Category: Photography

Gear review: 3 K&F Concept Camera Bags Put To The Test

The post Gear review: 3 K&F Concept Camera Bags Put To The Test appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

In this gear review, I have tested out 3 different types of K&F Concept camera bags so you can see their differences and whether they would suit your needs.

Regardless of which camera you have or whether you are a professional or amateur, a good camera bag is one of the essential purchases that you need to make. After all, it is what will carry your expensive equipment around and keep it safe and dry.

However, it is also essential that your camera bag is comfortable to wear. There’s nothing worse than carrying all that weight on your back for hours on end and being uncomfortable.

Over time as you buy more camera equipment, your camera bag will need to change. Or you may need different types of bags for different scenarios. But what should you buy first? With so many different types of bags out there, the choice is endless.

The three K&F Concept camera bags

1. Travel Sling Bag

The first of the three K&F Concept camera bags is the K&F camera sling backpack. This pack is the perfect unassuming, easy-to-carry backpack for those who don’t own a lot of camera equipment.

The sling bag easily and securely holds a DSLR and two lenses in a padded and removable inner bag.

One of the great things about this sling bag is you can remove the inner bag to use the bag as a normal backpack. Or you can remove the bag whilst shooting to have quick and easy access to your lenses. That way, you don’t have to open and close the bag constantly.

The sling bag has enough additional space to hold a 13” laptop and any other little bits you may have, such as memory cards, lenses cleaners, and phone as well as a water bottle holder on the side.

Measuring at just 41 x 27 x 13cm, the bag is small and compact enough to have on your back in those busy situations like events and festivals where a big bag would be cumbersome. It is also made of waterproof and anti-wrinkle nylon with double stitching for added durability and shock/vibration absorbing inner padding. So this lightweight bag (just 0.8kg net weight) will keep your expensive equipment safe whatever you get up to.

Who’s this for?

This bag is ideal for a photographer with only a small amount of kit who wants to travel light, but safe in the knowledge their equipment will be protected and secure.

At the time of writing, this bag is priced at $ 39.99, making it an ideal bag for a first-time buyer who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on a camera bag. But it will also benefit those who may want an additional smaller bag to support their bigger day-to-day bag.

2. Fashion Outdoor Backpack

The first thing I noticed about this K&F fashion camera backpack is that it doesn’t look like a camera bag. This is great for two reasons; firstly, it looks great and is useful in those situations where you may want to look a little smarter in your appearance – for example, at a wedding. But more importantly, because it doesn’t draw attention to the fact that you have thousands of dollars of camera equipment on your back.

Split into two main areas, the bottom of the bag has 10mm padded dividers with enough space to hold a large DSLR and 3 lenses – easily accessible from the back and side – while the top section of the bag has sufficient room to hold personal items such as a 13” laptop.

The exterior of the backpack has a side-mounted tripod strap and enough storage to hold all your extra bits and pieces.

Another great thing about this pack is the side access that allows you to take out your camera equipment without having to take the bag off.

The exterior is scratch, tear and water-resistant, but you also get a rain/dust cover for more severe weather conditions. The breathable air-mesh back and shoulder straps make this bag incredibly comfortable to carry all day even when you have it fully loaded.

Who’s this for?

This bag is great for the photographer who has a few lenses and sometimes carries a tripod with them. However, it is also for someone who doesn’t want to shout out to the world that they have camera equipment with them. Anyone traveling in some parts of the world could benefit from a bag such as this.

3. Large DSLR Camera backpack

Number three of the K&F Concept camera bags is the K&F large DSLR backpack, which is the biggest bag in the range.

With sufficient room (25 liters) for two large DSLR bodies, five to six lenses, and flash, it will serve anyone from the serious hobbyist to professionals.

With enough pockets to hold your filters, batteries and memory cards and a back-mounted tripod holder, this pack has enough room for even those with lots of equipment. It can be opened fully from the back but also has easy access at the top of the bag for those times when you need more discreet and quick access to your camera.

The K&F Concept large DSLR backpack comes with a range of shock and vibration separators that, like the other bags, can be arranged perfectly to snuggly and safely fit all your gear. Made from quality splash and tear-resistant nylon with its unique stitching and tension technology, it ensures load-bearing areas won’t rip or become frayed.

One of the most important elements of a bag this size is that it has to be comfortable to wear for long periods. The back and straps of this bag are breathable and padded. When used with the chest and hip straps, it can help reduce the weight on your shoulders. This pack also comes with the rain/dust cover as well.

Who’s this for?

Whilst clearly designed with professionals in mind, this backpack would also make a great bag for any level photographer. It gives you plenty of room for when you expand your equipment.

Conclusion

I have never been one to promote buying lots of equipment or accessories; however, camera bags are a vital part of my set up. I have a few different sized bags for various scenarios. Because sometimes it’s not feasible to carry a big backpack with me.

These 3 K&F Concept camera bags are a good example of a set that would serve a photographer well throughout their photography journey. The great thing is that you’ll probably end up re-using your bags for years to come.

Note: The author was given these K&F Concept camera bags free of charge to test and was offered no incentives. This review is an unbiased opinion of his experience in using the products provided.

What is your favorite camera bag/pack? Have you tried any of these packs? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section!

