Portraits: Biggest Blur for the Buck

Nikon D600 + Nikon 85 1.8G.  f/1.8, 1/800, ISO 100

This question was posted on DPReview and I thought it is a useful question: "What is the greatest amount of blur you can get in the most compact package for portraits?"

Update: thanks to readers' suggestions, I added Fuji 56 1.2, Samsung 85 1.4, and Nikon 135 f/2.

Which lens for a vacation?

One of the frequently asked questions I hear is, "What lens(es) should I bring with me on my vacation?"  In this post, I would like to suggest how you can narrow down your choices.  I am also going to discuss the cameras and lenses that I will bring for my upcoming vacation to Italy.

Triggering a Camera and a Flash Simultaneously with the Yongnuo RF603

When Mohammad posted his review of the YN-560TX, there was a question from one of our readers about whether you can trigger a camera and a flash at the same time with the Yongnuo RF603.  The question has been asked on DPReview previously  .This capability can be useful for sports (to capture multiple angles of the same shot), or architecture / real estate, for example.  I have tried several combinations of Yongnuo triggers and flashes without success, until finally I got a combination that did work.  It was so simple that I was kicking myself for not having thought of it previously.

with one speedlight

iPhone 6 Camera Review

This is a user review of the iPhone 6's camera, with an emphasis on its usage for candid photos.  This post will only talk about iPhone 6's photos but not its video, which I will have to discuss another time.  Note: the iPhone 6 Plus has the same camera as the iPhone 6, but adds optical image stabilization. My comments apply to the 6 Plus as well unless otherwise noted.

BlackRapid SnapR Review

In this post, we review the BlackRapid SnapR, a unique camera bag designed for enthusiast compacts and smaller mirrorless cameras.

Phone Photography, Mirorrless Happiness And The OM-D EM-6

Say hello to my new phone. I have been a faithful Samsung Galaxy S owner since the series was first introduced more than three years ago, I owned the original Galaxy S, the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy S III, and now the latest Galaxy S4 (yes, Samsung ditched the Roman numerals). You see, here in Egypt we don't have the concept of carrier locked phones and 2 year contracts, phones are usually (97%) sold unlocked, and you have zero obligation to stay with a single carrier, that's why there is a huge market for buying and selling used phones, and that's what I do, once a new model is announced, I make a deal with someone to buy my phone, and the exchange date is once I have the new phone in my hands. People like to buy from me because I treat my phones really well, and they rarely have a scratch on them, despite never using any screen protectors or covers.

But we're not going to talk about phones all day now, are we? Hit the jump to go back to photography.

Cross-Camera Profiles for Lightroom

When Lightroom 4.2 was released, it included raw support for the Nikon D600 (hands-on review here), albeit in beta.  One of the issues is that there was only one camera profile, unlike other Nikon cameras, where you could change the camera profile to Standard, Neutral, Vivid, etc. to mimic the picture styles of Nikon cameras.

I found out that you can apply the camera profile for one camera to another.  In this case, I used the camera profile for the Nikon D800 to create a profile for the Nikon D600.  The concept can be applied to take the camera profile of any camera (not limited to the same maker) and apply it to another for some interesting effects.

The Full-Frame, Large Sensor Bonanza!!!

Credit: photokina.com

 
THE YEAR 2012
 
This year's Photokina exhibition certainly was different, a few months ago, both Canon and Nikon each announced two new high-end full-frame DSLRs (Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 1DX, Nikon D800, Nikon D4), then just before the end of the year each of them announced a more affordable (not really) full-frame DSLR again (Canon 6D, Nikon D600). And to make matters more exciting, Sony announced the revolutionary A99 full-frame DSLR, and the sweet, expensive RX1. A full-frame Leica completes the picture. Do you see a trend here?
 

Fulfill your camera fantasies by renting

Technorati: QPB8YHPQ8KKD
Do you need a camera, lens, or flash for a shot you have in mind (or even a gig) but don't have the photographic budget for it at the moment?  Consider renting.  Rentals cost less than you might think and are a great solution for equipment that are only occasionally needed.

One such company offering rentals is Samy's (www.samys.com). Examples from Samy's rental catalog:

CANON
- Canon 5D MkII. Around $2500 to buy. Rent for $200/day.
- Canon 17-55. $1100+ to buy. Rent for $35/day.
- Canon 24-70. $1400 to buy.  Rent for $30/day.
- Canon 70-200 IS.  $1900 to buy. Rent for $35/day.
- Canon 50 1.2L. $1500 to buy. Rent for $40/day.
- Canon 580 EX II flash. $445 to buy.  Rent for $25/day.
(I'm not a Canon user, so I don't know much about these equipment...)

NIKON
- Nikon D700. $2400+ to buy new.  Rent for $150/day.
- Nikon F6 (most advanced 35mm film camera). Currently selling for $3200 new. Rent for $50/day with a 50mm lens or $45/day for just the body.
- Nikon 14-24 2.8.  One of the finest Nikon lenses ever. $1800 to buy new.  Rent for $35/day.
- Nikon 17-55 2.8. One of the best DX lenses.  Over $1500 to buy new.  Rent for $30/day.
- Nikon 24-70 2.8. Finest Nikon lens in the normal zoom range. $1700+ to buy new.  Rent for $35/day.
- Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR.  One of the finest Nikon tele lenses. A bit less than $2k to buy *used*. Rent for $35/day.
- Nikon 60 2.8 micro AF-D. Great for macro shots.  Around $540 to buy. Rent for $18/day.
- SB-800. A flash workhorse. No longer sold. Rent for $18/day.

Other interesting items:
- Medium format cameras, including digital medium format. Can you say Hasselblad? :)
- Lots of monoblocs.
- Fog/smoke machine (Rosco Model 1700). Virtually impossible to justify buying this ($700). Rent for $35/day.  Rarindra Prakarsa, watch out! :)

Samy's policy is that a weekend is charged as just one day (if you pick up after 3pm on Friday you can return by 11am on Monday and you'll be charged just one day).  A whole week is charged like 3 days (or 4 days for some equipment).

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Samy's and I'm not getting anything from this. I also haven't tried their service yet, though I plan to do so when the right opportunity comes along.