Professional Cameras for Photography

July 1, 2014

Monochrome Specialists

Dedicated black-and-white cameras eliminate the sharpness-robbing Bayer array and anti-aliasing filter to create the sharpest images possible

By Staff
Many digital photographers do monochrome photography with their regular color digital cameras. This provides a couple of benefits. First, if you shoot RAW, you can process your images to color or monochrome. If you use the camera’s monochrome mode, you’ll see the images in black-and-white on the LCD monitor, including the tonal-changing... Read more
May 1, 2014

Do You Use Any Aliases?

Is the anti-aliasing filter still necessary or even useful in modern, high-resolution digital camera systems? Several manufacturers are eliminating them from their highest-resolution models.

By Staff
Digital image sensors consist of a grid of light-sensitive photodiodes (pixels). When you make an exposure, each pixel receives a certain amount of light—a certain number of photons—according to the brightness of the portion of the scene being photographed that’s focused at that pixel. Inherent in this process is the moiré that can result... Read more
March 1, 2014

Retro-Style Cameras

The proliferation of high-end, back-to-the-future, retro-design cameras has style as well as substance

By The Editors
“Retro”-look serious cameras are hot today. Besides the nostalgia factor, they provide their users with a sense of style. We wouldn’t trade the technology of our recent DSLRs and mirrorless cameras for that of the old 35mm film cameras, much less earlier digital cameras, but there’s something to be said for the retro look. Photographers—pro... Read more
December 1, 2013

The Best Of The Best

A look at the top pro DSLRs available today from 35mm and medium-format camera models

By The Editors
There are two main types of DSLRs: Those based on the 35mm SLR form factor and those based on medium-format. In a nutshell, today’s pro 35mm-type DSLRs are extremely versatile do-it-all cameras that deliver a combination of high image quality and performance with action subjects and in low light in a relatively compact package. They also (with... Read more
November 1, 2013

Advantages of Mirrorless Cameras

Like the transition from Speed Graphics to 35mm film and SLRs, today’s pros might consider making a full switch to a mirrorless system.

By The Editors
Mirrorless cameras have become increasingly popular. They’re aimed at compact camera users who want DSLR image quality and interchangeable-lens versatility in a compact package, as well as at advanced and pro shooters looking for a lighter alternative to their big pro cameras. A goodly number of pros have a mirrorless camera as a backup or for... Read more
September 1, 2013

Pro Prime-Lens Compacts

This elite group of large-sensor, prime-lens cameras is driving street photographers to leave their DSLRs at home

By The Staff
In an increasingly fragmented world where it’s difficult to maintain focus and attention for more than a nanosecond, it can pay to simplify. In the average pro’s camera bag, you’ll find a DSLR, a smaller backup DSLR, four to six lenses, a few strobes, spare batteries, a couple of lighting modifiers and a range of other ready-for-anything... Read more
September 1, 2013

Battle Of The DSLRs

Everyone aspires to a top-of-the-line, super-trick, über-pro DSLR, but what are you really buying, and can a mid-level model actually give you better images?

By The Editors
Back in the film days, the owner of an entry-level 35mm SLR could use the same film and the same lenses as the owner of a pro 35mm SLR, and thus entry-level and pro models weren’t divided so much by image quality as by construction, features and add-ons. The pro models were beefier, more rugged, could shoot faster, had better viewfinders and metering... Read more
July 1, 2013

Diving Deep Into HDSLRs

So you bought an HDSLR to add motion to your repertoire. Now what? We’ll help you navigate the technology to give you a running start.

By The Editors
The first video-capable DSLRs were aimed at photojournalists, but were quickly adopted by wedding photographers and even serious filmmakers. The large sensors (relative to those found in pro camcorders) allow for cinematic limited depth of field and thus effective selective-focus shots. HDSLRs are much smaller and far less costly than the pro digital... Read more
May 1, 2013

Ultimate-Resolution Cameras

When it comes to resolution, for most pros some is good, more is better and too much is just right

By The Editors
There’s more to image quality than just pixel count; color reproduction, dynamic range and low-light/high-ISO performance quickly come to mind. But the more pixels an image sensor contains, the more detail its images can reveal, and the larger you can blow them up before the pixels themselves become visible to the eye (or the more you can crop... Read more
May 1, 2013

Street Shooters

Catch the decisive moments like a modern Cartier-Bresson with a dedicated street camera

By The Editors
Street photography was first made famous by Henri Cartier-Bresson and his focus on movement and the typical Parisian. It spread to America where Robert Frank developed a raw expression outside of mainstream photography, often linked with the Beat Movement. This fresh street style was noted for its spontaneity, intimacy with the subject and interesting... Read more
March 1, 2013

What’s New In Medium-Format Digital

When nothing short of maximum resolution and image quality will suffice, medium-format digital is still at the top of the pyramid

By The Editors
The death of medium format has been greatly overstated. It’s true that 35mm-sized DSLRs are much more common among pros, but that’s always how it’s been. Medium-format digital, like medium-format film, has a dedicated cadre of users for whom these tools are the perfect choice. That’s because their image quality, under the right... Read more
January 1, 2013

The 4K Range

From the high-end, state-of-the-art RED EPIC DSMC camera to the midrange SCARLET and Canon Cinema EOS-1D C to the recently introduced GoPro HERO3, the 4K world is getting more crowded for photographers who are expanding into motion

By Staff
The convergence story continues to evolve. Pro photographers need to be ever more aware and fluent in motion capture, whether your goal is to create narrative films or to shoot motion vignettes as added benefit for your clients. For motion capture, the current mainstream format is commonly called "full HD"—1920×1080 pixels—but in... Read more
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