Lens flare can appear as spots or streaks of light and color or as a washed-out hazy look in your photographs. Some photographers and filmmakers like to use it creatively, but it usually shows up as an unpleasant surprise that can ruin your picture.
We’ve all heard the term "dynamic range" when reading the latest and greatest offerings of camera manufacturers -- "this camera has the highest dynamic range in its category!" We understand that a greater dynamic range is generally a good thing to have.
Photographers use a range of different filters on their camera lenses for different effects and purposes, and one of the most common filters found in a camera bag is the standard UV filter.
In the photographic arms race, mirrorless systems are on the rise, having pushed DSLRs into the history books. But, just as film isn’t dead, neither are rangefinders. This seemingly obsolete design remains sharp, fast, and challenging enough to suit even the most confident photographers.
When compared to the other components of the exposure triangle (shutter speed and aperture), ISO appears to be the most intuitive on the surface. It is also the most misunderstood component, and everything from its definition to its usage has been discussed extensively.
Aperture can seem like one of the most challenging camera settings to fully understand, but once you understand it, your photography will improve immensely.
A DNG file is a high-quality image format that is quite common even though it's a relative newcomer compared to some file types such as the TIFF format, which is decades older (2004 vs 1986, respectively).
In the digital age, there’s a lot more to a photograph than the image itself. When most digital cameras capture an image, they record certain parameters and write them in the image’s file for later use. These parameters are called metadata and are stored as Exchangeable Image File data, or EXIF for short.
One of the many features modern cameras have is a selection of modes for metering exposure. These allow you to choose how the camera measures the brightness of the subject or scene in order to automatically adjust camera settings for optimal exposure.
Ahh, NFTs… where do we even begin? What on earth is an NFT and why does that guy at the coffee shop with an ape on his sweater keep smugly talking about them? Does photography, a medium that we traditionally have come to understand as largely physical, have a place in this new format?
Parabolic light has become increasingly popular among fashion and portrait photographers. With so many options to choose from, a photographer may get lost or not understand the modifiers at all.
One of the most important tools in a photographer's toolkit is something many may be surprised by - a color-accurate monitor. But why are they so expensive, and why should a photographer spend so much on one?
A lot of words have been written and exchanged about the difference between -- and possible advantages or disadvantages of -- CCD (charged-couple device) and CMOS (metal oxide semiconductor + active-pixel sensor) camera sensors. What really is the difference between them?
There is a purveying sentiment that cameras have only gotten more expensive over time. While there is certainly some validity in certain sectors of the market, the truth about camera prices over time is a bit more nuanced and complex than the average person makes it out to be. So, let’s take a look.
If you are reading this, chances are you’re aware of NFTs -- non-fungible tokens that are bought, sold, and traded on a digital ledger known as the blockchain. But what are their costs, risks, and side effects?
The NFT craze from earlier this year isn’t going away -- but perhaps has become even more mainstream in the last three months. It’s hard to name a celebrity, artist, or athlete who hasn’t cashed in on the explosive popularity of NFTs.
For most photographers, the basic idea of ISO is pretty easy to grasp as part of the three points of proper exposure. But once you start to dig a bit deeper into different aspects of ISO, that understanding gets shakey. In this 10.5-minute video, Dave McKeegan attempts to demystify the topic.
If you've heard of Fresnel lenses in photography before but have no idea what they are or how they work, here's a fantastic short primer. In this 3.5-minute video, physicist David G. Willey (AKA the Mad Scientist) explains the science behind the lens style using a simple and easy-to-understand model on a blackboard.
Seemingly overnight, NFTs became the hottest acronym on social media and in headlines. On Thursday, a single JPG file created by Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple, sold in an online auction for $69.3 million. It was the first digital-only art sale for auction house Christie’s, meaning there was no physical copy involved.
It's common knowledge that most lenses are at their best (i.e. sharpest) between f/5.6 and f/8, depending on the lens. But why is that? Why does stopping down further actually make the image softer? This is what YouTuber ZY Productions explains in the video above.
Engineer and YouTuber Ben Krasnow over at Applied Science has put together a fascinating little optical demonstration that explains the physics behind 'hypercentric' optics and how they allow you to see around and behind objects. He even shows you how to build your own.
Unmesh Dinda of PIXimperfect has put together a brilliant educational video on the oft-confusing Divide blend mode in Photoshop. In this tutorial he'll show you how to use it to remove any color cast, before diving into the fascinating mathematics behind this useful tool.
Camera manufacturers have been utilizing different types of autofocus systems in modern digital cameras. If you'd like a primer on how each one works, here's a fantastic 18-minute video by tech tester Gerald Undone that will bring you up to speed.
Instagram experience major user backlash after it abandoned its reverse chronological feed back in 2016, and many users these days are still wishing for its return. If you're one of them, here's an interesting factoid that may change your mind: the chronological feed was making users miss 50% of their friends' posts.
Here's an enlightening 7-minute video by Fstoppers that explains why "lens compression" is a misconception that's actually "perspective distortion".
Ever wonder what the difference between an F-stop and a T-stop is? If you've never bothered to look up and understand this bit of light transmission trivia, listen up: this simple video does the work for you.
Lytro came into the photography world not only to create a novelty product, but to fundamentally change how we approach image capture. Because despite light field photography being around for over a century, it’s only with the latest technology that the company is able to exploit what it is a camera is truly capable of doing.
We recently spoke with Lytro about its upcoming Illum camera a bit, diving into the technology behind the specs and revealing how Lytro's approach is allowing the company to not only step, but leap into the future.
High definition video recording is a standard feature on digital cameras these days. If you’ve never really understood the …
Here’s a great video lesson by Greg Cazillo on understanding and …
Here’s an interesting look at the guts of the pellicle mirror Sony A55 and how the camera works. The …