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Is the Canon EOS RP right for you?

14 Apr

Is the Canon EOS RP right for you?

We’ve put the wraps on our full review of Canon’s EOS RP, where we look at its image quality, autofocus and more. But is it the right camera for you, and the style of photography you enjoy? Taking the RP into account as a whole, here’s how we think it stacks up for these common photographic use-cases.

  • Travel
  • Family & moments
  • Lifestyle & people
  • Landscape
  • Sports & Wildlife
  • Candid and street
  • Formal Portraits
  • Video

Travel

The compact size of Canon’s EOS RP may tempt you into picking one up as a travel camera – certainly, it’s smaller in size than many of Canon’s own DSLR cameras with smaller sensors. However, there’s only one native lens (and a few when using the adapter) that will allow you to really retain this compactness. The RF 35mm F1.8 Macro is an excellent and reasonably affordable option, and adapting the likes of Canon’s EF 50mm F1.8 STM, 40mm F2.8 STM and 24mm F2.8 IS USM would allow you to build a reasonably sized travel kit of primes.

What we’re really waiting for is a native-mount kit zoom of some sort that doesn’t break the bank, and won’t break your back. The RF 24-105mm F4L isn’t necessarily a huge lens (though it offers a hugely flexible zoom range), but cheap and cheerful it ain’t.

Canon’s excellent RF 24-105mm F4L IS is a little on the bulky side for the RP, but does provide an flexible zoom range.

There are some other niceties as well that will appeal to travelers, including attractive out-of-camera JPEGs, plus a provision to process Raw files in-camera. This means you’re less likely to need a laptop with you, if all you want is to just get some files off to social media using the camera’s wireless connection. Battery life isn’t great, but the RP will charge over its USB-C port. On the downside, if you like to mix stills and video in your travels, the RP won’t be of much help for the latter – if you have a reasonably modern smartphone, chances are its 4K video will be leagues ahead of what the Canon is capable of in most lighting conditions.

Photo by Richard Butler

Family & Moments

The RP’s small size (again, with the right lens), relatively simple interface and solid Auto and scene modes make it a promising camera for capturing family and friends. The camera’s Dual Pixel autofocus system has actually improved over the more expensive R, and allows for ‘Pupil Detection’ during continuous focusing. This will make it easier to capture candid moments with perfect focus. On the other hand, with a bulkier zoom lens, the RP’s size grows considerably, making it less likely you’ll snag it as you run out the door to a picnic or a football (soccer) match.

USB-C charging means it’s a simple affair to keep the battery topped up when you inevitably misplace the dedicated battery charger. This is also handy since you’ll probably want to browse the attractive JPEGs on the camera and send a few off to your phone to share, all of which will shorten the already not-too-great battery life.

Lastly, and this will become a theme in this article, it’s probably best to just use your phone if you’re looking to capture video. However, if you are looking to occasionally capture footage of Timmy’s school play from the back of the room, the hefty crop that ‘zooms-in’ your field of view when shooting 4K might actually come in handy.

Photo by Carey Rose

Lifestyle & People

Let’s come right out and say that blurring your backgrounds into oblivion is certainly easier with a full-frame sensor, but really isn’t the end-all, be-all of photography. But there’s a reason tech companies are spending millions of dollars to imitate the look: the ability to obscure distractions may be a benefit for photographers that don’t always have complete control over their surroundings.

With the right wide-aperture lenses (especially if you want to use the monstrous and beautiful RF 50mm F1.2), the Canon EOS RP will give you excellent subject separation that is just more difficult to achieve on smaller sensors, plus Pupil Detection helps ensure you can achieve critical focus at those very wide apertures.

On the other hand – and there’s always another hand – the RP’s full-frame sensor is going to be just a little noisier than its full-frame peers, particularly if you shoot Raw images and want to post-process. This may limit your ability to shoot in very high-contrast or harsh lighting conditions.

Photo by Richard Butler

Landscape

The EOS RP will do fine service as a landscape camera, in a pinch. It’s relatively small and therefore easy to pack, is fairly well-built (but not extensively weather-sealed), and has reasonably large control points to make it easier to use with gloves. The articulating touchscreen is great for working on a tripod, and charging over USB-C somewhat mitigates the middling battery life. Plus, with the EF adapter, you gain access to a vast array of Canon lenses that range from affordable to exotic, to help you get just the angle you need out in the wilderness (or in the middle of the city, as above).

However, we again come back to the EOS RP’s full-frame sensor. While 26MP of resolution is plenty for most people and most prints, the design of the sensor in the RP introduces far more electronic noise into your images than most other contemporary full-framers. This isn’t a problem if you primarily use JPEGs, but those who want to manipulate Raw files may find noise in shadow areas to be problematic.

Photo by Carey Rose

Sports and Wildlife

Yes, I know, the above bird is made of metal and is notably not moving. Simply put, with a burst speed of four frames per second with continuous autofocus, the EOS RP just isn’t one of our top picks for this demanding use-case. For sure, careful and experienced users will get plenty of keepers from it, and you can adapt those lovely white telephoto lenses that helped make Canon famous at sporting events the world over. Even the autofocus tracking mode is impressively sticky, turning in a much better performance than the older 6D Mark II that shares a sensor with the RP.

But the slower burst rate means you may have a harder time capturing just the right moment, and though the viewfinder doesn’t ‘black out’ between shots per se, it does pause noticeably with each shot taken: even in its slower ‘tracking priority’ mode, which is somewhere between one and two frames per second. Lastly, if you want to position your AF point yourself over your subjects, you need to use the four-way controller (which is slow) or the touchscreen (which can be imprecise with your eye to the finder). A joystick or an option to speed up the four-way controller would be welcome.

Photo by Carey Rose

Candid & street

For those wandering the streets of an unfamiliar city and looking to document their surroundings, the EOS RP again makes a fine option… in a pinch. The flip-out articulating screen encourages waist-level shooting, but makes for a wider – and more conspicuous – overall package than a screen that simply tilts. And you’ll need to pay careful attention to lens selection to keep the overall size of the package down.

The EOS RP also has a fairly quiet shutter, which is great for those looking to avoid attracting to much attention. Unfortunately, while there is a completely silent electronic shutter option, the read-out speed of the sensor – how quickly it can scan the scene in front of you – is very slow, meaning you’ll almost certainly get rolling shutter artifacts, showing up as slanted verticals in your images. You also get limited control over your exposure in that mode.

Photo by Carey Rose

Formal Portraits

The EOS RP now comes with pupil detection autofocus while in Servo mode, meaning that if you or your subject move slightly (we humans have to breathe, after all), the camera should be able to maintain critical focus – even when shooting at very wide apertures. This, coupled with Canon’s pleasing color in JPEGs, means that you should get great results right out-of-camera. As we’ve been mentioning, Raw shooting will give you more noise than many other options, but if you’re shooting with studio strobes and controlling your lighting carefully, you should be fine.

The one caveat is that the RP’s pupil detection isn’t best-in-class. Your subject’s face has to take up a significant portion of the frame for it to work, or else it will fall back on general face detection, which could miss the precise focus you’re looking for. Lastly, there are no native portrait RF lenses on the market yet (they’re coming), but in the meantime, you can adapt a wide range of excellent and affordable EF lens options.

Photo by Richard Butler

Video

Simply put, we would not recommend the EOS RP for anything but occasional, casual video capture. The crop-in while shooting in 4K makes it very difficult to shoot anything wide-angle, you don’t get Dual Pixel AF and you end up with footage that’s worse quality than many cameras that have smaller APS-C sensors. Switch down to 1080p and you get your wide-angle back as well as excellent autofocus, but the quality is merely so-so and you don’t have an option to shoot at 24 frames per second, only 30. The 4K footage is only offered at 24p, so it’s essentially impossible to inter-cut the two video formats if you so desired.* Lastly, the rolling shutter effect is, well, extreme on the RP in 4K, which could ruin all types of footage if you’re not careful.

This is all a shame, because the RP would handle really quite well as a stills / video hybrid. The fully articulating touchscreen makes it easy to adjust settings and tap-to-focus, there are headphone and microphone ports, and HDMI out is offered. Alas, the mediocre video quality is just too hard to ignore.

*Cameras outside North America will shoot both 4K and 1080 at 25p

The wrap-up

Hopefully, it’s apparent by now that the EOS RP, despite its shortcomings, is really a capable little camera in the right hands and for the right uses (or even in capable hands for less-suitable uses). As we stated in our full review, it’s not a camera that really gets the blood pumping based on its specifications. There are no new ‘killer features,’ no technical sensor wizardry, and it has some definite shortcomings, like its video feature set and battery life.

Despite all of this, the RP is mostly a winner for us. It’s affordable, offers great JPEGs, and with the RF 35mm F1.8 Macro – admittedly, the only affordable RF-mount lens at this time – it’s compact and fun to use. And though it’s not the most elegant of solutions, get the RP with the adapter and you’ll have access to an incredible variety of ‘cheap and cheerful’ older EF-mount glass until the RF system fills out a bit more. For now, if you’re in the market for an affordable full-frame camera, the RP seems especially well-suited to travel photography and documenting family and moments.

