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The Official Camera Equipment Megathread

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Radec said:
Mother of God..

Is the lens heavy? Because I tried using a 70-200 on a D40x and it looks like that, but bigger, and heavier. It wasn't a joy to hold.

It's really not that heavy given how long it is, and the fact that it's metallic. Obviously not as easy to handle as the kit lens, but very manageable even at the 315mm equivalent long end.
 

phisheep

NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
Meus Renaissance said:
Quick question,

Was watching a video review earlier comparing the 600D with the 550D and they said the former's video performance wasn't that great but unfortunately never went into detail as to whether they meant 'not great in contrast to the 550D' or just not great in general. Haven't had the chance to browse written reviews of it but was wondering if anyone had used these two cameras and whether they could relate to this opinion?

Quick answer - I don't think they changed *anything* about video between the 550D and the 600D.

So either they meant not great in general, or maybe it is a rubbish review?
 

tino

Banned
Just got a flash trigger for my NEX.

NEX's flash shoots a annoying pre-flash in any mode. So I have to get a bootleg optical trigger that has "red eye prevention" build-in.

6261892019_dde43d77a5_z.jpg


6262421530_a9bb3ff9a9_z.jpg
 

luxarific

Nork unification denier
MuseManMike said:
My parents want to purchase a Nikon DS3100 DSLR for $599 this week. I have a small photography background myself (few semesters worth of photography classes), but it's been a long time since I've touched a camera that isn't a point-and-shoot. Your thoughts? Be as technical as you'd like.

I hope this is the appropriate thread for something like this. If not, feel free to link me accordingly.

Whatever you do, buy it now/soon, since Nikon just lost their Thailand factory that makes the majority of their mid-range DSLRs (due to floods). Sony is affected too. :(
 
There is a terrible flood in Thailand and it is doing horrible damage.

I really hope not to many people are killed or hurt in the flooding.

Because of the flooding, several factories that create products from companies such as Nikon, Sony and others have been destroyed or put out of service.

I was shopping for a Sony Nex-5N lately and found them hard to find (here in Osaka) at the cheaper shops. I heard that they were sold out and on back order cause of the flooding.

So I went out and got a silver Nex-5N this evening.

Really happy and can't wait to get out and do some shooting tomorrow.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
Nikon is fucked so if you want anything from them is low to mid end might wanna buy it now or be prepared to wait awhile.

This sucks for the people of Thailand and us photo enthusiasts since after the Japanes quake we cant catch a break and prices should be on the move up.
 

Zoe

Member
Zoe said:
We just bought a Nikon D5100 a few weeks ago. Up until yesterday I had been using a 4GB Kingston (class 4) card, and the camera was always really quick in turning on the display. I switched to a 32GB Transcend (class 10) card last night, and it's noticeably slower.

Is that just because of the jump in capacity, or is the card slow?

Anyone?
 

VNZ

Member
Anyone else having a hard time deciding if to buy a 5D mark II now? I've been hovering on the buy button all week…

Arguments FOR
+ It has reached quite affordable levels lately.
+ It's still awesome.
+ A future replacement model will cost at least 1.5x more when it hits.

Arguments AGAINST
- 5D mk III, or whatever Canon decide to call the next camera in the semi-pro full frame range (5D X?), is surely coming within 6 months or so.
- That replacement will have comparatively awesome light sensitivity, and better video capabilities for sure. Those are both features I'm really looking for.

Still, it seems like a good time to get the 5DmkII now. So, anyone else in the same situation?

EDIT: Bah, well, I counted my monies and A 5DmkII IS MINE!
 

Damaged

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
Nikon is fucked so if you want anything from them is low to mid end might wanna buy it now or be prepared to wait awhile.

This sucks for the people of Thailand and us photo enthusiasts since after the Japanes quake we cant catch a break and prices should be on the move up.

Been putting off getting the 35mm DX nikon lens till now, really sucks that this was my final excuse for getting it. Hope the people there get back to normal soon :(
 

rkn

Member
VNZ said:
Anyone else having a hard time deciding if to buy a 5D mark II now? I've been hovering on the buy button all week…

Arguments FOR
+ It has reached quite affordable levels lately.
+ It's still awesome.
+ A future replacement model will cost at least 1.5x more when it hits.

Arguments AGAINST
- 5D mk III, or whatever Canon decide to call the next camera in the semi-pro full frame range (5D X?), is surely coming within 6 months or so.
- That replacement will have comparatively awesome light sensitivity, and better video capabilities for sure. Those are both features I'm really looking for.

Still, it seems like a good time to get the 5DmkII now. So, anyone else in the same situation?

