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Firmware update fixes AF-issue with Panasonic lenses on older OM-D and PEN cameras

19 Dec
Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER OIS. lens

In these times of extremely fast product development cycles manufacturers often seem to forget about ongoing improvements and support for older models, instead trying to convince consumers to upgrade and spend their hard-earned cash on the the latest models.

Olympus is now showing that it is a company that is not ignoring its legacy customers. The camera maker has announced firmware updates for a whole bunch of older PEN and OM-D Micro Four Thirds cameras, the OM-D E-M5 and E-M10 as well as the PEN models E-P5, E-P3, E-PL6, E-PL5, EP-L3, E-PM2 and E-PM1.

The update fixes an AF-malfunction that could occur when using one of the cameras listed above with one of two Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lenses, the Leica DG Elmarit 200mm F2.8 POWER OIS and the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm F2.8-4 POWER OIS. If you own any of the affected Olympus/Panasonic camera/lens combinations you can find download links for the new firmware on the Olympus website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Gear Review: Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

19 Dec

The post Gear Review: Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

1 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

The Canon EOS M50 is a compact interchangeable lens camera for aspiring photographers looking for an easy way to boost the quality of their photos and videos. Sporting 4k video capabilities to capture your favorite memories, 24-megapixel vibrant photographs, and Dual Pixel Autofocus system, the Canon EOS M50 is a masterful piece of technology.

Social media mavens can benefit from the camera’s Wifi function that allows users to connect to the Canon Camera Connect app to transfer images to their smart device. From there, you can share and upload from your device directly to various social media sites.

Canon’s newest addition is an excellent introduction to mirrorless cameras. Complete with a lens, its ready to go right out of the box – making it a fantastic holiday season gift for any photography enthusiast. Following is why this camera is so spectacular!

What is a Mirrorless Camera?

Before we get into it, let’s have a quick look at what a mirrorless camera is and how this new technology compares to digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs).

2 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

The way that a digital SLR camera works is that a mirror inside the camera reflects the light up to the optical viewfinder (which is also how you see the image before you take it). When you release the shutter, the mirror lifts, allowing the light to hit the sensor and capture the image.

In a mirrorless camera, there is no mirror or optical viewfinder. Instead, the imaging sensor gets exposed to light at all times. This method gives you a digital preview of your image either on the rear LCD screen or an electronic viewfinder (EVF).  As such, a mirrorless camera is one that doesn’t require a reflex mirror – a key component of DSLR cameras.

Due to the lack of mirror, the camera is significantly smaller and lighter weight than a DSLR, a very distinct difference between the two. However, DSLRs are well-trusted because of their true-to-life through-the-lens optical viewfinder system, which uses a series of mirrors to reflect light to your eye.

Mirrorless cameras, on the other hand, require an electronic viewfinder or LCD screen for image monitoring. Both are equally spectacular. Each model has their own pros and cons and it comes down to personal choice.

Canon EOS M50 features and specifications

3 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

Features

The Canon EOS M50 mirrorless camera sports some very impressive features that would make even the smuggest photographer blush. The EOS M50 delivers improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF for fast, accurate autofocus that helps you get the photo you want right at the moment it happens.

The 24.1 Megapixel (APS-C) sensor is capable of capturing high-resolution image and video. The files grant the user images suitable for enlargements with sufficient resolution for significant cropping. The video capability of this hardy little camera is even more impressive. It has the ability to record in 4K UHD at 24 frames per second. The high-speed 120p mode is possible in HD.

According to the manufacturer, the built-in high-resolution electronic viewfinder features approximately 2,360,000 dots. So, you can see high amounts of detail in whatever you’re capturing.

The vari-angle Touchscreen LCD, which has a flexible tilt range. The tilt range is ideal for high-angle and low-angle shooting so you can get the composition you want without breaking your back. The Canon EOS M50 camera features the new DIGIC 8 Image Processor, which helps improve autofocus performance, enables you to shoot 4K UHD 24p video and aids with many other advanced features.

4 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

Specifications

  • Improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Eye Detection AF.
  • 24.1 Megapixel (APS-C) CMOS Sensor with ISO 100-25600 (H: 51200).
  • 4K UHD* 24p and HD 120p** for Slow Motion.
  • Built-in OLED EVF*** with Touch and Drag AF.
  • Vari-angle Touchscreen LCD.
  • Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth Technology.
  • Automatic Image Transfer to Compatible Devices while Shooting.
  • New DIGIC 8 Image Processor with Improved Auto Lighting Optimizer.
  • Silent Mode for Quiet Operation.

