#APS-C cameras | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thefrogman · 2 days

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Recently I took a panorama of the Pittsburgh skyline at night that got a positive response. That was done on the spur of the moment with an iPhone. I want to do that again and more, but this time with a dedicated camera setup. It's been years since I've had one, so I'm basically starting over again. I'm mostly interested in getting day and night cityscapes, and maybe the carryings-on at this year's Anthrocon. Would you have any particular knowledge to pass on as I set off on this journey?

Since you didn't specify a budget I'm going to assume it is in the $10K range.

And you're probably thinking I'm going to suggest a Leica. Every dentist and his brother (who is also a dentist) gets a Leica. But I just can't take a camera brand seriously when they charge you an extra $2200 for the privilege of not being able to shoot in color.

Sure, you can hit a single button in Lightroom to get B&W and save some money, but then you won't be able to brag about how limiting yourself to only shades of gray has opened up new artistic pathways in your brain while a clueless person responds in mumbles during their root canal.

What you really want for your landscapes is a Hassie.

They were the first camera on the moon! How could you *not* want a Hasselblad? That is some camera gorgeousness right there. And it's so reasonably priced*!

*compared to their previous $40,000 camera systems.

And if you are doing landscapes with the Hassie you'll need a nice wide angle lens to go with it. This one is actually quite affordable*!

*compared to their previous $8000 lenses.

Can we all agree that is a work of art? They even use their H logo as the knurling.

That is just so... extra. And I love it.

Out of the entire alphabet I've heard Hs give you the best grip.

Man, I almost wish I was a dentist just so I could buy a fancy camera.

Sorry... I was just having a little fun.

I never get to recommend the super cool expensive cameras. Because, ya know, the economy and the fact that only dentists have Hasselblad money.

You probably think I'm being silly but there actually is an entire community of dentist photographers keeping the high end camera market alive.

Okay, let's get started...

Landscape Buying Guide

Opening Thoughts

For landscapes I would highly suggest a full frame camera and a high quality wide angle lens.

Full frame has several advantages but it is not necessary. You can go with a smaller sensor like APS-C and get great images. Personally I would not go any smaller, but there have been some great landscapes taken on micro 4/3 and even smartphones. Technique, knowledge, experience, and composition will usually win the day over a camera, but having a nice camera makes things a lot easier.

At this point, with full frame options being very affordable now, the main reason to get a smaller sensor is if you want a smaller system that is easier to carry for extended periods and easier to pack when traveling. Or if you aren't sure you want to take on photography as a hobby, you can get an old APS-C DSLR for under $200 to learn with and test out.

So if you need a very cheap OR very compact system, APS-C and Micro 4/3 might be worth considering, but a bigger sensor will cause less frustration most of the time.

Froggie Note: The expensive Micro 4/3 and APS-C systems are the compact ones. The cheap systems are about as bulky as full frame.

The biggest advantages to full frame are low light shooting, lens selection, and field of view. Full frame cameras have many, many more lenses to choose from. And since the sensor is bigger, it is much easier to get a wider field of view that is often needed for landscapes. And the high ISO noise performance tends to be better on full frame.

However, you can use full frame lenses on APS-C camera bodies within the same ecosystem. They just get a little... zoomier. Roughly 1.5x zoomier. A 35mm acts like a 50mm, for example. So if you want to spend a little less now you can get an APS-C camera with a full frame lens and then upgrade to full frame later on without having to buy a new lens. Full frame lenses work on APS-C bodies but not the other way around.

Most landscapists have a really solid 16-35mm lens and that covers almost all of their needs. So I would suggest something comparable. Please don't get suckered into some crazy 18-300mm superzoom. Just get the focal range you need for the photos you want to achieve.

A purpose-built lens always outperforms one that was made to do everything.

As far as where to get used gear, I highly recommend using KEH or MPB when buying used camera bodies. They check every device and offer between 3 and 6 months warranty to make sure the device won't crap out on you. Lenses are typically a lot more robust and a safer thing to buy on eBay or Facebook Marketplace if you can find a better deal. But the security of having a warranty and a return apparatus if something goes wrong might be worth the extra price when using these two sites.

I am going to recommend Canon, Nikon, and Sony systems. I feel they have the most complete ecosystems with gear that spans all budget ranges. I'm not saying there aren't good cameras from other brands, but you have to remember every camera has an ecosystem surrounding it. There are accessories and upgrade paths and niche lenses that may not be available with other brands. I think Fuji has some tempting options and if you like the look of vintage film photography, their emulation options are quite stunning. Their cameras are also quite attractive and have very satisfying knobs. But I still can't recommend them unless you have a specific reason for wanting their gear.

Just remember that for every Canon DSLR I recommend there is a comparable Nikon option available as well. There are more lenses for a Canon full frame DSLR body than any other brand with Nikon coming in a close second.

So if you choose not to go mirrorless yet, the Canon and Nikon DSLR camera ecosystems are immense and have tons of gear and accessories available to go with them. And since used gear holds up really well, those ecosystems will survive for decades.

Should you buy a mirrorless camera or a DSLR?

Mirrorless cameras are the latest camera technology for interchangeable lens camera systems. At this point they are superior in every aspect and they continue to improve year by year. Because of that, used DSLRs have plummeted in price. This allows people greater access to a starter ILC (interchangeable lens camera) without a significant investment. You can get professional quality images on either format, but mirrorless has a shallower learning curve and much better automatic modes.

The in-body image stabilization (IBIS) stabilizes *every* lens and the eye tracking autofocus make "focus and re-compose" extinct. These are huge selling points for a lot of people. With IBIS you can take photos with up to 2-4 second shutter speeds without a tripod. And never missing focus on a human or animal or bird is pretty cool too.

DSLR camera bodies are no longer being designed by most of the major manufacturers. Thankfully Canon and Nikon developed plenty of bodies and lenses, so you will always have options and upgrade paths. But you will not be able to upgrade to systems with the latest advanced features.

The best DSLRs available are probably the Nikon D850 and the Canon 5D Mark IV. That is as good as it will ever get. The technology ends there. So if you want to enter an active camera ecosystem then you will have to get a mirrorless camera.

DSLR Camera Systems

Full Frame DSLR Camera Bodies

Canon

If you buy a used DSLR, there are some very affordable full frame options. In fact, the classic much-praised budget full frame Canon 6D can be had for under $300 right now.

This is an old camera. It has no fancy features. It only has 20 megapixels. It just does what it says on the tin. But it has a big sensor and a *ton* of really cool lenses available for it.

If you are specifically looking to create really high resolution panos, you could also look at the 50 megapixel 5DS R for around $1000.

There is a community of landscape pano-maniacs that love to create "gigapans" that have endless amounts of detail where you can zoom in and find new details in every photo. I was only able to create a 120 megapixel photo, but you can still find things like people starting a campfire and a dude fishing and a truck on a far off bridge. So even though this seems expensive for a DSLR, you are looking at another thousand bucks to find anything with more megapixels than this bad boy, so it is quite a good deal relatively speaking.

