#aps-c camera | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thefrogman · 1 year ago

Note

Recently I took a panorama of the Pittsburgh skyline at night that got a positive response. That was done on the spur of the moment with an iPhone. I want to do that again and more, but this time with a dedicated camera setup. It's been years since I've had one, so I'm basically starting over again. I'm mostly interested in getting day and night cityscapes, and maybe the carryings-on at this year's Anthrocon. Would you have any particular knowledge to pass on as I set off on this journey?

Since you didn't specify a budget I'm going to assume it is in the $10K range.

And you're probably thinking I'm going to suggest a Leica. Every dentist and his brother (who is also a dentist) gets a Leica. But I just can't take a camera brand seriously when they charge you an extra $2200 for the privilege of not being able to shoot in color.

Sure, you can hit a single button in Lightroom to get B&W and save some money, but then you won't be able to brag about how limiting yourself to only shades of gray has opened up new artistic pathways in your brain while a clueless person responds in mumbles during their root canal.

What you really want for your landscapes is a Hassie.

They were the first camera on the moon! How could you *not* want a Hasselblad? That is some camera gorgeousness right there. And it's so reasonably priced*!

*compared to their previous $40,000 camera systems.

And if you are doing landscapes with the Hassie you'll need a nice wide angle lens to go with it. This one is actually quite affordable*!

*compared to their previous $8000 lenses.

Can we all agree that is a work of art? They even use their H logo as the knurling.

That is just so... extra. And I love it.

Out of the entire alphabet I've heard Hs give you the best grip.

Man, I almost wish I was a dentist just so I could buy a fancy camera.

Sorry... I was just having a little fun.

I never get to recommend the super cool expensive cameras. Because, ya know, the economy and the fact that only dentists have Hasselblad money.

You probably think I'm being silly but there actually is an entire community of dentist photographers keeping the high end camera market alive.

Okay, let's get started...

Landscape Buying Guide

Opening Thoughts

For landscapes I would highly suggest a full frame camera and a high quality wide angle lens.

Full frame has several advantages but it is not necessary. You can go with a smaller sensor like APS-C and get great images. Personally I would not go any smaller, but there have been some great landscapes taken on micro 4/3 and even smartphones. Technique, knowledge, experience, and composition will usually win the day over a camera, but having a nice camera makes things a lot easier.

At this point, with full frame options being very affordable now, the main reason to get a smaller sensor is if you want a smaller system that is easier to carry for extended periods and easier to pack when traveling. Or if you aren't sure you want to take on photography as a hobby, you can get an old APS-C DSLR for under $200 to learn with and test out.

So if you need a very cheap OR very compact system, APS-C and Micro 4/3 might be worth considering, but a bigger sensor will cause less frustration most of the time.

Froggie Note: The expensive Micro 4/3 and APS-C systems are the compact ones. The cheap systems are about as bulky as full frame.

The biggest advantages to full frame are low light shooting, lens selection, and field of view. Full frame cameras have many, many more lenses to choose from. And since the sensor is bigger, it is much easier to get a wider field of view that is often needed for landscapes. And the high ISO noise performance tends to be better on full frame.

However, you can use full frame lenses on APS-C camera bodies within the same ecosystem. They just get a little... zoomier. Roughly 1.5x zoomier. A 35mm acts like a 50mm, for example. So if you want to spend a little less now you can get an APS-C camera with a full frame lens and then upgrade to full frame later on without having to buy a new lens. Full frame lenses work on APS-C bodies but not the other way around.

Most landscapists have a really solid 16-35mm lens and that covers almost all of their needs. So I would suggest something comparable. Please don't get suckered into some crazy 18-300mm superzoom. Just get the focal range you need for the photos you want to achieve.

A purpose-built lens always outperforms one that was made to do everything.

As far as where to get used gear, I highly recommend using KEH or MPB when buying used camera bodies. They check every device and offer between 3 and 6 months warranty to make sure the device won't crap out on you. Lenses are typically a lot more robust and a safer thing to buy on eBay or Facebook Marketplace if you can find a better deal. But the security of having a warranty and a return apparatus if something goes wrong might be worth the extra price when using these two sites.

I am going to recommend Canon, Nikon, and Sony systems. I feel they have the most complete ecosystems with gear that spans all budget ranges. I'm not saying there aren't good cameras from other brands, but you have to remember every camera has an ecosystem surrounding it. There are accessories and upgrade paths and niche lenses that may not be available with other brands. I think Fuji has some tempting options and if you like the look of vintage film photography, their emulation options are quite stunning. Their cameras are also quite attractive and have very satisfying knobs. But I still can't recommend them unless you have a specific reason for wanting their gear.

Just remember that for every Canon DSLR I recommend there is a comparable Nikon option available as well. There are more lenses for a Canon full frame DSLR body than any other brand with Nikon coming in a close second.

So if you choose not to go mirrorless yet, the Canon and Nikon DSLR camera ecosystems are immense and have tons of gear and accessories available to go with them. And since used gear holds up really well, those ecosystems will survive for decades.

Should you buy a mirrorless camera or a DSLR?

Mirrorless cameras are the latest camera technology for interchangeable lens camera systems. At this point they are superior in every aspect and they continue to improve year by year. Because of that, used DSLRs have plummeted in price. This allows people greater access to a starter ILC (interchangeable lens camera) without a significant investment. You can get professional quality images on either format, but mirrorless has a shallower learning curve and much better automatic modes.

The in-body image stabilization (IBIS) stabilizes *every* lens and the eye tracking autofocus make "focus and re-compose" extinct. These are huge selling points for a lot of people. With IBIS you can take photos with up to 2-4 second shutter speeds without a tripod. And never missing focus on a human or animal or bird is pretty cool too.

DSLR camera bodies are no longer being designed by most of the major manufacturers. Thankfully Canon and Nikon developed plenty of bodies and lenses, so you will always have options and upgrade paths. But you will not be able to upgrade to systems with the latest advanced features.

The best DSLRs available are probably the Nikon D850 and the Canon 5D Mark IV. That is as good as it will ever get. The technology ends there. So if you want to enter an active camera ecosystem then you will have to get a mirrorless camera.

DSLR Camera Systems

Full Frame DSLR Camera Bodies

Canon

If you buy a used DSLR, there are some very affordable full frame options. In fact, the classic much-praised budget full frame Canon 6D can be had for under $300 right now.

This is an old camera. It has no fancy features. It only has 20 megapixels. It just does what it says on the tin. But it has a big sensor and a *ton* of really cool lenses available for it.

If you are specifically looking to create really high resolution panos, you could also look at the 50 megapixel 5DS R for around $1000.

There is a community of landscape pano-maniacs that love to create "gigapans" that have endless amounts of detail where you can zoom in and find new details in every photo. I was only able to create a 120 megapixel photo, but you can still find things like people starting a campfire and a dude fishing and a truck on a far off bridge. So even though this seems expensive for a DSLR, you are looking at another thousand bucks to find anything with more megapixels than this bad boy, so it is quite a good deal relatively speaking.

Nikon

Probably the best DSLRs ever made were the Nikon D800 series and you can get the Nikon D800 for $464.

This is a newer camera than the 6D with more megapixels (36) and a better sensor. It also has a more modern autofocus system and about 3 more stops of dynamic range which can come in handy for landscapes. This is an incredible camera for this price.

APS-C DSLR Camera Bodies

If you aren't sure you want to commit to this hobby, you can look into a Canon APS-C sensor body like the Canon Rebels and Canon 60D through 90D models and get good results.

And there are many Nikon DX APS-C bodies that would be great starter cameras as well. If you get a Nikon, you'd have an upgrade path to the D800 if you get hooked by the photography bug. I would miss a few very special Canon lenses like the 100mm f/2.8L macro and the 400mm f/5.6 telephoto but I'm sure I could figure out some reasonable Nikon alternatives that would do roughly the same thing.

Canon APS-C

There is a Canon 60D for $139 right now that would be perfectly adequate for landscape work on a tripod.

That was my first camera and I took some very nice photos with it. Only 18 megapixels but it has a very convenient flippy screen which was really helpful for a disabled photographer trying to get low angles.

This was in 2014 and I didn't know what I was doing but that is a pretty stellar-looking sunset for a (now) $140 camera.

Nikon APS-C

And the Nikon D3400 would be a great option as well at around $184.

