Support NeoGAF

[Dreaver]

Do people here use bags for their tripods? Is it recommend or a bit useless?

A tripod is one thing you definitely don't want to cheap out on, and with a budget like that, it's all you're going to get. If you double your budget and add a bit more, then you'll be able to find something that's worthwhile owing. If not, you're looking a a cheapy, but don't say I didn't warn you if something unfortunate happens to your camera equipment. Please don't read this as condescending or whatever, I'm just telling you how I see it.

There might be some better suited stuff out there for video, but I currently use Manfrotto tripods and ballheads for my photography. They offer fluid heads for video and looking at them, your budget barely covers the cheapest appropriate fluid heads, let alone the legs to attach it to. I use the Manfrotto 190XPROB legs, but if you're a taller person that me, which is quite likely, the 055XPROB are a better option, again these legs a lone are already outside your budget and they're not terribly expensive at all. They are photography legs though and it seems that video uses different legs for some reason or another, perhaps for dolly attachments and such. I'm not up on the whys and such for video but since you're using a DSLR, photography equipment might suit just fine.

Photography and videography can be rather expensive hobbies depending on how deep you go, corners can be cut in a number of areas with minimal or no consequence to the quality of output, or safety of your equipment; a tripod is not one of these things. I can't stress enough that it's not worth cheaping out on a tripod since if you buy right, you buy it once and that's it.

With all that said, maybe none of what I said applies to the video arena and maybe there's some secret that I don't know of that will save you money, though unlikely. In any case, the Video and Fimmaking Thread might be able to offer some advice, though it's not the fastest moving thread around.

I was already afraid that it would cost me a lot... but as you say it is something I might not want to cheap out on it and it's something I won't have to buy again for a really long time.

I think if I cheap out now with a cheaper (not so good) $50-100 tripod I want a better one in a later stage, which will be more expensive in a long run.

I will certainly look into the one you recommended me.

And I know about the filmmaking thread but it isn't really active and I thought this would be better for (quick) advice.

Anyways thanks a lot for your response, I really appreciate it.

 

[phisheep]

I was already afraid that it would cost me a lot... but as you say it is something I might not want to cheap out on it and it's something I won't have to buy again for a really long time.

You didn't mention where you want to use the tripod. That's important.

I use a 550XPROB myself, and it is fine for indoor work, but impracticably heavy for heaving around outdoors on long hikes.

Now obviously for video you want a lot of stability, but you might consider getting a lighter tripod and a heavier weight to go with it if you are outdoors.

 

[Dreaver]

You didn't mention where you want to use the tripod. That's important.

I use a 550XPROB myself, and it is fine for indoor work, but impracticably heavy for heaving around outdoors on long hikes.

Now obviously for video you want a lot of stability, but you might consider getting a lighter tripod and a heavier weight to go with it if you are outdoors.

Well, mostly at home/around my town. I will take it with me to other places if I have to shoot somewhere.
I don't expect to use it (a lot) at crowded places (like clubs). Nor I am planning to take it with me on holidays.

 

[phisheep]

Well, mostly at home/around my town. I will take it with me to other places if I have to shoot somewhere.
I don't expect to use it (a lot) at crowded places (like clubs). Nor I am planning to take it with me on holidays.

If it is mostly at home, then heavy is good.

To be quite honest, for things farther afield I'd consider doing without a tripod at all unless you are into big moody landscapes. Mostly you'll be able to get by with handheld for still shots if you get the lighting and shutter speed right. For video you might better with one of those handheld stabiliser things rather than a tripod.

Sprung dance floors are a pest. Doesn't matter how stable your tripod is if the floor moves.

 

[Danoss]

Do people here use bags for their tripods? Is it recommend or a bit useless?

Anyways thanks a lot for your response, I really appreciate it.

No worries man, they're great tripods for the money, I love mine to bits. Really investigate the height difference between those two I mentioned as it can make quite a big difference for not much added cost, but added weight. I neglected to mention weight, but will add this in after phisheep mentioned it. Silly me, that was actually part of the reason I went for the 190XPROB.

