Photography News

Most photographers obsess over megapixels, autofocus points, and dynamic range when shopping for new gear. But while you're comparing sensor specs and lens sharpness charts, you're probably overlooking the features that could actually revolutionize how you shoot.

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A camera can feel like an extension of your job, or it can feel like something you carry because you want to. The difference matters because it changes whether you’re shooting for yourself or only to meet deadlines and expectations.

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Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that photos and AI-generated imagery will converge. Given that his intellect receives so much acclaim, it’s alarming that he has no understanding of photography and its function within society, not to mention the far-reaching implications.

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With the most recent announcement of the Sony RX1R III, the scarcity of the Fuji X100VI, and the popularity of the Leica Q, are we seeing a renaissance of the small compact camera?

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William Eggleston's documentation of the everyday, referred to by many as a revelation, is also regarded by others as overrated when judged in a modern context. This video by Tatiana Hopper, a respected voice on photography, dives into William Eggleston’s transformative work, leaving room for you to make up your own mind on where Eggleston's work sits in photographic history.

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Some lenses stand out because they strike the right balance of size, price, and performance. The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air falls into that category, offering you a lightweight and budget-friendly option without giving up too much in image quality.

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The Sony RX1R III isn’t your usual camera upgrade. With its fixed 35mm f/2 Zeiss lens that hasn’t changed in a decade, it raises an immediate question: is this a serious tool for your work or just a niche option for specific situations?

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A 40mm lens has always been a sweet spot for many of you because it feels close to how your eye naturally sees the world. It gives a slightly wider view without looking exaggerated, which makes it useful in a lot of everyday shooting situations. The TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2 is trying to bring that perspective to more people with a price tag that’s hard to ignore.

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Samsung Electronics will manufacture three-layer stacked image sensors for Apple’s iPhone 18 at its Austin, Texas, plant, using a chipmaking technology described as a global first. The deal fits with Apple’s pledge to invest $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing.

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Optical distortion is something that affects all lenses to some extent. However, the effect is more pronounced in certain lenses and can be used to give a different spin on an otherwise 'normal' view of an object. 

Although it distorts images, it is not always a negative effect and it can be used in different situations to create abstract or more creative shots of subjects.

Below, we've listed what types of optical distortion there are and how they can affect your images, either in a negative or positive way. 

• What is Curvilinear distortion?
• What is Pincushion distortion?
• What is Mustache distortion?
• What is Chromatic aberration / purple fringing?
• What is Vignetting?

 

What is Curvilinear distortion?

This is where lines that should be straight in your image appear curved or bowed in some way. There a quite a few different types of this distortion, but the most common you will come across is barrel distortion, where vertical lines appear to curve outwards like a barrel. This type of distortion is most common in wide angle or fisheye lenses. The effect will be really pronounced in the fisheye as the effect is more deliberate here.

This can be used in portrait images to create unique looking images where the facial features are stretched and warped, this works equally well with humans and animals. 

 

 

 

What is Pincushion distortion?

Pincushion distortion is the opposite of barrel distortion, as the lines bow inwards. The effect is usually quite subtle and can only really be seen in square or rectangular objects when they are shot straight on, such as architecture with windows and doors, and other straight lines. This effect tends to be more of an issue in long telephoto lenses. Pincushion distortion is a lot less pronounced than barrel distortion and so it is often not noticeable in images unless you look really closely. However, it can also be corrected quite quickly and easily in photo editing software. The majority of modern cameras will provide built-in options to correct for this as well.

 

Extreme example of pincushion distortion, from an uncorrrected image, from the Sony E 18-105mm lens - you can see corrected versions in the review.

 

 

What is Mustache distortion?

Mustache distortion is basically a combination of barrel and pincushion distortion. Some lenses display both at the same time. It is most commonly seen in wide angle zooms and makes straight lines in images appear wavy. It can be noticed on the horizon, for example when photographing seascapes, particularly if the horizon is near the top or bottom of the frame.  

 

 

What is Chromatic Aberration?

Chromatic Aberration creates colour fringing on an image, usually around the lines and edges on the image, but it can also be present in other areas of the shot, where there are areas of high contrast, for example a black tree branch, against a bright sky. It usually appears as a purple, glowing halo giving "purple fringing", or can appear as red/magenta lines, often with green/cyan lines as well.

 

An example of chromatic aberration can be seen above, note the megenta and cyan / green lines on the edges of the window frame. You can see an example of purple fringing below, where the gravestone is up against a bright (blown out) sky. 

This can often be corrected either in camera automatically in modern cameras, or in photo editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Lightroom.

 

Purple fringing can be seen around the top of the gravestone.

 

 

What is Vignetting?

