Tag: Best

Helping You the Way We Know Best During These Trying Times

The post Helping You the Way We Know Best During These Trying Times appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Many people are stuck in their homes at the moment. So let’s make the most of it and do some photography! Image by dPS writer, Lily Sawyer

Let’s face it – we’ve all been stressed about the Coronavirus (covid-19).

For many people, they have had to self-isolate (including members of the dPS team). This can be anxiety-inducing and people can also start feeling isolated and down.

So we want to do what we do best. We want to give you all some photography exercises that you can do in and close to home. That way, you’ll get to focus on your creativity, keep the boredom at bay, and, hopefully, feel less stressed with life until this all starts to resolve itself.

How this will work is that each week over the next month (mid-week before our weekly newsletter goes out, starting tomorrow), we will publish a 7-day challenge. In this challenge, we will give you a challenge idea per day that you can do right within your own home or yard. We will also publish more articles on things you can photograph around the home, as well as some post-processing articles.

We care about our community and wish you all the best at this time. Please stay safe and keep in touch with us – whether by commenting on posts or heading over to our FB group where you can chat and share your photos.

Let us know if there is anything else you’d like to see here on dPS that will help you through these times too.

All the best,
Caz and the dPS team

The post Helping You the Way We Know Best During These Trying Times appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital Photography School

March 18, 2020
DPReview TV: Best budget lenses for Canon APS-C DSLRs
New lenses are getting better than ever, but sometimes it feels like prices are rising to stratospheric levels. Chris and Jordan share their picks for the best budget lenses for Canon APS-C DSLRs.

Want us to make similar videos for other brands? Let us know in the comments! Also make sure to check out our sample galleries for some of the featured lenses below.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
- Introduction
- The kit lens
- Ultra-wide
- Normal primes
- Standard zooms
- Telephoto
- Super telephoto
- Telephoto prime
- Conclusion
Canon EF-S 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 IS STM sample gallery

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Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM sample gallery

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Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS C sample gallery

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Tamron 70-210mm F4 Di VC USD sample gallery

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
March 14, 2020
Find great cameras for less money in our updated ‘best bargains’ buying guide

We’ve updated our ‘best bargains’ buying guide, which features both newer cameras that we think are great values, as well a few older models that are inexpensive yet still very capable.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

March 2, 2020
Tips for Cyber-Scouting Photo Locations So You Can Get the Best Shots
The post Tips for Cyber-Scouting Photo Locations So You Can Get the Best Shots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

You’ve saved money to go to that great photo spot, marked your calendar, put in for vacation time, and are already thinking about the photos you want to make. The trouble is, you’ve never been there. Your time will be limited. You want to be able to use it to make pictures, not scouting to find where to go and when to be there for best locations and light. How can you “know before you go?” Welcome to the “Twenty-Twenties,” a time when cyber-scouting photo locations can be the next best thing to being there.

Where is this? You tell me. Cyber-scouting photo locations will teach you how to see before you go, log GPS coordinates, and then get to the specific spot once you’re near. 1/100 – f/11 – ISO 200. Now, plug these coordinates into your browser and tell me where this is – 42°4’55.464″N 113°43’31.974″W

Cyber-scouting?

I thought I’d coined a new term, but a quick Google search proved otherwise.

Many people who are planning trips now “cyber-scout” the internet to pre-plan their journey. Hunters, backpackers, vacation travelers – all kinds of folks have discovered the usefulness of these online tools.

It only makes sense that we, as photographers, tap into the ability to see photos and survey sites we’re planning to visit before we even get there.

My photo buddy Dan and I made a dream-trip a few years ago, photographing New England in the autumn. Living 2,600 miles away in Idaho, it wasn’t like we had much familiarity with the area. As we’d only be there less than a week, scouting once we had “boots on the ground” wasn’t going to be possible.

Wasting time getting lost wasn’t an option either.

Had I not done some cyber-scouting for photo locations before my New England Trip, I’d never have known about Avalanche Falls in the Flume Gorge of New Hampshire. Moreover, I would have never been able to make this shot. 5 seconds, f/20, ISO 200

Dan prefers not to see too many photos of a spot before he goes, concerned it will overly influence what he shoots. He’d rather see it with “new eyes” and create unique compositions.

I can appreciate that viewpoint, but I’m different.

Planning a trip, pre-visualizing the locations, seeing the spots, and anticipating being there is like getting two trips in one. It’s a virtual-reality vacation, plus a real-reality trip where, once I’m there, I already have some familiarity. Different strokes, I guess.

It worked though – I became the planner/navigator, and he just made great shots on the trip. (He’s a much better photographer than I, but that’s another story for another day.)

Once I located locations we might want to go, I plotted everything out using my GPS coordinates and Google MyMaps.

Where to be and when to be there

When asked the secret to his great photos, a famous New York spot-news photographer is thought to have originated this photography quote –

“f/8 and be there.” – Arthur “Weegee” Fellig

The idea is that being at the right location at the right time is more important to make a great photo than all the technical equipment and technique combined. So, when you are planning to photograph somewhere you’ve never been, how do you know what are good locations, and what are good times to be there?

That is precisely the reason for cyber-scouting photo locations.

A GPS primer

Locations can be referred to in many ways. The simplest is the place name. Photographer friends we told about going to New England said a not-to-miss spot was Acadia National Park. Good general information, but how about specific spots?

Okay, “be sure to get to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse,” they said. Traditionally, we might have found the spot with a paper map, written directions, and perhaps some coaching from the locals.

A search for the Bass Harbor Lighthouse on Google Earth and there you are.

These days we have GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) navigation equipment, in our cars, on our phones, and in many other devices. Any spot on Earth with an unobstructed line-of-sight view to four or more GPS satellites can be precisely defined.

The Bass Harbor Lighthouse is at 44°13’19.27N, 68°20’14.79W.

The first set of numbers is how far north of the equator the place is, the second how far west of the Prime Meridian – unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

Places south of the equator and east of the Prime Meridian have GPS coordinates like this: 33°51’23.68S, 151°12’53.49E. These are coordinates for the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Copy and paste those coordinates into your web browser, and you’ll bring up a map of those precise spots.

In the southern hemisphere, the GPS coordinates are slightly different. The Sydney Opera House in Australia is “down under” with coordinates south and east of the Prime Meridian.

We’ll come back to why you want to know this in a bit. In the meantime, stick a pin in that spot while we explore other ways to develop a list of locations you want to visit on your photo trip.

Books

You remember books, right? Those paper things we read before we had computers, tablets, phones, and other devices?

If the spot for your trip is well-known, the chances are good that someone will have written a book about it. For our trip, we picked up “Photographing Acadia National Park,” by Colleen Minuk-Sperry. It turned out to be a great resource.

We later took a workshop with Dave Long of Blue Hour Photo Ventures. Dave has written numerous e-books on great New England photo locations and has included the GPS coordinates of each spot, making cyber-scouting them online and later getting there a breeze.

Find out if there are good books written about your intended photo location.

Location Websites

Do you think there’s a spot no one has written about on a website?

