PhotographyBanzai.com

I recently made a video about firmware v1.03. There are improvements in auto-focus performance, especially in live-view mode. Here is a link to full sized example photos on Flickr: Flickr Gallery Link Here is a crop of one 100MM@f2 photo at 100% without additional editing: I’d personally consider that is producing a nice amount of detail, especially without any editing. There are a large number of factors involved from the distance to the subject to others like hand/shutter shake. The Youtube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_vb97yTjN0 Notes I wrote up while making the review: From the manual it lists the lens as having 9 aperture blades and a minimum aperture of f19, which is confusing because both of my cameras go to f22. Minimum focus distance is 0.9 meters or around 3 foot with a 0.14 times magnification. This isn’t a lens you will be getting close focus and high magnification with! The lens comes with caps but no lens hood. It does have a 58mm filter thread, which is a sta...

I’ve started doing off-camera lighting practice outside with the Nikon D600 and fully manual flash units. The sessions consist of self portraits with various styles of lighting and settings. I’ve done two so far and have plans for more. If you find my settings odd, take note that I have been shooting with half-stops instead of third-stops. It is easier because I don’t have to scroll through a bunch of values and more importantly, the notches on the meter are easier to understand. I shoot at least one stop under exposed, but more than likely between that and three stops. Even more so with the shots at f8 in my second session. Session #1: Two position-able lights on tripods. Flash were bare most of the time, but I also used the built-in wide angle diffusers and bounce cards at times. The lens I used was the Nikon 28mm f1.8g. Session #1 video: Session #1 Example photos:  f3.3, 1/180th, ISO 50 f3.3, 1/180th, ISO 50 f3.3, 1/180th, ISO 50 You should be able to tell how I setup lights pre...

Another convention has come and gone. This time it was Kollision Con 2012 located in St. Charles Illinois at the Pheasant Run Resort.  All of the Photos: Facebook ( Masquerade , Saturday , Sunday ) Edit, here is a video I put together to go along with the articles : For this convention, I was pretty limited with the DSLR gear I had on hand. I’m still trying to sell off some of my Pentax lenses, so that cash is tied up until it happens. I do have a few Nikon lenses on order from KEH, but that will probably be a few days until they arrive. Being challenged is part of the fun, so I didn’t have any qualms going into a convention like this. Nikon D7000 Nikon 50mm f1.8g (crop makes it similar to 85mm focal length) Yongnuo RF603 flash triggers Yongnuo YN 460-II flash Impact flash diffuser (compression fit with white fabric on 3 sides and one side that has a silver reflector) This was my first time attempting complete manual control with manual flash in a hallway cosplay setting (eg. t...

I put together a portable flash setup for a convention coming up. My plans here are to potentially use this as a secondary light source in more detailed photo sessions (assuming I have any). The nice thing about it is the portability and I’m also able to get around a few limitations of the gear being used. All of the items are things I’ve acquired in the past, so there wasn’t any inherent cost to get this going.  Here is my related Youtube video demonstration : The related video on this setup. The setup consists of (current prices listed): Sony VCT-R100 tripod isn’t available anymore, but check out the new one called the Sony VCT-R640 . UNDFIND FishBomb Lens Filter and Accessory Case Yongnuo RF-603N flash triggers Adorama Camera PC to Hot Shoe Adapter with Connecting Cord Cold Shoe mount bracket (tripod >> pc sync hotshoe adapter, not the exact one I have) Yongnuo YN460-II manual flash isn’t available anymore so check out a newer model like the YN-560 IV . As an affiliate of...

I received a set of Yongnuo RF-603N radio frequency triggers today. They are low cost, yet decent quality flash and camera triggers available online. While I like them for their small size and general reliability, not all is perfect. There was an odd design omission related to the shoe connection that is generally used when connecting one of the transceivers to a camera.  Links are potentially affiliated in this article, I earn from qualifying purchases!   The Yongnuo RF-603N I haven’t found the exact cable ties online, but you can check out my links to Amazon and Walmart for similar ones. You can see my related video about this here . Here is a quick modification to help Yongnuo RF-603N triggers stay stationary on the camera. These units don’t offer a locking mechanism for the shoe connection, which could be an issue in the field if the unit gets misaligned or pushed off the camera. Using a ziptie (cable ties) of the proper thickness seem to add more vertical force to keep...

I’m a bit back logged on photo excursion postings. This one was at a local parked called Aldeen that has a few interesting water retention structures as well as some nice green space. I was using the Pentax K-5 and DA* 55mm f1.4 lens. It was around sunset, so eventually auto-focus became a big challenge. In addition to that, I was using a friend’s Yongnuo flash units and RF wireless flash triggers. Here are a few images from the outing:  I’ve been making Youtube videos as well that are a bit more interesting than a few photos and some text on the site. Below is the video for this excursion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLJ_AteA3RQ

I just finished editing my first collaboration video titled “A Low Cost Camera Flash or Lens First?” It’s not live on Youtube for your viewing enjoyment. 🙂 Youtube video link : This was one of my larger projects video wise. We shot the video portions on Sunday and I’ve been spending a good deal of time since then putting all of the pieces together. Here is a simple work list: Extract the audio from the recorded clips and clean it up. I did a good deal of audio editing this time to remove unwanted background noise as well as equalising the voice levels. I also fixed a few words, but missed one where I said “TLL” instead of “TTL” … Post-process the sample photos in Adobe Photoshop and create all of the still frames that the video needed. Do voice over work for the result photo descriptions and clean the audio up too. Create additional graphics like the name bars that show up at the beginning of the video. Edit everything together and adding all of the text as overlays. Review the v...