Favourite YouTube Channels.

My Favourite YouTube Channels…whats yours? Let us know in the comments section.

Those who have been here before will note that I have added and extra 2 sections on the right hand column. For the first time reader I direct your attention to the two sections in the sidebar entitled “Fav YouTube Channels” and  “Video Of The Week”. 

There is no special order to the channels list, its just the way I put them in the section.

Like a good many of us I suspect I spend far to much time watching entertaining and informative YouTube providers ( usually when its too cold or wet ). I do find that its worthwhile as theres always something to learn and new ways of looking at how you approach your hobby/passion for photography. Whether you are geared more towards the art of creating the image or you have an added interest in the technology and where its heading there is  something for most of us. There are a good deal more content providers out there but over the last one to two years I find myself gravitating more to the people in the list.  If your arent familiar with any of these people read on as I will give you a brief idea of what each channels is about.

Three Blind Men And An Elephant

Whats in a name? Well the title Three Blind Men And An Elephant sure got my attention with a really wacky name. Great commentary here on a large number of topics. Quite metropolitan in style and presentation, very stylish. I enjoy Hugh’s monologue’s, they are roughly 20 minutes in length and work well with a cup of coffee. This channel is a husband and wife team effort with content and style for everyone to enjoy.

Art Of The Image

Matt Ballard runs a very informative gear series with sections on more fundamental camera techniques and shooting tips. A very prolific provider known for answering a lot of viewer question in regards to camera gear and photographic techniques. If you are looking for how a certain camera performs there’s most likely something here and if not send him in your question, with any luck you will get a reply.

The Art Of Photography

Ted Forbes is a passionate photographer making videos about photography. He covers a huge range of topics and reports & reviews camera gear as well. The site is pitched more towards the art of creating the image from setting up the shot to printing it at your local print shop and high end photo print studio. He can be quite contentious at times but his passion for the craft is never in doubt. A very slick and well polished video style just adds to the overall quality of this channel.

Tony & Chelsea Northrup

Another husband and wife team, the Northrup’s provide a massive wealth of knowledge, reviews and viewer interaction with their live podcasts. The live shows normally feature images from subscribers as well as interesting guests. At over a million subscribers and growing, they have struck a formula that works well and the sheer number of tutorials that are provided free is excellent for the beginner to follow. As this is what they do full time there are numerous links to products and services they provide. You may find something extra you like after  visiting their channel.  At the recent Nikon “Z” camera launch they did a preliminary report that has seen them get a little flack for their findings and they have an interesting response video to that criticism. A very professional production and well worth the watch.

 DPReview TV

Not a lot needs to be said here. A gear-centric channel, The addition of Chris & Jordan, formerly of The Camera Store TV, has breathed new life into this section of DPReviews website & services. I’ve watched Chris & Jordans reports for a number of years and have found a generally unbiased and straightforward reporting style when testing out new gear. Early days for this channel, but it should only get better as they get their hands on a bigger range of gear.

Kai W

The oddball of the bunch, Kai W has a style all his own. A obviously talented photographer, his quirky and humour filled presentation style reminds me of the more eclectic  TV commentator/narrator style of the 70″s & 80’s, slightly flippant and irreverent but at the core right on the money and hes not scared to call a lemon a lemon when he’s given one. Take a walk with a slightly surreal feel with Kai W and his channel for a different approach to the cameras of today and yesteryear. Well worth the watch.

The Camera Store TV

Once the preserve of Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake the mantle has been passed to Evelyn Drake & Dave Paul. Like anyone stepping in to fill the gap these two will continue to  bring a new style and focus to the TCSTV channel. It will be interesting to see how they progress over time.

James Popsys

A relatively new addition to the YouTube world James Popsys brings a style to the world of photography I find refreshing. A working photographer who has taken the leapt to a full-time content provider with a very English laid back style. His warts and all style of delivery is more akin to the types of happenings that the average enthusiast encounters, and he doesn’t mind including his own gaffs in a very tongue in cheek way. Arguably one of the best British orientated YouTube channels I have found to date.

Without doubt there are more channels worthy of a look and if I had the time I would, however theres only so many hours in any given day so I have to limit myself. Hopefully you will find as I have that the links provided will given you inspiration in your photography endeavours.

Happy Snappin’

 

 

And the hoopla is over… for now!

Nikon’s new Mirrorless have arrived.

Nikon have officially released the pre production versions of the Z6 & Z7 (rather odd naming convention), to much fanfare.  However it seems at this early stage that they may have fallen well short of the mark in the introduction of these cameras.  Certainly if I were a current Nikon DSLR shooter I wouldn’t be considering a switch at this point.

Bearing in mind that these are pre production models we can assume that the final version will hopefully have some of the negatives addressed at the time of sales launch.

The following  would be very off putting if I were a prospective owner:

  • 15 minutes 4k record time ( there seems to be considerable confusion around this) this now appears to have been corrected to read 85 minutes.
  • Very short battery life – 330 shots per charge. (Seems to be a wrong statement given the adjusted video record time )
  • Very few lenses in initial offerings ( not too surprising ) By comparison Fuji Launched with 5 lenses & added 5 more in the following year.
  • Single card slot ( probably the biggest gaff Nikon made with these cameras )
  • No articulated screen, requires external screen for video recording, a huge omission for YouTube videographers and for those that need to see subject positioning while recording.
  • Uses focus by wire which is  not the best for video. DPreview preview video discusses this as well towards the end of the review.

While there is a lot on offer with these full frame cameras I personally dont see them having the appeal Nikon may well have been hoping for from professional photographers. Even with the available adaptor for existing F lenses from Nikon, I cant quite see Pro’s being happy having to use adaptors for everyday work although there are many who do or have done so in the past.2227030038

And lets be clear, these cameras are aimed at winning over the Pro’s to the new system, and to date I dont think Nikon have done enough just yet to achieve that or to worry the likes of Sony in terms of market share. Time will of course tell as it always does. One now has to wonder what Canon may have waiting in the wings, given that they have quite a bit of mirrorless camera tech  of their own from which to draw from.  Maybe a Full Frame version of the M50, which is proving to be a very popular camera.

Currently the prices here in New Zealand at the bigger retailers isn’t listed, which is wholly unacceptable given that pricing in other countries is known. There should not be a delay in pricing as it is obviously something Nikon would have or should have considered prior to the announcement of any new model. This is not just a failure by Nikon but with Camera launches here and in Australia from all manufacturers. I guess they are waiting on reactions from the northern hemisphere before confirming prices here. We will  have to wait as usual, but I find this practise reprehensible and wholly unprofessional.

 

 

The Mirrorless Wars

Things looks to be taking a turn for the surreal. For those of you who have been following the announcements from Nikon and Canon regarding Full Frame (FF) mirrorless cameras, you will be aware that Nikon is about to formerly unveil two new mirrorless cameras next week.

My initial thought is why? And then the thinking started and one of the first questions was would a FF mirrorless camera bring enough to the table for Pro Photographers to consider swapping their kits for a new camera setup. Thats one very big and expensive jump to make. I cant help but wonder why manufactures haven’t, especially in Nikon’s case at least offered an APSC version first to gauge interest, and test technologies before heading into the flagship area of their offerings. Sony has shown that a well made FF mirrorless offering can be very well received but they are not without a few niggles along the way.

Tony & Chelsea Northrup’s video ( see below) is a very interesting look at the possibilities of mirrorless eventually phasing out DSLR’s, which has alarm bell ringing in some DSLR quarters. The video is well worth the time to view and can produce a few chuckles as well.