Nikon Blog
New Video: Best Settings for Landscape Photography
I just published a new video on our YouTube channel! And wow, I’ve wanted to say that for a while. Last year, I took a break from making videos to help run Photography Life, and now I finally had time again. Today’s video covers the best camera settings for landscape photography. Here it is: [embedded content] If you’d rather read about this topic than watch a video, most of the information is also covered in our written guide to the best camera settings in landscape photography. As I mention near the end of the video, we’re doing something...
read moreAutel’s Nano and Lite drones get substantial firmware updates to fix ‘Jello effect,’ add capture modes and more
Improvements have been made to the Autel EVO Lite drone (pictured above). Last September, Autel announced the EVO Nano series, a sub-250g set of drones, and the EVO Lite series—a mid-level drone in the same class as DJI’s Air 2S. Today, the manufacturer has announced a firmware update, version 1.1.1, that adds features and fixes bugs to both lineups. The most notable update is the addition of video frame rates up to 50p (24/25/48/50p), manual focus control for most models and enhanced photo resolution in some models. If this sounds...
read moreOM System OM-1: An adventurous camera and the right tool for the job
The question I get asked most often is, ‘Which camera do you use personally?’ When people ask me this, I tell them in all seriousness, whatever the latest camera is this week. They never really find that to be a satisfying answer, but it’s absolutely true. In order to break the awkwardness, I’ll say something self-deprecating like ‘Well, I’m not a photographer, I just play one on TV,’ much to Jordan’s chagrin. He’s heard that one a hundred times. Truly, I enjoy taking photos. In fact, I...
read moreBird Photography with Really Cheap Lenses
There is no doubt that the best gear for bird photography is shockingly expensive. For example, the latest generation 600mm f/4 comes in at about $13,000 US dollars whether you look at Nikon, Canon, or Sony – and that’s without a camera. More modest setups are not cheap either and are still on the level of used cars. Of course, this high end equipment does last a long time, and so over time the cost can end up being lower. However, the up front cost is prohibitive for many bird and wildlife shooters. So, can you shoot birds with really cheap...
read moreHow to Get a Blurred Background in Your Photos
Blurring the background is one of the many ways to isolate or emphasize your subject. Do you need a special lens to do so? Absolutely not! In this article, we look at some of the ways you can get those creamy, beautiful backgrounds using almost any camera and lens. Chipmunk, Nikon D500 + 500mm f/5.6 Lens @ 500mm, ISO 3600, 1/640, f/5.6 Table of Contents Use a Wider Aperture A lens’s aperture is the adjustable opening that controls how much light enters the lens. It is specified by the f-number, like f/2.8, which is the ratio of the lens’s...
read moreSeeking Inspiration in the Dead of Winter
Winter can be a struggle for me. I long for idyllic, colorful autumn to continue unabated, but instead the land has taken on a stark barrenness. The joy and fun of the holidays is a distant memory. Springtime feels like a universe away. The shorter daylight hours and frequent overcast have me thirsty for light. I feel the beginnings of seasonal affective disorder setting in. Carbohydrates are calling my name. This, for me is the dead of winter. A fresh winter wonderland snowfall gets me out the doorNIKON Z 50 + NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3...
read moreReal Estate Photography Tips for Beginners
Real estate photography can be much more than just snapping some photos of interiors. Successfully capturing a property’s unique elements can challenge your skills as a photographer and as an editor. It’s this aspect of real estate photography that has made it my favorite subject as a professional photographer. If you’re trying to take better real estate photos, and operate a real estate photography business, there are some tips I recommend that can make a massive difference in the results and client experience. In this article, I’ll break...
read moreVello FreeWave Micro Wireless Shutter Release Review
Since my earliest years as a photographer, I have been using accessories to trip the camera’s shutter without causing sharpness-robbing vibrations. In the film era, it was a threaded cable release, and in the digital camera age it has been a variety of electronic shutter releases that were compatible with the specific camera I was using. Today, I will review one of these electronic shutter releases – the Vello FreeWave Micro Wireless Remote – and see if it has enhanced my workflow effectiveness, and if it’s found a permanent place in my...
