Photo by David Coleman
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The Hasselblad Battery Finder: What Each Body Takes and What Happens When It Dies
The classic Hasselblad V-system bodies need no battery at all, but the EL motor drives, 200 series, XPan, H1/H2 and digital X and H bodies do. Every entry comes from the camera’s own manual or spec sheet, with notes on what happens when a battery dies.
Bronica Camera Battery Compatibility Charts: Which Cell Does Your Body Take?
Nearly every Bronica ETR, SQ, GS and EC body runs on one 6V cell, sold as a 4SR44 or 4LR44. This chart, checked against the manuals, shows the exceptions and which bodies still fire with a dead battery.
Konica Camera Battery Compatibility Charts: What Each Model Takes Today
Konica’s Autoreflex cameras were built for mercury cells that no longer exist, but most have a cheap modern fix: the PX675 matches a standard zinc-air hearing-aid battery. Every battery here is verified against the camera’s own manual or spec sheet.
Agfa Camera Battery Compatibility Charts: Which Models Take One, and Which Cell
Most secondhand Agfa cameras need no battery at all, and even the Silette LK Sensor’s meter runs without one. Find your model by camera type and see which cells the electronic ones, like the Selectronic and Optima Sensor, actually take.
MonsterAdapter LA-FZ1 Review: Autofocus for Nikon AF-D Lenses on Z Cameras
The MonsterAdapter LA-FZ1 puts a focus motor in the adapter, so Nikon’s screw-drive AF and AF-D lenses autofocus on Z cameras again, which the FTZ II can’t do. Here’s how it handled a fisheye and a 24mm, where it falls short, and whether it’s worth $359.
Contax Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Contax bodies span several eras, from a 6V cell that’s still made to button cells and modern lithiums. Every battery here comes from the camera’s own manual, and I note which bodies still fire when the battery dies.
Nikon Z50 II Back-Button Focus: Turn AE-L/AF-L Into Your Focus Button
The Nikon Z50 II has no AF-ON button, but the AE-L/AF-L button can do the job once you change two settings, not just one. Here are the exact menu paths, what to do about exposure lock and video, and how to undo it.
Nikon Z50 II Image Quality Settings: RAW, JPEG, HEIF and Image Size Explained
The Z50 II ships on JPEG normal, but one step up to JPEG fine at Large size is the best image quality setting for many people. Here’s what each option does, and the simple setup I’d start with.
Nikon Z50 II RAW Files Won’t Open in Lightroom or Photos? What Will Probably Fix It
If your Nikon Z50 II RAW files won’t open on your computer, the cause is nearly always an outdated app or the camera’s default High efficiency compression. Here’s how to tell which, and how to rescue photos you’ve already taken.
How to Reset the Nikon Z50 II: Every Option and When to Use Each
A full factory reset on the Nikon Z50 II can’t be undone, and it isn’t always the right fix. Here’s every reset the camera offers, what each keeps and erases, and how to back up your settings first.
Getting the Most from the Nikon Z50 II’s Burst Modes
The Nikon Z50 II packs several burst speeds plus a Pre-Release Capture mode that saves frames from before you even press the shutter — but it comes with real trade-offs. Here’s which settings to use for action shots, and the limits (JPEG-only, battery drain, buffer caps) worth knowing first.
Yashica Camera Battery Compatibility Charts
Picked up an old Yashica camera and want to get it working? Here are charts for Yashica SLRs, the Electro 35 family, the T-series compacts and the Yashica-Mat TLRs, plus what to do about the Electro 35’s discontinued mercury cell.
Nikon Z50 II Grid Lines Won’t Show? It Takes Two Settings
Adding grid lines to your viewfinder or back screen can be an extremely useful tool for composing your shots, helping with keeping lines level and key elements balanced in the frame. Here’s how to enable them in the Nikon Z50 II and the options that are available.
How to format an SD card in the Nikon Z50 II
I explain why further down this page, but it’s always best practice to format the memory card in the camera that you’re using it in. It’s quick and easy; here’s how to do it on the Z50 II.
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.
Memory cards
How to Download Nikon D3500 Photos & Videos to a Computer
At some point, probably sooner rather than later, you’re going to want to get your photos and videos off your Nikon D3500 and edit them on you computer. So here’s a straightforward guide on how to do that.
