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The Official Camera Equipment Megathread
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planar1280
Banned
Is there a lens which can replace the canon 18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS and give the same if not better optical quality while not breaking the bank?
345triangle
Member
DoctorWho said:
rule of thumb is keep it on unless you're using a tripod.
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
KennyLinder said:
It depends. You can get used ones on the cheap for various vintage mounts but even the modern variants released by Voigtlander (Cosina) are nicely priced (ranging from $300-$1000). On the opposite end you've got modern Leica M lenses that go for around $3000 (Summicrons, Elmarits and Noktor). Their budget lenses go for $1500 (Summarit).
I'm more knowledgeable about vintage SLR lenses though. And generally there's a great cost to quality ratio for used MF glass. I'm sure its the same situation for vintage RF glass.
planar1280
Banned
Is there a Neogaf Flickr Group?
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
Thats awesome! I already want to spend more and more... but I'm being practical since my wife, son and I live and save on my single income. I've been shooting for years but in the past year I think I've accumulated over $3500 in photography equipment :lol. I'm sure I'll do another $1k before the year is up.Darkness said:That's what I did. Started with a 580EXII on camera, then got my first AB strobe. I used that for awhile with occasionally mixing in a 2nd strobe I would bum off a friend. Just ordered my 2nd strobe for myself last night. Hoping to amass 4 of them by the end of the year for some full studio work. I might also start running model shootout workshops this winter if I can get enough equipment together.
Once you get started it becomes addicting...and expensive!
I still need to get my new tripod and ball head, my lightstand/umbrella/bracket/case and some Cactus V5s. Thats actually more like $600 in total really so not too bad. But one step at a time, I just got some Enloops+charger in the mail yesterday and my LowPro Slingshot 202 AW arrives today
Radec said:
Looks to me Sony has control-leaked the whole press conference, ahead of Nikon's press. If A77 is 24mp, then D400 is 24mp. Once for a change Nikon will beat Canon to the pixel count. God I hate pixel arm races.
My prediction is Nikon will anounce the 24pm D400 and the D4. I predict Nikon will do the right thing and only has moderated pixel increasement in the D4, while increase the ISO sensitivity to god tier. Also some fancy new tech for increased dynamic range.
Marty Chinn
Member
planar1280 said:
Nope.
The Elite
BOSS
While at work I'm teaching myself about Aperture Size/Shutter Speed and ISO. So I guess it's best to keep the ISO low unless I'm dealing with low light conditions. Also, I think I'm going to have the camera control shutter speed unless I want to play around with motion and I'll just focus on controlling the aperture size.
Are there any other big facotrs I should be paying attention to when trying to take a quality photo?
Are there any other big facotrs I should be paying attention to when trying to take a quality photo?
tino said:
jesus, even more in their range? its confusing enough with little to differentiate the mid-low end. What are they planning to do with the 5D? Have two full frame cameras but one with faster AF/higher speed for action togs and one slower like the current one for fashion/studio/landscape? Kind of like their 1D range?
DoctorWho said:
thats a good starting point. But don't fuss too much with very low ISO, if you have a good camera you can stick it on 400 ISO happily to keep your shutter speeds up.
Try and keep your shutter speed to 1/focal length to reduce the chance of blur due to camera shake - you need a higher shutter speed for longer zoom because the angle of view is narrower.
so e.g. for a 50mm lens (which is around 85mm on a crop camera), you want a minimum speed of 1/85. For a 200mm lens (like a 320mm with the crop) you want 1/320 minimum.
So let the camera control the shutter speed, but keep an eye on it too
Snkfanatic
Banned
Thinking of finally ditching my old Nikon D50 and going after a D7000. Anyone have any experience with this camera body?
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
DoctorWho said:
Depends on the scenario. In low light the biggest factor is shutter speed which makes modes like Tv or Manual useful. You can force a shutter speed that you need to capture a photo that isn't as effected by handshake movement (optimal shutterspeed is usually thought of as focal length = shutterspeed, so a 50mm lens at 1/50s is baseline). Though this wholly depends on the capabilities and camera holding techniques of the photographer (its best to keep your arms at your side, feet apart when shooting at such low shutterspeeds).
