One of the strong points for the Sony A7RII camera is that many buttons and settings are customizable. Here's how I've setup my camera: Custom Buttons Control Wheel: Not Set (too easy to accidentally hit) C1: White Balance C2: ISO C3: Eye AF C4: AF/MF Ctrl Toggle Center Button: Focus Magnifier Left Button: Drive Mode Right Button: Focus Area Down Button: Focus Settings AEL Button: AF On (I use back button focus) AF/MF Button: AF/MF Ctrl Toggle Focus Hold Button: Focus Hold Function Menu - ...
Acratech Leveling Base
The Acratech leveling base is designed to make leveling the top of your tripod extremely easy and quick. The base has a ball and socket mechanism so that you can tilt it several degrees in any direction to compensate for uneven ground without having to make minute adjustments to the tripod legs. You might be wondering why you would need a leveling base, especially if you are using a ballhead where you can quickly point the camera in any direction. The main reason is that you may need to pan your ...
My Photography and Computer Equipment
Cameras Currently I'm using Canon 5D Mark II bodies. The 5D is a full-frame digital camera with 21MP sensor. It's a great travel camera as it has fantastic image quality but a relatively small body (at least compared to the professional 1D bodies). The only drawback I see is the relatively poor autofocus performance. Lenses I use a wide variety of lenses and pick and choose depending on my subject. For example, if I am shooting travel pictures I would take a three lens kit composed of the 24-105, ...
HP Designjet Z3200 vs Epson Stylus Pro 7900
A reader sent me an email asking why I chose the HP Z3200 printer as opposed to the Epson 7900. This was a difficult decision for me to make and I debated with myself for a long time over which printer I should get. Ultimately, both printers can produce superb quality prints and my decision was made based on other factors: HP Z3200 Pros Spectrophotometer. The Z3200 has a built in spectrophotometer allowing me to create my own ICC profiles easily with the press of a few buttons. There is ...
Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 35 Review
Think Tank Photo has a reputation for high quality bags and when I first heard of the Urban Disguise 35 shoulder bag ($150) I decided to purchase it immediately. I have numerous bags for my camera gear because quite simply, I can't find one that is just right for me. I want a small bag that can carry a three lens travel kit, have minimal padding (just enough to prevent lenses from banging together), and not be too bulky. As you might guess from the name, ThinkTank's entire line of "urban disguise" ...
Selling Photography Gear on eBay
Eventually, the time will come when you want to sell your photography gear. This may be because you don't use that lens anymore, you're upgrading your digital camera to latest version, or you would rather just have the cash. In my experience, eBay is an incredible marketplace for selling your photography gear and is simply the best place to sell where you will get the top dollar for your goods. The most important thing about selling on eBay is having an established account with excellent feedback. ...
Where to Buy Photography Equipment
Note: I get no referral fees and these are places I've used to purchase my own equipment. Another place to look for recommendations is Photo.net's neighbor to neighbor section. B&H is simply the best place to purchase equipment online. They have a large selection, excellent prices, and good service (i.e., excellent return policy). This is the first place I check when I need to buy something, and I recommend them without reservation. Another good store is Calumet, but they are usually a little more ...
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens Review
The Canon 24-105L lens is a wide angle to telephoto zoom lens with a fixed maximum aperture of f/4. Canon designated it as an "L" lens which indicates that it is one of their professional grade lenses. I originally bought this lens to serve as a general purpose zoom for travel photography. In addition to having a very nice focal range, the lens has image stabilization which comes in handy when setting up a tripod is simply not feasible. If you are used to shooting primes or variable aperture zooms, the ...
Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens Review
The Canon 17-40L lens is a wide angle zoom lens with a fixed f/4 maximum aperture. In the context of L lenses, which are typically very expensive, this is one of the most affordable and retails for about $700 USD. I purchased this lens to have an ultra-wide angle travel zoom and have shot with it for over a year. Physically, the lens is medium sized and weighs about 1 lb (Figure 1). The barrel is approximately 3.8" x 3.3" inches in length and diameter. With the hood, the lens is quite large and ...
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Lens Review
I've had this lens for several years and it performed admirably on Nikon's DX digital camera bodies where it had an equivalent focal length of 105-300mm. However, with the introduction of the D3 and D700 cameras I wanted to re-examine this lens considering its performance on a full-frame digital sensor. The 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens is quite large (Figure 1). It weighs 3.2 lbs (1.5kg) and is roughly 8.5" x 3.4" in length and diameter. With the hood, the lens is huge and will certainly attract attention ...