The post Gear review: 3 K&F Concept Camera Bags Put To The Test appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

Digital Photography School

January 16, 2020
How to Make a Unified Instagram Feed as a Photographer to Help Support Your Brand

The post How to Make a Unified Instagram Feed as a Photographer to Help Support Your Brand appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

Social media has such a strong presence in our world, both in a personal and professional sense. Gone are the days of searching for a photographer via Google. Many are turning to the social media platform, Instagram. Instagram has become a powerful tool for photographers and content creators alike. It is an engagement-oriented online portfolio so-to-speak.

But with thousands of accounts active on Instagram in any given second, how do you stand out from the rest and still attract photography clients? By having a feed that is more aesthetically pleasing than the rest!

Here is our guide on how to make a unified Instagram feed as a photographer.

What does a unified Instagram feed even mean?

This feed by singer Jessica Abari, shows unification by color tonality. She uses blues and pinks to unify her Instagram feed.

Humans naturally gravitate to cohesiveness, especially those with a certain sensitivity to aesthetic.

A unified Instagram is one in which each image, viewed in totality with one another, look like a piece of a great puzzle. Each one appears to belong and in some way, shape, or form unites with another surrounding it.

It’s the difference between a feed that looks cluttered and disconnected and one that looks like it is a part of a strategically and effortlessly tailored brand.

Having unity in your work not only pushes your brand further, but can attract a slew of eyes on your product (the beautiful images!). Not only is it a trend to have something a bit more cohesive, it has been shown to really aid in acquiring new clients who are attracted to the style your showcasing.

An example of my varied feed – when you have many areas of specialization, it can be difficult to maintain complete cohesiveness.

This isn’t a tried and true method for all photography businesses. For example, I am a multi-faceted photographer and to have an overly-cohesive feed is just not possible for me. However, my fellow industry mates have very beautifully tailored and structured feeds that work brilliantly for them! Their clients know exactly what to expect and hire them based on their look.

The real secret?

This is an example of my thematic feed of female portraits with animals.

So, what’s the real secret? For the most part, it’s utilizing the same editing mechanism over and over again. Create a preset or a general direction for your editing, and replicate this across your full board. This already creates a look of cohesiveness with minimal effort.

I suggest not using Instagram’s preset filters as these tend to lower the quality of your images. Instead, create your own Presets or Actions in Lightroom or Photoshop. You can even automate these to play on the batch of images you select for posting.

If you find that preset editing really isn’t you, unite your feed by topic or theme. This also allows you an opportunity to really solidify your niche as a photographer and attract the right demographic to your work. Figure out what kind of photographer you are and who or what your most common subjects tend to be, and post images that fit within that scope.

In this feed from Goldilocks and the Wolf, there is unification by the fairytale theme and the winter landscapes.

Creating a unified feed based on a color palette is also an excellent idea.

Colors are a major way to keep everything looking tailored and express who you are as a creator.

Color theory is a complex topic that can be taught for hours, but the general idea is that certain hues and color combinations attract a specific reaction. Tying marketing into Instagram, find a color palette that tends to attract your customers (and potential customers).

Look at what your followers gravitate towards, and feed into that wanting. It’s okay to break up your feed with text that engages your audience base, and keep everything still looking together.

Bonus tip: create a posting calendar for the month. Preview these images in a mockup of your Instagram feed and see how it all looks together. This provides a lot of insight on the final outcome!

If you make a unified feed and then want to change the theme, what then?

This feed by singer Jessica Abari, shows unification in sets of 3 (with editing style and images from the same photo shoot), but also overall because Jessica herself is the theme.

I think a daunting aspect of this is all is permanence.

If you spend the time making your images cohesive with one another and then change your mind, has all of your effort been wasted?

Not at all! It’s quite simple to change your theme. You can choose to gradually shift to your new aesthetic or go bold and post three images in the new style right off the bat and go with that.

Final thoughts

Rachel Lauren’s Instagram Feed. Her feed is unified in both her editing style and theme with the portraits with animals.

Remember that while in the pursuit of unity, don’t lose yourself or who you are as a photographer.

There is a fine line to walk between solely appeasing the masses and ensuring that your individual photography voice is heard. Where that balance is, rests entirely on your own opinion.

As well as this, be wary about appearing too repetitive and monotonous – try to post images that have different compositions or express something new. Being cohesive doesn’t mean being boring.

When you make a unified Instagram feed as a photographer, put your best imaging foot forward first!

The post How to Make a Unified Instagram Feed as a Photographer to Help Support Your Brand appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

Digital Photography School

January 15, 2020
Tips for Processing Black and White Images in Photoshop

The post Tips for Processing Black and White Images in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

If you’re a lover of black and white imagery (like many of us photographers are), then you are probably aware of the many, many options there are for you to convert your images to black in white in Photoshop (and other software packages). Conversion is only the first step in processing black and white images. Once you have gotten rid of the color in your photos, you will still want to control and manage the tones in your images to get the best results possible. This article will introduce you to a few of these Photoshop tools that you can use to create images with impact.

Global/Local Adjustments

Before jumping straight into the list of tools, it is important to differentiate between two different types of adjustments you can make to your images.

Global Adjustments – Global adjustments are adjustments that affect the entire image. For example, if you use the contrast slider in Lightroom, it alters the contrast in the entire image.

As a global adjustment, this curves layer that was meant to bring down the highlights has affected the whole image and not in a pleasant way.

Local Adjustments – Local adjustments are made to specific areas of an image that you define. For example, you can adjust the contrast for a portrait subject’s eyes and the contrast for their shirt separately.

