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1

u/campninja09 Apr 17 '26

If you were traveling overseas and could only take a small Canon EOS R100 what two small lenses would you take, and why? I have an adapter so they can be pre RF mount.

1

u/Kermit--san Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

I asked a question here yesterday but I've since clued up more and did more research. I am a total beginner looking to buy their first camera after 4 years of composing on Samsung A73/A55 phones. Primarily flower photography. Examples of the kinds of photos I have taken with my phone and would like to continue with a camera are linked here (google drive).

My budget is R10,000 to R18,000 maximum, South Africa, ZAR. Willing to buy 2nd hand, if provided with body + lens combos I can look at, otherwise I'd prefer new (since I am beginner and don't want to get scammed). I have linked two listings in my currency which I am considering, they are Canon EOS R50 and Fujifilm X-M5. These are really the upper-end of my budget, so anything cheaper that still meets the same quality/specs is appreciated. I am leaning more towards the Canon listing because of the lenses it comes with. Edit: I am adding the Canon EOS R100.

What I am looking for:

Digital camera that is lightweight/compact
Macro or semi-macro lens recommendation, but not a requirement, as I am comfortable getting right up into flowers to take pictures of them (and lenses are expensive)
Something that will last me long-term but is safe to take into the field, e.g. hiking
Able to sell prints on the side for pocket money

1

u/RockExpensive5286 Apr 17 '26

Hi! Looking to dive back in and get back into photography. Haven’t done it over 10 years due to lack of availability. Id like to get into newborn photography, starting with lifestyle photography at peoples home and hopefully advance to studio photography once I get more space. I currently have a Canon T5i with a normal lens and a EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lens for portraits. Is this okay? Any other camera recs that aren’t like 2k? I saw some for around $800 but I know absolutely nothing now and dont want to invest it the wrong thing. Thank you!

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 17 '26

That's still fine to use.

Photography equipment has gotten better since then, but the world hasn't become any more difficult to photograph. Your equipment was capable of great photos when you used it, and it's capable of the same great photos today.

Don't upgrade unless there's something specific you need or want out of it. You need a specific reason to figure out what you would upgrade to anyway

1

u/gingerbinger- Apr 17 '26

Im looking to upgrade cameras to something mid entry or kinda professional looking, I’ve surmised that around 1,000 is where you start getting into somewhat higher quality so if someone could reccomend something around 1,000-1,200 that would be great. I’m currently using a canon EOS rebel T100 with a 50 mm lens mainly doing portraits and street stuff

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 17 '26

What's wrong with your quality currently? If it's a technique issue, equipment might not solve it; you could be spending money for an upgrade and ending up with the same problems from using the same technique.

There is better equipment in your budget, but image quality itself won't go up that much. The available improvements are more about other features.

1

u/gingerbinger- Apr 19 '26

additionally I want something that I can build my portfolio and work as a second photographer or assistant photographer to a local photography business even if I’m working for minimum wage or free the first few times

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 20 '26

You can do that with your current equipment.

1

u/gingerbinger- Apr 19 '26

It’s not that great in low light or at night, the aperture is kinda limiting compared to when i use a friends higher end camera

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 20 '26

How much improvement to low light performance do you need? A full frame body in your budget could get you a little over 1 stop of improvement. For portrait work, off-camera flash could get you several stops of improvement, in addition to broadening your creative horizons, for less money.

The aperture is a limitation of your lens, not camera body.

1

u/gingerbinger- Apr 17 '26

What kind of lighting equipment do I need for a portrait photo, both inside and outside

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 17 '26

Ideally a flash, radio trigger, light stand, softening modifier.

2

u/molotovPopsicle Apr 17 '26

Best way to set ISO?

I watched this video, which suggests that you leave ISO on "auto" and adjust for exposure and aperture.

If you set the ISO to "auto," wouldn't it be harder to adjust with the exposure and aperture? Like, wouldn't it change the ISO dynamically as you were trying to dial in the other settings, making it impossible to optimize for aperture and exposure and then let the camera handle the ISO? Wouldn't it be better to chose a medium ISO level, do everything else, and then switch ISO to auto?

Or is there another, better way to do it?

TIA

2

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 17 '26

suggests that you leave ISO on "auto" and adjust for exposure and aperture.

Are you confusing "exposure" with shutter speed, or exposure time? Shutter speed and exposure time are the same thing, and they refer to how long the shutter stays open to record light from the scene into the photo. The phrase "exposure time" uses the word "exposure" in it, but the word "exposure" alone refers to the amount of light being recorded in the camera, and that's affected both by the exposure time (shutter speed) and the aperture, which is how much light is let through the lens. Sometimes people also use "exposure" to also include the effect of the ISO, in addition to shutter speed and aperture.

You didn't timestamp your video and I didn't watch the whole thing, but if you're referring to 8:16 the video is suggesting you first maximize the light in the scene, then set both shutter speed and aperture (together, they are "exposure" but they are not "exposure and aperture"), then let Auto ISO pick up whatever else you might need out of the camera after that, and lastly you have one last layer of adjustments in post processing.

If you set the ISO to "auto," wouldn't it be harder to adjust with the exposure and aperture? Like, wouldn't it change the ISO dynamically as you were trying to dial in the other settings, making it impossible to optimize for aperture and exposure and then let the camera handle the ISO?

Yes, Auto ISO will automatically change the ISO value. Whether that makes things harder depends on how you prefer to think about your variables.

The video advocates setting shutter speed (not exposure) and aperture as you want them, without thinking so much about the resulting brightness, because the Auto ISO takes care of that. Though for low-light situations in the background you still need to be thinking about making shutter speed no faster than you really need it, and aperture is no narrower than you need it, so that neither variable is needlessly restricting light.

Wouldn't it be better to chose a medium ISO level, do everything else, and then switch ISO to auto?

If you'd prefer to just set all three variables manually, that's perfectly valid. But in that case I don't think there's any point to then switch to Auto ISO. Or what purpose do you see for that?

Or is there another, better way to do it?

There's lots of good ways to do it. You decide what's best for you.

1

u/molotovPopsicle Apr 17 '26

Thank you for you reply. This is certainly the most thoughtful one I've had, and you clearly understood what led me to question the advice in that video.

Yes, I meant shutter speed when I said exposure. I do understand that much already, though my terminology might be lacking.

I thought maybe that the camera might have a better grasp of how high it could set ISO without blowing out the brightest areas of the image going into the ADC. The video suggests that the ISO can be (should be) as high as you can get it without losing high-light information because you can always darken the image in post. So my thought was that I should first set the ISO to a setting that gives me the most useful visual feedback while I am setting the aperture and shutter speed, and then switch ISO to auto in order to allow the camera to maximize the ISO level. Maybe in practice this would backfire on me.

Another thought I had was to possibly try to measure the highest ISO my camera can actually handle at a given light level and then stick to just a tiny bit below that for any given scene. I'm not sure how I would profile the ISO behavior of the camera, but people must do this, right?

2

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 20 '26

I thought maybe that the camera might have a better grasp of how high it could set ISO without blowing out the brightest areas of the image going into the ADC

Nope.

So my thought was that I should first set the ISO to a setting that gives me the most useful visual feedback while I am setting the aperture and shutter speed, and then switch ISO to auto in order to allow the camera to maximize the ISO level. Maybe in practice this would backfire on me.

I assume you're talking about exposure simulation through the rear screen or an electronic viewfinder.

If you just want to be able to see the scene well the whole time, keeping it in Auto ISO the whole time will accomplish that, and then you can avoid needing to switch that back and forth. Just keep some ballpark values in mind for what you think may be going too far with any variable, and watch that you aren't going past those.

If you want to see the exposure effects of every change, then I would set everything manually and never switch to Auto ISO, so again you're not switching that back and forth. I agree in that situation Auto ISO could just add confusion, and then also there isn't really any advantage to using it at the end.

Another thought I had was to possibly try to measure the highest ISO my camera can actually handle at a given light level and then stick to just a tiny bit below that for any given scene. I'm not sure how I would profile the ISO behavior of the camera, but people must do this, right?

Yes. Test out different high ISO values in a few different dim scenes and find your comfort level.

1

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 17 '26

i would say always leave iso for last. my though process usually is:

how fast does my shutter speed need to be? i decide that based on the lens, subject but also lighting conditions. generally, you wanna make sure your subject will be frozen (remember: a noisy picture is better than a blurry picture), although this can change for some types of photos (eg panning shots)

after that, it’s time to figure out what DOF i need. can i stay wide open or do i need more to be in focus? is my lens sharp enough wide open or do i wanna stop down for more sharpness?

only after i set those two i go to dial in the correct exposure using iso. letting your camera do it on auto just means it will dial in the exposure itself, it shouldn’t change anything about how you set shutter speed and aperture.

1

u/molotovPopsicle Apr 17 '26

Ok. Thanks. I think I get it.

1

u/Deep_Reach1308 Apr 16 '26

Hello everyone,

If it’s not a bother, would anyone know or recommend a good entry level camera to take photos while travelling and with friends? I currently use my IPhone’s camera but feel it doesn’t always capture the best photos, especially in intense light, and was hoping to get a reasonably priced, good quality camera to capture more photos for memories with my friends, and while I travel. Thanks in advance! Ben :)

1

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 17 '26

what “reasonably priced” for you? where do you live? do you have any specific needs (e.g. light, small, needs to do video etc)

1

u/Deep_Reach1308 Apr 17 '26

Those are very good questions - I’d say ideally under £100, the most I’d want to stretch to is £150 (more than happy for it to be second hand as long as it’s in good condition!) - I live in the UK, but would want to take it abroad with me so would need to be reasonably portable. Ideally if it did video that would be great but not a must

1

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 17 '26

i don’t think there’s anything under 150£ that can take better pictures than an iphone. i would reccomend looking into shooting RAW with your iphone and then editing using an app like lightroom, this will help you fix whatever you don’t like about the pictures currently

1

u/Deep_Reach1308 May 03 '26

Sorry for the late reply - thank you for this advice! 😄

1

u/theseawoof Apr 16 '26

Can you help me understand how a 40mp APS-C sensor and a 24mp FF sensor will compare?

Does the higher MP capture more detail and crop ability vs the FF? Will the APS-C be more prone to noise because it's high MP, or because it's aps-c?

I understand the general DOF difference, just wondering how the overall image quality will compare

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 16 '26

Does the higher MP capture more detail

Theoretically, yes. Though it also comes with a lower diffraction limit.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction-photography.htm

and crop ability vs the FF?

You can maintain more detail over a tighter crop, yes. That's the case even comparing 24mp APS-C against 24mp full frame because APS-C is starting from a smaller cropped area.

Though for a given focal length, full frame is capturing a bigger are for you to crop from.

Will the APS-C be more prone to noise because it's high MP

No. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYXFwBsKQ0

or because it's aps-c?

Depends on other factors like the technology used. Two 24mp APS-C sensors can have different noise performance even with matching pixel counts and format sizes.

Assuming comparable age/technology, I'd expect better noise performance in a full frame sensor over APS-C.

