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The Canon EOS R5 is the company’s first major professional mirrorless camera, and it’s wonderful! There was a time when I was angry at Canon. But when the Canon EOS R launched, that anger subsided. It was a nice entry into the serious mirrorless camera world. But the Canon EOS R5 is arguably the camera they should have launched at the start. This camera can easily become the bread and butter of any professional photographer using it. It can also be a great tool for a multimedia shooter. Better yet, the hobbyist photographer who is passionate about the craft will enjoy what this camera can do. There has been a lot of wrongful bashing of the Canon EOS R5 on the web. And in this review, we’re going to talk to the practicality of it all. Note that before you go on, we’re not sensationalizing things just for clicks. If you’re a shooter that left Canon for another system, we’re probably going to tell you a few things you don’t want to hear. So, please keep your superiority complexes in check. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. This review has been updated in December 2021. Table of Contents Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used with the Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R5 Tech Specs Canon EOS R5 Ergonomics Canon EOS R5 Build Quality Canon EOS R5 Ease of Use Canon EOS R5 Autofocus Performance Canon EOS R5 Image Quality JPEG Output RAW File Versatility High ISO Output TimeLapse Shooting Extra Image Samples from the Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R5 Review Conclusions Likes Dislikes Pros and Cons Pros Well built Excellent battery life So intuitive for a Canon shooter Feels very good in the hand Image stabilization is pretty much second to none Wonderful menu systems Excellent details Weather sealed Reliable Canon’s Mobile App connection setup is as simple as ever Doesn’t overheat with short clips Wifi sending of full HD video is pretty fast High ISO RAW files hold a fair amount of data. There’s great dynamic range and colors, but the noise is a bit painful. Wireless RAW file transmission with Capture One 22 Cons The joystick is in an odd spot In some ways feels like an old 60D, but it’s totally not I personally feel the magnification button is in an odd spot Can’t transfer 8K video via Wifi 4K movie clips shorter than 30 seconds take a while to send, and then ultimately don’t end up on your phone High ISO Raw files above 12,800 tend to get a bit messy The price is a bit high at $3,899 Gear Used with the Canon EOS R5 We tested the Canon EOS R5 with the: Canon RF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM Samyang 85mm f1.4 AF Profoto B10 Canon EOS R5 Tech Specs In Brief: High Image Quality featuring a New 45 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS Sensor DIGIC X Image Processor with an ISO range of 100-51200; Expandable to 102400 Dual Pixel CMOS AF covering Approx. 100% Area with 1,053 AF Areas Subject tracking of People and Animals using Deep Learning Technology In-body Image Stabilizer can provide up to 8 stops of Shake Correction Dual Card Slots for CFexpress and UHS-II SD Memory Cards Built-in 0.5″ 5.76 Million Dots OLED EVF with 120fps refresh rate, Vari-angle LCD Touchscreen 2.4/5Ghz Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Technology Full Specs taken from the LensRentals Listing 45MP Full-Frame Sensor and DIGIC X Processor. The Canon EOS R5’s newly designed 45MP full-frame CMOS sensor works in tandem with the DIGIC X processor to produce high-resolution stills and video with plenty of speed. The native ISO range of 100-51,200 can be expanded to 100-102,400, making this camera suitable for working in a wide range of lighting conditions. 8K30 RAW and 4K 120 Video. The EOS R5’s 45MP sensor makes internal DCI 8K 30 fps RAW capture possible, in addition to 4K recording at up to 120 fps in 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log and HDR-PQ. Please note that DCI 8K is the only format in which you can shoot RAW with the R5—every other resolution offers All-I or IPB compression. External HD

The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD could be the best lens for APS-C cameras ever made. The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD could be the best lens for APS-C cameras ever made. It combines weather-resistance with fast autofocus and a lot of versatility. For the record, it’s more or less a 24-120mm f2.8 equivalent zoom. And for any APS-C photographer, that’s a dream. To boot, it’s also incredibly small for what it is. While it feels fantastic on Sony cameras, some Fujifilm photographers might not necessarily want to use it. However, it’s great on both camera systems. This review was updated June 27th 2022. A whole other section was created just for the Fujifilm variant. Pros and Cons Pros Small Weather sealed Under $1,000 Image stabilized Basically a 24-105mm at f2.8 Lightweight Cons Tamron is a beautiful diamond being wasted on the sad Ringpop that is the Sony APS-C camera system. What’s Innovative About This? The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is the full-frame equivalent of a 26-105mm f2.8 lens. The depth of field will be around f4.2 in full-frame too. But the light gathering and true aperture will still be f2.8. This is the first time we’ve ever gotten a lens like this. Add onto all this the vibration compensation, sharp optics, and weather sealing features. Then realize that it’s under $1,000. To me, this sounds like a no-brainer. It’s