watmm photographers

woah you guys can't half geek out over lenses and stuff! i'm genuinely in awe.

what type of bag you got that you like so much goffer?

When packing a lot of my gear I use the National Geographic NG 2475:

It's nearly the perfect bag but a little bulky... I do like that it can hold my laptop if I need it along with just about all kits if packed right.

When it's just me and my rangefinder I use some bag I found at the army surplus store that I'm currently in the middle of modding to hopefully mod the perfect camera bag

sweet bag man.

i got a nice little lowepro dirt cheap off amazon. does the job for body, a couple of lenses and stuff.

my gf gave me a nikon D3000 completely out of the blue as a present a couple of months ago. it's a nice camera for a beginner or stranger to slr's and obviously an awesome present but i can't help wishing she'd told me before parting with her cash. she knew i liked nikon cos i've lusted after 1 for ages and tried a few in the shops with her but i'd definately have used the money for a better 2nd hand model given the chance. i've had an old pentax slr for years and developed/printed my own film so the D3000 kind of feels like a step backward in some ways... controls and UI are biased towards beginner presets which is already frustrating me. i'm worried it's basically a compact in slr clothing. complete control is possible but long winded. i probably need to give it more time to get used to.

i've since had a play with the canon1000D to compare and i'm relieved to say i preferred the feel of the nikon in my hand and with the fancy graphic UI turned off the controls are pretty much the same as the canon.

i'm a total amateur, but i've been enjoyin the heck out of my D90. Always impresses me, especially in low light. I recently got the 35mm f/1.8 AF-S lens, and have barely used the kit zoom since. you oughta get one keltoi, they're only about $200 and they work with the D3000.

  On 11/8/2010 at 2:41 PM, Al Hounos said:

i'm a total amateur, but i've been enjoyin the heck out of my D90. Always impresses me, especially in low light. I recently got the 35mm f/1.8 AF-S lens, and have barely used the kit zoom since. you oughta get one keltoi, they're only about $200 and they work with the D3000.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

nice! if i'm good maybe santa will bring me something.

  On 11/5/2010 at 3:06 PM, funkaholic said:

Ah, I'd love to get one of those.

I'm not a major photo geek, but I mainly shoot on instant. I have an SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2, 350, Propack and Instax 100. Also a Holga, Olympus XA3 and a Viv W&S. And a 400D for when I can't be arsed.

I shall be picking up a new DSRL in a few weeks time, Canon 550D, pretty much all the specs of the 7D but with a 'cheaper' body case, going to get a 50mm f1.4 lens with it as well (along with the lens kit it comes with)

Alright then.

favourite camera?

As of now I've had a few, and own a few.

I've got a Nikon D40 with the 18-55mm stock lens, a Holga 120 and a Nikon F-200 something (not fully functional though) with a 35-70mm manual focus lens, quite nice with a b/w filter actually.

favourite lense and why?

I love portrait lenses, and my dad's 75-300mm zoom lens. Beautiful photos can be taken with that monster.

do you work mostly with JPEG or RAW? pros and cons?

I usually go with JPEG if it's not something which I beforehand know I'm going to edit a shitload.

care to share any nuggets of wisdom or tips for the novice/hobbyist?

Since I am one of said persons, I can't really give out any pro tips.

do you always touch up with software or prefer not to use it? which software(s) do you use?

I actually do, yes. Only if the photo itself is great in every way (composition, colour, sharpness, depths etc.) I leave it be, or else I retouch it in Photoshop.

The thing is that I'm much, much better at editing photos than taking them.

ever tried hdr photography? link to results/examples please?

Yep, I have. But it's mostly 'fake' HDR as I'm just using the same photo edited into three different exposures. Or well, that's not really fake though.

Here's some examples:

please link your flickr(or similar) accounts.

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hasselbalch/

favourite camera?

I don't really have a favourite but I'd love a 7D, or a Canon Wonder camera I have a 50D

favourite lense and why?

I am poor therefore I have only basic gear... very basic... meaning 2 kit lenses (18-55, 55-250) and a 50mm (F1.4)

I love my 50mm, it is awesome. Great for gigs and insignificant shit - turning the most mundane subjects into lushness

do you work mostly with JPEG or RAW? pros and cons?

just got a laptop so I'm getting back into RAW now, PROS PROS PROS. love making recipe sets; I now have my "gig" recipe", crisp "textury" recipe, etc etc. Greater control of color, exposure, everything...

most used or favourite accessory?

do not have

care to share any nuggets of wisdom or tips for the novice/hobbyist?

easy with the flash bro

any tutorials, websites or forums you can recommend?

dpreview

do you always touch up with software or prefer not to use it? which software(s) do you use?

I'd like lightroom, but I just us Digital Photo Professional (which came with the camera), gets the job done

ever tried hdr photography? link to results/examples please? (i just downloaded the free picturenaut but haven't tried it out yet)

nope

please link your flickr(or similar) accounts.

ok

Can someone answer me a question?

I was at the dump and I saw a rear-projection television. I took out a large lens from inside of it. It does the opposite of a fisheye lens. It pincushions everything and it is a hell of a lot of fun to walk around looking through it. I just searched the web and it seems that people don't seek out 'pincushion lenses'. People be lookin for telephoto lens and retro-something lenses.

Uhh, my question is: is there a proper term for such a lens(pincushion lens sounds right tho)? Why don't I see more shit filmed through them?

Most mentions of pincushion distortion are about how to digitally correct it. I think it is desirable.

what do you photogs make of this?