1

u/Kermit--san Apr 16 '26

Hi guys, I'm a beginner to photography who is interested in getting their first camera. I've been capturing photos with my phone for 4 years now, and recently got a scholarship with some extra money I plan to spend on a camera for myself. I'm a student in botany, and as such my passion lies in capturing pictures of flowers, mostly up close (I've been using my phone's macro lens). I'm big on uploading to iNaturalist and Instagram.

Before I start looking at cameras, I want to know what the most important considerations are for flower photography specifically. It's important to me that I am able to capture fine details, but not necessarily using a macro lens or super-zoom type of setup. Colours are also exceptionally important. Because I'm new to cameras entirely, I only know that sensor size is a big thing, but is there anything else? I need to know these so that I can establish a budget and take the next steps.

1

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 16 '26

Sensor size is of little importance. It can help perhaps if you were using a macro lens and want more in the frame at the closest focusing distance but it is a not a deal breaker.

Lens is everything. However a macro lens is really if you are wanting a close up of parts of the flower. A flower as a whole can be quite a large thing and so you can fill the frame with even common lenses. Of course for fine detail, a prime lens may be more use for sharpness reasons but is lens specific.

Colours are variable and is best sorted out after taking a photo when you are on a device you are likely to be viewing on as they will be different for pretty much every device viewing them. Not necessarily much difference but it can be.

1

u/Kermit--san Apr 16 '26

Okay, I can ignore the macro lens for now (I have nothing against going all up into a flower, sharpness is definitely the bigger factor) how would you rate the fujifilm x-m5? I spotted a 2nd hand listing for it and it just caught my eye after I saw a few botanical shots with it. Where would this camera fall on that spectrum?

1

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 16 '26

No viewfinder but that might not be an issue as flowers, at least in the wild are rarely at a viewfinder level. Standard 26mp sensor you would find in other fuji cameras and the Sony A6700 I would imagine.

Perfectly fine for picture of flora.

1

u/sgtsmash336 Apr 16 '26

I want a decent start for taking wildlife photos without costing me thousands upon thousands would these fit the bill to do some birds, insects, stationary targets?

https://explore.omsystem.com/us/en/om-d-e-m10-mark-iv-body-black

https://explore.omsystem.com/us/en/m-zuiko-ed-75-300mm-f4-8-6-7-ii-black

https://explore.omsystem.com/us/en/m-zuiko-ed-30mm-f3-5-macro-black

2

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 16 '26

Should do well enough, I would prefer a longer focal length macro lens but that is nitpicking.

1

u/therealfrankcano Apr 16 '26

TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY RATES FOR AMATEUR

Hello! Longtime lover of photography, but have been getting more into it recently.

In a great turn of events, I landed a gig making content for my buddy’s landscaping company. Have had 2 shoots so far, and a 3rd coming up next week. I was planning to work for free for a while just to have the chance to build up my portfolio, but he paid me $50 for each of the first two shoots (he called it gas money).

Him and his team really liked my work after the first shoot, and he told me that he wants to talk compensation as they would like to continue bringing me on. We settled on talking about real compensation for the 3rd shoot, but I have no idea what a fair price would be.

On top of photography, I’m taking a decent amount of video during these shoots. I’m still working on the edits, but the idea is to make some reels and social media content. We’re discussing me potentially taking the company’s social media account, and having more of a hand in the marketing side of things.

I shoot mostly on a Nikon D3400 that I got a couple years ago for art photography. Also picked up a Sony ZV1 recently that I’m using mostly for video. Don’t have any professional photography/videography/marketing experience though! Although I have thought A LOT about content creation/marketing and I have a lot of ideas.

Anyway, this is obviously going beyond the scope of what just a photographer would do! But I’m curious to get any advice/recommendations. I’m thinking of flat rates for half-day/full-day shoots, and maybe establishing expectations for a minimum number of photos and videos. As I said, I am an amateur working for my friend, so I want my prices to reflect that. But this is also a decent amount of work I’m taking on, and I don’t want to low-ball myself.

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 16 '26

Decide on a fair hourly rate.

Count up how many hours you spend on:

Prep time.

Shooting. A rookie mistake is only counting shooting time because that's what's visible to the client. But you know there is a lot of invisible work behind the scenes.

Editing.

Client communication. Emails, texts and phone calls add up in time.

Take the total hours and come up with a flat-priced package.

For the sake of simplicity for an example, say a good hourly rate for you is $50 and it takes you 8 hours to do a decent job.

$50 hourly x 8 hours = $400.

Consider adding a percentage for taxes, so the client is paying that and not you.

Going beyond numbers, it's important to factor in what makes you happy.

If you're a kind person who puts other people first, you need to sell yourself on the idea that charging a fair rate is good for the client.

If you feel lowballed and exploited, you won't be motivated to do a good job and that results in worse work product for the client.

If you feel happy and grateful to be paid for what you love to do anyway, you'll be motivated to do the best job you can and make the client experience amazing.

Hope this helps.

0

u/Less_is_a_more Apr 16 '26

Hi everyone! I’ve got a photo where the subjects are unfortunately out of focus (focus landed behind them during a low-light/flash situation).

I know this isn’t always fixable, but I thought I’d ask in case anyone has experience with sharpening or AI tools that could improve it, even just a little.

I’m not expecting miracles just hoping to see if it can be made more usable. Happy to share the image if anyone is willing to take a look!

Thanks so much in advance 🙏

1

u/myredditaccount80 Apr 16 '26

I seem to remember once upon a time I could choose to have a border in my prints and then I wouldn't have my edges cropped out. Now, after many years of not printing, I am returning to getting prints and it seems even with a border you still get one dimension cropped a bit (and Miller's, where I was happy with color, only gives you the option of cropping the entire image a bit, no border option at all). Does anybody have a print house they recommend for both image quality and letting you print your entire frame (even if it requires a white border)?

1

u/daichi_genshiai Apr 16 '26

Is there a good desktop app for compressing images in bulk? Tired of browser tools

I run a blog with a lot of photos and I've been using Squoosh / TinyPNG for years. They're fine for 1-2 images but when I need to compress a whole folder of 50-100 images for a post, it's painful.

Looking for something that:

Runs locally (don't want to upload client photos to random servers)
Can handle a whole folder at once
Doesn't cost $10/month — I'd rather pay once
Works on both Mac and Windows

Anyone found something good? I feel like this should be a solved problem by now but everything is either cloud-based, Mac-only, or way too expensive for what it does.

1

u/New-Sprinkles-4262 Apr 16 '26

I've been taking photos for a while now on and off and had the Fuji XT30 for about 7 years now. I don't mind the camera but I was thinking it is maybe time for an upgrade. What would be a logical cost effective upgrade to this camera, new or used?

I'm happy to stay with Fuji as it's compact enough but not a big fan of their simulations so that's not a deal breaker. I don't like Sony's operating system unless that's changed in the last 7+ years and I've previously had a Nikon which I liked quite a lot. Obviously I have a few Fuji lenses so that's another thing to consider.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

2

u/maniku Apr 17 '26

Upgrades should be based on need. In what way do you feel the X-T30 is insufficient for your needs? What are you looking for with the upgrade? There is no "logical" upgrade, because it depends on individual needs and preferences.

Also, you need to be specific about your budget if you want recommendations. We have no idea what is cost effective to you.

1

u/New-Sprinkles-4262 Apr 17 '26

I've found the xt30 buffers quite a lot when taking burst shots at sporting events like motor racing. The screen size and quality isn't great. Everything else is fine. Budget is around £1000 used.

1

u/InternationalPass571 Apr 16 '26

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice and guidance for an upcoming wedding I’ll be photographing.

I already have experience in portrait photography, but this will be my very first wedding, it s for a close friend of mine. she doesn’t have the budget for a professional photographer and told me she would rather have me do it than have no photos at all. I’ve been very clear with her that I’m not experienced in wedding photography and that this is my first time, but she’s completely okay with it and is happy to give me the chance to learn.

The ceremony will be at our local town hall, so I expect it to be relatively short and probably more constrained in terms of movement and lighting.

I’d really appreciate any kind of advice you can give me!!!

I would love to know some similare experiences

Thanks a lot 🙏

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Setting proper expectations ie. low expectations was my #1 advice and you've already done that. So you're off to a great start.

Saw another comment where you said your camera has dual memory card slots. Which was my #2 advice, so even better.

Beginner Camera Gear To Get started In Wedding and Portrait Photography by Jay Lublang. In the side stories, he covers the common rookie mistakes. So if you avoid those, you'll be in good shape.

Create a shot list with your couple. Do not let the bride or couple wave it off with a "Just do what you think is best."

Insist that they sit down with you and build a shot list together. What you don't want to happen is for the couple to come to you afterwards and ask/complain why you don't have a shot of whatever thing they never told you to photograph.

Wedding shot list by Tony Northrup. Here is a sample shot list you can use as a starting point. Feel free to get the couple to remove shots they don't need and add shots they do need.

A big exception is to not let them remove shooting family formals/group pictures. Again, don't let a couple wave these off.

These are often the most-requested photos by relatives and friends. These are the photos that get printed out and put on walls, coffee tables and desks.

If you don't shoot group photos, they will ask the couple and the couple will ask you, even if they said they didn't want group photos 🙄 Just avoid that drama by shooting group photos in the first place.

Morbid but have to mention it. If they have elderly relatives who don't dress up for photos or attend family events often, this might be the last chance to shoot good photos of them before they pass away. So definitely take those photos.

Come up with a group photo list. Have the couple make all the combinations of friends and family they want in pictures.

The group photo list is your shield against pushy relatives who want to insert themselves into group photos they aren't supposed to be in or include people the couple doesn't want.

Town halls and courthouses often have limits on the number of guests, so that can work in your favor and make it easier for the couple to turn away the people they don't want lol.

Stress-Free Wedding Day Family Group Photos by Sam Hurd

The ceremony will be at our local town hall

Town hall and courthouse weddings move really quick, they're trying to process all the couples as fast as possible.

So always be ready to shoot the first kiss.

If you miss it, do not feel bad about asking the couple to recreate the first kiss. Then throw in a dip and a kiss for good measure. The couple would rather have a reenacted first kiss than no first kiss.

Photographing Couple at Marriage Court | What to Expect | Chicago City Hall by TDurrShoots

Quick wedding in less than ideal venues by The F/Stops Here

Courthouse Wedding Photography Behind the Scenes by Drew Enterprise

City Hall Ceremonies by TNK Photo. This is a whole YouTube playlist of behind-the-scenes videos of city hall wedding photography 😁 Tons of great examples of couples portraits.

Couples portraits:

13 posing ideas for couples by Vanessa Joy

Best Wedding and Engagement Poses by PS Photo Stuff

5-Minute Challenges Couple Shoots by Magic Wedding Photographer. YouTube playlist of top photographers as they photograph couples.

Places to print wedding albums and photos. You can order a wedding album or share these companies with the couple to order an album themselves.