Nikon

Probably the best DSLRs ever made were the Nikon D800 series and you can get the Nikon D800 for $464.

This is a newer camera than the 6D with more megapixels (36) and a better sensor. It also has a more modern autofocus system and about 3 more stops of dynamic range which can come in handy for landscapes. This is an incredible camera for this price.

APS-C DSLR Camera Bodies

If you aren't sure you want to commit to this hobby, you can look into a Canon APS-C sensor body like the Canon Rebels and Canon 60D through 90D models and get good results.

And there are many Nikon DX APS-C bodies that would be great starter cameras as well. If you get a Nikon, you'd have an upgrade path to the D800 if you get hooked by the photography bug. I would miss a few very special Canon lenses like the 100mm f/2.8L macro and the 400mm f/5.6 telephoto but I'm sure I could figure out some reasonable Nikon alternatives that would do roughly the same thing.

Canon APS-C

There is a Canon 60D for $139 right now that would be perfectly adequate for landscape work on a tripod.

That was my first camera and I took some very nice photos with it. Only 18 megapixels but it has a very convenient flippy screen which was really helpful for a disabled photographer trying to get low angles.

This was in 2014 and I didn't know what I was doing but that is a pretty stellar-looking sunset for a (now) $140 camera.

Nikon APS-C

And the Nikon D3400 would be a great option as well at around $184.

You get some extra megapixels (24) and it is a bit newer than the Canon. I get the sense that used Nikon DSLRs give you more value for your money right now but I don't have a large enough sample size to confirm that.

Full Frame DSLR Lenses

Froggie Note: I am recommending full frame lenses even if you choose an APS-C DSLR body so you have an upgrade path. But also very few purpose-built APS-C lenses had superior glass. Just remember, crop sensor APS-C cameras add ~1.5x to your focal length. So a 16-35mm will have the equivalent field of view of a 24-50mm lens. Still quite acceptable for landscapes, but you may benefit from doing panoramas more often. And if you upgrade to full frame down the road, you'll already have the ideal lens.

Canon DSLR Lenses

If you get the 6D or another Canon you could pair it with the beloved-by-landscapists Canon 16-35mm f/4L.

Honestly, it is blowing my mind you can get that combo for under $600. Me from 12 years ago is super jealous right now.

If you are worried you might need something to work in lower light and still want a zoom, the f/2.8L starts at around $434.

This might be the most famous landscape lens of all time. Kinda boggles the mind how many gorgeous vistas this thing has captured the light of.

If you can live without the zoom, you could get a much sharper prime lens that can also be used in even lower light. A used Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens is $439 would be a fantastic option.

24mm is still a very good focal length for landscapes and the sharpness of this lens lends well to panoramic stitches. Seriously, these art lens are so freaking sharp. Although 35mm is typically preferred for most street photography, I think this would do great for that purpose as well. It couldn't do close up portraits, but 3/4 and full body portraits would look great. I also love this focal length for doggos. It enlarges their heads a bit which enhances adorable-ness.

Though I probably wouldn't recommend the 24mm on APS-C for landscapes as it would put you near a 40mm full frame equivalent field of view.

Nikon DSLR Lenses

And on the Nikon side of things you could get the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 for $399.

This is a great lens too. Very comparable to the Canon L glass. And paired with that D800 you would have a better shooting experience than with the 6D if it fits within your budget.

It's a little harder to find, but you can also get that same Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens for Nikon at around $528 used on Amazon and in the $400 range on KEH and MPB when it is available.

The older and softer Nikkor 28mm f/1.8 is a little more affordable and easier to find.

What if you are not a dentist but are willing to save up for something a little nicer?

Enter the world of...

Mirrorless Camera Systems

Sony currently has my favorite ecosystem of mirrorless cameras and lenses and they are consistently ahead of the other brands as far as technology and features. In fact, many other manufacturers use Sony sensors. They literally supply their competition with their own tech. They are also pretty good about updating firmware—even with older models. So I feel like Sony has a lot of future-proofing advantages over other brands. Sony has a great selection of 3rd party lenses like Sigma, Tamron, Viltrox, Laowa, Samyang, etc. These lenses often have nearly the same optical quality as Sony's G Master lenses at a fraction of the price.

Full Frame Mirrorless

Currently, I think the best value full frame mirrorless camera for landscapes would be the Sony a7R III.

This is very nearly a top-of-the-line landscape camera for a little over $1200.

That might sound like a lot, but I want to be clear...

This isn't just decent. This isn't "good enough." This is a spectacular professional grade full frame camera.

10 years ago you could spend $6500 for a *worse* camera. 5 years ago you could spend $3000 for a *worse* camera.

It can do every genre of photography except for maybe fast paced sports/action. It has an amazing 42 megapixels—which are not necessary but they do make editing and printing a lot less of a headache. The file sizes can get a little big, but storage is a lot cheaper than it used to be.

Oh, and it can be used for professional quality 4K video work too.

The a7R III comes with all of the modern bells and whistles including in-body stabilization (IBIS) so you can handhold at very slow shutter speeds. It has one of the best autofocus systems—complete with eye tracking. But not just human eyes! Dog eyes. Cat eyes. Bird eyes. If it has an eye, the Sony can probably lock focus on it. And it has an admirable 10 fps burst shooting mode.

APS-C Mirrorless

If you want to enter the Sony ecosystem but can't afford full frame quite yet, you could do the a6400 for about $600.

You still get the eye-tracking and the in-body stabilization, but you will lose some image quality at higher ISOs due to the smaller sensor size. However, you can get the same full frame E-mount lenses for it and upgrade to a bigger sensor later on and not have to buy new lenses.

Mirrorless Landscape Lenses

I think a good value landscape lens would be the very impressive Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8.

This is a newer lens so there aren't many deals on used options yet. But this is still a great price for the quality and versatility you get. You will never regret spending a little more on glass.

The 20mm range can fit an entire cityscape in the frame without needing to do a panorama. But if you zoom to 40mm and mount the camera vertically, you could stitch together several photos to get well over the 100 megapixel range.

Also, the 40mm focal range is long enough to do street photography and even head & shoulder portraits. The wide f/2.8 aperture combined with the high-ISO friendly full frame sensor and in-body stabilization means you can shoot in very low light without a tripod. You can also get some great pictures of stars if you travel to someplace with minimal light pollution.

The cheapest landscape zoom lens I could find was the Sony 16-35mm f/4 at $384.

It's one of Sony's older lenses and may not take advantage of all of the a7R III's pixels, but it would be a good option to get you started in this system and upgrade the lens later on.

Mirrorless Prime Lenses

Zoom lenses are great but you have to spend more to get tolerable quality. Kit zooms can be softer than even the tiny plastic lenses on your phone. So a great way to stretch your budget is to get multiple fixed focal length "prime" lenses. Primes can be built inexpensively while still having good low light performance and decent sharpness.

