What all cameras have in common! #358

May 30, 2025 • Leave a Comment

Hey Y'all ! Hope you're having a great day! We as camera buffs are always looking at the latest and greatest in cameras and camera related gadgets. We as consumers try to dissect what is different or what is newer on each of our cameras and new ones that come out each year. And to admit there is a lot that is different between camera brands and models but there are some things that are the same of all cameras. Even ones from decades long ago and we forget that these little machines still have the same goal to capture a moment in time , an image. Remembering what is the same makes the photography much more simple. I think that cameras are getting more and more complicated when they should be staying simple. I shoot with all kinds of cameras from older film cameras to newer mirrorless cameras. Sometimes I think that the newer ones can be more complicated than the early film were. Why do you think that is. I certainly don't know. Maybe the newer generations didn't know how simple it was in the past to take a photo. But people that were raised holding a computer in their hand that was advanced than the computer that sent men to the moon seem to think that things need to be more complicated. Now I'm not generation bashing I just want to explain what is the same in photography. Lets start.

The medium used to capture the image. Although it has changed from film to digital sensors a lot of the same principals still apply. In the film days you could choose your film based on either black and white or color and you could choose the sensitivity of the film by the ASA (American Standards Association ) now known as ISO (international Standards Organization ) . Modern Digital you can dial in your ISO and you can change the look of the image from color to black and white. Just the same as film. Are the newer Digital sensors more flexible than the roll of film? Well of course they are but doesn't that make it more complicated . With more choices comes paralysis by analysis . Not being able to make a decision quickly. Like buying glasses at the eye doctor. There are a wall of choices hundreds of choices and to you they all look alike. Hard to make a choice. But besides that they are really the same.

Lenses used in film and digital are basically the same. Although more modern the newer lenses are basically the same with aperture blades that can open and close to make the hole bigger or smaller. There are focusing rings that you can manually focus with. Many older lenses are manual focusing while newer ones are auto focusing using little motors and gears inside of the lenses to do the work that your hand and eye did. Now does the newer lenses focus quicker and maybe even more sharper focus? Well of course they do. But they are very similar except most modern lenses are much larger to house the newer components.

Shutters are the same. Shutters with the ability to change shutter speeds. Either Focal plane shutters or leaf shutters in the film era worked very much the same as the modern shutters . Now shutter speeds go up to 1/8000 of a second where 1/1000 was the norm for many years in the film era and consumer cameras were at 1/500. Now we have mechanical and electronic shutters and I'm sure in the future mechanical will be a thing of the past but they do the same thing. They let light in for a certain amount of time so they do the same thing.

View finders are kind of the same. Optical view finders showed you what was going to be in your photo. Modern view finders do that and a whole lot more. It can be like flying a jet with heads up display with all of the gismos in the frame when you are viewing your subject. Stuff like the meter, battery life, camera settings like shutter speed, ISO and aperture . All which is very nice but can become kind of cluttered. Of course you can pick and choose what you want to see in your view finder.

Meter to measure light. Just about all cameras from the 1960's and on had some sort of meter in them to measure the light. Film camera's used center weighted metering where modern cameras can use an array of different metering modes to include center weighted. Matrix or Averaging metering mode takes in the whole scene and averages out meter reading. Most photographers use this type of metering 100% of the time. Why so many choices? Just to confuse you LOL! I think that modern metering is better than old but I didn't have a problem with the old ones either and still use them in my film cameras.

Things like shutter buttons, self timers, and the such are all still there. So what I'm trying to get at is yes they have changed but the principals like the Exposure Triangle are still the same. Basically you have a box that captures light and puts the image onto some sort of medium. So when you look at that new camera that has all of the gismos on it before you spend your hard earned money make sure you need the gismos that it is offering. Many times the answer is no you have all that you need in the camera you have that will still take great photo's.

Until next week , Get out and Shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 posts there. Here is the link

Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link

As an Amateur Photographer do you need a website? #357

May 23, 2025 • Leave a Comment

Hey What's Up? How is everyone doing this week? Me? Pretty well, thanks for asking. This week I want to talk about something I don't think I have discussed before, websites. If you're reading this you know I have a website . It's what all of these blogs are attached to. I have some of my best photo's in galleries that you can see. I really don't try to sell photos but will if someone wants one. But the question is do you need a website if you are just an amateur photographer? I really don't think so . Now don't get me wrong this blog isn't against websites just that I don't think that you need one but let's do some pro's and con's on websites.