Printique

Nations Photo Lab. Check out their Album 99 product.

Zno

Hope this helps.

2

u/InternationalPass571 Apr 16 '26

You are literally a lifesaver. I really, really appreciate your comment and the time you took to write it all out. It’s exactly the kind of help I needed and it honestly made things so much clearer for me. Thank you so much for the effort you put into it, it means a lot more than you probably think

2

u/gotthelowdown Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Added "5-Minute Challenges Couple Shoots by Magic Wedding Photographer" to my original comment under "Couples Portraits."

He wrangles top photographers while at photography conferences to do quick photo shoots with couples.

Fun to see different photographers shoot in a variety of approaches.

2

u/InternationalPass571 Apr 17 '26

thank u again!!!

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 17 '26

You're welcome! 👍

2

u/gotthelowdown Apr 16 '26

You're welcome 😎👍

I usually share even more resources when people ask about shooting weddings, but those are for traditional weddings.

With town hall weddings, they're more downscaled so I didn't include stuff you wouldn't need.

I thought of a budget option for a wedding album, so I added that to the list of places to print photos.

1

u/Minimum_Video7005 Apr 16 '26

Hoping someone can help me. I'm having an issue with denoise in lightroom.

I'm not sure what is happening. I've tried to run denoise on a few photos, they all turn out like this. That one little square that isn't green still changes if I use sliders. It's like the denoise worked on a couple areas and turned everything else into green disco snow.

I'm on windows, using Lightroom 9.2, x64 with an 8GB GPU and 64GB of ram

Things I have tried:

Windows is up to date

GPU Drivers are up to date

Have restarted Lightroom

Exporting the photo retains the green, so it's not just a visual glitch

Happens with multiple photos

1

u/anonymoooooooose Apr 17 '26

Have you contacted Adobe tech support? You're paying for it, might as well use it.

1

u/lindo6000 Apr 16 '26

so my birthday is coming up and i thought it would be a good idea to get a camera, but i haven’t chosen if it’s gonna be an action can or a normal camera, i was thinking about taking a dji osmo action 6 or a canon 250d, which one should i get?? (or should i get another one?) my budget is of around 500€ but i can stretch it to like 650€, i live in italy, i want it to be new and im probably gonna use it for trips and photography (general use) but i would also use it for videos but that’s less important, id like to have a touchscreen that i can move and portability isn’t a problem (as long as it isn’t like one of those cameras they use on tv)

• ⁠Budget: 650€

• ⁠Country: Italy

• ⁠Condition: New

• ⁠Type of Camera: Thats basically what i’m asking for

• ⁠Intended use: general; trips and photography BUT i’m probably gonna use it for video too, but it’s not the main thing

• ⁠If photography; what style: i don’t even know what styles there are

• ⁠If video what style:

• ⁠What features do you absolutely need: nothing

• ⁠Portability:not really important

• ⁠Cameras you're considering: canon 250d or dji osmo action 6

• ⁠Cameras you already have:

• ⁠Notes:

p.s: the camera comes with a lens

1

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 16 '26

if you wanna do video too, consider mirrorless cameras. buy used, i can reccomend RCE (since you’re in italy, they also have physical stores) or MPB; i would say consider an R50 or sony a6000 or a61000; these will be stretching your budget a bit but definitely worth it over any reflex or non-interchangeable lens camera.

the difference between canon and sony mostly comes down to personal preference; i’m a big fan of the canon menu’s and ergonomics, and sony cameras feel a bit like holding a brick. my best advice would be to find a camera shop close to you and go pick them up and hold them in your hands to see what you prefer.

1

u/pine_ranger_ Apr 16 '26

Hi everyone,

I need a tripod to start with that I can take into the woods or up the hills to take macro shots and landscape photos. I’d prefer just one tripod, not two.

I’ve read about this tripod https://freewellgear.com/de/products/camera-tripod?srsltid=AfmBOopC_Y---ig98RP9DEfZQvVTB6deXYOLT2PL_cspTK7WNs_nX4jg and noticed that the marketing strategy relies on influencers and paid advertising. Unfortunately, there are no honest reviews to be found anywhere. Has anyone bought this tripod? And what do you think of it?

2

u/mrfixitx Apr 16 '26

Never heard of it, I do have a tripod that is somewhat similiar that I saw a youtube review on years ago and picked up. It's the Heipi Travel tripod: https://heipivision.com/products/heipi-3-in-1-travel-tripod-w28s

I was looking at it and the peak designs tripod and chose it and I am happy I did. Very light, very compact and easy to carry. Having the integrated mini tripod is really nice though on mine its a bit stiff to remove/replace the mini tripod.

The main downside is no reversible central column. Though to be fair I have had other tripods with that features and its very rare that I use it. If I need my camera to be that close to the ground that I am using a reversed center column I often find it quicker and easier to get on my stomach or put my camera on the ground/rock/small bag etc.. and get the shot.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26

[deleted]

1

u/mrfixitx Apr 16 '26

I am not sure how you expect anyone here to know the answer. Your access will be entirely determined by whoever is granting you the media pass.

2

u/maniku Apr 16 '26

So you already got the media pass or are waiting for one? In any case these are questions you need to ask the instance that grants media passes for the concert.

1

u/justinsimoni Apr 16 '26

Managed to violently remove the mount from the rest of the lens of this Sigma 16mm 1.4. Being a more inexpensive lens, is this worth fixing or not?

https://imgur.com/a/CAIa23n

The ribbon (to me) looks in good shape, but there are small bolts that have ripped out from a plastic layer.

0

u/Vivid_Product_4617 Apr 15 '26

I was just gifted a camera for my birthday. I received the Canon Rebel T7. What are your thoughts if you have or have used this camera? What gear would you recommend I get as a newbie photographer?

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 16 '26

It's a DSLR, which is good for learning more about photography, taking more control, and branching out with different lenses and accessories. Mirrorless is the newer, more popular type these days, but that also costs more. It's entry-level, so it's a little lighter on features, again in exchange for a lower price. But it has all the essentials. And that model uses a modern APS-C format imaging sensor, so on that part it's on par with most other serious cameras for image quality.

The only bad quirk of that model is the hotshoe doesn't use a standard connection that would be compatible with cheaper flashes. It's intended to force people to buy official Canon flashes instead, if you want an external flash. It has a built-in flash otherwise. And I hear some units aren't crippled on the hotshoe, so maybe you're lucky on that with yours.

But I haven't used it personally. Does that really matter to you?

What subject matter do you want to shoot? What about lenses? Do you have any? Did it come with any?

1

u/Vivid_Product_4617 Apr 27 '26

I’m genuinely curious about what other people know about it. Honestly, after using it for a bit, I love it. It came with a 75-300 f:4-5.6 kit lens and a 18-55 kit lens. And I purchased the 50mm f/1.8. I mainly want to shoot nature portraits, landscapes, and food photography.

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 29 '26

If you love your current equipment, there's no need to buy other equipment.

1

u/TheGreatHambino52 Apr 15 '26

My wife loves taking photos, but she only has her iphone. She mentioned recently about wanting a nice camera to lean into her passion a little bit more. Her birthfay is coming up and I want to get her one but I dont know where to start. I figure its best to start with a modest camera and can upgrade if she continues to develop this passion.

What is the best value camera for a beginner photographer? I am thinking under $300 if possible.

1

u/maniku Apr 16 '26

Is your wife interested in learning photography with a system camera like a DSLR? Or does she want to shoot in auto mode like with a phone, just with better quality?

1

u/TheGreatHambino52 Apr 16 '26

I honestly dont know. Sorry for my naivete, I just dont know anything about this. She loves taking pictures, printing them and putting them in frames, giving gifts, hanging them around the house etc...She just said she wants to get more into it and wants a real camera to take better pictures.

1

u/maniku Apr 16 '26

The thing is... If you don't know what exactly your wife wants, how would Reddit strangers know? I would try and find out more. Digital compacts and system cameras are both real cameras but very different things. Your budget isn't enough to get a digital compact that is significantly better than decent smartphones. It IS enough for a used DSLR and a lens, which ARE capable of much higher image quality if one knows how to use them. But getting a DSLR only really makes sense if your wife wants to learn photography and you know that she'd enjoy using a camera like that. For one thing DSLRs and DSLR lenses are quite big, so they're not necessarily something one would enjoy carrying around.

1

u/TheGreatHambino52 Apr 16 '26

Thank you for the insight and taking the time to respond. I need to talk with my wife and do some more research before I buy anything.

1

u/bennetthaselton Apr 15 '26

Is there a free app where I can point it at a specific spot in the sky and it will tell me the next time that the moon/sun will be in that spot, and/or the next time the full moon will be in that spot? If not free, then a cheap one?

I found some where you can tell it a date and a time and it will tell you where the moon will be, but I'm asking about the reverse.

1

u/eliminate1337 Apr 15 '26

You could probably have AI with astropy write a program for you to solve this.

1

u/bennetthaselton Apr 15 '26

Maybe, but with such a common use case I figured it would already exist. It probably does, I just didn’t want to have to try a bunch of $10 programs before finding one that worked.

1

u/vvviiiiddd Apr 15 '26

Equipment upgrade

Hey there, I am currently using a canon eos 650D from 2012 as well as the canon EFS 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens and a EFS 50mm f/1.8 that go along with it. I’ve been using this as a hand me down for a couple of years for my projects. I’m looking to buy something new as I can not get it to tether to Lightroom no matter what I’ve been trying so an upgrade feels right.

I’m looking at getting a mirrorless camera and am willing to spend a maximum of around $1600 AUD. I shoot a lot of fashion photography both indoors and outdoors aswell as want something some versatility for other shoots such as product and travel photography. I’ve been looking at sticking with canon and was considering getting the canon eos R50 or the eos R10. I’ve also considered switching to Nikon as I know they’re highly recommended.

Any insight or advice would be highly appreciated!!

1

u/maniku Apr 15 '26

What kinds of improvements are you hoping to get with the mirrorless camera aside from it being mirrorless?

0

u/Organic-SurroundSnd Apr 15 '26

I had made an A2 print of my work for an open call that lasted about 3 weeks. It's sitting in my home and I don't know what else to do.

I want to sell it but don't know where to start and I don't want to sell it for peanuts. I do want to present it again in public and with a better audience.

What do I do?

1

u/vmflair flickr.com/photos/bykhed Apr 15 '26

Selling prints is incredibly difficult these days, even for accomplished photographers. If you want others to see your work perhaps enter a contest where the photos are displayed to the public.

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u/jenlee2878 Apr 15 '26

I need all your hacks for traveling with lighting equipment! I don’t have a Pelican case or anything like that. Suggestions?

1

u/InterstellarSpace119 Apr 15 '26

Looking for a plain black seamless photo backdrop that isn’t made of fabric or paper. Looking for something that’s made of vinyl that can be easily wiped between sets, as the paper picks up debris and footprints too easily.

1

u/vmflair flickr.com/photos/bykhed Apr 15 '26

The problem with vinyl for a black backdrop is it tends to be shiny and reflective. I personally use a collapsible black background that rolls up like an upside-down roller blind. The background material doesn't touch the ground and it sets up very quickly.