If you own or are looking into an EOS RP, let us know in the comments what types of photography you’re into and how the camera is working for you.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Is the Leica Q2 right for you?

19 Mar

Is the Leica Q2 right for you?

Leica recently announced the Q2, a 47MP rangefinder-style digital camera with a super-sharp, fixed 28mm F1.7 lens. It’s a heck of a lot of fun to shoot with – if you can afford the $ 4995 price tag – but is it right for you? Based on our time with the camera, and its specifications, we’ve examined how well-suited it is for common photography use-cases, including:

  • Candid and Street photography
  • Travel photography
  • Family and Moments photography
  • Landscape photography
  • Portrait photography
  • Video

Leica Q2 for Street photography

Leica cameras have been associated with street photography as well as photojournalism for generations, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Q2 is well-suited for capturing candids. Its 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens is not only impressively sharp, it’s also stabilized for hand-held shooting, in low light.

The camera offers two ways to set an autofocus area, either via the touchscreen or the rear four-way directional pad: whichever you choose, point movement and overall AF responsiveness is excellent. There is no touchpad AF option when using the Q2 with your eye to the finder, though, only the directional pad.

If you’re more of a purist, go ahead and manual focus: the focus ring is well damped and really quite pleasing to turn. The camera offers two focus assist tools: Auto Magnification and Focus Peaking (available in a variety of colors) – one, both or neither can be turned on. There’s also a hyperfocal scale on the lens barrel.

The 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens is not only impressively sharp, it’s also stabilized for
hand-held shooting

Being neither seen nor heard is important for street photographers. The Leica Q2’s leaf shutter is nearly silent and its electronic shutter is completely silent, though you may encounter some rolling shutter. The former can sync with a flash up to 1/2000 sec. There’s no in-camera flash, but a strobe can be attached to the Q2’s hotshoe.

The Q2 has a new 3.68MP OLED electronic viewfinder that’s a major improvement in terms of detail and color over its predecessor, which used a field sequential-type display. Its 3″ 1.04-million dot rear touch display is also lovely to compose with, but the lack of screen articulation limits your ability to compose from the hip.

28mm can sometimes be too wide, especially in instances when ‘zooming with your feet’ isn’t possible. For these moments the Q2’s ‘Digital Frame Selectors’ or ‘crop modes’ are quite handy. The camera offers 35mm (30MP file), 50mm (15MP file) and 75mm (6.6MP file) crop options. When selecting one you’ll still see the full 28mm field of view, just with corresponding frame line for the crop you’ve chosen. If shooting Raw+JPEG, the former saves a full-resolution file with the crop applied, the later will be a cropped-in file.

Back to IntroPhoto by Carey Rose

Leica Q2 for Travel photography

When it comes to travel photography, you want a camera that’s not going to let you down. Battery life, weather-sealing, versatility of focal length and low light capability are all factors worth considering: after all, this might be your one chance to get that shot.

Overall, the Q2 has solid battery life. It’s rated 370 shots per charge (CIPA), but as usual our experience suggests you’ll likely be able to get closer to double that number, depending on how you shoot. Unfortunately, the Q2 has no ports, so there’s no in-camera charging: you’ll have to pack the charger in your bag.

One of the most significant upgrades the Q2 received was the addition of weather and dust-sealing. It’s officially IP52 rated which means it should be able to tolerate some drizzle and/or encounters with particulate matter.

The Q2’s biggest detractor from being the ultimate travel camera is its lack of zoom

The Q2’s biggest detractor from being the ultimate travel camera is its lack of zooming capability. Sure the 35mm, 50mm and 75mm in-camera crop options are handy, but the latter is fairly low resolution: 6.6MP. So if you have any desire to shoot at a truly telephoto focal length, the Q2’s not for you.

On the other hand, the Q2’s lens should have you covered in low light. The 28mm F1.7 Summilux is fast and darn sharp, even wide open. And the camera’s new 47MP sensor should offer a good deal of dynamic range for shadow lifting – but further testing is needed to confirm this.

But at the end of the day, what’s the point of traveling if you can’t upload and share your photos? The Q2 offers low power Bluetooth to keep your device paired so you can easily transfer photos via WiFi as needed. The only down side here is the Q2’s default JPEG profile is somewhat lackluster, so you may want to run your image through a favorite mobile editing app before posting. No word yet on whether you can transfer DNGs.

Back to Intro

Photo by Scott Everett

Leica Q2 for Family and Moments photography

One of the most important questions to ask yourself when shopping for a camera to capture special moments is, ‘Will this camera make me want to reach for it when heading out the door? Will I want to bring it along?’

We think the Leica Q2 fits the bill well – it looks gorgeous and is not too big nor is it too heavy. Plus it should be able to stand up to some abuse thanks to its magnesium alloy body and moisture/dust-resistant construction.

The combination of excellent manual focus and fast/accurate autofocus gives you versatility to take your time or speed things up

We also feel the combination of an excellent manual focus experience and fast/accurate autofocus gives you versatility to take your time and compose, or speed things up. That being said, other cameras on the market offer highly-reliable tracking/Face Detect modes that will essentially remove focus from the equation, if you so desire. These cameras are generally easier to use and are a better option if you’re a novice looking for a family/moments camera.

We’re also not terribly impressed by the Q2’s rendition of skin tones in out-of-camera JPEGs, they tend to look neutral and unsaturated to the point of being unflattering – for best results we suggest processing Raw files. If you’re not comfortable working with Raws, there are other cameras with lovely JPEG engines that will suit you better.

Back to Intro

Photo by Scott Everett

Leica Q2 for Landscape photography

A rangefinder-style digital camera may not be your first thought when considering a camera for landscape work, but the Q2’s impressively sharp lens (corner-to-corner), compact size and high resolution sensor make it a fine option. Furthermore, we hope its base ISO of 50 gives an advantage over the competition when it comes to dynamic range (but again, more testing is needed to confirm).

The Q2’s impressively sharp lens, compact size and high resolution sensor make it solid choice for landscape

And as previously mentioned, the camera has some degree of dust and moisture resistance – it also offers good battery life. There are however some ergonomic considerations for landscape shooters, namely, the lack of a flip-out screen. It’s also nearly impossible to open the card or battery door with the camera mounted on a tripod. Additionally, the lack of light-up buttons may make adjusting settings a challenge in the dark.

Back to Intro

Leica Q2 for Portrait photography

28mm is obviously not a traditional portrait focal length, and if you’re a stickler for shooting portraits with such, well, the Q2 really doesn’t make much sense. But for those willing to bend the rules, 28mm and 35mm (via the ‘Digital Frame Selector’) can easily be used for photojournalism-style environmental portraits, like the one above. The Q2 also offers 50mm and 75mm crop modes, but at resolutions of 15MP and 6.6MP, respectively.

If you’re a stickler for shooting portraits with a traditional portrait focal length, the Q2 really doesn’t make much sense

A top flash sync speed of 1/2000 sec also makes this camera a good choice for daylight portrait work using strobes. However the lack of an Eye AF mode means you’ll need to move a focus point over your subject to maintain a sharp image – or use manual focus.

Back to Intro

Leica Q2 for Video

You might think it’s a little silly to include video as a use case for a rangefinder-style camera, but don’t be too quick to chuckle – the Q2 shoots stabilized DCI or UHD 4K/30p footage though a ridiculously sharp lens capable of delightful manual focus pulls. Plus, you can easily tap to focus. It’s also capable of Full HD shooting at 120p for slow-motion clips and its new base ISO of 50 could translate to less need for an ND filter when shooting in bright light.

The Q2 shoots stabilized 4K/30p footage though a ridiculously sharp lens capable of delightful manual focus pulls

While you’re probably not going to win the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival with a movie filmed on the Q2, it should be more than usable for run-and-gun style shooting. Just don’t get too fancy because there are no ports of any kind – that’s right, no headphone, microphone, HDMI or even USB connection.

Back to Intro

The Wrap

Ultimately, if you don’t mind the Leica Q2’s fixed lens and touchscreen, it is a great choice for a wide variety of photographic disciplines including street, travel and family photography. It also makes a handy all-in-one landscape camera. And while its 28mm lens can be used for wide angle ‘environmental portraits,’ it’s probably not the right choice for most portrait photographers. Same goes for videographers: its footage is usable, but other cameras will suit you better.

Of course, more testing is needed to know exactly how the Q2 lines up to its competition. For now, read our Leica Q2 First Impressions, and we look forward to publishing a full review soon.

Back to Intro

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon EOS RP vs EOS 6D Mark II: Which is right for you?

10 Mar

Introduction

Years back, Canon released the EOS 6D as its basic, ‘entry-level’ full frame DSLR to sit below the pro-oriented 5D-series. Not surprisingly, that was a recipe for success, with the 6D and follow-up 6D Mark II proving to be quite popular with all kinds of photographers.

But now we have the EOS RP, a new entry-level offering that is even more affordable and portable than the 6D’s that came before it. So how do they compare for various kinds of shooting? Here’s what we’ll be covering – click the link to hop straight to the section of your choice.

