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I tried out Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z7. With advanced cameras like this it’s always a challenge including even just a decent percentage of relevant features, but I gave it a go!  I had the kit lens, 35mm f1.8s, and the FTZ adapter with a Nikon 50mm f1.4g to try the camera with. This is the more advanced and expensive Z camera with 45.7 megapixels. It has a 5-axis in camera stabilizer, flip screen, EVF, and short registration distance of a mirrorless camera. Here are a few sample photos from the Z7 (Flickr) . Get the Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Digital Camera here: B&H: https://bhpho.to/2GonYjN Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JEWOq3 Used on KEH: https://shrsl.com/2gl4u ebay: https://ebay.us/ac5hTj As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Specifications, features, and notes: 45.7 effective megapixels 1/8000th second maximum shutter speed. The shutter at default settings was very quiet. There is an electronic shutter mode available. 1/200th second ma...

I completely switched to the Canon EF-M system for now and wanted a “normal” 50mm equivalent lens. Canon just so happened to release this 32mm f1.4 lens! I received it yesterday and have spent the entire time working on this video. I’d say around 10 hours filming and editing. In that video I show you the lens close up and mention some of my initial impressions such as the 32mm having a very similar design compared to the 22mm f2 lens.  Canon EF-M equipment. Yeah, sadly even the extending inner barrel that I’m not a fan of. Probably the most unusual feature of this lens is the focus limiter switch that cuts focus from 0.5m to infinity. For the little bit of testing I’ve done here so far, it does help with the speed of focusing. When you use the full focusing range, this lens can focus pretty close. Get the Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 Lens:  B&H: https://bhpho.to/2UL5ZhD Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SQb0QW ebay: https://ebay.us/LM74uQ   Used from KEH: https://shrsl.com/25lqw As a...

In a previous post I talked about the potential future of the Canon EF-M system. Though the issue whether EF-M will exist as an active and viable platform is up in the air due to their release of the RF mirrorless mount, I decided to go all-in on EF-M equipment. It was really the most logical step to take. Let’s talk about why. Canon EOS M50 and 22mm f/2 lens. Recently I consigned my Nikon FF DSLRs and basically most of my f-mount related lenses and accessories. I found out today that the D750 and 50mm f1.8g already sold. While at my local camera shop recording footage for future hands-on videos, I saw the opportunity to move forward. I’ve been thinking of ideas that would benefit from more EF-M gear. There isn’t any reason to wait. With the remaining equipment that wasn’t already sold, I used that as trade-in on the soon to be shipping EF-M 32mm f1.4 STM lens as well as a Canon EOS M100 2-lens kit (15-45mm + 55-200mm). Throwing in $200 to those trade-ins, I’ll now have a really solid ...

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 ...

Now that a specification sheet has been leaked for the Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera we see more about the camera in general. It’s missing some information, likely intentionally removed for whatever reason. The camera rumor game is fun, but also irritating at times. Today I’m talking about a hypothetical camera I’m interested in transitioning to as my primary still photo camera, yet one that has solid video features as well. I’ll be calling it the solo hybrid-shooter’s camera. I do almost all of my videography on my own for the purpose of Youtube (and now Amazon Prime video I’ve started uploading to). I’m usually in the video at some point or another as well as the person filming b-roll, or basically any type of visual storytelling footage. Camera Companies Assuming that this is true information about the upcoming EOS R, let’s talk about it. I’m also going to talk about Nikon’s Z cameras and a few others like Sony’s full-frame offerings and the Panasonic full-frame mirrorles...

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...

Now that the Nikon Z7 and Z6 have been announced, let’s talk about them and Nikon’s expected path moving forward based on their live presentation. Will I consider buying a Z6?  The Nikon Z6. Just to give a bit of history on my perspective… My first DSLR was a Pentax *ist DS that I started using in November 2005. Eventually, I made the switch to Nikon when they released the D600. I had wanted to get into full-frame and that camera hit a viable price-point. Overall, the change was pretty successful. Since then I’ve been limited in lens selection compared to when I was using Pentax. A lot of the value of my Pentax kit went into the cost of the camera bodies rather than lenses. I’ve learned to make effective use of the lens I had on hand at any given point and bought/sold lenses based on how frequently I used them or if they did something particular I needed. I’ve had a lot of success with the D600 and the D750. I’ve also used many Nikon APS-C DSLRS as my second body. The bodies I can...

The Canon EOS M50 vlogging. Dear Canon and related individuals,  I have two firmware requests for the Canon EOS M50 (“Canon EOS Kiss M” in other areas of the world). I own two of these cameras and have been using them to make Youtube videos mostly. I’ve run into two usability issues. Both issues could be solved in firmware. I’m primarily a computer software developer and it is my opinion that both of these requests would not be especially significant in regard to development resources to implement. That said, I don’t consider these two requests as outlandish or extreme given the camera’s price point and existing feature set. 1. Please add an audio levels display to the actual video preview (it needs to stay visible while recording) , not just the black info screen! This is a key feature to making videos reliably. Seeing levels while recording mitigates issues like a loose mic cable or a battery going out in an external microphone. I don’t understand why it is only on the textual i...

The Nikon D750 Digital SLR. A video review of the Nikon D750 DSLR. Photos from the ISO test. Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera: Used on KEH: https://shrsl.com/286k1 B&H: https://bhpho.to/2Gm7712 Adorama: https://adorama.rfvk.net/75bN9y Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KwoTi0 ebay: https://ebay.us/guEce2 As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Important aspects of the D750: This camera is a step up from the D600 and D610. I had bought D600 new but I bought the D750 used. The D750 is still a great value at the new camera price if you want a traditional DSLR. A lot more feature and advances features for a lower price. There was a service advisory for the darkened frames shutter thing. From a camera body and design, its similar to D7000 series as is the D600 and D610. Dual SD memory card slots that I like. Great for backup or splitting types of files between cards. The command dial has u1/u2 custom user modes that save all settings for a given base mode you push to them. I use...

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. 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: In this video I show sample photos and video clips at 4k quality. Here are...