Smartphone cameras keep getting better and better but if you really want to kick your photography up a few levels, they can only take you so far. If you're a little green when it comes to photography, it can be hard to know where to start looking so you don't want to splurge on your first big camera purchase and slap down a few grand for something you might not even use (or know how to use!).

Whether you’re after a mirrorless camera, DSLRs, action cameras or even a point-and-shoot, we’ve got you covered with our round up of some of the best cameras you can buy for under $1000.

There are literally hundreds of security cameras on the market. If you've been looking at cameras for a while, you'll be familiar with Swann. They've been making home security gear for a long time. The Swann Smart Security Camera is a security camera that can be used indoors and outdoors and boasts wireless operation. Here's what I found after a couple of weeks of testing.

Have you ever struggled with the appearance light sources when taking photographs? Sometimes, you want a hazy effect, other times you'd like halos. Or perhaps, you want those lights — be it the sun or a street lamp — to be in sharp focus. For this last situation, by understanding how light interacts with the camera, you can achieve an in-focus look every time.

It's official: selfies definitely make your schnoz look drastically larger than it actually is -- up to 30 per cent. That's according to a recent study that compared photos of people's faces being taken from different distances. But don't worry you selfie fiend you, there's an easy way to fix it.

You frame the shot, hold your breath and hit record, only to find later that the video you just shot shakes so violently you could get motion sickness just by viewing what you've created. Here are some solutions that will remedy the problem instantly.

When he was 15 years old, Ryan Pierse stole his Dad’s camera. That simple act of thievery started a life-long passion for photography which, eventually, led him to shooting five Olympic Games.

For the next two weeks, he will battle extreme cold, dying batteries and exhaustion to try and capture the perfect moment at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, all while carrying a mountain of gear on his back.

When it comes to ergonomics, we put a lot of focus on posture, specifically sitting at a desk. But posture is important regardless of what you're doing, including carrying a camera bag around. So, if you're a keen photographer and wondering why you're getting headaches and shoulder pain, it might be time to reconsider your choice of backpack.

If you've been lusting after the portrait mode on your friend's Pixel 2 (or iPhone) now there's a way you can get it, too - provided you have an Android device running Oreo.

When it comes to purchasing a lens for your digital camera, the sheer number of options, specifications, acronyms and features is enough to make anyone throw up their hands in frustration and resort to simply using their smartphone. But dedicated cameras are still worth it, and produce high-quality photos that smartphone cameras just can't match with their minuscule sensors.

Once you know what you're looking for, and know how different companies brand identical features, it isn't too difficult to figure out what type of lens you need. With a little education, you can determine which features in your new lens are superfluous, essential, or just nice to have.

There's plenty to think about when it comes to cameras, though something you might not be aware of is the difference between full-frame and crop sensors. Fortunately, to the rescue is photographer Manny Ortiz, who shows in the clip above the practical characteristics of each configuration.

You may not succumb to the call for the latest mirrorless body or expensive lens for your vintage camera, but many people often buy products they don't need, wallet be damned. I suffer from a case of gadget lust myself, leading me to acquire lenses useful for situations I rarely ever encounter (my recently acquired Nikon macro lens now rests in a desk drawer, unused).

Last month I went to Outside Lands, a three-day music festival in San Francisco where musical artists from pretty much every genre out there performed on a bunch of different stages around Golden Gate Park. Regardless of what type of music was being played, each stage had one thing in common: Someone (or a lot of people) were standing close to the stage with their phones hoisted to take pictures and shoot video, obstructing the view of everyone behind them. As a shorter person, I experienced the vast majority of the shows during the weekend by watching them through someone's phone screen. Besides being obnoxious, turns out there also isn't much of a point to filming everything.

So you've had Instagram for a while and you upload photos regularly, but nobody seems to care. No likes, no follows, and no comments. Boo. Give these tips a try, you sad instagrammer you.

The small the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light a digital camera sensor receives. It also has a significant effect on the depth of field and sharpness of images. You may have noticed most commercial lens stop at around f/1.2. So why don't they go lower?

Darkness is the enemy of photography, but -- being a horror fan -- I wanted to learn how to shoot photos in spooky places with very low light. I reached out to an expert and here's what I learned.

So you took a trip somewhere cool, snapped a bunch of photos, and now you have no idea what to do with them all. Don't worry, editing your holiday photos isn't as tough or technical as it sounds.

It's fun to see snapshots of the world through the eyes of your children. It isn't so fun to watch them run around and fumble with your camera or phone (don't drop it, don't drop it, pleeeeeeease don't drop it).

Dear Lifehacker, I'm interested in getting a camera that has a remote control to take self-portraits. What do you recommend? I don’t mind something easy to use, it doesn’t need to be super high-tech, and I don’t like bulky cameras. Also is there some sort of mini tripod that goes with the camera? One I can put on a desk. Or do I need a regular tripod? I'm on a budget, I can spend maybe up to $2k all up? Eek, is that impossible?

A little moisture shouldn't get in the way of your high-octane adventures. Whether you're jet skiing through some waves or splashing into a lake, this HD Wide Angle Waterproof Action Cam lets you document your aquatic thrills in crisp 1080p recording.