Photography Gear Reviews

Photo and Video Editing Setup with the iMac Pro

We take a look at what’s in my photography and video editing setup for 2018. It includes the iMac Pro with an amazing 10 cores to take productivity and creativity to the next level.

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A really important part of any photo editing setup is your workspace. This has nothing to do with size but having a place to sit, edit and to be comfortable is going to let you be more creative and productive whatever level you are at. In the past, my spaces have been the corner of a room, I had a full blown home studio in the last place and now that the kids need more space I have this office. I am really happy with it. I have worked hard to get it right, I’ve got a new desk and it feels productive.

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, on top of all this, I had been maintaining a part time job to give the family a bit of security. About 3 weeks ago I quit that part time job so I am now full time at this……whatever this is…….photographer, filmmaker, youtuber. I’m going to be doing lots of different things, both on and off this channel but virtually all of it with be around photo and video production.

So right at the centre of my new setup is a new iMac Pro. The workhorse that is going to be pumping out content on a daily basis. It’s a stunning machine…..frighteningly expensive but I have invested back into all of this so I have a machine that will speed up everything I do. No more waiting for Lightroom and Premiere Pro to catch up. It is expensive but I recently sold my 2009 iMac for £500 after I bought it for £1500 nearly ten years ago. If I get the same kind of value out of this machine then it will have been well worth it.

I’ve then got the iMac driving this second monitor. This is the Viewsonic VP2785. It’s designed for photographers and covers 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space and comes colour calibrated straight from the factory. It’s a stunning monitor that will act as my main editing screen for photos and also the play window when editing video.

Next up I have storage. The iMac has a built in 1TB SSD which is very very fast but is by no means big enough to store all my image and video files. So for that I have this Drobo 5D3 that connects via thunderbolt. It’s fast, it currently has an 18TB capacity and it should keep me going for at least the next couple of years as I add in extra drives when required.

Since this is now my livelihood I have invested in a battery backup. Just after moving in we had a few issues with the power repeatedly going off. I thought at one point I had lost everything off the Drobo which would have been annoying restoring everything from backups. I managed to get it going again but it’s not a problem I want to face again. Now if the power goes off the battery kicks in an keeps me going for another hour or so giving me the chance to shut down safely.

Next is the printer. The beautiful Canon Pro 10s. I’ll be doing a video about printing in the next few weeks so we’ll discuss that a bit more then.

Post processing wise I am using Adobe Lightroom. I use this for virtually all my editing these days and am going into Photoshop less and less. I use Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing and I just love the Adobe package. It works seamlessly across all your devices and just keeps you productive.

Canon 6D Mark II Real world Review

I review the Canon 6D Mark II DSLR camera and head to the Lake District to put it through it’s paces from a landscape photography perspective.

If you have seen my camera reviews before you will know I am not interested in repeating all the specs and obvious elements. I want to get the camera out into the real world and use it exactly like a photographer would. In the video we look at the abilities of the camera mostly from a landscape photography perspective when we headed to Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District.

Canon 6D Mark II Review-2.jpg

Full Frame Sensor

The whole point of the Canon 6D Mark II is the entry into using a full frame sensor. This has a number of advantages. It usually includes improved dynamic range (not so much in this case - read on), better low light ability and least obviously - the potential to use better glass, particularly at the wide end. High end lenses like the Canon 16-35mm L are perfect for landscape photography and on a full frame camera you get the full 16mm wide end coverage. Putting this lens on a cropped sensor camera effectively increases the 16mm to a more narrow 25mm which can be limiting in some situations.

Canon 6D Mark II Review-3.jpg

Build Quality

Build quality of the camera is the usual Canon quality. It is a plastic build but it feels solid and secure and the weight also benefits from this. It has a flip out screen, which is missing from the higher end cameras for the sake of durability, but I find them particularly useful. When the camera is low down near a stream, or close to the ground, having the screen point up towards you is a real back saver. The flip screen means you can also use the Canon 6D Mark II for vlogging. Not a cheap vlogging option, but it is possible.

