Tag: bokeh

Photography Tips: 5 Essentials to Get Bokeh
Bokeh! A special optical effect that almost every photographer is pursuing. It is pronounced as “boh-kay”, which originated from Japanese that means something blurry. In the photography world, Bokeh is defined as how the lens renders the out-of-focus region. The Bokeh can be the background with a circular out-of-focus effect or smooth blur out-of-focus rendering background. There is some debating for the definition, but we treat both of them as Bokeh here.
Circular Bokeh Effect
Smooth Bokeh Rendering
Bokeh is always one of the key difference between the interchangeable lens camera (ILC) and compact camera because it is challenging to get this smooth-rendered background from the compact camera. However, some people are using ILC but do not get the Bokeh effect as well. So we will have a look at what is essential to get the Bokeh in our shots.
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8 Aug 2014
Photography Tips: 5 Reasons to Own a Prime Lens
The last photography tips discussed about 10 Factors to be Considered Before Buying a Lens, and basically, we know that there are two types of lenses, the prime lens, and the zoom lens.
Sony SEL55F18Z
Above is the Sony Zeiss SEL55F18Z prime lens, which provides one wide and smooth focus ring. You don’t get the second zoom ring here because it does not change the focal length!
Many photography amateurs and professionals are in love with the prime lens or even insist on using it whenever possible. However, many people who just migrated to interchangeable-lens-camera (ILC) are intimidated by the prime lens. It is because we have to move closer or get away from our subject physically. And we will think, “it is for professional use, not for me.”
So let’s get rid of that mindset. We will find out why so many people are in love in the prime lens in today’s post.
1. Fast Prime
We always hear people talk about “fast prime,” so what is it? The prime lens usually comes with a larger aperture like F1.8, F1.4, or even F1.2 that we never see on any typical zoom lens (usually we see the zoom lens comes with the max aperture at F2.8). A larger aperture allows more light to hit the image sensor in a shorter time, which means we can use a faster shutter speed to avoid any motion blur. It is handy when we are shooting in the low-light scene.
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30 Jun 2014
Review: Sony E-mount Lens SEL50F18
It has been more than half a year since my last lens review. Finally, I’m not that insanely busy recently to take some free time for lens review. Which lens is going to be reviewed this time? It is the old but excellent prime lens, the Sony E-mount SEL50F18.
Introduction
SEL50F18
As we know, every camera manufacturer will have a legendary 50 mm prime lens for their cameras. It is usually the cheapest and has excellent optical performance among all the available lenses. So does this apply to the Sony E-mount SEL50F18 as well? Let’s read more about this lens from the following review.
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23 Jun 2014
Photography Tips: 5 Reasons to Own a Mirrorless Camera
Mirrorless cameras have become more and more popular in the current market. Many camera manufacturers like Sony, Fuji, Olympus, Leica, and others had put in effort into research and developed some excellent Mirrorless cameras. So let’s see how a Mirrorless camera fits you the best.
1. Large Image Sensor in Smaller Camera Size
In general, a Mirrorless camera is equipped with a Micro 4/3, APS-C, or Full-Frame image sensor. These sensors are much larger than the typical image sensor (1/2.3″) provided in the P&S. You may read my 5 Factors Affected By Image Sensor Size to get more details regarding the image sensor size.
Mirrorless vs DSLR (Image retrieved from Sony Official Website: http://www.sony.com.sg/product/nex-6l)
Although the DSLR camera is also equipped with either APS-C or Full-Frame image sensor, the Mirrorless camera is much smaller in the camera body design. The Mirrorless camera does not have a mirror reflection board that reflects the light to the optical viewfinder. Therefore, the Mirrorless camera body can be much thinner than the DSLR camera body, resulting in a lighter camera.
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7 Jun 2014
Review: Sony SEL35F18
These few days were rainy and shady. The sky was full of soft sunlight. The weather is not ideal for the lens review, but I still try my best to review the Sony SEL35F18 with my Sony NEX-6.
Introduction
Sel35F18
The Sony SEL35F18 was released in December 2012. This lens has the focal length of 52.5mm in 35mm equivalent, which gives you the angle of view similar to what we see daily, not too broad, not too narrow, just a lovely view. It has the built-in Sony OSS (Optical Steady Shot) image stabilizer, which is rare in the lens of these focal lengths. It is still one of the best E-mount prime lenses, and it is sold at the price of SGD 629.
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2 Jan 2014