Top Sellers: Popular Photography Gear Our Readers Purchased in June

Lots of photography gear, especially Sony and Olympus products, have found new homes this month.

Another long month of 2020 has passed by (thank goodness), and you guys and gals (our readers) have been busy adding all sorts of photography gear to your personal collections. We have seen a good mix of lenses and cameras find new homes this month, and we’re sure that everything will be put to good use. After the break, we will share the photography gear some of our readers now get to call their own.

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Weather Tested: The Best Sony Cameras to Use in the Rain or Snow

If you want to play around in the rain, snow and howling winds with dust flying everywhere, and you want to use Sony cameras, you need to see this roundup.

Weather sealed cameras give photographers so many advantages over cameras that aren’t sealed in any way. First of all, you can go and shoot in a myriad of conditions without having to worry about your gear (as long as you use weather sealed lenses too). This in itself means you will be able to get shots others with non-weather sealed cameras would miss. Secondly, weather sealed cameras have a much better build quality overall, which means your huge investment will last significantly longer than cameras that aren’t protected. Sony has been upping their weather sealing game of late, and there are now some Sony Cameras on the market that we wouldn’t hesitate to go and run into the rain with. After the break, we will take a quick look at Sony cameras that aren’t afraid to get a little wet.

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8 Weather Sealed Canon Cameras That Can Play in the Rain and More

Canon EOS R

No matter what Mother Nature has planned, these weather sealed Canon cameras can take all she’s got.

If you’re an adventurous photographer, you probably like the idea of getting out into the wild when the weather takes a turn for the worse. This is a great thing: most of us earth-dwellers tend to like staying dry and warm, and because of this, most photographers miss out on epic scenes that can only be created when the sky opens up. If, though, you’re ready to get your feet wet, you may find you need a camera that can stand up to Mother Nature’s abuse. Over the next few weeks, we are going to break down the best weather sealed cameras available by brand. In this roundup, we are going to focus on weather sealed Canon cameras that are ready for anything.

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Be One With Nature: These Super Zooms Make Wildlife Photography Easy

Birding and other types of wildlife photography have become more popular than ever since social distancing came into play.

When it comes to using photography as a therapeutic tool, it’s hard to ignore the benefits of being able to get out into the great wide open to participate in wildlife photography. As we mentioned above, since social distancing became the new norm, many photographers have been trying their hand at birding and nature photography. To their surprise, many photographers are actually enjoying the time that they spend trying to take images of our winged, and our four-legged friends. These genres can be incredibly rewarding, but you need to have the right gear. After the break, we will take a quick look at some super zoom lenses that will help get you up close and personal with animals, and all sorts of other things.

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These Ultra Wide Angle Zooms Will Make You See the World Differently

fall landscape photography sony

Ultra wide angle zooms make you see things in a unique way, and while tricky to use, they can help you create mesmerizing images.

Ultra wide angle zoom lenses seem to have become very popular again as of late, and this is really no surprise: they are so fun to shoot with. While many photographers like to stick with more standard focal lengths, photographers who venture into ultra wide angle territory are routinely blessed with images that really capture people’s attention. While ultra wide angle zooms can be tricky to use, once you learn how to get them under control, you can create immersive images that look like nothing else out there. After the break, we have rounded up some of the best wide angle zoom lenses for various platforms. Should you be brave enough to step into the UWA world, these are the lenses you really need to take a look at.

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Ready for Anything: The Best Weather Sealed Lenses Under $700

Weather Sealed Lenses are great for every photographer, but if you’re on a budget then these are the Best.

There are times when photographers demand more from their gear, and some of the Best Weather Sealed Lenses should stay glued to your camera. You probably don’t realize it, but lenses like this can keep dirt and grime out. It won’t affect the sensor at all. And it will also keep things functioning with less fuss overall than if you didn’t use a weather sealed lens. Of course, most of the Best Weather Sealed Lenses tend to be pricey. But you’re in luck today! We went through our Reviews Index and found some of the Best Weather Sealed Lenses on a budget. Take a look.

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Portraits: 9 Mirrorless Cameras with Eye AF That Nail the Shot Every Time

Eye AF has been a game-changer for many, and the good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get it.

