Zardon

good thinking Chris - always the first thing I go for when I get a new SLR. Its part of the reason im attracted to the ultra high end SLR's - they are all the "perfect" shape right out of the box (well for me anyway).

dj_stick

without a grip my right hand tends to hurt after a while, as the weight of the camera is sitting on my little finger under the camera, as it has no where else to go - I just hope my grip arrives today or tomorrow, as I've got a few events to shoot over the weekend

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dvorak

I forgot to mention i have a battery grip for my 5D MKII, it is very useful. It increases the weight of the camera which may sound bad at first but actually helps with hand held shots by keeping the camera steadier. I still need to buy a second battery for my camera ($100!). I also like mine because it has an on off switch on it so you don't accidentally change your settings or take a shot.

Falstaff

Please let me know when this becomes available Allan, as an average consumer, I have to stand in line at the bloody store with all the yabo's that are buying the trendy crap.
I really miss the old shops that would show you the various aspects of a new bit of kit and "sell" you a product. It certainly seems that when I go to a showroom or store, I get "Nick" the guy who just got back from a smoke break to call his parole officer, with absolutely no vested interested in doing anything more that giving you a glossy fan folded brochure while he runs down to the basement supply room to retrieve what your looking for with a hastily scribbled part number on a post it now. ROFL.

You really have to know what you want, and do the research. I read all the popular trades on what professional photographers like or dislike about lenses and camera bodies and there are common themes. I have read only one good review about the new Olympus EP--1, not that its a bad camera or anything, just that its new and a novelty because of its retro appearance.
Apparently some folks want to work harder to take good pictures, LOL

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09...olympusep1.asp

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Falstaff

thanx man, it does take a bit of work to take the pics, process them and work with them before I post them, I really want to do a good job.

I enjoy DH and posting on the HV, but that isnt why I take pics just a great place to see other folks post, so I hope more people post here and we can get some really interesting variety of styles, techniques and themes. I am not diminished by criticism too much, I am surrounded by critics at work so coming here is a breath of fresh air to me from a creative standpoint.

I hope other folks pull out their old cameras or new ones and take a walk outside and show us here the world as how they see it, because I have seen some really good photos from the simpliest cameras and themes.
for me like I said before, it isnt the pixels or the name of the bloody camera or the price tag, its the substance, style, compostion and artistic expression that captures my interest.

Its a beautiful world, and before my eyes are gone for good, i want to see it and remember it like a photograph in my mind.

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Vampyromaniac

My father has this:



Old and Russian, but not 35mm. I think it's a medium format, twin lens reflex. About 50 years old or so.

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Falstaff

gorgeous...
and they are in fact very well made despite what was made in the CCCP.
your very fortunate. We have some collectors here in the UK that bartered for theirs
but I figured after Glaznost, that it would be easier to collect them..
nope.
thankyou for the pic.
I would like to have my hands on a Lubitel or an old Holga. but I know it would be to covet it. (guess that is a sin)

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Zardon

Got a new lens today for my Nikon - the 12-24mm Nikon Lens. Cost me a small fortune but I hope to get some nice landscape shots in a few weeks. AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED from Nikon

Falstaff

excellent choice.
I am currently using the Sigma 10 to 20 wide angle lense.
Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd

I am very happy with it, but they didnt have the Nikon Lense when I went to Norwich to purchase one, and the nice lady at the counter encouraged me to try it instead of the Nikon equivalent. I am happy with it but i want to include a variety of Nikon lenses as well.

this is what I am after and I will pick it up in San Francisco in a couple of weeks.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...s=REG#features



I look forward to your landscapes Allan,

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Zardon

how do you find the sigma at the 10mm range? (well its around 15mm technically with the cameras 1.5x conversions but you know what I mean).

Falstaff

funny you should ask, I knew that it might not compare favorably with the Tokina or Nikkor equivalent but it is satisfactory for me needs with very little CA and vignetting so far, but I used it recently at Lowestoft and couldnt find anything I didnt like. I like the heaviness and the smoothness. I did get the characteristic moustache distortion occasionally but the center was damn clear. I wouldnt use it on building, or bridges for that matter, but its good enough for travel work, even with the slight softness occasionally. I use Autofocuse but I will practice manual in San Francisco as I get more confident. Its a good starter for me. I also have the 50mm Nikon lense to play with too so I have a bit of variety. LOL

Did i pay too much buying in he UK, of course, but I wanted to try it out.
I am satisfied.

