Has the Sony A7S iii convinced me to dump Panasonic?

Sony A7S iii Review! BUT NOT REALLY!

I’m actually proper torn on this one. I’m leaning towards staying with my Lumix cameras because this Sony body is pricey.

But Damn.

Damn the A7S3 is a fantastic camera… Continue reading “Has the Sony A7S iii convinced me to dump Panasonic?”

Take Better Photos: Smartphone Photography For Noobs! Updates for 2020 are now live!

I’m really proud of this one.

I started writing a blog post about phone photography in 2013. To explain one concept, I had to write another post to explain a different concept. That snowballed into a series of posts and videos. Eventually, the only thing that made sense was to turn it into a book, which was published in 2015.

Take Better Photos: Smartphone Photography for Noobs!

Every year I take another pass through revising the book, and the updates for 2020 are out now! Continue reading “Take Better Photos: Smartphone Photography For Noobs! Updates for 2020 are now live!”

Peak Design Travel Tripod Review: THE MOST WORTH IT!

Who would have thought we could improve on the tripod! Peak Design sent over the Aluminum version of the Travel Tripod, and this is maybe the happiest an accessory has ever made me. If you’re into mobility, travel gear, or just want to step up your family photos, a tripod is a handy way to improve your content. Here’s why a REALLY NICE tripod takes that even farther!

Continue reading “Peak Design Travel Tripod Review: THE MOST WORTH IT!”

Portrait Mode Fight! Software vs Hardware! Pixel 4 vs LG V60!

What makes for a better portrait photo? Google’s incredible camera software? LG’s brute force hardware? Which camera cuts around hair better? Which company delivers the more eye-pleasing background blur? Let’s FIGHT!

Continue reading “Portrait Mode Fight! Software vs Hardware! Pixel 4 vs LG V60!”

Does the Galaxy S20 use a FAKE Zoom?

How DO cameras work?

As I’ve been talking about the Galaxy S20 and LG V60, people seem surprised by some of the performance I’ve been describing.

We might complain about compromises on one phone, but how do those changes compare to the competition?

How closely should we examine marketing claims? Should popular manufacturers be graded on a curve JUST because they’re popular? Let’s take a look at the Galaxy S20’s spec sheet here…
Continue reading “Does the Galaxy S20 use a FAKE Zoom?”

The OnePlus 7 Pro DOES have a 3X OPTICAL Zoom – Why generic consumer measurements suck…

Looks like we needed something to be outraged about.

A flurry of stories have been published, claiming deceit on the part of OnePlus. The zoom on the OnePlus 7 Pro camera is a LIE! It’s NOT really a 3X zoom! PITCHFORKS! TORCHES!

Except it is. It’s exactly what OnePlus advertised it to be. In fact, it’s a little better than what they advertised. You get a little more than what they listed on the spec sheet. The main thing OnePlus is guilty of is a clumsy execution, which we shouldn’t be too surprised about. This company is regularly “charmingly clumsy”.

We’ve got a lot to unpack here.

First of all, Very few phones really have a ZOOM lens. Continue reading “The OnePlus 7 Pro DOES have a 3X OPTICAL Zoom – Why generic consumer measurements suck…”

A response to the DXO review of the LG V40: They’re not wrong, but…

Better late than never DXO?

The V40 has been ranked and scored at DXO, and the results aren’t what LG fans might have been hoping for. A combined score of 93 places the V40 well outside the top ten list of current phones. It’s just above an iPhone 8, and just below a Note 8 in DXO’s ranking.

LG fans are understandably “not thrilled” with this conclusion, especially for how long the phone has been out. Sort of adding an insult to the injury of delaying their review this long.

The thing is, based on the way DXO shoots and analyzes image quality, they’re not wrong. The DXO testing suite is very consistent.

They just might not test for what you use…

Continue reading “A response to the DXO review of the LG V40: They’re not wrong, but…”

Bokeh is NOT Pronounced “Boca”! Limited run T-Shirts and Hoodies for April!

It’s a joke for April, but NOT an April Fools joke!

There’s much debate over how to pronounce the word “bokeh”, a Japanese term used to describe the artistic quality of lens blur. While we photo-geeks squabble about “ke” versus “kay”, or what region of Japan has a slight upward inflection, or blah blah blah…

The one thing we should all be able to agree on is that the recent Apple commercial is completely wrong. Where one woman turns to another and says:

“Did you just BOCA my child?”

Boca. As in Boca Raton. That’s completely wrong. All I can hear is one woman ask another:

“Did you just MOUTH my child?”

Which is kind of dirty for an Apple ad.

I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and if you want to stand with me on the correct side of that line, I’ve put up a collection of t-shirts and hoodies to help you support the good and righteous cause of language preservation. We’ll probably lose this fight against the juggernaut of Apple marketing, but we won’t go down without a fight!

Men and Women cut premium t-shirts, and super soft premium hoodies, only available through the month of April!

Click here to check out The Bokeh Collection on TeeSpring!