This is only the second EOS M model to have a built-in Electronic View Finder (with the first being the EOS M5). It is also the first EOS M model to offer 4k video, which puts it one step ahead of the EOS M5. The camera also uses a DIGIC 8 processor, rather than the older DIGIC 7 processor.

Physical build

5 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

This camera’s size is brilliant! It is smaller than my cell phone (Google Pixel). Easy to throw into any bag, purse, or pocket. The body construction consists of polycarbonate rather than a metal body shell, but it still feels robust enough in your hand. The camera features a very comfortable and well-designed grip containing  ‘hooks’ for your second finger and thumb. As a result, the M50 feels surprisingly secure, even when used with one hand.

Much like Canon’s pro-level DSLRs, the controls are well laid-out. The buttons are a decent size and easily located by touch while using the viewfinder. However, the size may be an issue for those with larger hands. My hands are petite, and I find the controls just fine (haha)!

6 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

The tilt, vari-angle touch screen is brilliant. This nifty feature has infinite uses. Additionally, the screen can be stowed backward against the camera body to avoid any potential scratches (for those that don’t purchase screen protectors). The built-in viewfinder is very helpful when shooting during the noon sun or other bright conditions. There’s an auto activation when your eye approaches the viewfinder, ensuring that the LCD doesn’t blind you.

Canon has a knack for making its small models handle well and feel professional. The M50 is proof of this.

Autofocus

Canon’s autofocus is what has kept me loyal to the brand for over ten years now. Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS sensor that the M50 sports mean every sensor pixel is capable of being used for phase detection. Allowing fast autofocus almost wherever the subject gets situated within the frame. The AF system is sensitive down to -2 EV, which means the camera continues to focus in extremely low light.

7 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

A new autofocus feature of this model is the eye-detection autofocus. The camera can find eyes on your subject and lock focus on them with the push of a button. It is photographic witchcraft, and I love it. This feature is activated when face detection is turned on, to focus specifically on your subject’s eye.

Do make note that this fun feature is only available in single-AF mode, which means you can’t use it track focus during burst shooting. As can be seen above, the eyes of my dog are nicely in focus (and this was easy to achieve, even when she moved a bit).

I have always preferred the AI Servo | Continuous Focus mode due to the majority of my subjects moving around a lot. Thanks to the ability to use phase-detection anywhere in the frame, this feature is fast and reliable.

Low light capability

8 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

As the years’ progress, so does low-light capability. In higher ISO levels, image quality stands up very well at ISO 800. It’s only at ISO 3200 noise, and noise reduction starts to blur away detail. However, the color gets retained well. The higher numbers are passable for smaller reproductions, but you’ll generally find yourself not wanting to move beyond 12,500 max! The autofocus continues to shine even at low-light levels.

9 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

Battery life

I have always been a tremendous fan of Canon’s batteries. They always continue to impress me with their longevity. This camera is no exception, despite having an always-on LCD screen! As always, I do suggest purchasing more than one battery, but you can remain confident in this camera lasting you through your entire photo session and photography adventures.

10 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

The lens: EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM

The M50 kit comes complete with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM, a compact and stylized zoom lens for the mirrorless camera. The lens is very compact and features a side switch to flatten the lens when stored. This feature makes traveling with the M50 kit an absolute breeze.

11 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

With the 15-45mm kit lens with its STM focus motor, autofocus is great. It is super-fast, silent, accurate, and excellent for any photography style. The 35mm-equivalent 24-72mm range combines a wide-angle for landscapes and big group photos, with a telephoto zoom for close-ups and detailed headshots.

12 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

I found the lens to be reliable, fast, and sharp – no complaints whatsoever!

Final thoughts

13 - Gear Review Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit

The Canon EOS M50 is an excellent entry-level camera for aspiring, beginner, and hobbyist photographers alike. From its variety of features to its portable size and ease-of-use, unraveling this camera under the Christmas tree would excite even the most controlled picture-takers. Plus, having a kit that comes with a lens is just a brilliant bonus!

The post Gear Review: Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera Kit appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.