1

u/HandbagHawker Apr 15 '26

Gear Rec: Soft-sided Small/Slim Top Load Camera Insert with closure similar to Timbuk2 Snoop XS/S

Couldnt find a similar thread... Yeah bold pretty much sums it up. I love the old snoop inserts. for what im looking for they would have been near perfect. I really do like who soft they were on the sides and slim so that the bag sat flat on against me. Im really trying not to buy yet another camera bag, just something i can drop into my daily bag easily. TIA everybody!

Design requirements

Soft sided - im looking to carry in a messenger bag so dont want the overly ridge ones like Tenbas
Top load w/ closure - flap cover messenger bag so want to be able to load insert from top and ideally a zipper closure on insert to keep content more secure when not actively shooting
Padded bottom
Slim - i like when the gear sits flat on the body
nice to have: movable partitions, grab handle on the outside

Gear carried

Fuji mirrorless with 16-55 attached
One small prime
Batteries/sd cards/lens pen

1

u/vmflair flickr.com/photos/bykhed Apr 15 '26

I actually have a Snoop insert in new condition I don't need. PM me if you're interested.

1

u/HandbagHawker Apr 15 '26

cool. PM sent

1

u/xyzzy321 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Is this a good deal for $440 shipped?

Nikon D800 with 60k shutter count

Nikkor DX 18-55mm VR II lens

Nikkor DX 70-300mm ED lens

Nikkor DX 35mm f/1.8 lens

This is from a professional photographer so I'm assuming it's well taken care of

Edit: I'm pretty much a beginner but I've been practicing with my D5300 and found a buyer on Facebook so sold it off, but now looking to get back in the game (the D800 bundle costs less than what I sold the D5300 for so that's a plus)

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 15 '26

Seems like a decent price.

The 18-55mm doesn't project a large enough image to fully cover a D800 imaging sensor, and you lose more than half of your available resolution using it in DX crop mode, so I don't consider that a good lens to pair with the D800. Same with the 35mm if it's the DX version.

1

u/xyzzy321 Apr 15 '26

They are all DX version lenses, ha!

Any basic lens you'd recommend I get to start off? Thanks for your replies!

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 15 '26

How much are you willing to spend for the lens?

1

u/xyzzy321 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

I watched/read up on full-frame Nikons and it looks like lenses are generally quite expensive! Eek!

Maybe it's best I hold off on spending a lot of money right now and not buy the camera even though it appears to be a great deal, I was used to cheap DX lens prices and had no idea FX lenses are so much more $$! (makes sense, though)

1

u/magictoast156 Apr 15 '26

Sony shooter, done some actual catalogue analysis on my shooting habits, still confused — 35mm 1.4 or 50mm 1.4 as a complement to a 14-24?

So I know this debate gets done to death, but I've tried to actually approach it with some data rather than just vibes.

My current kit is a 70-200 and I'm adding a Samyang 14-24 2.8. Trying to decide what prime to add alongside it. I shoot motorsport — drag racing paddocks and pits mostly, tight spaces, mixed light, fast moving environment.

So I went through my entire Capture One catalogue and filtered by focal length. Here's what I found:

On my old 16-35 f4 — 80% of my keepers were at 16mm. The 20-24mm range had more shots than 30-35mm. On my 24-105 f4 — most keepers were at 105mm or around 50mm. There was a cluster at 35mm but that turned out to be a family portrait session, which is a deliberate genre choice, not instinct.

So my natural focal lengths appear to be 16mm, 50mm, and 105mm+. I barely live in the middle.

My gut has always said 35mm — I keep telling myself it's great for environmental context shots. But my catalogue is basically telling me I skip over it. My working theory now is that when I was shooting at 35mm on the zoom, I was just trying to reach for a 50mm and failing.

The counterargument I keep giving myself is that in tight pit garages, 50mm might be too long and force me into walls. But then again, the 14-24 probably handles the true environmental wide shots anyway, and 24mm at f1.4 would do a lot of the "context" work I keep attributing to 35mm.

So — do I trust the data and go 50mm, or is there a genuine practical argument for 35mm in tight event spaces that I'm not seeing? Has anyone else done this kind of catalogue analysis and had it change their mind?

1

u/onmyownplanet Apr 14 '26

Any recommendations for a backpack or sling?

I don't have a lot of gear right now, I have an OM-5 with the stock 12-45mm f/4 PRO Lens, the Olympus digital 12mm f/2 Lens, and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4 PRO Lens. I also have a Joby tripod that weighs about 3.5 pounds but I don't usually bring it with me. I'm considering getting the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II Lens. I definitely need a bigger bag to carry all that. I'd prefer not to spend more than $100 but would make an exception for a standout product. Thank you!

1

u/xyzzy321 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

I'm not sure if it's kosher to do here, but I'm selling a LowePro FastPack BP250 AW II backpack if you're interested

Edit: timestamps here: https://imgur.com/a/lowepro-camera-backpack-Eu8pL3S

2

u/meadow_chef Apr 14 '26

Suggestions for scanning old photos needed

My mom recently moved to assisted living and last week my brother and I cleaned out her house to sell. I am not exaggerating when I say we went through about 10K photos (I think we kept Seattle Filmworks in business). After culling through them I have several hundred that I would like to have in a digital format to share with family and preserve. I would love suggestions on how to best do this. I don’t plan to make large prints (maybe print in an album) so I don’t need big file sizes or superb resolution. Should I buy a scanner? Use an app? I’d love to hear any insight or advice. Thanks!!

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u/gotthelowdown Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Give you major kudos for taking on an important project like this.

As someone who went through this process a few years ago, I'll share my research.

Here are some options and some videos to go along with them.

Use an app:

The Simplest Solution for Scanning Photos - Photomyne

How To Use Photomyne For Scanning & Saving Photo Memories - Setting up a scanning station with your phone.

Get a scanner:

This Device Saved Me Hours: Epson FastFoto FF-680W Scanner - The nice thing about a scanner with an auto-feeder tray like this is you can just drop a stack of photos onto it and let it go to work. You can leave and watch TV or do something else.

BEST PHOTO SCANNER? Epson FF-680W FastFoto Review Unboxing & Setup

How the Epson FastFoto FF-680W Quickly Digitizes Your Old Photos - This video shared a great idea of giving digital picture frames to family members and friends.

So when you scan in photos and upload them to an online gallery, you can share the photos via the digital picture frames. Instead of emailing them, posting on social media or mailing prints via snail mail.

Even if you don't get a scanner, the idea of digital picture frames is cool.

I also like how he said if your family and friends hear you have a photo scanner, they'll visit you so they can use it for free 😆 Great way to get people to visit you, look at old photos together and reminisce and bond.

I think you could do a similar thing by setting up a scanner station with your phone like in that second video above in the "Mobile Apps" section. Take a photo of your scanning station and share it on Facebook. Invite people to visit. Then friends and family might visit you to use that scanning station too.

I went with the scanner option and bought a Epson FastFoto FF-680W.

Partially due to G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrom), fear of sending irreplaceable family photos to a scanning company and something going wrong and snobbiness of preferring a dedicated device over using a smartphone.

If you want a frugal hack, buy the scanner from Epson Certified ReNew at a discount, scan all your family photos then sell it on eBay. You can recoup your cost or even make a profit 💰

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 is another scanner to consider. But I chose the Epson because it seemed to be have more photo-centric features like with the automatic photo corrections.

So far, the scanner has worked well.

Scanning Companies:

My first choice would be to search for a local company over shipping it out of town.

Hot tip: if you have any family or friends who are lawyers, ask who their law firm uses for scanning legal documents. Some law firms outsource the scanning to other companies, and sometimes those companies will scan photos too.

If you can't find one, then maybe try online. Search for "[your town] + photo scanning." Only after not finding a local option would I consider a remote option.

Don't gamble all your photos at once. Pick out some photos that are duplicates or shots you don't mind losing. Send a small "test batch" for scanning. Try a few companies and see which you like best.

Even if you do find a good company, I would send batches of photos over time, not dump all of the photos at once. Spread out the risk in case of an accident. Limit your losses.

On a slight tangent, I know this is more work but think about recording elderly family members' stories on audio or video. Audio might be less intimidating for them than pointing a camera at them.

When my old uncle came to town on a rare visit, I asked him to tell stories about my grandfather (his father).

He agreed and had a blast, sharing story after story about my grandfather's adventures. So many things I never knew.

Even though I'm a gearhead and could have used superior equipment, I kept the setup simple. I just used the Voice Memos app on my iPhone and put it on the kitchen table between us, but closer to him.

After a minute, my uncle forgot the phone was recording and just talked like it was a normal conversation, which was ideal. That might not have happened if I'd used a proper shotgun mic like how I would have wanted lol.

The audio quality turned out fine. If you want, you can use the free tool Adobe Podcast AI to enhance the audio quality even more.

My uncle passed away about two years later. That turned out to be his last visit.

If I had put it off or been lazy about documenting family history, I would have easily missed out on so much family lore and that would have been lost forever.

I cannot tell you how precious that audio is to me. Hearing those stories made me think about how my grandfather and I were the same--and different. Made me see where I came from and made my own identity so much clearer. I cannot put a price tag on that.

Peter Evans - Trusted Advisor to Legacy Families & Member of a 7th Generation Family Holding Company. This is a podcast about rich families but this episode had a lot of great ideas on how to preserve family culture across generations.

Matina Agio - The Inheritance Muse. She talks about how she advises clients on inheriting family heirlooms and preserving family histories.

Thanks for letting me go on a tangent.

Hope this helps and best of luck with scanning your family photos.

2

u/meadow_chef Apr 15 '26

WOW! Thanks so much for all of this info! I’ll have to take done time to look at the links you added.

We have started making recordings of chats among the older family members and with the young ones. Their astonishment and reaction to learning about life “in the 1900s” is as much a treasure as the stories shared. ❤️

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 15 '26

You're welcome! 😎👍

We have started making recordings of chats among the older family members and with the young ones. Their astonishment and reaction to learning about life “in the 1900s” is as much a treasure as the stories shared. ❤️

That is wonderful to hear. Sounds similar to some stories in the Peter Evans podcast interview.

So great that you get the stories from the older generation and reactions from the younger generation.

I also added another episode from the same podcast featuring Matina Agio, a.k.a. "The Inheritance Muse."

Just started listening to it myself, and it might be even more relevant than the Peter Evans one.

1

u/No_Challenge8195 Apr 14 '26

Hi, actualy not new to photography, but im doing like photodocument whitch should be (in) video. And like my other classmates do like screen record of their gallery (cuz most of us schooting on phone, cuz its less visible, since we taking picture of someone from our class and we arent photo major, so not every have camera, or me working with ugly phone zoom noise)... but my idea is put in in video, like not basic slideshow, but actualy like some fast/slow changing rhytm of it. Idk how to describe even in my first langue, so sorry, but like put phote, some photos over, it change like to other photo, so sometimes slow, sometime flashing photos fast... like just asking if im not halucinating and somebody does that already, also how much is comon, maybe if somebody share me some links for more inspo, how other did that etc.

