Best Sellers: Photography Gear Popular with Our Readers in March

Lots of photography gear found new homes in March of 2020.

There were some great deals on photography gear throughout March, and you guys and girls made the most of what was on offer. With everything from photography accessories to lenses and cameras on sale, March was an excellent time to buy despite all that’s going on. When things return to normal, you will all have new gear to play with. After the break, we will take a quick look at the photography gear on its way to your homes.

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These Cool Film Rangefinder Cameras Can Be Yours for $150 or Less

If you’re a fan of rangefinder-style cameras and would like to give their vintage forerunners a try, here’s a bunch that won’t break the bank.

Vintage cameras, especially rangefinders, are still pretty popular not only due to the sustained interest in film photography but also because they are often highly collectible items. However, that also means the most popular and coveted ones often come with a hefty price tag, putting them out of reach to most. But there are actually a lot of rangefinder cameras out there that won’t break the bank, so even if you’re a complete beginner, you won’t be intimidated by the cost. In fact, you can grab many of them off eBay for around $150!

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Classifieds: Free Things, Webinars Photographers Should Know About

The Classifieds are quick announcements sandwiched into a long blog post for photographers during the Coronavirus scare.

We’re rounding up some important news that we haven’t necessarily seen anywhere else into a single long blog post. It’s your briefing on a bunch of stuff you may find interesting. All of these are from photography companies. You can see the entire list below. Want to be featured? Send your event/offering with a description and links to chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com. We will only feature free things right now.

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Cheap Photo: Panasonic G7 w/2 Lens Kit $498, XT30 $699, EOS RP $899

There are some true bargains in this roundup of camera deals.

Are you looking for a feature-packed camera on the cheap? If so, you’re going to love this roundup of camera deals. The Canon EOS RP is just $899 right now, and you can get your very own Fujifilm X-T30 for just $699! One of the best deals we have found is the sale on the Panasonic G7. This camera comes with two lenses for just $497.99! That’s a $502 discount! You can also find deals on the brand new Tamron E mount, 20mm24mm, and 35mm f2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 lenses. They’re just $299 each! Head on past the break to see many other camera deals and more.

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Pro Camera Reviews: Our Favorite Macro Lenses, and Much More!

Join the staff of the Phoblographer every week for a new episode of Pro Camera Reviews.

On Sunday, we had our second of Pro Camera Reviews: our new interactive show on Zoom! Pro Camera Reviews is a new web show featuring discussion of the products the Reviews Team at the Phoblographer are actively reviewing and the gear they’ve just reviewed. It includes open Q&A from the audience towards the end of the show, and will air every Sunday at 7pm EST. You can register for the next episode right here.

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Ja Wang: The Town Under the Coronavirus on the Fujifilm XT3

All images by Ja Wang. Used with permission.

“I think it’s a way of healing the city,” explains Ja Wang about his street photography. Specifically, Ja Wang did what many of us have recently done: documented their local city during the COVID-19 scare. We’re all stuck inside right now and this is all very surreal. But as Ja states, this is a pretty important time in history. Though China has shown signs of recovery from the virus, this series shows a part of China we’re not used to seeing here in the West.

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Freelancers Can Claim Unemployment Benefits if Affected by COVID-19

Thanks to the efforts of the Freelancers Union, the self-employed will now be eligible for the same benefits as everyone else.

The Coronavirus has had a significant impact on workers across the United States, with many unfortunately losing their jobs. However, the government recently passed a stimulus bill that would guarantee protection to many workers across the country. All seemed well until the Freelancers Union noticed that freelancers and the self-employed were not included in the deal that would provide insurance, unemployment, and access to the one-time income payments. The Freelancers Union group took matters into their own hands, and thanks to their work, freelance photographers, journalists, content creators, and more will now be able to apply for the same benefits as everyone else if they have lost work due to the Coronavirus. Join us after the break for the details.

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The One Reason the Fujifilm X100V Ups the Game for Me

Fujifilm’s latest X100 camera opens the door to a new feature for affordable compact cameras.

