Realistic and practical approach (as always). It is funny (and enjoyable - because we have all been there) to hear you chuckle at the Pros recommendation about what camera to use in a particular region of the country. For me, seeing the shot before hand was one of the most difficult issues I struggle with out of the gate. I always saw a better shot when I got home in post, with cropping, and wondered "why didn't I see that when I was taking this shot?". That has gradually improved, and although I shot mostly wildlife and sports at the beginning, I found starting to dabble in portrait work helped me see light differently - and when I have more time (because the subject isn't flying or running or skating across the frame), I slow the process down, watch for background distractions, look to include foreground elements, and then check for items that need not be in the frame to tell a story. I've slowly made a little checklist in my head so I can run through it quickly each time - and that has helped over time. Thanks as always - again - Happy Holidays - and why don't we print some in 2025! ;-)
@@MartinCastein For an end-of-year personal project, I asked one of my photographic buddies to complete a "14 day challenge" till the end of the year. The goal is to list different topics we'd think would help us - and just to give us something to plan and focus on. Examples might be shooting everything with a 50mm lens or practice framing with natural light only, etc. I know you have lots of videos on such subjects, but I was wondering if one came to mind you thought would be particularly good to start out with?
Hello Martin, I watch your videos since I bought a 5d classic some years back and your thoughts opened my eyes really! The video where you compared the 5d series was particularly enlightening. both for the technical differences of the bodies as well as for the evolution of the canon. it would be very interesting if we could know things about the 5d iv and 6d ii as well. I know this is not an easy, but, i would love to hear this from you only.
Hi Martin! I enjoy your usual „cheap old camera is great“ content very much. I‘m suffering from GAS and after buying a new camera I usually see the same result as before. 🤷♂️ Todays video was very different and very well done. Thanks! 👍🏻
It seems to me that Camera companies--all of them--are concentrating on amateur videographers and pro sports photographers. Their cameras are either going very high end for sports/photojournalists or with more emphasis paid to amateur video than photography on their cameras. There is less and less for us working photographers. I'm a Canon shooter and I do okay with the EOS R6 MKII. I shoot in the studio and location. I'm a people shooter--models, graduating seniors, portraits, etc. Those cameras do all I need them to do, but the middle layer of photography appears to be shrinking. I've no idea where photography is going, other than the day of the professional is almost gone. I do believe that after covid the vast majority of people, including corporations, are willing to settle for mediocre images rather than images made by a professional photographer. Look at ads in store windows. The images often are awful. Badly lit, badly composed and often very badly photoshopped. It's not easy being a pro here in the U.S., unless you do it part time, with a full-time job essentially paying your bills. It was always hard to make a good living by being a pro photographer but now it's ten times worse. Literally every professional I know has closed their studio, even stopped shooting out of their homes, and gotten a different kind of job. I've no idea how it is in England, or elsewhere in the UK, but here in the U.S. it's not good.
Yes definitely worth doing 😃. Of course some of the questions could easily be Googled, however some of them definitely worth listening to regarding your own experiences and thoughts
Thanks for choosing to answer my question, Martin. I obviously confused you, my bad: the photographer in question said that (in his opinion) there was a stop’s worth more luminosity in Scotland than for down south in the same weather conditions. Maybe the comparison is rubbish, but the light up here can be really special, I just wondered if you agreed! I have just bought a 6D with the 50mm 1.8, thanks for the recommendation.
So Sony assumes we know what we're doing, interesting! That makes me want to try one of their cameras. I've found that printing my work, or rather, having it printed at school or at the local camera shop, is a nightmare. Always comes out too dark, or they add a border or something. But I think it's important to learn how to print, it's a part of the process even if we don't use the prints. I forget what else you said that I wanted to comment on, but this was great.
Martin: I am most interested in your opinion on specific camera sensors and lens choices, especially when you speak about the way they render colors and textures. Please compare and contrast, as you have the expertise and experience few others have. I think that the choice of a camera sensor and partially the lens defines the color pallet much like when a of a painter chooses colors/brands of paints and canvas. Your photos have a certain character to them, that combine with your style, composition and lighting to yield an old world painting like character. I purchased a 6D , and love the color output, and smoothness of the images it produces per your recommendation. Also I am color blind so I try to stay with one brand of products from camera, to lens, to printer and try to get it right in the original, so that I don't fiddle with the colors outside of lighter/darker or saturation/contrast. So please if you can speak of the different camera sensors and how they differ or why you would use one over the other, as I find this very interesting. I also purchased a Canon DX1 for wild life photos and hope you could try it one day and opine on the DX1 sensor like you have on the Canon 6D, 5D, as this was a golden age in photography. You are very interesting and informative. I have a DX1 that I purchased in like new condition which I would be happy to send to you for a hands on review if you would consider it. Thank you for all you are doing. Best regards.
What a way to start a day..Please do a video about that! That would be a great watch, I'd be interested to know how many people are getting back into film? As you really have got me back into photography with your recommendation of a d810 purchase (love) I've now got a f5 and a b&w darkroom, I just love it.. and my local photography shop in New zealand is really busy with a influx of people wanting to shoot film.. is this the same in the Uk? Let's go take some pictures!!!
A young photographer who used a point and shoot digicam, gained a lot of traction about 10 years ago. He shot fashion with homespun multi-point lighting and dressed models in his own fashion designs. It was really high quality work worthy of any boutique brand.
The question with AWB, be sure to set the camera’s profile to neutral. This will give the image a natural color with ambient light. Add color in processing.
@ you’re welcome Martin. I’ve only just recently (3/4 months) discovered your channel and i really enjoy it and find it helpful. I shoot with a 6D1 and 5D3 so find your content pretty relevant. Thanks again.