For instance, you could start with something like the Tamron 20mm f/2.8 for $175. And if you want to do more than landscapes you could add the Sony 50mm f/1.8 for $170 later on. Cheap primes will outperform any of those mediocre kit zoom lenses in that same price range. You lose some versatility and have to deal with the pain of changing lenses or zooming with your feet, but sometimes a tight budget demands a little pain.

There is also a higher quality 3rd party wide angle prime lens that is very popular right now. The Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 is only $549 and the reviews say it has similar quality to lenses 3 times its price.

If you have to choose between a better camera body or a better lens, a good lens will help your photos more than a fancy camera body.

Froggie Note: These are examples. You should always do your own research before making a major technological purchase. This post could be a year old by the time you see it and there could be new stuff that is better. But all of the principles I tried to convey should hopefully guide you to a good decision. Also, feel free to message me if you want to ask about specific gear you are considering purchasing.

More Resources

This is my Encyclopedia of Lens Terms which is a helpful primer in understanding all of the wonderful and different lens options available on ILCs.

This is my buying guide for low budget used DSLRs. Similar to this post but less geared toward landscapes.

And this guide for getting decent landscape photos with any camera.

This is a free tutorial that teaches you everything you need to get started with an ILC system.

youtube

And this free tutorial by Karl Taylor is quite good as well.

#photography #long post

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notsogoodphotographer · 1 month

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Hi i want to talk about my all time favorite camera 📸

pls ignore all my grammar mistakes, i’m not professional reviewer 😂 i just wanna talk about this camera.

This is the Sony RX1Rii, this is the third and “most recent” version of this camera. i put “most recent” in quotes because this camera is almost 10 years old. don’t like the old age fool you because this camera can keep up with the newest cameras in its niche.

This little point and shoot sports a 42mp full frame sensor. YES, F U L L F R A M E!! This tiny camera is actually smaller than all the x100 series (minus the lens on it). The camera has an incredibly sharp Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f2 glued to. This camera has 399 af points, with eye AF. The camera is incredibly fast and accurate!! the camera is pretty much a tiny packaged Sony A7Rii!

One of my favorite features of this camera is the pop-up EVF! This is a feature that was added to only this version of the camera and it’s a feature that i wish sony continued to incorporate into some of their other smaller cameras like the A7c or a6k series!

The camera does shoot video up to 1080 120fps, but does not have picture profiles such has S-log or HLG. This was a camera made strictly for photos, which is probably for the best because the battery life on this camera is terrible, any kind of prolong video shooting would absolutely burn through these batteries in minutes.

That brings me to my next point, my cons. There’s not many but i figured i’d point them out anyways for those who are interested in this camera. these aren’t make it or break it cons, these are just issues that hinder it from being the greatest camera ever released (IMO)

1) battery life, i believe it’s rated for like 220 shots. Ive definitely gotten it to last twice than that. That tiny body processing all that data on some of the tiniest batteries makes sense why it’s so bad. Luckily batteries are cheap and like i said they’re tiny, so they’re pretty easy to carry around!

2) no picture profiles in video. i know i touched on it briefly up above and this camera is mainly a photo camera AAAAAND hybrid cameras were just beginning to grow in popularity around the time this camera came out but it would’ve been amazing to have s-log in this camera for little snippets here and there. i know at the time IG and other photo sharing apps were mainly photo sharing apps, and a camera that was built strictly for photo has no business having usable picture profiles in video.

3) no crop mode in RAW. this one is weird to me because i know the A7Rii has an APS-C mode where you can shoot RAW photos with an inbody crop and there’s times that i’d love to shoot something at 50mm (35mm + sony’s 1.5x aps-c crop). there is a digital zoom option but that’s for jpg only.

4) PRICE!!!! why the fuck is this camera still being sold for $3200??!! this is a 10 year old camera with outdated tech. i bought mine used for $1900 (which is about the price of the fuji x100V at the time of purchase) and i still think that’s a little too much.

that’s really about it aside from minor complaints of not having tele/ wide converters. i’m also sure all of those cons stem from the small battery. I’d love to see all of these corrected in a Mk3 one day, but as of a couple weeks ago sony just discontinued the Rx1rii’s production. I’m being a little hopeful but maybe that means we’re getting a successor, i doubt it but a boy can dream.

I don’t really do reviews or anything but this camera has had my heart for the past 9 months so i had to show it off/ talk about it. this to me in the perfect everyday camera. it never leaves my side and comes with me to any and every trip! Im always blown away by the photos i create with this little camera and i know whenever a mk3 comes out im going to hop on the chance to buy on immediately!

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which-item-poll · 2 months

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Website is in the tags!

#zoom in to see the specs #which item poll #pc #camera #photography #photographer #camera stuff #electronics #polls #poll game #random polls #poll blog #gimmick blog #amazon

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spinef0ryou · 1 year

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Q and A interview with Will Ramos in Metal Hammer Magazine. Transcript under the cut.

ARE LORNA SHORE BRINGING DEATHCORE BACK?

Lorna Shore's growler-in-chief, Will Ramos, answers your questions on goblin screams, dream collabs and singing with a camera down his throat

SINCE WILL RAMOS joined Lorna Shore in 2021, the US deathcore band have been on a mission that's seen them leapfrog to the forefront of their scene. Will's mind-boggling vocal abilities have turbocharged them, and Hammer crowned last year's sprawling symphonic fourth record, Pain Remains, "the most essential deathcore album of the decade". Last summer, Will sang with a camera down his throat so we could all see what the hell was going on in there, but now, in his biggest challenge yet, he takes on your questions...

What's your favourite type of scream to do? - N4turalbornkll, Twitter

"They're called 'tunnel screams, like if you're going through a tunnel. But I like calling them 'goblin screams'. It's like two different tones going on at the same time. It sounds really cool."

What bands got you into metal? - Ben Ryan, Facebook

"Linkin Park was definitely one of them. Meteora... freaking Hybrid Theory! I listen to albums from my childhood all the time - I still love them and they still hold up; Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb Of God, AFI... I had a couple of friends that listened to metal that I used to play videogames with, and one of the bands they played me was AFI. One song, Affliction, was just straight-up screaming the entire song. I was like, This. Is. Crazy?' Then my friend said, 'Dude, here's a bunch of bands that you should check out?' It was Lamb Of God, Whitechapel, Linkin Park."

How long do you think you'll be able to maintain your iconic screaming voice? Ten years? Thirty? Forever - Nettels_, Twitter

"I haven't fallen off yet. I don't know. Hopefully forever, but every day I make a joke, I'm like, This is the one. This is going to be the last one, this is it!"