  • Travel
  • Video
  • Family and moments
  • Landscape
  • Candid and street
  • Sports

Travel

Canon EOS RP with EF 24mm F2.8 IS USM | ISO 100 |1/500sec | F7.1

Both cameras offer Wi-Fi and good JPEG image quality with pleasing color rendition right out of the box, a great combination for someone looking to share images on the fly. In-camera Raw processing is also offered by both cameras, making it easy to share photos from the road – no laptop required. GPS is offered in some form by both cameras (though we prefer the 6D II’s in-camera implementation over the RP’s use of smartphone location data) and selfie-takers can safely choose either camera as they both offer a screen that flips forward.

However, where battery life is concerned, the 6D II looks like the stronger option. There’s no getting around it – the RP is a mirrorless camera that draws a lot of power for constant Live View use, so its 250 shot CIPA rating is dwarfed by the 6D II’s rating of 1200 shots per charge. On the other hand, it’s not much of a burden to carry a couple of spare batteries for the RP as they’re smaller and lighter, and the camera supports USB charging where the 6D II doesn’t. Tack on the fact that the 6D II is weather-sealed whereas the RP offers no official claim of weather resistance and the 6D II keeps looking better and better.

Things swing back in the RP’s favor when you consider its incredibly compact size, even compared to the relatively light weight 6D II. But that advantage is somewhat reduced when you consider the RP’s native lens selection – right now the RF 35mm F1.8 is the best native option to keep size down. Adding an adapter and a smaller lens like the 50mm F1.8 STM or 24mm F2.8 IS doesn’t tack on too much extra bulk, but it’s not nothing. The RP still wins on compactness, but unless you’re happy shooting at 35mm until some more RF lenses come out, the camera’s small size isn’t as much of an advantage as it seems.

Video

See our full Canon EOS 6D Mark II sample reel

As far as headline video specifications go, the EOS RP stands ahead of the 6D II with 4K video recording (the 6D II tops out at 1080/60p). To be sure the RP’s 4K is heavily cropped, but it is 4K. The mirrorless camera also comes up with a headphone jack as well as a mic jack – the 6D II only offers a mic jack. It also comes with the inherent mirrorless advantage of offering video recording while using the EVF, which can be handy in bright light or for a little extra stabilization in a pinch. The RP’s 4K mode is also the only place you’ll find “cinematic” 24p recording between the two cameras.

Using a stabilized lens with either camera will yield the best results, as neither offers in-body stabilization. While digital IS creates smooth footage, it also sacrifices some detail. The 6D II and EOS RP also both provide fully articulated screens with face detection autofocus, a benefit for vloggers.

The 6D II does provide the advantage of more control over autofocus while recording video, offering adjustments to Movie Servo AF speed and tracking sensitivity – both missing from the RP.

Family and moments

Canon EOS RP with RF 35mm F1.8 IS STM | ISO 1000 | 1/80sec | F1.8

The EOS RP introduces a new feature for Canon that will be particularly handy for photographers looking to capture candid moments: Pupil Detection in Servo AF. In our experience so far it’s not quite as impressive as Sony’s freaky-good Eye AF, but will do a good job of identifying and focusing on an eye without intervention from the user.

The RP’s compact size could be another benefit to family photographers who tend to chuck their camera into a packed bag or purse. As we saw when looking at using these cameras for travel, the size advantage of the RP is compromised once you attach an adapter and any sort of zoom lens to the camera. The RF 35mm F1.8 does keep things more compact, but you’ve really got to like 35mm if that’s the deciding factor for you.

Canon’s great JPEG image quality and color is a real bonus

The RP’s much lower battery life is another significant drawback here, since you’ll be more likely to run out of juice at an inconvenient time. But the good news is that its USB charging means you can re-charge it in the car, or top up the battery with the same kind of portable battery you may already carry for your phone.

Both cameras provide handy ‘tap to track’ functionality in live view, making it easier to focus on what you want. And we’ll say it again – Canon’s great JPEG image quality and color is a real bonus if you don’t want to fuss with photos too much before sending them out to the world.

Landscapes

Canon EOS RP with EF 24mm F2.8 IS USM | ISO 100 | 1/400sec | F7.1

We can’t say that the either the 6D II or the RP would be among our top recommendations for landscape shooters. Other options with more resolution and dynamic range will likely suit serious landscape photographers better. If that’s not your sole priority, both of these cameras would serve the casual landscape shooter just fine on travels or hikes, and their image quality will be roughly the same.

The 6D II’s robust battery life is a big plus in this category if you plan to spend a good deal of time away from a power source and don’t fancy carrying extra batteries. Another point in favor of the DSLR: weather-sealing. The 6D II is designed to handle the elements better than the RP, and that can make a big difference when you’re halfway into a hike and the weather rolls in.

Both cameras offer fully articulated screens to facilitate composing shots from low angles or working on a tripod

For obvious reasons, size and weight are real concerns for photographers who will carry gear along on hikes or all-day excursions. Again, the RP would seem to have an advantage here but current native RF lenses are quite large and few in number. Adding an adapter to the kit isn’t a huge amount of extra weight or bulk, but if every bit of space in your bag counts, it’s something to consider.

Both cameras offer fully articulated screens to facilitate composing shots from low angles or working on a tripod. Both cameras also provide a means of recording your location via GPS – the 6D II offers it in camera while the RP requires use of Canon’s smartphone app.

Overall, both cameras supply features that will certainly be appreciated by photographers who shoot landscapes among other things, but we’d hesitate to recommend either just for that purpose.

Candid and street

Canon EOS 6D Mark II with EF 24-105mm F4L IS II USM | ISO 1000 | 1/500sec | F8

Both the RP and 6D II offer a number of features that would appeal to a street photographer looking to keep a low profile and capture the decisive moment. Both offer great-looking JPEGs and a flip-out screen to aid shooting from the hip (paired with Canon’s excellent Dual Pixel AF). Unfortunately, neither camera truly offers silent shooting – it’s not available on the 6D II and the RP offers it as a scene mode without exposure controls.

There’s not much between the two cameras in terms of size either, once you account for the adapter you’ll almost certainly need (for now) on the RP. Both of these options also offer wireless connectivity for easy image sharing.

As we cautioned landscape-oriented folks, the limited dynamic range that the RP and 6D II offer may be of concern to some street photographers. If you’d like some flexibility in pushing shadows then you may want to look elsewhere, but between the two cameras neither presents a significantly better feature set for street photographers.

Sports and action

Canon EOS 6D II and 70-200mm F4L @ 200mm | ISO 1250 | 1/1250 sec | F4

For sports and other fast-moving subjects, the 6D II and EOS RP trade punches back and forth. Generally speaking, mid-to-low-end EOS cameras with Dual Pixel autofocus haven’t handled fast-moving distant subjects very well. The 6D II offers an advantage here with its optical viewfinder and traditional AF system, which does a better job on distant subjects if you choose your own AF point, and you may find it easier to follow your subjects with the optical viewfinder than the EVF on the RP.

On the other hand, the RP offers the better subject tracking experience with viewfinder shooting, considering that it can use Dual Pixel with the EVF. Canon’s optical viewfinder tracking AF experience leaves something to be desired. On the other other hand, you get faster viewfinder burst rates with the 6D II (though you get faster Live View burst speeds on the RP). To the RP’s credit, it has a bigger buffer and offers CRaw to save you some storage space if you’re shooting Raw in burst mode.

One important point that you won’t find any spec sheet is how comfortable the camera will be in the hand for long periods of time. In our opinion, the 6D II is way ahead of the RP in this department. The DSLR will be better balanced with heavier lenses and offers a bigger, more comfortable grip. An add-on grip can be purchased for the RP to help things somewhat, but for our money, the 6D II is the one we’d rather hold on to for hours at a time.

Which one is right for you?

The Canon EOS RP and 6D Mark II share much of the same DNA when it comes to image quality, but their feature sets and implementations are still quite different. The 6D II provides the familiar comforts of a DSLR: robust battery life, a comfortable grip and plentiful lens options.

The RP brings many of the trappings of a modern mirrorless camera, including (decent) 4K video and use of Canon’s very good Dual Pixel AF system with the built-in viewfinder. But as it often does, the choice may come down to the lenses. It’s very early days for the RF mount, and the first lenses available for it are some real stunners, but they don’t seem particularly well matched the RP’s price point and target audience unless you really love shooting 35mm.

But even given the lack of native lenses, we tend to recommend the EOS RP over the 6D II for most use-cases. Experienced photographers may scoff, but for amateurs and even enthusiasts, the ability to see your exposure, white balance and get a better idea of critical focus with the RP’s full-time Live View on the rear screen or EVF will help you get more keepers more often. Plus, the RP’s full-time touchscreen controls are among the best in the business, and make up somewhat for the lesser amount of buttons compared to the 6D II.

Only you can choose what is best for you; the 6D II is the undisputed winner regarding its build quality, battery life and beefy grip. But for most people, we think the RP will be a better – and, dare we say, more ‘fun’ – photographic companion.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to Choose the Right Location for Your Photo Session

15 Feb

The post How to Choose the Right Location for Your Photo Session appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

It’s thought that clients are the ones who choose the location for their portraits, but more often than not, choosing the right location is left entirely up to the photographer. In this article, we’ll outline a simple formula to help you and your client settle on the perfect location for the session.