Hi Martin. Harry Borden told people recently on the channel he has with his son, Fred, what his rates were for some of the editorial shoots he had done of well known subjects with high public profiles. The rates had not changed much over the years and were not as high as people might perceive them to be. If someone is going to start out now with plans of becoming a full time photographer I think the biggest reality check is what they can earn, what is involved to earn that money on a consistent basis, and whether they have the business nous to do it. I think the recent video by Irene Rudnyk on YT about one model being shot by twelve photographers is hilarious for its insights about the dynamics of getting the shot. Enjoy the rest of your day. I am confident Pep will be down the job centre tomorrow after we beat them ten nil today :-)))))))))))))
Hey Martin, I really like these Q&A vids. Your personality comes through strongest in this setting, probably because you’re talking off the cuff. Good job! I wish I had a question about photography. Sadly I do not. But, I’m retiring next year and I want to know when you’re coming over to the US? It’ll be worth at least one good steak dinner - my treat! Perhaps I’ll even share some of my photography tips and tricks with you! 🤣 Or, we can just go for a motorcycle ride. I’ve got 4 bikes and I’ll give you a free lesson if you don’t ride. Take care buddy, Keith
I would love to take you up on that Keith. If I come to the states ever then its on. Im hiring that 70s pontiac firebird transam before you retire and helping the snowman run that Coors from Texas to Georgia, Ill do it before you retire, you wont catch me, I will go through Florida on the way, cant be that far. hehehe.
@ haha! I’ve chased a few cars in my career but never one as iconic as that! You know, if you do it before Joe Biden retires, if you were to be caught, as a foreigner, you would only likely get a slap on the wrist, temporary amnesty, a hotel room in the city of your choosing, social security, and a cell phone! 🤣
@@FloridaTwoWheelAdventures Well I better get over there then, I assume its pretty easy to get a job being a decoy for the snowman right? I hope you can drive fast, we sometimes do over 45mph over here!
@@MartinCastein you know, I don't know if it still goes on but it seems they used to do a re-enactment of that run. Maybe you already knew that? It would be pretty cool to do something like that, in fact, very cool! Not sure I ever told you but my father and grandfather owned car businesses when I was a kid so I grew up working on and being around 60s, 70s, and 80s muscle cars. I've yet to own any myself, instead I went into motorcycles. I also like dogs and while I don't have one named Fred, maybe Zeppelin wouldn't mind us calling him Fred while you did the Cannonball, LOL
I think we might see cameras becoming more powerful computers, like smartphones, with apps for certain photographic tasks. Just think of panorama, bracketting, stacking, it could all be done in the camera up to spitting out a decent jpg, leaving the raw as a fallback for a smaller part of the work, depending on your style.
You mentioned the A6000 as a good everyday choice. Would you say those in 6000 series on par or are some better options. Noticed that some have a microphone jack, for instance.
and canon cameras are actually very durable in many ways, even their three-digit series. And my friend still has a 5d2 with a mileage of more than a million frames
Yeah I think they are very strong maybe it’s just how they feel it the Nikon cameras feel even stronger but realistically probably it makes more sense to care about shutter durability than the body but my money would be on Nikon if we were doing a weather test or drop test
I'm not sure diffraction sets in earlier on high megapixel cameras, it's just that the resolution exposes any deficiencies in sharpness. Back in film days people would typically print 10 x 8" to around 16 x 12" from 35mm film, in a framed print. Those sizes concealed many optical shortcomings, in a way modern users would find unacceptable. Smaller formats certainly have diffraction set in earlier, if by that we mean the same f-stop. In the real world, sharpness is an overrated asset unless the optic is really poor.
Right. Diffraction is a characteristic of lens design. The sensor behind the lens has no effect on diffraction. Of course, from a practical standpoint, the higher the resolving ability of the sensor the sooner this diffraction is noticed. Or, shoot on a D700 as I do and pay it no mind!
HOW DARE YOU SH1T ON MY FUJI APS-C SETUP MARTIN!! Just kidding, the autofocus IS maddening 😅 but I love the images out of my xt1, can’t help it. Just started doing some paid photography work on it Martin, I think partially thanks to you! ❤ Awesome video, good stuff! 🎉
Hi Martin, I've watched all of your videos. I'm looking for a cheap DSLR to fill the full frame quota for portraits, as I'm already a Fuji shooter. What should I get? 6d or d600? Thanks!
as a fuji shooter i would say you shouldnt fill that full frame quota for portraits and use your fuji intead. Unless you are planning to shoot at f1.2 often? I just dont think you need it.
@@MartinCastein Thank you so much for your answer. I currently shoot 35mm equivalent with my fuji xf 23 1.4 and i can't seem to achieve the looks of a native 35mm ff lens. I see the background blur of a full frame photo more "film" like, even with fuji film recipes.
Your review and experience are, as always, objective. But I would also add luxury cameras for fans of everyday photography. For example, the lx lumix series. I like their color right from the camera. Moreover, there are decent leica optics, despite the microscopic sensor - very decent results. The xz-1 from Olympus is good
I used to get 20-35 likes per picture and under 2,000 followers. I had competitors (won’t mention names) who were good acquaintances to me who were getting 300+ likes per photo and 10,000+ followers who were always complaining about not getting enough wedding gigs or clients lol I was making $80k+ a year as a side gig… they were getting under $20k. My point? ‘Likes’ isn’t the game, not is followers. I had a style, sat, and waited for the right person to come along. I also never had a terrible client. Always great people. I’m also so happy you mentioned the a6000. It was one of my favorite cameras to own and regret selling it. I used to pair it with an old Nikon Nikkor lens. So far, the Canon 6D classic, Sony a6000 and Olympus (generally) are my go-to ♥️ I really like Pentax, but ergonomically they’re a little awkward. If they streamlined their cameras I would dedicate to them fully 📸
Great video. Very interesting. Did you try lumix s5 mark, and what do you think about lumix colors? I will be very interested in flash/strobe outdoor video of you. With. Beauty dish silver. Have a nice day😊
The problem I see with the cell phone argument is that most people simply aren’t very interested in photography, per se. And most - although certainly not all - people who are don’t particularly like taking pictures with cellphones. (Yes, I’m are there are some brilliant people producing with cellphones….)
Great video Martin, I have to disagree with you on the Sony A6 though. I bought one a few months back and really tried to get on with it for a few months, but I could not, I didn't like the colours from it or the menu system and the fact it only had a partially articulating screen. I've now bought the Camon M50 Mark II and It's awesome, bit plastic but the files and colours are great along with its fully articulating screen. I have it with the Canon 22mm f2 and I also have the Sigma 30mm f1.4 which is amazing. Regarding the question that someone asked about AWB I have all my cameras set on 5500K in 95% of the situations it works fantastic, but I know when it won't and change it accordingly. However, I can't really speak about some of the newer more expensive mirrorless cameras because the M50 Is the only mirrorless one I own.
thats fair enough, i think for me its that it has such a huge lens choice with a system to grow into as well as being very cheap. The colour is not much fun from it though for sure!