What other genres do you love? - Jordan Bonvicino, Facebook

"I don't listen to a lot of metal so much anymore. I was looking at my Spotify Wrapped from last year... It was ap, psychedelic rock, indie music, and metal was fourth. I love bands like [Japanese singer-songwriter] Joji. I love Mac Miller. I love Drake. And I love sad music, so stuff like (post-hardcore artist] Bilmuri. They're metal, but they're also very sing-y. And I like that because now that I've been doing so much screaming in my life, I want to get better at something that's not screaming - so, singing. That's the next tier for me right now."

Are Lorna Shore bringing deathcore back? - Ed Burns, email

“I don't know if we're 'bringing it back'. We're doing really good for ourselves, and I love that people are hopping onto the train. That's incredible. Ilove that it's inspiring other people to even do more metal music. I just do what I do and I can't think about what I'm doing. I still can't look at myself in the mirror and be like, 'That's one of the big guys."

Hammer: Who were 'the big guys' to you?

“The ones that inspired me were late Suicide Silence vocalist] Mitch Lucker, Phil Bozeman (Whitechapell and Trevor Strnad (late Black Dahlia Murder vocalist]."

Do you avoid certain foods before singing, and if so, which ones? - Matt Doherty, Facebook

"I'd say eat light foods - if you eat something crazy heavy, you're going to feel very tired. I have maybe a slice of pizza, but you won't see me eating five or six slices. Ilove ramen and ramen is something that I'd have all the time when I'm on tour just because it's spicy, so it clears your nasal passages and it's soup, so it's good for your stomach."

What's your favourite Lorna Shore breakdown? - Undeado8, Twitter

"I think it would be Hollow Sentence off Immortal (2020 album, featuring ex-vocalist C] McCreery]. If we're talking about the newer stuff, Sun//Eater is definitely my favourite breakdown. It's the hardest song in the set. We have a sample of a katana [samurai sword] coming out and slicing something open. This specific sound is the unsheathing of the sword. It's halfway in, where the breakdown gets even heavier, so I just imagine a moshpit of people with inflatable swords killing each other."

Would you ever re-record Immortal? - Corey Hunter, Facebook

"I have, and I'm doing it for myself. I made a Patreon, and I told myself, I'm going to start redoing all of the old Lorna Shore albums."

Hammer: Would the band ever re-release the older albums with you on vocals?

"As a band we wouldn't - we want to have forward momentum. Art is always going to get better as long as you don't go back and start fixing things. We're like, 'What's the next thing? I'll put out Immortal on my own, but that's it."

What is your favourite song on Pain Remains? - Alex Chiczewski, Facebook

"Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames. It's the saddest one. I told you, Ilove sad music! You get to a point where you listen to breakdowns so many times, you become a little numb to them. For me, the only thing that holds me onto music after the breakdowns, is how do I feel about it? It's not about the melody or the breakdown. It's hearing the lyrics and I feel what this person is feeling and that it feels real. That's why I love Pain Remains I - it's the most genuine."

What is your best advice for dealing with crippling depression? - Zare Ralf Karadzin, Facebook

"Distract myself. Everyone alwavs sees me as Labradoodle Will. That's great, but I'm just like everybody out there and everybody gets sad sometimes. I dealt with depression a lot when I was a little kid, and if there's anything that's helped me, it was trying to distract myself with things Ilike to do, whether it be screaming or my little RC (remote control] cars, or playing Minecraft. Take everything day by day... conquer this day. Then you know tomorrow is another day, and you beat that day. Eventually you start putting yourself in the cycle where you'll have more good days than you have bad days."

What bands would you like to collab with in the future? - Notabumbleb88, Twitter

"Id love to collaborate with Sleep Token. They're my favourite freaking band right now. They are so incredibly good; Vessel and I have very similar singing ranges, too. Also, I Declare War, because they're just so incredibly heavy... In Flames... and Ilove Oceano - their vocalist Adam Warren is so good."

Hammer: What do you think a Sleep Token/Lorna Shore collab would sound like?

"It’d be insane. I don't know if our fans would love it, but I would. Let's go!"

What does it mean to you to be the Latino/Hispanic representation of deathcore and heavy music in general? - Shaun Fontanez, Facebook

“It's incredibly stressful. I don't speak Spanish, so a lot of Hispanic people will come up to me just like, 'Yo, dude, I'm so happy that you're here; you're Hispanic, I'm Hispanic!' I'm like, 'Thanks, man, appreciate that. I'm going to tell you right now I don't speak Spanish' and see that shock on their face. I do wish to speak more Spanish. I am a bad Puerto Rican... Or maybe I am the perfect Puerto Rican, because if you know anything about Puerto Ricans, half of them also don't speak Spanish. So, shout out to Puerto Rico."

How does it feel to have such a sudden and rapid growth in notoriety? - Christopher Andrew Ryan, Facebook

"It has been very big. Honestly, it's an incredible thing to see. We're very happy that we're all able to live off the art that we're putting out, not a lot of people can sav that. We're so caught up in the race, though, we're focused on what's next so that we can stay up here. If we fall off, you can only get to this point once, and then you lose it. We're trying to ride it for as long as we can."

How difficult was it singing with a camera down your throat? - Andy Pierce, email

"I didn't think it was going to sound good at all because I was so numb and mucus-y. When you’re doing vocals, you don't want mucus because it gets in the way and you can't even feel anything down there. It's almost like if you sang out loud and you just covered your ears, and you couldn't hear what you're putting out. That's what it felt like! Hopefully it'll be better next time (now I know what to expect!)”

PAIN REMAINS IS OUT NOW VIA CENTURY MEDIA. LORNA SHORE PLAY DOWNLOAD IN JUNE

#lorna shore #will ramos #metal hammer #metal hammer magazine #interview #interviews #deathcore #sorry for the photo gloss i don’t own a copier so my phone is the best i have

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gothicwidowsworld · 1 year

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Mayfair M.A

Y/N L/N’s loved when she got to sit in on and be a part of Screaming Meals, whilst having cameras in her face had become a necessary evil in her career Screaming Meals was less media duties and more fucking about and having a lark with her boyfriend and their tightknit group of friends without having to worry about a show, a race, an interview or anything else her career and Marcus’ threw at them. Yeah Nah G’day was the jewel in the Screaming Meals channel at least in Y/N’s eyes watching Marcus & James slip back into simple Kiwi boy’s sharing stories & laughs, the occasional sly dig thrown in.

