First Shoot with RAW files on the Sony A6500 with wild ocean seals in La Jolla, California

December 9, 2016

I was very fortunate to be provided a loaner Sony A6500 from Sony for two days in late November. The news came quick that I'd be able to use it so I called my Assistant Brenda asking her to organize a shoot as quickly as she could.

She organized a group of models and crew to meet down in La Jolla, California which is an absolutely beautiful area. To be specific we went down to the area called the La Jolla Cove where not only is the coast line beautiful like many areas in Southern California, but you'll also be able to interact with some amazing wildlife.

So we went to set up the shoot on the rocks where the ocean meets the land and while setting up we were visited by an amazing seal. The amazing creature came right out of the ocean, crawled up onto the rocks and started posing for me. Now he didn't know he was posing....but he sure did a great job of letting me take his picture.

At the moment when he came up we weren't even fully set up and ready to shoot. I'd just pulled the A6500 out of the box and had put in a card. My mic was also not even tucked in but luckily it was on. I told my videographer Jason Coccio to start rolling the minute I saw him. So while my plans were to shoot a model for my first set with the A6500, it ended up being a beautiful seal.

Since I was planning on doing a model fashion shoot I had the Sony 85mm G Master on the camera, not a traditional wildlife lens. But I decided to go with it and shoot the seal in a similar manner to how I'd shoot a model portrait session. I could have easily stopped down and shot it at f/2,8 or even more narrow, but I accepted the challenge to shoot it wide open at f/1.4.

Navigating around slippery rocks wasn't the easiest thing to do with a loaner camera and a $2,000 portrait lens, but it did result in some pretty awesome shots. The first thing I noticed was just how FAST the camera focuses. People say it's the same sensor as the A6300, but all I know is it tracks and finds focus faster....which is saying a lot because the A6300 is already fast. The seal gave me the very unique opportunity to really test the tracking because a seals head moves up and down and side to side like a rocking boat. It is NOT easy to track. Luckily the A6500 did a great job of finding and keeping focus.

Below are some shots taken with the A6500 and the 85mm G Master:

I then quickly placed the Sony 90mm macro lens on my camera and tried to get some detail shots of the seal. Again, focus was achieved very quickly which enabled me to get some great shots.

Below are shots taken with the Sony A6500 and the 90mm macro lens

So after shooting for about 15 minutes with the seal, it became sick of doing a photoshoot and meandered up the rocks to join the other seals that were there. It was a great shoot and we quickly moved on from it to shooting with the models.

My initial thoughts from my first shoot with the A6500 was that it performed remarkably well. The buffer in Raw was significantly better than any other Sony camera I've ever used. The auto focus was faster and it responded well in so many ways. I even filmed some footage of the seal with the camera and noticed the benefit of having the IBIS on the camera.

Below are some links to gear if you'd like to add one of these to your gear bag.

*Sony A6500-

*85mm G Master Lens-

*90mm macro lens-

Thanks!

Jason

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Using Nikon lenses on Sony Mirrorless Bodies- the Fotodiox Fusion Adapter on my Sony A7Rii

December 8, 2016

TAKE TWO!

For those that don't know, I had an unfortunate experience with my first Fotodiox Fusion Adapter. The first adapter rendered my Sony A6300 inoperable. Shortly after that video was released Bohus from Fotodiox contacted me very concerned over the matter. In a weeks time I was sent a replacement adapter and they gave me the money to replace my A6300.

No extra money or endorsements were given.

In an effort to be fair I told them that I would do a follow up shoot to see if the first adapter I received was just a lemon. By the way the first adapter I paid full price for as well. So on my dime I took a model and my crew out to Oceanside to do a shoot testing out the Fotodiox Fusion Adapter. I want to state again as I did in my original video, the idea that an adapter could adapt my Nikon glass to my Sony mirrorless bodies is very intriguing for me. It's something that I root for....and I always hope for the success of others. Whether it's a fellow photographer or a business I want every honest hard working entity out there to succeed. I don't take any pleasure in people failing.

So we got out to the shoot and before I attempted to shoot with the camera on any body I called Bohus from Fotodiox (I told him he was on camera and he never asked that I not post the video), and I asked him if there was anything specific I needed to know about the adapter to make sure it worked well on my camera. He assured me there wasn't anything specific other than to not turn on the camera until the lens and adapter were securely connected.

So I first tried it out on my Sony A6000 with a cheap 18-55 DX lens. Why? Well if there was a repeat of my first experience I wanted to try it out on my least expensive camera body and lens. Once it seemed to maintain power on the A6000 (it wouldn't focus well at all but I expected that), I decided it was time to try it out on my A7Rii.

So I got my A7Rii, (my favorite camera) and started trying out my Nikon lenses. First I put the cheap 18-55 lens on it to also make sure it wasn't going to short out etc. Once it seemed to maintain power etc. I moved on to actually being able to test the adapter for the first time.

The first lens to try out was the 105mm macro lens that I used to use a lot for portraiture work. It did acquire focus and it did not short circuit my camera. YAY! Success! It did however seem to shift the entire inner workings of the lens though in a very odd manner. It's almost as if the lens was too heavy for the adapter from a load standpoint. I'm no engineer at all....but it was weird.

You can check that out by watching the video. I show the back of the camera so the viewer can see what I saw and experienced. I then did a shoot with the 105mm macro lens and you can see some of the pics below:

I then decided to try it on my Nikon mount Tokina 16-28 f/2.8 lens. When I first put it on the camera just shut off. It wouldn't turn on. This was very concerning to me but I remembered the directions on the website that said (I'm paraphrasing) to just turn the camera off, take the battery out for 10 seconds and then try it again. So I did that...and it worked! The camera turned back on. Why test it with a Tokina lens? Simple really. Many people out there would be very curious to know if it also worked with Nikon mount lenses that weren't Nikon made lenses.