Hi, Martin. I was interested in your comment about a 5D III being perhaps a better choice for travel than a 6D Mk1, which is my current camera. I would be fascinated if you managed to review the 6D Mk2. I have no direct experience of the 6D Mk2, but I am interested in it. I wonder whether the 6D Mk2 might be a more rounded travel camera than either of the other two, because: * it has a much better focusing system than the 6D Mk1 (albeit with points clustered heavily towards the centre) * it has an articulating screen, which I would really value for travel and landscape * it is lighter and smaller than the 5D Mk3. * it appears to have the same sensor and processor as the Canon RP, which seems to have a decent if not absloutely "classic" quality of sensor
I think you should go for it and try it, i never used it but the screen on the back would be SO useful. its really hard to overstate how useful a flippy screen that you can focus with easily is.
@@MartinCastein Yes, indeed Martin. I was on Llandwyn Island on Anglesey yesterday, photographing the main lighthouse. I had the tripod set without any leg extension, trying a very low shot of the lighthouse with the waves crashing against the sand and ended up sat down in the damp sand to be able to see liveview. A classic case of "I'm too old for this..." 😂 I think I'll try Canon Camera Connect to see how well that works, because in theory that is more convenient than a flip screen, but I may well end up trawling the used market in January when I expect a lot more perfectly good DSLRs will be off loaded in favour of shiny mirrorless things...
@@hywel3143 i was too old for that when i hit 30 i think. a tilt screen for landscape is a bit of a game changer really. If you do ever go to mirrorless though you can use the eos ef to r adapter too. i think you should try the 6dii though, its a shame they never made a 5d mark 5 i think that could have been really interesting or even for that matter a 6d mark iii
Great work as per…! I love cameras so a phone holds no real interest .. but (and there’s always one) the editing software on my iPhone is really good.. so as a package you could probably drop Lightroom and or photoshop.. also you can print directly from the phone.. As an aside have you considered doing anything around compact cameras.. I borrowed a friend’s Leica d lux 8. it’s really good.. small and easy to use.?? Cheers!
Martin, what are your thoughts on Sony a7 3 in 2025? Especially for portrait photography. Is skintone any good? Does it need a lot of postproduction work? Or is it better to go for aomething like canon r8?
A73 is excellent and will do very well indeed you have to take the whole system into account. I would choose Sony of canon in that regard due to the lenses they have many more options and in some ways are better and cheaper and smaller and lighter
Hi Martin. I really enjoy this vid.. about making a video about sony nikon and canon YES pleas! And if u can make a stop on color would be great. Maybe would be cool idea to make a separate vid about ´´that´´ great carry around camera,.. in the same sense as what u said about sony a6000,.. light not so big.. maybe there are others to compare with.. ? Also it comes to mind as u mentioned iphone 14,.. i imagine that in good light or not so,.. in small prints a pro camera will give u same picture ? What Im trying to formulate (in a very clumsy way) is how much close smartphones cameras are this days from a full frame sensor (or even aps-c?
I come from a visual-arts background where I learned about the importance of design, therefore as a seasoned amateur photographer the first and most important element of a camera is the body design, and this is where Sony mirrorless camera utterly fail dismally; their mirrorless camera bodies are more linear and with hard edges; compare these flawed design elements with the beautiful curves of high-end Cannon and Nikon DSLRs, ie the D850, D500, and the 5D MKIV, run the palm of your hand over these design beauties and you will see what I mean; considering the above points I absolutely hate the body designs of Sony cameras. Unfortunately and for some bizarre reason Cannon and Nikon have followed in the footsteps of Sony mirrorless cameras by making their non professional cameras linear with hard edges; intelligent people don’t follow, they think for themselves therefore Cannon and Nikon have done the stupid thing by conforming to Sony designs.
Hi ..u know ..im coming from finearts, (im a painter) and i worked in design and yeah I second your thought.. speaking about design ..there were some really nice try´s and some state of the art well crafted /designed cameras from the past/recent past.. i dońt know why sony did that xDD..its seems like they went stright forward cutting and chopping throwing it then at your face Saying herés a fantastic autofocus herés a fantastic lens .. just go outside and dońt bother me anymore xDDD
In 20 years I'll be 82. I guess I'll have my Fuji X100V (worth a million quid by then probably), a Canon 5D mk1, a Canon 6D, a Canon R6 mk2, and some sort of wearable Glasses, or brain implant that take care of everything else via A.I. Cameras are as good as I ever need them already. Seriously... I'm done now. 4K video is enough. 8K is too much for the human eye (in my opinion, it's more resolution than reality). 40fps is enough. It's all enough. Look, the more technology advances the more people crave "vintage" devices and human-created art. Vinyl and 35mm film prove that. Deep down we don't like digital/clinical perfection. Humans are analogue creatures. We like "grain" in images. We like crackles on records. It's why Movie directors put black-mist filters on their lenses. I'm 62 with 47 years of photography behind me and tonight I may have taken my favourite ever image. Some kids playing in a dark alley. Fuji X100V. iso 8000, 35mm prime. It's black & white, grainy as hell (iso 8000 plus the grain I dial into my images anyway) .... but I saw it. I knew it would look great. I took the photo and it's honestly great. Even today you can tell A.I. to generate a similar image .... but I took it. A human took it. I think that will always add value. Photography is about Art, not technical perfection. It's no different to any Art in that respect. Nobody looks at Henri Matisse's "Blue Nudes" and thinks "That looks nothing like her". I can tell A.I. to draw something that looks like a Matisse. It will do a great job. However, it will be worth nothing. A real Matisse will continue to increase in value ... because a human did it. Seriously I'm looking at a Canon R6 mk2 as my final serious camera for life (to go with my Fuji, 5D and 6D) .... and whatever Phones or Brain implants I end up with.
