Photo by David Coleman
Latest Updates
Mercury Batteries Are Gone: Four Ways to Keep an Old Meter Working
Mercury button cells like the PX625 haven’t been sold for 30 years, so old film camera meters need a workaround. Here are four replacement options, from cheap silver-oxide spacers to full meter recalibration, plus how to tell which one your camera actually needs.
Leica Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Which battery does your Leica take? Charts for digital and film Leicas, from the M, SL, Q and S lines to the compacts, Leicaflex and R-series SLRs, all taken from Leica’s own manuals and data sheets. Plus which bodies can share spares, and the few rows that rest on weaker sources.
Which Battery Does Your Minolta Camera Take?
From mercury-cell SRTs to the AAA-powered Maxxum 7000, Minolta cameras take a surprising range of batteries. These charts, pulled from each model’s own manual, sort out exactly which one fits yours.
Which Battery Does Your Mamiya Camera Take?
Not all Mamiya medium-format and TLR cameras need batteries at all to shoot. Several models are mechanical-only, designed to be used with external light meters. Others require a battery for the built-in light meter. And in one case, the shutter won’t fire without a battery.
Sigma Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Sigma’s camera lineup is small enough that one battery, the BP-51, covers most recent models — the fp, fp L, and all four dp Quattro compacts. This chart lays out exactly which pack each Sigma body takes, plus which models can charge over USB.
The Nikon Zf Battery and Charging, Explained
The Nikon Zf ships without a charger, and it charges the EN-EL15c battery in the body over USB-C instead. Here’s exactly what cable and power source that needs, plus the optional chargers and spare-battery options worth knowing about.
Ricoh Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Not sure which battery your Ricoh camera actually takes? These charts match battery models to camera bodies, with notes on charger quirks and third-party alternatives worth knowing about before you buy.
How I Used an AI Assistant Instead of Recovery Software to Recover Deleted Photos from a Memory Card
Instead of reaching for recovery software, I asked an AI coding assistant to recover a camera-formatted SD card — and it got back 52 of 53 photos, verified byte-for-byte and automatically renamed into dated folders. Here’s exactly how it worked, and when you’d still want the packaged tools instead.
Squeezing More Image Quality Out of the Nikon D3500’s RAW Files – Test Results
Running old Nikon D3500 RAW files through DxO PureRAW turns out to be one of the cheapest ways to close the image-quality gap to a newer camera. Here are before/after sliders and 100% crops from ISO 100 to 25600, with the exact settings and RAW files to try yourself.
Can’t Justify (or Find) a X100VI? Here’s a Way to Make Your Fujifilm X100V Images Look Better
Bothered by noise from your Fujifilm X100V? Before you buy a newer body, see what AI-based RAW processing does to the RAW files. Before/after sliders and 100% crops from my own Fujifilm X100V photos show how much of a difference it makes.
This Software Can Make Your Old Sony a6000 Photos Look Better Than They Ever Did
The Sony a6000 is 12 years old and its high-ISO files show it. But AI-based RAW processing pulls cleaner, sharper images out of old RAW files than the camera ever could. Before/after sliders and 100% crops from my own Sony a6000 photos show how much of a difference it makes.
Here’s a Great Way to Get Cleaner Photos From Your Sony RX100 VII
The Sony RX100 VII’s small sensor gets noisy fast once the ISO climbs. That’s exactly what AI-based RAW processing fixes best. Before/after sliders and 100% crops from my own Sony RX100 VII photos show how much of a difference it makes.
Can’t Justify the GR III? Here’s a Way to Make Your Ricoh GR II Images Look Better
Bothered by noise from your Ricoh GR II? Before you buy a newer body, see what AI-based RAW processing does to the RAW files. Before/after sliders and 100% crops from my own Ricoh GR II photos show how much of a difference it makes.
Panasonic Lumix Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Lumix battery names don’t always make it obvious which model fits your camera, or which charger you actually need. This chart sorts out the battery families, flags the charger quirks, and covers what to know before trying a third-party cell.
OM-System Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Working out which battery fits your OM-System or Olympus camera isn’t always as simple as it could be, because similar-looking models don’t always share the same battery. These charts show which battery goes with which camera, with notes on chargers and third-party options.
Pentax Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Not sure which battery your Pentax camera takes, or whether that cheaper third-party pack is safe to buy? These charts match each model to its correct battery, with notes on chargers and compatible alternatives.
Memory Cards
Nikon Z50 II Memory Card Guide: Why You Need UHS-II
The Z50 II is a video powerhouse, but its high-bitrate 4K modes will choke standard SD cards. Nikon’s manual is confusing, recommending “Speed Class 3” while actually requiring much faster speeds for top performance. This guide cuts through the jargon to tell you exactly which cards work.
