Focused on Quality Photos

Night City

Olympus PEN E-PL10

Olympus PEN E-PL10
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1s, photographed using a tripod

Apple iPhone 11

Apple iPhone 11
night mode (ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/20s), photographed using a tripod

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Olympus PEN E-PL10 (14–42mm f/3.5–5.6) / Night City

Night photography is significantly different from ordinary daytime photography. The main difference lies in the long exposure time, which in some cases can last several tens of seconds. It always depends on what you are taking a picture of and under what lighting conditions. By keeping the shutter open longer, the sensor can capture light for a longer period of time and, as a result, capture more detail. The amount of light also strongly depends on the size of the sensor (more precisely the size of its light-sensitive points). At the moment, the advantage of SLRs is obvious - their sensors are many times larger than the sensors of mobile phones, which is reflected in the quality of photos.

Working with a long exposure time requires special shooting methods. A photo taken in this way is very prone to blurring. In order for the sensor to capture a sharp image, you must present it with a completely static scene. This means that you cannot shake it or move it, not even ever-so-slightly, otherwise the entire image is going to be out of focus. If a moving object enters the images, only the object is going to be blurred. This can sometimes lead to a very interesting photography effect. It could be for example headlights of passing cars as light lines or "drawing" with lights (sparklers, candles, flashlights, etc.).

Ensuring that your camera is firmly supported is crucial for capturing a high-quality, long-exposure image. Shooting handheld is out of the question, you are going to need a tripod. However, even that might prove to be problematic, because you can easily move the camera when you press the shutter-release button. It is therefore better to use a remote control or a timer.

How Did We Photograph the Night City?

Because we took pictures of the city, and it looks impressive especially when using a larger focal length (with more zoom), we chose the longest lens available. At the same time, however, we set the lowest aperture. We left ISO at 200 to avoid unnecessary image noise. All that was left was to set the shutter speed - one second gave us an exposure suitable for capturing the scene in great quality

Principles of Shooting Night Photography

If you decide to take pictures at night, find a suitable place and remember the following important points:

Use a robust tripod - Not all tripods are created equal. You always want to use a tripod that is solid, and that's not all. Some may get knocked over by the wind. If you want to take pictures at night, don't be afraid to invest in a good tripod, it can last you for decades.
Take pictures with a long exposure time - We explained this above. Long exposure times ensure that the sensor can pick up light longer. In this way, the scene will appear significantly brighter in the photo than what the human eye can see.
Try to use low ISO - This applies to all photos in general. The lower the ISO, the better - you get better photos. Although some situations require higher ISO values, a night scene which can brightened with a slower shutter speed is not one of them.

iPhone 11
night mode (ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/20s), photographed using a tripod

Olympus PEN E-PL10
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1s, photographed using a tripod

Cropped details of the photos

Other Olympus Cameras

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III + 14-42mm EZ, Black

1,329 €

excl. VAT 1,107.50 €

Portrait

Canon 250D

Canon 250D
ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/250s

Samsung Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy S20
Portrait mode (ISO 40, f/2, 1/100s)

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Even with a cheap SLR camera, you can take portraits that mobile phones can only dream of. At first glance, you can easily notice the differences in the background. By blurring it, the SLR more significantly and also more naturally isolates the photographed subject, which gives the photograph a professional look. Because its effective blur is delivered by high-quality lens optics, you don't need to worry about unsightly imperfections that can be caused by software or mobile phone portrait modes.

Why does a SLR portrait look so much better than a mobile phone portrait? The answer is a combination of a low aperture (the lens transmits a large amount of light to the sensor) and a larger focal length (zoom levels). As a result, only objects at the distance that we focus on stay sharp. Anything closer to the lens or further away is out of focus. The level of blurring depends on how the distance of the subject that is out of focus differs from the distance of the subject in focus.

In the presented photograph, this optical phenomenon is nicely demonstrated by the tree branch. Closer to the camera, it is completely out of focus, but as it comes closer to the focus point (the woman's face), it sharpens gradually. If it continued straight, it would become blurred again and merge with the background. The phones are not able to imitate this effect, as you can see in the second photo taken by the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the iPhone 11, which currently belong to the category of the best camera mobile phones.

How Did We Take the Portrait?

To take the portrait, we used the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, which is cheap and at the same time of high quality and therefore it is a great portrait lens for beginners. When taking the portrait, we took full advantage of its potential and set the aperture to f/1.8 to get a beautifully blurred background. We kept the sensitivity of the sensor (ISO) at 100, because the scene provided enough light and low ISO ensures a minimum of undesired image noise. Its aperture-priority mode then automatically calculated the shutter speed of 1/250s for a correctly exposed image.

