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The Official Camera Equipment Megathread

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Stalfos

Member
thelooseteeth said:
GAF! I'm an idiot looking to buy a digital camera.

I'm an art student and would like to be able to take portfolio-quality photos of my work. What is the best camera for me? AND AT WHAT COST????
It would probably help to know what type of art you will be working on. Will your work included everything from paintings and sketches to three dimensional sculpture? Will you also be taking photography classes as an art student?

You'll most likely want to get an SLR. Depending on the size and scope of your work the lens or lenses you might want to get with it will differ.
 
samsung_photokina_2010-550x327.jpg


kind of interested to hear about a LIFE-CHANGING camera!

i've almost decided, though, i'm going to get the sony a33 soon, because i can get that in a double lens (18-55 & 55-200) kit for the same price as the NEX 18-200 lens :/ i'll get the NEX a-mount adapter later and build up a full, versatile system over time - still love the NEX size, design and simplicity, but i'm definitely starting to see what people used to SLRs were complaining about in reviews.

i'd spring the extra for the a55 but the japanese version has no GPS, which is the main advantage! anyone know why that might be? the only other difference, far as i can tell, is the a33 "only" shooting at 7fps vs the a55's 10, and the a55 having 2 more megapixels in a sensor the same size, which i'm not even sure is an advantage.
 
Stalfos said:
It would probably help to know what type of art you will be working on. Will your work included everything from paintings and sketches to three dimensional sculpture? Will you also be taking photography classes as an art student?

You'll most likely want to get an SLR. Depending on the size and scope of your work the lens or lenses you might want to get with it will differ.

As you've said, I'll be taking photos of paintings and three-dimensional objects. I've already taken photography (we were required to buy non-digital cameras for that particular class).

I want to take very high resolution photos that will be able to look crisp when scaled down considerably. Thanks for your input!
 
chaostrophy said:
Canon just announced a 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS that may end up in that price range. If you want to use the lens for a lot of still subjects, the IS and increased length might make up for the reduction in speed.

Rob Galbraith is saying the new lens is gonna be $1500 :eek:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10054-10884

Great travel zoom lens for rich people who need 300mm, as long as the image quality holds up! It's only about 2/3 the weight of the 100-400 and way smaller.
 
Globehopper said:
Rob Galbraith is saying the new lens is gonna be $1500 :eek:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10054-10884

Great travel zoom lens for rich people who need 300mm, as long as the image quality holds up! It's only about 2/3 the weight of the 100-400 and way smaller.

Damn! That's like 3 times the price of the current non-L lens with the same range and speed (it has IS too). I was thinking it would be cheaper than the 70-200 f4L IS but apparently not.
 

Stalfos

Member
thelooseteeth said:
As you've said, I'll be taking photos of paintings and three-dimensional objects. I've already taken photography (we were required to buy non-digital cameras for that particular class).

I want to take very high resolution photos that will be able to look crisp when scaled down considerably. Thanks for your input!
If you don't plan on continuing with photography in your art you could probably get by with a decent point and shoot.

I'd still probably recommend an SLR or m4/3rd type camera if you are an artist/art student. You might be able to get by with getting an entry level model, any brand you prefer, and a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I recommend a 50mm lens since its a good value and I would think it would be good for the shallow DoF which would allow to present images that focus on specific aspects of a three dimensional piece. You should also be able to set it up to get good shots of paintings. The only issue would be if you have large paintings or sculptures, at that point it might also be useful to have a lens with a wider angle.
 
thelooseteeth said:
GAF! I'm an idiot looking to buy a digital camera.

I'm an art student and would like to be able to take portfolio-quality photos of my work. What is the best camera for me? AND AT WHAT COST????

Keep in mind that in addition to the camera, the quality of your results will depend a lot on the lighting and your technique. When you shoot under artificial lighting it can change the overall color balance of the picture, incandescent light tends to be very warm and golden, fluorescent light tends to be colder and green/blue. Flash can sometimes introduce its own problems with reflections and glare.

Although you can compensate for color balance with your camera's white balance setting and by adjusting color balance in post-processing, I've had a lot of success making digital copies of color prints by shooting them in natural daylight under the shade of my front or back porch. Direct sunlight can be harsh, but shooting in the shade gives you soft, natural looking lighting from the ambient, reflected daylight. That may work well for your paintings and sculptures.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
mrnorush said:
This is pretty much just a built in adapter :S... no AF, manual aperture control and m-mount pricing. might as well just get their lens for m-mount with adapter. (I don't think there is a 25mm 0.95 though?)
but its not just a built in adapter. It is an all new design for m4/3rds. It is unclear whether it has auto diaphragm for aperture control and a chip that communicates lens info into the camera.
 

