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  • Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting

    The post Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

    ways to easily use lightroom yo find photos worth revisiting

    I don’t have to tell you these are abnormal times. Like many others in every profession, photographers are experiencing a huge decrease in business due to stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions. While we hobbyist photographers may not rely on photography for our income, we just aren’t getting out as much to take pictures. So, maybe this is the time to go “back to the mine” (your photo archives), to see if you’ve overlooked some diamonds in the rough worth revisiting. Let’s take a look at how to use Adobe Lightroom to find photos you might have passed over. Also, how to use it to do some cleanup you just never got around to before.

    Use Lightroom to find photos you might have passed over. You could discover you have some diamonds in the rough just needing polishing.
    I’d passed this shot by after an edit session I did years ago following a trip to Trillium Lake in Oregon. Now, using Lightroom to find photos I’d passed over, I found it was a diamond in the rough, simply needing some polishing.

    See if this describes you

    You’re a photographer and make photos pretty routinely on trips, photoshoots, studio sessions, weddings, portrait work, or whatever genre of photography you do.

    You make dozens, if not hundreds of images, during just a single shoot.

    Then, you want to quickly edit and get the best shots to your client, perhaps print some, or post the best to social media. When done, you’ve cherry-picked the best shots, edited them, wrapped up and moved on.

    Left behind on your drive are perhaps the other 95-percent of shots that didn’t jump out at the time. There are quite possibly some good images still there that might only take a little extra editing to polish up, diamonds in the rough as it were.

    Perhaps the shots were taken years ago, maybe even with lesser cameras, but now with more editing experience, you have skills to bring them to life.

    There are also photos you’ll never use. Trash that just never got taken out. Images just taking up room on your hard drive.

    Let’s cover how to use Lightroom to find photos, flag them for a second look or clean them out.

    Get a DAM

    Lightroom is a very capable photo editor, but there’s little dispute that Photoshop is the more powerful program for really serious photo editing.

    Other programs have also risen to the forefront; Skylum Luminar, Phase One Capture One Pro, Corel Paintshop Pro, DXO Photolab, and ACDSee Ultimate. The list is growing and joined by many free and quite capable photo editing programs.

    Lightroom flagging, rating, and color-coding tools
    Using the Flags, Star-Ratings, and Color Codes in Lightroom is a great way to better manage your photo library.

    One of the greatest strengths of Adobe Lightroom, however, is as a Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool.

    In layman’s terms, that means it does a great job of organizing your photos, helping you search for images using keywords, ratings, color-codes, flags, collections, filters, and other means of organizing, sorting, and searching. At its core, Lightroom is a database program.

    Many photographers who have spent years learning Photoshop still use that tool for most of their editing but are now looking to Lightroom as a partner program for organizing their photo libraries. What they had previously done with Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge can be done with Lightroom, which if desired, can simply send images out to Photoshop for editing or be used as an editor and more.

    A jealous secretary

    A concept many new Lightroom users find hard to grasp is that the photos you work with while using it are not “in” Lightroom. Lightroom is strictly a note-taker, a “secretary” to use that term, that records everything about an image; where it is, the metadata, how you’ve rated, flagged, color-coded, keyworded, and otherwise tagged it.

    When you edit a photo in Lightroom, each and every step of that edit, text data, is stored in what is called the “catalog.” Your images are never altered, Lightroom just appends “notes” to them.

    I tell you that to tell you this – Lightroom is a “jealous secretary.” She will keep meticulous notes about everything you do with your images, so long as you use “her” to do the work.

    If you work with your images outside of Lightroom, say using the File Explorer in Windows or the Finder on a Mac, you are essentially working “behind Lightroom’s back.” She will let you know it too, losing track of where your images are and what you’ve done to them.

    Ever see a “?” mark on your Lightroom photo or folder? That’s your secretary scolding you. There are ways to recover from this, but my recommendation is if you are going to use Lightroom as your DAM program, keep your jealous secretary happy and do all your image management with her exclusively.

    Lost folders or photos in Lightroom.
    Question marks on folders of photos in Lightroom means the program can’t locate the item. This will happen when you use tools outside of Lightroom to move or change your image.

    A culling session

    If culling is not a term familiar to you, here’s a dictionary definition: “A selection of things you intend to reject.”

    In Lightroom, one of the first things you need to do to work with images is to “import” them. This is sometimes where people become confused. An “import” in Lightroom is simply a means of telling the program where your images are.

    Let’s use two examples of how this might work.

    1. Returning from a shoot, I have my images on my camera card. I pull the card from the camera, put it in a card reader, open Lightroom and using the Import process. Here, I copy the files from the card to a location on a computer hard drive, be it an internal or external drive. Lightroom copies the images to that location, builds thumbnails for them, and stores the information in its catalog.
    2. I already have the photos somewhere on one of my computer drives. I use the Import function of Lightroom to Add the photos to the LR catalog. Lightroom does not move or copy anything, it simply now has information about those images and where they are.
    Using the Lightroom Copy method of Importing
    If you are importing images from a camera card into Lightroom and want it to copy them to a location on your hard drive, the “Copy” method is what you want.

    In both scenarios, the photo files are not “in” Lightroom, and not in a subfolder of that program. They are wherever you chose to store them. However, now your “LR secretary” is keeping track of them.

    Using the Import Add method of bringing images into Lightroom
    If your images are already on one of your computer drives and you simply want to be able to work with them in Lightroom use the Import “Add” function, not the “Copy” function.

    Once visible in Lightroom, the temptation is to look through them and start editing the ones that jump out at you. I’ve done that many times, in a hurry to get to the obvious “nuggets” and start editing them.

    Instead, I’d like to introduce you to a way to more formally, and with greater organization, go through a folder of images.

    The proper way to do this is when you first start working with that new folder of images. But, if you are like me, you might not have known to, were lazy and impatient, or for whatever reason just didn’t do this. No worries, it’s not too late for a proper culling session.

    Here are the steps:

    • Go to the folder where you have the images. You should be in the Library module of Lightroom and in the grid view (Hit “G” on your keyboard) so you can see all of your images.
    • Do some folder-level keywording. If all of the images in the folder were, for example, taken at the beach, you might want all of them to have that keyword to aid in searching later. Hit Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) A to select all of the images. Then click in the Keywords section at the right and type in the keywords you want. If you want more than one to apply to just certain selected images, pick those first and then use a comma between them. i.e., Fireworks, Still-Life, Sparklers.
    Keywording an entire folder of images in Lightroom
    This entire folder of images were shots of fireworks, so I selected all images in the folder and added the keyword “Fireworks.”
    Multiple Keywords in Lightroom for Selected Images
    Selecting several images within the folder, I added additional keywords – Still-Life, and Sparklers. You can have multiple keywords for an image if you separate them with a comma.
    • Time to quickly go through your images one-by-one. To move faster through the images, first, turn on Auto-Advance. You can either turn this on by going to Photo in the top pulldown menu and selecting Auto Advance or simply by holding down the Shift key while you work. Now bring up just the first image in Loupe View (Hit the Enter key).
    • For this first pass, you want to flag the images you want to keep and cull out the ones you know you’ll never use. Viewing each image, hit either the “P” key to flag the image as a Pick or “X” key to reject it.
    • If you just can’t decide, the right arrow key “>” to move on.
    Flagging images as Picks or Rejects in Lightroom and using Auto Advance to move through them.
    To quickly cull your images in Lightroom, turn on Auto Advance and then use the “P” key to flag an image as a Pick, the “X” key to mark it as a Reject, or just use the Right Arrow Key to move to the next image with no flagging. Note the white flags are picks, the black flags with an X are rejects.

    Try to be selective here. This does not immediately throw out any images and you can change your mind later. However, your objective ought to be to do some serious housekeeping, X-ing out the images you are unlikely to ever use, and Picking the ones you will probably want to edit later.

    Everyone is different. Some people are tidy and have no problem tossing things out they don’t expect to use. Then there are folks like me, packrats for whom this is a tougher task.

    Time to be brave. You can check to see which images you flagged with an “X” as rejects if you like. Hit “G” to go back to the Grid view. Now using the Library Filter (top of the grid), click the word “Attribute” and then click the Black flag. This will show the images you flagged as Rejects with the “X.” You can take another look at these if you have to and if you decide it is not one you want to be rejected, hit the “P” key to change it back to a Pick.

    Taking out the trash

    So let’s get rid of the rejects. To see what you flagged with an “X” as a reject, hit Ctrl- Backspace (Cmd on Mac). You will see two options:

    • Delete from Disk – This will permanently delete the images from your hard drive. You might still find them in your recycle bin if you accidentally pick this, but consider this the trash for the most part.
    • Remove from Lightroom – The files will remain on your drive, but you will no longer see them in Lightroom. This is the safer option if you are unsure, but it’s also like just putting your garbage in the hall closet. If you plan to clean the house, do it and don’t look back.
    The warning message will pop up when you are about to delete your rejected photos.
    Decision time. After you’ve using the culling step to flag your Picks and Reject images, hit Ctrl-Backspace. This question will appear. You can delete your rejected images entirely or, simply remove them from showing up in Lightroom but retain them on your drive. Choose wisely.

