This is an in-depth review of the Nikon Z7, the first iteration of a high-resolution mirrorless camera that Nikon released in August of 2018. The camera was announced together with the 24 MP Nikon Z6 and the 24-70mm f/4, 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8 Z-mount lenses. One could argue that Nikon’s entry into the mirrorless market took too long, but many Nikon shooters waited patiently for this highly-anticipated system to see the light of the day. With over 100 million…
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Shooting With The Kolari Vision 720nm and 850nm Anti-Reflective External Infrared Filters
I upgraded from an infrared-converted Nikon D7200/720nm to a Nikon D750/550nm combination this past spring. Although I suspected the D750/550nm filter would suffice for most of my infrared needs, I was hesitant to forego the bright whites produced by the 720nm filter. As such, I decided to test two of Kolari Vision’s external filters to determine how well they would perform on my D750/550nm configuration.
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Tokina 300mm f/4 ATX Review
Recently, as I packed my cameras for a trip, it dawned on me how much the contents of my camera bag have changed since the first days of my photographic journey. With all the professional grade Canon cameras and lenses neatly tucked in my bag, it was easy to forget that it wasn’t so long ago when my camera of choice was an entry-level DSLR (Sony A100) and a consumer-grade telephoto zoom lens in the form of the Tamron 70-300mm.…
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How to Update Firmware on Fujifilm Cameras
If you own a Fuji X-Series camera and you aren’t regularly upgrading the firmware you may be missing out on a number of features that your camera has to offer. Firmware is the software that is operating your camera, and it is responsible for a surprising percentage of your camera’s functionality. While hardware such as the processor and the sensor get all the attention, they wouldn’t do much without the software that controls them. This is true with any manufacturer,…
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Using the High Pass Filter for Image Sharpening in Adobe Photoshop
There are a lot of different ways to sharpen images in Adobe Photoshop. In this article I’m going to share one of my favorite methods which uses the High Pass filter. Photoshop offers a number of filters and tools dedicated directly to sharpening images, so it might seem strange to use the High Pass filter, but this method has definite advantages for some images.
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Fuji X100F Review
This is an in-depth review of the Fujifilm X100F camera, which was released by Fuji on January 19, 2017. The X100-series cameras have been very popular since they were introduced to the market and the X100F is the fourth iteration of the product. Sporting a 24.3 MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, a fast X-Processor Pro image processor, an improved 91-point AF system and an updated button layout with joystick autofocus control for easier AF point selection, the X100F is the…
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7 Methods to Create Realistic HDR Images
Mention the phrase “HDR photography,” and you will definitely get some cringes. HDR is one technique that you either love or hate. Fortunately for me, I have been using this technique to create many of my images ever since I picked up a DSLR, and it is a tool I definitely have grown to appreciate. Personally, I love taking photos during sunset and sunrise, which means most of the scenes I encounter are of extreme contrast and therefore high dynamic…
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Photographing Bhutan
Fine art travel photographer David Lazar first became fascinated with Bhutan after winning a photography contest in 2010, and then enjoying the fruits of his first prize – a free trip to the mysterious, “Land of the Thunder Dragon”. When he had the chance to return earlier this year, he could not have been happier! This is quite befitting in a country where the government actually has programs for the mental and spiritual wellbeing of its citizens, and measures what…
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Exploring New Zealand Tip-to-Tip
New Zealand has long been a ‘bucket list’ destination for photographers around the world. It has often been described as one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, scoring in the ‘Top 10’ on many travel and photography websites. My wife and I have been very fortunate to be able to visit New Zealand a number of times. Our most recent three trips (2013 to 2018) were focused on doing field work for a photography eBook (New Zealand Tip-to-Tip) which…
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Colorado Mountains with the Nikon 58mm f/1.2 Noct
Now that Nikon is releasing a 58mm f/0.95 Noct for their Z system, it’s worth taking a look back at their older Noct lens – the 58mm f/1.2 – if only for curiosity’s sake. This is one of Nikon’s most famous lenses, especially for portraiture and nighttime photography, where its output is difficult to match. Recently, for a memorable week of photography, I had a chance to bring the 58mm f/1.2 Noct into the mountains and aspen groves of Colorado.
