bggrthnjsus
Member
lol true but we can't really expect okcupid to be designing really good studies
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The Official Camera Equipment Megathread
- Thread starter demon
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So, after having been out of stock for a while my Canon EOS 550D (Kiss X4/Rebel T2i) finally shipped today. If all goes well I'll be a DSLR owner starting tomorrow...
I got the 18-55mm kit with a camera bag and 8gb sd card, then I also got the EF 50mm f/1.8 II and a cheap remote trigger. This should hopefully keep me going for a while.
I got the 18-55mm kit with a camera bag and 8gb sd card, then I also got the EF 50mm f/1.8 II and a cheap remote trigger. This should hopefully keep me going for a while.
Dear Camera GAF.
At the start of this year I really wanted to get into photography, but due to budget contraints I didn't follow through on it. Now I'm itching to buy a camera again and I could really use your advice.
Sadly budget is still very much an issue, maybe even more so than before.
I'm looking to spend no more than 600 out of my own pocket on the initial purchase (which may already be stretching my current budget).
I do however have an additional 250 worth in gift certificates at this retailer: www.bol.com.
Their prices are definitely not the cheapest options on the net in The Netherlands though.
List of best deals per DSLR camera in The Netherlands
The Canon 500D and the Nikon D5000 are probably the two cameras that best fit my budget constraint. However, I'm kinda worried that they might not cut it in the long run.
Options I'm looking at:
Canon EOS 500D + EF-S 18-55mm IS
- 579
* Note: apparently you now get a free 1 year subscription of Zoom (photography magazine) + 4 online photography courses with this order.
Nikon D5000 Kit + 18-55 mm II
- 519
Nikon D5000 Kit + 18-55 mm VR
- 569
Which camera do you think is the better choice, Nikon D5000 or Canon 500D?
Would I be better of saving up for a Nikkon D90 or Canon 550D?
How much better is the D5000 compared to the cheaper D3000?
Initially I will probably be shooting with the kit lens until I can afford something better.
I will probably also have to purchase some memory, a carrying bag and a tripod along side the camera. As well as this:
Thanks in advance!
At the start of this year I really wanted to get into photography, but due to budget contraints I didn't follow through on it. Now I'm itching to buy a camera again and I could really use your advice.
Sadly budget is still very much an issue, maybe even more so than before.
I'm looking to spend no more than 600 out of my own pocket on the initial purchase (which may already be stretching my current budget).
I do however have an additional 250 worth in gift certificates at this retailer: www.bol.com.
Their prices are definitely not the cheapest options on the net in The Netherlands though.
List of best deals per DSLR camera in The Netherlands
The Canon 500D and the Nikon D5000 are probably the two cameras that best fit my budget constraint. However, I'm kinda worried that they might not cut it in the long run.
Options I'm looking at:
Canon EOS 500D + EF-S 18-55mm IS
- 579
* Note: apparently you now get a free 1 year subscription of Zoom (photography magazine) + 4 online photography courses with this order.
Nikon D5000 Kit + 18-55 mm II
- 519
Nikon D5000 Kit + 18-55 mm VR
- 569
Which camera do you think is the better choice, Nikon D5000 or Canon 500D?
Would I be better of saving up for a Nikkon D90 or Canon 550D?
How much better is the D5000 compared to the cheaper D3000?
Initially I will probably be shooting with the kit lens until I can afford something better.
I will probably also have to purchase some memory, a carrying bag and a tripod along side the camera. As well as this:
Thanks in advance!
Really good start, it's always nice to see when people throw in a prime lens right of the bat.Lee N said:So, after having been out of stock for a while my Canon EOS 550D (Kiss X4/Rebel T2i) finally shipped today. If all goes well I'll be a DSLR owner starting tomorrow...
I got the 18-55mm kit with a camera bag and 8gb sd card, then I also got the EF 50mm f/1.8 II and a cheap remote trigger. This should hopefully keep me going for a while.
Are you already using some photo management app? If not, I'd recommend you to start trying out the different options immediately. Lightroom, Aperture, Bibble Pro, DxO Optics Pro and Capture One are all good.
(Yo, is that Lee N with an A, btw?)
So it arrived today.VNZ said:
Yeah, the nifty fifty is too cheap to pass up in my opinion. Granted, it feels cheap too but in the end it's all about the pictures - and I do like the results.
Regarding post processing, I've downloaded the free Lightroom 3.2 Release Candidate from Adobe Labs to get me started. I don't have a Mac so sadly Aperture of the question but I'll take a look at the other alternatives for sure. I also found Oloneo PhotoEngine while browsing for free alternatives a while back but I have yet to try it. It's a lot to take in so I think I'll take a couple of days to try and get acquainted with Lightroom before moving on to other options.
And yes, that would be me. Long time no see...
