Ultra Wide Angle Lens Review: Tamron 15-30 f/2.8, Canon 16-35 & Sigma

Hands-on review and feature comparison of full frame wide and ultra wide angle lenses including the new Tamron 15-30 f/2.8 VC, the Canon 16-35 f/4 IS, the Canon 17-40 L and compared to Canon 11-24, Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and more. Which wide angle lens is best for you?https://youtu.be/XTGUuIzGyIg

Lens Max Aperture Stabilized Filter Size Weight Price*
Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC f/2.8 YES N/A 1100g (2.43lb) $1,199
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM f/4 YES 77mm 615g (1.36lb) $1,099
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM f/4 NO 77mm (r) 500g (1.10lb) $799
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art f/1.4 NO 77mm 665g (1.47lb) $849
Rokinon 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle f/2.8 IF ED UMC f/2.8 NO N/A 552g (1.22lb) $329
Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L f/4 NO N/A (r) 1180g (2.60lb) $2,999
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM f/2.8 NO 82mm 635g (1.40lb) $1,599
Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX f/2.8 NO N/A 950g (2.09lb) $629

*Check links below for rebate savings!Complete Wide Angle Lens Presentation used during video. Support my work by purchasing from B&H Tamron 15-30 f/2.8 VC $1,199.00Canon 16-35 f/4 IS  $999.00 with current rebate (ends May 30th 2015)Canon 17-40 f/4 L $699 with current rebate (ends May 30th 2015)Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 $329.00Canon 11-24 f/4 L $2,999.0Sigma 24mm f/1.4 $849.00Tokina 16-28 f/2.8 $629.00 with current rebate (ends June 2015

Raw Doctor EP3: Perfect Dark Exposure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0JaNyMHJi8 In this episode Toby takes you through a dark landscape edit, a smoky blue club scene and makes minor edits to a beautiful hummingbird.  Learn about perfecting your black and white points for better contrast and why that is often a better approach than the contrast slide, how to increase certain colors while keeping the overall look of your image natural and loads more tips.Would you like to submit a raw file for a future Raw Doctor Episode? Visit http://photorec.tv/rawdoctor to submit a raw file.  

Canons NEW 4K Video/Stills XC10 Camera

Canon has announced a compact, lightweight video and digital stills camera that provides professional 4K quality and some say signals a convergence of video and stills.Canon XC10 4K Professional CamcorderThe XC10 offers

  • 1-inch sensor
  • Max ISO sensitivity of 20,000
  • 12 stops of dynamic range
  • 305Mbps 4K video up to 30fps
  • 12-megapixel photos
  • SDHC/SDXC and CFast Card Slots
  • Lens is fixed with a 10x 24-240mm-equivalent f/2.8-5.6 zoom
  • Small size at just 4.9 x 4 x 4.8 inches
  • Microphone jack
  • Headphone jack
  • HDMI 1.4 port
  • DC power
  • Built-in neutral density filter
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Tilting Hand Grip
  • Tilting Touchscreen with included add-on viewfinder

XC10 AccessoriesMy Quick Thoughts on the Canon XC10

  • It looks well built and likely will take professional use day in day out
  • Uses same battery as many current Canon pro bodies and will offer excellent battery life
  • Price is an issue,  For $2499 you can pick up a Panasonic GH4 and a really nice lens or two.
    • Benefit of the GH4- Huge lens selection and likely better low light quality - especially with fixed aperture lenses
    • Benefit of the XC10- smaller with broadcast quality bit rates

Available in June - Preorder from B&H for $2,499 or AmazonCanon AU Promo Video:Canon USA Intro Video:

How-to Install Magic Lantern on a Canon DSLR

I walk you through the install of Magic Lantern on a Canon T5i(700D). Add some neat and powerful features to your DSLR with just a few minutes of work.Download Magic Lantern: http://www.magiclantern.fm/downloads.htmlDisclaimer: Magic Lantern is not approved nor endorsed by Canon in any way, and using it will probably void your warranty.We are not responsible for any damages to your camera.

Montana Vlog #4 Really, Really, Really Amazing

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/embed/NVE9D7bVyN0[/embed]We're back in our Vermont studio for this last video blog where we discuss our final thoughts about our trip to Montana with McKay Photography Academy.Toby and Christina talk about the favorite shots they captured, working with Animals of Montana and photographing Yellowstone in the winter.

