5 Camera Accessories Beginners Pay Way Too Much For

Here is some insight on the top 5 camera accessories beginners pay way too much for, and how to avoid being victim to overpriced and unneeded camera accessories. Whether your buying your own camera for the first time, or as a gift for a loved one, it's clear you need some extra gear upfront to get the most of your new camera. Photography has a terribly confusing mix of gear that you should sometimes only buy the best,  and other times never buy the best.

Camera Accessories Beginners Pay Too Much For #1, UV Filter

I'd say this is the number 1 area where beginners get up-sold inc camera accessories. A UV filter is an "Ultraviolet Filter" that screws on to the end of your lens and blocks out some level of ultraviolet light. You may get a very convincing pitch as to why you should buy a $20, $40 or even high priced UV filter. Don't do it. UV Filters were needed with the use of film as they were particularly sensitive to UV rays, digital cameras today process images just fine without it. Especially if you are a beginner you will not be able to notice any difference (for the better) in your photos taken with and without a UV Filter. UV Filters are often used by photographers not for their UV blocking abilities, but as a protective filter keeping your expensive otherwise exposed front lens element from scratches. Personally I do not use these, but I would say most do, and have seen a few cases of dropped lenses where the UV Filter saved the lens' life. If you want a UV Filter to protect your lens go ahead it's a great idea to make sure to buy one online for $5 - $10. This is not an item where paying for the highest quality will give you any discernible results.

Camera Accessories Beginners Pay Too Much For #2, Batteries & Power

An extra battery is definitely an essential accessory for your new purchase. Nothing's much worse as a professional photographer than spending a magical day at Disneyland only to find you've taken one too many pictures of the drunken pirates and having your camera die moments before the World of Color show. Really though, you can never have too much batteries, only not enough.

There are two arenas of batteries when it comes to digital cameras, OEM & Third Party or off-brand. OEM means 'Original Equipment Manufacturer'. That means if you want a new battery for your Sony A6000, you buy the OEM version made by Sony. Most OEM batteries start at about $60. An unnecessary cost when you can usually go third party and get two extra batteries with a charger for $20 in many cases.

It's possible to get a bad off brand where the camera cannot read the amount of charge, read the reviews before purchasing. The top-rated batteries should be just what you're looking for.

Camera Accessories Beginners Pay Too Much For #3, Tripods

I have had many tripods from $25 up to over $1000.  Tripods fall into the category of 'things you should not buy cheap'. Don't worry though you don't need to spend $1000. Don't get suckered into buying a $30 tripod because you need one and the price looks right. If you're a beginner you should search for tripods costing $90 - $150. That price range can get you a very functional decently made tripod. Anything less will give you in theory a tripod, but in practice just some wiggly sticks with an tripod head that refuses to do what you want it to and therefore a waste of money. After years of tripods at all costs, my favorite and one I use often comes in a only $209, the MeFoto Globetrotter Black.

Camera Accessories Beginners Pay Too Much For #4, Memory Cards

Memory cards advertise based on their read/write performance. Read speed is how fast the card reads the data (faster means quicker uploads to your computer), write speed is how fast the camera write the picture or video data to the card (faster means no errors when rolling video and less buffer time between photo bursts).

Often shown on the packaging as "Class" or "MB/s". There are such a thing as bad memory cards but you are new to photography you don't need to pay for ones everyone else is buying. Luckily even good ones are pretty cheap these days. If you're going to be doing video I recommend buying a card with at least a 30MB/s advertised speed. As a beginner try to buy based on MB/s not Class as the rating system changed in 2009 and can be very misleading to new buyers.

Cards under the SDHC class rating qualify for "Class 10" with only a 10MB/s speed, but the same speed on cards under the UHS speed class rating introduced in 2009 yield a rating of "Class 1". Often slow cards with low or now UHS rating will advertise their SDHC class speed hoping consumer will think it's the higher performing UHS rating.

Contrary to the typical OEM stigma, SONY makes some great SD cards at very competitive prices.

Camera Accessories Beginners Pay Too Much For #5, Bags & Cases

Buying a bag or case in store is not a good idea unless you're lucky enough to be at B&H Photo Video in New York City, or maybe a Fry's Electronics or Samy's Camera on the west coast. In store bag selections are very limited and not friendly on prices. I suggest getting your bag online, there's no trick here just look for the features that are important to you and you will find it, likely at a good price. Whether you want space to hold your laptop, backpack or satchel style, soft or hard case, it's all there. I prefer backpacks over satchels as satchels tend to get in the way when I'm leaning, squatting, or maneuvering to get a photo. The best bag I've ever had, particularly great for mirrorless cameras, is the LowePro Photo Traveler 150. Now only $26.