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Have your say: Best gear of 2018

19 Dec

Have your say: Best gear of 2018

For the past few weeks, our readers have been voting on their favorite photographic gear released in the past year in a wide range of categories. Now that the first round of voting is over, it’s time to reveal the winners.

Remember, it isn’t over just yet! It’s time now to pick an overall winner. Don’t miss your chance to cast your ballot – this one’s for all the marbles.

Best prime lens – Runner-up: Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM

The 50mm F1.2 is a lovely, sharp lens for Canon’s fledgeling full-frame mirrorless lineup. It’s the lens we were most excited to get our hands on when the system made its debut, and it did not disappoint. Clearly, our readers agree that it’s a standout.

Best prime lens – Winner: Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM

As impressive as the RF 50mm F1.2L is, Sony ultimately came up with the prime lens that our readers liked the best this year. The FE 24mm F1.4 GM is truly worthy of its ‘G Master’ designation, and best of all – it’s lighter than Canon and Nikon’s equivalent offerings. Lighter in weight and big on optical performance turns out to be a real winning combination.

Best zoom lens – Runner-up: Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM

The RF 28-70mm F2L is an ambitious lens – and likely a hint of things to come for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless system. In use the 28-70mm F2 has impressed us with excellent image quality throughout its range, and our readers were clearly impressed too.

Best zoom lens – Winner: Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

Sure, the appeal of a massive, fast zoom like the RF 28-70mm F2L is hard to deny. But there’s a special place in our readers’ hearts (ours too) for a lens that’s versatile as well as small and lightweight. It’s not quite as fast as this category’s runner-up, but its combination of size and optical performance put it ahead of the competition.

Best compact / fixed-lens camera – Runner-up: Panasonic LX100 II

We’re putting the finishing touches on our full Panasonic LX100 II review, but we’ve seen enough already to know that its image quality is solid. We think the Mark II version builds on what we already liked about its predecessor, and it seems that plenty of our readers agree that it’s more of a good thing.

Best compact / fixed-lens camera – Winner: Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI

While there was plenty of love for the LX100 II in our poll, the Sony RX100 VI just couldn’t be caught. It’s our pick for the best fixed-lens camera of the year too – the RX100 series’ strong feature set pairs nicely with a longer zoom lens, making it the first true ‘travel zoom’ compact in the lineup.

Best entry-level ILC – Runner-up: Canon EOS M50

The Canon M50 offers an appealing combination of size and capabilities, and though its heavily-cropped 4K video leaves something to be desired, it’s one of our top picks of the year and it’s a favorite among our readership too.

Best entry-level ILC – Winner: Fujifilm X-T100

Our readers’ top pick in the category is another camera with a strong still photography pedigree: the X-T100. It combines a built-in EVF, tilting touch-sensitive LCD and the Fujifilm JPEG image quality we know and love so well. It’s a total package with a lot of appeal for those inclined toward street shooting.

Best mid-range ILC – Runner-up: Fujifilm X-T3

This was one of the closest races in our 2018 polls, and really, we had no doubt it would be. Coming in just shy of the winning camera is the X-T3 – a fantastic stills camera that happens to record excellent video as well. We think it’s one of the best all-around performers in its crop frame class, and our readership seems to agree.

Best mid-range ILC – Winner: Sony a7 III

The Sony a7 III just edged out the X-T3 to take the category, winning by under 3% of the vote. But even in a category of high-quality, versatile cameras, the a7 III stands out. That’s because it represents Sony at its best – bringing several generations’ worth of features and improvements together in a highly impressive package. It wins a competitive category and is sure to be a front-runner for Product of the Year.

Best high-end ILC – Runner-up: Nikon Z7

Nikon’s first step into the high-end, full-frame mirrorless market was a solid one. The Z7 is well-rounded and capable of seriously impressive image quality. In some ways it feels like a first-generation camera, but ultimately it’s a highly capable tool and one of the highlights of the year in our readers’ eyes.

Best high-end ILC – Winner: Fujifilm GFX 50R

The allure of medium-format, the ergonomics of a rangefinder-style camera and Fujifilm’s irresistible film simulation modes likely helped put the GFX 50R at the top of this category. It’s smaller and less expensive than the existing GFX 50S, making it one of the most approachable entry points yet to the world of digital medium-format shooting.

