FLICKR FRIDAY Project116*3: The NEWLY PAINTED Castle

In an effort of doing a double upload this week, I go back to the Disneyland trip well (I really can only draw blood from this stone one last time).

During our 8th anniversary, and the first day we arrived, they removed the scrim and scaffolding and what you see is the new paint scheme for the Sleeping Beauty castle. Now to be fair there are some who wanted more muted colors but for me and my wife, we loved the saturation. The shade of blue with the gold was so punchy and the way the sun hit the castle right at that time of day, it was....just magical.

I'll have an upload again, how so ever the blog entry for Shutter Speed for the "Understanding Exposure" blog series is on hold while I recoup an injury and get ahead of some obligations personally. Thanks for understanding and see you again soon!

FLICKR FRIDAY Project116*3: "Breakfast of Champions"

This installment of Project116*3 comes to you from my anniversary vacation. I’m not about to let a project get in the way of me relaxing but Disneyland has always had a special place in my heart for it’s attractions, smells, sounds, and food. This morning was no different as my wife and I wanted to experience something new that we haven’t experienced before, to add to our already bursting filing cabinet of good memories. We tried Carnation Cafe, and let me tell you this tip; wait longer for outside seating. Always seat outside. No matter where you are eating most every place in Disneyland let’s you eat outside under an umbrella, and it just adds to the experience. I’ll definitely reorder my waffle w/ sausage, oj, and coffee next time we swing by Disneyland, and that will be next year exactly enjoying our 9th year married. I love being married to my best friend, and I love spending time at Disneyland with her. Here’s to another eight years!

Mirrorless Camera Buyers Guide [So you wanna buy a mirrorless camera (part 3)]

Before we begin…

I should state now that a lot of these features and stats my go over your head, please bear with me as I’m highlighting a lot of stats within the camera itself that I enjoy and look for in a camera. Owning your first mirrorless camera is a pretty neat event as it sets you on the path of photography. What it can handle as a workload should be directly in line with what you are doing. For example if you aren’t doing sporting events let’s say you would necessarily need a camera that can do a high speed of burst shots over another camera, possibly saving money in the process. Yes as the last piece of the “three pieces of photography gear” you need, the camera should be an important decision but the last decision. That being said, and I cant stress this enough; from hobbyist to serious minded photographer… Get Quality Glass First.

Lastly, I want to state the obvious. While the camera takes in the light to make a photo, it is you and you along who pushes that button. The cameras sensor can make the image tack sharp, and the quality glass (you purchased first, no I won’t stop harping on this) will give you wonderful bokeh and clear details, but it is you who points the lens where it needs to go. I talk a lot about gear (to a fault really, which personally I’m breaking myself on) and I don’t stress enough that the photographer needs to be as mindful and knowledgeable as the camera is decked with features. Gear only will get you so far, but it is not a substitute for talent, so please… Work on you photographic eye, and be happy with the gear you have. Rather than constantly upgrading to keep up, examine if you talent has been unoriginal and stagnate or hindered by the limitation of your gear.

Let’s Go Store Shopping

Like anything in life you need to shop around and find the best deals/savings. That being the case I have a few suggestions of shops to check out that you may or may not know about already;

eBay

This little storefront is where I got a good amount of my gear I still use. Shop around here and the best advice I have for those that aren’t sure about the reliability of the site, I can say for certain I have never been cheated on eBay, but I’m also mindful of who sells me these things. You should stay away from the following.

• low seller scores (like if the seller has a 0 or >15) next to their name

• things that originally come from China (nothing against China, you just want to buy initially within North America). save the knock-off brands for other things later,

• Hot Items. Some less savory characters don’t know how much a lens or camera is worth so they low ball by a lot. In that case never buy a $3000 latest model camera for $500 . You’ll know more on the average price of a camera as you do a little research into the one you want

• “As-Is” listing. Just read carefully through the description of what you want and spare the snap purchase reflex you may have. You may be purchasing that “non-operable camera to be used for parts only” in error.

I know that’s a lot of caveats to add, but if you scoop a camera or lens you want for $100 or so less than it normally goes for then I saved you money.

Few “feed back ratings” and the Positive Feedback >95%…. No thanks

Amazon

I have mixed feelings about this place, but I love its price competition more than the harm it did forcing businesses to low ball or go out of business. One of the biggest killers when shopping online is shipping, but if you have Amazon Prime you get shipping free for 2-day shipping… so there’s that. The only other thing is that since Amazon was the first to be a popular price cutting online store, it has to constantly stay competitive making a great place to start gauging prices under the suggested MSRP for many other online stores. Heavy is the site that wears the crown of lowest prices, so look around and if Amazon is the best price that day, scoop up the gear you are looking for.

