Traditional Christmas Family Portrait with Natural Light

This weekend, I took a photo of our family for our Christmas card.  In this post, I'll describe the thought process behind the photo.

Improving Color Consistency with the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

INTRODUCTION
Different cameras see color differently - even within the same brand.  Color accuracy is not just a matter of getting the correct white balance.  Different sensors simply render color differently.  You don't have to take my word for it.  Check out the test below.

DIY Passport Photos part 3

It was time again for us to renew passports for my daughter and myself (note that children's passports expire after only five years).  As before, I wanted to do it myself so that I could have photos I would at least be satisfied with for ten years (the passport duration for adults).

For the passport photos in this post, I used the following:

• Samsung NX500 (reviewed here)
• Samsung 50-150 2.8 OIS
• Godox e300 monolight (reviewed here)
• Yongnuo YN560III and YN560IV (reviewed here)
• Fotodiox Tri-Fold Reflector
• 4 x 6 feet popup background
• and...  Parrot Teleprompter

To process the photos and prepare them for printing, I used Lightroom 6.  Here's how I took the photos.

Testing the Samsung NX500 after firmware update v. 1.10

This video shows the effect of the firmware update v. 1.10 on the Samsung NX500's low light autofocus speed, backlight autofocus accuracy, and the raw buffer depth.



Hit the jump for details.

Samsung NX500 firmware update

NX500 with kit lens

Just a few months after releasing the NX500, Samsung has already issued a significant firmware update for the NX500 (firmware v. 1.10), addressing some of the issues raised by users.  Hit the jump to see what has improved, what got worse, and what hasn't changed.

One week in Italy (Part 1: Rome)

We just got back from a weeklong vacation Italy, my first visit to this beautiful country. In this three-part post, I will discuss the places we visited, beginning with Rome, then Florence, and finally Venice. I will also discuss the cameras and lenses I used, and how well they each performed.

Allora...

Streets of Rome
Olympus Stylus 1

Move to Mirrorless? Mirrorless vs. DSLR; mirrorless systems comparison

Sony recently launched an ad campaign called Move to Mirrorless.  Should you?  Mirrorless cameras are becoming increasingly popular, so much so that DigitalRev recently parodied the enthusiasm about mirrorless.  In this post, I'll post my reasons for shooting with mirrorless, and also discuss situations when I would prefer a normal DSLR.

One Flash Portrait with Linco Boom Arm

Over the weekend, I took a quick portrait of my son to commemorate his First Communion.  In this post, I will discuss my lighting setup.

 

Recommended settings for Samsung NX500

Did you get a Samsung NX500 (reviewed here)?  Here are the settings and menu options that I use on the NX500 for people photos:

The Matchup You've Been Waiting For: Sony a6000 vs. Samsung NX500

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So the champ is finally meeting a worthy contender.  The champ has a style that is not terribly exciting but it can't be denied that he's an excellent all-around fighter, with no major weaknesses.  In the other corner is the challenger, a talented fighter with an unorthodox style.  He's got a much smaller but growing group of fans who love how he throws caution to the wind.  Everyone is wondering who is going to emerge the winner in this battle.

We're talking of course about the Sony a6000 and the Samsung NX500 (reviewed here).  I have been using the Sony a6000 for about a year, and the Samsung NX500 for about a month.  A lot of people looking for a mid-level mirrorless camera have asked which one is better.  For me, there is no clear winner between them.  It depends on your priorities.  In this post, we'll examine their similarities and differences.

UPDATE: The NX500's firmware 1.10 improved its performance.  Changes are highlighted in yellow.

Note: the Sony a6000 shots here use a custom color profile.

Samsung NX500 Review

In my previous post, I posited that the Samsung NX500 may be the camera that brings Samsung NX to the mainstream.  In this post, I present a preliminary review of the Samsung NX500.  I am evaluating it based on usage for shooting candid photos, not so much for professional use.  I'm comparing it primarily with the Sony a6000, which won DPReview's 2014 poll for Best Consumer Interchangeable Lens Camera by a landslide.

In this preliminary review, I will be discussing the following topics:

•Handling

•Menus

•Exposure

•Autofocus

•Manual focus

•Performance/Responsiveness

•Image quality

•Flash/Lighting

•Video

Please note my evaluation is based primarily on the kit lens, and based on having used the NX500 for about 4 weeks.  I will post reviews of other lenses separately.  Unless otherwise specified, the NX500 samples here are from raw, converted in Samsung DNG Converter or Lightroom 6, with minimal adjustments, so they are representative of what you can readily get from the camera.  (Product shots are from the Olympus Stylus 1.)

6/30/15 UPDATE: Firmware v. 1.10 significantly improved the NX500's performance in several important ways.  I revised this review to note these changes, highlighted in yellow.

1/12/16 UPDATE: Added info re DMF mode and MF Responsiveness.

Testing the NX500's Samsung Auto Shot (SAS)

Happy Easter!

Over the weekend, I tested one of the NX500's features called Samsung Auto Shot (SAS), which was originally featured in the NX1.  SAS enables the camera to automatically take a shot at the peak moment of certain types of scenes such as baseball or basketball.

It's a feature that no one has asked for.  On the other hand, the target market of the NX500 includes parents and other family members who could use such a feature.  I think that SAS is also intended to showcase the speed of the DRIMEe V (and Vs, in the case of the NX500) processor.

Samsung NX500: Unboxing and First Impressions

As I wrote last week, I found the Samsung NX500 to be impressive enough on paper that I ordered one.  Here is the unboxing:



I shot with it briefly today.  I'm still working on a preliminary review but here are my first impressions:

UPDATED 4/8/15  (see italics)