The Worst Things About Your Camera (and How to Fix Them)
- Get the Specs and Pricing on the Holdfast MoneyMaker
- If You're Still Using a Single Shoulder Strap You're Doing It All Wrong
- 4 Things to Consider When Upgrading Your Kit Lens
- Lens Mastery Series - The Best Lenses for Beginner Photographers
- Top 5 Reasons Why You Need a 35mm Lens
- Photography Accessories That Make Your Life Much Easier
- 12 Things Photographers Shouldn't Leave at Home
If you ask me, today's cameras are pretty freaking great.
They have better resolution, better low-light performance, faster burst shooting, and better video capabilities than ever before.
But that doesn't mean that there still aren't a few things about modern cameras that just aren't up to par.
Check out my list of three terrible camera features and learn what you can do to mitigate these problems.
Problem #1: The Camera Strap
Thin. Flimsy. Uncomfortable.
These are not great descriptors of the factory camera strap that comes with most cameras.
Yet, that's an accurate description of them!
They have no padding, making for a carrying experience that's like torture. They also keep your camera dangling perilously next to or in front of your body just above your hips or belly button where they can be damaged from knocking into things.
They're also easy for would-be thieves to cut, thus enabling them to abscond with your expensive camera.
Not a good situation, right?
It's easy to fix though, by investing in a better camera strap like the one pictured above.
That's the Holdfast MoneyMaker, a multi-camera strap that's made in the USA with fine materials.
That means it's not just incredibly functional, but it also looks like a million bucks, too.
I have a MoneyMaker and believe me when I say that it's light years more comfortable than the strap that originally came with my camera.
Mine is made of American Bison leather, which means it's soft, supple, and over the years will conform to my body so it fits like a glove. You can also snag one in Python skin, Water Buffalo leather, Bridle leather, or cotton canvas.
Next to comfort, what I appreciate the most is that the MoneyMaker keeps my cameras higher on my body, still within reach of my hands but not so low that I have to worry about my camera getting knocked around as I move.
That gives me greater freedom of movement whether I'm at the beach for a few sunset shots or at the park with my son, taking pictures as he plays.
The point here is that just because your camera comes with a cheap strap doesn't mean you have to be relegated to using it.
If you want to rectify the problem, invest in something like the MoneyMaker so you can carry your cameras in a manner that's safe for them (because of anchored metal D-rings and safety straps) and comfortable for you because it spreads the load of your gear out across both shoulders.
It's one of the best camera accessories I've ever purchased, and I'm sure you'll be of the same opinion when you buy one too!
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Problem #2: The Kit Lens
There's a lot of folks that learn how to use their cameras with the kit lens that's bundled with the camera body at purchase time.
There's certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, a kit lens is a great learning tool for beginners.
However, a kit lens isn't built to be all that great of quality, which is why they often feel so cheap and plasticky.
They also don't have the highest quality optics, either, meaning they produce acceptable, but not outstanding sharpness and clarity.
That's why an upgrade to something like a fast prime lens should be on your list of things to do.
Fast prime lenses - like a 50mm f/1.8, for example - can be found on the cheap (around $125 or so), but have vastly improved performance over a kit lens.
That's especially noticeable when shooting in low light conditions.
For example, my first kit lens - an 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6 - was terrible in low light, which is no surprise given that its maximum aperture at 18mm was f/3.5.
However, my first 50mm lens had a maximum aperture of f/1.8, giving me far more latitude for low-light images.
But fast prime lenses aren't just great because of their low-light performance...
They're also an excellent learning tool for beginner photographers.
A 50mm lens, in particular, is a great focal length to use because it's so versatile. You can use it for everything from portraits to landscapes and even macro photography if you reverse mount the lens on your camera.
What's more, fast prime lenses make you work harder for the shot because they have a fixed focal length. In other words, without the benefit of a zoom lens, you have to actually move your feet to get the shot you want.
That means you're more active in the process of composition and will find that you develop improved composition skills as a result.
So, not only does a fast prime lens solve the problem of the technical limitations of your kit lens, but it can also help you learn a thing or two about creativity!
Learn about other benefits of a fast prime lens in the video above by PhotoRec TV.
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Problem #3: Terrible Battery Life
Okay, so not all cameras have terrible battery life.
But if you get into a groove and take a thousand pictures, you might find that the battery life indicator is perilously low.
It's a simple fix, though, because you can add a battery grip like the one shown below to your camera to double its battery life.
Not only that, a battery grip gives you a much easier and stable way to hold your camera for vertical aspect shots.
Some battery grips even come with buttons so you can trigger the shutter, change the autofocus point, zoom in and out in live view, and a host of other options.
Better still, battery grips are available for virtually all DSLR and mirrorless cameras, no matter the manufacturer. And if you opt for a third-party battery grip that's compatible with your camera, you can get them pretty cheap, too.
An easy and inexpensive fix for a common problem...what's not to like about that?
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With that, you have three primary issues with cameras, solved.
If you want a better shooting experience - and a more productive one - consider upgrading your camera strap, getting a prime lens, and doubling your battery power with a battery grip.
They're easy fixes but can have a marked impact on your photography experiences.
