New Lens Vs Old Lens

We compare the Canon 16-35mm F/4 IS against the older Canon 17-40mm F/4 in a landscape photography setting to see if the upgrade is worth the money.

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After a recent video some said I should get the Canon 16-35mm to replace my 17-40mm. So I have. But I’ve been talking recently how the gear doesn’t make the photographer so I’m not totally convinced this purchase was required. So I thought I would put it to the test, possibly prove myself wrong, and help you when it comes to making your next lens purchase decision.

Sharpness

There are certain things important to me in a lens when shooting landscape photography. Sharpness is important up to a certain extant. Once an acceptable level of sharpness is reached then I am happy. Most photographs are viewed at a reasonable distance and a normal viewer is not looking at minute details or pixel peeping an image. The overall story is much more important.

Lens Distortion

When working with super wide angles like 16-20mm, distortion can become a real problem and is extremely distracting and prevalent in cheaper lenses. The Canon 17-40mm handles distortion reasonably well so I was interested to see if Canon 16-35mm F/4 IS would be better.

Chromatic Aberration

The coloured soft edges in high contrast areas of an image look extremely unpleasant and can make an image look cheap. Also known as chromatic aberration, one major benefit of a high quality lens is the ability to control it. These days, it can be controlled in post-processing but it results can be hit and miss depending on the image. The Canon 17-40mm can be susceptible to chromatic Aberration, can the 16-35mm improve matters.

When conducting a camera lens review I am also looking at build quality and extras such as IS. Image stabilisation is not important to me for stills. For video, it is much more important so it is still something I look for.

In the video I pit the two lenses against each other at Ribblehead viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales. The Limestone pavement provides some big foreground interest for a shot, something I really wanted to include in the lens review.

What's in my Camera Bag? | Wild Camping Edition

Take a peek inside my camera bag to see all the photography gear and wild camping kit that I hiked up a mountain during my latest landscape photography vlog.

Follow me on Instagram - http://instagram.com/adamkarnacz

Check out all the camping gear:

• Tent - http://bit.ly/Phoxxtent
• Ground Mat - http://bit.ly/OEXgroundmat
• Cooking Pot - http://bit.ly/oexcookpot
• Stove - http://bit.ly/aplinestove
• Water Purifier - https://amzn.to/2xnTddC
• Pillow - http://bit.ly/OEXpillow

Check out all the photography equipment - https://www.firstmanphotography.com/my-gear/

There is nothing lightweight about camera gear. We are literally carrying around chunks of glass and metal. This is not too much of a problem for many situations but with landscape photography it is a big issue. To get the very best landscapes it often means getting off the beaten track and carrying your gear so we need things to be lightweight. Add in a shooting video and then add in camping equipment, we suddenly have a very heavy camera bag.

Watch the vlog - https://youtu.be/pmZgxymtY_E

On my recent landscape photography vlog, where I collaborated with Gary Gough Photography, we hiked up one of the biggest mountains in the Lake District called Great End. It stands at 900m with an 800m climb from the car. With my bag as light as possible, so I could achieve everything i wanted, the bag still weighed in at over 20kg. I therefore wanted to create this video so you could see what i had with me and what I had to sacrifice and leave behind.

The extra weight from the wild camping gear meant I could not bring the full range of lenses that I normally do. Water alone is shockingly heavy. On a hot day hiking a mountain you will need at least a litre of water every couple of hours. One litre of water weighs 1kg, heavy. Thankfully the water purifier meant I could carry less and refill but it is something that is vital to think about. However I still had to leave the 24-70mm lens behind. Normally my go to lens, I suspected I could get away with the 17-40mm and 70-200mm. I also didn’t want to sacrifice the drone.

Despite the weight and the hard climb it was absolutely worth it once we got to the top. Enjoying challenging adventures like this though hinges on being prepared and having the right gear. Once you do you are free to enjoy the stunning views and experiences that wild camping and photography have to offer.

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.

Check out all the gear:

• Get a FREE trial of Adobe Lightroom CC and Photoshop - https://goo.gl/YznzDv
• iMac Pro in the US - https://amzn.to/2K4aJpp
• iMac Pro in the UK - https://amzn.to/2HkUiHC
• Viewsonic Monitor in the UK - https://amzn.to/2Hfz9OS
• Viewsonic Monitor in the US - https://amzn.to/2vvO0zn
• Canon PRO 10S Printer in the UK - https://amzn.to/2qOYsgH
• Canon PRO 10S Printer in the US - https://amzn.to/2JbPWPx
• Drobo in the UK - https://amzn.to/2qQb0DK
• Drobo in the US - https://amzn.to/2qRA8K3
• Headphones in the UK - https://amzn.to/2HiTu66
• Headphones in the US - https://amzn.to/2HFP1tj
• Phillips Hue Lights in the UK - https://amzn.to/2qSf3iy
• Phillips Hue Lights in the US - https://amzn.to/2Hii9Dz
• Battery Backup in the UK - https://amzn.to/2Hhr7oM
• Battery Backup in the US - https://amzn.to/2qPa1nh

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.

Fujifilm XH-1 Real World Review

We take the Fujifilm XH1 to the Lake District to put it to the test in this real world review with a landscape photography flavour.

• Buy the Fujifilm XH-1 in the UK - http://amzn.to/2p6vHKN
• Buy the Fujifilm XH-1 in the US - http://amzn.to/2GfTcZI
• Buy the Fujifilm XF16-55mm f2.8 in the UK - http://amzn.to/2p9QsFt
• Buy the Fujifilm XF16-55mm f2.8 in the US - http://amzn.to/2FHghXv

The Fujifilm XH-1 is Fuji’s new flagship mirrorless camera and sits above the XT2 in the Fuji lineup. It has the same 24mp crop sensor as the XT2 so we know the sensor is capable of capturing some great images. 

