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[mrklaw]

At advice on m4/3 telephoto lenses? I'm starting to be frustrated with my standard 14-42 on my G3, but the range of longer lenses seems limited. The Olympus ones are more affordable but don't have IS because their bodies have that. Ideally the 14-140 Panasonic would be great but it is very expensive.

Almost considering something like a canon 100D with an 18-200 sigma/tamron which wouldn't be a lot more than just a 14-140 lens

 

[DagsJT]

At advice on m4/3 telephoto lenses? I'm starting to be frustrated with my standard 14-42 on my G3, but the range of longer lenses seems limited. The Olympus ones are more affordable but don't have IS because their bodies have that. Ideally the 14-140 Panasonic would be great but it is very expensive.

Almost considering something like a canon 100D with an 18-200 sigma/tamron which wouldn't be a lot more than just a 14-140 lens

I asked a similar question elsewhere and was pointed to this:

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/...ses/Panasonic-45-150mm-f4.0-5.6-ASPH-OIS-Lens

 

[noire]

Does the 18-135 suck?

A good friend of mine recommended it as a great walkabout lens.

 

[AlteredBeast]

A good friend of mine recommended it as a great walkabout lens.

I cracked it open...damn it is was nicer image-quality wise than my Olympus...but damn is Canon's button layout and menu system CLUNKY AS HELL.

Never knew I was using such an easy camera before. Why is this so stupidly laid out?

 

[RuGalz]

I cracked it open...damn it is was nicer image-quality wise than my Olympus...but damn is Canon's button layout and menu system CLUNKY AS HELL.

Never knew I was using such an easy camera before. Why is this so stupidly laid out?

I can adjust from Pentax to Oly pretty easily; their layouts feel logical to me. Using my friend's Canon always takes a lot of adjustment.

 

[captive]

I can adjust from Pentax to Oly pretty easily; their layouts feel logical to me. Using my friend's Canon always takes a lot of adjustment.

thats funny, almost everyone i read when they review Oly or buy into Oly from Canikon they all say Oly menus are clunky.

 

[mrklaw]

A good friend of mine recommended it as a great walkabout lens.

That's why I was potentially looking at canon again, with either the 18-135 or 18-200 as walkabout lenses (and 85 1.8, 60mm macro for primes).

Does anyone have the canon 100D and can comment on size and usability?

 

[RuGalz]

thats funny, almost everyone i read when they review Oly or buy into Oly from Canikon they all say Oly menus are clunky.

I think if you are used to Canon, which most reviewers probably are, then it makes sense. It's all about which system you are used to anyway.

 

[Chairhome]

I may have asked this before, but any recommendations on AF-confirm chips? I'm looking for one for a manual lens. Thinking Dandelion if there's no better alternatives.

 

[tino]

I may have asked this before, but any recommendations on AF-confirm chips? I'm looking for one for a manual lens. Thinking Dandelion if there's no better alternatives.

You might want to check amazon reviews. Thats the only place I can find reliable info for cheap stuff, since alot of the Chinese adapters are rebranded under different brands.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Yeah, it must be a matter of getting used to it, but I have to crane my fingers all around to adjust ISO and shutter speed, when it was super easy (and seemingly logical, imo) on my E-510.

 

[qwerty2k]

Anyone recommend a good quality (but fairly small, compact sort of size) camera with good low light performance for around £200-400 budget (ideally more towards £200 but could push to £400 if really worth it). Size really is quite important so from what i've seen most dslr's are out of the question as they are quite bulky, i've looked at something like Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 Digital Camera which is £400 at amazon, thoughts?

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Anyone recommend a good quality (but fairly small, compact sort of size) camera with good low light performance for around £200-400 budget (ideally more towards £200 but could push to £400 if really worth it). Size really is quite important so from what i've seen most dslr's are out of the question as they are quite bulky, i've looked at something like Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 Digital Camera which is £400 at amazon, thoughts?