So with the camera turned on and the lens ready to go I started testing it. The lens seemed to acquire focus pretty well, the only issue was that it would only work between 20mm to 28mm. For some crazy reason it would NOT focus at 16mm. This is also illustrated in the video. Below are images taken using the 16-28mm lens:

After I finished shooting with both lenses I took out my D800 and tested these same lenses on the Nikon body to see if they exhibited any of the strange behaviors as they did with the Fotodiox Fusion Adapter. They didn't. They worked perfectly. The 105mm macro didn't make any weird noises that sounded like it was dropping, and the Tokina lens focused well at 16mm.

I tried many other lenses on the adapter as well but they wouldn't work...but in all fairness they weren't supposed to work. These were non AF-I and AF-S lenses. When I put them on the body the adapter didn't even try to focus. It automatically went to manual focus. I could tell it immediately went to Manual Focus because I could see the Focus Peaking on the back of my camera.

All in all, I think it's a toss up. Does the adapter work as well as Metabones or Sigma does with Canon lenses? No, it doesn't. Does it work well enough to give it a try if you're trying to use your Nikon lenses on Sony bodies? Perhaps. But the worries of it shorting out a camera are real. Fotodiox must be willing to stand behind their product if and when others have issues. I'm incredibly fortunate that I have many camera bodies to be able to use. Many photographers simply do not have that option. So if they lost a camera body it would be devastating.

Now for those non Sony shooters out there who aren't familiar with the adapting lenses game and think that us Sony shooters are crazy for even attempting such things, let me know shed some light on using adapters.

"In the 2.5 years that I've been a Sony shooter I've never had another adapter once give me any problems."

I've never had to turn off my camera, remove a battery, etc. They have simply worked. Earlier iterations of the Metabones adapters didn't work well as it related to how they acquired focus, but none of them posed a potential risk to my camera. This isn't a Sony issue, it's a Fotodiox adapter combined with a Sony body and Nikon lens issue.

I truly hope for Fotodiox's sake and for the sake of photographers out there that my first adapter was a fluke and a defect. But only time will tell. If other photographers start reporting problems out there it could be a real issue for Fotodiox. The fact that it caused my 105mm macro to behave in a weird manner, and that it wouldn't focus throughout the entire focal range of my Tokina lens was simply strange.

If you take away the potential danger of losing a camera body because the adapter shorts it out...the actual performance of the adapter is pretty good....IF you use it with the right lenses. It will hunt and will only work well near the center of the frame. It doesn't track very well and it doesn't find focus in the edges at all. It also doesn't work well with Flexible Spot. It doesn't approach the performance level of using Canon lenses on Sony bodies with the Metabones or Sigma adapter. So if you're like me and are used to that you will be somewhat let down.

And as stated in the video. Do NOT try and adapt lenses for auto focus functionality with anything except the A6500, A6300 or A7Rii. If you do you will be disappointed. Let's please make sure people out there understand this...:)

All in all, it was a blast to use my old Nikon lenses again and I'm hoping that companies continue to improve on the technology of adapters so that we can someday enjoy our Nikon lenses on Sony bodies like we are currently able to do with Canon lenses on Sony bodies.

I'm a HUGE advocate of using native and adapted glass on Sony bodies because the opportunities are endless and truly presents an advantage for Sony users over other shooters. I'll be cheering for Fotodiox and others to continue to push hard to make it work better for us as photographers and when it does, I'll be the first to let you all know...:)

Thanks,

Jason

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Using Manual Focus for Fast Action Shots to get Amazing Results using the Sony A7Rii and Canon 200mm f/1.8

December 7, 2016

San Francisco- so my team and I drove up from So Cal up to the Bay area to do some shooting. We found ourselves at the ruins of the Sutro Baths where the waves crash into the rocks and ruins with some pretty dramatic results.

I had my Sony A7Rii and Canon 200mm f/1.8 lens with me and wanted to see just what we could capture with our model Kyli and the waves coming in. While I'm used to great auto focus from this combo of camera and lens, I'm also aware of the fact that shooting a solitary object like a model can be difficult to get consistent sharp focus on when things like waves and mist fly in front of her as it did in the shooting scenario we did here.

So using Focus Peaking (which I love by the way), I focused in on the model to get tack sharp focus. Since my camera and lens were on a tripod, and the model was in a set position, I was able to set the focus and make sure it was on her so no matter what flew in front of her, the focus wouldn't change.

Well the waves didn't disappoint. They rolled on in crashing on the rocks beneath her giving off some amazing spray as well as background. One particular set was so strong the splash of the wave completely filled the frame behind the model giving it a truly beautiful effect.

So if this kind of work is of interest to you, you might just want to try this technique so you can create some really cool shots of your own. I hope it helps! Below are the pics from the shoot. I truly hope it helps. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog by clicking below!

Thanks,

Jason

Shots taken at 1/6400 sec, f/1.8, ISO 50 at 200mm

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Gear I Use #10- the Lastolite Tri Flip 8 in 1 Reflector

December 5, 2016

So if you're new to the reflector game....it's time to jump in y'all. While I'm known as a big time advocate of LED lighting and off camera flash using monolights....we must NEVER forget how important reflectors are in a true photographer's work.

I must admit that it's something I didn't hear about a lot when I came up in the world of photography. Everyone was either obsessed with led lights, strobes, or natural light. Reflectors didn't seem to get a lot of love.

So as my career progressed and I learned more and more about how photography can and should be approached, my love for reflectors and diffusers grew. I used HUGE, big, medium and small. And truthfully all of them have their purpose and place.

Today I'm talking about the 8 in 1 Lastolite Tri Flip that I like to use for quick use primarily in areas where I don't have a lot of space or don't have a lot of time to set up bigger reflectors. Here are the reasons I really like using this reflector kit:

Price- it's relatively cheap. About $100 for the entire set of 8
Quality- it's well built and holds up better in wind than a traditional round flimsy reflector
Handle- I REALLY like that it has a handle which makes it easy for either the model or the photographer or assistant to hold.
Small- it folds up very small and is easy to transport. Easily fits into a carry on suitcase for a flight

Below are some images taken with the different fabrics. Please take a look at the video to get a better idea as to how they all looked and the light they produced.

I hope this helps. Please take a look at the pics below and if you feel like it'll work for you there's a link below to order.