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
I have a Pentax Optio W20. It was fine when I was on vacation last time, for day-time pictures they came out really well (but not very high resolution). I'm going on vacation again later this year and I'm thinking of getting a better camera since I could never take decent pictures once it was getting darker, such as during sunset. They would come out very grainy or blurry.

So I want a camera that will allow me to take pictures in such conditions without the need for a tripod since I won't be carrying one with me. Any idea? I really want to take some decent sunsets, sun rise, or night time pictures. I know to take really good ones with long exposure I'd need a tripod, but what can be done without one?

Thanks
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Ether_Snake said:
I have a Pentax Optio W20. It was fine when I was on vacation last time, for day-time pictures they came out really well (but not very high resolution). I'm going on vacation again later this year and I'm thinking of getting a better camera since I could never take decent pictures once it was getting darker, such as during sunset. They would come out very grainy or blurry.

So I want a camera that will allow me to take pictures in such conditions without the need for a tripod since I won't be carrying one with me. Any idea? I really want to take some decent sunsets, sun rise, or night time pictures. I know to take really good ones with long exposure I'd need a tripod, but what can be done without one?

Thanks

If you want lowlight and have a fast enough shutter for shots to be hand holdable, I would suggest a camera that can at least do ISO1600 nicely (which most modern entry level DSLRs can do) and a fast lens (like the Canon 50/1.8, f/1.4 or on the wider end the Canon 35/2 or 28/1.8. The cheapest being the 50/1.8 at around $100, the others being around $350 - $500).
 

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
BlueTsunami said:
If you want lowlight and have a fast enough shutter for shots to be hand holdable, I would suggest a camera that can at least do ISO1600 nicely (which most modern entry level DSLRs can do) and a fast lens (like the Canon 50/1.8, f/1.4 or on the wider end the Canon 35/2 or 28/1.8. The cheapest being the 50/1.8 at around $100, the others being around $350 - $500).

The Option w20 has an ISO of 64-1600, so it should already be fine. For shutter speed I'm not sure, it says Shutter: 4-1/2000. http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/OW20/OW20A.HTM
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Ether_Snake said:
The Option w20 has an ISO of 64-1600, so it should already be fine. For shutter speed I'm not sure, it says Shutter: 4-1/2000. http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/OW20/OW20A.HTM

The reason your shots may be grainy is due to the camera pumping the ISO up in tough lighting situations and generally Point and Shoot pockatable cameras don't do high ISO very well. With a larger format camera (well, larger than the Pentax) you would shoot at these larger ISO's without grain being as disruptive (though still there).

For instance, when shooting on the street with only streetlights as my light source I would have to shoot at ISO1600 and at around 1/30's with an aperture of f/1.4 (which is a shutterspeed that is below the optimum shutterspeed which is considered to be Focal Length = Shutterspeed, so you would want 1/50s). The Pentax isn't as fast (has a max aperture of f/3.3) and doesn't handle high ISO as well. In the same situation the Pentax would be exposing a scene (at the same ISO but using its max aperture) with a shutterspeed of 1/15s or 1/8s (basically mired by handshake and ISO noise to boot).

If you want to keep a point and shoot camera and have it be pretty good in tough low lighting situations, I would suggest the Canon S90 (Click here. It has a relatively fast max aperture for a point and shoot (f/2). Here's a review...

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/PS90/PS90A.HTM

In the end, you'll want a DSLR over a point and shoot for speed and high ISO performance but you'll lose the pocketability of your camera (which you'll probably want on a trip). Plus high speed lenses for DSLR's are usually primes and not zoom lenses so you'll have to compose around a single focal length (like 50mm). That could be an issue and Prime shooting is usually a required taste.
 
nib95 said:
I want the Canon 5D MkIII and the 24-70L 28 IS II already :(

In Yongsan, Seoul, I found the 5D almost 50% cheaper than regular price in France: 1250€. Pretty crazy. Body only of course.

So I'm really looking forward buying the 7D for the price of a 550D :lol
 
Ether_Snake said:
The Option w20 has an ISO of 64-1600, so it should already be fine. For shutter speed I'm not sure, it says Shutter: 4-1/2000. http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/OW20/OW20A.HTM

yeah a camera's maximum ISO is almost never a good idea, it's just there for extreme conditions. i can shoot at 1600 with no problems, but that's because it goes up to 12800, which i would basically never use. it's like any given camera stops ISO count at the point where any additional grain would make the photo totally unusable.

i second the canon s90 recommendation if you want to stick with point and shoots, or i'd recommend a mirrorless camera like PEN/GF1/NEX if you're willing to spend more but still want a small form factor. the larger sensor gives you a massive jump in low-light performance.
 