In the past with DSLRs, and earlier than that with film cameras, being able to nail the perfect portrait with your subject’s eyes in sharp focus was difficult, especially if you were using super-fast prime lenses. Now, with the advent of Eye AF, getting the focus right every time has been made easier. You would think that a feature as incredible as Eye AF would be found only on higher-end cameras, but you would be wrong. There are lots of great cameras out there that have this feature, and after the break we will share with you camera bodies that range from affordable to slightly more expensive so that you can see what your options are.

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Showdown of the Sony 50mm Lenses. Which One Is Right For You?

A number of options are available when it comes to Sony 50mm native lenses, but which one is the right choice for you?

Sitting between wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths, 50mm lenses offer a lot of versatility. They are suitable for many different genres of photography ranging from landscape, portraiture, street, etc. Many photographers have lovingly dubbed their 50mm lens a “Nifty Fifty” as a result. 50mm lenses, particularly those with a maximum aperture of f1.8, also tend to be quite affordable as well. In fact, 50mm lenses tend to be one of the first that many photographers purchase after they’ve outgrown the kit lenses bundled with their cameras. If you’re just getting started with the Sony Full Frame Mirrorless camera system, here are four native E Mount 50mm lenses you should consider.

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Opinion: You’re Probably a Half-Hearted Instagram Commenter in a Pod

Emojis help count towards the gamification of Instagram’s algorithms, but they don’t really help the photographer.

This article comes after months and months of observations on how people interact with one another on Instagram. I, personally, am part of a pod of people who are all genuinely wonderful. We also all begrudgingly comment on one another’s Instagram posts with just enough to boost the other person up–and with nowhere near enough to develop a more interesting conversation. Since the start of the year, I’ve been working to cull my own personal Instagram following. I even made my Instagram account private, which spurred even more people to try to follow me. When I reject them, they try over and over again. All of this has been in an effort to try to just make the platform a better experience for me, personally.

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Head Turners: 7 Stylish Cameras That Produce Incredible Images

You can get stunning looks and excellent performance in one solid package with these stylish Mirrorless cameras.

Some of the most popular cameras on the market today offer a ton in the way of performance, but their overall designs leave a lot to be desired. There’s nothing wrong with cameras with very utilitarian and functional designs. Still, there are stylish cameras out there that are stunning to look at, easy to use, and produce images that will amaze you every time you use them. If you want to own a camera that is sure to turn heads for all the right reasons, take a look at the stylish cameras we have rounded up after the break.

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Astrophotography: Shoot For the Stars With These Fast Fujifilm Primes

We always get asked which Fujifilm primes are best for astrophotography, so we thought we would round them up for you.

When it comes to lenses for astrophotography on the Fujifilm X platform, photographers are somewhat spoiled for choice. There are a number of prime lenses that are more than suitable for capturing the Milky Way or other deep sky objects, and the beauty is that there are lenses that will fit all budgets. You can use any X Series camera to capture the night sky. Just attach one of the primes that we have rounded up after the break, follow our guide to astrophotography, and you’ll be in business in no time at all.

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6 Cameras in the Hands of Popular Street Photographers

Let’s look at the cameras in the hands of your favorite street photographers.

The final product – the photo – is what defines a street photographer. It’s their artistic vision and creative flair that will set them apart from the pedestrian shooter. That said, the camera they use certainly influences their quality of work, both from a technical and psychological standpoint. We want to go behind the image and take a look at what cameras are in the hands of some of the most popular shooters of street photography.

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Get the Most Out of Your Sony APS-C Camera with These Great Lenses

There are some great lenses for Sony’s APS-C cameras that often get overlooked, so we wanted to shine some light on them.

Sony’s E mount has come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years, and now there are lenses for just about every genre of photography on the platform. While lenses for Sony’s Full-Frame cameras are in abundance, lenses specifically for Sony APS-C cameras are harder to come by. Still, the available ones are all fantastic. If you’re thinking about picking up a Sony a6xxx model camera and you want to see what your options are when it comes to lenses specifically designed for APS-C, this roundup is for you.

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9 Bang for Your Buck Weather Sealed Prime Lenses for Sony’s E Mount

These affordable lenses are great all-around performers that don’t mind playing in the rain.

It wasn’t long ago that you had to spend a pretty penny to get great lenses with weather sealing. But now, thanks to advances in technology and cheaper manufacturing costs, you can get some truly spectacular weather sealed prime lenses for a fraction of what they used to cost. If you want to add some weather sealed primes to your collection, and don’t want to go bankrupt doing it, you should check out the weather sealed prime lenses we have rounded up for Sony Mirrorless cameras after the break.