190XPROB - 1.8kg
055XPROB - 2.3kg

These weights are legs only, so you'll still have to add the weight of the fluid head on top of that. My ballhead, the 498RC2 adds another 610g to the 190XPROB, making it about 2.4kg. Fluid heads seem to weigh the same as my ballhead at a minimum, depending on choice, you may be looking at 500g - 1.6kg. Now, it's not really that heavy, but if you lug these things and your camera equipment around long enough and far enough, the weight eventually become apparent. I see you've already replied about this as I'm typing this, but I'll leave it in, it may be useful to someone else reading.

I don't use a bag for mine, I have more than enough bags with camera gear in it and don't see a need, at least for my purposes. I do however, have a strap that I use for mine to make it much easier to lug around through bushland on trails and whatnot. I use the Manfrotto MStrap-1, it wraps up the legs nicely and holds it together whilst being very comfortable to carry around, I could almost forget it was there. You don't have to go for something like this as there are many DIY ideas out there that can solve this problem, but this is always around if you want it.

Here's how the official strap sits, depending on how you throw it over your shoulder. It's pretty comfy either way, just make sure you put the padded legs across your back or you'll know about it.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

However, if you come in and ask a question and multiple people take the time to respond and basically say the same thing, they might be on to something.

The problem is that I listened to those people and ended up with that same thing. Danosh for some reason doesn't think I'm listening to them. They said I needed external flash so I now know I need external flash. One recommended getting the Pentex so I looked into that. One said lens is whats important and I asked them for information on it. I even answered the question of what type of setting and photography I will be doing at the club.

So far there hasn't been a single thing in this thread that involves my initial question that I have ignored. I even said "great advice everyone" multiple times indicating I got everything. Yes I know I should get a those materials to diffuse. And I didn't ignore that. Just because I didn't ask for doesn't mean I didn't take it to heart. I'm going to ask for things once at a time, I'm not going to make a post asking a shit ton of questions at once because well thats annoying. So I start by asking things simple, with the body first, than the lens, than the flash. And if you look at my posts thats what I have been doing.

This post sums everything up:

You really come across as quite a dickhead in this thread. Go get laid before erupting at people for asking questions you don't feel are good enough.

I ask for information about a camera within my reference group that I clearly labeled, and I get shit on for asking something that's the "finest cheapest" when in reality I was asking something that is good within my reference group of the camera the official camera person uses (thus essentially saying I need it around this good because thats what the owner thinks is good enough). Like asking whats the most powerful bang for your buck laptop a $400-500 price range, used. For doing something like say 2D animation work for the school website. No one thinks "He wants an G74X" for $500? Lol.", they think, "He probably wants an upperend Dell of some kind, possibly an Asus if he's wiling to shell out a few more dollars". All this really proves is why people get so intimidated getting into mediums like similar to these because you get a bunch of people condescending the little guy for asking questions when they first started.You could say "Well isn't that ineffective for what you are trying to do?", well as I said before its up to the standards of the owner, it doesn't need to be professional. This isn't for a magazine shoot or backgrounds for the website, its for facebook. Everybody has digested this, he hasn't.

Yes people have been referencing similar things, and this is exactly how I ended up with a decision in taking into consideration of all those things. Hell everything I've decided are from directly things people recommended. Now hes trying to defend himself when others are calling him up on it. And lets pretend that his post was incredibly relevant and I ignored it all (I wasn't looking for tips, just what camera body and lens to use and then I'll go from there *which I did*) why would I even take his post seriously if its in that tone of manner? He even apologized for misreading my post.

EDIT - It seems that he gets a bit fired up when it comes to inexperienced photographers entering the business. I probably said I got the job and it made his blood boil for some reason (even if its more of me just training and helping out here and there). He's probably just angry that he's losing gigs to newbie photographers and needs to vent.

Oh look, there's an external flash used to take that image.

The camera man doesn't have an external flash...

 

[Danoss]

Oh my.

He just wants to know what camera and lens to buy everyone, so he can go from there. Don't give him any tips, he didn't ask for them!

Mate, you didn't know that you needed an external flash, if we only answered what you asked you wouldn't know that you needed one. I mentioned it would be a good idea to get a TTL cable or wireless triggers for said flash so you can be more creative, but dammit, that's a tip, and they're not welcome. Heaven forbid someone suggests and hints at a way someone can be creative in a creative medium such as photography.

But let's sum it up that I'm the only dickhead here. Yep.