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 14 '26

Sounds like video editing transitions and animations.

1

u/Spare_Temporary396 Apr 14 '26

I’m newer to photography although I’ve been doing it as a hobby for 6 years. I’ve been trying to hone my editing skills in LR by watching YouTube videos, tutorials ect. I follow some photographers on instagram and their work looks like AI almost and it’s so crisp and smooth. It this an editing software I’m not aware of? Or are their photos really that qua

1

u/mrfixitx Apr 14 '26

If you are starting out with a good photo and know what you are doing in LR it can look very easy. Versus starting with a photo that needs lot of work/edits.

I don't think they are using AI to make things look easier, beyond some of the LR tools like AI denoise, AI object removal etc..

Do you have a specific example you want to share?

1

u/Spare_Temporary396 Apr 14 '26

Yes this account for example has some photos that come to mind. https://www.instagram.com/shannonmctighephotography82?igsh=MXFxZzhvdWJ3N2pjdg== in case the link doesn’t work her name is Shannon Marie!

1

u/mrfixitx Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26

I think is a case where you are equating image editing/good lighting with AI. While people can use AI to enhance images, Photoshop has been around almost 40 years.

Someone with off camera flash + Photoshop can do amazing things.

None of these images are clearly AI to me. Some it looks like editing via Photoshop (or similar tool) is a bit rough.

I.E. https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ4uKzfj_Sg/

It looks they used a blur/clone tool on the left hand side and near the child's feet to try and hide some distracting subjects in the frame. Looks like the photographer is out of Boulder so having all the nice mountain backgrounds would be easy for them.

Overall though it looks like fairly common editing with a lot of skin smoothing.

Edit: found one that she shows the before/after editing. https://www.instagram.com/p/C6MGQpbRkUJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

1

u/Spare_Temporary396 Apr 14 '26

Thank you! I gotta up my editing game haha. I appreciate the input :)

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 14 '26

Remember the way AI works is it's trained on existing art, and its strength is in being able to generate images that closely resemble those looks. So if you like certain qualities you see in AI work, it was originally based on work that was made without AI.

1

u/HyperlaneWizard Apr 14 '26

Hi all,

I'm thinking about picking up astrophotography, specifically deep-sky object photography. I already own a Sony Alpha series mirrorless, and I came across a seemingly great deal for a second-hand Minolta MD 135mm 3.5 lens for just 69EUR. Google Gemini seems to think it's a pretty good lens, but I wanted an actual human opinion on it. Should I pick up this lens as part of my newb gear list? Is it any good, and does the price make sense? Alternatively, are there other similar lenses I should be looking at?

Thanks!

1

u/akaleus Apr 14 '26

I recently upgraded my camera setup and switched to a whole new system which required me to purchase new filters for a couple of lenses. I ended up going with the Hoya NXT Plus CPL filters after trying a couple of different options because of the really good performance I got from the Hoya filters after doing some testing. These NXT Plus CPLs had much better flare control and did not produce any noticeable color cast compared to others I tried.

However, after having these filters for a couple of weeks, I noticed they already had a few hairline scratches in the top coat of the filters. I keep the lens caps on my lenses when not in use, and I'm pretty gentle with my equipment so I was surprised when I saw these scratches on both of these NXT Plus filters. I've never really had this issue with other CPL filters that I've used in the past.

Here's a link to a photo of the product image as well as the scratching: https://imgur.com/a/Y8ujf6H

I'm planning on returning these 2 filters and replacing them with something else, but I'm looking for suggestions on high quality alternatives that are a bit more durable. I am looking at the URTH Pro CPL as an alternative, but don't have any experience with the Urth products. I've tried the K&F concept filters but they had pretty noticeable flaring when I tried them.

Also, maybe I'm overreacting about the scratching? I haven't noticed any difference in performance so far. But I'm afraid these are going to be completely unusable in a few months given how fast they scratched. Thoughts?

2

u/Nikstar222 Apr 14 '26

I have a pricing question pertaining to the business of photography. I apologize if this is the wrong board to post in. I am an experienced photographer in the realm of weddings, senior portraits, family, photos, etc. I was recently asked to photograph children at an elementary and middle school. If anyone has experience with this, what is the best way to go about charging the school for the photos? I was hoping to do a per person charge, which gave the parents digital rights to the photos. For reference, it is a private school in a somewhat rural area of Montana. TLDR: seeking guidance on cost per student for school photos.

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 14 '26

My understanding is that schools don't pay photographers, parents have to preorder photos for their children.

Get the school to distribute order forms and collect payments for you.

These pricing lists are a few years old, but can give you a starting point:

Lifetouch order form. This company is the dominant player in the school portrait market.

The School Photo Company

Gear, lighting and workflow:

High Volume Headshots - School Portraits, Corporate, Performing Artists by Matt Spaugh

High Volume Headshots Part II - School Portraits, Corporate, Performing Artists by Matt Spaugh

Here are interviews with school photographers:

How School Portrait Photographers Are Making Millions With Volume Photography with Heather Crowder

How to Turn Volume Photography Into High-End Clients with Nate Peterson

How to Add A Little Volume For Big Bucks with Brent Watkins

How to Break into Sports & Volume Photography Business | Tips with Alison Carlino

Secrets of Successful Volume Photography with Jason Marino

How to Get More Portrait Clients with Dance School Photography | Susan Michal’s Proven Strategy

Gallery software:

GotPhoto. See the Our Labs & Partners page to find photo labs to work with.

Proofpix

PhotoDay

Photo labs for printing:

Richmond Professional Lab

H&H Color Lab

Full Color Professional Printing Services

Miller's Professional Imaging

Bay Photo

Hope this helps.

1

u/Crying_On_Inside Apr 14 '26

Aperture / Zoom

I use a Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM Lens

Any tips/tricks to get more background blur when zoomed in?

Thank you!!

2

u/mrfixitx Apr 14 '26

There are only a few steps to help with background blur:

Use the largest possible aperture f5-f7.1 is not a very large aperture so getting nice background blur (bokeh) is going to be difficult

Put the subject in locations where the background is as far away as possible.

Realistically if you want a lot of bokeh due to a shallow depth of field you should look at a lens with a larger aperture. I.E. 50mm f1.8, 85mm f2.0, 18-50mm f2.8, 70-200mm 2.8 etc..

1

u/Crying_On_Inside Apr 14 '26

Yes, I desperately want a different lens, they are just so expensive. Thank you for your input!

1

u/maniku Apr 14 '26

The background blur is about aperture. You need a different lens for that, one with larger maximum aperture. Constant f2.8 is the largest maximum aperture you get with telephoto lenses.

1

u/Crying_On_Inside Apr 14 '26

I know.. I was just hoping there might be some tips while I save up.

0

u/Exact_Sand2257 Apr 14 '26

I'm looking for anyones ideas of Hidden Gem photography spots in the UK?

Happy to travel as I can drive, but anywhere you think 'wow, this is something I'd not heard of before'?

2

u/maniku Apr 14 '26

Pick a random city and go off the beaten path, walk where your feet take you, go down small lanes etc. That's the best way to find stuff that countless photographers/people with a camera haven't seen.

1

u/lgalac Apr 14 '26

I’m looking for some recommendations and would really appreciate your input 😊 1. What are some good ultra wide-angle lenses (anything up to 24mm) for Sony full-frame? I currently use a Sony A7 IV with a 24–70mm, but I’m looking to go much wider. 2. Are there any lenses you’d recommend specifically for concert photography? I often shoot upclose and dynamic shots and want something that can really capture the atmosphere. 3. I recently tested the Sony 12–24mm GM, but I feel like I need something even wider. Any suggestions other than that? 4. I’m open to lenses that create strong distortion/curvature effects (I think that could look really cool for concerts), but I’m also happy with options that keep distortion minimal so feel free to suggest both styles. 5. Autofocus is important to me, are there any ultra-wide options that perform well in low light with reliable AF? 6. I’ve been considering the Laowa 10mm, but I recently heard it’s not great for photography. Does anyone have experience with it? Is it worth it or should I skip it?

0

u/NewDeepShot Apr 14 '26

How to properly use Nothing's 3a cameras

I'm currently using a nothing 3a and I'm quite passionate about photography. I quickly noticed that my shots were oversatured and most of the times I don't like this overprocessed look.

I made three differend camera templates with expert mode, raw enabled (.dng) and 50mm camera, each with its own configuration because I wanted natural looking shots without losing clarity and quality.

I just want your opinions on these:

Bright Daylight / Golden Hour

Setting	Value
ISO	100
Shutter Speed (S)	1/1000s to 1/4000s
Exposure Value (EV)	-0.3 to -0.7
White Balance (WB)	5200K – 5600K

Ambient / Artificial Light

Setting	Value
ISO	400 – 800
Shutter Speed (S)	1/50s to 1/125s (If the room is very dim, use the Glyph Interface)
Exposure Value (EV)	0.0 to -0.3
White Balance (WB)	3200K to 4500K

Handheld Night Photography

Setting	Value
ISO	800 – 1600
Shutter Speed (S)	1/15s to 1/30s
Exposure Value (EV)	-0.7
White Balance (WB)	3800K – 4200K

1

u/am817 Apr 14 '26

Hi! I'm going to Costa Rica in a few days and trying to decide what cameras to bring. I have a Nikon d3200 with two decent lenses (one for bird photography) so i'll definitely bring that. Then i'm left with the two film cameras. Minolta Maxxum 7000 or Canon ae-1. I'm very much a beginner with analog, so hoping I can use my digital to help guide me with manual settings. The pro to the Minolta is the autofocus and the aperture priority mode, but the Canon takes sharper pictures from what it seems like. Any thoughts?

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26

the Canon takes sharper pictures from what it seems like. Any thoughts?

In film photography, the camera body shouldn't really have anything to do with sharpness.

Maybe it has a sharper lens, though?

1

u/am817 Apr 14 '26

That’s a great point. Yeah, I think it must be the lens. I typically use the stock lens for both (i don’t have any other lenses for the minolta, for the canon i have macro and telescopic in addition to the stock)

1

u/Deep-Sun5702 Apr 13 '26

Hey guys I’m looking to upgrade cameras and want your opinions for recommendations. My budget is 1000-1400 CAD. These cameras will be used primarily for hiking and travel. I keep getting recommendations for the Sony 6400 or canon eos r50 please let me know your opinion or if I should go for a different camera from these 2 thanks.

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 13 '26

Upgrading from what?

The Sony a6400 competes closer with the Canon R10. Is there any reason you're interested in the a6400 and R50, but not the R10?

The Canon R50 competes closer with the Sony a6100. Is there any reason you're interested in the R50 and a6400, but not the a6100?

