haida Photography Articles

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5 Gadgets to Upgrade Your Mirrorless Camera

Written by PT Editor on 10 March 2020.

5 gadgets to upgrade your mirrorless camera

^{Photo by Michael Soledad on Unsplash}

Your mirrorless camera is an incredible photography and videography tool. The capabilities of many of the current mirrorless cameras seem virtually boundless. In reality, though, they can’t do it all, not by themselves anyways. Adding some basic accessories can unlock more or your new camera’s potential.

There are several formats of mirrorless cameras: MFT, such as cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, and Blackmagic. APS-C, with cameras from Fujifilm, Nikon, Sony, Canon, and others. Full-Frame, including Panasonic, Leica, Nikon, Sony, Canon, and Sigma. And several medium format sizes from Fujifilm, Hasselblad, and others.

These accessories will fit and function on most of the mirrorless cameras. They will also fit, function, and enhance your DSLRs, too. Here are my top five picks for gadgets to upgrade your mirrorless camera.

A Small But Mighty Filter Set

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The Haida M7 Filter Holder and Drop-In CPL filter is first on the list.

The Haida M7 filter system is an excellent way to have high-quality filters of several types to use on all of your different lenses regardless of the filter diameter of each lens.

A kit would include the holder itself, whatever filters you choose such as a circular polarizer (CPL) and neutral density (ND) or graduated neutral density (GND), and the lens adapters for each size needed.

Instead of buying separate screw-in filters of each type for each lens size, you can get just one each of these high-quality filters and use them on each lens.

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A circular polarizer is one of the most useful items in our gear for improving our photos. Polarizers remove reflections from water, glass, plant leaves, and water vapor and dust in the sky. This results in darker skies with good contrast between sky and clouds, and it gives great color saturation and detail in landscape scenes with lots of foliage or water in the view.

There are many reasons for using Haida ND and GND filters, too. Anytime you need to reduce the exposure value of a scene or balance the light and dark areas of a scene with a huge dynamic range, a neutral density filter will come in very handy.

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A Top-Shelf Gimbal for Video Work

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Ikan EC1 Beholder 3-Axis Gimbal is our next item. Our new mirrorless camera likely has a superb video mode, the only thing holding us back from truly outstanding video is probably our technique.

High up on our technique concerns is camera stability. When shooting video, unnecessary camera movement during scenes can lower the appeal of our finished video. There’s not much you can do to fix that after shooting either, getting in right while filming is the best procedure.

While you likely already have a good video tripod, it’s when trying to film handheld that the issue is of greatest concern. One of the best options available for filmmakers is a gimbal stabilizer.

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Ikan’s EC1 is a powered 3-axis gyro stabilizer that can hold a camera rig weighing up to 4.5 pounds. Much better than the friction type inexpensive stabilizers, the next step up from this gimbal is a SteadyCam type of stabilizer which costs more than my wife’s car.

The difference in using this gimbal than not is apparent right from the very start. Your videos will be so much smoother than simply holding it by hand could ever be. The cost is a bit more than you might have expected for a good-quality video tripod, but the payback is huge in terms of freedom of movement capturing usable footage.

A Next-Generation Camera Cover

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Camera Canopy for mirrorless cameras is such a fantastic idea, I wonder why I didn’t invent it myself! Traditional rain covers can be a little bit fiddly to work with. What makes this rain cover so good is that it isn’t a big plastic bag you stuff the camera in. It’s more like an umbrella for your camera.

Since your camera is not stuffed in a bag, you actually have clear access to all the regular controls, even a clear view of the viewscreen. My camera is water resistant, for the most part, but I’m still not comfortable with holding it under a running faucet, which is what rainstorms around here can be like.

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But for a typical downpour type of rain, this canopy works great!

A Durable (and Budget-Friendly) Camera Strap

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The Holdfast HF Classic Strapis one pretty strap. It comes in two widths - a wide width that distributes the weight better and a slim width that some find more fashionable.

One of the nice features of these straps is a leather shroud that fits over the stainless steel clasp. This keeps the metal away from your camera body while also adding an extra layer of security concerning the quick release.

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Holdfast also makes a sling strap and a series of classic style camera bags. Most of their bags and straps are made from full-grain leather, some are made from synthetic material, depending on intended usage and style choices.

Whatever accessories you choose to buy from Holdfast, you’ll get a premium product that was hand-made in the U.S.A. And when you shoot with a small mirrorless camera, one of their hand-made HF Classic Straps is a must!

A Pocket-Sized LED Light

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The LitraTorch 2.0 is a compact, battery-powered continuous LED light that is necessary for video recording since the built-in flash on your camera is not useful for video, only for still imaging.

The charge can last up to 7 hours in low power mode, about a couple of hours on high. It recharges via a USB cable. LED lights are the choice for most videographers needing portable lighting. They operate much cooler than quartz or incandescent bulbs and have a steady color balance.

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The LitraTorch is also very compact. If needed, you could mount this on the camera itself by means of the accessory/hot shoe. A small bracket is another option that videographers can use to hold the light in line with the camera. Since it runs cool, you could hold the light yourself in a pinch.

As an added bonus, you can also pair this tiny light with a GoPro style action cam on a multi mount or a grip. I guess the GoPro counts as mirrorless, doesn’t it?!

Mirrorless Camera Upgrades Equal Upgraded Use

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^{Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash}

The primary reason to implement any of these upgrades is to better your ability to gather excellent video and superb still images.