Links to Gear:

**Links to Gear:

*Lastolite Tri Flip 8 in 1-

*Sony A7Rii-

*Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens-

Thanks!

Jason

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What Pro Photographers Images Look Like Raw, Unedited or with Lightroom Edits Only

December 3, 2016

So I get asked a lot about my images and work. People wanna know how much of it is editing vs. what I capture in camera. While I'm not opposed to photographers editing their images, I do take great pride in what I'm able to capture and create in camera vs. relying on post processing wizardry. There's something so old school about creating it in camera. I personally feel it's more gratifying and is also a greater challenge.

Maybe I get this attitude due to the fact that my roots are based in being a landscape photographer. That's why I've always incorporated so much of nature into my work. So from time to time I'll create posts and videos where I not only show my finished work, but also my completely unedited raw and straight out of the camera work as well. Now for those wondering I won't be posting my raw files onto these posts. Why? Because I don't want other people taking my work and editing it for their use or pleasure.

Sometimes folks post raw shots for others to see. But those are for the viewer to get a look at how a lens or camera performs for example. Or the shot is posted so people can download it and try a certain photoshop technique. This isn't that kind of a post. This post is about showing how much I capture in camera vs. what I create afterwards and I hope it helps to shed some light on what I do.

To start off I pretty much use Lightroom for ALL of my work. This is largely in part to time. I'm not opposed to Photoshop in any way and kudos to those who choose to use it for their work. But with a full time photography company and full time Youtube Channel, I just need the streamlined workflow of Lightroom to get my work done quickly. The only times I would use Photoshop would perhaps be for images being submitted to a competition etc. The work you see on Youtube and on my website is all Lightroom only.

So I did this shoot with a beautiful model named Jazmen Parker in Oceanside, California. I used the Sony A7Rii with the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens. I used the Flashpoint Xplor600 in High Speed Sync for off camera flash.

To be able to illustrate how my shots look in Raw I did screen captures of select images from the shoot while open in Lightroom. These shots are seen in the gallery below:

I then exported these same shots as shown in the screen captures as completely unedited (SOOC) jpegs. This gallery is below:

And here are my shots that were edited using Lightroom only

I truly hope this post helps to shed a little light on what images look like out of the camera for a professional photographer. Links to gear are included below:

**Links to Gear:

*Sony A7Rii-

*Rokinon 14mm f/2.8-

*Flashpoint Xplor 600-

*Westcott Rapid Box XL-

Jason

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Sony A6500 4K Overheating Test in a REAL World Shooting Environment

December 3, 2016

So, I released a video about the A6500 not overheating when shooting in 1080p. It lasted for well over 2 hours with no problems. So the next question was, "Well, how does it perform in 4K?" This question was raised by many folks online interested to see how well it could do when being put under a bigger strain of recording 4K vs. 1080p.

Luckily we anticipated people would be interested to know if it would work so immediately following the 1080p test, we rolled the 4K test. Keep in mind at the point we started doing the 4K test the camera had already been rolling for over 2 hours non-stop in 1080p. The only breaks it got were literally for changing out batteries and of course turning the recording back on when it would stop at 29:50. Those breaks for battery swaps or hitting the record button again were all of 5-10 seconds each at the most.

The camera had also been sitting out in the sun, on a tripod for hours. It wasn't a hot day outside, not a cold day, just a normal day in Southern California. I like to test a camera's performance in the real world shooting conditions that I encounter on a daily basis.

So we hit the record button on the A6500 recording at 24fps, 100 mbps in 4K in Super 35mm mode. If you've watched the 1080p version of this test you'll already know that this camera was a 2 day loaner from Sony. We had a very limited time to conduct tests and do shoots so we tried to maximize every minute we had. This test was at the end of my time using the camera and it needed to be returned to Sony HQ in San Diego.

So we packed up from our shooting location in La Jolla and took off to Sony HQ to return the camera. I set the camera on a tripod for virtually the entire time. It stayed on a tripod in my truck on the drive over. Once I arrived at Sony I did a battery swap and then went inside the return the camera.

It never overheated.

The camera did get warm at one point and it was due to the battery getting warm but the camera didn't stop recording. This was when the battery was close to dying. Once it was swapped out the camera went from warm to barely warm continued to record with no problem.

I kept the camera rolling as long as I could get away with it. In fact I ended up completely filling up my memory card...and I also needed to return it to Sony...lol. I was waiting in the lobby to return it and kept recording until they needed it back to ship off to Fedex.

Total recording time was 1 hour, 7 minutes and 53 seconds. It just never overheated. A couple of notes in regards to testing gear:

Anything Can Fail- If you try hard enough you can make any product out there fail. I recommend trying it the actual conditions that you plan on using the gear. Because placing a square metal object (camera) down in very hot sand or on a hot rock is of course going to overheat a unit. If you leave virtually any electronic item in the sun on a hot surface for long enough it will indeed overheat (phones are a great example of this).
How Long Do you REALLY need to record? While these tests are fun to do you have to ask yourself, "How long do I actually need to record something?" Do you truly intend on recording for hours on end with the A6500? Whenever I'm recording one of my presentations and I'm going for a LONG time, I simply plug in a video camera. These cameras aren't intended to replace the role of a video camera. They are intended to be stills cameras that enable many of us to also use them for video functionality. I do intend on using the A6500 for a lot of my video work since it has IBIS, 4K video etc. But I can honestly say I don't see myself recording consecutive 29:50 clips for endless amounts of time....and I'd dare say the vast majority of people out there won't either.
Having Fun- part of the joy of me doing Youtube is my ability to share so many cool ideas and products with the photography community out there. With all of the product reviews and videos that I do I always try and keep them lighthearted and fun. Because if you aren't having fun doing them...why do them? Life's too short to be miserable...:)

More than anything I just hope the content helps people out there. Whether or not you think it will work for you is honestly only a decision you can make. But I'm very happy that the A6500 is performing better than it's predecessors especially as it related to 4K. If anything it should run hotter since it has the IBIS inside of it, whereas the A6000 and A6300 do not. Maybe Sony just turned off the limiter and decided to let you go crazy with this camera. Who knows?

