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[Flo_Evans]

Oh, noted.


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 tell .

I liked the carbon tripod because of this:

http://i.imgur.com/U7VkQ.jpg[/mg]

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.[/QUOTE]

The nicer legs? of course. They can actually go out perfectly flat if you want, with 3 hard stops along the way.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/YfDQU.jpg

Mine also has a cool feature of allowing the vertical tube to lock in horizontally

I am not sure how far the cheaper ones can go out.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

No idea on b/w film development in the UK, but I have that lens* on my D90 right now.

*or similar— 28mm f/2.8

 

[345triangle]

man, one amazing thing about living in japan is the fact that film is still super-easy to buy and get developed anywhere. i only got into film photography after i moved here, but i'm not sure i'd even have bothered if i were still in the UK.

my only advice is this!

kodak bw400cn. it's 400 black & white film, but is actually colour negative - just with all the colour parts of it removed...hell if i know how it works, but the upshot of it is that you get a pretty nice black and white film that can be developed at any 1 hour photo lab. i tried it for the first time the other week and was really pleasantly surprised with the results - not much of a visible colour cast or anything.

here are some samples from my holga 135bc:

 

[Damaged]

No idea on b/w film development in the UK, but I have that lens* on my D90 right now.

*or similar— 28mm f/2.8

Its a 50mm f/1.8, got it when i bought the FE body about 15 years ago so it's seen a fair bit of use over the years

man, one amazing thing about living in japan is the fact that film is still super-easy to buy and get developed anywhere. i only got into film photography after i moved here, but i'm not sure i'd even have bothered if i were still in the UK.

my only advice is this!

http://www.cmykshop.co.uk/images/uploads/Kodak/bw400cn.jpg

kodak bw400cn. it's 400 black & white film, but is actually colour negative - just with all the colour parts of it removed...hell if i know how it works, but the upshot of it is that you get a pretty nice black and white film that can be developed at any 1 hour photo lab. i tried it for the first time the other week and was really pleasantly surprised with the results - not much of a visible colour cast or anything.

here are some samples from my holga 135bc:

Love the pictures, was in japan in april and was blown away when i walked into a Yodabashi Camera, so much film and paper!! just total heaven

 

[Mercutio]

I picked up a 7D about two weeks ago, and was really unimpressed by the image quality. Super soft images, and I devoted a great deal of time to learning and customizing the AF system.

Took it back a few days later, swapped it for a fresh one. Took it on vacation to see my family for a week and had the exact same problem... thankfully it wasn't anything work-related, but still a pretty big bummer.

Gave up on the 7D and got a 5D Mark II... there's just no comparison in image quality. I've been completely unable to take a bad picture with it in every situation I've put it in. There might be a Mark III in a few months, but if the Mark II always behaves as it does now I don't think I'll care.

 

[BlueTsunami]

here are some samples from my holga 135bc:

Man, the tonality and general contrast of B&W film will always be preferable to digital. Its like silk vs. polyester.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Since my Sony cam has SteadyShot built-in, it shouldn't matter if the lens doesn't have image stabilization, right? Also, I can't find any info on whether the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC ASP for Sony cameras has autofocus or not. Would anyone of you know?

 

[opticalmace]

Since my Sony cam has SteadyShot built-in, it shouldn't matter if the lens doesn't have image stabilization, right? Also, I can't find any info on whether the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC ASP for Sony cameras has autofocus or not. Would anyone of you know?

This? yeah it's AF http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=226

if you're using an alpha 33 or 55 though the page warns the mount may need a modification from sigma. i would look into it before purchasing (http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/sigma_advisory_100910.asp), though i don't know the details myself.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

This? yeah it's AF http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=226

if you're using an alpha 33 or 55 though the page warns the mount may need a modification from sigma. i would look into it before purchasing (http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/sigma_advisory_100910.asp), though i don't know the details myself.

I sent a mail to the store that offered the lens for sale last night, asking whether it would fit the Sony a33, so I'm waiting for them to reply. I assume they'd know if there were any problems with said lens and the a33, considering they're also a Sigma service centre.

 

[tokkun]

Since my Sony cam has SteadyShot built-in, it shouldn't matter if the lens doesn't have image stabilization, right? Also, I can't find any info on whether the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC ASP for Sony cameras has autofocus or not. Would anyone of you know?

