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JTBPhotography JournalField notes for working photographers
DeskCameras & Lenses

Cameras & Lenses

Buying and using camera systems by the work they need to do, not by the spec sheet alone.

A mirrorless camera body, two lenses and a folded lens cloth arranged on a dark workbench

5 guides in this desk

Start with a useful frame.

A bench-top RF test setup at night: a two-port VNA screen showing an S21 trace, a small SMA-mounted PIN switch on a brass test block, a bias tee with a red and black twisted pair, lit by a single adjustable desk lamp from the left, shot at a low angle with the VNA screen slightly out of focus behind the switch.

Cameras & Lenses · September 13, 2026 · 6 min read

Solid-State PIN Switches: A Field Guide

Reflective and absorptive PIN switch topologies, how isolation shapes performance, and the insertion loss you can expect in a real RF chain.

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A workbench under a north-facing window, an open 1/72 aircraft kit with sprues fanned across a cutting mat, a brass photo-etch fret and a yellowed decal sheet beside it, shot from slightly above at a 35mm equivalent with soft daylight raking across the plastic.

Cameras & Lenses · September 7, 2026 · 6 min read

Buying Model Kits From a US Shop: A Field Guide

A practical guide to buying scale model aircraft and ship kits from a US shop: what to check before you pay, how to store finished builds, and when to walk

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Three camera lenses arranged on a worn workbench beside a camera strap and a folded lens cloth

Cameras & Lenses · August 13, 2026 · 8 min read

Choose a Lens by the Job

Start with working distance, subject movement and delivery size before looking at a lens chart.

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Two camera bodies with different lenses mounted and ready on a padded event case

Cameras & Lenses · August 7, 2026 · 6 min read

What a Second Camera Really Solves

Two bodies are valuable when they remove a specific risk or interruption, not simply because more gear feels safer.

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An open camera bag showing a body, two lenses, spare batteries, cloth and a small notebook

Cameras & Lenses · August 2, 2026 · 5 min read

The Practical Camera Bag

Build a kit around the moments you need to make, then remove anything that makes those moments slower.

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