Professional photography advice needed

Andrew

Thanks for that, very much appreciated. When are you going to visit the Village next?

Is the Canon I mentioned worthy of consideration?

Regards

Kim

For sure the 400D is a worthy consumer camera... but it really depends on what you intend doing with it...

I'll be in the Village 7th-10th Dec - pretty busy on 9th and 10th...

Cheers
Andrew.

Kim, I have also taken to taking many pics on different settings with my Nikon D40, its both a learning and a "pick the best" process, and with digital, you just delete the disasters.

Graham

Does the 400D come with an under/over exposure function similar to the higher end models (can't find any mention of it in the reviews)?

I was talking to a professional last week about the difficulties in the field when trying to assess the above.

In my case, if I tilt my Olympus camera at various angles when reviewing the shot, its hard to tell if exposure is correct.

His camera had a function which informs the viewer of correct exposure.

Regards

Kim

Not sure what "the professional" meant...

There is a histogram which you can view for each shot, and a highlights warning which will tell you whether it is correctly exposed for what you want...

there is also the Exposure compensation which is very easy to use.

As far as I know this is everything that the high end models have...

and far more than a film camera ever had.

Cheers
Andrew who wonders about "the professionals"

either Canon or Nikon of the models we have been talking about here have most of the features of the pro cameras these we have been talking about are called prosumer models
ev compenstion yes the thing that you will have trouble with any DSLR is dynamic range
that is the amout of light & dark in a particular image

warren aka aussichef

The only reliable way to to be warned of over-exposure is a "Flashing Blown Highlights" option.

The Histogram cannot tell you if a small critical area e.g nose or cheek is blown.

Hi Mike,

The Flashing Blown Highlights does help, but even that is not a failsafe way of telling - because you can't zoom in with the flashing on, you are only looking at a lower res version of the image, and if it is only a small area of the nose or wedding dress blown out, you still will not be able to see it.

In my experience it is quite easy to see when the histogram has hit the right limit...

The only reliable way of avoiding the concern is to use the histogram and/or flashing warning AND to shoot in raw and retrieve highlights.

With tools like Lightroom from Adobe or Aperture from Apple, dealing with RAW files is as easy as it is dealing with JPEGs and the results much better.

Cheers
Andrew.

eBay has a lot of reputable sellers for this sort of stuff:

Digital Rev have them for $879 incl shipping and Aus Warranty

and

T Dimension whohave the dual-lens kit for $1178 incl shipping

The $1399 with the 17-85 at that price looks reasonable, but you get buyer protection on eBay if you pay with Paypal and these two companies have done 14,000 transactions or more each on eBay. I use them regularly.

Cheers
Andrew.

There is a couple of good Australian sellers on ebay with good feedback & reputations i would recommend & you will get the canon 400D with a kit lens for under A$1,000
I'm a Nikon user myself But Nikon & Canon are like holden & Fords lol
Join a good online forum like www.dslrusers.net
a great place to learn about photography, each state has minimeets where you learn hands on & other members will lend you glass to try before you buy
And once you reach 50 posts you get into the bargin section
I have saved A$1000s buying thru my camera forum ,compared to what i paid for my original camera
Now i have all the photographic equipment all i have to do is learn how to use it lol
warren aka aussichef

Woz, we need to hook up, I have a D40 and would like to try some 17mm glass

Hey Bonz
Long time mate
Sorry we didnt make it over to the gathering ,was going to but we decided to go see warren jr whos on a sheep station in the middle of know where lol
You can try out my 18-50 f2.8 if you like
I also have 70-200 VR 2.8 , 3 prime lenses 90mm 2.8 ,50mm both 1.8 & 1.4 & lots of expensive battery grips,external flashes, tele converters etc etc etc lol
I have 2 bodies Nikon D50 & D80 & will be upgrading to the D300 in a short while after that my goal is the 300mm 2.8
Its a passion photography
I took a few shots at Warraweena lol
warren

I have the same passion Aussichef now if I can ONLY take some good photo's it would be better. Next year a course in on the cards.
I was looking at getting a 28 - 105 IS to hang off my current cannon 300D. On must learn with this camera before m,oving to a 30 or 40D

Brian

I think you will find that the warranties offered by Digital Rev and others are their own warranty and NOT a MANUFACTURERS.
See here for Nikon

http://www.nikon.com.au/warranty.php

Cant find it on Canon Site

Yes and no.