Generally speaking, almost all third-party lenses for A-Mount are either designed without IS or have IS removed. In-lens IS is supposed to be marginally better than in-body IS, but lenses with IS usually carry a price premium.

A-Mount bodies have built-in screw drive autofocus motors, so pretty much any native A-Mount lens made after the introduction of the Minolta Maxxum (mid-1980s) will support auto focus. Unless you are into vintage gear, the only lenses that you will encounter that won't autofocus are those that you need an adapter to attach.

Some A-Mount lenses do come with their own motor. These lenses are labeled as "SAM" or "SSM" if made by Sony, or under different acronyms for third parties. The main reason for including an in-lens motor is that the screw drive motor in the camera body is pretty loud.

This? yeah it's AF http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=226
if you're using an alpha 33 or 55 though the page warns the mount may need a modification from sigma. i would look into it before purchasing (http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/sigma_advisory_100910.asp), though i don't know the details myself.

Yes, Sigma lenses for SLTs need to be modified to work properly. Sigma offers this service for free.

 

[opticalmace]

I sent a mail to the store that offered the lens for sale last night, asking whether it would fit the Sony a33, so I'm waiting for them to reply. I assume they'd know if there were any problems with said lens and the a33, considering they're also a Sigma service centre.

oh nice, if they're a sigma service centre then they should be able to adjust the mount for you if need be. mind if i ask the price? is it new?

also it's fine if the lens doesn't have image stabilization, the body does

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Generally speaking, almost all third-party lenses for A-Mount are either designed without IS or have IS removed. In-lens IS is supposed to be marginally better than in-body IS, but lenses with IS usually carry a price premium.

A-Mount bodies have built-in screw drive autofocus motors, so pretty much any native A-Mount lens made after the introduction of the Minolta Maxxum (mid-1980s) will support auto focus. Unless you are into vintage gear, the only lenses that you will encounter that won't autofocus are those that you need an adapter to attach.

Some A-Mount lenses do come with their own motor. These lenses are labeled as "SAM" or "SSM" if made by Sony, or under different acronyms for third parties. The main reason for including an in-lens motor is that the screw drive motor in the camera body is pretty loud.



Yes, Sigma lenses for SLTs need to be modified to work properly. Sigma offers this service for free.

Yeah, I looked at a 18-250mm Sigma lens with IS, and it cost about 3x as much as the 18-200mm one without IS, so I didn't bother with it since the body had IS built-in anyway.

oh nice, if they're a sigma service centre then they should be able to adjust the mount for you if need be. mind if i ask the price? is it new?

also it's fine if the lens doesn't have image stabilization, the body does

It's new, would cost me 1495 Norwegian kroner including VAT (would be about $270).

 

[Avocado]

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.

Thanks a lot for your input! That bag might be a lot more than what I need right now, but I guess it will give me room to 'grow' as I buy more equipment.

 

[tino]

Rumor of a Fujifilm X10 camera with 2/3" sensor, 4x zoom starts out from f/2.0. Don't know how accurate it is but its nice to hear bridge camera is back!

 

[Snkfanatic]

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!

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.

Thanks for the post, I think I just might do that now haha that is a very glowing review.

 

[luiztfc]

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!

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.

So, if I use an AI lens on a D7000 will it have autofocus? I thought Ai lens were manual.

 

[BlueTsunami]

So, if I use an AI lens on a D7000 will it have autofocus? I thought Ai lens were manual.

I think "driving" means aperture control? Or being able to sense the aperture chosen for metering. They definitely can't be Auto Focused.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Thanks for the post, I think I just might do that now haha that is a very glowing review.

My only complaint is that the ISO button is kind of hard to find without taking your eye from the viewfinder and for reasons unknown you can't map ISO to the programble easy to reach function button. This may or may not effect you depending on how much you like to change ISO.

Well that and I wish it had more options for video frame rate and res.

 

[Flo_Evans]

So, if I use an AI lens on a D7000 will it have autofocus? I thought Ai lens were manual.

Sorry I meant old AF lenses without internal motors. Obviously the manual focus lenses will not autofocus.