Pro's: Websites are easy to put together and create. There are all kinds of companies with templates that let you build and personalize your very own website. If you want to sell some of your images these websites make it easy to do so. They may even take care of all of the work and just send you your cut of the money made from selling images. You can have a blog if you like to write like I do. I've never been much of a writer growing up but after I got a website and gave it a go I found that I liked doing it. They like anything else can be inexpensive. I think I started mine for 5 bucks a month for the basic service but I think the price has risen over the years but it's still less than 10 dollars per month. But like anything else the more you want to do with it the more it will cost. You can have world wide coverage of your photo's and presented the way you want them to be seen. If you use any social media type service they will compress and alter your photo's a little. And of course it's kind of neat to say " just check out my website" when you're taking to someone new.

Con's: It takes effort to keep up a website. You have to update the site with new images and blogs to keep it current . You don't have a staff to take care of this you are a staff of one. Subscriptions can be a pain. How many do you have from Adobe, Netflix, Hulu, ... This is just one more. So there is the website and then there is the domain name mine is MaxStansellPhotography.com but that doesn't come free you have to purchase and make sure it's not already out there. You will probably have a email attached to the domain name so there is the upkeep of that also.

So there are some pro's and con's It looks like the pro's have over taken the con's but the con's are strong arguments. To tell you the truth If I had to do it all over again I don't know if I would get a full fledged photography website. Most if not all my activity on this site is this blog. I keep it pretty active as I post once a week. I think that the only reason that I keep this website open is because of the blog. I have over 350 of them and I don't want all of that work to disappear . I have the basic subscription so it's fairly cheap to keep. I don't update the photo's as much as I should but I do like saying "Check out my blog" or "Check out my Website" Its something I have built. But if you just want to share photo's there are sites like Flickr, 500PX, Instagram or even on Facebook. Most of these sites aren't really secure so when your photo is out on the web it's out there for anyone to grab. With a website Its a little more secure but still there are ways folks can get your photographs. Me I really don't care that much if someone uses my photo's if they aren't making a profit from it. I would prefer they ask but I have found my photo's in Text books and web articles and I'm not too bothered with it. I don't do photography to make money it's for fun. But Monday Quarterbacking I would get a website but one for just the blog and maybe not to showcase photography. But that's just me. It doesn't cost much to do a website and I do enjoy playing with it.

Well that's my thoughts . Until next week Get out and Shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 posts there. Here is the link

Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link

Are Point and Shoots Great or What? #356

May 15, 2025 • Leave a Comment

Hey Everyone! Hope your day is going great! This week I want to talk about little cameras that over time have lost appeal to bigger and better cameras but are starting to get more popular again. Kind of like bell bottom pants , they were in then out and now I see celebrities wearing them again. Point and shoots are kind of the same. When digital first started point and shoots led the way getting people into digital and as more top of the line digital DSLR cameras started getting popular point and shoots started fading and then when cell phones with cameras on them well that all but killed the point and shoot. And for good reason the computational photography that is available on cell phones is amazing and you get great photo's from them. But there is something about holding a dedicated camera in your hand and making photos with it . There is something to it . It's easy point and shoot! Are they great? Generally speaking point and shoot photo's are not as good as your phone but there are the exceptions. Some camera companies have been making high end point and shoots. Some with fixed lenses like the Fuji x100 series, the Ricoh GR series of cameras. Both have fixed focal lengths and APSC sensors but have become very popular if not cult like. Both run over 1000 dollars for a fixed focal length camera. Mainly made for street photography. But they both are popular. Then there is the Sony cyber-shot RX100 series of cameras and the Canon G7x series of cameras with zoom lenses which both run over 1000 . They both have 1.0 type sensors (smaller than APSC) but still larger than a phone sensor. There are others by Lumix, Leica, Olympus that have point and shoot cameras also. Let me tell you what I like about these cameras.

There are lots of things to like. One they are small and portable. Most will fit in your pocket especially a jacket pocket. If your out on the street or just taking photos they are so small they do not intimidate anyone around because they don't look like a quote "Professional Camera" But these cameras can pack quite a punch especially the ones that are high end. I own a Canon G7x mark II an older one of these and it takes great photo's. It can shoot in full manual and all of the other modes like aperture , and shutter priority . It has a built in flash that can be used for fill flash. I have mine set up so it can use filters like a polarizer and ND filters. When I take long trips I use it as my backup camera and on a upcoming trip to South Dakota I will use it as my walking around camera in towns and the like not lugging a full frame camera just for snap shots of the cities. The full frame lens equivalent is 24-100mm f1.8 to f/2.8 which is great. What's not to like. And it's the older model. There is a Mark III out there. I can stick it in my pocket or around my neck with a vintage strap from another point and shoot film camera the Canon Canonet GIII QL 17 a 1972 model. Point and shoots are easy to operate . I can put this little camera in auto and hand it to anyone to take my photo or a group shot of us if we are on a trip. So I would say don't turn your nose up at point and shoot cameras they are awesome little machines that are really worth the money you put into them.