I'm just thrilled that it's performing the way that it is and I hope it helped! And as I always say, just find the right gear that works for you....regardless of the brand name on the front all that matters is what works best in your hands.

Thanks,

Jason

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My Sony A6500 will NOT Overheat...no matter how hard I tried to get it to!

December 1, 2016

Well, I tried. I really gave it an honest try. With all the hubbub over the A6000 series cameras overheating, one of the first things I wanted to try out when I got my hands on the A6500 was how well the new camera responded to overheating.

With earlier cameras like the A6000 and A6300 there were issues for some when shooting video and the camera overheating. Now let's set the record straight on something that should be common knowledge but isn't. Unless a camera is classified as a "video camera" like the Panasonic GH4 is....it will NOT exceed the 30 minute time frame. Companies do this quite simply to save money. Video cameras are taxed at a higher rate than still cameras...it's a fact.

So when any still camera stops recording at the 29:50 mark, it isn't overheating, it's simply obeying the law based upon if it's a video camera or a still camera. The REAL question that needs to be answered is, "Once it stops, can you immediately hit the RECORD button and start recording again?"

When I first got the A6000 nearly 3 years ago and took it with me to Ethiopia, the video would overheat after about 20 minutes or so and the camera wouldn't turn back on until it cooled off. The A6300 was better, but it did indeed overheat at about the 25 minute mark when recording 4k video.

So when Sony added IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) to the A6500, conventional wisdom would indicate that there would actually be MORE heat going on inside the camera body, not less. So I was ready to be disappointed with how well the camera handled heat.

BOY, was I surprised. I got a loaner camera for Sony and was able to shoot with it for two days. I was so busy trying to crank out shots and test it as much as I could that I really didn't get a chance to just leave it recording for an endless amount of time. On top of that, I couldn't just leave it recording through the middle of the night because it will stop at 29:50 no matter what. Meaning I'd have to be awake and hit the record button every 30 minutes. Plus, I wanted the footage to be REAL. I wanted to test it in conditions that I would actually use the camera in.

I see so many tests online that simply are ridiculous. Tests where people set a camera in hot sand or on a hot rock that's roasting in the sun and then are shocked that a completely metal object like a camera would get hot. That's honestly laughable.

Like all of my reviews and tests, I care about how it will perform in the real world, not sitting on a rock in the desert. Because after all, who in the world is gonna use it like that? Nobody...unlesss you're a desert hermit without a tripod who vlogs I guess.

So I started recording on this camera. Predictably it stopped recording at the 29:50 mark. But to my happy surprise when I immediately hit the record button again, it started recording immediately. But then....it kept recording. And wouldn't overheat.

I could NOT get the A6500 to OVERHEAT!!! I shot it in 1080p (yes I tested in 4k as well but that's for another post), and it would NOT overheat. You guys seriously have to watch the video to see what I'm talking about.

It got to the point where I had models and my photography crew standing around waiting for the darn thing to overheat so we could start shooting with it. It got so bad that I was WANTING it to overheat lol.

IT NEVER OVERHEATED. Barely got warm.

At the 2 hour and 2 minute mark I said enough was enough. My memory card was full and I'd gone through 2 batteries. It simply would not overheat. I had one of the models come over to the camera (that was in direct sunlight for hours by the way) and her words were that the camera was "barely warm".

So how did Sony do it? Well, they removed the constraints that were placed on the camera. You can go into the menu and turn off the limiter that prevents the camera from shutting down when it overheats. But that being said, it was never even physically hot. It felt like a camera normally feels when you've held it in your hands for a good 10 minutes....just a mild warmth.

I can't completely explain how Sony did as I'm not one of their engineers and I simply don't know. And to that end I really don't care how they did it. I just care that they did. I hope to see the same advancements in future iterations of their other cameras.

Stay tuned for the 4k test as well!!!

**Links to Gear:

Using the Sony A6500 with Canon Lenses- is this the best Sony Mirrorless for Adapted Lenses?

November 30, 2016

So after I had a little bit of time to test the A6500 with native Sony lenses and quickly determined that it was the fastest Sony Mirrorless I've used for auto focus (yes, both full frame and crop sensor) I decided to try it with a Canon lens and the Sigma MC-11 Adapter.

Now recently I've released review videos using the A7Rii with the Metabones Mark 4 and Sigma MC-11 adapters with Canon mount lenses. To date the A7Rii and the A6300 have been the best camera bodies for using these lenses....well, not any more.

The A6500 is a special camera for auto focus guys and gals. I'm telling you. IT IS. I noticed it the second I picked it up and started shooting with it. But my review and video for the native lenses will come a little later. This is about Canon adapted lenses.

Previously as shown in the review videos the coverage on adapted lenses extends to just about the middle 60% of the sensor. I was sincerely shocked to find that the Sigma MC-11 Adapter with the Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens covered the ENTIRE sensor. Top to bottom, left to right. THE WHOLE DAMN THING.

SHOCKED. It honestly shoots like native glass and I'm not kidding. Don't believe me? Watch the video where I reel off 115 consecutive images in Hi+ continuous mode shooting WIDE OPEN at f/1.2 and every shot is in focus. It is RIDICULOUS!!!!

More tests to come, so make sure to check back for more videos and reviews!!

The images below were taken with the A6500 using the Canon 50mm with the Sigma MC-11 Adapter. All were taken in cameras as jpegs as currently (as of the time of writing this review) there is no profile available to import Raw files on the A6500.

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Sony A6500 REAL World Hands on Touch Screen Test for Stills and Video using the Sony 85mm G Master

November 30, 2016

So I got to test the Sony A6500 for the first time today. One of the newest and most talked about feature on the A6500 is the touch screen. It's the first time a touch screen has been put on one of the semi-pro (A6000, A6300) or pro level (A7 series) camera lines.

Many people have been asking for this feature to be added to the Sony mirrorless line for a very long time. While some cameras in the Sony NEX series had some touch screen capabilities on them, none of the recent Sony mirrorless cameras over the last 2.5 years have included the feature. I for one did not see a huge NEED for touch screen and was perfectly happy with my cameras not having the feature. But clearly many people wanted it, and Sony listened.

