Photography News

Canon has announced the EOS R8 Mark II, a 24.2-megapixel full frame mirrorless camera that adds 5-axis in-body image stabilization while retaining up to 40 fps electronic-shutter shooting. The camera is expected to ship in late October for an estimated $1,899 body-only price. 

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Today, Canon announced a new full frame body added to the EOS lineup, the Canon EOS R8 Mark II camera. And I got my hands on one for an early look. 

I’ve written so many reviews and/or news pieces for Fstoppers over the years that, generally speaking, whenever a brand comes out with a new camera, I feel like I pretty much know all there is to know before ever even picking it up. But I do have blind spots, and I’ll admit that I was never fully versed on the original Canon EOS R8 and where it sat in the Canon ecosystem.

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When using a tripod on terrain that is rocky, uneven, or hilly, there are a few things that you can do to make sure your tripod is as stable as it can be. Some of these tips may seem like common sense, but they will hopefully help prevent any accidents such as your camera taking a plunge in a river!

 

1. Weight And Load

Before you venture out make sure you're using a tripod that can support the weight of your gear. Also, if you're buying a new tripod and are planning on getting larger heavier lenses in the future do take this into consideration when making your purchase. Look for a light tripod rated for the highest weight as you'll soon notice the weight of your tripod once you're halfway up a wet, uneven hillside. 

 

2. Assess Your Environment

It's always better to be safe than sorry, so make sure that the area is stable enough to stand your tripod on before setting up. If you're working on very rocky terrain or near the edge of a big drop, make sure the tripod is not liable to slip.

It can also take a while to set your tripod up so it's always a good idea to find your location and have some ideas about composition before putting your camera on its support. 

 

3. Legs Before Column

When setting up, extend the legs before extending the centre column. Extending just the centre column is one quick operation and you are ready to shoot, but it is not good technique and can leave you with an unstable base to work with.

 

 

4. Adjust The Legs

Extend the fattest leg section first and keep the thin, spindly legs till last for when you really need the height. Having a wider base to work with is always a wise decision as they are more stable. Many tripods now offer various angle settings that lock at different degrees.

 

5. Ensure Your Tripod Is Level

Many tripods and tripod heads have built-in spirit levels to help you keep the tripod level. If your tripod hasn't, buy a spirit level to fit onto the camera's accessory shoe.

 

6. Position Of Your Tripod's Legs

Point one of the legs towards your subject so you have room for your feet between the two other legs. This will mean you have one less thing you have to worry about falling over when working on tricky terrain. 

 

 

7. What Feet Does Your Tripod Have?

Most tripods have rubber feet which absorb shock and offer good grip, but some do have spiked feet. Spiked feet can be bought as optional accessories or sometimes you can get both types in one. They're particularly useful for outdoor photographers as most of the time you'll end up working on loose soil, dirt, and other surfaces that will be uneven. 

8. Keep It Stable On Windy Days

Some tripods have a hook which you can feature a centre column hook, you can hang a bag of stones or other weighty objects off it to balance the tripod. Another option is to take a heavy camera bag and wrap the strap(s) around the tripod's head to add extra weight. For lighter tripods, use your body as a shield from the wind. Sticking spiked feet into the ground will also help keep the tripod still, they're particularly useful when working at the coast to stop waves knocking your gear into the sea. 

Another option is to use a piece of string or some nylon webbing can add extra stability. Tie one end to the centre column and have the other tied in a loop. Next time in a strong wind, have the string/webbing hanging down and slip your shoe into it and lean down. Your body weight will give extra stability.

   

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In late 2014, a lot of 31 undeveloped film rolls that had turned up at an auction in Ohio made its way to a photographer in Boise, Idaho named Levi Bettwieser, who started processing them one at a time. What rose up in the developer was a young American soldier's private record of World War II, shot on rolls that had sat exposed but unprocessed for roughly 70 years. Someone loaded those cameras, pressed the shutter, and then, for reasons no one will ever know, never got the film developed.

 

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Does the REEL Paper 8 from Vintage Visual really let you make prints up to 12x16 inches from virtually anywhere? I took this unassuming photographic tool into the heart of the Nantahala National Forest to find out.  

I suppose life is full of “what ifs” and “could’ve beens.” 

In the autumn of 2022 I converted my vehicle into a camper and sold my house to see what photographs waited for me out on the open highway.

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Sigma just put a 20-60mm zoom against a rattlesnake at sunrise in the Sonoran Desert, and the lens walked away as the star. A 20mm wide end, a variable f/2.8-4 aperture, and a body compact enough to forget on a hot desert climb make this a different kind of everyday zoom.

 

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Shooting wildlife from the passenger seat of a car usually means wrestling with a massive lens that takes up half of the cab. I recently took a slow cruise through the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive to put two new, unreleased Sony GM lenses to that very test. 

 

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is an amazing 11-mile loop packed with gators, herons, and ospreys, but you’re mostly confined to your vehicle. Usually, capturing wildlife in this scenario means dealing with the significantly greater weight of traditional Sony 400mm f/2.8 or 600mm f/4 primes. 

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The first full frame DSLR ever made didn't come from Canon, Nikon, or Sony. It came from Contax, a nearly century-old brand tied to Zeiss glass, and the camera that earned that title may also be the one that ended the company for good.

