Photography Equipment & Software Thread

[gerald.d]

All hypothetically speaking, because I'd never be mad enough to actually follow through with this fantasy...

Canon 800mm f/5.6 tripod/head options?

I'm thinking Gitzo GT3451XLS for the legs.

Wimberley WH200 head.

Wimberley P-50 lens plate.

Any thoughts on improving those options? Anything I've missed out on that I'd need?

[PikaStu]

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.

The 70-300 from reading around has better IQ than the 55mm plus the extra 50mm is well worth it.

You can never have too much length.

Any thoughts on the Tamron equivalent 70-300mm? It's a lot cheaper, although I guess there's a good reason for this. Also it lacks IS.

The 50mm f/1.8 is about £80 on Amazon just now, thought that was a pretty good price? The lack of IS is a bummer but I can't go looking at the rather expensive f/1.4 one!

[gerald.d]

I use the Manfrotto 393 which comes with its own plate - I couldn't afford a Wimberley.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-manfrotto-393-long-lens-monopod-bracket/p11050

Works superbly with my 100-400 and 300 2.8. I've also used the 500 F4 with 1.4 converter as well and its been brilliant. Once you reach more than 500mm you really need a tripod or beanbag. And for wildlife you need a Wimberley type head for panning. If you're not made of dosh then the Manfrotto 393 is a very well kept secret. Once set up you can move a 500mm F4 with your little finger. I love it if I'm in a hide - or static.

For Kestrel's etc down here on the coast I use my 100-400 with the 393 on a monopod some of the time, a beanbag the rest.

If money is no object I personally wouldn't go for the 800 F5.6. I'd go for a 500mm F4 with a 1.4TC - if I can ever afford it (getting closer ever month - job permitting) that's the combo I'd have in a heartbeat.

Cheers.

That 393 looks a bit odd - can you vary the tension rotating in both horizontal and vertical axes, or only on the horizontal axis? From looking at it, I can't quite get my head around how it would balance in the vertical.

Take your point about the 500+1.4, but that gives you high quality ending at 700mm, whereas the 800mm gives you a high quality starting at 800. From there you can go to 1120, or even 1600, and still get really decent quality. For something in the 500mm starting range, I'm reckoning the 300 + 1.4x or 2x would cover that (but obviously not as good quality as the 500 on its own). I'm only ever going to be getting one of the super-tele's, and am coming round to the opinion that it makes best sense to get the longest one.

I strongly suspect (but haven't investigated yet) that to deliver something in the 1000mm range, 800+1.4 would be significantly higher quality than 500+2.0.

It's a crazy amount of money to be spending on a lens, but the new 500 is going to be close to $10K, so an extra $2.5K for the 800 seems almost "reasonable". Also, these things hold their value really well over the long term, so I'm coming round to viewing it as actually only reducing the personal balance sheet by a couple of thousand bucks at the absolute maximum

[iwan_canobi]

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.

I'm starting to think along those lines as well, I'm fed up carting a big bag of gear about and it does make me think twice about taking my camera with me! Not sure what I would go for though, maybe just a smaller DSLR...

Anyone got any recommendations? I currently have the Canon 40D, and would have a budget of about £400..

[Spatial]

And along those lines

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

Did you end up getting one in the end? Be interested to read some impressions of it as apparently it's a cracking camera - the only thing that puts me off is the moaning on certain forums (like dpreview) about the camera smearing the images.

[Alexlotl]

I looked at three categories - compacts, m43rds cameras, and Sony's fascinating SLT Alpha Mount Cameras (A33 and A55).

Went the compact route in the end, both for size reasons and to avoid oh-no-wrong-lens angst. Weight was actually a much bigger factor than I thought - the Olympus E-PL2 isn't much larger than the XZ-1, but it appears to be a block of lead in a plastic shell. When you routinely mooch around with a shoulder bag like I do, your collarbone feels that after a few minutes.

