Photography Equipment & Software Thread

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

A quick question: I currently film with an 18-55 canon lens that came with my 550d, if I get a fixed 50mm 1.4 f-stop, I'm going to get much less noise on my recordings right - that's how it works isn't it?

Well, the fixed focal length doesn't matter, but the sound of the autofocus motor does. If it has one of them silent types, it should be better, yes.

[Scratchy Bollock]

It's been an expensive month! I decided to invest in some more film kit as I found myself frequently hiring this stuff for shoots. I know there are a few film types here so thought this might be of interest.

Firstly I bought an awesome shoulder rig from ebay. I mentioned it earlier in this thread but it's from a Korean guy called Gini who makes quality equipment that is fairly similar to the Zacuto rigs. It took a while to arrive but it was really cheap and it's extremely well built. I just need to get some bike handle grips to finish it off. The arm that is attached to the shoulder plate is meant to hold a monitor. I have one but couldn't be bothered to set it up as the arm isn't a particularly great way of attaching a monitor to the rig. It really does make a massive difference to shooting hald-held with a 5D Mark II or other DSLR's.

I also finally bought a proper dolly system with 12 feet of straight track and 90 degrees of curved track (13 feet long). It's from a company called IDS and it's an awesome, relatively affordable ride-on dolly system. It's not quite the same as using some of the high-end hydraulic gear from Alpha Grip but then I'm not going to be using this to shoot James Bond films. It's really, really solid and ultra smooth. Eventually I want to get 360 degrees of curved track but at £600 pound per quarter I'm going to have to wait a little bit!

It took about 35 minutes to set up but I reckon I'll be able to get it down to 5 minutes with practice.

Lastly, I bought a 35mm adapter for my Sony PMW-EX3. This is a device that gives the image a softer look and also greatly improves the shallow-depth-of-field. It also means I can use my canon lenses with the EX3. There are a few different 35mm adapters on the market but I went for the Shoot 35 SGBlade (Also using their follow focus too which is superb). Aside from the fact that it looks awesome it has a cool feature in which you can replace the standard spinning glass (The component that gives you the shallow depth of field) with different versions. So if I want a much softer look with more film-like bokeh I can use a spinning glass that will give me that look. The downside is I'll lose 4 stops of light (I think it's 4 stops anyway). I'm currently using one that only loses half a stop of light but gives me a less film-like look.

Just need to get a decent lighting kit and a matte-box now.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

That's some nice gear

I'm thinking of trying a shoot with a female model sometime in the near future, but currently breaking my head on how to get a model without being reported to the authorities for being a sex pest and/or my wife breaking all my bones.

[Scratchy Bollock]

That's some nice gear

Big though. That combined with my other gear takes up half my flat!

[Jonny5]

After having has a few digital compact cameras over the years, with a wedding/honeymoon coming up (& kids and other grown up stuff coming after that) we'd like to get a "proper" camera that will take great photos and last us for a good few years to come. Of the compacts, I've had two Pentax & one Canon and rated the Canon way higher than the Pentaxes.

We're looking to spend £500 absolute tops, but there seem to be lots of options in that sort of price bracket. Things we want out of the camera are: Speed, fed up with slow focusing & shutter lag we want something that will capture those special moments rather than missing them. Ease of use, neither of us know much about the technicalities of cameras so a good point & shoot mode is essential.

There's no real rush at the moment, we're looking to buy in the next 3-4 months so can wait if there is something new coming out soon. So far I've been looking at the following:

Canon G12 £400 - An advanced compact with 5x zoom. On the plus side its a Canon which I like & a friend has one and raves about it. Downsides for me are the fixed lens, and will it have the speed we're after?

Panasonic Lumix G10 £335/G2 £440 - This is a micro four thirds camera styled like an SLR. I really like the idea of this, its small and when I've tried it in the shops it seems nice and fast, has a good "Inteligent Auto" mode too. When talking to my G11 owning friend and a rather pushy John Lewis salesman they both push the "Why not get a real DSLR for that money?" These cameras seem to get good reviews but with a bit of noise at higher ISO's. These both have interchangeable lenses, which while not something we'll take advantage of initially gives us options in the future.

Nikon D3100 £400 - A real DSLR this one. Has the speed & a "guide" mode for beginners like us, as well as the interchangeable lenses. I've never had a Nikon camera before but they seem to get very good reviews. It's the biggest of all that I've looked at and heaviest too. In writing this I've been looking online and found its a fair bit cheaper than I thought, so might well be edging out the Lumix as my personal favourite.

