Jason Lanier uses the Godox Ad600 Pro and Ad200 Pro to create stunning imagery in the Rain during his workshop in New York City.
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jason lanier sony
Jason Lanier photographs Emily Rinaldo in an abandoned hotel in Kauai, Hawaii using the Sony A7Riii and Godox Ad600 Pro modified by the Westcott Rapidbox XXL. Jason shot this with the Sony Zeiss 50 mm f/ 1.4 lens and Sigma Art 20 mm f/ 1.4 lens. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Thanks for viewing!
Join Jason Lanier and Emily Rinaldo at Lava Rock Beach in Maui, Hawaii. In this post, Jason demonstrates how to set your white balance using a grey card, the Sony A7Riii and the Rotolight Aeos. Share your thoughts in the comments below! Thank you for tuning in.
Are you interested in attending a photography workshop? Join Jason Lanier as he hosts photography workshops across the world in 2020. Some locations include but are not limited to: Annapolis, MD; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Laguna Beach, CA; Las Vegas, NV; London, UK; Louisville, KY; Melbourne AU; Nashville, TN; New York, NY: Paris, FR; Phoenix, AZ; Raleigh, NC; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Sydney, AU; Vancouver, BC; Venice IT - we hope to see you there! www.jasonlanier.com/register
Jason Lanier, bride, groom and crew charter 3 helicopters to three different glaciers to capture timeless, unique, bold, creative and elegant wedding photography. Oh, and Jason also married the couple! Check out the blog to read more. Let us know what you think!
Join me for a shoot in the Florida Everglades where my Godox AD600 Pro Battery was FRIED and quit working on me. This was a crazy shoot where my muse Emily Rinaldo and I found ourselves shooting for a short time before the sun set on a dilapidated boardwalk in the swamp. This was also a shoot that resulted in me getting my legs eaten alive by chiggers that necessitated a visit to Urgent Care.
In this shoot I was using the Sony A7iii with the Sony 12-24mm, 24-70mm G Master, and Sony Zeiss 50mm f./1.4 lenses.
**Links to Gear:
*Sony A7iii- https://bhpho.to/30TJbej
*Sony 12-24mm- https://bhpho.to/30V4R9W
*Sony 24-70mm G Master- https://bhpho.to/30VO0E6
*Sony Zeiss 50mm- https://bhpho.to/312J6oY
*Godox AD600 Pro Flash- https://bhpho.to/30XUcv4
I was using the Godox AD600 Pro for only the second time with the Westcott Rapid Box XL. I placed the light in some bushes in the swamp area as he didn't have a c stand or lightstand with me. If the light had indeed gotten wet, or the battery was impacted by the environment I certainly would mention it and show it as I have done so in the past with other videos where I have broken gear. This wasn’t the case this time around. Below are the images taken during the shoot. Some with flash, the latter shots with natural light after the light failed.
During the shoot the light started beeping repeatedly and the fully charged battery completely died. Upon returning back to the hotel that night I left the battery charging overnight. Typically it takes about 2-3 hours to fully charge a battery like this one. The battery never took a charge.
Upon asking other users about this issue it appears to be a bigger issue not related to just my experience. I contacted Godox and asked for a replacement battery which they quickly sent.
I plan on trying the light and batteries out again to see if my experience is the same or better than what I experienced on this shoot.
We thank you in advance for watching and invite you to stick around and watch a few more videos while you're here. Don't forget to click on NOTIFICATIONS and SUBSCRIBE so you're updated every time we release a new video.
Thanks!
Jason
When the Sony A6400 was announced I’ll be the first one to admit that I was a little confused as to what this camera had to offer. Just the name alone made it confusing for me to comprehend why Sony would release a camera that came in between the A6300 and the A6500. I mean, what’s the purpose of this camera?
A little while ago I had the opportunity to get my hands on one of them to give it a go. This camera quickly became my favorite of the Sony crop sensor cameras. To watch the entire review please click the video below:
The A6400 replaces the A6300 and while the body form factor remains relatively unchanged, there are some big changes on the tech side and the screen that make this a very interesting camera.
The big news from this camera is the update to the eye auto focus and the screen. This is Sony's first offering of a complete flip up screen that makes it useable for vloggers out there.
The other exciting news is that this camera has the same processor as Sony'f flagship camera, the A9. This makes it the fastest of any of the crop sensor Sony cameras and also improves the battery life nearly doubling the total expected shots from the camera on one battery charge.
Here are the things about this camera that really impressed me:
Eye Auto Focus- no need to hit a secondary button to engage the eye auto focus. This makes using this very valuable function easier than ever and also more accurate. You now even have the capability to toggle back and forth and choose which eye you would like in focus. THAT is COOL!