Until Next week ! Get out and shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 post there. Here is the link

Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link

Traveling with photography Gear #355

May 09, 2025 • Leave a Comment

Hey Ya'll! Hope you're having a great week! Me? I'm doing great thanks for asking. I have been looking at my blogs today and counted them and this one is the 355th blog! Can you believe it! It's the beginning of the year and I have been thinking about the year to come. Last week I announced my big trip of the year to South Dakota and I have had South Dakota on the brain! Places to go things to see and of course all of the travel reservations which includes flying! So today I thought I would do a blog on traveling with photography gear. I think the way that you travel will determine the way that you pack and travel with your gear. For example if you're traveling by car my be very different than traveling by plane. What to bring? How to Pack it. What not to bring. So lets start simple.

When you travel you don't have to take everything you own every time you leave the house. Of course if you're just beginning in photography you don't have much maybe one lens or two and a camera body. If that's you travel is easy! Bring it. But if you've been into photography for a long time like me then you can't bring it all. You can't even carry all of it at one time. You may even have trouble putting it into one room! LOL Yes I have lots of gear! If you're traveling by car you can bring almost anything that your car or truck can bring. You can use big strong pelican cases to hold your gear. My only caution is to try to keep your gear out of site. Don't leave on seat of your car in site of other people not as nice as you that might want your gear. Thieves love photography gear because it is expensive and small easy to snatch and get away with. So be careful with your gear.

Now if you travel by bus, train or plane it can be a little bit more complicated. First travel lite! Be aware of what your photography trip will consist of. Is it travel and street? Is it Landscape or Wildlife? Try to think in advance of what you will be shooting and what you will need. Leave all of the other "what if" stuff at home. Traveling by the above mentioned bus, train, or plane means that some of your luggage may not be with you but checked into some sort of cargo hold. Make sure your camera equipment is with you at all times as carry on. So pack accordingly because airlines have restrictions on carry on size and weight! Not so much with trains and busses. Now besides your personal clothes toiletries you must plan for your photo gear. Make sure it is secure and safe in the bag that you bring onboard. Try to make your camera bag not look like a camera bag when traveling. They are easy to spot. And remember it's not just camera gear it's editing gear if you are going to be gone for a while. I have traveled with both laptops and iPads and either can be used to edit and backup images while traveling. Modern iPads work well and are small and lightweight and work well but aren't as easy to use as a laptop or as easy to see if you have old eyes like I do. I just purchased a used MacBook pro just to travel with and use for Photography club meetings. Most of my computing is on a large desktop but I got such a good deal it was cheaper to take the laptop than the iPad if something happened and it got broke or stolen while on my trip. Anyway these items should be carried with you also. Most airlines let you bring a carry-on and a personal bag so my computing will be in the personal bag. Make sure you check with the airlines on size and weight limits to carry-on items. Make sure all of your charging needs are in your carry-on also it would be bad if you got to your destination and your checked bag got lost with all of your charging stuff. Your gear would be almost useless. And that stuff is hard to replace on the road much easier to replace clothes that were in lost luggage than charging gear. Here is an example of what I'm taking to South Dakota with me on the plane. Carry-on: Camera Body, 20mm f/1.8 for night shots, 20-70mm for general shots, 100-400 for wildlife and isolation shots. Extra batteries, chargers wipes, SD cards and stuff associated with main gear. Note: Batteries must be brought on carry-on check with airlines for specifics . In my Personal bag: Laptop , point and shoot (my backup camera) chargers associated with gear. Thats the photography gear I'm bringing for a week long trip. Main bag weighs 16 lbs personal bag much lighter.

Film is another matter. I don't have much experience with film but what I have read that if your film is 400 ISO or lower you don't have to worry about X-ray scanners at the airport but if higher you do. If you feel uneasy ask for a hand check of all of your film. I haven't decided if I want to carry a film camera with me on my trip to South Dakota yet. As it will not be the big part of my photography just a novelty I probably won't take it with me but if I did I would let it pass through the X-ray and not worry about it.

What to put in your checked bag? Besides clothes and personal items I would pack my tripod or monopod although very important part of photography gear your trip wouldn't be ruined if you lost either of these. Now if it was photography where only tripod shots like Astro it would be bad and I would consider taking it on the plane with me but other than an extreme I would keep it in checked baggage.

Remember to have a happy and safe trip "peace of mind" on gear and items you bring with you is super to have. I place an Apple Air Tag in each of my luggage. I have one in camera bag , personal bag, checked bag one on my wallet and keys. I love that I can in a second look at my phone and see where my checked luggage is. If if misplaces something while on the trip I can see where it is. This is pretty awesome and creates lots of piece of mind.