The warranty is either a seller's warranty - you return it to them, but that is no different to returning it to Canon...

Or a Mack Warranty - an independent warranty company that provide a genuine international warranty which happens to be repaired by Canon and Nikon Australia.

In practice you can ask for - and pay a little extra for a 2, 3 or 5 year warranty (which is what I do) and you are much better off.

But in practice, both Canon and Nikon have recently been providing warranty service on international purchases in my experience...

Whilst I dont doubt your experience, as well as checking on NIkons web page I actually rang them and was told exactly what was on the web page. which basically is "Buy a grey import and we dont want to know". (on cameras) The lens have worldwide warranties so dont count.
As I stated I bought an Aussie camera and overseas lens and got the best of both.

I don't know when this was... Nikon now have a wholly owned subsidiary in Australia, so things might have changed.

That said, they are certainly not encouraging people to buy outside Australia, but neither are they realistic about the openness of international borders for trade these days.

Was in May this year

I cant agree more about faster glass
i have 2 kit lenses i used for about a month ,havent used them since
I was a Canon photographer in film days . I had a Canon T 50
But when you go into a shop hold both a canon & Nikon in your hands to see which feels better to you
I did when i was choosing between the Nikon d50 & the Canon 350D
Once i held them both in my hands the choice was easy
Then i turned to the sales staff in Diamonds and asked all the staff here are photographers, she said all are pro & this supliments their income, i said ok what do all these staff use & all but one used Nikon that was the sealer for me & i havent looked back
& i must admit every camera club minimeet in Adelaide i have been to all but 2 are Nikon users
I have found it good to try new glass or TC ( tele converters ) battery grips etc before i buy as with 4x4 nothing is cheap in Photography lol
warren aka aussichef

Warren

Thanks for that. I guess it's a bit like the Holden and Ford argument.

I certainly don't have a problem with Nikon, great camera. The only thing I found when using a mate's Nikon, was the slow focus.

Regards

Kim

slow focus ???
That will depend on the lens how fast or slow things focus
has nothing to do with a DSLR camera
I went from a digicam to a dslr for starters because of the shutter lag
again the f # in a lens is to do not only with the speed of the lens for light but also focus
do your self a favour try both out for feel & FOCUS in a store before u buy
once you buy a camera and lens your are buying a system for the future not just for now as all lenses will have to be that fitting & so will all future bodies
but ultimatly the choice is yours & only yours

warren aka aussichef

Faster glass isn't really going to help a great deal with landscape work...

You usually want smaller or smallish apertures - f/11 or smaller for landscapes, even when taken at dawn or dusk... that is why you need a tripod - as PIA as they are, and a remote release.

Cheers
Andrew.

well i tell you what you keep yr kits lens of f4-5.6 & i will keep my f2.8 lol i know which id prefer morning noon or night
just because i have a f2.8 lens doesnt mean thats what i shoot with it at lol
but you know that right ???
warren aka aussichef

chuckle...

I don't use my 85 f/1.2 for landscape work very often... but then sometimes I do... for something different, and even at f/1.2 when nothing else will do what I want.

and I don't use any kit lenses any more... but chiefly because they wouldn't stand up to the workout I give my gear.

The largest aperture however, is not the determinate of the sharpness the lens... the latest Canon kit lenses are very good for zooms, but they don't compare to the primes.

Cheers
Andrew - here's a couple of f/1.2 landscape sort of shots:


(before the sun was up at Kings Canyon)

(before the sun was up at Toyota cottage near Quorn)

(at Sunset on a cloudy day in the Flinders)

(a couple of my clients having a quite red around the campfire at Boggy Hole - see the fancy wineglasses we provide?)

Evening Andrew,

We have a SLR canon, with two lens. We are looking at upgrading to DSLR, body only. Would the DSLR lose much pic quality if we did not upgrade the lens and just used the ones we already have, which we believe just fit on to the DSLR.

Stupid question I know, but the reason we were going to go for the canon, was because we already have two lens. And they have hardly been used ( maybe four or five times), the equipment is not even worth trading. We brought a 35mm digital just after we brought SLR, and because we do a lot of action shots, with sailing and at that time horses, it was easier to use the digital and get rid of the stuff that did not work out.