All lenses have a little vignetting - it's the term used when the image is darker at the edges than in the centre, due the curvature of the lens. Vignetting can sometimes be used to your advantage as a stylistic tool, to highlight the main aspect of your image in the centre. Most modern cameras will automatically correct for vignetting, depending on the lens used, and this can be corrected in photo editing software quickly and easily, or alternatively added to give a creative effect and style to your photo. See our guide on how to add a vignette to a photo in Photoshop.

 

Severe vignetting can be seen in this image.

 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Today, I’d like to explore a question that comes to mind often whenever I get a chance to meet my film and photography heroes.

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The Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S is a rare mix of technical precision and artistic flexibility. A fast prime at this focal length gives you control over depth of field without sacrificing sharpness, making it a strong tool for portraits, environmental shots, and video work.

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The EOS RF mount’s inner diameter is 54mm, which is the same as the EOS EF mount. But with no reflex mirror, the back focus distance of the mirrorless mount is much shorter, which makes new lens designs possible.

 

The full frame or 36x24mm format became popular for stills photography around 100 years ago, with Leica leading the way in the 3:2 format’s growth. Later in 1934, Kodak gave the format a huge lift by introducing the pre-loaded 135 film cassette.

In the early days of digital system cameras, full-frame took a backseat as consumer models adopted the APS-C format, but it wasn’t long before it caught up. The full-frame Canon EOS 5D arrived in 2005, just two years after the APS-C format EOS 300D, the first consumer-level digital DSLR.

 

The relatively low lit interior of IWM Duxford was not an issue for the EOS R with its good high ISO skills. The exposure was 1/160 sec at f/8 using ISO 25,600 and the noticeable noise vanished after treatment with Adobe Lightroom’s denoise tool. Image by Will Cheung.

 

Canon’s full-frame mirrorless journey started with the EOS R, which was released in 2018. Despite its vintage in digital camera terms, it remains a capable model with much to commend it, and that’s why we have based our £2000 full-frame kit on it.

MPB has excellent condition samples of the EOS R in the £744-809 price range. That compares with current Canon full-frame models; the 26.2 megapixel EOS RP is £1049 and the 24.2 megapixel EOS R8 is £1629 (all body only prices). Of course, those two cameras are more recent and thus offer superior performance in some areas, but nevertheless the EOS R has plenty going for it.

At the EOS R’s heart is a 30.3 megapixel Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor, which uses advanced phase detection with 5655 AF positions (in single point AF mode) for quick and accurate autofocus for stills and video, even in challenging lighting conditions.  

The EOS RF lens mount plays a significant part in the impressive AF performance of all EOS R cameras. With 12-pin connections compared with the 8-pins of the EOS EF mount, that allows faster communication and data transfer. 

Another notable benefit of the new EOS RF mount and its shorter back focus is that EOS EF mount lenses can be used on EOS R mirrorless cameras without losing functionality via an adaptor. With the vast number of EOS EF lenses around, new and used, it means those photographers new to the EOS R system are not limited when it comes to lens choice.

 

In terms of controls and layout the EOS R has a similar design and feel to Canon’s long established and massively popular DSLR cameras.

 

The EOS R saw the debut of the Touch Bar, a customisable touch control. It wasn’t generally well received by reviewers but it has potential once you get used to it.

 

As you’d expect, image quality out of the EOS R is first-rate, typically Canon with a rich but lifelike colour rendition and low levels of noise at all speeds until you get to ISO 3200 and beyond. Images shot at ISO 1600 and 3200 are very smooth and raws look great even without denoising. In fact, even shots taken at ISO 25,600 can recover very nicely with software denoising and fine detail isn’t too badly impacted, which is a remarkable performance given the extreme ISO.

Let’s move on to lens choice. Since the RF system’s arrival, Canon has progressed quickly on its lens system and there’s an extensive range to choose from. There are a few gaps and many of Canon’s RF lenses are beyond our theoretical budget, which limits our options. Also, right now there are no third party autofocus options for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras, which is a negative point to bear in mind, although, hopefully, this might change in time.

For our £2000 full-frame outfit, we have spent £744 on a decent condition EOS R body, which leaves £1256 for lenses. Naturally, it is a matter of personal taste but with Canon’s RF lenses, there is the possibility of going for primes or zooms or a combination of the two types.

 

Raw files from the EOS R have plenty of scope when it comes to recovering highlights and shadows in editing software. Shot with the RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM on the EOS R using an exposure of 1/200sec at f/4 and ISO 3200. Image by Will Cheung.

 

In terms of primes in our price range, there is a good choice in the wide-angle and standard focal lengths but at telephoto, there is just the RF 85mm f/2 Macro, which from MPB costs in the range of £434-469. Add the RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM at £524 and RF 50mm f/1.8 STM £159-189, and you have a good three prime lens kit that is photographically reasonably versatile with the benefit of fast apertures and comes within our budget.