You get some extra megapixels (24) and it is a bit newer than the Canon. I get the sense that used Nikon DSLRs give you more value for your money right now but I don't have a large enough sample size to confirm that.

Full Frame DSLR Lenses

Froggie Note: I am recommending full frame lenses even if you choose an APS-C DSLR body so you have an upgrade path. But also very few purpose-built APS-C lenses had superior glass. Just remember, crop sensor APS-C cameras add ~1.5x to your focal length. So a 16-35mm will have the equivalent field of view of a 24-50mm lens. Still quite acceptable for landscapes, but you may benefit from doing panoramas more often. And if you upgrade to full frame down the road, you'll already have the ideal lens.

Canon DSLR Lenses

If you get the 6D or another Canon you could pair it with the beloved-by-landscapists Canon 16-35mm f/4L.

Honestly, it is blowing my mind you can get that combo for under $600. Me from 12 years ago is super jealous right now.

If you are worried you might need something to work in lower light and still want a zoom, the f/2.8L starts at around $434.

This might be the most famous landscape lens of all time. Kinda boggles the mind how many gorgeous vistas this thing has captured the light of.

If you can live without the zoom, you could get a much sharper prime lens that can also be used in even lower light. A used Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens is $439 would be a fantastic option.

24mm is still a very good focal length for landscapes and the sharpness of this lens lends well to panoramic stitches. Seriously, these art lens are so freaking sharp. Although 35mm is typically preferred for most street photography, I think this would do great for that purpose as well. It couldn't do close up portraits, but 3/4 and full body portraits would look great. I also love this focal length for doggos. It enlarges their heads a bit which enhances adorable-ness.

Though I probably wouldn't recommend the 24mm on APS-C for landscapes as it would put you near a 40mm full frame equivalent field of view.

Nikon DSLR Lenses

And on the Nikon side of things you could get the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 for $399.

This is a great lens too. Very comparable to the Canon L glass. And paired with that D800 you would have a better shooting experience than with the 6D if it fits within your budget.

It's a little harder to find, but you can also get that same Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens for Nikon at around $528 used on Amazon and in the $400 range on KEH and MPB when it is available.

The older and softer Nikkor 28mm f/1.8 is a little more affordable and easier to find.

What if you are not a dentist but are willing to save up for something a little nicer?

Enter the world of...

Mirrorless Camera Systems

Sony currently has my favorite ecosystem of mirrorless cameras and lenses and they are consistently ahead of the other brands as far as technology and features. In fact, many other manufacturers use Sony sensors. They literally supply their competition with their own tech. They are also pretty good about updating firmware—even with older models. So I feel like Sony has a lot of future-proofing advantages over other brands. Sony has a great selection of 3rd party lenses like Sigma, Tamron, Viltrox, Laowa, Samyang, etc. These lenses often have nearly the same optical quality as Sony's G Master lenses at a fraction of the price.

Full Frame Mirrorless

Currently, I think the best value full frame mirrorless camera for landscapes would be the Sony a7R III.

This is very nearly a top-of-the-line landscape camera for a little over $1200.

That might sound like a lot, but I want to be clear...

This isn't just decent. This isn't "good enough." This is a spectacular professional grade full frame camera.

10 years ago you could spend $6500 for a *worse* camera. 5 years ago you could spend $3000 for a *worse* camera.

It can do every genre of photography except for maybe fast paced sports/action. It has an amazing 42 megapixels—which are not necessary but they do make editing and printing a lot less of a headache. The file sizes can get a little big, but storage is a lot cheaper than it used to be.

Oh, and it can be used for professional quality 4K video work too.

The a7R III comes with all of the modern bells and whistles including in-body stabilization (IBIS) so you can handhold at very slow shutter speeds. It has one of the best autofocus systems—complete with eye tracking. But not just human eyes! Dog eyes. Cat eyes. Bird eyes. If it has an eye, the Sony can probably lock focus on it. And it has an admirable 10 fps burst shooting mode.

APS-C Mirrorless

If you want to enter the Sony ecosystem but can't afford full frame quite yet, you could do the a6400 for about $600.

You still get the eye-tracking and the in-body stabilization, but you will lose some image quality at higher ISOs due to the smaller sensor size. However, you can get the same full frame E-mount lenses for it and upgrade to a bigger sensor later on and not have to buy new lenses.

Mirrorless Landscape Lenses

I think a good value landscape lens would be the very impressive Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8.

This is a newer lens so there aren't many deals on used options yet. But this is still a great price for the quality and versatility you get. You will never regret spending a little more on glass.

The 20mm range can fit an entire cityscape in the frame without needing to do a panorama. But if you zoom to 40mm and mount the camera vertically, you could stitch together several photos to get well over the 100 megapixel range.

Also, the 40mm focal range is long enough to do street photography and even head & shoulder portraits. The wide f/2.8 aperture combined with the high-ISO friendly full frame sensor and in-body stabilization means you can shoot in very low light without a tripod. You can also get some great pictures of stars if you travel to someplace with minimal light pollution.

The cheapest landscape zoom lens I could find was the Sony 16-35mm f/4 at $384.

It's one of Sony's older lenses and may not take advantage of all of the a7R III's pixels, but it would be a good option to get you started in this system and upgrade the lens later on.

Mirrorless Prime Lenses

Zoom lenses are great but you have to spend more to get tolerable quality. Kit zooms can be softer than even the tiny plastic lenses on your phone. So a great way to stretch your budget is to get multiple fixed focal length "prime" lenses. Primes can be built inexpensively while still having good low light performance and decent sharpness.

For instance, you could start with something like the Tamron 20mm f/2.8 for $175. And if you want to do more than landscapes you could add the Sony 50mm f/1.8 for $170 later on. Cheap primes will outperform any of those mediocre kit zoom lenses in that same price range. You lose some versatility and have to deal with the pain of changing lenses or zooming with your feet, but sometimes a tight budget demands a little pain.

There is also a higher quality 3rd party wide angle prime lens that is very popular right now. The Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 is only $549 and the reviews say it has similar quality to lenses 3 times its price.

If you have to choose between a better camera body or a better lens, a good lens will help your photos more than a fancy camera body.

Froggie Note: These are examples. You should always do your own research before making a major technological purchase. This post could be a year old by the time you see it and there could be new stuff that is better. But all of the principles I tried to convey should hopefully guide you to a good decision. Also, feel free to message me if you want to ask about specific gear you are considering purchasing.

More Resources

This is my Encyclopedia of Lens Terms which is a helpful primer in understanding all of the wonderful and different lens options available on ILCs.

This is my buying guide for low budget used DSLRs. Similar to this post but less geared toward landscapes.

And this guide for getting decent landscape photos with any camera.

This is a free tutorial that teaches you everything you need to get started with an ILC system.

youtube

And this free tutorial by Karl Taylor is quite good as well.

#photography #long post

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notsogoodphotographer · 1 year ago

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Hi i want to talk about my all time favorite camera 📸

pls ignore all my grammar mistakes, i’m not professional reviewer 😂 i just wanna talk about this camera.

This is the Sony RX1Rii, this is the third and “most recent” version of this camera. i put “most recent” in quotes because this camera is almost 10 years old. don’t like the old age fool you because this camera can keep up with the newest cameras in its niche.

This little point and shoot sports a 42mp full frame sensor. YES, F U L L F R A M E!! This tiny camera is actually smaller than all the x100 series (minus the lens on it). The camera has an incredibly sharp Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f2 glued to. This camera has 399 af points, with eye AF. The camera is incredibly fast and accurate!! the camera is pretty much a tiny packaged Sony A7Rii!

One of my favorite features of this camera is the pop-up EVF! This is a feature that was added to only this version of the camera and it’s a feature that i wish sony continued to incorporate into some of their other smaller cameras like the A7c or a6k series!

The camera does shoot video up to 1080 120fps, but does not have picture profiles such has S-log or HLG. This was a camera made strictly for photos, which is probably for the best because the battery life on this camera is terrible, any kind of prolong video shooting would absolutely burn through these batteries in minutes.

That brings me to my next point, my cons. There’s not many but i figured i’d point them out anyways for those who are interested in this camera. these aren’t make it or break it cons, these are just issues that hinder it from being the greatest camera ever released (IMO)

1) battery life, i believe it’s rated for like 220 shots. Ive definitely gotten it to last twice than that. That tiny body processing all that data on some of the tiniest batteries makes sense why it’s so bad. Luckily batteries are cheap and like i said they’re tiny, so they’re pretty easy to carry around!