Using a layer mask allowed for a local adjustment, meaning the curves layer only affected the mid-tones surrounding the subject’s face.

What this means for your images

These distinctions are important because, in most cases, you will want to avoid profound global adjustments on your images. Most photos are made of scenes of different elements. If you think of this in terms of portraiture, imagine a person standing against a studio backdrop, such as the image below.

Dividing an image into areas of tonality and then making adjustments to those areas separately, gives you complete control over your images.

Here, you can divide the image up into several parts. You have the subject’s skin, eyes, shirt, hair, and background. Each of these elements reacts differently to various adjustments. By using global adjustments, you will alter the appearance of these elements at the same time.

For example, if you want to increase the contrast of the shirt by a large amount to help bring out the texture, then you will also be increasing the contrast of the subject’s skin. As a general guide, you usually don’t want to increase contrast on skin. More often than not, you will want to reduce it.

How do you go about increasing the contrast of a shirt while reducing contrast on the skin at the same time? Through the use of local adjustments.

Tools for applying local adjustments

There are a lot of ways to apply local adjustments to your images in Photoshop. Here is a primer on a handful of them.

The right tool for the job depends entirely on the job at hand. By learning how to use several of these options, you will arm yourself with a variety of ways to use local adjustments while processing black and white images.

Remember, this is an introduction to the various tools that you can use and not a full tutorial.

Layer masks

Layer masks are probably the easiest and most common way to get started with local adjustments in Photoshop. If you’re not already familiar with how to use this powerful yet intrinsic aspect of Photoshop, I strongly encourage you to spend some time reading up on and practicing using them as soon as possible.

A layer mask effectively blocks an adjustment layer (masks it) from affecting parts of the image that you don’t want it to.

Layer masks will help you to isolate specific areas of your image that you want to make adjustments to. Here, the subject’s hat is darkened.

In the example above, I made a Curves adjustment layer and filled the layer mask with black. Using a white brush (B) set to 100% opacity, I painted (with the layer mask clicked) over the subject’s eyes. Now, no matter what I do with the curves layer, it will only affect the area that I painted white in the layer mask.

Using this technique, you can create as many Curves adjustment layers as you want (or any other type of adjustment layer) with each one only affecting specific parts of the image. This way, you are able to treat each element in your image with individual care.

Here, you can see three separate curves layers with their own masks. Each one is doing a different job separately from the other. The first two are darkening areas of the image, while the top on is lightening the background.

Select Color Range

While you are working with your layer masks, it can sometimes feel tricky, or downright difficult, to separate specific areas of an image to work with. One technique that is useful in this situation is the Select Color Range tool (Select->Color Range). This tool works very well when trying to select skin and skies.

Here, you can see what the Select Color Range tool will add to your selection when you click on the brightest part of the image and set the fuzziness slider to max.

Opening this tool will present you with a means to select a specific color range in your images that you can then apply to your layer masks. Because we are talking about processing black and white images, instead of selecting colors, you will be selecting a tonal range.

With the dialogue box open, simply click an area in your image that you want to select to work on. You can now use the slider labeled Fuzziness to adjust how much of the image within that range you wish to select. If you only want the very brightest highlights selected, click on the brightest part of your image and drag the fuzziness slider to the left. With the selection made, you can now create any adjustment layer and Photoshop will turn that selection into a layer mask.

Luminosity masks

For a far more complex option, you can use Luminosity masks.

There are a variety of ways to set these up inside Photoshop and with third-party plug-ins, so do be sure to research the various ways to go about it. Luminosity masks give you a ludicrous amount of fine control for processing your black and white images.

This is an example of what Luminosity Masks might look like when setting up in your images. I made the selection here with the ‘Light Lights’ mask. With all of these options to easily select specific tonal ranges, you should be able to see how powerful this is.

In brief, Luminosity masks grant you the ability to create layer masks for every tonal range in your image. They allow you independent control over the brightest of highlights, the darkest of shadows and everything in between. With this amount of control, you can fine-tune every part of your image to your heart’s content.

One word of warning though: leaving the Luminosity masks in your files results in very large file sizes. Consider deleting them before you save your images.

Tools for controlling tones

Now that you have a few options for selecting and isolating the various parts and tones of your images, there is a large selection of tools that you can use to manipulate the tonality (and other aspects) of your images.

Selective Color

The Selective Color adjustment layer is, probably, the easiest of these tools to get to grips with. Once you’ve created the layer, all that you have to do is find the drop-down box and choose either: whites, neutrals or blacks. (Because this article is discussing black and white images, you can discard all of the color options for now.)

With the Selective Color tool, you have a fair degree of control over your highlights, mid-tones, and shadows. Just move the Black slider in the relevant box. This doesn’t give the amount of control that other methods do, but it’s quick and intuitive.

With any of those three options selected, find the slider labeled ‘Black’ at the bottom of the dialogue box. Dragging this slider to the right will darken the relevant tones. Dragging it to the left will lighten them. Do this with all three (whites, neutrals, blacks) for every part of your image, and you will have a great deal of control over the tonality of your images with very little effort.

As a bonus, if you’re still getting to grips with Layer Masks, the fact that the Selective Color tool adjust the highlights, mid-tones and Shadows independently within the dialogue box, means that you have a bit of local control over those three tonal ranges without having to use a layer mask at all.

Curves

The powerful Curves adjustment layer is another Photoshop staple that you should learn inside out early on.

