Camera Tech and MOD

Good tips on how to be a good camera-man like a pro.

When it comes to improving photography skills, I find that a lot of newcomers are asking all the wrong questions. I understand that learning about your gear, how to fully master your cameras and lenses and get the best out of them is important, but photography is an art form and there are a lot of other important things to learn and consider, outside of just gear obsession. In this blog entry I want to discuss the more critical questions that you should be asking yourself, if you are a photographer and you want to take your game to the next level

WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE BEING A PHOTOGRAPHY

Expectations

The most important thing before you start is to set your expectation right. This will be the sole determining factor of your persistency and not quitting after 3 months of work. Just to let you know, a full time photographer will be not shooting all the time. Everything from customer relation to business management to logistics and productions will be handled by you. (If you are sole proprietor). So if you are dreaming about shooting all day everyday, most likely it will not happen. 

Financial situation

Ideally you should have a cash reserve equivalent to your 9 months expenses before you start. This is to ensure that you are able to survive through a 0 income period. But from experience, it is wiser to have a 12 months expenses reserve at minimum. Yes, the industry is that bad added with the effect from covid-19. 12 months or more will be even better as it buffers for future business expansion. This situation differs if you already do have a constant income from photography itself. So just juggle with the benchmark. You know what to do.  

Skillset

This is the thing that keeps you in the game. If you do not have the skill, do not go full time as you will not last long before destroying your own name. Probably you could start with becoming an intern or photography assistant to learn how things operate. A good rule of thumb to measure this will be matching your skill to the industry standard. To do that, just look towards the few industry photographers and put your work side by side to compare. If the variance is huge, find out why and improve on it. A little tips for you guys, always show respect and initiative if you want to ask for advice from them. Remember, time is gold to everyone.

 

Portfolio

If you ask me what gets you work? This is it. Portfolio! Simple explanation to this. If you want to get hired for a job, you bring your resume and certification. But to professional photographers resume doesn't really help much. Clients would like to know if you can deliver and portfolio is the only answer to it. Ask yourself have you gotten enough portfolio? If no, continue shooting first. Be it personal project or client project as long as it proves that you have the capability to deliver. From my experience, portfolio is never enough. Always look for ways to improve them from time to time.

Income Source

It will be appropriate to have a diversified income source when you are starting out then streamline as your business grows. This is because there will be a few periods of uncertainty during the startup where your income source will be affected. Your backup income source will keep your stomach filled and your business running at that period of time. As the wise man once said "never put all the eggs in the same basket".

Creativity

I would say this will be the biggest catch when pursuing this journey. If you are thinking of pursuing this journey of creativity, drop it now. Most of the time you will have your ego broken when your artistic vision is limited and not appreciated by clients. Bear in mind do not allow that to burn you. Take your time for personal creative projects to keep your mind fresh at all times. After all it is not client's responsibility if you are not being creative. Always remember there is a difference between doing it for interest and doing it as a job. Be ready to give up some part of that away. 

What you need to start a camera career???? 

For every person, you gotta have the standard camera that is good for taking pictures or taking video with a good quality and smooth picture or video. You don't have to buy the most expensive camera just to get a good and high quality picture or video, just mid range camera that offers the things YOU need to make that perfect shot with just the right angle and style, YOU can create the best video and picture of all time. With this, I am about to give MY list to you about the best mid range camera for people like us to be use on our journey as a photographer. Before buying your first ever camera, you should always check the details of your camera as always. This is important as it will help you fix your budget, making sure the camera has very good build and all those things that is important. Here are the things YOU need to know before buying one:

Features

With these points, we evaluate the base features of the camera and compare it to its competitors. Among others, we consider lens compatibility, image quality (such as noise levels and dynamic range), autofocus performance, framerates, video options and quality, battery life, card support, and ports.

Extras

Here, we consider any non-standard and non-quantifiable features the camera might have; or the lack of such. This can include stabilisation, flash, silent shooting, sensor-shifted high-res images, sensor cleaning, and else.

Value For Money

This score represents the camera’s price compared to direct competitors with similar features. We base this on the manufacturer’s current suggested retail price (MSRP).

Handling and Ergonomics

These points reflect the camera’s ease of use, ergonomics, and user experience. We consider things such as menu system, displays (LCD, EVF), button placement, customisation options, and else. The question we ask ourselves: Imagine that you’re a new user just picking up the camera for the first time. How would you rate the experience?

Construction and Durability

In this section, we review the camera’s building materials, weather sealing, toughness, quality of construction, perhaps if anything wobbles, if anything moves too easily or too stiffly.

