howitworks

Super Res Zoom has been a part of the Google Pixel system since the launch of the Pixel 3, but with the Pixel 7 Pro, Google notes it took a big step forward and has explained how the feature works.

Using a digital X-ray detector, this video shows exactly what goes on inside a zoom lens as the ring is turned, revealing the mechanics that are responsible for moving the optical elements inside.

F1 photographer Kym Illman tries to clear up some of that mystery that surrounds his job and covers everything a prospective photographer would need to know to succeed in the racing world.

If you want to learn the science and technical details of how cameras and lenses work, there's a fantastic new resource on the Web for you. Developer Bartosz Ciechanowski has published an interactive 5,700-word article that explains things in great depth.

Most photographers know the basics of lens-based image stabilization (Lens IS) and in-body image stabilization (IBIS), but if you've ever wanted a technical deep-dive that explains exactly how these systems work to generate 4, 5, or even 7 stops of stabilization, this video from Imaging Resource is here to answer that call.

Canon announced the new RF 85mm f/1.2L DS IS lens for its full-frame mirrorless cameras today, and the $3,000 lens is the very first Canon lens to feature a new technology called Defocus Smoothing (DS). If you're curious about the new lens tech, check out this 1.5-minute video by Canon that introduces it.

Before EXIF data landed on the scene through the rise of digital photography, film cameras could superimpose the current date directly onto your photos, allowing you to see when you shot each one as you flipped through an album. If you've ever wondered how that date was included, here's an interesting 14-minute teardown by Applied Science that reveals the secret.

Each year, someone new comes along to try and demystify bit depth for the masses. In 2017 it was Tutvid, in 2018 Greg Benz did a great job in this article, and now StyleMyPic has created a comprehensive and easy-to-follow video that explains exactly what bit depth is, how it works, and debunks a common myth.

Since there are physical limits to how large sensors can be in smartphones, companies like Google have been pushing heavily into computational photography, the use of digital rather than optical processes to improve the capabilities of a camera. Here's a 3-minute video that explains how Google's super-resolution technology works.

Camera manufacturers have been utilizing different types of autofocus systems in modern digital cameras. If you'd like a primer on how each one works, here's a fantastic 18-minute video by tech tester Gerald Undone that will bring you up to speed.

I was recently fortunate enough to get an inside and ‘behind-the-scenes’ look into how film processing works at Richard Photo Lab in Valencia, CA. As the step by step process is very complex, if you’ve ever wondered what the stages of film developing are and look like, come and take this video tour with us!

Have you ever wondered what the photo editors at National Geographic do? No, they don't sit around and edit pictures in Photoshop. In this 6-minute video, some of the biggest names in photography offer a glimpse into the closely-knit relationships between photographers and their editors.

Wondering what all those abbreviations mean in the names of Nikon lenses? My Nikon Life made this 5-minute video that shows you what all of the different elements of Nikkor lenses do and explains how they how they work.

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.

Sony is making a lot of their new 100mm f/2.8 GM lens with its Smooth Trans Focus technology. But what exactly is this so-called STF, how does it work, and why does it produce smoother bokeh? This short video explains all.

Here's a neat little animation from Harman Technologt, the folks behind the Ilford brand of film, that breaks down exactly how a basic film photography SLR (single lens reflex) camera works.

CMYK—which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (or Black)—is the color model used in most printing. It's called a subtractive color model, and if you don't understand what that means or how it works, this brilliant little demo should help.

Everybody knows tilt-shift lenses can be used to get a "miniature" effect, but many photographers are oblivious to their other, more traditional applications, and even fewer understand exactly how these lenses work. The folks at LensPro ToGo are here to clear things up.

Canon just released this 3.5-minute video that explains how lenses work. We learn about focal points, spherical aberration, chromatic aberration, and how multiple lens elements are used together for aberration correction.

Back in the heyday of film photography, a common part of the photography experience was dropping off your film rolls at a store or lab, placing the roll in an envelope and checking boxes with instructions for what you'd like. Here's a fascinating 5-minute video that reveals what happened to your film between drop off and delivery of your prints and processed film.

If you shoot with a DSLR, you might take for granted that the mirror inside your camera swings out of the way to allow light to hit the sensor. There's actually quite a bit of precise engineering behind those seemingly simple flips.

With its new Canon 5DS and 5DS R, Canon introduced a new mechanical mirror mechanism that's designed to reduce mirror flip vibrations. The 43-second video above shows how the system works.

Here’s a great 13-minute video in which John Hess of Filmmaker IQ teaches …

Back in 2011, Lytro launched the world’s first consumer light field camera, which lets you “shoot first …

Have you ever wondered how film projectors are able to turn still frames on film into moving images in …

Traditional SLR cameras do phase detection autofocus by directing light onto AF sensors in the camera’s mirror box. Some …

Tilt-shift lenses are nothing short of optical magic... or so it seems. But as their namesake implies, they actually achieve this 'magic' through the use of two clever movements in the lens.

In the short tutorial above, Vincent Laforet, a Canon Explorer of Light and well-known photography educator, explains just how those two components work and how they dramatically impact the look of an image.

From Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens comes an educational and behind the scenes video out of Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California. Throughout the video, Morgan gives insight into the process of using a tilt-shift lens and shares some nice background information on how a tilt-shift lens actually works.