Basics.Photography


Tiffen Professional Series 9 Clear Filter

What are Series-Size Filters?

You don’t come across series-size filters much anymore, but if you’re using a vintage manual-focus lens, you might run into them.

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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.

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Rokinon Lens Codes

The names of Rokinon lenses include special codes to indicate compatibility and features. Here’s how to make sense of them.

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Zeiss Lens Codes Guide

Zeiss uses a bunch of codes and distinctive names n naming their camera lenses over the years. So what do they all mean? Here’s a guide.

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Pentax Lens Codes Guide

Pentax has used a bunch of codes in naming their camera lenses over the years. So what do they all mean? Here’s a guide.

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Tokina Lens Codes Guide

Tokina uses a bunch of codes in naming their camera lenses. So what do they all mean? Here’s a guide.

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Tamron Lens Codes Guide

Tamron uses a bunch of codes in naming their camera lenses. So what do they all mean? Here’s a guide.

Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Prime Lens

Sigma Lens Codes Guide

Sigma uses a bunch of different codes in naming their camera lenses. Here’s an explanation of what they mean.

Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens

Sony Lens Codes Explained

Sony uses a bunch of confusing codes in naming their camera lenses. Here’s how to make sense of them.

Fujifilm XF 50mm f1.0 R WR Lens

Fujifilm Lens Codes

Fujifilm uses a bunch of different codes in naming their camera lenses. Here’s how to make sense of them.

Nikon Nikkor 80-400mm lens

Nikon Lens Codes

Nikon uses a bunch of different codes in naming their lenses. Here’s how to make sense of them.

Canon EOS Rebel T7

Canon Lens Codes Guide

Canon uses a bunch of different codes in naming their lenses. Here’s how to make sense of them.

Native vs Extended ISO

Native vs Extended ISO Range

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.

SD Memory Cards

How Much 4K Video Can 512GB Hold?

Looking to record 4K video? See how much 4K video fits on a 512GB memory card at various video bitrates. Calculate how much 4K footage you can get with this interactive chart and calculator.

64GB Memory Cards

How Much 4K Video Can 64GB Hold?

Looking to record 4K video? See how much 4K video fits on a 64GB memory card at various video bitrates. Calculate how much 4K footage you can get with this interactive chart and calculator.

Wide-Angle Lens converging lines

Digital Camera Lens Angle of View Calculator & Charts

Here’s a calculator for the angles of view from lenses on digital camera sensors, as well as angle of view charts for common focal lengths. And an explanation of why the diagonal angle of view maters more than you might think.

128GB SD Card

How Much 4K Video Can 128GB Hold?

Looking to record 4K video? See how much 4K video fits on a 128GB memory card at various video bitrates. Calculate how much 4K footage you can get with this interactive chart and calculator.

Fishermen on Galata Bridge Istanbul

What is a Fast Lens?

Get to grips with fast lenses–what they are, how they work and why they’re so popular among photographers. Learn what defines a fast lens, the benefits of shooting with one, and good lenses to start with. Plus, discover some lens gotchas to watch out for.

Focal Plane Mark Camera

What is a Camera’s Focal Plane Mark?

Wondering what that odd, tiny mark you often see on the top of cameras is? It’s shown as a circle with a line through it. It’s the focal plane mark. Here’s what it’s used for.

Camera Hot Shoe

What is a Camera’s Hot Shoe?

Discover what the hot shoe on your camera does and find accessories to fit in it. From a physical mounting point to electrical connection, explore the basics of the hot shoe and why a cover is helpful to protect it.

256GB Memory Cards

How Much 4K Video Can 256GB Hold?

Looking to record 4K video? See how much 4K video fits on a 256GB memory card at various video bitrates. Calculate how much 4K footage you can get with this interactive chart and calculator.

What are XMP Files?

You often see XMP files next to photo image files. Here’s an explanation of what they are and why they’re there.

What are AVIF Images?

AVIF is a new image format that has ambitions to take over the web. Here’s an explanation of what it is and how to work with AVIF image files.

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What Are WebP Images?

Here’s a straightforward explanation of what WebP image files are, when to use them, and how to convert them.

How to Convert JPG to WebP with XnConvert

If you’re looking to manually create WebP versions from JPGs (or any other image file formats, for that matter), XnConvert is free, multiplatform, and is especially good at handling large batches of images.

Space Shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum

Best Photography Lighting & Flash Online Courses

Whether you’re just starting to explore the world of off-camera lighting or are an experienced strobe user looking to try some new techniques, here are some of the best places to find online photography lighting courses.

Online Photography Courses

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.

sun flare through viewfinder

Keeping the Wrong Kind of Light Out of the Camera

We expect light to come in the front of the camera. Shooting with the lens cap on doesn’t tend to work so well. But we don’t always expect it to come in the back. Here’s a real-world example of light leak through the viewfinder.

Timelapse Calculator for iPhone

Timelapse Calculator for iPhone is a simple yet effective app for calculating shoot durations, frame rates, and clip lengths for creating time-lapse video.

What is a Prime Lens?

You might have heard recommendations that if you want the fastest and sharpest lenses you should use prime lenses. So what is a prime lens?