
Mike Harris
Mike studied photography at college, honing his Adobe Photoshop skills and learning to work in the studio and darkroom. After a few years writing for various publications, he headed to the ‘Big Smoke’ to work on Wex Photo Video’s award-winning content team, before transitioning back to print as Technique Editor (later Deputy Editor) on N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine.
With bylines in Digital Camera, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, Practical Photography, Digital Photographer, iMore, and TechRadar, he’s a fountain of photography and consumer tech knowledge, making him a top tutor for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, and more. His expertise extends to everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...
Latest articles by Mike Harris

Buying your first camera? Forget megapixels – make sure it has this one physical feature
By Mike Harris published
Opinion I recommend buying a beginner camera that has dual command dials if you aim to take photography seriously. Here’s why…

Is Nikon about to launch more retro cameras? I think these vintage beauties deserve the ‘Zf’ treatment
By Mike Harris published
News A cryptic statement by Nikon suggests that more retro cameras are on the way. As a Nikon expert, these vintage bodies would be top of my list

Bring Canon AE-1 back from the DEAD! • Waterproof compact king • Why buy a Mk II lens?
By Mike Harris published
PODCAST The Bokeh Face boys come up with 6 cameras they want to see back from the dead. Plus, Mike waxes lyrical about the Nikon Z 70‑200mm f/2.8 VR S II, and Chris showcases the king of waterproof compacts, the OM System Tough TG-7

Best light meter for photography in 2026
By Mike Harris last updated
Buying guide Handheld light meters aren't just a relic of the past – they do things your in-camera light meter can't
I am IRON MAN! This wearable DJI Ronin 4D camera rig looks like wild sci-fi mashup
By Mike Harris published
News This photographer ‘MacGyvered’ a wearable camera rig from football shoulder pads and an exoskeleton to distribute the weight of tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear

As memory crisis deepens, Nikon considers “passing on price increases depending on the situation”
By Mike Harris published
News Nikon talks price hikes, the enduring impact of the memory crisis and its strategy for increasing video profitability in 2026 Financial Results Briefing

Court case strikes back! Lawsuit over Annie Leibovitz’s Star Wars photos resurfaces
By Mike Harris published
News A long time ago, in a courtroom not so far away, a district court threw out a copyright lawsuit for ‘Alderaan’ reasons. Last week, an appeals court ruled that it was wrongly dismissed
Cheetahs gatecrash South African bird hide – too close for comfort (and lenses!)
By Mike Harris published
News Bird photographers get a shock in South Africa when a pair of cheetahs chill out right in front of their hide’s viewing hatch

Nikon publishes huge losses, but camera sales are solid. This is why dire financial results shouldn't cause alarm
By Mike Harris published
News The Big N records giant losses, but cameras aren’t to blame and the company isn’t hemorrhaging cash. So what’s going on?

Even Marvel artists aren't immune to being replaced by AI – and I believe Disney is on the cusp of another ‘Dark Age'
By Mike Harris published
Opinion Marvel star blasts Disney for replacing artists with AI amid mass layoffs – underscoring how genAI is affecting the creative industry

I REALLY want one of these hand-painted film cameras inspired by the Gundam anime. They’re affordable, too!
By Mike Harris published
News A lovingly customized film camera that’s inspired by the famous RX-78-2 Gundam suit? Count me in!

A mirrorless Nikon D500 successor infused with Red tech?
By Mike Harris published
News Rumors point to a high-end Nikon APS-C camera on the way. Are we looking at a successor to the Z30… or even the D500?

Why the AI ick means retro-style photos, videos and cameras are here to stay
By Mike Harris published
Opinion Image fidelity has reached oversaturation and genAI images will never be authentic. It’s not surprising that retro-style imagery is more popular than ever

Owl photo dethroned from wildlife comp amid backlash: GenAI paranoia is ruining photography contests
By Mike Harris published
Opinion It can seem like photography competition winners are dropping like it’s an episode of Game of Thrones. AI is the root of the problem, but the paranoia is only adding fuel to the fire

Two years with the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR: Still a wildlife or sports enthusiast’s dream lens
By Mike Harris published
Features Roughly two years ago, I bought the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR, and it’s still my favorite lens in my Z-mount arsenal

Trail camera films exceedingly rare jaguar encounter in southern Arizona
By Mike Harris published
News North America’s largest big cat is filmed in southern Arizona – one of only five individuals recorded in the area over the past 15 years

Manual exposure won’t make you a better photographer – want to get off auto? Do this instead
By Mike Harris published
Opinion Manual exposure isn’t a quick fix. Switch for the wrong reason and it’ll make your photos worse, not better! But if you long to be more active in your creative decision making, there’s a halfway house between auto and manual

Is your vintage film camera still telling the truth? Light meter watch could be more useful now than in film’s heyday
By Mike Harris published
News Vintage cameras don’t always have reliable light meters – if they have one at all. Wearable light meter Kickstarter seeks to solve poor exposure, so you can stop wasting film and missing moments

Nikon Coolpix S9300 compact camera is Gen Z approved. Bright, bubbly, cheap and… heck now I want one, too!
By Mike Harris published
Opinion The Nikon Coolpix S9300 is a 2012 compact camera that won’t deliver that ugly, over-processed smartphone aesthetic. It’s also refreshingly cheap and looks like a throwback to that oh-so vibrant and optimistic tech aesthetic of the post-Y2K era

DON’T buy a camera just because of its specs. You must physically hold it first!
By Mike Harris published
Opinion The camera industry is all about specs, specs, specs nowadays, but you’ll regret buying a camera if you don’t gel with it in a physical sense

Viral Sony 14-800mm f/0.5 is a myth, but these ‘impossible’ camera optics are as real as it gets!
By Mike Harris published
News Viral reports of a Sony 14-800mm f/0.5 aren’t going to pull the wool over our eyes, but there are plenty of lenses out there with specs that elevate them to a near-mythical status

Garden birds are dying and your bird feeder camera could be the unwitting accomplice
By Mike Harris published
News The RSPB’s findings link flat birder feeders to the spread of a deadly disease that’s killing certain species of garden birds at a frightening rate. Here’s what you can do to help…

The prime lens photography myth: Why zoom lenses are NOT inferior and in fact better than ever
By Mike Harris published
Opinion Primes might not be as light and portable as you think, f/1.8 is a hindrance not a help, and while zooming with your feet opens one door, it slams another shut
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