Category: Making Videos

Focusing on all of my efforts around the art of making videos and social media. Camera, lens, and equipment reviews. I also share tutorials on anything I have learned over the years.

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Canon FD Lens Aperture Lock

A quick follow-up on the “Old Canon Lenses” vlog I posted a few weeks ago…

Those over-exposed pictures really bothered me and I realized that the aperture blades in the lens were not moving when I moved the ring.

Canon FD aperture blades will lock at 5.6 if you don’t manually unlock them or make sure you have an adapter that has an unlocking mechanism. The K&F Lens Mount Adapter does have this feature.

Even though I figured out the issue, I am not sure if these manual lenses are for me. But I am learning more.

This video also has detailed instructions on how to unlock Canon FD aperture blades:

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Tripod and Mounting Plate Ecosystems

I am so tired of having to take mounting plates off my camera and screwing new ones on when I need to use different sized tripods.

After looking at a Peak Design video for their newish tripod, I saw how their one mounting plate interchanged with all of their capture systems – and I wondered if I can find a 3rd party adapter so I can use ONE PLATE for all of my tripods.

Spoiler: The answer is yes.
(The key is to find something Arca-Swiss Standard)

Here are links to the products I discussed in the video:

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Playing with old Canon Lenses

I found a two Canon FD lenses that I bought on ebay a while ago. I wondered if they would work with my Sony E-mount cameras, so I ordered an adapter ring and started playing around.

The lenses:

  • Canon FD 50MM 1.8
  • Canon FD 35MM 2.8

I took pictures indoors and out, and did some talking head video indoors.

My general conclusion is – while it is nice to play with old lenses, the new technology is far superior and makes life so much easier. You can not self-film/vlog with old manual lenses. I also really needed a ND filter outside.

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Genaray LED-6800 Light Review

I purchased the Genaray LED 6800 light via a B&H daily sale last week and wanted to do a review since there isn’t much information online about it.

It gets the job done, but there are some cheaper elements to the design and connection points that need additional consideration.

I also used this video as an opportunity to test out different shots within my house to film videos.

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Lens Review: Sony 18-105MM F4 Zoom

I recently purchased a used Sony 18-105MM F4 zoom lens for APS-C cameras on Ebay and decided to do a proper review.

I test both video and pictures as well as compared the performance to a 35MM F1.8.

It is a well-built lens and a decent performer, but it has some issues in the corners, it isn’t next level crispy, but what do you want for an 8-year-old zoom lens?

Bonus – Right Out of the Box Impressions:

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Camera Purchasing Advice

I made so many mistakes buying cameras and lenses that I thought I would make a video (hopefully) helping you avoid the same pitfalls.

In this video I discuss:

  • How to save $$$ on camera equipment
  • The first type of lens you should buy
  • Features that are important for someone starting out (not just fancy specs)