Nikon Z50 SD Card Recommendations, Sizes, and Specs Explained
Not sure which SD card the Nikon Z50 needs? Here are practical, tested recommendations covering compatibility, speed class, and card sizes so you can stop researching specs and start shooting.
Fastest SD Cards 2026: Real-World Speed Tests & Rankings
After independent speed tests of the top V90 UHS-II cards, a new leader has emerged. The updated SanDisk Extreme Pro (SDSDXDM) is the first card I’ve tested to genuinely hit the 300 MB/s write speed limit, setting a new benchmark for 2026.”
Choosing an SD Card for the OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II
Faster isn’t always better: the OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II don’t need the priciest V90 cards to hit full burst performance. Here’s the UHS speed class, capacity, and card picks that actually match what these cameras demand.
Formatting an SD Card in the Nikon D3500: Step by Step
Formatting your SD card in the Nikon D3500 wipes it clean and sets up the filesystem the camera needs. It also reduces the risk of corrupted photos and videos. Here’s how to do it.
PGYTech Createmate Review: The Ultimate Travel SD Card Reader & Case
Most memory card readers are boring, utilitarian tools. But the PGYTech Createmate adds a clever twist by combining a high-speed UHS-II reader with a rugged, weather-resistant storage case for your SD and microSD cards. Here is my hands-on review of this clever travel essential.
Ricoh GR IV Memory Card Guide: microSD & Internal Storage
The Ricoh GR IV ditches standard SD cards for the smaller microSD format and adds 53GB of internal storage. Here are my practical recommendations on which memory cards to get for it.
Nikon Z7 III Memory Card Forecast: Getting Ahead of 8K RAW
The Nikon Z7 III hasn’t launched yet, but its expected 8K RAW N-RAW output already tells us what memory cards will be needed to avoid buffer bottlenecks. Here’s a pre-release forecast of CFexpress and SDXC cards to budget for, plus how to dodge the dual-slot backup trap.
How to Choose the Right SD Card for the Sony a6400
Sony’s manual is vague about which SD card the a6400 actually needs. Here’s what the UHS-I, U3 and card-size ratings really mean, plus practical picks that work.
Best SD Cards for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30 doesn’t need a fancy or expensive SD card — here’s exactly what size and speed class actually works, based on Panasonic’s own specs and hands-on testing with the camera.
Sony a1 Memory Card Guide: Dual Slots, CFexpress A & 8K Specs
The Sony a1’s two identical slots each accept CFexpress Type A or SDXC — but mixing formats carelessly can bottleneck your buffer mid-burst. Here’s how the slots actually work and which cards avoid the trap.
The Best Memory Cards for the Sony a7C II: V90 vs. V60 Explained
The Sony a7C II demands a fast UHS-II card, and picking wrong means dropped frames or a locked-up buffer mid-shoot. Here’s exactly which V90 and V60 SD cards handle this camera’s single card slot, 33MP bursts, and 600 Mbps 4K video without choking.
Basics.Photography
Series Filters: the Three-Piece System Behind Vintage Lenses
Before threaded screw-on filters, lenses used a three-piece slip-on system sized by “series” number. Here’s how Series 7, 8 and 9 filters actually attach, and why you’ll still meet the term on vintage manual-focus lenses.
Canon Lens Codes Guide
Like most lens manufacturers, Canon uses codes in their lens names to identify key features and technologies of the lens. They might look like a look like a random jumble of letters, but they are actually a precise formula. Once you know how to read them, you can instantly tell if a lens will fit your camera, how fast it will focus, and whether it is weather-sealed.
Venus Optics / Laowa Lens Codes
Laowa lenss use various codes in their names to denote compatibility or particular features. Here’s how to make sense of them.
Zeiss Lens Codes Guide
There is no name more distinguished in optics than Zeiss, but their naming convention is anything but intuitive. Unlike other brands that use tech-jargon, Zeiss names lenses after birds and century-old optical formulas. From the autofocus Batis to the manual-focus Milvus and the legendary T* coating, here is a plain-English guide to understanding exactly what you’re buying when you see that famous blue badge.
Best Online Photography Classes & Courses
Whether you’re looking to brush up, dive deeper, or learn a new photographic skill, here’s a roundup of some of the best online classes and courses for photographers.
Hot Shoe, Cold Shoe, and Sync Cords Explained
That small rectangular mount on top of your camera does more than hold a flash in place — it sends an electrical signal between camera and accessory. Here’s how a hot shoe works, how it differs from a cold shoe, and whether you need a cover.
Identifying Kodak 35mm & 120/220 Film Stock from Edgeprint Codes
Scanning decades of old negatives often means staring at cryptic numbers like “5053” or “GA” on the film strip. I compiled this reference guide to help you (and me!) cross-reference those edge codes with the actual film types to make your archiving and editing easier.