Just looked at photo buff and we would save about $700 buying it there, rather then a normal shop, who have used since we were in school, but in them days my grandfather insisted on me doing slides and learning to use a dark room, enlarger and all that goes with it. My grandmother was rather pleased he stopped doing his own enlarging and developing....as we used her bathroom....for six months of the year. Great pics by the way...

Debbie <19 days till we leave.


Debbie

Hi there Deb,

The DSLR won't lose picture quality at all, so long as you buy a Canon DSLR...

If you are happy with the quality of images from your film camera, then the lens quality won't change - the pictures will be as good as they were with film or better.

That said, when you get a DSLR, you will undoubtedly be paying more attention to your images than ever before, so you will be noticing all those things that you never saw in the 6x4 images you printed from film but which were there all along...

Depending on the lens, you might notice:
* chromatic aberration in the lens
* softness around the edges
* some vignetting (although this is unlikely if you are buying a 400D, say)

So, it is not a stupid question... there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers!

Feel free to send me an email (andrew at vividadventures.com.au) with the details of the lenses you have and I can tell you if they are worth much over the kit lenses that come with the 400D (say)...

One observation is that you should always try out the camera in the flesh before buying it... go to Hardly Normal and put one in your hand - take some shots, put your lenses on it, make sure it is all working - then buy from wherever you want. The kit lenses are nice and light and very nicely engineered for the little they cost - don't discount them altogether.

Also you have to multiply the focal length by 1.6x to get the equivalent on a DSLR (except the Canon 5D, and 1D series), so you might find that the length of the lenses you have might not cover the range of shots you like to take.

I hope this helps,
Andrew.
Cheers
Andrew.

Andrew

This is very Informative. Does this mean that a 200mm lense will be reduced to 125mm?

Regards

Kim

Hi Kim,

No, this means that a 200mm lens (the lens doesn’t change – it is still a 200mm lens) on most DSLRs has the equivalent field of view of a 320mm lens on a 35mm camera...
Or a 28mm on most DSLRs has the equivalent field of view of a 45mm lens on a 35mm camera.

There are implications from all of this:

1. A 320mm lens by the normally accepted rule of thumb needs a minimum shutter speed of 1/320s to hand hold a steady shot... so what you used to get away with on your film camera, you might not get away with on your DSLR
2. The wide angle lens or wide end of a zoom lens that used to suit most of your landscape images on your DSLR no longer is wide enough

There is also another issue which is that the lens which you used to use for subjects quite close to the camera, and which on it’s largest aperture used to nicely separate subject from background through limited DOF is no longer able to be used to frame the same subject that close to the camera, so you move further away, and suddenly the look is not quite as nice, because the background is similarly sharp to the subject.

So as Warren has pointed out, the quest for newer brighter better glass continues apace ;-)

Cheers
Andrew who does this for a living, but still finds he can spend too much money on nice glass.

Andrew

Many thanks for your advice (and all the others). I'll go into a shop next week far better informed than otherwise.

Regards

Kim

Kim
I have dealt with this company before
its the 400d with one kit lens at a good price & Australian warranty
http://www.qualitycamera.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=1669
Good luck with your search let us know what you ended up getting
warren aka aussichef

Yes, the place is run by Stu Simmonds - a great guy based in Perth.

Cheers
Andrew.

Just remember if you buy a GREY MARKET item off Ebay the warranty is ONLY for the COUNTRY OF ORIGIN (or where u bought it from) Any repair work will necessitate a return to there.
If you are buying a Nikon the lens have a worldwide warranty but the camera body doesnt.
Some of the Nikon models may be able to be bought at a discount shortly due to the new models coming thru.
I bought a D200 with Aussie warranty off Ebay for $1950.and whilst I didnt save a lot I have peace of mind.
Bought my lens off a Nikon dealer in New York for nearly half price to Aussie prices including postage.

One thing I found when buying was to try the camera in your hand as the size varies and as I have long fingers I found the Canon 400D too small. So went for the larger Nikon which also has features like the ability to imprint the GPS position of the pics in the data of the picture. A very handy thing for when u get home and say " where the hell was that taken"

Can provide the links to buy the GPS gizmo if interested. It only works on the D2 & new model, D200 & D300 maybe the new D80?? and an Olympus model
An excellent site for comparing cameras is here
www.dpreview.com.
Best on the net

The GPS gizmo doesnt work with the D80 as i have one unless i have missed something, which is always on the cards lol
warren aka aussichef

Gidday Warren

Can we slow down a bit....your talking to the class of 59 here!

