Welcome to The Photo Video Guy. I share training, ideas, opinions and tips to help you make better photographs and videos.
Have questions? Excellent! Please click this link to fill out the simple form to submit a question
Prior to the 2015 holidays, I had an opportunity to review a set of TTL radio trigger/receivers under the Cameron brand, an exclusive to Henry's here in Canada. Finding a set of radio controllers for hotshoe flash that supported three groups, four channels, TTL, manual flash and remote power control without breaking the bank has always been a challenge.
Read MoreWhen the Sigma ART 35/1.4 first appeared on dealer shelves, I put one on a camera very briefly and drew a few conclusions. In the store, focus was very quick, as quick as the Canon 35/1.4 I use regularly I thought. It was also very large comparatively speaking and felt very well built and a but heavy, that being a relative term for a guy who spends a fair bit of time waving fast telephoto primes around. I had no card in my pocket so didn't make any test shots and then time moved on. Recently there has been a resurgence for full frame shooters with interest in a fast 35mm, sometimes for street work and for others as their walk around lens. So I arranged with my local Sigma dealer to obtain one for a short review.
Read MoreIf you are a user of the Profoto B1 strobe, there is a firmware update (D1) now available at www.profoto.com for the B1 that corrects a minor bug where the B1 might restart after being turned off using a Profoto Air Remote. Applying the update takes less than a minute. Download the update, plug the B1 into the computer via USB and run the update.
Read MoreFor those of us with some "tenure" in photography, the Pentax name will always evoke memories. Whether the ubiquitous M42 screw mount, or the tack driving Super Takumar lenses, to the monstrous and wonderful Pentax 67, that brand is bound to the history of photography. The advent of digital, along with financial challenges looked to be putting the boots to the once famous name, but a strategic acquisition by Ricoh has pumped new blood, and financial stability into the once damaged brand. Now, after years of rumours, Ricoh has announced the Pentax K-1, the first full frame Pentax branded digital SLR.
Read MoreWhen we make purchases, we all tend to spend a lot of time concerned about the price of acquisition and the buying experience. When I get a car, I interview the Service Department because I will see those folks for years and more often that the sales professional. Our camera equipment follows the same pattern. Quality of service is critically important.
Read MoreRegular readers know that I am an advocate of tablets for editing photographs. I have been a Wacom user for a long time, using the Bamboos, a variety of the Intuos and Intuos Pro line as well as two different sizes of the Cintiq. I have clearly spent more than enough money into this sort of device. In 2015, I first became aware of an app service called Astropad that would turn your iPad into a working tablet for editing purposes.
Read MoreI've been a cheerleader for the original 1Dx since mine arrived just before the London Olympics. It built on the framework of the 1D Mark IV and the 5D Mark II to make a superbly capable professional camera. I loved it then, and it is my go to body to this day. When word started to leak that there was a new version imminent, lots of folks asked me what I thought. I was very clear then. The only thing that would make a Mark II extraordinarily compelling would be a significant increase in dynamic range. The Mark II was officially announced on Feb 1, 2016. Let's take a look at the announcement and see what Canon has done.
Read MoreThe demand for fast, high quality video increases every week. Youtube and Vimeo libraries continue to grow as more and more people and companies use mirrorless and DSLR cameras to create video content for friends, communities and customers. We also know that the thing that destroys good video fastest is bad audio.
Read MoreI was one of those people who supported this project via Kickstarter. I received my bag earlier this week, about two days before it showed up in retail stores. Not exactly the early preview I was expecting, particularly given that some folks have had theirs for well over a month. I liked the concept online very much and paid my money to support a company whose products I really like and recommend highly. Sometimes, expectations and reality don't end up in the same place and this is what happened to me.
Read MoreIn this video I look at what goes into the whole concept of tilt / shift, starting with examples on the view camera and then moving to the popular style of tilt shift lenses available for digital cameras.
Read MoreIt's 2016 and while we spend a couple of weeks misdating cheques and other paperwork, let's fix one thing right now.
Read MoreWhen you're working to a deadline, or with a client who needs to see the work quickly, tethering is a huge asset. No one is scrambling over a miniscule image on the camera, you aren't looking at some JPEG rendition, you see the converted RAW on a large screen in real time. Fortunately, most cameras can be tethered. Let's look at some options to make that work.
Read MoreHooray! You received a new camera for Christmas! Or you went out on Boxing Day and got yourself a new camera. Good for you! But now you have a box of stuff, you want to get started and aren't exactly sure where to start. You want to be making photographs, RIGHT FREAKING NOW, but are concerned about what could go wrong, what got missed, and what you forgot. Relax, I'm here to help!
Read MoreLet's say you are out shopping for Boxing Day, or are so crazy to be shopping today (the 24th) and just aren't quite sure which focal length prime or zoom range to choose. I was out doing some test work with Nikon's new 200mm-500mm today (more on that in it's own review) and put together this simple sequence to give you a sense of what different focal lengths will deliver with the same camera position.
Read MoreHotshoe flash is wonderful, except when shot direct from the hotshoe. There are myriad modifiers in the marketplace but many of them don't deliver the light that you really want. Rogue's Flashbender lineup is different so have a look and you'll see why.
Read MorePhotographers are always looking for advantage, being it in sensor power, lens reach or scope and very often weight and size reduction. When Olympus released their OM-D E-M5, they really shook up the competition. The camera was fast, easy to handle and extremely usable. They followed up with the E-M1 and then the E-M10. Recently, Olympus released the second iteration of the E-M5 called the E-M5 Mark II and the good folks at Olympus sent me one to review, along with a pair of lenses, the 45/1.8 and 12/2.0. It's a very impressive camera and I wanted to share my findings with all of you.
Read MoreIn this video I show how easy it is to use the XPOBalance and demonstrate using Lightroom how to make the settings once for an entire session and then sync them across all the images from the session.
Read MoreHere's a quick video on the XRite Color Checker Passport explaining why you should use one and how to make camera profiles with it.
Read MoreIt's that time of year again and time for my annual gift guide. You'll find great gift ideas for photographers and videographers of all levels and I've worked to ensure that I cover different budget sizes since we aren't all millionaires. Well maybe you are, me not at all.
Read MoreRegular readers know that I've looked at a lot of mirrorless cameras, always looking to see if this is a space to expand into. I've liked many of them, and hoped for more from others. I guess I'm already a mirrorless user, as I've been shooting Leicas for many years, starting with film, then a substantial gap in time to the M9 and now the M (240). They are wonderful cameras but different from the "standard" mirrorless in that they are manual focus rangefinders. The SL however, is something very different indeed.
Read More
The site of The Photo Video Guy featuring articles, reviews, tutorials and a podcast for your enjoyment and skills development.
If you get value from here, please support the channel on Patreon. Once there, click Membership
Looking for something in particular? Search all the posts for the content you are seeking!
Have a question on photography or video? Click this link to send us your question.
Subscribe to our articles via RSS by clicking the link below.
Subscribe to the Make Better Photos and Video Podcast via RSS by clicking this link
Regular readers know that I am a big fan of Really Right Stuff products. Their customer service is superb. If you choose to purchase from them at their site, please let them know that I referred you.
The Photo Video Guy is the creation of Ross Chevalier. Please feel free to link to your site, but please don't lift content without attribution.