The Sony things look fascinating though, and are fully compatible with lots of lovely old (and cheap) Minolta Lenses. If the rumours about them doing a full-frame one are true, I may have to investigate.

(Oh, and the XZ-1 is lovely, but I've been so damn busy I've barely had a chance to use it. Will report in more detail later, but suffice to say the f/1.8 lens just eats light, and the picture quality at low ISO is incredible)

[iwan_canobi]

The Sony a33 looks tempting, anyone got any decent trustworthy reviews of it? Can't see it on dpreview.

[sonicwave]

...The Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D (the thrifty nifty fifty) is a wonderful FX lens, but won't AF on the D3100...

The Nikon 50mm f/1.4G will though - but then again, it's also about twice the price of the 35mm... Without having too many points of reference, I'd say that it's a great lens though - just bought it for my D5000, and it hasn't been off for the last month

[Nicky]

the nikon 1.4g has been my main lens for years. its lovely

[Dapple]

The Sony a33 looks tempting, anyone got any decent trustworthy reviews of it? Can't see it on dpreview.

No A33 review but they've reviewed the very similar A55: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta55/

I'm not all that familiar with Photography Blog but they've given the A33 a good review: http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_a33_review/

[Alexlotl]

Did you end up getting one in the end? Be interested to read some impressions of it as apparently it's a cracking camera - the only thing that puts me off is the moaning on certain forums (like dpreview) about the camera smearing the images.

Finally had time to have a good walk around the local 'burb and nature reserve today. First impressions - it's very good, and nearly superb.

First up, the lens. It's 28mm-112mm equivalent, and fast - f/1.8 at the wide end, f/2.5 at the narrow end. The main upshot of this is that it rarely needs to step the ISO down, and is fantastic at taking photos in natural light. In fact, it lets in so much light that you need to use the built-in 3-stop ND grad to use low f numbers in sunny conditions, as the max shutter speed is 1/2000.

Due to the smaller sensor, f/1.8 doesn't give you the wafer thin DOF you'd expect on an APS-C or full-frame camera - some back-of-a-fag-packet maths I did suggested it's more like f/5.6 on APS-C. On the downside, this means it's not bokeh city (although you can achieve some good effects, particularly with a bit of zoom), but on the upside it means f/1.8 is a very practical aperture for general use, meaning you don't have to stop down and lose precious light. The lens is sharp wide open, which also reduces the need to stop down. The sensor's also stabilised, so absurdly low shutter speeds are possible. The fast lens also makes AF fast - at least fast enough for me not to really have to think about it - and it hasn't missed focus yet.

Handling is pretty good, but is probably also where the most improvements could be made. The lens cap is a bit annoying - it pops off automatically when the lens extends, which is good, but it means you then have it dangling around on a thread, potentially bashing the camera body. There's a rubberised grip under your right thumb, which is great, but it really needs a grip on the front - I'll probably pick up Franiec's one. The OLED screen is pin sharp and has good contrast/visibility in sunlight. Lens ring is good, and the spinny rear control dial is easy to turn, but not so loose it moves by accident. The mode dial has a highly welcome Custom Mode setting (which I have set to square format B&W, centre weighted), and the menus are pleasantly logical and attractive.

My main issue with the camera is the lack of customisation possible. It has a dedicated "Record Movie" button, which I have no intention of ever using, which sits right under the thumb and would be so useful if remapped to AF/AE Lock or as a modifier for the lens ring. I can't set a minimum shutter speed for Auto ISO, which even my Panasonic rugged P&S does, and such is Olympus' confidence in their (admittedly excellent) IS, the camera will attempt photos at ISO200 at the likes of 1/20 rather than shifting the ISO up. Just need to remember to use Shutter Priority in these situations. There's also no control over noise reduction - more on that later.

The lack of customisation isn't equally distributed though, and if you want you can manually adjust every single pre-set WB by pushing sliders into the Green/Magenta ends of the spectrum. You also get to adjust in-camera JPG processing, with sliders for sharpness, saturation, etc.