I don't care where you take photos or what you take them of. Photography is a hobby for me, I'm completely unfazed whether you get paid or not.

I sold cameras to people like you for years, I eventually quit because I couldn't stand it any longer. I was damn good at my job, one of the best salesmen, but the customers got worse by the day. People read a little something on the internet and they think they know everything. You point someone in the right direction and they like to tell you how wrong you are, that your advice is unwelcome and a multitude of other things, just like you.

You've decided to get into the photography area and to initially start out in some very difficult lighting conditions, this is going to compound the learning curve. Some seasoned pros have a hard time with flash, because that's a different learning curve entirely, just in case you weren't aware of this. Shunning tips or any advice at this stage is pretty unwise and clearly demonstrates immaturity, or a lack of understanding of what's involved on your part. Advice, practice and experience, trial and error, etc will get you somewhere in learning this hobby, focusing entirely on gear won't, I'm afraid.

I'm still going to give advice, against my better judgement. I'm surely going to cop it from all sides no matter what I say, but here goes. Since you are so new to photography and since you've turned to the internet for advice and not someone you know, I will assume that you don't have someone to show you everything you need to know about the basics of photography. Spend the extra money on a book, read it, and put into practise the things in the book to see the results for yourself.

The book is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

People more experienced than you have bought and read this book and learnt something from it, so don't think you're above it.

Now, I've been about as helpful as I can be bothered with you. Whilst I'm well aware that I could have been more pleasant, you need a bit of an attitude adjustment also. Someone was rude to you on the internet, get over it and move on.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Oh my.

He just wants to know what camera and lens to buy everyone, so he can go from there. Don't give him any tips, he didn't ask for them!

Way to read my post.

Snip

Seriously stop acting like a child. I asked people what type of camera I needed and that I was opened to suggestions. People recommended me what lens, body, and flash to get as well as other things and I took it to heart. You on the other hand kicked off by acting condescending so I ignored your post. And for some reason you took offense to this and started acting more dickish, while everyone else in this thread provided me with quality responses of what I should purchase and need to do with my camera. And when people call you out on it you again act like a child.

"I shouldn't bother" yes you shouldn't, I'm not even going to read your post. And the hilarious part in this is that you are convinced that its because I'm a "stubborn newbie" when in reality its you are acting like a completely inappropriate which is why I won't take you seriously.

 

[Danoss]

I didn't even bother reading this anyway. Again people have called you out on it and now you're trying to act like a victim. Grow up.

"I said I wasn't looking for tips, dammit!"

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Hey everyone. I am thinking of selling my 60D, 70-200mm F/4L, Tamron 17-50, and 430 EXII and buying a micro 4/3 camera. Would anyone be interested in buying any of the above items?

 

[DietRob]

Hey everyone. I am thinking of selling my 60D, 70-200mm F/4L, Tamron 17-50, and 430 EXII and buying a micro 4/3 camera. Would anyone be interested in buying any of the above items?

PM'd

 

[LJ11]

Danoss, thanks for the book recommendation.

If you, or anyone else for that matter, have other books/websites for beginners feel free to list a few. Thanks again!

 

[Danoss]

Danoss, thanks for the book recommendation.

If you, or anyone else for that matter, have other books/websites for beginners feel free to list a few. Thanks again!

My pleasure, it's a great book for beginners and intermediates alike. I've got another great book for when you've got a solid grasp of the three aspects of exposure, ISO, aperture and shutter speed, how to use them effectively, and how to read and meter a scene that 'Understanding Exposure' presents so well.

The book is The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman.

This book goes through the many different aspects of composition, so you get a great idea of what makes an interesting photo. It'll help you present what you see to others in a compelling way. It also shows you the well established and long-standing 'rules' of photography, these 'rules' have been around for a very long time for good reason. I put 'rules' in inverted commas because they are meant to be broken, but knowing these rules is essential so you know when and why you're breaking them, which can create their own dramatic effect.

There are some other books out there, but I don't think any of them are as helpful and essential as these ones. That is, unless you're going into something like studio/flash photography where it is a world all its own. After this point, the best thing to improve photography is to go out and take them, keep doing so, make those mistakes (there's lots of them to make) and learn from them. Look at your own pictures, look at others' pictures and understand why you like them or don't like them, this is another learning tool that can train your eye and instincts.