I agree with all of that, I think the camera companies will have to find a way to make cameras likeable again but i really dont feel they are onboard with this because its much harder to do than increasing the fps. Of all the points in your post though the one I most like is that you took your favourite photograph ever. Well done and congratulations on that. That must be a very good feeling indeed!!! Im also looking forward to seeing your work after your first brain implanted camera hahahaa
Hi Martin. I really appreciate your videos. How is your feelings about mirrorless cameras? I'm not against them, and I understand with all tracking and new features it's so easy to take pictures. But... idk like you told all pictures looks pretty much the same. Yes quality is amazing, but no soul at all. No character in images. I still find Canon 5D so much more beautiful. Yes it's maybe pain in a... to shot in darker English evenings after work hours. But if you land it it had character, it had soul. That's my amateur two cents. I tried some Olympus and some Sony cameras and that old DSLR 5D. Thanks
I think mirrorless cameras are perfect for people doing pro work - if you want the benefits of the auto focus system, also if you do any video then they are better too. I use mirrorless for my work since 2015 and dslr for my hobby stuff. The dslr images are better imo, the mirrorless is more practical to get a higher keeper rate most of the time. For instance shooting a wedding on a 5d mark ii will look better than on an a7iv but id rather use the a7iv becauese i will have an easier day. I can use either comfortably but practicality will win 9 times out of 10 and save my back when i dont have to squat down for angles so much because i can focus from the rear screen etc. But in terms of character and soul then dslr all day long, its why i run dslr and mirrorless systems. I feel like nikon is edging in the right direction for mirrorless though, just.
Thank you for sharing as always . The camera depends on what type of photography one wants to create ?. at best mobile phones will become more popular in future years insofar as simple snap shots like landscapes, architecture , portraits , most static shots . For myself , the viewfinder up to my eye is an extension of my body , my eye is connected through the viewfinder without any peripheral vision interference , that's how I work , I can't do video screens either , I'm old school & like true natural light through the viewfinder so mirrorless is out too . All the new gimmicks will become a distraction in some fields of photography , screens are no good in bright sunlight when trying to take wildlife photography , especially X600 zoom photography ,or street photography , sports photography , it won't be so much that cameras will change , with all the A.I & so forth there shan't be any photographers apart from weddings & media documentation , event , sports , document photography basically , there's no household name photographers anymore like Baily or Litchfield , the mobile phone can be a good tool & each to their own regarding opinions & fair play , technology will move on & is what it is , after we're all dead the the DLSR will be like film cameras & will be worth a fortune with the cameras what remain working . I would imagine that the future camera will be a jig bodyshell with a lens that one would slide their mobile phone into , that is if by then mobile phones haven't become brain implants ?.
Hahha that would be funny if it’s a brain implant. I think the camera overall will evolve dramatically and potentially look quite different but let’s see. Sometimes these things just grind to a halt
I really think we're going to see a big retro regression in the next 20 years, because when you're warming yourself next to a burning oil drum in the middle of a nuclear winter, after the machines have destroyed all our technology and radiated men are hunting us for food, what you really want is the tactile experience that only film can give you.
Camera's will stay, but new categorie will gain popularity, like 3d, VR and drone footage, and AI will power a lot of work. Paintings and statues are still made, while 3d printers and camera's exist.
Well won't companies embrace computational photography in the end thus offering the advantages to the already better physics of cameras? Either way photography is an experience and phones aren't it as driving a truck in a simulator isn't driving a truck.
I really wish they would just stick to photography. I never use my camera for video and I’m sure I am 1 of many. Just paying for something I don’t want 🤦♀️
i think with mirrorless it almost comes as part of the package because if its reading the image out on to a screen anyway then it might as well be able to record it. I get what you mean though. The difference is these are businesses and they have to go with what sells and right now its video. Such is life.
Technology develops towards ppl who don’t know how to take photos and towards whose who can’t do photography w/o post-editing, therefore new cameras will be a wash-and-go. will be more AI, less subtle sense of aesthetics. My G9 is cheaper than your 14 pro phone and I am happy it does not ring or vibrate…. 😉
i m sorry, first question: what in the world changed so quickly in the last 10 years when it comes to photography? Maybe for fast subjects but either than that.. no. nothing changed. on the contrary image quality is worse (with 2,3 exceptions) a nikon d800e blows away all but 2 full frame cameras on the market today at iso 100-6400.
Yes, more people will use cell phones for photo taking, but without AI, the photos will not be better. Plus, it’s not as enjoyable as using a real camera.
As a 11 year Fuji shooter for a fun camera system, I have to agree with you about the AF issues, They just always seem to be behind the curve, but for daily carry slow paced single shot work, it's fine. On the build quality, I only agree about the products from the last five-ish years. Ever since production left Japan they have seen LOTS of nagging issues and overall sub-par build quality. It is why I stopped buying their cameras after my X-H1 and X-T2, with my beloved X-Pro 2 being the best build Fuji has ever produced along with those older XF lenses. Do I rate fuji up there with my Nikon and Canon DSLR systems? No way, but for portability and something different, it's a fun departure sometimes.
Thanks Martin, still hands down, the most informative and helpful photography related channel on TH-cam. All the best going forward.
Wow, thanks!
Excellent conversation, thanks Martin. It's the real-life experience that makes a difference.
Yes, it is worth doing the Sony v canon v Nikon analysis
Yes definitely worth doing some interesting stuff there Martin. Thanks.
Thanks
Thanks so much!
Yes, please do a video about the different systems!
Thanks Martin!
Enjoyed this Q& A very much, as always. Thank you for these, Martin.
Realistic and practical approach (as always). It is funny (and enjoyable - because we have all been there) to hear you chuckle at the Pros recommendation about what camera to use in a particular region of the country. For me, seeing the shot before hand was one of the most difficult issues I struggle with out of the gate. I always saw a better shot when I got home in post, with cropping, and wondered "why didn't I see that when I was taking this shot?". That has gradually improved, and although I shot mostly wildlife and sports at the beginning, I found starting to dabble in portrait work helped me see light differently - and when I have more time (because the subject isn't flying or running or skating across the frame), I slow the process down, watch for background distractions, look to include foreground elements, and then check for items that need not be in the frame to tell a story. I've slowly made a little checklist in my head so I can run through it quickly each time - and that has helped over time. Thanks as always - again - Happy Holidays - and why don't we print some in 2025! ;-)
Seeing the shot beforehand is basically what photography is all about and takes the most time to develop. Enjoy the holidays buddy!
