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Anime Magic is a relatively small but growing anime convention in the Chicago area, and 2022 marked my first time attending. I was curious to check it out mainly to photograph cosplayers. Even though it’s not as massive as Anime Central, I wanted to get this video edited before the next convention I plan to attend. Entrance to the main area. I have to say, Anime Magic was a pleasant surprise! It had a nice layout and while not nearly as huge as Anime Central, there were some unique aspects that made it stand out, which I’ll go over. A younger crowd. The convention definitely had a younger crowd than I’m used to these days. But hey, whatever works! With the younger vibe, my focus naturally gravitated toward capturing group cosplay photos. Funny enough, the much larger C2E2 convention was happening downtown the same weekend. I would’ve liked to attend C2E2, but getting into the heart of Chicago is such a hassle. Anime Magic ended up being a nice compromise for me. Squid Sisters paintings...

Buying used equipment is a great alternative to new. Is there a budding photographer in your family that only has a smartphone camera? Give them the gift of photography gear to grow that interest at a reasonable price. Does your cousin love adapting vintage film era lenses to mirrorless cameras? You know where to go. In many situations it’s impossible or impractical to buy new, so today I’ll be talking about used cameras. I was compensated for this post*. This post also contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.  I love adapting old lenses to my mirrorless cameras! Let’s start with Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras (DSLRs)! There is a huge number of options to choose from. Keep in mind that KEH doesn’t often sell cameras with a lens, so you will need to get something to go with one of the cameras here if you don’t already have a lens. Make sure the lens matches the mount. If you are confused then you could probably call ...

DPReview talked with Go Tokura (Chief Executive of Canon). The vast majority of the interview was about RF, but I do think there were a few interesting mentions of EOS M and online video content creators. Let’s start with the two obvious mentions about the EF-M system: Will the RF mount grow to incorporate APS-C format cameras? Or are you committed to the separate EF-M mount for APS-C? We can’t comment on specific plans, but APS-C size cameras are popular due to their size, weight and telephoto range advantages compared to full-frame cameras. We will listen to customers’ opinion and consider possible options. That sounds like confirmation they are considering putting a high density APS-C sensor camera into the RF system. I don’t quite get it unless there is a real technical benefit of that compared to a high density full-frame sensor that can read out the cropped area quickly. I’d personally rather have a slow 100mp full-frame camera with a fast crop mode compared to an APS-C RF camer...

Kaizen (改善) means improvement, or rather continuously improving something incrementally. The third camera in the A7s series was just announced after nearly 5 years since the previous version. I think the A7s III follows the kaizen approach well. It improved on the previous model a lot! There are a ton of videos already upon the first day of announcement, so a lot of information is out there to look over.  The Sony A7s III Check out the camera through my affiliate links: B&H: https://bhpho.to/3gjG4ny Amazon: https://amzn.to/2BEeumb Best Buy: https://bestbuy.7tiv.net/4bekG   As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The A7s III has a fully articulating LCD screen. The first Sony FF mirrorless to have it. I haven’t had access to the camera, so keep that in mind throughout this article. It’s possible I might get a few features wrong or not exact to how they work in practice. Do your own research and verify anything you are specifically interested ...

The Fujifilm X-T4 is official. If you are fine with APS-C, this is the the most advanced and fully featured camera there is by a good margin. It’s an absolute power house and really versatile.  The black version of the X-T4 with the 16-80mm f/4 kit lens. Here is my assembled hybrid Fujifilm kit with the X-T4 as the keystone. Or you can check out the camera itself on B&H . Links are potentially affiliated in this article, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Based on the specifications, I see it as the near perfect hybrid for a combination of photo and video work. They enhanced many aspects of the camera compared to the X-T3. I don’t have access to the camera, but I’d like to go over various aspects of it here. Just keep that in mind that I’ve not had any hands-on time with it. Important changes… Sensor based stabilization up to 6.5 stops with most of their lenses. This was apparently totally revamped technology compared to the X-H1 (mechanical springs vs. magnetic). ...

I hope there is a future for EF-M, but the announcement of the RF mount system brings that into question. In the photo below I made a mock-up of the M100 if it had the RF mount instead of the EF-M mount. Of course they could make a camera with shorter sides, but this shows the potential size difference if everything besides the mount diameters were the same design. Edit: I decided to go all-in on EF-M gear for now. The added kit will expand capabilities and make it even easier to be mobile.  Would a RF mount M100 be small enough for you? I guess we shouldn’t be shocked. Canon would not have wanted to put themselves at a disadvantage to Nikon in the mount diameter department with their mirrorless full-frame camera. These two companies are almost always in lockstep, so much so that they disregard other offerings in the market (*cough* Sony…). That said, will Canon drop EF-M like Nikon dropped their “Nikon 1” system? Plus, having the RF mount the same diameter as the EF mount makes a ...

