Messages

91

Lenses / Re: Moving to India

« on: June 22, 2012, 05:52:28 PM »

Sounds like an awesome experience for you guys!  Enjoy it!  : D

+100 to what underjammer has said. I am an Indian (although right now in US for studies) and what he has said should give you a very clear picture of what to expect - the positives and the negatives.

I would emphasize that in "urban touristee" areas you shall be better (much better off) off carrying a good point and shoot (G1X, G12, S100, S95) rather than a DSLR. Because,
1. It will catch much less attention.
2. Walking through crowd will be easier.
3. You will probably not get any artistic photo which requires the quality of DSLR in those places anyway.

However, keep you DSLR for your (probable) trips to the scenic places (the Western Ghats, The Himalayas, The Nilgiri, Rajasthan, the historical (non-urban) sites, the parks and sanctuaries, and may be if you have the opportunity to Arunachal Pradesh in the North East; and some more). In this scenario, I will strongly suggest 70-300L rather than 70-200L. You might find the second one to be quite limiting in reach even with a cropped sensor.

Enjoy your stay.

92

EOS Bodies / Re: DSLR itch (60D / D5100 / K-5)

« on: June 21, 2012, 02:30:24 PM »

For long I have been wanting to get a DSLR. With a newborn at home, I guess the time has come for me take the dip into world of DSLR's. My requirements are pretty simple, I will be shooting my family both indoors and outdoors. I want my images to be as sharp as possible and with right mix of colours. My DSLR usge will be 85% stills and 15% video. In that 85% for stills, I expect 70% of photography to be done in "Auto" mode (to begin with) and the rest 30% would be experiments done with aim to learn DSLR photography. Budget is $1250 and expect to get the cam within the next month. To start with I'm looking to pair the body with a good walk around lens. Might get a prime lens / tele zoom at a later date and I'd be done with. I have no plans to upgrade the body for next 5 years.

Possible choices I have in mind ...

1. Reburb Canon 60D + Refurb Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM
Slickdeals has a coupon code which can be use to get additional 20% off on the marked refurb prices.
For refurbs Canon provides only 90 days warranty, if we purchase the same on AMEX / VISA card do we get additional warranty ? Also can someone shed light on the refurb returns policy.

2. Nikon D5100 + Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX ED (VR)

3. Pentax K-5 + Pentax SMCP-DA 18mm - 135mm f/3.5-5.6 AL (IF) DC WR
This combo exceeds my budget by $200. I have read a lot of good things abt the K-5, but only thing which bothers is the name "Pentax". I'm not aware of their presence and after sales support across the globe.

Thanks in advance.

Why not think about the following configuration? (keeping in mind your budget, and your shooting needs)

Canon T3i + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 non-VC + Canon EF 50mm f1.8II = around US$ 1218.00

93

Street & City / Re: C&C please

« on: May 26, 2012, 06:36:05 AM »

Dear OP, Comparing the B&W and the "color" version, I prefer the B&W. In fact before you posted the reply saying that there is a B&W version, I was thinking of asking you to convert it to B&W, as the few points of color were not adding much value.

My second thought is that there is too much in the picture. Specially to the right and left of the two front pillars. So you might look at a cropped version of the photo and see if you like that or not. If you do not want to crop at all, then may be you can go back to this place again and try to capture the same scene with just one car parked. Think about that composition.

Third, I think it is a completely available light photograph. So if you have access to a tripod, then you might want to capture the same vista with a bit more exposure (or try to add fill light/exposure in post processing) to bring out a bit more of the shadow details. Or you may want to wait for change of season and see if the angle of sun does some trick or not.

But you have good eyes to see that such an everyday scene can also be captured. Enjoy!

94

Lenses / Re: Your dream 50mm f/14

« on: May 17, 2012, 11:10:00 PM »

My dream 50mm f/14 has a faster aperture...

I guess I don't understand this statement. Aperture is a size, not a speed...