Principles of Portrait Photography

Photography is an art form and a portrait can have many forms, but it is most regularly defined as a sharp object on a blurred background. We refer to this phenomenon as a shallow depth of field. To achieve the ideal portrait effect, we must strive to meet the following:

Use a small aperture - you need to select a lens that has the smallest aperture possible and use it in this way. The lower the aperture (f /1.8, but f/1.4 or f/1.2 are even better), the better the background. When shooting, we can easily set up the so called "aperture-priority" mode.

Use a larger focal length - the larger the focal length of a lens (zoom level), the more blurred the background. To achieve the widest possible background, it is advisable to combine a "long focus" with a low aperture. Beginners can do with 50mm f/1.8, but professionals use for example 85mm f/1.2 for better results.

Go as close to the subject as possible - yes, even the distance between the camera and the subject significantly affects the way the background is going to look in the picture. To maximize backgound blur, take a picture at the shortest distance the lens allows you to focus. In this way, you can achieve a basic portrait even with a lens with a relatively poor aperture.

Canon 250D
ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/250s

Samsung S20
Portrait mode (ISO 40, f/2, 1/100s)

Detailed cutouts of the photos

Other Canon Cameras

Canon EOS 250D Black + 18-55mm IS STM + 50mm

939 €

excl. VAT 782.50 €

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Canon EOS 250D black + 18-55mm EF-S + SB130 camera bag + 16GB memory card

799 €

excl. VAT 665.83 €

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Capturing Motion

Canon 250D

Canon 250D
ISO 100, f/2.2 50mm, 1/2500 s

Samsung Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy S20
ISO 50, f/2 5.9mm, 1/400 s

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Have you ever looked at a sports photo captured at the right moment and admired the photographer's readiness? If so, you may get disappointed by what we are going to say now. Sports photography is not an easy discipline and it does require readiness, but modern cameras make it much easier. They can focus very quickly, track the moving object in focus and then capture it many times per second. It means that if you are in the right place at the right time and you choose the right composition, it is likely that you will be going home with excellent photos.

Continuous shooting (i.e. a series of photos captured in quick succession) is a feature found in the majority of modern cameras. The Canon 250D can capture 5 shots per second, which is sufficient for amateur photographers, but it does not match the values of professional DSLR and mirrorless cameras. The first-class Canon EOS 1D X Mark III whose price reaches 190,000 Kč is able to capture 16 shots per second if you use its optical viewfinder. Although the 1D X series meet the needs of professional photographers with almost all their features, fast continuous shooting is the reason why many choose to pay a higher price.

Even mobile phones come equipped with some form of continuous shooting and it usually works as the feature found in cameras – shots are captured automatically for as long as you hold the shutter-release button. However, you shouldn't expect that the mobile phone will provide you with photos of the same quality as a DSLR camera. A camera has a larger sensor with a much higher native resolution, which means that it can capture more detail with less image noise. This can be observed in the test photos in the boy's face. Let's not forget the effective background blur, which can only be achieved by using a camera, a fast lens and a longer focal length.

How Did We Take the Portrait?

We equipped the Canon EOS 250D with a 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, which can be considered a short telephoto lens (a lens with a bigger zoom) on an APS-C camera. We were shooting in aperture-priority mode, the aperture was set to f/2.2. With this aperture, the details are sharper and there is enough light for a nicely blurred background. Both devices were set to the lowest ISO possible and exposure times were adjusted automatially. The camera set its exposure time to 1/2500s, which resulted in a sharp picture. The mobile phone stopped at 1/436s, which made the wheels unpleasantly blurry.

Principles of Capturing Motion

This article contains one more section concerned with motion in which we describe how we took a photo of a running dog. You can find more useful tips there, but so far let's not forget these points:

Use small apertures – Fast moving objects (people, animals, etc.) change a lot in motion. A person who is being photographed may blink or make a funny face. With continuous shooting, there is a higher chance of a good-quality picture.
Use longer focal length – On a bright day, you should capture motion in aperture-priority mode, because it will provide the most control over the appearance of your photo (especially a blurred background). Under these conditions and with a small aperture, your camera will always set a short exposure time, so you don't need to worry about sharpness. However, if the lighting conditions are worse, select time-priority mode so that it cannot go down and cause blurred photos. Time-priority mode should also be selected if you want to try panning.
Go as close to the object as possible – Choosing composition is very difficult in sports photography and it requires practice. A good picture is measured not only by the captured object but also by its execution.

Canon 250D
ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/250s

Samsung S20
Portrait mode (ISO 40, f/2, 1/100s)

Cropped details of the photos

Other Canon Cameras

Canon EOS 250D Black + 18-55mm IS STM + 50mm

939 €

excl. VAT 782.50 €

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Canon EOS 250D black + 18-55mm EF-S + SB130 camera bag + 16GB memory card

799 €

excl. VAT 665.83 €

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Nature Photography

Nikon Z50

Nikon Z50
ISO 140, f/6.3, 1/400s, detail

Apple iPhone 11

Apple iPhone 11
automatic mode (ISO 32, f/1.8, 1/1124s), zoomed in, detail

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When photographing wildlife, your best friend is a quality telephoto lens, which you simply cannot find in a mobile phone. It allows you to capture the subject from a great distance, while filling a large part of the shot with it. No wild animal is going to let you make such close contact so that you could take a picture of it using a standard, let alone wide-angle lens. With a telephoto lens, you can stand far enough not to scare the animal away, but capture it as if you were standing next to it.

