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Archive for August, 2017

How to buy used gear (and not get burned)

20 Aug

Don’t get burned!

Photography gear is pricey, and buying used is a great way to keep your wallet from getting too thin, but it also comes with quite a few risks. The high price associated with photo gear sometimes attracts unsavory folks disguising themselves as reputable sellers, as a means to part you from your hard earned cash. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to avoid this from happening.

I’ve been buying gear on a budget for thirteen years now, mostly via eBay and Craigslist, and in that time have come of with a basic set of rules to protect myself from getting burned. And after recently reading a gear-buying horror story, I felt compelled to write down my rules – with the input of my DPReview colleagues – and share them with you.

Note: There are exceptions to these rules and following them does not necessary guarantee you won’t get burned by a bad deal. As with any big-ticket purchase, common sense is the best and safest policy.

Buy from reputable used retailers

Buy from reputable used retailers like KEH or from the used department of reputable camera retailers like Adorama or B&H. If you are unsure of whether a camera retailer is reputable, if they are based in the USA, a quick search of the company’s name on the Better Business Bureau website should provide you the answer.

As a rule, always be sure to check and understand the retailer’s return policy, just in case you have an issue. For instance, KEH offers a 6 month return window.

Buy from sellers with a positive history

The advantage of buying from a used retailer is generally piece of mind; the disadvantage is you will likely pay more than buying direct from a selling party. That’s where consumer-to-consumer sites like eBay and more recently, Amazon Marketplace* come into play.

If you plan on purchasing from a seller on one of these sites, I can not emphasize enough how important it is that they have a positive selling history with multiple completed transactions. At least ten is a good place to start, but the more the merrier. Checking a seller’s history is simple on both of the above-mentioned sites.

DPReview.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon but is editorially independent of our parent company.

Use safe payment methods

Only pay using a payment method you trust. PayPal is the obvious option, especially if buying on eBay, but there are others out there. And be wary of anyone who wants you to pay by wiring money to them via Western Union. If you choose to do so, make sure you’ve developed a sufficient level of trust with the seller.

Buy from other photo enthusiasts and ask questions

Buy from sellers who are photographers/photo enthusiasts. They’ll likely have taken better care of their gear and know more about its operation. The language used in an item’s description is usually a good indicator of whether the seller is a photo enthusiast or just someone who picked up some gear at an estate sale. If you are still unsure, reach out to the seller and ask them a question about the gear. If their reply doesn’t satisfy you, don’t buy it.

Try Craigslist gear paired with your own

If you plan on buying off Craigslist, try the gear with your own lenses/camera before you buy. One of my colleagues went to check out a prospective lens from a Craigslist seller. The lens seemed to function great on the gentleman’s camera, but when my buddy mounted it on his, the AF motor started to squeak. My friend had done his research and knew this particular lens occasionally suffers from premature failed AF motors, so he politely said ‘no thank you’ and moved on. Had he not tried it on his own camera, he might have ended up with a lemon of a lens.

Know the warning signs of gear failure, and ask for shutter counts

This is in a similar vein to the previous tip: Always, ALWAYS research warning sizes of failure for a piece of used gear you are considering purchasing. Some used gear holds up surprisingly well over time; some does not. For instance, early production Nikon 17-35mm F2.8 lenses suffer from the aforementioned failed focus motor. Knowing the warning signs of failure is essential. And don’t be afraid to ask the buyer if ‘the AF motor squeaks at all.’ These kind of questions and their answers can help protect you.

On a similar note, if purchasing a used camera, always ask for the shutter count. In the same way the odometer in a used car provides a metric for how much wear and tear it’s received, so does a shutter count. Because shutters are only guaranteed so many actuations by the manufacturer, it is crucial to check before you buy.

Skip grey market gear

Avoid grey market gear. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to gear that is sold in new condition, but without a corresponding warranty for the country in which it is being purchased. To be clear: ANY camera or lens bought new from a reputable dealer will always have a warranty card issued by the manufacturer. Grey market cameras have usually been imported illegally. Some will come with a third party warranty, some will not.

