Hasselblad X1D and Zeiss Otus 85mm: The Ultimate in Image Quality?

What camera and lens combination on the market delivers the "ultimate in image quality"? Photographer Matt Granger has been trying out the $8,000 Hasselblad X1D with the $4,500 Zeiss Otus 85mm -- both of which are cream of the crop when it comes to cameras and lenses This 11-minute video looks at what this beastly combo can do.

5 Rules for Better Bird Photos, or: It’s All About the Eyes

It’d be cliche to say that the eyes are the window to the soul, but they’re certainly the key to a compelling photograph. This is intuitive when photographing people and pets, but no less true for birds. It’s just that with small, fast-moving subjects, it takes more care and skill.

How DSLR Phase Detection Autofocus Works

Most photographers rely heavily on the capabilities of autofocus systems in DSLR cameras, but knowing how they actually work is something that even experienced photographers may not have learned. Here's a 4-minute video by ZY Productions that helps decode the mystery of DSLR autofocus by explaining the technical details behind it.

The Winning Photos of Nat Geo Nature Photographer of the Year 2017

National Geographic has announced the winning photos of its prestigious 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest. The grand prize winner, selected from over 11,000 entries, is the photo above by Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan showing a male orangutan peering from behind a tree while crossing a river in Borneo, Indonesia.

When Photographers Become Pitchmen

It’s not surprising when camera companies hire photographers to pitch their products. But photographers have also been enlisted to sell other types of products -- the result of Madison Avenue trying to romanticize the occupation, even though the reality often fails to meet the expectation. Nowadays photographers are more likely to spend the majority of their time sitting at a desk in post-processing or trying to collect on invoices that are 6 months past due.

An Eye-Popping Starling Murmuration Captured in Black and White

In the relatively warm winter between 2014 and 2015, common starlings were found staying in the Netherlands instead of migrating to the south. Photographer and filmmaker Jan van IJken took his camera out and shot this beautiful short film titled "The Art of Flying." It shows thousands upon thousands of birds flying in eye-popping swarms (known as murmurations).

How I Shoot Dancers: 4 Simple Tips

I spent close to a decade of my life as a sports photographer and during this time it never crossed my mind to shoot dance. My dance photography all began when I was asked by a friend who was auditioning for a dance program to help with her audition photos.

The Camera Store Customer from Hell

If you've ever worked in retail at a camera store, perhaps this sketch will tickle your funny bone... or bring back bad memories. At 5:30 in this episode of the comedy show Rostered On is an interaction between a store employee and a customer asking to return a "broken" camera.

Trump Just Signed Mandatory Drone Registration Back Into Law

Back in May, a US federal court ruled that personal drones don't need to be registered as part of the FAA's mandatory drone registration program. That just changed: President Trump just signed a defense policy bill that restores the requirement that all recreational drone owners register their aircraft with the government.

Pushing Canon DSLRs to the Low-Light Limit: Shooting Auroras Live

After photographing the solar eclipse in Idaho, I couldn't resist continuing my "long-service leave" and returning to Canada's Yukon Territory for some early season aurora hunting in September 2017. I had just two and half weeks (one New Moon cycle) based with my friends and supporters Andrea and Florian Lemphers at Shallow Bay, north of the capital Whitehorse.

Google Unveils 3 Experimental Photo Apps For Smartphones

Google has created a trio of apps that utilize experimental technology in a bid to push forward the possibilities of smartphone photography and videography. The apps — Storyboard, Selfissmo!, and Scrubbies — use techniques like smart object recognition and person segmentation algorithms similar to Portrait Mode to enable creative editing of images and video.