Many mirrorless cameras have superior video capabilities compared to the DSLRs of the same brand. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been using your mirrorless camera, improvement is always available. Same thing applies to our still photography.

Some of these gadgets are a virtual necessity for certain styles of videography and photography. Others make using an existing capability easier to accomplish. Try them out!

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6 Expert Tips for Improving Your Landscape Photography

Written by PT Editor on 24 August 2020.

6 Expert Tips for Improving Your Landscape Photography

^{photo byPilat666 via iStock}

Everyone likes a great landscape image. Landscape photography is one of the core genres of photography, in art in general actually, and as artists of the photographic medium, we like presenting to others our good landscape images.

Landscape photography tips are all over the internet, we have several on our own web community, so I want to take a slightly different approach and look at the art of the image in addition to expert landscape photography tips and some photography gear ideas.

Discussing art is a huge part of the fun of photography for me. Some of the same principles that have been used in painting since the Renaissance apply fantastically to photography. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Composition - Fibonacci Sequence
Exposure - Be Careful with Highlights
Color - Use Exposure to Enhance Colors
Focus - Deep or Shallow Depth of Field
Filters - Polarizers and Neutral Density Are Essential
Post-Processing - Keep It Natural

Composition - Fibonacci Sequence

landscape photography 1

^{photo byMny-Jhee via iStock}

Whenever someone talks about composition in a discussion of expert landscape photography tips, our minds tend to automatically go to the Rule of Thirds. Which is fine, that’s a good rule of composition, very useful to know and adapt to your own ideas.

The Fibonacci Sequence is one of the most important of the other rules of composition to learn for how to improve landscape photos. Also known as the Golden Spiral, the Fibonacci Sequence is a mathematical concept that describes a real world phenomenon.

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There are other photography tips articles that explain it in technical terms, but to put it simply, it’s a relationship among objects that tends to spiral in or out and gives a pleasing perspective. On a small scale, we can easily see it in a sunflower, large scale man made examples can be found in classic architecture and bridges.

Large scale natural scenes with the Golden Spiral can be found in forests, mountain ranges, rolling fields, and so on. Once you know what the Fibonacci Sequence is, you will see it everywhere. All that’s needed to employ it in our landscape photography is good lens choice, proper camera position, and maybe some judicious scene cropping.

Exposure - Be Careful with Highlights

Improving Your Landscape Photography

^{photo byMarje via iStock}

Our cameras have amazing exposure meters, but total reliance on them can cause us to miss out on creating the best photograph for a particular scene. This is especially true when the scene we’re imaging has a large range of exposure values in it.

Exposure meters, even our super advanced modern matrix metering cameras, tend to see the world in what photography experts call 18 Percent Grey. Again, this is a fascinating concept on its own that has been covered by many articles, but it is important to the art of landscape photography because Middle Grey does not usually cover our creative vision.

Relying on our meter can result in good mid range exposure but the extremes of the scale, highlights and deep shadow, will likely be misrepresented. I like to skew my landscape photography exposure towards lots of shadow detail, but there is a danger to be aware of. Exposing primarily for shadow will cause the highlights to block up.

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^{photo byae-photos via iStock}

In both digital photography and film, it is much easier to pull out shadow detail in processing but it is next to impossible to save overexposed highlight detail. To avoid bunching up the highlights, I will sometimes use a graduated neutral density (GND) filter to balance out scene exposure values. Spot metering and bracketing are also good tools and techniques to use for protecting the highlights of a scene from disappearing.

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Color - Use Exposure To Enhance Colors

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^{photo byAndrew_Mayovskyy via iStock}

Color can be used as a creative tool in landscape photography by exposing it properly. Even in black and white imaging, color relationships can be a vital creative element.

Generally speaking, a color can be enhanced towards deepening by underexposing and towards lightening the hue by overexposing. It stays the same color, but the appearance can be changed either greatly or subtly.

Lightning a color by slight overexposure will change the mood of the image to an airy feel, perhaps whimsical or joyful. Deepening a color with slight underexposure can create a more serious, serious, or dramatic mood.

You can accomplish both effects in one exposure with creative use of filters such as polarizers (C-POL), neutral density (ND), or graduated neutral density (GND) filters or combinations of these filters.

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^{photo byBruceBlock via iStock}

For black and white imaging, exposing for deep reds and blues and using a polarizer filter can completely alter the look and feel of a scene. Sometimes, you can turn the sky into a virtually black background which can enhance the landscape into an amazing image.

Focus - Deep or Shallow Depth of Field

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^{photo byBret-Barton via iStock}

Depth of field refers to how much of the scene is in focus from foreground to background. Since depth of field is controlled by lens aperture and focus distance together, this means that creative application of the Exposure Triangle can be an excellent tool and technique for adjusting depth of field.

A smaller f-stop or aperturewill give deeper depth of focus than a wider aperture, all other things being equal. As we’ve discussed in previous articles, all other things are rarely equal in landscape photography. Lens choice and camera position in relation to the subject also control depth of field.

In order to give the scene a sense of immersive depth, we adjust aperture, lens focal length, and the focus point for maximum depth of field. To isolate an aspect of the landscape photography scene, we adjust those same factors to give a shallow or limited depth of field also known as selective focus.

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^{photo byIknowher via iStock}

Sometimes, the absolute exposure value of a scene may not allow for the right aperture to give us selective focus, so I will use a ND filter to adjust the Exposure Triangle to a point where I can use the aperture I want for the desired effect.