One very important and often avoided thing that will help you improve is critique. Posting on Facebook and Flickr and receiving nothing but likes and comments such as "great photo, "nice camera" and "I like the colours" won't get you anywhere; it's a big ego boost that will just fill you with false confidence. Find a place where people aren't afraid to give you constructive criticism on your images so you can get a better idea of what you did wrong as well as what you did right, and how you can better your skills. Critique others' photos too, this helps you as much as it does them.

Obviously this has become more than a book recommendation, but I thought it might help you and some others down the track. No rush to get through these steps of course. If it takes you years or decades, there's nothing wrong with that. All in good time. Take your time, go at your own pace, enjoy yourself, and shoot what you love.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Danoss
Banned
(Yesterday, 08:23 PM)

Welp.

 

[rozay]

Welp.

It's unfortunate that you had to stoop to his level rather than just ignoring his condescending bits and getting the help you needed

 

[Flo_Evans]

What the hell...

My $.02 for club pics.

Technique is way more important than gear here. You will probably be using manual exposure with good flash TTL power compensation.

You will get allot of duds, so recharge time is important on your flash. In the example photo it is clearly a dedicated flash with a soft dome but placed in the hotshoe. This is more for speed (and follow up shots if settings are bad, person blinks, ect) the built in on most cameras is powerfull enough, but firing at max will take some time to recharge. This is why you want a dedicated flash for these photos. Off camera stuff is a bonus, wouldn't worry about wireless yet on the budget.

Since we are on flash photography, the hot shoe diaries is pretty good http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321580141/?tag=neogaf0e-20

This dude is sponsored by Nikon, so it mostly goes over their TTL and wireless speedlights. It is also NOT an instructional or guide book. It has really killer photos and he sort of explains his process and tells you what lights he used but I found it a good inspiration rather than a textbook.

 

[Hammer24]

Hey everyone. I am thinking of selling my 60D, 70-200mm F/4L, Tamron 17-50, and 430 EXII and buying a micro 4/3 camera. Would anyone be interested in buying any of the above items?

What do you want for the 70-200 F4/L?

Damn, hope Danoss isn´t perma´d. Got some GREAT usefull info from him.

 

[captive]

Danoss, thanks for the book recommendation.

If you, or anyone else for that matter, have other books/websites for beginners feel free to list a few. Thanks again!

tutorials on just about everything
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

for anyone interested in nikon stuff. He also has some other articles for instance, on shopping for a tripod.
www.bythom.com

portrait photographer and lighting expert Kirk Tuck, he's got several lighting books out there.
http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/


@danoss - no one had a problem with your information, but your attitude was shit.

 

[BuggyDClown]

Im in love. Canon 85mm f1.2 L USM II

Just got my new lens. May be the best glass I have ever used. Cuts down about 1/2 of the required light of any other lens I own. This thing is a beast. Didn't have a ton of time, but heres a shot I took with it last night.

 

[JORMBO]

Im in love. Canon 85mm f1.2 L USM II

Just got my new lens. May be the best glass I have ever used. Cuts down about 1/2 of the required light of any other lens I own. This thing is a beast. Didn't have a ton of time, but heres a shot I took with it last night.

I want one

 

[BlueTsunami]

Im in love. Canon 85mm f1.2 L USM II

Super jelly. Also known as "The Keg".

 

[LJ11]

Thanks for the additional links captive, and on the other book Danoss.

 

[BuggyDClown]

I want one

Super jelly. Also known as "The Keg".

It was really last minute. I was actually going to be upgrading to the Mk III from the Mk II and then my buddy (from best buy) hooked me up with an amazing deal on this lens. I felt I could get more out of the new lens, and hold onto my current body for awhile instead.

I think I made the right purchase. Will take some real photos this week and share how well it performs.

 

[Prez]

I would like to play with urban photography and I'm looking for a digital SLR and a wide-angle lens. Any tips on what I should pay attention to when I'm browsing second hand offers? I don't have more than €200 to spend but I'd be perfectly happy with an 10-year-old budget digital camera. Are there any brands I should prefer?

Thanks.