2) no picture profiles in video. i know i touched on it briefly up above and this camera is mainly a photo camera AAAAAND hybrid cameras were just beginning to grow in popularity around the time this camera came out but it would’ve been amazing to have s-log in this camera for little snippets here and there. i know at the time IG and other photo sharing apps were mainly photo sharing apps, and a camera that was built strictly for photo has no business having usable picture profiles in video.

3) no crop mode in RAW. this one is weird to me because i know the A7Rii has an APS-C mode where you can shoot RAW photos with an inbody crop and there’s times that i’d love to shoot something at 50mm (35mm + sony’s 1.5x aps-c crop). there is a digital zoom option but that’s for jpg only.

4) PRICE!!!! why the fuck is this camera still being sold for $3200??!! this is a 10 year old camera with outdated tech. i bought mine used for $1900 (which is about the price of the fuji x100V at the time of purchase) and i still think that’s a little too much.

that’s really about it aside from minor complaints of not having tele/ wide converters. i’m also sure all of those cons stem from the small battery. I’d love to see all of these corrected in a Mk3 one day, but as of a couple weeks ago sony just discontinued the Rx1rii’s production. I’m being a little hopeful but maybe that means we’re getting a successor, i doubt it but a boy can dream.

I don’t really do reviews or anything but this camera has had my heart for the past 9 months so i had to show it off/ talk about it. this to me in the perfect everyday camera. it never leaves my side and comes with me to any and every trip! Im always blown away by the photos i create with this little camera and i know whenever a mk3 comes out im going to hop on the chance to buy on immediately!

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sol-consort · 1 year ago

Note

Do you think in reverse, any of the alien races also tried those tips on befriending humans? Aliens bragging online how they totally rizzedd up a human with ridiculous advice, humans are just like "lol silly little guys" and humor it happily.

Are we bringing the "loser high elf with a human obsession" trend in here from my other blog? Because I am fully down to making a loser friendgroup of aliens who are creeps towards humans as much as they are endlessly curious.

And yes, oh definitely yes they are bragging online about tottally rizzing up this new shiny species who stumbled their way into the stars.

A turian posting on his twitter about how he's been assigned with a human in C-SEC, how he has been studying a lot of human rituals by watching Hollywood movies and reading mammal herd behaviours, not realising humans are categorised as predetors.

It's a long thread of him describing his "successful" attempts and encounters with the human.

He followed the human to lunch and made sure to eat next to them since the extranet articles talked about the importance of eating together in human culture.

Except the human was a messy eater and the turian's food ended up getting contaminated, resulting in the turian having a coughing fit, throwing up, passing out and waking up in the emergency care.

A salarian saw this thread and left a very long comment mansplaining human behaviour and how the turian was absolutely wrong and an idiot. The two of them argued back and forth in the comments during the turian's stay in the hospital.

Resulting in the salarian claiming he could befriend a human much faster and easier than the turian's pathetic attempt. Leading the turian to daring him to post it.

So he read any books he could find about human evolution and history. Confident that he could apply them on the next human tour group coming to Sur'kesh.

Human primitives loved climbing trees, correct? And Sur'kesh has lots of trees! Their closest relatives are in apes huh? The salarian knows just what to do with this information.

Imagine with me, you're a human tourist in an alien planet, following the polite salarian guide in the front and taking pictures of the lovely view. You're having a wonderful time.

Then out of nowhere, comes another salarian who stops in front of the whole tour group. The tour guide seems confused and you wonder if this was preplanned or not.

This random salarian begins speaking to the entire group very slowly as he states the fact that there are a lot of trees around here. Asking if anyone would like to join him in climbing one as a mutual show of trust and friendship.

You raise your camera as you watch this salarian who's worked in a bio lab all his life, struggling to climb one tree and very slowly making progress. When he reaches the top, he is reminded of the fact oh, heights and gravity exist, this is so much more terrifying than he thought it would be.

Now he's stuck on the tree, and the salarian tour guide is dialing up security to both come and get him down but also kick him out before he causes a human diplomatic incident.

The salarian's terrified at the top like a scared kitten. You climbed a lot of trees as a kid, and this one isn't even that tall, so you climb up there and offer to carry the salarian down, which he enthusiastically accepts.

Everyone is taking pictures and smiling, the tour guide is relieved that an incident was avoided.

Then the salarian in your arms, reaches into his pocket says he has just the thing to thank you with, kind human.

He takes out. A banana. Offering it to you.

The pictures and videos of him doing that end up on the galactic news the next day, you get word that the human ambassador Udina wants use this incident to demand compensation and sanctions on the salarians offensive gesture to a human tourist. The salarian government is very apologetic and panicking, ready to throw credits at the problem to solve it.

But you post a video on your social media laughing it off and saying it's fine. Putting an end to the incident before it escalates.

An asari sits in her office as she looks over the latest galactic news, the salarian's pathetic attempt at befriending a human that resulted in a diplomatic incident.

She sips on her coffee, a human delicacy, as she finally decides where she wants to spend her once-a-year break.

Booking the nearest ticket to Earth, she thinks, befriending humans cannot be that hard, right?

She has seen many humans in Thessia. She even talked to one once when they asked her for directions! Sure, she never really befriended any before, but they can't be that different from all the other species. After all, an asari can get anyone wrapped around their finger if she tries hard enough.

Landing on Earth, she realises just why it was called the blue planet. The sky is very blue, almost aggressively so and the sun here hurts to look at, unlike the gentle one in Thessia.

There are so many humans around, not a sign of a single alien in sight. All of them walking with a purpose, some taking their animals to a stroll and oh wow that dog is bigger than any varren she has ever seen, how did that human tame it?

Some give her a pacing glance, and others are indifferent to her. She keeps trying to strike up a conversation but everyone just declines and say they're busy or in a hurry.

Strange, the humans on the citadel are much more friendly. An asari could walk up to a group and demand their attention just like that, why are the ones here so different?

Eventually she spots an older woman, ah yes a human Matriarch! Just perfect. She goes to the elder woman sitting on a bench while feeding the pigeons.

The woman smiles, wrinkles in her face from a life full of happiness, greeting the blue lady. The two of them sit together and have a talk, the old woman is very patient and understanding with the asari as she explains that this is just how humans are, how the ones on the citadel are a very select view who are enthusiastic about aliens.

The asair is stunned to learn that this woman is merely 78 years old, yet she holds so much wisdom and charm. They spend the entire day talking and watch the sunset together.

By the end, the old woman apologises for having to leave, saying her grandkids are visiting tonight and she must go back home. But she will be here tomorrow if the asair wants to continue the chat.

Day after day, week after week. The asair keeps meeting up with her snd talking, about nothing and everything, life and its meaning, the sky and its colours, love and its sisters.

The asari asks if the old woman has her spouse in her life still, the old woman smiles, full of melancholy as she shakes her head no.

Reading on human mating rituals, the asari starts bringing the old woman flowers, red in colour and varied in shapes. A box of sweets that the old woman kindly declines because of her blood sugar, yet the asari doesn't give up and comes the next day with a box of dark chocolate.

By the end of the month, the asari brings her final gift to the old woman. A small red box that fits perfectly into her balm. The old woman has to put her glasses back on as the asari opens the box to be able to see what's inside.

Getting on one knee, the asari opens the box to present a shiny ring inside, she asks cautiously if she'd like to come back with her to Thessia to live the rest of their lives together.

The old woman smiles, the asari grew found of her smiles, so gentle and warm. Reaching with her shakey hands, she takes the box and admires the beautiful ring inside. She chuckles with delight at the flattering implication as she puts the ring back in the box and hands it to the asari.

Patting her head, the 78 human woman tells the 600 asari woman to go find a young girl her age to marry. How she basically sees her as a granddaughter.

The asari comes back home with a newfound hatred for Earth, attempting to cope with having her heartbroken by a single human who hasn't passed their first century yet.