1. It’s not about location, it’s about the look and feel

When you talk to your client about possible locations, change the language you use. Instead of “have you thought of where you want your session to take place” with “what look and feel would you like your photos to have?”

That simple change in language will help your clients to visualize their final images. I’ve listed a few words that can help your client choose which look and feel they want for their final images. Thus, helping you to choose the best location for the session.

These two locations offer different “feelings”.

  • Ethereal: This can be an open field, nature park, or a bright location with little to no busyness in the background like buildings.
  • Nature/natural: Here you can offer a park with lots of green grass and tall trees. Giving them a more natural feel to the photos. You can also offer a field of wildflowers.
  • High fashion/urban: This is definitely in a busy neighborhood or downtown area with lots of big buildings, reflective windows, and metal accents. Giving lots of contrast to the photos and the look and feel of a busy city.
  • Vintage: This can mean either old architectural buildings with wooden doors and big arches or it can mean that they want a location where there are lots of vintage accents, like a neighborhood of restored or historical homes.
  • Warm/homey: These words are a little broad but they can mean that the session can happen at a nice warm location like a field or during sunset at the beach. Homey can mean that they want to feel comfortable and relaxed, which can mean a location they frequent or even their own home.
  • Beach: This one is pretty easy, you can offer the beach if you are near one as a location. The time of day will give you the look and feel. The morning will give you a more blue and pink hue whereas during sunset you’ll get the beautiful golden hour lighting. Make sure to explain both options to your client so you can choose the right time for the look and feel they are visualizing.
  • Meaningful location to the client: Yes, this is an option as well! Especially for engagement sessions because it can be really meaningful to have the photo session at a location where the couple met, or where they got engaged, or simply where they spend a lot of their time together. This is also important for clients celebrating anniversaries or a really important milestone, like graduating from high school or college.

Two different locations for the same maternity portrait session to offer variety.

2. Ask what their home decor looks like

Another way to set a location for the portrait session is to find out what kind of home decor, theme, or color scheme they already have. This way, when it comes time to hang beautiful photos in their home, you can be sure that it won’t clash with the rest of the home.

Your clients will appreciate that you took the time to find out what would look best in their home before even taking a single photo. This makes you look even more professional because you are going to choose the perfect location so that when they are ready to frame, they are reassured that the photos you took will match their home decor perfectly.

This can also help you to upsell items like albums because you’ll know the right album cover and color to choose for each one of your clients. It will make them see that you care more about how their photos will match their home rather than simply choosing an easy location for all of your photo sessions.

For example, choosing a black leather cover for an album can look great in a contemporary modern home whereas a fabric cover album would look better in a more country style home. Or another example would be if the home has brown, beige, and reds in the decor then a perfect location would be a field of flowers.

3. Time of the session

Time can be a huge factor in choosing the right location. Some families need to keep nap times and energy levels in mind when scheduling a session. For example, if your clients need to keep in mind a little one’s nap time at 2 pm, you can choose to have the session in the morning or in the evening when the child is at his best. Photographing in a park that is rich in trees and greenery can help shade you from afternoon light or keeping the sun off your clients.

Or, you could schedule the family during the golden hours at a nearby beach or lake so that the child can play and still have had his nap time earlier.

Sometimes the time is dictated by the location itself. For example, photographing in an urban setting where tall buildings can shade the sun during sunset means that you might have to photograph your client at an earlier time to have enough light.

Or, if you’re photographing in a field, sometimes the early morning hours are best when it’s cool and not so bright. Golden hour is also perfect for fields and beaches.

Midday sun at the beach may be a little harsh but it is still doable. Speak with your clients to choose the best time that works for their schedule.

Talk with your client to see if time will be the determining factor in choosing the right location.

4. Use your website to help choose the location

Chances are, your clients have already looked through your website and have fallen in love with your style! This is great because this can also help your clients to choose the perfect location for their portraits.

This photo is a common favorite on my website since most family sessions are on the beach and during sunset.

If your clients are having trouble visualizing what they want their photos to look like, have them go over to your website and point out a photo that they like the most.  The one that just jumps out at them and had them convinced they wanted you to photograph them.

If the location is nearby or accessible, offer that same location to your client! They loved the photo and it is what led them to contact and hire you, so why not photograph them there? It’s guaranteed that they’ll love the final photos.

5. When they leave it up to you

Even though you’ve gone through all the steps above, some clients don’t know what they want for their photos. They’ll look to you to offer up the best locations because what they want is to have the best photos possible so any location, look, and feel is okay with them.

When this happens, don’t be afraid to take charge. Choose a location that perhaps you’ve been wanting to photograph in for a while, or a location that you know has great golden hour lighting.

Sometimes, clients just need more of a visual to get an idea of what they are actually looking for. Send your clients links to two or three specific locations that you’ve chosen so that they can see with their own eyes what the images will look like. Blog posts and images from your website would be perfect examples.

This way, even though they don’t know what they’re going for, they can choose the one that seems more interesting to them. Giving them the final decision on where they would like the location for their session to take place.

6. More than one location

Depending on your portrait business model and what you have offered your client, and if you’re willing, you can do one session in multiple locations.

For example, if you are photographing an engagement session and they are going for a natural park look but got engaged in front of the downtown theater, then you could offer your clients to photograph in both locations for their session. Either on the same day or on different days.

Photographing in multiple locations offer your clients a variety in their photos so that they can showcase different photos in different rooms in their house as well!

Of course, sticking to one location where there is variety in looks can also be an option to add variety to the photos without having to go somewhere else.

In conclusion

Each session is different and each client is different, using the tips above will help you to determine the perfect location for all of your sessions. When you guide and help your client visualize the perfect location for their session, you will not only look more professional, you will be giving your clients a very personalized experience that they will appreciate. Resulting in more referrals and return clients!

The post How to Choose the Right Location for Your Photo Session appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.


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How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

21 Jan

The post How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.

So, you’ve picked up some strobes to help light your subjects and are in the process of setting up your studio. This is a very exciting time: so much to photograph, total control of the lighting, what an opportunity…. but how to choose the right photography backdrop? How you shoot and what you shoot will affect your decision, as will your budget.

1 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Model with a black seamless paper backdrop

Photography backdrops make your photographs pop

If you haven’t figured it out already – you soon will – most photographers realize that one of the essential features of a good photograph is the thing that nobody notices: the background. When it works, people “oohh” and “aahh”. However, if it doesn’t work, people can’t figure out why they don’t like your image. One of the secrets of any successful photographer is paying attention to what’s behind your subject. This applies to any photograph, not just those taken in the studio. You might want to consider purchasing commercial backdrops that can significantly improve the quality of your shots.

2 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Model with a white seamless paper backdrop

Beyond lighting

Assuming you already know what’s involved in lighting a studio (if not check this out), the next question is what to use as a backdrop. There are multiple types and sizes with pros and cons for each. Backdrop mounting and portability are also necessary.

It is one thing to have a backdrop for use in your studio, but what if you are asked to set up somewhere else? How do you make your backdrop portable? What goes best with the subject? If you are shooting a white subject, you probably don’t want a white backdrop because the white may disappear into the background (same with black on black). The color doesn’t need to be complementary (although it helps if it is) but should provide contrast. Lighting tricks can alleviate some of this, but sometimes it’s just easier to use a contrasting backdrop.

3 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Model with a white seamless paper backdrop

Types

There are multiple types of backdrops but they all function similarly. They all tend to be relatively thin and only intended as backgrounds (not designed for subjects to interact with). Then can be constructed of seamless paper, muslin, hand-painted canvas or vinyl. The most expensive, least flexible, and the fanciest backdrop is the cyclorama or cyc studio.

Seamless paper

Seamless paper is a versatile and inexpensive backdrop and is a staple for many studios. They are available in many colors, with the most common being black or white. You can produce gray from white backdrops by altering your lighting setup, so a dedicated gray backdrop isn’t necessary. You can also modify white backgrounds with gelled lighting to created colored backgrounds.

4 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Product photo on a seamless white paper backdrop

There are pros of using seamless paper: the look is clean, you can modify the background colors with lighting, and the images can be cut out for background replacement. The cons of using seamless paper are: the rolls can be awkward to transport if a wide size (even just from the store to the studio), the paper can be easily damaged, and the backgrounds have no texture. In addition, if you have colored paper, the background colors can seep into the edges of your subject.

Seamless paper provides flooring as well as the backdrop without a visible interface between the floor and the background. This makes it ideal for product photography as well as studio shots. The lack of a seam makes the image appear to float with an infinite background.

Muslin

Muslin backdrops are constructed from a cotton fabric. They come in various weights and sizes and can be dyed in a single color, have color splotches, or be hand painted. Because muslin backdrops have been in use for a long time, some photographers don’t pay much attention to them. They are, however, very portable and generally look good. Another great feature is that you can easily wash them if soiled. However, you may need to clean larger sizes in a commercial machine. Muslin backdrops can look modern or retro, depending upon the style of lighting. They are a great addition to every photographer’s arsenal of backdrops.

5 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Model in front of dyed muslin backdrop

Similar to paper, you can use longer muslin as flooring for the subject. Solid colors function much like seamless paper, but you need to be cautious about folds in the muslin as they can be distracting from the subject. Muslin backdrops produce many of the same effects as a seamless paper but are much easier to transport.