 

[MRORANGE]

I would like to play with urban photography and I'm looking for a digital SLR and a wide-angle lens. Any tips on what I should pay attention to when I'm browsing second hand offers? I don't have more than €200 to spend but I'd be perfectly happy with an 10-year-old budget digital camera. Are there any brands I should prefer?

Thanks.

Danoss would have started spewing blood from his eye's at that.

the perfect set-up for an APS-C camera would be the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 but it's out of your budget, it's best to find a 2nd hand dlsr and use the kit lens at the lower focal length (18-55mm) Wide angle lenses don't often come cheap even when second hand.

you could try a film camera and finding a cheap 20mm prime (f2.8/f3.5)

 

[Prez]

Danoss would have started spewing blood from his eye's at that.

the perfect set-up for an APS-C camera would be the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 but it's out of your budget, it's best to find a 2nd hand dlsr and use the kit lens at the lower focal length (18-55mm) Wide angle lenses don't often come cheap even when second hand.

you could try a film camera and finding a cheap 20mm prime (f2.8/f3.5)

What's wrong with what I said? I'm already finding plenty of options in my budget, like a Sony F828 with a Carl Zeiss T* Vario Sonnar lens (the one that came with it). That one goes for €150. Something like that seems perfectly fine just to play around with imo.

edit: wait, it's not an DSLR. I'm not even sure if I even need that though. It's just for playing around.

 

[MRORANGE]

What's wrong with what I said? I'm already finding plenty of options in my budget, like a Sony F828 with a Carl Zeiss T* Vario Sonnar lens (the one that came with it). That one goes for €150. Something like that seems perfectly fine just to play around with imo.

edit: wait, it's not an DSLR. I'm not even sure if I even need that though. It's just for playing around.

nothing wrong, it's just a joke about a previous member on gaf.

As you mentioned that is not even a dslr. I don't know any European camera shops that do 2nd hand slr's but I reccomend checking them out.

 

[tino]

I would like to play with urban photography and I'm looking for a digital SLR and a wide-angle lens. Any tips on what I should pay attention to when I'm browsing second hand offers? I don't have more than €200 to spend but I'd be perfectly happy with an 10-year-old budget digital camera. Are there any brands I should prefer?

Thanks.

With you gadget....I suggest LX3 or start learning panorama tools. I recommend PTGui.

Oh if you don't mind the size of 828, it's indeed a very find camera for the price. Also consider Sony R1. Or Canon G series (G9, G10 etc) Their used price is a tag too high, plus they don't have true wide angle. If you can find a Fuji s100fs for decent price, its very good as well.

 

[Prez]

With you gadget....I suggest LX3 or start learning panorama tools. I recommend PTGui.

Oh if you don't mind the size of 828, it's indeed a very find camera for the price. Also consider Sony R1. Or Canon G series (G9, G10 etc) Their used price is a tag too high, plus they don't have true wide angle. If you can find a Fuji s100fs for decent price, its very good as well.

Thanks for the suggestions!

The LX3 and F828 seem like the best options for me. The other cameras go for at least twice the price where I live. I don't mind the lack of true wide angle, as long as I can start going out and take pictures I'm happy I can still upgrade whenever I like.

 

[Art Teitlebaum]

Thanks for the suggestions!

The LX3 and F828 seem like the best options for me. The other cameras go for at least twice the price where I live. I don't mind the lack of true wide angle, as long as I can start going out and take pictures I'm happy I can still upgrade whenever I like.

If you really have no problems with old equipment and want to stay flexible with interchangeable lenses you might have a look on a used Olympus E-300. My wife made some great photos with such a thing back then.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_E-300

 

[Prez]

If you really have no problems with old equipment and want to stay flexible with interchangeable lenses you might have a look on a used Olympus E-300. My wife made some great photos with such a thing back then.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_E-300

I watched a lot of sample photos from the LX3, F828 and E300 and there is something about the colours and light I like a lot more about the E300.

I'm going for this one. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[giga]

I watched a lot of sample photos from the LX3, F828 and E300 and there is something about the colours and light I like a lot more about the E300.

I'm going for this one. Thanks for the suggestion.

Just to let you know, colors and exposure can all be adjusted with software. You'll find that samples from people with pro bodies have better colors because they know what they're doing in post compared to samples from consumer cameras.