 

[JORMBO]

I picked up a 7D about two weeks ago, and was really unimpressed by the image quality. Super soft images, and I devoted a great deal of time to learning and customizing the AF system.

Took it back a few days later, swapped it for a fresh one. Took it on vacation to see my family for a week and had the exact same problem... thankfully it wasn't anything work-related, but still a pretty big bummer.

Gave up on the 7D and got a 5D Mark II... there's just no comparison in image quality. I've been completely unable to take a bad picture with it in every situation I've put it in. There might be a Mark III in a few months, but if the Mark II always behaves as it does now I don't think I'll care.

Really? I shoot with the 60D which has the same sensor but a few less features then the 7D. My images aren't too soft at all. I've never really heard anyone complain about the 7D being too soft.

5D Mark II is an awesome pick up though. Wish I had the cash for that!

 

[Flo_Evans]

Really? I shoot with the 60D which has the same sensor but a few less features then the 7D. My images aren't too soft at all. I've never really heard anyone complain about the 7D being too soft.

5D Mark II is an awesome pick up though. Wish I had the cash for that!

Yeah that seems odd... what len(s) where you using?

I just got my 60mm 2.8 micro nikkor... good god. I want to quit my job and take pictures of flowers all day!

 

[Mechanical Snowman]

The nicer legs? of course. They can actually go out perfectly flat if you want, with 3 hard stops along the way.

Mine also has a cool feature of allowing the vertical tube to lock in horizontally

I am not sure how far the cheaper ones can go out.

Alright, thanks a lot for this! I'm certainly a little more confident in buying one now.

 

[opticalmace]

Any opinions on 30mm vs 50mm for a macro lens? I like to shoot both still (plants) and animals (bees etc). 30mm is cheaper.

 

[345triangle]

yeah, i'd say 50mm is way more useful. you have to get so close with 30mm that you run the risk of either frightening away your subject, or casting a shadow with the lens itself.

 

[planar1280]

So guys I am upgrading my lens setup to the following:


Camera: Canon T2i

Lenses: Upgrading my kit 18-55mm IS lens to 15-85mm IS
Upgrading my 55-250mm IS to 70-200mm F4L IS
Keeping my Canon 50mm 1.8
Adding a new lens: Canon 85mm 1.8

Adding a new Marumi Super C.PL 67mm for 15-85

 

[Flo_Evans]

yeah, i'd say 50mm is way more useful. you have to get so close with 30mm that you run the risk of either frightening away your subject, or casting a shadow with the lens itself.

30mm will also give you exaggerated perspective up close. Unless you are going for that. The 50mm will also allow you to achieve a much shallower depth of field.

Can't wait to go bug hunting today with my macro!

 

[The Elite]

Now that I have the camera, I may consider another lens just before my London trip. What lens would you recommend for scenery photography beyond the kit lens?

 

[WanderingWind]

Can somebody smarter than me explain why the click sounds so different between a more expensive camera like the 7d and a midrange like the T2i?

 

[equap]

Now that I have the camera, I may consider another lens just before my London trip. What lens would you recommend for scenery photography beyond the kit lens?

http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/wide-angle/canon-24mm-f1.4l-ii

rent a lens instead of buying one.

 

[The Elite]

http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/wide-angle/canon-24mm-f1.4l-ii

rent a lens instead of buying one.

Renting?

Thanks!

 

[equap]

Renting?

Thanks!

yeah, that's a great company to rent from. i rented that lens for my trip to japan in 09 and i love the lens so much that i bought it. look around to see what will fit you. i prefer that lens because it's great at night for low light shots.

Can somebody smarter than me explain why the click sounds so different between a more expensive camera like the 7d and a midrange like the T2i?

i think because the 7D has a higher shooting rate than the T2i and requires more energy to do so. if you move things faster, more energy needs to be dissipated to stop.

 

[WanderingWind]

Okay, so I'm comparing the 7d with my T2i with this site: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras

I'm not seeing what the big difference is beside the more focal point. Beside that and the heavier body, why should I upgrade? Is there something around the corner that I should keep on eye out for instead?

 

[Unlimited4s]

Really? I shoot with the 60D which has the same sensor but a few less features then the 7D. My images aren't too soft at all. I've never really heard anyone complain about the 7D being too soft.