So that's where I am at the moment. Is there anything else similar to the above I should look at? Do any of you have any of the above and can comment on them? Any advice & help you could give would be awesome.

[PopeSmokesDope]

Why not get a real DLSR? You can get a canon 500d with lens for around £550 Brand New.

or you could get a 550 cheapish if you keep an eye on the Canon outlet store

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet/Canon-EOS-SLR-Cameras-/_i.html?_fsub=3&_sid=114950978&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

[scribble]

That Gini shoulder rig looks quite nice-are you using weights with it/is it quite nicely balanced? I've had that Zacuto sniper out all weekend again (yay for Friday rentals) and I'd really like one just so it was always ready to go, but I can't really justify the 2000 or whatever it would cost me.

[PopeSmokesDope]

That's some nice gear

I'm thinking of trying a shoot with a female model sometime in the near future, but currently breaking my head on how to get a model without being reported to the authorities for being a sex pest and/or my wife breaking all my bones.

Just grab a photography magazine, they all have adverts at the back for studio time + model.

[Mercury]

Just grab a photography magazine, they all have adverts at the back for studio time + model.

I've always assumed they were a front for prostitutes.

[Scratchy Bollock]

That Gini shoulder rig looks quite nice-are you using weights with it/is it quite nicely balanced? I've had that Zacuto sniper out all weekend again (yay for Friday rentals) and I'd really like one just so it was always ready to go, but I can't really justify the 2000 or whatever it would cost me.

The shoulder pad is nicely weighted but I do need to get a proper counter-balance. The Zacuto rigs are disgustingly overpriced. To be completely honest, I still don't think DSLR's are really suited to run-and-gun style shoots. The rolling shutter is still an issue and focusing is pretty tricky, even with a good follow focus, so I couldn't justify spending obscene amounts on a rig. The Gini rig cost £150 including shipping which is definitely worth it as it's nice to have the option to shoot off sticks.

What do you think of the Sniper? It's an awesome piece of kit but it nearly costs the same as my track and dolly bundle!

[Jonny5]

Why not get a real DLSR? You can get a canon 500d with lens for around £550 Brand New.

or you could get a 550 cheapish if you keep an eye on the Canon outlet store

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet/Canon-EOS-SLR-Cameras-/_i.html?_fsub=3&_sid=114950978&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

The Nikon is a real DSLR. £500 is the absolute max we want to spend, nearer £400 would be better. Also getting a more advanced model might be counter productive if it doesn't have the beginner auto modes that we definitely need. Thanks for the link to the referb store though.

[zxcvbnm]

That's some nice gear

I'm thinking of trying a shoot with a female model sometime in the near future, but currently breaking my head on how to get a model without being reported to the authorities for being a sex pest and/or my wife breaking all my bones.

Try finding your local photographic club - we have a studio at mine, and quite often have amateur models in who will pose for pics for free in return for photos for their portfolios. We're doing green screen this week in the studio which should be fun. Here's one of mine from a studio evening:

Aperture#2 by neal1973, on Flickr

[scribble]

The shoulder pad is nicely weighted but I do need to get a proper counter-balance. The Zacuto rigs are disgustingly overpriced. To be completely honest, I still don't think DSLR's are really suited to run-and-gun style shoots. The rolling shutter is still an issue and focusing is pretty tricky, even with a good follow focus, so I couldn't justify spending obscene amounts on a rig. The Gini rig cost £150 including shipping which is definitely worth it as it's nice to have the option to shoot off sticks.

What do you think of the Sniper? It's an awesome piece of kit but it nearly costs the same as my track and dolly bundle!

150!? Fucking hell. Does this guy have an ebay shop? We spend £75 a day on the Zacuto!

The Zacuto is very nice.. I've been using it a lot with the 70-200 2.8 IS, which is about a kilo and a half or something silly. I think the counterbalance is 2kg, and its giving me wonderfully smooth pans. (panning quick on a dslr doesn't work well though, obviously ). We shot a cycle race last weekend with a bunch of the Zeiss Compact Primes, a few 5ds and a Zacuto rig, and it really did the job. I don't find the follow focus much use for the focus rings on the Canon lenses- though its a little easier if I use a gear that makes the lens a lot wider- but it was amazing on the Zeiss CP's. Its clearly not worth £2000 or whatever it is, though.