Ether_Snake said:
So I want a camera that will allow me to take pictures in such conditions without the need for a tripod since I won't be carrying one with me. Any idea? I really want to take some decent sunsets, sun rise, or night time pictures. I know to take really good ones with long exposure I'd need a tripod, but what can be done without one?
Another option is to manually set the ISO to a lower number for quality, which means a longer exposure, set your camera down on a table, wall, or car roof, compose, and then set the self-timer to take a hands-off blur-free picture.
 

ana

Member

Thraktor

Member
Large-format digital camera, anyone?

Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor

canon_sensor.jpg


That tiny little thing next to it is a full-frame 35mm sensor. The new sensor is 202x205mm (8 inches square), which is almost quadruple the size of standard (4"x5") large-format film, and 19 times the size of the largest commercially available medium format sensor (Phase One's P65+ digital back). They also say that it can take photos in one-hundreth the light required for DSLRs, which, going by the 1DMkIV's maximum 102,400 ISO, would place its sensitivity somewhere in the 10,000,000 ISO region.

Of course, with the comparatively minuscule P65+ going for $40,000, I can't imagine what Canon would have to charge were they ever to actually make a camera with this monstrosity in it...
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Thraktor said:
Large-format digital camera, anyone?

Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor

http://www.conductunbecoming.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/canon_sensor.jpg[IMG]

That tiny little thing next to it is a [i]full-frame[/i] 35mm sensor. The new sensor is 202x205mm (8 inches square), which is almost quadruple the size of standard (4"x5") large-format film, and 19 times the size of the largest commercially available medium format sensor (Phase One's P65+ digital back). They also say that it can take photos in one-hundreth the light required for DSLRs, which, going by the 1DMkIV's maximum 102,400 ISO, would place its sensitivity somewhere in the 10,000,000 ISO region.

Of course, with the comparatively minuscule P65+ going for $40,000, I can't imagine what Canon would have to charge were they ever to actually make a camera with this monstrosity in it...[/QUOTE]
the problem would be you would need two sherpas and an assistant to get a setup encompassing a sensor that big anywhere meaningful.

[QUOTE=ana]This one should interest captivate :D

Rumors about new Olympus E-5 are starting to surface.. September 14th is the rumored due date

[url]http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/new-e-p2-kit-and-e-5-dslr-rumored-olympus-surprise-parties-ruin/[/url]

It has been a while since last pro-model Olympus DSLR.. I like my friends E-3 so it'll be interesting to see how this new one stacks up..

But considering how good the weather sealing is in E-3 you can probably take a bath with E-5.. :lol[/QUOTE]
yea im excited they are going to come out with a new one. Im reserving judgement until it actually gets announced but the rumored specs leave a little to be desired. At 12mp it better be the best damn sensor out of a lot of cameras, clean ISO 1600 and more dynamic range.
 

Stalfos

Member
Thraktor said:
Large-format digital camera, anyone?

Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor

canon_sensor.jpg


That tiny little thing next to it is a full-frame 35mm sensor. The new sensor is 202x205mm (8 inches square), which is almost quadruple the size of standard (4"x5") large-format film, and 19 times the size of the largest commercially available medium format sensor (Phase One's P65+ digital back). They also say that it can take photos in one-hundreth the light required for DSLRs, which, going by the 1DMkIV's maximum 102,400 ISO, would place its sensitivity somewhere in the 10,000,000 ISO region.

Of course, with the comparatively minuscule P65+ going for $40,000, I can't imagine what Canon would have to charge were they ever to actually make a camera with this monstrosity in it...
My guess is that it would be used for scientific research equipment if at all.
 
neat my mom just gave me her old olympus om-1 with a 135mm f/3.5 telephoto and a 50mm f/3.5 macro. also just bought a 50mm f/1.8 on ebay for like $50. just needs a new battery for the exposure meter, and i can go nuts with it.
 

ChryZ

Member
First sample shots of the Voigtlander 25mm/F0.95 m4/3 lens:

http://ganref.jp/magazines/index/1/0/378

Pretty nice colors and sharpness wide open, amazing resolution stopped down (the F2 shot of the armor is pretty bad ass detail wise), the bokeh isn't too busy. There's lots of barrel distortion though. Not bad at all for this kind of crazy aperture monster.