So when I got my hands on the camera this was one of the very first things I tested. I went down to La Jolla Cove near San Diego with my crew and a beautiful model named Kelsey Barker. I set the camera up on my Feisol tripod and tested it both in stills and movie mode.

It was pretty impressive. The stills mode was very nice and I could see using it for portraits work where instantaneous focus isn't required. In my opinion this will be for making sure you get the focus EXACTLY where you want it, and I'll also note this is a faster option than going through the menu to select a Flexible spot point.

Where the touch screen truly shined was in video (movie) mode. As someone who uses my A7 and A6000 series camera for filming my Youtube Channel this is going to be a big deal for us. The focus was very smooth as it transitioned between areas of focus that were pointed out on the screen. All of this is illustrated in the video included in this blog post, so please make sure to watch it.

When the A6500 was announced many people asked if it was worth the upgrade over the A6300 which is only 9 months old. I'm on record as saying this camera excited me more than anything for what it would do on the video end of things....and so far with the touch screen, my excitement is real for this camera and it's possibilities. I now truly hope the future iterations of Sony mirrorless cameras will have the touch screen option on them.

While professional videographers may argue over whether or not they would use auto focus in their work, for a lot of folks like me who are more hybrid photographers/videographers, having that touch screen and being able to get a beautifully transitioned rack focus is pretty special.

I can't wait to play with it more...:)

**Links to Gear:

Commercial Photography Photo Shoot and Workshop for Mia Bella Couture by Jason Lanier

November 29, 2016

Recently I had the opportunity to do a commercial photo shoot for a beautiful gown company called Mia Bella Couture. When they first contacted me to do the shoot they knew that I sometimes allowed some of my followers to attend my shoots as part of a workshop and asked if I'd be interested in doing so with them. I thought it would work out well so we booked the shoot.

When we got to the shoot down in San Diego it was truly awesome. This is a shoot that you truly have to watch the video to see how we handled it. We started off the day at 11am and my clients wanted to shoot in a specific location that was beautiful, but given the time of the day it was not ideal for lighting. So we had to bring out a ton of diffusers and reflectors to make the lighting work.

This shoot was done using the Flasphpoint Xplor600 with a bunch of different gear that is showcased in the video. This is just Part 1 of the shoot as we crammed so much into one day that I needed to break up the videos to show it all.

A big thank you to the beautiful models Lauren Lebouef and Tiffany Brock as well as Daryl Rene for the amazing work with Hair and Make Up.

I hope you all enjoy the video and I can't wait to share the other parts of the shoot with you as well. Beautiful gowns, gorgeous models, and my team all came together to make it a tremendous shoot.

**Links to Gear:

*Sony A7Rii-

*Canon 200mm f/2.8-

*Metabones Mark 4 Adapter-

*Flashpoint Xplor600-

*Westcott Rapid Box XL-

*Westcott 8x8 Scrim Jim-

Below are some images from the shoot taken with my Sony A7Rii and the Canon 200mm f/2.8 lens using the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter. Stay tuned for Part 2!!!

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Metabones Mark 4 Adapter- Canon EF or EF-S glass to Sony E Mount Cameras

November 25, 2016

So as many of you know I REALLY love shooting with Sony because it gives me the opportunity to shoot with so many options that I never had before when shooting Nikon. I can shoot all my awesome Sony glass (and it's good stuff) as well as a bunch of everything else.

But when it comes to autofocus performance nothing compares to how Canon glass shoots on a Sony camera using the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter. Now back when I first started shooting Sony 2.5 years ago I said I wouldn't shoot a trash truck with the Metabones adapter that existed back then. The adapter back then (believe it was the Mark 3) simply sucked. It wasn't practical for any real world shooting application.

Metabones then released the Mark 4 adapter and WOW! It made a world of difference. One thing I really love about the adapter is that it has a USB port on the side which enables firmware updates to occur. Since I've owned the adapter (nearly a year now) I have applied the firmware updates to the adapter and they truly do make a difference in improving performance of the adapter with the camera. Updates have lead to enhanced auto focus performance as well as added features.

**Links to Gear:

*Metabones Mark 4 Adapter-

*Sony A7Rii-

*Canon 85mm f/1.2-

Now in regards to the performance of the Metabones Adapter keep a few VERY IMPORTANT things in mind. I really don't care what anyone else out there says. I shoot so much with the Metabones and the Canon glass I honestly feel very comfortable making these statements and stand by them.

Videography- DO NOT try and use the Metabones Mark 4 with Canon lenses and expect anything to work. It stinks in video mode. It tries to autofocus but it's miserable. Now most videographers prefer manually focusing anyways. But for those hoping to use Canon lenses on a Sony mirrorless body to record video in autofocus...it's a no go. If you want to roll video on a Sony mirrorless body, you need a native Sony FE or E mount lens.
Compatible bodies- you'll read out there that you can use all the Sony bodies with autofocus and the Metabones adapter. While that's true, it's also misleading. Why? Well because it really only works at an acceptable level with the Sony A7Rii, A6500, and the A6300. Everything else will try your patience. If you have all the time in the world to mess around with it then have fun. For me, I actually want to use something I can use at a professional level shoot and for me that strictly happens with the three bodies mentioned. Bodies that don't work well with the Metabones adapter include: A7R, A7S, A7Sii, A7ii, A6000. This will disappoint some people but I don't people out there buying this adapter thinking it works with these bodies when it doesn't.
Rounding f stops- on some very wide aperture lenses like my 85mm f/1.2 Canon L lens, the aperture doesn't read at f/1.2. According to the Metabones website this is due to a rounding error and it doesn't impact performance. From what I've been able to tell it doesn't impact performance at all but on my 85mm f/1.2 lens it will only read at f/1.3. It will not go down to f/1.2.

Below are images taken during the video where I reviewed the adapter. We have many more videos, pictures and reviews coming where I will show all the different lenses I use with this adapter. It's a game changer for me and I wholeheartedly recommend the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter as long as it's just for stills work with the camera bodies I mentioned (A7Rii, A6500, and A6300).

