F-Stop Lounge isn’t one of the photography sites I read regularly, though it does sometimes have interesting articles. As its name suggests it is somewhat technically oriented and also a slightly clubby kind of place. The aim of its founders was to create “a site that inspires to bring the photographers of the world together” and the site contains “an array of inspirational photographs, insightful real world reviews, detailed tutorials and helpful hints & tips about photography.” I’m not sure why, but there is something about that which makes me want to run a mile.
Having said that, there are some interesting features on the site. I enjoyed reading Mathew Maddock’s Fujifilm X-T1 Real World Review, a totally non-technical account of how he feels about the camera after using it for some months which in large parts reflects my own feeling about the camera which I’ve been using on and off for a while. I’ve just come back from a long weekend where it was the only camera I took, and although I had four lenses with me, the recently acquired (secondhand) 20mm f2.0 was the only one I used, though once or twice I did consider changing to the 14mm. Quiet, discreet, fast focus, great viewfinder I particularly enjoyed using it in a crowded room after a wedding and in the reception that followed – and using the EVF is even better than using a Leica viewfinder.
Much better too than the fixed lens Fuji X100, nice though that is, but now rather redundant for me, along with the X-Pro1 – really time I got around to selling these. But still not quite a replacement for the Nikons so far as covering action is concerned. And while the X-T1 is great in low light for static subjects, when you need to use flash the Nikon flash system wins convincingly. It also wins for using flash fill, though those large Nikon lenses mean that the built-in flashes on the D700 and D800 are generally unusable, needing a shoe-mounted flash. I’ve yet to remember to take the small accessory flash for the X-T1 with me to see how well that works in practice, but the low max synch speed of 1/180 would rather limit its usefulness. And given the way the Fujis all eat batteries, running a flash as well from them doesn’t seem a good idea. So for the X-T1 I’ve been adding the fill where needed in Lightroom.
But the article that took me from Petapixel to F-Stop Lounge was Some Of The Worst Photography Advice We’ve Ever Heard, a list of 16 pieces of poor advice often given by people to those starting out in photography. There are two of them that relate to the last paragraph,
- Your cameras built in flash is perfectly fine, you don’t need an external flash
- You can just Photoshop it later.
Built-in flash can be very useful, particularly for fill, but of course you can do so much more with a good external flash and the right camera. And while Photoshop (or Lightroom) can often save the day it’s always better if you can get it right in camera.
Mostly they are very bad advice, although there are one or two points that might be worth taking:
- Always use a filter on the front of your lens.
I’d add to that, make sure it is just a UV filter. And of course there are a few lenses that can’t take a filter. I used a Sigma 12-24mm F5.6 that had a bulbous front element which prevented filter use – and after a few years cost close to £300 when the front element needed to be replaced. Neither the Nikon 10.5mm or 16mm fisheyes can take a filter either. But whenever a lens that can take one it’s generally a very good idea to use one. While in theory it may marginally take the edge off the lens performance, you are unlikely to notice it, but if you actually use your cameras it probably won’t be long before you will be pleased as you replace a scratched or shattered filter for a few quid rather than face an expensive repair. Nikon make a very nice 14-24mm f/2.8G lens, but two things stopped me buying it. One was simply the weight – almost a kilogram – and the other that you couldn’t put a filter on it.
The list is quite interesting in a way, though some things are just crazy – the kind of rules that will guarantee boring pictures. Perhaps the penultimate on the list, ‘Just point and click’ , isn’t a bad idea for those starting taking photographs, so long as you then look at the results and then learn from them. Probably better than listening to advice from other people, however well-intentioned.