a truly usable large range that photographers can use with confidence every day. Sigma has their 18-35mm f1.8 lens, but it’s not as useable a range as this Tamron offering. For what it’s worth, I think this lens is wasted on E Mount. Everyone fawns over the company’s full-frame cameras. It has also come to Fujifilm X series. It could also even make the Nikon Z50 seem more useful. Gear Used We tested the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD on the Sony a6600. We also used it with Profoto lighting. Tech Specs Specs are taken from AlphaShooters Lens construction: 16 elements in 12 groupsAngle of view (APS-C): 79゜55′-23゜00′Number of diaphragm blades: 9（Rounded diaphragm）Minimum aperture: F22Minimum focusing distance: 0.19m (7.5 in) (WIDE) / 0.39m (15.4 in) (TELE)Maximum magnification ratio: 1:4.8 (WIDE) / 1:5.2 (TELE)Filter size: φ67mmDiameter: 74.6mmLength: 119.3mm (4.7 in)Weight: 525g (18.5oz)Accessories: Flower-shaped hood, Lens caps included Ergonomics The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a moderately sized lens. I say this because it depends a lot on the situation you’re in. But overall, it’s simple to use thanks to the construction. You can see above that the only controls are a large zoom ring and a small focusing ring. The exterior is made of plastic. However, the lens doesn’t feel like a bad, plasticky lens. It’s a ways better than anything Rokinon has made. When fully zoomed in, the lens also doesn’t become much larger than it is. And that’s really great for real-life use. Of course, that also means that it isn’t an internally zooming lens. Build Quality Make no mistake; the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a massive lens for an APS-C camera. But overall, it’s still smaller than a Canon 50mm f1.2 RF prime lens. It’s also far lighter. The lens is built solidly. It’s a plastic body that doesn’t feel cheap at all. Tamron is a specialist at constructing lenses like this. There are also nice rubber rings for grip. Of course, this lens is also weather-resistant. We’re confident that it will outlast the Sony bodies it was designed for. Overall, this lens is built to be the only one you need. It’s lightweight and fairly small. Stuff it into a camera bag slot, and you’ll be good to go. Again, Tamron has built one of the most perfect lenses for APS-C cameras. It’s again a shame it’s being wasted on a format that I don’t think sees its future in APS-C. Ease of Use Slap the lens on the camera, point, focus, and shoot. That’s all there is to it. The lens has vibration compensation built-in, which transl

Every single one of them are good. Every single camera these days is very good and has gotten to a point where they’re all capable of taking great photos. But there is a lot more that goes into making a camera. Believe it or not, they’re all mostly the same in some ways. And it’s easy for someone to sit there and think that one camera is very similar to another until you pick them up and use them. With this in mind, cameras need to diversity. They Can All Achieve Fast and Accurate Autofocus, But They’re Not the Same Years ago, some cameras just wouldn’t be able to autofocus. They would be as slow as molasses. The performance would be bad for both contrast and phase-detection. But that’s all changed. They can all autofocus. Will they always be able to autofocus quickly? No. Can they all keep a moving subject perfectly in focus? No. Do they all have animal and bird face detection? No way. And you can surely bet that they all don’t have vehicle detection. However, they can all autofocus and take a portrait of a subject in good lighting. The performance will really vary in low lighting. More importantly, the speed will really vary depending on the brand used. But again, if you just want them to take a picture, they can all do it pretty well. Even Sigma, much maligned by many reviewers, can make a camera that can do the very basics. They’re all more or less copying one another. When one brand does face detection, so too does another. Some brand will try to do animal detection, and then another brand will too. Because they’re constantly copying each other, the products become the same. Most are Weather Resistant, and That’s Very Important Most cameras have weather resistance these days. And we’re happy about that. It’s not important just for going out into the rain, but also for overall sensor protection. Plus, your cameras will keep working in tip top shape for longer if they’re built better. The way I like to think about this is like what my mother did to the poor Camry we had growing up. She’d use it to haul hundreds of pounds of stuff from Home Depot. The entire suspension system would be screwed up. Of course, there are cars designed to do that kind of stuff. A 1997 Camry couldn’t do it in 2011. Similarly, your Nikon z50 isn’t going to resist what a Nikon Z7 II will. The Sony a7c won’t stand up to everything the Sony a1 can either. At this point though, more and more weather resistant cameras need to be hitting the market. There are also folks that say that weather resistant cameras don’t necessarily need weather resistance. But it’s a big issue for anyone that actually uses their cameras, warranties, insurance, etc. All Ergonomics Follow More or Less Two Design Variants All cameras follow one of three designs: The SLR: like most cameras with a raised viewfinder. The rangefinder: in my opionion, this is the best. The box: Hasselblad and Sigma more or less do that. So with that in mind, there are subtleties that make one camera look and feel different from another. Sometimes it’s a small thing like thumb grips. Other times it can be the exterior materials. But when they’re all copying one another or changing things slightly, it’s easy for everything to be the same. They’re All Using More or Less the Same Sensors All sensors come from maybe three companies: Canon, Sony, or Tower Jazz. So they’re all getting the same image quality until they start doing this own tweaks via the processor and more. This is a big problem. At the root of it all, most cameras on the market have the same Sony sensors in them. What’s the point of discussing image quality if they’ve got the same starting point? The processor and the tweaks companies make can surely have something to do with it. But again, they’re all more or less similar.