    Colors and flags and stars, oh my!

    If you were disciplined, using the Pick and Reject options helped you separate the wheat from the chaff, getting rid of things you’ll never use and perhaps freeing up all kinds of space on your hard drives. So now let’s use some tools to go a little deeper, helping you to organize and find images warranting further work.

    Lightroom lets you tag photos with several different things to add in organizing, sorting, filtering, and finding them. Let’s look at the options.

    • Sorting – There are many different ways to sort your images in the Library view of Lightroom. This doesn’t change anything but simply allows you to see them in whatever sort order you like. Some are obvious, like sorting by Capture time so you can see the images in the order you took them. Others, like sorting by aspect ratio, are less obvious but sometimes very useful. Say you need an image for a magazine cover and want a portrait-orientation image. Sorting by aspect ratio is the ticket. Explore what this very simple option can do for you.
    Finding photos with Lightroom - sorting by aspect ratio
    Using the Sort by Aspect Ratio option can be handy if you want to group your portrait and landscape orientation images together.
    • Color – You can flag your photos with any of five different colors (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue or Purple). What each color signifies is strictly up to you. Maybe you want to flag all of your very best images with Red, your Landscapes with Green, your images you want to edit with Yellow – whatever you like. To flag an image, click on the image(s) you want that color applied to, then click on the color patch you want to apply that color tag to. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts – 6-Red, 7-Yellow, 8-Green, 9-Blue. There is no number shortcut for Purple.
    Finding photos with Lightroom - Sort by Color
    If you’ve used color codes to identify different photo types, sorting by color can be useful.
    • Star Rating – How to apply a star rating is easy. When on an image, just click the number key for the rating you want to assign or use the star symbol on the toolbar at the bottom. What a certain rating means…that’s your call. Is a 5-star image your best ever? Is a 1-star image one that barely escaped deletion? What does a 3-Star rating mean? Whatever you come up with, be consistent and the rating system will be more useful.
    Finding photos with Lightroom
    Come up with your own scheme of using the star-rating in Lightroom and then sort by rating.
    • Flags – We already discussed flags earlier. Basically, they are a way to mark an image as a pick or a reject. Use several or none. You can use these tagging tools singularly or in combination, depending on how you choose to mark up your images. For example, a really great landscape photo might be a green, 4-star, flagged as a Pick image. The power comes in how once marked up, you can filter and sort your images.

    Finding, filtering, and sorting

    So you’ve cleaned up your folders, eliminated the rejects, and flagged your images with color codes, star ratings, and perhaps added some keywords. (We didn’t get into keywording much as that can be an art unto itself. I refer you to this article to learn more about the power of this tool).

    Now we want to use this organization to help us find all our best lighthouse images taken in the past three years, for example. If we were good about marking up our images, we might have put the keyword “lighthouse” on them, flagged them with red (which we decided were our best photos), or maybe just made our top images 5-star.

    How do we use the markups to find what we seek?

    Use Lightroom to find photos with ratings, color codes, and keywords.
    Creative use of the Library filter in Lightroom can bring up just the image you’re looking for if you’ve properly labeled your images with star ratings, pick flags, color codes and keywords. Here, I was looking for all my photos that had the keyword Lighthouse, were 4-star images, and color-coded red.

    The better you are at marking-up your images, the greater the degree of precision you will have in finding that needle in a haystack when it comes time for that. I personally have over 100,000 images in my Lightroom catalog. (That’s a big haystack!) So, to use Lightroom to find photos requires some creativity with the Library filtering tool.

    You will be able to search through basic things you may have added; keywords, file names, folder names or anyplace else where text might be. You can search your Attributes, the star ratings, color codes, flags.

    Another very powerful Attribute is being able to search for unedited photos. Note the filter selection in the image below. Using that icon, I can have Lightroom show all photos for which Lightroom has no edit history.

    If I bring up a folder with images that were edited elsewhere before coming into Lightroom, they will also show up as unedited. But, assuming this is a folder with images that have been brought in directly off your camera card and never been touched with anything other than Lightroom, this is a fantastic way to show those “passed over nuggets” we might want to revisit.

    Use Lightroom to find photos. Need to see all the images in your Library you've not edited? Easy with the Lightroom Library filter.
    Using the Library filter, I’m able to see all the images for a particular year shot with my Canon 6D that are unedited by Lightroom. Creative use of the Text, Attribute, and Metadata filter in the Library Filter function of Lightroom can tell you much about your images and help you find that missing needle in the haystack.

    Searching through metadata can also be a powerful way to find photos. Without you even having to enter any information, your camera captures a wealth of data about each image it takes. (Have a look at my article on Irfanview which gets into metadata.)

    So, say you’re still looking for those lighthouse photos, but you never put keywords on them. Searching for “lighthouse” isn’t going to help. But say you do know you took the photos on a trip in September of 2017 and shot them with your Canon 6D. Putting just that information into the search filter in the Library module should greatly reduce the size of the “haystack.”

    The more precise you can be with your search parameters, the more precise your search will be. Explore all the search options in the Text, Attribute, and Metadata areas and how using them in combination can greatly help you find what you seek.

    Become a Collector

    Using the Library filter is a great way to search through your photos when you’re looking for something, particularly an ad hoc search for something you don’t need to find often. When you really want to tap the power of the database that is Lightroom, Smart Collections are really cool. First, let’s describe what a Lightroom collection is.

    Say you like to take pictures of flowers. Even when you’re out on some other kind of shoot, when you see a nice flower, you take a shot. Thus, you have flower pictures scattered throughout your folders. Now, how would it be to see all of those in one place, without having to move, copy, or duplicate anything? That’s what a Lightroom collection can be, a “pointer” to images that groups them all into one “folder” without moving anything.

    There are two kinds of collections in Lightroom.

    The first is a regular collection. You can add the photos manually. You can drag them from their folder location to a collection you have set up. Alternatively, if you designate a collection as the “Target collection,” while viewing that image in the Library module, you can just hit the “B” key on your keyboard to add the image to the target collection. You can also select multiple images in the Library module, hit the “B” key to add them all to the target collection.

    Remember that nothing really moves, no duplicates get made, no additional drive space is needed. Collections are virtual – only pointers to the original files.

    Collections can be very handy. When I’m gathering photos for an article, I will often create a Lightroom collection with the title of the article, make it the target collection, and then as I prowl through my library looking for photos I might want to use, I hit the “B” key on the keyboard and they are added to the collection. Fantastic!

    Be a Smarter Collector

    Collections are a great tool, but we can go a step further.

    Let’s go back to our flower photos example. If I took some flower shots every time I did a shoot, I want them to automatically show up in my Best Flowers collection without any additional work on my part? A smart collection uses filters and conditions like the Library filter but runs continuously in the background.

    To set up a new Smart Collection, go to the Collections tab in the panel on the left side of Lightroom. Click the + symbol. Select Create a Smart Collection. Then use the controls in that menu to set up the parameters defining what will be selected.

    So, if I set up a smart collection, name it “Best Flowers” and use the parameters where, for example, keywords contained “flowers” and the rating was 3-stars or above, any photo added meeting those conditions automatically appear in that smart collection without any additional work by me. Once built, your smart collections just work silently in the background of Lightroom. (I would just have to remember to be diligent about rating and keywording my flower photos each time I had some new ones brought in.)

    Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting
    Once you set up the parameters for a Smart Filter in Lightroom, it will watch for any images that meet those qualifications and add them to the collection. Here, I have a filter that looks for photos with the keyword “Flowers” that are rated 4-stars or higher. Now, if I’m good about rating and keywording my flowers photos as I take them and import them into Lightroom, they will automatically be added to this collection

    Another great use for a smart collection – make one to show all your unedited photos, wherever they might be in your library.

    Set your smart collection parameters to something like my example below. It has the Has edits set to False, the camera as the one I’m interested in, my Canon EOS 6D, the File Type Raw, and the Pick Flag is on.

    Now, unedited images I’ve flagged as Picks will immediately show up here as soon as I imported them in Lightroom. As I edit them, they will fall off this list. Think of this kind of Smart collection as your “In Box” of photos for editing.

    I can also use the other tools and filters we’ve discussed to determine if I will keep them at all. I can do additional culling here if I decide I won’t edit them and perhaps delete them.

    Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting
    Use a Lightroom Smart Collection to act as your “In Box” telling you which photos need editing. I’ve set this Smart filter to add photos that are not edited (Has Edits is False), where the file type is Raw, I’ve flagged the photo as a Pick, and the photos were taken with my Canon 6D. Smart Collections can be very powerful and the beauty is, as collections are strictly virtual, there’s no need for additional copies, folders, or duplicates that would take up more drive space.

    Also, remember images in a collection are just pointers to the original files. So if you click on an image in a collection and open it in the Edit module to make changes, you are also editing the photo in the folder where it really lives.

    Polishing up the diamonds

    When you can’t be out taking more photos, a good use of your time might be to use Lightroom to find photos worth revisiting.