Guess again.

Say your boss decides to send you on a business trip to Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland. (If he does, he might be telling you something). Should you take your camera?

Where is it, and what’s there?

Google “Top Photo Spots in Ittoqqortoormiit” and yup, you’ll find photos. You’ll find companies giving photo tours. You’ll find photos on 500px by others who have been there.

Even though it is one of the most remote places in the world, you can still cyber-scout it and know what you’ll see before you go. (Or I can view the photos a friend of mine in our photo club took when he visited Greenland with noted landscape photographer Art Wolfe. Unbelievable!)

Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland is listed as one of the most remote populated places on earth, yet cyber-scouting photo locations with Google Earth makes it easy to take a “virtual tour.”

My point is, it’s unlikely you’ll find a place anywhere in the world not discussed and pictured on the web. Plugin the GPS coordinates (70.4849752,-21.9729592) for Ittoqqortoormiit (don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it), and off you go, no sled dogs required.

Photo websites

I couldn’t even begin to name all the online sites where photographers post their photos. Cyber-scouting photo locations on such sites can be a virtual tour of the area you plan to visit.

See a spot you like? Make a note of the place name and then search for it. 500px is a favorite place of mine. For our Acadia National Park trip, I found over 7,000 photos. Heck, even for Ittoqqortoormiit, there were 81 photos the night I checked.

Flickr alone had over 6,000 posted photos of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse when I checked. I think there might have been half of those photographers there the day we visited! Iconic spots have become even more known since the internet.

Another good photo location to check is Flickr. (They had over 1,500 photos of Ittoqqortoomiit when I looked.)

Many of the photos posted there have the GPS coordinates recorded, and with a few clicks, you’re off on your virtual tour.

Come fly with me

What if you could send your “virtual drone” off on a mission cyber-scouting photo locations? That’s pretty much what you have with Google Earth.

“Fly” to a location, see it from different angles, zoom in, look for place names, see photos others have taken there, and get the GPS coordinates.

It’s a great way to scout a spot before going.

Use the emulation mode of Google Earth to enter the date and time, turn on the sun, move the slider and see when and where the sunset will be. On 8/18/20 it will be straight up the shoreline from the lighthouse and set at 7:31 p.m. EDT.

Let’s fly over the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. Which would be the better angle – shoot toward the east or west? What if I want to get the sunset?

If I’m there on a particular date, where will the sun set, and at what time? How will it all line-up? Google Earth can emulate all of that.

Fly to the spot, activate the sunlight slider, enter the time and date you plan to be there, and move the slider to watch how the light moves across the landscape. Cool huh?

The wildcard is what the weather will be when you’re there.

You can anticipate the weather a couple of days out with weather apps. You can decide if you should go or maybe seek an alternate spot.

Another reason for cyber-scouting photo locations is to have a “Plan-B” should the weather not cooperate.

There are also a bunch of good weather apps useful for photographers. Even with all my best scouting, the evening we went to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse, the sunset was a bust with heavy cloud cover. Some things still can’t be totally planned. Still, I thought I made a decent shot, regardless.

It’s hard to make a unique shot of this location, especially with a few dozen other photographers all standing a few feet apart hoping for a nice sunset. All my cyber-scouting still couldn’t conjure better light. You do what you can. 6 seconds – f/11 – ISO 200

Make your shot different

One problem with going to an iconic photo location is that so many other photographers have probably been there already (you’re likely to find a pack there when you go), and made thousands of shots.

Take advantage of the ability of Google Earth’s fly-over capabilities to look for different compositions. Check the landforms, angles, the way the light falls at certain times of the day, and how you can create different and interesting images.

When you find a spot, “drop a pin.” Note the GPS coordinates, and then you’ll be able to find that unique spot once you’re onsite.

If you ride a tour bus and get off at Vista Point, you can make this shot. It’s not bad, but it’s sure not unique. Thousands of tourists get essentially the same shot every day.

Let’s use an example.

If you go to San Francisco, you’re probably going to want to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge. If you ride a tourist bus and do what a jillion other people have done, they’ll stop at Vista Point on the north side of the bridge. Line up with a thousand other photographers (and even more “happy snappers”), and take the same basic shot everyone gets.

Yawn.

Instead, use Google Earth for cyber-scouting the location.

You might learn if you went to Marshall’s Beach over the southwest side of the bridge, you could get a much less-photographed vantage point. With some creativity, good light, and a dose of photographer’s luck, your shot won’t be like the one the folks on the tourist bus will take thousands of times each day.

Send up your “virtual drone” with Google Earth, “fly” around and you might spot this much more interesting and less photographed vantage point of the Golden Gate Bridge from Marshall’s Beach.

Back on the ground with the Peg Man

Another way for cyber-scouting photo locations is to make friends with the Google Maps “Peg Man.” That’s what some call the little character you can move to a spot and get a virtual POV (Point-of-View) look at the area, much as if you were really there.

Let’s head back to Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland.

Open Google Maps and search for the place (if you can spell it). If not, perhaps you saved the GPS coordinates – 70.4844397,-21.9701898?

Click on the map that appears in your browser to open Google Maps. Now look for the Peg Man, he’s that little guy at the bottom right of the screen.

Click on him.

If the streets on your map turn blue, you can then click, hold, drag, and drop him on a spot. You will be whisked away to a POV street view of the spot.

You can now “walk” the streets by clicking in the direction you want to go. Have a look around by clicking, holding, and dragging your mouse left and right. Roll the center mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

It’s almost like being there without having to wear a parka.

Take a virtual walk on the streets of Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland by dropping the “Peg Man” in Google Maps. It seems kinda quiet, but then there are only about 450 people who live here in one of the most remote places on earth.

Maybe a more picturesque spot? Let’s go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Type that into Google Maps. It’s bit more populated there, right?

Click the Peg Man over this map, and you will not only see the blue-colored streets, but you will also see blue “Photo Spheres.” Click on one of these, and you’ll have a 360-degree panorama where you can really get a look around.

Yeah, it’s a little more crowded than Ittoqqortoormiit, but as you can “tour” the entire city this way, maybe you can find a unique vantage point for a photo not currently done a million times.

Paris is a bit more populated than Ittoqqortoormiit. Enter Eiffel Tower in Google Maps and get this map. From here, drop the Peg Man to roam the streets or click a “Photo Sphere” to see a 360-degree panorama from that spot.

There’s a pigeon in my panorama! Cyber-scouting photo locations could help you discover when and where to be for this shot. With a long exposure or some skill with the cloning tool, you could also vanish the people. Just watch out for pigeons.

When to be there

I mentioned the two essentials in planning for a great photo:
1. Knowing where to go, and
2. Knowing when to be there.
I’ve covered a few of the tools and techniques for cyber-scouting photo locations – the “where” part of that equation.

There are other tools that will help you know “when.”

Photographers know that great light and the specific spot are keys to making an image that goes above and beyond average. Some online tools and apps can help with that too.