With very little information to go on about the rumored announcement on September 5th, I’m going to talk about some of the ideas pointed out in regard to a Canon mirrorless full-frame camera.  Me and a camera. Not too long ago I transitioned to a pair of Canon EOS M50 camera bodies with the 22mm f2, 11-22mm, and 15-45mm kit lens primarily for solo video work. The M50 is such a nice little camera that I’ve been using it for photos a lot as well. EF-M is now a solid system thanks to DPAF, though the M50 lacks a few things I’d like to have, and also hasn’t had great lens release support from Canon. Overall I’m happy with the setup given the great DPAF in video, fully articulating screen, and solid Android app. I did own the original EOS-M camera… what a huge improvement the M50 is in every regard! Anyways… First off let’s talk about the most well known rumors... The frequently mentioned quote about a “sexy” solution to mirrorless full-frame with Canon is odd. I’ve never seen this inte...

Hey, it’s been a while! I’ve still been taking photos as usual, but this website hasn’t seen updates in a long time. A lot of my photo updates go on my Cosplay Banzai Facebook page (recently rebranded) due to convenience. Personal websites, in my experience, don’t get much traffic with articles like this. Most of this site’s traffic are my old Pentax equipment reviews. Here are a few photos I took at a local cosplay photography meetup. The meetup is usually centered around photos with horses that we have available, but we still mostly just take photos of the cosplayers by themselves. It’s really just a big group of friends hanging out and enjoying a mutual hobby (while we also eat, drink, and have a bonfire). Stuff like this is what it’s all about! Now on to the equipment talk. The equipment I pull out when I’m serious is still Nikon DSLRs. Cameras and Lenses (use both at once most of the time): Nikon D600 with a 50mm f1.8g lens: This was attached to my backpack’s strap lugs directly ...

I attended an event hosted by my convention/photographer/cosplayer friends “ Cosplayer With A Camera ” and Hikikomori Sama at the Chicago Botanic Gardens .  They have had the event there for a number of years, but this might be the last. The garden has some pretty restrictive policies on photography, which makes things difficult for us.  This year they tightened the policies even more and we had some aggressive staff on carts show up toward the end of the night. The garden itself is really large and beautiful, which is of course great for the pictures we take. Here are a few highlight photos from the event:  All I brought for the event was the Nikon D600 and 50mm f1.8g lens. It’s a nice combination that allows you do a decent amount without the extra bulk and hassles. Along with that, the overcast skies helped a lot with getting nice photos. Shade and uniform outdoor light are great for simple natural photos that don’t need much editing afterward.

My friend and fellow photographer Kings Cosplay set up a photoshoot at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL. Though we had our fair share of issues such as part of the park flooding, we did manage to get a decent amount of time to take photos. Besides getting some photography in, I enjoyed the exercise and scenic views! I brought a pretty simple camera kit. The Nikon D600 along with a 28mm f1.8 and 70-210mm f4 lens. I also brought a single flash, but only used that for around 5 photos. My go-to for most of the event was the telephoto. I like the photos out of that ~$200 old used 1980s telephoto lens just as much as anything else. The lens is weirdly shaped, ugly, and with old school screw-drive AF, but does the job well. 

I recently joined in on a two-day photoshoot Kings Cosplay had scheduled with the local model Ari Jade. The theme was race queen with most of the secondary subject being motorcycles. Here are a few highlight photos: Day one equipment: Nikon 28mm f/1.8g lens Two flash with a stand, umbrella, and a 6×8″ diffuser. The first day was a bit rough photo wise. All we initially had to work with was a home garage and by the time we got out to a downtown parking garage later in the day it was really dark, so the background wasn’t usable.  The main issue I didn’t properly compensate for was the sodium vapor lamps the parking garage used, which produces monochromatic light. I also tried gels on my flash, which didn’t have a strong enough orange to match the garage lamps. The parking garage photos were best in monochrome. The garage lighting didn't work out well.  Day two equipment: 28mm f1.8 lens 70-210mm f4 lens Two flash with a stand and large 42″ brolly box softbox umbrella. I also had...

I attended Anime Central 2015 on May 15th and 16th. I have a few general hallway style photos as well as quite a few from photoshoots. Photo links: Facebook Gallery Here are a few highlight images from the convention: I tried to stay pretty mobile camera equipment wise as usual with conventions. I brought the Nikon D600, 50mm f1.8g, and two Yongnuo i-TTL flash with wireless triggers. I used the flash quite a bit, mostly when I had helpers to hold them.  Lightstands would have been helpful, but it’s added bulk I don’t want to carry around. In the future, I’d like the find something even smaller than those mini-lightstands, but so far I don’t see anything on the market that would fit the bill.  I think the photos turned out pretty decent considering the limited equipment and time. I hope everyone who attended ACEN had a fun time.