#☆salarians #☆humans #☆asari #☆turians #☆fluff #☆galactic species

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spine-buster · 8 months ago

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So High School ft. Adam Cole | Chapter 7

A/N: Back from a little hiatus! Won't be posting every week as work has started up again and chapters need to be written, but this is something I'm determined to finish! Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think :)

It had been almost a month since Violet saw Austin. She’d had an amazing break – a Christmas where she got Starbucks gift cards, a new tennis racquet, a digital camera from her aunt in Toronto, and a white MacBook from her parents to replace her clunky desktop in her room; a New Year’s skiing in Whistler her family; and a flight back to Philadelphia with an email from St. Anne’s to her parents that she had aced all her midterms. Despite all her good fortune, she couldn’t help but be constantly reminded of the last thing that happened between them before she ran off into her house.

The kiss.

Was it a mistake? She wasn’t entirely sure. Most of the time, she didn’t think it was. It was what she wanted to do in that moment. Plus, he had kissed her back. He hadn’t pulled away before her. That must have meant it was what he wanted in that moment too, right? It occupied her mind more than she wanted to admit, and not exactly at the most opportune times, either: during her AP Government midterm when she was trying to remember the specifics of the Bill of Rights; during her AP French midterm when trying to compose a paragraph about the novella they’d read in class; at dinner with her parents at a restaurant in Whistler after a day of skiing.

It wasn’t like they’d gone radio silent, though. They had texted. Violet started it.

[12/25/2006] 10:52am merry christmas 2 u and ur family austin! <3

[12/25/2006] 10:55am

merry christmas 2 u too. hope ur midterms were good

[12/28/2006] 7:24am off 2 whistler 4 me & the fam!

[12/28/2006] 8:01am

have a safe flight

when r u back?

[12/28/2006] 8:05am jan 5

[1/1/2007] 12:05am dunno if u will get this but happy new year! i’m so happy we became friends this year :-)

[1/1/2007] 12:05am

happy new year, vi

dunno if u will get this cuz ur in canada

hope we can spend more time 2gether this year

[1/3/2007] 4:17pm

miss u vi

can’t wait 2 c u when ur back

[1/5/2006] 8:50pm just landed in philly! such a long travel day just got ur texts from the week i missed u 2 i’ll c u monday on the bus right?

[1/5/2007] 8:55pm

welcome back!

i just got ur text too

of course u will

can’t wait

***

Violet was basically vibrating in her seat for how excited she was to see Austin on the bus the first Monday morning back at school. She didn’t even care to get back to St. Anne’s, and that was shocking for her to say, because she genuinely liked school – she only wanted to see him. She wondered if he was as excited to see her as she was to see him.

When he finally climbed on the bus, a smile automatically spread across her face, large and wide and excited. When he got sight of her, an identical smile spread across his face. He rushed over to her, and without knowing what her body was going to do next, she got up from her seat. They hugged each other forcefully, like people who hadn’t seen each other in months or years. “I missed you,” were the first words out of Austin’s mouth.

“I missed you too,” she repeated, pulling away from the hug so they could settle into their usual seats. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. God, he even smelled good. She could smell his cologne even through his coat and layers of clothing. “You have to tell me all about your break. How was it?”

“My break? My break was boring. I stayed home and played video games all day. What about your break? I want to hear all about it.”

Violet couldn’t hold back as she spent the entire bus ride into Lancaster telling Austin all about her break. The flight to Toronto then Vancouver, then the car to Whistler; skiing down Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains day after day; staying at the cutest ski chalet; having dinner at restaurants in the village. Austin ate up every word, barely even blinking as she spoke on and on. He missed the sound of her voice. He missed how glossy her brown hair was. He missed seeing her red nails. He missed everything about her and he was so fucking happy to have her back in Manheim.

Violet kept yapping even as they got off the bus and walked towards Lancaster West. She was telling him some story about almost crashing into some woman while skiing before she stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh my god, I almost forgot! I got you something!” she exclaimed.

“You what?” Austin asked, watching her as she swung her backpack around.

“My mom and I went into this consignment store while we were shopping one day in Whistler, and I saw something that reminded me completely of you—”

“—Vi, what are you even—”

“—And so I just had to buy it! Look!” she exclaimed.

Austin watched as she dug through the small pocket of her backpack, only to pull out action figures, still in their packaging. Except it wasn’t just any old action figures, and it wasn’t just regular packaging – the action figures were of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, two of his favourite wrestlers, and the packaging made it known that they were exclusive Wrestlemania X-7 editions. His favourite wrestlers for his favourite match – the one that really made him want to be a wrestler in the first place. “You didn’t,” he deadpanned, thoroughly shocked.

“I don’t know if I can even call them vintage because they’re only, like, four years old,” she said. “But, well—do you even like Stone Cold and The Rock?”

He couldn’t believe the coincidence. The happenstance. What were the chances? “They’re my favourite. They—Vi—this match at this Wrestlemania is the reason why I even want to become a wrestler.”

Violet’s eyes lit up. “No way!”

“I can’t believe you found something like this!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Austin hugged her. Just wrapped his arms around her quickly, and tightly, and hugged her like she’d just brought him the Holy Grail or something. Physical contact between the two of them in front of Lancaster West. “You’re the best, you know that?” he asked.

“I’m really not. It’s just something that made me think of you. And like, I know how much wrestling means to you.”

Austin didn’t want to pull away from the hug. He didn’t even want to go to school anymore. All he wanted to do was ditch and spend the whole day with Violet. They’d talk all day. He’d talk to her more about pro wrestling and how he envisioned his future. He’d tell her his entire plan. Maybe he’d get to kiss her again. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Violet,” he settled on saying instead.

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. She didn’t pull away.

___

“And next on the announcement docket, Lancaster West will be hosting the regional basketball quarterfinals this Friday after classes as their team faces off against the visitors, Murray High School from Elizabethtown. Students from Lancaster West will be in the cafeteria all this week selling tickets for $10.”

___

“Austin’s friends will be there too, right?” Harper asked.

“We don’t want to be your guys’ third and fourth wheel,” Abigail winked playfully.

“Shut up,” Violet smirked at them. “Yes, his friends will be with us. I think it’ll be really fun. What about our ride after?”

“My cousin says she has no problem driving you back to Manheim if it’s dark cause we decide to do something after. Your parents are allowing you to stay out, right?”

“Curfew’s at midnight.”

___

Violet applied her mascara in one of the girls’ washrooms at St. Anne’s with butterflies in her stomach. Her, Harper, Abigail, and Abigail’s older cousin Serena were getting ready together before walking over to Lancaster West for the basketball game. Austin was going to meet them with his friends before they watched the game. “Does it look good?” she asked, looking at Harper for validation.

Harper stopped applying her lip gloss momentarily. “Looks great, Violet. Makes your eyes pop.”

In grade 9, Harper was the first person to compliment Violet on her heterochromia and how it looked so cool, making her much less self-conscious about it. Since then, she hadn’t worried as much whether people got weirded out by it, and wasn’t as scared to apply makeup that highlighted her eyes. “Thanks. Can I borrow your lip gloss?”

“Trying to look good for Austin?”

“No,” Violet deadpanned, but couldn’t help the smirk that overtook her face. She’d already told Abigail and Harper this past week about the kiss before Christmas Break. They sounded like guinea pigs as they squealed about it, and were totally excited about something, anything happening with Austin since Violet spoke so highly of him. It was a night and day difference compared to what she had to go through before midterms. Thank God she had Abigail and Harper on her side during all of it. “But…is my outfit okay?”

Jeans and a Hollister top – was there anything else teens were wearing? “You look good, don’t worry.”

As Violet took out her digital camera and took a candid photo of everyone in the mirror getting ready, she felt her phone buzz from inside her Coach wristlet in-between her legs. Once she took it out, she saw the text from Austin. R u guys on ur way? gym is already filling up. “Let’s finish up and then let’s go! We’re going to be late!” she announced to everyone.

Only a few minutes later, they had their coats on and were out the door, hurrying towards Lancaster West. There were teachers taking their tickets once they got into the front entrance, and Violet could see Austin waiting with his friends in the foyer. When he saw her, he smiled, and a shiver ran down her spine. The first thing they did when they got close was hug. They were the only two that knew each other, but it was becoming more of an automatic reflex now than an action that required any thought. After Austin made quick introductions to his friends Trevor, Jack, and Connor, they made their way to the makeshift concession stands for some popcorn.

“You look really nice by the way,” Austin said to her quietly as they stood in line with so many other students. Abigail, Harper, and Serena were already in conversation with Trevor, Jack, and Connor since Serena was wearing a Fall Out Boy tee, so Austin felt it was a good opportunity to say it now.