While the prices might be tempting, it’s best to avoid these ‘deals.’ If you end up having a problem with the gear or there is some kind of recall, you may run into issues when sending it back to the manufacturer. Not to mention that grey market sales undermine the integrity of the photography gear market as a whole.

Look into alternative versions, save some dough

Look for alternative versions of gear that may be less expensive. This is less a tip about protecting yourself and more a tip about finding the best deal, but what the heck, we included it anyway. A good example of this is the Leica CL, which goes for a lot more money than a Leitz Minolta CL, despite being the same camera.

Check compatibility

Double check your prospective gear’s compatibility with your current gear. This one is pretty commonsense, but if you accidentally buy a Canon FD mount lens for your 5D Mark III, the screw-up is on you, not the seller. Likewise, if you buy a Nikkor-D lens and your DSLR doesn’t have a built-in AF motor, that’s your problem – not the seller’s.

Patience is key

Be patient. If buying on Amazon Marketplace or eBay, you can set automated searches or notifications for products of interest. Don’t rush into buying something because you don’t see a lot of copies for sale.

Update the gear’s registration info

Make sure if the seller had registered their gear with the manufacturer that you coordinate changing the registration info to your own. I recently heard an unfortunate story of a photographer sending a piece of gear, bought used, to the manufacturer due to a recall, and the manufacturer sending it back to the original buyer. A sticky wicket for sure! Don’t let that happen to you.

Have any used-gear-buying tips of your own? Share them with us. If they’re solid enough will include them in our list!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Essaypro.com review

20 Aug

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Cinnac is a Tinder-style photo rating app that helps you discover your best photos

20 Aug

If you have trouble deciding which of your images to include in your portfolio, or which ones will get the most positive response on social media, the new cinnac app might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Cinnac is a social network for photographers that uses means-tested ratings from its community to help you filter your photos.

The app works by letting you upload so-called “mini blogs” to your account—basically just sets of 20 photos. Other users are then presented with pairs of images from your set and have to vote on their favorite. The end result is that you receive a crowd-generated rating for your images and a ranking, showing you which of your photos are most popular with the cinnac community.

For now, cinnac is still pretty bare-bones, but offers an easy and intuitive “Tinder-style” user interface and could turn into a genuinely useful tool once the community grows large enough for reliable ratings. For example, it could be a great way to decide which photos to add to a professional portfolio, or which will perform best when shared on major social networks like Instagram.

Cinnac is now available to download free of charge in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Check out the video below for an introduction:

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Venus Optics’ long-awaited Laowa 15mm F2 for Sony FE is finally available

20 Aug

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Venus Optics has finally announced the price and delivery date of the second lens to join its Zero-D line up: the 15mm F2 for Sony’s E-mount that was first announced last September, and which the company has called “the world’s fastest 15mm rectilinear lens for full-frame.” The lens is due to ship at the end of August or early September, and will cost $ 850. First orders will include UV, ND1000 and polarizing filters for free.

The Zero-D in the name denotes the company’s claim that even though these lenses are very wide-angled, they exhibit almost no curvilinear distortion – or barreling. And at its angle of view of 110°, Venus Optics claims the new 15mm is the widest available rectilinear F2 lens for the Sony E system.

Here are a few official sample shots captured with the new lens:

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The manual focus lens is constructed using 12 elements in nine groups, with three extra-low dispersion elements and two aspherical lenses.

Venus Optics says that it has tried to keep the design compact and lightweight, achieving dimensions of 66x88mm and a weight of just 500g/1.1lbs. Unusually for such a wide lens, a filter thread (72mm) is actually built-in, and the lens’ closest focus distance is just 15cm. The nine-bladed aperture runs to F22, and users have the choice to operate with or without clicked stops.

For more information or to pre-order the long-awaited lens check out our hands on with the Laowa 15mm F2 FE from its debut last September, or visit the Venus Optics website.

Press Release

Venus Optics announces the Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D, the world’s widest f/2 native lens for Sony full frame E-mount cameras

Featuring a 110° Angle of View, Ultra-fast f/2 aperture, 72mm filter thread, Super light & compact & close-to-zero distortion

Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer who had previously launched a number of unique Laowa camera lenses, is proud to announce the world’s widest rectilinear f/2 native lens for Sony Full Frame E-mount cameras, Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D.