Capture One is back with the newest rendition of their beloved editing software. Capture One 22 improves some of its best features and introduces several new functions photographers have been requesting. Real estate, landscape, and astrophotographers can now enjoy a powerful HDR merge function. The Panoramic Stitch feature resembles the Brenizer Method and makes it possible to create larger canvases in smaller spaces. Capture One Live adds collaboration tools, while the overall design prepares for the upcoming iPad version. Make sure you have plenty of hard drive space for these functions. You’ll see why. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Table of Contents Too Long Didn’t Read Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used What’s New In Capture One 22? Ease of Use Capture One Live Magic Eraser and local editing Wireless Tethering for Canon and Sony Panoramic Stitch HDR Merge Auto Rotate Performance Conclusions of Capture One 22 Too Long Didn’t Read The newest release of Capture One is here, and it has some worthy upgrades. After adding HDR merge and a Panoramic Stitch functionality, the photo editor now has online collaboration, an enhanced Keystone tool, and a magic eraser. Wireless tethering is available for multiple Canon and Sony cameras, and overall performance has improved. The editing program still has room for improvement with its selections, healing, and cloning functionalities. Pros and Cons Pros HDR merge is pretty great Panoramic Stitch is a nice feature Many Canon and Sony shooters will enjoy tethering wirelessly Performance is noticeably improved Re-designed tool tab is easier to learn Capture One Live has simple sharing Customizable workspaces Solid performance Cons The clone and healing masks aren’t as precise as Photoshop There still isn’t a patch tool The magic brush should be more accurate and functional to compete with other programs Auto rotate isn’t geared towards verticals The Live feature really needs notifications Larger catalog sizes Gear Used We originally tested Capture One 22 on a 2019 16” MacBook Pro. The images used were captured with a Canon 5D Mark III, Sony a7 III, and Fujifilm GFX50s II. Tethering was tested with a Canon EOS R5 and EOS R. The 15.3 build of Capture One, released in June 2022, was tested on a 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Pro with images from a Fujifilm X-T4 and Panasonic GH6. What’s New In Capture One 22? Main feature upgrades are provided by Capture One. Panorama Stitch HDR Merge Auto Rotate (AI-Driven) Wireless Tethering for Canon and Sony Improved Performance Capture One Live collaboration Magic Eraser tool Enhanced Keystone tool Ease of Use Everything you already love about Capture One performs a bit better. The software has also improved how it captures data. Windows users will be pleased to see more user-friendly catalogs as they have re-engineered them. Mac users will see a quicker response when browsing through images quickly and zoom functionality. With the June 2022 update, the desktop software is now ready for the upcoming iPad app. One of those changes includes re-designed icons in the tool tab. These icons now all finally have labels. One of the most annoying aspects of switching from Lightroom is that there are so many tabs and none of them are labeled. The update will help new users find everything quickly. The only downside is that the tools tab needs a little more space. I had to make it wider to accommodate the Color tab, which was originally hiding in the ellipsis icon. Even with the updated design, Capture One is still very customizable. That’s one of the software’s stand-out features — being able to customize the workspace to your liking. Capture One Live Update June 2022 by Review Editor Hillary Grigonis Capture One Live is a new collaboration tool that shares collections online for others to view, star, or color code. Five sessions are included with a basic subscription — sha

