Written on the front
As a creator who likes graphic content, a good picture can not only show the product features more intuitively, but also increase the readability of the article. Time is precious, the importance of pictures is becoming more and more important, as a novice photographer, let's talk about the various gadgets I used in recent shooting, combined with the process to talk about feelings, to help you quickly take a good picture of your favorite.
It's about style
Novices are still learning, and you can check out the following two articles about my current shooting style:
Summary of 2023: Long-term test experience, real sharing, and talk about this year's digital goodies in my heart
Reminisce about the digital age, relive the charm of technology, and talk about the classic digital products I used in those years
About the catalog
(1) Sony CF-A, SanDisk SD card
(2) Green hard disk enclosure
(3) Godox flash, 100 yuan photographic lamp
(4) Other accessories: tripod, camera quick release bean, background plate, cleaning kit, etc
⑤ 软件「Imaging Edge Desktop」「Creators」
(6) Sony A7M4, Sigma, Sony prime lenses
01 Preparation before shooting: The main thing is to check the storage and power of the camera, so start here.
Sony CF-A card, SanDisk SD memory card
At the moment I am using a Sony mirrorless A7M4 with two memory cards: CFexpress Type A (CF-A) card and SD card.
Sony CF-A card
CF-A card is a new high-performance memory card standard designed for photography and video shooting, with the advantage of higher transfer speeds, capable of supporting higher continuous shooting speeds and larger video streaming data transfers, and capable of all the features of the A7M4. The disadvantages are also obvious, first of all, it is expensive, much more expensive than ordinary SD cards, and secondly, CF-A cards are smaller in size, and ordinary SD card slots cannot be used, so you need to buy a card reader separately.
If you have high-speed continuous shooting (such as capturing children), increasing video recording bitrate, etc., CF-A card is one of the accessories you will buy sooner or later, and CF-A card is very durable, unless you replace the whole set of equipment, otherwise this card can really accompany you for a long time.
At present, there are also Sony original CF-A replacement cards in China, such as Tianshuo, Lexar, etc., the price of the original 80G has dropped a lot, but the price of 160G is still relatively high, if there is a high demand for large capacity, you can take a look at these two domestic brands, which also have a good performance in read and write speed.
SanDisk SD card
Compared with CF-A cards, the price of SD is more affordable, because there are still many types of SD cards, I recommend the V60 and V90 series with large capacity and high speed.
My SD card is still used with the Canon 600D before, because I bought the CF-A card, I haven't upgraded it yet, but I'm going to buy a large-capacity SD card later.
Overall, my experience with my CF and SD memory cards was very good. They provide a fast, stable, and reliable storage solution that gives me peace of mind and satisfaction when shooting and storing photos, videos. I would have no hesitation in recommending these memory cards to other users.
绿联 M.2 NVMe 移动硬盘盒
It is the habit of many photographers to format the memory card before turning it on, so how do you back up the previous shooting footage?
As we all know, the storage price of MacBook Pro is comparable to gold, so when configuring MacBook, priority is given to upgrading memory, and insufficient storage can be solved by moving SSDs, especially the emergence of domestic M.2 SSD hard drives, which greatly reduce the price of SSDs, and can be used as mobile SSDs with an M.2 hard drive enclosure.
Compared with buying a branded SSD mobile hard drive directly, the combination price of M.2+ hard disk enclosure is lower, and at the same time, it is also very flexible, M.2 hard disk can be a disassembled hard disk, or an upgraded and replaced hard disk, giving full play to the vitality of the hard disk, digital product long-termism. I chose the Greenlink M.2 NVMe portable hard drive enclosure to match the replaced hard drive, and talk about the use experience.
First of all, the green link M.2 hard disk case adopts a simple and fashionable appearance, the shell is made of aluminum alloy material, giving people a feeling of durability, the size of the box is also very small, easy to carry and place, in order to provide a better feel also with a silicone protective cover, which can not only cushion the shock, but also improve the grip.
Secondly, in terms of installation, the Greenlink M.2 hard disk enclosure is very simple and easy to use. Open the box—insert the hard disk—stick the silicone heat dissipation—cover the lid, and novice users can easily get started and install. It is also equipped with screw fixing holes to ensure that the drive is securely mounted and will not come loose.
As a reminder, don't forget to stick silicone for heat dissipation, better heat dissipation can help the hard drive transfer data continuously and at high speeds.