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Dog in front of muslin backdrop showing flooring

There are a few downsides to muslin backdrops. Depending upon how you light them, you may see folds in the fabric behind your subject. As your subject moves, the backdrop may also move, disrupting your background. People may even trip over the material as they walk across the muslin. If you are not careful, solid colored muslins will wrinkle, detracting from the appearance of the background. Because muslins were popular for so many years, certain styles appear particularly old or dated. Photographers need to take care in choosing the style of the muslin backdrops.

7 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Dog in front of muslin backdrop

Hand-painted canvas

If you have ever flipped through a copy of Vanity Fair or seen images from Annie Leibovitz, you know the look of a hand-painted canvas backdrop. They look amazing. These studio backdrops are hand painted onto large sheets of canvas. The paint is done in multiple layers to give the perception of depth and texture. The ones used in many of the fashion or movie-star photoshoots tend to be specialty canvases that are custom made. The effort to paint the backdrops, and the large space required to create them, tends to make these expensive.

8 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Cat in front of hand-painted canvas backdrop

Hand-painted canvas backdrops provide a vibrant appearance. A lighting change does not generate this richness, but purely because of the reflective surfaces on the backdrop. The paint adds texture, and the various layers of the paint add depth and tonality you cannot achieve with seamless paper. Because they are hand-painted, each canvas tends to be unique.

9 - How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop

Hand-painted canvas backdrop

The downsides of hand-painted canvas backdrops are cost and care in handling. You don’t want people stepping on your canvas backdrops because they are easily damaged and difficult to clean. That said, the visual effect of a hand-painted canvas backdrop can be stunning.

Vinyl

Vinyl backdrops consist of large images printed on pliable vinyl. Many images are suitable for a vinyl backdrop, but this form is limited to the vertical surface in the background. Flooring is separate. You can purchase separate vinyl sheets for flooring to simulate flooring (such as hardwood floors).

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Unimpressed dog in front of a vinyl backdrop

Vinyl backdrops can feature unusual or creative backgrounds. They are great for children, parties or events and are washable, so they work for different types of cake smash, food fight or spray images (be careful about the rest of your studio). Also, they are quite pliable so they can be moved about without much difficulty. Finally, they can feature images that appear three dimensional (like a bookcase).

On the other hand, vinyl backdrops are a little reflective, so you need to be cautious about how your lights are set up. You also need to be aware that the backgrounds are two dimensional even though they can appear to be three dimensional.

Cycloramas or Cyc Studios

A cyclorama or cyc studio is a fixed (built in place) backdrop consisting of two intersecting wall sections that have been curved seamlessly into one another and the floor so that there are no visible corners. By curving the corners, the background flows from wall to wall to floor.  A cyclorama is a practical and durable backdrop. However, it is also the least flexible (it won’t move) and is only one color (usually white). It makes the subject appear to be floating with an infinite background and is a great way to create cut outs to modify your background.

This type of backdrop takes a lot of space, time and effort, but makes for great photographs.

Sizes and handling

Seamless paper doesn’t usually have any texture. It comes in large rolls of varying widths, with 53 inches and 107 inches being the two most common sizes. Seamless paper also provides the flooring in front of the background without a corner edge. Because it is paper, you need to be aware of dirty or wet footwear because they leave marks and can damage the paper. When the paper is too damaged, you roll out more paper and discard the dirty or damaged section. The rolls generally have lots of paper, somewhere in the range of 9-12 yards (27-36 feet). White seamless paper is often ideal for a studio set up when you want to cut out the background and replace it with something else.

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Santa in front of black muslin backdrop

Muslin backdrops come in different styles: standard, washed, crumpled and hand-painted. Standard sizes are 10 feet wide by 12 or 24 feet long. They can be challenging to manage but cover a wide area. Ideally, they come sewn with a pocket at the top that allows you to run it on a rod. Folds in the backdrop can evoke an older photographic style, so most contemporary photographers try to flatten out the muslin. Wrinkle elimination sometimes requires a steamer.

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Model with a large muslin backdrop

Because canvas is a much heavier material, these backdrops typically come on rolls. If you don’t manage them as rolls, they can be difficult to handle. Standard sizes are about 6 feet wide by 8 feet tall. Most suppliers have a range of sizes. Canvas tends to hang in stretched out to avoid any folds. If you are doing full-length photographs, you will need to consider what you are using for the floor.

Vinyl backdrops vary in size. Similar to canvas, you need to stretch them to eliminate folds. Some vinyl backdrops come with printed flooring (such as hardwood floors) and can be used together, provided you deal with the interface. Stretching the vinyl on the mounting allows for the image to present well. When shooting with vinyl, you need to ensure that the lighting does not reflect into the camera lens. If you’ve used a backdrop with a three-dimensional image, a reflection will make it clear that the background is not real.

Mounting

There are a few options for mounting backdrops. The determining factor tends to be the size and type of backdrop you are using, as well as the frequency with which you plan on changing them. In general, you want some ability to change and mix up the backgrounds.

The basic options for mounting are fixed bars or portable stands. If you have a permanent studio and never plan on taking any of your backgrounds on the road, fixed bars or rollers are ideal. You mount them on the ceiling or wall so that they are suitably high, and allow the paper or fabric to roll off. Mounting on the ceiling means the backdrop will be high enough for your tallest subjects. Framing can be done merely with conduit and small size piping. There are also large electrically controlled rollers available. The costs can range from very cheap to very expensive.

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Stands, allow for flexibility of the configuration. Some stands are intended for backdrops and often come as a set with clamps included. With portable backdrops, clamps play an integral role in making the background smooth and even. It is particularly the case with muslin or canvas backdrops, but seamless paper also benefits from strategic use of clamps to ensure that it does not keep unspooling as you hang the rolls.

There are also pop-up stands that you can use for canvas or vinyl backgrounds. You simply clamp the background to the edges of a springy stand. There are multiple systems for this, and many come with their own backgrounds as a complete set.

Using

Regardless of your backdrop choice, keep the subject at least 3 feet away from it to avoid casting shadows onto the backdrop. This all ties to the strategic use of lighting setups. Your goal is to have the backdrop disappear behind the subject, making it the center of attention.

Some backdrops, particularly white seamless paper, may need to be lit separately. If you don’t light the backdrop you may have uneven colors behind the subject that detract from the image or prevent the easy masking of the backdrop.

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Dog in front of muslin backdrop

In general, keeping backdrops clean can be a challenge. Some are easier to clean than others. However, hand-painted canvas and paper backdrops can’t be cleaned without damaging the surfaces, while muslin and vinyl backdrops are easier to clean. You may need to wash large muslins commercially. It is also important that any washing gets done in such a way that the fabrics don’t become altered or damaged.

Conclusion

Choosing the right studio backdrop can affect the mood and overall feel of your images. My personal favorite is hand-painted canvas, but I have used them all (except a cyclorama) effectively. The use of backdrops work hand in glove with your chosen lighting setup, and you should consider both together. If used well, you can make your images pop by having the backdrops pull focus onto your subjects.

 

The post How to Choose the Right Photography Backdrop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.


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How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

09 Nov

A while ago, I heard an interesting fact from the former managing editor of dPS. According to their reader survey, less than 18% of dPS readers own photography websites/blogs. So, I assume that the rest of them are posting photos on places like Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, etc.

Rented Land (Social Media) or Permanent Home (Your Website)

There’s nothing inherently wrong with social media, but it’s a little concerning not having a ‘permanent home’ for your photos. Instagram is probably the king of social media today (especially for us photographers), but we don’t know how long the popularity will last. The top places today may be deserted if a better platform comes along (do you remember MySpace!?). You’ll end up having to re-build your online presence all over again.

So, rather than having your photography home on ‘rented land,’ why not set up a website/blog as your ‘permanent home’ to stand the test of time? In this post, I’ll talk about three options to set up your own photography home.

How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You 1

My website is specifically for cityscape photography shot at blue hour. It’s a portfolio site with galleries, but I also share my experiences and tips using blog posts.

Free Blogging Platform

A free blogging platform is the easiest and cheapest (free) way. There are more than a handful of platforms, namely WordPress.com (free plan), Tumblr, Google Blogger, Weebly (free plan) to name but a few. If you’ve ever set up your social media account, you shouldn’t have any trouble starting with these platforms, either.

Unlike social media platforms (that give you no control over how your page looks), these platforms have quite a few themes (design templates) available. You should be able to find one that you like.

Wordpress dot com - How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

WordPress.com is one of the most popular platforms today. It has one free and three paid plans.

Tumblr - How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

Tumblr is entirely free and lets you fully edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Pros:

  1. Free of charge and easy to set up.
  2. Comes with social networking features (e.g., follow others on the same platform) that get you noticed faster.
  3. Possible to outlive you (As long as the service exists, even if you die, your free blog remains hosted).