Montana Vlog Day Two

[embed]http://youtu.be/0rHGxkMAfuw[/embed]We will have a vlog up for you tomorrow with a wrap-up of our animal photography experience. Let me just say it is hard to put into words what we have been able to experience over the last 3 days! Luckily I am not the only photographer on this trip and McKay team member Adam Furtado Photography has a quick write up and a few images to share http://ift.tt/17W1yn6

Canon Prime Lenses & the new 24mm EFS lens

With the release of the new Canon EFS 24mm f/2.8 STM lens it is worth taking a few moments to share my thoughts on good prime options for Canon cameras. What is the best prime lens for you? Why should you own a prime?At the end of my recent EFS 24mm Review I share thoughts on the handful of affordable Canon prime lenses. Watch my review Prime lenses for Canon mentioned in the video:

Affordable Canon Prime Lenses

Canon EFS 24mm f/2.8 STM:Crop sensor only pancake lens - extremely small with excellent image quality and a decent maximum aperture. When compared to the kit there is not a huge difference in aperture at 24mm (Canon kit lenses have a maximum aperture of f/4 at 24mm) but the quality is better, less vignetting and chromatic aberration, slightly sharper but overall difference when viewed side by side is nearly indistinguishable. Why buy this lens? It makes your camera MUCH smaller and provides a nice quality walk around focal length that does do better for moving subjects (street photography) in lower light. $149Buy the Canon EFS 24mm from B&H PhotoVideo | AmazonCanon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM:Virtually identical in size and wait to the 24mm but EF so it is compatible with full frame cameras/sensors. I love using mine on my 5D mark III as a general walk around lens (on a full frame 40mm is almost identical to 24mm on a crop sensor) Because you have a little more focal length here you can more creatively control your depth of field - on a crop sensor this is a decent portrait lens. Typically sells for $149-199Buy the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM from B&H PhotoVideo | AmazonCanon EF 50mm f/1.8:This is the plastic fantastic or nifty fifty. Made ntirely out of plastic the build quality is not impressive but for just over $100 you get f/1.8 and decent quality, especially if stop down to f/2 or f/2.8. On a crop sensor this lens can feel limiting, especially indoors. But if you want creative control over your depth of field this is the easiest and cheapest way to get there.Buy the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 from B&H PhotoVideo | Amazon

Slightly more expensive prime lenses for Canon cameras

Sigma EFS 30mm f/1.4:My top pick for most versatile focal length and widest aperture goes to the new Sigma EFS 30mm f/1.4. You pay $500 but get one of Sigma's newest series lenses with HSM focusing(fast and smooth) and a wide open aperture of f/1.4, and the lens is sharp at that aperture. If you want a street photography lens this is it - downside - cost and weight (approx. 1lb)Buy the Sigma EFS f/1.4 DC HSM from B&H PhotoVideo | AmazonCanon 35mm f/2 IS:If you want a nice wide aperture but you also want image stabilization, especially for those shooting handheld video - the Canon 35mm f/2 IS provides everything you need. Offering a versatile focal length with a wide f/2 aperture and very capable IS in a compact package that weighs just 12oz or 335gBuy the Canon 35mm f/2 IS from B&H PhotoVideo | AmazonFor video work the Bower/Samyang/Rokinon (these lenses are virtually identical between manufacturer) lenses offer excellent features. You can use them for photo but 100% manual focus only can be tiring.  Some of these lenses are VERY WIDE  - Click here for some Bower Options

Expensive non-prime lens that acts like a prime lens

I need to mention the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 - this is a zoom lens (albeit limited range) that offers incredible sharpness and fantastic aperture across that range.  Downsides - it is HEAVY (1.8 lbs 811g) and expensive $799 but it is the equivalent to carrying around a handful of prime lenses and certainly more convenient. Watch my full review of the Sigma 18-35.Buy the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 HSM from B&H PhotoVideo | Amazon  

Review: Canon 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens- Best Prime For Crop?

I take a detailed look at the newest pancake lens from Canon, the EFS 24mm f/2.8 STM lens. Why should you buy a prime lens like the 24mm when you already have that focal length in your kit lens. Should you buy the 24mm, the 40mm or the 50mm - or maybe the 35 or the Sigma 30 - Many choices, I help you decide what is right for you.Watch the Video Review of the Canon EFS 24mm STM LensA few sample images (more comings soon)

6 Reasons You Should Own a Prime Lens

Yes the video is just 5 reasons but in this post you get a bonus 6th reason you should own a prime lens. Watch, read and let me know your thoughts on prime lenses in the comments below.

What is a prime lens?

A prime lens has a fixed focal length; it doesn’t zoom. Why would you want a lens that doesn't zoom? 5 Reasons below!

What are the advantages of prime lenses?

  1. Prime lenses often offer very wide maximum apertures, ideal for isolating your subjects from the background and capturing beautiful bokeh(background out of focus).

Screenshot 2014-07-06 12.18.09

  1. Those wide apertures also allow you to maximizing the light entering your camera. Keep your aperture wide and you can then keep your shutter speed higher or your ISO lower. This makes prime lenses a good choice for low light photography.