5D Mark II is an awesome pick up though. Wish I had the cash for that!

The bigger sensor makes a huge difference I think. My 6 year old 5D still takes way sharper and more refined images than a 7D (with the same lens and in the same place). (and with some really neat performance in low light situations)

(However, the 7D is still a fantastic camera with great image quality)

 

[Always-honest]

The nicer legs? of course. They can actually go out perfectly flat if you want, with 3 hard stops along the way.

Mine also has a cool feature of allowing the vertical tube to lock in horizontally

I am not sure how far the cheaper ones can go out.

i have the same one i think. GreaT.
The horizontal thing works great for certain Macro shots i do.

 

[tino]

Okay, so I'm comparing the 7d with my T2i with this site: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras

I'm not seeing what the big difference is beside the more focal point. Beside that and the heavier body, why should I upgrade? Is there something around the corner that I should keep on eye out for instead?

If you ask this question, you shouldn't upgrade. There are a whole bunch professional features you won't get to until a few years down the road.

Can somebody smarter than me explain why the click sounds so different between a more expensive camera like the 7d and a midrange like the T2i?

Heavy duty shutter design for longer shutter counts and faster flash sync make different sounds.

 

[WanderingWind]

If you ask this question, you shouldn't upgrade. There are a whole bunch professional features you won't get to until a few years down the road.

Well, that's what I keep hearing...that it's simply more "professional." But why? How?

 

[tino]

Well, that's what I keep hearing...that it's simply more "professional." But why? How?

A body that don't break down when you are on assignment to shoot thousands of photos per day in another continent, for one thing.

 

[WanderingWind]

A body that don't break down when you are on assignment to shoot thousands of photos per day in another continent, for one thing.

Been there, done that. No breaking. Military usage, too. I'm assuming this is one of those RRoD things, in which I just got lucky though. Big problem with the T2I bodies?

 

[tino]

Been there, done that. No breaking. Military usage, too. I'm assuming this is one of those RRoD things, in which I just got lucky though. Big problem with the T2I bodies?

If somebody pay your 5k to shoot an one-time event and your have to feed your wife and child with that money you wouldn't use a fucking Rebel as your only camera. It's easy to find out the other difference on the internet. If you actually care about it enough, that is.

 

[Kamakazie!]

my Canon 30D and 24mm f/1.4 is too bulky, i'm thinking about switching to a smaller camera like the micro4/3 or Nex. Do they have fast prime???

I really like the 24mm f/1.4.

M43 has a far better lens selection and offers multiple compact primes.

That and the fact that they are significantly more compact as a package was one of the main reasons I went with that over the nex.

 

[FStop7]

If somebody pay your 5k to shoot an one-time event and your have to feed your wife and child with that money you wouldn't use a fucking Rebel as your only camera. It's easy to find out the other difference on the internet. If you actually care about it enough, that is.

When I am on a paying job I wouldn't use anything as my only camera. I would have at least two bodies. That said, there's nothing really wrong with having a Rebel as a backup or even a primary body provided it gets the job done at the level of quality the client expects and it's not your sole piece of gear.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Can somebody smarter than me explain why the click sounds so different between a more expensive camera like the 7d and a midrange like the T2i?

The shutter is heavy duty and creates a different sound. Not to mention that they intentionally designed the shutter to sound better. Nikon's lower end shutters sound better than Canon's rebel shutters.

I am not a Nikon fanboy, I have a Canon XSi and 60D, and the 60D shutter sounds far better.

Well, that's what I keep hearing...that it's simply more "professional." But why? How?

The 7D has.....
-Better weathersealing
-More reliable shutter
-Better optical viewfinder (100% as opposed to 95%)
-Brighter viewfinder (Pentaprism vs Pentamirror)
-Bulkier grip for easier handling
-Better battery life (1,400 shots vs 500)
-Faster burst mode (8 fps vs. 3.7 fps)
-Heavy-duty body (magnesium alloy vs. plastic)

....compared to any of the current Canon rebels. Don't get me wrong, the Canon rebels are amazing entry-level SLR's that have incredible image quality and reliability, but the XD camera bodies are a couple of classes above that.