On to the image quality. I bought this camera to shoot JPG and not really worry about RAW, so this is based on JPG output. ISO100 is great - modern entry-level DSLR good in terms of sharpness, detail and noise control. The Olympus colours are great - the "Natural" mode manages to sex-up reality in a way that makes it look better, but still retain natural skin tones, etc. Matrix metering seems excellent. The AWB is a bit cold, but I always find AWB cold. I guess I can tweak it! Once you get to ISO200, the rather aggressive noise reduction kicks in, which can result in a bit of a smeary look if you zoom to 100%. This gets more pronounced as you move through the ISO range.

This isn't really a dealbreaker for me. Firstly, the fast lens means it rarely needs to change ISO, and even then not often beyond ISO200. Secondly, anyone 100% zooming a photo from a compact deserves everything they get. If it really starts to bother me, I'll switch to JPG+RAW and RAW process anything over ISO100; alternatively, there's a chance Olympus might offer a Noise Reduction menu option in future firmware.

Things I Love:

• 
  * Light and easy to take everywhere. Won't fit in my jeans pocket, but then I hate bulgy pockets anyway (tangent:

Slimmy wallets FTW).
* IQ - colours, sharpness, detail at low ISO.
* The Lens - fast, sharp, capable of capturing incredible detail.
* The 6x6 square format option
* The Flash - the fill-flash mode does what it says on the tin, with no shiny skin. Also love the manual flash options - full, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64.
* The Screen - christ on a cracker, the screen on the Sigma DP2 was so shit. This is like night and day, and it's good even in direct sun.
* General Handling - well thought out for a one-size-fits all solution.

Things I'm Not So Keen On:

• 
  * Lack of customisation - one size doesn't really fit all. In particular, let me get some use out of that video button. It's remappable on the E-PL2.
  * Noise control is a bit aggressive. ISO200 RAW files show a bit more grain, but nothing to write home about, so this really does seem overkill.
  * Few handling specifics - lens cap, lack of distance scale when zooming or using manual focus, fact that resetting to defaults changes JPG quality back down to medium.
  * Doesn't come with a proper charger, just an iPod style USB affair that plugs into the camera. Takes the quite widespread Olympus li50B though, and Ebay/TradeMe has plenty of second hand chargers - I got one for $15NZD delivered (£7 to you).
  

Last thing I like - Olympus' New Zealand prices. The camera cost, after conversion, exactly 15% more than it does on B&H, and 15% is our VAT here. The Panasonic LX5 on the other hand costs around 24% more, and the Canon S95 costs a mighty 40% more than it does on B&H, making it more expensive than the XZ-1.

EDIT: Christ, just previewed. Apologies for the essay.

[Alexlotl]

I figure a thousand words is probably worth a picture or two, so here's a gallery on Flickr. All JPGs from the camera, although I've added a bit of sharpening/contrast to one or two in Aperture (and have subsequently upped the sharpening/contrast in camera to save me time in future). One of them is using one of the camera's Art Filters ("Dramatic Tone" - it'll be obvious), which are far too fun to be snobbish about.

I make no claims to artistic merit for these, they're mostly for testing purposes.

EDIT: Non-Flash link for iOSsers

[Spatial]

Fantastic impressions, thanks for taking the time to post those.

It really does sound like a fantastic bit of kit and, more importantly, it's nice to get some more balanced views on it - the pixelpeepers screaming bloody murder about the smearing on forums tends to make things sound pretty ominous, but it seems that it's not quite the end of the world that they're making it out to be.

Olympus seem to have heard the complaints about the lens cap too and are releasing a retractable one next month.

I'm seriously tempted to get the camera. I just need to try and convince the other half that she needs one for her birthday

[Alexlotl]

It really does sound like a fantastic bit of kit and, more importantly, it's nice to get some more balanced views on it - the pixelpeepers screaming bloody murder about the smearing on forums tends to make things sound pretty ominous, but it seems that it's not quite the end of the world that they're making it out to be.