 

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Most beginners think a better camera or a clever editing trick will fix their photos, when the real problem is usually a set of habits nobody warned them about. Five of those habits show up again and again, and correcting them costs nothing but time and attention.

 

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More tutorials, a newer camera, and more hours in Lightroom will not make you a better photographer, no matter how much you spend chasing them. The traps that eat up beginners' time are easy to spot once you know them, and almost impossible to see when you don't.

 

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Fujifilm has announced the instax Pal 2 digital camera and instax Link WIDE 2 smartphone printer, updating the Pal with an optical viewfinder and adding a new Photo Mixer collage feature to the WIDE printer. 

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The beauty with photography is you're not restricted with how you can take a photograph. You can play with as many lights as you can afford, add filters, gels and play with numerous other gadgets to alter the look of your photograph. But even though there are all these toys waiting to be played with, one of the simplest ways to change the way your image looks is to get up high.
 

1. Gear Choices

A telephoto lens is useful for pulling distant scenes to you while a wide lens is great when you're trying to get a whole town/city in the shot. A tripod's also handy if you're using longer lenses but not always a necessity and they won't be allowed in some locations. If shooting at night, a camera with good low-light capabilities will come in handy. 

  2. Locations

Don't look for your nearest skyscraper, get in a lift, ride to the top floor and start snapping shots of the city. You'll cause more trouble than it's worth, and there are plenty of other places that don't have huge panes of glass between you and the view.

If you're away you probably have a balcony you can get a few shots from or if your hotel has a roof terrace head up there with your kit and set up somewhere out of the way. Just ask if it's OK to do this first otherwise you could raise a few eyebrows. Look out for observation decks, bridges and even the big wheels that are popping up in cities. These usually take an hour to complete a full circle giving you ample time to get a few cracking shots.

 

3. New Look

Shooting straight down on a building that's been photographed hundreds and hundreds of time will instantly make your shot stand out and it will give you the opportunity to include the nearby streets to highlight the shapes and patterns not usually seen. You'll also be able to see how shadows are elongated and help add texture to your image. If you're not far enough away from the town/city all the buildings could appear to be all on the same level so you'll have nothing that distinguishes between foreground or background interest. To combat this problem look for something you can have in your foreground to help break up the shot.

 

 

4. Not So High

If heights aren't your thing why not try climbing a few steps or even standing on a wall to escape the standard view we usually see in shots. Looking over the bannister of a spiral staircase, for example, works well but it is something that's overdone and a little clichéd so be warned. Try taking a walk up a hill in the countryside near a city and you'll be able to shoot down to capture a cityscape.
 

5. Close-Up Work

Look out for buildings which stand out and use your telephoto lens to home in on them. These could be well-known landmarks, churches or even football stadiums.
 

6. Keep Your Feet On The Ground

If you want a series bird's eye view why not try a spot of kite photography? Some have even tried throwing their camera up in the air to put a unique twist on photography from a height. Although, this isn't something we'd recommend doing! 

   

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition  

Want to photograph portraits that don't look like deer caught in headlights or someone telling campfire ghost stories? While we might obsess over the Milky Way, the stars, or even light painting, most photographers don't figure out how to take fantastic portraits of people in their night or astro-landscape photos—something that looks polished, dramatic, and intentional. Here's how.

 

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By the early 1840s, a daguerreotype portrait no longer took a quarter of an hour. Faster plates and brighter lenses had cut a studio sitting to under a minute, short enough to hold a pleasant face without much strain. Yet for the next 60 years, almost nobody in front of a camera smiled.

 

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Seven habits kept your photos from looking as good as the ones you admire, and most of them have nothing to do with your camera. The fixes are small, immediate, and free.

 

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Most beginners think editing is where a photo gets fixed. The truth is closer to the opposite: the edit accounts for roughly 20% of the final image, and the shot you took in camera carries the other 80%.

 

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The image, by BillRookery, is titled 'The Warmth Before Winter' and is a very natural capture of this morning landscape. The early 5am start provided just enough soft light to give an impression of a calm sunrise across the scene.

The golden and amber tones in the sky add a warm colour to the scene, while sunlight hitting the tall grass highlights the slope of the hill. A single sheep eating quietly in the grass also adds something special. The large tree standing at the top of the hill brings the whole morning view together.

Every Photo of the Week (POTW) winner will be rewarded with a Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card with SD adapter, providing top-tier storage for all your creative needs across multiple devices. But that's not all! In January 2027, we'll crown our 2026 Photo of the Year winner, who will take home the ultimate prize of a Samsung Portable 1TB SSD T7 Shield, courtesy of Samsung. It’s time to shoot, submit, and showcase your best work for a chance to win these incredible rewards!

Want to be our next POTW winner? Just upload an image to our gallery where you'll also find all of our past POTW winners. See the terms and conditions for more information.

Viltrox released three APS-C lenses for Fujifilm in silver, the 9mm f/2.8, the 15mm f/1.7, and the 25mm f/1.7, and each one fills a focal length and aperture gap that Fujifilm's own lineup leaves open. The mix of speed, sharpness, and a light body makes these worth a serious look if you shoot street or travel.

 

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You shoot a conference in a dim ballroom, your shutter speed drops too low, and every frame comes back with a little motion blur. The fix costs real money, and the choice between a faster lens and a better camera body decides how you spend it.

 

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