I hope it helps!!

Thanks,

Jason

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The Fotodiox Fusion Smart AF Sony to Nikon Adapter Ruined my Sony A6300 Camera

November 24, 2016

So as many of you know I switched from Nikon to Sony 2.5 years ago announcing the switch online to quite a deal of publicity. Since then many people have asked me what I did with my Nikon gear. Almost everyone is surprised to hear that I never sold a single piece of my Nikon kit.

Why? Well, it's very simple, I was waiting for the day when I could use some of my Nikon glass on my Sony bodies. In the 2.5 years since switching I've acquired nearly all of Sony's E mount and A mount glass. I've shot the A mount glass on my Sony E mount bodies using either Sony LAEA4 or LAEA3 adapter.

In that time I've also acquired a very expensive Canon lens kit of glass as well to use in conjunction with my Metabones Mark 4 and Sigma MC 11 Adapter. I own the Canon 50mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.2, 135mm f/2, 200mm f/1.8, 200mm /2.8, and the 400mm f/2.8. So needless to say, I LOVE having the option to adapt glass to my Sony bodies.

I also have a lot of legacy vintage glass for manual focus, but that's for another discussion. This is related to using non-native Sony glass on my Sony body with auto focus and exif data being transmitted.

So last week the news came out that Fotodiox had a brand new adapter called the Fotodiox Fusion Smart AF Nikon to Sony Adapter with Full Automated Functions. I was less than convinced after watching the video that Fotodiox produced using the adapter because it didn't show any results. I was also a tad bit skeptical because the Fotodiox Canon to Sony adapter isn't as good as the Metabones....but after my followers asked me to give it a spin, I relented and took the plunge.

I went onto the Fotodiox website, paid full price, and paid extra for 2 day shipping so I could get a review done quickly. The adapter arrived yesterday and I was genuinely excited. I honestly thought it would be so cool to be the first one out there to test it and confirm to the Sony and Nikon world that this thing truly was amazing and worked.

Now to set expectations.....I NEVER expected it to work like native Sony glass. The Canon glass on the Metabones adapter hits about 85% of native glass performance which for me works out great. That was the bar I set for the Fotodiox. Can it perform like the Metabones performs? Being that they are so similarly priced, I think it's fair to ask for it to perform at the same level.

So I went down with my Assistant Brenda and another assistant named Quisha down to Oceanside to put this thing through a real world test.

IT FAILED.

First thing to note is that it does NOT have a USB port to update firmware. In the world of electronic adapters this is a big deal. Both my Metabones Mark 4 and Sigma MC11 Adapters have USB ports and the firmware updates actually do improve performance. Fotodiox said in their video something to the effect of, "Don't worry, it comes loaded with all the latest firmware in there..." LOL, that's great today. How about next week, next month, or next year? Do I have to buy new adapters just to get new firmware? That my friends, is RIDICULOUS.

Unlike my Sony and Metabones adapters it was at first VERY finicky. I'm used to putting on the Sony or Metabones adapters and they immediately work. Not the case with the Fotodiox. It required several mountings and un-mountings, and then mounting again to get it to work. I tried several lenses including the Nikon 105mm macro lens, the 18-55 DX kit lens, the 85mm f/1.8 lens, and the 28-300mm FX lens. I had a slew of lenses ready to test....but we couldn't get that far.

Why? Because it simply failed to work. When it did try to autofocus it hunted very badly to acquire a point of focus. All of this is illustrated in the video by the way...:)

Then it got stuck on manual focus. STUCK. Something my Metabones or Sony adapters have never done. I mean they've never done that once in the 2.5 years of me using adapters. That's how bad this Fotodiox Fusion adapter is.

Then the adapter started making weird noises.

Then it started draining all of the batteries on my Sony A7Rii. I imagine this is happening because in the video Fotodiox has out it mentions that it uses the battery from the Sony camera to power to aperture motor in the adapter. But it didn't just use it. It sucked it dry like Dracula would feed on a 600 pound man. It drained the battery instantaneously.

So I then put the Fotodiox Adapter on my A6300 and the unthinkable happened. It fried the camera. This is a camera that I've taken all over the world. It's survived all of my adventures and exploits....but it's poor sad end was at the hands of a freaking Fotodiox Adapter.

IT KILLED THE CAMERA. KILLED THE A6300. IT WILL NO LONGER POWER ON AT ALL.

Wanna see it all for yourself? Simply watch the video my friends. So in conclusion, I will definitely be returning the adapter and will be seeking compensation from Fotodiox for my A6300. I'm sure they'll give me the run around and will cite some tiny print in their warranty material telling me they aren't responsible. So that will leave me with having to try and get it repaired. And if that doesn't work replaced.

We used a bit of humor to lighten the mood and ended up calling this adapter "Chucky" because it is truly possessed. After it fried my A6300 we stopped putting it on any camera. Below are the sample images taken on the shoot that are shown in the video.

I hope this sheds some light on this adapter that apparently is sold out and back ordered for a month. Don't buy it guys. It simply isn't a well made piece of equipment.

Please note: the images below will not make much sense if you don't watch the video. We never even got to the point of doing a normal shoot because the adapter failed to work. Most of these were sample images taken trying to get the adapter to work while it was on a tripod where I was showing the back of the camera. To understand the pics, please watch the video...:)

Images taken with the Fotodiox Adapter using Nikon glass- Sony A7Rii

Images taken with the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter using the Canon 85mm f/1.2- Sony A7Rii

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Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens Review for both portraits and close up work

November 23, 2016

I first fell in love with macro lenses back in my Nikon days with the 105mm macro lens. I saw it not only as a great option for close up work but also for portraits. So when I switched to Sony I eagerly awaited the release of a macro lens.

Sony came out with the 90mm macro to rave reviews and I picked one of for myself. Boy was I glad I did. It lived up to all of it's reputation as one of the sharpest lenses out there. So in November 2016 while shooting up in San Francisco, California I went out with my team and recorded a video showcasing the portraiture and close up work of this lens.