    I’m betting that you’ve passed over many diamonds in the rough, and a trip back through the mine that is your photo library will yield some yet undiscovered treasures. Happy prospecting. For now, stay home, be well, and “Live long and prosper.”

    The post Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.


    Digital Photography School

  • Interview: Dirk Dallas of ‘From Where I Drone’ shares what it takes to create excellent photos

    Interview: Dirk Dallas of From Where I Drone shares what it takes to create excellent photographs

    Anyone can curate photos, but not many have built a successful brand out of it. Dirk Dallas has dedicated thousands of hours to From Where I Drone (FWID), a website and online community that aggregates aerial images from all over the world. FWID has made such a profound impact, with its 266,000 active followers and counting, that Dallas was approached by an established publisher to create a book.

    He is also a professor, photographer and ambassador for top brands including PolarPro, an instructor for Adorama TV and a judge for competitions including the Paris Aerial Photography Awards. Dallas credits DPReview for guidance at the start of his journey, saying:

    ‘DPReview was of the sites I remember always checking when I was going to look up my first camera. I would read all the reviews, there were hi-res photos and I would zoom in to examine more details. You were one of the first sites to feature photos where I could do that and actually see the product clearly.’

    We got a chance to catch up and learn more about the steps he took to build a robust online community, his thoughts on what makes a photo stand out in a sea of millions and his new book Eyes Over the World: The Most Spectacular Drone Photography — featuring 20 of his images plus 170 more from 125 aerial photographers seen on FWID. Anyone looking to improve their skills, or simply be inspired, is encouraged to read on.

    All slideshow images appear in the book and are shared with permission from Dallas and the publisher.

    Tell us a bit more about your background. How did you get started in photography?

    Right before I went to college, I was really into video. I wasn’t a great skateboarder but my buddies were. I remember my grandpa had a Hi8 camera and I asked him if I could borrow it to make skate videos. I was using Windows Movie Maker in the process and I loved it.

    I never thought of it as a career, though. My parents are all teachers so I thought ‘I’m just going to be a teacher, it’s a safe job. I’ll never have to worry about getting fired, teachers will always be around.’ At the time my girlfriend, who is now my wife, knew I wasn’t really into what I was studying in school. She told me ‘I’d rather have you do something that you love than have a super-safe job that you hate.’

    That was a big moment of freedom for me. I didn’t know what my career was going to look like but I knew I was interested in video. I changed schools and started taking an editing class. They handed us cameras, I think I got a Canon XL and started in with that.

    Fast-forward to 2007, I got the iPhone when it came out. I remember thinking ‘this thing’s pretty impressive for a camera phone.’ I decided to start taking a picture every day and practice my eye for composition. This was purely for video reasons, not for photography.

    A screenshot of the iPhone photography group Dallas was a part of on Flickr.

    Then I started getting into photography and I uploaded my work to Flickr. That is where I found a community for iPhone Photography which, at the time, was really weird to outsiders. I would share my iPhone shots to other groups and people would tell me ‘that’s not real photography. You’re not using a real camera.’ Our group was definitely niche and we felt like a band of rebels that were trying to push the camera as far as we could.

    What’s interesting about that is now it’s not weird at all to take a good photo with your phone. You even see Apple put ‘Shot on iPhone’ on their billboards. But I remember getting made fun of for that on Flickr at first. I got really into photography and that same iPhone Photography community introduced me to Instagram when it first came out. I was one of the first 5,000 users and the community there is what inspired me to keep pursuing photography.

    What inspired you to move into aerial photography, particularly drones?

    To be honest with you, in 2014 I was getting tired of my photography. I could go to the beach and take a picture of a pier which I’d already done a thousand times. I was getting burned out, losing the spark. The fun disappeared. I knew I needed to mix things up. I remember seeing someone fly a Phantom drone with a GoPro attached to it and was instantly intrigued.

    In the 2000s, I was into flying electric helicopters and airplanes. They’re so hard to fly, I’d always crash and barely be able to get any flight time. I’d spend a bunch of time and money fixing them. The drone looked like it was pretty stable and it had a camera on it – two things I enjoy. So I got a Phantom and stuck a GoPro on it. I could now shoot all the spots that I go to and was tired of, like the pier, from a new perspective.

    It was a new challenge, especially since the early days of drone photography were so hard. I would set the GoPro on timelapse mode and then guess. I would fly over something and count in my head, because the intervals were 5 seconds and then think ‘all right, I got the shot.’ But I wouldn’t know until I got home and watched the footage from the memory card.

    The challenge of something new, combining my two loves, is how I got into aerial photography.

    What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you while flying?

    In Chicago, I was flying at a park and I remember drones weren’t really common yet. You didn’t really them often. Someone approached me while I was flying and started asking me questions. I’m answering them and in the meantime, they also have a dog that’s running circles around us. I completely lost track of the time and realized that while I’m talking to this guy, my drone’s in the air and about to land any minute.

    I start looking for it because it drifted away during the flight. I located it as it’s losing power and going straight into these trees. It gets stuck in one about 30 feet up. I could see it but couldn’t climb the tree to get it. What made the situation even more difficult is that my flight to California was leaving in 4 hours. I’m was quickly running out of time.

    I found these guys playing football. I approached them and said ‘guys, I will give you $ 100 if you can help me get my drone down. Maybe we could throw the football at it and knock it out of the tree.’ They looked at me as though I was crazy and one of the guys threw his football at it and misses. They tried for 30 minutes and finally knocked it down. It smashed to the ground but everything ended up still working.

    Why did you launch FWID?

    In 2014, I started to share my work on Instagram and people were asking how I got these unique (at the time) angles. I would tell them it was from a drone and then they’d ask how they could get one, and so on. I would be helping everyone through messaging and emails. I realized, early on, that the same questions were being asked so maybe I should just start a website. I could send everyone seeking answers to the same questions there.

    I couldn’t find anything else like it. No one was really helping people. There were some super-techie questions in there but I’m more creative. Still, I shared tips, and what I was learning along the way with the goal to help people. Then I started sharing stuff from the community.

    Before FWID was a website, it was a hashtag – and it was a joke.

    Before FWID was a website, it was a hashtag – and it was a joke. There’s that popular hashtag ‘#fromwhereistand,’ and I thought of that except I was taking a photo with a drone. So I tagged it and people immediately got the joke. One day I clicked on it and there were a bunch of photos from people with drones. I realized back then that more people had a drone than I was aware of.

    None of my immediate friends were flying drones so it was great for me to see all these people using them and capturing places in ways I’d never seen before. I started an Instagram account for it, just to share photos. That’s where I got all the messages at first and then started the website to point people to for answers.

    You’ve created a substantial online presence. Do you have any tips for community building?

    Community building is really important to me, in general. I’m also a professor teaching photography, motion design, and graphic design. I spend a lot of time during my semesters building those communities because I’ve seen the value of how it pushes us, functions as a support system, and keeps us accountable.

    In some ways that’s translated online. Everybody matters, in my opinion. In the early days, it was so easy to give comments to people, check out feeds, message people, and reply. It would take forever but it mattered to me because there was someone out there reaching out and I would reach back. I think those small gestures went a long way.

    One of the things going for FWID is consistency (Dirk took a brief hiatus from posting late last year). I showed up everyday for 2 posts, or a minimum of 1 post, at least, for 4 years. Everybody’s striving for perfection, but it’s not obtainable. I would encourage people to strive for consistency. How are you improving every day?

    The fact that FWID showed up almost every single day with something new in the feed made it top-of-mind for a steadily growing audience. Once you know you’ll see it, you come to expect it. People ask me why I post at 9:00 PM every night (PST). I would get my kids to bed, finish our routine. The night was done so then I could post. That’s my habit, that’s my routine.

    I spend a lot of time finding photos. My book hadn’t come out yet as I’m telling you this but someone, when they discovered all the photos in there weren’t mine, emailed me and said ‘these aren’t all your photos? Anyone can curate a photo book.’ I had to laugh because I spend so much time seeking out an epic image, something inspiring or unique, something you’ve never seen before. The point is, I put a lot of work into it and don’t post anything random.

    There needs to be something of value or people are going to stop showing up. For people reading this, ask yourself ‘what is the value I’m giving people?’ For me, for FWID, the value is inspiration. As soon as that’s lost, FWID will go down. There’s a lot of pressure with that realization.

    For example, with Nike, when we think of that logo, it’s actually kind of lame. What makes it so cool is you associate it with Michael Jordan. You associate it with Kobe Bryant. Because those people do amazing things, that’s what makes the brand recognizable. Because the people in the FWID community are incredible, I’m able to share their work and grow.

    I’m great at promoting other people’s stuff, by not my own if I’m being honest. It’s not natural to me. Sometimes I feel late to the game or that I should be doing some stuff sooner. This is because I want to help others, that’s my goal. Not everyone’s going to make it onto the feed. And I feel bad because I don’t want to leave anyone out. This is what’s great about Stories. If you tag me with something that’s great, I’ll feature you there and you’ll get tons of views on your work that way.