How is a camera connected to a GPS?

Regards

Kim

depends on which gizmo you have in mind - there are quite a few different ways to do it...

Search for GPS on DP Review

Cheers
Andrew.

Hi Kim
Well I'm 52 lol
Some high end Pro Digital slr camera have built in gps
It works so if you want to go take a shot in the future of the exact location you have with a past shot you can it is stored in the exif info if i am not mistaken
I haven't gotten to that level of dslr as yet but , pro body is my next buy
I might even buy a second hand Nikon D200 as many of my club members are moving up to the D300 & even the D3
I need another body of pro quality for a couple of wedding i am shooting next year & well the D50 i have as a backup to my D80 @ the moment is letting the side down a little on features & ease of use button wise
At the moment i carry the D80 with the 70-200 VR f2.8 & the D50 with the Sigma 18-50 F2.8

Hi Kim
Well I'm 52 lol
Some high end Pro Digital slr camera have built in gps
It works so if you want to go take a shot in the future of the exact location you have with a past shot you can it is stored in the exif info if i am not mistaken
I haven't gotten to that level of dslr as yet but , pro body is my next buy
I might even buy a second hand Nikon D200 as many of my club members are moving up to the D300 & even the D3
I need another body of pro quality for a couple of wedding i am shooting next year & well the D50 i have as a backup to my D80 @ the moment is letting the side down a little on features & ease of use button wise
At the moment i carry the D80 with the 70-200 VR f2.8 & the D50 with the Sigma 18-50 F2.8
warren aka aussichef

Sorry Aussiechief I put the D80 in with???? as I wasnt sure but I think you are right. I havent checked on the new model as yet obviously.
The GPS unit I have is a Blue2can made by Redhen Systems
See here
https://ecommerce.redhensystems.com/pc-47-2-blue2can.aspx
Cost me $345
I use a globalsat BT 338 as a receiver with it as it also connects to my laptop and the mapping software I have on my Nokia N70 phone

Using Red hens ISwhere software u can upload your pics into the correct coordinates in Google Earth

Saw a D200 in the Trading post almost brand new for about $1875 this week

Yes Andrew
the D200's are coming down in price i can get a new one thru my camera club for under $1600 new @ the moment, but if i had that i would just use another $600 for new tech in the d300 also thru my camera club
i am even in 2 minds weather to get even another d80 for around 1k body only of course as that way i dont have to have sd & cf cards
i have 2 bodies time is on my side i will decide in the new year unless an offer comes up i cant refuse lol
warren aka aussichef

Cant find the paper now but pretty sure it came with lens etc Was advertised as too heavy for female buyer

Yes you are so right truckster lol
I dont go on my camera forums for 4x4 advice very often hahahahah
warren aka aussichef

Truckster

I prefer to ask for advice on this site.

Regards

Kim

Well not many professional photographers frequent the photography forums... you could ask on www.dpreview.com but they tend to be quite technical and not very supportive of newbies - in fact, their forums are split so the professionals tend use the pro cameras on those forums, and the newby questions are about the consumer or pro-sumer cameras and those questions are answered by the amateurs on the other forums. You'd have a hell of a lot of sifting to do on those sites to find the help you needed.

On Exploroz I know of two of us that are pro photographers - I'm not sure if Bega Photographer is pro or not, which might make three, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more here...

It is one issue with pro anythings - they tend to be precious with their knowledge.

Cheers,
Andrew who finds that parochialism is common to Toyota/Nissan owners on 4x4 forums and Canon/Nikon owners on photography forums.

dpreview is a site i frequent every day.
My Australian camera forum dslrusers.net where there is plenty of pro's, semi pros & just enthusiastic armatures .A place where you dont get as much sarcasm as you do on so many forums
You dont have to go to overseas sites to get info, although i do everyday . Photography is my passion as is cooking
All my time is spent on those 2 pursuit's & when i can i fit in 4x4 & camping i also frequent this site every day pretty boring life ah lol

Believe it or not a couple of professional photographers also hang out in the photography section of Overlander. ;)