For about three years I used a Nikon Coolpix and enjoyed taking photos of snowflakes in the winter. I struggled with the autofocus, so I figured I would invest in a digital camera with manual focus and macro. After much time and web surfing, I found the Canon SX130IS which has very good reviews, manual focus, and a reasonable price.
Memory cards have their speed rating systems. For example, class 6 is the recommended base class for 1080p HD video coming from DSLRs. Those classes however, don't tell you what is the burst rate on individual shots. Mostly because each image has a different MB size to it depending on many factors.
Jaroslav over at Crazy Lab found an interesting way of measuring the burst rate and comparing different factors that affect the camera to card writing speed. TO make the test constant he covered the lens of his Canon T3i and took pictures of darkness. By recording the shutter sound (or music as some call it) and displaying the waveform in Audacity Jaroslav was able to compare burst-rates of different ISOs, capturing modes and cards. Click to continue ›
I've seen some crazy setups for high speed photography utilizing all sorts of weird parts. There is even a system that will turn the lights off for you, if you so please. But, this is the first time I am seeing such a huge overkill in term of components used to gain some control over the circuit.
Our buddy Destin from Smarter Every Day is about to have a new baby, but seconds before rushing to the hospital, he shares a neat slo-mo (or high-speed, depending on your take) video of a Canon 60D shutter going through the a full exposure cycle.
You can see the four stages of the exposure:
Now, here is a question for extra credit, can you calculate the exposure time?
If you are like me and like this kind of random science, you can register to Smarter Every Day Youtube channel here.
Congrats Destin for your new baby! Click to continue ›
One of the downsides of using a small strobe is that you don't get the nice modeling light like the big studio guns.
That means that you have to pre-visualize your light. If you are new to strobes this may not be trivial even on a bare strobe, but throw some modifiers in (e.g. a softbox or an umbrella) and it get even harder. This is why a modeling light is can be your best friend as you make your first steps into the modifiers world. In this tutorial I will explain how you can add a modeling light to a strobe using a DIY Double Flash Bracket, but any double flash bracket will do. Click to continue ›
About two days ago I returned from PMA. Aside from the big camera announcements going on the main CES showrooms (the Nikon D4, the Canon G1 X and the Fujifilm X-Pro1) there were a lot of innovation and coolness going on the smaller booths and the PMA venue.
Actually, for me as a photographer/blogger/inventor some of the stuff that was displayed on the smaller booths was more interesting than (I said you could touch it not grab it) touching new camera models.
The really nice thing about it, is the most often than not, the inventor would stand in their booth in a way that allows direct interaction. The kind of stuff you can't get on emails. So you get to ask questions, make suggestions and get instant feedback. nice.
Here is a small round up of the stuff that I found cool on PMA/CES, some of it is new, some has been around for a while. Feel free to add more coolness if you've seen it. Click to continue ›
Photographer and design student Hunter Frerich came up with this really cool DIY for building a small circular soft box. It kinda resembles one of the first projects on DIYP (which is the one that actually pushed me to start the site) but is waaaaay nicer and probably gives way better light. It kinda resembles the Honl Traveller8, but exchanges the high $$ for sewing skills.
Every now and then the photography industry get together and see whats lined up for the next few months/years.
Actually, one of those events is going on right now at Vegas, the PMA@CES. It is pretty impressive to see big guns like Canon and Nikon show off their stuff, but to me it is way more interesting to see what's some of the smaller companies are doing, and looking at the innovation that is going on at the fringe.
It is even cooler to get to hang out and exchange ideas, gear thoughts and photography love with photographers and innovators from across the world. (it is actually one of the nicer things on the blog too).
If you are at PMA (or the bigger CES) and want to get it touch I would be honored. Please send me a mail or DM me on Twitter to get in touch.
I will try to moderate comments at least once a day, please be patient with me. Click to continue ›
One environment that I never tire of photographing is the deserts of the southwest United States. While the desert may look drab and gray during daylight hours during the golden and blue hour the desert transforms into a colorful and often surreal landscape. Mix in a little bad weather and you can capture some amazing landscape photos. Since the desert is an extreme environment I prepare for my shoots there with more scrutiny. Over the years my approach to desert photography preparations have bled into my general landscape photo shoot prep.
Here are 10 tips to prepare for your next adventure in the desert including 4 very important steps to ensure your safety: Click to continue ›
A while back I bought my daughter a Vtech Kidizoom, trying to hook her up on photography. Looking back at the experience, I can say that she is doing pretty well.
On the bright side, she enjoys taking pictures and does a darn fine job too. Of course, being able to come down to daddy's studio with flashes set up does not hurt her fun one bit.
On the "dark" side, the image quality sucks! We thought we could handle it and that the grainy look would be "fun" and "Lomo"y, but even she is a bit annoyed with the noise of the photographs when viewed large.
I came across this video that shows how you can impact-proof a camera using moldable plastic called Sugru. It's kinda like plasticine, only it hardens as rubber, and can take quite an impact. Not sure why they used an ancient Sony Cybershot for the video, but even that old camera will get better results than your standard "kids" cam.