You are "technically" correct in saying  that aperture is a size, not a speed. But colloquially a "larger" aperture lens (or which is colloquially known as "glass") is addressed as a "faster" lens. So "faster" aperture means "larger" aperture. But I am not really clear why "faster" is used. May be because it allows for (relatively) faster shutter speeds at the maximum aperture or may be for some other reason.

95

Landscape / Re: Post Your Best Landscapes

« on: May 16, 2012, 11:43:59 AM »

image ... {snip}
image... {snip}
{snip}

fantastic capture sovietdoc. I specailly like your 2, 4, and, 5th shots....

96

Landscape / Re: Post Your Best Landscapes

« on: May 16, 2012, 02:00:36 AM »

How do you do the eye (or ball) pictures. i can barely control getting my feet out of the picture and you seem to "hover" at 100 feet - hints please.....

Although, I myself have never done a photograph like that, but if I am not mistaken you can learn about it by googling "circular panorama". It is actually done in post processing.

97

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon 100-400 mm 4.5 - 5.6, May 5th Moon

« on: May 06, 2012, 03:58:24 PM »

Great shot, I am curious about the stars however. Did you really manage to capture them like that on the photo or did you add them in post?

This is my attempt at a moon shot two days earlier:

@Forcetlow: Could you please tell which you used for this picture (I am guessing you used canon 7D as the camera)? It is so clear!! Fantastic capture.

98

Software & Accessories / Re: Issues with Black Rapid?

« on: April 21, 2012, 07:34:47 PM »

I use the capture clip from "Peak Design". I always have a backpack with me whenever I am shooting out so with the capture clip I do not need to have another extra strap or belt, the strap of the back pack is enough. Although I would like them to tweak with the design of the base-plate a little but even now it is very good use. Especially, given that I neither like the camera to bump against my body every time I walk nor do i like to hold the camera with my hand while I walk so this is the perfect system for me.

99

Lenses / Re: Canon 100mm f2.8L request or redirect...

« on: April 20, 2012, 05:15:29 AM »

was hoping for at least some non macro shots - at this point ill take any shots

 Here are some (not sure how much of help these will be)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alo-chhaya/7048972505/#in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alo-chhaya/7048972223/#in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alo-chhaya/7048972369/#in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alo-chhaya/7048973551/#in/photostream/

100

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 18, 2012, 09:02:13 PM »

Ok, Summarizing - one should zoom with lens and feet accordingly to achieve a desired composition, having it learnt using primes (especially 30, 35mm on crop) while still paying attention not to get bored or disinterested. Better?

Seriously - you're a bit limited to whan you can do having a particular prime on a body attached and nothing helps no matter how you will work with your feet. Below 70, 80 - you have it difficult to frame a good portrait. Having 50 and up  - the room can be to small etc. Primes are great when you are prepared to what you are going to shoot sacrifying frames you definitely loose. Landscape, portrait, product, "stylish" street are great for primes. As a general purpose lens it's difficult to find a prime. I think that having ie 15-50 f1.4 and 24-135 f1.8 would bring this discussion to another level

Ahh.. now you are talking....  I would just add one more demand/wish here..... 15-50 f/1.4 "with curved aperture blades". (or the 24-135 with curved blade).......

101

Lenses / Re: How is the 24-105 vs. the old 28-135?

« on: April 18, 2012, 06:29:43 PM »

There is NO comparison...  The only way to make it a fair comparison is to smear vasoline over the 24-105's lens.  The 24-105 is much better in every way/shape/and form.

  That is a nice way of comparing two lenses. Have never tried it. Shall be using it sometime soon.....

102

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 18, 2012, 05:50:44 PM »

. Well, definitely that is the perfect summary but only of the last paragraph.

... which is very common and leads to the extensive discussions about the 5d3: see your own opinion strengthened while ignoring everything else. That's why psychologists find great jobs in marketing!