If the RX100 is in your price range, nothing else will come close to matching performance vs size like it can. The Mk. 2 adds some additional low-light performance, but I'm not sure how much the premium is over the original in the UK, especially now that it looks like the original is getting a slight price cut (in the US at least).

 

[peteykirch]

Anyone have the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens?

I'm thinking of investing in one, and am curious if anyone here has had any experience with one?

 

[tino]

Anyone have the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens?

I'm thinking of investing in one, and am curious if anyone here has had any experience with one?

My friend borrowed mine half year ago. It's great. Focus very close. And has very natural looking non linear distortion. People stand away from the center still has normal looking arms and legs. I can't tell you about the AF speed. My Nikon body stop working a long time ago.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Anyone have the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens?

I'm thinking of investing in one, and am curious if anyone here has had any experience with one?

It's a fantastic lens, that definitely earns it's reputation. Loved mine, but just moved to full frame. Thinking of grabbing the Tokina 16-28 or 17-35 as a result of the 11-16.

 

[Art Teitlebaum]

Anyone have the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens?

I'm thinking of investing in one, and am curious if anyone here has had any experience with one?

I've used one on Sony Alpha mount and it is a really great wide zoom. The AF sometimes is hit or miss, but the colours and sharpness were so much better than the Tamron 10-24 3,5 or the Sigma 10-20 4,0 that I also tried back then. Definite recommendation from me.

 

[Chairhome]

You might want to check amazon reviews. Thats the only place I can find reliable info for cheap stuff, since alot of the Chinese adapters are rebranded under different brands.

Thanks, I can only find one chip there, everything else comes with a ring that I don't need. I'll look around a bit though.

 

[Instigator]

Nikon struggles with the 1 system, reconsiders it, blames everything except Nikon.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/0...-citing-poor-mirrorless-camera-sales#comments

 

[Damaged]

Dammnit, been thinking about going medium format for ages and finally pulled the trigger on this on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251308819068?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I went for this one as the viewfinder has metering and I dont have a light sensor yet, Ill pick up a waist level viewfinder and a light meter at a later date.

Did I get a good deal? any recommendations on film? I've picked up one roll of Ilford HP5 400asa and a five pack of Velvia 100 but other than that im not really up on 120mm films

 

[East Lake]

Looks nice! Not too familiar with Bronica's though tbh. Flickr is a good resource for looking at different film types. For example search something like "Bronica Velvia 50" and you'll get a lot of results. At ISO 100 I'd go with Provia 100F for anything with people in it. Landscapes you could use Velvia 50 if you like the saturated colors, mild overexposure calms the saturation a bit. Portra 400 is great too with a really wide latitude that makes it easier to expose.

For B&W I'm not as experienced. Mainly using Tri-x 400. There's a lot of different option from Kodak to Ilford to Fuji but you have to keep in mind there's not going to be a single "look" to a B&W film since it's dependent on exposure + chemical processing decisions or even printing if you go that far.

I would get your own flatbed scanner as well. It will save on lab scan costs and it allows you more control over the image.

 

[Snkfanatic]

Hey PhotoGAF,

I have been trying to learn some more techniques for photo editing. I use photoshop and do ok in my opinion but I always want to learn. Does anyone have a suggested book or website with great tutorials? I mainly shoot cars and random things that interest me. I am trying to learn how people are giving their photos the dramatic look, emotion and things like that. I hope that makes sense.

 

[(._.)]

What's a good mechanical film camera? I'm thinking of getting a Nikon F2AS

edit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-F2AS-...d=100005&prg=1088&rk=2&rkt=4&sd=231027707345&

do you guys know what lenses will meter with this camera?

 

[Damaged]

What's a good mechanical film camera? I'm thinking of getting a Nikon F2AS

edit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-F2AS-...d=100005&prg=1088&rk=2&rkt=4&sd=231027707345&

do you guys know what lenses will meter with this camera?