On the flip in good lighting conditions its all about Depth of Field control and optimal apertures. This is the realm of Av (Aperture priority). Larger apertures (f/1.4/2/2.8) are generally great for portraiture, blurring the areas not in focus. Even then one needs to learn to appreciate just how thin the Depth of Field can be at these apertures (an inch sometimes centimeters if you're really close). In these cases an eye can be whats in focus and everything else is slightly less sharp due to fallout outside the plane of sharpness. Also take care not to "focus and recompose" (basically using the center focus point to focus on your subject and then composing the photo to your liking). If you do this at such apertures you'll throw the area you want in focus out of focus. Its not a good technique to get in the habit of.
Now smaller apertures (f/4/5.6/8/11) will provide greater Depth of Field and also (depending on the lens) hits the optimal apertures for said lens (stopping down the aperture clears up optical aberrations that appear in larger apertures. They usually effect sharpness and contrast). These are the apertures one should be at (artistic liberties aside) when taking landscape photos. Just like with larger apertures and the lack of DOF its good to learn just how much Depth of Field you gain when shooting at these apertures. This knowledge will allow you to take advantage of certain Landscape shooting techniques that require you to utilize the DOF smartly.
Then there's lighting which is a couple of paragraphs worth if stuff. Basically try to shoot in all sorts of lighting and angles and look for the differences. The reason I say this is its easy to just coast and bring your camera along with you during the day but miss good sunset lighting and especially sunrise light. Then there's the light just after sunset and sunrise that's tougher to shoot in but provides its own special qualities (Google: "The Blue Hour" for info on the time of day where an unknowing photographer generally packs up and goes home after the Sunset light is gone).
This all sounds like a lot to take but consistently shooting and reading about photography sort of naturally introduces you to these things and then you can easily put it into practice.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
I can get a Tamron 18-200mm lens or a Sigma 18-200mm lens for the same price. Which one to get, GAF?
DoctorWho said:
Good start, next thing you should tackle is White Balance. Try experimenting with the light bulb (incandescent lights), the rectangle with beams (florescent), the cloud (overcast), and the full sun settings.
Then try evaluative WB! This is like autofocus for color balance. You pick a neutral color (usually something white in light shadow) and let the camera adjust itself to the particular lighting situation. It is usually a mix of ambient sunlight, lightbulbs reflected off colored walls, ect, ect.
After you understand that, begin to play with the picture controls... I will just link to this guys blog http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300/picture-control.htm I don't agree with all of his recommended settings (I prefer a more neutral capture and tweak latter) but it is important to understand how to change these settings and what they do.
chaostrophy
Member
DoctorWho said:
The other main control you should be familiar with is Exposure Compensation. It gives the sensor more or less exposure from the meter's default. Basically makes the image lighter or darker without changing the setting you've set to priority.
Like for example, say you're shooting Aperture priority, f/8, ISO 100, and the camera gives you an exposure of 1/1000 sec. But when you review the image it's too bright with blown highights- say it's a sunny day with a lot of reflected glare on something you're shooting. Set Exposure Compensation to -1 stop, and it'll keep the same aperture and ISO, but set the shutter speed to 1/2000- that will darken the image and hopefully preserve the highlights.
i say the Sigma but I'm not sure if it doesn't have the same problem I have with the Tamron.Combichristoffersen said:
When I extend the barrel to zoom and it's really windy, dust will get inside the barrel and on to the sensor. I really like the idea of a super zoom lens but after getting dust on my sensor, i'm really afraid to use it outside. So it been sitting in my bag :[
I have one, it is fantastic. IMHO it is the best DX sensor body they make. It blows my d90 away. It blows the d300s away. Coming from the d50 you will think you are in the future. And you will be!Snkfanatic said:
The autofocus is brilliant. The metering is brilliant. The ergonomics are sublime. The controls are near perfect. The video is the best Nikon can do
it can drive ANY Ai lens ever made (lower end nikons eliminate the body>lens drive coupling). The viewfinder is ace, the LCD is near retina display. It can remote fire a slave flash with no additional equipment. It has an extra card slot for backup or overflow. SERIOUSLY just buy it already.Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Flo_Evans said:
I don't think Nikon makes lenses for Sony cameras though
equap said:
Hm.. So both the Sigma and Tamron lens could potentially cause dust on the sensor.