Filters - Polarizers and Neutral Density Are Essential

In order to combat some of the issues we encounter in landscape photography, ND GND, and C-POL filters are essential tools in our photography gear bags. As mentioned in the previous landscape photography tips, certain filters are so useful for landscape photography that they are virtually indispensable.

I’ve been using a filter holder system for much of my own landscape photography, the M10 filter holder system from Haida. A filter holder system makes landscape photography with filters easier, quicker, and less expensive than using screw in filters for these high-quality, specific need filters.

Polarizers also help with color saturation since they remove reflections from many surfaces such as water but also including the reflections from the leaves of trees and other plants. They also enhance colors by eliminating the softening effects of atmospheric light scattering.

Post-Processing - Keep It Natural

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^{photo byvalio84sl via iStock}

Most photographers serious about improving their landscape photography will shoot in their camera's RAW format and post process to get the best results from the exposure. This helps when exposing to keep highlight detail by allowing you to pull out more detail in the shadows.

HDR, or high dynamic range photography can be accomplished by taking a series of bracketed exposures and combining them into one image file, allowing you to balance out highlights, mid range, and deep shadow.

Post-processing can also let you enhance the colors in your image, adjusting their depth or even changing the hue of some colors, as shown in the video above by Simon Burn. You can combine multiple techniques to blend color enhancement, high dynamic range, and pulling out shadow detail for one image.

It often gives us excellent images if we try to keep the look and feel of the final image to match expectations of how the scene should look, in other words, keep it natural. While some extreme enhancements of color or exposure can result in great images, landscape photography really lends itself to a natural feel.

The End Result

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^{photo byAlvaro Campos via iStock}

The end result of all of these expert landscape photography tips should be an improvement to your own landscape photography images.

The art of photography is a source of great joy and beauty. Using tried and true techniques, high-quality photography gear, and your own creative thoughts will give you and others joy with outstanding landscape photos.

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A Beginner's Guide to Cleaning Your Lens and Filters

Written by PT Editor on 22 June 2020.

A Beginners Guide to Cleaning Your Lens and Filters

^{Photo by ATC Comm Photo from Pexels}

Sooner or later, you will have to clean your lenses and accessory lens filters for photography. Cleaning your lens is simple to do but there are tips for how to clean a camera lens and lens filters that will help newcomers to overcome any nervousness about the process.

Anyone beginning to use more advanced cameras like a mirrorless or DSLR can see at least one thing that is clearly different from what you used before, whether that was a smartphone or a point and shoot style camera, the front lens element is usually much larger than those previous cameras.

That larger element collects dust, fingerprints, smudges, smears, spit, spray, dog hair, you name it. Since you are using an interchangeable lens now, you also need to be aware of the rear lens element. Any filters used with the lens also will need to be cleaned from time to time.

Here are some tips for how to clean a camera lens, front and back, and how to clean lens filters, on or off the camera lens.

Tip 1: Don’t Get It Dirty

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^{Photo by Matheus Bertelli from Pexels}

In other words, be careful with your optical glass. The old saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” applies here. So does Red Green’s version “if it ain’t fixed don’t step on it.”

One of the biggest culprits in lenses and filters getting dirty and scratched is our own clumsiness. Once that lens cap is off, consider the front element as vulnerable. This would mean keeping the lens cap attached when you are not using the camera. That applies to a rear lens cap, too, if you changed to another lens.

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Avoid touching the glass surface. For some of us, that takes some practice and awareness, but it can be learned behavior.

This is an important tip whether you use an entry-level, cheap filter (which, honestly, you should avoid) or you use a high-quality filter like the Haida NanoPro MC Circular Polarizer that I have on the front of my lens.

Tip 2: Use Lens Hoods

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^{photo byyunava1 via iStock}

But even that one has a compromise lens hood that allows about 170 degree coverage while offering a little bit of protection for that protruding front element. Generic hard or rigid lens hoods are available for most lenses if yours doesn’t have one.

Besides keeping me from touching the lens front element, a lens hood also helps guard against bumps and scrapes from the lens impacting with something. A soft or rubber lens hood is a good alternative to rigid versions.

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Tip 3: Blow It Off

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^{photo bykazunoriokazaki via iStock}

Some things, though, simply can’t be helped. You’re outside shooting and the wind picks up junk which finds its way to your lens. Blowing dust or sand or even the seed of a dandelion might be resting on your lens front element.

You’re tempted to rub it off with your t-shirt, scarf, or tie, but don’t. That rub could scratch the element. Sure, it’s not at all noticeable, right now. But after repeated occurrences, the abrasion wears on a lens.

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A small blower brush is a great tiny tool to keep handy. Put it in your camera bag side pocket. The blower bulb will gently remove most loose particles from your lens, while the ultra soft bristles of the brush will take care of more stubborn junk.

Some photographers will blow with their mouth and lips but that can add moisture to the equation which causes the dust, sand, or dirt to stick a bit more firmly to the glass surface. Even if you think you’re blowing dry air with your mouth, a blower brush will sidestep that issue completely.

Tip 4: Use a Microfiber Cloth

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^{photo byPeopleImages via iStock}

This is another item I keep in my camera bag. In fact, I have a variety of microfiber cloths in every bag or case I have, some in my desk, a couple in my car, and one in my front jeans pocket right now.