“Thanks,” Violet couldn’t help but blush. “You think it’ll be packed in there?”

“Oh God yeah. Basically our whole school is here.”

A small part of her wondered if they’d see Beth. She knew a lot of girls were at the game too, because St. Anne’s girls went to school events for any school where there were boys. She almost wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to know the answer. She stayed silent as Austin ordered popcorns for everyone, but she swept in and paid for them before he could reach for his wallet since he bought the St. Anne’s girls their tickets. She made sure to take out her digital camera to take pictures and document the night – everybody hammed it up for the camera, which was amazing and made for some great photos. When they made their way into the gym, Violet was shocked by how packed it was, and how loud it was. They climbed the bleacher stairs and almost reached the top until Connor saw some of their other friends and made everybody scoot their way in. There were so many people already that everything was tight. And, well, Austin wanted to make sure Violet didn’t slip or trip or fall, so he placed his hands on her hips as they wiggled their way through, leading the way. When he saw her trying to hide her smile, he knew he’d done the right thing. Violet gave her camera to someone who took a few great group shots of them, and when she looked at them on her camera’s screen, all she could look at was Austin’s smile and his arm around her waist.

There was so much energy in the room when the basketball teams came out, but there was more energy between Austin and Violet that either thought possible. They were loud and screaming during the first and second quarter, with every basket garnering cheers from the crowd. But then Violet would brush up against him. Or their hands would touch as they raised in the air after a three-pointer. Or she’d lose her balance on the bleachers and he’d have to put his hands on her waist to keep her steady. A smile would appear on her face, and then a smile would appear on his face, and it was like everything was meant to be; like they weren’t supposed to be anywhere else besides Lancaster West High on a Friday night cheering on a basketball team in the regional quarter finals.

During the half-time, the gym was still buzzing but everybody was moving around, rushing to the bathroom or going to get more popcorn. Austin could see a lot of his teachers around, and some even brought their spouses or kids. Harper and Jack had escaped to “go get some more popcorn”. Abigail and Serena had seen some other girls from St. Anne’s and went to talk to them, and Trevor and Connor followed them like puppies. Violet was talking to him about what they could do after the game.

And then Austin saw her. Beth.

She was staring directly at him and it almost instantly made him feel unsettled. But then he realized she wasn’t actually staring at him, more so that she was staring at Violet, which only made him more unsettled.

“—Anyway, all I know is we can’t go to Livvy Eaton’s party.”

“Why not?” he asked, focusing his attention back on her.

“I know Beth will be there,” Violet revealed. “I really don’t want to see her. I know she’s here tonight and I’m happy I haven’t caught her yet.”

“Don’t worry about her,” Austin said. “She’s just jealous of you.”

“I’ve managed to avoid her at school all week,” she said. “Has she—has she still been texting you?”

“I don’t know. Jack showed me how to block her number. But even if he hadn’t I’d just be ignoring her.”

“You mean you don’t want the ego boost of a constant barrage of texts to hook up with you?” Violet joked.

“No,” his tone was serious but he said it with a small smile, “I have everything I want right here.”

Violet stopped. Her smile left her face once she heard the words, but upon her actual understanding of what he was saying, she smiled again.

He didn’t ask. Maybe he should have but he didn’t. But as they sat on the bleachers waiting for the second half of the game to start, he kissed her. It was quick, just like last time, but it was the same as the kiss before Christmas: the other responded, which meant the other wanted it too. Now they each had one kiss to their name. When he pulled away, Violet was already smiling. “Was that okay?” he asked.

Violet had been rendered speechless. All she could do was nod.

With little warning, Abigail and Serena came back. Harper and Jack came back and Harper asked to borrow Violet’s lip gloss. The timer expired and both teams made their way back onto the court, with the crowd going wild when the Lancaster West boys came out. The gym was just as loud as it was in the first half after every basket made. Violet would still brush up against him. Their hands would still touch as they raised them in the air after a three-pointer. The giant crowd would stomp their feet to intimidate the Elizabethtown players during free throws and it was so forceful it would shake the bleachers. Violet would get nervous and lose her balance but Austin was always there with his hands on her hips to steady her. He’d leave them there a couple seconds too long. Eventually, they stayed there. A giant smile was on Violet’s face the entire time, and a giant smile was on his face the entire time, and when it was all said and done, Lancaster West High beat Elizabethtown Central 78-70.

***

The group didn’t end up going to any St. Anne’s party – Connor was able to wiggle his (and their) way in to the party with the basketball team, at the point guard’s house in Lititz. It was a bit crazy considering the big win, but everybody was having fun and getting along. Josephine Kominsky made it to the party, along with some other girls Violet got along with (who wouldn’t want to be partying with the winning team?), and Beth wasn’t in sight, so she was happy. She appointed herself to be the official photographer and got so many good shots of everyone. But the best ones she got were of her and Austin, who only left her side to get her drinks. They were much more touchy-feely than before, than even the game. Harper and Abigail got along great with Austin, which made Violet even happier. They talked and joked for so much of the party, despite her and Austin not being able to stop being close and touching one another.

Inevitably, part of the conversation shifted to college talk. Now that they’d gotten their midterms, their guidance counselors had been setting up appointments all week to speak about colleges and programs in preparation for next year. Violet explained how her guidance counselor called her in to confirm her UPenn, Georgetown, or Boston University for speech language therapy.

“Does Lancaster West do that, too?” Abigail asked innocently.

Austin and Connor both chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve seen my guidance counselor since the first few weeks of freshman year,” Austin revealed.

“And the only reason I see mine is because he’s also the baseball coach,” Connor added. “He can brag that he’s trying to get me a scholarship to Temple for it.”

“Ours have, like, lists of colleges, programs, residences, scholarships – oh my God, and we can’t forget alumni – everything in these binders and on their computers,” Abigail went on.

“So what would yours say?” Connor asked.

“Bryn Mawr for pre-med.”

“That’s it?”

“I’m a legacy there, so yeah,” she chuckled. Life was so easy when you were a legacy. “What would yours say?”

“Temple or Penn State. Baseball scholarship. Economics. You?” he nodded towards Harper.

“UPenn, NYU, or Brown for pre-law,” Harper revealed. “You?” she nodded towards Austin.

Violet held her breath slightly. She knew he didn’t want a lot of people knowing about the pro-wrestling ambitions. It was a very personal thing for him. That’s why she was shocked as ever when all he responded with was, “Pro wrestling.”

She watched as Abigail and Harper furrowed their brows in confusion. “You mean like Olympic wrestling?” Abigail asked.

Leave it to Abigail to have the exact same reaction that Violet did in Francesco’s when Austin first told her. Violet couldn’t hold in her smile, especially after the quick eye contact Austin made with her. St. Anne’s girls were so alike. “No, not Olympic wrestling,” Austin clarified. “Pro wrestling. Like the kind on TV.”

He was displaying confidence on the outside, but on the inside, Austin was scared as hell. He’d just revealed one of his biggest secrets – one that was very, very much out of the ordinary for so many of his friends who were thinking about college, let alone private school girls whose only option it was to go to college. Not to mention that Harper and Abigail were Violet’s best friends. He wanted to impress them, he really did, because he knew how girls worked. If they didn’t like him or thought he was a dud, they’d let Violet know about it.

When it clicked for the girls what he meant, both their jaws dropped. “No. Fucking. Way,” Harper deadpanned.

“That is sooooo awesome!” Abigail followed up.

Austin let out the breath he was holding. So did Violet. She knew the girls would be like her, and have a similar reaction as when she was told, but it was still a big moment. “You’re gonna be on TV?!” Harper asked.

“That’s the dream,” Austin smiled. “There’s a lot of training involved first, but—”

“That is honestly the coolest thing I’ve ever heard,” Abigail interrupted innocently, looking to Violet. “Seriously! How many people can say they know a famous pro wrestler? How many people can say they know someone on TV?!”

Harper went on and on about how much her younger brothers loved wrestling. Abigail asked Austin all about the wrestling team at Lancaster West and if that was good training for what he would have to do on TV one day. They were so incredibly genuine, Violet wanted to cry. Instead, she smiled the entire time – smiled as Austin nodded along to all the pro wrestlers Harper could name thanks to her brothers, smiled as Austin answered all of Abigail’s questions, smiled as she could see the twinkle in his eye as he knew he was winning them over by just being himself.