“I was just hanging around Mayfair the other day… I’m not flexing I’m just I was in Mayfair at a cafe with my girlfriend…” Marcus began already rolling his eyes at the face James was pulling at the mention of the infamous London location. “Was I there?” James asked quickly, the tall Kiwi forgetting to let the Driver finish his sentence. “Are you my girlfriend? Marcus asked sarcastically, raising a quizzical eyebrow in response. Resting back, relaxing more into the firm sofa Marcus continued his story “The cafe was reasonably empty, and I’ve sort of looked over to my left and uh… and I’ve seen someone. And I’m like she looks familiar. At this point Y/N’s given me a weird look, I’m like she looks really like Rihanna. Obviously, I didn’t say that to Y/N/N because you know I wasn’t looking at another girl but I’m also not stupid.” Snorting at his mates replay of his inner monologue James interrupted again “Debatable.” It was obviously in jest, but Marcus couldn’t help the offended look that filled his pale features. James and Marcus even Clém often poked fun at each other but they never meant any harm by it, it was just playground high jinks despite leaving school years ago. “So I’m like I’ll just get my phone, I check online um oh shit Rhianna is actually in London right now. And She’s realised that I’ve noticed it's her and there’s only like my table and her table” The Kiwi Driver explained moving his hands around to try to visually explain the distance between him and who he’d now confirmed as the famous Barbadian singer. “And she’s like basically from me to y/n away, she’s so close and I’m like oh my god.”

“Mate she’s gonna freak out when she sees this” James explained teasing the clearly excited Marcus, if there was one thing Marcus Armstrong was bad at other than singing it was hiding his emotions. It didn’t take a genius to work out when he was excited. From the way his soft golden hazel eyes would sparkle to the small twitches of his upper lip as he tried to bite back a growing grin. “I know” Marcus replied somewhat bashfully, an awkward laugh of disbelief tumbling from his pink lips. “When she watches this she’s gonna absolutely lose it. So I’ve realised it’s her and She can see in my eyes that I’ve just realised it’s Rhianna right. And she’s obviously said something to her mate who’s like right next to her and I believe that mate was A$AP Rocky. Quite a table next to us and uh so she’s mentioned something, and I’ve turned to my girlfriend and I’ve said, “Whatever you do don’t turn around.” Marcus trailed off mentally reliving the moment, his heart starting to race.

“Obviously the first thing Y/N’s gonna do” James stated with a shrug of his shoulders, it was a known fact the y/h/c girl couldn’t be trusted in situations like this. It wasn’t her fault; it was just a reflex she struggled to control no matter how hard she tried. “No I’ve said “don’t turn around Babe do NOT turn around, but Rhianna is on the table behind us”. And of course, my sweet sweet girlfriend has turned around. Um and then suddenly it just struck me I was like actually now that I realise it this room is full of security guards… And they’re all looking at me because I’ve just said that WAY too loud, and Y/N/N’s turned around.” Marcus recounted, a small smile breaking onto his face as he locked eyes with the aforementioned girl behind the camera. “Kind of like Clément Novalak in a Drivers briefing” James chortled purposely ignoring the scoffing that came from his female long-time friend.

“Exactly like Clément in the driver’s briefing… she’s going to hate that you’ve compared her to him..” the F2 Driver replied laughing at first before trailing off. It was a joke, a good joke even, but Y/N hated being compared to any Driver on the F2 grid or otherwise. Adjusting his headphones Marcus cleared his throat “And uh, my heart is like pounding, it’s like the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life seeing Rhianna, she’s looked me in the eyes and given me a look of disgust, something that I’m quite used to now.”

“It was not a look of disgust!.” the y/h/c young woman called out softly, a giggle rippling from her chest, her heart warming at the sight of a slightly panicking Armstrong. At the same time James decided to add his thoughts. “Yeah, especially from women… or Y/N’s fans” James added knowing that over the past couple of months the young woman’s fanbase had grown, and with that so had some of jealousy targeted towards the New Zealander. “Thanks man… And uuhh so I actually I felt so embarrassed for myself that i’d made her uncomfortable that I just thought I need to leave, Babe we need to leave. I just can’t believe I made her feel like this. Lets just get up and leave, I’m sorry I’ve ruined our date, but we just need to leave. So I’m like let’s go. And then Y/N just looks at me like I’m insane and walked up to Rhianna and says “Hey Rhi how are you” like it was nothing!? Then they like hug and everything and then we just walk out, we just go. I’m still buzzing now like yeah.”

“I can tell.” the taller Kiwi replied, “It is weird when you see like a full-blown celebrity in the wild.” James hummed a second later nodding his head slightly at his statement. “James, you see me all the time?!” Y/N hollered tilting her head slightly in confusion, some loose strands of y/h/c locks disturbing her view of the lighter haired man. “I said a celebrity!” James barked back in faux angst. “I’ll just go fuck myself then? No more concert tickets for you!” Y/N sassily retaliated losing the fighting urge to stick her tongue out at her boyfriends and unfortunately hers depending on how you looked at it close mate.

“Hold on a minute! You can’t do that!” James exclaimed loudly, shooting forward quickly, almost yanking his headphones violently. Turning to face his co-host James frowned slightly “Can she do that?” James whispered obnoxiously a look of utter bewilderment casting over his face. All the insurance broker got in response was a half-hearted shrug.

y/nl/n posted to their story

#gothicwidow #marcus armstrong imagines #marcus armstrong x reader #james harvey blair x platonic reader #screaming meals x reader #screaming meals imagines #f2 imagines #f2 x reader #marcus armstrong x singer reader #marcus armstrong x celebrity reader #formula two imagines #formula two x reader

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thephoblographer · 2 years

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3 APS-C Camera Lenses with Professional Level Image Quality

Here's one for those who love their APS-C cameras.

The statement for years was that APS-C cameras and lenses can’t produce professional results. And even though some photographers still think that way, it’s been long debunked. APS-C camera lenses have improved in the same way that the camera sensors and processors have. So if you want better quality from your APS-C camera, then consider these lenses. We spent a lot of time reviewing these and we…

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#aps-c #APS-C cameras #Cameras #image quality #lenses #review #tamron #Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD #Tamron 17-70mm #Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD #tamron 18-300mm

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sol-consort · 3 months

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Do you think in reverse, any of the alien races also tried those tips on befriending humans? Aliens bragging online how they totally rizzedd up a human with ridiculous advice, humans are just like "lol silly little guys" and humor it happily.

Are we bringing the "loser high elf with a human obsession" trend in here from my other blog? Because I am fully down to making a loser friendgroup of aliens who are creeps towards humans as much as they are endlessly curious.

And yes, oh definitely yes they are bragging online about tottally rizzing up this new shiny species who stumbled their way into the stars.

A turian posting on his twitter about how he's been assigned with a human in C-SEC, how he has been studying a lot of human rituals by watching Hollywood movies and reading mammal herd behaviours, not realising humans are categorised as predetors.

It's a long thread of him describing his "successful" attempts and encounters with the human.

He followed the human to lunch and made sure to eat next to them since the extranet articles talked about the importance of eating together in human culture.

Except the human was a messy eater and the turian's food ended up getting contaminated, resulting in the turian having a coughing fit, throwing up, passing out and waking up in the emergency care.

A salarian saw this thread and left a very long comment mansplaining human behaviour and how the turian was absolutely wrong and an idiot. The two of them argued back and forth in the comments during the turian's stay in the hospital.

Resulting in the salarian claiming he could befriend a human much faster and easier than the turian's pathetic attempt. Leading the turian to daring him to post it.

