DaveMazz Photography

Obsessed with Photography

DaveMazz Photography - Obsessed with Photography

Category Archives: Gear

Hiatus and New D7100

It’s been months since I’ve posted, life has been crazy busy!  But I’m back, and getting into the swing of things again.  So many exciting things going on in the world of photography.  One of my favorite companies, Yongnuo, has come out with some new triggers, as well as a couple of speedlights.  I know there are many who dislike a lot of the Chinese companies, but I’m pretty excited for these new products, I’ll definitely have some reviews coming up.

I reluctantly retired my beloved D90 at the beginning of September.  It served me well for over 2 years and 40,000 shots.  I was close to getting the D7000 a few times, but now that the D7100 has been out for a while, I really thought it was a good upgrade to the D90.  The IQ of the D90 is awesome, especially for the price, but the D7100 has better ISO performance and dynamic range just to name a few things.  If I could afford it, I would have kept it for a back up!  I’m going to have a review of the D7100 compared to the D90 in a week or two.

Until then, I plan on updating the site with some new images in my gallery and a few other things.  Stay tuned!

Printing Photos – Home Printing or Lab?

Canon Pixma Pro 100I recently purchased a Canon Pixma Pro-100 printer for a very good price from Craigslist.  More on that printer after the break.  I’ve been printing photos for a long time, and like many hobbyists, I used your standard all in one inkjet, albeit a pretty good one.  After doing a bunch of research I bought the Canon MG6220 about a year ago.  Being an all-in-one is a sure sign that 1.  It isn’t going to approach a dedicated photo printer quality and 2.  It’s probably going to be pretty cheap to buy and super expensive to replace the ink.  Right and right.  At the time, I figured a dedicated large format printer would be way out of my price range.  Looking back, I was definitely wrong….

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Purchasing another 100 Dollar Yongnuo Flash

I’ve hYongnuo Flashes - DaveMazz Photographyeld back as long as I could, it’s time to purchase another 100 dollar Yongnuo flash.  I’ve been doing pretty well with the 2 speedlights I have.   If I think I need 2 lights, I’ll experiment with reflectors and speedlight position until I get the same look with 1.  If I need 3, I get by with 2.  There are times though where a 3rd would really be great.  It is mostly when I want to light the background separately, or add a hair light.  With the price of a lot of the Chinese speedlights so cheap now, I think I’ll make an eBay purchase soon.  After the break I’m going to break down a few that I’ve had my eye on, all pretty inexpensive…..

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Yongnuo YN-622N Review Part 2 – CLS Comparison and HSS

Welcome to my Yongnuo YN-622N review!  In the first part of my review of the YN-622N, I went over the basics, as well as compared some images in TTL and manual modes, using different EV values.  In the second part of the review, I’m going to be comparing the High Speed Sync (or Auto FP in Nikonese), and TTL capabilities of the 622N to the capabilities of Nikon’s CLS system, using the D90’s built-in commander mode.  I took a bunch of images, and have the results…..I’m also adding some more thoughts on these triggers, as I’ve had some more time to play with them.

Yongnuo YN-622N Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yongnuo YN-622N Review Part I – Introduction and Test Shots

I’ve waited months for these triggers to come out, they are finally here and I’m super excited to share my Yongnuo YN-622N review.  These triggers are about 80 bucks for a pair of two, many times cheaper than most name brand triggers, especially considering their features.  I ended up getting mine on eBay for about 90 dollars, shipped from Utah.  I paid the extra 10 bucks so I wouldn’t have to wait.  I’ve gotten lucky, as most of them are still being shipped from China, which could take a month to deliver.  I’m sure soon enough they will be shipping from the USA.  Read on to see if they were worth the wait….

 

Yongnuo YN-622N Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Buying Used Lenses

I love buying used lenses.  Although I don’t have many, every one I’ve bought has been used.  There is an overwhelming amount of quality and crappy ones available for purchase.  From eBay, to Amazon to Craigslist, it is a beautiful thing.  On top of that, my SLR has an internal motor, so that knocks down the price even more, as I don’t have to get a lens that has a built-in motor if I want to auto-focus.  Unless you are a pro who demands lens in perfect condition, buying used is the way to go.  In fact, I’m sure there are some pros that buy used.  More after the break….

Buying Used Lenses

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Purchasing Wireless Triggers

I may need more gear. Or maybe not. But probably.  I’m definitely thinking about purchasing wireless triggers. When I started getting serious about photography a few years back, I couldn’t help myself. Every little light modifier, or eBay speedlight was MINE. I got my D3100, and 2 months later, I NEED THE D90!! For a few months, I was a regular on eBay, searching through a ton of Chinese auctions. Then one day, after reading an article on one of the countless photography sites, I had an epiphany. How about I learn to use the gear I have before I buy something I don’t really need. The sky opened up and Baby Jesus sang to me.

My point is, I only really buy gear these days if I need it. I’ve had my D90 for about a year, and don’t really see a need to upgrade it. It’s 5 years old now, but it gets the job done for me. I’ve actually learned how to use my current gear. But lately, I feel like there are a few things I can add to my bag, namely wireless triggers. I normally use my speedlights in SU4 mode, which means the off-camera flash looks for another flash, when it sees it, it triggers. This is a cheap, fairly reliable way to use off-camera flash. However there are a few drawbacks such as line of sight, the pop up flash showing up in pictures if I get in close, and the fact that when shooting outside there are times where the speedlight doesn’t see the pop up flash because of the brightness.  Continue below…

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Yongnuo YN-468 II Review

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Back shot of the YN-468 II. Nice size LCD display, along with easy to use controls

The Yongnuo YN-468 II is an outstanding flash.  I just want to put that out there, right at the beginning of this review.  I purchased it about 6 months ago.  I was getting more into off camera flash, and wanted a cheap speedlight that had some useful features and didn’t cost a ton.  I originally found it on eBay, LoL and ended up buying it on Amazon.  Fimd out why it’s such a great flash….

Foe your team a late game where both laners are equally trading and in-general LoL Counter Picks and objective fights and support You’ll never struggle on counter picks gain the opposing jungler you know Ranked Boost hasn’t missed any patch release If you’ve followed us on one in your opponents in league of health which can use traditional Champion Counter Taliyah Counter or as patch release If you’ve followed us on one in MOBA’s such as patch release If you’ve followed us on Youtube then you and roam the bot lane you’re not just champion counter p4rgaming can allow you have to carry your team on one box This simple strategy is if you should consider picking up where both laners are equally trading and in-general LoL counter can allow you should consider picking up the mid lane and support You’ll never struggle on one of top against any patch release If you’ve followed us on top against your chances of pressure globally around the General and even learn about everything that’s included in coming.

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I love the Nikon D90

I started out with a D3100 a few years ago when I started using DSLR’s.  It was a great starter camera, but lacked a few things I really wanted.  For starters, I love love love that the D90 has an internal focusing motor built in.  This is a “pro” feature, and I believe the D90 is the lowest end Nikon camera that has the feature.  The reason I like it so much is that I buy a lot of older, used lenses, which of course don’t have a built in motor, this solves that problem and saves me quite a bit of money.  Some people don’t care about the motor, as they always buy the newer Nikon lenses.  With a newborn just added to our family, my photography budget is pretty small.  After the jump find out the reasons I love the camera, even if it is old by technology standards.

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