EDIT: Bah, well, I counted my monies and A 5DmkII IS MINE!
Mk 2 will take great pictures even though the Mk 3 will be a seemingly significant upgrade. I got mine a year and a half ago, never looked back.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Just bought a 22" 5in1 reflector. Seems a good enough size for portraiture. Can't wait to use it. I've noticed, even in ideal lighting conditions (shade, light to the back, overcast) you still don't get good light in the eyes no matter what. Reflecting back natural light should help immensely with this.
 

tino

Banned
BlueTsunami said:
Just bought a 22" 5in1 reflector. Seems a good enough size for portraiture. Can't wait to use it. I've noticed, even in ideal lighting conditions (shade, light to the back, overcast) you still don't get good light in the eyes no matter what. Reflecting back natural light should help immensely with this.
I have a silver/gold one. I have never had a chance to use it. I don't know how to use it without a person holding it.

I have however, used my studio sized demb defussor a ton.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
tino said:
I have a silver/gold one. I have never had a chance to use it. I don't know how to use it without a person holding it.

Yep, all articles and videos I've read and seen seem to assume you'll have someone to help you hold it up. I'm shooting some senior photos for my cousins girlfriend so I'ma have him hold up the reflector for me. I need to practice with it first this weekend. It seems to be a highly effective tool when used correctly.
 
Zyzyxxz said:
Nikon is fucked so if you want anything from them is low to mid end might wanna buy it now or be prepared to wait awhile.

This sucks for the people of Thailand and us photo enthusiasts since after the Japanes quake we cant catch a break and prices should be on the move up.

Rough times for sure. 'Wondering if now's a good time to get a 24-70.
 

Forsete

Member
Radec said:

Do want.

Too bad about the delay.
I'm probably getting those 3D goggles instead of a camera this year.. Priorities. :/
€1249 for the body in Holland (which I will be importing from), hopefully it will have come down a little in monies by the time I get it.
 

Blackhead

Redarse
Forsete said:
Do want.

Too bad about the delay.
I'm probably getting those 3D goggles instead of a camera this year.. Priorities. :/
€1249 for the body in Holland (which I will be importing from), hopefully it will have come down a little in monies by the time I get it.
Which 3D goggles?
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
Damaged said:
Been putting off getting the 35mm DX nikon lens till now, really sucks that this was my final excuse for getting it. Hope the people there get back to normal soon :(

It's my only lens on my D90 for now and I use it for everything, sure it can't reach but its short enough that you can take pics of food at the table in the dark. If you check my flickr photos everything that has been shot in the last few months was with that lens. I'd get it even if its floating around $240 now since I bought it at $200 and its price has only gone up since.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21097292@N07/
 
Meus Renaissance said:
Aside from the pro of weight and size, why would someone choose a compact DSLR over the conventional ones?

what do you mean, "compact DSLR"? mirrorless? cameras like that are generally better for shooting video or using in live view mode - they're easier to use for someone who doesn't want to be tied to a viewfinder. otherwise, weight, size and price are pretty much it.
 

Damaged

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
It's my only lens on my D90 for now and I use it for everything, sure it can't reach but its short enough that you can take pics of food at the table in the dark. If you check my flickr photos everything that has been shot in the last few months was with that lens. I'd get it even if its floating around $240 now since I bought it at $200 and its price has only gone up since.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21097292@N07/
Love the shots :) the lens is only going on a D3100 but I'm really looking forward to seeing how a prime lens forces me to change how I shoot and think about positioning myself around subjects and light.
 

JORMBO

Darkness no more
BlueTsunami said:
Just bought a 22" 5in1 reflector. Seems a good enough size for portraiture. Can't wait to use it. I've noticed, even in ideal lighting conditions (shade, light to the back, overcast) you still don't get good light in the eyes no matter what. Reflecting back natural light should help immensely with this.

If you can shoot around sunrise or sunset you'll get the sun at the ideal position. Put the sun behind your subject either a little off to the left or right if you can. The sun will illuminate the hair and provide a little wrap around to the face. Have someone hold the reflector in front on the opposite side of the sun and direct light back into the face. If the sun is bright the gold and silver hurt the subjects eyes a bit, so I try not to hold it in place too long. If you are shooting mid day you can have the subject stand just inside the shade line somewhere and direct a little light back.

Gold I only use at the beach. Silver and white are nice. I only use reflectors at the beach since I prefer flash to natural light, but they are a nice cheap way to get better light...if you have someone to hold it.
 

tino

Banned
Meus Renaissance said:
Technical term is MILC. Sorry, I didn't even know wat a DSLR was until a few weeks ago!

OK if you are talking about mirrorless cameras like the NEX and m43 systems.

* They are smaller.
* They are not really cheaper if you compare to entry level DSLR kits.
* You can't rent good lenses for special occasions since you can only rent Nikon and Canon lenses.
* The AF speed is slightly slower.
* For native AF lenses, m43 has ok selection and NEX has poor selection, m43 has ok price for entry level lenses but pretty lousy price for advanced level lenses.
* They are new mounts, so they don't have access to large selection of used and third party lenses.
* They can however use all manner of manual focus SLR lenses including rangefinder lenses. Great for people who used to shoot films.
* You can put a mirrorless camera in ypur jacket pocket.