Rather than get into all of those here, let me direct you to another DPS article by author Pete DeMarco, “6 of the Best Smartphone Apps for Travel and Landscape Photography.” In it he discusses:
1. PhotoPills
2. The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE)
3. Sun Surveyor
4. Tide Charts Near Me
5. Maps.me
6. Wunderground
About those GPS coordinates

You remember I said to note GPS coordinates? This is a great way to keep track of, map, and use GPS devices to get you to those spots once you are on location.

You may be able to import a .kmz file or can at least manually input your list of location GPS data into your portable dashtop GPS device. Bring it with you on your trip, and you’ll be set to navigate to all your spots.

These articles were written a few years ago, just before my epic New England trip. What proved most useful was transferring my GPS data into my Garmin Navigator dashtop GPS device.

I used transferred the .kmz file, but also learned that it was easy enough to type the GPS coordinates into the device and save them as locations.

I took the Garmin in my suitcase, set it up in the rental car once in Boston, clicked the location we wanted to go to, and bingo…off we went.

The beauty of the Garmin is it worked completely off the satellite, no internet connection required.

I was surprised how often we didn’t have internet availability, even in what seemed only “hills” by a westerners’ perspective.

The lesson learned – don’t count on your phone, tablet, or other internet-required devices for navigation. A stand-alone GPS navigation device (Garmin, Magellan, Tom Tom, etc.), which requires only a satellite connection, is a much more reliable option.

Analog backup

Cyber-scouting photo locations before your trip is a fun way to “see” and know-before-you-go the spots you’d like to photograph.

Electronic GPS devices can be a great way to get to the spots you’ve planned on visiting. But should it all go south, the connections don’t connect, and the power fails, an old-fashioned paper map and a compass is a good “Plan B” to have in your pack.

Just sayin’.

Of course, don’t overlook talking to the locals, or even better, local photographers who know the great spots. Also, hiring a guide can be well worth it, especially if you are in a foreign place.

For now, though, do some cyber-scouting, and get excited about your upcoming photo trip.

When you get back with some awesome images, post a few in the comments section below and tell us about your adventure.

Happy trails.

The post Tips for Cyber-Scouting Photo Locations So You Can Get the Best Shots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

Digital Photography School
February 14, 2020
Which is best for you: the Fujifilm X-T200 or X-T30?

Fujifilm X-T200 vs X-T30

Prior to January 23rd, 2020, choosing between Fujifilm’s entry-level X-T100 and its step-up model, the X-T30, was easy. The X-T100 was sluggish, its autofocus sub-par and 4K ‘video’ was limited to 15 fps.

Fujifilm really raised the bar with the X-T200 , which offers dramatically improved performance and autofocus, a massive LCD with a clever touch interface and proper 4K video.

With the X-T200 priced at $ 799 and the X-T30 at $ 999 (both with a 15-45mm kit lens, as of February 2020), potential buyers will want to know if it’s worth spending the extra dollars on the more advanced model.

In this article we’ll break down the similarities and differences between the two cameras – but your decision should come down to the type of photographer you are, and where you are on your photographic journey. The X-T200 is, after all, billed as the more user-friendly model, while the X-T30 gives hands-on photographers more control at their fingertips. Let’s take a closer look.

Sensor

One of the upgrades on the X-T200 is its 24MP sensor. The former had aluminum wiring, while the latter uses copper. Fujifilm says that the new sensor can be read out 3.5x faster than its predecessor, which should reduce rolling shutter. Since we’ve yet to test a production-level X-T200 we can’t comment on its image quality, but we expect it to be better than its predecessor.

The X-T30, on the other hand, uses the same 26MP X-Trans CMOS sensor found on X-T3. Fujifilm’s X-Trans color filter both reduces moiré and exhibits less color noise at high ISOs. The sensor is excellent, with low noise levels at high ISOs and Raw files with plenty of room for brightening shadows and other adjustments. We didn’t find rolling shutter to be a major problem.

Autofocus

The X-T200 has essentially the same AF system as the X-T30, though how you operate them is a bit different. Their shared hybrid AF system has 425 phase-detect points that cover 100% of the frame and offer single-point, zone and wide/tracking AF area modes.

Both cameras offer face and eye detection, and Fujifilm says that the X-T200 has the company’s latest algorithms. It’s too early to draw conclusions about AF performance, but it seems competitive with the X-T30 at first glance.

When it comes to selecting subjects on which to focus, the X-T200 is more touchscreen-based, which isn’t surprising given its target audience. The more experienced users that the X-T30 leans toward will spend more time with the joystick and may want to fine-tune settings more than a beginner.

The X-T30 can shoot bursts quite a bit faster than its less-expensive sibling: 20 fps vs 8 fps

For example, the X-T30 lets you choose how the camera functions when using continuous AF, either by selecting a preset option or tweaking the settings yourself. This is important when the default AF settings aren’t the right fit for shooting things like sports.

Speaking of action photography, the X-T30 can shoot bursts quite a bit faster than its less-expensive sibling: 20 fps vs 8 fps. It also lets you access playback mode and the menus while the camera is writing to the card, unlike the X-T200.

One very frustrating thing about the AF system on both cameras is that you cannot set the focus point whenever the camera detects a face in the scene, though this could change with firmware sometime down the line (but don’t count on it).

Design

When viewed from the front, the X-T200 and X-T30 look quite similar. The X-T30 has a control dial and AF mode switch on the front, while the X-T200’s control dials are all on the top plate, and there’s no AF mode switch.

The X-T30 is all about dedicated dials, which isn’t surprising, given that it leans in the enthusiast direction. Some may say that it has too many dials, but that’s purely subjective. There are dedicated dials that allow you to adjust exposure compensation, shutter speed and drive mode without ever entering a menu. It offers an 8-way joystick for setting the focus point, which is poorly placed and a bit fiddly, in our opinion (the X-T200 has the same issue).

Being the entry-level model, the X-T200 has a limited number of direct controls and leans heavily on a well-designed touch interface via its enormous fully articulating LCD. The camera still offers dual control dials and some customization, though not nearly to the extent of the X-T30.

Given the price difference, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the build quality of the X-T30 feels superior in your hand, with more metal and less plastic. The X-T30 isn’t weather-sealed, though: you need to go up another step to the X-T3 for that.

Both cameras offer USB Type-C ports (with USB 3.1 speeds) and support in-camera charging. They also use the NP-W126S battery, which you’ll find on many other Fujifilm cameras. While battery life is a reasonable 380 shots per charge on the X-T30 using the LCD, the X-T200 will last for only 270 shots (according to CIPA methodology). In reality you’ll get more life out of both cameras, but the X-T30 should still come out on top.

LCD and EVF

Let’s not beat around the bush: the X-T200’s touchscreen display is fantastic and competitive with modern smartphones – this camera’s target audience. It’s 3.5″ in size (diagonally) and has 2.76 million dots worth of resolution. It’s fully articulating, making it good for ground-level photos as well as vlogging. The display’s 16:9 aspect ratio makes it ideal for video, though a lot of its real estate is wasted when shooting 3:2 stills.