When cleaning your lens with a microfiber cloth, you should first take the time to use your blower or blower brush to remove any loose or big stuff. The microfiber cloth is great at removing fingerprints and smudges from our lenses. Instead of wiping at it straight, use small circular patterns all across the lens or filter.

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A microfiber cloth is also perfect for cleaning your filters. A prime example of a filter that should be checked and possibly cleaned each time you use it is your circular polariser. Filters for photography are an important part of your optical gear, so keeping them clean will ensure the best performance.

You have likely already added to your basic gear an excellent polarizer such as the Haida NanoPro MC Circular Polarizer which gives you control over reflections, haze, and other glare.

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If the filter is smudged on front or back surfaces, it won’t transmit the light as well as a clean filter, which would be a waste of the fine capabilities of this filter.

Tip 5: Lens Cleaning Liquid and Tissue

Lens Cleaning Liquid

There are times when cleaning your lens or lens flyers that you simply must use a solution of some type. Very oily finger smudges, old fingerprints and smudges, water spots, and other similar things just won’t come clean with blowing and microfiber cloths.

Be sure to use a solution and tissue specifically designed for optical grade glass. Window cleaner is for windows, and the mom trick of licking your thumb and wiping is a bad idea for lenses and filters.

Lens cleaning solution, lens tissues, or pre moistened lens cleaning cloths are what you should use. For really stubborn smudges or spots, such as what I might encounter when picking up a used lens, I will use one tissue for the solution and one or two to wipe dry.

NEVER pour, spray, or apply lens solution directly to the lens. Always put it on the tissue and then wipe the moist tissue on the lens with circular motions. You don’t want any moisture finding its way into the interior of the lens.

Tip 6: Kits Have It All

lens cleaning kit

A good lens cleaning kit that comes in its own small case is a handy thing to keep with or near your main gear bag. They make great gifts for photographers, too, as we always need more good ways to clean our lenses and filters.

Tip 7: Remember To Clean the Lens Barrel

Cleaning Your Lens and Filters

^{Photo by zohaib khan from Pexels}

The lens barrel also gets quite a lot of dust and oily dirt on it. Almost everything listed above can be used on the lens barrels, but I tend to stick with a blower brush and microfiber cloth most of the time. If you do need to use solution, the rule of never applying liquid directly to the lens is in effect here, too.

You can even use all these tools and tricks with regard to the exterior of your camera body as well, but there are special tips and tools for cleaning battery contacts and sensors. We’ll cover that for you in another article.

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Common Questions About Circular Polarizers

Written by PT Editor on 02 December 2019.

Common Questions About Circular Polarizers

^{photo byKoldunova_Anna via iStock}

Circular polarizers allow your lens to take sharper images by lessening junk light and haze that enters the camera. They may seem old school with the advent of photo editing software but are still used by many professional photographers to reduce reflective light and improve image quality.

They are very popular among landscape photographers, and many swear by them and have them in their camera bags at all times.

Do you have questions about circular polarizers? We have the answers.

How Does a Circular Polarizer Work?

questions about circular polarizers

^{photo byhappylemon via iStock}

Circular polarizers are filters that you screw onto the front of your lens to reduce glare, haze, and reflections. Once attached, you will be able to twist the front part of the filter to choose the amount of polarization you need and adjust it to your conditions.

These filters, when used properly, increase the depth and contrasts in your images. Colors are more vivid and vibrant when a circular polarizer is used. Skies are bright blue, clouds pop, and water is less reflective.

To use a circular polarizer correctly, you can’t be pointing your camera directly at the sun. You have to be perpendicular to the sun in order for the filter to do its magic.

Do I Really Need a Circular Polarizer? (Why Can't I just Photoshop it?)

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Yes, photo editing software can fix some of the problems encountered when shooting without a circular polarizer, but not all. And frankly, if you can get the shot right at the get-go, it’s a more gratifying sensation. Also, you can see the effect instantly when using a polarizing filter — no need to wait to get to your computer to “fix” it.

Photo editing is time-consuming and can get tedious. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary, and other times it can be avoided by getting the shot right, straight from the camera.

Another benefit of using a circular polarizer is that it will get you thinking and being more conscious about light. And we all know how light is important in photography. When you understand light better, you become a better photographer. It’s that simple!

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^{photo by max-kegfire via iStock}

Editors Tip: Did you know? Some portrait photographers use polarizers when photographing someone with glasses. A circular polarizer can reduce the reflections in the lenses and can also help matte shiny skin.

Can I Leave a Circular Polarizer on all the Time?

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It’s not recommended that you leave a polarizing filter on all the time. It’s intended for specific purposes and will not be helpful (and actually bad) for some types of photography.

A circular polarizer filter removes about 1.5 stops of light from the shot. This is not something that you want in low light conditions, for example.

How Do I Choose a Circular Polarizer?

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Quality and prices vary for polarizers, like in many other gear categories in the photography industry. The old adage “you get what you pay for” applies here too.

We like the Haida M10 Filter Kit for its quality, durability, and versatility. The filter kit is designed to allow the use of up to three separate 100mm wide, 2mm thick filters. It can be fitted on a lens with 82mm front filter threads and comes with an included circular polarizer.

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DJI Releases Mavic Air 2 With Upgrades to Sensor, Video, Battery, and More

Written by PT Editor on 28 April 2020.

dji mavic air 2

I've been a DJI enthusiast for years. There's a lot of reasons for that, but one of the biggest is because DJI is constantly working to improve their products - and I get to reap the benefits of that as an hobbyist drone pilot.