Have your say

You helped determine the winners in these individual categories, so now’s the time to cast your vote in one last poll! Choose up to three favorites from this list of winners and runners-up between now and January 4th, 2019 at midnight PT when the final poll closes. Watch for an announcement of the winners soon after.

As always, thanks for casting your votes and being a part of our community throughout the year.

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Have your say

$ (document).ready(function() { Poll({“pollId”:”5001986557″,”openForVoting”:true,”mainElementId”:”poll0″,”slot”:null,”isSingleChoicePoll”:false,”minNumberOfChoices”:1,”maxNumberOfChoices”:3}); })

Have your say: Best product of 2018
Your answers
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Canon RF 50mm F1.2L

Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM

Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM

Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

Panasonic LX100 II

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI

Canon EOS M50

Fujifilm X-T100

Fujifilm X-T3

Sony a7 III

Nikon Z7

Fujifilm GFX 50R

Voting is easy – you pick your favorite products by dragging and dropping. You can pick up to three, and rank them in order of priority.

Poll Rules:

This poll is meant to be a bit of fun. It’s not sponsored, promoted or paid for in any way and DPReview doesn’t care how you vote, so please don’t start a flame-war in the comments. Our readers’ polls are run on the basis of trust. As such, we ask that you only vote once, from a single account, and don’t vote purely just to sandbag another product or brand. Don’t be that guy.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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This macOS app creates HTML galleries from your Photos library

19 Dec

A new macOS app called photos2webgallery lets you create HTML web galleries from your Photos library. The resulting HTML output can be shared in many ways, including via upload to your own web server or shared via USB-drive.

Thanks to HTML5 support photos2webgallery works with all modern browsers. An integrated HEIC to JPG image format converter makes sure even images captured in the Apple-specific format will be displayed. Videos are embedded as well.

Alongside the images and videos the output galleries also display metadata information, such as date and time as well as the capture location with a Google Maps link. In the user interface users can select the albums they want to share and a range of slideshow effects is available, too.

The app is now available for download at the photos2webgallery website for a reduced price of $ 31.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Day 2 delivery from The Photography Express

19 Dec

The post Day 2 delivery from The Photography Express appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Day 2 of The Photography Express

Note: Today’s train is running a little late, so you have less than 24 hours to grab these deals!

You know you took a great photo, but it’s just not popping when you get it on your screen. You’d also rather be out taking more great photos than messing around on the computer any longer.

Today’s delivery from The Photography Express is not one, but two amazing Lightroom presets deals to help you bring out the potential in your photographs in just one click.

Deal #1 Massive Lightroom Presets Bundle from dPS

Today you can pick up a bundle of three of our 101 Lightroom Presets packs for just $ 49  – or individually for $ 19 each.

Each pack contains 101 (or more) Lightroom Presets, carefully crafted by professional photographers to help you save time and get the look you want when post-processing photos in Adobe Lightroom.

Try out some sample presets with our sliders – one of our favourite transformations is “Big Colour Love”.

Save $ 100 when you purchase the bundle for the next 24 hours only!

Learn More

Already have all 303 of the dPS presets? Then check out this beautiful premium bundle . . .

Deal #2 Premium Lightroom Presets from Andrew Gibson

Even more presets to help you create beautiful photos in Lightroom. This set of Andrew’s Faded Glory, SuperBlack and Vintage Portrait Presets work in Lightroom 4, 5 and 6, Lightroom CC (2015), Lightroom Classic CC and the new Lightroom CC for mobile, with both JPEG and Raw files.

Preset Bundle

If you’re wanting to experiment with:

  • the under-utilized and under-appreciated beauty of desaturated colors
  • converting photos to black and white for mood, emotion and expressiveness; and
  • natural looking vintage style portraits

then this premium bundle of presets will give you results in Lightroom with just a few clicks.

Save 58% for the next 24 hours only!

Learn More

 

Have fun getting creative with your new presets – 2019 will be a fun year!

Both dPS and our trusted partner Andrew Gibson at The Creative Photographer offer 60-day money back guarantees, so you can easily buy now to secure the deal and try out the presets, and if you don’t think they’re for you, we’ll refund you.

Don’t miss the next two deals – sign up here for The Photography Express!

Disclosure: We receive a commission from our partners if you buy via our promotion, but it is at no cost to you. In fact, you’re getting an even better price than usual!

The post Day 2 delivery from The Photography Express appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.