read morePeak Design Capture Clip V3 Review
Every once in a great while, a company ‘invents the wheel’ with a product. What do I mean by that? I mean that the invented product is so functionally appropriate that it becomes a new standard. The Peak Design Capture Clip V3 is just like a wheel. It’s an uncomplicated, useful, and seemingly obvious solution to keep a photographer’s camera mounted on or close to their body. I think the most important yet overlooked gear in photography is the stuff that facilitates our jobs – not just the camera or lens themselves. That’s why this product...
read moreBehind the Composition: Amongst the Dead
It was May of 2018 when my girlfriend, Melanie, and I made the decision to use my family’s cabin in northern Pennsylvania as a basecamp and travel to various state parks in New York for a week. This was the second year of what has since become our yearly vacations together, taking a week after our spring semester of college ends and going on a trip somewhere. The previous year, our first, was a camping trip to western Pennsylvania which was not well-planned nor was it photographically successful, a manner in which I was still using to measure...
read moreWhat Camera Lens Should I Buy? A Beginner’s Guide
Even if cell phone cameras keep improving and reach unimaginable levels of image quality, I’ll always carry around a larger, heavier, and more complex camera. Why is that? One word: lenses! An interchangeable lens camera opens up a vast world of photographic visions through a huge variety of optics. Choosing among the dozens and even hundreds of lenses can be confusing and intimidating, so in this beginner’s guide, I’ll explain the types of lenses available and what you should buy. Table of Contents What Does a Lens Do? A lens focuses light...
read moreAssociated Press to launch NFT photography marketplace on January 31
The Associated Press (AP) will launch a non-fungible token (NFT) photography marketplace, built by a blockchain provider called Xooa, on January 31st. NFT collectors will be able to purchase pieces of the news agency’s contemporary and historical photojournalism. Works from current and former photojournalists will be included in the initial collection, released over a series of weeks starting on the 31st, along with some Pulitzer Prize-winning images. ‘For 175 years AP’s journalists have recorded the world’s biggest stories,...
read moreIrix releases $1,350 21mm T1.5 cine lens for 7 different camera mounts
As promised in a teaser shared two days ago, optics manufacturer Irix has announced a new 21mm T1.5 lens designed for full-frame camera systems. The Irix Cine 21mm T1.5 lens is constructed of 15 elements in 11 groups, including four extra-low dispersion elements, four high-refractive elements and two aspherical elements. This design produces a 43.3mm image circle compatible with sensors from full-frame all the way down to 1/3” sensors. The lens features a T1.5 through T16 aperture range, uses an 11-blade aperture diaphragm and has a minimum...
read moreCanon EOS R3 sample gallery
Between short days, long nights, and a lot of bad weather here in Seattle, we’ve been working on a Canon EOS R3 sample gallery. So when the sun finally came out we hung out with climbers, ran around with dogs, and captured some high ISO nighttime shots in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. This gallery includes photos taken with the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 and RF 70-200mm F2.8. We’re looking forward to more opportunities to shoot sports and action and will add images to this gallery as they become available, so stay tuned. If...
read moreHow to Film a Time-Lapse Video
In this article, I’ll share the basics on how to film a timelapse video, no matter whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer. Time lapses are a very popular type of cinematography in which the frequency of the captured frames is much slower than the final video play speed. Along with its unique results, timelapse videography is also very user-friendly. Once you know the right techniques, you can make a time lapse with very basic tools like a smartphone, an action camera, or, for even better results, with a mirrorless/DSLR...
read moreReply to New Camera Purchase
AF-S 80-400 no problem. AF-D only manual focus. FTZ 1 is being phased out. Needs attention when considering quick mounting solutions, like Arca Swiss or Manfrotto. Peak Design developed a combined adapter that works well, Others have followed suit at a cheaper price. If you only mount your camera on a tripod with the 80-400 then you will be using the lens mount, so no issue. If you are using Arca Swiss only then there are plenty of adapters that are small enough not to interfere with the mounting of the adapter. The FTZ II does not have these...
read moreRecapping the latest NVIDIA Research: turning 2D images into 3D models and a new NVIDIA Canvas update
We’ve covered an extensive collection of NVIDIA Research projects here on DPReview over the years. One interesting tool we didn’t cover at launch, however, is GANverse3D. First shown off in April 2021, GANverse3D turns flat 2D images into ‘realistic 3D models that can be visualized and controlled in virtual environments.’ The tool could help architects, creators, game developers and designers. With just a single photo, someone could quickly add a 3D model to a mockup or render without needing any expertise or needing...