What do you guys think?
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Wow, looks like a fantastic lens. Fast normal on those smaller sensors and stopping down still provides good resolution. That's the lens I would get if I owned a m4/3rd camera. That or the Panasonic 20/1.7.

Image quality aside the build is very nice. It has that notched grip focus ring that my Super Takumar has. Makes it very easy to focus when you can slip your point finger and thumb into the notch and have that slight indent to push and pull.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Just picked up a Canon S95. Pretty rad, blows away the low light performance of my old camera (sd940is) which is half-broken now. Looking forward to using the S95's full manual controls on my trip.
 
ana said:
This one should interest captivate :D

Rumors about new Olympus E-5 are starting to surface.. September 14th is the rumored due date

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/new-e-p2-kit-and-e-5-dslr-rumored-olympus-surprise-parties-ruin/

It has been a while since last pro-model Olympus DSLR.. I like my friends E-3 so it'll be interesting to see how this new one stacks up..

But considering how good the weather sealing is in E-3 you can probably take a bath with E-5.. :lol

:lol at the fanboy wars in the comment section.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Instigator said:
:lol at the fanboy wars in the comment section.
this is why i dont read comments.
I always love people that say you cant get "bokeh" because 4/3rds is too small, or that you cant get shallow depth of field.

But the one idiot that says 4/3rds is no better than point and shoot had me face palming.
 
I'm looking for a new camera, and I'm leaning towards a Canon 550d with a 50mm prime lens.
I currently shoot analog on an old Canon av1 with a 55mm 1.8f lens. I absolutely LOVE that camera but analog is getting too expensive (+ the hassle of getting the films developed).
So, is the 550d a good replacement?
My dad also uses a 50d, are these lenses compatible?

(movie mode is a plus for me as I'm planning to do some short films with friends)
 

Forsete

Member
I had the chance to play around with the NEX5 for a few days. Damn, what a nice little camera.

I'm very impressed with the image quality, camera can climb into ISO1600 and I don't care, because it looks GOOD. Using the twilight feature is even more impressive at first glance (set the camera to twilight mode and it takes 3-4-5 shots in sequence, the camera then processes the images into one removing almost all noise), minus for only being available in JPEG. I didn't study this in great detail, but the shots I took looked good.


My messy desk. I think this was 3200 with twilight mode, 100% view up left.

You'll have to do some digging in the menus, true... but once you have it set up the way you like it (for me, I just set it up like my SLRs) its not a big issue at all. I do miss the AEL button though.
Changing between modes (A,P,S,M etc.) is very easy, so is changing the aperture or shutter speed.
AF is not as fast as PDAF, but good enough for most things, very accurate.

The thing is tiny, well much smaller than I was expecting.. 18-55 looks pretty big on it in the pictures, but in reality 18-55 is pretty small. Very nice build quality on both the body and lenses (front of the NEX5 is in some sort of metal, all the lenses so far are made of metal). The lenses are quiet, you don't hear the focus motor work (SSM?). Its light, very light.

Video mode is pretty nice also, but you only have control of focus (AF/MF) and EV settings (-2.0 or +2.0) and the format (AVCHD 1080i50(p25) or MP4 1440p and VGA), still you can get some good footage from it (not that I have huge experience with video recording, but I liked what I saw). The built in microphones are weaksause though, but they have that add-on mic, I didn't try that though.

HDMI output (1080i?) while taking pictures in my little portable studio was a pleasant surprise. I hooked it up to the PC (via capture card) and was impressed.


The camera uses Mini HDMI. The screen goes black when HDMI is connected.

I took this shot in my little cheap Köning studio with halo-gen lights, using my PC as a monitor for the camera.

I recorded the HDMI output, you can view it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5PCoJllJaE


IMO its the perfect little camera to go with a SLR, so I have more or less decided to get one. :)
Its much easier to get out/take with you and take shots which hold the same quality as a regular SLR. I will probably get the A-mount adapter as well, I have some lenses there which I am dying to test out in video. VG10 is on hold with this, too much money just for something I might not use that much (video).
 

Stalfos

Member
Unlimited4s said:
I'm looking for a new camera, and I'm leaning towards a Canon 550d with a 50mm prime lens.
I currently shoot analog on an old Canon av1 with a 55mm 1.8f lens. I absolutely LOVE that camera but analog is getting too expensive (+ the hassle of getting the films developed).
So, is the 550d a good replacement?
My dad also uses a 50d, are these lenses compatible?