Connectivity: Greenlink M.2 hard disk enclosure has a wide range of compatibility, supports Thunderbolt 4/3, USB 4, 3.2 and other protocols, and can be connected with various devices. The official advertisement supports 3600MB+ transfer speed, let's see how it actually performs (the transfer speed is affected by the type of hard disk, data cable and other factors, it is recommended to use the data cable provided by the official).
With a MacBook Pro paired with a Western Digital NVMe 2T SSD, the measured write speed is 2400+MB/s and read is 3000+MB/s, which is in line with USB4 transfer speeds. The overall transfer speed is not only fast, but also stable, which can quickly transfer large-capacity files, which improves my work efficiency, allows me to switch between Macs and tablets at will, and makes it easier to retouch and view pictures.
It is worth mentioning that the Greenlink M.2 hard disk enclosure also performs very well in terms of heat dissipation. The inside of the box is designed with a cooling fan, and at the same time, the metal body + hollow design + heat dissipation silicone is matched to effectively reduce the working temperature of the hard disk and maintain good stability and reliability.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the experience of using this Greenlink M.2 hard disk enclosure. Its clean appearance, simple installation, wide compatibility, and excellent transmission performance make me feel that it is worth the money. I would not hesitate to recommend it to other users who need an external M.2 hard drive.
Battery level check
After the question about storage is introduced, it is time to check the battery level. I usually use to copy the data after each shoot and charge the camera at the same time to prevent the battery from being low the next time I use it.
Of course, if you are a professional user or need to take a lot of photos and videos, the second and third batteries are essential. Compared with the original battery, I recommend the third-party battery, the price is cheap, there are many optional products, I am more impressed by the Type-C direct charging battery, the biggest advantage is that there is no need for a separate charger, the battery has a C port to charge directly, reducing the number of accessories to carry out.
In addition to the second battery, I usually carry a large-capacity power bank when I go out, which can recharge more devices. The outdoor environment is unknown, and the additional power support makes me feel more at ease, such as the Greenlink 145W high-power power bank, which has been introduced in previous articles, and will not be repeated here.
02 Photography is the art of using light.
As a hobby, I often shoot in the evenings and on weekends. Weekends are okay, daylight is the best light, but it is more difficult to capture the time (going out on weekends), so the evening has become my main shooting time, but the color rendering index of household lights is very low, and the shooting effect is very general.
In order to improve the shooting effect and reduce the difficulty of post-retouching, I mainly use the combination of photographic light + flash to improve the performance of color accuracy when shooting, compared to the continuous photographic light, the flash can indeed provide better white balance performance.
神牛闪光灯 V860II-S
At present, I only have a sacred cow flash on hand, so I use the most conventional top flash, but this one has basically met my needs, and the higher-level gameplay is still being explored, and the big guy is welcome to teach the skills of playing with lights. The reason why I chose Godox is mainly because it is more cost-effective.
First of all, Godox V860II-S has a wealth of functions and setting options, such as manual mode, TTL automatic exposure, high-speed synchronization, etc. As a novice photographer, the most commonly used daily is TTL auto exposure (simple, point-and-shoot operation, suitable for most shooting scenes), here are just a few points to note:
(1) Turn on the camera first to complete the metering, and then turn on the flash sync, so that you can better get the results you want;
(2) Find a good angle, learn to use reflection to fill the light of the product, more evenly, the simplest thing in daily life is to use the roof, the flash light line is reflected through the roof;
(3) If the subject and the background are too close, the flash will be lit at the same time, lacking a sense of atmosphere;
The first two points are relatively easy to do, and the third point requires a large enough shooting space, that is, a big house, which seems to be relatively difficult to achieve at present.
To get back to the point, Godox V860II-S has a built-in 2.4GHz wireless system that supports wireless control of flashes, which can be combined later to provide greater flexibility. At the same time, it has a built-in large-capacity lithium battery, supports 1.5s fast recall, 650 times of full light output, and the Sony A74 runs out of power for daily shooting, and the flash can still be used. In terms of stability, it is also good, with a fast response time and stable flash in every shot, which can provide me with reliable shooting support.
The only thing is that it is relatively heavy, and the body + lens + flash is indeed not light, but for better shooting results, these are also worth it. In addition, pay attention to compatibility issues when choosing, if you are not sure, you can communicate with customer service in advance, and the current mainstream camera brands support it.
How to choose between the second generation and the third generation? I personally recommend the second generation.