@@MartinCastein For an end-of-year personal project, I asked one of my photographic buddies to complete a "14 day challenge" till the end of the year. The goal is to list different topics we'd think would help us - and just to give us something to plan and focus on. Examples might be shooting everything with a 50mm lens or practice framing with natural light only, etc. I know you have lots of videos on such subjects, but I was wondering if one came to mind you thought would be particularly good to start out with?
Hello Martin, I watch your videos since I bought a 5d classic some years back and your thoughts opened my eyes really! The video where you compared the 5d series was particularly enlightening. both for the technical differences of the bodies as well as for the evolution of the canon. it would be very interesting if we could know things about the 5d iv and 6d ii as well. I know this is not an easy, but, i would love to hear this from you only.
Martin gets it!
Hi Martin! I enjoy your usual „cheap old camera is great“ content very much. I‘m suffering from GAS and after buying a new camera I usually see the same result as before. 🤷♂️ Todays video was very different and very well done. Thanks! 👍🏻
It seems to me that Camera companies--all of them--are concentrating on amateur videographers and pro sports photographers. Their cameras are either going very high end for sports/photojournalists or with more emphasis paid to amateur video than photography on their cameras. There is less and less for us working photographers. I'm a Canon shooter and I do okay with the EOS R6 MKII. I shoot in the studio and location. I'm a people shooter--models, graduating seniors, portraits, etc. Those cameras do all I need them to do, but the middle layer of photography appears to be shrinking. I've no idea where photography is going, other than the day of the professional is almost gone. I do believe that after covid the vast majority of people, including corporations, are willing to settle for mediocre images rather than images made by a professional photographer. Look at ads in store windows. The images often are awful. Badly lit, badly composed and often very badly photoshopped. It's not easy being a pro here in the U.S., unless you do it part time, with a full-time job essentially paying your bills. It was always hard to make a good living by being a pro photographer but now it's ten times worse. Literally every professional I know has closed their studio, even stopped shooting out of their homes, and gotten a different kind of job. I've no idea how it is in England, or elsewhere in the UK, but here in the U.S. it's not good.
I love coming back to martin's videos when the gear bullshit starts taking up too much space in my head
The first 1:55 of this talk is what most people need to hear.
Yes definitely worth doing 😃. Of course some of the questions could easily be Googled, however some of them definitely worth listening to regarding your own experiences and thoughts
Thanks for answering my 7D question even though you never used one haha :) The effort is appreciated!
haha you are welcome!
Thanks for choosing to answer my question, Martin. I obviously confused you, my bad: the photographer in question said that (in his opinion) there was a stop’s worth more luminosity in Scotland than for down south in the same weather conditions. Maybe the comparison is rubbish, but the light up here can be really special, I just wondered if you agreed! I have just bought a 6D with the 50mm 1.8, thanks for the recommendation.
ahhh ok, yeah the light is very special, I think its wonderful there. Might be my favourite country.
I think the photographer that used the Sony a6000 was Chris Burkard. Great video by the way:)
Informative!
Thanks a lot for your answer, it's very helpful!
this q&A works for me cheers
So Sony assumes we know what we're doing, interesting! That makes me want to try one of their cameras. I've found that printing my work, or rather, having it printed at school or at the local camera shop, is a nightmare. Always comes out too dark, or they add a border or something. But I think it's important to learn how to print, it's a part of the process even if we don't use the prints. I forget what else you said that I wanted to comment on, but this was great.
Martin: I am most interested in your opinion on specific camera sensors and lens choices, especially when you speak about the way they render colors and textures. Please compare and contrast, as you have the expertise and experience few others have. I think that the choice of a camera sensor and partially the lens defines the color pallet much like when a of a painter chooses colors/brands of paints and canvas. Your photos have a certain character to them, that combine with your style, composition and lighting to yield an old world painting like character. I purchased a 6D , and love the color output, and smoothness of the images it produces per your recommendation. Also I am color blind so I try to stay with one brand of products from camera, to lens, to printer and try to get it right in the original, so that I don't fiddle with the colors outside of lighter/darker or saturation/contrast. So please if you can speak of the different camera sensors and how they differ or why you would use one over the other, as I find this very interesting. I also purchased a Canon DX1 for wild life photos and hope you could try it one day and opine on the DX1 sensor like you have on the Canon 6D, 5D, as this was a golden age in photography. You are very interesting and informative. I have a DX1 that I purchased in like new condition which I would be happy to send to you for a hands on review if you would consider it. Thank you for all you are doing. Best regards.
Thanks for this, it was enjoyable!
Enjoyed watching this! Cheers!
What a way to start a day..Please do a video about that! That would be a great watch, I'd be interested to know how many people are getting back into film? As you really have got me back into photography with your recommendation of a d810 purchase (love) I've now got a f5 and a b&w darkroom, I just love it.. and my local photography shop in New zealand is really busy with a influx of people wanting to shoot film.. is this the same in the Uk? Let's go take some pictures!!!
I remember following a spanid6 photographer just called aows. He didnt worry about gear and used a sont a6000. Hope this is the guy your looking for.
A young photographer who used a point and shoot digicam, gained a lot of traction about 10 years ago. He shot fashion with homespun multi-point lighting and dressed models in his own fashion designs. It was really high quality work worthy of any boutique brand.
AOWS is a great photographer. He uses any array of gear
@@Brando90198 love how he just gets out there and shoots
@ agreed, switched my format to his bnw 1x1 most of the year. It’s like getting a new lens. 🍻
The question with AWB, be sure to set the camera’s profile to neutral. This will give the image a natural color with ambient light. Add color in processing.
I’ve been waiting for this ❤
Super video!
Thank you very much!
@ you’re welcome Martin. I’ve only just recently (3/4 months) discovered your channel and i really enjoy it and find it helpful. I shoot with a 6D1 and 5D3 so find your content pretty relevant. Thanks again.
Hi Martin.
Harry Borden told people recently on the channel he has with his son, Fred, what his rates were for some of the editorial shoots he had done of well known subjects with high public profiles. The rates had not changed much over the years and were not as high as people might perceive them to be. If someone is going to start out now with plans of becoming a full time photographer I think the biggest reality check is what they can earn, what is involved to earn that money on a consistent basis, and whether they have the business nous to do it.