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Under $600: New Photographers Can Grow with These 5 Entry Level Cameras

Affordable and feature-packed, these entry level cameras are great for new photographers who want more control over their photography.

Entry level cameras; this is a term that used to mean bargain basement cameras with little to no features that were sold at big box stores to the masses. Today, these cameras can still be picked up at big box stores for low prices, but new entry level cameras are anything but bare-bones. For under $600, you can get cameras with blazing fast autofocus systems, incredible sensors that can capture tons of detail, in-body image stabilization, and excellent touchscreens and electronic viewfinders. After the break, we have listed five affordable, entry-level cameras that new photographers can pick up and grow with.

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Around $1,000 or Less: 7 Cameras With IBIS and More for Shaky Hands

If you’re looking for cameras with IBIS and you don’t want to destroy your bank account, check out the camera bodes we’ve rounded up for you.

Cameras with IBIS aren’t new, but it’s only in the last few years or so that the technology has worked its way into more affordable camera bodies. The benefits of IBIS are quite excellent. Being able to attach any lens to cameras with IBIS and take advantage of stabilization is a game-changer, especially when it comes to shooting in low light. There are now cameras with IBIS that cost a lot less than you might think. In this roundup, we will take a quick look at seven cameras with IBIS that can be snapped up for around $1,000 or much less.

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Portraits on a Budget: These Affordable Portrait Lenses Are Must-Haves

Some affordable portrait lenses on the market are priced well below their incredibly high levels of performance.

The above statement is true; there are lenses on the market that perform so well that one would think they should be priced higher than the lens makers charge. When it comes to portrait photography, you don’t have to break the bank to get optics and performance that will wow you and your clients. All the affordable portrait lenses in this roundup are fast, well built, the bokeh is dreamy, produce images sharp enough to cut, and cost well under $1,000 (and we mean way under $1,000). If you’re on a budget and want portrait lenses that produce pro results, these are the lenses you need to check out.

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See in the Dark: 8 Affordable Cameras With Great High ISO Performance

Cameras that perform miracles in low light used to cost a fortune, but here are eight affordable options.

In the not too distant past, things weren’t all peaches and cream when it came to high ISO performance in affordable cameras. Unless you had bottomless pockets and could afford top of the line cameras, shooting in low light was a challenge. Now, there’s a bevy of cameras that can shoot up to ISO 6400 and beyond that won’t break the bank. If you’re in the market for a camera with excellent high ISO performance that won’t destroy your bank account, the camera we have rounded up after the break should be on your radar.

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Photography Gear: APS-C, M4/3 Continue Their Positive Trends in May

Judging by the photography gear our readers purchased in May, APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras continue to do well, and lots of Tamron lenses found new homes too.

There’s nothing like buying new photography gear, and many of you have given new homes to plenty of equipment during May. Lenses were the big sellers this month, with primes being the flavor of the month. When it comes to cameras, we saw a few Full-Frame cameras get new owners, but APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras are continuing their upward trend in popularity. Join us after the break to see what photography gear your fellow readers purchased during May, 2020.

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Old and New: These Are My 7 Favorite Camera Designs

There have been some innovative camera designs throughout the years: here are my favorites.

I’m inclined to say that most cameras look very similar. That’s not a criticism; there’s only so much you can do when putting the ergonomics together. But, although the look of the camera isn’t the most important factor, it is appreciated when manufacturers go a step further than the traditional design. Our community often gets lost in spec sheets, obsessing over megapixels and autofocus points — I want to us to step away from that for a moment. Let’s instead focus purely on design, and see which cameras, old and new, have been the most eye-catching over the years.

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The Leica Digital Cameras That Will Become Classics

These slightly older Leica digital cameras are great performers, affordable, and bound to be classics.

Leica cameras are lusted after by many photographers. For most of us, though, the cameras put out by the legendary German manufacturer are out of our reach due to pricing, but what if we said you can get your hands on some slightly older Leica digital cameras that won’t break the bank? Not only are these Leica digital cameras affordable, but they’re also incredible performers that will help you create some truly gorgeous images. If you’ve always wanted to own a Leica, the slightly older Leica digital cameras that we have rounded up after the break are the ones you should go after.

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