100 yuan photographic light
If the flash is still expensive, then these two always-on photography lights, with a total price of more than 100, are good helpers for night shooting.
First of all, the camera light provides me with a soft, even light that makes the details of the subject clearer and the colors fuller, which is better than a home light.
Secondly, the adjustment and control function of the camera light gives me the freedom to adjust the brightness, direction and color temperature of the light to suit different shooting scenarios and needs. By changing the angle and intensity of the light, you can achieve precise control over light and shadow, allowing you to create photos with a variety of different styles and effects.
But the shortcomings are also very obvious, first of all, it occupies an area, especially at home, unless there is a professional studio; secondly, the quality is average, I have used this for more than a year, the support frame has been broken, and the bulb has been replaced with two, but fortunately, it is not expensive, and it is not distressing to replace it. But if you have plans to develop professionally, I still recommend choosing a big brand of professional photography lights, with better quality and more accurate colors, which is also the direction of my upgrade in the future.
Other accessories
In addition to the above main accessories, there are also some scattered small accessories, I will briefly talk about the use scenarios here, so that you can quickly decide whether to start.
1 Tripod: It's been almost ten years since I started it, and I used it with Canon 600D before, and I am currently using it as a selfie and video recording, because it is a solo fight, tripod + countdown shooting, so that I can also complete a picture similar to wearing a real person.
2 Camera Quick Release Bean: Very easy to use, you can quickly switch between straps, wristbands, and bare metal shooting, and you can get used to wearing a strap when you go out, providing better protection and freeing your hands at the same time.
3. Reflector: used for lighting, basically used indoors, foldable design can be better stored, unless you go out for professional shooting, it is rarely used.
4 Background paper: It can make the background more concise, and the big guy who likes the simple style should prepare some, it is very easy to shoot small products, and it can be used with the environment map display, so that the product display, close-up, and environment map are available.
5 Camera Cleaning Kit: One of the must-have accessories that every photography enthusiast or professional photographer should have. In addition to cleaning wipes, I use air blowers the most, which is very easy to use, most of the floating soil can be easily handled, and it can also clean other digital products.
03 Use the MacBook Pro screen to view it in real time during shooting.
软件「Imaging Edge Desktop」「Creators」
Finally, I recommend an official Sony software "Imaging Edge Desktop", if you don't want to pay extra for PS, Lr, you can take a look at this software, free to use, from photo browsing, selection to post-editing can be covered, from basic color correction to advanced retouching, support to adjust exposure, contrast, color saturation and other parameters, after editing, the output function exports them to different formats and resolutions. The most important thing is to support Sony A7M4 built-in filter switching,White users can choose a favorite filter in the software,And then directly export and share。 I was using this software before I subscribed to LR.
Another important feature is the real-time photo display function, although the A7M4 has improved the performance on the screen, but the actual effect is still not satisfactory, so when shooting indoors, I will use the real-time photo preview function with the MacBook, a larger screen, more accurate colors, so that I can quickly understand the shooting effect of this photo, reducing the chance of reshooting in post.
In addition to this software, the iPhone also has a sync app "Creators" installed, which can also control the camera, as well as the real-time display function, and with the rabbit cage, you can get a better preview effect outdoors.
The only disadvantage of enabling the real-time wireless transmission function is that the power drops off quickly, so if you are shooting a lot of content, or outdoors, be sure to prepare a few more batteries or other energy supplements.
Free software can also be a good experience, and "Imaging Edge Desktop" provides a smooth and efficient photo management and editing experience, which is perfect for amateurs to get started. However, after you get started, I still strongly recommend that you choose Lr, PS, etc. as the main software in the later stage, which is not easy to use.
Sony A7M4 body, Sigma, Sony prime lens
Friends who are familiar with me should know that the camera I am currently using is a Sony mirrorless A7M4, and the lens is two prime heads: Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN, Sony 85mm F1.8, and four focal lengths can be obtained by controlling the cropping, which is already able to meet the usual product shooting. Space is limited, and I am going to talk about the experience of using the lens and body combination separately to see if it is worth buying the Sony A7M4 in 2024.
tail
I wrote a lot, mainly to introduce various accessories about photography, although it is an accessory, but it can play a big role at a critical moment, as the so-called "small body, big skill". But there is still a lot to introduce about how to take a good photo, we will share it slowly in the future, if you are interested in such articles, welcome to like, collect, comment, this is the biggest motivation for me to continue to create, thank you!!
Above, I'm Maidou Dad, a creator who likes graphic content.