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Moving to all Sony Alpha cameras for my video work.

Lately, I've been shifting more towards Sony equipment for my video work, and there are a few key reasons behind that decision. Check out the video on YouTube going into more detail and with more visuals than the website article:  F1TP NP-FW50 DC Coupler AC Adapter Kit:  https://amzn.to/41vIyYR    The Sony ZV-E10 Camera:  https://bhpho.to/3DinRYz   Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN for Sony:  B&H: https://bhpho.to/4cv83gk   Amazon: https://amzn.to/46Y5en1   As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! What I link isn't important, but rather the time from click, which tends to be 24 hours with shops like Amazon.  A close up of the video rig. I initially tried using the Nikon Z30 as a replacement for my Canon EF-M equipment I sold a while back. While I knew of users saying the Z30 can overheat, I wanted to test that for myself so I gave the camera a chance.  Unfortunately, it consistently overheated after about 25 min...

Viltrox AF FE 28mm f/4.5 VCM ASPH ED Lens Overview

Viltrox asked me if I wanted to take a look at this unique compact autofocus full-frame prime lens with a focal length of 28mm and a fixed f/4.5 aperture for Sony E-mount cameras. Viltrox agreed to my standard collaboration terms before sending me the lens.    In the video I talk about features, how it works in practice, and show photos I had taken on a photo walk with the Sony a7S as well as the APS-C a6000. Viltrox is starting this off as an Indiegogo campaign. They told me that it will eventually be sold through normal retailers: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/viltrox-af-28mm-f4-5-fe-chips-size-ultra-thin-lens They said it will be $99 USD or 109 Euros with discounts during the crowdfunding period. Check out Indiegogo for details. I am not an affiliate of that website. You can check on the status of availability through my usual affiliates: B&H Photo Video Amazon As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!    The front of the lens. C...

First look at the Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 for Sony E-mount bought from KEH

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 ...

Camera Gear Reviews and Marketing Issues Exposed

A great overview by Gerald Undone on his experiences in the field of camera gear related videos! It is an important topic. The more open the better, I’d say. After over 13 years making photography and videography gear videos, I’ve not had a huge amount of success comparatively, but I’ve also never been especially brand safe to begin with for these companies to consider me. 🤣 I think his mentions toward the end of the video are especially important. The unwritten pressure, or worse with companies like Insta360 , shouldn’t be acceptable and should be publicly called out more often. That’s probably the only way things will actually change for the better. I created a video detailing my opinion on the topic further: More of my comments on the video… His YouTube channel. 4:30 I understand that’s what Gerald does, but are there situations where companies are paying for flights and hotel costs of other reviewers with the expectation of a video/article being produced? (EDIT: I’ve seen confirm...

Camera companies manufacturing their own demise?

While cameras have overall reached a high level of quality and it’s hard to go wrong in many situations, I see issues that especially damage a potential or new customer’s interest in getting into dedicated cameras. As the market shrinks, I think these issues as exasperating the problem.  Cameras with questionable design aspects. https://youtu.be/7ZYo-13CSMU Maybe it’s largely the fault of marketing, but often I see camera companies release equipment that functionally falls short of how it is targeted toward potential purchasers. This has been very true of what camera companies have been saying are vlogging cameras. Nikon Z30 on B&H The Nikon Z30 could have been a compelling camera for Nikon, but they decided to go cheap and not offer features that made it any more appealing than the Sony Z-VE10 which already existed on the market. Sensor based stabilization? No. A more recent efficient codec like h.265? No. Full sized HDMI port? No. Uses their large EN-EL15 battery? No. Okay, a...

Sony A7s III is True Kaizen

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 ...

Sony A7 Hands-On And Opinion

After trading in and consigning my Nikon full-frame cameras and buying EF-M gear, I’ve been considering a Sony A7 as something to use for adapting lenses mostly so that I could get a full 35mm sensor format.  The Sony Alpha A7. Is this camera still worth considering? Surprising it’s still sold new, so I was able to check one out at my local camera shop! https://youtu.be/HlchINEV-TA Thanks to Camera Craft in Rockford, Illinois for allowing me to film there! Sony Alpha a7 Digital Camera: B&H: https://bhpho.to/2GiS3kF Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PIPa09 Used on KEH: https://shrsl.com/2glpg ebay: https://ebay.us/DqIQSP   As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Full resolution photos I took while trying the camera out: Flickr Gallery Most of the gear I’ve made a hands-on video for: Kit.co Gear List Transcript of the related video: The Sony A7 is still sold new. Right now, it’s around eight hundred dollars retail. Back when it was initially released i...