photography

Nikon D7500 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D500, D7200 & D7100

Mike ConnellyPhotography

The Nikon D7500 shares its 20.9-megapixel sensor and EXPEED 5 processor with the flagship D500, giving it identical image quality at a lower price point. This review compares the D7500 against the D500, D7200, and D7100 across image quality, autofocus, speed, video, and battery life. The case for the D7500 weakens considerably once you account for its single card slot, reduced autofocus points, and the D500’s current street pricing. Continue reading Nikon D7500 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D500, D7200 & D7100

Fujifilm X100F Camera: Review & Comparison to the Fuji X100T

Mike ConnellyPhotography

The Fujifilm X100F uses the same 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor as Fuji’s flagship interchangeable lens cameras, X-Pro2 and X-T2, with a processor that Fuji rates four times faster than the X100T’s. This review covers the upgrades to sensor, autofocus, viewfinder, and controls. Focus points expand from 49 to 325, which may finally resolve the X100T’s persistent target-acquisition failures. Continue reading Fujifilm X100F Camera: Review & Comparison to the Fuji X100T

iPhone 7 Plus Camera Review

Mike ConnellyPhotography

The iPhone 7 Plus is the first iPhone to carry two rear cameras: a wide-angle lens at f/1.8 and a 56mm telephoto with true 2x optical zoom. I examine what each change actually delivers in aperture, low-light performance, image stabilization, color accuracy, and optical zoom. Portrait mode is the reason most people will consider the upgrade, and this review tests it against real shooting conditions, including artificial bokeh at close range. Continue reading iPhone 7 Plus Camera Review

Nikon D500 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D5, D7500, D7200 & D7100

Mike ConnellyPhotography

I upgraded to the Nikon D500, which carries the D5’s 153-point Multi-CAM 20K autofocus system in an APS-C body at roughly 30 percent of the flagship’s price. This review covers image quality, burst speed, video capabilities, and comparisons to the D7100, D7200, and D5. The resolution-versus-high-ISO trade-off relative to the D7200 is where the D500 either earns its cost premium or doesn’t. Continue reading Nikon D500 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D5, D7500, D7200 & D7100

Nikon D7200 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D7100

Mike ConnellyPhotography

The Nikon D7200 shares the D7100’s body, viewfinder, and 51-point autofocus array, while adding a threefold RAW buffer increase, 1080p video, Wi-Fi, and roughly 160 additional shots per charge. This review weighs each specification gain against the D7100’s continued strengths. The buffer improvement alone changes the D7200’s viability for continuous burst shooting in a way the resolution bump does not. Continue reading Nikon D7200 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D7100

Fujifilm X100T Camera: Review & Comparison to the Fuji X100S

Mike ConnellyPhotography

The Fujifilm X100T replaces the X100S’s traditional optical viewfinder with a hybrid unit that overlays electronic exposure data onto a real optical view, useful for street shooting where peripheral awareness matters. This review covers the silent electronic shutter, incremental autofocus improvements, and Classic Chrome. The central question is whether that viewfinder refinement justifies the step up for X100S shooters. Continue reading Fujifilm X100T Camera: Review & Comparison to the Fuji X100S

Ireland

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

Dublin marks the starting point of a westward journey to Ireland’s wild Atlantic edge, from the dune-backed cove of Doonbeg, to limestone of the Burren, onward through Galway, and into the quartzite highlands of Connemara. This visual essay from 2013 traces that arc, setting the city’s Georgian streets and Victorian ironwork against wave-cut cliffs, bog, and mountain light. Continue reading Ireland

Nikon D7100 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D7000 and D300

Mike ConnellyPhotography

The Nikon D7100 restores the 51-point autofocus array that the D7000 dropped and adds a 24MP sensor without an optical low-pass filter, a combination that rewards photographers willing to manage moiré in post. This review traces my progression from D300 and D7000 models, covering burst performance, weather sealing, and real-world action and wildlife results. Continue reading Nikon D7100 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D7000 and D300

France

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

Twelve grand avenues pivot around the axis of the Arc de Triomphe, anchoring historic Paris. This photo gallery captures the city’s architectural landmarks and Gothic nuances as they stood in 2012, from the boutiques and bistros lining the boulevards to the timeless facades along the Seine, tracing a path to Notre Dame Cathedral. Continue reading France

Switzerland

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

Parc Naziunal Svizzer is the oldest national park in the Alps and one of the most strictly protected. We traveled through the park before heading to the high-altitude resort town of Davos and then Zurich. The photographs from 2012 document a visual transition from the rugged Alpine heart to the streets of Switzerland’s most iconic cities. Continue reading Switzerland

Italy

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

Marling and Merano occupy a corner of Italy where medieval Tyrolean culture and Italian warmth have coexisted for centuries. These 2012 photographs highlight both the vine-draped hillside village of Marling, set against a dramatic alpine backdrop, and the Belle Époque spa town of Merano. Continue reading Italy

Germany

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

From the arcaded streets of Munich around Marienplatz to the castle-crowned ridges above Schwangau, this 2012 collection traces a route through Bavaria’s southern reaches: Neoclassical Munich at street level, then up into the Ammergau Alps where Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau rise above the Alpsee and Schwansee lakes. Continue reading Germany

Austria

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

Vienna’s urban landscape is anchored by the 1,441-room Schönbrunn Palace and the copper-domed Hofburg complex. This photographic survey from 2009 examines the city’s imperial architecture, from the Renaissance facades of Maria-Theresien-Platz to the intricate Gothic masonry of Stephansdom. Continue reading Austria

Tibet

Mike ConnellyPhotography, Travel

The Potala Palace in Lhasa rises thirteen stories above the Lhasa Valley and houses over 1,000 rooms of Tibetan Buddhist scripture, gilded reliquaries, and the sealed tombs of eight Dalai Lamas. This 2007 gallery documents my visit to the palace complex alongside the pilgrimage circuit of Jokhang Temple and the turquoise expanse of Yamdrok Lake at 4,440 meters elevation. Continue reading Tibet