My Favourite Mid-Range Cameras I’ve Reviewed

1. Panasonic Lumix G9

What I Liked

• Excellent video features
• Great for action and wildlife photography
• Most ergonomic design

Areas that it can be Improve

• Relatively small sensor (M4/3)
• No phase-detection AF

    You might be surprised to find the camera with the smallest sensor on the top of our list. I’d surely be. But the Panasonic G9’s qualities and versatility elevate it above all models I reviewed in this category.

    The G9 is a hybrid camera that offers solid features for both stills and video shooters. It’s built around the Micro Four Thirds system of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, with all the strengths and weakness that come with this.

    It has a 20-megapixel Four Thirds-sized sensor, which comes with a 2x crop factor. This relatively small sensor, of course, demands some sacrifices in low light performance and dynamic range. In both aspects, the best full-frame sensors perform about 2 stops better than the G9’s sensor.

    However, besides that, the G9 is class-leading from many perspectives. For stills shooters, it offers quick and accurate autofocus (contrast-detection-based), super-high framerates (up to 60fps), and fantastic stabilisation (about 6.5 stops). For video makers, it gives many different recording options, including 4K/50p 10-bit output.

    From the outside, it’s apparent that the G9 is designed for focused amateurs and professionals. It has two, UHS-II-compatible SD card slots. It has headphone and mic jacks, as well as a full-sized HDMI port. It has three (!) control dials and more function buttons than any other camera on this list, and a responsive flip-out touchscreen. On top of this, it has a large, but outstandingly ergonomic and durable body, similar to prosumer DSL        

You can check it out on Amazon here.

2. Sony Alpha A6400

What I Liked

• Low noise and wide dynamic range
• Class-leading autofocus
• Excellent adaptability

Areas to Improve

• Mediocre JPG image quality
• Pronounced rolling shutter issues
• Annoying design flaws

 

        The Sony Alpha A6400 is the newest edition in Sony’s midrange crop-sensor lineup. It houses a 24MP APS-C sensor, a class-leading autofocus system, and good video features.

        Its sensor is among the best APS-C sensors in use today, with enviable low-light performance and impressive dynamic range. The default colour calibration is not the nicest, so expect to work a little bit more with raw files.

        It’s based Sony’s E-mount, the most popular and versatile mirrorless mount to date. Choose the A6400 if you’re going for ultimate adaptability, and/or use with vintage lenses.

        It inherits the market-leading autofocus system of the Sony A9, making it stand out in this price range even more. Its eye-detection and tracking capabilities are considerably better than anything else on this list.

        It shoots 4K/30p and FullHD/120p video, with great autofocus tracking and unlimited record time. Rolling shutter artefacts are quite visible; there is room for improvement here.

         With the right lenses, the A6400 is an excellent camera for any type of action photography, such as sports, wildlife, or adventure.

        It has a durable, but small body, with decent ergonomics, but also has the design issues some Sony cameras are known for. The touchscreen interface is, in all honesty, terrible, and the menu system is confusing (although you can set up a ‘My Menu’ page). But it has weather sealing, a great grip, a nice viewfinder, and good button placements.

Overall, this is an extremely capable camera, and once you set it up to work exactly how you want it to work, it will serve you well.

Check it out on Amazon here.

3. Ricoh GR III

 

What I Liked

• Fantastic raw and JPG quality
• Razor-sharp lens
• Tiny design, but great controls

Areas to Improve

• No weather sealing
• Forgettable video features
• Short battery life

 

If you thought the surprises were over, well, here’s another one: a compact point-and-shoot camera taking up the third place on a list of mid-range cameras. The Ricoh GR III is the camera that’s always with you, whether you travel or just go out to buy groceries.

In a tiny body, it packs almost everything the best crop-sensor cameras offer today – except, of course, the ability to switch lenses. It has a stabilised, 24-megapixel APS-C sensor, very similar to the one in the A6400. Its low-light noise levels and dynamic range are class-leading.

Fixed to the body, there is an 18mm f/2.8 (28mm-eq.) prime lens, which is razor-sharp and largely free of distortion. You can’t zoom with this thing – it limits you to a wide-angle view. This makes it less versatile, but it’s necessary in order to keep the sensor so large and the lens so sharp.

Its autofocus system is accurate and decently fast, and there are great zone focusing options. The controls are well laid-out, and the touchscreen interface is excellent on the GR III. Its construction is extremely solid, yet the camera remains small and lightweight. My only large complaint is the lack of weather sealing, but battery life could be improved, too.

Overall, we believe that this camera is a fantastic choice for day-to-day documentary photography and street photography. Since writing my review, I have actually become a happy owner of one.