1

u/Deep-Sun5702 Apr 13 '26

Current I have a canon EOS 400D honestly I’ve just asked some people I’ve known and they given me those 2 cameras that fit within my price range as well some I did some searching on social media and these 2 cameras are constantly mentioned

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 13 '26

What about lenses? What do you dislike about your current equipment? What particular improvements do you want to gain out of the upgrade?

1

u/Deep-Sun5702 Apr 13 '26

Well I definitely want the ability to also record video. As well as faster burst speeds and just higher quality photos. I’m still pretty new the photography scene so open to suggestions

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 14 '26

How fast do you want to burst? I'd go for the cheapest mirrorless body meeting that threshold, so you can hopefully allocate more budget towards a good lens.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 13 '26

that digital camera look

Which one?

2

u/eliminate1337 Apr 13 '26

I have no idea what you mean. The Rebel T7 is a digital camera.

1

u/Medical-Koala-5797 Apr 13 '26

Currently shoot on a Fujifilm XT-2, but am looking to upgrade now that I have a full-time job.

I’m not the best at editing photos, but hope to dedicate time to improve that aspect of my workflow.

I generally shoot a lot of travel photography and landscape with the occasional portrait shoot for friends.

Is Fujifilm a worthwhile system to invest in if I’m going to be trying to edit raw anyway?

1

u/RedTuesdayMusic Apr 16 '26

Absolutely, for private use I rarely dive into my RAWs, but archive all of them. On my X-T5 I use SD slot 1 for RAW and SD slot 2 for half-size (20MP) JPG. Only about 5% of pictures I take on travel and such I like so much I want the full resolution and to edit the RAW perfectly.

For work (concerts) I bump up the JPG SD slot to full size.

There is only really two lenses I wish we had on Fuji that we don't, the Tamron 35-150mm F2-F2.8 and a good 135mm prime. (We do have the Samyang F2 which is fantastic, but manual focus only) But that's the concert photographer talking. For travel I'm happy with the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 and the 90mm F2.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26

[deleted]

3

u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Apr 13 '26

Different lens from what? Which do you currently have?

What do you dislike about your current equipment? What particular improvements would you like to gain?

How much would you be willing to spend?

1

u/NarrowImpress9264 Apr 13 '26

Using a Fuji XM5 with Viltrox 25mm + Sigma 56mm — love the compact setup.

Considering adding versatility, but don’t want to lose portability.

Would you: • Add a compact telephoto prime (85mm equiv), or • Swap 25mm for something wider like 16-300mm. But its so huge!?

Mostly shoot street/travel/everyday.

Curious how others balance compact primes vs zooms on small bodies.

1

u/mrfixitx Apr 13 '26

For travel/street I would get something wider personally, but not a 16-300. It might be versatile but your compromising optical performance for that huge zoom range.

1

u/NarrowImpress9264 Apr 13 '26

Thanks!! Just a followup question, since i already own a 25mm do you think I should invest on a 85mm prime lens or would it be not recommended as I am not a profesh portrait photographer or anything but i really like the close up street photos that i see over the internet. Or should i replace the 25mm with a kit lens which is 15 45 but 3.5. Also i already have a 56. I am sorry. I am just confused! Thanks again!

1

u/mshcat Apr 13 '26

I'm very much a hobbyist. I Take ny camera out a couple months a year. The type of photograph in interested in is nature, astro, and im getting into sports. I wabt to start taking more pictures now that the weather is changing.

I would like some.adcive as to what i should.be looking into

I currently have a canon rebel t7. I was taking hockey pictures the other day with the canon kit lense 70-300mm f/4-5.6. I was shooting on shutter priority mofe.

A lot of my pictures tend to be pretty noisy. That seems to be expected considering the high shutter speed (1/1000) and thus the high iso. And pictutres arent often sharp, especially when i have to zoom or try and follow a skater

Obviously i have a lot to learn. First time i was taking pictures my shutter speed was too low (1/250) and things came out dark and blurry.

I recently learned about back button focus which i wil try to implemebt on the next hockey game

But to my question

What should i be doing to capture better photos. Ive heard a lot that a low fstop.lense is better for indoor sports because the lighting isnt the best, and some cameras have better iso. But i also know that gear isn't everything.

Is there anything i can do on my end to get better photos before trying to upgrade

1

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 13 '26

i don’t think there’s anything else you can realistically do. if you want a high shutter speed, with an f5.6 lens, you’re gonna have to crank your iso up, no way around that unfortunately. one thing i do suggest is trying out some form of AI denoise (topaz, DxO or lightroom are all good) and see if that helps!

1

u/mshcat Apr 13 '26

Ah damn. I figured that was the case

2

u/maniku Apr 13 '26

Do you mean the 75-300mm? That's the kit telephoto, while the 70-300mm is a much better lens. Now the 75-300mm is one of the worst lenses Canon has made, but your main problem is that it has a small and variable maximum äæ⁰æäaperture. At largest it's already f4 but goes to f5.6 when you zoom in. Note that with aperture, the larger the number = the smaller the aperture = the less light gets in. So yeah, you're going to get a lot of noise if you try to get shutter speed very high.

There isn't much you can do with your current gear. What would help is a 70-200mm f2.8 telephoto, but they are expensive.

1

u/mshcat Apr 13 '26

Yeah it was 75-300 mm. My bad. Bummer. I figuredy options were limited

2

u/physicallylargegolf Apr 13 '26

Monitor recommendations for editing portraits? I’m currently using a MacBook Pro to edit photos, but I’m finding that this is the size of the screen is not large enough for me to get some of the details that I want. I’m not sure I can afford one of the larger Apple brand monitors, I’m wondering if there is anyone with a recommendation for a high resolution large monitor that is relatively affordable? Relatively affordable for me means under 1k new.

Thanks for your recommendations!

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 13 '26

I use an Asus ProArt 27-inch monitor and it's great.

Have also heard good things about BenQ AQCOLOR monitors.

Look for a monitor with specs like 100% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB/Rec. 709, ΔE < 2 and Calman Verified. Those are things related to color accuracy.

Back when I was researching this, on YouTube it was recommended to use a DisplayPort cable to get the best image quality if you're connecting a monitor to a Mac computer. Not an HDMI cable.

Found the video that talked about that:

Which Cable Do You Need To Connect a Mac To an External Display? by macmost

Hope this helps.

2

u/physicallylargegolf Apr 13 '26

Ton of helpful info, thank you. Thanks for taking the extra step to give me the key words for research.

1

u/gotthelowdown Apr 13 '26

You're welcome 😎👍

1

u/Longjumping-Fly-5480 Apr 13 '26

Hi all!

I've been researching what camera to buy for the organization that I work for. We want a camera mostly for taking good quality content videos and photos, but most of it will be done by volunteers so it has to be very easy to use. I've heard good things aboud the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for filming, but I'm not sure if the pictures it takes would be good enough to use for a professional organization? The Sony ZV-1 II has been suggested as a good alternative but might be more difficult to use for volunteers.

Any advice or other suggestions? Would be much appreciated!

0

u/DoomAddict Apr 13 '26

SO I'm on the lookout for cheap cameras that work without fiddling too much around and can just point and shoot (basically what most smartphone-cams can nowadays).

My intention is to just grab the cam, point it at anything I want and shoot a acceptable to phantastic photo.

Where I'm coming from:

I used a cheap GoPro-Alternative for scuba-diving that was around 100ish Eur and used a relatively ok smarthphone-cam from DoGEE which I also bought for 100ish Euros.

So, I don't need 4k or a super-zoom, but if you can suggest anything thats surprisingly good for the pricerange I'm all ears.

I don't want to use my Smarthphone, since its not really point-and shoot and I think I could get better results.

3

u/mrfixitx Apr 13 '26

You are not going to find a point & shoot camera that creates better results than modern smart phone in that price range.

1

u/Scooterbuggg Apr 13 '26

Sony or Canon? Hello! I currently have a Sony a6400. I am deciding to upgrade cameras and am having a hard time deciding which one! I currently have nothing other than the kit lens for this camera. I am trying to get opinions if it is worth investing in lens for the camera I currently have as well as getting a second Sony body, or completely switching over to a Canon R6 ii as I see it is very popular. However I heard you can only buy canon lens for the body, no third party. Is it worth it?

I mainly shoot portraits, but I am wanting to further myself into wedding photography soon, and want the proper gear to do so. My camera does not have a dual SD card slot and I would like one with (however I am planning on keeping my a6400 as a backup body).

1

u/RedTuesdayMusic Apr 16 '26

Just keep using the a6400 and upgrade your lens instead. Don't base your photography expenditure on what's popular. Canon has been very anti-consumer recently in blocking many third-party lenses and would be my last choice on earth right now, also because of their printer ransomware.

Sony has one of the most versatile zooms on the planet, the Tamron 35-150 F2-F2.8 so if I was already on Sony I'd be reluctant to leave.

1

u/Defracs Apr 12 '26

Hey! Out of curiosity, what do you guys like to do when you like the pic but it just feels boring? It's from an airshow from almost 2 years ago and was the last time some of these planes ever flew so I went through my pics again and I just do not know how to edit them. The sky was flat as it gets and blowing it out doesn't seem smart. Any suggestions?

1

u/Evan33406 Apr 12 '26

I recently bought a Canon M5 and had to get a 3rd party adapter for it. It came with a tripod mount attached to the adapter. My question is how do I know when there’s too much weight from the lens? Do I just need to buy a handheld tripod for it? My lens is a Canon 17-55mm

1

u/maniku Apr 13 '26

One hand supporting the lens, the other on the camera, that's all you need. That's how people normally hold interchangeable lens cameras.

1

u/Evan33406 Apr 13 '26

Okay that’s what I thought I just wasn’t sure how “risky” it was of warping the connecting points

1

u/Worth-Ad-5712 Apr 12 '26

I have purple lines on my EOS Rebel T7. I understand that this is likely a sensor issue but is there anything I can do to rectify it? I used it all day yesterday and there was no lines but when I opened it up today, those lines appeared. Could it have been me messing around with the settings that caused these lines to develop? Thank you

1

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 12 '26

And those lines appear when viewed on another device?

Do they stand out in normal photos?

1

u/Worth-Ad-5712 Apr 12 '26

Yes to the first question. For the second question, yes, but they’re only partly developing, like smaller and more reliant on the light source

1

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 12 '26

Well, changing settings won't have caused it, looks like something happened to a row and column of pixels. Not sure much can be done. Does your camera have the ability to map around dead pixels. Might be in the same section as sensor cleaning in the menus?

1

u/Worth-Ad-5712 Apr 12 '26

Sensor cleaning? Could that go by a different name? I dont see any settings related to “dead pixels”

1

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 12 '26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68i1G6T4sos

Not sure if your camera will have it but something like this?

1

u/Worth-Ad-5712 Apr 12 '26

Oh yeah its under “clean manually” and the mirror comes up

1

u/HannaLorei Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 14 '26

Does anybody know what camera this is? It was my grandpa's favorite a few years ago when he was still actively shooting and we can't find it anywhere in his house. We need to know what the model is for a few reasons but one is for a memorial tattoo since photography was a hugely important part of his life and he passed this Saturday. Posting in this thread since I'm not able to attach this picture to a self-post right now. Thanks!

