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Photography Has Gone Places This Year: The VN 2015 Gift Guide

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photo-geek
photo-geek

Every year new photo tech is released, featuring more megapixels, higher resolution video, or fancy new features like WI-FI connectivity to upload directly to social media. Now our phones often surpass traditional point-and-shoot cameras in features, and DSLR cameras are used throughout video production, even though video is a second feature set to still photography. Is it better to have more megapixels? Should I even care about 4K video on my still camera? What does ISO really mean anyway?

After a recent trip to the store to buy my mother-in-law a camera as a gift, I was baffled by the choices and variations in price. I take photographs for a living, yet keeping up with all the options and choices still confuses me sometimes. So, here is a little gift guide to hopefully help you weed through it all to find that awesome gift for the photo geek in your life.

Point-and-Shoot Cameras

These little guys have been in tough competition with their camera-phone cousins. Since the advent of higher-quality photos on smartphones, point-and-shoot cameras can seem like a waste of time. But don’t discount these little guys. You may not be able to make phone calls with them, but the image quality is far superior. You may think zooming in on your cell phone is effective, but it is actually just using a digital zoom, effectively lowering image quality and cropping the photo with no actual optical magnification of your subject.

While you can capture some things with your phone, you can capture them 10 times better with a point-and-shoot. We have extensive galleries of our lives on our phones, all in relatively low quality. If something is really important to you, don’t you think it’s worth taking a real photo with a real camera? Here are a few recommendations so that you can start to capture your life with vivid detail and style.

When shopping, here are the 3 major features to compare:

ISO

Contrary to popular belief, this is not an acronym. It is simply the original notation on the sensitivity of film to light. It was adopted for digital as the adjustment of the camera sensor’s sensitivity. More sensitive equals more noise and less detail, but it can produce tremendous results in low light. For a long time 6400 was generally the maximum and had so much noise that it was almost pointless to use. Now sensors are going up to over 32000 ISO settings. Because of advances in technology, these sensors are greatly lowering noise. While this might not be your main factor in choosing a camera, it is certainly something to ask your salesperson about. These new sensors can help tough shots come out much better.

Megapixels

Most cameras have enough megapixels at this point to allow you to print something as big as a small poster without losing quality, so this is not as much of a concern as it once was. As long as you have 12 MP or more, you should have more than enough resolution for any common photographic pursuits. The bigger question is how well the camera takes photos at the given amount of megapixels. I would take a quality sensor and lens over a larger megapixel rating, so the key thing is to look at camera reviews to see how people report quality of photos. The only time you really need to look for more megapixels is if you want to make super large prints or plan to do some advanced things with timelapse. Otherwise look for a good lens with a low f-stop to allow you to capture better depth of field in your photos.

RAW File Format

JPEG has been the standard for photo compression from the inception of digital photography, and it is likely not going anywhere anytime soon. The reason that file format is more and more important is that many cameras offer RAW capture. RAW is awesome because it captures the raw measurements of the temperature of light, not any actual recording of color or exposure. This means that even if you have your white balance off or the exposure is a little dark, you can make changes with software to get the photos to the place you want.

While many people complain that using software to process photos is cheating, they should remember that all cameras initially capture the raw data, then the computer inside the camera processes and compresses the photo into a JPEG. Basically, instead of having a little baby computer do the processing in the camera, you can use your much more powerful desktop or laptop for better results. These cameras are often more expensive and also require software like Adobe Lightroom to process them, but if you are thinking about getting more serious about your photography, this feature is a must-have.

My Point-and-Shoot Recommendation
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV 20.2 MP Digital Still Camera


This little powerhouse is the same palm-sized pocket camera you remember but with features that would make both a videographer and professional photographer jealous. With 20.1 megapixels RAW photo capture and the ability to shoot 4K video, this thing could be used as a supplemental camera for professional videographers and photographers. It has a 12,800 ISO, which means you can capture subjects in even the darkest of lighting with reasonable detail, and with Sony, you get the industry best in lower noise and high-quality low-light capture. It has a Zeiss lens with a low f-stop of 1.8, so you can get great depth of field to rival DSLRs. It costs $950, but the features are worth the money. If you are worried about ease of getting those photos up on social media, no need to fret. Its WI-FI capabilities will ensure you can transfer direct to your phone right on the spot. If the near thousand-dollar price tag is too much for you, check out the I, II, and III models. They have less features but still might have what you need at a more palatable price point.

Check it out>>

DSLRs

DSLR stands for digital single-lens reflex. Put simply, this allows the photographer to see exactly what the lens sees through a mechanical system of mirrors—unlike a mirrorless camera that shows you the already processed image through a screen. As a professional, this is very important because you want to see what the lens sees.

