10 Minute Photo Outing Challenge

Get out there and enjoy photography. It doesn't always have to be about taking amazing works of art…

The video where I attempt taking photos in the bitter cold for 10 minutes with a phone. Technically I had two phones and spent time filming the video.

If you want to get some photography practice in, but have limited time, then I think this could be a fun photography challenge. While I was out for the day, I brought a small kit that included my main phone for photos (LG Stylo 3), an older one for b-roll (XG L Power), and a small flexible tripod. It was 17 degrees F and I didn’t have a set goal in mind until I thought of limiting it to 10 minutes to see what I could manage in that amount of time.

This park has fun lighting at night. It’s great to experiment with.

This isn’t about quality or taking perfect images. It’s about pushing yourself and always trying to learn, practice, and grow in your craft. Always try to keep moving forward. In my case I’m usually doing a mixture of photograph and videography at the same time. It adds to the hurdle I have to get over each time because that means more gear and more juggling of that equipment.

Video quality in extremely dark conditions on the LG X Power phone leaves something to be desired… haha.

Cold and dark...

The nice thing about phones is that they are compact and can often be brought with you nearly anywhere if you have a pocket large enough. In my case taking my current phone and an older one for b-roll video isn’t any extra effort, so it works well. I have a bendable tripod that is often left in my car that I can use for the phone doing video.

For photography I’m often using the Open Camera application. Thanks to Mark Harman for investing so much time into that application and offering it up as open source. Someday I’d like to examine the code in detail. This app adds a lot of additional functionality to the phone compared to the default camera application. While it can’t do full manual settings, it can do exposure compensation and in turn lock that exposure. That adds flexibility for creatively deciding on exposure. The biggest feature is that it can write DNG RAW images that allow for more possibilities in post processing compared to JPEGs from the phone.

What ISO ~2205 on the LG Stylo 3 looks like after editing the DNG. Not amazing, but fun to practice with.

Nikon Z5ii Announced and My Thoughts vs the Original Z5

The Nikon Z5ii was announced recently. I haven't actually used this new camera myself, so keep that in mind. This is going to be mostly me looking at the specs and comparing it to the original Nikon Z5, which I've been using for a few years now. The original Nikon Z5 camera. Overall, the original Z5 isn't a bad camera. I've gotten it to a point where it works how I want it to and it's reliable for what I do. My main use case is often anime and comic conventions, going there and taking photos of people in cosplay. I usually use the 40mm f/2 lens on the Z5, and it works well for that. First-person view using the Nikon Z5 at an anime convention. Nikon Z5ii vs Z5: The Spec Sheet Comparison Nikon has a handy comparison section on their Z5ii page, so let's break down some key differences based on that and my experience with the original. Nikon's website comparing the Z5ii and the original Z5 specifications. First up, the sensor. The Z5ii gets a backside-illumi...

Xenvo Smartphone Lens Kit Overview

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Nikon D3500 Hands-On And Opinion

Today we are taking a look at the entry level standard F-mount Nikon DSLR in their line-up. This is the latest iteration in their D3000 series of cameras started in 2009. With lower cost DSLR we can expect certain features like FP sync not being included as well as fewer direct control dials and other buttons. For this iteration it comes with a 24.2 megapixel DX (APS-C) sensor with a sensitivity range of 100 to 25600. My video on the camera. Get the Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera through my links: Amazon.com , BHPhotoVideo.com , Used on KEH.com , Walmart.com , and eBay.com As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! The D3500’s sensor is visible in cleaning mode. There is no shake reduction in the camera, but the kit lens does have VR. The standard optical viewfinder has 95% frame coverage with a 0.85x magnification. The DSLR focusing system is the 11-point Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection giving you a detection ran...

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