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[UtadaBarkley]

Hi guys, I have a few questions, as I believe I'm in a market for a camera.

I do web design, and I need a camera to take pictures for my websites that I design for my clients. I could just hire a professional, and I have access to a professional if need be, but I'd rather be able to do everything in house, as hiring someone gets expensive, you have to work around their schedule, etc.

What do you guys think, do you think I should just leave everything to the professionals? I know a good camera can be pretty pricey, but hiring a professional photographer 3 or 4 times would amount to the price of a decent camera. My main issue is time. I'm sure it's very time consuming to learn how to take good photos for the web. Is there a specific camera/equipment that you recommend? I couldn't care less about printing the photo's etc. this would be strictly for my designs, header images, etc.

Any resources would help, or do you think I should just stick with the design, and keep hiring a professional photographer?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mrklaw]

what kind of pictures?

For web any old shit entry level DSLR will do, but you might find the need to get a good range of glass. eg Macro for closeup product shots, wide angle for architecture/indoors

 

[UtadaBarkley]

They will mainly be closeups, wide angle environmental/architectural shots, picture of people in their element. Etc. Where do you think I should start? Do you think I definitely need a D-SLR? Which entry level ones do you recommend? I want something that I can use for the next 5 years or so, a semi-longterm investment, but nothing too expensive. I'm not a photographer by any means so some of the advance trick and toys I won't be interested in, but I do want something functional that I can work with and be productive.

 

[scorcho]

I just bought this, which is a great value considering the quality and type of lenses it comes with - http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=OME520KT2

Olympus has a ton of support, and I doubt you'll find a better value. ISO800 is printable with some fudging in photoshop/lightroom, and 1600 can still be used for web use / smaller resolution.

 

[Fireye]

I nabbed the Digital Rebel XS (1000D) Kit from newegg for $330 after coupon and $100 GC, and it's out for delivery! I can't wait to get home tonight.

 

[hEist]

any good recommendations for noise reduction under mac?

 

[scorcho]

adobe lightroom is fantastic, although i think photoshop might have the same processing algorithms. there's also third-party plugins for PS - noise ninja and neat image being the most popular.

 

[mrklaw]

any good recommendations for noise reduction under mac?

what camera? If Canon, DPP is surprisingly good. Or Noise Ninja.

 

[Jebus]

Questions for the Canon guys.

How's the 7D been travelling? It came out a few months ago I believe, has it been received well by reviewers and users alike? Are people liking the direction Canon are taking? Do people see the AF system as much of an improvement? Are there any problems that seem to have plagued the camera?

The reason I ask is that i've visted a few canon sites to get a feel for what people think but there seems to be no discussion around the 7D. Maybe it's a good thing, maybe not I don't know. Would love to hear from the Canon guys that keep up with all this stuff.

 

[Mustaphadamus]

Thanks to mrkgoo, mr_nothin, BlueTsunami and Forsete for the tips on my now opened Christmas present... a Sony a380. Cos of my underprivileged upbringing I'm already thinking about an upgrade. Tragic.

Forsete you were right about the grip... it feels incredibly small in my hand.

First off I think I need to think about lense(s).

I've only snapped pics of my dog so far. Hoping to get involved in the pic threads soon though.

I am a long time canon shooter (I do event photography and also been doing some commercial stuff) and i am switching to Sony. Specifically the Sony a900. That coupled with the carl zeiss lenses (they are some of the worlds best lenses) you can not go wrong.

 

[captive]

I just bought this, which is a great value considering the quality and type of lenses it comes with - http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=OME520KT2

Olympus has a ton of support, and I doubt you'll find a better value. ISO800 is printable with some fudging in photoshop/lightroom, and 1600 can still be used for web use / smaller resolution.

Congrats, welcome to Oly gaf!

 

[mrkgoo]

Questions for the Canon guys.

How's the 7D been travelling? It came out a few months ago I believe, has it been received well by reviewers and users alike? Are people liking the direction Canon are taking? Do people see the AF system as much of an improvement? Are there any problems that seem to have plagued the camera?

The reason I ask is that i've visted a few canon sites to get a feel for what people think but there seems to be no discussion around the 7D. Maybe it's a good thing, maybe not I don't know. Would love to hear from the Canon guys that keep up with all this stuff.

I've given my voice about the 7D several times. It's somewhat biased as I have one, but it's positive. Have you been to Photography on the Net forums? They're a canon-based forum that has loads of opinions.

 

[Jebus]

I've given my voice about the 7D several times. It's somewhat biased as I have one, but it's positive. Have you been to Photography on the Net forums? They're a canon-based forum that has loads of opinions.

Hey mrkgoo thanks for the reply, i checked out your opinions on the 7D and they seem quite positive. I'll check that site out and see what I can find.