Edit: I think the Alpha 33 has sensor self-cleaning. Wouldn't this take care of any dust that entered via the lens?
come on - ignore white balance and don't worry about exposure compensation yet.
White balance is detail - if you want you can shoot RAW + JPG and play later, but for now you should just relax and take photos, and start to learn how the camera sees scenes.
Likewise for exposure compensation. until you get more practice and understand what the camera is doing, there is no point compensating because you won't know what or why you're doing it.
Just focus (oops) on the interplay of shutter speed, aperture and ISO, and absorb.
After that I'd personally spend time playing with the relationship of focal length, distance to subject and distance to background - do some experiments to see how longer lenses give you shallower depth of field, and separating subjects from the background etc.
White balance is detail - if you want you can shoot RAW + JPG and play later, but for now you should just relax and take photos, and start to learn how the camera sees scenes.
Likewise for exposure compensation. until you get more practice and understand what the camera is doing, there is no point compensating because you won't know what or why you're doing it.
Just focus (oops) on the interplay of shutter speed, aperture and ISO, and absorb.
After that I'd personally spend time playing with the relationship of focal length, distance to subject and distance to background - do some experiments to see how longer lenses give you shallower depth of field, and separating subjects from the background etc.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
tokkun said:
Just read some comparisons and reviews, and the Sigma seems to fare better than the Tamron, yeah. So Sigma it is then. Thanks again for all your help
phisheep
NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
Avocado said:
I think everyone here will have some experience with camera bags (and at least as many different opinions). This is just mine:
I have a Lowepro Slingshot 100, which is relatively tiny, but at the moment I have in it:
- Canon 550D with 18-55mm kit lens attached and third party battery grip attached
- 55-250 lens
- 50mm 1.8 lens
- Three-part set of Kenko extension tubes
- three extra SD cards, four extra batteries, all the cables, chargers, about 4 filters, tripod plate, a couple of remote controls, spare caddy for the battery grip, instruction book for the camera
That's a lot of stuff in a little bag, and it isn't squeezed in by any means (though it is a tight-ish fit). I also have an extra lens case attached to the strap, but it spends most of its time empty.
Now, I don't cart all that stuff around all the time, and I don't find that I ever need to use all of it all at once - but it is nice that it all fits in, just for storage.
On city walkabout I'll ditch the bag and just take the camera and maybe a spare lens in the lens case on my belt.
On country walkabout I'll ditch the chargers/cables/batteries and put sandwiches in their place and use the lens case for water or coke.
For home and studio stuff I just bring the whole damn bag and pull out what I need.
I guess if I had an external flash I'd probably just cart fewer cables around (and since I bought the extra batteries last week, maybe the charger).
Thing is, you don't necessarily need a huge great bag unless you actually need all of that stuff all of the time.
Strange lens+hood combo concept: http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/08/05/blooming-dslr/
Red camera with canon 600mm f4 lens: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2011/08/05/one-degree-a-canon-600mm-w-2x-extender-on-the-red-epic/
Red camera with canon 600mm f4 lens: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2011/08/05/one-degree-a-canon-600mm-w-2x-extender-on-the-red-epic/
Hcoregamer00
The 'H' stands for hentai.
Radec said:
As a Canonite I was hoping that Nikon would stick with the lower MP's and focus more on dynamic range and ISO to give Canon a little kick in the teeth. Instead, they have jumped on the megapixel race, which will be exacerbated further in the next generation of sensors.
The Canon 60D is a great camera, I love it to death, but most of the time I mind myself shooting in medium mode (9mp) compared to large mode (18mp) because 9mp is overkill for the 4"x6" photos I print in Wal-Mart. I have no intention of printing larger pictures, and I know that 9MP is still more than enough when I decide to do it.
outunderthestars
Banned
SO I am totally new to cameras, and just bought a Canon G12 this week. Has anyone tried the black rapid Snapr case??
