Photography Equipment & Software Thread

[Mercury]

Picked up my tripod this morning...

WOW!!

The tripod itself is much sturdier than my old slik amt..

But it's the head.... Worth every penny! The joystick design is perfect and faultless... I can't recommend it enough!!

I was hoping you'd say it was shit

[Alexlotl]

The factory that makes X100s was damaged by the Tsunami, so if you can get hold of one, it's worth it just to resell at near twice the price, which is what they're currently hitting on Ebay.

I was surprised at how well it's reviewed - didn't think the sensor tech sounded up to much (was hoping for Fuji's lovely Super CCD to make a comeback), but the ISO control is fantastic. Still think I'd rather have a small m4/3 body with a 14mm or 20mm pancake on it, though.

[PopeSmokesDope]

Here you go, just a quick one as i'm about to go out the door...

The first thing that struck me is the size of the Joystick, it's chunky and feels very solid. There's a wheel underneath to change the friction. The ball itself is steel and feels very firm. I had my 40d + Grip and sigma 10-20 on it yesterday and it was rock solid, not a single movement after letting go of the grip. I'll try the 70-200 on it at some point but it's within the weight limits.

_MG_2147.jpg by keety uk, on Flickr

[rundll]

Kai reviews the X100 in the usual manner.

[Alexlotl]

I do like Kai's reviews, only discovered them recently. Too many serious, self-important people in photography, so it's good to see someone taking the piss a bit, and also reviewing the camera in use rather than 100% crops of ISO samples and MTF curves. Makes you want to take a photo-walk around Hong Kong, though.

That hybrid VF does look pretty lovely. I wonder if something similar will be possible with m4/3rds in future, or if it would need a longer flange-focal distance?

[rundll]

Teardown of a poor 350d. Contains scenes some may find upsetting....

[Swallow]

Got my Sony A500 this morning. In case anyone was wondering, my sister's having my old A230 so I'll still be able to see it sometimes. If anyone wants a Sony SAL55200 lens which came with the kit and I don't need then drop me a line.

[88h88]

Teardown of a poor 350d. Contains scenes some may find upsetting....

Having had to do that until about 2 minutes 30 in, I can tell you it's far more upsetting actually doing it. It's amazing how many little tiny delicate components are inside that thing and how well packed they are.

[Alexlotl]

Things I'm getting sick of, #1 in an occasional series:

Reviewers calling various mirrorless cameras "The Poor Man's Leica" because they can take Leica M lenses. The cheapest Leica lens on B&H is $1400. The cheapest adaptors are around $200-$300 depending on the mount. Yes, a Mirrorless camera is circa $700 rather than $7000 for an M9, but if money is your concern, you can't even afford to flirt with the fringes of the Leica game.

After shooting the A33 and NEX-5 side by side for two weeks I concluded that if I was someone wanting to get into a camera system from scratch and had to keep it under $700 or so' date=' for me it would be the NEX system just due to its size and ability to take Leica M glass via an adapter[/quote']

Steve Huff. His emphasis, not mine.

[Stifler]

Ordered myself a Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom from ebay on Monday and picked it up from the post office this morning. I've been tempted to get one for ages to just shove in my camera bag and take out with me, and it seems pretty cool so far - think it'll be great for taking on holiday.

Think I'll take it along with me to work tomorrow and see if I can get a bit of use out of it on my walk home from work.

I've also been toying with the idea of getting myself a second hand Nikon D80 body, and selling my D40 with kit lens to fund it. I think I'd be fairly happy getting by with just my 35mm prime and 100-300 telephoto, and would really like the extra features it'd bring (mainly the extra AF points and DoF preview button). Am I being crazy or would I be stupid not to do it?

[Alexlotl]

I've heard bad things about the exposure/metering on the D80, something about it too heavily relying on the area around the active AF bracket. I know Thom Hogan doesn't rate it, and considers it a misfire between the excellent-at-the-time D70 and the still great D90. His site will likely have more info.

The AF screw would be nice, though - could strap on the 50mm f/1.8D.

[Alexlotl]

Anyone have experience of buying big ticket items from DigitalRev? I've bought filters from them before, but never a camera or a lens. In particular, has anyone ever had to return anything?