Compact cameras have seen a lot of improvements in the past few years. Faster autofocus, better ISO resolution, filters, IBIS, megapickles: the list of advancements is deep. Fujifilm has been at the forefront of innovation with its x100 series of cameras. For almost a decade, these cameras have made photography fun for both budding photographers and more experienced shooters who wanted a pocketable camera for easy, quick use. While it offers some upgrades over its previous iteration, the X100V has also incorporated something almost no other compact point and shoot has yet: weather resistance. Of course, the full weather resistance comes when you add a filter to the front lens. But this move raises the bar and will either catapult Fujifilm further into a league of its own or spur compact camera manufacturers to step their game up.

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Photography Cheat Sheet: Light Fall Off Visual Guide

Today’s photography cheat sheet demonstrates how light fall off affects the way subjects are illuminated based on how far they are from the light source.

Not so long ago, we shared a simple illustration of how the Inverse Square Law works and how it affects the way your subjects or scenes are lit. If you found it useful for understanding the technicalities of the relationship between distance and the brightness of light, we have another visual guide for you. This time, it shows us the law at work in the studio!

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Get Inspired to Shoot Cine Film With the Best SILBERSALZ35 Snaps of 2019

We’re thrilled about the latest news and the selection of the best SILBERSALZ35 photos recently shared by the folks of Silbersalz Film.

Some time has passed since we broke the news about the SILBERSALZ35 cine films, so we were excited when the folks of Silbersalz Film got in touch with us to share their latest. If you’ve seen some of their sample images from our news post and have been interested in trying out the films, we have a bunch more for you to satisfy your curiosity.

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New Sony Firmware Updates All FE Cameras with Touchscreen Menus

Sony proves that they’ve been listening to their cult’s needs and wants after all.

Thank you Sony! Today, the company finally updated its cameras to unlock touchscreen capabilities on all their FE cameras. To be clear, that means that the Sony a7 III, Sony a7s, Sony a7r III, Sony a7r IV, Sony a9, and the Sony a9 II are all getting the firmware updates. Besides fixing a few bugs with the interface and functionality, this new firmware update allows Sony users to fully interact with the touchscreen menu system. This update has been much needed and it now allows photographers to get to something like the “Format” command with two taps of the screen. Further, it lets photographers interact with the camera’s quick menu system that’s displayed when shooting. This has long been standard for every Full-Frame camera system, and in a way Sony is proving they’re still catching up while also providing class-leading innovations at the same time. We’ve done a bit of testing and played with the new firmware before launch. Our thoughts are after the jump.

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Pentax Announces the New Tamron 35mm F1.4 Di USD Lens

Continuing their trend of rebranding Tamron lenses, Pentax announced their rebranded version of the Tamron 35mm f1.4 Di USD.

We’re happy that the Pentax K mount is being shown some love today with the announcement of the new Pentax 35mm f1.4 Di USD lens. For years, Pentax has been rebranding Tamron lenses for their own mount–which is great for Pentax users. Tamron’s lenses are stellar: mounting the new lens to a Pentax K1 Mk II will just mean that the Pentax system got a great new portrait lens. In fact, when we reviewed the Tamron version of the lens a while ago, we found it to be fantastic. One of our gripes was the lack of image stabilization, which Pentax solves with in-camera stabilization. The two systems working together should prove great for photographers. We’ve got all the essential specs that you need right after the jump.

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Fujifilm Announces New Full Frame Downgrade Program for GF Cameras

Fujifilm GF Lenses could possibly be the sharpest things in front of full-frame sensors. 

For years now, Fujifilm has been saying they’d never go Full-Frame. And, well, they’re mostly sticking to their word. Today, the company announced that photographers who purchase the GFX with a lens can downgrade their cameras to a Full-Frame X Trans sensor for $200 more. The service works by filling out a service inquiry with the company’s repair service. From there, you mail the camera to their New Jersey-based facility where they’ll convert the sensor. In an interview, Fujifilm told us that customers should expect to receive their cameras back within 14 business days. But given how many photographers will want to jump on this, it could take even longer.

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To Boost Sales, Camera Manufacturers Will Take Payment in Exposure

Japanese Camera manufacturers believe that the exposure will help them get more sales.

Admittedly, we’re not even going to write an article about this one and instead just rely on the fact that people are sharing this online without actually clicking into the article. So…thanks? We guess?

