The photography thread

Jalapeno

stickyfiddle said:

Am I the only one who can’t see @Wolfetone ‘s photos?

Wolfetone said:

I have uploaded these to Imgur. Can you se them now?

These (amongst others) were all taken last week on an old Panasonic GX1 with a 45-150 lens.

Finally - yes !

ThePrettyDamned

Wolfetone said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

Wolfetone said:

I have uploaded these to Imgur. Can you se them now?

These (amongst others) were all taken last week on an old Panasonic GX1 with a 45-150 lens.

Lovely shots and colour. Not big on the frames but seriously nice colours! How did you manage the macro?

I use the four thirds system which multiplies the focal length of a lens so a 150mm lens becomes a 300mm. I have all Lumix gear having ditched Nikon. 

That's still pretty close for a tele! Very impressive. 

I just got an md bellows for old minolta to mount a 90mm macro to. Hoping to get some really small stuff... But need a cheap tripod to do it I reckon. 

beed84

Seriously, you guys know how to take photos – some are so off the chain I could cry! Really, it's such an inspiring thread in more ways than one  

My recent foray in photography has been pretty slow. This is partly because I'm using 35mm (yeah, I thought it would be cool); however, it hasn't taken long for me to realise that it's in some ways a major PITA. Although I've got my head around some of the basic principles after referring to Understanding Exposure, I have no real measure of how I'm doing until the photos have developed. This could be considered quite exciting, but for someone starting out it's a bitch.

With that said, I'm looking to shift to digital and quite keen to take photos of sunsets, landscapes, seascapes, architecture, and the like. What would you guys recommend in the £3-400 range?

stickyfiddle

Some highlights from Rome

LesbianWithAGun

menamestom

Nice sunset the other night....

Wolfetone

menamestom said:

Nice sunset the other night....

Apocalyptic. 

menamestom

RaymondLin said:

I do it myself, the wet clean method, once a year.

Clean surface - tip, put clingfilm down on the table.  INSTANT sterile worktop.  It also acts like an static charge thing that pulls dusts off the air to it.  Less dusts in air = good.

Only swipe once with the swab each side.  check after per swab.

You can buy pre-made swabs, or make your own with PEC pads and fluids.

Grumpyrocker said:

I clean the sensor myself. I buy disposable PEC pads these days that are already wetted and ready for use. 

It's easy, and don't worry, as long as you're gentle you won't have any problems. You're not really cleaning the sensor anyway - but a piece of glass in front of it.

Thanks both, I did it with dry swabs and a bit of cleaning fluid.  Took a few goes but all clear now.

I didn't even need the T-Cut or Brillo pads;)

goldtop

Here we go again (aka I need help).

I'm now shortlisting for a camera to replace the Canon EOS M3. Bigger for better handling (I have a RX100 for travel), EVF, APS-C or bigger, 16MP or more, don't need great video features. 80% product shots, indoors, but will sometimes use outdoors on 'photo-mooching' days.

I had dithered just long enough to miss the X-T2 camera and lens offer from @ThePrettyDamned but he was kind enough to recommend the previous generation X-T1 as probably being better value for my needs. (e.g. I don't do moving subjects, so don't need superior AF performance). Used X-T1s are pretty affordable, and the £££s saved would let me get some nice glass. Have found lots on Ebay/MPB/LCE/etc.

So far, so good, but yesterday, a random review comparison contrasted it with the Sony A7 ii, and the more I looked at that one, the more I liked it. It seems still to be very well respected. Lots of great resources for taking it further (lens adapters for old manual glass, etc). And full-frame means bigger pixel area = better IQ, right?

But am I being distracted/seduced by the Sony's full-frame thing? The in-body IS is also a nice thing to have, and is still quite unusual in these cameras (only the spendy X-H1 has it within the Fujifilm range, AFAICS).

If so, is there a Sony A6n00 that I should consider against the X-T1?

sev112

This thread has finally persuaded me to get my DSLR out and give it another go, and learn how to use it properly.  I did a lot of manual and B&W developing / printing back in the 80s.
Prompted by buying my daughter a RX100 for her 16th, and going out and about taking photos with her.  That’s been a nice prompt.
ive got a quite old SONY Alpha500 DSLR, which is helpful as the menu structure is similar to hers. 
But im a little bit disappointed that I don’t have AutoISO, which hers has, as I like shooting manual aperture and manual shutter and letting auto ISO work out the exposure,

she has a thing for Macro pics, so we’re exploring how to do that best with her RX100.  

ThePrettyDamned

goldtop said:

Here we go again (aka I need help).

I'm now shortlisting for a camera to replace the Canon EOS M3. Bigger for better handling (I have a RX100 for travel), EVF, APS-C or bigger, 16MP or more, don't need great video features. 80% product shots, indoors, but will sometimes use outdoors on 'photo-mooching' days.

I had dithered just long enough to miss the X-T2 camera and lens offer from @ThePrettyDamned but he was kind enough to recommend the previous generation X-T1 as probably being better value for my needs. (e.g. I don't do moving subjects, so don't need superior AF performance). Used X-T1s are pretty affordable, and the £££s saved would let me get some nice glass. Have found lots on Ebay/MPB/LCE/etc.

So far, so good, but yesterday, a random review comparison contrasted it with the Sony A7 ii, and the more I looked at that one, the more I liked it. It seems still to be very well respected. Lots of great resources for taking it further (lens adapters for old manual glass, etc). And full-frame means bigger pixel area = better IQ, right?