Top Ten Time Lapse Tips for Photographers

When making time lapses, often dedication and technique go hand and hand. After putting hours of your time and patience into shooting a time lapse, the last thing you want to do is find out something went wrong before you even began. Here are my Top Ten Time Lapse Tips for Photographers. Do your best to consider these and you will have many time lapses that would have otherwise been ruined, that is assuming you charged your batteries, brought enough memory and didn’t forget your intervalometer!

 Top 10 Time Lapse Tips

#10.    Stock up on Supplies

You’ve done plenty work to make sure your camera and camera supplies are ready to last for hours on end when its time to shoot, but what about you!? Think ahead. It may be a beautiful day when you arrive to your shooting location, but as the hours pass and night falls you may find yourself in desperate need of some warmer clothes, a place to sit, something to eat! A jacket, a snack, and a chair should be the least you bring. I find good company passes the time best, though sometimes it’s nice to be alone with the elements. You will obviously have more obligations and less freedom while waiting for your time lapse to finish if you were filming in a public park rather than an isolated mountain top.. So what you bring and what you want to do until your time lapse finishes is up to you and your location. Just don’t forget about your needs as well as your cameras!

#9. Turn Image Stabilizer 'off'

Turn off your image stabilizer if you have one. If your doing your time lapse properly to begin with, your camera and base will be as solid as a rock and there will be no need for an image stabilizer. Some image stabilizing lenses use gyroscopic sensors that can often cause erratic results on a tripod possibly ruining some of your shots. Additionally the image stabilizer will takes extra battery power from the camera to operate. All in all the image stabilizer is a bad idea for time lapses..

#8. Keep Lens & Filter Clean

With all the changes foregoing your images during a time lapse, theres no way a consistent smudge, scratch, or hair on your lens or filter will go unnoticed in the final video. In fact if your camera is relatively safe I would suggest taking a filter off all together.

#7.   Monitor Frame

If your location and subject permits, I would suggest monitoring whats going on in your cameras field of view. Before you start, take a look at where the edges of your frame are and make a visual reference. Do your best to stay out of that frame, and don’t set your camera up somewhere prone to interruptions. If your doing a time lapse at Disneyland then obviously people walking in and around your frame is probably the point and there would be no need for protecting the field of view. But when you’re filming early in the morning down a nearly empty pier, and a jogger decides to rest himself right in your frame for a lengthy foot massage it might be time to kindly speak up and save your shot.

#6. Plan Ahead

Many time lapse shots will require that you do a bit a of planning ahead of time. Not accounting for drastic changes in light or movement is a sure way to ruin your shot over time. Changes in light is a whole other issue so I will just mention changes in movement for now. If your are doing a sunset time lapse you probably should guess/ calculate the path and distance that the sun will travel over the period of your time lapse. With this bit of planning you can frame your shot accordingly as to not ruin it with bad composition due to a lack of planning. So do your best to calculate where your subject will be not only at the beginning of your time lapse, but at the end as well.

#5. Don't Preview your Photos

It’s very temping as time rolls on to pause your camera during a time lapse and take a peek at what’s going on behind the lens. Taking a even a quick pause to view a photo will end up skipping at least one scheduled photo in your sequence. Unfortunately from the fast moving ocean, to the moderately paced clouds, to the crawling stars in the sky, I have found that missing just ONE photo at any interval, will cause a skip in your final product. In the end, watching a beautiful time lapse with a small skip/jump in time is never worth the slight satisfaction you will get from previewing a time lapse in the making.

#4. Use Sturdy Tripod on Stable Ground

Whether you shoot with your tripod on dirt, snow, sand, or cement, make sure it is well grounded. Push it down a give it a little wiggle to make sure its safe and solid. If the ground you’re shooting on is at an angle, turn your tripod so that the lowest point has a leg on it, rather than a gap. This will make it less prone to tipping. Once your camera is pointed in the right direction, lock all your tripod knobs tightly to keep the camera from drifting sideways or down from wind or gravity.

#3. Protect Your Camera

Unless you are safe far away in the wilderness, never leave your camera unattended!!! One bump or nudge from an animal or a person will surely ruin your whole time lapse. Watch out for children! They never seem to watch where they’re going and will be the most likely to ruin your shot.

