In photography, there are two types of distortions: optical and perspective. Both result in some kind of deformation of images - some lightly and others very noticeably. While optical distortion is caused by the optical design of lenses (and is therefore often called "lens distortion"), perspective distortion is caused by...
Vello Universal White Balance Disc Review
This is a product review for the Vello Universal White Balance Handheld Disc. White balance is something that I constantly tweak in Photoshop. I typically use the auto white balance function on my Canon 5D Mark III. I find that the auto function gets my white balance close, but in post...
Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED, a variable aperture zoom lens that was released a long time ago, in the year 2000. The lens has been recently replaced with the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED, which I recently reviewed and praised for its superb performance. I...
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Review
Adobe's recent change of license strategy for most of its Photoshop family software tools has introduced a lot of doubt among the previously happy customers. Because of Photoshop CC, many owners of Lightroom 3 and 4 have started looking for alternatives, fearing that despite Adobe's claims, there is a possibility...
Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G lens, which was announced on January 27, 2013 together with the super-telephoto Nikon 800mm f/5.6E VR. The lens replaces the existing 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D, an old autofocus lens released back in August of 2000. With its rather weak optical design optimized...
Think Tank Glass Limo Review
Since purchasing a 500mm lens, I have not had a backpack that it will fit in. I have always had it in either my Airport Commuter or my Airport International bags, both made by Think Tank Photo. The Nikon 500 f/4G VR lens does not come with a bag, but instead...
What is an Extension Tube?
Our readers frequently ask us about extension tubes for macro photography. Since I am not much into macro myself, I have not explored this area of photography enough to qualify to write about it. While I have done some macro photography for product shots and ring shots in weddings with...
The Art of Composing Photos
With the first article in our new Mastering Composition series, it is only fitting that we start off by introducing our main topic. In this article for beginner photographers, I will outline the general meaning of the term "composition" in art. I will also briefly discuss the goal of composition,...
Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZF.2 Review
This is an in-depth review of the Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZF.2 lens, a manual focus prime lens for the Nikon F mount. The same lens exists in "ZE" version for the Canon mount, which shares identical optical design, but with a slightly different body design (no aperture ring)....
Extend Your DSLR with a Mirrorless Camera
Most photographers, whether professional or amateur, as much as they love their photographic gear, loathe the notion of lugging around tons of heavy equipment. What’s the solution, you may ask? Well, some would say, “why don’t you get a portable point-n‐shoot”, or “invest in one of those smaller mirrorless cameras”....