  Quote

A Mountain View start-up is promising that its camera, due later this year, will bring the biggest change to photography since the transition from film to digital.

Ordinarily, I’m turned off by such hyperbole, but after having seen a demo from Lytro, that statement seems downright reasonable.

The breakthrough is a different type of sensor that captures what are known as light fields — basically, all the light that is moving in all directions in the view of the camera. That offers several advantages over traditional photography, the most revolutionary of which is that photos no longer need to be focused before they are taken.

 

This means capturing that perfect shot of your fast-moving pet or squirming child could soon get a whole lot easier. Instead of having to manually focus or wait for autofocus to kick in and hopefully center on the right thing, pictures can be taken immediately and in rapid succession. Once the picture is on a computer or phone, the focus can be adjusted to center on any object in the image, also allowing for cool artsy shots where one shifts between a blurry foreground and sharp background and vice versa.

http://allthingsd.com/20110621/meet-the-stealthy-start-up-that-aims-to-sharpen-focus-of-entire-camera-industry/

God it is like no one on the internet has caught on to how awesome footage looks like if you shoot it through a pincushion lens. It looks like everything is rushing past your focal point.

  On 11/8/2010 at 10:01 PM, Hasselbalch said:

What the fuck man, that is incredible

Do you have the exif info on that picture, or just some details on how it was done ?! Congrats on such an awesome picture !

  On 6/29/2011 at 12:27 PM, jules said:

what do you photogs make of this?

 

  Quote

A Mountain View start-up is promising that its camera, due later this year, will bring the biggest change to photography since the transition from film to digital.

Ordinarily, I’m turned off by such hyperbole, but after having seen a demo from Lytro, that statement seems downright reasonable.

The breakthrough is a different type of sensor that captures what are known as light fields — basically, all the light that is moving in all directions in the view of the camera. That offers several advantages over traditional photography, the most revolutionary of which is that photos no longer need to be focused before they are taken.

 

This means capturing that perfect shot of your fast-moving pet or squirming child could soon get a whole lot easier. Instead of having to manually focus or wait for autofocus to kick in and hopefully center on the right thing, pictures can be taken immediately and in rapid succession. Once the picture is on a computer or phone, the focus can be adjusted to center on any object in the image, also allowing for cool artsy shots where one shifts between a blurry foreground and sharp background and vice versa.

 

http://allthingsd.com/20110621/meet-the-stealthy-start-up-that-aims-to-sharpen-focus-of-entire-camera-industry/

I'm impressed..

pretty cool camera, for the novelty factor anyway.

gallery

favourite camera?

i have an old Praktica BC1 with a few lenses, but it's been years since i've last used it.

i now use a Canon 40D (what's with everybody being a Nikon fan??), would love to have a 7D, mainly due to video capabilities. i'm currently not interested in full-frame.

favourite lense and why?

started out with the EF-S kit lenses (18-55 IS and 55-250 IS), then i got EF 50mm 1.4 which i really like.

i recently got EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS, which is my current favorite lens, i have it mounted like 95% of the time.

do you work mostly with JPEG or RAW? pros and cons?

always RAW, even though i only have a 4gb card. still worth it though (exposure correction/tuning)

most used or favourite accessory?

a tripod, but only because it's the only accessory. i shoot 95% handheld.

care to share any nuggets of wisdom or tips for the novice/hobbyist?

composition/framing. practice anywhere you go, even without the camera! you can use your hands to frame the shot.

i'm still a newb though, so what do i know. it's the thing that matters the most to me.

i think - for a total beginner - even if you don't understand what exposure time and aperture settings do, you can still make an interesting photo if it's well composed.

any tutorials, websites or forums you can recommend?

internets.

do you always touch up with software or prefer not to use it? which software(s) do you use?

always, Lightroom.

ever tried hdr photography? link to results/examples please?

never.

please link your flickr(or similar) accounts.

very little to see there (i rarely upload), but: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kraenk/

  On 7/5/2011 at 9:57 AM, kokoon said:

i recently got EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS, which is my current favorite lens, i have it mounted like 95% of the time.

This is the lens I want. Stoopid lack of funds .....

  On 7/5/2011 at 9:57 AM, kokoon said:

favourite lense and why?

started out with the EF-S kit lenses (18-55 IS and 55-250 IS), then i got EF 50mm 1.4 which i really like.

i recently got EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS, which is my current favorite lens, i have it mounted like 95% of the time.

I was looking into this one, then goffer led me to the Tokina 11-16. (I'd still love to try it though)

  On 7/5/2011 at 9:57 AM, kokoon said:

do you always touch up with software or prefer not to use it? which software(s) do you use?

always, Lightroom.

well the 17-55 2.8 is an awesome all-round lens (on an APS-C of course).

it is quite a heavy piece of equipment though, so perhaps i wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a travel lens.

i need a bigger bag :)

  On 7/5/2011 at 11:14 AM, verticalhold said:

  On 7/5/2011 at 9:57 AM, kokoon said:

do you always touch up with software or prefer not to use it? which software(s) do you use?

always, Lightroom.

Ah Lightroom - where would I be without your lovely grading powers ?! :

I need to pick up Lightroom. It seems like, for purposes of everyday grading/tweaking/refining, it's pretty damned powerful these days.

Can you dodge and burn in Lightroom?

  On 7/5/2011 at 2:43 PM, The Overlook said:

Can you dodge and burn in Lightroom?

you can with raw files