Screenshot 2014-06-30 14.56.12

  1. Because of their smaller and simpler construction, prime lenses have fewer moving parts which means less distortion and better quality images than your typical zoom lenses.
  1. Reasons 1 through 3 means you get a better value for your money as primes are often hundreds of dollars cheaper than zoom lenses.
  1. They are often smaller and lighter compared to typical zoom lenses - making primes a great choice when you want to travel light.

Screenshot 2014-07-06 12.28.47BONUS REASON

  1. Forcing yourself to use a prime encourages you to move to achieve the frame you want, as opposed to the lazy zoom in out and approach and moving and thinking critically about your framing is a good habit to build as a photographer.

Let me know in the comments your favorite prime lens and your favorite reason(s) for attaching a prime lens to your camera.I have recommended prime lenses for Canon and Nikon and 5 tips for sharper images

Fuji X-T1 Review

 Support my work and review- Buy the Fuji X-T1 from B&H

Fuji X-T1 Highlights:

  • 16.3MP APS-C Sensor
  • 0.5" 2,360k-Dot 0.77x OLED Viewfinder (EVF)
  • 3.0" 1,040k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
  • 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity for remote shooting, image download and geotagging
  • Weather-Resistant Body Construction
  • Continuous Shooting up to 8 fps with AF and subject tracking
  • Intelligent Hybrid AF and Focus Peaking
  • Includes EF-X8 Shoe-Mount Flash Unit

Fuji X-T1 Pro:

  • Manual controls- Smart and fully functional dials and the aperture ring on lenses makes the camera fun to use
  • Image quality - Excellent image quality - see high ISO shots in gallery below
  • Feels great in the hand, well built with a good amount of customizable options
  • The EVF or Electronic viewfinder is huge, bright and snappy - I am not typically a fan of EVFs but this one I could be happy using.
  • Some excellent lenses and enough of them- including some affordable 3rd party manual focus only lenses

Fuji X-T1 Cons:

  • Battery life - 300-400 shots, double that if you buy the battery grip
  • Controls - Yes a pro and a con-  they are lovely when you have time but I found them difficult if not impossible to use one handed
  • No in body image stabilization (like the Olympus) Some lenses, including the excellent kit lens do offer IS
  • The EVF is beautiful but the eye-cup could be better, Fuji is starting to sell a deeper one that blocks the light better
  • Wifi is finicky to connect at times. I found the remote option to work well, image transfer to usually take two tries to connect and geotagging via phone was mostly a fail
  • Video mode OK and continuous AF is not impressive in this camera - even with face tracking on.

Buy the Fuji X-T1 from  B&H or Rent from Borrowlenses.comBuy the X-T1 Battery Grip from B&H  

Hands-on with the Fuji X-T1:

When I first got my hands on the Fuji X-T1 I immediately loved the look and the feel. I did have some initial confusion about mode dials(there aren't any) when I was not shooting full manual. It retrospect it is quite simple - rotate the dial controlling ISO, shutterspeed or Aperture(on lens) to A and the camera will take care of that variable. If you want aperture priority, set ISO and shutter speed on A and rotate the aperture dial as needed.   I did spend most of the time with this camera in full manual mode and that is how it feels like it should be used, except when I wanted to use the camera one handed. I have gotten used to one handed operation with my DSLRs and the Sony a7 - the camera can be up to my eye and with a dial spin and/or button press I change what I need.  Shooting with the X-T1 was a more deliberate and often premeditated affair but at the same time I appreciate the top down view of all my settings at a glance.The actual performance of the camera was excellent. Focus in normal to good light levels was fast and accurate. (watch my Fuji X-T1 tips for additional focus related tips) I do wish there was a dedicated button for focus point selection but with the 7 or so buttons that you can customize it does just add one click before you use the directional pad to move the point.  On high speed continuous it is easy to fire off multiple frames with focus and subject tracking .  The EVF was big, bright and beautiful- When looking through the viewfinder I felt like I was standing in the doorway or a really nice home theater room, where one whole wall is a beautiful screen.  Up till now I haven't been a fan of EVFs and I still wouldn't say I am a fan but I would be quite happy to use the X-T1s EVF.   (why not a fan of EVFs? The lag and the blackout when taking pics both of which the X-T1 handles nicely- the refresh rate is fast and you can turn off image review).Image quality? Superb.  First let me say that both lenses I used Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the 18-55 f/2.8-4 were a joy to use and are sharp lenses, even wide open.  Pixel peeping on the hundreds of images I shot and the camera/lens combos made excellent images.  There is some weirdness with Fuji's RAW files, if you want to work on them in Lightroom they drop any of the film simulation but both JPEGS and RAWs had great detail even at very high ISOs (see samples below)I had the opportunity to use the Fuji for a low light dance party. Light levels were really low with just flashing DJ lights and some light spilling in from outside. My 70D and 5D Mark III was still capable of focusing- The Fuji really struggled and the when it did get focus it was hard to tell from the noise in the EVF- this is certainly a downside but I need to stress that it was very dark in the room.  The actual images, when in focus, were better than the 70D and on par with 5D Mark III. Again the image quality out of this little camera was excellent.Overall The Fuji X-T1 is an excellent little camera that produces beautiful images. If you don't mind a slightly slower approach to shooting and some negatives when the light levels get very low. Take away my wedding work and I would love to have this as my daily camera. Additional info coming soon.  Video samples and images including comparison vs 70D.