Native vs Extended ISO Range Explained
Many digital cameras these days come with impressive ISO ranges. But if you look at the specs more closely, they’ll often break it down into native ISO and extended ISO. Here’s an explanation of what that means.
Workflow
How to Deal with Lens Vignetting When Stitching Panoramas
The dark bands you sometimes see across a stitched panorama are usually lens vignetting — the slight edge darkening that most lenses produce, especially wide open. Here’s what actually helps: shooting choices that minimize it at capture, and the pre-stitch post-processing fixes that do a better job than patching the seams afterward.
How to Create a Contact Sheet with Photoshop
Photoshop’s Contact Sheet II automation is the quickest of the three main methods for making digital contact sheets — faster than Lightroom, simpler than ImageMagick. A folder of images goes in, a finished contact sheet comes out. Here’s how to use it, and where its limitations matter enough to reach for a different tool.
The Best Geotagging Software for Your Photos: GPS Syncing Guide
Most cameras don’t have GPS built-in, but that shouldn’t stop you from mapping your adventures. Whether you use a Mac or PC, here is the best software for “marrying” your photos to your GPS tracklogs for perfect geotagging.
How to View All the Available EXIF Information of a Photo ExifTool on Mac
Every image file contains more metadata than most software shows you. Camera manufacturers embed hardware data in proprietary MakerNotes blocks that standard apps quietly ignore. ExifTool surfaces it all. Here’s a practical guide to viewing, filtering, and exporting image metadata with ExifTool on Mac — including a Folder Action that generates a CSV automatically on drop.
How to Extract Preview JPGs from RAW Image Files
If you’re looking to extract the JPG preview that’s embedded in a RAW image file, here are two free apps that can help.
Does Editing JPGs in Lightroom Reduce Image Quality?
The image quality of a JPG degrades every time you save it. So you might be wondering how editing a JPG in Lightroom affects image quality. The answer is no (at least, most of the time), and here’s the explanation of why.
Why Lightroom Import Is So Slow — and How to Fix It
Lightroom import is notoriously slow — but a lot of that slowness is self-inflicted. Preview rendering, thumbnail loading, and switching to the wrong view when import finishes are all things you can control. Here are the most effective ways to trim the process, including one workflow change that makes a bigger difference than any setting.
How to Convert RAW to JPG in Lightroom Classic
Trying to figure out how to convert RAW files to JPEG in Lightroom Classic? Here’s how to do it.
Calculators
Angle of View, Explained: Calculator, Charts, and Why Diagonal Matters
Enter a focal length to see its angle of view across full-frame, APS-C, and Micro Four Thirds sensors, with charts for quick reference and an explanation of why the diagonal measurement is the one lens makers actually quote.
4K Video Storage: How Much Footage Can Your Memory Card Hold?
Wondering if a 128GB card is enough for your next shoot? Here’s my breakdown of 4K video storage requirements across all major card sizes and bitrates so you never run out of space in the field.
Memory Card Speed Converter (X-Rating to MB/s)
Memory card marketing is littered with jargon, but the “x-rating” multiplier is one of the most confusing. Here is a simple tool to convert those outdated speed ratings back into a standard MB/s format so you can accurately compare cards.
How Many Megapixels? A Quick Calculator for Photographers
A simple calculator to convert pixel dimensions into megapixels — handy for photographers working out print sizes, checking how much headroom you’ve got for a heavy crop, sizing files for stock agencies, or staying under Lightroom’s 512-megapixel import ceiling.
How Much Will Be in Focus? A Depth of Field Calculator
A practical depth of field calculator for photographers. Punch in your sensor, focal length, aperture, and subject distance to see your near and far limits, total depth of field, and hyperfocal distance. Useful for landscape work, portraits, macro, and group shots where you need to know exactly where the sharpness falls off.
Mbps to MB/s Converter: Camera Bitrates vs. Memory Card Speeds
The difference between a flawless 4K recording and a locked-up camera often comes down to a single capitalized letter. Here is how to quickly translate your camera’s Mbps video bitrate into MB/s memory card speeds.
The Crop Factor Calculator: Find Your True Focal Length
Mount the same lens on a full-frame and an APS-C body and the framing changes, but does your aperture really change too? Use the calculator below to find your true equivalent focal length and depth of field, and see why exposure stays the same.
The Aspect Ratio Calculator: Perfect Crops for Print & Web
You shoot a perfectly framed 3:2 portrait, but the client orders an 8×10 print. If you don’t calculate the aspect ratio and crop it yourself, the lab’s automated software will do it for you — usually right across your subject’s forehead. Here is how to take control of your output dimensions.