I hope you do get the chance to travel for a photography trip! It is such fun just to concentrate on just photography when traveling. You really get some memories that you couldn't get if you were just vacationing with the family. So until next week get out and shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 post there. Here is the link

Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link

South Dakota trip Gear! #353

May 02, 2025 • Leave a Comment

Hey Everyone! Hope your week has been as good as mine. Last week I told you about my big trip for the year going to South Dakota. During this trip there will be lots of great opportunities for great photography. From Landscape, Astro/Night, Travel and Street. But most of the shooting will be Landscape type of photography. I need to take a kit that is capable but also light weight. Well as much lightweight as I can be using full frame camera gear. Clothes wise I need to be able to layer depending on what the temps will be but also be as lightweight as possible. Taking only a 4 day supply of clothes we will be doing laundry while we are there to keep the amount of clothes down. Don't mind wearing pants or outer shirts more than once. I've got this to a pretty good system and have a spread sheet that helps me keep track on what I need and what I pack. I will also have to backup files and maybe do some quick editing so some sort of computing device I will need to bring with me. So let's start with computing.

Computing- The last big trip I took to Utah I took an iPad mini for my computing needs. I was able to backup files and do some small editing. Since that trip I have got a iPad Pro with M1 chip which is very capable and have used it on many outings and club trips. I'm not much of a laptop guy. My main computer is a Mac Mini with a couple of 27 inch screens. I have recently upgraded my laptop that was so old it wouldn't run Lightroom. A fellow member of my photography club upgraded her laptop and I bought her old one so if I had to run a Photography Club meeting I could. ( All of the electronics from the meeting room hook into a Laptop) So I think that I will bring that laptop on the trip. I got a great deal on it and don't have much money invested in the system. It is a 13 inch MacBook Pro and works for what I need. It's as lightweight as my iPad Pro and if something happened to it I wouldn't be as upset as I would my iPad. So the MacBook Pro and backup Solid State Drives to backup SD cards and to do some editing. Now lets talk about camera gear.

Camera Gear- My main camera for the trip will be my trusty Sony A7III. A long in the tooth camera but still gives me great images. It was released in 2018 but a great camera. It has dual card slots and everything else I need for still photography. Lenses that I will be taking with me are the Sony 20-70mm f/4, Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 and lastly a Sony 20mm f/1.8. The 20-70mm will be on the camera most of the time it's a fantastic lens and very sharp, the 100-400mm will be used for Wildlife and isolation landscape shots. It is by far the bulkiest of my camera kit but an outstandingly sharp lens. The 20mm will be used for astro/night photography. Thats my main kit but I will have a backup camera with me a Canon G7XII point and shoot a very capable camera that I can shoot in manual and RAW format images and also have filters to shoot waterfalls and such. Film, I haven't quite decided on a film camera yet. As film will not be my main focus I still like playing with it. A small camera will be the best bet. I'm leaning toward a plastic point and shoot Olympus Supertrip 35mm. It's very lightweight, compact, takes Okay photo's and has a flash. I will only take a few rolls of film with me maybe taking one photo at each place we go to. And of course I will have my phone with me taking shots everywhere we go to include food shots of meals we eat. I usually send a photo of my main meal of the day and send to my wife so she sees that I'm eating right. I will have a tripod with me on this trip mainly for sunrise, sunset and Astro/Night photography. I have two to choose from. Both are carbon fiber . I have a travel sized that I've used for years when I was shooting Crop sensor cameras and a larger one I just got after I went back to full frame camera's . The smaller one will probably win out because the largest lens I'll be using with a tripod will most likely be my 20mm. It will be dependent on room left in my checked bag with my clothes in it. If I have the room the larger one will go but if room is scarce then the smaller one will work.

Bags and other stuff- My main camera bag will be the Shimoda Action X 30L bag. This bag will carry my Sony Landscaping kit Camera, 3 lenses. and be my carry on , on the plane, I have a Vanguard ALTA Rise 33 camera bag. This camera bag will hold my 13 inch laptop and small cameras accessaries this bag will be my personal bag on the plane. My checked bag will be an Eddie Bower roller Expedition bag that will hold clothes, tripod and some other stuff. Inside this bag I will have packing cubes to separate and keep everything in order. And of course I can't take a trip without my trusty fanny pack. I'll be wearing this daily it holds my phone wallet and can even hold a small camera like my point and shoot. I will have apple air tags in all of the bags to keep track of them, especially in the airports.

Well that's pretty much for the gear that I will take on my trip. I'm so looking forward to this trip. I think part of the fun of the trip is the planning of it. At the time of this writing of this blog I am still months away but am gearing up and getting ready. So until next week. Get out and Shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 posts there. Here is the link

Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link

Home»Blog

What all cameras have in common! #358

As an Amateur Photographer do you need a website? #357

Are Point and Shoots Great or What? #356

Traveling with photography Gear #355

South Dakota trip Gear! #353