FlyWithX

Cameras

Canon

Lens mount

  • RF: for mirrorless
  • EF: dates back to 1987; compatible with every EOS camera ever produced (with adapters). When mounting an EF lens to an APS-C-size sensor, you need to multiply the focal length by 1.6x to work out the equivalent in 35mm terms.
  • EF-S: for APS-C.
  • EF-M: exclusively for EOS M. Even more compact compared to the EF and EF-S.

How to decode Canon lenses

  • Prime: describing a fixed focal length lens, i.e., a lens that doesn’t zoom.
  • USM: Ultra Sonic Motor, quieter and faster than standard motors used in cheaper lenses.
  • STM: stepper motor, a much quieter AF performance, uses fly-by-wire focusing, which means turning the focus ring doesn’t physically move the elements, but tells the AF motor to do so.
  • IS: Image Stabilisation.
  • L-series: top-end, professional-grade lenses.
  • I, II, III: lens’ generation.

Mirrorless

"EOS-1D X Mark III is our last DSLR" (introduced in 2020)

  • R: RF mount
    • EOS R3: Full-Frame, 2021
    • EOS R5: Full-Frame, 2020
    • EOS R6: Full-Frame, 2020
    • EOS R7: APS-C, 2022
    • EOS R: Full-Frame, 2018
    • EOS RP: Full-Frame, 2019
  • M: APS-C, EF-M mount

Phone Cameras

Google Pixel 6 Pro:

  • ultra wide camera: 114 field of view, f/2.2 aperture
  • wide camera: 50mp, f/1.85, 1/1.31 image sensor size
  • telephoto camera: 48 MP 1/2 image sensor size

Gimbal

DJI RS 2 / RSC (C=Compact) 2

Action Cameras

  • Osmo Action 5 battery: 1950 mAh
  • Osmo Action 3/4 battery: 1770mAh

Filters

ND Filter

An ND (Neutral Density) filter acts like sunglasses for your camera lens. It uniformly reduces the amount of light entering the lens without changing the color. This is useful for a few key reasons:

  • Long exposures: You can use a slow shutter speed in bright conditions to create motion blur, like silky smooth waterfalls or streaky car lights.
  • Wider apertures: You can open your aperture to achieve a shallow depth of field (blurry background) even in bright light, which is great for portraits.

Polarizing Filter

To get rid of reflections, you need to use a polarizing filter (CPL). Think of a CPL as being similar to polarized sunglasses. It works by selectively blocking light waves that are vibrating in a specific direction. Since reflections from non-metallic surfaces like glass or water are made of polarized light, a CPL can effectively eliminate them.

By rotating the filter, you can adjust the amount of polarization and control the intensity of the reflection you want to remove.