B&H / Adorama / 42nd Street Photo / Samy’s Camera

I bothered to just lump the photography eStores into one category, as they are all shades of grey. In short:

• They all offer credit

• They all have physical stores (either East or West Coast stores)

• They all sell the latest gear under MSRP

• They all offer refurbished older gear

• They all offer bundles for starting gear when buying a camera

• If in the physical store and can wheel and deal they will throw in some extras here and there, which is nice if starting out but mostly pointless if well established in gear.

The Mirrorless Cameras

I’ve prefaced some sage like advice, I’ve given you options on where to shop….

So, you wanna buy a mirrorless camera. Here are some suggestions.

Sony a6300

I gotta respect a company that continues to show up on the photography radar with some of their crazy innovations. My first camera in the digital realm even was a Sony CyberShot point-and-shoot camera w/ whopping 2.1 megapixels…ahem...as I was saying. The Sony a6300 is an APS-C cropped 24.2 MP CMOS sensor. Able to shoot a burst 11fps continuous at RAW this small camera packs a punch. For the model photographer this little monster has Eye-AF, tracking your subject no matter the movement and with 425 AF points, you are assured that every image will be in tack sharp focus. If you are looking for a camera that can take video as well, this is your swiss army knife, as it can do 4K at 30fps and 120fps in full HD. Allow me to splash some cold water on your face here as everything is not wine and roses here. Last I saw the camera has a little bit of a rolling shutter issue when filming video, so buyer be aware. Also the starting camera price of ~$900 can be a bit of a knee jerk reaction to this camera as it is pricey… and that not including the price(s) of any glass you attach to it. Take comfort in knowing that your limitations are what you make of it in the camera, as even using other lenses like all of these cameras are just a third party adapter away.

8.5/10

Canon M50

As I am a Canon user, believe when I say I won’t be biased on this product. I originally was looking at this list kinda surprised the Canon and Nikon had nothing really of value to offer, and then this came along. If 4K were a cuss word, Canon would be a PG movie. Offering literally NOTHING on a beginner/hobbyist level for 4K video options (w/ Canon’s 1D X and 5D mk IV being the only other cameras to do this) is unforgivable. Only now does it start to dab its toe in the 4K pool only so far thought as this isn’t true 4K as the sensor is a APS-C cropped 24.1 MP CMOS sensor. This also wouldn’t even be on the list unless it made up for its shortcomings, and it does. First, price. At $650 w/ kit lens, and the availability of a first party adapter ($150) that has the ability to connect all EF / EF-s lenses, this is a great starting point for beginners to Canon, photography, or Canon mirrorless cameras. The option is out there with a third party adapter to lessen the crop factor significantly. This is a x.71 adapter that also increases your lens’s light in by one full stop, which can make the difference in low light situations. If this is canon’s first entry level attempt at delivering 4K in one of their cameras it fell slightly flat since its 4K cropped, but I give an A for effort. Thanks for joining the rest of us Canon, better late than never I suppose.

7/10

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III 

Coming from outside of my expertise wheelhouse I consulted a few sites, bloggers, and message boards; this and the next camera come recommended, but I have no clue of outside lenses that would be great for it or where its limitations start/end. This camera has a tiny cropped 16.1 MP Micro 4/3 CMOS sensor, but don’t let that rule it out as this has 121 Auto Focus points w/ In Body Image Stabilization. It films in full 4K, but can only do 120fps in 720p. The other attractive feature is of course, the price. this comes in at $649! Real talk, this is a stepping off point for beginners. It is incredibly affordable, and as I’ve witnessed, has amazing image quality. That being said, I strongly feel this is for a hobbyist or vacationer, but who am I to tell you what and when you can use this.

7.5/10

Fujifilm X-E3

Fujifilm. I have had extensive experience in their film, and short of the rerelease of Kodak’s Ektachrome or the ever hopeful return of Kodakrome, would take Fujifilm’s film quality over ever other color film out there, period. So when I expect to see image quality and get blown away with its color logic inside the amazing 24.3 MP cropped APS-C CMOS sensor, then I know photography speaking this is where it starts. If you a looking for brands to follow up the product ladder until you get that Pro-level camera and shoot at a Pro-level, then the labels go Canon Nikon Sony and Fujifilm. Fujifilm, sadly has no real horse in the race of sporting photography in a sea of Yellow and Red (Nikon and Canon). This fact is not a detractor for you to stay away from Fujifilm, when a rising amount of Mirrorless users use Fujifilm and do street photography, photojournalism, modeling, wedding, and landscape photography. This, if you are strictly going mirrorless and not deviating from Fujifilm, should be your starting point and as other entry level mirrorless cameras go, should be The Bar at which every other camera is judged by its abilities and drawbacks. Of course it films in 4K, do you think all this praise would be given if it couldn’t? Coming in, with 23mm (effective 35mm equivalent @37mm) lens, the total comes to $950. It is the most expensive camera of the group I can suggest, but the quality far outweighs any shortcomings I know.