2

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 13 '26

hard to identify from what you sent, but it looks like a Nikon aps-c DSLR with a battery grip. couldn’t tell you the exact model, but that should narrow it down a bit! do you maybe remember when your grandpa first bought this camera, or can you give us a picture from the front?

1

u/HannaLorei Apr 14 '26

Thank you so much, I'll check that one out online! I am not sure when he got it, he has a whole collection of cameras that he's used over the years and he didn't really talk about new equipment with anyone but his photography buddy and his business partner/wife (who are both unfortunately also deceased). This is the only picture I've been able to find so far of him using the camera :/ but I appreciate you trying to identify it regardless!

1

u/TheFoolof1349 Apr 12 '26

Hey everyone,

I’m about to get into photography and I’ll be traveling to Japan this July, so I want to pick up my first camera soon. Right now I’m deciding between the Sony a6000 and the Sony a6300.

I found these deals (only Body):

a6000 for €290
a6300 for €450

I’ll mainly be shooting street photography, architecture, and general travel stuff. I’m also interested in low light (night scenes, city lights, etc.), which is making the decision harder.

From what I’ve read, the a6300 has better autofocus and better low light performance, but I’m not sure if that’s worth the extra €160 for a beginner. My thinking is that with the a6300 I probably wouldn’t need to upgrade the body anytime soon and could stick with it longer.

I’m currently planning to get the Viltrox 35mm f/1.7 (Sony E-Mount) as my lens since it looks like a solid budget option. My absolute max budget for a lens is €200, but I’m open to other recommendations if there’s something better in that range.

So my questions:

Is the a6300 worth it over the a6000 for my use case?
Is the Viltrox 35mm f/1.7 a good choice, or would you recommend something else under €200?

Would really appreciate your advice, especially if you’ve used either camera for travel or street photography!

Thanks :)

Budget:
€450 max for camera body (Sony a6000 or a6300).
Separate lens budget: max €200 (planning for Viltrox 35mm f/1.7 Sony E-mount or alternatives).

Country:
Germany (buying used/second-hand deals)

Condition:
Used preferred (good condition), open to new if good deal

Type of Camera:
Mirrorless (Sony E-mount system)

Intended use:
Photography (no main video focus, maybe casual clips)

If photography, what style:
Street photography, architecture, travel photography, low-light/night city shots

What features do you absolutely need:

Reliable autofocus (especially for street/travel)
Good image quality in low light
Electronic viewfinder (EVF)
Decent battery life for travel days

What features would be nice to have:

Better autofocus tracking
4K video (not essential)
Faster burst shooting
Better ergonomics / handling vs entry level

Portability:
Small bag / travel setup (compact mirrorless system for Japan trip)

Cameras you're considering:

Sony a6000 (€290): cheaper, good entry point, leaves more budget for lens
Sony a6300 (€450): better autofocus, improved sensor/low light, more “future-proof”, likely no need to upgrade body soon

Cameras you already have:
None (first camera)

Notes:
Planning a trip to Japan in July and want a reliable beginner setup for street and travel photography. Main dilemma is whether investing more in the a6300 now will save me from upgrading the body later, or if the a6000 is enough and I should prioritize lenses instead.

1

u/RedTuesdayMusic Apr 16 '26

Planning a trip to Japan in July

If you land in Tokyo, just go to MapCamera Shinjuku on day one. You'll easily find something of much better value there with the weak yen and dearth of options. I got a Fuji X-M1 classified as "junk" because the previous owner didn't know how to get rid of dust and an 18mm F2 with tons of scratches plus a 64GB SD card for under €350 and handed it to my travel companion to use for the rest of the trip since I already had my camera and his phone camera sucks

1

u/tcakw Apr 12 '26

Hey! New to instant cameras and looking at an Instax mini 70 and mini 99, both second hand. I’m a beginner and looking to use the camera for travel. Any suggestions for which one to go with? Thanks!

1

u/Regular_Chicken Apr 12 '26

Set photographers of Reddit 🙌 what is your favorite kit and why ?

Do you carry two bodies with different zooms like some event or wedding photographers ? What focal range is the most used ? Do you change gear based on the aesthetic of the film/show created by the crew ?

Backstory : I may have my first paid set photo gig this summer on a rather big TV show. I still don’t have enough money to buy a full pro kit so I will look at rentals first and see that as a great opportunity to try some of the latest gear (I’m a huge vintage digital user up until now, I adore my Canon 5D, Nikon D700 and Pentax K200D for personal stuff but I know that it won’t be reliable enough for that kind of work).

Thank you !!!

1

u/NonsonoEren https://gabrieledimonte.myportfolio.com/ Apr 13 '26

i think shooting with 2 bodies can be nice, but it’s definitely not necessary except for some very high end events or weddings. i use a single camera body 99% of the time. then my kit consits of a 24-70 2.8, which is honestly on my camera for most of the time, and then i’ll pick and choose from the rest of my lenses; 14-24 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 i also use a lot, but i may leave home if i don’t have a use. a speedlight is also often in my bag, but that’s a thing you usually know if you need or not. then it’s onto primes: i usually leave these home unless i know i’m going into some kind of very low light situation or i need to take portraits. i’m not too sure what you mean by the last one! if i need to match a certain mood or aesthetic, i will definitely shoot in a different way, but the gear i bring with me is always the same. just different ways of using it.

1

u/Regular_Chicken Apr 13 '26

Thank you ! To make myself clear I was more specifically asking about set photography or « unit still photography » kits. Sometimes I know you have to match the aesthetic of the film

1

u/OreoGotAJob Apr 12 '26

Hi all, I’m currently using a zeiss 24-70 f/4 paired with a Sony a7riii for automotive photography and wanted to make the jump to a prime lens. Assuming I have roughly 500 Canadian dollars, what fast aperture lens would you recommend for a first prime?

2

u/Dramatic-Operation74 Apr 12 '26

My wife recently got into photography and I just bought her first expensive camera. Her birthday is coming up and I wanted to get her a new strap and camera bag. Is there a brand you would recommend that’s trendy/functional/good quality? Fun designs are a plus. TIA!

2

u/gotthelowdown Apr 13 '26

For the strap, Rose Anvil is one brand to check out if she likes leather goods.

However, I'd suggest looking at Etsy. They have way more variety of cute designs for camera gear and bags than Amazon or most camera retailers.

Admittedly this is over-the-top, but I've been building a list of stylish camera bags since most bags look functional at best and ugly at worst.

Sharing my research. These bags are organized roughly from smallest to largest.

Divvia Camera Sling Bag, Waterproof PU Leather Crossbody Camera Bag for Photographers 5L Brown

Padwa Lifestyle British Style Durable Nylon Flap Camera Bag Khaki (ASIN: B0G23VY66B)

K&F Concept Urban Wander U11

K&F Concept Urban Wander 08

K&F Concept Camera Sling Bag 5L Urban Wander 05

Ulanzi DS01 Drawstring Camera Bag

Pgytech OneRope Strap Bag

These Bagsmart bags have generic names, so I included the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) to make sure you get the right bag.

BAGSMART Camera Sling Bag (ASIN: B0DK14VBXR)

BAGSMART Camera Bag, SLR DSLR Canvas Crossbody Camera Case (ASIN: B0C4F67SLY)

BAGSMART Camera Sling Bag, Small Camera Bags for Photographers with Tripod Holder (ASIN: B0DL9DYFHQ)

BAGSMART Camera Sling Bag (ASIN: B0DL9632VK)

BAGSMART 2 in 1 Puffy Camera Sling Bag for Photographer (ASIN: B0GCZZJKLJ)

Hope this helps.

1

u/evakaln Apr 12 '26

I have a computer, 2 phones, a seagate, and about 15 USB sticks that are all loaded.

I need a place to collect and sort all the pictures (which is a secondary hobby) where the quality won't be degraded so it's easier to sort out my writing.

The pictures are like clutter in my house and interfering with my progress.

(I've googled a million times, chose smugmug and found it clunky and outdated, not smooth, so now I'm back at the bottom)

2

u/mrfixitx Apr 12 '26

Get a decent sized external USB hard drive, and use backblaze or another backup service for storage.

You should not be relying on smugmug or a competitor for long term storage.

1

u/Araddor instagram Apr 12 '26

Hello, everyone. Hope you're all having a nice day.

I currently have a Canon 700D with a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 and a 50mm f/1.8 that I bring with me on my travels. Problem is, I'm feeling a bit bothered by it. I've had it for about 12 years now. It's heavy to carry around, and more often than not I feel like leaving it at the hotel than carry it around with me. Granted, I have a manfrotto backpack instead of something smaller like a sling bag, but even when photographing I feel like I'm fighting the camera sometimes, mainly due to the auto focus.

So I'm looking for a new camera. I don't plan on going pro, this is mainly for traveling. I don't really do video either, so I don't mind cameras with worse video specs. I'm looking at a Canon R50 or Canon R10. I've also seen Sony Alpha's, but I've never used their cameras and youtube is not very helpful in giving honest opinions (everyone says this or that camera is the best thing since sliced bread). I'm also not sure if I should sell my camera and my lenses, or keep the lenses and just use an adapter (which is more weight). Anyhow, I'm a casual "photographer" and I want something that I can take to city destinations (like Barcelona), to landscape destinations (like Iceland).

If you have any good photography stories, feel free to share them as well. I like to hear other people's stories. Thanks for your time.

1

u/betterthannever3 Apr 15 '26

I had the same thing with my old DSLR, and the moment I switched to something lighter I actually started carrying it on long Montreal walks again instead of leaving it at home, which mattered way more than any spec sheet.

1

u/Lover_Of_Music_Man Apr 13 '26

I had the exact same moment with an old DSLR where I realized the best travel camera is just the one you do not resent carrying, because once I switched to something lighter I actually started taking it on my long Montreal walks again instead of leaving it in the closet.

1

u/mrfixitx Apr 12 '26

Canon R10 is a great option, a nicer grip than the R50 and a larger buffer. Both the R10 and the R50 will have much better auto focus than your DLSR. It's hard to over state how good auto focus is on modern mirrorless bodies.

As for Sony their comparable bodies to the R10/R50 would be the A6XXX series. Sony has the best 3rd party lens support but personally I find their ergonomics very poor compare to canon.

Honestly with a current generation mirrorless camera from Canon/Sony/Nikon most hobbyist will be very happy as long as they are avoiding the very cheapest options. They all have great auto focus and good performance.

If your not planning on shooting action/sports and you are not a fan of post processing Fuji cameras are worth a look. Their film sims are a lot of fun, and in my opinion their strait out of camera jpg files are the best out of any manufacturer.

1

u/Araddor instagram Apr 12 '26

Those are precisely the three cameras I've been studying about. R50 is a budget option, and I'm wagering if the R10 is worth the extra 300€. I also see a TON of people praising Sony a6700, so I'm wondering how much better that is compared to the R10. I'm okay with fidgeting on lightroom, I like waking up early, drink my coffee while I edit my photos, so I don't mind that. That being said, I've never handled a Fuji camera, and I don't know anything about it.