I think the recent video by Irene Rudnyk on YT about one model being shot by twelve photographers is hilarious for its insights about the dynamics of getting the shot. Enjoy the rest of your day.
I am confident Pep will be down the job centre tomorrow after we beat them ten nil today :-)))))))))))))
Hey Martin, I really like these Q&A vids. Your personality comes through strongest in this setting, probably because you’re talking off the cuff. Good job!
I wish I had a question about photography. Sadly I do not. But, I’m retiring next year and I want to know when you’re coming over to the US? It’ll be worth at least one good steak dinner - my treat! Perhaps I’ll even share some of my photography tips and tricks with you! 🤣
Or, we can just go for a motorcycle ride. I’ve got 4 bikes and I’ll give you a free lesson if you don’t ride.
Take care buddy,
Keith
I would love to take you up on that Keith. If I come to the states ever then its on. Im hiring that 70s pontiac firebird transam before you retire and helping the snowman run that Coors from Texas to Georgia, Ill do it before you retire, you wont catch me, I will go through Florida on the way, cant be that far. hehehe.
@ haha! I’ve chased a few cars in my career but never one as iconic as that! You know, if you do it before Joe Biden retires, if you were to be caught, as a foreigner, you would only likely get a slap on the wrist, temporary amnesty, a hotel room in the city of your choosing, social security, and a cell phone! 🤣
@@FloridaTwoWheelAdventures Well I better get over there then, I assume its pretty easy to get a job being a decoy for the snowman right? I hope you can drive fast, we sometimes do over 45mph over here!
@@MartinCastein you know, I don't know if it still goes on but it seems they used to do a re-enactment of that run. Maybe you already knew that? It would be pretty cool to do something like that, in fact, very cool! Not sure I ever told you but my father and grandfather owned car businesses when I was a kid so I grew up working on and being around 60s, 70s, and 80s muscle cars. I've yet to own any myself, instead I went into motorcycles. I also like dogs and while I don't have one named Fred, maybe Zeppelin wouldn't mind us calling him Fred while you did the Cannonball, LOL
Well ! That was one stuffed to the gills little post... thank you.
I think we might see cameras becoming more powerful computers, like smartphones, with apps for certain photographic tasks. Just think of panorama, bracketting, stacking, it could all be done in the camera up to spitting out a decent jpg, leaving the raw as a fallback for a smaller part of the work, depending on your style.
You mentioned the A6000 as a good everyday choice. Would you say those in 6000 series on par or are some better options. Noticed that some have a microphone jack, for instance.
they basically get better as you go along, i think personally that the jump to the newer battery type is absolutely worth it too.
@ thanks that’s what I needed.
and canon cameras are actually very durable in many ways, even their three-digit series. And my friend still has a 5d2 with a mileage of more than a million frames
Yeah I think they are very strong maybe it’s just how they feel it the Nikon cameras feel even stronger but realistically probably it makes more sense to care about shutter durability than the body but my money would be on Nikon if we were doing a weather test or drop test
I'm not sure diffraction sets in earlier on high megapixel cameras, it's just that the resolution exposes any deficiencies in sharpness. Back in film days people would typically print 10 x 8" to around 16 x 12" from 35mm film, in a framed print. Those sizes concealed many optical shortcomings, in a way modern users would find unacceptable. Smaller formats certainly have diffraction set in earlier, if by that we mean the same f-stop. In the real world, sharpness is an overrated asset unless the optic is really poor.
Right. Diffraction is a characteristic of lens design. The sensor behind the lens has no effect on diffraction. Of course, from a practical standpoint, the higher the resolving ability of the sensor the sooner this diffraction is noticed. Or, shoot on a D700 as I do and pay it no mind!
HOW DARE YOU SH1T ON MY FUJI APS-C SETUP MARTIN!! Just kidding, the autofocus IS maddening 😅 but I love the images out of my xt1, can’t help it. Just started doing some paid photography work on it Martin, I think partially thanks to you! ❤ Awesome video, good stuff! 🎉
Hahaha yes keep going with it they will sort it with updates in time I think
Hi Martin, I've watched all of your videos. I'm looking for a cheap DSLR to fill the full frame quota for portraits, as I'm already a Fuji shooter. What should I get? 6d or d600? Thanks!
as a fuji shooter i would say you shouldnt fill that full frame quota for portraits and use your fuji intead. Unless you are planning to shoot at f1.2 often? I just dont think you need it.
@@MartinCastein Thank you so much for your answer. I currently shoot 35mm equivalent with my fuji xf 23 1.4 and i can't seem to achieve the looks of a native 35mm ff lens. I see the background blur of a full frame photo more "film" like, even with fuji film recipes.
Your review and experience are, as always, objective. But I would also add luxury cameras for fans of everyday photography. For example, the lx lumix series. I like their color right from the camera. Moreover, there are decent leica optics, despite the microscopic sensor - very decent results. The xz-1 from Olympus is good
Actually, over the summer, the daylight lasts way longer than in the south of England!
I used to get 20-35 likes per picture and under 2,000 followers. I had competitors (won’t mention names) who were good acquaintances to me who were getting 300+ likes per photo and 10,000+ followers who were always complaining about not getting enough wedding gigs or clients lol I was making $80k+ a year as a side gig… they were getting under $20k. My point? ‘Likes’ isn’t the game, not is followers. I had a style, sat, and waited for the right person to come along. I also never had a terrible client. Always great people.
I’m also so happy you mentioned the a6000. It was one of my favorite cameras to own and regret selling it. I used to pair it with an old Nikon Nikkor lens. So far, the Canon 6D classic, Sony a6000 and Olympus (generally) are my go-to ♥️ I really like Pentax, but ergonomically they’re a little awkward. If they streamlined their cameras I would dedicate to them fully 📸
Whats the best canon combo for wedding photography in 2024
mirrorless or dslr?
Martin please make that objective video comparing Canon, Nikon, and Sony
Top Drawer ....
Great video. Very interesting.
Did you try lumix s5 mark, and what do you think about lumix colors?
I will be very interested in flash/strobe outdoor video of you. With. Beauty dish silver.