If having a more powerful telephoto lens is important, a mix of primes and zooms would work. For example, our £1256 budget would allow the RF 28mm f/2.8 STM, RF 50mm f/1.8 STM and RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. At current MPB prices, that trio would cost around £1024, which leaves enough for protection filters and a spare camera battery. Such an outfit would be portable and suit a wide range of subject genres.

For maximum flexibility, there’s the option of a three lens zoom outfit. Taking the RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM, RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM and RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM at MPB’s used prices – going for good condition samples – that powerful three lens outfit would cost in the order of £1227. While the maximum apertures of these three zooms are nothing special, that is offset by having focal length coverage from 15mm ultra-wide to 400mm telephoto, which means a very broad range of subjects can be covered.

 

The RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM is a great photographic all-rounder. The interior of Peterborough Cathedral was taken with a handheld EOS R using an exposure of 1/15sec at f/4 and ISO 200. Image by Will Cheung.

 

A final option to consider is to keep it simple and just go for one lens to partner the EOS R. A used RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM from MPB would cost £729, leaving enough for a few accessories. The other single zoom option is the RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM. Of all the zooms discussed here, this is probably the most capable performer and it’s priced accordingly, £764-1079 from MPB, but it’s still comfortably within our budget with funds left over for a protection filter and a nice bag. 

MPB’s vast stock of used imaging gear is checked over by experts, comes with a free 12 month warranty and each item is individually photographed, so what you see on its website is what you get. With MPB’s help, buying a versatile full-frame outfit with our £2000 budget is no problem, and there are many options when it comes to deciding which optics to go for.

 

With the EOS R’s 30.3 megapixel resolution there’s ample potential for large prints and cropping without software interpolation. The exposure was 1/400sec at f/6.3 and ISO 100. Image by Will Cheung.

 

At a glance: Canon EOS R

 

Announced 2018 Sensor 30.3 megapixels, Dual Pixel CMOS Format 36x24mm, 6720x4480pixels ISO range 100-40,000 (expansion to ISO 50, 51,200, 102,400) Continous shooting 8fps, 5fps with AE/AF tracking Video 4K UHD, Full HD Weather sealing Yes MPB price range EOS R body, excellent condition £744-809

 

The EOS R’s compact body feels great in the hands and the contoured handgrip allows a secure hold and key controls are readily accessible.

 

 

 

News from MPB: Shoot creative wide aperture landscapes and hone your nature photography skills

MPB is the world’s largest retail platform for imaging gear but it offers so much more with buying guides, interviews with experts, videos and podcasts and technique advice. 

Two recently published features on MPB’s website cover two hugely popular genres, landscape and nature. 

In Learn: Top 5 Tips for Nature Photography Beginners, MPB chats with five leading exponents of the genre. Aimed at newcomers to the subject, there’s plenty to get you on the road to successful photos with essential camera and technique advice. Click here to enjoy this feature. 

Traditionally, landscape photography is all about small f/stops and extensive depth-of-field but this MPB feature breaks convention and looks at the creative potential of shooting with fast aperture lenses. Outdoor shooter James Popsys shows what can be achieved with two f/1.4 prime lenses so check out his technique-packed feature here.

 

MPB Explained

You need kit to take photographs and produce videos, and taking the used route is a cost-effective way of making the most of your budget and keeping up with the latest developments in imaging technology.

MPB is one of the biggest used retailers with bases in the UK, Germany and the USA.

Trading with MPB the process is fair, safe, painless and incredibly easy.

Whether you have kit to sell, want to make a purchase or part exchange, start by going to the MPB website which is intuitive and straightforward to use.

If you have kit to trade, just start typing the name in and a list of suggestions from MPB’s huge database will appear. If a name on that list matches your product click on it and add its condition; if not, continue typing in the whole name and condition.

It’s worth bearing in mind that MPB’s database covers much more than cameras and lenses so if you have, for example, a photo backpack, tripod or filters to sell these can be shown as you type in their name too.

With all your kit listed, add contact details and a quote will appear in your inbox soon afterwards, although manually entered items will take one working day.

If you are happy with the quote, accept it and follow the instructions to get the kit ready for courier collection on a day to suit you. For higher-value deals, an MPB account manager will also be in touch, so you have a personal point of contact if you have any queries.

Once received by MPB, you will get a notification and after checking by its product specialists you will receive a final quote. This can vary from the original quote if there is a missing item —like a battery not being supplied—or your assessed condition differs from the actual condition.

A quote can go down, but it can also increase if the kit’s condition is better than your assessment.

The whole process doesn’t take long and MPB are in touch by e-mail at every step so you’re never in the dark, and only when you are totally happy with the deal, pass on your payment details or pay the balance in the case of part-exchange. Either way, the money or your new kit will be with you soon after.