By manipulating the curve in the dialogue box, you will gain absolute control over every minute aspect of contrast and tonal range in your image. Combine this tool with Layer Masks, and you have a solution that will get you through most situations.

Here you can see the image before I applied the Curves layer.

After applying the slightest of S curves, you can see just how much a difference was made to the image.

In terms of processing black and white images, the Curves tool will allow you to increase or reduce contrast as you see fit. Because it is a complicated tool with a lot of nuances (it will take a fair amount of time for you to get to grips with it beyond a simple S curve), do spend plenty of time practicing and reading up on how to get the most out of this tool.

Gradient Map

The Gradient Map tool is another complicated, but powerful, option for controlling the tones in your images. You can use the Gradient Map to do the actual conversion of your image to black and white, but that’s only the start. Note, that you can use the Gradient Map after you’ve done a conversion using any other method and that is what is being described here.

In the Gradient Editor (with the black and white gradient selected) you have a few options. Click on the slider at either side (the black or the white) and a mid-tone marker will appear. Dragging this left or right will adjust the position of the gradient and it will have a drastic effect on how the tones in your image appear.

With the black and white gradient selected in the Gradient Editor, you can see that there has already been a huge increase in contrast.

If you click anywhere in the middle of the gradient in the gradient editor, it will add another marker that you can use to set the tonal point anywhere in the gradient. This also gives you new midpoint markers between these points. Using these tools, you can control the contrast in the various parts of your images’ tonality in one fell swoop.

Circled in red, you can see the midpoint slider that will allow you to position the position of the gradient in terms of the tones in your image. Underlined, you can move these slider to control where the black and white point of the gradient starts. Move these inwards to increase contrast.

Combine these options with Layer Masks and you have yet another powerful tool that gives you complete control over how your final black and white images turn out.

By adding a third point in the gradient, you can control the exact tone that appears. It also gives you two midpoint sliders to play with.

The end

Alongside other retouching tools, using these tools (on their own or in concert with one another) can give you a great deal of fine control over your black and white images.

With these tools, you should see that you have a lot of options when it comes to processing black and white photos after the conversion process. By taking full control of the tonality of your black and white images, you will be able to create images with plenty of impact and fine-tuned contrast. It’s important to note that the concept of local adjustments applies to a lot more than tonality and you can use them for any type of adjustment you can think of in Photoshop. For example, you can sharpen an area of fine detail (like hair) in your image for emphasis without applying that to your subject’s skin.

Do you have any other tips for processing black and white images in Photoshop? If so, please share them with us in the comments. Also, please try these methods out and share your resulting images with us in the comments section.

The post Tips for Processing Black and White Images in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Digital Photography School

January 15, 2020
5 Tips for Becoming an Environmentally Conscious Photographer

The post 5 Tips for Becoming an Environmentally Conscious Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Being an environmentally conscious photographer should be on all of our minds. The world is changing irreversibly as a result of human intervention, and we need to consider carefully the impact that we make.

Photography is a hobby that has traditionally not been kind to the environment. Manufacturing processes, film development, and the industry required to create digital cameras all take their toll on the planet. So to does travel by photographers seeking new subjects to photograph.

But it is possible to be a photographer and still be considerate of the environment, helping to preserve it for future generations.

ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f11, 1/180th sec

See the beauty of your home area

Many of us photographers can be guilty of lusting after exotic locations.

We’re sold the dream that we’ll create photographs that are more special than we’ve ever shot before. But if we’re to be a more environmentally conscious photographer, cutting down on air travel is one of the biggest lifestyle changes we can make that will help the environment.

ISO1600, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f2.8, 1/2000th sec

The truth is, people on the other side of the globe will see your local area as exotic and photogenic because it’s something that they’ve not experienced before. It does take a little more effort on your part to imagine how a visitor might see the surroundings that you see every day, but that can be part of the challenge and joy of photography!

Every time you’re photographing locally, try and imagine it is the first time you’ve ever been there. Look for the small details that you might usually miss, and think about what would wow a visitor.

Consider if you really need an upgrade

I know – we all love a new piece of photography gear. But before you purchase an upgrade, consider if you really need something new. Manufacturing harms the environment because of the use of materials and chemical processes. So if you can delay that upgrade for a little while, you can ease the strain on our planet. Plus, how many megapixels do we really need anyway?

ISO800, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f4.0, 1/320th sec

If you really do need to upgrade, consider how you can pass along your old gear to someone who will use it so that they don’t have to purchase from new. Either sell it to someone looking for their own upgrade or pass it along to a friend who is getting started in photography.

Both are better options for an environmentally conscious photographer than letting it languish unused on a shelf or ending up in a landfill site.

Work with local people

Many of us enjoy photographing people or getting lessons from experts. This often involves travel to visit models or the studios of photographers that are a considerable distance away.

ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/500th sec

Instead of traveling these long distances, why not look at who is available locally that you could hire to photograph or learn from? You never know, you might discover a real gem in the process!

Perhaps even try taking online classes and shooting some self-portraits – you might even love the results!

And if you do really need to travel to someone or for them to travel to you, how about checking out public transport? It’s not feasible for every journey, but it does help to keep your environmental footprint to a minimum. You will have to learn to pack light, though!

Find a low-impact genre of photography

Really, it’s a bit like turning the lights off when you’re out of the room. If everybody did just a little bit towards helping the environment, we’d all make a big difference.