Yes, the cheap plastic look perfectly fits the typical SLR of today.Lee N said:
No really, I think it matches my Canon 500D really well. It's a really fine lens, and I would've used it a lot more if it weren't for that charming Sigma 30mm f/1.4 that usually sits on my camera. Lightroom 3 is what I use as well. Before the update to 3.0 I used to get tempted by new versions of other software, and tried out trials of most of them. But now with LR3 and its lens correction features I feel it's pretty complete. Unfortunelately, all new features and the new (amazing) RAW engine has made it a bit slow. And I would still love full per-channel curves adjustments.Lee N said:
Ah cool; hola!Lee N said:
The photo threads here is basically as close I get to gaming nowadays. I look forward to see your pictures here!Valkyr Junkie
Member
I hope in the next RC for Lightroom they include some geotagging features similar to how it is implemented in Picasa. I know it's probably too "consumerish" for Adobe, but since LR3 allows for slideshow creations I think integrating a map into that could be pretty nifty.
bggrthnjsus
Member
i've had one for about 3-4 months now. now my 7d hardly gets any use unless i know that i'm going to be taking a lot of pictures. my gf1 i'll carry around with me pretty much anywhere. it's not quite big enough to fit in a pants pocket unfortunately, but i haven't owned a point and shoot in like 5 years so it's not much of a change for me. with my 7d, i wouldn't really carry it around with me unless i knew i would be taking pictures. this i'll carry around just in case. obviously i'm taking more pictures because it is pretty new to me, but i think in the first 4 months i'd say i got more than twice as much use out of the gf1 than my 7d.xxracerxx said:
menus are pretty intuitive, and manual features are pretty easy to use. would be nice for a thumb wheel but there is a dial that is very accessible as well. not quite as fast to use that as the thumb wheel but still plenty effective. there is a dedicated iso button, af/mf button.
low light performance with the 20 f/1.7 is pretty awesome. my only other lens nearly this fast is my canon 50mm f/1.8 and that isn't very sharp wide open, whereas this is pretty damn sharp. ISO performance on the other hand is not great, and you can see some noticeable noise at 400. i'll still use it up to around 400, but higher than that i think verges on unusable (and some don't like it any higher than 200). 800 is definitely pretty ugly looking. the integrated flash is uh, functional...i try not to use it, but it gets the job done if you need it. haven't had a chance to use any external flashes yet.
before getting this camera i didn't use prime lenses very much, and i actually like that it forces me to move around, think more about what i'm shooting, etc.
I have the EP-1 and Panny 20mm f/1.7.. LOVE IT. My default camera now. Here's some shots of mine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theraidgroup/sets/72157624297742161/detail/
and a Flickr group for it:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/lumix-pancake/pool/with/4762362590/
Really eager to see what m4/3 has in store for us this fall.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theraidgroup/sets/72157624297742161/detail/
and a Flickr group for it:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/lumix-pancake/pool/with/4762362590/
Really eager to see what m4/3 has in store for us this fall.
are you shooting raw or jpeg? The GF1 should be able to give pretty clean ISO 800. Unless you're pixel peeping, in which case, yes there is visible noise. But i find i don't pixel peep, print anyway and the noise is non existent to ISO 800 and then beyond that its like a nice film grain.bggrthnjsus said:
I find on my EP2 and E30 that if i overexpose by .3 or .7 when shooting higher ISO's the noise goes away when you bring exposure back down in post.
bggrthnjsus
Member
i'm shooting raw. i don't think it's like saturated with noise or anything, but it's definitely enough that i can notice. when i was shopping for a four thirds camera it looked like the ep2 had better ISO performance than the gf1 after 800 or so. i think it's better than my old rebel xt's ISO performance, and is definitely usable in smaller resolutions, but i probably change 70% of anything i take at 800 into black and white. it also depends on what you're shooting though, if are shooting something with a really varied background then it's not very noticeable i'll have to try the overexposure and post compensation thing.captive said:
345triangle
Member
i don't fully understand what a "translucent camera" is just yet, but i kind of want this a33 thing:
that is a nice size!
that is a nice size!
Valkyr Junkie
Member
345triangle said:
Forsete
Member
These pellicle cameras are very exciting.
Rumored specs for A55
Price: 900-1000USD
16.7 MP APS-C CMOS
15 point AF system - Rumor says the AF system is like Nikons 3D tracking system
1080i60 (1080p30) AVCHD Video format
Electrical Viewfinder - resolution unknown (1.2MP like NEX-VG10?)
10 fps continuous shooting with AF
ISO100-25600
If the video delivers I might drop my plans for NEX-VG10.
Rumored specs for A55
Price: 900-1000USD
16.7 MP APS-C CMOS
15 point AF system - Rumor says the AF system is like Nikons 3D tracking system
1080i60 (1080p30) AVCHD Video format
Electrical Viewfinder - resolution unknown (1.2MP like NEX-VG10?)