Also, any suggestions for a small, yet dependable tripod?
Also, any suggestions for a small, yet dependable tripod?
outunderthestars
Banned
DoctorWho said:Thanks for all the great advice.
I went back to the same flower I took a photo of yesterday and had a bit better results. Albeit I did some post-processing (in iPhoto, LOL) on this one.
That is a beautiful shot!
The Elite
BOSS
outunderthestars said:That is a beautiful shot!
Thanks. I've played around with the colours a bit.
equap said:
I did. It was very low light. I tried a few without flash and the shutter kept staying open for a long period of time. I guess I could try adjusting that and giving it a shot without flash to see the results.
to be honest, the in-camera flash doesn't really work here. you should try again in the day time.DoctorWho said:Thanks. I've played around with the colours a bit.
I did. It was very low light. I tried a few without flash and the shutter kept staying open for a long period of time. I guess I could try adjusting that and giving it a shot without flash to see the results.
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/photographing-flowers
DoctorWho said:
Try shooting it morning/noon/evening. Remember you are capturing reflected light. The angle makes a HUGE difference in what the sensor sees.
Nikon's flash metering is 2nd to none. Don't be afraid to *try* it. I am a big fan of natural light, but sometimes when nature ins't cooperating a little fill flash goes a long way. I usually dial the flash compensation back -1ev so it doesn't overpower the "real" light.
Also play around with diffusing your flash. Tape a small piece of white paper over the flash (will knock its power down and make the light much softer.
Remember there is no right/wrong. Only capturing what you want.
Avocado said:
I picked up a Kata DR-466i when I was over in spain a few months ago and its pretty decent:
http://www.shutterphoto.net/article/kata-dr-466i-camera-backpack-review/
Its a camera bag in the bottom with laptop storage and a space above the camera gear for little bits and pieces, pretty good for a day out where you need to take non camera stuff as well, also has a section on the outside for tripods / unipods
Edit:
Decided to dig out my old film SLR last night so will have to start playing with that again soon, anybody know anywhere good online (uk based) i can send black and white film to for developing? my local place went out of business
Major Williams
Member
Fellow Nikon lovers!
I own a D80, and I'm going to upgrade. Should I go D5100 or D7000?
I'm also looking to shoot movies. I have lots of premium glass
I own a D80, and I'm going to upgrade. Should I go D5100 or D7000?
I'm also looking to shoot movies. I have lots of premium glass
Mechanical Snowman
Member
I'll be buying my brother a tripod for his birthday, any recommendations in the £60 / £90 range, or any general tips on what I should look out for?
I was having a look at this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003HK4K88/ or this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0019M0B02/ for the price and reviews, but I've no idea what I'm supposed to be looking out for in terms of quality. I don't want to drop the money on something and then find out it's a POS, especially since it's a gift.
I was having a look at this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003HK4K88/ or this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0019M0B02/ for the price and reviews, but I've no idea what I'm supposed to be looking out for in terms of quality. I don't want to drop the money on something and then find out it's a POS, especially since it's a gift.
I would stay away from carbon fibre in that price range. I am a huge fan of manfrotto tripods/heads. Are you trying to buy him a tripod and a head? The nicer stuff is sold separate while the cheap crap comes fused together limiting your options.Mechanical Snowman said:
I would go with this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TK3EJO/
These legs are a little better, but no head so that might put you over budget http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001CGBMVM/
Mechanical Snowman
Member
Oh, noted.Flo_Evans said:
Didn't know about the separate head / tripod, I just assumed that it would come as one piece of kit. I'd probably just go with a tripod that comes with a head, rather than buy both separately. Neither of us are experts really, so I'd imagine if I went all out on finding the perfect tripod / head combination then the improvements over lesser setups would be lost on us. I literally know nothing about them as you may be able to tellFlo_Evans said:
.I liked the carbon tripod because of this:
Would the ones you linked to be able to be set that low? Thanks for your help so far, I'll do some more research on those Manfrotto tripods.
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