When I am on a paying job I wouldn't use anything as my only camera. I would have at least two bodies. That said, there's nothing really wrong with having a Rebel as a backup or even a primary body provided it gets the job done at the level of quality the client expects and it's not your sole piece of gear.

Bingo, for a photoshoot I do nothing less than two SLR's. It is convenient to switch lenses on the fly and there is a backup body in case it fails.

Canon rebels are nothing to laugh at, my Canon XSi has 32,000 shots and it is chugging along wonderfully. Their reliability is very good, especially for a low-end DSLR.

 

[NumberTwo]

I have a T2i, and am going to upgrade to a Sigma 30mm (I think) from the stock 18-55mm can. My question is: why is this fixed focus Sigma considered better than the 18-55? Perhaps a stupid question, but I am a bit of a novice.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Canon is doing a round of rebates for lenses until September 3rd.

Boy do I wish I had $2,000 so I can buy that 85mm f1.2L

I have a T2i, and am going to upgrade to a Sigma 30mm (I think) from the stock 18-55mm can. My question is: why is this fixed focus Sigma considered better than the 18-55? Perhaps a stupid question, but I am a bit of a novice.

I don't know about that lens in particular, but in general primes have better image quality than zoom lenses. Less moving parts in a fixed focal length means that they can focus more on improving image quality, and they can use bigger glass to be better in low lighting.

 

[WanderingWind]

The shutter is heavy duty and creates a different sound. Not to mention that they intentionally designed the shutter to sound better. Nikon's lower end shutters sound better than Canon's rebel shutters.

I am not a Nikon fanboy, I have a Canon XSi and 60D, and the 60D shutter sounds far better.



The 7D has.....
-Better weathersealing
-More reliable shutter
-Better optical viewfinder (100% as opposed to 95%)
-Brighter viewfinder (Pentaprism vs Pentamirror)
-Bulkier grip for easier handling
-Better battery life (1,400 shots vs 500)
-Faster burst mode (8 fps vs. 3.7 fps)
-Heavy-duty body (magnesium alloy vs. plastic)

....compared to any of the current Canon rebels. Don't get me wrong, the Canon rebels are amazing entry-level SLR's that have incredible image quality and reliability, but the XD camera bodies are a couple of classes above that.



Bingo, for a photoshoot I do nothing less than two SLR's. It is convenient to switch lenses on the fly and there is a backup body in case it fails.

Canon rebels are nothing to laugh at, my Canon XSi has 32,000 shots and it is chugging along wonderfully. Their reliability is very good, especially for a low-end DSLR.

Appreciate the non-asshole response. Thanks.

 

[slothmeister]

Sooo, im in a pickle.

At the moment i'm shooting with my D7000 and i have 4 lenses, 2 of which i don't need, one possibly that i'd like to upgrade.

The keeper = Sigma 70-200 f2.8
Upgrade = Nikon 18-105mm
Want to sell (no. 1) = 50mm 1.8
Want to sell (no.2) = 70-300 VR

So the 50mm and the 300mm are going to go up for sale, i think i'd like a better quality walkabout lens, or possibly a wide angle, or both?!?!?

I've heard good things about the Tokima 17-50mm f2.8, anyone else here use this lens?? Can anyone recommend a cheap ish but good quality wide angle?

Any other lens i should consider getting?

Thanks

 

[chaostrophy]

Canon is doing a round of rebates for lenses until September 3rd.

Boy do I wish I had $2,000 so I can buy that 85mm f1.2L

Canon rebates tend to be a good deal, I've bought pretty much all my lenses on rebate.

You know, I didn't think I'd ever get to this point...but right now I have all the lenses I want. There are really no more that I feel I need.

 

[NumberTwo]

Canon is doing a round of rebates for lenses until September 3rd.

Boy do I wish I had $2,000 so I can buy that 85mm f1.2L



I don't know about that lens in particular, but in general primes have better image quality than zoom lenses. Less moving parts in a fixed focal length means that they can focus more on improving image quality, and they can use bigger glass to be better in low lighting.

Thanks, I think I understand now.

 

[MaizeRage25]

Just pulled the trigger on a T2i. Gotta take lots of pictures of this guy:

 

[opticalmace]

Congrats!!