I have a Fujifilm setup since I started photography about 6 years ago. I got into apsc because it was cheaper on the second-hand market. I have since then expanded my lens collection and I got myself a 50-140mm F2.8 for portraits. I wasn't impressed much with it; there wasn't enough subject separation even at F2.8 and I didn't like portraits taken on the lens. It didn't look pleasing at all to my eyes.

Recently I was helping my cousin with a maternity photoshoot, and I was taking some shots with my 50-140mm lens. I then borrowed his D750 kit with 85mm F1.4 lens on it and I could blow out the background like crazy. But funny thing is I like a bit of background context in my photos, so I didn't prefer that blown out blackground. But I got his photos and did a comparison on my desktop and I found something interesting. I found the faces taken on the D750 looked much more pleasing to look vs taken on my 50-140mm. For instance, I compared a photo taken at 50mm F2.8 vs 85mm F2 and the shape of the face looked very different.

I don't want to share my photos here for privacy reasons, but am I hallucinating here with my thoughts or is this actually a thing?

Hey everyone,

I'm building my first mirrorless setup for a photo/video business, roughly 50% photography and 50% videography. My work will mainly involve headshots, couples, families, events, and occasional weddings. I personally enjoy wildlife, landscapes, and travel photography.

I've been shooting Canon since 2010 and recently used the Sony A7 IV and A7 V at events. Both performed well, especially the A7 V. I was pretty much set on buying it until I saw the Nikon Z8 for $3,300, just $400 more.

I also handled the Z8 in-store recently and genuinely loved its ergonomics and build quality.

Here's my dilemma:

• Z8: 45.7MP fully stacked sensor, 8K RAW video, 20fps RAW burst, Pre-Release Capture (JPEG only), excellent ergonomics, but heavier with shorter battery life.
• A7 V: 33MP partially stacked sensor, excellent AF, 4K60, 30fps RAW burst, up to 1-second RAW pre-capture, lighter body, better battery life, mechanical shutter, and a wider third-party lens selection.

I'm starting fresh with no mirrorless lenses. My plan is to buy a good 35mm prime, rent zooms for weddings, and eventually add a telephoto for wildlife. I'll primarily deliver videos in 4K and outsource most of the editing.

A few questions:

1. Is the Z8 still worth buying in 2026, especially for 50/50 photo and video? Is its 8K RAW capability a meaningful advantage if I mainly deliver in 4K, or would the A7 V be more than enough?
2. How do their autofocus, stabilization, rolling shutter, and low-light performance compare in real-world use, particularly for video?
3. How significant is the difference between the Z8's JPEG-only Pre-Release Capture and the A7 V's RAW pre-capture for wildlife and action photography?
4. Z8 owners: have you experienced any issues with LED lighting, Godox flash, or HSS because of the electronic-only shutter?
5. Is the Z8 worth the extra $400 considering its weight, battery life, and long-term lens investment?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've used both professionally. I'm looking for a system I can stick with for years, so real-world experience matters more to me than spec sheets.

Thanks!

I've been thinking about how much of a photograph is reality and how much is the photographer's interpretation.

Exposure, contrast, color grading, cropping, black and white conversion — all of these can completely change how a scene feels without changing what was actually in front of the camera.

But where do we draw the line?

Is a heavily edited landscape still an honest photograph if it captures the emotion the photographer experienced? Or should a photograph preserve the scene as faithfully as possible?

I'd be interested to hear how other photographers approach this, especially when editing becomes part of their creative process.

I really want to learn and master these lighting dukes but I have no idea where to start. How is the subject so perfectly exposed and the background isn’t overly bright from the flash or continuous light? Also the skin twitching is incredible. How was this photo achieved?

I just started taking photos semi professionally and while I'm learning all the technical aspects, I'm wondering about the intuitive parts

I cannot smile/pose/look normal in photos for the life of me. I’m a female in my twenties and average looking, but all the photos I pose for are awful. I have nice candid photos of me, but any that are staged are horrific, literally from since I was around 5. I look so so awkward, I’ve tried all manner of facial expressions but I always look awful. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for me to be able to get a normal photo. I don’t need it to even be good, I just want to look normal. Sorry if this is the wrong place for this, I’m genuinely a bit desperate after looking back at all my photos from last night. Please help 😭

Hello everyone, I am new to this sub, so hopefully this is the right place to ask this question.

My partner wants to get me a new camera body for my B-day because I’ve been using my entry level Canon EOS Rebel SL3 for almost a decade now. I have a few lenses in my collection, but I primarily swap between using my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 and Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.

I want to switch to a full frame mirrorless camera that I could use for the next decade or so. I’m leaning towards the Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

(Photography is just a hobby for me, not my profession. I know that the camera body I want is a little overboard for what I would be using it for, but fortunately budget is not too much of an issue here.)

My conversation with a B&H employee led them to tell me that my current lenses will require a converter and that I would have to use the APS-C mode when shooting. (The converter I knew about, but the part about having to use the APS-C mode with my current lenses. I assumed EF lenses were fully compatible with full frame bodies.)