Flip Up Screen- Yay! We finally have a flip up screen on a modern Sony mirrorless camera. This makes it the first camera for vloggers and photographers like me who actually record a lot of video with their camera. One of the most annoying things for me personally is to keep having to go behind the camera to check for audio signals, to make sure the camera is recording etc. Having a screen that I can see as I record is a big bonus for me,
No Time Limit Recording on Video Mode- I always take a camcorder with me wherever I go because there are times when I need to record for longer than 30 minutes. The A6400 is the first Sony Mirrorless that now extends this video capability to a non camcorder body. This is one of the main reasons why I’ll be buying this camera. The ability to now use a camera like this with all of my pro level lenses is a big advantage for me over using the standard lens that comes on a camcorder and will up my video game for sure.
A9 Processor- The processor that is in Sony’s most advanced camera, the Sony A9, is now the same processor in this little guy which kinda blows me away. This results in much faster auto focus, better tracking, a better buffer and a much better battery life! This is the first breakthrough on battery life from the original small body cameras that we’ve seen and I’m sure will be celebrated by crop sensor shooters out there everywhere.
ISO Performance- I was really impressed that a crop sensor camera was giving me the ISO performance that I was able to get with some shots using this camera. Below are some shots taken at ISO 4000 with no noise reduction that shows some pretty clean images. This is the best I’ve found so far on the Sony crop sensor bodies.
Video Functionality- given the advances in auto focus tracking, no time limit on recording, better battery life, etc. this camera aims to be a vloggers dream. It also has 4k video with S Log which will make the more serious videographers out there very happy. It does NOT have IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) which will disappoint some, but the lack of IBIS is one of the main reasons the camera costs less than the A6500. If you’re serious into video work you’ll most likely be using a camera like this on a gimbal anyways so you shouldn’t need it too much anyways.
Images taken at ISO 500
Images taken at ISO 4000
**Links to Gear**
Lighting: to receive 10% off and FREE shipping please visit www.rotolight.com and enter the promo code: jasonlanier10
*Sony A6400- https://bhpho.to/2IKCRBg
*Sony 135mm G Master- https://bhpho.to/2IPq3d5
*Sony 35mm Zeiss- https://bhpho.to/2IDrv28
*Sony 50mm Zeiss- https://bhpho.to/2FmytlK
Gear Used to Record the Video:
*Sony A9- https://bhpho.to/2oOdnGF
*Sony 24-70 G Master- https://bhpho.to/2tVmFpj
*Sony AX33 Camcorder- https://bhpho.to/2IBQOgP
Summary:
Given the price, the improved technology and tilt screen, I believe the A6400 is the best crop sensor camera that Sony has to offer. I would buy and use it all day over the A6500 due to it’s flip up screen, improved battery life, faster processing, eye auto focus and more. It also is significantly cheaper which makes it a much more viable option for many photographers out there.
It is hands down a quantum leap in technology and performance over the A6000 and takes it’s place as the best bang for your buck in the Sony crop sensor marketplace. It will be the crop sensor camera in my bag and I’ll be placing the A6500 aside for now. Some people will miss the IBIS in the camera, but I think they’ll appreciate the drop in price more.
I hope this has helped. Make sure to take a moment to check out my Youtube Channel if you haven’t already. www.youtube.com/jasonlanierpros. Also make sure to give a follow to my Assistant Emily on Instagram at @em.explores as well.
So what do you think? Let us know by writing in the comments below. Thanks for visiting us here!
Jason
So, I switched to Sony mirrorless nearly 5 years as one of the early adopters and advocates of the Mirrorless wave. During the span of those 5 years one of the most common statements I’ve heard is, “Just wait until Canon and Nikon come out with their full frame mirrorless.”
To which my response has always been, “I can’t wait!” During those 5 years I’ve shot Sony exclusively and have purchased or used nearly every known lens that will work on the Sony system for both mirrorless or for their DSLT (their version of DSLR) system.
I’ve adapted Canon glass, Sony A Mount glass and used all the Sony mirrorless glass. I even attempted to use Nikon glass with adapters and famously had the Fotodiox adapter ruin my camera. Why do I say all of that?
Because I exhaust things. By nature I’m incredibly curious and as such, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to try the new Nikon Full Frame Mirrorless system out when the opportunity presented itself.
Over the years Canon and Nikon have both had crop sensor or smaller sensor versions of Mirrorless cameras and those never appealed to me. It’s why I’ve still not tried Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus or others. I tend to stick to those camera companies that offer full frame.