My suggestion would be a rebel xti + 18-55mm kit. They probably go for $300 on craigs, so that should be near your price target. Hell, even the rebel xt is fine (that's what I started out with).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_400D

 

[chaostrophy]

Who in PhotoGAF has had a show of their work? I'm having my first one in a couple of months. Some friends of mine are moving into a new apartment and they had asked me to make a bunch of prints for them, then they offered to make their housewarming party like a gallery show since they think a lot of people they know with money would be interested in buying my stuff. I'm excited, but nervous at the same time. Any words of wisdom from people who have done this before?

 

[Prez]

Just to let you know, colors and exposure can all be adjusted with software. You'll find that samples from people with pro bodies have better colors because they know what they're doing in post compared to samples from consumer cameras.

My suggestion would be a rebel xti + 18-55mm kit. They probably go for $300 on craigs, so that should be near your price target. Hell, even the rebel xt is fine (that's what I started out with).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_400D

There's something about some photos that astonishes me while a lot while a lot of modern professional photos leave me untouched. After all these years I'm still trying to identify what it is exactly.

I have an fascination for light. Below are some photos I love. The last picture is an example of a photo I dislike a lot. I know a lot depends on the lighting and shadows, but I've seen many photos that were taken in very similar conditions but looked very bland to me. It has nothing to do with contrast and brightness either because when I mess with the brightness and contrast in GIMP, it doesn't ruin the perception of light for me at all.

What is it exactly that makes me love these photos?

These are two pictures taken with the E300:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithkwok/6256604585/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithkwok/6257137212/

And it's not just color photos:

This photo taken by William Claxton looks superb:

While this photo looks extremely bland to me:

 

[giga]

Yeah, none of those specific types of shots are specific to any sort of camera. The flickr shots are taken with a 50mm prime with natural lighting. The black and white one…that'll be done in post. The claxton one is very warm. To get that effect, you'll be adjusting the WB or changing the saturation/hue levels for red/orange/yellow.

Brightness and contrast won't help you much here. I wouldn't recommend GIMP either as it's not very friendly for achieving what you want. Most guys use Lightroom, Aperture, or Photoshop…but those are out of your budget.

You could try rawtherapee or darktable. I've never used either so I can't vouch for them, but they are free.

http://www.rawtherapee.com/
http://www.darktable.org/

 

[Prez]

Yeah, none of those specific types of shots are specific to any sort of camera. The flickr shots are taken with a 50mm prime with natural lighting. The black and white one…that'll be done in post. The claxton one is very warm. To get that effect, you'll be adjusting the WB or changing the saturation/hue levels for red/orange/yellow.

Brightness and contrast won't help you much here. I wouldn't recommend GIMP either as it's not very friendly for achieving what you want. Most guys use Lightroom, Aperture, or Photoshop…but those are out of your budget.

Thanks. It's good to know that what I want in a photo can be achieved with any good camera.

You could try rawtherapee or darktable. I've never used either so I can't vouch for them, but they are free.

http://www.rawtherapee.com/
http://www.darktable.org/

Looks interesting. I don't need the best software anyway. I have a lot to learn, so it will be fun to experiment.

 

[tino]

Thanks. It's good to know that what I want in a photo can be achieved with any good camera.

You are going to need to pony up more money bottom line. This is like drooling over a H&M poster whose model is wearing a 9.95 tan top. Well... it's not the $9.95 tan top that make the model so hot.

 

[reggieandTFE]

I watched a lot of sample photos from the LX3, F828 and E300 and there is something about the colours and light I like a lot more about the E300.

I'm going for this one. Thanks for the suggestion.

Don't buy an Olympus E300, it's ancient and the regular 4/3 system is basically dead. If you like the Olympus colors, you'd do better to buy an micro 4/3 cam. The Olympus E-pl1 has been absurdly cheap recently ($150) at Amazon and other places.

 

[Prez]

You are going to need to pony up more money bottom line. This is like drooling over a H&M poster whose model is wearing a 9.95 tan top. Well... it's not the $9.95 tan top that make the model so hot.

I'll be happy to just experiment and see what I can do with the limitations of a cheap camera. I actually enjoy working with limitations and figuring out how to get the best result. Just doing that will teach me a lot about camera settings. When I eventually upgrade, that will make it easier to get the best out of a more expensive camera.