Additionally, you can switch your lenses on a DSLR, so the optical options are limitless. To put this into perspective, a point-and-shoot can zoom much like a DSLR, but the zoom is with tiny lenses that cannot capture nearly the detail and light that a much larger independent lens can. Whether shooting close ups of flowers, portraits of a model, or using telephoto to capture nature from a distance, DSLRs allow the most options to get precisely the results you are looking for. They are much bigger, more complicated, and heavier than a mirrorless or point-and-shoot, so unless you are sure you need these features, save the money and you will be very happy with a more consumer-oriented camera.

My DSLR Recommendations

Canon EOS 5DS Digital SLR (Body Only)

Canon is the leader in video capture with photographic cameras. They continue to offer incredible features for professionals that shoot both video and stills, which is becoming more the norm than the exception. The 5DS is the 4th iteration of the 5D series, and it has some kick-ass new features. Most importantly it shoots 50.6 MP stills, so you can blow up prints to mural size. Beyond that the sensors have seen an upgrade for better detail and sensitivity, and the video features have also received a nice upgrade with higher frame rates for slow motion capture.

Check it out>>

Lenses

Lenses have always been the most important part of the puzzle in photography. If you don’t have good glass, your images will never look good, no matter how nice your camera is. The biggest problem is the cost. Certain lenses can cost as much as $5,000 or more. Even mid-grade lenses start at $500. Recently, quite a few companies have been producing low-cost replicas of mainstream lenses. While they are not a replacement for high-quality name-brand lenses, they are great to get started. The quality is still good, and you can learn how to use the lens before you commit to a $1,000 or more version of it. For instance, Rokinon makes a manual focus 14mm lens for around $400. A nice 14mm wide angle is a must for any photographer, but the same lens from Canon is $2,500. Someday I will spring for the Canon version, but for now I have the Rokinon, and it has allowed me to learn how to use a wide-lens like that at a much lower cost.

My Recommendations for Lenses

Rokinon FE14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens for Canon (Black) – Fixed

This is a great starter lens to experiment with super wide-angle photography. At $311 on Amazon, this lens won’t break your pocket book but still produces great results. If you are not looking for wide angle, Rokinon has many options. Just do a search on Amazon to find many options for a budget: Rokinon Lenses

Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

If you are not on a budget, this lens is completely awesome. Every photographer needs a nifty fifty because it is the closest to human focal length. It is the best way to be able to look at a subject and see the same thing when you shoot the photo. Canon L series has some of the highest-quality glass in their lenses, so if you want to do it right, this is the lens for you.

Check it out>>

Gadgets

There are thousands of tips and tricks you can get from experienced photographers to make your shoots in the field go more smoothly. Oftentimes it comes down to some helpful little gadget to stabilize a camera or keep your lenses clean. Here are a few great gifts for photographers that are a huge help at a small cost.

Lens Pen

Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System

I have used this Nikon lens pen for years. This little guy is a must-have for the quick brush before a shot. Little bits of debris love to make their way onto your lens randomly, and if you are doing a time-lapse, one little speck can ruin the outcome of thousands of frames. It doesn’t take up much space but does wonders for quickly ensuring there is nothing obstructing your lens.

Check it out>>

NEEWER® 52mm ND Fader Neutral Density Adjustable Variable Filter (ND2 to ND400)

You will need to find the right one to fit your camera. These highly useful filters allow for the limitation of light entering the lens. They come in handy when you are shooting outdoors in very high light and still want to be able to produce short depth-of-field shots with high f-stops. With a quick spin of the filter you can change the overall amount of light that enters the lens from complete opaque to just a little bit. This link is for a Neewer, which is a good knock-off brand to get started. Once you decide what you want, I recommend B+W filters to get the least amount of distortion from the added filter.

Check it out>>

Vintage Soft Multi-Color Strap

My dad was a big photographer and I inherited his cool straps from the ‘60s. If you find a vintage one in real life, it will likely be pretty expensive, but these reproductions are pretty cool at only $5 each.

Check it out>>

Manfrotto Magic Arm

The Magic Arm is just plain awesome. It allows you to mount your camera in all kinds of cool positions to get really creative and unique shots. The shot below is a great example using a slightly longer exposure and a broom. The possibilities are endless. Don’t skimp or go knock off with this one. I have never found any substitutes for the Manfrotto version; it just works better. If you follow our link to the Amazon page, make sure to bundle it with the clamp and flex arm. You will need the whole setup to use it right.

Check it out>>


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