So a little while ago I found myself in Richmond, Virginia for a workshop and I met up with a friend and fellow pro John Sichenze who offered to let me try his Nikon Z7 out. John has been shooting Nikon since 1972 and is a member of NPS, so having him tag along for the shoot was important to me as well. Getting his insights and opinions as to what I was discovering on the camera was helpful and a good way to bounce my findings off of him.
To REALLY get a grasp for how the shoot went, you gotta watch the video. You can read reviews all you want, but being able to watch how the camera performs is better when you…watch it lol.
In the video review/shoot I had the opportunity try both Nikon F mount lenses with the adapter and Nikon’s new mirrorless lenses. I tried it with flash, with LED, and natural light. I shot it with fast action and as a portrait camera in both daytime and night time conditions.
First observations:
The camera takes amazing pics. I never doubted this, even before I put it in my hands as you’ll see me say in the video. In this day and age of advanced camera technology I’ve always been a believer that virtually any camera can take great pics. What I enjoy about a camera is it’s ability make it EASIER for me to do so.
How fast does it focus? How well does it perform in low light? What’s the buffer like? How’s the black out time?
DOES THIS CAMERA MAKE IT EASIER AND MORE EFFICIENT FOR ME TO CREATE MY WORK VS. OTHER OFFERINGS IN THE MARKETPLACE?
Below are some of the resulting images from the shoot:
Nikon 105mm f/1.4 using the Nikon mirrorless adapter
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 using the Nikon mirrorless adapter
Nikon 35mm Native Z7 lens
Thoughts of the Nikon Z7?
*Image Quality- Outstanding. I’ve always loved the image quality out of Nikon. It was the camera system I used for the first decade of my career. The Z7 definitely did not disappoint.
*Adapted Lenses- I was very impressed with how Nikon was able to adapt their DSLR lenses to their mirrorless system. They behave very similarly to when I adapt Canon lenses to my Sony cameras. This will make Nikon users very happy.
*Native Lenses- Both were pretty decent. Definitely not blown away. I enjoyed the 35mm f/1.8 more than the 24-70. It’ll be interesting to see if Nikon is really committed to providing a whole lens lineup for this new system.
*Focus system- the adapted lenses and native lenses focused and worked well during virtually all conditions except for flash. See below. I really do wish the cameras had eye auto focus.
*Buffer- I wasn’t very impressed with the performance of the buffer as it stopped after 19 shots.
*Blackout and Review- the camera lags with it’s blackout time and image review compared to the speed of what I’m used to with Sony.
*Flash- the camera REALLY struggles when using flash. Why does it struggle? It goes from dark to bright trying to acquire focus making using flash on this system very difficult.
*LED- the camera performed well when working with LED’s at night. Mirrorless and LED lights seem to go together very well so this makes sense.
*Screen- I really liked the touch screen to fire the shutter. Brightness and use seemed good.
*EVF- a little lacking compared to Sony in regards to responsiveness, but the EVF is something that makes all mirrorless systems superior to DSLR’s in my opinion.
*Video- I was impressed with the video output of the camera. It has a timer that counts down from 30 minutes and doesn’t crop in which I like. I don’t like that you have to switch to a movie mode to do so, but the quality of the video seemed very nice.
*ISO Performance- below are shots taken at 10,000, 16,000 and 25,600 respectively using the 105mm lens
The end of the video provided us with an opportunity to meet and shoot with a local who came upon us as we were doing our wrap up. It tells the underlying theme that at the end of the day the camera brand we shoot with is less important that what we do with the camera.
Am I switching to Nikon? No. The system just isn’t there yet. Sony is still the king in the mirrorless marketplace. But it’s worth noting that competition makes everyone better. It pushes the brands we use to have to be better and to not be complacent. I’m grateful we live in a day and age where we as photographers get to benefit from the competitive marketplace.
Last but not least remember, KEEP AN OPEN MIND. I’ve always believed in what I say at the end of every one of my videos. “Find the Right Gear That Works for You.”
To see the entire review and performance, please check out the video, it’s definitely worth a watch!
A big thanks to John for letting me use his camera and to the other John for filming.
The biggest thanks to Emily for just killing it as a model. She really brings so much to the shoots and I appreciate her so much. You can follow her on Instagram at @em.explores
For more information about what we do and to visit us for a workshop please visit www.jasonlanier.com/register.
Thanks!
Jason
In November 2018 I was blessed with the opportunity to work with three amazing brands, two of whom I’m very familiar with…at some very historic venues no less, the Fitzrovia Chapel, Pinewood Studios, and the amazing Chethams Library in Manchester, UK.
