The Phoblographer

Though I’m usually a strobist and love my off-camera flash, there are times when a continuous source of light have been more favorable. Back at the Samsung NX200 announcement party, I was able to meet with the folks over at Photogenic, who introduced me to some of their monolight options. I’ve been testing and reviewing the Photogenic CL500 monolight for a while and for various uses. For the most part, I used the CL500 with the 24×32 softbox and FL55 bulbs.

So how does it hold up? And why did they blow out three outlets in my house?

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I recently created a B&H Wish list. It was mostly lenses. I am planning on how and what to save my money for. When I was done, the sub total of the list was $14,891.10. I mentally fainted. After putting myself through this, I came to the conclusion this list was mostly lenses I wanted but not needed. Have you ever thought about what lenses are essential to your photography? I’ve been thinking about his a lot recently. As I evolve as photographer and learn, I’ve been developing a lens force, or my team of lenses that I absolutely need.

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In this posting written a while back, I’m constantly asked about my opinions on lenses like an 18-135mm, 18-200mmand others. And in general, I give the same response: I hate them. Before writing this posting, I envisioned marketing reps, PR reps and others saying something like, “No Chris, don’t write it because we sell thousands and thousands of them!” While this is true, it is because most consumers don’t have any idea of what they’re purchasing and are instead blinded by the marketing. Here is an attempt to clear through the fog.

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The path of photography is not always cheap. As a family man and photographer, I really have to look at how I spend money. A person can go broke or in debt, trying to acquire and maintain cameras, lenses and other equipment. People today have less money to begin with due to the economic downturn. With patience, one could save money for their photography needs. To me it’s about anticipating what’s needed and wanted long before buying it. Read the rest of this entry »

Since we believe that your lenses are more important than your camera, one of the most common questions we get here at The Phoblographer is which lens to purchase for a Canon DSLR. While we have a list of some of the best budget lenses, and we’ve answered multiple questions on the subject, it became apparent that there is a need for a comprehensive lens guide of some sort. While you’re at it, you may also want to sneak a peek at our recommended lenses for videography. And since there are strengths each side of primes vs zooms, this list will feature both types of lenses.

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Everyone has to start somewhere, but there are clients that are just absolutely ridiculous at times. In this digital age and in a time where camera companies are marketing their higher end cameras as being so simple to us, people don’t consider that it is the photographer that takes the images. This posting is dedicated to those people. At the end, let us know in the comments some of the worst excuses you’ve heard. We’d love to hear a good story.

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