ISO400, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f5, 1/160th sec

With that in mind, imagine if all photographers found a kind of photography that they could do locally that had almost no environmental impact at all? It wouldn’t have to replace all of the photography they loved, but if it just replaced a little bit, and everyone did something similar, then it could make a huge difference.

Local street photography, tabletop still life, portraiture, and local architecture photography are all different genres that you can do with a minimum of equipment and environmental impact.

If you love still life, you could explore the local farmers market for new objects to photograph. Or how about photographing ‘local heroes’ if you’re more into portrait photography?

The opportunities are limitless for an environmentally conscious photographer, and they’re right on your doorstep. You don’t need to rack up the miles to create great images.

Be mindful when you do enjoy the countryside

If you are going out and about into nature to do photography, ensure that you’re knowledgeable about your surroundings. Be respectful of areas where animals and rare plant life might be living. Learn about the environment that you’re photographing and leave it clean and unbroken; this is what it means to be an environmentally conscious photographer.

ISO400, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f2.8, 1/140th sec

Perhaps even consider not sharing the location of incredible places you find with other photographers to prevent it from damage. Unfortunately, there will always be those who respect nature less than they should, leading to the damage of habitats that wildlife so desperately need in our world.

It’s about everyone doing their bit

The point is not to suck all of the fun out of photography. Not at all. But instead to raise awareness about the difference we could make.

Photography can be an activity that is very taxing on the environment in many different ways. The key is to be aware of this fact and then, as photographers, make different decisions about our purchasing, traveling, and photographing habits.

ISO200, 140mm (200mm equiv.), f3.2, 1/110th sec

After all, what good is a box full of photographs of beautiful sights, if we have damaged those sights beyond all recognition? It would mean that future generations could not enjoy peaceful moments with their cameras in the same way that we have done.

So I urge you to think about your approach to photography and consider if you can lessen your impact on the environment while learning more about it. And then see if you can persuade others to follow your example. That way, we can all work together, as environmentally conscious photographers, to help preserve our world for the future.

Do you have any other tips you would like to share on becoming an environmentally conscious photographer? Please do so in the comments!

The post 5 Tips for Becoming an Environmentally Conscious Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Digital Photography School

January 15, 2020
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens Review

The post Fujifilm Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

One of the reasons why I moved from DSLRs to the Fujifilm X-Series system a few years ago was because of the smaller, lighter camera bodies and lenses. So given that, it seems odd that I added the monster Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens to my kit.

Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens mounted on a tripod – it’s pretty big.

At the time of its release in 2016, this was the biggest and heaviest line in the X-Series by far, being eclipsed in terms of size and weight only by the XF 200mm F2 R LM OIS WR lens in 2019.

So given its hefty size (and price tag), you might well wonder why I bought it? It’s really quite simple: I love telephoto lenses!

Given the option of a telephoto or an ultra-wide angle, I’d choose the telephoto every time. I love how you can pick out details of a scene with a telephoto to fill the frame. I also love how a telephoto lens gives the impression of “flattening” scenes – making faraway objects look close together.

Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens review

In this review, I list the specifications of the 100-400mm lens, examine its build quality, handling, and optical performance, as well as discussing what it’s like to use and who would benefit from having it in their kit.

This shot wouldn’t have been possible without a telephoto lens. I took a whole series of images of this cheeky guy sitting on top of a sunflower in Southern Queensland.

Specifications

The specifications of the Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens are truly impressive. Let’s have a look at what all those numbers and letters mean.

Fujinon is the brand name that Fujifilm use for their excellent lenses. XF denotes the high-performing lenses in the X-Series line-up. There is also a range of cheaper, yet very good value for money lenses with the letters XC on them.

The Manly Ferry gliding along Sydney Harbour in the morning. This ferry was a long way away. The reach of this lens is incredible.

The next set of letters and numbers denotes the focal range of the lens: 100-400mm. As the X-Series bodies have APS-C sensors with a 1.5 crop factor, this gives the lens a full-frame equivalent focal range of approximately 150mm to 600mm. This is not just a telephoto zoom; this is a super-telephoto zoom.

The next bit of information refers to the variable aperture of the lens: f/4.5-5.6. Like many zooms, the maximum aperture increases as you zoom in. At 100mm, the maximum aperture is f/4.5, at 200mm, it’s f/5, at 300mm, it’s f/5.2, and at 400mm, it’s f/5.6.

The R denotes that, like the vast majority of X-Series lenses, it has a ring to control aperture on the lens barrel. This is a feature that I love so much. I’m so used to changing the aperture on the lens now, I’m not sure I could move back to a system where I couldn’t do that.

LM stands for linear motor – this ensures high speed autofocusing, quiet operation, and low power consumption. OIS stands for optical image stabilization – the linear motor checks for camera shake 8000 times a second. Fujifilm claims that the lens has a five-stop image stabilization system for shake-free results.

Early morning on Sydney Harbour. I love how you can pick elements out of a scene and fill the frame with a telephoto lens.

WR stands for weather resistance. Paired with a WR body such as the Fujifilm X-T2 or X-T3, you can be confident using your kit in extreme environments where water and dust is an issue. You can use this lens in temperatures as low as -10°C. There’s a water-resistant fluorine coating applied to the front lens element, making it less susceptible to smudges and easier to clean.

Wallabies at Mt Cotton, Queensland.

