Cameras

The Best Bang for the Buck Digital Camera by Paulo Makalinao

Quick and easy, the EOS RP is, in my opinion, the best bang for the buck digital camera that you can get right now, considering it’s still around December 2020 when you’re reading this. I actually bought this camera for it’s full, original MSRP in February 2019 at $1299, which included the body, a grip, and an adapter for my EF lenses. Even then, I thought this was a stellar deal. Now, although it’s just the body, the EOS RP can often be had for sub-$1000 and even sub-$700 if you buy it certified refurbished on Canon’s website. Keeping in mind its price, here is what the EOS RP has going for it and what it lacks. But despite its setbacks, its value per dollar is the best.

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The Near Ultimate Guide for Buying a Used Film Camera by Paulo Makalinao

So you’re getting into film photography for the first time, and you’re just about to pull the trigger on your first purchase. But you’re scared of buying a 40-year old camera that could potentially not work. How do you ensure that you’re buying a film camera that functions properly? You’re in luck because after buying a bunch of used cameras in the last couple of months (thanks, quarantine), I’ve more or less caught onto what to look out for. And I’ve made a lot of mistakes to get to this point. For the most part, this guide pertains well to 35mm cameras as well as entry-level medium format cameras.

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Why Your Next Camera Upgrade is Mirrorless by Paulo Makalinao

I recently read an article on Medium about how a mirrorless camera should not be your next upgrade after having owned DSLRs. Now, I’m not sure whether this author has ever shot on mirrorless, but I’ve never disagreed with an author more. If you ever have the opportunity to shoot and experience a mirrorless camera for an extended period of time, you will almost never want to go back to shooting on a DSLR. For professional work, especially, mirrorless is definitely here to stay, and I have little to no reason to look backward.

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Film Photography: What I Learned on my First Rolls of Film by Paulo Makalinao

About two weeks ago, I went out and bought my very first film camera, the coveted Canon AE-1. This was probably the most typical choice I could have made when choosing a film camera. But I was already buying FD lenses for adapting on mirrorless, and so buying the AE-1 or the A-1, which only the former was present at the open market, made a lot of sense to me.

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5 Ways to Make Shooting Photography Fun Again by Paulo Makalinao

I remember when I first started shooting with my Canon Rebel camera. All I had was that body and the kit lens, the humble beginning many of us know. But I took my camera with me everywhere. I shot everything. I shot everyone. I even shot my friends in the cafeteria during lunch. I really, really loved taking photos, and I still do. But then I started to progress throughout the years. I got jobs and found clients. I bought all the gear and lenses I needed. I started to become everything I was hoping to become.

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The Biggest Misconception About Camera Gear by Paulo Makalinao

I’m frustrated today. I’ve been frustrated about this for a while actually, and I’m sure many photographers and creators are as well. There’s a big misconception about camera gear. You probably already know it. Maybe you don’t. That’s also okay. In the simplest way possible, my problem with the photography world is that somehow, you need to have expensive gear in order to be a real, professional photographer. Besides this just being a blatant example of what’s called gatekeeping, it’s just bad practice to consider.

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Why You Should be Buying Cheap Camera Lenses by Paulo Makalinao

Today, I’m going to make the argument of why you should buy some cheap lenses much more often regardless of your stage in the art form. But at the same time, I’m also going to tell you exactly which cheap lenses to look out for because, well, you can’t just buy any of them. Cheap lenses are a like a diamond in the rough. You have to wipe some dirt off of the rocks to know which one is a gem.

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