Not sure about that particular camera but I can recommend either an FE or FM2, good solid built basic cameras. Have owned both for at least ten years with plenty of use

 

[captive]

Dammnit, been thinking about going medium format for ages and finally pulled the trigger on this on ebay

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/705/kzcv.jpg[img]

[img]http://imageshack.us/a/img855/3979/0frg.jpg[img]

[url]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251308819068?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649[/url]

I went for this one as the viewfinder has metering and I dont have a light sensor yet, Ill pick up a waist level viewfinder and a light meter at a later date.

Did I get a good deal? any recommendations on film? I've picked up one roll of Ilford HP5 400asa and a five pack of Velvia 100 but other than that im not really up on 120mm films[/QUOTE]

congrats.
Be careful with that Velvia 100, i found it to be very sensitive to blowing highlights and not being very forgiving. I also found it works better when you shoot it at ISO 125. That said it had too much of a magenta cast for me. I much preferred Velvia 50.

You might want to research scanning your film in. I used a couple labs, but they were so damn expensive for one 3200dpi scan, it was cheaper for me to buy my own scanner.

 

[Damaged]

congrats.
Be careful with that Velvia 100, i found it to be very sensitive to blowing highlights and not being very forgiving. I also found it works better when you shoot it at ISO 125. That said it had too much of a magenta cast for me. I much preferred Velvia 50.

You might want to research scanning your film in. I used a couple labs, but they were so damn expensive for one 3200dpi scan, it was cheaper for me to buy my own scanner.

Thanks for the tips, have used it in 35mm and found similar but just had to try it in 120mm. I have a place I use for 35mm film developing that scans the negatives straight away so will try them. Ideally I want to get a dark room setup with an enlarger for printing but I need to start saving up for that really.

 

[zephervack]

Anyone have the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens?

I'm thinking of investing in one, and am curious if anyone here has had any experience with one?

Pretty late reply but here it goes, I have one but barely use it, I think on an artistic level it is hellishly hard to get pleasing results with this lens, but when you do they are amazing, I honestly should try to use it more, now a days I usually only use it when I need to take pictures of a small room

 

[RuGalz]

Nikon struggles with the 1 system, reconsiders it, blames everything except Nikon.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/0...-citing-poor-mirrorless-camera-sales#comments

For most of people who don't want the size of DSLR, Rx100 probably makes more sense than their 1 system anyway. It's good if you want to adapt lenses on it...

Speaking of Sony, FF Nex rumor to be coming out in October only 17% larger than Nex. Size and weight wise, sounds nice. Not sure about having large, heavy FF lens on small body like that hanging around the neck... Seems like it would be similar to me having regular lens on my Q; I always have to hand hold the whole system.

 

[peteykirch]

Pretty late reply but here it goes, I have one but barely use it, I think on an artistic level it is hellishly hard to get pleasing results with this lens, but when you do they are amazing, I honestly should try to use it more, now a days I usually only use it when I need to take pictures of a small room

It's never too late of a reply.

I'm thinking of renting one at the very least for my trip to Florida in October. Thought it might be able to take some wicked nice landscape shots while at Disney.

 

[mrklaw]

What is the best choice for a walk around zoom lens at the moment? Seems from sigma/tame on you can get 18-200, 18-250, 18-270. And then 18-200 from either canon or Nikon. I realise they'll all be compromises, but are any of them standout options?

Also, I'm tempted by the canon 100d for size reasons (coming from a G3). Anyone have one and can give impressions? Probably that or the 600/650/700d (I like swivel LCDs but the 600d is currently much cheaper than the other two)

Lastly, what does Nikon have in this area? I've always had canon, so am more familiar with their lenses but if Nikon have better bodies at this price point I'd be tempted. Do they have an equivalent to the canon 85mm 1.8?

 

[RuGalz]

I don't own it, but for super zoom I often see praises for Sigma's current 18-250 DC Macro HSM more than the other ones.

