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Category : Reviews

Car Editing Tutorial : Quick and easy way + Bonus Color Toning in Photoshop (Basic to Intermediate Level) by Michael R. Cruz

Car Editing Tutorial : Quick and easy way + Bonus Color Toning in Photoshop (Basic to Intermediate Level)

On this video tutorial, I’m going to show a technique I acquired when I was starting to learn photo editing. This process is sometimes referred to as multiple raw processing technique or digital blending technique. This video is more geared towards Photoshop users with basic understanding of Photoshop’s key features. They are: Layers, Layer Masks and Adjustment Layers. It’s a straight forward technique that can be applied for landscapes, fashion, stills and other commercial work. Once you grasp the concept, […]

dubai photographer, dubai car photographer michael r. cruz

Samyang XP 14mm f2.4 Review | Dubai, UAE

Samyang is one of the lens manufacturers that offers affordable lenses with top notch quality.   I have personally owned 3 Samyang lenses and I never regret it, in fact I recommend them.  So far, they have never let me down.  The Samyang 14mm is an ultra wide angle lens, if you haven’t tried an such focal length, it can be overwhelming to use.  This super wide angle can easily introduce distortions, but once you get the hang of it, you […]

Sony A9 Review by Michael R. Cruz

Sony A9 Camera Review, Dubai, UAE.

It’s been a while since I tested a camera from Sony. The last professional, mirrorless Sony camera I tested was the A7RII, which is a really good camera that can do it all, except maybe fast action stuff. Then recently the Sony A9 was released and I was really eager to check it out, because this is like a wish list camera, it just ticks all the boxes of what you would want from a camera and more, a lot […]

Samyang 135mm F2 with Fujifilm mount Review. Dubai, UAE.

I remember when the first Fujifilm X-series with interchangeable lenses was introduced, the X-Pro1; it came with three prime lenses and it was well received by the photography community and those prime lenses created quite a buzz.  Prime lenses are known to be fast and sharp but so is the price, it’s so sharp it hurts!  However, thanks to companies like Samyang, you won’t have to empty your savings or use your kid’s college fund to afford a fast prime. […]

Michael R. Cruz Dubai Photographer

Samyang 24mm f3.5 Tilt-Shift Lens for Fujifilm X-Series Review, Dubai, UAE.

Fujifilm X-Series came a long way. Gone are the days of limited options for lenses. Fujifilm have produced excellent selections of lenses, which I feel made the X-Series successful as it is now. However, they still have a few “niche” lenses that haven’t made into production yet, until now. Samyang recently made a tilt shift lens for Fujifilm X-Mount, 24mm f3.5 ED AS UMC. I would like to thank BHMstore for letting me test this lens. Tilt-shift lenses have been […]

Sony RX100 V Review – Dubai, UAE.

  Have you been asked a question many times and you gave a different answer all the time?  As soon as my alarm clock (which is also my phone btw) buzzes with that annoying tone, the first thing I do is check my messages.  Instagram, Facebook, E-mail, whatsapp and so on.  Out of all the messages I get, I get this question a lot:  “What is a good everyday camera you can recommend which is better than my phone?” or something […]

X-Pro2 Michael R. Cruz Dubai Photographer

Fujifilm X-Pro2 : Review | Dubai, UAE

In case you are following me in my social media (Facebook/Instagram), you probably know that I attended the Fujifilm X-series 5th Anniversary event in Tokyo, Japan.  I haven’t use the X-Pro2 prior to the event.  I think traveling around Japan with the X-Pro2 would be a good way to test the camera and compared it to my main Fuji X camera, the X-T1. The X-Pro2 is now  Fujifilm’s flagship camera.  Apart from all the advancements over its predecessor, I’m really looking forward […]

Nikon D810 Michael R. Cruz Dubai Photographer

Nikon D810 Review from a Canon & Fujifilm user

The kind folks from Nikon Middle East let me borrow the infamous Nikon D810 with some lenses, namely the 14-24mm f2.8, the 24-70mm f2.8, 85mm f1.4 and the 16mm fisheye lens.  I have been a Canon user since the beginning of my photography journey and in 2011, I became also a Fujifilm user.  As a Canon user, I always wondered how it is to be on the other side of the fence.  There has always been a Nikon-versus-Canon debate and […]

Michael Cruz Dubai Photographer Synology NAS device

Synology Diskstation 1815+ Review | Dubai, UAE.

If you have read my previous blog post about backing up, this is sort of a prequel for the part 2 of that post. I have been searching for a good “long-term” network storage device.  What I need is something reliable, versatile, with a good CPU power, which is expandable.  Then I came across this, the Synology Diskstation. I was thinking of getting the 5-bay storage at first but then, the price difference with the 8-bay was not far off, besides I […]

Backup guide dubai photographer michael r. cruz

Backup Guide for Photographers: Part 1 (Basics)

Before I start, this will be a 2 part article.  In this first one, I will discuss some backup concepts that might be useful for photographers or videographers out there.  On part 2, I will discuss my own backup system. Just to share my background; I’ve been in the IT industry for more than 15 years, I was into building and modding computers when I was in college and became a network engineer after finishing my degree in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.  I work for […]