Improve Photography

Today’s article is a review of Sony DSLR cameras.  Every time I mention differences between Canon and Nikon DSLRs, I get (often angry) emails from readers (almost assuredly Sony shooters), who want an explanation as to why I do not talk more about Sony DSLRs.  I don’t want to start an interstellar war over petty [...]

John Fares sent in a question via the Ask a Question page in which he essentially asked why some photographers recommend buying the expensive high-end lenses when there are cheaper lenses of the same focal length available.  What’s the difference between cheap lenses and expensive lenses?  You can read the full question at the end [...]

Aaron Mizzi recently sent in a question asking how long the shutter on his DSLR will last before it bites the dust. It’s actually a very good question and the answer will also teach you an easy way to find out how many total times you’ve pressed the shutter button on your DSLR, which is [...]

Photography lens manufacturers use all sorts of abbreviations and acronyms to explain the features of their lenses.  In an effort to educate use, the photography lens manufacturers really just confuse us.  Hopefully you’ll understand a bit about the different lens feature abbreviations by reading this post. I can’t even tell you how many of my [...]

Like DSLR video or not, it is all the buzz in the photography industry today.  In fact, I’m writing a new eBook on DSLR video.  No matter how you feel about it personally, I thought it would be useful for beginning videographers to understand what all the buzz is about.  Personal home video cameras have [...]

I purchased the Lowepro Fastpack 250 about a year ago to use on photo walks.  The larger bags fit more gear, but I wanted something that could hold a decent amount of gear without too much work.  I really like the bag for how convenient it is, and it is a high-quality product. How much [...]

Buying a tripod is an absolutely agonizing process.  I was reminded of my past experiences in buying a tripod when I listened to a podcast from Marko Kulik this week.  Unless you’re an absolute beginner in photography, you already know how important a rock solid tripod and ballhead can be.  If you buy a high-quality [...]

We have all heard photographers complain about the camera manufacturers adding more and more megapixels on tinier and tinier sensors.  We’ve all complained about it, too.  I’d include myself in that group of complainers, but today I’d like to make the case for more megapixels. There are only two reasons not to have more megapixels: [...]

In response to my article entitled “9 Things Photographers Need to Know About Memory Cards“, Richard Cole and Aloha Lavina sent in a question about memory cards and this post will serve as a response. The Memory Card Reliability Question How long do CF memory cards last?  Should I replace my old cards after a [...]

Photographers are gearheads.  We love to know what the latest-and-greatest technology is and what piece of gear will produce optimal results.  I admit it.  I love the technology side of photography and I enjoy pixel peeping even when I know it doesn’t really help my photos.  Surprisingly, however, I am frequently shocked at how clueless [...]