UV lens filters are a popular way to protect the front element of lenses from damage, but you should make sure you invest in a high-quality one unless you want to make a huge sacrifice in image quality. Reddit user EvilDoesIt shot the photos above comparing a cheap filter with a pricier one:
The top one is a $20 Quantaray UV filter. Bottom is a ~$70 B+W MRC UV filter. This is a more extreme example, but it shows the difference between a nice filter and a crappy cheap one. Both these shots are unedited JPEGs from my Nikon D7k with a Nikkor 17-55 ƒ/2.8 @ 1.3s ISO100.
I do realize that the top pic can be easily fixed by adjusting levels, but in my opinion, it’s always better to get the best picture you can get out of your camera before editing. [#]
His last sentence is a gem: to achieve the best images, you want to make sure you’re squeezing out the best image quality you can from each step along the way.
Image credit: Photographs by EvilDoesIt and used with permission
Games are spaces of experience as much as entertainment. It shouldn’t surprise us that the photographic gaze, that eye for composition and purely visual aesthetic, finds ample opportunity for snapshots in these virtual spaces. In fact, it’s surprising that in-game-photography – for purely aesthetical reasons as opposed to documenting victories or snapping a pic of an impressive vista for use as a desktop wallpaper – is still as unexplored a country as it still seems to be.
[...] The art of in-game-photography is still in its infancy, but it seems obvious that, with constantly increasing photorealism and the popularity of open-world-games, more and more photographers will also look for inspiration and picture opportunities in virtual worlds. Games are places as well as entertainment; and after all, as Elliott Erwitt’s quote at the beginning reminded us: Photography has little to do with the things we see -, and everything to do with the way we see them.
The piece features five leading video game photographers: Duncan Harris, Iain Andrews, James Pollock, Josh Taylor, and Leo Sang. Some of their work is so eye-catching that game companies have asked to use the photos in their promotions.
Compact cameras feature lenses that automatically “cap” themselves when retracted and not in use. Interchangeable lenses, on the other hand, usually don’t. The X-Cap changes that. It’s a Taiwan-designed lens cap that snaps onto the front of certain lenses that feature a retracting front element (the Micro Four Thirds system has lenses like this). When the front element retracts, the cap automatically closes — great for people who hate dealing with lens caps. Read more…
Smartphone use in Photojournalism is certainly not new, and Hipstamatic has been there from the start, but the San Francisco-based company’s recent decision to start a Hipstamatic Foundation for Photojournalism is drawing equal parts criticism and praise. Read more…
Everyone knows you shouldn’t leave DSLRs unattended in public places on land, but did you know that the same is true for when you’re shooting on the ocean floor? In the video above, one unlucky diver leaves his DSLR rig sitting on the ocean floor while swimming with sharks, only to have a klepto tiger shark swipe it and swim away.
Apparently tiger sharks have a thing for cameras: here’s another video that shows what it’s like to be gobbled up by a shark and then spit out.
P.S. Can anyone identify the rig and/or the camera being used?
Who said that hi-end lighting equipment has to be expensive? And who says the only way to shoot with fluorescent light is to use the flicker-free Kino Flo lights that can cost you thousands of dollars?
I began using my fluorescent lighting technique nearly 10 years ago, long before Kino Flo’s and Peter Hurley became popular. I have been asked to describe it so many times that I decided it was time to put together a few tutorials to show how to build it and how to use it. In this article, I am going to deal with “how-to use” the fluorescent studio lights. Read more…
Nikon has its 55-300mm, Canon has its 70-300mm, and now Sony is joining the club, adding a 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SAM telephoto to its Alpha lens repertoire. The lens is designed for APS-C cameras and priced very competitively. In fact, at $300, it’s downright cheap considering it includes Sony’s Smooth Autofocus Motor (analogous to Canon’s USM or Nikon’s AF-S) and an Extra-Low Dispersion element not typically found in cheaper glass.
Of course, if you’re an NEX owner you’ll also be able to use this given you own the NEX/Alpha Adapter, but whoever wants it will have to wait until it’s actually out. The announcement went live today (as did pre-orders) but the lens won’t be shipping until September.
Photographer Tabitha Soren started shooting a series of photographs titled Running after snapping a picture of her daughter running in front of the headlights of a car. She states,
I started thinking about panic, resilience, and the role of accident in life. Also, when people are running their bodies contort and we get to glimpse emotions that are normally kept hidden.
Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first time somebody has recreated Super Mario using sticky notes, nor is it the first time we’ve featured it, but given the improved production value and the fact that this one comes complete with a behind the scenes video… well… we couldn’t help ourselves.
So up top you’ll find a downright awesome recreation of Super Mario (and a few of his pixelated buddies) using 7,000 sticky notes. While down below you’ll find a behind the scenes video showing how Mario went from piles of multi-colored Post-its to stop motion character. Read more…
If you grew up enjoying 3D stereoscopic photos using a View-Master, then this picture frame is sure to cause a pang of nostalgia. It’s a giant photo frame for your wall that’s shaped like the paper slide holders used by the popular children’s toy. It’s sold by online shop Unkl347, but you might be hard pressed to find it in stock.