Cons:

  1. Very little scalability (cannot do much besides blogging).
  2. Their insert their branded ads (e.g., Powered by Weebly). To remove these, you need to upgrade to a paid plan (where applicable).
  3. You have no control over the direction of the blogging platform (it may suddenly decide to compress uploaded photos, and you have no say in their decision).
  4. Themes are not always fully customizable (depending on platforms).
  5. Your default web address includes their brand name (e.g., your-chosen-name.wordpress.com). To remove their brand from the URL, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan (where applicable) or buy a custom domain that costs USD$ 10-15 a year.
    If your primary purpose is just photo blogging, these free blogging platforms should be sufficient. If you’re planning to scale up beyond photo blogging (e.g., selling photography prints on your website), I’d recommend one of the next two options.

Self-hosted Website

Self-hosting is how I host my photography website, and probably the case with many of fellow dPS contributors. If you’re aiming to scale up and do much more than photo blogging (e.g., selling eBooks, starting a tutorial site like dPS, running workshops and letting participants book and pay online), a self-hosted website is your go-to platform. I’m using WordPress (.org) which powers 31% of the web today.

Don’t get WordPress.org mixed up with the WordPress.com as mentioned above which is a free blogging platform (I know this always confuses people). Self-hosted WordPress is a content management system that you install on a web server by purchasing a web hosting plan (USD$ 100 or less a year including a domain name) with a hosting company like Bluehost. It’s a little more complicated to set it up, but you don’t have to be very techy to manage a self-hosted WordPress website. Many web hosting companies offer one-click installation with no coding skill required to run the site.

That said, being tech-savvy helps if you’re a control freak like me and you want to customize the look and function of your website down to the finest details by editing HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript. Self-hosted WordPress is the only platform mentioned in this post that allows you full control from beginning to end.

Wordpress dot org - How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

WordPress powers 31% of the web today, and the number is growing every year.

Pros:

  1. You have the freedom to add any functionalities (gallery, contact form, sliders, forum, etc.) by installing plugins. The design is fully customizable by tweaking the code.
  2. As the website is ‘self-hosted,’ you don’t need to rely on anyone to run it, unlike free blogging platforms that may be discontinued anytime.
  3. Being such a popular platform, a ton of resources are available.

Cons:

  1. You’re responsible for your website’s security and maintenance. Although, you can utilize a few plugins and seek help from a hosting company’s support team.
  2. Compared to free blogging platforms with built-in social networking features, it typically takes longer to get noticed and build an audience.
  3. E-commerce doesn’t come equipped. There are very few options available if you want to sell prints directly on your website (try Fotomoto plugin if going this route).
How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

A blog is a perfect place to talk about behind-the-scenes stories of your photos.

Made-For-Photographer Platforms

If selling photography prints on your website is the main criteria, or you’re doing client work (e.g., for event or wedding photography), services like SmugMug and Zenfolio are a good option. They are paid, but they let you host a website with a built-in print and digital download store. It also handles printing and shipping for you.

Their strength lies in the fact that the platform is made solely for photographers and understands their needs very well. Most importantly, it lets you focus on what matters most to photographers: taking photos. You can leave the rest for them to handle.

SmugMug - How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

SmugMug is probably the most significant player among made-for-photographers platforms. It has recently acquired Flickr.

Zenfolio - How to Find the Right Website Platform that Works For You

Zenfolio is another big player that has a strong fan base.

Pros:

  1. Selling made easy with a built-in shopping cart plus payment processing. One of several professional labs automatically fulfills print orders.
  2. Equipped with robust tools like client proofing, boutique packaging, custom coupons for promotions, etc.
  3. Excellent customer support and a thriving community forum.

Cons:

  1. Running cost is higher than a self-hosted website.
  2. Themes are not fully customizable.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this post helps you set up ‘permanent home’ for your photos. What platform to go with is totally up to you and your needs, but I’m sure that your fun will be doubled (photography + your own website). Lastly, let me end this post with a quote by Derek Sivers —

“When you make a company, you make a utopia. It’s where you design your perfect world”.

Replace ‘company’ with ‘website.’ That’s what you get when you have your own website!

If you have any questions or info to share, feel free to do so in the comments below.

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How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography

31 Oct

A tripod is an essential piece of equipment for a landscape photographer. Sure, you won’t always need to use it. But you’ll find yourself in situations where it can help you capture a high-quality image you wouldn’t be able to get otherwise.

But how do you choose the right tripod? There are hundreds (if not thousands) of options out there, with prices ranging from $ 10 to more than $ 1,000. How do you know which one will best suit your needs? Should you just go for the most expensive tripod you can find? It must be the best, right?

Not necessarily.

Why You Need a Tripod

Before we get into the best options for you, I want to go over a few key reasons why you need a tripod.

Tripods are essential for capturing razor-sharp images, especially in low-light situations where you want to keep your ISO low.

While increasing the ISO lets you use a quicker shutter speed, it can introduce unwanted grain/noise and reduce the overall quality of your image. But keeping the ISO low means you’ll need a longer shutter speed. (Yes, you can adjust the aperture. But I won’t be talking about that here).

Capturing a sharp image using a shutter speed of 1/10th of a second or slower with a handheld camera is almost impossible. It’s very difficult to avoid any camera movement which, with such a slow shutter speed, means you’ll introduce some blur into the image.

How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography

Mounting the camera on a tripod lets you use slower shutter speeds and still capture sharp images. The camera sits still on the tripod, so you don’t have to worry about the motion of you holding it.

Using a tripod also allows you to use even slower shutter speeds and capture long exposures (i.e. images that make use of extra slow shutter speeds).

What to Consider Before Buying a Tripod

The first tripods I bought were cheap $ 20 aluminum models from the local electronic shop. While most photographers start with such a tripod, I strongly advise you not to buy one. For landscape photography, they simply won’t do a good job. In some situations, they may even do more harm than goods. These also break more easily than something of a higher quality.

So what should you consider before purchasing your next tripod? Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Price and quality (i.e. what does your budget allow?)
  • Flexibility
  • Weight (aluminum vs carbon)

Taking these topics into account before you buy will make it easier to find the best one for your needs.

1. Price

The first thing most of us consider is the price. Photography equipment is rarely cheap, and if you want quality you need to pay for it. As I said earlier, a tripod can cost you anything from $ 10 to several thousand. But are more expensive tripods necessarily better?

In general, yes. A $ 1,000 tripod will outperform a $ 200 tripod in most tests. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you. Ask yourself what you need. What type of photography do you do? Do you need the most expensive model? For most people, the answer is no.

Chances are a mid-range ($ 200) tripod will be more than adequate and perform perfectly in most scenarios.

2. Flexibility / Height

What about the specs? Should you choose a short one or a tall one? Can the legs spread wide, or are they locked into a fixed position? Flip-lock or twist-lock?

Let’s start with the height. In most situations, you won’t need a tall tripod. But there may well come a time where you need that extra leg length. Is it worth paying extra for? If you often find yourself in rivers, rocks or rugged seascapes, then yes. But if you’re not into extreme landscape photography and mount your tripod on flat and stable ground instead, I wouldn’t bother.

While a tall tripod is nice, it’s also nice to have one that lets you get close to the ground. For this image, the tripod held my camera just a few centimeters off the ground, which allowed me to get extra close to the flowers.

How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography

So what’s more important to you? Having a tall tripod, or being able to take photographs from a low perspective?

The good news is that some of the more expensive tripods can give you both. While they can stand close to two meters tall, they can also lay more or less flat on the ground for those extremely low perspective shots. 

3. Weight

The final thing to consider is the tripod’s weight. This is important, especially if you head out on long hikes to reach particular destinations. Your backpack can get quite heavy once you add all the gear you need, so the last thing you want is unnecessary weight from a tripod.

Now, a lightweight tripod doesn’t necessarily mean a low-quality tripod. In fact, some of the best tripods out there are lightweight. You just need to make sure they’re sturdy and can support the weight of your camera. However, these tripods are rarely cheap and are often found in the higher end of the price range.

If you’re an avid hiker and tend to go a long way to photograph your subjects, I strongly recommend looking into a lightweight carbon-fiber tripod. These tripods are just as sturdy (if not more sturdy) than the heavier aluminum alternatives.

How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography

But if you’re not into hiking, weight might not be such an issue. In fact, if you photograph in rough conditions you may prefer the extra weight. When photographing beaches in Arctic Norway I depend on having a sturdy tripod that won’t break when hit by waves or move when the waves are receding. In these situations, a low-quality travel tripod is far from ideal. Even strong winds can make these tripods vibrate, leading to blurry images. A heavy and solid tripod is a much better option.

What types of landscapes do you normally photograph? And what do you need to capture those scenes?

Which Tripod is Best for You?

Unfortunately, I can’t answer this question for you. It really depends on who you are and the kinds of photographs you take. But when you’re ready to buy one, consider what I’ve talked about and ask yourself what you need. Do you need a light tripod you can easily bring on long hikes? Do you need a sturdy tripod that can handle wind and rough conditions? Perhaps you need a combination of the two.

And what about the price? Do you really need the most expensive model, or will a medium-priced alternative do the job?

Answering these questions should help you narrow down the options, and help you find the tripod that is best for you.

Personally, I have two tripods: a lightweight travel tripod I can bring on long hikes, and my main tripod that’s a little heavier (and more expensive) but solid enough to use in even the roughest Arctic conditions.