(movie mode is a plus for me as I'm planning to do some short films with friends)
The 550d should work fine, your dads lenses that he has for his 50d will be compatible with it (your old fd mount lenses will not). One thing you should know (if you don't already) is that the 50mm f1.8 lens will be the equivalent of an 80mm lens on a full frame camera. So if you want a lens closer to the 55mm that you are used to then you might want to look into something like a 35mm lens.
 
Stalfos said:
The 550d should work fine, your dads lenses that he has for his 50d will be compatible with it (your old fd mount lenses will not). One thing you should know (if you don't already) is that the 50mm f1.8 lens will be the equivalent of an 80mm lens on a full frame camera. So if you want a lens closer to the 55mm that you are used to then you might want to look into something like a 35mm lens.
80mm is still fine to me :). The main reason I want to have the 50mm 1.8 is because of the performance in low light (and it's cheap as hell). My dad only has lenses that go to at max f4, so he has to crank up the ISO to unbearable levels sometimes in low light situations.
Thanks for the help!
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
sneaky77 said:
So I seen people recommend the 50mm lenses as a good first prime lense to have. Anyone has example shots?

Here are some examples at various distances...

*Click for larger







The 50mm focal length is a nice versatile one but on a crop it has a Field of View of around 80mm, so its not as versatile as it is on Full Frame. With 50mm you also get to choose from fast lenses for cheap. With all that said, the narrow Field of View it has on a Crop versus a Full Frame camera, I think I would recommend a 35mm over the 50mm if you want some context to your images and subjects.
 

sneaky77

Member
There is a $200 difference between the cheaper 50mm to the 35mm, so I am thinking maybe get the 50mm to play with for now and then just save a few months to get the other lense.
 
I'm getting a $2,500 lens serviced. I've never serviced any of my camera gear before, let alone put something that expensive in someone else's care (exceptions being the car and my wife's diamond ring). So I'm a bit anxious.

GAF, please help me get over these irrational nerves :(
 

golem

Member
ScientificNinja said:
I'm getting a $2,500 lens serviced. I've never serviced any of my camera gear before, let alone put something that expensive in someone else's care (exceptions being the car and my wife's diamond ring). So I'm a bit anxious.

GAF, please help me get over these irrational nerves :(
Ive gotten a few things serviced at Canon's center its always gone smoothly. If you live near one (NJ, Irvine CA, Virginia?) you can just drop by. Quick turnaround too, although I'm a Canon Professional Services member so I think I get priority.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
ScientificNinja said:
I'm getting a $2,500 lens serviced. I've never serviced any of my camera gear before, let alone put something that expensive in someone else's care (exceptions being the car and my wife's diamond ring). So I'm a bit anxious.

GAF, please help me get over these irrational nerves :(

A $2,500 lens? The 70-200/2.8 MKII?
 

golem

Member
Nice! I'm really tempted to sell my 70-200 f/4 L IS and get one of those, or a 100-400L (or both haha). The pictures I've seen out of it are great!
 

golem

Member
Tamron's 60 days of giveaways

http://www.tamron-usa.com/60days60lenses/

Daily prizes
* SP 70-300mm Di VC USD Zoom Lens
* 18-250mm Di II All-In-One Zoom lens
* Limited Edition 60th Anniversary T-Shirt (only 60 will be made, L, XL and XXL sizes only)
* $60 off any Tamron lens purchased at an authorized Tamron retailer
* 1-Year subscription to your magazine of choice (Digital Photo, Outdoor Photographer, Pop Photo, Shutterbug)
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
DjangoReinhardt said:
Which photography sites/blogs/feeds do people use?
www.flickr.com - obvious
http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/ good portrait photographer out of Austin. He talks more about the business side of photography which is helpful to me. But I also enjoy his portrait style, he uses all kinds of lights but he does it in a minimalist style that produces natural results, which i love. I often think some people way over do it with lights and flashes.

http://www.bythom.com/ - wildlife and landscape photographer. I enjoy is ramblings on nikon(if i were to ever switch it would be to nikon) and he also provides tips and tricks on processing and different things.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ - lots of tutorials on photography. Also some fantastic photography there.

http://www.toddandbradreed.com/
http://www.facebook.com/toddandbradreed - something seems wrong with their website right now its not loading in IE or firefox. But anyway they are some local photographers in Michigan where I go every year. I have met them multiple times and gotten to go shooting with them. They are fantastic people, some of the nicest people you could meet, they are very willing to share their techniques. I find some of their photography simply stunning.

I also like luminous landscape and the online photographer that forsete posted.

@ BlueTsunami - love that guys link thanks for sharing.
 
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