Image Quality

Next is the image quality. There are not many cameras out there today that provide poor image quality. This camera is no different. Image quality is superb for stills and you can quite happily use the 26MP sensor to create massive prints. Sadly though dynamic range was not as good as I would have hoped, especially at low ISO. This might put off some landscape photographers who might be looking at rivals from Sony and cameras like the Nikon D750. Personally when it comes to stills I am not concerned too much about dynamic range. Using bracketing can easily capture all the dynamic range in a landscape scene.

Canon 6D Mark II Review-6.jpg

Portraits and Focusing

The dynamic range of the camera improves dramatically as ISO increases. Therefore, like many full frame cameras, The Canon 6D Mark 2 is excellent in low light. Any noise that does appear has a film grain type feel rather than the harsh noise often associated with crop sensor cameras. This means the camera lends itself to shooting portraits as well as landscapes. Depending on the lens you attach to the camera it is capable of capturing stunning portraits. However I would be reluctant to use it at a wedding or for any other professional portrait work. The focus system covers a smaller area of the frame than higher end cameras like the Canon 5D Mark IV which can be limiting when you have to focus and re-frame more often that you would like. Having said that, for most, that will not be a problem. The focus system is still very accurate and fast. It also has the dual pixel autofocus system for video. This Canon system is really second to none for video focus and it very very rarely misses including when using face detection.

Canon 6D Mark II Review-4.jpg

Video Quality

Video quality is reasonable but again the dynamic range can be limiting. When I was out in the mountains getting detail across the frame was not easy and I was often left with blown out skies. This could probably be improved by using a flatter picture setting rather than sticking with the built in presets like I did. There is also no 4K option and the 1080p quality is softer than the Canon 5D Mark IV and more in line with the cropped sensor Canon cameras. However the ability to shoot 1080p at 60fps does provide the option of producing some slo-motion footage.

Canon 6D Mark II Review-9.jpg

Conclusion

Overall I had a superb time using this camera. If you were to buy it, you would be very happy. Just be aware it is not a professional level camera. We should not be expecting it to be though given the price point of £$1600. Indeed, the camera only comes equipped with one SD card port. To remove the slight limitations mentioned above you are looking at upgrading to the pro level Canon 5D Mark IV which is more than double the price. The Canon 6D is an all round performer suitable for all different genres of photography and will perform them all to a good standard. In many respects the upgrade to full frame is something many photographers aspire to and this camera allows you to do it much sooner with only very slight downsides. It is a shame the dynamic range is not better at low ISO but that is being hypercritical. An all rounder at a great price point for a full frame camera. A solid 4 out of 5.

How to Choose a Vlogging Camera

What is the best vlogging camera for 2018? We look at everything from a phone up to the Canon 5D Mark IV to help you decide what is the best camera for starting your vlog.

  • Check out the gear here.

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In this video we’re going to look at several cameras and decide which is the best for vlogging.

First we need to decide what we are going to shoot and the level of production quality required. I am a photographer so I feel an extra level of pressure to get high quality images but it’s absolutely not required. The story you tell is absolutely the most important thing……and you, of course…we need to give our audience a reason to watch, and provide them value. 

Once we have that nailed we need to start looking at the gear. At the moment there really isn’t a perfect vlogging camera. There isn’t a camera out there that strikes the right balance between image quality, features, focusing and weight.

Budget also comes into it so we’re gonna take a look at a few cameras and discuss the pro and cons of using them for vlogging.

4K is not really required for vlogging. When you look at the Youtube analytics a growing majority of people are watching content on their phones and tablets and they are far from having 4K screens. 1080p is the sweet spot at the moment and it makes post processing easier and quicker and storage is much less of an issue.

The cameras we discuss in the video are:

  • A phone
  • Compact cameras like the Sony RX100v and Canon G7X
  • A GoPro
  • An Entry level DSLR like the Canon 800D
  • A top of the range camera like the Canon 5D Mark IV. 

At the moment I am using all of these for my vlogging in addition to the drone. It makes shooting very complex especially when I am trying to capture some nice landscape photographs at the same time. It’s more than reasonable to vlog with just one of these solutions but the perfect vlogging camera really doesn’t exist yet.