Let us know what tripod you ended up choosing. We’d love to hear about it.

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Real Estate Photography: Get Better Results with the Right Equipment

25 Oct

Real estate photography throws many challenges your way, just like any type of photography.

You deal with perspective issues and light and shadow extremes that confound even the best cameras. You also need to be critically aware of your surroundings and probably have very limited time to do the job.

The good news is, creating pleasing photos of interior rooms no longer requires a great deal of investment and experience. Nowadays, it only requires a few specific items, a few pointers, and a little practice.

In this article, you’ll learn how to get better results with the right equipment to take your real estate photography to the next level.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 1

Which camera to choose for Real Estate Photography

Smart Phones

While the main choices for real estate photography are between DSLR or mirrorless cameras, you may hear an argument in favor of modern smartphones too.

While smartphone cameras are useful for some scenarios, they are not well suited to real estate photography.

Some of the main downfalls of smartphones include:

  • Smartphone Apps process the image for you, resulting in a processed JPG image that you have little or no control over. The ‘lossy’ nature of JPG discards much of the original information, limiting what you can do in post-processing.
  • The sensors are tiny, with the pixels packed in tight, reducing the dynamic range and causing more noise.
  • Lenses are tiny and generally made of plastic. They lack the precision of milled glass lenses, and are easily scuffed or scratched. Lens quality plays a big part in achieving good quality images, so it’s unrealistic to expect the same performance that you’d get from a camera lens.

Smartphones perform well under ideal lighting conditions; however, interior real estate photography presents some of the most challenging light you’ll find in photography.

Use your smartphone as a tool to find great compositional angles, but not as your main photographic equipment.

See other ways a smartphone can be used here.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 2

DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras

Whether your preference is a DSLR or mirrorless camera, your primary choice is format: Full Frame, Crop-sensor or Micro 4/3.

Each format changes the field of view (FOV) of a given lens. You can think of the FOV as the ‘zoom’ of the lens.

Full-frame equates to the standard 35mm film view of analog cameras and is the standard measurement still used today.

Crop-sensor cameras have smaller sensors, creating a ‘zoom’ effect of 1.5X or 1.6X. Micro four-thirds (M4/3) cameras increase the ‘zoom’ by 2X.

In practical terms, a 50mm lens on a full frame camera produces almost the same field of view as a 35mm lens on a crop-sensor camera. That same field of view results from a 25mm lens on a Micro 3/4 camera.

It’s vital to understand that different sensor sizes impact the focal length of a lens.

When reading advice on which lens to use, always remind yourself it’s the ‘equivalent’ focal length, then do the calculations as described above for your own camera’s sensor size.

The good news is that if you already own a recent model DSLR or mirrorless camera, you likely don’t need a new one.

It’s true that “recent” is a bit vague here, but in my experience, mirrorless cameras up to five years old, and DSLRs made during the last ten years should be more than capable.

Lens choices

Many photographers say prime lenses (non-zooms) produce a better quality image than zoom lenses. A good zoom lens, however, may be more convenient for real estate photography.

A decent quality zoom that starts from a wide angle (say between 12mm to 24mm) provides more compositional flexibility than a fixed lens.

Small rooms inside houses may be a little cramped, restricting the space available to set up a tripod and camera. Using a wide-angle lens of around 12-24mm may be necessary to give the required field of view to capture a small room.

In larger rooms, and when photographing outside, 35mm may give a better view of the property. There’s no definitive ‘right’ answer to field-of-view as it all depends on the surroundings and how much space you need.

If you find yourself with distorted lines and dark areas around the edge of your image shot with a wide-angle lens, these may be fixed in post-production.

Cheaper lenses, especially zooms, have more optical weaknesses, so if you’re going to invest in new gear, you might get more benefit from upgrading your lens instead of your camera body.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 3

One indication of lens quality is a low aperture number such as f/2.8. A lower number aperture opens the lens wider than lenses with high numbers like f/5.6.

While this allows more light to enter the sensor, the focus plane becomes narrower, causing some of the room to be out of focus, which is not ideal for real estate photography. Use an aperture of f/8 or f/11 to allow more of your room to be in focus.

Chromatic aberration (CA) is caused by light dispersion as it travels through the lens. In plain English, it’s that pink/green color fringe you sometimes see around the edges of objects, most noticeably in areas of high contrast like window frames. Cheaper lenses have more problems with CA.

Using a better quality lens shows less CA, but the laws of optics means fringing can still happen occasionally. Most photo software includes functions to reduce or remove this, although it’s great to avoid it as much as possible in the first place.

Camera features to look for

Camera features to look for buried in just about every modern camera menu are the five features and functions that can seriously help for real estate photography images.

The first four of these features help you overcome the problems posed when photographing scenes with a high dynamic range (HDR). In these situations, all cameras struggle because they can’t match our eye’s adaptive responses.

The fifth, the digital level, helps with the challenge of perspective. Inside and out, houses have vertical and horizontal lines. If they’re just a little off-center, the whole photo looks lopsided and uncomfortable to the viewer.

1. AEB (Automatic Exposure Bracketing)

Automatic Exposure Bracketing is a specific setting that instructs the camera to take multiple shots of the scene while changing the shutter speed of each shot – all with one press of the shutter release button.

You can change the shutter speed for each shot manually, but it is faster (and potentially more precise) to let the camera’s onboard technology do it under your guiding hand.

2. EV Range (Exposure Value Range)

The reason to take this automatic series of shots is to capture all details, from bright windows to darker interior areas, although some cameras have more limited AEB capabilities than others.

Here are the two camera features to consider:

  • The number of bracketed shots: This is the number of exposures the camera takes when you press the shutter release in AEB mode.
  • Exposure Compensation: This is the spacing of exposure compensation between each bracketed exposure taken in AEB mode. These two factors combine to determine the total exposure range possible.

You need to look at both features to determine whether the camera’s EV range capability is sufficient for your needs. For real estate photography, look for AEB settings that let you choose five shots in 2-steps or nine shots in 1-step.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 4

3. Continuous shooting

It is important that your camera can shoot continuously to minimize the number of times you release the shutter manually. Doing so avoids accidental camera movement or shake.

4. Luminosity histogram

The histogram offers clear information to ensure we cover the full dynamic range. While it may seem confusing at first, it’s straightforward once you know what it’s showing us.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 5

Having an EVF (electronic viewfinder) somewhat reduces the need for a histogram but not entirely. Even with an EVF, it’s hard to determine highlight or shadow clipping by eye. Capture all the bright and dark areas correctly by using histograms.

5. Digital level

If your camera has a digital level, it’s quite handy. Not all camera models do, so you may need to look in the manual to find it. Once activated, a horizontal line runs across the scene in your viewfinder.

You can instantly see if the camera is at an angle and if so, make the needed adjustments to avoid a sloping room.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 6

While you’re checking the horizontal lines, don’t forget the verticals. Tilting the camera up or down causes vertical lines, like walls, to look slanted.

Pro tips on using the digital level

  • Take time to inspect the scene in live view, making manual corrections if necessary even if they contradict the digital level.
  • Use a tripod so you can step away from the camera while seeing the live view screen and the room.
  • Double-check your composition for framing, height, and perspective.
  • Shoot from below eye level. An excellent place to start is between your chest and hip height, but there may be times to raise the camera. You might, for instance, want to show a particular view or other details you wish to highlight.

Flash and Lighting Equipment

Speedlights

The built-in flash on your camera is unlikely to be strong enough to balance interior and exterior light levels because of the high dynamic range present in most real estate interiors.

The built-in flash may create unwanted, deep shadows in the room. You’ll get a better effect by mounting a Speedlight flash on the hot shoe, then bouncing the light off the walls or ceilings.

With some practice, it becomes easier to find the right bounce position for each room.

Another technique for using Speedlights is taking them off camera via a wireless connection. This way, you can position the lights just where you need them.

Studio lights

Finally, there are studio lights.

While these are effective and give results that look professional, pro lighting equipment is expensive. The lights are also bulky and heavy and often need a power supply. Moreover, using them correctly requires considerable practice and skill.

The exposure bracketing technique, where you use the camera’s AEB features listed in the previous section, offers a less demanding way of achieving light balance for an interior scene.

Taking bracketed exposures becomes a natural part of your photography workflow, and you don’t have to worry about carrying heavy lighting equipment, or learning how to use it.

The bracketed exposures are then merged to HDR in post-processing to get a correctly exposed image. While Photoshop and Lightroom offer HDR merge, many real estate photographers prefer using Photomatix Pro.

This specialized HDR software offers natural-looking presets optimized for property interiors.

A tripod

If you get good, sharp results from handheld shots, using a tripod may seem unnecessary. However, no one can hold a camera steady for the slower shutter speeds used for interior real estate photography.

The minimum shutter speed for handheld shots is normally1/60 second as a rule-of-thumb, while interior scenes require much longer exposures.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 7

What to look for in a tripod:

  • Ball heads – These let you quickly change angles and orientations without having to fiddle too much with either camera or tripod.
  • Rubber feet – When you’re working on slippery, polished floors there’s less chance of the tripod sliding out of position. Rubber feet also protect fragile surfaces.
  • Lightweight and sturdy – Look for solid construction with tight joints and rigid legs. Top-of-the-range tripods (such as carbon-fiber models) carry a higher price tag, but less expensive aluminum versions do the job equally well with a little care. Any tripod is better than no tripod at all.

