Ezra Morley

You’re very welcome!

So when you’re comparing cameras from the same year (or close to it) pixel size matters, but not as much when you’re comparing old and new cameras.

Yeah, pretty much. Keep in mind that age is just one factor though. The pixel size, processor, and pixel density also affect image quality.
An expensive camera will generally do…[Read more]

A Nikon D5000 has a pixel size of 30.5 µm² and a resolution of 12.2 mp. Compare that to the Nikon d3400 having a pixel size of 15.3 µm² and a resolution of 24 mp. If we were only to consider the sensor, which one is better?

There’s one more factor to complicate the situation… 🙂 The age of the sensor is a big factor in its image quality. The…[Read more]

Speaking of South Africa, here are a couple of drone shots that my cousin took when we visited there last!

Good idea, @ephillips about reading the printer manual. 🙂 I would suggest scanning to PNG or TIFF format instead of JPG because (at least on Windows) the default JPG scans are heavily compressed, which definitely decreases the image quality.

(It’s OK to save the scans as a JPG after editing though, if she wants to share them online.)

GIMP would definitely work, but it’s a rather clunky solution if all you need is a simple contrast/saturation adjustment. 🙂

Her Mac would come with the Photos app, which has some basic editing tools… See this article for details, and this video for a quick tutorial.

I’d say that’s pretty good for a first attempt! I won’t show you my first tries at astrophotography… 🙂

For focusing I rely on mostly trial-and-error. I put up my ISO really high, and take several shorter test shots till I get it focused, then go back to the settings I need for the “real” photo.

I think a big part of the “color cast” issue is the lens flare. If you point your lens directly into the sun, it can definitely cause color issues like you’re seeing here. That’s why you don’t see the same issue in the shade. 🙂

OK, thanks for the additional info, that helps to understand your situation a little better.

Yes, the XMP files should be stored right along with the originals. You could double check to be sure though! 🙂

So, in my opinion there’s no need to convert to DNG until you switch to using PS Elements for editing.

You would need to test whether a…[Read more]

Here’s a little known tip… Just because the “edit” button is gone doesn’t mean that your post isn’t editable any more. 🙂 If you’re the original author, and it’s the first post in the thread, you can edit it just by appending edit/ to the end of the url you see in the address bar. (It gets more complicated for “replies” to posts, but they are…[Read more]

The SB-900 is definitely not a bad buy any time, even if you’re just starting out. 🙂

You can get a used (Like New) one from Adorama. (Just scroll down to “Shop Used” and select from the dropdown list.)

If you want double the used warranty (180 vs. 90 days), check out KEH’s listings and find the price and condition you want to pay. 🙂

If you…[Read more]

I think the 256GB SSD is definitely the best bang for your buck.

I would say it’s not worth it for the 256 SSD and 1TB HDD, because you’re paying $110 extra for a 1TB drive, which is WAY overpriced. If you want an additional 1TB drive, you can get it much cheaper separately. (e.g. here)

It boils down to price over convenience. If you prefer to…[Read more]

Unless you need Microsoft Office, the only things I would change are: 8 > 16GB of RAM, and the 1TB HDD > 256GB SSD

That’s a nice one too! I’d recommend more than 8GB of RAM though, for video work, and I’d choose the 256GB SSD over the 1 TB HDD since it doesn’t cost any more.

(Unless you plan to upgrade the SSD separately).

You’re very welcome! Maybe I need to update the blog post to address more “modern” versions of Lightroom. 🙂

THANK YOU, Ezra!!! You just fixed my problem. 😀

My pleasure. 🙂 I had a feeling that bbf was the issue. Glad you got it figured out!

I’m curious too how you managed without autofocus for so long.

Yep, that looks like a good one! It’s a lot more expensive, but it has a higher resolution screen, and more built-in SSD storage. The processor is probably a bit better/faster too.

Would a flash like this be a good one?

I’ve never used that particular brand. It’s a Chinese copycat of more expensive flashes, just like the Yongnuo flashes that I use. I’d buy from B&H, as their support and customer service and quality control will probably be better. (They understand camera equipment better than the average Amazon rep. 🙂 )…[Read more]

Here’s a comparison chart for all the Nikon speedlights.

The SB-400 is very small, and takes only 2 AA batteries, so it would definitely be nice and portable. It won’t be as bright though for lighting up a large church or building. You could try using an SB-400 on-camera (bouncing off the ceiling) and a larger SB-600/700/800 as a slave for…[Read more]

That sounds good. Would this one be the best one to go with?
Thank you for all your advice and time!

I think so. I can’t guarantee it though, because it’s extremely difficult to find information about compatibility for these Lenovo laptops for some reason. 🙁 If you want guaranteed compatibility, you’re better off going for the regular SATA SSD…[Read more]

Are you talking about your 5D Mk III?!? Canon has a support article for things to try. (check the AF switch, clean the contacts on the camera, make sure the lens is mounting properly, check custom functions to make sure shutter button AF isn’t disabled, etc…)

Did you somehow enable back-button focus without realizing it? Here’s a video that…[Read more]