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NVIDIA researchers create AI that generates photo-realistic portraits

19 Dec

NVIDIA researchers have published a new paper detailing their latest artificial intelligence work, which involves generating photo-realistic portraits of humans that are indistinguishable from images of real people. The technology revolves around an alternative generator architecture for generative adversarial networks (GANs) that utilizes style transfer for producing the final result.

Though GANs have improved substantially in only a few years, the researchers say in their paper that the generators ‘continue to operate as black boxes, and despite recent efforts, the understanding of various aspects of the image synthesis process, e.g., the origin of stochastic features, is still lacking.’ That’s where the newly developed alternative architecture comes in.

The team’s style-based architecture enables GANs to generate new images based on photos of real subjects, but with a twist: their generator learns to distinguish between separate elements in the images on its own. In the video above, NVIDIA’s researchers demonstrate this technology by generating portraits based on separate elements from images of real people.

“Our generator thinks of an image as a collection of ‘styles,’ where each style controls the effects at a particular scale,” the team explains.

Image elements are split into three style categories: “Coarse,” “Middle,” and “Fine.” In terms of portraits, these categories include elements like facial features, hair, colors, eyes, the subject’s face shape, and more. The system is also able to target inconsequential variations, including elements like texture and hair curls/direction.

The video above demonstrates changes involving inconsequential variation on non-portrait images, which includes generating different patterns on a blanket, altering the hair on a cat, and subtly changing the background behind a car. The style-transfer GANs offer superior results to traditional GAN generator architecture, the researchers conclude, with the photo-realistic results underscoring their assessment.

The latest work further refines a technology that has been growing rapidly over only a few years. Though GANs have been used in the past to generate portraits, the results were far from photo-realistic. It’s possible that technology like this could one day be offered as a consumer or enterprise product for generating on-demand life-like images.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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POLL – Do You Use Your Camera for Video?

19 Dec

The post POLL – Do You Use Your Camera for Video? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital cameras have come leaps and bounds since their inception. They include many fantastic features to enable us to take better quality photos. However, they not only take still images, many now include video functionalities.

Some photography cameras even have 4K video capabilities.

So, we want to know if you use the video settings on your camera?

Do you just play around, use it professionally, or wish you knew how to use it?

We’d love to know.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Feel free to tell us more about your answer (why you do or what you do) in the comments below.

If you would like to learn more about making videos with your camera, see this article by Suzi Pratt.

 

The post POLL – Do You Use Your Camera for Video? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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RawTherapee v5.5 released with Haze Removal, improved curves tool and much more

19 Dec

Free Raw photo-processing software RawTherapee has been updated to version 5.5, gaining a new Shadows/Highlights tool, a striping and banding tool, unbounded processing and numerous other updates. In addition to the new features, RawTherapee 5.5 brings a number of bug fixes, feature improvements, and speed enhancements.

RawTherapee 5.5 includes a Haze Removal tool that strips haze from images and a new Soft Light tool for boosting saturation and contrast in images. The old Shadows/Highlights tool was removed and replaced with an updated version and users now have Grid and Regions color toning options. The main histogram has three scaling methods now as well, and there’s a new Flexible tone curve type.

RawTherapee 5.5’s new artifact filter removes the striping artifacts that result from Sony’s Phase Detection Auto Focus, as well as the banding artifacts resulting from Nikon’s in-camera PDAF correction. At this time, the filter supports the Nikon Z6 / Z7 and the following eight Sony cameras:

  • Sony DSC-RX1RM2
  • Sony ILCE-6000
  • Sony ILCE-6300
  • Sony ILCE-6500
  • Sony ILCE-7M3
  • Sony ILCE-7RM2
  • Sony ILCE-7RM3
  • Sony ILCE-9

As always, RawTherapee is free to download on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The full v5.5 changelog detailing the new features and improvements is available here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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These LEGO Leica M cameras are tiny, blocky versions of iconic rangefinders

18 Dec

Over the years, Leica has partnered with LEGO multiple times to create brick-made versions of its popular rangefinder cameras. Now, a new set is available, a pair of LEGO Leica M camera sets.

The LEGO Leica M cameras come in a black and brown variety. Like their respective real-life counterparts, the cameras feature all of the important details you’d expect from a Leica rangefinder: a clear viewfinder, various dials, a shutter, a rear display and even camera strap mounts.