So he read any books he could find about human evolution and history. Confident that he could apply them on the next human tour group coming to Sur'kesh.

Human primitives loved climbing trees, correct? And Sur'kesh has lots of trees! Their closest relatives are in apes huh? The salarian knows just what to do with this information.

Imagine with me, you're a human tourist in an alien planet, following the polite salarian guide in the front and taking pictures of the lovely view. You're having a wonderful time.

Then out of nowhere, comes another salarian who stops in front of the whole tour group. The tour guide seems confused and you wonder if this was preplanned or not.

This random salarian begins speaking to the entire group very slowly as he states the fact that there are a lot of trees around here. Asking if anyone would like to join him in climbing one as a mutual show of trust and friendship.

You raise your camera as you watch this salarian who's worked in a bio lab all his life, struggling to climb one tree and very slowly making progress. When he reaches the top, he is reminded of the fact oh, heights and gravity exist, this is so much more terrifying than he thought it would be.

Now he's stuck on the tree, and the salarian tour guide is dialing up security to both come and get him down but also kick him out before he causes a human diplomatic incident.

The salarian's terrified at the top like a scared kitten. You climbed a lot of trees as a kid, and this one isn't even that tall, so you climb up there and offer to carry the salarian down, which he enthusiastically accepts.

Everyone is taking pictures and smiling, the tour guide is relieved that an incident was avoided.

Then the salarian in your arms, reaches into his pocket says he has just the thing to thank you with, kind human.

He takes out. A banana. Offering it to you.

The pictures and videos of him doing that end up on the galactic news the next day, you get word that the human ambassador Udina wants use this incident to demand compensation and sanctions on the salarians offensive gesture to a human tourist. The salarian government is very apologetic and panicking, ready to throw credits at the problem to solve it.

But you post a video on your social media laughing it off and saying it's fine. Putting an end to the incident before it escalates.

An asari sits in her office as she looks over the latest galactic news, the salarian's pathetic attempt at befriending a human that resulted in a diplomatic incident.

She sips on her coffee, a human delicacy, as she finally decides where she wants to spend her once-a-year break.

Booking the nearest ticket to Earth, she thinks, befriending humans cannot be that hard, right?

She has seen many humans in Thessia. She even talked to one once when they asked her for directions! Sure, she never really befriended any before, but they can't be that different from all the other species. After all, an asari can get anyone wrapped around their finger if she tries hard enough.

Landing on Earth, she realises just why it was called the blue planet. The sky is very blue, almost aggressively so and the sun here hurts to look at, unlike the gentle one in Thessia.

There are so many humans around, not a sign of a single alien in sight. All of them walking with a purpose, some taking their animals to a stroll and oh wow that dog is bigger than any varren she has ever seen, how did that human tame it?

Some give her a pacing glance, and others are indifferent to her. She keeps trying to strike up a conversation but everyone just declines and say they're busy or in a hurry.

Strange, the humans on the citadel are much more friendly. An asari could walk up to a group and demand their attention just like that, why are the ones here so different?

Eventually she spots an older woman, ah yes a human Matriarch! Just perfect. She goes to the elder woman sitting on a bench while feeding the pigeons.

The woman smiles, wrinkles in her face from a life full of happiness, greeting the blue lady. The two of them sit together and have a talk, the old woman is very patient and understanding with the asari as she explains that this is just how humans are, how the ones on the citadel are a very select view who are enthusiastic about aliens.

The asair is stunned to learn that this woman is merely 78 years old, yet she holds so much wisdom and charm. They spend the entire day talking and watch the sunset together.

By the end, the old woman apologises for having to leave, saying her grandkids are visiting tonight and she must go back home. But she will be here tomorrow if the asair wants to continue the chat.

Day after day, week after week. The asair keeps meeting up with her snd talking, about nothing and everything, life and its meaning, the sky and its colours, love and its sisters.

The asari asks if the old woman has her spouse in her life still, the old woman smiles, full of melancholy as she shakes her head no.

Reading on human mating rituals, the asari starts bringing the old woman flowers, red in colour and varied in shapes. A box of sweets that the old woman kindly declines because of her blood sugar, yet the asari doesn't give up and comes the next day with a box of dark chocolate.

By the end of the month, the asari brings her final gift to the old woman. A small red box that fits perfectly into her balm. The old woman has to put her glasses back on as the asari opens the box to be able to see what's inside.

Getting on one knee, the asari opens the box to present a shiny ring inside, she asks cautiously if she'd like to come back with her to Thessia to live the rest of their lives together.

The old woman smiles, the asari grew found of her smiles, so gentle and warm. Reaching with her shakey hands, she takes the box and admires the beautiful ring inside. She chuckles with delight at the flattering implication as she puts the ring back in the box and hands it to the asari.

Patting her head, the 78 human woman tells the 600 asari woman to go find a young girl her age to marry. How she basically sees her as a granddaughter.

The asari comes back home with a newfound hatred for Earth, attempting to cope with having her heartbroken by a single human who hasn't passed their first century yet.

#☆asair #☆turians #☆salarians #☆humans

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andmaybegayer · 30 days

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new camera (Canon R6) is a colossal upgrade, to the point where the way you are meant to use it is completely different from my old mid-range DSLR. Went out to do some photography in the park and I am going to have to spend a while fidgeting with the settings so that I can switch between the useful options faster. Menuing in higher end cameras has always been a big deal and I've used high-end cameras briefly but never for long enough to see how much.

It is really nice to use a piece of equipment that is this well made. My old 600D was a "nice beginner camera" when it came out in 2011. The R6 is a professional full-frame optimized for serious work. You actually have enough dials to realistically run full manual under pressure! You have enough focus points that moving them around actually makes sense! To say absolutely nothing of the huge leaps in image processing that have happened in the decade between these two cameras.

I'm adapting my old 24-105 f/4 lens, which is even older than the 600D but optics age better than bodies, it feels great to finally use all of this lens. On APS-C it gets seriously cropped to the point where it can feel kind of awkward, on full-frame you can really see why everyone loves it so much.

I still need some time to get used to the controls, a lot of these were shot with far too slow a shutter speed because I was not quick on the ISO draw. It'll get there.

#my photograpy #canon R6 #prague #grebovka park

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karingottschalk · 2 years

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Fuji Rumors: Fujifilm Managers Interview: About Internal Camera Memory, X Pan Aspect Ratio, ISO Button Gate on X-H2/s and More – FujiCast – Commentary

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#APS-C #Camera Labs #DZOFilm #Fujifilm Fujinon XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR Macro #Fujifilm MHG-XT5 Metal Hand Grip #Fujifilm MIC-ST1 Stereo Microphone #Fujifilm X-H cameras #Fujifilm X-T cameras #Fujifilm X-T5 #Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR #Fujinon XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR Macro #Gordon Laing #Irix cinema lenses #Kevin Mullins #Super 35 #The FujiCast

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sirfrogsworth · 4 months

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Landscape Photo Recipe (Redux)

@ameliablair asked: I just bought my first non-phone camera (Canon PowerShot SX70 HS). I travel a lot and want to take great photos of the landscapes I see. What would you recommend for someone who is essentially a novice? So far I've been afraid to change the settings from "auto" but I want to use the full capabilities of this camera!