    You have well over 1 million photos to choose from in the FWID community. What is it about a photo that stands out to you enough to make worth featuring?

    One of the things I try to do is look for a clear subject. There’s got to be a point, what am I looking at? For example, in the photo below, there’s a person standing next tot the boat and I’m thinking ‘wow, they’re in the middle of nowhere. How did they get there, they’re all alone, and where are they going?’ There’s all these questions that start to pop up.

    What they also did is introduce scale. What I’m looking for is some basic photography principles. Scale is one of the biggest things that draws me in. This one (below) interests me because when do you ever see a stadium in the shape of a circle? I’ve never seen one. I always gravitate toward something unique. The lightest part is the tennis court and it’s in the center, so the composition is very focused. The crop is tight.

    Pops of color are always a winner. Contrast is always something I look for too. If I click on the #fromwhereidrone hashtag, images that have a color scheme that isn’t blues or greens, something really typical, tend to stand out. Now I want to check it out and see if the image is sharp and crisp. If so, I’ll bookmark it.

    I never really see warm, orange-hued photos. These are rare. Everything I see is typically blue, green, and brown. One things a lot of drone pilots forget about is the photography principles. They get so caught up in taking the drone up high that those are an afterthought. The people who get featured and do well, in general, take everything we know about photography on the ground and apply it in the air.

    Those are the strongest images to me. A great edit. Light is important for creating atmosphere. If you shot this image (below) 2 hours before, it wouldn’t be interesting. How is this unique? Is there a little bit of fog or does the light come in at the right time? Being mindful of the time of day makes all the difference. The people who will wait for hours until the lighting is just right, who make that extra effort, are striving for excellence.

    The top photographers will make more of an effort, most people don’t. It’s your commitment to striving for excellence that separates you from the rest.

    You have a new coffee table book out. Tell us more about it.

    I’ll start by saying that being able to connect digitally is awesome. I now have friends through FWID from around the world that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. That said, we’ve lost this sense of touch and tangibility. What I set out to do is put together some of the best photos at the time of when this book started, back in Summer of 2018, put it in your hands, and inspire you.

    I’ve seen these photos on the feeds, I’ve looked at them on my computer, in InDesign, and in drafts and proofs. Once I actually touched and held the book, it was magical. What this book does, I believe, is inspire. Right now we’re in lockdown so it feels like a little vacation, a little trip around the world. It’s a bucket list that makes you think ‘I want to go there when this pandemic is done. I want to shoot that place.’

    Once I actually touched and held the book, it was magical. What this book does, I believe, is inspire.

    The beautiful thing about FWID is the community. I would have never met or known about all these amazing photographers if it wasn’t for an app (Instagram).

    The beautiful thing about FWID is the community. I would have never met or known about all these amazing photographers if it wasn’t for an app (Instagram). What this book represents is a community, people with a shared vision. Now the FWID community has something tangible and lasting. I could delete a photo, close the account, go dark, but the book is out. It will live on, it’s an artifact that will be in the world forever.

    When I’m on Instagram or anywhere else online, I may like a photo, but I’ll take it in for half a second. As an author and a curator, I’ve had to pause with these photos and really take them in, ponder in that moment. Those are some feelings I didn’t expect, to be honest.

    There have already been quite a few drone and aerial photography books released — What makes yours stand out?

    For me, it represents the community. I looked at thousands and thousands of photos that I curated over the years and painstakingly whittled it down to what I thought were the best, most unique images. There are some books that put an image in simply because it’s a drone shot. With this book, I considered the question of ‘why does this shot deserve to be included?’

    The book is broken down into 5 categories (Water, Arid, Lush, Urban, and Ice). At the beginning of each category, I wrote photography tips – it’s called ‘Photography Insights.’ For Arid, for example, ‘with extreme temperatures, blowing sand, and broad expanses of land and sky, these landscapes provide challenges to photographers. The drone pilot should be prepared to protect their gear from the elements while being persistently observant. These environments are often devoid of life. It’s crucial to scan the area for compelling subjects to tell a story and give context to a location.’

    I give some examples of what you should look for, how to think of capturing lines and curves. I also give some insights on shooting in different climates but I want to make it clear that this is not the focus of the book. Another thing, and I think this makes the book unique, but I’m not entirely sure, is that all 7 continents are represented – including Antarctica.

    Were you approached by a publisher or did you pitch this book?

    I had been asked 2 times in the past to do a book but I either didn’t know the publisher or it seemed like they were trying to make a buck. Then I got approached by Rizzoli and it just so happened that 3 weeks after I got an email from them, I was going to be in New York where they have an office. I asked if I could meet with them.

    My whole motivation for FWID is not to get rich but if I’m going to do something, it has to be done well. I really want it to be something that I can be proud of and can put my name on. COVID has caused some delays. I got my first copy of the book a few weeks ago, even though it was completed in February. That’s not normal. I should have gotten it back then, when it was printed.

    I couldn’t start promoting a book until I saw it and held it. It needs to be good. If it’s not, I won’t promote it. I looked at Rizzoli’s work, they produce beautiful books and my editor was really awesome. The collaboration started through an email from them and we decided to collaborate from there.

    What photography and drone gear to you use the most?

    Drone-wise, I’m shooting a ton with my (DJI) Mavic 2 Pro. I love how small it is, how quick it boots up. That’s a huge thing, it boots up so fast. I also love how quiet it is, that’s a bonus. My next drone that I use is my Phantom 4, but that’s only when I don’t have my phone charged. I hate that I have to use my phone. I know DJI has a Smart Controller but it’s $ 800. I don’t know how I can justify purchasing one.

    I use my phone and I hate it on the Mavic so if the phone’s not juiced, I bring my Phantom 4 with a tablet. Also, if I’m shooting during the day, a larger screen is better. For regular photography, I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV.

    Who are the artists that inspire you the most?

    I’m blown away by the work of Costas Spathis. He finds the most unique places, and I ask myself ‘where does this even exist on Earth and how does he find it?’ Another is George Steinmetz. I remember seeing his camel photos for the first time, and I was blown away. The subject wasn’t the camels, it was their shadows and that’s what made me realize what was possible with aerial photography.

    Chris Burkard, who did the forward for this book, inspired me years ago when I saw his photos of surfers in the snow. I had never seen anything like that in my life. He challenged me to go for those unexpected moments like people surfing in frigid temperatures around Iceland.

    Those are the photographers who have shown me to look at the world in a different way, and to think differently. On a non-photography level, I’m really inspired by Van Gogh. As I continue to learn about his use of symbolism, it becomes clear that for him it’s more than just a painting. Everything had meaning, and you can tell he put so much thought into every decision he made when creating. It makes me want to do things with purpose and excellence.

    What tips do you have for people starting out in photography or are looking to improve their skills?

    My biggest recommendation is consistency and discipline. So many people think FWID just happened or a print that wins an award or gets featured somewhere big just automatically happens instead of being the result of a lot of work, time, and effort. It takes a lot of failures before you get to a certain level.

    One of the things I miss about being a newbie is not caring. I would create something and put it out there. I wouldn’t care because I didn’t know any better. Now that’s disappeared a little bit. I’m cautious, and I ask myself if something is worth sharing or not. It’s good in some ways, bad in others.

    If people want to get better, but you don’t have a plan, how are you going to accomplish that? You’re going to be like all those people who make New Year’s resolutions and then a week later, nothing comes out of it.

    The point is, when I started taking pictures with my phone, I didn’t care if it was a good photo. I was practicing. I was showing up every day in a discipline, I was in a habit. I made the thing I wanted to get good at a habit. If people want to get better, but you don’t have a plan, how are you going to accomplish that? You’re going to be like all those people who make New Year’s resolutions and then a week later, nothing comes out of it.

    You have to be disciplined. You have to have habits. For me, consistency is the biggest factor. Show up, even on the days when you don’t want to, even when you’re tired. Figure out a discipline. For me, that was a photo every day. I don’t know what that means for someone else. The point is, I had a plan and I saw it through.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony ZV-1 ‘content creator camera’ focuses on making vlogging easy

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    Sony has announced the ZV-1, which it calls a content creator camera. It’s built around a 1″-type 20MP stacked CMOS sensor and a 25.5-70mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens similar to the on in the RX100 III, IV, V and VA, but it uses a fully articulating touchscreen and reworked ergonomics to allow for selfie-style operation. In essence, the ZV-1 gives you the hardware of an RX100 VA redesigned to make vlogging and facing-the-camera shooting easier.

    The ZV-1 includes a number of features and modes intended to make vlogging easier. These build on Sony’s very dependable Eye AF capabilities, to give confidence that your footage will be in focus while you concentrate on talking to your audience. There’s also a directional three-capsule mic setup built into the top of the camera to help isolate what’s being said from ambient noise.

    There’s a ‘background defocus’ mode that automatically opens up the aperture to its maximum setting, accessed from a button on the top of the camera, and an AF mode that will prioritize nearby objects if that you hold up in front of the camera, rather than continuing to focus on your face. And there’s also a front-mounted tally light, to indicate when the camera is recording.