So check it out below, this lens is a true winner. I've also included sample images from the test shoot in San Francisco as well as a few macro shot of wedding rings taken earlier this year. For Sony users, this is one lens you won't regret getting as it serves two purposes for both portraits and macro work. I hope it helps!

Links to Gear

*Sony 90mm Macro

*Sony A7Rii

*Lastolite Tri Flip 8 in 1 reflector

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Sigma Art Lens 20mm f/1.4 Lens Review Canon Mount using the Sigma MC11 Adapter and the Sony A7Rii

November 21, 2016

One of the best things about shooting Sony is I get to use so many awesome adapted lenses. I've used Minolta, Canon, Nikon alongside my native Sony glass for years now. But recently Sigma announced a new adapter, the MC11, and this adapter opened up the Sigma Canon mount glass to the Sony World.

I already owned a lot of the lenses (either Canon or Sony) in the same focal range as the Sigma Art glass available. The one lens that nobody offers except for Sigma is the 20mm f/1.4. I had to give it a go. So I bought it and started using it.

Simply put, it's a magnificent piece of glass for the price. On the MC11 adapter it focuses very well and gives some fantastic results. Shooting wide open it delivers very sharp results on the area of focus and creates some great separation between your subject and background, very reminiscent of that Zeiss pop that I'm used to with my Zeiss Batis and Sony Zeiss lenses.

Below are links to the gear used in the video I created to show you all what I think of this lens. There are also sample images taken. I hope you enjoy and also hope it really helps you all out there!!

Links to Gear:

**Sony A7Rii

**Sigma 20mm f/1.4 lens

**Sigma MC11 Adapter

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200mm Lens Aperture Challenge- f/1.8 vs. f/2.8 using Canon L glass. Does it make a difference?

November 20, 2016

So I've been lens hunting lately...quite a bit actually. I own a ton of Sony native glass and since I'm a big believer in adapting glass to my Sony mirrorless system, I've been adding Canon L glass to my cupboard so to speak.

I picked up the Canon 200mm f/2.8 about a month ago and really loved it from the start. For a 200mm it's light, easy to use, performs very well, and cranks out some KILLER shots. I was in love.

I then found out about the Holy Grail lens. The big boy. The one we've nicknamed as "Jaws" because it's a great big white shark of a lens. I already had the Canon 200mm f/2.8, so spending the money on "Jaws" was difficult to justify. Do I spend thousands of dollars just to get that tiny difference between f/1.8 and f/2.8?

I searched online and couldn't find any videos that showed the difference between the two lenses. I looked at countless pictures that the two lenses rendered looking for the subtle differences between the two. I still was a little hesitant.

But then I put it out to my followers on my Facebook Group and I asked my Canon shooters what their thoughts were....well, they told me the Holy Grails lens (F/1.8) was indeed a legendary lens.

So I got it. I went up to San Francisco and did a shoot at the ruins of the Sutro Baths. I wanted to put out the information to the photography world that I couldn't find. I wanted to show them what I was searching for...and had to spend a LOT of money to find out. Was the difference in the background rendering between f/1.8 and f/2.8 really that much? Did it really make a difference int the shots?

Hell Yeah it did! If I'd never used the f/1.8 I'd still be madly in love with the performance of the f/2.8. But once you see the comparison between the two, it's pretty obvious that f/1.8 really does make a difference compared to f/2.8. Especially when you combine the compression factor of a 200mm lens.

I've included a video of my experience and images below. I hope it helps you all out there!

--Links to Gear:

*Sony A7Rii-

*Canon 200mm f/2.8-

*Metabones Mark 4 Adapter-

*Canon 200mm f/1.8- sorry this lens is no longer sold. The closest equivalent lens is the Canon 200mm f/2. A link for that lens is shown below:

*Canon 200mm f/2-

Images from "Jaws" the Canon 200mm f/1.8- all shot wide open.

Images from "La Chiquitita" the Canon 200mm f/2.8- all shot wide open.

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Petzval Lens- 85mm f/2.2 Petzval Lens by Lomography- Swirly Bokeh Heaven

November 19, 2016

So I read about this lens. I watched videos about this lens and thought, "Hey, that looks pretty cool." With a price tag of $600 it was hard to pull the trigger on a manual focus lens that is kind of a one trick pony.

For me, anytime I spend more than $500 on a lens that's starting to get closer to the pro level line of lenses. I have many lenses in my lineup that are in the thousands of dollars. But they all autofocus and are very sharp. Two things the Petzval lens doesn't do particularly well.

So I happened into a local camera store a few weeks back and while just looking around, I saw a Petzval lens for Canon mount sitting in the display. Being a Sony shooter makes it easy for me to shoot any lens mount with the wide array of adapters. I regularly use the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter on my Sony A7Rii and had it handy when I was at the store. So I put the Petzval on the adapter with the camera and started firing away.

I was impressed enough to give it a try knowing in the right circumstance it would give my pictures a very distinctive and unique look. So I bought it, put it in my camera bag and a few weeks later I found myself in San Francisco and took it out for a quick shoot as part of my Gear I Use video series where I demonstrate the gear that I use for my own work.

The pics and corresponding video from that shoot are shown below. Initial thoughts on the lens:

PROS:

*Easy to use- with the focus peaking turned on in my camera finding focus is pretty easy. The focus knob is on the side of the lens which is a new thing for me and many photographers, but its very easy to use and has a good resistance. Not too much, not too little.

*Very unique look- it definitely delivers on the promise of swirly bokeh. If you're looking for a lens that turns your images into something that not many people see nowadays, this could be your answer.

CONS:

*Sharpness- It isn't the sharpest lens out there, especially wide open. I very regularly shoot wide aperture lenses wide open. Some of my favorite lenses are the Canon 85mm f/1.2, Sony G Master f/1.8, Canon L lens 200mm f/1.8 and more. These lenses are all sharper than the Petzval at their widest aperture which is saying something considering the Petzval is a f/2.2 compared the the other lenses mentioned.