Fujifilm put an easy-to-use touch interface on the X-T200, which makes it operate more like a smartphone than a camera. If you’re a beginner, you can adjust a ‘depth control’ slider to blur the background. If you’re more experienced, the camera has the usual manual exposure options and two control dials to adjust settings. Customization options are limited, but then again, this is an entry-level camera.

The X-T30’s 3″ display is more conventional. It has 1.04 million dots and can tilt upward by a little over 90° and downward by 45°. While it has the usual tap-to-focus and image playback touch functions, there’s no simple interface and only the Q.Menu can be navigated by touch (the X-T200 can do that as well as the main menu).

The two cameras have the exact same electronic viewfinder. They’re both OLED and have 2.36 million dots and a magnification of 0.62x, which is a bit on the small side.

Fun with Film Simulation modes

A feature that makes Fujifilm cameras stand out from the pack are its Film Simulation modes. These aren’t ‘pop color’ filters; most are recreations of film stocks that were available in the days of analog photography.

The Film Simulation modes on the two cameras are largely the same, though the cheaper X-T200 does miss out on a few favorites: Acros and Eterna. Eterna is popular with video shooters, as it produces pleasing footage with low saturation that’s easier to grade in post-production. The X-T30 also has the ability to add a film grain effect. We think it’s a (very) safe bet that the X-T200 lacks these features for product segmentation.

Fujifilm came up with a clever way of selecting a Film Simulation mode on the X-T200. When you turn the left-most dial on the top plate, it opens up a screen with the current Film Sim mode on one side and the other options on the right. A slider lets you expand or contract the viewing area of the before or after sides. This feature is much easier to show rather than explain, so have a look at the video below (from the X-A7) to see how it works.

Video

The X-T200 is no slouch when it comes to video, but if you’re a serious videophile who wants to take more control over their camera, then the X-T30 is the better choice.

First, here’s what the X-T200 offers. It can capture UHD 4K footage at 30p, 24p and 23.98p, as well as their PAL equivalents. The footage is oversampled and uncropped, though there is a 15 minute recording time limit. The X-T200 offers a ‘Digital Gimbal’ feature for reducing large mounts of shake, plus an HDR video mode. It doesn’t offer F-Log support like the X-T30, but that’s not exactly a point-and-shoot kind of feature. It has both 3.5mm mic and headphone sockets (the latter requires an included adapter) and a good number of controls over audio levels.

The X-T30 also records 4K/30p video, but supports the wider DCI 4K format in addition to UHD. It offers selectable bit rates of up to 200Mbps, while the X-T200 is fixed at 100Mbps. The 4K recording limit is less than that of the X-T200: 10 minutes.

There are considerably more video capture aids on the X-T30 if you’re getting more hands-on. It offers zebra stripes, time code support and tools for making focusing easier. The camera supports F-Log and can also output 10-bit 4:2:2 video to an external recorder while saving 4:2:0 8-bit footage to its memory card. A ‘movie silent control’ option allows you to use the touchscreen to adjust exposure while recording, so sound from the control dials is not picked up.

Like the X-T200, the X-T30 has an input for an external mic, but it’s 2.5mm and will require an adapter. Speaking of which, you can attach headphones via the USB port with an adapter that’s not included.

Wrap-up

The two most significant factors which differentiate the X-T200 and X-T30 the most are their physical controls and video capture tools. Thus, whether it’s worth spending the extra $ 200 on the X-T30 comes down to how much control you want over the camera, and how hardcore of a video shooter you are.

If you want a simpler, more smartphone-like shooting experience, then the X-T200 is the smarter choice. The 3.5″ display is the best in this price range (and above it), and the touch-based interface is easy to use. The X-T200’s updated sensor and autofocus system should perform well, and we expect that its oversampled, un-cropped 4K video will look very good. The built-in mic and headphone (via USB-C) connectors are a big plus. The camera’s main downside is its battery life, which is below average.

For those who want to take more control over their camera, the X-T30 is the better of the two. It has several dials for controlling exposure and is highly customizable. It also uses Fujifilm’s newest sensor, which we’ve found to be excellent. Like the X-T200, it captures un-cropped 4K video, and offers the wider DCI aspect ratio, F-Log, zebra stripes, and 10-bit 4:2:2 output with simultaneous internal recording. Its battery life is quite a bit better than the X-T200’s, as well.

Overall, we think that the X-T200 is a great option for more novice users, and they can put that $ 200 savings into a lens like the new XC 35mm F2. But if you’re already a photographer and looking to get a new camera, the level of control the X-T30 gives you really does make a difference, and you’ll enjoy the camera that much more for it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 11, 2020
7 of the Best Photography Podcasts to Inspire!

The post 7 of the Best Photography Podcasts to Inspire! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.

While this is an article that I want to be educational for us all, it is a bit of a selfish one – I love seeking out new recommendations for podcasts! Rather than position this as the definitive list, I wanted to give you the best photography podcasts that I love to listen to in the hope that some of you may find a new podcast to love in 2020.

However, I also want to hear your recommendations for the best photography podcasts I can check out in 2020!

Podcasts are currently seeing serious investment, with streaming giant Spotify investing over $ 400 million.

This has paid off for Spotify, with their podcast audience doubling in the first half of 2019 alone. With that investment, means more podcasts produced, and the quality is getting higher all the time. This is a serious win for us as Podcast listeners.

For me, at least, Podcasts have made their way into part of my daily routine. Like waiting for the next episode of a TV show, I look forward to hearing the latest episodes of my favorite podcasts each week. I tend to listen to them whilst working, commuting, or just to chill out.

The podcasts I listen to tend to be less gear-based and more based on the story of photographers or how to improve in business. This type of content makes me excited to check out the work of photographers I haven’t before. It also inspires, either for strategies to try, or just visual inspiration from the discovery of new photographers.

Not only are big companies investing, but the quality of podcasts on all levels is better than ever. People are spending serious time in making their podcasts sound great. Gone are the days of what felt like listening to a phone conversation between people. Many modern podcasts are well-produced, great-sounding shows that allow me to imagine my perfect radio station, curated just for me.

The 7 Best Photography Podcasts

Why 7? Well, to be honest, I like to try and listen to one podcast per day. I could give you the top 15, or top 20. If you’re not careful, though, your podcast feed (like my own) will be jammed with episodes or entire podcasts you never get round to listening to.

So, in no particular order, here are my 7 best photography podcasts.

1. Photobiz X

Seen by many as the number one photography business podcast, Photobiz X is also the only podcast on this list with a premium version alongside the free version.

The podcast will give you great tips, whichever you listen to. Premium listeners get more of a deep dive into business techniques and access to the excellent PBX group on Facebook. As a member myself, I find the amount of help and support you get from the premium version worth the price. If you do find yourself enjoying the podcast, you can try it free for 30 days to see if it is a worthwhile investment for you.

This podcast interviews a huge variety of photographers and related business experts that can help you improve your photography business. Previous topics have included selling more wall art, website design, copywriting for your business, and a whole host of other topics.