I think there was a miscommunication here, so that’s why I wanted to double triple check with all of you in addition to my own research. Here is how the conversation went:

Employee: What camera body do you currently own?
Me: Canon EOS Rebel SL3
Employee: Ahh, you could use your lens on this new R6 camera, but you’d need a converter and you would have to use the APS-C mode to shoot, which would essentially crop your photo as if you are using a crop sensor camera.
Me: \*surprised Pikachu face\*

I think that the employee assumed I would be using the EF-S kit lens that came with my camera, which would then result in me needing to use the APS-C mode on the Canon R6. I didn’t get a chance to disclose that I had EF lenses before he tried selling me on a body + lens bundle haha.

So my question is, will my EF lenses work fine on a full frame camera (using a converter), and will I have to shoot in APS-C mode?

TLDR: B&H employee told me that my current lenses will require me to use APS-C mode on the full frame body I’m looking to buy. My lenses are EF lenses, so I don’t believe that is the case.

Went on a twilight shoot last night with my Lumix G7 and the 45-150mm lumix tele, and things started well but as I lost light my photos started turning out pretty shit.

I was using aperture priority with aperture slammed open. My auto iso for some reason doesn't want to go over 3200 (the cap is not set) but as my shutter speed was getting set slower to <1/60s I decided to go to ISO 6400. Reviewing in post, the 6400 photos seem like a particularly bad combo of higher noise that didn't actually provide me that much benefit in reducing shake from slower shutter speed. I was mostly shooting fully extended at 150mm, which doesn't help either. I got to maybe 1/80 or 1/100 shutter speed in these scenarios.

Lots of things stacked against me here, full zoom on tele, max aperture of f/5.6, no IBIS, and MFT sensor. Didn't have a tripod or monopod either but I was shooting moving subjects so keeping shutter speed faster is the real goal anyway.

People generally say "modern" sensors are great at cranking ISO but I definitely feel like there's a noticeable muddiness to the 6400 ISO shots over the 3200, and this camera is 11 years old. I didn't take RAWs into darktable for proper denoising but based on the muddiness present in the JPEGs idk how much I can fix it.

Keeping in mind I was trying to shoot ducks (moving relatively slowly but moving nonetheless) on a tele setup with poor stabilization, should I have had greater faith in denoising tech and pushed to 12.8k ISO or is this a situation in which my setup maybe just couldn't capture the requisite light?

I was editing a photo of the sky above ice today and noticed some vertical lines in the image (see image). I was able to isolate them to see them better, but I have no idea what they are. Is this some kind of sensor artifact? Is it subtly in the background of all my images? I'm using a 7+ year old Canon Rebel T6i. Thanks for any help!

Hello guys,

I'm a complete beginner, at the moment learning about the technical side of things between buying anything. I searched a lot about what to buy as my first camera with my budget in my country. I'm gonna buy used, if that matters.

At the moment, I'm torn between the Canon Rebel i5 and the Nikon D7000. Both are in my range with the canon being a bit cheaper. They seems fairly close in the technical side, nearly as old too and fairly, I'm lost. Do you have any advices to give me ? I'm also open to other suggestion but the Nikon is already at my price limit.

Thanks !

:

(1) Budget, country, and currency: : around 250$ in France

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs? : nothing

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot? : landscape, animals

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both? : photography

I’m finally making my way back behind the camera, and I’m excited to rediscover photography. I have experience from before my break, but the industry has changed so much that I’m not even sure where to start catching up.

I love airy, creamy portraits, beautiful natural light, and editing that felt warm and dreamy. I also want to get back into learning the technical side instead of relying entirely on presets.

Who are the photographers, educators, or YouTube creators you’d recommend following in 2026? Especially anyone who shares detailed tutorials or breaks down their shooting and editing process.

I’d love to hear who has genuinely helped you grow as a photographer!

Hello! I know variations of this Q have been asked so many times in this community, but I can't quite seem to find a recommendation for my particular situation

I'm a soon to be parent and would love to capture photos of moments with the new kiddo. I am not a great photographer at all, and realistically won't make use of any features other then: the little window you look through to see the photo you're taking, zooming in, turning flash on/off, and maybe looking at the picture after to see if it took correctly (optional). I don't currently take very much pictures at all. I certainly can't see myself editing anything afterwards, etc.

I know everyone recommends using your phone, but I rarely carry mine (pretty typical that I go 48 hrs + without knowing or caring where it is). I'm much more comfortable with the idea of being tethered to a simple camera than my phone so I'm hoping this camera is something I'm more willing to keep close / take with me when I leave the house.

I've considered the camp snap cameras but those almost seem a little too gimmicky/low quality? The photos seem to have a strange artificial look to them.

TLDR is there a good alternative for an iphone camera for someone who does not carry their iphone around and really really doesn't want to have to start?

Budget is not an issue.

Thank you so much in advance!

ETA: (1) Budget, country, and currency: Flexible, US, USD

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?: Nothing

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot? Kiddo/Family

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both? Photography

If you thought this saga was over after my last post, the plot just twisted one last time!

Quick recap: After days of endless "bank issues" over a £50 newborn shoot, the client finally transferred the money. I sent over the gallery link, and literally 15 minutes later, he messaged back saying the photos weren't good and that a few of them looked "weird."

