Film Photography: Alive and Clicking in the 21st Century

There are now over 200 different film choices available for film photographers!

This has been driven by a fantastic twelve months of innovation and is a critical milestone for an industry that was on its knees a short decade ago. It is also a great opportunity for the community to celebrate! Here at Analogue Wonderland we have been thoroughly enjoying the celebrations. But we have also taken the moment to reflect on our sales data, breaking down the 200+ films available to understand exactly what is driving the film explosion and expanding on what we can hope for in the coming years.

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5 Must Have Pieces of Gear for Newcomers to Sony Mirrorless Cameras

If you’re new to the world of Sony Mirrorless cameras, this guide will put you on the path to fun with your camera.

If you’re fortunate enough to be receiving a new Sony camera this holiday season, or if you’ve already picked up one of the amazing deals on Sony cameras this year, this guide is for you. There are so many lenses and accessories to choose from and it can often be a little overwhelming. One thing is for sure though; you”ll want to move on from the kit lenses that came with your camera as soon as possible, you’ll need a flash, and of course you’ll need a way to carry your new gear around.  After the jump we’ll take a look at five items that all new owners of Sony Mirrorless cameras should put on their shopping list. Continue reading…

Four of Our Favorite Wide Angle Lenses Under $500 for Sony Mirrorless Cameras

These great performing wide angle lenses for Sony Mirrorless cameras won’t break the bank.

If you’re a Sony shooter on the hunt for great quality wide angle lenses that won’t scare your wallet but will produce excellent results, you’re in luck. As photographers we are really fortunate there are so many options on the market when it comes to lenses. Just a few short years ago it was hard to find budget lenses that really performed as well as first party glass. Now, thanks to advances in technology, increased market competition, and lower prices, you can indeed find budget wide angle lenses that perform exceedingly well. Continue reading…

There Is No Good Reason Why All Cameras and Lenses Aren’t Weather Sealed

Your phone is most likely weather sealed, so why aren’t all cameras made to the same standards?

The year that this post is written in is 2018: for some really odd reason, all cameras aren’t weather sealed at this point. But it’s beyond that; camera manufacturers need to find some way to step their game up across the board. Let’s start out with point and shoots–last year Fujifilm unveiled the absolute astonishing Fujifilm X100f. The biggest feature it’s missing is weather sealing. Then this year, Sony gave us the new Sony RX100 Mk VI and is charging nearly the price of the X100f. Again, no weather sealing. Why? It boggles my mind.

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Three Modern Day Masters of Natural Light Street Photography

Ask a photographer what the most important aspect of a good photo is, and they will tell you it’s good light. 

Lighting will make or break a photograph. You could have the most interesting subject in the world, but if it isn’t lit well then you may as well forget about it. From softboxes to strobe lights; flashguns to Rotalights, we have come with wonderful ways of ensuring our sensors capture the best possible images. Unlike manufactured light, however, ambient light is much trickier to take control of. It often requires being a tad more creative and working with what you’ve got. That, overall, demands an adaptable mind that enjoys playing around. With the great work being produced underneath the earth’s sun – let’s take a look at the modern-day masters of natural light.

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I’m Moving On From Flickr; But Here’s What I’ll Miss

Yes, I’m saying goodbye to Flickr. It was only a matter of time, but nonetheless, there are a few things I’ll miss about the platform.

I’ve recently decided to move on from Flickr, and this decision, as some of you may already have guessed, was prompted by their recent announcement regarding the 1,000 photo limit for free accounts. In fact, I’ve already started culling my uploads there to meet this limit before the January 8, 2019 deadline. Many photographers have long moved on from it (including most, if not all the Phoblographer Staff) so I’m sure it’s mostly surprising why it has taken me so long to come to this decision. But I liked being on the platform for a handful of reasons, albeit nostalgic at best given all the choices we have today. So yes, these are also the things I think I’ll miss.

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3 Affordable Specialty Lenses That’ll Wake Up Your Creative Side

Why create images that look the same as everyone else’s when you can use specialty lenses and be radically different.

We as photographers always want images that are super sharp, have perfect color rendition, and have gorgeous bokeh, and while there is nothing wrong with that, ultimately a lot images that are taken end up looking the same. A quick scroll through Instagram will show you thousands of portraits or landscapes for example that are all technically perfect and pleasing to the eye, but honestly they all look the same, and it can be hard to tell one photographers work from another. It’s always nice to nail the perfect shot, but striving for perfection all the time can take the fun out of photography. These three specialty lenses will allow you to channel your creative side, be different from everyone else, and will make photography fun again. Continue reading…

My Affinity with Street Photography: A Love Story Like No Other

Street photography can get negative press at times; accused of being stale and overdone, it’s often looked down upon.

I, however, love street photography and I want to tell you why.

I’ve practiced street photography for roughly six years. When I first started, I would walk around the streets with an old Olympus bridge camera – taking photos of anything and everything. I didn’t actually learn the term “street photography” until two years after I started practicing it. After watching a Matt Stuart documentary, I said to myself, “oh, that’s what I do” – albeit nowhere close to the same standard.

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Three Bang for Your Buck Lenses for the Discerning Cityscape Photographer

You don’t need to spend thousands on wide angle lenses to capture stunning cityscapes.

There seems to be a certain stigma that follows cheaper lenses around these days that really isn’t warranted or deserved; it is something that needs to change. There really isn’t such a thing as a bad lens anymore. Whether you’re looking at wide angle lenses, telephotos, or even super telephotos, you’re going to be able to get great glass for little outlay. When it comes to cityscape photography the wider the lens the better. After all, you want to capture as much of that stunning vista as possible, and fortunately there are some great wide angle lenses available that offer outstanding value for money. Continue reading…

Five Wallet Friendly 50mm Prime Lenses That Will Help You Grow as a Photographer

If you’re new to the world of prime lenses and aren’t sure what your first prime lens should be, look no further than the nifty fifty.