Andrew, as a host, intuitively asks the questions that you find yourself asking as you listen along. He picks away the guest’s layers to get to the heart of the strategies that make their businesses successful.

Also, every episode has actionable takeaways that you can take and apply to your business. The only issue may be that you have too many ideas to try!

Best enjoyed: Monday morning, setting you up with business inspiration for the week.

2. FujiCast

This is a podcast with two UK-based wedding photographers, whom both shoot with Fuji.

You would think that this would be a pretty niche podcast. However, if you can get beyond the name, what you will find is a funny, beautifully-produced podcast that has a great mix between answering readers’ questions and interviews with photographers.

FujiCast is the perfect listen on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee.

The tone of the podcast is that of two mates chatting about photography, except these mates are very knowledgeable and regarded as some of the best UK wedding photographers.

Yes, the gear talk that features usually has a Fuji slant, but gear talk isn’t where this podcast sings – it is the interviews and stories of the guests that are inspiring.

Again, one of the best things about this podcast is the community that Neale and Kevin have built. They host regular meet-ups for recordings, etc.

The FujiCast is a great listen that will introduce you to some amazing photographers.

Best enjoyed: Sunday morning after a leisurely breakfast, whilst enjoying a coffee.

3. The Candid Frame

The voice! The Candid Frame begins with smooth Jazz, which leads into possibly the smoothest podcast voice ever in Ibarionex Perello. One of the longest-running podcasts, The Candid Frame, has been running since 2006.

You can tell Ibarionex puts loads of work into researching every guest he interviews. His interview technique, honed over nearly 500 episodes, gives the interviewee the chance to tell their story beautifully. He asks questions that help him (and you as the listener) delve into their photographic journey.

Best enjoyed: Late at night, with a glass of your favorite tipple.

4. He Shoots He Draws

This podcast consists of a photographer and designer who describe their podcast as a chat over a cuppa. Episodes range from twenty minutes to well over an hour.

He Shoots, He Draws, is as laid back as the title suggests. However, that would not do justice to the huge amount of knowledge that both Glynn and Dave bring to each episode.

While bringing the angles of photography and design, this podcast covers a variety of topics with a wide-ranging variety of guests.

Best enjoyed: Tuesday morning, to help you make it through the week ahead.

5. This Week in Photo

This podcast really doesn’t need an introduction, and I am sure it is already on many of your weekly listens. One of the longest-running podcasts (it’s been around since 2008), This Week in Photo has a great mix of roundtable discussions and interviews, so this podcast still feels fresh.

Not every topic will appeal to everyone, but with each episode usually in the 30-45 minute range, I find myself listening along and getting something of interest that stops me from skipping.

I did think about not including this podcast due to it being so popular, but a podcast is like an old pair of jeans. It’s the one you always go back to because it feels so comfortable.

Best enjoyed: On a lazy Saturday, slouching in your favorite pair of jeans.

6. So You Want to Be a Photographer

Gina Milicia is a renowned Australian photographer who has photographed many celebs in her time. (She has also written e-books for dPS including Portraits: Making the Shot, Portraits Lighting The Shot, Portraits: Striking The Pose, 14 Amazing Portrait Recipes, Portraits: After The Shot, and Fast FLASH For Portrait Perfection.)

Her podcast, which she hosts with her friend and photography enthusiast, Valerie Khoo, is exactly the opposite of the type of podcast you would expect from such a high-end photographer. Gina is down to earth, and this podcast is full of advice for those on all levels.

The two hosts bounce off each other, and the enthusiast and expert balance between them really helps keep the podcast accessible to everyone. Episodes are full of great advice for people at differing stages of photography from the beginner looking for inspiration through to those taking a step into making money from photography.

Best enjoyed: On a bad Wednesday in the office. When you have decided that you want out of the 9-5 and want to start getting paid for your photography.

7. Photobomb

This podcast is like listening to two radio personalities with the humor of the naughty kids in class.

Booray Perry and Gary Hughes are a duo who will tend to let their episodes wander off-topic, but in a good way. A perfect example of this is starting a recent episode discussing the new Star Wars movie and which Star Wars films get a raw deal.

Booray and Gary are both experienced photographers with personalities that you will either love or hate. Quick-fire banter between them brings all the news and opinions you need for the week. Booray spent twenty years in radio before becoming a photographer, and that definitely comes through in this podcast.

A great listen in the car or at the gym too.

Best enjoyed: On the daily commute, as long as you are happy with occasionally laughing out loud on public transport.

Bonus podcast: Scenario

I’ve left the most fragile until last. The Scenario podcast by Jessica Mcdermott is made up of only six episodes recorded between November 2017 and March 2018. The only updates since then come in two, 2-minute notes about an update and #PodStrike.

You may be wondering, why would you tell us that this is one of the best photography podcasts and one that we need to listen to in 2020? Simply put, each episode is a beautiful little documentary on a fascinating photography story. There is the photographer who shoots landscapes to send to her pen pals on death row and the story of a photographer who is documenting his brother’s gender transition.

Each episode is beautifully put together and reminds me of a documentary that you would hear on Radio 4 (or NPR for you US-based listeners). Every story is fascinating, and I can see them appealing to many people outside of the world of photography.

Jessica allows each photographer to open up and tell their story, so each episode feels very intimate.

My only wish is that this podcast returns with more episodes. Although maybe it is destined to be these six perfect episodes that should be appreciated just as they are.

Best enjoyed: All in one. Find a weekend and listen to these wonderful stories in one sitting.

Conclusion

So there you go – a podcast for every day.

As I said, these are some of the best photography podcasts and are not meant to be an exhaustive list.

There are so many more I could add here, including more of the usual suspects. I am sure there are many more that you could add as well.

So, as I said at the start, I wanted to throw this out to you as the readers. Let’s hear in the comments below one of the best photography podcasts that everyone needs to listen to in 2020. I look forward to adding a load more podcasts to my list from your recommendations.

The post 7 of the Best Photography Podcasts to Inspire! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.

Digital Photography School

January 31, 2020
Nikon Z50 Hands-On Review – The Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners? (with bonus video)
The post Nikon Z50 Hands-On Review – The Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners? (with bonus video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

In November 2019, the Nikon Z50 debuted as an entry-level mirrorless camera for beginners. It is the first crop-sensor (DX) camera of the Z-series line, and it is much smaller and cheaper than the Nikon Z6 and Z7. This Nikon Z50 review will go over some key features of this camera and ultimately answer the question, “should you buy this camera?”

I tested this camera through the Nikon Yellow Program that allows you to try out the Nikon Z50 for 30 days, or return it for a full refund. This is a temporary pilot program that only lasts through March 2020, but I hope Nikon lets it run longer. The mirrorless camera market is a crowded one, and the only way for potential customers to truly know if a camera is suitable for them is to test it out for themselves.

