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Having fun with photography doesn’t have to be expensive. In this article I show you how I use old camera equipment to do at home macro photography. Besides a camera and lens, you can use normal household “daylight” color temperature light bulbs if you don’t have gear available to light your scene. Just remember that more light is better with macro photography. Let’s get started!  Gear I'll be using for this experiment. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. In this video I use the Canon EOS 30D with a magnifying glass and multiple lenses reversed so that we can achieve close up detail photos. Back in February I started searching for an extremely low cost DSLR I could try out. I’m always up for learning about equipment I haven’t used. With how much traffic my YouTube channel currently receives, there isn’t much of a budget for video projects. My initial idea after searching was a Canon EOS 20D , but KEH had...

After making a recent video, it seemed like a good opportunity to detail the process I do when making YouTube thumbnail images. People tend to judge a book by its cover, so it’s a good idea to put your best effort into making that video “cover” look nice.  Links are potentially affiliated in this article, I earn from qualifying purchases!  My video on the subject. When I’m out recording for a video I try to take photos that might work as a thumbnail image. If it’s a gear related video, I’ll do a self portrait with the piece of equipment. They don’t always work out, but it’s good to have potential source material.  It’s good to try different poses in the hope that one will work out later. This works because I usually have two cameras and a tripod or two with me to produce the video itself. Usually the video camera will have a wide angle lens. That’s the one I use for the photos. Besides simply pressing the shutter button, there are a few other methods depending on the look...

With the advent of mirrorless cameras, there was a shift in registration distance for lenses. That opened possibilities to use existing lenses on these newer mounts. Various lens adapters. My video on the subject of lens adapters. The official Canon EF-EOS M adapter:  B&H Photo Video ,  Amazon ,  Used on KEH , and  eBay . Metabones Speed Booster 0.71x Adapter for Canon EF to EF-M Mount: B&H Photo Video  and  Amazon Viltrox EF-EOS M2 Speed Booster 0.71x Lens Adapter:  Amazon ,  eBay ,  B&H Photo Video , and  used on KEH . As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  This is all about flange focal distance. It’s the distance from the lens mount ring to the sensor or film plane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance Older camera systems have a long distance. Newer camera systems have a short distance. So that means with something between an old lens and a new mount you can make the combin...

The Canon EF-M system can be a bit lacking in native lens selection. Thankfully, Sigma released their trio of APS-C DC DN prime lenses for this mount to help us have more options! I’ve been very curious to try them out for myself. After the 32mm focal length I’ve been looking for a decently telephoto lens with higher quality to fill that gap. Here is my video going over my first impressions and also quite a few tests. The 56mm from Sigma seems like a good native option. I decided to buy it and in this above video you all will get to see what I’ve learned so far. In the video, we take a look at the lens in detail from it’s design to how it works in practice. I also show various sample photos and do tests like video autofocus on the Canon EOS M50 along with the Canon EOS M5. Check out the Sigma 56mm through my link to B&H Photo Video . As an affiliate of B&H, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The Sigma 56mm attached to a Canon EOS M50. Specifications Lens Construction: 10 El...

With dual pixel AF technology and a fully articulating screen, the 80D is a versatile camera for the price. I had hands-on time with the EOS 80D DSLR. Because I mostly use Nikon, I compare my experiences with Nikon to the 80D.  The Canon EOS 80D. The 80D’s dual pixel auto-focus is a big benefit to this camera in live view and video recording situations. Other than that, it’s a pretty standard DSLR. My video about the camera. Get the Canon EOS 80D DSLR Camera through my links: Used on KEH.com , eBay.com ,  BHPhotoVideo.com , Amazon.com , and Walmart.com   As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The fully articulating screen on the 80D. General ergonomics A no nonsense camera with a flat black exterior. The button text and icons stand out well. A good deal of direct button control in line with this price point. Many of the buttons are within range of your index finger, which is interesting coming from Nikon.  Cameras these days have bec...

Today we are taking a look at the entry level standard F-mount Nikon DSLR in their line-up. This is the latest iteration in their D3000 series of cameras started in 2009.  With lower cost DSLR we can expect certain features like FP sync not being included as well as fewer direct control dials and other buttons. For this iteration it comes with a 24.2 megapixel DX (APS-C) sensor with a sensitivity range of 100 to 25600.  My video on the camera. Get the Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera through my links: Amazon.com , BHPhotoVideo.com , Used on KEH.com , Walmart.com , and eBay.com As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The D3500’s sensor is visible in cleaning mode. There is no shake reduction in the camera, but the kit lens does have VR. The standard optical viewfinder has 95% frame coverage with a 0.85x magnification.  The DSLR focusing system is the 11-point Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection giving you a detection ran...

The B600 is Nikon’s latest in their lineup of relatively compact and lower cost long telephoto all-in-one cameras. It comes with the usual specifications of this lineup, but loses the AA batteries for a lithium ion battery pack and also loses the back tilt screen compared to the B500. The camera’s layout is similar to the previous version, but everything seems trimmed back and made sleeker. My hands-on with the B600 Get the Nikon COOLPIX B600 Digital Camera here through my links: Amazon.com , BHPhotoVideo.com , Used on KEH.com , and eBay.com   As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  What you gain by the removal of physical features is a slightly smaller camera, though it’s still not pocket-able. Autofocus felt decently chipper given it’s using contrast detect on it’s 1/2.3″ sensor. This camera is more of the same as previous bridge cameras, but if that’s your thing then this might be something to check out. I have additional sample photos and video c...

I had hands-on time recently with the Nikon D5600. Is it a solid mid range DSLR? Let’s find out! I compare this to my Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and also comment on what type of person the D5600 might be a good fit for.  The Nikon D5600 The D5000 series is Nikon’s step up from their entry level with a little bit more of everything over the 3000 series. The stand out feature of this camera is the fully articulating screen. Get the Nikon D5600 DSLR Camera here: B&H Photo Video ,  Amazon.com ,  Used on KEH ,  Used on eBay.com   As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Check out a few sample photos in this 4k slideshow video .  Specifications ( full info ) 24.2 megapixel APS-C sensor (6000×4000 photos) with an ISO range of 100 to 25600. Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder, Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical, Approx. 0.82x magnification. 1/4000th of a second maximum shutter speed with 1/200th of a second flash s...