    The specs are broadly consistent with recent RX100-series models, including 4K UHD video at up to 30p, 1080 capture at up to 120p and high-speed upscaled video at up to 960p. There’s no built-in viewfinder or headphone socket, but the ZV-1 does have a ‘multi-accessory’ hot shoe on which to mount an external mic.

    The ZV-1 will be available from early June with a list price of $ 799 (CAD$ 999). In the US there will be a promotion that drops the price to $ 749 if you buy before June 28th. Sony is also discounting its VCT-SGR1 Bluetooth shooting grip if you buy it with the ZV-1, until June 28th in the US and June 25th in Canada. Pricing in the UK and Europe is set at £700 and €800.

    Go hands-on with the Sony XV-1Press release

    Sony Electronics Introduces the Digital Camera ZV-1, A Newly Designed Camera for Video Content Creators

    New Video-Forward Design and Compact Body Packed with Advanced Imaging Technology and Easy-to-Use Functionality

    SAN DIEGO – May 26, 2020 –Sony Electronics Inc. today has announced the new pocket-sized digital camera ZV-1 (hereafter referred as “ZV-1”) – a lightweight, compact “all-in-one” style solution. Designed from the ground up for content creators and vloggers, the ZV-1 combines easy-to-use features with uncompromising imaging technology, making this the perfect tool for any content creator at all skill levels.

    “Sony’s new ZV-1 was purpose-built to meet the needs and demands of today’s video creators,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Imaging Product and Solutions Americas at Sony Electronics. “We are always listening to our customers, and this camera is the result of direct feedback from our extended community. Featuring an innovative design plus many new technologies, settings and modes, it will allow creators to make content in ways they have never been able to before.”

    The ZV-1 features a 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS® CMOS image sensor with DRAM chip and 24-70mm[i] F1.8-2.8 ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* large-aperture lens creating beautiful background bokeh (background blur), allowing the subject to stand out from the background. The camera locks on to and tracks subjects with high accuracy and speed using Sony’s leading-edge autofocus system. The ZV-1 also includes the latest-generation BIONZ X™ image processor with front-end LSI delivering high resolution as well as low noise for superior image quality. It also combines this exceptional imaging technology with high-quality and versatile audio options. The ZV-1 is Sony’s first compact camera with a side-opening Vari-angle LCD screen, making it easier to compose your shots in selfie mode while connecting external audio accessories. To meet any video need, the ZV-1 contains advanced video features including 4K movie recording[ii] and in-body image stabilization.

    Meeting the Needs of Today’s Content Creators

    Quickly Switch Between two modes of Background Bokeh
    The ZV-1 offers a simple solution to easily switch between two levels of background bokeh while recording. Using the new Background Defocus function, users can rapidly adjust the optical aperture between more and less background defocusing blur without losing focus on the subject. Located on top of the camera, this Bokeh button is easily accessible and makes selfie shooting operation a breeze.

    Focus on the Subject You Want

    The ZV-1 makes it easier than ever to shoot product reviews and similar video content. Gone are the days of placing a hand behind an object to prompt the camera to bring it into focus thanks to a new Product Showcase Setting, which allows for quick and smooth focus transitions between the subject’s face and the object placed in front of the lens.

    Building on the leading-edge technology developed for ?™ (Alpha brand) and RX series cameras, this new compact camera includes advanced autofocus (AF) allowing it to lock on and track subjects with high accuracy and speed while recording. For maintaining focus on the intended subject or subjects in busy environments, Real-time Eye AF[iii] and Real-time Tracking AF for video allows the ZV-1 to seamlessly switch focus between multiple subjects while controlling the AF speed and tracking sensitivity.

    Prioritize Your Face

    Extreme changes in lighting, like walking outside on a sunny day and suddenly moving from a bright location into shade, are no problem for the ZV-1 thanks to the new Face Priority autoexposure (AE) function. It detects and prioritizes the subject’s face and adjusts the exposure to ensure the face is depicted at an ideal brightness in any environment. This AE technology also suppresses an abrupt change in exposure if the subject quickly turns away from the frame to eliminate unexpected blown-out or extremely dark shots. In addition, the camera features a new advanced color science that has been re-engineered to optimize skin tones for any subject in both still and video modes.

    Crystal Clear Audio

    High quality content requires clear, excellent audio quality, and the ZV-1 is well-equipped to produce just that with reliable and versatile audio options. The ZV-1’s onboard mic features Sony’s latest Directional 3-capsule Mic which was designed for forward-directional audio capture, allowing for clear capture of the subject’s voice while minimizing background noise, especially when operating in selfie mode. For added flexibility, the ZV-1 also features an industry standard mic jack (3.5mm) and Multi Interface Shoe™ (MI shoe) making it easy to connect a wide range of external microphones. The ZV-1 is also supplied with a wind screen[iv] accessory that fits on the MI shoe to minimize wind interference.

    Design and Functionality Optimized for Vlogging

    The ZV-1 was designed with content creators and vloggers in mind. This compact, lightweight (approx. 294g / 105.5mm x 60.0mm x 43.5mm) camera is the first Sony compact camera with a flip-out, tiltable LCD Screen, allowing creators to simplify their setup by utilizing the MI shoe for optional external mics without the need of an additional mounting bracket.

    Comfortably operate the ZV-1 with one hand thanks to the easy-to-hold comfortable grip and a large movie REC button located on the top of the camera for quick access to video recording, as well as a recording lamp on the front of the camera that indicates if the camera is actively recording.

    The ZV-1 also includes advances in image stabilization, ensuring steady video even when shooting hand-held while walking. When recording in HD (Active mode), optical and electronic stabilization methods are combined to reduce shaking up to 11 times[v] that of standard SteadyShot™ image stabilization. When shooting 4K video using Optical SteadyShot (Active mode), there is improvement in stabilization effect of up to 8 times[vi] that of standard SteadyShot. The ZV-1 is also compatible with the GP-VPT2BT Shooting Grip with Wireless Remote Commander, offering additional stability and comfort combined with cable-free Bluetooth® connectivity.

    Class-Leading AV Features

    Despite the small form factor there are a multitude of pro-level movie making capabilities, including:

    4K movie recording with full pixel readout and no pixel binning in high bit rate XAVC S™ codec. [vii]

    • Industry standard 3.5mm microphone input
    • Hybrid Log-Gamma (HDR) [viii] / S-Gamut3.Cine / S-Log3, S-Gamut3 / S-Log3
    • Interval Shooting[ix] for stunning time-lapse videos[x]
    • Super Slow Motion[xi] recording at up to 960fps[xii]
    • Compatibility with ‘Movie Edit add-on[xiii]’ from the “Imaging Edge™” mobile application for image stabilization while editing[xiv] Highlight ability to edit aspect ratios for IG etc.

    Live Streaming with the ZV-1

    Transform the ZV-1 into a webcam by connecting it to a PC[xv] via USB, which allows content creators to interact with their followers in real-time while also utilizing the advanced imaging technology and unique features of the ZV-1. Sony’s new PC software will be available in July 2020.

    New Vlogger Accessories Kit

    Sony will also be introducing a Vlogger Kit (ACCVC1), which includes a GP-VPT2BT Shooting Grip with Wireless Remote Commander and 64GB Ultra High Speed Media Card. The grip is compatible with a variety of Sony cameras[xvi].

    Pair this kit with an external microphone (sold separately), such as Sony’s Stereo Microphone (ECM-XYST1M), for a convenient and simple vlogging setup.

    Pricing and Availability

    The Digital Camera ZV-1 will be available in June 2020 for a special introductory price of approximately $ 749 USD through June 28, 2020. After that, the price will increase to approximately $ 799 USD. The ZV-1 will be available in Canada for approximately $ 999 CAD.

    The ACCVC1 Vlogger Kit will be available in June 2020 with a special introductory offer of $ 50 off when purchased together with ZV-1 (at participating retailers) through June 28, 2020 in U.S. and June 25, 2020 in Canada, and can be purchased separately for approximately $ 149 USD and $ 199 CAD.

    [i]Angle of view (35mm format equivalent)

    [ii] 4K (QFHD: 3840×2160) Extended continuous video recording is available when setting Auto Power OFF Temp. function to High

    [iii] Real-time Eye AF for animals is not available movie shooting

    [iv] Audio input itself is via the camera’s internal mic but attaching the wind screen to the mic suppresses wind noise

    [v] Image stabilization angle at the wide-angle end of the zoom range. When active mode is on. Relative to angle of view with optical image stabilization on standard mode.

    [vi] Image stabilization angle at the wide-angle end of the zoom range. When active mode is on. Relative to angle of view with optical image stabilization on standard mode.

    [vii] A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required to record movies in the XAVC S format. UHS-I (U3) SDHC/SDXC card is required for 100Mbps

    [viii] Connect this product to an HDR (HLG) compatible Sony TV via a USB cable to display HDR (HLG) movies

    [ix] Wi-Fi is not operational during interval shooting

    [x] Time-lapse movie creation is possible on a PC

    [xi] Audio recording is not available. A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required

    [xii] In NTSC mode. Menu allows switching between NTSC and PAL modes

    [xiii] Please use the latest version

    [xiv] Availability of video transfer and playback varies depending on smartphone in use. Membership to Imaging Edge account and app on smartphone required with connection to Wi-Fi. See Imaging Edge terms and conditions/privacy policy for details.