#2. Avoid All Automatic Settings

Stay away from ANY and ALL automatic settings during your time lapse. The goal of a time lapse is to  show in a short period of time, the changes in a scene/location over a long period of time. Changes that often include varying values of light. The goal of a camera with automatic settings is to correctly expose an image whenever possible, despite changes in light. So a time lapse that is meant to display changes in a scene over a period of time would be completely countered by a camera with automatic settings meant to minimize changes from shot to shot. If you do shoot automatic it will typically translate as a “flicker” effect. One reason for this is when the camera makes an increase or decrease in aperture attempting to expose the image. Any automatic camera settings during your time lapse will most likely either ruin it completely or take a lot of post production by third party software to try to correct the problems.

#1. Understand Your Settings

Number one for the Top Ten Time Lapse Tips for Photographers is - make sure you have correct camera settings. Unfortunately there’s not much to suggest here as there is no one correct combination of settings due to the unique variables involved in each shoot.  All I can say is practice, practice, practice. Remember your mistakes when you make them and you probably won’t make them again. If you’re relatively new to making time lapses I would suggest NOT starting off with sunsets and sunrises as they can be tricky and take lots of practice. Try something with a consistent amount of light throughout your shooting.

Don’t Forget to Calculate Your Intervals:

Of course you will need just the right interval of time in between each picture taken to achieve the exact feel you want. Though I did not include this in the list it too is a common mistake. There is no reason to make this mistake anymore as anyone can have access to the simple time lapse equation I have made HERE. I hope my top ten time lapse tips for photographers will enable you avoid common errors and spend more time refining your personal time lapse technique.

How to Calculate a Time Lapse

Time lapses have been among  the most visually stimulating elements of cinema since their introduction in the late 1800′s. They are no as popular as ever and as easy as ever to create, that is if you have all the right tools (iPhone doesn't count!). One of the most commonly asked questions is “How many seconds between each shot?”, or “At what interval do I take photos?”. Usually you will get an answer from a friend or on a forum between 1 and 6 seconds. But how and why did they choose that interval other than past experience and/or guesswork? Below I will show you how to calculate that interval as well as all other aspects of your time lapse so you can be knowledgeable and prepared before even getting on location. There are a small number of other Time Lapse Calculators out there and it is becoming a stock mode on many new cameras, but those just spit out the answer for you with the information you provide them. I provide below an actual equation which I have formulated so that you may solve for any variable based on each of your shots’ particular needs. Furthermore, this equation will not only enable you to proficiently time your shots so that you may perfectly elapse 8 hours into 30 seconds, but will give you the complete ability to transform any amount of hours into any amount of seconds by finding each shots specific interval (rounded to the nearest second).

[pmath size=52]X= {H(3600)} /{ FR(dtrt)}[/pmath]

As long as you’ve got a calculator this is very easy to tackle. Here’s what it means.. In most cases your solving for X but you can go about it any way you like.

X= Interval inSeconds between photographs. 

H= Total Hourstaken for time lapse in real time.

FR= Frame Rate in which pictures will be displayed in your editing timeline ( 24, 25, 30, 60 etc.).

dtrt= Desired Total Running Time in seconds.

Sunset from Brooklyn Bridge Park | New York

So you want to film the sunset and you’ve only got two hours. You’re using it for a title sequence and you want to last 50 seconds in a 24p timeline. Just plug it in and it reads 2X3,600/ 24X50.

  [pmath size=52]X= {H(3600)} /{ FR(dtrt)}[/pmath]      add variables      [pmath size=52]X= {2(3600)} /{ 24(50)}[/pmath]      solve      [pmath size=52]X=6[/pmath]

With X equaling 6, that is the interval at which you should take your shots to get the desired results. Meaning set your intervalometer to 6 seconds.

So in this example you would now know before you even went to shoot, that if you set your intervalometer to 6 seconds and took a picture of the sunset for 2 hours, opened them as a 24p video, your clip would be exactly 50 seconds long. Like magic!

If

x < 1

or

x ≤ stutter speed

, interval will not be possible. If this is the case try lowering Aperture or increasing ISO until functional shutter speed is achieved.

Affordable Macro Photography

[embed]http://youtu.be/-rseiiGoGjQ[/embed] There are plenty of amazing photographic and video techniques to delve into one you get acclimated with your cameras basic functions. Such as:

Black & White, HDR ( High Dynamic Range), Tilt Shift, Time Lapse, Slow Motion, Macro, Astrophotography and more.

With each one having a vast new set of skills and accessories required to perfect it, it’s easy to spend a fair amount of cash before reaching some level of success. Today I want to talk about one affordable incredibly effective method to get you started in Macro Photography and Videography. Using the equipment you already have in your camera bag, you too can make amazing macro photography and video for under five dollars. First take a look at the type of results you will achieve in the video above I’ve made for Coin Enthusiasts, as well as Macro Photographers.

What Do I Need?