I think it's a question of expectations, really - people are expecting m43rds performance from something with a much smaller sensor. The LX5 and the S95 don't really seem any better at higher ISO to my eyes, and the Olympus wallops them at base ISO which, thanks to the fast lens, you'll be using a lot. Try downloading some test images from somewhere like DC Resource and see what you think - you might find it more of an issue than I do.

Every camera-specific forum has one designated bitcher who manages to divert every thread into how Flaw X of that model is completely ruining their enjoyment of the camera. Rather telling that I've never seen any of them upload a photo that's worth a damn, smearing/red dots/back focus/ants-in-the-lens or not.

[Nicky]

studio lighting!

Anyone got any, or know of some reccomendations? looking to rent a proper studio later this year, and will need some cost effective studio lighting. Strobes would probably be better suited as opposed to continuous lighting. Been looking at the Elinchrom stuff.

looking for 4 lights, preferably easy manageable from a single control unit - i don't mind if its wired, but wireless would be a nice option.

[Dork Knight]

studio lighting!

Anyone got any, or know of some reccomendations? looking to rent a proper studio later this year, and will need some cost effective studio lighting. Strobes would probably be better suited as opposed to continuous lighting. Been looking at the Elinchrom stuff.

looking for 4 lights, preferably easy manageable from a single control unit - i don't mind if its wired, but wireless would be a nice option.

I've got some kit, what sort of budget do you have and what would you need (mains, battery powered, light modifiers?).

I've decided to upgrade to a ranger system for power and stability, but your looking around 2k for one light and the ranger battery - There are three different ranger packs but the Speed Rx and Ranger Rx As seem to be the best options, these will run two lights from one battery.

At the moment I use Metz and Nikon flash units, these are used as off camera flash used with Eli sky ports - they do work well but you're limited on the power front.

When more power is needed, and I find this a good budget option, I use the explore xt battery pack with the Eli d-lite 4 - this provides more power and can help over power the sun.

Profto is another good option, you can get a good deal from calumet which is similar to then entry Eli ranger system, but profto tends to be expensive and their own modifiers are very expensive, which is why I think I'll stick with Eli and go the ranger root.

The wescott Apollo and last lite ezybox modifiers are good for the flash units IMO.

Sorry if the spelling is iffy, trying to reply on a mobile auto-bloody-correcting device.

[Nicky]

id love a photography sub forum on here.

and DK, thanks for the info. i was looking at the ranger stuff too. i'll do some more investigation along those lines

[Dork Knight]

I think Ranger is the way to go, there's also the Quadra but that gives you the same power as the Eli D-Lite 4 and the Explorer XT.

That being said the Quadra is smaller and lighter...... But will cost alot more.

I like the fact that you can get so many pops out of the ranger system, that it currently comes with a spare battery and you can stand it in a certain depth of water - so it's fantastic for location work.

The build quality of the ranger is also supposed to be superb compared to the more flimsy Quadra, also it's still good build quality.

I believe Tronix may have new stuff in the pipeline but with the support Eli have got in the Uk, I would stick with them, hence the saving for the Ranger Speed Rx system.

[minkee]

guys photography is 90% of what goes on in here! don't leave the illustration thread on its lonesome.

[Mercury]

guys photography is 90% of what goes on in here! don't leave the illustration thread on its lonesome.

Indeed. Creative Design after Photography is moved to its own forum:

[PopeSmokesDope]

I'm thinking of going to RIAT this year (mainly becaus etheres an A-10 flying).. anyway, my long lens is the 70-200 f2.8 L IS... which sin't quite long enough.

I've got the 1.4 TC which take sit up to 300mm, but it's still a tad short.

So i'm thinking of hiring a lens for the day.

Is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM any good for this sort of thing?

It's looking at £75 for the week which i'm fine with...