***

Since Lititz was only a ten minute drive to Manheim, the group stayed extra late before Violet, Austin, Connor, and Serena piled into Serena’s car to get home for curfew. Serena dropped Connor off first, then asked Austin where he lived.

“Serena, can you actually go to The Berries first?” Violet asked.

“I thought you lived in The Berries,” Serena furrowed her brows from the driver’s seat.

“I do. Can you just drop us both off at the corner?”

Violet could see Serena smirk. “As long as you promise me you won’t get your tongues frozen on a pole. I don’t want a lawsuit.”

Serena did as she was told. Austin didn’t really know why Violet had requested it, but he had a hunch. “I never thought I’d be able to get three St. Anne’s girls excited about pro-wrestling,” he joked as he watched Violet watch Serena drive down the street.

When Serena’s car was out of sight, Violet turned towards Austin. She had a look in her eyes he could see right away. It took maybe half a second for her to get close to him. No words were said, because both knew what was going to happen. Each had one kiss, so now both had to get another. They were standing under a streetlight.

When they kissed each other, Austin knew he hadn’t felt anything like this before. He’d kissed other girls, sure, but none of them could hold a candle to what he was currently feeling kissing Violet in the middle of winter under a streetlight in Manheim. Violet, too, hadn’t felt anything like this before. She’d kissed other boys, sure, but none of them could even compare to what she was currently feeling as she kissed Austin at the corner of her street under a streetlight in their small town. A part of her thought she was in a movie; that this wasn’t her life and that maybe it was somebody else’s. But when he kept kissing her, and she kept kissing him, she realized that yes, this was her life. It wasn’t just a single kiss anymore, given before midterms or during the intermission of a high school basketball game. There were many kisses now, big and small and everything in between, kiss after kiss after kiss as she felt Austin’s hands on her waist through her coat, pulling her closer to him.

Neither of them knew how long they’d been kissing for, but when they finally pulled away, it was only so they could catch their breath. Violet looked into Austin’s blue eyes, their breath visible in the crisp night air. “That was okay, right?” she asked.

“God yeah,” he responded. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his admission. “Don’t say a word.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

“Our secret?”

“Our secret.”

Austin was about to go in for another kiss when an alarm started going off on Violet’s BlackBerry Pearl. Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. I gotta go. That’s my two minute warning.”

“Violet—”

“—I’ve gotta go—”

“Vi—”

She had wiggled out from his grasp. He was desperate for one more kiss, but she was already down the street. “Safe run home!” she called back to him without stopping.

He stood under the streetlight, dumbstruck.

***

Austin was already in his hospital gown and gurney, trying not to pay attention to the work around him that the nurses and others were doing to prep the surgery. Violet was still beside him, holding his hands. “It’ll just be a few more moments, Mr. Jenkins,” one of them said.

“Take all the time you need,” he said. He was scheduled for a 9:00am surgery and it was still only 8:45.

He could feel Violet squeeze his hand. “Don’t be nervous,” she whispered. “It’s going to be fine and—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door to the room opened and Dr. Bridges walked through. “It’s time, Austin.”

Austin looked over to Violet. “I’m gonna be in the waiting room,” she whispered.

“I love you.”

She leaned down to kiss him. “No matter how much I say I love you, I always love you more than that,” she said before standing up, making eye contact with Dr. Bridgers. “Take good care of him.”

“Oh, I will.”

“You don’t want to have to answer to her. Trust me,” Austin quipped as he was pushed out of the room. “She’ll get ya.”

Violet made her way to a seat in the waiting room, one close to an outlet. She opened her messages app and began composing a message about him being in surgery to the most important people: his parents. His brother. Her parents. Kyle. Chris. Kenny and Hazel. The Massies. Harper. Abigail.

And now, she waited.

#adam cole #adam cole imagine #adam cole fic #adam cole fan fic #adam cole fanfic #aew #aew imagine #aew fic #aew fan fic #aew fanfic #wwe #wwe imagine #wwe fic #wwe fan fic #wwe fanfic #so high school series

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which-item-poll · 1 year ago

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Website is in the tags!

#zoom in to see the specs #which item poll #pc #camera #photography #photographer #camera stuff #electronics #polls #poll game #random polls #poll blog #gimmick blog #amazon

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digitaldetoxworld · 4 months ago

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Best DSLR Cameras for Professional & Beginner Photographers

If you're serious approximately images, investing in a incredible DSLR camera can extensively enhance your competencies and image great. DSLR cameras provide versatility, higher picture sensors, interchangeable lenses, and manual manipulate over settings. Whether you're a newbie or a professional, there may be a DSLR camera that suits your needs. In this guide, we will discover some of the great DSLR cameras to be had today, thinking about elements like performance, functions, and rate.

Best budget DSLR cameras for photography enthusiasts

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Why Choose It?

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is an tremendous choice for expert photographers who call for high resolution, surprising low-light performance, and rapid autofocus.

Key Features:

Sensor: 30.4MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor

Autofocus: Dual Pixel CMOS AF with sixty one-point AF system

ISO Range: 100-32,000 (expandable to 50-102,400)

Burst Shooting: 7 fps

Video: 4K video recording

Connectivity: Built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC

Pros:

✔ High picture resolution and element

✔ Excellent autofocus and occasional-mild overall performance

✔ Great dynamic variety

✔ 4K video functionality

Cons:

✖ Expensive

✖ Heavy body

✖ Crop element in 4K video mode

2. Nikon D850

Why Choose It?

The Nikon D850 is an extremely good all-rounder, offering a excessive-decision sensor, speedy capturing velocity, and brilliant dynamic range, making it best for both landscapes and action photography.

Key Features:

Sensor: forty five.7MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Sensor

Autofocus: 153-factor AF system

ISO Range: 64-25,six hundred (expandable to 32-102,four hundred)

Burst Shooting: 9 fps

Video: 4K UHD recording at 30 fps

Connectivity: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Pros:

✔ Exceptional picture satisfactory and sharpness

✔ Long battery life

✔ Fast and accurate autofocus

✔ High ISO overall performance

Cons:

✖ No built-in flash

✖ Large and heavy

✖ High price tag

3. Canon EOS 90D

Why Choose It?

For those who want a flexible APS-C DSLR with high-pace overall performance, the Canon EOS 90D is a first rate choice, mainly for flora and fauna and sports activities images.

Key Features:

Sensor: 32.5MP APS-C CMOS Sensor

Autofocus: 45-factor all-go-type AF machine

ISO Range: one hundred-25,600

Burst Shooting: 10 fps

Video: 4K UHD without crop

Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Pros:

✔ Excellent decision for an APS-C sensor

✔ Fast and reliable autofocus

✔ Great battery life

✔ Uncropped 4K video recording

Cons:

✖ No in-frame stabilization

✖ Limited dynamic range in comparison to full-frame cameras

four. Nikon D7500

Why Choose It?

The Nikon D7500 is a first-rate mid-range DSLR with superb photo pleasant, proper autofocus, and sturdy battery life, making it ideal for lovers.

Key Features:

Sensor: 20.9MP APS-C CMOS Sensor

Autofocus: fifty one-factor AF system

ISO Range: one hundred-51,2 hundred (expandable to 50-1,640,000)

Burst Shooting: eight fps

Video: 4K UHD at 30 fps

Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Pros:

✔ Great low-light overall performance

✔ Fast and accurate autofocus

✔ Lightweight for a DSLR

✔ Good battery life

Cons:

✖ Only one SD card slot

✖ No vertical grip choice

five. Canon EOS Rebel T8i (850D)

Why Choose It?

For beginners looking for an affordable but characteristic-packed DSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T8i is an extremely good entry-stage choice.

Key Features:

Sensor: 24.1MP APS-C CMOS Sensor

Autofocus: 45-factor all-cross-kind AF machine

ISO Range: one hundred-25,600

Burst Shooting: 7 fps

Video: 4K at 24 fps

Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Pros:

✔ Affordable fee

✔ Easy-to-use controls

✔ Good autofocus for an access-degree DSLR

✔ Vari-attitude touchscreen

Cons:

✖ Limited dynamic range

✖ No in-frame stabilization

✖ Slow burst price in comparison to higher-quit models

6. Pentax K-1 Mark II

Why Choose It?