That's all I can think off right now.
 

tino

Banned
Radec said:

I am reading the review. My impression is that the 50mm 1.8 is usable at wide open with decent sharpness at center.

The Zeiss 24 is ok. Ok bokeh wide open. It still has slight double ghost bokeh but not too obvious. I am sure its sharp and contrasty.

The NEX7 is cool. What I really lust after is the build quality and the build-in EVF. It uses an OLED, I wonder how many year does it last?

As far as high ISO goes, its probably better than NEX3 and worse than NEX5n. I will say it though, it doesn't have NEX3's ugly ass jpeg compression noise pattern. All the 1600 samples I see are pretty passable. At 3200 the noise start remind me of P&S cameras. Does anyone notice every photo he shot with the Zeiss 24 was wide open. Does this lens not get sharper when stepped down?

Assuming the E24 is good as they say it is, then Sony finally has the lenses to cover low ends and some high end range. What I really want is a mid-tier wide angle lens. Something like a 18mm (28mm equivalent) f/2.8 would be perfect for me. The price should not be higher than Pentax's limited DA lenses. That's what I consider a fair price. It should have very good sharpness and be smaller than the Zeiss 24. And for gods sake, it need to be black.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Meus Renaissance said:
Why are they better at shooting films than DSLR's?

I'm reading that statement as people who used to shoot Film cameras that owned manual lenses being able to use said lenses on Mirrorless bodies. But its also true that manual lenses are great for shooting films (video) in general due to the nice focusing action manual lenses have.
 

tino

Banned
Meus Renaissance said:
Why are they better at shooting films than DSLR's?

They are not. But SLR can't use rangefinder lens because the distance tween the mount and the sensor is too large, mirrorless camera doesn't have a mirror so that distance (called the flange distance) is very short. So it can use any manual focus lens like rangefinder lens, 16mm movie lens or CCTV lens.

Not that you should.
 
tino said:
So it can use any manual focus lens like rangefinder lens, 16mm movie lens or CCTV lens.

Not that you should.

<-- Just dropped $40 for a 35mm/1.7 CCTV lens to play around with manual focusing :/

I hope I get one of the "sharp" ones.
 

tino

Banned
Valkyr Junkie said:
<-- Just dropped $40 for a 35mm/1.7 CCTV lens to play around with manual focusing :/

I hope I get one of the "sharp" ones.
Which one did you get? I was told only Pentax/Cosmicar have decent image circle. Most other brands give you "tunnel vision" on the APSC sensor.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Went through photos I printed when I was into this hobby. Some good stuff and it is done on a film. I'm a bit dissapointed with my Nex-3 so far, gonna order this Konica 1.7 lens to see if it gets better. Also I'm gonna load a new roll of film in my Eos33v tonight.
 

AVclub

Junior Member
This is a compact point and shoot, but looks to be one of the best ones out there. They say it was released a month early, but I can't find it in stock anywhere, so I thought I'd ask here:

Does anyone know where I can find a Canon Powershot S100 without paying a huge premium for it?
 
tino said:
Which one did you get? I was told only Pentax/Cosmicar have decent image circle. Most other brands give you "tunnel vision" on the APSC sensor.

Fujian. The sharpness drops off pretty dramatically as expected, but the samples I've seen on the NEX look decent enough for the money. The M43 cameras do seem to get more out of the lens though as you'd expect. I want to play around with manual focus with a fast lens, but I won't be too bothered if this thing disappoints.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
subversus said:
Went through photos I printed when I was into this hobby. Some good stuff and it is done on a film. I'm a bit dissapointed with my Nex-3 so far, gonna order this Konica 1.7 lens to see if it gets better. Also I'm gonna load a new roll of film in my Eos33v tonight.

I think the difference in quality between a good film capture and a good capture from low end digital cameras will still contain a bit of a gulf. Unless you're disappointed in some other aspect? I know that the controls for the NEX-3 is pretty sparse.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Nex-3 shots look too grainy for my tastes. I remember my Nikon D200 had better image quality. Well, it's small at least.


Also the main dial on my eos33v doesn't work. ARGH.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
AVclub said:
This is a compact point and shoot, but looks to be one of the best ones out there. They say it was released a month early, but I can't find it in stock anywhere, so I thought I'd ask here:

Does anyone know where I can find a Canon Powershot S100 without paying a huge premium for it?

Yes its called a Canon S95 or even a Canon S90 if you can find one refurbished or used. Same sensor but S90 lacks HD video, while S95 records only at 720p IIRC, for photos they should all be the same quality wise.
 

tino

Banned
subversus said:
Nex-3 shots look too grainy for my tastes. I remember my Nikon D200 had better image quality. Well, it's small at least.


Also the main dial on my eos33v doesn't work. ARGH.


You probably can get a Canon EOS3 for cheap. It has awesome eye control!

Yeah I like the look of film better than digital too. The non-linear gradual transition of colors in highlight look so much more alive.
 
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