For more stories like this, please subscribe to the Phoblographer. The sad truth is that peel-apart film has been gone for many years now. In its final, last years, it didn’t get enough love. For decades, it was used primarily as a way to get a preview of what you were shooting on medium format cameras. But it evolved into other things after that. Recently, Supersense tried recreating it poorly. But if you have some of the original Fujifilm stuff, then you’ve got something special. Lots of folks don’t know what to do with them. So we’re going to walk you through. Oh, and by the way. My favorite camera to shoot peel-apart film with was always the Polaroid 180. Put it In the Fridge. Now. If you happen to get some, trust me on this. Put it in the fridge. Peel apart film is an actual film. And film has organic matter in it. Like all other organic materials, refrigeration helps preserve them. Whatever you do, don’t put it in the freezer. This film has an actual chemical in it that gets sorted through the photo once you shoot and pull it. Then it develops. Putting peel apart film in the freezer lets that film bubble possibly burst. Then the film is useless. So put it in the fridge. Let it Defrost When You Want to Shoot it When you’re ready to shoot your Peel apart film, let it sit outside for a while. Let it adjust to room temperature for maybe around an hour or so. This will get it prepped to shoot. And that brings us to our next step. Don’t Shoot it In the Cold Years ago, you could easily shoot Peel apart film in the cold, put it in a cold plate, and then warm it up with your body heat. At this point, all Peel apart film is pretty expired. So you’re best off just shooting it in warm weather. Aim for at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the room or the outdoor space you’re shooting. Years ago, I took a date out in the winter with this film. I pulled it through the roller when it was too cold out, and the photos never developed because of that. When you pull the image, make sure you’re in the warmest place possible. That will make the chemical saturation its richest. Overexpose it By at Least a Stop of Light Typically, you’re supposed to overexpose expired film anyway. When you use Peel apart film, you’re going to have to expose it. Use a light meter and get the best reading you possibly can. Then add a stop or so extra of light. Sometimes you’ll need to add two stops. This is the only way that you can get an image that will look really great. The Secret: You Can’t Overdevelop It Always remember, this isn’t digital, and it’s not really the darkroom. You can’t overdevelop Peel apart film. You can sit there, let it develop, and it will just stop after some time. Peel apart film usually tells you how long you need to wait until it’s done developing. You can underdevelop the shots, though. Don’t do that. It’s a waste. Keep the Other Side, It’s a Negative You Can Develop at Home with Bleach Lastly, when you’re done shooting, don’t throw away the other side of the instant film. That side contains a negative that’s easy to develop at home. Just use bleach or some toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. Then you’ll be able to get a beautiful negative that you can scan in and make it look gorgeous.

Getting a pure white background doesn’t require post-production at all. Sure, you’ll shoot photos, but you don’t need to spend a whole day or two editing them just right. You can do it easily in-camera. But trust us when we say it’s a lot easier to do with flash than it is with LEDs. LEDs will mean that you’re more or less just spending more time editing in post-production. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. What You Need A white background with a lot of lighting control. Ideally, you’ll use a box with a white interior A flash with a large diffuser like a softbox, a beauty dish, or something Another flash, possibly How to Do This Getting this done is pretty easy, but it will change depending on what you’re using. Set up: your white box on a hard, stable surface With the white box’s opening towards you, cut the top of it so that you can put a flash over it. Shut all the blinds and curtains in the room to kill ambient lighting Place the light modifier with the flash inside over the top Meter the scene. If you’re using TTL flash, set it to be one stop extra of power. TTL works by looking at the ISO and the aperture. The faster your shutter speed, the more ambient light you’ll kill. The slower it is, the more will come in. If you’re just using a white background, you’ll need a second flash. With your subject in front of the white background, meter them and photograph them with a flash accordingly. Have the second flash firing at the white background and make sure that it is a stop more powerful than the main light. “When you use your light meter to check the output of the lights, your main light should be weaker while your back light should be stronger. For the image above, our main light (which was next to the camera and in front of our model) was metered to f8 at ISO 100. The back light (hitting the background and positioned off to the side) was metered to f11 at ISO 100. Therefore, the light in the back is brighter and therefore gives the effect of a seamless white. It would have also worked if my main light was set to f5.6 and my back light was set to f8. Same with my main being set to f2.8 and my back being set to f4.” Getting a background to go pure white The Idea The idea here is that you’re trying to make the background bright white. This is more complicated to do with LEDs and also doesn’t give you the crisp quality a flash can. To get the background to appear purely white, it needs to be brighter than the subject you’re photographing. That’s how you make it stand out. And it makes sense. If you were photographing a portrait subject with bokeh balls in the background, the bokeh balls will stand out because they’re brighter than your subject. The same idea is being applied here. If you don’t have all these, you should take a look at our tutorial on how to do it with a window, a reflector, and one flash. Of course, you’ll have to do some post-production. And if you’re like me, you want to avoid post-production as much as possible and get it right in-camera.