Nikon Z50 Specs

The Nikon Z50 features are competitive with many modern APS-C mirrorless cameras such as the Sony a6400, Canon EOS M6 Mark II, and Fujifilm X-T30. Compared to the rest of these cameras, the Z50 is the largest and heaviest, but it offers some features that the competition does not.
- 20.9MP CMOS sensor
- Up to 11 fps shooting with AE/AF, 5 fps with live view
- 4K video at up to 30p and 120fps slow-motion capture at 1080p
- 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder
- Rear touchscreen tilts up by 90° or down by 180°
- Built-in flash plus hot shoe mount to add external flash if desired
- Single SD memory card slot
- Deep grip for a comfortable hold
- Approximately 300-shot battery life
- Bluetooth-enabled Wi-Fi (via Snapbridge app)
- Compatible with the FTZ mount adapter to use F-mount DSLR lenses
- Priced at $ 860 (body-only) or $ 1000 (with 16-50mm) or $ 1350 (with 16-50 and 50-250)
Along with the Z50 camera body, Nikon also released two DX Z lenses to use with it. The Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR kit lens is super compact and basically a pancake lens. It’s a great size to keep your camera kit very small.

Meanwhile, the Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR is a telephoto lens with a great zoom range.

Both lenses are very plastic but lightweight and affordable as a result. If you want the maximum flexibility with the Nikon Z50, and don’t have any F-mount lenses to use, get both of these lenses.

One little quirk about both lenses: you have to rotate the zoom ring to extend the lenses before shooting with them. It only takes a few extra seconds, but it’s a strange thing to get used to.

Ease of Use

Camera layout

The Nikon Z50 has a pretty straightforward layout.

All of the buttons and controls are on the right-hand side of the camera, making it easy to use one-handed. The biggest dial on top of the camera lets you select camera modes. There is Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, and Manual to appeal to the experienced photographer.

But the Z50 shows its colors as a beginner-friendly camera with the addition of several auto functions on the dial.

In addition to “P” and “Auto” modes, the Z50 has SCN or “Scene Mode” to automatically adjust the camera settings for a variety of situations, including Portrait, Landscape, Food, Night Portrait, Snow, Close up, and more.

There is also a dial selection “EFCT” for shooting in “Special Effect Mode,” where you can automatically see effects such as Night Vision, Super Vivid, and Pop applied to the scene before you snap a photo.

Many cameras have a similar scene and special effect modes in their settings, but they are usually buried deep in the menus and hard to find. On the Nikon Z50, these modes are literally at your fingertips, making them very accessible.

Touchscreen LCD

While you can use the physical buttons and dials on the camera to control settings, you don’t have to. The Nikon Z50 LCD touchscreen is very responsive and lets you select settings, set autofocus points, and swipe and pinch to zoom when previewing images.

The LCD screen also can flip down so you can see yourself when taking a selfie or filming a vlog. This is a feature that seems great at first – until you realize you can’t see the LCD screen if the camera is attached to a tripod. Ideally, the LCD screen would flip out to the side as it does on most Canon and Panasonic mirrorless cameras.

Speaking of selfies, I used the Z50 to snap a few family group portraits where I had to set the camera on a timer and run to be a part of them. A useful feature was the self-timer setting that included the option to take up to 9 photos in a row. This is so helpful in group settings when you will inevitably have closed eyes or goofy faces in some shots.

Autofocus

The Nikon Z50 comes with hybrid (phase and contrast detection) autofocus (AF) with 209 AF points. It also includes Eye AF and Subject Tracking. When paired with its 11 frames-per-second continuous shooting mode, this makes for a decent portrait and sports photography camera, in theory.

In practice, the autofocus performed decently, but still pales in comparison to other cameras, namely Sony, which is still king of autofocus. However, this is only a negative point for shooting fast-moving subjects. When working with still or slow subjects, the Z50’s autofocus is generally good.

I found the camera performed the best when left in single-point autofocus, where I could select the focus point myself. Word of caution – there is not a joystick for autofocus point selection. Instead, use the wheel or touchscreen.

Wireless transfer and smartphone connection

With the inclusion of extra auto modes and a flip screen, this is a camera geared toward influencers and those wanting to post photos and videos to social media.

Luckily, the Nikon Z50 is equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, making it easy to transfer media to your phone. All you need to do is download the SnapBridge app to your phone and enable the Wi-Fi connection on the camera.

When using a Samsung Galaxy S10, photo transfer was very fast and intuitive; video transfer took a bit longer, which is understandable considering the larger size of video files.

Another cool feature is the ability to use your smartphone as a remote monitor to control the Z50. This function also worked very seamlessly.

Image Quality

When it comes to colors and image sharpness, the Nikon Z50 does not disappoint. For those who gripe about Sony color science, you won’t be disappointed with Nikon’s. Photos are great as JPGs straight out the camera, but you can also shoot in RAW format for more flexibility when editing photos in post-production.

As an APS-C camera, the Z50 does not have the best low light performance when compared to a full-frame camera. However, images captured at ISO 6400 are acceptable with just mild color speckles and image grain.

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 250mm (in 35mm: 375mm), 1/400 sec, f6.3, ISO 12800, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Video features

For those interested in filming, here is a quick Nikon Z50 review of the video features. Just like its big brothers, the Z7 and Z6, the Z50 can film in up to 4K30p resolution, plus 120fps slow motion at 1080p.

Unlike the Z6 and Z7, the Z50 lacks IBIS (in-body image stabilization). This means that shooting handheld video or photos at low shutter speeds will be more challenging on the Z50.

However, this can be slightly alleviated if shooting with a lens that has VR (vibration reduction). Note that VR on lenses must be enabled via the Optical VR setting in the camera as the lenses do not have a VR switch.

The Z50 comes with both an Interval Timer Shooting Mode and a Timelapse Movie Mode. Both of these settings result in a timelapse, but the former will produce individual images that you must edit and stitch together in post-production.

Meanwhile, Timelapse Movie Mode automatically creates a timelapse video in-camera, and it is a wonderful feature that is very easy to use.

While the Z50 has a mic jack for attaching an external microphone, it lacks a headphone jack for simultaneously monitoring audio.

In terms of ports, the Z50 has only two: a micro HDMI port for adding an external monitor or viewing media on a TV, and a micro USB port for charging. It’s puzzling why a micro USB port was added instead of a USB-C port, but very helpful in that you can charge the camera via a wall plug or external battery.

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 15mm (in 35mm: 25mm), 1/50 sec, f3.5, ISO 2000, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

In conclusion

If you are on the market for a beginner-friendly mirrorless camera, you have a LOT of options out there. As of January 2020, the Nikon Z50 is the newest of them all, and it offers many of the same features you’ll find on other similar cameras.

While it is not the best camera when it comes to features like autofocus, it is still a very capable camera that will give you high-quality stills and video in a small form factor. Its usability is also very intuitive, and its extra auto settings will get you up and shooting fairly quickly, even if you are a photography novice.

If you have any Nikon F-mount lenses, the Z50 is a great option, since you can use those lenses with the FTZ adapter. Even if you don’t have any lenses, the two optional DX kit lenses are a great deal and result in an ultra-lightweight kit with a flexible zoom range.