Okay now to the good stuff. Before you invest in a 

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro Lens

for nearly $1,000.00, I suggest what’s called a “

Reverse Ring

“. 

It is a small ring that enables a solid connection bewteen the 

front

 of your lens, with the front of your camera, essentially flipping your lens around 180 degrees.

60DwithReverseRing1 cameraplex

 This will work with any lens you have, just make sure to get a reverse ring with a diameter equal to that of your lens. This lens has a diameter of 67mm so I purchased a 

67mm Reverse Ring

. Unlike most any other case, a zoom lens works best with this. Different combinations of the zoom and focus will give you macro capability anywhere from about 16 inches up to 1 1/2 inches.

60DwithReverseRing2 cameraplex

How Does it Work?

      Why this works (in short) is that the optics of every lens is designed so that all the light rays passing through it come together at a fixed point very near to the rear of your lens (your sensor). So when you flip the lens around you reverse the optics enabling macro level focus. To arrange all the rays of light to line up and form a focused image, you must view an object at macro distances rather than feet or yards away.

60DwithReverseRing4 cameraplex

Further Reading

Here is a gallery of other macro photography techniques if you're interested in researching more.

Now go find some bugs!

FUJIFILM Launches 4 New Cameras Today Including FUJIFILM X-A2

Fujifilm Corporation announced today 4 new cameras today for photographers of all skill levels. From a compact all-weather camera to a an update to their popular interchangeable lens camera the X-A1. New cameras are as follows:

1. FUJIFILM X-A2 Premium Interchangeable Lens Camera
2. FUJIFILM XQ2 Super Compact X Series Camera
3. FinePix XP80 All Weather Camera
4. FinePix S9900W & FinePix S9800 Bridge Cameras

1. FUJIFILM X-A2

• 16MP CMOS Sensor w/ EXR Processor II
• Kit includes New XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 II lens
• 3.0" 920k, 175-degree tilting LCD screen for better selfies.
• 6 Film Simulation Modes developed from over 80 years of photographic expertise and research.
• One-touch wireless image transfer and Instax printer printing.

2. FUJIFILM XQ2

• Ultra-pocketable X-series premium compact size
• 12 megapixel 2/3inch X-Trans CMOS II sensor
• Original color filter array to control moiré and false color without an optical low pass filter
• EXR Processor II
• F1.8-F4.9 4x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 25-100mm in 35mm format)
• 4x intelligent digital zoom (16X combined with optical zoom)
• Lens Modulation Optimizer for improved image quality
• Wireless transfer of images using FUJIFILM Camera Application app
• 3-inch 920K-dot premium LCD with 85°vertical and horizontal viewing angle
• In-camera RAW converter
• ISO100 – 12800
• Built-in Super Intelligent Flash
• Full HD Movie mode

 3. FinePix XP80

• 4 Way Proof - Waterproof 50 ft / 15m, Freeze proof 14 Degree F / -10 DegreeC, Shockproof 5.8 ft / 1.75m and Dustproof.
• 16.2 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor delivers high-quality images in low light.
• Continuous shooting mode is capable of capturing up to 10.0fps (maximum recording of 10 images at full resolution).
• Full HD Movies with one-touch movie button.
• Connect to your smartphone or tablet for extra enjoyment for Remote Shooting and Wireless Image Transfer.

4. FinePix S9900W (wifi) & FinePix S9800

•  16.2 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor delivers high-quality images in low light, continuous shooting of 10.0fps and quick response.
• 50x Fujinon optical zoom lens (24mm - 1200mm)*
• High-resolution (920K-dot) electronic viewfinder allows you to frame images precisely,
• The 5-Axis Image Stabilization function provides easy video recording, even at telephoto (1200mm) settings.
• Connect to your smartphone or tablet for extra enjoyment for Remote Shooting and Wireless Image Transfer. S9900W Model Only*

5 Camera Lenses You Want but Can't Have

Canon 50mm f095 cameraplex

5. Canon 50mm f/0.95 Lens for Rangefinder 7

At an aperture of f/0.95, Canon claims this lens is 4 times faster than the human eye. Released in 1961 as a standard lens for the Canon 7 Rangefinder camera, there aren't many of these beauties left. Though it is attainable if you  are eBay diligent and are ready to lay down some cash. See a modern review of this lens here.

PRICE: ~ $2,300 USD

2. Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG Ultra-Telephoto Zoom

Sigma 200 to 500 cameraplex

No this is not the Hubble Telescope with a pea green paint job. It's the Ultra-Telephoto Sigma 200-500mm F/2.8 APO EX DG. This lens weighs in at just under 35 lbs (15,700 grams) with an incredibly rare aperture of f/2.8 at 500mm. Complete with a doubler for a focal range of 1000mm at f/5.6, Sigma recommends this lens for Travel, Wildlife, Sports & Action. This is probably the most readily available lens on this list if you can find it.