Build

The build quality of this lens is very good, though it doesn’t feel quite in the same class as the other Fujinon red badge zoom lenses (the XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR lens and the XF 50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR lens).

This is probably because the superzoom is made of high-grade plastic rather than metal. I’m guessing that an all-metal barrel would’ve made the lens too heavy, so you can understand the choice here.

Only the mounting ring and tripod collar are metal. You can easily remove the tripod collar if you don’t need it. The lens hood is plastic but features a filter door, which allows you to rotate a circular polarizing filter, for example.

I love how telephoto lenses make faraway objects look close together. Mountain ranges on the Queensland/New South Wales border in Australia.

The lens weighs 1.375kg and takes 77mm filters. It’s compatible with both the 1.4x and 2.0x X-Series teleconverters, giving you the potential to shoot at up to 852mm and 1218mm in full-frame equivalent terms. However, this comes at the cost of 1 and 2 stops of light, respectively.

Handling

Okay, so this lens is big…so big that it makes the 50-140 look compact, and most other lenses in the X-Series line up look tiny. The first time you pick it up, it does feel bulky but compared to many other lenses of this focal range, it’s definitely on the lighter side.

Yep, it’s a whopper! Yet it’s still possible to hold the lens in one hand with relative comfort. I have the lens extended to 400mm here.

The length of the lens, especially when zoomed in, is quite large, and it dwarfs the size of the camera body. Yet there is a surprisingly comfortable balance when shooting with it. In fact, the lens feels lighter in my hands than it does when I carry it around in my backpack.

The zoom action is very smooth – you can move the entire range easily while supporting the weight of the lens. Like almost every other X-Series lens, there is a ring around the lens that changes aperture in third stop clicks. The variable aperture of this zoom means there are no aperture markings around the barrel like the 50-140 or any of the prime lenses. Instead, you need to check aperture in the viewfinder or LCD.

There are three switches down the side of the lens. The first is a switch that controls the range of the zoom. The two options are for full range (1.75m to infinity) and 5 meters to infinity. The latter allows for faster focusing.

The next switch down is for controlling the aperture manually or automatically – something that all Fujifilm zoom lenses have.

The three switches on the side of the 100-400mm lens.

The third switch is to turn optical image stabilization (OIS) on or off. OIS is a godsend for handheld shooting: the lens is capable of taking some incredibly sharp images at relatively low shutter speeds. Typically, you would turn OIS off when the lens is in use on a tripod, but you may want to experiment with this.

For example, when I was taking photos of the Sydney Opera House at the Vivid Festival, I was shooting from the footpath on the Cahill Expressway. There were minute vibrations from the traffic, so I felt that I was getting better images with OIS turned on.

Further up the lens barrel, there is a lock switch which will prevent lens creep as it stops the lens moving past 100mm.

OIS is a godsend, sometimes even when shooting on a tripod. Sydney Opera House during Vivid Festival.

Image quality

Fujifilm is one of the world’s best lens makers, so as you’d expect, the optical quality of this lens is excellent. It’s capable of producing stunning images across the focal range. However, I did get the feeling my images zoomed all the way in at 400mm were not quite as sharp as those taken towards the wider end of the zoom.

I took the lens to a local speedway and was impressed with the results.

Shooting handheld, the lens feels nicely balanced. I’ve used it for cityscapes, sports, wildlife and landscapes. Autofocus is very good, especially when used in conjunction with the X-T2 or X-T3’s continuous focus and tracking options.

When I first got the lens, I took it to a local speedway to test out. Given that it was the first time I’d shot motorsports, I was very impressed with the images I took with this lens. It has a cool feature when it detects panning: it automatically switches camera shake correction to the vertical plane only.

The lens also has a very pleasing bokeh. While I’ve never used it for portraits, with many of my wildlife photos, the out-of-focus areas in the background look beautiful and don’t detract from the images.

Sunflowers in Southern Queensland. I love the bokeh that this lens produces.

Conclusion

If you love a superzoom, there is only one option with the Fujifilm X-Series at the moment, and what a choice it is: the Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens.

Suited to wildlife and sports shooters primarily, the lens can also be used by landscape and cityscape photographers. The lens has a fantastic range of features, including weather resistance and OIS. It is relatively light for a lens with this range and has excellent optics.

A superzoom gives you the option of shooting sports you wouldn’t be able to with a shorter zoom.

Overall, I would say that the lens is good value for money, though perhaps not as good as other lenses in the X-Series line-up. The price of the lens has stayed steady since its release. However, you can sometimes get discounts or cashback offers, substantially bringing down the cost.

I have no hesitation recommending the Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens. Just writing the review and looking at the photos it produces makes me want to get out and use it right now.

The post Fujifilm Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

Digital Photography School

January 15, 2020
Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work?

The first thing any photographer wants to know about a piece of gear is how well it works. Camera equipment is expensive, which is why photographers spend so much time sifting through reviews before making purchasing decisions. For some of the more specialty lenses, photographers test the waters with accessories like wide-angle lens converters. These are much cheaper than buying Continue Reading

The post Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work? appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

January 14, 2020
4 Yummy Tips On How To Master Food Photography

Can you recall the last time you saw an advertisement for what looked like the PERFECT burger? Remember that mouth-watering feeling you experienced? Sorry to say this, but that burger was far from being perfect, or real. And, while this may be a disappointing truth as a customer, as a food photographer, you can use it to your advantage. Food Continue Reading

The post 4 Yummy Tips On How To Master Food Photography appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

January 14, 2020
Change of Perspective in Photography – Start from the Top
The post Change of Perspective in Photography – Start from the Top appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

You’d be surprised how a simple change of perspective in photography can take your images from amateur to pro. Pay attention to any magazine, advertisement, exhibition, etc., and you’ll notice how almost none of the photographs were taken at eye-level.