There are so many lens choices available to photographers today it can honestly be difficult to know where to turn when it comes to lenses. Do you stick with the telephoto and zoom style lenses like the ones that came with your camera, or do you enter the world of prime lenses? We can tell you right up front that if you’re serious about your photography, and if you want to improve, prime lenses are the way to go, and the 50mm focal length is the perfect place to start your prime journey.

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Four Affordable Rangefinder Style Cameras That Will Make You Weak at The Knees

Modern Rangefinder cameras appeal to many people with their gorgeous retro looks and outstanding overall performance.

There is something to be said about objects that can make you remember the style and grace of years past. Modern cameras can have a very utilitarian, sterile look and feel to them, and while they’re practical and function well, they just don’t make you feel the magic of photography like older cameras can. Thankfully camera manufacturers know that there are photographers out there that want both gorgeous aesthetics, and stellar performance, and that’s where Rangefinder style cameras come in to play.

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4 Bang for Your Buck 24-105mm Wide to Telephoto Lenses That Can Do it All

For those that like to travel light, or who just like to use one lens that can do it all,  24-105mm wide to telephoto lenses are hard to beat.

Like many other photographers out there, I have multiple lenses in my camera bag that are all suitable for various jobs and genres of photography. While it’s nice to be able to pick and choose from a long list of prime lenses, sometime it’s just really nice to use wide to telephoto lenses that can do-it-all, and 24-105mm lenses are just about the perfect do it all lens. One second you can be shooting a wide angle environmental portrait or a landscape, and the next you can be shooting a tight close up shot of an object or person. The versatility of these wide to telephoto lenses is unmatched, and this is what makes them the best jack of all trades lenses available.

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Four Wide Angle Lenses for Landscape Photography to Fit Every Budget

A quick look at some great lenses that can help capture amazing details in your landscape photography.

Landscape photography is one of the most popular and relaxing genres of photography. Thousands upon thousands of photographers head out daily to capture the stunning scenery around them so that they can share the beauty with the world. Fortunately, there are some truly incredible wide angle lenses to help capture all of that detail around us.

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Four 70-200mm Telephoto Lenses That Will Make Your Portraits Pop

70-200mm telephoto lenses are firm favorites with portrait photographers for good reason.

When it comes to portrait photography a lot of photographers like to reach for primes lenses thanks to their fast apertures and light weight. Telephoto lenses are also wonderful for portraits, especially 70-200mm variants. With the sweet spot for portraits really falling between the 85mm to 135mm range, 70-200mm telephoto lenses really lend themselves well to this genre of photography thanks to their amazing image quality, and fast apertures.

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Four Budget Lenses for Canon Cameras That Dispel Expensive Glass Myths

There are some truly amazing budget lenses for Canon cameras that are wallet friendly, and produce amazing images.

If you’re a Canon DSLR user and want to build your lens collection without breaking the bank this article is for you. Don’t believe everything you read about image quality being great from extremely expensive lenses only. You really don’t have to spend a fortune to get good lenses these days, and these budget lenses are some of the best on the Canon platform. Continue reading…

ISO 6400 Comparison: Canon EOS R vs Nikon z7 vs Sony a7r III High ISO Shootout

We decided that we’d take a look at how the Canon EOS R, Nikon z7, and Sony a7r III all perform at ISO 6400 just for fun. 

Since we’ve got all of them in right now, we wanted to know how the three current kings of full frame mirrorless perform when it comes to high ISO output. If you look around on the web, it generally seems like Sony is the best option all around for lenses, image quality, etc. Nikon arguably uses a Sony sensor but Canon is using their own sensor. For what it’s worth, Canon also has less megapixels and to that end doesn’t always render as much detail in the images. But in my testing, I’ve found it to be no real slouch at all. So one very cold night, I took the cameras out to the Williamsburg waterfront to see how they performed.

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3 of Our Favorite Super Telephoto Lenses for Captivating Wildlife Photography

Sometimes there is nothing better than going on a wildlife photography trip.

Being able to go out into the great wide open to see magnificent animals in their natural habitats is a passion for many photographers. There is something quite magical about seeing buffalo roam the plains, or seeing eagles soaring through the sky. Wildlife photography can be one of the most fun, and most rewarding genres of photography, but you need to have the right gear to take with you on your travels.

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Marit Beer’s Black and White Analog Photography Is Bound to Enthrall You (NSFW)

This is a syndicated blog post from the latest issue of Analog Magazine. This collectible coffee table book showcases many of the best new analog photographers out there, and we strongly recommend you pick one up. The text was originally published by Analog magazine. Issue #6. 2018 II, and is being reproduced with the permission of the author. All images © Marit Beer

Hello Marit, thank you for this interview. Can you please introduce yourself for us?

I live in Berlin, but my roots are in a woody and legendary region of Germany, surrounded by a devil’s wall, witches dancing in the mountains and a town that was very old and damaged when I was a child. I studied archaeology, art history and heritage conservation. Currently I am working as a freelance photo editor.

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Five Lessons I’ve Learned Through Film Photography

All images by Julien Matabuena.

Let me begin by saying that this is by no means a discussion on which between digital or film photography is more superior; rather, this is an ode to my favorite medium. Like many people my age – I just turned 30, in case you’re wondering – my first brush with taking pictures was when I was a kid through my family’s resident point-and-shoot camera. But it wouldn’t be until college when I’d get my first proper cameras: a hand-me-down Minolta α-7700i SLR and a Sony DSLR (unfortunately, I no longer remember what model it was).

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