Playboy Leica

The Parisian concept store Colette has sold out of the very limited Hello Kitty Playboy branded Leica camera. Stalwart Leica fans might have been horrified that their upper crust brand had been tarnished with a cartoon character and a price tag of £750. Only 10 were sold, so perhaps Colette thought is was a risk …

Photography Show 2014 overview

ePHOTOzine’s tech editor Josh Waller was covering the Photography Show at the NEC Birmingham – full report here Photography Show 2014 show guide The guide includes previews of the following new cameras Nikon Coolpix P340, the 30x optical zoom Nikon Coolpix S9700, Nikon Coolpix P60 and waterproof Nikon Coolpix AW120. Canon Powershot SX700HS,   SX600, N100, …

What is a Neutral Density filter?

The Neutral Density (ND) filter is one of the more useful filters you could include in your collection. Digital image processing can do many things but it can’t reduce the light reaching the film or CCD. That’s the job of the camera’s exposure system and an ND filter throws in a helping hand. The name …

What are Wratten filters?

Wratten is a brand name from Kodak used for their series of coloured gelatin correction and conversion filters. There’s a wide range – each one identified by its Wratten number. The filters are very thin so are optically very good, but can be easily damaged Wratten filters can be held or taped in front of …

10 essential photography filters

The top ten filters you should own will obviously vary from person to person and is dependent on the subjects you photograph. Our choice is most definitely the following: Circular Polariser (glare reduction and colour saturation) Great for landscapes, still lifes and architectural photography Grey Grad 4x (balance sky brightness) Great for landscapes Skylight (protects …

Photography and Mindfulness

I’m currently reading about Mindfulness. In a nutshell mindfulness is referred to as the heart of Buddhist meditation. There’s a good introduction here Mindfulness and one paragraph stood out this morning as I prepared to wash the breakfast pots: When I wash the dishes each evening, I tend to be “in my head” as I’m …

Circular or Round filters?

Many new filter buyers are unsure whether to buy a round filter or one of the many square options. A round filter screws directly onto the front of your lens. A Square filter slides into a filter holder that has an adaptor ring matching the filter thread size of your lens. There are a few …

Skylight filter – any good?

The Skylight filter has been around for decades and is one of the most popular filters. It has a slight pink tint which is used to reduce blue haze in colour photography. When taking colour photographs in bright sunlight, especially by the sea or in the mountains, ultra-violet rays and the brightness of the sky …

Pro 4 Hood Guide

The Pro 4 Hood was a  unique design that allowed four effects filters to be loaded up and quickly flipped over the lens before taking a shot. Each of the four flaps has a clip frame  to hold a Cokin A series or other 67mm square filter. Benefit as well as speed is once the …

6 reasons why you should use a lens hood

1 The main reason to use a lens hood is it reduces flare when shooting with the sun in front of the camera. Sun rays catch the lens and bounce around the inner elements causing streaks, loss of contrast and blobs on the photo. The hood provides a barrier and as a result your photos …