Let’s face it: Many of us are constantly chasing the latest innovations in cameras, lenses, and even important accessories. This quick discussion from Adorama TV explores whether you really need a costly pro camera or if a less-expensive mid-range model is more than suffieient for your type of photography.

If the camera you currently own functions properly, with all the features you require, conventional wisdom suggests that you may be better off spending your hard-earned cash on better glass, rather than a new high-end camera.

Today’s video was prompted by a query submitted to the Ask David Bergman website, an interesting meeting place where photo enthusiasts can pose questions to the NY-based pro whose replies are based upon 30 years of experience shooting sports, celebrity portraits,  live performances and more.

The question from Jeff G. is this: “I was looking through the Canon R Series lineup and to my surprise the specs of the R3 and R6 Mark II are very similar except for the price. If the specs are close, why would anyone buy the more expensive R3?”  Equally surprising is Bergman’s response.

According to Bergman, it’s easy to get caught up in the specs listed on paper, and many of them look much the same. However, “there are real-world differences than can be significant. And this is especially true if you’re comparing high-end models to mid-range ones.” In short, it’s not just about megapixels and frames-per-second (fps) because there are other factors that can play a crucial role—one reason why it’s important to carefully differentiate between what you want and what you need.

Bergman’s intent is to help you make an informed purchasing decision rather than always “going for the gold”—even if you’re loaded with cash. And there’s much  more to consider than you may think. To that end he makes a distinction between specs and real-world performance.

Topics of note include build-quality and durability, the difference between autofocus systems frame rate and battery life. Bergman also discusses sensor and processor performance, resolution and other high-end options.

He concludes the video with a thoughtful comparison of the two cameras mentioned in the question above. One way to look at it is that you usually get what you pay for. You can view more pertinent photo questions and answers by paying a visit to the Ask David Bergman website. And feel free to pose queries of your own.

Arriving at a correct exposure can often be difficult when shooting outdoors. This is particularly true when capturing expansive landscape scenes with a wide range of tones from deep shadows to bright highlights. This tutorial from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel demonstrates a very effective Lightroom technique for balancing out the image with a perfect overall exposure.

Christion Mohrle is a highly acclaimed German landscape photographer and one of our favorite image-editing Instructors. In this 16-minute episode he demonstrates  the straightforward technique he uses to rehabilitate images that are underexposed.

There’s a link to his sample Raw file in the description beneath the video for those of you who want to follow along and make the changes yourself. Mohrle explains why he didn’t capture an HDR sequence of this complicated scene—a common approach for dealing with situations with a broad density range. He says, “I wanted to capture this with a long exposure to smooth out the water.” Unfortunately, long shutter speeds can be problematic when combined with HDR techniques.

As usual, Mohrle begins in Lightroom’s Basic panel where he makes several simple adjustments to the scene as a whole to prepare it for the selective enhancements that follow. The first step is changing the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Neutral which lessens Contrast to help preserve details in both highlights and shadows.

He also modifies White Balance, adjusts exposure, brings up shadows and blacks while dropping highlights, and adds Texture, Clarity, Contrast and Dehaze. The final step  is pumping up Saturation and Vibrance. With the image significantly improved, the fun part of the edit begins with discrete local enhancements to different areas within the frame.

Mohrle opens Lightroom’s masking panel and uses the Rectangular Selection tool to target and enhance a prominent dark tree in the foreground. He continues by applying a Liner Gradient over the water closest to the camera, using the Subtract command so that these adjustments won’t affect the tree.

After a couple more masks it’s now time to complete the transformation with thoughtful color grading, subtle sharpening, and a bit of simple cleanup. Mohrle’s instructional YouTube channel features many more how-to videos like this one, so be sure to take a look.

We also suggest watching a tutorial we posted recently from another post-processing expert who suggests three Lightroom Color tools to try instead of Hue, Saturation, and Luminance. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

If you’re just getting started in macro photography, or the images you capture leave something to be desired, this tutorial from the Naturefold YouTube channel will significantly improve the quality of your photos, with three helpful tips from a small-world expert.

Instructor Alexis has focused his attention on macro photography for the past five years, and he’s developed a recipe for capturing great images in the camera. What you’ll learn today in barely nine minutes are his three favorite tips that are guaranteed to hasten your learning curve and improve every close-up photo you shoot.

Alexis has an interesting fascination with tiny oft-ignored subjects like spiders, insects, and even slime-mold. The “foolproof” techniques demonstrated in today’s lesson are illustrated with eye-catching images that drive his points home. His first tip is valuable for other genres too; namely concentrating on the background before framing up a shot.

In fact, Alexis says the background can be just as important as the subject of an image. That’s because it’s difficult to draw attention to a tiny, key element if it’s surrounded by clutter and other distractions. One trick is to use a simple flash that will typically accentuate a creepy-crawlie by turning the background black. That’s because the output from the flash exposes for subject but doesn’t have enough power to brighten what’s further back.

In other words, illumination from a flash is significantly brighter than ambient light, and effectively replaces the shutter speed, so the only exposure settings you have to consider are aperture and ISO. Alexis suggests basic settings to try and explains a few long shutter speed tricks if you want a plain background to appear brighter and more colorful.

Alexis’ second tip may seem counterintuitive for macro photography because it involves “taking a step back, using a wider composition, and not always relying upon the maximum reproduction ratio of a high-magnification macro lens.” You’ll be quickly convinced after viewing a couple examples illustrating how this technique works.

The final tip is designed to add depth and dimension to macro photos, which usually results in more dynamic imagery. One way to get the job done is by composing a shot with simple elements in front of and behind the main subject. This works by isolating and accentuating the primary focus of the image.

As you’ll see, Alexis is a contrarian when it comes to the common practice of creating depth by focus-stacking multiple images. There’s a lot more to learn about macro photography on his instructional YouTube channel so be sure to take a look.

On a related note, you’ll also want to watch the recent tutorial we featured from another accomplished pro who demonstrates why the aperture setting in use has a huge impact on the look of the nature photographs you capture.