This started a few months ago when I received a call and was asked if I’d be able to fit this event into my schedule….and I was like, “How do I say no to this?”
So I got my Assistant Emily with me on a plane to London following our workshops in Richmond, VA and New York City and we took off to the ever amazing United Kingdom.
Our first stop was an appearance at the Camera World Live Event where I did a speech for Sony and Rotolight called, WYSIWYG- What You See Is What You Get. I get to do a lot of conventions and events and I love them all…but getting to see so many people for some jam packed events was an honor I’ll never forget. We did have a security guard outside of the event tell me I wasn’t allowed to put my elbows on the couch…but that’s for a later conversation lol.
To check out the second of my two appearances there please click the video below:
Following the appearances at the convention some brave photogs ventured out into the very cold night air of London for a photo walk. We had a beautiful model named Sarah come out for that and we of course had the ever able Emily there as well.
Following this event Emily and I made a quick pit stop down in Brighton for a fun photo walk on the pier that was a ton of fun! This was great as I’d never been to Brighton before. I’d say the toughest thing about this particular trip was the fact that the jet lag STUNK! Man with so many events the jet lag was tough to shake. Emily threw water on me a few times to get me to wake up. Be careful around here if you’re sleepy, she’ll use a defribillator on you! A big thanks to Darren Fellows for coming down to help with this photo walk as well.
Following Brighton Emily and I returned back to London to get ready for our Jack the Ripper Shoot! I have to give a lot of credit to Emily for this shoot. Without her efforts it just wouldn’t have happened. You can check out the shoot and video by clicking below:
That was seriously one of the most fun shoots I’ve ever had the privilege to shoot. But we weren’t done there! Rotolight had contracted me for a commercial shoot at the historic Fitzrovia Chapel that we did just a day later. A videography crew called Motion Blurr was hired to document the event. That video will be coming out soon….but in the meantime check out this image of Emily taken at the shoot! This was done with her and a male model named Lawrence and both of them did just great. It was in a chapel and they did play the part of a married couple so…..officially I’ve shot Emily’s wedding lol.
We ended that shoot and had a tight turnaround because the next morning we were due at the historic Pinewood Studios to give a full days worth of presentations for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops Camera. This was such a fun event where I got to work with so many talented and amazing photographers who were Jessops trainers who came there to learn more about the synergy between Sony cameras and Rotolight LED Lighting. This was a fantastic day to be indoors because the rain and cold were out in full effect that day. Many laughs were shared. And it was such an honor to have so many of the Jessops trainers that were a part of Fedora Nation.
After that it was a travel day from London to Manchester to get ready for our once in a lifetime event where I got to do workshops for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops at the historic Chethams Library. While the team was prepping for the event I was able to grab a few moments on the piano which was so exhilarating for me. Being able to play a grand Yamaha piano at such a historic place was something I’ll never forget, and I’m so grateful that my Assistant Emily was able to capture this moment with her phone:
Following that we did an event for two separate groups of photographers who came to learn about Sony and Rotolight, again working with the amazing folks from Jessops. It’s such a pleasure to be able to present for multiple sponsors when the products tie together so well.
This was a truly historic and fun event to do. I mean, how many photographers get to shoot in a library from the 1600’s that also has had scenes from Harry Potter shot there? Wow, what a blessing! We had some vintage clothing for all of the models. During the breaks between the two sessions I was able to quickly do some private shoots with the new Sony 24mm G Master with both Emily (my amazing muse) and another awesome model named Victoria.
Following the event at Chethams we went out with a few brave souls that were willing to go out into the cold for one last Photo Walk. This was quite a way to end the 2 week trek as we braved not only the cold…but also some drunk dudes, some unruly minors who liked to smoke, and some fans who wanted to say hello. But luckily the group was lively and we had a phenomenal time.
I can’t thank everyone enough for making this all possible. Emily was a tremendous help on this trip that was the longest of my career (because it was also tacked onto stops in New York City and Richmond before we even came to the UK). It wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as it was without her.
A big thanks to my sponsors Sony, Rotolight and Jessops. Sponsors can be such a tremendous support and help to open up doors. A super big thanks to my man Rod Gammons. He’s a real friend. Mark Baber, you know I love you! And last but not least my family at home. I couldn’t do it without the support of my wife and boys. I love you guys so much!!
Here are the production BTS shots from my time at Chethams Library. Thanks to Rotolight and Sony for taking these. Also stay on the lookout for more videos to come from these events.
I can’t wait to work with all of them again. Next up is speaking for Rotolight and Sony at the Profusion Convention in Canada!
Thanks for reading…:)
Jason