The Pentax K-1 Mark II is a unique full-frame DSLR that gives climate-sealed construction and built-in stabilization, making it ideal for out of doors photographers.

Key Features:

Sensor: 36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor

Autofocus: 33-point SAFOX 12 AF system

ISO Range: a hundred-819,2 hundred

Burst Shooting: four.Four fps

Video: Full HD 1080p at 30 fps

Connectivity: Wi-Fi and GPS

Pros:

✔ Excellent build nice with climate sealing

✔ In-body stabilization (uncommon for DSLRs)

✔ High ISO variety for low-mild images

✔ Unique AstroTracer function for night time sky pictures

Cons:

✖ Slower autofocus as compared to competitors

✖ Limited lens selection

✖ Lower video satisfactory than competitors

Choosing the Right DSLR for Your Needs

For Professionals: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV or Nikon D850 are first-rate picks.

For Enthusiasts: Nikon D7500 or Canon EOS 90D gives first rate balance in charge and capabilities.

For Beginners: Canon EOS Rebel T8i is a splendid entry-level digital camera.

For Outdoor and Adventure Photography: Pentax K-1 Mark II with its rugged frame and stabilization is good.

#Best budget DSLR cameras for photography enthusiasts #passion #motivational #wildlife photography

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canandroidsdream · 2 months ago

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modern camera gearheads are insane if they think buying multiple lenses to "compliment" each other is a reason to buy a given lens for AT LEAST $500 used. i knew photography was an expensive hobby and compared to film cost+dev alone ive already far out paced my costs with my current (very budget) set up but god damn.

i have been running three manual lenses for a year (now four) and looking into a zoom lens or even just a prime with AF is crazy. not to mention that most of these lenses are full frame and im only shooting APS-C so I'm getting more glass than i need...

#photography #lapse in code

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andmaybegayer · 1 year ago

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new camera (Canon R6) is a colossal upgrade, to the point where the way you are meant to use it is completely different from my old mid-range DSLR. Went out to do some photography in the park and I am going to have to spend a while fidgeting with the settings so that I can switch between the useful options faster. Menuing in higher end cameras has always been a big deal and I've used high-end cameras briefly but never for long enough to see how much.

It is really nice to use a piece of equipment that is this well made. My old 600D was a "nice beginner camera" when it came out in 2011. The R6 is a professional full-frame optimized for serious work. You actually have enough dials to realistically run full manual under pressure! You have enough focus points that moving them around actually makes sense! To say absolutely nothing of the huge leaps in image processing that have happened in the decade between these two cameras.

I'm adapting my old 24-105 f/4 lens, which is even older than the 600D but optics age better than bodies, it feels great to finally use all of this lens. On APS-C it gets seriously cropped to the point where it can feel kind of awkward, on full-frame you can really see why everyone loves it so much.

I still need some time to get used to the controls, a lot of these were shot with far too slow a shutter speed because I was not quick on the ISO draw. It'll get there.

#my photograpy #canon R6 #prague #grebovka park

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sloggervlogger · 5 months ago

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sirfrogsworth · 1 year ago

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Landscape Photo Recipe (Redux)

@ameliablair asked: I just bought my first non-phone camera (Canon PowerShot SX70 HS). I travel a lot and want to take great photos of the landscapes I see. What would you recommend for someone who is essentially a novice? So far I've been afraid to change the settings from "auto" but I want to use the full capabilities of this camera!

__________________________

This is the very first time I have presented this information. There was definitely not another post where I screwed up and gave bad advice.

Nope.

Didn't happen.

This post is basically just reformatted and corrected but there are a few "Note from Froggie" sections with updated info. I promise this is the final final final version.jpg of this post.

Okay, I am going start with a simple recipe for setting up your camera to take landscape photos. This will get you decent results 80-90% of the time unless you are in very challenging lighting circumstances. So, either a very dark area or an area that has very dark spots and very bright spots at the same time.

First, you will need to figure out the size of your sensor. This can usually be found by googling the model of your camera and adding "sensor size" to the search. If you are using a smartphone you can skip this step.

(The PowerShot SX70 HS has a 1/2.3" sensor size.)

I'm going to create 3 different recipes. Match your sensor size with the appropriate one.

Large sensors. (APS-C/Full Frame) Medium sensors. (Micro 4/3 or MFT or 4/3") Small sensors and smartphones. (1" or smaller)

Large recipe...

Put camera on tripod or stable surface.

Set timer to a delay of 1 second.

Put camera in Av or Aperture Priority Mode.

Set f-stop to f/8 or f/11. (Test both.)

Set ISO to lowest setting. (Usually 100.)

Let the camera decide the shutter speed automatically.

Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing.

Press the button, stand back, and let the camera take the shot.

Medium recipe...

Put camera on tripod or stable surface.

Set timer to a delay of 1 second.

Put camera in Av or Aperture Priority Mode.

Set f-stop to f/5.6 or f/8. (Test both)

Set ISO to lowest setting. (Usually 100.)

Let the camera decide the shutter speed automatically.

Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing.

Press the button, stand back, and let the camera take the shot.

Small recipe...

Put camera on tripod or stable surface.

Set timer to a delay of 1 second.

Put camera in Av or Aperture Priority Mode.

Set f-stop to the widest setting. (Lowest f-stop number)

Set ISO to lowest setting. (Usually 100.)

Let the camera decide the shutter speed automatically.

Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing.

Press the button, stand back, and let the camera take the shot.

So for the PowerShot mentioned, if you are zoomed all the way out, you would set the f-stop to f/3.4. If you are zoomed all the way in, it would be f/6.5. Basically just keep lowering the f-stop until it won't budge any lower.

Let's quickly go over these settings and get an understanding of why they work so well for landscapes.

Why a tripod?

For landscapes you want to have great detail and low noise in the photos. So you have to shoot at a very low ISO to avoid noise. But if you don't have a lot of light, the shutter speed could get very slow. If you don't put the camera on a tripod, the slow shutter speed will cause motion blur.

Note from Froggie: I just learned the PowerShot has optical image stabilization of 5.5 stops (which is great!). It's possible you may be able to take some photos without a tripod, but a tripod will *guarantee* sharp photos. I would say if it is fairly sunny, you can avoid the tripod. That said, sometimes stabilization can do funky things when a camera is on a tripod. So I would recommend turning off IS when on a tripod. But do your best to remember to turn it back on.

Why the 1 second timer?

Any movement could introduce motion blur into your photo—even the action of pressing the shutter button. Setting a delay allows the camera to be perfectly still. A shutter remote trigger works as well.

Why Aperture Priority Mode (Av)?

This is a semi-auto mode that allows you to set the aperture but then the camera will decide the shutter speed for you.

Why f/11? (for large sensors)

Unlike portraits where blurring out the background can create separation of your subject, landscapes are all about detail and capturing everything in front of you. A wide aperture (low f-stop number) will have a shallow depth of field, meaning only a small sliver of your photo will be in focus. A narrow aperture (high f-stop number) will have a very deep depth of field.

However, you don't want to choose an aperture that is too small, like f/16 or f/22 unless you really need an extra long exposure. Once you get past f/11 something called "diffraction" starts to blur the image and cause you to lose detail. Camera lenses tend to be their sharpest somewhere between f/5 and f/11.

f/11 is a pretty safe aperture that will most likely get your entire landscape in focus, be in the sharpest range of your lens, and avoid the diffraction blurring.

But it might also be worth taking shots at f/5 and f/8 and see how your camera and lens perform at those settings. And if there is something in your photo that is super close to you and you are worried it may not be in focus, taking safety shots at f/16 and f/22 is fine. A slight blurring might be preferable to something being out of focus. ALWAYS TAKE SAFETY SHOTS!

But usually f/8 or f/11 is the sweet spot and will get you the results you are seeking.

Why don't I use f/11 on a smaller sensor?

Physics!

Smaller sensors already have a very deep depth of field so everything will pretty much be in focus in most landscape shots. It's one less thing you have to think about, so that is nice. If you want a detail explanation you can read the rest of this section. Otherwise, feel free to skip to the next question.

There is a concept called "crop factor" which can help explain how a lens and sensor will behave compared to a Full Frame camera. This is called the "35mm Equivalent" due to a full frame sensor being modeled after a 35mm piece of film.