Super Light & Compact
The Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D is currently the widest f/2 rectilinear lens in the market which comes with a native E mount (i.e. Does not require additional adapters). It is an ultra-wide & ultra-fast prime lens which covers both 35mm full-frame & APS-C sensors. Despite the extreme specifications, Venus Optics has successfully minimized the weight of the lens to around 500g (~1.1 pounds) and 8cm long. This compact and light lens comprises of 12 elements in 9 groups with 2 pcs of aspherical elements and 3 pcs of Extra-low dispersion elements. The patented optical design successfully minimizes the distortion and chromatic aberrations to its lowest but at the same time, delivers a superb optical performance from corners to corners.

72mm Filter Thread
Ultra-wide & fast lenses in the market tend to be huge and have a dome-shaped front element. It is a headache for landscape photographers who need to use filters very often. Venus Optics understand their needs and manage to design a flat front surface and include a 72mm filter thread into the lens. 72mm screw-on filters can be used and no more investment on bulky filter holder is required.

Ultra Wide & Fast
The extreme 110° angle of view and ultra-fast f/2 aperture allow photographers to create impressive astro-photography shots with ease. It also gives photographers a fast and wide-angle option for landscape photography and low-light shooting.

Close focusing distance
Photographers can take advantage of the super close focusing distance (i.e. 15cm) and the f/2 aperture to create some bokeh shots and wide angle close-up shots.

Close-to-Zero Distortion
The Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D is the second member of the Close-to-Zero distortion line-up from Venus Optics, followed the launch of 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D last year. The lens is specially designed to remove the optical distortion commonly exist in wide angle lenses at infinity focus. Any straight lines will be retained.

Added feature for videographers
The new Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D is specially designed with an aperture switch which allows users to quickly switch between click-less and clicked aperture. This added feature will be extremely useful for videographers.

Availability
The Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D is currently available to pre-order in the official website of Venus Optics (http://www.venuslens.net/) and their authorized resellers..
Recommended Retail Price in US (without tax) is USD 849/pc. Pricing may vary in different countries. Shipping will start from late Aug/early Sept.

Supplementary Information

Flickr gallery with full size sample images

Video Introduction of Laowa 15mm f/2

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

20 Aug

In this article, I’ll show you a fun way to make abstract photos using stuff you have in your house already – fruit and vegetables.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

Produce and photography

They feature in renaissance paintings, religious symbolism, fine art photography and advertisements for your local supermarket. It’s your everyday fruit and veggies! Not only do they keep you full, fruits and vegetables have some remarkable detail, making for great photographic subjects.

As demonstrated by masters like Edward Weston, produce and photography work really well together. The matter that makes up organic material has a natural and sometimes surprising ingenuity. That’s why, with very little prep time, creating abstract photos with fruit and vegetables is a such a simple and fun project with surprisingly beautiful results.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

As diverse as they are tasty, fruit and veggies make for some of the best subjects you can point a camera at!

Supplies you will need include:

  • Camera
  • Tripod
  • A selection of fruits and veggies
  • Hand towel or wipes (to remove any juice off of your hands)
How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

I placed a clear glass sheet over the top of these strawberries and pressed down a little. The juice from the fruit started to spread, creating this liquid effect.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

They can make you cry, but the intricate layers of onions can make beautiful abstract photographs.

Gathering your produce

So what fruit and veggies should you use? The answer is, any and all of them! One of the best things about abstract photography is the variety of subject matter available. Check your fridge, your fruit bowl, and failing that, check out your local grocer. All varieties of fruit and vegetables have their own artistic properties, let alone every individual piece. If you stick with produce, you’ll never be short on subject matter for abstract photos.

Personally, I enjoy focusing on the textures and layers that make up organic material. That’s why I often concentrate on photographing vegetables like leeks and onions. The intricate swirls you can see when you cut an onion in half are as unique as a thumbprint, so you will never photograph the same thing twice.  Fruits like strawberries and oranges that have a very distinct pattern are great for incorporating leading lines and pattern into your photography.

