PhotographyBanzai.com

This is a free event photographers from the Midwest have been hosting at Anime Central since 2015. Vontography is the person that has been handling all of the details and administration of the event. A special thanks to him for all of his work managing this event.  Video still frames from the event. We just had the 2018 event and it went well! Here is a link to my behind-the-scenes photos of the event. Here is the BTS video I put together: Here is a quick description of the event from his event page : The Acen open shoot is returning for its fourth year! For those of you who haven’t attended any of the previous shoots, here’s the lowdown. We photographers would love to be able to work with as many cosplayers as we can at a con, but obviously, there is only so much we can do given the limited time we have. Likewise, for cosplayers there are a plethora of limitations. The aim of the open shoot is to try and fix some of these problems, all while making new connections in the process....

I had hands-on time with the Nikon D500.  It's currently Nikon's most advanced APS-C sized sensor DSLR. For the crop sensor, you gain a huge amount of features such as an extremely robust build, an extremely advanced phase detection auto-focus system, and  Nikon's high-end control scheme. There are a few drawbacks such as an additional crop in 4k video, but from a still photographer standpoint, it is hard to go wrong with this DSLR. If you do sports or nature work and have Nikon glass, this is your best lowest cost option for a new camera.  The Nikon D500 camera. I've got two versions of this video. The one embedded is a better edit made later or you can watch the original .  Check out the Nikon D500 Digital SLR Camera through my links:  KEH:  https://shrsl.com/2ioo1 ebay:  https://ebay.us/EbNWfK As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The tilting back screen. Features of note: The first thing I noticed was how robust i...

I had some quality hands-on time with the Sony DSC-HX80 digital camera. With improvements in smart phone cameras, manufacturers have been trying to differentiate between them. In this case, Sony has a tiny camera that has an EVF, huge zoom range, and a flip-up screen. The camera has a small 1/2.3″ sensor but they try to make up for that in features. Front of the  Sony DSC-HX80. Get the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80 Digital Camera through my links: eBay:  http://ebay.us/P0MKum KEH: https://shrsl.com/25jbt Amazon: https://amzn.to/2L5iMpb As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Features of note: This is a compact 1/2.3 inch sensor camera with a 24-720mm equivalent lens with an 18.2mp lens. It’s solid in the hands, very compact for what it includes. A flip-up screen for selfie photos and videos. The battery is a NP-BX1 X-Type rated at 1240 mAh. Not too bad for a small camera like this with an estimated ~390 photos per charge. It has optical stabilizatio...

Nikon D3400 (Red): An entry level APS-C camera for everyday photography at an entry level price. Features of note: A lower cost traditional DSLR with an APS-C sensor. The red color is pretty neat. It has a nice reflective sheen. It should be consistent and reliable. This line of camera has been offered a long time. I’ve used them in the past without issues. Ergonomics are solid considering the level of this camera. They have spent a long time revising this series of camera. Battery life is solid. Features I’d like to see improved on: One control dial. You have to rely on the camera’s back screen a lot more than more expensive cameras in Nikon’s lineup. This is a standard omission in the D3000 series. No aperture control while recording video. No auto-focus motor for older D-type lenses. No high speed sync. Pentamirror viewfinder instead of Pentaprism. No MIC port. A downgrade over the D3300. Wireless is only bluetooth, so it will be slow and they limit uploads to 2mp in size. Final tho...

Sony A9: The professional level full-frame mirrorless camera. Features of note: 24mp full-frame sensor (35.6×23.8mm) Fast sensor readout with a silent electronic shutter (lower chance of a rolling shutter effect compared to other cameras of this time period). Compact yet competes with anything else currently out there. 4k video at 30fps and 1080p at 120fps. Two SD card slots for backup or other purposes. A higher capacity battery than previous models (NP-FZ100). WIFI, Bluetooth, and NFC connectivity. 1/8000th maximum standard shutter speed (1/32000 electronic). 5-axis in-camera sensor stabilizer. Face detect and Eye-AF for portrait photography. 20fps continuous drive Locking mode and function dials. Solid feeling camera with a large number of tactile controls. Includes professional ports such as ethernet and flash sync as well as hdmi, mic, and headphone jack. Features I’d like to see improved on: It’s only USB 2.0. Memory cards are a little difficult to get out of the camera due to sp...