    [xv] Windows® 10

    [xvi] Compatible with RX100 VII, Alpha 6100, Alpha 6400, Alpha 6600, Alpha 7 III, Alpha 7R III, Alpha 7R IV, Alpha 9, Alpha 9 II. Firmware must be updated on camera to ensure compatibility.

    Sony ZV-1 specifications

    Price
    MSRP $ 800/£700/€800
    Body type
    Body type Compact
    Body material Aluminum/composite
    Sensor
    Max resolution 5472 x 3648
    Image ratio w:h 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
    Effective pixels 20 megapixels
    Sensor photo detectors 21 megapixels
    Sensor size 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm)
    Sensor type BSI-CMOS
    Processor Bionz X
    Color space sRGB, AdobeRGB
    Color filter array Primary color filter
    Image
    ISO Auto, 125-12800
    Boosted ISO (minimum) 80
    Boosted ISO (maximum) 25600
    White balance presets 9
    Custom white balance Yes
    Image stabilization Optical
    Uncompressed format RAW
    JPEG quality levels Extra fine, fine, standard
    File format
    • JPEG (Exif v2.3, DCF v2.0)
    • Raw (Sony ARW v2.3)
    Optics & Focus
    Focal length (equiv.) 24–70 mm
    Optical zoom 2.9×
    Maximum aperture F1.8–2.8
    Autofocus
    • Contrast Detect (sensor)
    • Phase Detect
    • Multi-area
    • Center
    • Selective single-point
    • Tracking
    • Single
    • Continuous
    • Touch
    • Face Detection
    • Live View
    Autofocus assist lamp Yes
    Digital zoom Yes (3.8x)
    Manual focus Yes
    Normal focus range 5 cm (1.97″)
    Macro focus range 5 cm (1.97″)
    Number of focus points 315
    Screen / viewfinder
    Articulated LCD Fully articulated
    Screen size 3″
    Screen dots 921,600
    Touch screen Yes
    Screen type TFT LCD
    Live view Yes
    Viewfinder type None
    Photography features
    Minimum shutter speed 30 sec
    Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 sec
    Maximum shutter speed (electronic) 1/32000 sec
    Exposure modes
    • Auto
    • Program Auto
    • Aperture Priority
    • Shutter Priority
    • Manual Exposure
    Scene modes
    • Portrait
    • Sports Action
    • Macro
    • Landscape
    • Sunset
    • Night Scene
    • Handheld Twilight
    • Night Portrait
    • Anti Motion Blur
    • Pet Mode
    • Gourmet
    • Fireworks
    • High Sensitivity
    Built-in flash No
    External flash No
    Flash modes Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
    Continuous drive 24.0 fps
    Self-timer Yes
    Metering modes
    • Multi
    • Center-weighted
    • Highlight-weighted
    • Average
    • Spot
    Exposure compensation ±3 (at 1/3 EV steps)
    AE Bracketing ±3 (3 frames at 1/3 EV steps)
    WB Bracketing Yes
    Videography features
    Format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
    Modes
    • 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 16 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 16 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital
    • 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital
    • 1280 x 720 @ 30p / 6 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
    • 1280 x 720 @ 25p / 6 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
    Microphone Stereo
    Speaker Mono
    Storage
    Storage types SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
    Connectivity
    USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
    USB charging Yes
    HDMI Yes (micro-HDMI)
    Microphone port Yes
    Headphone port No
    Wireless Built-In
    Wireless notes 802.11ac + Bluetooth
    Remote control Yes (wired or smartphone)
    Physical
    Environmentally sealed No
    Battery Battery Pack
    Battery description NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
    Battery Life (CIPA) 260
    Weight (inc. batteries) 294 g (0.65 lb / 10.37 oz)
    Dimensions 105 x 60 x 44 mm (4.13 x 2.36 x 1.73″)
    Other features
    Orientation sensor Yes
    Timelapse recording Yes
    GPS None

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Z-CAM’s new E2-M4 is an affordable 4K Raw-shooting cinema camera with livestreaming

    Chinese cinema camera manufacturer Z-Cam has revealed it’s releasing a lower-cost version of its E2 camera that seems to lack only multi-cam synchronization from the previous model but which will allow live-streaming without a computer and will cost about $ 500 less.

    The Z-Cam E2-M4 has much of the same spec as the Z-Cam E2, including the ability to record Raw footage to an external recorder, a claimed 13-stops of dynamic range and 4K video (3840×1620 pixels) at 160fps with 10-bit color.

    The Z-Cam website suggests the E2-M4 doesn’t offer Apple ProRes recording, but the product page claims that it does once loaded with the latest firmware and connected to an Atomos Ninja V. Recording in Z-Raw is listed though. BH also says a future update will allow the camera to support RTMP, RTPS and SRT live-streaming directly from the camera without requiring a computer. live-streaming is also supported via the camera’s Gigabit Ethernet port, which can be used to control the camera remotely.

    The Z-Cam E2-M4 uses the same Four Thirds sensor format as the E2, and of course takes a range of compatible Micro Four Thirds lenses — though not all. The Z-Cam E2-M4 costs $ 1499 and is currently available to pre-order from B&H. For more information see the Z-Cam website.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DPReview TV: A quick hands-on look at the Sony ZV-1 vlogging camera

    Sony just announced the ZV-1, a modified version of the RX100 series aimed specifically at vloggers. We take a look at six important features you may have missed from the announcement.

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

    • Introduction
    • Built-in microphone
    • Sony 'real time' autofocus
    • Audio monitoring
    • Recording time limits
    • Color profile tweaks
    • Image stabilization
    • See you soon!

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home

    The post Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

    dps-finding-beautiful-portrait-light-at-home

    It can be tempting to think that you need lots of money, space, and equipment to shoot great portraits. But using just your camera and a reflector, you can find beautiful portrait light at home to shoot in.

    Almost everyone will have at least one room in their home with natural light from a window that could make a great portrait. It’s just a case of figuring out where the best light in your home is. Sometimes this takes a little trial and error, but as long as you get a good grasp of the basics, you should be able to shoot some great portraits at home!

    Open up your aperture

    Shooting indoors often means less light than if you were shooting outside or with studio strobes. To get some more light into your camera, try opening up your aperture and setting it to the lowest number possible.

    Opening your aperture up to let more light into your camera also has the effect of creating a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field has real advantages when you’re shooting at home – it can blur out the background and any unwanted clutter.

    portrait light at home
    ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/320th sec

    Alternatively, if you need to place your subject right next to a wall that isn’t as great a background as you hoped for (like above), try hanging a large sheet of paper behind them. The result would be like going to a studio with a paper backdrop. Or if you fancy something completely different, try creating a more creative backdrop!

    Get your subject to turn their face towards the light to make it fall in a very flattering way that illuminates their features. If you turn their face slightly back towards you then you can create the classic “Rembrandt light” that fine art photographers love so much (just turn their face towards you enough to create a “triangle” of light on the side of their face away from the window).

    By just changing the way your subject faces, you should be able to experiment with broad and short lighting with just a single window. If you have a patient subject, then a single window and a model can be a great way to learn about new kinds of lighting while finding lovely portrait light at home.

    Shoot in the bathroom

    I’m not even messing about. Bathrooms often have incredible light because of all the white, reflective surfaces. Even a bathroom with a small window can have lots of light bouncing about just waiting for you to photograph it.

    portrait light at home
    ISO800, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/1100th sec

    If you want to fill in some shadows, or even add a bit more directional light, you can experiment with using a reflector. You can use the silver side to add a bright, directional light in a room like this by bouncing light into the brighter side of the face. Alternatively, you could use the white side of a reflector to just gently lift any shadows that you get, to make the light more even.

    Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home
    ISO1600, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/3000th sec

    Don’t be afraid to push up your ISO either if you want to capture a fast-moving or unpredictable subject like a pet. Most modern digital cameras can now go quite high with the ISO without seeing any problems in the images.

    I shot the images above at ISO 1600, with an extremely fast shutter speed as my cat zipped around the house from dark to light spots. I had the camera set to Aperture Priority mode, so the camera chose its shutter speeds. Aperture Priority mode is a great choice for shooting portraits indoors because it lets you make creative choices about aperture and depth of field without having to worry about shutter speed.

    Experiment with the time of day

    As the sun moves, the light will change in different parts of your house. Make it your mission to observe and try out the light as it changes throughout the day if you want to find the good spots for beautiful portrait light at home.

    Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home
    Left: ISO400, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/280th sec
    Right: ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f2.8, 1/2000th sec

    I took both of the above shots in the same room, sitting in almost exactly the same place. The difference was the time of day. The shot on the right with the hard light was taken in the bright morning light. In comparison, I took the image on the left in the afternoon when the sun had stopped shining directly into the room.

    portrait light at home

    Patches of light and shadow can make for really interesting photographs as you let them play across the face or body of your subject. Be sure to experiment with how they create different effects both in the photographs themselves and when you post-process them afterward (increasing the contrast can work really well for light like this).