9/10

A few words to wrap up my review right now. Most all these cameras have a third party adapter that allows you to use any lens with that camera, sometimes even with the Auto Focus. That being the case, it blurs the lines you may have, when set on a specific brand. How so ever, I will say that nothing works better than an EF mounted camera to and EF lens, if you get what I’m saying.

… but what if you don’t like what mirrorless has to offer?

Well then, stay tuned next Sunday (before I start going Thursdays again for my regularly scheduled blogging time) for a buyers guide to dSLR cameras. For now, I hope this was some help in deciding a mirrorless camera, and thanks for stopping by.

DSLR VS MIRRORLESS [So you wanna buy a mirrorless camera (part 2)]

When discussing these cameras a few years ago I could confidently say “Hey, let’s do a blog title “Which is better”, and confidently come up with a winner. What a difference a handful of years make… Now I answer the question “Which is better” by giving the answer “ That is dependent on what your preference is and your workflow”. I’ll go in depth on the minutia for my reasoning but for those that want a TL;DR I’ll break it down like this.

Remove the pentaprism and the mirror from the DSLR; you start to streamline to a smaller size and a lighter weight.

• AMATEUR

  ~ [looking to understand or get into photography]

  BUY 35mm FILM CAMERA

  ~ [don’t wanna do film] dSLR entry level
  ~ [younger/older photographer] mirrorless

• PROSUMER ~ [vacationer] mirrorless
  ~ [vlogger/blogger] mirrorless
  ~ [younger / older shooter] dSLR

• PROFESSIONAL ~ [self employed photographer] dSLR

So why would you want a mirrorless camera? When considering how long you’d be holding on to the camera shooting, and with certain heavier lenses, the much needed break in size and weight is a godsend. I would recommend going mirrorless if you are going “lighter” on photography gear. Perfect for the upcoming vacation/ convention seasons, you’ll travel lighter and won’t sacrifice the image quality if you did think of going mirrorless. Also, the younger and older photographers out there should think of going mirrorless as the size and weight won’t tire you out physically when going out shooting. To not overstate the weight and size a vlogger or blogger will struggle less with a nice light lens and a mirrorless camera on a mini tripod like the Joby GorillaPod. Lastly I wanna touch on this cautionary warning. A dSLR has a mirror and a shutter screen that blocks the sensor and acts as a protector from any dust or damage to the sensor, with the mirrorless camera…you don’t have that protection. Essentially any dust, dirt, scratches, or splashes that would get into a mirrorless camera would effect the sensor, and any damage to the sensor could very well ruin the camera. I don’t want to deter you from getting what technologically speaking is a “as-good or better than dSLR” camera, and extreme instances of carelessness would be the only cause damage that bad.

Your back and camera bag will thank you for switching or choosing mirrorless cameras as your photography choice.

The difference to (left) Canon 80D with lens and (right) Canon M5 w/ adapter and same lens is non-existent.

Now, on the flip side… Let’s say you are deterred by the sensor being exposed when changing lenses and what have you. Let’s also say that you’ve been using film SLRs of a certain brand that work with dSLRs without the need for adapters (more on this later). Let’s also say that comparatively you want a longer battery life (500+ shots on average), the weight difference isn’t important (on average the weight difference is 2-3lbs), and price is of some concern. Well then, welcome to dSLRs where almost 30 years of digital technology have been developed inside SLR bodies. The glass in almost every instance has a 30+ year timeline which is usable with AF (auto focus) on dSLR cameras today, without adapters. Nothing against mirrorless cameras, but the added weight for the ability to use legacy or vintage cameras almost mitigates the size and weight advantage mirrorless cameras have. Lastly there’s every serious and professional photographer’s nightmare: Disk Error & Data Corruption. The mirrorless option has a few answers to this issue, offering dual SD or CF slots, but dual slots is almost a standard on profession dSLRS. You the reader must be asking “with all these advantages, why even go mirrorless”. Here’s where, beyond the facts given, my opinion comes in.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Canon is the company I chose. I have few reservations after choosing the brand after learning photography on my old Canon AE-1 camera. I was familiar with Canon’s product lingo so I wasn’t lost in trying to determine if an EF-S lens would work on a specific body, or vice versa. Over the years I’ve seen Canon really innovate their AF game while losing the fight to certain Nikon cameras. When mirrorless came out swinging I paid attention to Sony (though Fujifilm was not taken for granted) and the a7 series of mirrorless cameras. Their color science and image quality was amazing. I’m on the precipice of, adapting another brand of cameras, and with my trip coming up I just may, but currently mirrorless cameras of any brand just isn’t justified YET for me….is it for you?