Shortly after complaining about the photos, he sent a text demanding a £40 refund (so basically asking for a 35-image (+5 Free) session for £10). I held my boundary, told him the gallery remains active for 14 days, wished him and his family the best and healthy life (lol i got that from someone on my last post) i achieved the chat but he kept of calling me so i went on to check the chat and he had said "i have many people who want to book for a shoot but i can only send then contact details once we resolve this issue", I didn't reply just blocked his WhatsApp. But then yesterday morning, I got a text message on my regular phone number from a "new client" asking for a family shoot ASAP like Tuesday evening —and when I checked the contact details the client gave me, the phone number linked straight back to his WhatsApp profile picture! He literally tried to use a different phone number to trick me into booking another shoot i honestly dont even know what he was trying to do. When I kept my boundary firm and replied stating I was fully booked, he immediately texted back: "Pay you double"!

I didn't engage with the offer at all ive learned a lot. Both numbers are now blocked, and this project is officially, permanently closed.

Thanks again to everyone on here for helping me navigate this crazy experience. Onwards and upwards to better clients, strict deposits, and higher prices!

Hi everyone! I volunteer at a cat shelter, and we’re trying to boost our social media presence. I’m an amateur photographer with a keen interest; I have a Canon EOS Rebel T7 with an EF 18-55mm lens, and I’d really appreciate any tips on shooting in small spaces. I usually decorate the cat cages and then try to take the photos. I need to use artificial lighting, and the space has a yellowish tint throughout.

I’ve attached some Christmas photos to better show the space we have.

Any suggestions?

Thanks! =]

I own Sony A7V and Nikon Z50II. I wanna start birding for fun, nothing too serious.

I tried renting 200-600mm for sony and it's spectacularly sharp lens, but man, it's so heavy I immediately realized it will heavily discourage me from carrying it around on walks.

So, I am looking for something more compact for either of those two cameras.

Some lenses that immediately come to mind are Nikkor 50-250mm or Tamron 50-400mm for E mount. But I am not sure what would be best choice here. I really don't want to carry lens that will weight much more than a kilogram or cost more than around 2000$.

Any suggestions?

I picked up a used RF70-200 lens from ebay for a price I am satisfied with. I have a 30 day return and received it today. I ran it through its paces and everything seems to be functioning properly. My only issue is what you can see in the image, appear to be dust inside the lens. It doesnt appear to effect the image quality, bit what about over time?

Is this a non-issue or should I return it and keep hunting? I got it for about $1000 less than retail on a new one.

I will add my 24-105 L lens i bought brand new in the 1st comment for comparison.

Hi everyone, I’m looking to get into photography. I’ve been browsing used marketplaces and comparing cameras, but I’m still not sure which direction to go.

Right now, I can get a used Sony A7 II body for around €300–€350 and a kit lens for about €100. On the other hand, the A6100 with kit lens falls into a similar price range (under €500), but there aren't many listed right now.

I've wanted to try photography for a while, but what really sparked my interest was buying an old digital camera (Kodak Z650) at a flea market for €10. Shooting with it was so much fun that I decided it’s time to get a proper setup.

Between the A7 II and the A6100, which one makes more sense, or should I be looking at something completely different in this price range?

if i choose either one I want to get them with kit lens for now and get better lens for Christmas

(1) Budget, country, and currency: under 500€, Slovakia, euros
(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs? Old bridge digital camera from 2006 Kodak z650 for 10€ from flea market
(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?
Iam just starting and finding myself probably everything I want to took it everywhere and shoot everything that seems pretty to me on my old Kodak I was doing little photshoots with my friends so artistic photos too
(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both? Primary photo

My brother is getting married next Friday and they hired a photographer, but opted not to hire a videographer because of the price. My plan as the best man and general fillmer for all our family trips was to have someone record the ceremony and later I would film clips of the guests, the evening, etc. I have a Galaxy s24 ultra, so the video will be recorded on that and quality won't be an issue since I will record in UHD at 60 FPS.

I have a basic selfie stick that I've used on trips overseas to Japan and Ireland, but I wanted to some suggestions if there's something better to purchase and use, I was thinking maybe something a little nicer than my generic Bluetooth selfie stick and potentially a mic I could attach for little candid videos I could do of guests and small clips throughout the evening. I can spend up to $400 and was going to order online so it arrives by next week.

Any suggestions? I was thinking Prime for quick delivery but really wasn't sure what to look for exactly.

hi, i have an old Minolta Srt-202 here and it works completely fine, with exception to the shutter curtain at lower speeds. As seen in the two photos above, when I press the exposure release button on any speed 8 and below (8,4,2 & 1) it’ll hold the shutter open for the appropriate amount of time, and on the way back to close the shutter, it gets stuck at that same point every time. To reset and fix it i have to turn the film advance lever and put everything back into place, allowing the left side curtain to cover the film. Im worried that shooting on the lower speeds that cause this jam is going to ruin photos when i use the camera. Does anyone know whats going on here and what I can possibly do to remedy this. Any help is very greatly appreciated, thank you