10 fps continuous shooting with AF
ISO100-25600
If the video delivers I might drop my plans for NEX-VG10.
345triangle
Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
yeah i've read up on them, i'm just not sure how it translates into real world performance gain/exposure loss.
i'm interested to see what sony comes up with, i have plans for the overpriced NEX A-mount adapter but am completely open to being swayed.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
345triangle said:
Aside from the light losses mentioned, the advantages are higher shooting rates and continuous auto-focus while shooting video with liveview.
I'll just be disappointed if the claims of 1080i60/1080p30 as the only video modes are true. So must for being the definitive SLR for shooting video if the capture modes haven't improve upon Sony's current Cybershot cameras. At some point you just need to tell the video camera group to go fuck off.
Oh man looking at this Canon loyalty program thread on Fatwallet... 5D Mk2 refurbished for $1679...
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/849344/m15095052/#m15095052
345triangle
Member
1/3rd in exposure loss sounds like a big deal, but then my NEX's auto mode is almost unusable in bright daylight because i can't step the exposure down, so it might work out...
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
captive said:
want want want!
perhaps we could work out a barter for these lenses? I am currently penniless.
golem said:Sure, there will be some noise in higher ISOs but the pictures are completely usable on my EP-1
1600 ISO, no NR applied
yea totally agree.
Original sizes on my flickr.
ISO 1600 (because im an idiot and didnt check the settings before i got out there for sunrise or during said sunrise) Taken with 4/3 12-60 with adapter
Its pretty grainy, but i also pushed it alot to get the look i wanted. Some NR applied.
ISO 3200 taken with 20mm f1.7
my gf's dog board with me pointing the camera at him.
very grainy but i pushed it in post, but it works well in B&W. There's still detail in the image
ISO 3200 taken with 20mm f1.7
my goofy ass dog
ISO 1600 with 20mm f1.7
my gf in a bar in San Diego
are they super clean? Nope, for me i don't care though. I have printed the 2nd one and 4th one on 8x10 and they look fantastic.
Its not chroma noise so to me they look fine, the luminescence noise is really imo like a tight film grain.
Will this work for everyone, nope, but i don't think everyone is going to carry around a nikon d700 just so they can take noise free images at ISO 6400 on a night out.
In my personal opinion if people would stop pixel peeping noise would be much less of an issue. In all the prints I have done, i find that printers print "noise" much different than monitors display them.
UnluckyKate
Member
golem said:
I Don't understand this. What old camera means ? What is refurbished ? Is it working for Europe ?
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
UnluckyKate said:
I'm not exactly sure but I think it entails one trading in their old body towards a new one but I think there are certain stipulations (like particular bodies that are trade-able?) Refurbished, in used camera body terms, is the camera body is used, returned to Canon they verify its in working order, clean it and put it back out on the market at a reduced price.
golem said:
I think its a pain to use. Its not very intuitive from when I tried playing with it. Unless you play with alot of random Point and Shoots its gonna take some getting use to.
Its a nice piece of equipment but the lack of controls pushes me away from it. Hopefully if a rumored NEX-7 is in the pipeline lets hope it'll come out soon.
bggrthnjsus
Member
xxracerxx said:
i'd recommend it. i think any of the mft cameras available are pretty great to use for something to carry around on walks/etc to capture stuff. i haven't really used any of the olympus cameras enough to recommend them, but i bet if i had ended up buying one of those i'd say the same thing. my main reason for getting the gf1 over an ep2 was autofocus speed and built in flash (even though i try to avoid using it, it is definitely useful). i could have really gone either way though, because i like the ep2's built in IS and the olympus cameras have better ISO performance. an ep2 with the panasonic pancake lens is probably pretty great but probably ends up being a bit more expensive.
also i think captive was shooting on an ep2 (?)
345triangle
Member
golem said:
controls are really easy to use 90% of the time, it's just that sometimes you have to do a bit of menu-diving for multitasking (for lack of a better word). it's a little too simple, but nothing's difficult to do.
i just want more lenses!
fuck yeacaptive said:and the reason i've sold my two lenses just got here.
Olympus 300mm F2.8
My new baby. 300mm f2.8 + EC20 = 600 f5.6 = 1200 effective focal length or equivalent field of view however the equivalence nazis want to classify it.
Taking it out tomorrow if it doesn't rain.
Hi guys!
I love photography but I've never been into it, as a photographer. I decided to move forward and learn some basic skills.
I would like to know if you guys have any advice for webs\tutorials\books where I can learn the basics. If anyone has a camera recommendation for a starter, that will be really appreciated too.
Many thanks.
I love photography but I've never been into it, as a photographer. I decided to move forward and learn some basic skills.
I would like to know if you guys have any advice for webs\tutorials\books where I can learn the basics. If anyone has a camera recommendation for a starter, that will be really appreciated too.
Many thanks.
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