But am I being distracted/seduced by the Sony's full-frame thing? The in-body IS is also a nice thing to have, and is still quite unusual in these cameras (only the spendy X-H1 has it within the Fujifilm range, AFAICS).

If so, is there a Sony A6n00 that I should consider against the X-T1?

Honestly - the a7ii doesn't handle well. The Fuji's are lovely to handle and use - the Sony gives you a bigger sensor but far worse ergonomics. 

If you fancy trying Sony full frame, I'd save more money and get the first gen A7. Similar handling, less money, same image quality. Crap af, but so is a7ii. 

The xt2 is stunning iq (better than earlier Fuji's) but pricier. 

I just picked up a 6d for under 400 quid. It's... Amazing. Handles beautifully, lovely images, a huge lens selection available across all budgets. Even the live view af isn't terrible for still subjects - probably a bit worse than an A7 but you get a full frame DSLR with splash sealing, WiFi and some of the best lenses in the world. 

You'll also get a great macro lens used for under £200 if you're doing still life. 

So many options - all are great to be honest, hard to go wrong  

ThePrettyDamned

Oh, over fuji if you did want Sony crop, a6400. Handles like rubbish though, not enough grip... And I have tiny girl hands. 

But honestly, for indoor work with still subjects I'd prioritise a tripod and lens, then work back  

goldtop

sev112 said:

she has a thing for Macro pics, so we’re exploring how to do that best with her RX100.  

If her RX100 is like mine, there's no filter ring (like any normal compact).

But you can get an adhesive one that comes in two parts. There's a thin holding ring (about 1mm, so it hardly adds to the body thickness) and then a clip-on piece with a filter thread. Mine was about £15 from Ebay and I use it with ND filters, but I saw that there are 'close-up' filters.

Also, at wide angle, the close-up focus on the RX100 is not shabby. This was an ad-hoc full-auto pic on a late summer's day.

 

(If anything the limitation is the guesswork from bright sunshine with no EVF, so not being able to really see where focus is. With prep time, manual focus, focus-peaking and a co-operative subject, she should be able to get some nice results.)

sev112

@goldtop thanks a lot

boogieman

I’ve just bought a used Sony Rx100 Mk 4. Fabulous little thing (I couldn’t believe how compact it is until I saw one in a camera shop). I’m still learning to use it but the IQ looks brilliant so far. I still love my Canon DSLR but its downside is it’s pretty bulky...the Sony is great for just sticking in my pocket. 

Anyone thinking of buying s/h gear, it’s definitely worth signing up to the Talkphotography forum. (I know there’s a few of us here that are already members). You can pick up some great bargains there. You need to jump through a couple of hoops to get access to the classifieds but it’s worth it. 

dazzajl

As a very long time canon user thats just gone across to Fuji, I can offer these thoughts @goldtop ;

Firstly there is a lot more to choosing what sensor size to go with that just pixels and image quality. I’d say the main considerations are the the size of the whole kit that you’re happy to take around with you and where you want the sweet spot of lenses to be. If long range is your mainstay, a smaller sensor will get you much more reach for your budget. If wide is your place, full frame will give you much greater choice. 

In the Canon world, the original 6D is an absolute gem. As long as you don’t make a living from shooting stuff that moves fast! The autofocus is not fantastic and gets easily confused. But if you can live with that consideration, the look of the images it produces is just lovely. Streets ahead of any other canon in my book. The relatively low pixel count for a FF sensor gives you such smooth looking pictures and that quality goes far higher up the ISO scale than any other camera I’ve ever used. Of all the canon gear I’ve moved on, it was the lowliest and it’s by far the most missed. 

In the Fuji world, I have a pair of X-H1s, an X-E3 and an X-Pro 1. I believe that inside the X-T1 and X-Pro are mostly the same camera. It’s the only one I wouldn’t use for work and it wasn’t bought for that. It’s a bit too slow for anything like portrait shooting and the file size is a little too small for any tripod based commercial work. It is however easily my favourite of the bunch for playtime. The much older sensor in that camera produces the most wonderful looking images. They might not be particularly big by today’s standards but they are exquisitely beautiful. I was a working printer before I was a paid snapper and I’m a huge believer in the philosophy that the negative is your score and the print is the performance, even in the digital
world. But the film simulations in the X-Pro 1 are so incredible that I’ve been loving the shots out of camera. 

goldtop

Thanks for the insight.

90% of the time, this would not be totted around. It would be on a tripod indoors. No action shots, no portraits (planned). So a bigger package is not necessarily a problem. The other 10% of the time, would be short excursions (not all-day/holiday travel where I'd have to schlepp it around). Looking at the photos I have taken in recent years, almost all are at the wider end. I had a 55-250mm with the EOS M3 and rarely used the long end (400mm equiv), except for trial shots.

The inevitable GAS makes me want the X-H1 that I didn't even know about until @ThePrettyDamned mentioned it in passing. I'll have a look at used 6Ds, too.

goldtop

PS: forgot to mention that in snooping around used camera sites, I found out that Camera Jungle has a 20% off code at the moment: WE20

ThePrettyDamned

Fyi for any interested - I have a great condition X-t2 for £375 posted in the classifieds here. That's a very good deal I think, £100 less than anywhere I can find then online in similar condition. Has 4 batteries (2 original and 2 non oem). 

dazzajl

ThePrettyDamned said:

Fyi for any interested - I have a great condition X-t2 for £375 posted in the classifieds here. That's a very good deal I think, £100 less than anywhere I can find then online in similar condition. Has 4 batteries (2 original and 2 non oem). 

That really is a great deal.