One of my complaints about the original DJI Mavic Air was its terrible battery life - about 20 minutes is all I could get out of it.

But with the DJI Mavic Air 2 - which is available for pre-order right now - the flight time has improved significantly to 34 minutes.

And that's just the start of the upgrades...

dji mavic air 2 sensor

The newest member of the DJI family has a half-inch 48-megapixel Quad Bayer sensor that can take 12-megapixel images. You also have the option of taking photos using the sensor's full resolution.

The camera has an f/2.8 lens with an equivalent focal length of 28mm. On the video front, the Mavic Air 2 is capable of 4K video at up to 60fps. You also get the option of HDR video at up to 4K/30 (the HDR functionality is available for panoramic photos too) as well as exporting 8K time-lapse videos.

Though not all the video modes will support 8K when the Mavic Air 2 ships, that functionality will be added later this summer.

dji mavic air 2 specs

For still photos, you can take advantage of DJI's new scene detection modes that will read the landscape for features like grass and trees, sunrises and sunsets, blue sky, and snow. You can enjoy upgraded autonomous flight modes as well.

There are tons of safety features on this drone, too.

It's the first DJI drone to come with AirSense, a safety program that warns you when other aircraft are nearby. It also has obstacle sensors on the front and back to help prevent collisions and a sensor on the bottom to assist in landing.

Speaking of the bottom, there are auxiliary lights that aid with landing in low-light situations.

On the design front, the Mavic Air 2 is a little bigger and heavier than its predecessor, but it's still a small and lightweight rig, for sure.

The biggest redesign was with the controller - there are no visible antennas, and instead there are spring-loaded mounts for a phone.

dji mavic air 2 controller

An initial look at the specs of the DJI Mavic Air 2 shows a drone that appears to be well designed, chock full of new features and updates, and continues the tradition of DJI design excellence.

I'll have updates and a review of the Mavic Air 2 coming in the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled here and on our YouTube channel for more Mavic Air 2 content.

In the meantime, you can pre-order the Mavic Air 2 for $799 or pre-order the Mavic Air 2 Fly More Combo fo $988.

UPDATE: You Can Also Get Filters for the Mavic Air 2

haida filter kit mavic air 2

The Mavic Air 2 is a fully-featured drone, but having accessories to extend its functionality certainly won't hurt.

I've got my hands on Haida's NanoPro ND-Polarizer Filter Kit for the Mavic Air 2, and I'm loving the results I get with these filters.

These ND-Polarizer hybrid filters make it easy to take advantage of the benefits of polarizers and ND filters. I can control glare, minimize haze, and extend the shutter speed to my heart's content, all with a single filter!

This particular kit comes with 3-stop, 4-stop, and 5-stop filters to give me the flexibility I need to get the photos and videos I want.

Perhaps the best part, though, is the price - at less than $50, this Haida filter kit is a steal!

Originally reported by The Verge

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Do I Really Need Lens Filters?

Written by PT Editor on 07 January 2021.

Do I Really Need Lens Filters

^{photo byVladK213 via iStock}

There is an interesting phenomenon I see on social media concerning photography, namely the no filter (#nofilter) and straight out of camera (#sooc) hashtags. I call it interesting because it seems to imply that there’s something inherently wrong with processing images or using lens filters.

As a public service announcement, let me assure you there is nothing wrong with liking or posting filtered vs unfiltered or processed vs unprocessed images. I shoot, show, and enjoy them all. A good image is a good image. (By the way, every digital image is processed, even a #SOOC jpeg, and every photographic lens filters light in some fashion, just by the types of glass used and coatings.)

As photographers progressing from beginner photography, you are familiar with the image processing engine in all of our digital cameras, what post-processing can do for your image files, and the basic ideas of using lens filters.

The questions from photographers progressing from beginner to intermediate are more along the lines of “Since I can post-process images, do I really need lens filters?” and also “Exactly what do lens filters do?” and finally “What are the benefits of lens filters?”

If I Post-Process, Do I Really Need Lens Filters?

lens filter vs no filter

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As soon as we start shooting in RAW and post-processing, we realize how much real information is in each of our digital images. One of the first things we learn is that there is tons of detail in the shadows of our files, but not much in the highlight end. So we start thinking that we can fix any lighting or contrast challenge in post.

Well, in that lens filter vs no lens filter debate going on our head, we should look again at that RAW file situation in regards to exposure information embedded. While we can often pull out some detail from the shadows and midrange, anything blown out in the highlights is gone, you can’t pull it out.

If you’ve begun to practice and shoot while considering dynamic range or the scene, HDR photography, Zone System, and lighting contrast, you have learned there is no perfect, one-size-fits-all solution. Which is why many landscape photographers use graduated neutral density (GND) lens filters to bring highlight values down so they can be captured along with shadow detail.

benefits of lens filters

A lens filter system with a filter holder, lens adapters, and square, rectangular, and round filters is the best way to take advantage of all the benefits of lens filters such as GND and other specialty lens filters. Haida Filters offers the M10 Enthusiast Kit II filter holder system which includes a 3-stop soft edge GND lens filter for blending and taming many dynamic range situations we come across as landscape or architectural photographers.

What Do Lens Filters Do?

what do lens filters do

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There are some lens filters that accomplish what post-processing programs simply can’t do or are limited in doing for our images. A circular polarizer (C-POL) is one of those lens filters. A C-POL filter is one of the most useful lens filters for a wide variety of scenes.