If you are going to start a vlog then good luck. Film your first video and upload it and forget about it. Then do that again and again and again.

Stay to the end for a peek at my very first video.

Out.

Canon 800D (T7i) Review

I review the new Canon 800D (T7i) DSLR camera and head to the Lake District to put it through it’s paces from a landscape photography perspective.

  • Buy the Canon 800D in the US - http://amzn.to/2vq2LyE
  • Buy the Canon 800D in the UK - http://amzn.to/2tWNmIa

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Photography Gear Reviews

There are a lot of great camera and lens reviews out thereon YouTube that provide technical details, breakdowns and clinical assessments of gear. Check out Chris Winter and Christopher Frost Photography. My camera reviews aim to give a more ‘real world’ perspective of what it’s like to actually go out and use a camera or lens in the field. They will generally be in a landscape photography theme and there are not many gear reviews out there that cater for this.

Canon 800D

The Canon 800D came out a few months ago and seems to provide an accomplished looking package for the price. I picked mine up slightly more recently and am intending to use it as my main vlogging camera to replace the older Canon 700D. The main reason I upgraded was the updated video features. For the first time Canon is offering the Dual-Pixel autofocus system on an entry level camera. This has been present on higher end cameras like the Canon 5D Mark IV and the 80D for sometime and offers smooth, fast and accurate autofocus for video that makes filming very easy. It locks onto a target, like your face, and doesn’t lose it. It will also allow you to do some beautiful cinematic focus pulls. It genuinely is a magnificent system and is a pleasure to use.

Video Stats

Other video features include 50/60 fps at full HD (1080P). This has been lacking for a while in the lower end cameras so it is a welcome addition to the 800D. Sadly though, it is still lacking 4K. At the current time this is not a deal breaker but as more people transition to 4K it will be something I need very soon.

Still Photo Performance

On the stills side, the 800D has an APS-C 24.2 MP sensor with an ISO sensitivity of 100-25600, following the trend of ever increasing low light ability in digital cameras. It has a 45 point autofocus system that is fast and accurate and very impressive on a camera at this price point. The autofocus point selection is more limited than on the higher end cameras but will be more than adequate for the majority of users.

Alternatives

Alternatives come from the Nikon 5600. This is a great camera but the video features are not up to the Canon standard. The Canon 77D, which was released at the same time as the 800D, is another alternative. The 77D is just an 800D in a slightly bigger, more robust body. Not worth the extra £200. If you want something more rugged the Canon 80D is a better way to go.

Conclusion

The Canon EOS 800D (T7i) is a very capable shooter at a very attractive, entry level, price point. The EF-S mount allows all EF lenses to attach to the camera meaning you can easily upgrade your glass as you gain experience. It has the ability to capture beautiful landscapes, fast enough to capture some good wildlife photography and is more than adequate for capturing some beautiful family portraits. This is an accomplished all rounder and is my new recommendation to people looking to purchase their first DSLR.

Rating

4.5 out of 5. 

  • Buy the Canon 800D in the US - http://amzn.to/2vq2LyE
  • Buy the Canon 800D in the UK - http://amzn.to/2tWNmIa

Canon 5D Mark IV vs Sony RX100 V

Comparing the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sony RX100 V.

How does the best compact camera compare to one of the best overall cameras on the market?

On the face of it this may seem like an extreme comparison. And it is. However with modern cameras and as electronics get smaller, the gap between top end and lower end is not as big as it used to be. We compare the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sony RX100 V to test where that gap lies today.

We compare various aspects of each camera to see how they shape up. We are going to look at:

  • Weight
  • Cost
  • Lenses
  • Focusing Speed
  • Bokeh
  • Sensor
  • Image quality

Weight

When it comes to carrying a camera around all day, lighter is better. The best compact cameras really excel in this department and the Sony RX100 V is no different. It is light but well made, compact and easy to carry around all day. The Canon DSLR is heavy. Fact. Score one for the Sony.

Cost

These are both expensive cameras but they will reduce in cost overtime to fall in line with more budgets. The Canon is about three times the cost of the Sony so that is round two to the RX100V.