Many of us need a camera to be rugged and reliable and that’s exactly what this camera is. The all new metal chassis feels rock solid and it’s weather sealed so when the rain starts, we don’t have to stop. One of the big benefits of mirrorless cameras is they can be smaller and more compact than a DSLR. This in part led to popularity of the XT2, especially amongst landscape photographers because weight and size really matters when hiking in the wilderness.

It might seem odd then that Fuji have gone in the opposite direction and made this camera bigger than its predecessor, but I don’t think so. It’s still significantly lighter than a pro DSLR body so weight is still being saved over most pro cameras. However the bigger size makes it much more comfortable in the hand, especially with the optional battery grip. The comfort adds versatility and makes this camera a genuine option for photographers working with their camera all day like wedding and street photographers. It seems to be a genuine all rounder.

One of the big selling points of this new mirrorless camera is the new in body 5 axis image stabilisation. Image stabilisation has never excited me when it comes to stills but it absolutely does when it comes to video. The system works really well to smooth out your shot and also breaths some new life into older lenses you might have lying around that don’t have IS.

This camera is a bit of a beast when it comes to video and I’ve been very impressed. It shoots 4K, it can do 120fps at 1080p and has loads of built in video presets to vary the look of your footage including a log mode. I’ve settled for the new ETERNA film mode that mimics the look of that film but still leaves me with plenty of room for post production if I need it.  Aside from that I’ve just been hugely impressed by the sheer quality of the video image. It looks sharp and punchy and just looks really good and is on a par with the Canon 5D mark iv.

An external microphone can also be attached and a really nice feature is the ability to set microphone gain separately for the built in mic and an external mic so you don’t need to adjust it every time you plug a mic in.

So will this be replacing my DSLR. To be honest, not at the moment. It’s very close though and I have been very impressed with the Fujifilm XH1. I have absolutely loved shooting with it today and I feel it’s definitely better than the lower end DSLR’s and also better than the Canon 6D Mark ii that I reviewed the other week They are very similarly priced. 

It’s not the perfect camera, there are slight annoyances like the lack of a built in bulb timer and the touch screen is not as useful as it could be but the biggest issue for me is the cropped sensor. It is a good sensor but it’s just not full frame. Like all cropped sensors any noise that is present looks harsh and kills the sharpness and you lose some dynamic range. That might not matter to you but when you think the new full frame Sony A7R Mark iii is just around the corner, at a pretty similar price, personally I would need to try that out first before finally making the leap to mirrorless.

Anyway this is still a very nice camera and I have had a great time using today here in the absolutely stunning Lake District. If you decided to buy I don’t think you would be sorry.

I’ll put more information down in the description and Please subscribe if you enjoyed this video, I have more reviews coming up and I’ll be out again next week for another landscape photography vlog. leave a comment down below with your thoughts or questions about the camera and I’ll see you another one very soon

Out!!!

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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• Instagram - http://instagram.com/adamkarnacz
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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.

Graham Slee Solo and Sennheiser HD650 Headphones

Photographers Have a Need for Great Headphones

In this video we look at the Graham Slee Solo and Sennheiser HD650 headphones and amp combination. We know as photographers we love shooting. Time passes quickly as we put our skills to use capturing beautiful and amazing moments. This could be anything from your most recent wedding to a family holiday.We all know at some point we are going to have to organise and edit them all ready for the end user. This means hours sat behind a computer screen on your own. It is fair to say that sometimes this can get boring, especially when you have hundreds of images. Therefore we need something to keep us going. Food and drink are a good help but listening to music is vital,at least to me.

Although you never intend it, it's far too easy to sit up editing late into the night to get a job finished. I have been there many times. It is at this point that a good pair of headphones are truly essential to maximise your enjoyment of the music whilst not disturbing your neighbours or family.

Headphones are very much like camera lenses. They are a well established technology where new models only come out rarely and only offer modest improvements. With this in mind it is a very safe bet to invest in a good pair of headphones that will last years and years.

That is why I invested in a pair of Sennheiser HD650's. They are over ear, open backed headphones. That means they sit right over your ears providing wear-all-day comfort. The open back means they provide a cleaner more open sound with a wider and more impressive sound stage in your head. The downside is that more sound will leak out of them so they are not ideal for portable use. They also require a large amount of power to drive them so will not work well with your phone or MP3 player. Instead they need to be plugged into an amplifier, home stereo or dedicated headphone amp. Once these drawbacks are overcome though you are left with an almost perfect set of cans that provide a natural and spacious sound that you will not tire of. 

My setup currently has these hooked up to a dedicated headphone amp. For the last couple of years I have been using a Graham Slee Solo SRGii connected to my computer via a separate DAC for maximum quality. Graham Slee is a UK based company and they specialise in creating hifi equipment using their knowledge of electronics to create truly musical gear that defies their price point. Whilst not cheap the Solo produces such a clean, valve like sound that combined with the Sennheiser's just makes you want to rediscover your entire music collection all over again.

The Sennheiser's are currently available for £250 and the Solo is about £400. Whilst admittedly this is expensive, if you consider the amount of time you are sat editing and the many years of joy that a good pair of cans will provide, the return on investment is significant.

Get more details on the Graham Slee Solo and Sennheiser HD650 Headphones here:

• Buy the Graham Slee Solo SRG II in the UK.

• Buy the Graham Slee - Solo Headphone Amp in the US.

• Buy the Sennheiser HD650 in the UK.

• Buy the Sennheiser HD 650 in the US.