Your C-POL lens filters control polarized light which allows you to deepen colors, see through water, eliminate reflections, and increase contrast between white clouds and blue sky. The Haida M10 Enthusiast Filter Kit II comes with a very high quality C-POL filter you can mount to virtually any lens you might own.

Except for some major replacement of image elements, there is little you can do with a post-processing program to change light polarization. And if you try to capture the image without a polarizer filter, it will often pale in comparison to the same view taken with the C-POL, provided it’s used properly.

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Benefits of Lens Filters

lens filters

^{photo bykali9 via iStock}

In the lens filter vs no lens filter debate going on in our heads, we can see that some of the benefits of lens filters for many types of photography is to either do something we can’t readily do in post-processing or that create a better image file in the first place that we can then tweak or enhance to make it as close to perfect as possible.

One of the benefits of lens filters such as a deep neutral density (ND) filter is that we can greatly adjust the exposure triangle to give us lens apertures or shutter speeds not available without the lens filters.

There is an excellent example of this type of lens filter in the Haida M10 Enthusiast Filter Kit II is the 10-stop ND filter. A full 10 stops of exposure density allows for opening up the lens aperture fully, slowing down the shutter speed greatly, or any combination of the two based on what you need from the exposure triangle.

This could allow you to use motion blur effects or selective focus techniques for landscape, architectural, portrait, or small product photography. These techniques can’t simply be done just because we want them, we have to change something radically to get there which is what ND lens filters are designed to do.

You Can Craft Great Images With Lens Filters

Lens filters are critical

^{photo byMarioGuti via iStock}

Sometimes the best use of our photographic talent is seen in an image we can show straight out of our camera without using any lens filters. But there are also many situations when we can create an even better image by using lens filters and post-processing properly.

Our main goal is capturing and crafting the best image to show what our photographic mind can make. Proper use of all of our equipment and learned techniques is how we get that great image.

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Get the specs on the Holdfast Fundy Streetwise Bag.

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Essential Travel Photography Tips for Improving Your Photos

Written by PT Editor on 10 July 2019.

Essential Travel Photography Tips for Improving Your Photos

^{photo bydeimagine via iStock}

Heading out on the road? You might want to give these travel photography tips a look.

From gear recommendations to tips for packing, composition techniques to planning your trip, we’ve got what you need to get your trip off on the right foot.

Travel Photography Tip #1: Pack Light

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^{photo by Nirut Punshiri via iStock}

And I don’t mean to just pack light when it comes to your clothes and other personal items. You need to thin the herd when it comes to your gear, too.

As you stuff your Nikon Z7 and your Nikon D850 and your Sony a6400 and three lenses for each camera into your bag, you should ask yourself, “Do I really need all this?”

The answer is no…

Having too much gear is not only uncomfortable to carry but it also causes you undue stress worrying about whether your gear is safe.

Here’s a travel photography idea: take one camera, a good walk-around zoom lens (i.e., a 24-70mm), and a small travel tripod (like this one!). With this small kit, you can photograph just about anything on your travels and not kill yourself trying to carry it all.

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Travel Photography Tip #2: Carry Your Gear in Comfort

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Speaking of carrying your gear, you want a camera bag that’s not only comfortable but also helps you keep your gear safe and organized.

When traveling, that means you need a small bag that’s big on features, and for my money, there’s nothing better than the Holdfast Fundy Streetwise Bag.

Designed for street photography, this little bag will hold a camera and several lenses along with all the necessary accessories like extra batteries, memory cards, your wallet, and so forth.

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In addition to the comfort and organizational factors, this bag is unassuming. It’s small, lightweight, and doesn’t look like a camera bag. That’s a big deal because thieves will be less likely to target you because they won’t know you have expensive camera gear inside.

Speaking of the inside, this bag has multiple compartments lined with sheepskin that keep your gear cozy and safe as you travel. No bumps or bruises for your gear when it rides in this thing!

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On top of all that, this bag can be worn as a traditional shoulder bag or it can be attached to the impeccable Holdfast MoneyMaker. That means you can customize how you carry the bag to suit your specific needs.

Either way, you have quick access to your gear so you won’t miss any shots on your travels. What’s not to like about that?

Travel Photography Tip #3: Bring a Polarizing Filter

By far, one of the best accessories you can have for travel photography is a good polarizing filter.

Typically used for landscapes to reduce atmospheric haze, boost contrast in the sky, and minimize glare off of water and other non-metallic surfaces, circular polarizers have other uses too.

For example, you can use a polarized filter when taking portraits to reduce glare off of people's skin.

A polarizer can also be used as a neutral density filter in a pinch as it will slightly reduce the amount of light entering the lens, allowing you to slightly blur movement of things like clouds or moving water.

I've been using Haida Circular Polarizers as of late, and I've been impressed with the results I've been getting.

The filters are well made and durable, so they can stand up to the rigors of travel photography.

With 10 layers of multi-coatings, you get superb protection for the filter glass while also reaping the benefits of reduced glare.

Likewise, the multi-coating enables improved beading of water and oil, so they're easy to clean.

These filters are also easy to use...

With side knurling that provides a textured grip, you can more easily and precisely manipulate the filter to get just the right effect.

The filter housing is slim as well, which means less chance of vignetting when using a wide-angle lens.

There are just too many benefits of having a good circular polarizer with you on your travels. Do yourself a favor and add a polarizer to your kit today!