*Aperture Blades Fall out- this is a BIG bummer for me. The aperture blades do not securely lock into the lens. If you haven't watched the video and you're wondering what I'm talking about, WATCH THE VIDEO. The blades are placed on top of the lens with an opening. It's very easy to do, but if you turn your camera from a horizontal position they fall out. If you are used to moving around with your camera and lens like I am, that's a problem as you'll see in the video. We are very lucky to have found the aperture blade that fell out!

*Lens Cap- the lens cap also comes off very easily and there's no off market replacement available. So if you lose it, good luck.

So if you have extra funds and you're looking for a lens that will give you a really distinctive look, this definitely delivers. Don't rely on it for super sharp images, especially wide open. But in the right circumstance it can be a real winner of a lens. But as I always say, take a look for yourself and just decide what works best for you!!

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The Holy Grail of Lenses- my first shoot ever with the Canon 200mm f/1.8 lens and the Sony A7Rii

November 17, 2016

WOW! I've heard about this lens. But as a longtime Nikon shooter that transitioned over to Sony two years ago, shooting Canon glass was just well...blasphemy.

But when Sony came out with the A7Rii, that changed everything (which will be covered in a separate blog post). That opened the door to shooting Canon lenses with near native autofocus capability on my Sony cameras!

So recently I had the opportunity to acquire this lens and when I did, I jumped on it. I chose the 200mm f/1.8 version over the 200mm f/2 version simply because the f/1.8 is a little wider and faster. Why didn't I choose the lens stabilized versions of the lens with the f/2 versions? Well, since 5 axis image stabilization is built into my camera, I simply didn't need it on the lens.

So I got my crew and a model together and went to Venice Beach to test this lens for the first time, and boy it didn't disappoint. While the lens is used, it performed like a champ! The autofocus was fast and it was unbelievably sharp. Anyone who knows me knows that I love shooting wide open and I did this entire shoot at f/1.8. All shots were edited using Lightroom only. Below is a video of the shoot and some images as well. I absolutely love this lens and can't wait to knock out some more shoots with it. I hope you enjoy it!

I adapted the Canon lens to the Sony A7Rii using the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter. It's simply the best adapter I've found for Canon lenses on Sony bodies.

**Links to Gear:

*Sony A7Rii-

*Metabones Mark 4 Adapter-

*Lastolite Large Rapid Kit-

*Flashpoint Xplor 600-

*Westcott Rapid Box XL-

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Macro Lens Challenge- Sony A6000 using the Sony 30mm vs. 105mm Nikon

January 23, 2015

One of my favorite moments during a wedding is taking ring shots for my wedding couple using macro lenses. I've shot for years using the Nikon 105mm macro lens on all my Nikon bodies and it has delivered some outstanding results.

In July of 2014 I switched from Nikon to Sony for many reasons, some of which are articulated in this video... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wM_5nROeaw So for the sake of this blog post we will leave that subject alone.

Once I switched from Nikon to Sony I kept searching for a macro lens that would do the job as well as my 105mm Nikon macro that I've used professionally for YEARS. While Sony is coming out with an FE macro lens later this year (2015), there isn't one available as of right now unless you use their A mount glass.

Since I typically shoot in manual focus with my macro anyways, I was in no rush to find a macro lens. I simply would put my 105mm Nikon macro on my Sony A6000 or one of my A7 cameras using the Fotodiox or Metabones adapter and thanks to Focus Peaking on the Sony cameras, using the Nikon macro was EASY!

So last week I was looking at lenses on the Sony store and found the 30mm f/3.5 macro e mount lens. It's priced at only $279! It was such a relatively cheap lens that I thought, "What the heck...if I don't like it I'll just return it."

So two days ago I shot a wedding at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. This was my first opportunity to use both lenses. I had a little extra time at the wedding so I decided to do a comparison between the lenses...and yes we video recorded it for my Youtube Channel...coming out in the near future...:)

I shot with both lenses using my Sony A6000. And for comparison purposes I posted screen shots of both results so you can see that they are raw and completely unedited. I was stunned that the Sony performed so well. The other thing I noticed between the two lenses is that it was exponentially easier to use Auto Focus on the A6000 because the lens is SO much lighter. I'm comparing this to when I used to shoot with Nikon and would try to use Auto Focus with the 105mm macro on my Nikon bodies.

Judge the results for yourselves. I'm not bashing Nikon or lens because I love both. But you can't deny how great the result is of the Sony lens that is approximately 1/3 the cost of the Nikon. Some would even argue it's a better capture. I am a Sony Artisan of Imagery but that doesn't mean I'm biased. I was perfectly content using my 105mm Nikon on my bodies for macro shots...but now that I see how well this 30mm Sony macro performs...that might just change.

Let me know what you think...:)

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The World Trade Center from the bottom up

September 11, 2013

Can a building have a soul? Maybe it can't, but the people inside sure did. This image was taken just 2 weeks before the attacks on 911 while I was there for a family trip. We stood on top of the roof of the building and it was almost incomprehensible to imagine that 2 weeks later it all came down.

That's why photography is so incredibly powerful. It captures the moments that can never be brought back and makes them real again. Photographers are the visual historians and as the old saying goes, "A picture tells a thousand words."

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Ash from the 9-11 Site

September 11, 2013

Taken shortly after 9-11 in New York next to the make-shift memorial that had been put up with plywood with messages from visitors written on the walls. We should never forget what happened to our country on 9-11.

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Below are some shots taken with the A6500 and the 85mm G Master:

Below are shots taken with the Sony A6500 and the 90mm macro lens

"In the 2.5 years that I've been a Sony shooter I've never had another adapter once give me any problems."

Shots taken at 1/6400 sec, f/1.8, ISO 50 at 200mm

The images below were taken with the A6500 using the Canon 50mm with the Sigma MC-11 Adapter. All were taken in cameras as jpegs as currently (as of the time of writing this review) there is no profile available to import Raw files on the A6500.

Images taken with the Fotodiox Adapter using Nikon glass- Sony A7Rii

Images taken with the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter using the Canon 85mm f/1.2- Sony A7Rii

Links to Gear

Images from "Jaws" the Canon 200mm f/1.8- all shot wide open.

Images from "La Chiquitita" the Canon 200mm f/2.8- all shot wide open.