I've got a run and gun style shoot on Tuesday, and I'm planning on renting either an EX1 or EX3, and having the 5D there just as a second camera for really wide stuff, or if I get the chance for a more set up shot. I don't want to get killed for having half my work out of focus!

[PopeSmokesDope]

The Nikon is a real DSLR. £500 is the absolute max we want to spend, nearer £400 would be better. Also getting a more advanced model might be counter productive if it doesn't have the beginner auto modes that we definitely need. Thanks for the link to the referb store though.

The 500/550 and nikon equivalent all have point and shoot modes and other semi modes right up to full manual.

If you're after something that will last go for a dslr... Anything else and you'll always have a nagging feeling that you have gone for one..,

I bought a camera from the outlet store last year, they all come with a full warranty and service... It's all returns (damaged packaging/demo units) highly recommended!

[Scratchy Bollock]

150!? Fucking hell. Does this guy have an ebay shop? We spend £75 a day on the Zacuto!

The Zacuto is very nice.. I've been using it a lot with the 70-200 2.8 IS, which is about a kilo and a half or something silly. I think the counterbalance is 2kg, and its giving me wonderfully smooth pans. (panning quick on a dslr doesn't work well though, obviously ). We shot a cycle race last weekend with a bunch of the Zeiss Compact Primes, a few 5ds and a Zacuto rig, and it really did the job. I don't find the follow focus much use for the focus rings on the Canon lenses- though its a little easier if I use a gear that makes the lens a lot wider- but it was amazing on the Zeiss CP's. Its clearly not worth £2000 or whatever it is, though.

I've got a run and gun style shoot on Tuesday, and I'm planning on renting either an EX1 or EX3, and having the 5D there just as a second camera for really wide stuff, or if I get the chance for a more set up shot. I don't want to get killed for having half my work out of focus!

Check out this:

http://shop.ebay.com/gini-2011/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

or his site (Which is truly terrible but lists a lot of stuff at cheap prices):

http://magicspider.eu/admin/store/products

He often lists items at stupid rates. My rig was being sold at 800 dollars. I made an offer for $250 dollars and he accepted and that tends to be the same for most people (This guy got a great rig for a very cheap price: http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=9074).

His English is really bad though but he's now working with a translator (Don't know his name but his email address is fenderdan82@hotmail.com) so if you do get in touch with him probably a good idea to copy in the translator too. A few people have ordered from him and have received extra bits for free but other people have had essential components missing from the order and have had a bit of a struggle trying to get them due to the language barrier. A few of the companies I freelance for have started picking up rigs from him because they are genuinely well made and almost identical in build quality to the zacuto rigs. That said, of your work are happy to rent out Zacuto rigs then at least you're working with very reliable equipment.

Who are you working for? I'd love to play around with Zeiss primes!

I was on a shoot filming the tour of Britain last year and we also had a few 5D's and a couple of EX3's. We started off using the 5D's and eventually switched over to EX3 with added shoulder attachment. So much easier filming an event like that with an EX3 and it really demonstrated the limitations of the 5D as a video camera. In the end I managed to get on to the roof of a building overlooking the event and used the 5D to shoot a time lapse instead.

I think that if the 5D is used in a controlled environment and used in the right way then you can get some exceptional results with it, but it's not really a flexible camera in the same way that the EX3 is. I used it as a B Cam on a shoot with a RED not too long ago and it's incredible at how much the image holds up next to RED stuff.

[NecroMorrius]

That's some nice gear

I'm thinking of trying a shoot with a female model sometime in the near future, but currently breaking my head on how to get a model without being reported to the authorities for being a sex pest and/or my wife breaking all my bones.

Most 'rent a studio' places can provide models. Bit of a gamble though

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Knowing my luck, I'll probably end up with some horse with an attitude.

The photoclub thing is a good tip though; I'm pretty sure there's one in town and it may be fun to join up and share knowledge with others and use some facilities/join workshops. I go investigate.

[johnj]

scribble et al people who are filming mad equipment, are you London based? Would you mind me tagging along one day and learning a few bits and bobs?

I've got a 550d with a fluid motion tripod, 70-300, 18-55 (think I need to get a 1.4 fstop lens soon), boom mic + pole, magic lantern firmware and the Fader filter thing, but you guys seem to be ont the next level and I reckon I could learn a trick or two

[zxcvbnm]

Knowing my luck, I'll probably end up with some horse with an attitude.