Travel Photography Tip #4: Plan It Out (But Still Be Spontaneous)

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^{photo by wundervisuals via iStock}

It’s important to plan your travels well ahead of time so you’re sure to be in each location at the ideal time of day. After all, getting to that quaint mountain village in the north of Italy at noon isn’t going to get you the best photos under that harsh, midday light.

So, while you’re figuring out where to go, think about when to go too. It’s one of the most important things you can to do improve travel photography

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^{photo by FilippoBacci via iStock}

The when part of the equation might be more complicated than simply deciding to be somewhere at dawn or dusk.

For deeper intel on the locations you’ll be traveling to, ask around. Get with your photographer friends and see if they’ve been to any of the locations you intend to visit. Once you’re in-country, ask the locals for inside knowledge about where you should go and when.

That brings up the “be spontaneous” part of this.

While you should leave home with a solid plan in place, don’t be tied down to it. Some of the best adventures (and best photos) result from ditching your initial plans in favor of something else at the last minute! Being willing to be spontaneous is a critical part of being a travel photographer.

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Travel Photography Tip #5: Add a Human Element

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^{photo by piola666 via iStock}

Sure, many travel photos will include people - portraits and street scenes and such.

But there’s a real opportunity to add more meaning and depth to your landscape photos by adding people or human elements to the shots.

Adding a person or a manmade object to a landscape is frowned upon by some landscape photography purists, but for me, doing so helps you tell a better story about that place.

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^{photo by DieterMeyrl via iStock}

Additionally, adding a familiar-sized object like a person to a landscape shot creates context and helps viewers understand the scale of the scene.

Likewise, human elements like roads and paths are perfect leading lines that help direct the viewer's eyes from the foreground to the background of the shot.

So, while beautiful, untouched landscapes are certainly worthy subjects, try adding a human element and see how doing so can make the shot that much better.

With these simple tips, you’ll end up with better photos and a more pleasant traveling experience. It’s a win-win!

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First Impressions of the Haida M10 Filter system

Written by PT Editor on 16 October 2019.

haida m10 filter kit first impressions

I've tested tons of filters and filter systems over the years.

Some have been spectacularly unimpressive. Most have been just fine. Others have been really, really good.

Since I'm kind of a gear nerd, I picked up a new filter set to play around with - the Haida M10 Filter system.

I've had my hands on this for about a week now, and first impressions are quite good. I just wanted to share a few thoughts about it now as I'll have a detailed review coming up later on.

haida 100mm

Out of the box, you can immediately tell that Haida put some thought into the design and build quality.

The M10 holder is lightweight (it's made of aluminum) yet really sturdy. Holding it in your hand, you can tell that it's a quality piece that can take its lumps.

The holder has a felt lining that will help prevent scratches as you drop the filters in and take them out.

The 100mm filters that come with the kit also feel superbly built and sturdy.

The holder has a quick-release clip for easy on and off, but unlike inferior filter holders with similar clips, this one has a good degree of tension that prevents you from accidentally knocking it off.

haida m10 filter kit

I mentioned above that this is a drop-in system, which is super functional because you can use round or square filters.

The kit I have has multiple square and circular filters, including graduated NDs, solid NDs, and a circular polarizer.

With two slots, you can mix and match and stack filters as needed.

I took the filter kit down to the beach to get some sunset shots, but the light turned all skunky so I didn't get the photos I wanted.

And, unfortunately, it'll be the weekend before I get a chance to field test this kit more as I'll be at VidSummit until Thursday.

However, during my quick foray to the beach and in taking a long look at the kit over several nights at home, my first impression is that this could definitely be the new filter kit that I've been looking for.

The kit is well-designed, easy to use, and its matte black finish with red accents looks killer.

haida cpl

The included filters are well built, and I was particularly impressed with the included polarizer, as it has a holder that seals light out. There's also a dial on top of the filter so you can rotate it in its housing without the need for moving the rest of the filter holder. This is extremely handy if you've stacked graduated NDs with the polarizer as that means you won't have to adjust the graduated ND each time you adjust the polarizer.

Keep in mind that this is just a quick first impression of this kit, and that I'll be putting it through its paces later on in a complete review.

But, for now, I'm extremely impressed with Haida and the quality of this kit. It might be worth you checking it out!

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Get Better Landscape Photos With These Simple Tips

Written by PT Editor on 02 March 2020.

Get Better Landscape Photos With These Simple Tips

^{photo by Andrew_Mayovskyy via iStock}

Every photographer I know wants to improve their images. Doesn’t matter if the photographer is a beginner or a working pro, using a smartphone or the latest mirrorless digital camera.

One of the topics I see a lot and get asked frequently concerns how to improve landscape photography, and how to make better landscape photos.

How to Make Better Landscape Photos
Previsualization
Rules of Composition
Filters and Tripods
HDR Photography
Shoot in RAW
Improve Your Landscape Photography

How to Make Better Landscape Photos

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^{Photo by Robert Murray on Unsplash}

Landscape photography can be a very personal endeavor for us as photographers. Oftentimes it’s just us and nature out there together. We enjoy the experience and desire to show others exactly what we see, how we feel about the scene in front of our lens.

Without having to guide or direct anyone else during the photographic process, we can concentrate on our art. Which brings me to the first of my easy landscape photography tips, previsualization.

Previsualization

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^{Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash}

In order to create better landscape photos, I like to go back to a technique used by the masters of film photography from the 20th Century. Photographers such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, and William Brandt would imagine the finished print and design every step of the way in order to achieve the desired result.