In addition to the zoom itself, a great advantage of telephoto lenses is their ability to produce a shallow depth of field (and therefore a significantly blurred background) even at a higher aperture. No matter what telephoto lens you take, there is a good chance that you will be able to achieve a nice visual isolation of the subject. Moreover, thanks to the quality of the photos, you can print them in large formats without any worries.

With the latest, almost miniature, yet powerful mirrorless cameras, you can easily pack a telephoto lens even if you don't want to carry bulky baggage - for example on a hiking tour. New Z-mount lenses are also available for the new Nikon mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor. This also applies to telephoto lenses. So if you pack the Nikon Z50 with a 16-50mm set lens and a 50-250mm telephoto lens, your complete photo equipment will weigh less than one kilogram, which you'll surely appreciate on long hikes.

How Did We Take Pictures of Wildlife?

For maximum zoom, we used a focal length of 250mm and the lowest aperture that the lens offered, i.e. f/6.3. We also chose a relatively fast shutter speed (1/400s) to eliminate any unwanted blurring due to unsteady hands. The focal length of our lens appears to be 370mm due to the APS-C sensor's 1.5× crop factor. Optical lens stabilization (VR) would allow us to slightly increase the time, but by using a shorter time, we were also able to make sure that the animal will be sharp even if it moves. The sensitivity of ISO 200 was a guarantee of practically indistinguishable image noise.

Principles of Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photography is usually carried out by very purposeful photographers who are willing to wait outdoors for hours to take a good picture. If this is not your idea of the perfect hobby, you can still capture wildlife in interesting ways. All you have to do is go to a place where you find many wild animals - to a nature reserve, the field or the zoo. In any case, you should not forget these points:

Use a fast shutter speed - Due to the long lens. When photographing handheld, the shutter speed should not be faster than 1/focal length. Therefore, the shooting time with a 50mm lens should not exceed 1/50s (1/250s for a 250mm lens, etc.). The time should be even shorter if you are photographing an animal in motion.
Use a monopod - A monopod is a one-legged compact tripod that is easy to carry, and also relieves you of holding the camera for a long time while waiting for the right shot. It also helps with stabilization, so you can use a longer exposure time if needed.
Be careful - Wild animals get frightened very easily. To get the best pictures, you have to move carefully and extremely quietly. A photo of a relaxed animal in its natural habitat is much more impressive and valuable than a photo of an animal running away from you.

Apple iPhone 11
automatic mode (ISO 32, f / 1.8, 1/1124 s), zoomed in, detail

Apple iPhone 11
automatic mode (ISO 32, f/1.8, 1/1124s), zoomed in, detail

Nikon Z50
ISO 140, f/6.3, 1/400s, detail

Cropped details of the photos

Other Nikon Cameras

Animal in Motion

Sony A6100

Sony A6100
ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/500s

Apple iPhone 11

Apple iPhone 11
automatic mode (ISO 32, f/1.8, 1/237s), zoomed in

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There are many different ways to take pictures of movement. Movement can be completely frozen using a very short exposure time, but it can also be shown in various ways with a longer exposure times. However, the fact is that when capturing moving objects, it is absolutely crucial to have easy access to camera settings, which is not available in a mobile phone. Photo applications often feature "manual" mode, but it does not provide the same level of control as a mirrorless camera.

If you want to completely freeze motion in the picture, at first you need to use a very fast shutter speed (1/1000s or even faster). In this case, the image will be completely sharp - if you take a picture of a flying bird of prey, for example, with this time, even its fast-vibrating feathers will be without movement. On the other hand, if you opt for at least a partial display of motion, you will need to slow down the shutter speed (e.g. between 1/500 and 1/300s). If you decide to take a picture of a running horse with such settings, his head will be pretty sharp, but the faster moving legs will be blurred.

The masterful form of capturing motion is the so-called panning. It's achieved by setting a very slow shutter speed (often longer than 1/100s) and trying to keep only the moving subject sharp. Everything else is blurred. To create this effect, you need to move the camera at the same speed as the moving object and press the shutter-release button at the right moment. This is a technique that needs to be thoroughly trained - you can practice on passing cars.

How Did We Photograph Motion?