Editor’s Note: This is an April Fool’s Joke. Chill. It’s also our last one of 2020.

8 Versatile F4 Zoom Lenses and Why We Love Them

If you don’t need f2.8 zoom lenses, or if your wallet can’t open that far, have no fear: these 24-70mm and 24-105mm f4 zoom lenses are sensational.

A short while ago, we assembled a round-up of the best 24-70mm f2.8 lenses currently available on each platform. Just a couple of weeks ago, we also chatted about whether or not you need an f2.8 or an f4 version of zoom lenses on our new live, interactive chat show called Pro Camera Reviews. Today, we will be continuing this theme, and we will take a look at a few of our favorite versatile 24-70mm and 24-105mm f4 zoom lenses that are stunning in their own right. Join us after the break to see which lenses made our list.

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Photographers: Got a Project? We’d Love to Showcase It!

Hey photographers, if we like your photography projects, portfolio, etc., we’ll feature it!

Amidst everything happening with COVID-19, we know photographers are shifting to find ways to get more eyes on their work. As a service to our readers, we’re looking to help. For years, we’ve featured and profiled up and coming photographers. We’re also glad to say we’ve discovered many before they were cool. Photographers have gotten work from our features, and we’re happy to help the photo community. So, if you’d like to get featured, we’ve got all the details on how to submit your work below.

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Did You Know That You Can Adjust Tamron’s Lens Image Stabilization?

This quick video will show you how you can get more out of your Tamron lenses’ image stabilization.

Like a lot of modern lenses these days, Tamron lenses are no strangers to built-in image stabilization (or Vibration Compensation, as Tamron calls it). Thanks to modern technology, we can now alter how our lenses work thanks to customizable firmware that the lenses are programmed with. If you have always wished you could change the way the image stabilization works on your Tamron lens, you’re in luck. The short video after the break will show how to set up your lens to suit your type of shooting.

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Format Offers $25,000 to Photographers Impacted By COVID-19

Format is ready to support photographers impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Because of ongoing quarantines and social distancing, many photographers have been left with little to no work. The popular online portfolio platform, Format, recognizes this and wants to support those who are currently struggling. In a recent announcement, the company has said that $25,000 is available for photographers in desperate need of financial support.

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Review: The Rogue Flashbenders V3 (Pushing the Light Forward)

The Rogue Flashbenders V3 are the latest update to the event photographer’s essential accessory.

I got excited when I heard about the update to the Rogue Flashbenders. For years, I used to rely on these for event shooting. They were incredibly useful, and they were arguably a game-changer when they were introduced. To this day, I still see them used at events if photographers are going for a specific look and aren’t using the built-in diffuser. But now, the company has updated their Rogue Flashbenders once again. What’s new is the construction and the way they mount onto a flash. Further, there are improvements to the way the optional diffusion panels work. The Rogue Flashbenders do a great job if you can get the metering just right.

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Photography Cheat Sheet: What Affects Depth of Field

This photography cheat sheet will help you understand the elements that determine what appears sharp in your shots.

Depth of field is one of the photography concepts you’re guaranteed to come across, but may take some time to understand through practice. The term is commonly defined as the distance between the closest and the farthest objects in the photo that appear acceptably sharp. This term typically pops up whenever aperture and bokeh are mentioned because the three are tied together; aperture is one of the factors that affect the depth of field, while bokeh demonstrates a quality of depth of field. What about the other factors? Today’s featured photography cheat sheet has some answers.

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Mario Cruz Documents the Heartbreaking Living Conditions in Manila

Living Among What’s Left Behind is a project that explores two deeply worrying narratives and combines them into one extremely important story.

“The experience of walking on the top of the floating trash in the Pasig River was shocking,” says Portuguese photojournalist, Mario Cruz. He adds, “But even more shocking was realizing that I was the only one shocked by it.” In 2018, after stepping foot onto the Pasig River in Manila, Philippines, Cruz began to tell a story that focuses on our destruction of the environment and our neglect of humanity. Heavily polluted and transformed into a waste ground, Pasig River was declared biologically dead by the 1990s. It’s no place for human existence. Yet, after being failed by their dreams, a community of settlers has had to call one of the city’s most toxic environments their home.

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