The photoclub thing is a good tip though; I'm pretty sure there's one in town and it may be fun to join up and share knowledge with others and use some facilities/join workshops. I go investigate.

Try the camera club - so far I've done 3 studio shoots, one with a decent model, one with a couple of kids and one with a less than attractive one (to be polite). I've enjoyed it as there's been someone on hand to help out and answer any questions and it's been quite relaxed.

The other bonus of joining a camera club is the amount of knowledge you can tap into - we have regular in-house and club competitions too so it does make you up your game. Another perk is that mine only costs £45 per year to be a member. I was looking at doing an evening class in photography before this and they wanted over £120 for that, so it's saved me a few quid, gets me out of the house and I've made some good friends there.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

I emailed the secretary, apparently they have get-togethers every 2 weeks and workshops and stuff inbetween. Some members also exhibit their pictures and stuff, there seems to be some talent there.

I await their answer, hopefully I can join one of those get-togethers to see what kind of people they are and what they're all about. Hopefully not just 50 year old men with beards and women with purple dyed hair.

[Mercury]

Apologies for the pimp but my GF1 and other bits are up for sale in Trading: My link

Andy

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

I emailed the secretary, apparently they have get-togethers every 2 weeks and workshops and stuff inbetween. Some members also exhibit their pictures and stuff, there seems to be some talent there.

I await their answer, hopefully I can join one of those get-togethers to see what kind of people they are and what they're all about. Hopefully not just 50 year old men with beards and women with purple dyed hair.

Well, I received an invitation to drop by, so we'll see

[zxcvbnm]

Apologies for the pimp but my GF1 and other bits are up for sale in Trading: My link

Andy

Damn it, I got all excited then and thought you meant a Lumix G1.

[Fusty Gusset]

I got all excited and I've already got one

themomentbefore: Just out of interest like, why are you getting rid?

I've just got a 2nd hand Voigtlander 35mm lens and I don't want it to ever leave my side.

[Nicky]

I really want a GF1. One day... One day...

[Mercury]

I got all excited and I've already got one

themomentbefore: Just out of interest like, why are you getting rid?

I've just got a 2nd hand Voigtlander 35mm lens and I don't want it to ever leave my side.

It's a reluctant sale. I just got a Canon 60D and can't justify the GF1 as well at the moment. I am sure I'll end up picking up another in future though - great camera.

[Swallow]

Does the GF1 have a 2x crop? So it would make the 20mm lens the equivalent, so to speak, of a 40mm on a 35mm camera?

[Steve007]

After 2 months of reading & research I finally ordered my first DSLR camera. I chose the Nikon D3100 which has received some excellent reviews and comes highly recommended for keen amateurs & beginners. I got quite an excellent deal from Pixmania. Camera body & two lenses for £609! I've ordered a Nikon case & decent SD card from Amazon & hopefully all this stuff will arrive before the weekend.

Reading various forums, the D3100 seems to be quite a popular model, does anyone here own one? What do you think of it? I got tired of buying supposed high-end compacts taking sub-standard photos so I'm looking forward to finally taking some decent shots once I've got the hang of it.

[Fusty Gusset]

It's a reluctant sale. I just got a Canon 60D and can't justify the GF1 as well at the moment. I am sure I'll end up picking up another in future though - great camera.

I hearya.

I was late to the party (bought one just after Xmas in the sales), it's an awesome camera. Thing is they're evaporating sharpish - a buddy was completely taken with mine + 20mm pancake that he immediately tried to get one (below £550 that is) and they'd all gone...they were showing up on store inventories/online but when he got in touch they had nowt left....all making way for the incoming GF2

Yours should get snapped up quick-time I'm sure. Good luck with the sale, I've emailed my friend to see if he's interested.

[Nicky]

good work Steve007. switch that puppy into Aperture Priority / Shutter Priority Mode STAT (thats the A or P on the top dial) basically one gives you control of the shutter (for freezing motion or having motion blur, and the camera sorts everything else out for you)or the other gives you control of the Aperture - letting you control the depth of field and how much forward and back from your focus point, is in focus)

they're like stepping stones into full manual mode. also, put your camera into manual ISO mode. have low/200 for brightness, and bump it up the darker it gets.