 

[Dead Prince]

Will this Cf25b lens work with a M4/3 OLYMPUS e-p1 by c-mount adapter

 

[bggrthnjsus]

anybody know much about micro four thirds in terms of where the format is going? will there likely be cheaper, smaller cameras in the next few years, or are they kind of at their max ability of cramming all that stuff into a tiny body at an $800 or so price point?

mainly i am wondering if now is a good time for getting a panasonic gf1 or if it is better to wait until prices drop and/or they can make even smaller cameras. right now a gf1 w/ the 20mm pancake seems like a great option but i am concerned about hi iso performance and portability. from what i've heard it is kind of a stretch to say it can fit in a pocket. also the shots i've seen look pretty decent up until around iso 800, i'd say comparable to e-p1 and some lower end dslrs. however someone who has one said that the shots start to pick up some noticeable noise even above 200. i already have a dslr, but i have still yet to decide on what i should get for a carry-anywhere camera...i'm really not even sure what i want out of it hahaha damn i am really waffling on this issue.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I am a long time canon shooter (I do event photography and also been doing some commercial stuff) and i am switching to Sony. Specifically the Sony a900. That coupled with the carl zeiss lenses (they are some of the worlds best lenses) you can not go wrong.

I've had a chance to use a Sony Full Frame.

Pretty good stuff and for the price Sony has the cheapest full frames right?

 

[BlueTsunami]

I've had a chance to use a Sony Full Frame.

Pretty good stuff and for the price Sony has the cheapest full frames right?

a900 is around $2400, I think. The Viewfinder is supposed to be marvelous and the colors the camera itself produces is lauded by Sony shooters.

 

[captive]

anybody know much about micro four thirds in terms of where the format is going? will there likely be cheaper, smaller cameras in the next few years, or are they kind of at their max ability of cramming all that stuff into a tiny body at an $800 or so price point?

mainly i am wondering if now is a good time for getting a panasonic gf1 or if it is better to wait until prices drop and/or they can make even smaller cameras. right now a gf1 w/ the 20mm pancake seems like a great option but i am concerned about hi iso performance and portability. from what i've heard it is kind of a stretch to say it can fit in a pocket. also the shots i've seen look pretty decent up until around iso 800, i'd say comparable to e-p1 and some lower end dslrs. however someone who has one said that the shots start to pick up some noticeable noise even above 200. i already have a dslr, but i have still yet to decide on what i should get for a carry-anywhere camera...i'm really not even sure what i want out of it hahaha damn i am really waffling on this issue.

By all accounts m4/3 is a hit and they are going to keep developing new cameras and lenses.
From what I have seen the EP1,2 and gf1 have very good noise performance, better than the e30. Kirk Tuck posted his thoughts on the EP2 the other day. http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-long-final-rambling-review-of.html

Noise doesn't bother me with me e30 Ive had prints done at iso 1250 and 1600 and 3200 with very minimal noise reduction in Lightroom. It's also displayed different on a monitor than in print.
IMO too much is emphasis is being put on ISO noise. Especially if you're only going to display on the web at 800pixels you probably wont even see it.

the prices are going to come down, so thats really up to you if you want lay the money down now or wait a while for something new or for the price to come down.

 

[zhenming]

sony makes nikon sensors.

 

[chaostrophy]

I've had a chance to use a Sony Full Frame.

Pretty good stuff and for the price Sony has the cheapest full frames right?

Yeah, the a850 is full-frame and $2000. Only differences between it and the pricier a900 are a slightly smaller viewfinder and slower frame rate.

 

[Thraktor]

I am a long time canon shooter (I do event photography and also been doing some commercial stuff) and i am switching to Sony. Specifically the Sony a900. That coupled with the carl zeiss lenses (they are some of the worlds best lenses) you can not go wrong.

If Zeiss glass is what you're after, you know most of their SLR lenses are available with a Canon mount these days?

 

[BlueTsunami]

If Zeiss glass is what you're after, you know most of their SLR lenses are available with a Canon mount these days?

The Sony Alpha system has the Zeiss Vario Sonars (Zoom) though with Auto Focus though. Also the Zeiss 85/1.4 and 135/1.8 (only offered on the Sony system, the 85/1.4 is a modern design vs. the ones on Nikon/Pentax/Canon). Both offer Auto Focus too.

 

[hEist]

not really about equipment, but didn't want to open another thread about photo rights.

The Independent(Britsh Newspaper) using Photos of Flickr, without permission.
here

 

[slider]

I am a long time canon shooter (I do event photography and also been doing some commercial stuff) and i am switching to Sony. Specifically the Sony a900. That coupled with the carl zeiss lenses (they are some of the worlds best lenses) you can not go wrong.