Have a nice day😊
The problem I see with the cell phone argument is that most people simply aren’t very interested in photography, per se. And most - although certainly not all - people who are don’t particularly like taking pictures with cellphones. (Yes, I’m are there are some brilliant people producing with cellphones….)
Great video Martin, I have to disagree with you on the Sony A6 though. I bought one a few months back and really tried to get on with it for a few months, but I could not, I didn't like the colours from it or the menu system and the fact it only had a partially articulating screen. I've now bought the Camon M50 Mark II and It's awesome, bit plastic but the files and colours are great along with its fully articulating screen. I have it with the Canon 22mm f2 and I also have the Sigma 30mm f1.4 which is amazing. Regarding the question that someone asked about AWB I have all my cameras set on 5500K in 95% of the situations it works fantastic, but I know when it won't and change it accordingly. However, I can't really speak about some of the newer more expensive mirrorless cameras because the M50 Is the only mirrorless one I own.
thats fair enough, i think for me its that it has such a huge lens choice with a system to grow into as well as being very cheap. The colour is not much fun from it though for sure!
Hi, Martin. I was interested in your comment about a 5D III being perhaps a better choice for travel than a 6D Mk1, which is my current camera. I would be fascinated if you managed to review the 6D Mk2.
I have no direct experience of the 6D Mk2, but I am interested in it. I wonder whether the 6D Mk2 might be a more rounded travel camera than either of the other two, because:
* it has a much better focusing system than the 6D Mk1 (albeit with points clustered heavily towards the centre)
* it has an articulating screen, which I would really value for travel and landscape
* it is lighter and smaller than the 5D Mk3.
* it appears to have the same sensor and processor as the Canon RP, which seems to have a decent if not absloutely "classic" quality of sensor
I think you should go for it and try it, i never used it but the screen on the back would be SO useful. its really hard to overstate how useful a flippy screen that you can focus with easily is.
@@MartinCastein Yes, indeed Martin. I was on Llandwyn Island on Anglesey yesterday, photographing the main lighthouse. I had the tripod set without any leg extension, trying a very low shot of the lighthouse with the waves crashing against the sand and ended up sat down in the damp sand to be able to see liveview. A classic case of "I'm too old for this..." 😂
I think I'll try Canon Camera Connect to see how well that works, because in theory that is more convenient than a flip screen, but I may well end up trawling the used market in January when I expect a lot more perfectly good DSLRs will be off loaded in favour of shiny mirrorless things...
@@hywel3143 i was too old for that when i hit 30 i think. a tilt screen for landscape is a bit of a game changer really. If you do ever go to mirrorless though you can use the eos ef to r adapter too. i think you should try the 6dii though, its a shame they never made a 5d mark 5 i think that could have been really interesting or even for that matter a 6d mark iii
@@MartinCastein sorry to drone on, but in your view is there a standout used Canon mirrorless for landcape and travel photography please?
I actually think the eos r is very good especially if you want to save some money or the r5 mark 1 but i think you might get on well with the eos r
Great work as per…! I love cameras so a phone holds no real interest .. but (and there’s always one) the editing software on my iPhone is really good.. so as a package you could probably drop Lightroom and or photoshop.. also you can print directly from the phone.. As an aside have you considered doing anything around compact cameras.. I borrowed a friend’s Leica d lux 8. it’s really good.. small and easy to use.?? Cheers!
Martin, what are your thoughts on Sony a7 3 in 2025? Especially for portrait photography. Is skintone any good? Does it need a lot of postproduction work?
Or is it better to go for aomething like canon r8?
A73 is excellent and will do very well indeed you have to take the whole system into account. I would choose Sony of canon in that regard due to the lenses they have many more options and in some ways are better and cheaper and smaller and lighter
Hi Martin. I really enjoy this vid.. about making a video about sony nikon and canon YES pleas! And if u can make a stop on color would be great. Maybe would be cool idea to make a separate vid about ´´that´´ great carry around camera,.. in the same sense as what u said about sony a6000,.. light not so big.. maybe there are others to compare with.. ?
Also it comes to mind as u mentioned iphone 14,.. i imagine that in good light or not so,.. in small prints a pro camera will give u same picture ? What Im trying to formulate (in a very clumsy way) is how much close smartphones cameras are this days from a full frame sensor (or even aps-c?
I come from a visual-arts background where I learned about the importance of design, therefore as a seasoned amateur photographer the first and most important element of a camera is the body design, and this is where Sony mirrorless camera utterly fail dismally; their mirrorless camera bodies are more linear and with hard edges; compare these flawed design elements with the beautiful curves of high-end Cannon and Nikon DSLRs, ie the D850, D500, and the 5D MKIV, run the palm of your hand over these design beauties and you will see what I mean; considering the above points I absolutely hate the body designs of Sony cameras. Unfortunately and for some bizarre reason Cannon and Nikon have followed in the footsteps of Sony mirrorless cameras by making their non professional cameras linear with hard edges; intelligent people don’t follow, they think for themselves therefore Cannon and Nikon have done the stupid thing by conforming to Sony designs.
Hi ..u know ..im coming from finearts, (im a painter) and i worked in design and yeah I second your thought.. speaking about design ..there were some really nice try´s and some state of the art well crafted /designed cameras from the past/recent past.. i dońt know why sony did that xDD..its seems like they went stright forward cutting and chopping throwing it then at your face Saying herés a fantastic autofocus herés a fantastic lens .. just go outside and dońt bother me anymore xDDD
In 20 years I'll be 82. I guess I'll have my Fuji X100V (worth a million quid by then probably), a Canon 5D mk1, a Canon 6D, a Canon R6 mk2, and some sort of wearable Glasses, or brain implant that take care of everything else via A.I. Cameras are as good as I ever need them already. Seriously... I'm done now. 4K video is enough. 8K is too much for the human eye (in my opinion, it's more resolution than reality). 40fps is enough. It's all enough.
Look, the more technology advances the more people crave "vintage" devices and human-created art. Vinyl and 35mm film prove that. Deep down we don't like digital/clinical perfection.
Humans are analogue creatures. We like "grain" in images. We like crackles on records. It's why Movie directors put black-mist filters on their lenses.