 

[mrklaw]

thanks, was leaning towards the sigma but not sure why.

shortlist I think is now - all roughly the same price (£800):

Canon 700d + canon 18-135IS
Canon 700d + Sigma 18-250
Canon 700d + tamron 18-270 PZD

canon 700d + canon 18-200IS would be about £75 more, and I've not heard that many great things about that particular lens

Annoyingly I can get a 60D with 18-135 for the same price, but I think the body is getting too large at that point.



side topic: Do you have a cut-off point where you don't bother selling on your old kit? My panasonic G3 + 14-42 is a nice camera, but you can buy it new for £229 now, so I could probably only get £120 for it. At that point I feel like keeping it or passing it down in the family. What do you tend to do with old kit?

 

[Instigator]

For most of people who don't want the size of DSLR, Rx100 probably makes more sense than their 1 system anyway. It's good if you want to adapt lenses on it...

Speaking of Sony, FF Nex rumor to be coming out in October only 17% larger than Nex. Size and weight wise, sounds nice. Not sure about having large, heavy FF lens on small body like that hanging around the neck... Seems like it would be similar to me having regular lens on my Q; I always have to hand hold the whole system.

Speaking of FF NEX rumors, slow primes (f2.8) will make that system useless, at least initially.

 

[diaspora]

I'm thinking about replacing my Rebel XT (350d) with a 60D body. If I don't want to spend over $1k, would this be the best I can do?

 

[(._.)]

what's a good light meter for ambient light from around dusk till night? I'll be shooting on film with the speed of 160 ASA. Like say you're shooting in front of stores that have tons of light sources coming off of them or you're shooting around evening golden hour? I'm sort of unfamiliar when it comes to light meters.

 

[de1irium]

I'm thinking about replacing my Rebel XT (350d) with a 60D body. If I don't want to spend over $1k, would this be the best I can do?

If you're willing to eek up to $1200 the 70D should be available around the end of the month. Has some real solid specs.

 

[East Lake]

what's a good light meter for ambient light from around dusk till night? I'll be shooting on film with the speed of 160 ASA. Like say you're shooting in front of stores that have tons of light sources coming off of them or you're shooting around evening golden hour? I'm sort of unfamiliar when it comes to light meters.

You could get something like a Gossen Digisix and mount it on your hot shoe. Golden hour and buildings that have a decent amount of lights are lit well enough that most meters are capable of reading it.

 

[diaspora]

If you're willing to eek up to $1200 the 70D should be available around the end of the month. Has some real solid specs.

It's less a matter of willing than it is about credit limits.

 

[de1irium]

It's less a matter of willing than it is about credit limits.

I see. What's your lens lineup look like? Depending on what your needs are, then, you might want to consider a T3i and put the rest into lenses. While the 60D has a few better features than the Rebel series, it also has the same sensor as the T2i/T3i/T4i series.

 

[reggieandTFE]

For most of people who don't want the size of DSLR, Rx100 probably makes more sense than their 1 system anyway. It's good if you want to adapt lenses on it...

Speaking of Sony, FF Nex rumor to be coming out in October only 17% larger than Nex. Size and weight wise, sounds nice. Not sure about having large, heavy FF lens on small body like that hanging around the neck... Seems like it would be similar to me having regular lens on my Q; I always have to hand hold the whole system.

I honestly don't have faith in Sony's ability to build a lens lineup for the FF Nex when they can't even put together a good one for the regular Nex line. Olympus, Panasonic and Fuji all have significantly better lens lineups in the mirrorless realm.

 

[Ecto311]

Just sent back the EOS M because I could not get it to focus fast even with the new software and the touchscreen didn't focus right on video for me. Might have just been the camera but I don't know.

I am looking to go to the NEX series, is the 5 vs the 3n that big of a jump or is the 3n good enough for pics/video of a family and general usage. Nothing fancy and probably sticking with the kit lens.

 

[de1irium]

Just sent back the EOS M because I could not get it to focus fast even with the new software and the touchscreen didn't focus right on video for me. Might have just been the camera but I don't know.