[Alan Stock]

I'm starting to think along those lines as well, I'm fed up carting a big bag of gear about and it does make me think twice about taking my camera with me! Not sure what I would go for though, maybe just a smaller DSLR...

Anyone got any recommendations? I currently have the Canon 40D, and would have a budget of about £400..

I have a Panasonic GF-1, and heartily recommend it. Of course it's my first ever SLR so I can't compare it to anything, but I've found it small enough to carry around in a coat pocket or a small carrying bag with all the lenses. If you get the pancake lens it'll fit in a jeans pocket. I didn't want to get a full size SLR for exactly your reasons, and I am happy with this as a compromise. The fact it's a bloody good camera helps too

Edit: Should have mentioned they are around the £500 mark now, a bit over budget but worth it imo (but make sure you get the pancake lens bundled with it as seperately it's worth way more than the 14-45mm lens you can also get with it).

[gerald.d]

I'm getting a bit fed up with hulking around the big bodies and lenses for time-lapse stuff.

Is there a good compact that has a built in intervalometer? Resolution not that important, RAW and if it can bracket exposure for HDR would be a bonus.

[PopeSmokesDope]

What are you doign with all this time lapse stuff??

[gerald.d]

What are you doign with all this time lapse stuff??

Just larking around really

http://vimeo.com/18810770

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbCZox0pQc

[hoot]

My dad picked up a 55-200mm VR Nikon lens for his D40 today, it seems to have a weird quirk in so much you can focus on something relatively close (say 1-2m at max zoom) yet it won't take the shot. However, switch it over to manual focus (on the lens itself) and there's no problem and the picture looks fine. Is that normal?

[Alan Stock]

My dad picked up a 55-200mm VR Nikon lens for his D40 today, it seems to have a weird quirk in so much you can focus on something relatively close (say 1-2m at max zoom) yet it won't take the shot. However, switch it over to manual focus (on the lens itself) and there's no problem and the picture looks fine. Is that normal?

Well, in Auto mode my camera won't let you take a photo if it's not in focus (even if it looks like it is in the viewfinder). There's an option in the menus to turn off Focus Lock or words to that effect, have a check through the menus in case a similar option is enabled. It happens to me when I try and take macro-style shots similar to the one you describe.

[PopeSmokesDope]

Sweet, i'll look into renting one...

More questions...

I'm up in London all next week on a course... Any recomendations for stuff to shoot at night? I've done St Pauls, Millenium Bridge, the Gerkins and LLoyds building, Parliment, London Bridge... so I'm looking for some other spots

I'm thinking of the Eye (although last time I was there the security guards put me off setting up my tripod), maybe Picadiliy....

Anyone up for a meet as well?

[Alexlotl]

The Royal Albert Hall and the Tate Modern spring to mind, as an occasional London tourist. I also understand that the views from Primrose Hill at night are spectacular - you can really see the whole city.

[Alexlotl]

Sorting through some photos in Lightroom this evening, I realised a series of individually-not-that-interesting ones I'd taken with my little rugged Panasonic FT2 when I was up Mt Bruce the other weekend were ones I'd taken with the camera's pano function. I thought it would auto-stitch them, but apparently you have to do it with the supplied Panasonic software.

I thought this would be good for a laugh, so dug the CD out to give it a pop, only to find my Mac wouldn't read the CD. Or any CD. But it would read DVDs. About an hour of self-support geekery later, which involved reflashing the firmware of my DVD drive, I finally fixed my CD reading problem, only to discover that the software supplied was Windows only.

Anyway, this led me to investigate Mac pano stitching options, which in turn led me to discover Hugin - free, cross-platform pano stitching software, with a workflow that's pretty simple (even if the UI is not exactly intuitive). Fed it in the photos, and...

Mt Bruce Panorama by Alexlotl, on Flickr

Quite pleased with that, although the barrel distortion at the wide end has somewhat exaggerated the valley we were walking up. It was a damned steep hill!

Anyway, check out Hugin - it's pretty sweet for the price!