The PowerShot has a crop factor of 5.5x because it is 5.5 times smaller than a full frame sensor. Which means the depth of field and field of view would behave the same as a full frame camera if you multiply the focal length and aperture by 5.5x.

The PowerShot's minimum focal length is *technically* 3.8mm. But we don't know how wide that field of view is without a reference. So we convert it to a 35mm full frame sensor by multiplying by 5.5x and we get 21mm.

21mm on a full frame camera is typically considered wide angle. Wide angle just means you can fit more stuff in your frame. So at that focal length you can fit a bunch of stuff in your photo.

The PowerShot's maximum focal range is 247mm. If you multiply that by 5.5x, you get a whopping 1365mm! (Actually you don't, so there must be some other variable in the lens design that affects the number, but... close enough!)

1365mm is really really telephoto. Like, you can take photos of the moon with that. On a full frame camera you would need to spend $20,000 to get a telephoto lens with that much zoom. Which is a fun advantage to having a smaller sensor, but you definitely need to use a tripod to get clean shots at that focal range.

You also need to multiply the aperture to figure out the depth of field. The minimum aperture on the Powershot is f/3.4. Due to my brain not mathing very well in my head, I cheated and used this great crop factor calculator to figure out the 35mm equivalent.

So the PowerShot's minimum aperture would have the same depth of field as f/19.18 on a full frame camera. Which is way beyond f/11, so unless you want to do a long exposure photo of a waterfall or clouds or something, you can just leave the camera on it's lowest f-stop number and be assured everything will be in focus.

Also, the PowerShot has a "variable aperture" which means the minimum aperture changes as you zoom in. So if you end up zooming all the way to 247mm (1356mm), your aperture will automatically change to f/6.5. This will expand your depth of field even more.

So at max zoom, you'll have an f-sop of f/36. Which means you are going to need a lot of light to get usable images when zoomed in that much. Again, a tripod will allow you to achieve that.

Why ISO 100 (or lowest ISO available)?

Some cameras have the ISO set to automatic. You may need to check your manual or a tutorial to learn how to adjust it manually. But if you have a tripod, you can set it to 100 and keep it there. Just remember to put it back on auto when you aren't using a tripod.

ISO is like the volume knob on a stereo. If you put your ear next to a speaker when no music is playing you can usually hear a faint white noise. That is always there in everything you play. And as you turn up the volume, that noise floor gets louder and louder. And if you turn up the volume too much, that noise can cause distortion and poor audio quality.

There is noise in every digital photo. And the lower you keep the ISO, the less noticeable that noise is. But if you do not have a ton of light, it can be very difficult to keep the noise low without a long shutter speed and a tripod.

Why an automatic shutter speed?

Not using a full manual mode is fine. There are some old school photographers that believe you need to dial in every setting yourself. But camera metering systems are very good these days and may be better at judging exposure than you are.

That said, it might be worth learning how your "exposure compensation" feature works on your specific camera. This will allow you to raise or lower the exposure quickly if you think the camera didn't judge the scene properly.

So if you think the image is too bright, lower the exposure compensation a few clicks and see what you think. You have plenty of room on your memory card to take safety shots.

Why focus 1/3 of the way into the frame?

The point of focus will have an area in front and behind that will also be in focus. That is your depth of field. When you are fairly close to your subject, that depth of field is symmetrical. 50% of the depth of field will be in front of your subject and 50% will be behind your subject. I'll use this thing I made for another post to visualize.

The subject would be the baby's eye in this case. That is the point of focus and the area in front and behind is the depth of field.

But as you get farther away from your subject that ratio becomes asymmetrical. More area behind the point of focus will be in focus than in front.

There are actually apps and websites that help you calculate this ratio, but as a general rule of thumb for landscapes, most photographers will assess the farthest thing and the closest thing and choose a focus point at about 1/3 the distance between them.

So in this photo the mountains are the farthest thing and the road is the closest thing. If you divide that area into thirds and focus around 1/3, you will probably get everything you want in focus.

You don't have to get too precious about this unless you are shooting at very wide apertures (low f-stop number like f/4 and below). At f/8 and above, at these distances, it's actually difficult to *not* get everything in focus.

The only thing that can make landscape focusing a bit more challenging is if you want something very close in the foreground in focus. Like a cool rock or a statue or a person. In that case, I would take several photos and focus on a few different spots ranging from near to far away as a safety precaution.

Hopefully all of that gave you some context for all of my suggested settings.

But these settings are not magic. There are a few other variables to consider when trying to achieve a cool landscape photos.

First, the good news. If it is a bright sunny day, you can use this recipe without the tripod. Your shutter speed will be fast enough not to introduce motion blur into your images.

Now the bad news... don't take landscape photos during a bright sunny day unless you want to make a default Windows background.

Bright sunny days are often very challenging to make interesting photos. I'm not saying it cannot be done, but it requires a pretty stunning scene to make work. Yes, blue skies are beautiful, but they don't always make the most compelling photographs.

You already have settings that will work most of the time. You have the technical ingredients, but you need a few artistic ones to finish the recipe...

A stunning vista. Good composition. Interesting light.

Finding a cool location is usually just a matter of google or exploration.

Good composition comes with learning and experience.

And interesting light requires patience.

Sunrise, sunset, blue hour, and night time are all great times to find great light. Sometimes an overcast day with thick clouds can be more interesting than a sunny day. You may have to revisit a scene several times to find the best conditions for a cool photo. But during these times you're probably going to need that tripod I mentioned. When there is less available light, your shutter speed will be slower, and without a tripod things could get blurry.

If you don't have a tripod and there isn't a lot of light, you will need to know the reciprocal rule to make sure your shots turn out okay. The reciprocal rule tells you the slowest shutter speed you can use without introducing motion blur.

Your lens has a focal length expressed in millimeters. The reciprocal rule states that you should set the shutter speed to 1/focal length. So if your lens is a 50mm, you want your shutter speed to be no slower than 1/50.

The Powershot mentioned in this question has a focal range of 21-1365mm. So all the way zoomed out, you would not want to set the shutter speed slower than 1/20. And all the way zoomed in you probably want to shoot for 1/1200 or 1/1400. Although you can probably get away with 1/500 if you have steady hands.

Note from Froggie: The reciprocal rule changes a bit if you have some sort of image stabilization. Due to a brain fart, I did not notice the PowerShot had this feature. The image stabilization adds 5.5 stops to the reciprocal rule when it is activated. So, if you are shooting at 1365mm, the nearest shutter speed would be 1/1400. You can divide 1400 by 5.5 to figure out the slowest shutter speed.

That means, you can *theoretically* shoot at max zoom with a shutter speed of 1/250 without motion blur.

Also, if there is anything physically moving in your photo, it could have a motion trail at slower shutter speeds. Sometimes this is a cool effect that can make cars and people look ghostly. Depending on how fast things are moving, these motion trails can start around 1/50 shutter speed.

So, if you are in low light and you don't have a tripod, here is the new recipe...

Put camera in Tv or Shutter Priority Mode. Set f-stop as wide as it will go (lowest f-stop number). Set ISO to AUTO. Without IS: Set the shutter speed to 1 over focal length. (eg 1/20) With IS: Set shutter speed to 1 over focal length ÷ stops of stabilization. (eg 1/(20÷5) = 1/4) Focus 1/3 of the way into your framing. Press the button.

This might result in noisy photos. That is the compromise you'll have to make. But there are some great denoise features in image editing software now that can help.

That brings me to my final tip... editing landscapes will always make them better. It is very difficult to balance the dynamic range (the range of the brightest thing and darkest thing) without processing your images. This will be even easier if you shoot in RAW mode. But you can still edit JPEGs as well.

Lightroom is currently the best software for processing photography. But there are other options that do a great job as well, including a few free ones. But I'm afraid you'll have to do some googling for that, as I am not current on the best applications other than Lightroom.

Knowledge more than anything will help you improve your photography. You can take amazing photos with a Powershot or a smartphone or a $200 DSLR. You just need to understand the fundamentals.

I highly recommend checking out this free photography course. Tony will help you understand all of this on a deeper level and you can watch it in the span of a weekend.

I hope all of that was helpful. Feel free to ask questions if you have trouble.

Oh, and if you need a cheap tripod, this Amazon Basics one is only $20. It is light and easy to carry around, but it probably won't hold up to much abuse. That said, it's a great place to start and once you gain more experience you can upgrade to something nicer later on.

#long post

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