The idea of cleaning your camera's sensor scares most photographers half to death. The thing is, if you don't clean the sensor, you'll end up with spots in your pictures anytime you stop down the aperture a little bit, and it just gets worse over time. I know many photographers who are so nervous about cleaning their sensors that they won't even change lenses in the field for fear of getting some dust on the sensor. Don't Be Scared Well, it's time to get over the fear and get your sensor cleaned up. The first thing you need to understand is … [Read more...] about Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Debunking the Sensor Cleaning Myth
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Seven Myths About The Need for Full Frame Camera Bodies (Updated)
A few years back, I made the switch to micro four-thirds and mirrorless cameras. I am more convinced than ever that these cameras perform as well as ANY camera in 95% of the situations where it counts. While I used to be an advocate for full frame cameras, I changed my mind when I saw the advantages of going small. So to counter all the posts that are out there advocating why you need a full frame camera, here's why I think you may not. 1. The Need for Low Light Performance One of the arguments for full-frame cameras is that they offer better … [Read more...] about Seven Myths About The Need for Full Frame Camera Bodies (Updated)
What is “Normal” Focal Length?
Normal is defined as conforming to a standard, the usual, the typical or the expected. When it comes to photography, normal most often refers to the standard focal length lens on a camera. A normal lens sees about the same angle of view as the human eye. Let's delve into what normal means and why it's important. A "normal" lens is one whose focal length is the diagonal of the sensor of the camera. The sensor size is commonly known as the format. A full frame DSLR sensor is 36mm by 24mm. A cropped or APS-C sensor is typically 22.7mm by 15.1mm … [Read more...] about What is “Normal” Focal Length?
Shoot Photos with a Motion Sensor
Recently, Scott Bourne reviewed TriggerTrap (an app and cable combination that gives you a lot of custom control over your camera). I've since become huge fan and have made it a huge part of my time-lapse and HDR workflow. A new update just dropped last night that adds support for using a motion sensor. You can now trigger your DSLR or DILC camera using the internal camera on your iOS device (Android version should be out real soon). This allows you to set up a shot, specify the number of faces that need to be detected, as well as ad any … [Read more...] about Shoot Photos with a Motion Sensor
What is a Cropped Sensor?
If you're shopping for a DSLR or mirror less camera this season, you may hear the terms cropped or full-frame sensor pop up. Essentially, these are describing the size of the sensor within the camera. Full frame sensors are generally only found on cameras considered for pros, while cropped sensors are most common and can appear throughout product lines. Digital sensor sizes vary greatly between camera models and manufacturers. This is why the 35mm frame from a traditional film camera is used as a standard for comparison. This is often … [Read more...] about What is a Cropped Sensor?
Beware! Lasers Can Kill Your Camera’s Sensor
This is a guest post by , a photographer from St. Louis, MO. He's also the publisher of Planet5D which offers information about DSLR Video. ________________________________ A warning to all photographers and filmmakers concert lasers can damage your very expensive camera sensor permanently! And, there's some worry about your eyes as well, but I'll leave that for another discussion. While it's less likely to happen for traditional photographers (because of the short time the sensor is exposed during a single photo), anyone using live view or … [Read more...] about Beware! Lasers Can Kill Your Camera’s Sensor
The New Nikon D4 – Things We Do Know And Things We Don’t – Yet!
I'm no Joe McNally - and accordingly, I don't get paid to shoot with Nikons and don't yet have a D4. As close as I can come is reading the same spec sheet you do. If you look at ALL my posts about new cameras, you'll see that I always say the same thing - I'll reserve final judgment until I use it for a while. But, there's no denying that lots of buzz about Nikon's long-awaited D4 has infiltrated the interwebs. On paper - the camera looks really good. It doesn't appear to me to be any sort of revolutionary step up - just an evolutionary step. … [Read more...] about The New Nikon D4 – Things We Do Know And Things We Don’t – Yet!
Seven Ways To Reduce Sensor Dust
It's the dirty little secret of digital photography. Dust on the sensor. My Nikon D3 bodies were the worst. They were a bear to clean and were constantly getting dirty. Fortunately the D3s finally came with a built-in sensor cleaner. But what about us as photographers? What can we do to reduce the chances of getting dust on the sensor? It's mostly common sense, but in case you've never thought about this, here are seven ways you can reduce sensor dust. 1. Be sure to turn your camera off before changing lenses. This reduces the chance of a … [Read more...] about Seven Ways To Reduce Sensor Dust
Full Frame or Crop Sensor – You Decide
I think there is some confusion out there about the pros and cons of selecting a DSLR on the basis of a full-frame or cropped sensor. Cameras that are referred to as "full frame" are typically cameras that mirror the 24x36mm size of a traditional 35mm film camera. Cropped sensor cameras come in many sizes and flavors, but usually the APS-C standard is most prevalent. This means you must use a multiplication factor to determine what's known as an Effective Focal Length (EFL) for your particular camera/lens combo. There are trade-offs to both … [Read more...] about Full Frame or Crop Sensor – You Decide
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Photofocus Poll – Sensor Cleaning
______________________________________________ This site is made possible by sponsorship from: Lensbaby … [Read more...] about Photofocus Poll – Sensor Cleaning
Clean Your Sensor – TWIP
Those annoying specs on your digital camera come from sensor dust. And there are lots of things you can do to help reduce or eliminate that dust. If you own a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, the kind with interchangeable lenses, sooner or later, you will have to face the fact that dust will start to show up as specs in your images. You should take action to remove this dust on a regular basis. Here are some quick tips to help you control that dust. 1) Make sure you turn your camera off when you change lenses. The static electricity … [Read more...] about Clean Your Sensor – TWIP
The Future of Digital Sensors
The Future of the Digital Camera Sensor - TWIP I've had some rare free time to think this week - just think. And in the course of firing up the old synapses, I decided that I have an idea of what the digital camera sensor will look like in five years or so... I make these predictions having SOME inside information. I have spent some time with engineers at one of the major camera manufacturers in Japan. I received some insights there. But more than half what I write here is conjecture. This list is just a starting point for me. Nobody can say I … [Read more...] about The Future of Digital Sensors