__________________________

This is the very first time I have presented this information. There was definitely not another post where I screwed up and gave bad advice.

Nope.

Didn't happen.

This post is basically just reformatted and corrected but there are a few "Note from Froggie" sections with updated info. I promise this is the final final final version.jpg of this post.

Okay, I am going start with a simple recipe for setting up your camera to take landscape photos. This will get you decent results 80-90% of the time unless you are in very challenging lighting circumstances. So, either a very dark area or an area that has very dark spots and very bright spots at the same time.

First, you will need to figure out the size of your sensor. This can usually be found by googling the model of your camera and adding "sensor size" to the search. If you are using a smartphone you can skip this step.

(The PowerShot SX70 HS has a 1/2.3" sensor size.)

I'm going to create 3 different recipes. Match your sensor size with the appropriate one.

Large sensors. (APS-C/Full Frame) Medium sensors. (Micro 4/3 or MFT or 4/3") Small sensors and smartphones. (1" or smaller)

Large recipe...

Put camera on tripod or stable surface.

Set timer to a delay of 1 second.

Put camera in Av or Aperture Priority Mode.

Set f-stop to f/8 or f/11. (Test both.)

Set ISO to lowest setting. (Usually 100.)

Let the camera decide the shutter speed automatically.

Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing.

Press the button, stand back, and let the camera take the shot.

Medium recipe...

Put camera on tripod or stable surface.

Set timer to a delay of 1 second.

Put camera in Av or Aperture Priority Mode.

Set f-stop to f/5.6 or f/8. (Test both)

Set ISO to lowest setting. (Usually 100.)

Let the camera decide the shutter speed automatically.

Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing.

Press the button, stand back, and let the camera take the shot.

Small recipe...

Put camera on tripod or stable surface.

Set timer to a delay of 1 second.

Put camera in Av or Aperture Priority Mode.

Set f-stop to the widest setting. (Lowest f-stop number)

Set ISO to lowest setting. (Usually 100.)

Let the camera decide the shutter speed automatically.

Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing.

Press the button, stand back, and let the camera take the shot.

So for the PowerShot mentioned, if you are zoomed all the way out, you would set the f-stop to f/3.4. If you are zoomed all the way in, it would be f/6.5. Basically just keep lowering the f-stop until it won't budge any lower.

Let's quickly go over these settings and get an understanding of why they work so well for landscapes.

Why a tripod?

For landscapes you want to have great detail and low noise in the photos. So you have to shoot at a very low ISO to avoid noise. But if you don't have a lot of light, the shutter speed could get very slow. If you don't put the camera on a tripod, the slow shutter speed will cause motion blur.

Note from Froggie: I just learned the PowerShot has optical image stabilization of 5.5 stops (which is great!). It's possible you may be able to take some photos without a tripod, but a tripod will *guarantee* sharp photos. I would say if it is fairly sunny, you can avoid the tripod. That said, sometimes stabilization can do funky things when a camera is on a tripod. So I would recommend turning off IS when on a tripod. But do your best to remember to turn it back on.

Why the 1 second timer?

Any movement could introduce motion blur into your photo—even the action of pressing the shutter button. Setting a delay allows the camera to be perfectly still. A shutter remote trigger works as well.

Why Aperture Priority Mode (Av)?

This is a semi-auto mode that allows you to set the aperture but then the camera will decide the shutter speed for you.

Why f/11? (for large sensors)

Unlike portraits where blurring out the background can create separation of your subject, landscapes are all about detail and capturing everything in front of you. A wide aperture (low f-stop number) will have a shallow depth of field, meaning only a small sliver of your photo will be in focus. A narrow aperture (high f-stop number) will have a very deep depth of field.

However, you don't want to choose an aperture that is too small, like f/16 or f/22 unless you really need an extra long exposure. Once you get past f/11 something called "diffraction" starts to blur the image and cause you to lose detail. Camera lenses tend to be their sharpest somewhere between f/5 and f/11.

f/11 is a pretty safe aperture that will most likely get your entire landscape in focus, be in the sharpest range of your lens, and avoid the diffraction blurring.

But it might also be worth taking shots at f/5 and f/8 and see how your camera and lens perform at those settings. And if there is something in your photo that is super close to you and you are worried it may not be in focus, taking safety shots at f/16 and f/22 is fine. A slight blurring might be preferable to something being out of focus. ALWAYS TAKE SAFETY SHOTS!

But usually f/8 or f/11 is the sweet spot and will get you the results you are seeking.

Why don't I use f/11 on a smaller sensor?

Physics!

Smaller sensors already have a very deep depth of field so everything will pretty much be in focus in most landscape shots. It's one less thing you have to think about, so that is nice. If you want a detail explanation you can read the rest of this section. Otherwise, feel free to skip to the next question.

There is a concept called "crop factor" which can help explain how a lens and sensor will behave compared to a Full Frame camera. This is called the "35mm Equivalent" due to a full frame sensor being modeled after a 35mm piece of film.

The PowerShot has a crop factor of 5.5x because it is 5.5 times smaller than a full frame sensor. Which means the depth of field and field of view would behave the same as a full frame camera if you multiply the focal length and aperture by 5.5x.

The PowerShot's minimum focal length is *technically* 3.8mm. But we don't know how wide that field of view is without a reference. So we convert it to a 35mm full frame sensor by multiplying by 5.5x and we get 21mm.

21mm on a full frame camera is typically considered wide angle. Wide angle just means you can fit more stuff in your frame. So at that focal length you can fit a bunch of stuff in your photo.

The PowerShot's maximum focal range is 247mm. If you multiply that by 5.5x, you get a whopping 1365mm! (Actually you don't, so there must be some other variable in the lens design that affects the number, but... close enough!)

1365mm is really really telephoto. Like, you can take photos of the moon with that. On a full frame camera you would need to spend $20,000 to get a telephoto lens with that much zoom. Which is a fun advantage to having a smaller sensor, but you definitely need to use a tripod to get clean shots at that focal range.

You also need to multiply the aperture to figure out the depth of field. The minimum aperture on the Powershot is f/3.4. Due to my brain not mathing very well in my head, I cheated and used this great crop factor calculator to figure out the 35mm equivalent.

So the PowerShot's minimum aperture would have the same depth of field as f/19.18 on a full frame camera. Which is way beyond f/11, so unless you want to do a long exposure photo of a waterfall or clouds or something, you can just leave the camera on it's lowest f-stop number and be assured everything will be in focus.