Photographers now can take their pick of cameras that can shoot stills fast enough to actually be movies. But Canon’s approach to a speedy flagship is arguably the most different from Sony’s and Nikon’s. Instead of creating a camera that can shoot both fast and high resolution, the Canon EOS R3 uses a less-headline-worthy 24.1-megapixel sensor. Canon is taking a gamble that the photographers who want 30 fps are also the photographers who prioritize exceptional low light performance over high resolution. And, they’re trying to sweeten the deal with an autofocus system that will just focus on wherever you’re looking. You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Will Canon’s gamble pay off, or is the R3 going to lose out to a higher resolution foe? Does the AF in this headline mean autofocus or the Urban Dictionary definition of AF? I spent a few weeks with the Canon R3, shooting everything from wildlife to equestrian to low light portraits. I was blown away by both the autofocus and the noise reduction in the dark. And limited rolling shutter distortion may actually make the R3’s top speeds useful. Table of Contents Too Long, Didn’t Read Canon EOS R3 Pros and Cons Pros Cons Gear Used Innovations Canon EOS R3 Tech Specs Ergonomics Build Quality Autofocus Eye Control AF Ease of Use Metering Image Quality High ISO Images RAW File Versatility Extra Image Samples Edited Unedited Conclusion Likes Dislikes Too Long, Didn’t Read The Canon R3 has a top burst speed that’s actually useful because of a great autofocus system and a faster processor to limit rolling shutter. This camera can not only shoot in the dark but print ISO 128,000 and still look good. While the R5 may make more sense for detail work, the R3 is an exceptional low-light and fast-action camera. Canon EOS R3 Pros and Cons Pros Impressive autofocus performance with both action and low light Face recognition works phenomenally, even on birds and in dark scenes Reduced rolling shutter distortion and 1/180 flash sync with electronic shutter Excellent noise reduction at high ISOs Eye Control AF Built-in vertical grip Lots of great controls Weather-sealed Cons Resolution is lower than competitors (but this is partially why low light quality is so great) Higher learning curve Hot shoe adapter recommended for weather-sealing with older flashes Heavier and larger than the R5 and R6 Pricey Gear Used I used the Canon EOS R3 with the 70-200 f4, 85mm f2 Macro, and 16mm f2.8 RF mount lenses. I also paired the camera with both the EL-1 flash and the Flashpoint R2 Zoom Li-Ion III and a wireless trigger. I stashed the gear in the F-Stop Ajna backpack. The reflections you see in some of the night portraits were created with Lensbaby Omni wands. Innovations Canon wasn’t the first to announce a sports-focused mirrorless flagship; it competes with the speed of the Sony A1 and the Nikon Z9. But, there’s still a lot of innovation here. Canon has included Eye Control AF, which was previously on some of their film cameras. This moves the autofocus point to whatever part of the frame your eye is looking at. The processor that’s behind the 30 fps top burst speed also reduces rolling shutter distortion with faster image processing. Canon EOS R3 Tech Specs Adorama lists the following specifications for the Canon EOS R3, shortened for clarity: Lens Mount: Canon RF Sensor Type: 36 x 24mm (Full-Frame) CMOS Sensor Resolution: Actual: 26.7 Megapixel; Effective: 24.1 Megapixels Crop Factor: None Aspect Ratio: 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 Image File Format: JPEG, Raw, HEIF Bit Depth: 14-Bit Image Stabilization: Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 102400 (Extended: 50 to 204800) Shutter Speed: Mechanical Shutter: 1/8000 to 30 Second, Bulb Mode Electronic Shutter: 1/64000 to 30 Second in Manual Mode; 1/64000 to 30 Second in Shutter Priority Mode; 1/8000 to 30 Second in Aperture Priority Mode; 1/8000 to 30 Second;