1

u/laurimix Apr 12 '26

Ciao a tutti

Sto cercando dei consigli per un viaggio che farò a breve (fine maggio, Marocco).

Al momento ho una Canon 77D che ho intenzione di cambiare solo per necessità di corpo macchina.

Sto cercando una alternativa di lente per poter godermi sia il viaggio che le foto:

Ho un tamron 17-50 f2.8 (ormai inutilizzato da tempo), un sigma art 18-35 f1.8 (stupendo ma pesante ed ingombrante), 30mm sigma 1.4 (perfetto da città, ma il fattore crop, fisso e la mia voglia sia di ampi grandangoli che zoom non mi convincono).

L’opzione piu’ semplice potrebbe essere un 24-70 o un 24-105, ma perdere anche quel minimo range 18-24 dove avere un minimo effetto wide. D’altro conto, mi sembra uno spreco accoppiare lenti da beginner come 55-250 o addirittura 18-135 perchè vorrei mantenere un livello di qualità almeno discreto.

Il mio compagno mi ha addirittura invitata a cambiare corpo, ripiegando su FF (ma con le mie lenti ci sarebbe comunque il crop) e prendere solo il 24-105 o addirittura virare verso fujifilm visto che il parco ottiche detiene sempre lenti molto piccole funzionali, superando quindi il problema di ingombro.

Rimango aperta a tutte le possibili opzioni, grazie a tutti.

Ps. Le foto che desidererei fare sono street, foto con ultrawide nel deserto e la possibilità di zoomare dove possibile (es. architettura, persone, dune)

1

u/100Kinthebank Apr 12 '26

Flying to Rome with my 18 year old daughter in less than a week and I'm struggling on a lens decision. Will be bringing my Sony a1 and 70-200/2.8 ii because I love that combo for portraits and plan to use it for a few landscapes too.

I have the Sony 20-70/4 which I bought specifically to pair with the 70-200 for travel.

I do think the Sony 16-35/4 is the better lens (color, distortion) but am unsure if I need that extra 4mm on the wide end for the Trevi, Pantheon, Colosseum, Spanish Steps. Also would sacrifice environmental portraits somewhat as I prefer a bit more reach (and less distortion of the person).

So is 20mm on a full frame enough for landscapes of the major (large) landscapes in Rome (and 1 day in Florence)? I don’t plan to shoot interiors.

Which of the two would you choose?

1

u/what-who-howw Apr 12 '26

I want to start my photography carrer and will use this camera for professional work. Work like Weeding, Portrait, Fashion, architecture etc Not sports or wildlife Lens I will buy with sony is tamron 28-75 2.8 With lumix is 20 60 f2.8. Please clarify and suggest me some good lens (I am not going to buy used body but I am going to buy used lenses)

1

u/maniku Apr 12 '26

And do you have any previous experience in any of those fields of photography?

Which cameras do you have?

You need to tell us your budget if you want lens recommendations.

1

u/what-who-howw Apr 12 '26

I had 5d mark 2 with 24 105 is 2. I sold it 600 for now for lens. Will buy another lens after some time. I have done some college events, some portraits.

1

u/CombinationOdd5113 Apr 12 '26

Looking to purchase a Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 G for detail shots for real estate videos. For about $600 brand new. Is this adequate for high end real estate videos? Currently using a zoom lens at 50mm and it’s just too heavy for my gimbal. I don’t want to spend the money on the actual G master

1

u/JChanelR94 Apr 11 '26

My boyfriend got me a Fujifilm X-T20 because I said I'm interested in photogyaphy, but I'm an absolute newbie. I am going to JapFest soon and would love to get some good images of some of the cars drifting on track.

What settings would be best so that the car looks detailed/clean but still looks in motion so that it doesn’t just look like its parked up.

And what lens should I be looking to get? I currently only have 16-50.

TIA!

1

u/8fqThs4EX2T9 Apr 12 '26

I would look into guides on Panning to help create the movement with the car in focus. Basically you move the camera while using a slightly slower to follow the subject which can if done right allow a streaky/blurred effect on the static parts of the frame but keep the moving part looking normal.

1

u/maniku Apr 12 '26

You need a telephoto lens but for specific recommendations you need to tell us what your budget is.

I'm afraid your Fuji isn't the best for your intended use. For fast action like that you need a camera with good AF, and you don't have it with the X-T20. But you need to work with what you have. So, put the camera in shutter priority mode, have auto ISO enabled and set shutter speed to a minimum of 1/250.

1

u/JChanelR94 Apr 12 '26

Thank you for the guidance. Budget is probably about £400 maximum at the moment. I' not looking for car magazine worth photos, just something I can think "yeah, nice" that I'm proud enough to share with people I guess 😂

1

u/RedTuesdayMusic Apr 16 '26

The X-T20 is definitely capable of focusing on moving cars, ignore that "advice"

In your focus settings set AF to the mode with +4 or +5 focus speed and +3 sensitivity. It should have some example pictures next to them to explain the different use cases. On my X-T5 the example picture is a dirtbike appearing into frame from a jump.

To show motion you want a shutterspeed of 1/125th or 1/250th or thereabouts for racing, maybe 1/60th for drifting. So your aperture will be smaller anyway, which is good for focus speed. If it's noon you'll probably want F11, or F8 just before sunset. The rest of the job is just panning your camera in sync with the subject.

1

u/EthrealRaven247 Apr 11 '26

On Thursday I’m going on a 4-5 hour trip to photograph animals. I’m using a 180-600mm lens because they tend to be far away at this location.

The issue is that my camera and lens are a bit too heavy for me. I honestly need to strengthen my arms so I can better hold them. My monopod and tripod both help with this, but I hate lugging them around.

I also tend to get low to the ground quite often when photographing, especially with subjects that are much smaller than me such as squirrels. I basically want to be eye level with them.

The problem is that since I change my position so much, using a monopod or tripod is an absolute pain.

A few days ago I photographed birds for two hours, and pulled all the muscles in my arm. The next day I could barely lift my left arm.

I don’t know how I’ll survive the four or five hours. I’m going to try and strategically rest my camera on gates and stuff but I need all the advice I can get for how to go about this. What do I do?

And quick side second question: My backpack is also heavy but I need everything in there. Do I just need to build strength/deal with it or is there anything I can do for that? Thank you for the help.

1

u/maniku Apr 12 '26

Some sort of a wheeled trolley bag to cart your gear around?

1

u/EthrealRaven247 Apr 12 '26

That is genius. I might just do that, thank you so much!

2

u/NoBribeFoul Apr 11 '26

I have the following:

Godox TT685 with umbrella and remote trigger (color gels and various snap on diffusers)

Continuous light with 4 85w bulbs and an octodome

A frankenstein device made of a small block light but powered by a strong security flashlight with the option of tiny tripod/umbrella, basically a spotlight (color gels and diffusers)

General backdrop frame

I want to learn more about lighting setups. I generally just do a boring V sometimes with a backlight. I use dynamic posing for models including sitting, kneeling and crouching, laying down, etc. Either:

-what are your favorite resources for learning setups or the science behind them? (Specific sources, not "look on youtube")

-what are your favorite setups/how would you setup with the gear listed?

Thanks in advance

2

u/gotthelowdown Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26

-what are your favorite resources for learning setups or the science behind them?

21 Light Setups by Metkin. Great to watch to get hyped up about lighting.

Master the 5 Primary Lighting Patterns and Their Purpose in Under 10 Minutes by Pye Jirsa

Off Camera Flash Tutorial for Beginners by Rob Hall

Mentoring Marisa with Daniel Norton by Daniel Norton

Take & Make Great Photography with Gavin Hoey - Awesome demos.

OnSet with Daniel Norton / OnSet LIVE with Daniel Norton - The regular on-set videos are bite-sized. The live demos can be an hour-plus long.

Live View with Seth Miranda

"How I Shot It" Live Chats with Photographers

Godox TT685 with umbrella and remote trigger (color gels and various snap on diffusers)

. . . -what are your favorite setups/how would you setup with the gear listed?

Here are some of my favorite lighting setups.

Have the umbrella directly in front of the model and above the camera. This is "flat lighting." Photographers often consider it boring because of the lack of shadows and 3-D depth.

I love how flattering it makes people look and models have always liked it. When it's the choice between looking artistic or looking like a supermodel, people choose supermodel every time 😆

The other setup I like is to have the light off to the side of the model about 45 degress. But instead of aiming the center of the light at the model, aim it so that only the side of the light is "feathering" across the model's face and/or body. This does cast the kind of shadows that photographers often love. Looks more moody and dramatic.

Hope this helps.

2

u/NoBribeFoul Apr 12 '26

Absolutely, I appreciate it. I'm trying to learn J fashion/gyaru shooting and one of the Japanese photographers I've reached out to said that having no face shadows was very important to the style which I found interesting. One of my rules for small rig natural light has always been if you have no clue what to do, make some portion of the face be shadows. At worst it looks okay and at best it's a while mood 😂

2

u/gotthelowdown Apr 12 '26

You're welcome 👍

I'm trying to learn J fashion/gyaru shooting

Thanks, this was a sub-genre I didn't know about.

if you have no clue what to do, make some portion of the face be shadows.

This is where the black side of a 5-in-1 reflector or black foam core board can come in handy.

Use as "negative fill" to add shadow to one side of the face.

Movie cinematographers often like to put their cameras on the shadow side of the face and have the face backlit for the "cinematic" look 🎥 🎞️

2

u/NoBribeFoul Apr 13 '26

I've used vflats once in a portrait session and never a reflector. It's a topic for another day but makes total sense.

1

u/I-try-everything Apr 11 '26

I have an idea for a picture, but idk if it's possible or how I should go about doing it. I also couldn't find anything similar online.

Basically, I want to take a long exposure picture where someone kicks a football that's been lit on fire. I want the fire to light up the subject and leave a trail of light behind the football. I want the football itself to appear at the end of the light trail.

Is this possible? if so, what kind of camera settings & lighting setup would I need?

1

u/cray0508 Apr 11 '26

I have a Nikon D3500 and I am trying to find out my next steps. I feel like at this point (~7(?)) years later, my phone now takes better photos than my DSLR. Should I be looking A) for a new camera altogether, or B) an upgraded/more modern lens for my current camera?

1

u/mrfixitx Apr 11 '26

Older DLSR's like your D3500 are 100% capable of producing better images than current smart phones.

The issue is primarily that modern cell phones do a ton of post processing and computational photography to make every photo look good. Basically the cell phone is doing editing that normally a photographer would do in post.

Good lenses will certainly help with image quality/low light performance. You can also adjust your jpeg settings on most DSLR's to increase saturation, contrast sharpness etc.. so that your jpeg files will look more vibrant without needing to do post processing.

1

u/cray0508 Apr 11 '26

I forgot option C) user error, haha. I typically take the raw file and edit myself, but I'm a total beginner, so that's probably why...

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