Lenses

The Sony scores an early point in this round thanks to actually coming with a lens. It has a fixed 24-70mm lens that is a perfect range for many situations. The DSLR on the other hand does not even come with a lens. Lenses are hugely expensive and add significant cost to the ownership of a  DSLR camera. However, the ability to change lenses means the camera is much more versatile allowing shots from a super wide to a super zoom. This round is a tie.

Focusing Speed

The focus system on the Canon 5D Mark IV is one the best ever to be placed into a camera. It is fast, accurate and rarely misses but also functions in very low light. However, Sony claim the focus system on the RX100V is the fastest ever to be produced focusing in just 0.05 seconds. In the video we put this to this test and discover the Sony is ever so slightly faster. Impressive.

 Bokeh

During testing both cameras were packing a 24-70mm lens capable of shooting f2.8. My old friend Optimus Prime stepped in as model and some carefully positioned fairy lights were employed to create some bokeh balls. The Sony produces a decent amount of blurred background but the quality of this, or bokeh, is not massively high. The bokeh balls are small, squidgy and misshapen and not hugely pleasant to look at. On the other hand the 5D produces beautifully round bokeh balls that are dreamy and delicious. Score one for the Canon. Not surprising given the larger lens and larger sensor.

Sensor and Image Quality

The Sony boasts an impressive one inch sensor considering the overall size of the package. It is right in line with Sony's current trend of creating great sensors. It produces excellent images in most conditions including low light. Sadly size matters when it comes to sensors. Having the ability to physically capture more light gives the full frame Canon 5D mark IV the juice to capture some truly spectacular images. This is two points to the Canon.

Adding up overall we have a tie game. This is fitting. Whilst the Canon 5D Mark IV is a much better camera in terms of image quality, it is not for everyone. It is expensive and DSLR's can initially be more complicated to use than other cameras. On the other hand the Sony RX100 V is very straightforward and easy to pick up for the first time and start capturing images. It is less versatile than the camera but also cheaper and lighter.

Overall we are not currently at risk of retiring our DSLR's but the compact camera definitely packs a much bigger punch than its small form factor would suggest.

Please leave a comment down below and let me know which you prefer and and what you think of the extreme comparison.

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Sony RX100 V Real World Review

We take the Sony RX100 V up a very pretty mountain.

The Sony RX100 V is a compact camera that packs a much bigger punch than its small size would suggest. It is a mirrorless camera with a one inch sensor that shoots 4K, captures 20 megapixel images and has an auto focus system that challenges even the very best DSLR's.

My previous real world review of the Canon 5D Mark IV proved very popular so this is going to be similar. I take the RX100V up a mountain in the Peak District hoping to capture some beautiful landscape photography. In the video I climb Mam Tor but also try to capture this amazing site of Winnats Pass, a collapsed cavern that has created and incredible natural scene.

Price

The Sony RX100 V is currently priced at £1000 in the UK and around $1000 in the US. The price hikes that UK residents are currently suffering are becoming relatively irritating. Regardless it is an expensive camera so in the video I discuss who the camera is for and who would be likely to buy the RX100 V. It is an excellent camera for vlogging given the flip up screen. It would serve as a very good compact camera for a professional photographer. Or it would be especially good for a family who want something small, simple and with great quality.

One of the big selling points of the new model, especially since the Sony RX100 IV is still a great camera, is the sheer processing power. It is essentially a little computer. It has the ability to shoot 24fps which is simply insane. It's a nice feature to have but how much use of it you will get is a vital question. This is not a sports or wildlife camera where a fast burst rate is important, especially given the fixed 24-70mm lens. It is too short for those photography genres. It would however be useful to capture images of your children in short bursts.

Dual Autofocus

The most important upgrade is probably the dual autofocus system. Employing contrast and phase detection it rivals that of top end DSLRs. It focuses fast and accurately and makes shooting stills, fast and filming video a breeze. However it does not have a touch screen which means touch to focus is not an option and this was a feature I really missed.

The Sony RX100 V is a decent improvement over the Sony RX100 IV which was already better than the offering from Canon in this field, the Canon G7X Mark II.