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! You can also listen to it right here on The Phoblographer. The 135mm lens is a magical wonder for many photographers. It’s a long lens, and arguably the longest practical portrait lens. In the past, many photographers loved and adored the lens for more than just portraits. It’s a great candid lens; you can be far from a subject before being noticed. The 135mm lens has lots of desirable qualities about it. And if you’re a certain type of photographer, it might never leave your camera. Before you make the commitment, though, let’s go over a few things. They’re Arguably the Best Portrait Lens, But They’ve Got Tradeoffs The 135mm is considered by many photographers to be the perfect focal length for portraits. Optically speaking, no one looks bad when you shoot with it. It gives the right compression level to faces, bodies, heads, cheeks, noses, etc. As the years have gone on, they’ve become better. Though these days, they’re arguably a bit too clinical for lots of photographers. Some legends of this focal length are the Canon 135mm f2 L, Sigma 135mm f1.8, Sony 135mm f1.8 G Master, Sony 135mm f1.8 A-Mount, and the Zeiss 135mm Milvus lens. We’ve used all of them both in studios and on locations. Indeed, shooting with a 135mm lens requires you to think differently than you would with any other lens. If that’s intimidating you, you should probably stop here. Otherwise, continue on and check out some of the best 135mm lenses we’ve tested. They’re Long First off, attach a 135mm lens to your camera. You’ll realize it’s very long and thin. It’s a huge prime lens. If you’re the type of photographer who likes small lenses, steer away from the 135mm lens, and reach for an 85mm lens instead. (85mm lenses are excellent, and something akin to a 55mm lens.) What’s more, a 135mm lens gets even longer when you put a lens hood on. I’d shoot without one. The newer ones are a lot more clinical, so I’d use a polarizing filter to make the color pop a bit more. Otherwise, there’s the PrismFX stuff that we’ve reviewed. They’re Hard to Get and Keep a Subject in Focus 135mmm lenses are notoriously hard to get in focus. If you’re on a DSLR, you need to nail the focusing point and ensure you don’t move. With mirrorless cameras, there’s face and eye detection. After you get it in focus, you need to make sure tracking is on to constantly follow the eye or the face. At f1.8, they’re super hard to get in focus. I think the easiest 135mm lens I’ve ever worked with is the Zeiss Batis 135mm f2.8. It’s an autofocus lens and the slowest of the bunch. But it’s also pretty nice with its render. Most people have shaky hands. They’ll probably end up shooting portraits in burst mode and have to cull through hundreds if not thousands of photos later. Otherwise, you can shoot on a tripod and carefully focus. If you happen to be good at handholding a lens, you won’t have an issue. You Need a Lot of Room to Use Them 135mm lenses render super tight if you don’t have a lot of room. If you’re shooting indoors, be sure to have at least 10 feet between you and a subject. Arguably, the best thing to do is shoot outside. If you shoot outside, you have more options with where you can shoot. But, of course, you lack the control that indoor shoots can provide. Usually, 135mm lenses are more of a pain than what they’re worth. But I’ll admit they can create beautiful photos.