1/30 sec. f5.6, ISO 800

Just by changing the point of view, you can completely transform an image. You can play with size, proportion, depth, and many other characteristics. One of the most important aspects, however, is that you are showing the viewer the subject from a point of view that is out of the ordinary.

There are many angles you can choose from, in this article I’m going to focus on positioning yourself above the subject. Now let’s see a couple of choices for you to get started.

Bird’s eye view

As the name suggests, this shot means that you should be highly elevated and therefore watching your subject from a flying bird’s perspective. With small subjects or even a portrait, you can just climb on a chair or a tree. However, for landscapes, you can go up a building or tower. There are lots of touristic places that have high scenic viewpoints for you to practice.

1/400 sec. f5.6, ISO 100

Gear

You don’t need any specific gear for it but there are some things to consider regarding your settings:
- If you’re in the open, it might be windy the higher you go, so use fast shutter speed.
- Even if you’re behind glass, but you’re not to allowed to use a tripod (like it happens in most touristic places), you’ll still need to keep an eye on your shutter speed to avoid blurry images.
- Speaking of being behind glass, be careful with the reflections. For this problem, you might find useful to carry with you a lens hood or a polarizing filter. More tips to minimizing reflections on windows can be found here.
If you are really enjoying a higher photographic perspective, you may want to consider buying yourself a drone or looking into aerial photography.

Creative uses

A change of perspective in photography is not only a good practice to improve your skills, but it can also be used creatively. Here are some ideas for you to try using the bird’s eye perspective:
- Incorporate an object in the foreground to make more interesting photographs Having an anchor in your image can guide the viewer through your image.
- A bird’s eye perspective is great to do panoramas. This technique will need some post-production to stitch together your images. Here’s all you need to know to do it, give it a try.
- Finally, try creating your own miniature world by trying the tilt and shift effect. Bird’s eye is the best perspective to achieve the perfect illusion.
1/400 sec. f13, ISO 400 with a tilt-shift effect done in PS

Top-Down

The top-down name is quite clear. It means that you’re looking down directly onto the subject. Of course, this is also a perspective a bird could have, however, it’s a camera angle in its own right. For this, your focal plane has to be parallel to the subject.

Gear

You don’t need special gear. You can achieve this with any camera – even with your smartphone – which is probably why it’s so popular for food and still-life photography on Instagram. It’s also very popular for drone photography.

However, there are some accessories that can be useful:
- You need to be parallel to the surface you’re photographing, so a tripod and a bubble level can make your life much easier.
- If you’re using a tripod, you may need to use an extension arm or similar. This will prevent the legs from coming into the frame.
- This is not a piece of equipment, but a recommendation about where you place the tripod. Be careful not to cast the shadow of the tripod, lights, or yourself on the subject.
Creative uses

Flat lay

Flat lay is a very popular term for blogs and social media, especially Instagram. It refers to a composition of objects laid onto a flat surface. There are many contests and challenges online, look for them with the hashtag flat-lay. Join them and practice your top-down skills.

Colors and shapes

Because there’s almost no depth with the top-down perspective, you have to make the most out of the two dimensions you have to work with. Instead of it being a limitation, get creative and use composition, colors, and shapes to improve your designer skills.

2 sec. f22, ISO 800

In conclusion

A change of perspective in photography can give you lots of opportunities to improve and create fun and innovative images. You don’t need to buy any extra equipment or learn any new techniques, all you need to do is move around your subject. I hope you have fun and if you feel up to it keep on exploring with these extra articles:
- How to Improve Your Photography by Changing Perspective
- The Power of Perspective in Photography
The post Change of Perspective in Photography – Start from the Top appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Digital Photography School
January 13, 2020
The Canon 1D X Mark III Is Officially Announced, With 20 FPS and a New Processor

The post The Canon 1D X Mark III Is Officially Announced, With 20 FPS and a New Processor appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Well, it’s finally here:

The Canon 1D X Mark III – the camera that wildlife and sports photographers have been waiting for, and that will rival the upcoming Nikon D6 just in time for the Summer Olympics.

The Canon 1D X line is far out of the price range of most photographers. Yet it still inspires constant discussion. Probably because it shows the peak of 35mm photography and, most importantly, what Canon can do when it really lets loose.

So what does this action photography powerhouse include?

As expected, the Canon 1D X Mark III will feature a new full-frame Canon sensor, though the 20.1 megapixels of resolution is almost identical to that of the 20.2 megapixel Canon 1D X Mark II. This is hopefully a sign that Canon has made great strides in low light performance (and Canon’s website claims that the 1D X Mark II offers “even better high-ISO image quality that the previous version”).

The Canon 1D X Mark II was a top-of-the-line low light performer, which means that the Canon 1D X Mark III has a lot to live up to; if Canon has actually managed to improve low light performance, the 1D X Mark III’s high-ISO capabilities will be truly impressive.