I hope you enjoyed this Nikon Z50 review. Please leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 16mm (in 35mm: 24mm), 1/25 sec, f3.5, ISO 3200, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 29mm (in 35mm: 43mm), 1/50 sec, f6.3, ISO 280, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 29mm (in 35mm: 43mm), 1/80 sec, f6.3, ISO 280, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 210mm (in 35mm: 315mm), 1/800 sec, f6, ISO 250, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 75mm (in 35mm: 112mm), 1/320 sec, f6.3, ISO 250, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 250mm (in 35mm: 375mm), 1/400 sec, f6.3, ISO 1100, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 105mm (in 35mm: 157mm), 1/1250 sec, f6.3, ISO 250, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 250mm (in 35mm: 375mm), 1/640 sec, f11, ISO 250, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 50mm (in 35mm: 75mm), 1/250 sec, f11, ISO 250, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 31.5mm (in 35mm: 47mm), 1/50 sec, f5, ISO 2500, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 34mm (in 35mm: 51mm), 1/320 sec, f5, ISO 320, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 16mm (in 35mm: 24mm), 1/800 sec, f6.3, ISO 320, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Nikon Z50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f4.5-6.3 VR, Focal length: 125mm (in 35mm: 187mm), 1/200 sec, f5.3, ISO 2200, Aperture Priority, pattern metering

Bonus video: The Nikon Z50 review.

?

The post Nikon Z50 Hands-On Review – The Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners? (with bonus video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

Digital Photography School
January 29, 2020
Best Photos of 2019 by JMG-Galleries Blog Readers
A hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) in wildflowers at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park in Montana.

I’m excited to share the results of my 13th annual Best of Photos project. 112 photographers from around the world (amateur and professional alike) have shared their best photos of 2019. I’m always amazed at the quality of work shared and I hope it’s a source inspiration to you for the coming year.

For those who are new to my blog project, photographers taking part span the gamut of photo enthusiasts to professionals. The great thing about photography is that no matter what your skill level we all can relate equally in our love for the art of photography and visually exploring. With that in mind I encourage you to reach out to photographers whose work you enjoy to keep sharing & growing as an artist. I am incredibly thankful that this tradition has been embraced and enjoy seeing how familiar faces have evolved their work & grown over the years. I hope reviewing your best photos of the year and comparing them to years pasts keeps you inspired and aware of your progress as a photographer.

If you’d like to take part next year and be informed when submissions open for the “Best Photos of 2020” blog project add your name to my mail list. You won’t be spammed. I send out newsletters quite infrequently.

Thank to everyone who took part! I invite you to visit each link below as I have and introduce yourself to many of the participating photographers.

Best Photos of 2019
1. Best Photos of 2019 – JMG-Galleries – Jim M. Goldstein
2. My Top 10 Photographs Of 2019 – Michael Russell
3. My Ten Favorite Photos of 2019 – ADVENTR – Randy Langstraat
4. Favorite Photos of 2019 – T.M. Schultze
5. My Favorite Photos from 2019 – Alexander S. Kunz
6. Best of 2019 – Dave Wilson
7. Harold Davis—Best of 2019 – Harold Davis
8. 2019: A Photographic Retrospective – Johann A. Briffa
9. Top 10 Favorites of 2019 – Stefan Baeurle
10. My Best Natural History Photos of 2019 – Phil Colla
11. My Best Photos From 2019 – Daniel Brinneman
12. Best Photos of 2019 – Peter Tellone
13. Rétrospective des meilleures photos de l’année 2019 – Francis Gagnon
14. Best of 2019 by Rachel Cohen – Rachel Cohen
15. Photo Highlights 2019 – Alan Majchrowicz
16. My Top 10 Nature Photos of 2019 – Greg Vaughn
17. 2019 – The Year in Pictures | Russ Bishop Photography – Russ Bishop
18. 2019 Favorites – A Split Year – Joseph Smith
19. My 12 Favorite Photos of 2019 – Chuq Von Rospach
20. Wild Drake Photography – Drake Dyck
21. Matt Payne Photography – Matt Payne
22. My Favorite Images Of 2019 – Werner Priller
23. Favourites from 2019 – Bryn Tassell
24. My Favorite Photos of 2019 – A Year-End Retrospective – Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images
25. 2019 Favorite Photographs – Pat Ulrich
26. Without reflection we go blindly on our way – Bjorn Kleemann
27. 2019 – Ten moments – Ramen Saha
28. top photos :: 2019 – Denise Goldberg
29. Changing Perspectives – Best of 2019 – Jenni Brehm
30. Island in the Net – Khürt Williams
31. Best Photos of 2019: My Favorites of the Year – Todd Henson
32. My Ten Best of Images of 2019 – Mike Chowla
33. 2019 Favorite Photos – Alan Dahl
34. Tech Photo Guy – Best Photos 2019 – Aaron Hockley
35. 2019 Favorites – Martin Quinn
36. Best of TheDarkSlides 2019 – TheDarkSlides
37. 2019 Jim Goldstein Project – J.J. RAIA
38. My Favorites of 2019 – Rich Greene
39. My Favorite Images of 2019 (aka ‘Best of 2019’) – Pete Miller
40. 2019 Year in Review, Decade in Review – Robin Black Photography
41. Under Pressure Photography – Scott McGee
42. My favorite Slovenia photos of 2019 – Luka Esenko
43. 5 Moments in Time – 2019 – Gavin Crook
44. My favorite photos of the decade – Matt Payne
45. My Ten Favourite Images of 2019 – Jens Preshaw
46. 2019 in Pictures – Milan Hutera
47. Twelve from 2019 – Tom Whelan
48. My Favorite Photos of 2019 – Jeff Hubbard
49. 2019 Favorites – Rick Holliday
50. Best of the Best 2019 – Richard Valenti
51. Best Landscape and Nature Photos of 2019 – Clint Losee
52. Best of 2019 – My Favorite Images of the Year – Rob Tilley
53. 2019 Year in Review – Greg Russell | Alpenglow Images
54. Best of The Decade Including 2019 – Adrian Klein
55. Best of 2019 – Brian Knott
56. Natural History Photography – Highlights from 2019 – Gabor Ruff
57. Best of 2019 – Jeff Dupuie
58. Top 2019 – Eric Chan
59. Best of 2019 – Greg Clure
60. Twenty Nineteen: In retrospect – Charlotte Gibb
61. Favorite Blog Photos of 2019 – Jim Coda
62. My Favorites 2019 – Beth Young
63. Living Wilderness: Best of 2019 – Kevin Ebi
64. 2019 Favorites – Mike Cleron
65. Best of 2019 – Romain Guy
66. 2019 Favorite Images – Sam Folsom
67. Michael Katz Photography – Michael Katz
68. Twenty Nineteen – Mark Graf
69. 2019 in Review – and Happy New Year”
70. Photography & Travel – brent huntley
71. Top 10 Favorite Images from 2019 – Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston
72. My Photo Highlights of 2019 – Caleb Weston
73. Lagemaat Photography – Best images of 2019 – Jao van de Lagemaat
74. Favorites from 2019 – Kyle Jones
75. A Baker’s Dozen – Mike Christoferson
76. 10 Favorites of 2019: An Amazing Year – Kurt Lawson
77. Top 20 Photographs of 2019 – Year-End-Retrospective – Landscape Photography Reader/David Leland Hyde
78. Favorite Photos of 2019 – Deb Snelson
79. Favorites – 2019 – Daniel Leu
80. Best of 2019 – Steve Cozad
81. Fog from Above in 2019 – Andrew Thomas
82. Favorites of 2019 – Mick McMurray
83. Some Favorites from 2019 – Josh Meier
84. Top 10 Images of 2019 – Stephen L. Kapp
85. Top Ten of 2019 – Holly Davison
86. Best 2019 – Barbara Michalowska
87. The Creative Photographer – Andrew S. Gibson
88. My Favorite Photos of 2019 – Patricia Davidson
89. A Thousand Words – Lucy Autrey Wilson
90. 2019 Top Twelve Photographs – David J Grenier
91. Urban Dinosaurs – Steven M. Bellovin
92. Best of 2019 – Thomas Yackley
93. Carol’s Little World – Best of 2019 – Carol Schiraldi
94. My favourite shots of 2019 – Catalin Marin
95. Top 2019 Photos – Matt Conti
96. Top Ten 2019 – Phyllis Whitman Hunter
97. Favorites from 2019 – Tim Aston
98. Robb Hirsch- Best of 2019 – Robb Hirsch
99. 2019 Top 25 Images – Yesitis – Harold Klein
100. Environment Alyssa – Alyssa Bueno
101. Jeff Sullivan Photography – Jeff Sullivan
102. My Top Favorites of 2019 – Sara M. Photos
103. 2019 Year in Review & Favorite Black & White Photos – Sarah Marino
104. 2019 Year in Review & Favorite Photos – Ron Coscorrosa
105. Favorite 8 Photos from 2019 – Maria Struss
106. Top Photos Of 2019 – Bryan William Jones
107. Favorite Photos 2019 by Lori Hibbett – Lori Hibbett
108. Bob’s Best of the Best 2019 – Bob Blakley
109. Best Overall 2019 on Flickr – Sue Shuey
110. 2019 A Year in Review – Jim Patterson
111. Photo Blog – Ron Niebrugge – Ron Niebrugge
112. Expeditions Alaska 2019 Tour Ramblings – Expeditions Alaska
Have a great 2020!

