PhotographyBanzai.com

Note to self, don’t agree to be an “extra” for a person’s video job that you barely know. The training video extra might turn out to be you being cast as the past abuser in a mock trial. Technically it appeared to be the judge going over having the restraining order released. Writing this out now so I remember it happened, and to make it public on my social media incase the training video somehow surfaces years into the future. I’ll have posts about it to bring up… An awkward situation all around. :/ On a different note, I was able to pick up a discounted Sony Alpha A6000, so expect more content on that camera! I couldn’t pass up the clearance price considering used prices like KEH are around double that. It’s a good reminder to check out your local big box stores like Target every so often to see if any of their camera gear is on clearance. A good price on the A6000! Sony Alpha A6000 Digital Camera: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wunTn9 B&H: https://bhpho.to/3whmIHw ebay: https://shrsl....

Since starting my photography Youtube channel in January 2011, I have used various brands of equipment. The main camera kits were Pentax , Nikon F , and Canon EF-M . I have tried various other brands of gear along the way as well. Hindsight is 20/20, but had Nikon released the Z5 in the first round of their Z cameras at a decent price, I think the current mirrorless full-frame camera market share situation could have turned out differently for them. Not to date this article too much moving forward, but the current body-only price of the Z5 is $1000. With the 24-50mm kit lens it’s $1300. “Prices subject to change” and such… This is a lot of camera for the dollar. I remember going from Pentax APS-C to the full-frame Nikon D600 when that camera was $2000 just for the body. Looking at initial MSRP it was $2099 for the D600 vs. $1399 for the Z5, so not quite as impressive at first but still an uptick in functionality per dollar. Especially true considering one was released in 2012 and the ...

It’s officially the Photography Banzai YouTube channel’s birthday. 10 years old… The result after 10 years. The first time I remember using YouTube was back in Nagasaki Japan in 2006. I had the desire of doing something with it back then, but at the school I was going to the internet speeds were terrible. Not to mention a group of my fellow foreigners were sucking up bandwidth due to their World of Warcraft addiction, lol. I still have my original account and currently post low quality fast food reviews to it. At the time, YouTube was often used as a video hosting platform of whatever random stuff people wanted to show others. The idea of cohesive genre focused content wasn’t much of a thing. By the time I started the photography focused channel it was starting to happen. My first video on YouTube for the Photography Banzai channel was a quick clip where I show a film era Kenko teleconverter working with a Pentax K10D DSLR and 300mm f/4 SDM lens. I was active on PentaxForums.com so ...

Viltrox sent me the EF-M 23mm f/1.4 and 33mm f/1.4 (aka. the Canon EOS M system) lenses to make a video on. I will be keeping them, so look forward to future videos on these compared to other equipment I have on-hand. These lenses add to the few fast aperture native autofocus lenses available for the Canon EF-M mount. Viltrox EF-M lenses https://youtu.be/pKhf7FgLC-0 All of this information is based on firmware v1.0.5, which is the one installed in the lens upon release. Check out the Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 AF Lens through my affiliate links: B&H: https://bhpho.to/34tulOU Amazon: https://amzn.to/31lk6Lw eBay: https://ebay.to/3je6OGJ Check out the Viltrox 33mm f/1.4 AF Lens through my affiliate links:  B&H: https://bhpho.to/3d3xicN Amazon: https://amzn.to/37d2ohc eBay: https://ebay.to/2T42UWD As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The large maximum aperture gives you a lot of flexibility. In that video, the two focal lengths are compared side-by-s...

A friend is writing up an English composition paper about photographers. She wanted people to answer a list of questions related to that. I decided to write up responses for her instead of doing an interview. That should be easier for her and it gave me something to post on here. Here are the questions and my responses. Reflection photo at an Anime Central convention. Question: How many years have you been a photographer (or counted yourself as one)? Around 2002, so approximately 18 years. Question: Would you call yourself an amateur, a hobbyist, or a professional photographer? Hobbyist Question: Are you self-taught or do you have school/formal training? How long did it take before you were confident in your skill? Self-taught, mostly from online sources and learning by doing. I’d say it took around 7 years to have a solid foundation of knowledge and practice. Question: What do you feel makes a professional photographer? Someone that can financially support the majority of their life w...

Weeylite, a division of Viltrox, sent me this bi-color constant LED light to check out and make a video on. I’ll be talking about it in this article and I have a long detailed video on YouTube as well. Viltrox Ninja 400 Get the Weeylite Bi-Color LED Video Light through my links: Amazon , B&H Photo Video , and eBay . As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Ethics Statement: Keep in mind throughout this article and related video that Weeylite sent me this video at no cost and I will be keeping the light. They had no say in the content of the video.  Weeylite is part of Viltrox. The company is popular for lenses and adapters such as the 0.71x EF to EF-M speed booster that I have.  Specifications from their website: Model: ninja 400 Dimming method: Host control/iphoneAPP/Bluetooth/DMX Color temperature: 2500K-8500K t 300(fixed) Brightness: 20% ~ 100% (Adjustable) Max.Brightness: 12750 LM Max.illuminance: 3570 Lux / 2m, 16700 LUX/1m. (Use the ma...

In the attached video, I visit my city’s downtown area to try out this camera backpack from Endurax called the ED-V6. I take a detailed look at the backpack and internal messenger bag while also doing photography.  The backpack with messenger bag. The backpack is a nice gray color that I think works well in more professional situations, which is why I brought it downtown instead of going out to my usual nature areas. Keep in mind that Endurax sent me this at no charge for test and to make a video on. Check out the Endurax ED-V6 Vintage Camera Backpack through my links on Amazon.com and eBay.com . Or visit the Endurax store on Amazon to see their other bags. As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases!  I’m 6 ft tall so you can get an idea of the backpack’s size. Features of note: Two bags in one. You get a full backpack and a messenger bag. I don’t like commenting on price but it currently priced very reasonably considering the two bags. The i...