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Fujifilm X-T3 First Impressions
Until the release of the Fujifilm X-T3 I would have told you that my Fuji camera lineup was complete for a while. The release of the X-T2 two years ago wasn’t enough to make me part with my X-Pro2 and I’ve since picked up the X-H1 as well. But when the T3 was announced I found the new specs compelling enough that I decided to try it out. After shooting with it for a little more than a week, I…
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When Photographing Birds at 60 FPS Becomes the New Norm
As many owners of mirrorless cameras can attest, it can take some time to get used to some of the different shooting capabilities that our mirrorless camera gear provides. One of the things that seems odd to use to photograph birds in motion, is a frame rate of 60 frames-per-second. Especially when on many cameras, the first frame locks focus for the balance of the run. Most of us have been taught to use continuous auto-focus when photographing birds in…
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Nikon 45mm f/2.8D PC-E Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 45mm f/2.8D PC-E, also known as PC-E Micro Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED, a special purpose normal-angle lens designed for architecture, commercial, macro, and nature photography. “PC” stands for “Perspective Control”, but I will refer to this type of lens as “tilt-shift” in this article.
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Photographing Scale Model Cars
“It’s not photography; you’re just playing with toys. And Photoshop.” Well, it sure does look that way. This will either invite complete ridicule or slightly less than complete ridicule but it has been such a ton of fun to do that I could in fact not care less. And now I’m getting asked (and paid) to produce bespoke posters and prints so maybe I’m having the last laugh; who knows. Plenty will argue that unless you’re photographing a long exposure…
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Comparing 5 Top Wide-Angle Astrophotography Lenses
If you want to shoot sharp photos of stars, it helps to have the right lens for the job. After all, a good lens during the day might be a dud for resolving pinpoint stars in a photo’s corners at night. Here, I’ve tested five popular wide-angle lenses for astrophotography: the Laowa 12mm f/2.8, Rokinon 14mm f/2.4, Samyang 14mm f/2.8, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, and Irix 15mm f/2.4. How do they compare?
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The Refining Process: How Bad Photos Get Better
I suspect that many photographers have realized their best photos frequently come after several “getting there” images – scenes where something interesting stands out, and you gradually improve upon your early attempts, creating a composition that looks more and more refined by the end. The trend has been so clear in my personal photography that I thought it would be useful to show some examples, including how to apply this concept to your own work.
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7 Things All Photographers Need to Know About Copyright
Did you know that you are a copyright owner? If you’ve taken a photograph, then under US copyright law you own the copyright to that image. Copyright law is something that affects every photographer, not just those who are in business making money from their images. With the ease of sharing images online, understanding your rights under US copyright law is more important than ever. Let’s look at 7 things every photographer needs to know about copyright.
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Star Trail Photography Tutorial
In this article, I will demonstrate how to take photos of star trails when photographing the night sky. I will explain what type of camera, lens, and other gear is critical, as well as the importance of composition during dark nights; it is very important to know how the stars move on the sky to be able to visualize the final composition. I will also talk in detail about two main challenges: how to focus in darkness and how to…
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Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S Performance Overview
To follow up on yesterday’s post about my initial impressions of the Nikon Z7 and 24-70mm lens, I’m including a number of additional sample photos and image quality crops in this article to answer some reader questions about how well the 24-70mm performs with the Z7. This includes vignetting comparisons versus the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 for the F mount, as well as 100% crops to test sharpness for daytime and Milky Way photography.
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Nikon Z7 First Impressions and Sample Photos
I’m sure you already know that we’re going to test the Nikon Z7 camera to its limits here at Photography Life. We have six orders coming our way in total, and we plan to put each copy through its paces while we travel to Jordan and Turkey throughout October. So far, one copy has arrived, and I’ve shot with it in Colorado for the past couple days. Here, I wanted to share my first impressions and sample images.
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