Opposite on the spectrum in terms of texture and softness, the curving lines in an onion peel and the texture of a rock melon’s skin are beautiful and intriguing at the same time. Just grab whatever catches your eye. If you decide you don’t want to photograph a fruit or vegetable later, just eat it instead!

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

Once you’ve selected a nice range of fruit and vegetables, it helps to pre-cut a few slices so they will be ready to photograph. Cut nice thin slices, making as level cuts as possible so they will sit square with the camera lens. Don’t cut all your fruit and vegetables up at once though, as they will brown when exposed to the air for too long.

Setting up

If you have your fruit and camera at the ready, you’re halfway there. To truly capture the detail in your fruit and veggies I recommend using a macro lens or extension tubes. For these images, I used my set of Kenko extension tubes with my EF 24-105mm Canon f/4 lens. Set up your tripod and camera near a good light source to illuminate your subjects. A window with natural light coming through should be plenty. Lay out your fruit on a plain, flat surface and arrange them how you like.

Start by focusing your camera on areas that appeal to you the most. The texture or the pattern on a potato might catch your eye, or you might want to focus on the delicate gradients of color in a peach. You’ll find that the more you investigate your produce, the more you’ll have to photograph. Training your eye to recognize these subtle intricacies will prove invaluable in developing your inner photographer’s compass.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

The delicate colors and lines in this image of an onion and onion skin complement each other and highlight similarities and differences

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

Conclusion

One you begin to investigate the visual qualities of fruits and veggies, you’ll never look at the grocery store quite the same. And that’s great! Photography is about opening yourself up to new visual experiences. The more you explore, the more you’ll want to see. That’s what makes us photographers tick.

Not only will photographing fruits and vegetables broaden your critical eye for detail, it might broaden your pallet too, bon appetite!

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

The layers in a leek can be gently sprung open to reveal a shell-like structure.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

The loose rings of a leek settle gently against a white backdrop. Photographing vegetables and fruits in new ways will draw a viewer’s attention to the unusual perspective.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

Arranging vegetables and fruits in a pattern can bring out the intricacies and details often left unexplored.

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies

Converting an image to black and white can isolate your subject, lending a surrealistic effect to the photograph.

The post How to Create Abstract Photos with Fruit and Veggies by Megan Kennedy appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Paperchoice.org review

20 Aug

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Instagram update adds threaded comment replies

20 Aug
Threaded replies are a small update, but regular users will really appreciate it.

Instagram just launched a minor update that regular users will really enjoy: threaded comments. Previously, comments on the Facebook-owned photo sharing app were all lumped together, only @-replies denoting who was talking to who. Now, when you reply to a comment it will automatically create a new thread.

“Comment threads help you keep track of conversations and make it easy to respond to a specific thread,” writes Instagram in its press release. “This update will make your feed an even better place to share interests, get inspired and connect with others.”

To take advantage of the new feature, download Instagram from the iTunes App Store or Google Play, or update your current app to the latest version.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Essaytigers.com review

20 Aug

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This iconic still life photo was shot at f/240… for 6 hours!

20 Aug

Editor’s Note: The video contains a fine art nude print that is spoken about starting at 7:50 and appears in the background throughout most of the video from that point on. Potentially NSFW.

What’s the smallest aperture you’ve ever used? F22? Maybe the max you’ll find on some large format lenses: F64? When iconic photographer Edward Weston needed more depth of field to capture his famous still life Pepper No. 30, F64 wasn’t nearly enough. He shot it at F240, using only natural light and exposing the shot for 4-6 hours!

This curious piece of photo trivia came up during the latest episode of Marc Silber’s show Advancing Your Photography, in which he visits Weston’s house and speaks to Weston’s grandson Kim about the legendary photographer’s work and technique.

Edward Weston’s famous ‘Pepper #30’ was shot at f/240, with an exposure time of between 4 and 6 hours using all natural light. Photo: Edward Weson, screenshot from video.

Silber and the younger Weston touch on several of the renowned photographer’s best known photographs, and finish the episode with a teaser from inside Weston’s darkroom. To hear about these techniques in more detail and see more of Weston’s work and home, click play up top.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Essayservices.org review

20 Aug

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