read moreCanon confirms it will release a new Cinema EOS camera on January 19
In posts shared across Canon USA’s social media profiles, the company revealed a new Cinema EOS camera system will be released at 7am (EST) on January 19, 2022. Alongside the phrase ‘it’s coming,’ which accompanied the teaser image, Canon says to be ‘ready for anything’ and to ‘stay tuned for the big announcement.’ While it might be futile to draw conclusions from the teaser, the use of the word ‘big’ and the rather substantial video tripod shown in the image suggests the camera might be on the larger side of things. However, that’s pure...
read morePWRBOARD is a new, modular way to keep all your chargers together, at home or on-the-go
Over the years, we’ve shared various power charging stations and solutions, but there will soon be a new product on the market that makes all the others look primitive by comparison. It’s called the PWRBOARD and, confusingly enough, it’s the first product by the company PWRBOARD, who showed off the device at CES 2022 this past week. The PWRBOARD is effectively a ‘smart’ pegboard that puts a new spin on modular charging. The device will come in two sizes — 23cm x 35cm (16.5” diagonally) and 33cm x 50cm (23” diagonally) — and consists of an...
read moreNikon Z fc sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Published Jan 11, 2022 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV recently published their full review of the Nikon Z fc. Check out their sample gallery, shot in sub-zero Canadian temperatures, to judge image quality from this retro-inspired camera yourself. Did you miss their review of the Nikon Z fc? If so, you can watch it here. View the Nikon Z fc sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The Nikon Z fc is a midrange ILC with the same eye-catching design as the company’s classic film cameras. It’s not just a...
read moreNew Camera Purchase
Photos Members Group Since New Camera Purchase newfoundlander61 says: My Nikon D7200 is being replaced to due a drop and is not worth repairing. Would the Nikon Z50 w/adapter allow my current Nikon AF-S 80-400MM F/4.5-5.6G ED VR lense to autofocus. How would this setup if it does autofocus work for nature related photography (birds mainly) compared to my current setup with the Nikon D7200. I have considered buying another D7200 but that are few and far between here in southern Ontario. Thanks for any input. I am aware of the Nikon NIKKOR Z...
read moreGlobal chip shortage pulls back the veil on Canon printer’s onboard authenticity checks
The global chip shortage has had a lot of consequences. While we expected many products to be tough to find, some of the outcomes of the shortage are more surprising. For example, Canon puts chips in some of its ink and toner cartridges so that its printers can identify them as genuine cartridges. However, these chips are difficult to find so Canon has been manufacturing cartridges without the chips, leading to some printers identifying genuine cartridges as counterfeit. Canon Europe has issued a statement explaining the situation and...
read moreDJI Air 2S, Mini 2, and Mini SE drones can now get new features with Mobile SDK
DJI’s Mobile SDK (software development kit) for Android now works with their Air 2S, Mini 2, and Mini SE drones. An iOS update is expected shortly. This means that third-party developers such as Litchi, Dronelink, and DroneDeploy can update their apps to be compatible with these models. Each of these apps offer up features that can’t be found on DJI’s Fly app, which powers all three of these drones. Right now, the Mavic 3 is not supported. The ability to designate waypoints for regular flights, create mapping missions, and...
read moreIrix teases T1.5 cine lens, set to be released two days from now
[embedded content] Lens manufacturer Irix has shared a teaser video showing off a new T1.5 cinema lens that is ‘ready to be seen’ on January 12th, 2022. Based on the limited information provided in the 23-second teaser video, we can see the Swiss-designed, Korean-made lens will offer an T-stop range of T1.5 through T16, have a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, use a 95mm diameter lens hood and have the usual 0.8 pitch mod gears for follow focus systems. Considering the lens features a similar design to Irix’s other cine lenses, it’s probably...
read moreFujifilm confirms it will release its next X-mount camera in May during 2022 X Summit event
[embedded content] Fujifilm has announced the date of its next X Summit event, wherein the company will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its X mount camera system and release its newest X Series camera. The event is set to take place online in May 2022 Yesterday, January 9th, was ten years to the day that Fujifilm announced its first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC), the X-Pro1. Alongside three lenses, the X-Pro1 the way for Fujifilm’s increasingly popular X Series, which now consists of 28 MILCs and three dozen lenses (if...
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Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.