Ready for a fight? Don’t worry, I jest. The Phoblographer would never encourage our readers to step into the realm of combat. However, we do love combat sports, and we especially love it when photographers document the heat of battle. We’ve done many stories over the years that focus on fight photography, and below are some of the very best of them. Enjoy. Want to get your work featured? Here’s how to do it! Kevin Lynch Doucments Combat Sports And The UFC The UFC is one of the most popular combat sports organizations in the world. The organization has had to work hard to be accepted, with states like New York only recently licensing fights. Beyond the tough-guy persona, the fighters are humans. They’re normal men and women, just like you and I. Photographer Kevin Lynch documented that for the best part of a decade. He made pre and post-fight portraits of the athletes and really became connected to them. It’s beautiful. Take a look here. Katerina Gregoriou Incorporates Combat Sports Into Shattered Glass Katerina Gregoriou is an exceptionally talented photographer. We interviewed her back in early 2020 and took a closer look at her photography series, Shattered Glass. The work aimed to uplift women who were involved in jobs and social groups traditionally reserved for men. Part of the work involved photographing a woman who sumo wrestles, a space where you’ll seldom find women. You can read about it here. Greg Bowl Shoots Entertaining Combat Sports Professional wrestling struggles to find its identity. Is it entertainment, or is it combat sports? I tend to think it’s the former rather than the latter. Either way, it involves combat, even if it is scripted and staged. Greg Bowl was making images of pro wrestling way before it went global. He sent us his series, and we loved it so much we arranged an interview. He has many cool stories to tell and plenty of awesome photos to share. Take a look here. Erin Lefevre Shares Fight Like a Woman Way back in 2015, Erin Lefevre joined us to share her photography project, Fight Like a Woman. The work covered professional fighter, Casey Morton. Rather than create a bunch of action shots, Lefevre delved into what happens behind the scenes in the life of a professional boxer. It’s fight photography that thinks outside the box. It’s fascinating stuff and certainly worth your time and attention. See the images here. August Udoh Shows us The World of One-Handed Fighting Dambe fighting was born in West Africa. Back in the day, butchers and fishermen were the main competitors. However, today the sport is enjoyed by people from variant backgrounds. Unlike traditional boxing, fighters can only use one hand and fight over three rounds. Photographer August Udoh made some terrific portraits of local fighters and shared the history behind the West African sport. Take a look here. Do You Photograph Combat Sports? Whether you like combat sports or not, they’re here to stay. There’s something intimate about two people going into battle. If you study the sports closely, you’ll recognize the strong bond two fighters have after the war is over. Because of the emotions and psychology linked to combat sports, they’re the perfect subject for photographers to document. If you have some cool fight photography that goes beyond what the mainstream sees and shows something deeper, send it to us. You can use the form above to make contact, and if we like it, we’ll certainly be in touch. Do you like combat sports? What do you think of the examples shown above? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading! Lead image by Kevin Lynch. All images used with permission. Check out more stories on our Flipboard page!

I’m going to preface this by saying that none of the established manufacturers are making bad camera bags. We’d know; we’ve reviewed the most of any photography publication. Just take a look at our camera bag reviews! All the bags are varying degrees of mediocre to good, but none of them are truly awful. Even if they can’t be used as camera bags, they can be used for something else. But, the modern camera bag industry has a big problem. I’m going to partially credit the idea for this post to my friend, Michael. One day, Michael said that there were too many camera bag manufacturers. Michael specified there are so many camera bags, but camera brands are making fewer cameras. While the camera industry shrunk, the camera bag industry grew. How does that make sense? Honestly, I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Kickstarter. Brands have been using Kickstarter for years to fund their products. This helps brands that otherwise might not have made it to market have a fighting chance. That’s great for them. The newer camera brands have done some innovative things which have changed the photo industry. Without them, the camera bag industry would be more plain than vanilla and Greek yogurt. So why is this a problem? Well, it’s becoming tougher for things to be unique. This problem was already plaguing the camera world. But in the camera bag industry, manufacturers copy one another all the time. Some stand out from others through materials, while others have pretty different and innovative designs. I think you get the point. What do we do about it? This is a tough question. There are only a few types of bags that make sense in the camera bag industry: backpacks, slings, messenger bags, duffels, and roller bags. I haven’t seen a lot of totes do a fantastic job at being camera bags. But I did some research into what types of bags could work. The Bucket. A bucket bag is sort of like a giant lens cloth. Just imagine it with dividers in there. It wouldn’t need to hold a laptop, but it could work as a messenger bag or sling style bag. Randoseru. A special type of backpack with quick access. Plus, there’s a hard front shell. Who wouldn’t want this? Battle Bag: From the same website as above, these could be modified with the right know-how. I tried to years ago, but failed. Guitar bag: I used to carry guitars and basses with me. The bags were awesome, but creating a larger one that could hold lenses, cameras, lights, etc, could be pretty awesome if it would have a definitive shape. Further, lots of brands don’t use materials like canvas and leather because they feel those materials are too heavy. But with the right design and support, they can work much better. Most camera bags are made from nylon. In recent years, other materials have come up. What about hemp? Or why not silk? Or how about recycled scarf materials like wool and cashmere? I think brands need to try new things.

