras as they are smaller in size and weight, and the 90D immediately reminded me that the bulk of DSLRs is not something that I miss, especially when I’m on vacation.

There are times and places you don’t want the bulk of a DSLR

One thing I do miss is Canon’s vast DSLR lens library. From fisheyes and tilt shifts to super telephoto lenses, Canon offers some of the best and most versatile lenses that even big mirrorless manufacturers such as Sony aren’t producing yet. But for the sake of this test, I stuck with the kit lens for a full week and found that despite its size, 18-135 is an incredibly useful focal range, especially for travel photography. After a week of schlepping it around, I got used to the size and ultimately appreciated the versatility of the lens.

A little like coming home

After over one year of shooting Sony and Fujifilm mirrorless, the Canon 90D feels like coming home. The ergonomics, dials and controls were all very familiar and easy to use without making lots of custom settings as you often have to with mirrorless cameras such as Sonys and even Canon’s newest EOS R and RP. It was incredibly easy to power on the camera and just start shooting a wide range of subjects, from a wide landscape shot of a beach, to homing in on the green sea turtles that I suddenly spotted swimming close to shore.

While 135mm on a crop sensor gives you a nice amount of reach, the Canon 90D gives you even more flexibility since it produces 32-megapixel images. This allows you more flexibility to crop in on your subject in post production, as I did with this image of a mongoose, and some shots of sea turtles.

Concerns about noise

One feature that I find indispensable in mirrorless cameras is silent shutter. This is key for certain professional shooting moments, such as in auditoriums or at performances where shutter sounds are frowned upon, or when attempting to capture candid moments. On the Canon 90D, there’s the additional sound of mirror slap and its shutter is clunky and loud: once even startling a group of birds that I was attempting to photograph. There is no subtlety or finesse in the shutter sound and, while there is a full-electronic mode, you can’t avoid the sound of the mirror opening for you to get into live view to use it. Even in everyday travel photography scenarios, the shutter sound was distracting not only to me, but also the subjects I was attempting to photograph.

Finding in favor of a finder

The initial familiarity of the Canon DSLR layout was nice at first. However, I quickly became aware that I’d come to find mirrorless cameras offer several key features that make them superior to DSLRs (at least, for my shooting style).

Caption

Firstly, DSLRs are restricted to using only optical viewfinders (OVF) while mirrorless cameras offer electronic viewfinders (EVF). Being forced to use an OVF in Hawaii was painful.

With an EVF, my creative compositions have greatly expanded thanks to the seamless transition between using the LCD and EVF eyepiece to frame my shots. I love the ability to get up high or get down low to compose shots using the LCD. While DSLRs such as the Canon 90D does allow you to enable Live View to shoot still photos with the LCD, it is clunky and isn’t as responsive as LCD shooting on mirrorless cameras. Thus, it felt pointless using the LCD to shoot on the 90D, and I felt like I sacrificed many photo opportunities and creative angles that I would have been able to get with a mirrorless camera.

Conversely, because DSLRs require the mirror to be flipped up when recording video, you are then restricted to only using the LCD. This is very difficult in bright, outdoor lighting and it quickly became frustrating to not be able to seamlessly transition back and forth between the EVF and LCD as you can on mirrorless cameras.

All about the flexibility

Since the Canon 5D series still does not offer tilting or articulating rear screens, I was excited to finally see one on the Canon 90D. As I say, the ability to shoot and compose with a movable LCD on mirrorless cameras has really enhanced my creativity when it comes to image composition.

Now that I’ve spent some time with the fully-articulated screen on the Canon 90D that can face forward for vlogging, I find that it isn’t very useful for shooting photos. For most photo and video needs, it is more efficient to have a two-axis LCD screen that simply pops out and tilts up or down; you truly only need the 90D’s forward-facing flip screen if you intend to vlog or take selfies.

The 90D’s fully articulating screen made it easy to get low enough to take this shot, but a tilting display would have made alignment easier.

In the photo below, I had the camera low to the ground on top of the train tracks and needed to angle the LCD up to compose. It not only took longer to flip the LCD screen out to the left, but it also became hard to center the image since the LCD was so far to one side. This is a case with a simple tilting screen would have worked much better.

On the other hand, I love the Canon 90D’s screen that lets you turn the LCD inward to face the camera, thereby offering screen protection. It would be fantastic to see other camera manufacturers add this feature to their LCDs.

The best touchscreen I’ve ever used

Another thing in favor of the 90D’s screen was that its touch operation is the best I’ve experienced on any DSLR or mirrorless camera. It’s very responsive with no lag, and it allows for multiple functions, from reviewing your images by swiping, selecting quick modes, and (best of all) setting a focus point. I’ve long heard that Canon’s Dual Pixel Autofocus is among the very best, and after trying it on the Canon 90D, I have to agree. When you select a focus point by tapping on the touchscreen, tracking is fast and accurate. This came in handy when shooting this tiny and very fast lizard perched on a sprinkler head. Within seconds of snapping this photo, he took off running.

Within seconds of snapping this photo, tiny (and very fast) lizard took off running, but the 90D’s live view AF was quick enough to capture him, first.

All in all…

After a full week of shooting with the Canon 90D and the kit lens, I’ve adjusted to its size and shooting style. If I had to, I could use this camera comfortably to shoot photos and videos for both fun or professional use. But given the choice, I would still reach for a mirrorless camera instead. It has nothing to do with image quality (I still prefer Canon’s output), or autofocus performance (though Sony still has an edge).

Instead, it comes down to the DSLR’s lack of an electronic viewfinder (EVF). With mirrorless cameras, I’ve become used to constantly (and rapidly) switch between using the rear LCD screen and EVF to compose and shoot both photos and videos. This transition is quick and seamless on a mirrorless camera. Yes, you have an option to enable Live View shooting on a DSLR like the Canon 90D, but the experience is clunky and therefore not practical on a professional shoot, or even a casual vacation.

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Posts Tagged ‘Back’

Development status of the full-frame Foveon sensor camera

In this tutorial you will learn:

Multiple jumps (or roundtrips)

Nested Jumps (or roundtrips)

You may also like:

Research

Create a visual diary

Pick a theme

Try something new

Keep a camera with you

Conclusion

What is the Reciprocal Rule?

A caveat on reciprocal vs reciprocity

Why does the Reciprocal Rule work?

Sensor size and the Reciprocal Rule

The effects of image stabilization

Final thoughts on the Reciprocal Rule

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12 days of Belvedere

January 2019 – Belvedere at 7 months

February 2019 – Belvedere at 8 months

March 2019 – Belvedere at 9 months

April 2019 – Belvedere at 10 months

May 2019 – Belvedere at 11 months

June 2019 – Belvedere on his birthday

July 2019 – Belvedere at 13 months

August 2019 – Belvedere at 14 months

September 2019 – Belvedere at 15 months

October 2019 – Belvedere at 16 months

November 2019 – Belvedere at 17 months

December 2019 – Belvedere at 18… no wait, 6 months

12 days of Belvedere – The wrap

Shutter speed or shutter time?

Shutter speed and the effects of motion

Practical examples

How does shutter speed relate to ISO and aperture?

Some considerations for shutter speed

Summing up shutter speed

1. Apply a preset when importing images

2. Sync settings across multiple images

3. Straighten your pictures with the Auto button

4. Automatically organize with smart collections

5. Multi-Batch Export

6. Cull on Lightroom Mobile

First impressions

A little like coming home

Concerns about noise

Finding in favor of a finder

All about the flexibility

The best touchscreen I’ve ever used

All in all…