Life seen through the lens of photographer Phil Steele
If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I have a love/hate relationship (90% love, 10% hate) with the widely acclaimed, previous-generation Fuji X100S mirrorless camera.
You can read my original review of the X100S and my second-look at the X100S for all the details, which I won’t repeat here.
Well, for Christmas, I bought myself the newer model: The Fuji X100T. (more…)
Amazon: My Inexpensive “DGK” White Balance Card
Note: After my review caused them to sell out, they doubled the price. Still cheap though.
Amazon: A More Expensive “High End” White Balance Card
Secrets of Successful Event Photography
If you have trouble watching the Video here you can watch on YouTube at this link:
How to Set Your Camera White Balance Using a Gray Card
The new wave of compact, mirrorless cameras is the most exciting thing to happen to digital photography since…well, digital photography.
Cameras that perform like DSLR’s (well, almost) but without the weight, the bulk, and the backache are a welcome breath of fresh air in an industry that was starting to stagnate in a war of megapixels.
Last December I plunged into the mirrorless market by reviewing the remarkable Fuji X100S, and I updated that review in June after using the camera for six months.
And while I still think the Fuji is an astonishing camera — near perfect in many ways — its few shortcomings have sent me searching for an alternative, or at least an additional, small camera. (more…)
In December I wrote about traveling with the Fuji X100S camera for a week, and how it was both liberating and occasionally frustrating.
After using the camera sporadically for six months, and and after another recent heavy-use trip, I’d like to share some revised thoughts now that I know the camera a bit better.
I’d especially like to highlight two important features that I didn’t get to use in my previous Hawaii trip, and which I think are strong advantages of this camera. (more…)
My FujiFilm X100S with optional lens hood and lens filter. And yes, I taped a piece of 1/8 CTO gel over the flash to warm it.
As I vacationed with my family in Hawaii last week, I was testing a new, compact mirrorless camera as an alternative to carrying a heavy DSLR.
If you’re anything like me, lugging around a big camera, plus lenses, on a pleasure trip has become so burdensome that I often end up just leaving it at home and doing without a camera entirely. Which, for a photographer, is a tragic sign that something needs to change. (more…)
The wizards at Phottix just keep cranking out awesome new products.
In the past I’ve raved about their excellent Odin and Strato flash triggers, and now I’m here to sing the praises of their latest innovation in third-party flashes for Canon and Nikon (with Sony coming soon).
It may seem a bit of a stretch to describe a new third-party flash as “important” but I’m going to tell you why I think the Phottix Mitros and Mitros+ flashes are groundbreaking and why they may help level the photography playing field. (more…)
When you shop from my Amazon links, you buy me a beer!
You can also watch this on YouTube: Yongnuo YN622C Flash Trigger Review
When we think about advances in camera technology, we tend to think of things like better digital sensors, fancy radio flash triggers, and such. If you’re like me, the last thing you think about improving is your camera strap.
After all, what is there to improve? The strap has a simple job: to hang the camera around your neck and never break. If you want to get fancy, you get a stretchy neoprene strap for added comfort. Mission accomplished.
Or so I thought until I tried the BlackRapid RS-7, my first “sling” style strap.
You can also watch this video on YouTube: Lens Hoods (aka Lens Shades)
Here are five things I wish I had known about focus when I started shooting with a DSLR. Maybe I can save you from having to learn them the hard way like I did.
For those of you interested in how these videos are created, this video was recorded on the Canon 5D Mark II using a Sennheiser wireless microphone. This is a big step up from my previous videos which used a Kodak Zi8 with a wired Audio-Technia mic. The new rig costs 20 times as much as the old rig, but I think the improvement in quality is quite apparent.
I hope you find this helpful.