Oh yeah, for the price the spec of the a900 is pretty good. It's where I'll eventually end up but I can't (yet!) justify a purchase for such a casual hobby.

I wonder when they'll do the next version of the a900 though.

 

[OnkelC]

Got a Powershot S90 and been experimenting around with RAW and postpro with DxO Optics Pro. Great combo!

 

[Forsete]

Got a Powershot S90 and been experimenting around with RAW and postpro with DxO Optics Pro. Great combo!

DXO is possibly the best RAW converter, at least for high ISO. Did you buy it or are you just using the trial version? I am considering getting it, but I'll wait to see how LR3 turns out. €299 is a lot of money (I have to get the Elite version on the count of me having the A900)

 

[OnkelC]

DXO is possibly the best RAW converter, at least for high ISO. Did you buy it or are you just using the trial version? I am considering getting it, but I'll wait to see how LR3 turns out. €299 is a lot of money (I have to get the Elite version on the count of me having the A900)

Trial version at the moment, but since I could use the standard which JUST happens to have S90 support added D ), I'll most probably buy it as well.

 

[GuessWho]

Got myself an Olympus E-420 and I love it. First DSLR Camera and it's alot of fun to use. I just love how tiny and light it is for a dslr camera. If anyone has any experience with Olympus, anybody know a good portrait lens I can use?
thx.

 

[Mustaphadamus]

I've had a chance to use a Sony Full Frame.

Pretty good stuff and for the price Sony has the cheapest full frames right?

Yep cheapest full frame dslr also one of the highest megapixel as well. Approaching Medium Format quality. There is a test online between a sony a900 and a hasselblad h3d and I think the Sony came out ahead. The only complaints I have read about the a900 is the iso noise above 800 iso, its not as good as say the 5d mark ii. However the 5d mark ii autofocus system sucks beyond believe so I guess it really depends on what you are using the camera for. Also as I said before the joint engineered carl zeiss lenses for Sony are some of the best in class so that is something too.

v

If Zeiss glass is what you're after, you know most of their SLR lenses are available with a Canon mount these days?

the CZ (carl zeiss) lenses for canon are manual not autofocus (the ones which were joint engineers between sony and zeiss all have AF). Also the Sony bodies all have steady shot/image stabilization/vibration reduction (whatever you want to call it) built in to EVERY camera body. So every lens you use with their cameras all are stabilized for low light shooting. Also, IQ wise at lower iso Sony bests canon except unless your willing to spend 6,000 dollars for the 1ds Mark III

Oh yeah, for the price the spec of the a900 is pretty good. It's where I'll eventually end up but I can't (yet!) justify a purchase for such a casual hobby.

I wonder when they'll do the next version of the a900 though.

SUPPOSEDLY the next a9xx comes out this year. Either next month at PMA or in the fall at Photokina they will announce. Again these are all just rumors! Also, if you don't need high frames per second then skip the a900 and get yourself a a850 for a few hundred less. Whatever you do just make sure you get carl zeiss lenses or the sony G series lenses. There is a saying, a great camera body with poor lenses will produce poor IQ but a middle of the road camera body with great lenses will produce great IQ. Run through flickr and look at some images made with a canon 40d for example with some of Canons L series lenses. They are tack sharp!

 

[nitewulf]

what is this? is it a valve clock? could you link me to this device?

 

[Forsete]

what is this? is it a valve clock? could you link me to this device?

Nixie tubes.. The things used before LED lights to show numbers/symbols/alphabet. Pretty expensive these days as they are no longer being made. I've always wanted one of those so I am very jealous of Onkel.

 

[slider]

SUPPOSEDLY the next a9xx comes out this year. Either next month at PMA or in the fall at Photokina they will announce. Again these are all just rumors! Also, if you don't need high frames per second then skip the a900 and get yourself a a850 for a few hundred less. Whatever you do just make sure you get carl zeiss lenses or the sony G series lenses. There is a saying, a great camera body with poor lenses will produce poor IQ but a middle of the road camera body with great lenses will produce great IQ. Run through flickr and look at some images made with a canon 40d for example with some of Canons L series lenses. They are tack sharp!

Thanks for the steer on rumours of a new a9xx this year. Some CES announcements bit me hard this year!

When I'm back in the UK I'm looking at getting a new lense for my a380. I'd assume if I invest wisely it'd be compatible with any of the a380's bigger brothers.

 

[mrkgoo]

Got a Powershot S90 and been experimenting around with RAW and postpro with DxO Optics Pro. Great combo!

Most excellent choice, sir. Hoping you can give us some impressions. I really like this camera.

 

[Forsete]

I dont think we will see a new 9-series so soon. The 7-series is the one Sony should be focusing on.. 900 is a little bit över a year old now, A700 is what? 2+ years?