All that’s missing is the iconic red dot. But a red permanent marker would get the job done. Alternatively, these could be the LEGO equivalent of Leica’s P-series cameras, which forgo the iconic red dot for a more subtle approach.

The cameras are currently listed on the Leica Store Miami website. Both sets retail for $ 45 USD. The Black/Gray version is available for pre-order while the Brown/Gray version is available for purchase.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How To Read Your Camera Manual (and why you really, really should!)

18 Dec

The post How To Read Your Camera Manual (and why you really, really should!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Camera manuals are notoriously difficult to read and understand. Often they are not read as much, or as well, as they should be. You need to read your camera manual because it contains vital information that will help you to become a better photographer.

How To Read Your Camera Manual Night Camera

© Kevin Landwer-Johan

Just as we need to learn the alphabet before we can learn to read and write, we must learn the basics of operating our cameras in order to take the best photos we can.

Reading it from cover to cover is not necessary. There will not be a test on how much you can remember.

The best way to use your camera manual

Begin to skim with your camera in your hands. Look through the contents and take note of what’s covered. Mark which items you think may be of particular interest to you. Some you will be able to just glance over. Others may be just painfully obvious, like this from the Nikon D800 manual;

“When operating the viewfinder diopter adjustment control with your eye to the viewfinder, care should be taken not to put your finger in your eye accidentally.”

I would add that it’s always a good idea not to put your finger in your eye, even when you are not adjusting your diopter.

If you’ve just bought a new camera and it’s a model you’re not familiar with, you’ll need to pay more attention to the manual. For camera users who are upgrading you will be best to scan the book for what’s been upgraded since your previous model. Sometimes these may be highlighted.

How To Read Your Camera Manual Camera In Hand

© Kevin Landwer-Johan

Break your reading down into bite-size chunks. Don’t attempt to read and understand everything you need to know about your camera in one sitting. It’s a complex piece of equipment. Spread your reading out over a few days or a week.

Give yourself time to practice what you are reading about. Getting hands-on experience will help you retain what you’re learning about and make it much more relatable.

Do not read it all

Choose to learn the essentials first. Find out how to focus it and set the exposure well. There will be various options available to you. Start reading about the ones most applicable to the way you like to photograph.

If you are completely new to photography and not yet sure which exposure mode you prefer, take some time to read through all the options.

How To Read Your Camera Manual Happy Photographer

© Kevin Landwer-Johan

Getting a good start by understanding the basics of your camera leaves you freer to concentrate on photography. Don’t be filling your mind with more than you need to know. At the start you are not likely to need information about producing video, making multiple exposures or how to adjust the customs settings on your camera. These things can wait until you can find your way around your camera comfortably.

Carry your manual with you

Download a PDF of your camera manual to your phone. Take it with you everywhere so you can refer to it when you get stuck with a camera setting.

How To Read Your Camera Manual Chinese Woman Photographer

© Kevin Landwer-Johan

Practical application of the information contained in this little book will help you get to know your camera better. But only if you use it well. Hands on is best.

Once it’s on your phone you can take a few minutes to read a little more on the bus or train or whenever you have a few minutes to spare.

Consider buying a book specifically about your camera (that’s not the manual)

I have purchased books and resources about cameras I own by Thom Hogan. Thom is well known for his incredibly detailed writing about Nikon cameras. I find he’s much easier to read than the camera manuals.

How To Read Your Camera Manual Learning Photography

©Pansa Landwer-Johan

His books are well laid out and the information is broken down so it’s readily consumed.

This may be beyond the needs or wants of many photographers, but for those who have the time and want the resources, picking up a book, other than your camera manual will help advance you towards better picture taking.

Aim to be able to forget it all

As you become more confident and competent with your camera, you will have little need for your camera manual. Well, I would hope that before long you have put what you’ve read to good use and can remember it effortlessly.

How To Read Your Camera Manual Camera In Hand 2

©Pansa Landwer-Johan

Having the ability to pick up your camera and have it ready to take photos in any situation is well worth aiming for. The more you can concentrate on what’s happening in front of you the better photos you’ll obtain.

Gazing down at the camera in your hands as you try and figure out which settings you want to use leads to you missing out. You may be able to take your best photos when you are focused more on what you are making photographs about than what you are making them with.

The post How To Read Your Camera Manual (and why you really, really should!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.


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