PhotographyBanzai.com

I've use a Sony Alpha A6000 and the PZ 16–50mm F/3.5–5.6 OSS kit lens with my computer as a webcam for a long time now. It's a lower cost option that has been very consistent outputting 1080p at 30 FPS to a USB based HDMI capture device. The kit lens is generally fine, but it has a few quirks. The biggest issue is that throughout the zoom range the maximum aperture value is not fixed. This introduces technical challenges when I want to show detailed views of product or similar use cases. There are also other considerations I'll talk about later in this article. So I decided to buy the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | C lens in E-mount as a replacement.  Links in this article are a mix of paid and through my affiliates. I earn from each in different ways. One is a flat fee and the others I earn from qualifying purchases. Considering them for your purchasing needs helps make the creation of this information viable!   I made a video unboxing the lens and trying it out with Open ...

The SL2 signified a large change in my Youtube channel. Features like dual pixel auto-focus, the fully articulating vari-angle screen, and the solid phone application have made a huge difference to my effectiveness and efficiency when producing online videos at 1080p. This camera is low cost and simply works for my intended uses with very few quirks. Now that it’s older, it’s an even better deal!  Canon Rebel SL2. The primary review is on Youtube here… In this video I go over ergonomics and general thoughts on the camera. I used to struggle a lot with video production tasks on old cameras like pre-focusing for clips where I needed to talk to the camera. Other filming styles like vlogging were nearly impossible for me to manage without the solid auto-focus system this camera has in video and liveview photo mode. It’s all possible to do with manual focus, but you need to built up specific skills that I didn’t have at the time. Sample Photos and videos: https://youtu.be/uACRuD0wLqw In...

Wide angle lens decent for vlogging. Here is my Youtube video review: It’s an ultra-wide lens for APS-C sensor cameras. Under $300 new and even less used. There is a 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 that is also exclusively for APS-C cameras, but it’s around twice the price. The 35mm film equivalent focal length of this lens is 16-29mm. Equipment in this video and accessory suggestions for this lens (affiliated): https://kit.co/photographybanzai/canon-ef-s-10-18mm-f4-5-5-6-is-stm-review-gear My photos you can look at on Flickr (100% jpegs unedited): https://www.flickr.com/photos/photographybanzai/albums/72157695007325992 Physical features: * 67mm filter thread, which a standard size and nice to have. I use ND filters with this lens when I’m doing videos, so having a wide angle lens with a filter thread is extremely useful. * It has switches for AF/MF and OIS On/Off. * Plastic mount, but the benefit is low cost. You can find it even cheaper used, which is what I did. * 7 aperture blades (demonstrate if...

The K-01 comes after the K-5 and K-r series of DSLRs. It was also proceeded by Pentax’s first mirrorless camera called the Q, however that camera was a completely new system. The K-01 appears to have a mixture of components from the K-5, and in some simple aspects, the Q camera.  The Pentax K-01 camera. It has an improved imaging engine that shares a few features of the Q such as manual video control with MPEG4 encoding and full time live-view, but primarily takes components and features from the K-5 series such as the 16mp sensor and K-mount. It is certainly a unique concept in the camera world being the first mirrorless to use an existing SLR system mount.  Personal appeal. I bought the K-01 as a replacement for my K-7 camera that was having issues. If you have visited my site before, you probably know by now that I frequently use two cameras at once. Each camera has a prime lens attached and serves a different purpose from the other. This allows me to have a nice rang...

The K-5 has all of the benefits in ergonomics of the K-7, but with the imaging sensor advances Sony brought to the table. While I was reluctant to pick up a K-5 when I did due to the price premium it held for a long time, I eventually bit the bullet and bought one locally at a good price My video review on the camera. Get a used Pentax K-5 through my links: B&H , KEH , eBay , Amazon , and Walmart . As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! History: While the K-7 was being developed in between the Hoya acquisition, the K-5 was a full Hoya/Pentax product. It is unclear whether Hoya put any input in on the K-5, but the results probably speak for themselves. The K-5 is a revisionary upgrade with focused improvements on image quality and camera speed more than anything else. It was moved closer to the high level APS-C cameras such as the Canon 7D, or even some full frame cameras in a few technical aspects like dynamic range. Personal appeal: While the cameras loo...