We decided to capture the dog in a sharp and vivid way. Because we didn't want to freeze it completely, we chose an exposure time of 1/500s, which allowed slightly blurred legs. Since this is a relatively short time and the lens has a relatively low aperture (f/6.3) when zoomed in like this, we had to compensate the exposure with higher ISO (800). Although this brought a bit of noise into the image, it is still practically indiscernible under these lighting conditions.

Principles of Motion Photography

Capturing motion is not an easy discipline at all. It requires a considerable amount of training and good skills in camera settings. You will learn the most by practicing. To make it easier to get started, follow these guidelines:

Think about shutter speed - Think about what you want the resulting photo to look like in advance. Is the subject moving very fast and you want to completely freeze it in motion? Set the shutter speed to at least 1/1000s. Do you want to capture some of the motion? Choose values from 1/500 to 1/200s. If you opt for panning, you usually have to go below these values and move the camera very smoothly.
Don't forget about other settings - Time is very important when capturing motion, but it is linked with ISO and aperture. If the lighting conditions of a scene require it, set the lowest possible aperture and don't be afraid to increase ISO.
Don't be afraid of blurred photos - If you're taking photos of moving objects, you shouldn't automatically consider a blurred picture to be a failure. On the contrary, proper blurring convinces our brains that we are looking at a photograph that is about to start moving. Effective motion photography is not only a test of your photography technique, but also of your skills.

Apple iPhone 11
automatic mode (ISO 32, f/1.8, 1/237s), zoomed in

Sony A6100
ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/500s

Sony A6100>
ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/500s

Sony A6100
ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/500s

Cropped details of the photos

Other Sony Cameras

Sony Alpha A6100 Black + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS SEL + 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 SEL

1,239 €

excl. VAT 1,032.50 €

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Sony Alpha A6100 black + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS SEL

899 €

excl. VAT 749.17 €

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Sony Alpha A6400 + 16-50mm Black

1,149 €

excl. VAT 957.50 €

Buy

Sony Alpha A6400 + 18-135mm OSS Black

1,390 €

excl. VAT 1,158.33 €

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Sony Alpha A7 III + FE 28-70mm OSS

1,699 €

excl. VAT 1,415.83 €

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Sunrise/Sunset

Fujifilm X-T200

Fujifilm X-T200
ISO 320, f / 11, 1/25 p

Samsung S20

Samsung S20
automatic mode (ISO 50, f/2.2, 1/171s)

Buy

A sunset or sunrise always offer a scene with a high dynamic range - the difference between the darkest and brightest place is usually vast. Therefore, it can be difficult to choose the right settings. If you adjust the exposure (the amount of captured light) to bright places, the darker parts will be so dark that you will see very little of them. However, if you choose a setting according to dark places, you will burn the bright ones.

It is obvious that taking a quality photo in such conditions is usually not easy at all. Powerful mirrorless sensors make it quite easy, because they are able to capture the dynamic range significantly better than small mobile phone sensors. In practice, this means that when you take the same photo with your phone and your camera, the camera retains detail and natural light even in very dark (or bright) places, while your mobile phone does not.

The performance of mobile phones is very variable - on a clear day, they may take outdoor pictures that are almost indistinguishable from professional mirrorless cameras. However, with sunsets, interiors and shadows, this ability completely disappears. Due to noise reduction, details may run together and be grey, simply because the mobile sensor is not sensitive enough. As you can see in the pictures provided for comparison, mirrorless cameras do not suffer from this issue.

How Did We Photograph a Sunset?

Because we wanted to capture the unique landscape characteristics of the place, we decided to set the lens to the shortest focal length (the widest angle of view). Subsequently, in the aperture-priority mode, we set a relatively high aperture of f/11 to help us get the impressive sunray beam effect. In order not to bring too much image noise into the photo, ISO remained at 320. A shutter speed of 1/25s was calculated automatically by the camera. Due to the short focal length of the lens, it was not necessary to use a tripod this time.

Principles of Photographing a Sunset

Patience is very important when photographing sunsets. It pays off to wait for the right moment. Even if you already have a good photo, you may be able to get an even better one. Just wait a moment and watch the light change. Photo applications that watch the sunset time for you also come in handy. When you're on the spot, remember the following tips:

Use a higher aperture - If you have any objects in the foreground, a higher aperture will ensure that they are sharp. It is also necessary for capturing the effective sunrays. The higher the aperture, the bolder the sunrays. The optimal range is from f/11 to f/16.
Shoot in RAW - You get the most of a camera's sensor when shooting in RAW Although it may not look much different at first, it is lossless and offers greater flexibility for postproduction. Colour correction, exposure adjustments and other postproduction are extra work, but this way you get the best-quality photos.
Take several photos at different exposures - Shoot at different exposures based on light and dark places. In postproduction on your PC, you can decide which photo captured the most detail. You can also use bracketing and HDR mode, which automatically captures a series of differently exposed images and immediately combines them into a single, visually unconventional photo.