Podcast - Mish Mash #14 - Photographer's Goals

I always like to think of alternative titles for the podcasts - Possible titles for Episode 14 include: "My Big Announcement!"  "Christina's in Charge!" "Roller Coaster Selfie"   Whatever the title, this may be our best yet and I take full responsibility for putting Christina in charge ;)ENTER THE GIVEAWAY - JUST A FEW HOURS LEFT

 Full Show NotesWeek in Review -Lightroom iPad App DiscussionPhoto Assignment7:05 Lumoid Giveaway8:27 News - 4k Cameras15:39 My Big Announcement20:03 Photographer's Goals - Discussionhttp://theslantedlens.com/2014/7-reasons-photographers-videographers-dont-reach-goals28:25 Bean is BORED!37:38 Reader Questions - Roller coaster selfie, Which way to look?Photo of the week -Christina’s Pick - https://www.flickr.com/photos/camblamb/13719097935/in/pool-digitalphotorec https://flic.kr/p/mUiXRiToby’s Pick -  

How Focal Length Affects Perspective

Picking the right focal length when photographing a landscape or a person is extremely important. Watch the video above for some examples and suggestions or just remember - if you are photographing a person you usually want to be about 80-85mm(crop sensor camera users, that is closer to 50mm on your cameras)- that will create the most flattering look of a persons features.Outside Focal Length and your BackgroundPeople or Portrait photos and the Focal Length you choose matters!

Mish Mash Podcast Episode 11 - We Predict the Future Of Photography!

 Starting with Photo News this week -An instagramer makes $15,000 seling his prints! In one day!!!The Instagramer - Arnold Daniel http://instagram.com/arnold_danielThe Forbes Article - http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2014/03/07/this-photographer-made-15k-in-one-day-on-instagram/Christina discusses buy expensive cameras and adding filters/effects.Christina's Lightroom presets of choice - Replichrome Presets12:00 Introduction to Presets in LightroomSigma is going to pay Nikon 14.5 Million for patent infringement! This is related to a a "complaint" I received from Craig this weekCraig

I'm registering a complaint with the camera manufactures: Why are you using different proprietary terminology for the same feature? Image Stabilization is a great example: Canon, IS (Image Stabilization); Nikon, VR (Vibration Reduction); Tamron, VC (Vibration Compensation); Olympus, IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization); Sony, OSS (Optical SteadyShot) and SSS (Super Steady Shot); Panasonic and Leica, OIS (Optical Image Stabilization); Sigma, OS (Optical Stabilization); Pentax, SR (Shake Reduction); Nokia, PV (PureView); HTC, UP (UltraPixel). Are manufactures just trying to make it more difficult for entry-level photographers, or any photographer for that matter? What is the thinking around this?

22:55 Follow up on my 70D Focus Issues26:06 First Look at the PolarPro Filters that arrived this week - very excited to try these out on my GoPro28:32 New HTC One plus One with dual camera tech hmmmm - sounds like the Lytro- what is that revolutionary product up to today?DISCUSSION35:06 Predictions for the future - Camera Technology.42:03 Take the POLL: Will the Canon T6i have dual pixel focusing technology?45:00 Click here to see Your predictions for future cameras on FacebookChristina’s Cat Lady Camera Owner Confession54:55 Reader Question - Using an external flash outside - with nothing to bounce the light how do you get good flash exposure?Bob SmithHow do I use my on camera speedlite when I there's nothing to bounce the flash off?I'm new to dslr's and recently purchased a Canon 430exii flash to supplement my Canon SL1. I was quickly and easily able to capture great pictures indoors by bouncing the flash and using a small stofen diffuser. However, I'm lost when I don't have something to bounce the flash off and end up aiming the flash directly at my subject and casting some hard heavy shadows. I try to reduce this by dialing the FEC down, but obviously the image gets dark. I most recently encountered this problem when trying to use fill flash on my wife with a sunset in the background. Any tips or recommended diffusers? Thanks Favorite Photo of the week -Christina Pickshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/joerggoetz/12979370023/in/pool-digitalphotorecToby Pickshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/27733102@N02/13130780863/in/pool-digitalphotorec Thanks - Submit to http://www.flickr.com/groups/digitalphotorec to see your photo picked as the picture of the week.