    Use what you have

    When I first moved into my home with its large room designated as my studio, I shot almost exclusively with strobes. I would shut out all of the natural light so that I could concentrate on just using my studio lights. I hadn’t even considered that I might have beautiful portrait light at home.

    portrait light at home
    ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/240th sec

    One day, though, I just wanted to grab a quick self-portrait. So I opened the curtains and photographed myself in the morning light.

    On inspecting the files later, I discovered that this light was unexpectedly beautiful. Now I shoot regularly sat face-on to this big window in my studio with no additional lighting or reflectors because I discovered it was simply wonderful light.

    Learn from my mistake – test out every window in your house for portraits, at different times of the day.

    When you move into a new home, make it one of the first things that you do. Don’t wait several years to realize that you already have wonderful natural portrait light at home!

    I’d love to see your portraits using the natural light in your home. Please share them with us in the comments section!

    The post Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.


    Digital Photography School

  • Hands-on with the Sony ZV-1

    A creative concept?

    The Sony ZV-1 is a new compact camera explicitly designed with vloggers and ‘content creators’ in mind.

    From a hardware perspective it’s essentially an updated riff on the RX100 V(A), but with both ergonomic and feature changes to make it easier to operate from the ‘wrong’ side of the lens. As the distinct naming indicates; it’s not part of, nor intended as a replacement for, the RX100 series.

    If you think of yourself as primarily a photographer, the ZV-1 is probably not designed for you. Instead it’s a camera purpose-designed for generating to-camera video for platforms such as YouTube. But that doesn’t mean it’s just a frivolous novelty.

    Compared to RX100 V(A)

    At its heart, the hardware of of the ZV-1 overlaps a lot with the RX100 series. It takes the 24-70mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 zoom and 1″-type 20MP stacked CMOS sensor from the RX100 V but mates it with the autofocus improvements of the Mark VII.

    However, the controls and handling are quite different, with no control ring around the lens and a very different button arrangement, designed for a very different way of working.

    It’s worth noting that, unlike the RX100 series, Sony isn’t using its ‘Cyber-shot’ branding on this camera, and that the official model name is DCZV-1, rather than ‘DSC,’ denoting digital stills camera.

    It continues to use the same NP-BX1 battery as the RX100 cameras.

    Video capabilities

    The ZV-1’s video capabilities are very similar to those of the RX100 VII: it can shoot 1080p footage at up to 120p or UHD 4K footage at up to 30p. There are also high-speed modes shot at lower resolution and upscaled, allowing capture at up to 960 fps (1000 fps in PAL mode).

    Like other recent Sony consumer cameras, all this footage is 8-bit. Log and ‘HLG’ modes are available, but will offer less flexibility than 10-bit footage would. Sony tells us it can also record video for longer (which we’ll get to later).

    The other improvement that comes from using the RX100 VII’s processor is that the ZV-1 can apply digital image stabilization to its 4K footage, on top of the IS provided by the lens. The camera can also write shake information into the metadata, so that the Imaging Edge software can apply digital correction after the footage has been shot.

    Back-to-front ergonomics

    The first thing you’re likely to notice about the ZV-1 are its unconventional ergonomics. There’s a large dedicated [REC] button that sits immediately behind the shutter button. The significance of its size and position isn’t necessarily obvious until position the camera facing towards you, held at arms-length with your left hand.

    It’s designed to be operated with the index finger of your left hand, while the zoom rocker is controlled with your left thumb.

    Face the audience

    Its focus on creator-to-camera content means the ZV-1 has no built-in viewfinder: after all, there’s no point including an expensive component if you can’t see it.

    Instead it has a fully articulated touchscreen LCD, to make it easy to operate when it’s pointing towards you. As you’d expect, this display shows a mirror image of what the sensor is capturing, when faced toward you.

    The touchscreen lets the user tap-to-track but like many recent Sony cameras, has very little other function.

    Ports

    All the ports are arranged on the right-hand side of the camera (left-hand side as it faces you), meaning that they’re on the opposite side from the articulating screen.

    These include a mic socket, HDMI out and USB connector, over which the camera can be powered, while recording. Crucially, these can all be used without clashing with the flip-out screen.

    Upgraded microphones

    The lack of viewfinder frees up space for a comparatively complex three-capsule microphone, set into the top of the camera. Sony says this setup is designed to be directional to pick up the sound of someone in front of the camera,

    The camera comes with a wind screen (often referred to as a deadcat, though this one looks more like a deadmouse) that can be attached to the top of the microphone recess, to reduce the risk of wind boom from air blowing directly onto the mic. The deadcat attaches via the hotshoe, which means it can’t be used with anything like an external LED light.

    The deadcat covers the power button, which doubles as the charging indicator, which makes it hard to see.

    The ZV-1 also has an offset hotshoe on one side of the camera, allowing a shotgun mic to be fitted. It’s got all the pins of Sony’s Multi-Interface shoe, meaning it can be used with a host of accessories, including microphones or, theoretically, Sony’s XLR adapter.

    Face focused AF

    Critically, the ZV-1 features the latest version of Sony’s AF system. This will focus on whatever you tap to focus on, and will use its face and eye detection system if that thing happens to be a face. The AF system will continue to track the subject, even if they look away from the camera and their eyes and face can’t be recognized.

    That persistence is especially important for this kind of product, where you can’t afford for the camera to lose track of your face, and you’re usually going to be too busy to monitor or correct any errors.

    Face Priority AE

    The ZV-1 has a series of designed-for-vlogging features, to make it easy to get the desired result, with minimal interaction with the camera or its settings.

    The most basic of these is Face Priority Auto Exposure. This does exactly what you might expect: it ties the camera’s metering to the face detection system, and prioritizes the exposure of the presenter’s face over the metering of the scene as a whole. It’s designed to respond rapidly to changes in exposure so that faces remain correctly exposed even if the light changes.

    Sony also says its adjusted the camera’s color response in the ‘Standard’ Creative Style with a particular focus on making (a variety of) skin tones look more attractive.

    Background defocus mode

    Sony is keen to stress that Background Defocus mode is not a filter or a shallow depth-of-field simulation. Instead it’s a mode that automatically opens the aperture up to its widest setting, to give as shallow a depth-of-field as possible.

    It’s a one-click option that means vloggers don’t have to learn to think in terms of aperture values. And, because the camera knows its target is the widest aperture setting, it’s able to respond almost instantly: adjusting the ISO and ND filter to compensate for the change in aperture, rather than slowly progressing through all the steps in between.

    By default, Background Defocus mode is assigned to the ‘C1’ button on the camera’s front right corner, making it easily accessible if you’re shooting with the camera held at arm’s length with your left hand.

    Product showcase mode

    Perhaps the feature that makes this camera’s intent most clear is the ‘Product Showcase’ mode. This is designed for creating the kind of video in which you talk to camera and hold up the item you’re describing, to show some detail of it.

    Product Showcase mode is designed to prioritize things that appear near the camera and override the face detection when they do. This means you don’t have to hide your face or wait for the camera to refocus on the object you’re trying to show your followers. Again, it’s designed as a mode so that you don’t have to manually tune the autofocus response.

    What’s missing/odd?

    The ZV-1 is primarily a video camera, designed to be operated selfie style, which makes it easy to understand why photographer-friendly features from the RX100, such as the EVF and control ring haven’t been included.

    But video shooters are likely to note the lack of a headphone socket. While it’s true that most to-camera video isn’t shot with headphones on, it seems like an odd omission to provide no way of listening to the audio levels before you press that big red button, or properly review a clip after it’s been recorded (the internal speaker is pretty quiet).

    Similarly, the inclusion of Log and ‘HLG’ video modes feel a bit half-baked, given the camera’s output is all 8-bit. We’re not expecting much of the ZV-1’s footage to go through extensive color grading, but more experienced video shooters should be aware of this limitation.

    You might think it’s cool

    The ZV-1 is a little bit thicker than the RX100 V and Sony says the use of more composite materials in its construction improve heat dissipation. You can see this composite panel when the screen is flipped out. Despite this, the camera will only record footage for five minutes at a go in its default state. You need to disable the overheat shutdown function in order to record for longer periods.

    With this done, we’re told the camera will keep recording almost indefinitely (or, at least, to the capacity of your memory card). But it’ll be interesting to find out just how hot the camera gets, and how long you can comfortably hold the camera before needing to consider the optional VPT2BT bluetooth selfie grip thing.

    We’ve not yet been given a battery life figure but, as we say, the ZV-1 can be powered over its USB connector if necessary.

    Overall

    As the branding hints, the Sony ZV-1 isn’t particularly intended for stills photographers. But for the many, many people creating (and, in some cases, making a living from) facing-the-camera content for social media, the ZV-1 looks like a powerful tool.