Conclusion

I fully enjoyed shooting with this camera and it made a pleasant change from lugging around a DSLR, especially when I was out with the family. It takes high quality images and is also packing some hefty features. At a £1000 this is very expensive for a compact camera but in two or three months time when prices started to fall it could be a very serious contender for a lot of people.

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Canon 5D Mark IV Full Real World Review

I climb a mountain to put the Canon 5D Mark IV through its paces in this real world review. 

The Canon 5D Mark IV is a camera built for professionals and serious enthusiasts. Lots of reviews out there give you hard figures about camera performance and a detailed explanation of what every mode does. These are great but I wanted to get the camera out into the real world, to put it through it's paces in a scenario where we will actually be shooting. I have had the Canon 5D Mark IV since it was realeasd in the UK and have used it in a variety of situations so feel I am suitably qualified to review it.
In the video I travel to the Lake District to climb a snow capped mountain in search of some amazing landscape scenes, a little wildlife and the odd macro shot. Watch the video now to see the story of the day and my full opinion on the Canon 5D Mark IV.
Firstly Canon sold the camera based on some new 'killer' features.
The dual pixel raw was one such feature. Canon claims this is used to make minor adjustments to focus in post processing. In testing of found this made minimal to zero difference. In the practical world dual pixel raw will be something I never use.

Canon 5D Mark IV 4K.

The Canon 5D Mark IV does have 4K shooting. However it comes with a number of caveats that will render it useless for the vast majority of shooters. Firstly, the Canon 5D Mark IV is full frame but when shooting 4k it employs a 1.74 crop which is far from ideal when all the lenses in your bag are based on the 35mm equivalent. Secondly, the Motion JPEG file format creates huge files that means any serious 4K shooting is unlikely to take place on this camera. If you need 4K shooting in jam, the 5D will have you covered.
The Canon 5D Mark IV has some huge strengths though and these make the purchase worthwhile. The high resolution 30.4MP sensor makes a big difference in many circumstance such as portrait and and landscape photography. It also has an exceptional auto focus system taken straight off the Canon 1DX Mark II. This is fast, accurate and is the best autofocus system I have ever used. It is perfect for wildlife photography especially when combined with my trusty Canon 400mm f5.6 L lens.
The Canon 5D is an exceptional camera bringing several existing Canon features, and a few new ones, into the 5D package. Despite the barmy European pricing this is the perfect camera in so many circumstances. As a Landscape photographer and a wedding photographer I could not be happier.
Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about the Canon 5D Mark IV real world review video.
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Music

Aicha G - Funk Beat
The Passion Hifi - Sleeping G - https://soundcloud.com/freehiphopbeatsforyou
Stylus Boy - When I argue I see shapes (Idlewild Cover) - https://soundcloud.com/stylusboy/shapes
Light Thought var 4 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://incompetech.com/
MarioBeatz - Paradise Beat - https://soundcloud.com/yourrapbeatstv

My gear:

Canon 5D Mark IV - US - http://amzn.to/2ci53sp Canon 5D Mark IV - UK - https://www.firstmanphotography.com/get/canon-5d-mark-iv-ukCanon 700D - US - http://amzn.to/2aJjbYJ Canon 700D - UK - http://amzn.to/2dP8JkiManfrotto BeFree Tripod - US - http://amzn.to/1UqF5n7 Manfrotto BeFree Tripod - UK - http://amzn.to/2e27XlM

GorillaPod - US - http://amzn.to/1RUCiRK GorillaPod - UK - http://amzn.to/2e278tl

Rode VideoMic Pro - US - http://amzn.to/28NErv5 Rode VideoMic Pro - UK - http://amzn.to/2eGYdRg

Canon 17-40mm - US - http://amzn.to/2etreL8 Canon 17-40mm - UK - http://amzn.to/2dP6VI5

Tamron 24-70mm - US - http://amzn.to/2dP3T6J Tamron 24-70mm - UK - http://amzn.to/2eH2DHz

Canon 10-18mm - US - http://amzn.to/2b7Xbrj Canon 10-18mm - UK - http://amzn.to/2e8SmV5