Concerning zoom vs prime: It's correct that you can use a zoom to frame, but cropping is something you can do later on too - you can even change the distortion of a 35mm to a 50mm with one click in postprocessing if needed and most people probably won't notice if they don't know the original scene. But you cannot change the angle you shot at, and that's what you're forced to think about when using a prime. Zooming with your feet is just a by-product of finding the best angle to shoot at. Of course if your prime is too narrow you're screwed.

It is not always about the distortion. It is actually about the "angle" (which I have tried argue below at Flickr, have a look if time permits)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alo-chhaya/7091640629/#


Precisely for finding the "angle" a zoom is better than prime. Cropping won't give us a different angle which we are talking about.

(Do not get me wrong; I am neither against prime nor overtly for zooms, I love both. And out my three lenses two are fast primes. Well relatively faster than the available zooms at least.)

103

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 18, 2012, 05:26:51 PM »

Another reason to use a fast prime, such as the 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8, is for the shallow Depth of Field.  That allows you to blur the background much more easily than with a zoom, especially slow ones (> f/2..  Doing so makes your subject stand out, aiding with composition.

Remember:  years ago, a fast "normal" lens was typically the "kit" lens included with an SLR.

Both are so true. A fast prime definitely give much better (and easier) OOF blur than the "slower" zooms (not counting the fantastic zooms like say EF 70-200). And for quite some time after the beginning of the SLR era the "kit" lens used to be a normal lens like 50mm.

However, both of them are completely unrelated to each other. The "normal" lens was not a kit lens because it gave better photos when used properly but rather because first for quite some time the zoom technology was not there and second when the technology became available, the zoom lenses at that point of time were no where near the prime lenses in image quality. From my experience with current primes and zooms I think that gap has been narrowed down quite significantly.

Optically most of the fast primes are excellent and a definite must in the bag of every photographer (at least one of them). However, let's just remember that shallow depth of field (and the resultant OOF blur) even if aesthetically and compositionally nice and pleasing for certain type of photographs, need not be so for other types (of course we can stop down a fast lens to whatever stop we like). 

104

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 18, 2012, 05:09:15 PM »

I like what you said. Summarizing - one should zoom with lens and feet accordingly to achieve a desired composition

 . Well, definitely that is the perfect summary but only of the last paragraph.

105

Lenses / Re: First dSLR, lens recommendations

« on: April 18, 2012, 04:08:32 PM »

"Why use a prime like, say, 50mm (or 30mm or 35mm) instead a zoom?"

Many are of the opinion (as apparent from some of the above replies) that using a prime helps the photographer to become a better photographer. Well, that is probably very true. Because it forces (and also allows) the photographers to concentrate on "framing" the composition, consider the angle of (natural) light (which creates different angle of shadow), and consider different points of view for the same scene. This is probably the "purest" way to learn photography.

However, there is another consideration. The "purest" may not be the "most suitable" for each and everyone out there. There is also a high chance that someone at the beginning of their learning process may loose interest when their photographic angle of view is limited to that of just one focal length.

I started with 50mm prime only. However, I got bored with it soon and had to buy another lens just for variety. Ok, my second lens was also a prime (85mm - prime due to the fact that good zooms where not in my budget then) but it gave me some variety and kept my interest alive. So, I think it is best to buy a prime and an optically good mid-range zoom together.

Unfortunately, 50mm on a cropped sensor does not offer a very "attractive" angle of view. A 35mm or 30mm is much better.

Finally, it is sometimes suggested that one does not need a zoom because with a prime one can "zoom with the feet". Well, that is not entirely correct. One can definitely get the same area (in two dimensional term) of the scene by zooming with the feet (with a wider lens) as one would with a tele lens; but, zooming with the foot changes the "point of view" of the photographer with respect to the scene and hence changes the perspective. This definitely changes the composition of the scene. Therefore, zooming with the feet and zooming a zoom lens is not the same thing - for composition.