JMG-Galleries – Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography
January 16, 2020
Apple’s 2020 iPhone photography contest seeks best Night mode shots

Shot on iPhone 11 Pro Max in Night mode by Eric Zhang.

Apple has announced another iPhone photography contest, this one soliciting photos shot using the company’s Night mode feature found on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. This new contest follows the first ‘Shot on iPhone’ competition announced by the company in January 2019. The new contest is open to submissions through January 29.

The 2020 iPhone Night mode photography contest opened to submissions on Wednesday, January 8; the five winning images will be announced by Apple on March 4.

Interested iPhone 11 owners can submit their favorite shots on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #NightmodeChallenge and #ShotoniPhone, as well as on China’s Weibo service using the tags #NightmodeChallenge# and #ShotoniPhone#.

Shot on iPhone 11 Pro in Night mode by Austin Mann.

Apple is also giving competitors the option of emailing a high-resolution version of their images to its shotoniphone@apple.com; in this case, photographers must use the following file naming convention: ‘firstname_lastname_nightmode_iPhonemodel.’

Social media submissions should include a note about which iPhone model was used to capture the image in the caption. Apple says contestants can use third-party and Photos app editing tools to edit the images. Submissions must be submitted by 11:59 PM PST on January 29 to be eligible. As well, contestants must be at least 18 years old.

The company has offered multiple tips on using the Night mode feature, including paying attention to the capture time displayed in the Night mode icon and using a tripod to keep the shots steady. Winning images will be showcased in a gallery on the Apple website, Apple Newsroom and Apple Instagram account; they may also appear in Apple’s digital campaigns, among other promotions.

The full list of judges and other details can be found in Apple’s announcement.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 9, 2020
Best Photos of 2019 by Jim M. Goldstein

Thanks for checking in to see my best photos of 2019. This year for a variety of reasons I didn’t have many opportunities to get out and pursue photography to the degree I’d have preferred. Some of the reasons why were good (new house, settling in, kid activities with both boys being in elementary school for the first time, etc.) and some were downright bummers (passing of my grandfather, getting used to this aging thing, etc.). Through it all though I got the kids out on some bigger trips this year beyond our regular trips to Yosemite. We drove from California to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Glacier National Park in Montana. With my focus on the boys having a great experience my normal serious photographic endeavors were kept on the sideline. As always I felt good with that decision after hearing how much they loved Glacier National Park, especially given Glacier it is a personal favorite of mine. In 2020 I’m looking forward to exploring more of my favorite locations with them and seeing it all a new through their eyes. All that being said enjoy my best of the year…

Landscapes & Wildlife

Much of my time outdoors this year was spent showing the boys more of my favorite locations and experiencing the great outdoors while indulging them with great views and of course many evenings of campfires and s’mores. The following view at Two Medicine lake in Glacier National Park was incredibly memorable as we explored the shore and skipped rocks.

A serene moment at Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park

Of all my time at Glacier National Park I’ve never once seen a Pika… until this year. Not only are they well camouflaged and hard to see, but they’re incredibly fast. Being small even photographing them with a 400mm lens isn’t nearly enough magnification. The first photo below is a severely cropped photo taken at 400mm. The uncropped photos, 2 down, is included to give you an idea of how hard it is to find them in a rock pile. Add in their constant state of running, to forage food for the winter, you have an even tougher subject to photograph. That said I do have a good number of Pika butt photos now.

North American pika (Ochotona princeps) at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park

North American pika (Ochotona princeps) at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park

While in Glacier National Park it’s always fun to see marmots scurrying about. On a hike at Logan Pass my boys and I saw several. One of the more interesting was perched in a tree surveying his territory.

A hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) in wildflowers at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park in Montana.

A hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) resting on a fallen tree – Glacier National Park

Adventures with the Kids

My boys enjoying a brief encounter with a curious ground squirrel was amusing. Even more amusing was the play structure my youngest son built for him with rocks near his den.

My kids meeting a ground squirrel while on a hike at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park in Montana

My youngest still has not shaken his interest in photography. While he wasn’t as steadfast about using a tripod this year he still seemed to enjoy taking some ‘serious’ photos.

My son photographing a waterfall in Glacier National Park

A brief moment my kids weren’t a blur from running around, tackling each other, and/or tackling me.

A personal favorite of mine taken by a passing hiker. Thanks unknown hiker, I salute you and your ability to capture a well framed photo while maintaining focus. You’d be surprised how hard it is to get that even with an iPhone.

Thanks for checking in and Happy New Year!

JMG-Galleries – Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography

January 4, 2020