Like any AF, the more contrast in the focus area the better. That said, I have an EOS-M too and the AF just isn't that fast, even with the new firmware. I wouldn't call it unusable, myself, but if you're depending on it to be quick then it's certainly not an option.

I'm happy enough with the image quality, though, and that's all I really cared about for the price/size.

 

[diaspora]

I see. What's your lens lineup look like? Depending on what your needs are, then, you might want to consider a T3i and put the rest into lenses. While the 60D has a few better features than the Rebel series, it also has the same sensor as the T2i/T3i/T4i series.

18-55, 70-300, 50 1.8

 

[mrklaw]

18-55, 70-300, 50 1.8

60D is a good camera, but no major differences over the 600/650/700d, its mainly handling - larger body, twin dials etc.

As you are coming from a small body, I'd be tempted to get a 600/650/700d. 650d is hard to find and discontinued, so it'd be between the 600 and 700. I'm probably about to pull the trigger on a 700d as it has a twist&tilt LCD which I found really useful on my Panasonic G3

Body only is £487 from amazon UK

 

[TheLegendary]

Trying to get into cameras a bit more seriously, but I'm really struggling with the level of investment required considering I'm unsure how far my interest will go at this point. Was hoping to get into mirrorless cameras as a step up, but one of my requirements is to have a a decent zoom which means another lens, which is a pricey proposition just to get started considering I'm still unsure how far down the rabbit hole I'll go.

Anyway, life story aside, I'm looking to get a good camera with zoom as a priority along with decent speed for the occasional action shot at a lower price ($400 max). I'm sure the "megazoom" point and shoots are generally scoffed at, but anyone have experience in that space? The "bridge" cameras (not sure the right term for those larger non-dslr cameras) seem to be a waste because they're bulky and slow without the quality of a dslr anyway, but I'm open to any other recommendations. Right now Was looking at the Canon SX280 which was CNet's top pick for the compact megazoom cameras. Anyone have experience there?

 

[diaspora]

60D is a good camera, but no major differences over the 600/650/700d, its mainly handling - larger body, twin dials etc.

As you are coming from a small body, I'd be tempted to get a 600/650/700d. 650d is hard to find and discontinued, so it'd be between the 600 and 700. I'm probably about to pull the trigger on a 700d as it has a twist&tilt LCD which I found really useful on my Panasonic G3

Body only is £487 from amazon UK

I'll probably get the T5i (700D) kit and give my XT (350D) kitto my brother, or sell it.

edit- It'll be $800 after tax.

edit 2 - Of course, I could always wait till black friday....

 

[(._.)]

You could get something like a Gossen Digisix and mount it on your hot shoe. Golden hour and buildings that have a decent amount of lights are lit well enough that most meters are capable of reading it.

Have you used it before? This sounds like a good idea. I'll be using an f2 without a light meter in the camera. I'm guessing this will be way more accurate than any prism I could get for the f2.

 

[East Lake]

I haven't, Gossen is a good brand though and it goes down to 0 EV which is pretty dark lighting. If you don't have a hot shoe on your camera you can just carry it around in your pocket.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Rented the Nikon 85 1.4D and the new 70-200 f/4.

Hot damn. Can't decide which I want more. Leaning towards the 1.4, cause 1.4.

The f/4 is fantastic though. Really surprised at how well the VR works. I was getting acceptable results at very low shutter speeds (on static objects OFC). Really sharp, really fast and solid focus.

200mm f/4 1/160 handheld:


The 1.4 however is something special. Somewhat difficult to use, it will often trick the meter and focus system. Everything needs to click for it to work properly, but when it does... oh my.



vs. the newer G version I can't see much difference. I think the focus might hit a little more on target due to the AFS motor. For roughly half the price and a aperture ring for video/film though I think I will go with old version.

Bonus: Short video of my kids shot with D600 + 85 1.4D

 

[de1irium]

Any recommendations for film processing services? Bought a cheap rangefinder a while back just to mess around with and finally finished a roll (Ilford Delta 3200)... they're mostly casual snaps but I still want to send it to someone who knows what they're doing...