You’d be shocked at just how simple it is to get the redscale look everyone loves and craves. The redscale look derives from the organic look you can get from film. And so, I’m going to preface this piece by saying you should just shoot film. But you can also totally get the look digitally in-camera. Better yet, you don’t need to do post-production. In this short, useful photography tip, we’re going to teach you how to get the redscale look. Want more useful photography tips? Click here. If you’re organically shooting for the redscale look with film, it will vary depending on how you expose for it. Years ago, we reviewed Redscale by Lomography. We said the following: “.the shorter your exposures are, the more red and orange the film results will be. But the longer your exposures are, the more normal they’ll look.” So basically, the less light you give it, the more extreme the look. The more light you give it, the less the effect will be. You’ll need to dial in the look according to your preferences. Of course, if you shoot digital, you might want to just try the look. Well, you don’t need some fancy preset and you don’t need to even step into post-production. You can shoot the image and then just port it straight to your phone. That means you can just focus on creating the entire time. Here’s how to get the redscale look. Tungsten Light and Daylight White Balance Tungsten-colored light is a big way to start getting the redscale look. How do you know what Tungsten light looks like? Well, is there warm light in the room or whiter light? If it’s warmer, it’s closer to Tungsten. Does the light remind you of the warmer lights you see in bars? If that’s the case, then that orange light is closer to tungsten. Most street lamps are also tungsten-colored. Whiter light is more daylight colored. Combine tungsten light in the environment with daylight white balance to get the redscale look. Your camera should have a daylight setting. But daylight white balance is anywhere between 5200-5600 Kelvin on your camera. Yes, this means, that you need to manually set the white balance by kelvin and not by using the white point option. This is just one way to do it, but there is, of course, yet another way to get the look too! 10,000 Kelvin White Balance In most lighting situations involving the outdoors or daylight, you can get the redscale look using 10,000 Kelvin white balance on your camera. For most cameras, this is the most extreme option on the warmer end. Want the extremely warm look with the clothes to be a different tone? Well, use a flash or shoot in daylight. Everything will have a tint of orange going over it and you’ll get a pretty awesome look without needing to do post-production. Some of you might wonder if this is possible with an orange filter on the lens. An orange filter just makes the entire scene orange. That’s a cool look for sure, but it’s not quite the redscale look you want.

If you look at it, there are two schools of thought in photography: gear and photos. Some people are great with gear. Other people are great with making photos. Just because you’ve got an expensive camera doesn’t mean you can shoot a great photo. And it doesn’t mean you understand how to create a great photo, the idea of a moment, etc. I’ve also met a ton of photographers so into their art that barely know how to use their cameras. You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience. Some people are just more into cameras. Other people are more into photography. There’s a huge difference. Some people are into knives, but they’re not into cooking. Other folks are into gaming, but they’re not into building their own computers. A reasonable amount of people are into cars, but not necessarily driving them. Some folks are into archery, but not necessarily geeks about bows. Someone could really like whiskey, but not care about the distilling process. This is something we need to keep in mind. It’s fine if cameras are your hobby. You can own a bunch of cameras because you like them. Cameras are a fun hobby. If you buy them used, you’re going to probably get a great buy. More so than any other tech besides TVs, cameras are used pretty carefully. You can’t go wrong when buying a used camera the way you can with a refrigerator or something. At the same time, photography can also be a hobby. You can be just fine with your 30-year-old camera and just enjoy the act of taking photos. Even your phone could be enough, and maybe you’d just be really into the stories of the photos, looking at them, etc. It’s an enjoyable thing for sure. Some folks on the other hand might really like paging through photos in a book. Now here’s the bigger thing: it’s wonderful if you’re just into cameras. At the same time, your interest in photography is equally just as wonderful. But I think we need to go deep down inside our souls and figure out which one we are. You could say you’re into street photography, but you may actually just like using cameras. Similarly, you could say you love Sony cameras, but you may have never touched anything else in your time shooting photos. Can you genuinely be into both? Sure, but not a lot of people are. If I looked at our staff, I could easily see who is more into cameras and who is more into photography. Some people are a bit of both. If I look at brand ambassadors, I can easily tell who is into photography, who is into cameras, and who are both. There are people who call themselves photographers that end up just doing tons of layering in Photoshop. At the end of the day, they could do that with any camera. So they’re mostly just into being actual photographers and photo editors. If you’re making it this far, you’re probably wondering why this matters. I think it helps change the conversations about both cameras and photography. Some cameras are a more tactile experience. You obviously pick up a Leica for a specific experience. But when you look at a bunch of the cameras on the market, the experience is very similar. Conversely, when you look at the different types of photography, they’re very different. So why then haven’t camera manufacturers tried to make themselves as diverse as the genres of photography?