Canon has clamped down tightly on the RF mount, disallowing essentially any third-party lenses with autofocus. This has been to the dismay of many photographers who embraced lenses from companies like Sigma and Tamron, which often offered options that were either cheaper or simply not available from Canon itself. At least one company is still highly interested in the RF mount, as recently confirmed by Sigma’s CEO, Kazuto Yamaki.
The 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is the workhorse of choice for a huge range of professionals, suitable for portraits, weddings, events, and much more. For Fujifilm shooters, there is the XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can except from it in practice.
Fujifilm’s GFX series of mirrorless cameras have made medium format more affordable and accessible than ever, but lenses for the GF mount remain fairly expensive. That is why, at $999, the Venus Optics Laowa 19mm f/2.8 Zero-D is a particularly intriguing option, especially when paired with its extra-wide focal length and maximum aperture. This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
A few months ago, I reluctantly took the plunge into Instagram reels, like many other still photographers. My most popular reel by a wide margin was a joke comparing “amateurs” to “professionals.” And, although my point was not so much to make a distinction between two classes of photographers, but rather to comment on photographers’ common obsession with gear, sometimes at the expense of fundamentals, I touched a nerve with some people who took exception to what they saw as an insult to amateur photographers.
This review is for you if you’re a Capture One Pro user and are wondering if the iPad version is worth adding to your workflow. It is also for those who don’t yet use Capture One but are looking for a budget-friendly introduction to it and already own an iPad. I will be looking at the application’s features, pros and cons, and comparing them to the desktop version.
Photoshop is an extremely nuanced and complex program, which means there are often several ways to accomplish what you need to do. One of the application’s most useful features, Blend If, is a bit hidden behind those multiple layers of menus, but it is one well worth knowing, as it gives you powerful and versatile capabilities for a range of editing scenarios. This excellent video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of Blend if and demonstrates how it works through a series of double exposure edits.
The Mac mini line has long been popular for offering the Mac experience in a desktop at a very reasonable price and in a small, easy package. The line took a major step forward when Apple started offering their own silicon in the computers, and in the latest iteration, users can now even opt for a Pro chip. So, how good is the new M2 Pro Mac mini? This excellent video review takes a look at the computer and everything you can expect from it.
The new Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary lens offers one of the most popular focal lengths in tandem with a modestly wide maximum aperture, all in a very travel-friendly package, making it an appealing lens for quite a few photographers. Can it deliver good performance and image quality to back up those appealing characteristics? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.
Manual mode is often held up as the standard measure of a professional photographer, with semiautomatic and automatic modes thought of as crutches upon which a truly competent shooter would never lean. But the truth is far from that black and white; in fact, many professionals frequently use semiautomatic modes like aperture priority and auto ISO. So, when is each appropriate, and when should you switch to manual? This great video discusses just that.