Check it out on Amazon here.

what I use to take picture.

Please note that this is only the external gear that I use and love. There are tons of programs, software, apps etc that I’ve also used throughout the years that help make this blogging life possible (and way more efficient!) but perhaps that’s a whole separate blog post for you.

If you have any questions at all, leave a comment at the bottom of the post and know that by no means do you need everything below to start a blog or become a successful blogger. Everyone has their own set of gear that works for them, and just starting out taking photos with your iPhone is better than not starting at all! Ok onwards…

1. Sony A7RIII DSLR Camera: I’ve been using Sony’s camera systems for several years now and recently upgraded from the A7RII to the A7RIII. When I first started blogging, I was using a basic Canon Rebel model and while that got the job done, my photos have improved tremendously since making the switch to Sony. Plus, I find Sony cameras to be more compact and easier to travel with.

2. Sony 24-70mm Zoom Lens F/4: This is the main lens I use when I want to take more wide angle shots or sweeping landscapes. This is definitely my most frequently used lens for my travel photos.

3. Sony Fixed 35mm Lens F/2.8: This is a great go-to fixed lens, especially if you want something super small and lightweight.

4. Sony G-Master 24-70mm F/2.8: I don’t own this lens yet, but it will be my next upgrade and I’ve rented it for several recent trips, so more recent photos you may have seen on my Instagram feed have been taken with this lens. It’s the same focal length as the lens I own in #2, but it has a lower F stop which makes it better in lower light situations and is just crisper overall.

5. DJI Mavic Pro Drone Fly More Combo: I just purchased this drone from DJI a couple of months ago and am loving it so far. With the help of a few videos, I was pretty much up and running within a day and have found it much easier to use than anticipated. I highly recommend investing in the Fly More Combo which comes with all of the accessories you need to make sure you don’t have downtime should you lose battery or propellers during a flight. It also comes with a nice carrying case to take along on your adventures.

What is the Best Photography Equipment List for Beginners?

If you’re just starting out in photography, there are a few key pieces of essential gear that you should have. Once you’ve built up your photography skills, then you can invest in more photography equipment. Assuming you already have an effective camera for photography, here’s an essential photography equipment list to get you started on the right foot.

 
Camera Tripod
Few camera accessories are as versatile and necessary as a tripod. Whether you’re shooting landscape, portrait, night, street, or even wedding photography, you’re going to need a tripod at some point or another. Tripods are extremely useful in low light settings as the stability of a tripod allows you to take longer-exposure shots without any camera shake.

Remote Shutter Release
A remote shutter release is useful because it lets you “take a shot” without physically touching the camera body, which eliminates the potential for camera shake and accidental blurring. It’s most often used in conjunction with a tripod.

Prime Lens
As you progress in your photography skills, you’ll end up collecting plenty of different lens types from Beachcamera.com that let you take all kinds of shots. But at the start, you’ll be better off starting with a single prime lens. Why a prime lens? Because the inability to zoom can teach you a lot about proper composition techniques. With a fixed camera lens, you have to think through your shots more, which stretches your skills and helps you improve faster. For Canon and Nikon, the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is the cheapest of all lenses, making it a great piece of photography equipment for beginners.

Photography Lighting Equipment
Every photographer needs flash at some point, even if you don’t intend to shoot in the dark. But don’t use the built-in flash on your camera body. Instead, spend a little bit on your photography lighting equipment and purchase an external flash unit.

SD Memory Cards
For photography, it’s better to have a handful of smaller SD cards than one big SD card. That way, if a card ever gets corrupted, you still have others you can use. There’s nothing worse than being unable to shoot because your only card died.

Camera Cleaning Kit
Dirt, dust, and moisture can get into camera bodies, lenses, and accessories. In the worst case scenario, your expensive camera and lenses may suffer permanent damage. Neglecting camera maintenance may be the most expensive mistake you can make. That’s why you should learn how to properly clean camera gear yourself with a camera cleaning kit.

Camera Strap
As soon as you have the other stuff listed above, you should spring for a quality camera strap. The difference between a good strap and a kit strap is like night and day, and you won’t regret it.

Camera Bag
Once you’ve bought all the aforementioned items, you’ll need to carry it all with a properly designed bag for the job. Photography equipment is only useful if you have it on you when you want to take photos! Beginners should consider this large DSLR gadget bag from Beachcamera.com. For the price, you won’t find another bag that feels as robust and durable. If you intend to also carry a laptop around with you, then you may want to consider the DSLR and laptop backpack instead.

 

That is all from me, hope this will help you out with your thurst of reasearch to take pictures and more. That is all from me, and thank you so much!!!!