Get A Quote From MPB Today

 

About MPB

• MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video kit.
• MPB is the simple, safe and circular way to trade, upgrade and get paid.
• MPB is not a marketplace, instead buying directly from visual storytellers and evaluating all items before reselling MPB-approved kit.
• MPB's dynamic pricing engine provides the right price upfront for all items.
• Circularity is at the centre of MPB, promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion in everything they do.
• MPB prioritises inclusive recruitment and supports employees with extensive training and development. They promote inclusive visual storytelling and an inclusive circular economy.
• MPB's business model is 100% circular. All packaging is 100% plastic-free. Their cloud-based platform uses 100% renewable electricity.
• MPB recirculates more than 570,000 products annually
• MPB provides first-class customer service. Customers can receive support through their Help Centre or by speaking directly with a kit expert.
• MPB's product specialists are trusted by thousands of visual storytellers in the UK.
• MPB is rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 37,000 reviews.

Visit The MPB Website

While pixel-peepers obsess over sharpness charts and bokeh samples, the smartest photographers know that certain overlooked lens features can help you get that elusive shot. Here are five hidden gems you should look for in your next lens.

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White balance is something most photographers know affects how colors appear, but a recent video argues that almost every camera, even high-end cinema models, is designed in a way that makes precise control harder than it needs to be.

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Some cameras are built to do everything well. Others double down on one purpose and push it to the extreme. The OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II falls in the second category, with a focus on still photography that challenges some long-held assumptions about what you need for serious work in the field.

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The Panasonic Lumix S 24-60mm f/2.8 offers a lighter, more compact alternative to the typical 24-70mm zoom, cutting 10mm from the telephoto end while maintaining image quality. Its unusual focal range makes it an interesting option when you want versatility without the bulk, especially if you often work in situations where carrying a heavier setup becomes tiring.

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Antigravity, a new drone brand incubated by Insta360 and partners, announced the A1 today. The sub-250 g aircraft combines built-in 8K 360 capture with first-person goggles and a motion “Grip” controller, aiming to separate where you look from where you fly.

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To help you give your urban photography an abstract feel, here are 8 top tips on what, how and where to take your photos when out exploring a town or city. 

 

1. Focus On What's Interesting

When you find something that catches your eye, think about how you can compose the shot to take the subject away from its surroundings so it becomes abstract rather than a great city shot with several interesting elements. The key to capturing an image that works is to create an image out of something ordinary that you wouldn't normally see while still creating an appealing shot.

 

2. More Than One Point Of Interest

When you have a subject that has multiple points of interest you have the opportunity to capture various elements, some which may not have seemed so obvious as working in an abstract way at the start.

 

3. Create Scale

Just because you're capturing abstracts doesn't mean you always have to work up-close. Think of it as cropping out unwanted elements rather than using your lens to zoom in. Use surrounding elements to emphasise size but still frame the image so the building's surroundings are removed, giving emphasis to its shapes and patterns rather than it having context. 

 

4. Use Colour

By using a single bright colour in a shot that's mostly of the same shades can give the viewer of the image a point of focus that can also be used to guide and lead the eye to other points in the shot. This is even more so when the area is limited and contrasts so greatly with the rest of the image. Strong blocks of colour can also work well but you don't want one to overpower the other so the viewer doesn't pay attention to the rest of the frame. 

 

 

5. Look For Shadows 

This isn't something our eyes tend to see but when arranged in the frame properly, they can be a great subject matter on their own or enhance the shapes/patterns of an object you're making your point of focus. 

 

6. Lines Work Well

 If you want to use lines in your image, try to find a location that gives you a shot that has lines that vary in size and colour. Bolder lines can have more impact than small, faint ones and do remember they will still guide the eye through the shot and tell the viewer where they should be looking. Don't think lines have to be straight either as a curved line will still guide the viewer's eye. 

 

7. Shoot Through Other Objects

If you find a rain-covered window or even a water feature that can be used to capture a distorted reflection thanks to the ripples in the water, use them to your advantage. Keep an eye out for coloured glass, reflective buildings and any other items you think will give your city shots that abstract feel you're searching for. 

 

8. People Like Patterns & Symmetry 

As humans, we like to see repeating patterns and symmetrical objects so take advantage of this. Patterns can guide the eye across an image as well as make your abstract shot more interesting thanks to the shapes they create. 

 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Wedding photographers are seeing a dramatic increase in ghosted inquiries. Couples are sending out initial messages but only responding if they feel an immediate and undeniable connection, and if the pricing works for them. For many in the industry, this shift has created an unpredictable and often frustrating sales process. If your inbox feels quieter after that first reply, you are not imagining it.

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