Next week, if you are going mirrorless I’ll have a list of cameras both current and a generation or two behind that are real workhorses and should be considered if you are buying a mirrorless camera. The following week will be a buyers guide for dSLR cameras, to give each “type” their own spotlight. I will preface two thing each week as I wrap up now.

1. GET GLASS FIRST! I cannot stress getting high quality lenses in your brand’s wheelhouse before the camera. Pick up a cheap body or an older body, or snag a deal…but get GLASS first!

2. The gear does not make the photographer. If you have THE camera and lens to end all cameras and lenses it does nothing if you can’t understand proper exposure and composition. The gear can “cover up” shortcomings but peers will notice and you’ll be a better photographer starting small.

3. None of what I write, show, or vlog will matter a damn if you…yes you, do not break from the internet and go out shooting and experimenting yourself. You will be a tenfold better photographer by learning from your mistakes and stumbling upon happy accidents before learning from me or anybody else.

   So go snap pics and be active, always learning from each shot and less concerned with gear; just concerned that the next photograph you make will be better than the last. Cheers!

So you wanna buy a mirrorless camera (part 1)

The year is 2012 and a few photographer colleagues are asking me what I think about mirrorless cameras, to which I say “A flash in the pan, mark my words and don’t spend anymore money than you have on them. Focus on glass!” I would end up eating my words on half that statement, owning up to the fact that this May, for a vacation with my wife, I’ll be packing a mirrorless camera for the first time. But how did I get to this point that I’m eating crow? Was it the constant bombardment of photographer bloggers and YouTubers showing off their cool new gear, or rather…was it time “going mirrorless” should be looked at as an option having lasted as long as they have with huge leaps in advancement from what they were…I’ll let you decide in this series. We will take a look at first what this technology is, compare and contrast with dSLR (digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras, and finally give examples of both brands and certain makes of cameras to look for if you yourself are going to make the plunge. So let’s answer the first question:

What is a mirrorless camera?

To answer what it is, I gotta explain what it isn’t. To explain what it isn’t I have to go back, back, back in time to show how it evolved into the camera it became. Cameras for the longest time had no way of showing you want you were shooting. you would aim the camera at the subject and unless you planned out the shot and where to frame it there was a good chance the subject would be out of focus or out of where you had composed the subject. Cameras with viewfinders helped (if you knew how to combat parallax error) but would wouldn’t show what the lens saw and put on film, until Twin-Lens Reflex cameras.

Twin-Lens Reflex as the name would suggest was a camera with two lenses. one game you a better approximation of where your subject was and how it would show up on film with again roughly the same field of view as what the film would record. Through the top lens and bounced off a mirror (I think you know where this is going) within the camera the photographer could see the subject. This would be the first leap forward in seeing what the end product would be before taking the shot, allowing recomposing the subject and focusing without botching the photograph. Life was good, and then the new upstart SLR cameras came in to change the game.

SLR, as stated previously, stands for Single Lens Reflex. This new innovation would be the standard for how the contemporary cameras would function into the digital age. The mirror pulls double duty offering a TTL (through the lens) view to compose, and when ready flipping up to imprint the subject on film or sensor depending on the technology.

Glossing over the history you get the idea of where the next stage in camera technology would move to. In the name mirrorless cameras remove the flip up mirror to offer a more lens to sensor connection..Your viewfinder is an electric viewfinder (viewable only when the camera has power) giving you exactly what the sensor will pick up and read. Certain functions like AF (auto focus) and exposure were bounced around through the mirror previously, but now the direct lens to sensor offers a more condensed A - B communication connection. There is no inherit advantage to this over the dSLR, in fact when the technology of mirrorless first came out dSLRs were the better choice for focusing. Currently however certain flagship dSLRs are getting a run for their money from many competent mirrorless cameras. I suppose to compare and contrast one needs to ask..

Which is better dSLR or mirrorless ?

Which I’ll handily answer next week in part 2. Thanks for being so patient the past year and change, but I plan on being more consistent and will have my work back my mouth…

See you then!