 

[captive]

Who in PhotoGAF has had a show of their work? I'm having my first one in a couple of months. Some friends of mine are moving into a new apartment and they had asked me to make a bunch of prints for them, then they offered to make their housewarming party like a gallery show since they think a lot of people they know with money would be interested in buying my stuff. I'm excited, but nervous at the same time. Any words of wisdom from people who have done this before?

I show my work at art festivals frequently. My first replication would be to have business cards to hand out. I've found most people have a hard time deciding to purchase something the first time they see it. I recently had a lady call me for a 20x30 canvas I have of one of my shots... she saw it last year in april at the first art festival i ever did.

Second recommendation would be to expect nothing, I've done shows where I do quite well and other shows where I sell diddly and everyone that walks in the booth looks at 95% of all my photos including the bins that I have to leaf through, and walk out and say "oh beautiful work, i love it" without buying anything.

Thirdly, be prepared to answer "do you photoshop" often times it comes across as derogatory, even if its not meant to. Also just be prepared to talk in general, you'll get all kinds of questions from what kind of gear you use, to recommendations of places you should go shoot etc.

Do you have a credit card swipe? If not get the square or something similar if you have an iphone/smart phone. credit = bigger sales.

Are you planning on matting and framing? Or how are you going to display?

thats all i can think of for now, but feel free to shoot any questions my way if you want.

There's something about some photos that astonishes me while a lot while a lot of modern professional photos leave me untouched. After all these years I'm still trying to identify what it is exactly.

I have an fascination for light. Below are some photos I love. The last picture is an example of a photo I dislike a lot. I know a lot depends on the lighting and shadows, but I've seen many photos that were taken in very similar conditions but looked very bland to me. It has nothing to do with contrast and brightness either because when I mess with the brightness and contrast in GIMP, it doesn't ruin the perception of light for me at all.

What is it exactly that makes me love these photos?

These are two pictures taken with the E300:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithkwok/6256604585/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithkwok/6257137212/

And it's not just color photos:

This photo taken by William Claxton looks superb:

While this photo looks extremely bland to me:

I believe what you may be seeing is the Kodak CCD sensor in the e300, if thats the the case the only other cameras that would produce similar results would be the Fuji S2 and S5's. CCD sensors are different and do produce tangible differences from standard cmos sensors. Don't expect to shoot high ISO though.

sure you can replicate a lot of stuff in post, but how much time do you want to spend post processing photos versus shooting?

 

[tino]

^^^ Well Fuji used Fuji Super CCD sensor. If he really fall in love with the color palette of the E300 (I got the impression he like the narrow depth of field?) he should stick with E300 or E1.

 

[giga]

Honestly, the fuji ccd difference is overstated. I've never seen anyone show the real tangible difference with a side by side shot against a comparable system. It's definitely not worth getting an e-300 over something like an xti.

Narrower field of view, more noise, crappy AF, max natural iso of 400, and so on. I like the suggestion of th e-pl1 more.

 

[Prez]

^^^ Well Fuji used Fuji Super CCD sensor. If he really fall in love with the color palette of the E300 (I got the impression he like the narrow depth of field?) he should stick with E300 or E1.

Now that you made me pay attention to it, the depth of field in those E300 photos is a bit too narrow. I dislike a very broad depth of field though.

 

[element]

renting a Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 with VC. It is freaking awesome!!

 

[captive]

Honestly, the fuji ccd difference is overstated. I've never seen anyone show the real tangible difference with a side by side shot against a comparable system. It's definitely not worth getting an e-300 over something like an xti.

Narrower field of view, more noise, crappy AF, max natural iso of 400, and so on. I like the suggestion of th e-pl1 more.

I have. As much as I despise kenrockwell, he's shown it right here. http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/s5/dynamic-range.htm
the main one for me is the fact you can point it directly at the sun and not get the stupid ring around the sun during sunsets that cmos sensors produce. It's very film like in its highlight handing and tonal changes. I would have strongly considered a S7 had they made one, but ended up going with a film camera instead.

some photographers I know in michigan used to use them for everything, but now that fuji didnt come out with an S7, i think they have moved on.
http://www.toddandbradreed.com/lightbox/index

 

[giga]

I have. As much as I despise kenrockwell, he's shown it right here. http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/s5/dynamic-range.htm
the main one for me is the fact you can point it directly at the sun and not get the stupid ring around the sun during sunsets that cmos sensors produce. It's very film like in its highlight handing and tonal changes. I would have strongly considered a S7 had they made one, but ended up going with a film camera instead.

some photographers I know in michigan used to use them for everything, but now that fuji didnt come out with an S7, i think they have moved on.
http://www.toddandbradreed.com/lightbox/index

He compares it to a D200 here…which is ccd, not cmos.

