Browsing all posts in lens.

Going Pro – How to Prioritize Gear Purchases

Unfortunately, most of us work with a limited budget when it comes to purchasing photography gear. Once we consider taking our photography to the next level and going pro, having the right gear becomes even more important. Not only is it important to have the right gear to capture the shots, it is also important [...]

Review: Lensbaby Composer Pro

Oh, oh, oh, how I LOVE the new Lensbaby Composer Pro. Lensbaby has revised their original Composer with heavier construction, a Double Glass 50mm selective focus optic with drop-in aperture discs, and upgraded swivel ball and focus mechanisms. Where the swivel and focus on the original Composer felt a little “gritty”, the swivel and focus [...]

Wildlife Photography

In the article I wrote a couple of weeks ago, How To Relate To and Learn From Other Photographers I mentioned a photographer I had met at a local art show. I also featured a number of his photos. Today I’m very happy to introduce Greg Stephens as a guest contributor to Beyond Megapixels. Greg’s [...]

Review: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

The Short Review: DEAR LORD I LOVE THIS LENS. I am going to buy it at my earliest opportunity. It went immediately on my wish list. The Somewhat Longer Review: The Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens is an excellent lens for photographing action taking place in bright sunlight. Due to its [...]

Insuring Your Photography Equipment

During the last week I recorded an inventory of all my photography equipment. Don’t get me wrong, I know what I have and can name each item. This time I wrote down, if you can call using a computer writing down, the complete name of each item, the serial number and the price I would [...]

Unboxing My Birthday Present (and first photos)

Right up there with unboxing a brand new camera body is unboxing a lens that you’ve coveted for… well, in my case, YEARS. This week, in celebration of my birthday, I finally bought a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS. Of COURSE I photographed the unboxing when it arrived! And here’s the best tip I [...]

Auto Focus Microadjustments

I just spent a few hours over the weekend performing auto-focus micro-adjustments for three of my lenses. Not the MOST fun I’ve ever had with my camera, but a necessary activity for achieving correctly focused images. Auto-focus micro-adjustments are sometimes necessary to calibrate the focus points of the lens/camera combination. Some lens/camera combinations tend to [...]

Macro Photography — Experimenting With Different Equipment

Usually when I sit down to write an article I end up writing a lot of words and include a few photographs. For today’s article, I thought I’d include a lot of photos and write fewer words. Macro photography has long been one of my favorite approaches to photography. It’s possible to create stunning images [...]

Photography 101: Fixed Aperture Explained

A reader recently sent me an e-mail, asking me to explain how fixed aperture lenses work. She was suffering under the misconception that a fixed aperture on a lens means that’s the only aperture that lens is capable of shooting. Apertures tend to be a subject that can be confusing to a beginning photographer. Primarily, [...]

When Someone Asks, “What Equipment Should I Buy?”

If it hasn’t happened many times already, one of these days you will be asked one of the two most dreaded questions photographers hear. “What kind of camera/lens should I buy?” Of course, the other dreaded question is, “We can’t afford a photographer. Will you take photos of our wedding?” Depending on how serious the [...]