    We’ll have to spend more time with the ZV-1 to find out how well it behaves as a stills camera, beyond its core role, but (as evidenced by the vlogging functions added to Canon’s G7 X III) there is a niche for such a product. Unlike the Canon, the Sony can’t directly stream its video to YouTube, though the latest version of Sony’s smartphone app lets you transfer videos (including 4K) once you’ve captured them.

    If you’re not able to take advantage of the initial discounts being offered in some markets, $ 799 might seem quite expensive. But it’s worth noting that the removal of the EVF helps bring the list price down by $ 200 compared to the original MSRP of the RX100 VA and within $ 50 of the Canon’s launch price.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Samyang releases updated ‘MK2’ versions of its popular 14mm F2.8, 85mm F1.4 lenses

    Samyang, which is also sold under the brand name Rokinon, has released updated versions of two of its best-selling lenses: the MF 14mm F2.8 MK2 and the MF 85mm F1.4 MK2.

    The updated manual focus lenses feature the same optical designs as their respective predecessors but add new features to provide a more seamless and robust user experience. In particular, both lenses now have weather-sealing, an updated focus ring for better grip and a switch for de-clicking the aperture without the need to tear it apart. The 14mm F2.8 MK2 also has a new focus lock switch for ensuring the focus doesn’t get bumped out of place during operation.

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    Both lenses are available for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon M and MFT mount camera systems. As of writing this article, no pricing information is available for the lenses and no online retailer appears to have a product page up. We have contacted Samyang for additional information and will update accordingly when we receive a response.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Peak Design Donates 100% of Profits from Travel Tripod Launch to Charity

    The post Peak Design Donates 100% of Profits from Travel Tripod Launch to Charity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

    dps-news-peak-design-donates-profits

    Peak Design, the camera carry company based in California, launched their Travel Tripod in early April.

    And they donated 100% of the profits to charity.

    The Travel Tripod has been making waves ever since it was funded on Kickstarter, where the promise of a stable, compact tripod drew in 12 million USD from nearly 30,000 donors.

    Fast-forward a year, and the Travel Tripod was ready to launch as two separate products:

    A carbon fiber option and an aluminum alloy option, both offering unprecedented compactness and stability as a pro-level travel tripod solution.

    peak design travel tripod in use

    Then, in the weeks prior to the launch, Peak Design announced its intentions to donate all profits to two charities:

    The CDC Foundation, for COVID-19 relief, and Climate Neutral, an organization that works to combat climate change.

    As explained by the Peak Design CEO:

    Now more than ever is the time for us to act on our core values and ensure that our employees, contractors and retail partners can find economic shelter in a product we’ve spent years developing…Peak Design is also in a unique position to offer financial support to those that are solving the problem. To be able to donate in a time of need speaks volumes to the company we’ve built over the last ten years.

    Now that the launch is complete, Peak Design has released their numbers; the company sold over 2000 tripods, culminating in a whopping $ 218,000 USD donated to the CDC Foundation and Climate Neutral.

    the peak design travel tripod is extremely compact

    For those who are interested in the Peak Design travel tripod, it offers:

    • A weight of 2.81 lbs (1.27 kg) for the carbon fiber model
    • A weight of 3.44 lbs (1.56 kg) for the aluminum model
    • A weight capacity of 20 lbs (9.1 kg)
    • Minimum height of 15.2 in (38.5 cm)
    • Maximum height of 60.2 in (153 cm) with the center column raised
    • Setup in 9.8 seconds
    • A ball head with a phone mount

    You can pick it up for $ 599.95 USD (carbon fiber) or $ 349.95 USD (aluminum).

    Now over to you:

    Do you own a travel tripod? And how does the Peak Design Travel Tripod compare? Share your thoughts in the comments!

    The post Peak Design Donates 100% of Profits from Travel Tripod Launch to Charity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


    Digital Photography School

  • The one that got away: the gear we sold – and now regret letting go of

    The gear that got away

    We’ve all been there. You needed some cash, or you went overboard trying to downsize your gear stash. Selling that camera or lens seemed reasonable at the time, but in the razor-sharp clarity of hindsight, you know now it was a terrible mistake.

    Since misery loves company, we thought we’d share our own stories of the gear we let go and shouldn’t have and offer a space for you, reader, to share your tale of woe. Think of it as a kind of group therapy session.

    So take a deep breath, count to five as you exhale, and read on. Leave a comment with your own story of the gear you let go of – we’ll be publishing a few of them in a follow-up article soon.

    Richard Butler, Technical Editor

    Photo by Richard Butler with DX Nikkor 18-70mm F3.5-4.5

    I usually end up using cameras until they have little to no resale value, and I have no real regrets about selling my last DSLR. Oddly, though, I do regret selling the lens I bought it with. The DX Nikkor 18-70mm F3.5-4.5 wasn’t a great lens, in the grand scheme of things, but we’d been through so much together.

    That lens: a longer and slightly faster alternative to the standard kit lenses was the thing that finally settled the Pentax vs Canon vs Nikon decision I’d been agonizing over for weeks (months, maybe). Over a decade of extensively using every maker’s cameras has just reinforced the idea that picking the right lens was more significant than trying to choose a ‘right’ brand.

    It vignetted like crazy at 18mm F3.5, which was the setting the impetuous younger me used most often, but 70mm F4.5 was appreciably more useful than 55mm F5.6, and the sturdier build made me feel a bit more ‘serious’ and a bit more confident that it would survive my misuse.

    I don’t have any use for a DX DSLR lens anymore, but as the lens I used every day, and that helped me appreciate the value of upgrading your everyday lens, I sometimes wish I’d held onto my Nikon ‘super kit lens.’

    Dale Baskin, Editor

    Photo by Dale Baskin, taken with the Canon S300 Digital ELPH.

    The Canon PowerShot S300 Digital ELPH was my first digital camera, purchased in 2001. To be honest, I never really loved it, but that’s beside the point. I was planning a cross-country road trip and figured it would be a good opportunity to experiment with digital. Back then, choosing between a 2MP or 3MP sensor was a pretty big decision, but I ultimately decided the third megapixel wasn’t worth hundreds of dollars more, which is mostly how I ended up with the S300.

    Off I went into the sunset shooting digital for the first time in my life. I loved the instant feedback and I have fond memories of uploading photos at night on a 28.8 Kbps modem. Good times. Eventually, I moved on to other cameras and sold the S300 to a guy who wanted to use it for SCUBA with a dive housing.

    So why, after all these years, do I wish I still had it? For a simple reason: it was my first. We all have memories of various firsts in our lives: first kiss, first car, first time falling in love, etc. The S300 was the first camera that allowed me to shoot in a new way that would eventually change my life, influence my career and spawn adventures I never would have dreamed of so many years ago. I’ve thought about buying a used one for nostalgia, but it wouldn’t be the same. It could never be the same as my S300.

    Carey Rose, Reviews Editor

    Photo by Carey Rose, taken with Nikon 85mm F1.8 D

    I got my Nikon 85mm F1.8 D lens in college chiefly because I had a D80 that produced pretty horrific images when you cranked the ISO. And I found I was cranking the ISO pretty often while photographing for the college rag in wintertime in Bellingham, Wash. The days (if you can call the interminable grayness ‘day’) provide only eight hours of light, and so often my cheap secondhand F2.8 zooms just didn’t cut it. The small, light, snappy 85mm quickly became a favorite.

    Fast forward a few years, and the 85mm became a staple for my wedding photography, and may as well have been permanently glued to one of a pair of DSLRs. But as I was now making some of this thing called ‘money,’ I found myself taken by a lens that would of course be superior in every way: Nikon’s 85mm F1.4 D. I found one at a price I could stomach and promptly put the 1.8 up for sale.

    Cue the regret and sad trombones. Turns out, though that F1.4 lens was optically fantastic, the autofocus was far slower than the F1.8 I had so carelessly cut loose. For everything I really liked shooting, from weddings to concerts to street photography, it made such a difference that I never used it anywhere near as much as its more humble cousin. And with today’s modern sensors, I would happily trade the extra light for the extra focus speed. I still think about getting another F1.8 D someday.

    Dan Bracaglia, Editor

    Photo by Dan Bracaglia with the Fujifilm X100T.

    The gear I most regret selling is my Fujifilm X100T. I purchased it when it first debuted in late 2014 and owned/loved it for two straight years; it was my go-everywhere, document-everything camera. But eventually I grew tired of using it and the images it produced and felt compelled to go back to shooting film in my free time. And so I sold off my X100T and replaced with a well-worn Leica M6 and went on happily shooting for another few years. But eventually I too tired of film’s limitations and once more craved the freedom of a lightweight personal digital camera.

    Fortunately by the time that feeling crept it dawned on me: it’s OK to switch back and forth between film and digital for personal work. And so this time I held on to the M6 and picked up an also well-used X100F to satisfy my digital cravings. These days I still love and shoot with both as my personal cameras (along with a few other film buddies) and I’ll never be so quick to sell off gear again.

    Sound familiar? Share your story of the gear you regret letting go of in the comments below – we’ll pick our favorites to include in a follow-up article.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)