A good tripod gives you more compositional freedom, as you can position them just about anywhere. Attempting to keep the camera perfectly still without a tripod limits you to existing stable surfaces.

A remote shutter release

A remote shutter release untethers you from the camera, providing freedom of movement.

 

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 8

While the most obvious function of the remote release is preventing camera shake when you press the shutter button, there are other, less apparent advantages too:

  • The tripod stays steady, even on a soft surface.
  • You can step aside to avoid casting shadows, or to remove your reflection from windows or shiny surfaces.
  • Your hands are free to hold distractions out of the frame, such as cables or plant fronds.
  • You can move around to assess composition from different angles or spot potential distractions.
  • You may need to monitor the road so you can shoot during a gap in traffic.

As an alternative to a remote shutter release, you can use a cable release or the camera’s automatic timer.

Some other helpful equipment

Beyond the main equipment needed for real estate photography, there are a few other items to make your job easier and more efficient:

A traditional bubble level – While the digital level is handy, some people may prefer external units that slot into the hot shoe or some tripods that have bubble levels built-in.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 9

Gaffer tape – Use it for quick cleanups such as removing pet hair or holding back a curtain or cable. Use tape to mark the position of your tripod once you find a good composition.

Avoid using duct tape as the adhesive is too strong and it doesn’t peel off cleanly. Gaffer tape leaves no residue on most surfaces.

Cleaning cloths – You need a cloth for your lens, but also one to remove dust specks from surfaces or to polish water marks off bathroom fittings.

A lens hood – Use a short hood on your wide-angle lens to cut down the flare from windows or other bright lights.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 10

Conclusion

Despite its challenges, anyone can learn to take great real estate photography photos by starting with the right equipment. Using the right equipment also sets you up for success, and with just a little bit of practice, you can discover what works best for you.

If you have any questions to ask me about equipment for real estate photography, please ask me in a comment below.

HDRsoft is a paid partner of dPS.

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The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

06 Sep

When you strive to get your images right in-camera at the moment you take them you’re going to reap many benefits that you might not even realize.

“Just Photoshop it” has become a recurring theme in photography when it comes to fixing image errors. Depending on who you talk to it can seem like Photoshop is a magic pill that will solve all manner of photographic problems. While it’s true that image-editing applications can help deal with a variety of issues, from correcting exposure to removing objects to swapping a cloudy sky for a sunny one, there’s a lot to be said for the philosophy of using as little editing as possible.

The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera - butterfly on a red flower

I didn’t need Photoshop to get this image. Instead, I needed to get up early, know where the light was coming from, and understand how to use my camera equipment.

This is a tricky subject to tackle because there is so much wiggle room when it comes to defining what the term in-camera really means. To some, it means allowing for no post-production at all, even simple cropping. Others define it as getting things mostly correct at the time you press the shutter button, even though some basic adjustments such as straightening or exposure correction might be needed later.

There are photographers for whom getting it right in-camera means looking out for background obstacles, stray hairs, or wayward arms and legs that might otherwise ruin a good picture.

I don’t like to get caught up in the minutia of what in-camera means. But I will say that if you can strive to have more aspects of a picture correct at the time you make the image, the end result will be that much better.

This holds true for most types of photography save for the outlier examples like extreme focus stacking in macro photography or the types of artistic creations and collages that require post-processing.

two kids with arms around each other - The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

An ounce of prevention

There’s an old bit of wisdom you might have heard that goes like this:

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

It applies to many areas of life and the same holds true for photography as well. If you can take a few seconds to fix problematic areas at the time you take a picture it will save you untold minutes or even hours back at your computer. This took me a while to learn when I first got started with portrait photography. But the more I operate by this philosophy the more efficient my workflow becomes.

portrait of 3 ladies - The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

Do you see the green recycle bin on the left side of the photo? It might not look like much, but if this is printed on a large canvas it would stick out like a sore thumb. Background distractions like that are much easier to fix by adjusting things during the session instead of spending time Photoshopping each image later.

Years ago the only things I knew to look for when taking pictures of clients were things like smiling faces and good posing. As such, I often found myself banging my head against my keyboard while going through my Lightroom catalog afterwards because of unwanted distractions in my photos.

Automobiles, pedestrians, trash cans, litter, animals, street lights, and a host of other imperfections can all be fixed in Photoshop but it’s so much easier to just make sure they don’t even show up in your photos in the first place.

portrait 3 ladies in trees - The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

Eventually, I did see the recycle bin so I altered my point of view just slightly, which took a few seconds but saved me a lot of post-processing time.

This works for other things too like stray hairs, bits of dirt and debris that can get blown around and land on clients, or unwieldy shirts that like to get un-tucked. These problems can all be solved to some degree or another using computer software but it’s never going to be as fast or simple as just dealing with them when they occur.

The trick to doing this is to be looking out for such things at the time of the photo shoot. That is what took me so long to really learn, and to be honest I’m still learning even now! There are so many things to look out for when taking pictures. That background flotsam or bits of rubbish on the ground might be the last thing on your mind, but they can easily ruin a photo or at the very least cause you to spend much more time eliminating them afterwards than you would like.

My best advice to you in this regard is to simply train yourself to be aware. Look at your surroundings in addition to your subjects, and work on seeing background elements and other distractions that might normally escape your eye.

When you see things, take corrective action and even let your clients in on what’s going on. I have paused many photo sessions to say things like, “Oh no, there’s a street sign in the way behind you. Let’s all take a few steps this way…” and every time it has been appreciated by the people who are paying me to do a good job. It sends a message that you know what you are doing and care enough to get the shots right.

portrait of tweens - The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

A more extreme version of this, but one that’s just as important, is to take note of problematic points that cannot be altered in Photoshop and deal with them at the time of the photo session.

Issues like sign posts sticking out of heads, heads turned in the wrong direction, hands in awkward places, or having people with complementary outfits in close proximity to one another can easily ruin an otherwise outstanding photo session and are all but impossible to fix in post-production. The more you look for these problems and fix them on the spot, the better your photography will be.

Lighting and exposure

Years ago with early digital cameras, it was crucial to get the exposure just right at the time you took a photo. But today’s digital cameras have such incredible dynamic range that you can clean up a great deal of exposure issues in post-production. However, this should be used as a last resort and not relied on as a general rule, almost like a safety net below a trapeze artist.

When shooting in RAW you can lower highlights, raise shadows, and adjust color all day long to get just the right look you are aiming for. This is a huge benefit if you are doing work for clients. It’s even useful if you just want to squeeze the most out of your shots as a casual photographer. This type of exposure correction has saved my bacon more times than I can count when doing work for clients.

expecting couple in silhouette - The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

This couple was severely backlit which made for a very challenging photo situation.

Despite the flexibility of the RAW format and the editing possibilities offered by many photography applications such as Lightroom, Photoshop, and Luminar – you will find that it’s best to mitigate potential exposure and lighting issues at the time you take the photo instead of on your computer.

It’s not that you can’t fix exposure issues in post-production later, but that if simple exposure adjustments can make them disappear before you even take a picture then why would you want to spend time fixing it later?

The Importance of Getting the Image Right In-Camera

It took a lot of editing to wrangle a good result from the RAW file, but I could have just adjusted my exposure settings on the spot and saved myself a lot of time afterwards.

Your time is valuable

The more time I spend as a photographer the more valuable I realize my time really is. Even if you are a working professional who makes 100% of your income from photography, the less time you have to spend editing your images to fix exposure issues means more time doing other things that would help you hone your craft or grow your business. Or time you can spend with your family!

Even though you can fix a host of photographic issues ex post facto there’s no substitute for doing what you can to get it right in-camera and make sure those issues never even happen in the first place. Aside from saving yourself untold hours of time fiddling with sliders and layers on your computer, you will also be growing your skills as a photographer.

It will take some practice as you learn to reduce unwanted distractions and get accurate exposure settings when you press the shutter button. But you will reap rewards in terms of knowledge, confidence, and sheer experience. In the end, the result will be better photos taken by a better photographer, and that’s the kind of benefit you just can’t get by moving sliders around in Lightroom.

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Tips for Using a Reflector the Right Way Outdoors

20 Jul

A reflector is easy to use, right? Just open it and put it under your model’s chin. WRONG!

Using a reflector may seem really simple but most new photographers make one big mistake with them. They put them in the wrong place to make flattering light on their subject.

Tips for Using a Reflector the Right Way Outdoors

In this video from Joe Edelman, see how NOT to do it, and get some tips on how to use a reflector the right way.

Items mentioned in the video:

  • California Sunbounce Mini-Reflector – $ 149
  • 32″ Soft white/silver reflector by Rogue – $ 29.95

Find other dPS articles about reflectors here:

  • 6 Ways of Using Reflector to Take Better Portraits
  • 10 Ways to Use a 5-in-1 Reflector
  • Tips for Using Reflectors to Create Beautiful Portraits
  • DIY How to Build and Use a Reflector to Take Better Portraits
  • Choosing the Right Color Reflector for Your Photography

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