I'm 62 with 47 years of photography behind me and tonight I may have taken my favourite ever image. Some kids playing in a dark alley. Fuji X100V. iso 8000, 35mm prime. It's black & white, grainy as hell (iso 8000 plus the grain I dial into my images anyway) .... but I saw it. I knew it would look great. I took the photo and it's honestly great. Even today you can tell A.I. to generate a similar image .... but I took it. A human took it. I think that will always add value.
Photography is about Art, not technical perfection. It's no different to any Art in that respect. Nobody looks at Henri Matisse's "Blue Nudes" and thinks "That looks nothing like her".
I can tell A.I. to draw something that looks like a Matisse. It will do a great job. However, it will be worth nothing. A real Matisse will continue to increase in value ... because a human did it.
Seriously I'm looking at a Canon R6 mk2 as my final serious camera for life (to go with my Fuji, 5D and 6D) .... and whatever Phones or Brain implants I end up with.
I agree with all of that, I think the camera companies will have to find a way to make cameras likeable again but i really dont feel they are onboard with this because its much harder to do than increasing the fps. Of all the points in your post though the one I most like is that you took your favourite photograph ever. Well done and congratulations on that. That must be a very good feeling indeed!!! Im also looking forward to seeing your work after your first brain implanted camera hahahaa
Hi Martin. I really appreciate your videos. How is your feelings about mirrorless cameras? I'm not against them, and I understand with all tracking and new features it's so easy to take pictures. But... idk like you told all pictures looks pretty much the same. Yes quality is amazing, but no soul at all. No character in images. I still find Canon 5D so much more beautiful. Yes it's maybe pain in a... to shot in darker English evenings after work hours. But if you land it it had character, it had soul. That's my amateur two cents. I tried some Olympus and some Sony cameras and that old DSLR 5D.
Thanks
I think mirrorless cameras are perfect for people doing pro work - if you want the benefits of the auto focus system, also if you do any video then they are better too. I use mirrorless for my work since 2015 and dslr for my hobby stuff. The dslr images are better imo, the mirrorless is more practical to get a higher keeper rate most of the time. For instance shooting a wedding on a 5d mark ii will look better than on an a7iv but id rather use the a7iv becauese i will have an easier day. I can use either comfortably but practicality will win 9 times out of 10 and save my back when i dont have to squat down for angles so much because i can focus from the rear screen etc. But in terms of character and soul then dslr all day long, its why i run dslr and mirrorless systems. I feel like nikon is edging in the right direction for mirrorless though, just.
look what 10 yrs of pro photgraphy has done to martin, hes only 28 yrs old.
Dont let this happen to you
Thank you for sharing as always .
The camera depends on what type of photography one wants to create ?.
at best mobile phones will become more popular in future years insofar as simple snap shots like landscapes, architecture , portraits , most static shots .
For myself , the viewfinder up to my eye is an extension of my body , my eye is connected through the viewfinder without any peripheral vision interference , that's how I work , I can't do video screens either , I'm old school & like true natural light through the viewfinder so mirrorless is out too .
All the new gimmicks will become a distraction in some fields of photography , screens are no good in bright sunlight when trying to take wildlife photography , especially X600 zoom photography ,or street photography , sports photography , it won't be so much that cameras will change , with all the A.I & so forth there shan't be any photographers apart from weddings & media documentation , event , sports , document photography basically , there's no household name photographers anymore like Baily or Litchfield , the mobile phone can be a good tool & each to their own regarding opinions & fair play , technology will move on & is what it is , after we're all dead the the DLSR will be like film cameras & will be worth a fortune with the cameras what remain working .
I would imagine that the future camera will be a jig bodyshell with a lens that one would slide their mobile phone into , that is if by then mobile phones haven't become brain implants ?.
Hahha that would be funny if it’s a brain implant. I think the camera overall will evolve dramatically and potentially look quite different but let’s see. Sometimes these things just grind to a halt
Yeah the iphone is awesome but I need my strobes 😢
hahah yes indeed but im wondering about some sort of new camera design we havent seen yet
I really think we're going to see a big retro regression in the next 20 years, because when you're warming yourself next to a burning oil drum in the middle of a nuclear winter, after the machines have destroyed all our technology and radiated men are hunting us for food, what you really want is the tactile experience that only film can give you.
Camera's will stay, but new categorie will gain popularity, like 3d, VR and drone footage, and AI will power a lot of work. Paintings and statues are still made, while 3d printers and camera's exist.
Well won't companies embrace computational photography in the end thus offering the advantages to the already better physics of cameras?
Either way photography is an experience and phones aren't it as driving a truck in a simulator isn't driving a truck.
I really wish they would just stick to photography. I never use my camera for video and I’m sure I am 1 of many. Just paying for something I don’t want 🤦♀️
i think with mirrorless it almost comes as part of the package because if its reading the image out on to a screen anyway then it might as well be able to record it. I get what you mean though. The difference is these are businesses and they have to go with what sells and right now its video. Such is life.
I think pictures aren't going to be as popular as they have been. It's already happening.
Technology develops towards ppl who don’t know how to take photos and towards whose who can’t do photography w/o post-editing, therefore new cameras will be a wash-and-go. will be more AI, less subtle sense of aesthetics. My G9 is cheaper than your 14 pro phone and I am happy it does not ring or vibrate…. 😉
I'll be dead by then.
i m sorry, first question:
what in the world changed so quickly in the last 10 years when it comes to photography?
Maybe for fast subjects but either than that.. no. nothing changed. on the contrary image quality is worse (with 2,3 exceptions)
a nikon d800e blows away all but 2 full frame cameras on the market today at iso 100-6400.
ease of use changed for the masses.
Yes, more people will use cell phones for photo taking, but without AI, the photos will not be better. Plus, it’s not as enjoyable as using a real camera.
As a 11 year Fuji shooter for a fun camera system, I have to agree with you about the AF issues, They just always seem to be behind the curve, but for daily carry slow paced single shot work, it's fine.
On the build quality, I only agree about the products from the last five-ish years. Ever since production left Japan they have seen LOTS of nagging issues and overall sub-par build quality. It is why I stopped buying their cameras after my X-H1 and X-T2, with my beloved X-Pro 2 being the best build Fuji has ever produced along with those older XF lenses.
Do I rate fuji up there with my Nikon and Canon DSLR systems? No way, but for portability and something different, it's a fun departure sometimes.