They knew the characteristics of the equipment and the processes they were using, thus they were able control them to their advantage. Film processing was an inherent part of their equations, so was the use of on-lens filters.

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^{photo by x-reflexnaja via iStock}

Previsualization continues to be a valid working method for modern photographers, the modern digital processes and equipment we used have their origins in film photography after all. This method also forces us to slow down and really craft the image we’re wanting, instead of relying so much on the awesome technology and automation at our fingertips.

I said this was one of my easy landscape photography tips, though it sounds like it takes a lot of work and knowledge. Well, it does indeed take some work, but it’s a type of work that seems to come naturally to artists and photographers. The effort put into this step is richly rewarded by better landscape photos.

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Rules of Composition

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The rules of composition in photography are virtually the same rules that have been used in painting since the Middle Ages. Landscape artists were among the first to utilize rules of composition.

A couple of the most recognized of these is the Rule of Thirds and S Curves. The Rule of Thirds is a visual tool that has your scene divided into 9 equal parts. Two lines divide horizontally into thirds, two lines divide vertically. Placing subject or scene elements along the lines, in the 9 parts, or on any of the four line intersection points results in a natural appearing balance.

An S Curve can be any gentle curve within the scene that either leads you to or away from something. This composition method can be combined with the Rule of Thirds or other composition techniques. Using the rules of composition really does often result in better landscape photos.

Filters and Tripods

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^{Photo by v2osk on Unsplash}

The right landscape photography gear can also assist you in capturing better landscape photos. Obviously, gear alone won’t improve your images. You have to be making use of the proper methods and techniques first, but some gear and accessories can make it easier to get great shots with those methods.

Two essential pieces of landscape photography gear are a good tripod and a set of filters. The filters I recommend for digital photography are circular polarizers (C-PL), neutral density (ND), and graduated neutral density (GND) filters.

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^{photo by nicky39 via iStock}

A sturdy tripod will allow you to set up and use filter systems, implement techniques such as HDR photography, use long shutter speeds for water and cloud motion blur effects, and use smaller apertures to maximize depth of field.

In regards to filters, I like to use a filter system with a holder and different filters which attach to the lens via adapters for the correct size of the filter mount of the lens. This lets me invest in very high quality filters without needing a different set for each size of lens I have.

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A filter system I’ve been very happy using is from Haida, the Haida M15 magnetic filter system. The holder can take round filters like their circular polarizers as well as square filters (shown below), such as the different GND filters Haida makes.

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A good quality GND or C-PL filter can really raise your landscape photos from excellent to outstanding. The learning curve for using a filter system like the Haida M15 magnetic filter system is very easy. The optical quality of their filters is superb.

HDR Photography

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^{photo by valio84sl via iStock}

One of the newest methods that digital photography makes possible is high dynamic range (HDR) photography. A tripod is an essential piece of landscape photography gear if you are going to get usable results from HDR photography.

HDR photography combines 2, 3, or more exposures in order to enable you to capture the entire range of exposure values within your landscape scene. When it first came up in photographer’s awareness, HDR images we were shown tended to look rather odd and unnatural. Natural looking HDR is very simple to accomplish and it really looks great in your final images.

Shoot in RAW

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^{Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash}

You see me suggest this quite often. The reason is because it gives us more options for creating better landscape photos. A RAW image file contains more exposure information than a JPEG does, which means we have a greater ability to enhance and tweak our picture to end up with the final image we previsualized.

Of course, it means we will have to learn how to use a decent post processing program, but that’s one of my landscape photography tips too, choose and learn a good post processing program.

Adobe and other companies such as ACDSee have low cost subscriptions for these amazing programs. Free tutorials for the programs are found on YouTube and on the company websites. Take advantage of the tutorials even if you are already using such a program, it’s time well spent.

Improve Your Landscape Photography

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^{photo by primeimages via iStock}

Achieving your goals of making better images of your favorite landscape scenes is within your grasp and easier than you might have thought. You’re already a good photographer, let’s move on up and get better. Trust me, you’ll love the results of these basic landscape photography tips.

And when you're ready to really step up your game, I'd suggest participating in an intensive photography workshop.

What's great about a photography workshop is that you get a lot of instruction and a lot of time to practice over the course of a short period - five days to a week, for example.

That means that you can learn and grow very quickly and leave the workshop with many new skills that will help you jumpstart your pursuit of being a better photographer.

For my money, an all-inclusive photography tour is the way to go. After all, why would I want to worry about hotels and food and where we're going?! I want to focus my attention on gaining new skills and honing existing ones.

That's exactly what you can do on a photography tour with Scott Setterberg from ColorTexturePhotoTours.

I've known Scott for a while now, and he's a knowledgeable, experienced photographer that's really down to earth and can help you elevate the quality of your photos with his easy-going and laid-back style of teaching.

What's more, Scott's tours are small - usually limited to just four people - so you are sure to get plenty of one-on-one time with Scott to learn new things and get feedback on your work.

Plus, in such a small group, you're bound to make new photography buddies that you can share your experience (and your photos!) with for years to come.

Scott offers tours in Costa Rica and Oregon, and in both cases, you just have to get yourself there, and he takes care of the rest.

It's one thing to learn simple tips and techniques in a photography article. It's another thing to learn from an expert in the field where you have hours and hours each day to practice what you learn. There's simply no better way to learn photography!

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