PRICE: $25,999 USD

3. Samyang 1,000,000th Lens Celebration - Gold Series Lenses

Samynag Gold Lenses Cameraplex

Good luck getting one of these 1983 Gold Series Lenses. They reside behind glass in the lobby of the Samyang Optics factory in South Korea. Some say they were made as gifts for select distributors, and others say they the set was made in celebration of the 1,000,000th lens produced by Samyang. Either way this is what dreams are made of.

PRICE: NOT FOR SALE

2.Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens

Nikon 6mm fisheye cameraplex

Introduced in 1972 originally developed for scientific and surveillance purposes, the Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens has a 220 degree field of view, enabling it to actually see behind itself. Here's a lovely note from page 6 of the original user manual:

"Be careful in the picture not to include unwanted objects such as legs of the tripod or the hands or feet of the photographer."

PRICE: ~ $95,000 USD

1. Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.75

Zeiss f075 Cameraplex

This lens' roots go all the way back to 1874 with the first drafting of a double gauss lens (two back to back gauss lenses - like parentheses) . Kodak worked on a lens using this concept in 1938, then in 1941 during World War II, the Nazi's finally perfected the concept producing a 70mm f/1.0 to help aid in guiding night weaponry. In 1966 NASA refined the plans with the help of German optics manufacturing company, Carl Zeiss. Zeiss produced ten 50mm f/0.75 lenses, keeping one and selling 6 to NASA. American film director Stanley Kubrick got his hands on the other three for his 1975 film Barry Lyndon shot entirely by candlelight. Don't expect to see this on B and H Photo any time soon.

PRICE: NOT FOR SALE

In Case You Missed it: Best & Worst Cameras of 2014

[embed]http://youtu.be/3RnXgIHbM3k[/embed] I love the guys over at 'The Camera Store' of Alberta Canada. They have a great YouTube Channel filled with well presented reviews to compliment the selection of camera gear available at their store. In case you missed it, here's their 2nd annual Best and Worst Cameras of the Year video.

The Innovative History Behind Canon EF Lens Technology

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/embed/fkBOsTVfpdA[/embed]So I know we all gripe about the cost of lenses, typical factors we use to justify our purchases include, aperture, image stabilization, and maybe a little red ring. If you've ever seen how a lens is made, you'll have a better understanding of where your money is going. The incredible care and precision put into building a quality lens is truly mind-blowing. Still though we rarely get excited about the MSRP of a new lens, but I mean come on, when you start simulating variable refraction rates using sub wavelength nano-structures to reduce flaring??? That's money well spent.

I think it's safe to say that Canon is still the leader in lenses. And after having produced over 100,000,000 EF lenses since 1987, it's a title well earned.

Samyang Officially Launches 135mm f/2.0 & 135mm T/2.2

Samyang 135mm CAMERAPLEX

It looks like the Samyang site is offline, possibly due to a spike in traffic on this the official announcement day of the new 135mm f/2.0 photo lens and 135mm T/2.2 Cine Lens. Initial comparisons show an improvement in areas of chromatic aberration as well as sharpness at f/2.0 compared to the Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens.

I've taken the spec table from Samyang and remade it with Millimeters and Grams converted to Inches and Pounds. Looks like the lens will be released for  10 different mounts as I suspected.

135mm Spec Chart US

My Mirrorless Camera Won't Take Pictures with My Manual Lens!

So you've just got your lens adapter in the mail...

Lens fits, adapter fits, power on, ready, aim, f--- "Wait what? It won't take a picture!"

Don't worry it's just a simple setting change. If this is happening the camera likely has no communication through the adapter to the lens and therefore thinks there is no lens attached. Each camera brand is different, look for something in the menu like the option below and switch it to on.

[Release Shutter Without Lens] - OFF/ON

Here are the specific menu navigations for Canon and Sony:

CANON: Menu, Settings (wrench #4), Custom Functions, C.Fn 7, Release shutter w/o lens, ON SONY: Menu, Settings (gear), Page 3, Release w/o Lens, ENABLE

That's it - Enjoy!

The Chef and the Photographer

  Here's a little story to start your Sunday off right...

“A group of artists are invited for dinner by a famous chef. In greeting the photographer, the chef comments: I love your photos, they’re wonderful, you must have a very expensive camera. The photographer doesn’t reply and walks into the dining room.

After dinner the photographer approaches the chef and says: Dinner was sensational, very exquisite flavors, a true work of art, you must have a very expensive stove.”