And yeah, this is ken idiot rockwell who refuses to use raw and thinks 8-bit jpegs can do just as well.

 

[Prez]

I looked at many photos made with the e-pl1 and they all slightly strain my eyes. I can't pinpoint what it is exactly, but something is not right.

Some of the photos in the link bellow have a narrow depth of field but I love it. None of these pictures strain my eyes:

http://anthonylukephotography.blogspot.be/2012/02/photographer-profile-william-claxton.html

Btw I'm not expecting that kind of quality from a cheap camera, that would be quite hilarious.

 

[captive]

He compares it to a D200 here…which is ccd, not cmos.

ok, so doesnt that disprove what you just said above that the the fuji ccd difference is overstated. and been able to see anyone show the real tangible difference with a side by side shot against a comparable system?
Regradless, I've yet to see a cmos system handle highlights as gracefully as the S5 or film do.

And yeah, this is ken idiot rockwell who refuses to use raw and thinks 8-bit jpegs can do just as well.

agreed.

 

[chaostrophy]

I show my work at art festivals frequently. My first replication would be to have business cards to hand out. I've found most people have a hard time deciding to purchase something the first time they see it. I recently had a lady call me for a 20x30 canvas I have of one of my shots... she saw it last year in april at the first art festival i ever did.

Second recommendation would be to expect nothing, I've done shows where I do quite well and other shows where I sell diddly and everyone that walks in the booth looks at 95% of all my photos including the bins that I have to leaf through, and walk out and say "oh beautiful work, i love it" without buying anything.

Thirdly, be prepared to answer "do you photoshop" often times it comes across as derogatory, even if its not meant to. Also just be prepared to talk in general, you'll get all kinds of questions from what kind of gear you use, to recommendations of places you should go shoot etc.

Do you have a credit card swipe? If not get the square or something similar if you have an iphone/smart phone. credit = bigger sales.

Are you planning on matting and framing? Or how are you going to display?

Thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely look into business cards...that's something I didn't think of. Square too...I have an Android phone but I didn't know anything like that even existed. It's these sorts of things, the business stuff, that's helpful to me because photography has always been a hobby to me. All the other photographers I know that sell work are full-time pros.

I totally get expecting nothing...the nice thing about this show for me is all the prints are ones that my friends want for their place, so they're covering all the materials costs- even if nothing sells, I don't lose money.

The plan for display is to have everything framed, unmatted, in simple, matte black metal frames. Basically as a balance between attractive presentation and taking too much visual weight away from the photo. A friend recommended American Frame to me, so I ordered a few frames from them, and I'm impressed with the quality and price.

 

[giga]

ok, so doesnt that disprove what you just said above that the the fuji ccd difference is overstated. and been able to see anyone show the real tangible difference with a side by side shot against a comparable system?
Regradless, I've yet to see a cmos system handle highlights as gracefully as the S5 or film do.



agreed.

I was just pulling your tail about the ccd vs cmos thing. I guess recovering highlights well is a nifty feature about the fuji ccd. I know my astronomer friend refuses to use cmos for his work.

But…my original point was really about the overall "look" of an image which this poster seems to be really concerned about. Colors, hues, etc. That's the big difference I have yet to see because that's so variable among camera manufacturers and raw processors.

I looked at many photos made with the e-pl1 and they all slightly strain my eyes. I can't pinpoint what it is exactly, but something is not right.

Some of the photos in the link bellow have a narrow depth of field but I love it. None of these pictures strain my eyes:

http://anthonylukephotography.blogspot.be/2012/02/photographer-profile-william-claxton.html

Btw I'm not expecting that kind of quality from a cheap camera, that would be quite hilarious.

Shallow dof and soft bw is usually pretty pleasing.