Also new in the 1D X Mark III is the processor, Canon’s DIGIC X. With the DIGIC X, you’ll be able to shoot at 16 frames per second using the optical viewfinder and 20 frames per second in Live View. Of course, these speeds are useless without a capable AF system, but Canon promises great strides in that area, too. The 1D X Mark III will feature a 191-point AF system that can “follow subjects across the…AF array like no EOS DSLR before it.” This should certainly please sports photographers, and wildlife photographers, too.

Live View autofocus is an area where Canon has repeatedly managed to stand out, and it looks like the 1D X Mark III should continue this trend. The camera body includes Canon’s famed Dual Pixel AF, with Eye Detect AF and 525 AF zones.

Also included in the Canon 1D X Mark III are dual CFexpress card slots, a 1000 RAW image buffer, a 2850-photo battery life, and impressive video capabilities (UHD 4k video at 60p).

So if you’re a professional sports or wildlife photographer looking for the next flagship camera, or you’re really looking to take your action photography to the next level and you have a limitless budget, then take a look at the Canon 1D X Mark III. The camera will drop in February for $ 6499 USD, and is currently available for preorder.

The post The Canon 1D X Mark III Is Officially Announced, With 20 FPS and a New Processor appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

January 13, 2020
6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android

The post 6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

As a OnePlus user and a photographer, you can bet I’ve spent a good deal of time wading through the many photo-editing apps free to download through Google Play. Here, I take a brief look at 6 great (and free) editing apps on the OnePlus phone.

The OnePlus

Relatively new to the scene, you may never have heard of the OnePlus before. One Plus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (referred to as OnePlus) is a Chinese phone manufacturer founded in December 2013. Known for its slogan never settle, OnePlus released the OnePlus One smartphone in 2014. Since then there have been numerous incarnations of the OnePlus family, the most recent being the OnePlus 7T Pro.

OnePlus smartphones run on the Android operating system (OS). That means that most editing apps accessible to the OnePlus phone are available to all other smartphones with an Android OS (like the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy range for example).

While I’ll be exploring the next couple of editing applications on my own OnePlus phone, the apps I go into are available for all Android systems.

My (slightly beaten up) OnePlus 5T

6. VSCO

VSCO (Visual Supply Company), is both a photo-editing and social media app aimed at the photographically-inclined. Sometimes compared to Instagram, VSCO is best known for its high-quality filters. The basic VSCO version is free, but only 10 filters are available without paying $ 7.99 a month (or $ 31.99/year) for a VSCO membership.

While the filters that are available for free are definitely a cut above (and certainly worth the download), users looking for cheaper alternatives may turn elsewhere for greater flexibility. Personally, I’ve found that more often than not, the 10 free filters suit my needs just fine. The quality and variety of the free filters make VSCO my go-to for a quick filter fix.

5. Bonfire Photo Editor Pro

Bonfire Photo Editor Pro is an app paired with an easy-to-use layout. However, it’s the sizeable variety of features that come with Bonfire that makes this app especially attractive.

Along with standard filters, Bonfire has numerous options that allow you to add artistic effects to your photos. Pop art, oil painting, and impressionist presets are all available, as well as, skin smoothing filters and adjustment settings like contrast, vibrance and brightness.

If you are after a casual editor or a way to play around with arty effects, Bonfire Photo Editor Pro is a fun option.

4. Snapseed

Loaded with heaps of presets and manipulation tools, Snapseed is marketed as a free, professional-grade photo editor. Exposure adjustments, lens effects, filters, a healing tool, and a correction brush all come packaged within the Snapseed app. Plus, a double exposure function enables the combination of two or more photographs to create a ghostly image effect.

With over 100 million downloads, Snapseed is a favorite among photographers and casual users alike. Snapseed was one of my first editing apps on the OnePlus phone. It has since earned a spot in my most frequently used apps tray.

3. PicsArt

Although many features in PicsArt are in-app purchases, the app still supports basics like cropping, filters, artistic effects, facial definition and drawing without cost. What sets PicsArt apart, however, is the AI-generated filters available for free. Called Magic, the PicsArt effects transform an image to fit themes like Flora, Highlight and Plein Air.

Immersive and intelligent, photographers may not find professional uses for these effects, but they are great fun to mess around with.

2. Adobe Photoshop Express

For editing apps on the OnePlus phone, Adobe Photoshop Express is extensive. Features like perspective correction, noise reduction, filters, effects (including artificial light leaks and bokeh effects), exposure adjustments, text options, and blemish removal are all found on the user-friendly UI.

The app has over 90 filters available, with substantial variation within each grouping.

To cater to social media trends, Photoshop Express has a collage function and the option to add stickers and borders to images. It also includes an extensive range of aspect ratios for cropping your images to precise dimensions.

1. Fotor

With plenty of filters and adjustments at the ready, Fotor is great for getting the most out of an image. The app comes with standard essentials like contrast, sharpness, shadow, highlight, and color temperature adjustments.

In addition, scene filters optimized for specific lighting conditions and subjects streamline the editing process. An intuitive focus function adjusts blur in aperture increments and a range of borders and stickers and a collage function meets social media design trends.

Conclusion

There are plenty of editing apps on the OnePlus phone (and for phones running the Android OS generally) to download. With so many options for free, it can take a bit of experimentation to figure out what works best for your process.

The apps I’ve listed are my personal top 6 – if you have a favorite app that isn’t on the list, go ahead and mention it in the comments below! Happy editing!

The post 6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Digital Photography School

January 12, 2020