Generally wouldn't go the grey import route, but depending on brand, cameras can cost 1.5x more here in NZ, even after duty.

[rundll]

I bought my L lens from them. Was all fine. I believe all lenses (at least Canon ones) have international warranties anyway.

[PikaStu]

Today I'll be joining the world of DSLR ownership with a Canon 1000D, currently en-route in a DHL van. Very excited!

I'm a total beginner although I've had a shot of a Nikon D70s since last summer. I found the Nikon too bulky and much prefer the size of the Canon. I also looked at offerings from Pentax and Sony, but was steered away by several friends who advised sticking to the "big 2". It was the top end of my budget though so additional bits and pieces will have to wait, but then I've got so much to learn from just using the 18-55mm kit lens, I won't need anything for a long time!

[futureshock]

Get the cheap 50mm lens ASAP, because the kit lens is poor indoors.

[PikaStu]

Get the cheap 50mm lens ASAP, because the kit lens is poor indoors.

Yeah the 50mm f/1.8 is on my list of things to buy, along with the 55-250mm. They'll need to wait a month or two though...

The Canon's a lot nicer to hold than the Nikon IMO, smaller and lighter and I really like the menu system. I'll hopefully get a shot of a tripod this weekend and try some night-time stuff.

[Sapa]

I never worked out what the trigger on the top of my Manfrotto ball head was supposed to do. I presume it is for a quick release, but I've no idea how that's supposed to work. It doesn't seem to do anything and putting the camera on and taking it off is always a right pain. I think I've got the 496RC2.

[iwan_canobi]

I've also been toying with the idea of getting myself a second hand Nikon D80 body, and selling my D40 with kit lens to fund it. I think I'd be fairly happy getting by with just my 35mm prime and 100-300 telephoto, and would really like the extra features it'd bring (mainly the extra AF points and DoF preview button). Am I being crazy or would I be stupid not to do it?

I used to have the D80 and it was an excellent camera, probably is a bit dated now but you should be able to pick one up fairly cheap now I would imagine! I think over the D40 it would be a good upgrade.

[Stifler]

I had a read of the review on bythom.com after Cloney's reply the other day (thanks for the suggestion!) and it actually convinced me to just go for it As I understand it the D40 has very similar issues with it's metering, but I've never had any issues with it (I guess it's just what I'm used to), and I'm honestly not good enough with my camera to be too worried about any of the other points he raised.

Got a boxed one in excellent condition from an eBay seller for £240 delivered, which seemed like too good an offer to pass up (Most others I'd seen were going for £300+, and boxed D40 kits have been reaching over £200, so hoping to make a good amount of that back). Arrived yesterday and I'm really happy with it so far.

I wasn't in desperate need of an upgrade, but am really pleased with all the extra features that it has over the D40 - being a bit bigger it feels much nicer to hold too. Loving having the top panel LCD back (something I missed from my F80), and it's nice having dedicated buttons to change the main settings (ISO, WB etc), without having to go into menus. Looks lovely with the 35mm prime on too.

Now to get out and take a few pictures with it!

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Yeah the 50mm f/1.8 is on my list of things to buy, along with the 55-250mm. They'll need to wait a month or two though...

The Canon's a lot nicer to hold than the Nikon IMO, smaller and lighter and I really like the menu system. I'll hopefully get a shot of a tripod this weekend and try some night-time stuff.

You may want to investigate the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM over the 55-250 when you start looking for a telezoom...

The 50mm f/1.8 is a no brainer though.

Tomorrow should be good, it'll be nice and sunny and I plan on going out for some nice spring pictures.

[hoot]

Am I right in thinking the Canon F/1.8 was available for ~£50 over Christmas? I'm wondering if it's worth my while waiting for the price to drop...

Bonus question: Are there any books people would recommend for photography basics? I recall Michael Freeman getting various mentions, but is that a bit advanced for a beginner? I'd quite like something that talks about aperture, shutter speeds as well as composition tips etc.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Understanding Exposure is the ultmate 101 book apparently.

[Dork Knight]

Personally I cannot recall seeing the Nifty Fifty for £50 or less, if you could get it for around £70 then I think that would still be a good price.