Now when Sony has the entry models in check they should focus on the semi-pro stuff.

 

[Mustaphadamus]

Thanks for the steer on rumours of a new a9xx this year. Some CES announcements bit me hard this year!

When I'm back in the UK I'm looking at getting a new lense for my a380. I'd assume if I invest wisely it'd be compatible with any of the a380's bigger brothers.

invest in carl zeiss lenses or the sony g series and you will be fine.

I dont think we will see a new 9-series so soon. The 7-series is the one Sony should be focusing on.. 900 is a little bit över a year old now, A700 is what? 2+ years?

Now when Sony has the entry models in check they should focus on the semi-pro stuff.

Yeah I think we will see the a7xx this year. Also remember the a900 was introduced in 2008. Bodies are usually replaced every 2 to 2.5 years. Anything over that is going long in the tooth. So I would assume either at PMA or Photokina. Also I think Sony needs a good full frame all around performer like the D3s or the 1d mark iv

Also rumor has it that a firmware update is coming next month to help with some of the high iso issues the a900/a850 have. Although that is more important for jpeg shooters. I could careless seeing as how I shoot in RAW as should anyone that is serious about their photography.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

So I lost the mounting piece that goes with my tripod. Can anyone recommend a cheap but reliable tripod for my Canon XS? Thanks!

 

[Mustaphadamus]

So I lost the mounting piece that goes with my tripod. Can anyone recommend a cheap but reliable tripod for my Canon XS? Thanks!

dont go cheap on tripods man, they are generally not very stable on the cheap side of things. Anyway, manfrotto, gitzo you can't go wrong with those two. Manfrotto would be the one i would shoot for. Save up 200 and get a decent one. This one is decent link if you need a head too just make sure there is a level on it if you are doing landscape. will make life easier.

 

[mrkgoo]

dont go cheap on tripods man, they are generally not very stable on the cheap side of things. Anyway, manfrotto, gitzo you can't go wrong with those two. Manfrotto would be the one i would shoot for. Save up 200 and get a decent one. This one is decent link if you need a head too just make sure there is a level on it if you are doing landscape. will make life easier.

Agreed. In the end, you generally part with the cheap and goof or a more expensive one anyway. I guess, though, if you're short on cash and need to have something in the interim while saving up.

 

[Mustaphadamus]

Agreed. In the end, you generally part with the cheap and goof or a more expensive one anyway. I guess, though, if you're short on cash and need to have something in the interim while saving up.

my only thing is, with a cheap tripod is, if it gives way because of instability you r going to be out of far more than 200 bucks if that camera falls.

 

[mrkgoo]

my only thing is, with a cheap tripod is, if it gives way because of instability you r going to be out of far more than 200 bucks if that camera falls.

Depends on how cheap, I guess.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

40 dollars? lol

 

[captive]

Got myself an Olympus E-420 and I love it. First DSLR Camera and it's alot of fun to use. I just love how tiny and light it is for a dslr camera. If anyone has any experience with Olympus, anybody know a good portrait lens I can use?
thx.

the ZD 50 f2.0 macro, and thank me later. Nearly flawless lens.


The_Inquisitor - buy a nicer tripod and head now than rebuying a better tripod/head later.

err 40 bucks might leave you a little lacking.

 

[Jebus]

7D on it's way to my 2 hands.... am I excited? You better bloody believe it!

 

[zhenming]

I paid $190 for my tripod setup...

 

[The_Inquisitor]

I paid $190 for my tripod setup...

At this point I'd rather spend that money on a flash or potentially another lens...

 

[radios shipping overview]

40 dollars? lol

Yeah, you'll need to double that at least to get something worthwhile.

 

[Dice]

So I got into film and completely lost touch with the digital market. What is the best compact for low-light IQ at around $250? 4x zoom would be nice but 3x is okay. Last I saw Fuji was the unrivaled king at this but maybe someone else rose up to challenge them.

 

[olbareun]

I was trying to microadjust my wide angle lens for 3 hours, turns out I wasn't really focusing correctly.. (it was a furry doll)

I ended up just testing on a penny instead and turns out no adjustment was sharpest :lol

 

[Chorazin]

I bought some new stuff to feed my D40 today, a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens and a Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight flash.

I've heard really great things about the 35mm lens for low-light shooting, and I'd like to learn to work with a Prime lens.

I also really needed a better flash for indoor shots, either no flash was too dark, or standard flash made the pic turn out pretty rough. I've heard great things about it as well, so I'm pretty excited!

 

[Zyzyxxz]

well PMA is next month and Olympus is probably gonna reveal a new m4/3 camera.

Depending on what is shown I'm thinking about getting one since the convenience of a compact camera like that would be great for travel.