How to Put an SD Card Into a Nikon D3500: Insert, Format and Eject
The D3500’s SD slot sits on the right side at the bottom, and the card only goes in one way, label toward the front of the camera. Here’s how to insert, format and safely eject it, plus the flimsy door hinge to watch.
How to Format an SD Card in the Nikon D3500, Step by Step
Formatting in the D3500 takes a few menu clicks, but there’s no quick-versus-full choice, and a locked card can block it. Here are the steps, plus what to do if you format on a computer.
Fujifilm X-S10 Memory Card Recommendations
It’s not easy to know which is the right type of SD card for your camera. There are a lot of confusing codes and marketing hype to cut through. So here are my practical recommendations on good choices for the Fujifilm X-S10.
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.
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.
Basics.Photography
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.
Sigma Lens Codes Guide
Sigma lens names can be a mouthful of acronyms. Once you know how to read them, however, they are a powerful shorthand for identifying whether a lens is built for full-frame or crop sensors, DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. This guide demystifies the alphabet soup so you can quickly categorize any lens in their massive lineup.
F-Stop Chart & Interactive Aperture Calculator: f/0.95 to f/32
Why is the jump from f/5.6 to f/8 a full stop, but f/1.4 to f/1.8 is only two-thirds? The math behind lens apertures is famously counterintuitive, but mastering it is the key to perfect exposure. We’ve built a custom, mobile-friendly F-Stop Calculator to help you instantly solve for ND filter offsets (including Big and Super Stoppers) and compare increments across the entire range — from f/0.95 “Noct” glass to f/32. Use this interactive tool and charts to take the guesswork out of your next shoot.
How to Read Fujifilm Lens Codes: A Glossary for X and GFX Shooters
As a relative newcomer to the modern mirrorless game, Fujifilm hasn’t accumulated the decades of confusing acronyms that Canon or Nikon have. But their naming convention is precise, and knowing how to read it will tell you exactly what you are buying — and whether it has that all-important aperture ring.
Fisheye Lenses: The Good, the Bad, and the Distorted
Fisheye lenses pack a dramatic, distorted view into the frame — great for tight interiors and immersive action shots, terrible for portraits and architecture. Here’s what to know before you shoot with one, including the two main types and what to avoid.
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.
Pentax Lens Codes
Pentax users pride themselves on backward compatibility — you can mount a 1975 lens on a 2024 camera. But the alphabet soup of lens codes (DA, FA, PLM, DC) tells a different story. Some new lenses won’t work on old bodies, and some old lenses need special settings to work on new bodies. Here’s a breakdown of the Pentax code language.
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.
Workflow
Turning Off the Lights
The ability to dim the lights in Lightroom is a handy little tool for distraction-free viewing, sorting, and editing of your photos.
How to Export Photos from Lightroom to Flickr
Flickr is one of the most popular ways to share photos online. Here’s how to get your photos from Lightroom to Flickr.
Why Your Facebook Cover Photo Looks Blurry (and What Actually Helps)
Facebook recompresses every cover photo, and the old PNG and under-99KB tricks no longer work. Here is what my tests show does help, with before-and-after examples.
How to Change the Background Color of Single Images in Lightroom Classic
You can change the color of the space behind single images in Lightroom. That can be simply a matter of preference or used as a visualization tool
Controlling How WordPress Crops Your Photos for Thumbnails
One of the less obvious challenges of running a photography site on WordPress is controlling how your photos get cropped for thumbnails. WordPress defaults to a center crop — fine sometimes, wrong often. This covers the three crop modes available, how to set them, and when a photographer would actually reach for each one.
DxO PureRAW 6 Review: What It Actually Does to Your RAW Files (Tested on Six Cameras)
DxO PureRAW offers a different way to handle RAW files. It doesn’t process them directly, but rather prepares them using special optical enhancements based on DxO’s camera and lens research. You can still use your preferred RAW processing app alongside it.
How to Remove Unwanted Adobe Creative Cloud Apps
If you’ve got current and older versions of your Adobe Creative Cloud apps installed, here’s how to remove the unwanted versions.
How to Convert HEIC to JPG with XnConvert
Here’s a quick guide to converting HEIC image files to JPGs. XnConvert is free and cross-platform.
Calculators
How Much 4K Video Your Memory Card Can Actually Hold
A 128GB card can hold anywhere from under an hour to 8 hours of 4K footage, depending entirely on your camera’s bitrate. Use the calculator and charts below to work out your exact recording time by card size.
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.
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.