The following book might be useful if you're just starting out;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Guide-Digital-Photography-Everything/dp/1603201270/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1301167327&sr=8-3

Even cheaper with bonus videos on the iPad via iTunes.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

A word of warning on the 50mm f/1.8 though: I found it quite hard to take sharp pictures with it in difficult conditions due to its lack of IS. It's a really nice lens, but if you expect to take flawless pictures of Aunt Ethel's birthday party in her dimly lit house, you may well prepare for disappointment. If I compare the hit:miss ratio between my 50mm f/1.8 and my 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, it's quite huge. Obviously the latter is also a lot more expensive, so that's the tradeoff.

[Alexlotl]

Right, decided: I'm going to buy an Olympus XZ-1 compact tomorrow.

Tangent: I used to play the (gigantic) bass guitar, and never really practiced. Then I switched to regular guitar, and practiced a bit more. Then switched to a mandolin, and played quite a bit more. These days I play the ukulele, and tend to have a strum about four times a day. I can do things like play and sing simultaneously now, even with conflicting rhythms, which I used to be hopeless at.

With each reduction in size, I lowered the barrier to entry. Picking up a featherlight uke and strumming for five minutes while the tea brews is a lot easier than turning on an amp, putting on a guitar strap and playing a heavy guitar. I'm more likely to do it, so I do it more; because I do it more, I'm better at it. If I have a go on a friend's guitar, I'm markedly more skilled than I used to be, once I adjust to the string spacing. My art/skill has improved, despite my most frequently used instrument arguably being a toy.

The rambling point is that I find myself neglecting my DSLR, as it seems like such an effort to lug it around. I took buckets of photos with my easily totable Sigma DP2 (now for sale), but the post processing is so damned frustrating and time consuming that I let them all fester and rot in RAW format. I'm hoping the Olympus, shooting JPG, will be my photographic ukulele, and give me a chance to focus on subject, framing and generally enjoying myself.

(To pre-empt the obligatory George Formby reference, that was a banjolele, not a uke.)

[Jonny5]

I've been looking at lenses on eBay. Am I right in thinking that although non DX lenses will fit my D3100 they won't autofocus?

They do a 35mm AF-S DX lens which is about £160ish, but there are also quite a few 50mm non-DX lenses for significantly less.

[Alexlotl]

The D3100 will take both DX and FX lenses, but needs ones with AF-S in the name autofocus. AF-S lenses have a built in motor, while older lenses (AI, AF or AF-D) rely on an AF screw emerging from the camera mount, which Nikon no longer supply with their budget models (my D40 also lacks it).

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D (the thrifty nifty fifty) is a wonderful FX lens, but won't AF on the D3100. That doesn't mean you can't have some fun with it though - you can manual focus, and the focus-confirmation dot in the viewfinder will confirm when you've hit focus. That said, it's a bit of a ballache, and tack-sharp though the results are, it's one of my least used lenses.

Oh, and when considering a prime, try setting your kit-lens to that focal length then forcing yourself not to change it - you'll soon find out whether that focal length suits you. On a DX body, the 35mm will give a "normal" perspective, while the 50mm is a mild telephoto - good for headshots and portraiture, but I find it a bit too zoomed for every day use.

[Mercury]

I've been looking at lenses on eBay. Am I right in thinking that although non DX lenses will fit my D3100 they won't autofocus?

They do a 35mm AF-S DX lens which is about £160ish, but there are also quite a few 50mm non-DX lenses for significantly less.

You are correct. As Cloney says they will fit but won't auto-focus. I bought the 50mm when I had my D40x but sold it on as with manual focus only, it didn't really suit my needs. The 35mm is a good option or there is a more expensive Sigma 50mm HSM that is very nice indeed.

[Stifler]

I picked up the Nikon 35mm DX in January, and it's not been off my camera since - because it's a 'normal' focal length it just feels right.

The 50mm is a lovely lens, if you can live with the manual focusing, but it's the telephoto-ness that always put me off a little, I just don't see it as an all day lens.

(As a sligt aside, I've also got a Sigma 100-300 which I got to use with my film SLR and the lack of auto-focus never really stopped me using it with my D40, so whilst it's a consideration I wouldn't let it be a deal breaker.)

[Jonny5]

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll probably wait and get the 35mm when I've got a bit more cash.