Also, the PowerShot has a "variable aperture" which means the minimum aperture changes as you zoom in. So if you end up zooming all the way to 247mm (1356mm), your aperture will automatically change to f/6.5. This will expand your depth of field even more.

So at max zoom, you'll have an f-sop of f/36. Which means you are going to need a lot of light to get usable images when zoomed in that much. Again, a tripod will allow you to achieve that.

Why ISO 100 (or lowest ISO available)?

Some cameras have the ISO set to automatic. You may need to check your manual or a tutorial to learn how to adjust it manually. But if you have a tripod, you can set it to 100 and keep it there. Just remember to put it back on auto when you aren't using a tripod.

ISO is like the volume knob on a stereo. If you put your ear next to a speaker when no music is playing you can usually hear a faint white noise. That is always there in everything you play. And as you turn up the volume, that noise floor gets louder and louder. And if you turn up the volume too much, that noise can cause distortion and poor audio quality.

There is noise in every digital photo. And the lower you keep the ISO, the less noticeable that noise is. But if you do not have a ton of light, it can be very difficult to keep the noise low without a long shutter speed and a tripod.

Why an automatic shutter speed?

Not using a full manual mode is fine. There are some old school photographers that believe you need to dial in every setting yourself. But camera metering systems are very good these days and may be better at judging exposure than you are.

That said, it might be worth learning how your "exposure compensation" feature works on your specific camera. This will allow you to raise or lower the exposure quickly if you think the camera didn't judge the scene properly.

So if you think the image is too bright, lower the exposure compensation a few clicks and see what you think. You have plenty of room on your memory card to take safety shots.

Why focus 1/3 of the way into the frame?

The point of focus will have an area in front and behind that will also be in focus. That is your depth of field. When you are fairly close to your subject, that depth of field is symmetrical. 50% of the depth of field will be in front of your subject and 50% will be behind your subject. I'll use this thing I made for another post to visualize.

The subject would be the baby's eye in this case. That is the point of focus and the area in front and behind is the depth of field.

But as you get farther away from your subject that ratio becomes asymmetrical. More area behind the point of focus will be in focus than in front.

There are actually apps and websites that help you calculate this ratio, but as a general rule of thumb for landscapes, most photographers will assess the farthest thing and the closest thing and choose a focus point at about 1/3 the distance between them.

So in this photo the mountains are the farthest thing and the road is the closest thing. If you divide that area into thirds and focus around 1/3, you will probably get everything you want in focus.

You don't have to get too precious about this unless you are shooting at very wide apertures (low f-stop number like f/4 and below). At f/8 and above, at these distances, it's actually difficult to *not* get everything in focus.

The only thing that can make landscape focusing a bit more challenging is if you want something very close in the foreground in focus. Like a cool rock or a statue or a person. In that case, I would take several photos and focus on a few different spots ranging from near to far away as a safety precaution.

Hopefully all of that gave you some context for all of my suggested settings.

But these settings are not magic. There are a few other variables to consider when trying to achieve a cool landscape photos.

First, the good news. If it is a bright sunny day, you can use this recipe without the tripod. Your shutter speed will be fast enough not to introduce motion blur into your images.

Now the bad news... don't take landscape photos during a bright sunny day unless you want to make a default Windows background.

Bright sunny days are often very challenging to make interesting photos. I'm not saying it cannot be done, but it requires a pretty stunning scene to make work. Yes, blue skies are beautiful, but they don't always make the most compelling photographs.

You already have settings that will work most of the time. You have the technical ingredients, but you need a few artistic ones to finish the recipe...

A stunning vista. Good composition. Interesting light.

Finding a cool location is usually just a matter of google or exploration.

Good composition comes with learning and experience.

And interesting light requires patience.

Sunrise, sunset, blue hour, and night time are all great times to find great light. Sometimes an overcast day with thick clouds can be more interesting than a sunny day. You may have to revisit a scene several times to find the best conditions for a cool photo. But during these times you're probably going to need that tripod I mentioned. When there is less available light, your shutter speed will be slower, and without a tripod things could get blurry.

If you don't have a tripod and there isn't a lot of light, you will need to know the reciprocal rule to make sure your shots turn out okay. The reciprocal rule tells you the slowest shutter speed you can use without introducing motion blur.

Your lens has a focal length expressed in millimeters. The reciprocal rule states that you should set the shutter speed to 1/focal length. So if your lens is a 50mm, you want your shutter speed to be no slower than 1/50.

The Powershot mentioned in this question has a focal range of 21-1365mm. So all the way zoomed out, you would not want to set the shutter speed slower than 1/20. And all the way zoomed in you probably want to shoot for 1/1200 or 1/1400. Although you can probably get away with 1/500 if you have steady hands.

Note from Froggie: The reciprocal rule changes a bit if you have some sort of image stabilization. Due to a brain fart, I did not notice the PowerShot had this feature. The image stabilization adds 5.5 stops to the reciprocal rule when it is activated. So, if you are shooting at 1365mm, the nearest shutter speed would be 1/1400. You can divide 1400 by 5.5 to figure out the slowest shutter speed.

That means, you can *theoretically* shoot at max zoom with a shutter speed of 1/250 without motion blur.

Also, if there is anything physically moving in your photo, it could have a motion trail at slower shutter speeds. Sometimes this is a cool effect that can make cars and people look ghostly. Depending on how fast things are moving, these motion trails can start around 1/50 shutter speed.

So, if you are in low light and you don't have a tripod, here is the new recipe...

Put camera in Tv or Shutter Priority Mode. Set f-stop as wide as it will go (lowest f-stop number). Set ISO to AUTO. Without IS: Set the shutter speed to 1 over focal length. (eg 1/20) With IS: Set shutter speed to 1 over focal length ÷ stops of stabilization. (eg 1/(20÷5) = 1/4) Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing. Press the button.

This might result in noisy photos. That is the compromise you'll have to make. But there are some great denoise features in image editing software now that can help.

That brings me to my final tip... editing landscapes will always make them better. It is very difficult to balance the dynamic range (the range of the brightest thing and darkest thing) without processing your images. This will be even easier if you shoot in RAW mode. But you can still edit JPEGs as well.

Lightroom is currently the best software for processing photography. But there are other options that do a great job as well, including a few free ones. But I'm afraid you'll have to do some googling for that, as I am not current on the best applications other than Lightroom.

Knowledge more than anything will help you improve your photography. You can take amazing photos with a Powershot or a smartphone or a $200 DSLR. You just need to understand the fundamentals.

I highly recommend checking out this free photography course. Tony will help you understand all of this on a deeper level and you can watch it in the span of a weekend.

I hope all of that was helpful. Feel free to ask questions if you have trouble.

Oh, and if you need a cheap tripod, this Amazon Basics one is only $20. It is light and easy to carry around, but it probably won't hold up to much abuse. That said, it's a great place to start and once you gain more experience you can upgrade to something nicer later on.

#long post

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