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Zardon

If you dont mind could you post a few pictures full size at the 10mm area in here? I would love to see it Jeff.

The 10-17mm range is a particular favourite of mine and I would love to see how it handles with your (our) Nikon D90 at full size. I am personally very interested.

As for distortion, I think you always get that to some extent, but I have heard the Sigma is really good with a tight focus on value for money. I always spend a bit more personally for Nikon Lens due to the glass but they are expensive.

Falstaff

the only thing that sold me was the coatings for the lense and the the rather ample bosum of the lady at the counter, a Porteguese vixen that charmed me into the Sigma. I will dig about my externals and see if I can find some pics, but I am afraid they are all landscapes, but I will endeavor to find something.
I just might hang on to the Nikon in San Francisco and leave the G10 in the suitcase. I will be staying at the Johns Hopkins on One Nob Hill with a damn good view of the horizen. I want to find my old haunts with my second ex wife and head over to Calumet for some shopping. I can just hear Journey now.

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Stratman

Here is my baby. Super Takumar 55mm F1.8 screwed on, also have a few more screw mount Takumars, 28mm F3.5, 35mm F3.5, 200mm F4.

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Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P
A64 7850 BE Kuma
HIS HD4850
PC Power and Cooling 610 watt PSU
4 Gigs G-Skill DDR2

Satans Arse

Blimey, i'm up against giants. I have a Ricoh Caplio R6, it's not that great to be honest.
Going to treat myself to a new one soon, either a Panasonic DMC-TZ7 or DMC-FZ38.
I spend my money on holidays rather than hardware, be nice to afford both.

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I'm like a child genius, trapped inside the body of an idiot.

S3kShun8

I use the Panasonic Lumix FZ28. A good amateur 300$ camera with 10.1 MP and not bad shutter speed.

I post occasionally here: SonnyHemkar on deviantART

Falstaff

again, its not the camera so much as the picture to me..
if the transformation occurs in my mind, like I enjoy it or it interests me, that counts the most.

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Falstaff

still havent found one like it..
christ its rare I think

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SeraphicSorcerer

In soviet Russia, Camera photographs you!

Picked up a Rebel t1i today - woo

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Falstaff

got one already

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dj_stick

The american names for the lower end canons have always confused me

I believe that's the 500D?

Anyway here's an updated pic of my little collection (taken with my little Fuji J15 compact):



My first SLR camera, an EOS 350D (Currently not working) with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II (Have another of this lens to)

EOS 400D with aftermarket battery grip, EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens and Speedlite 430 EX II Flash gun

EOS 450D with aftermarket battery grip, EF 50mm 1.8mm II lens and Speedlite 580 EX II Flash gun

Not mounted is the EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III

You may ask why I have so many SLRs (almost an entire series of them really) - so I should give a little back-story.

The EOS 350D was my workhorse camera until it bit the dust halfway through a club night, so I had to spring out and buy a new camera ASAP, hence the 450D (couldn't afford any better at the time)

And the 400D was a gift, I asked if I could borrow a friend's second 1000D (he has two for some reason) for a big shoot I was doing, wanted to use both my favourite lens, the 28-135mm, and the 50mm lens without swapping them on the same body the whole night, and he handed me a bag containing the 400D, two lenses (18-55 & 75-300) as a gift, as his mate was just going to throw it out (broken built-in flash, which I managed to fix)

Also have two flash guns as I was originally going to sell the 430 EX II once the 580 EX II arrived, but then I realised a spare flash is always a good idea in my line of work, found this out the hard way a couple of times, and luckily had both in my bag at the time. A spare camera body is always a good idea for exactly the same reason, especially considering both my cameras use different batteries, so if one goes completely flat, along with any spares, I still have a camera to use (as happened just last night)

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SeraphicSorcerer

Yeah it's the 500D,

I like it, need to get a better lens though.

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Falstaff

The Canon EF 24-70mm standard



http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...6&modelid=8503

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SeraphicSorcerer

Whew, that's rather pricey - lol, I'll have to wait on that

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Matth

My Meagre little collection:

The old (family) film SLR, a Pentax ME Super with kit 50mm, a 135mm, a 2x teleconverter.

My first digital, a Samsung Digimax 800k (with fixed macro function that you measured by the strap).
My main digital, Kodak DX3700 - and it amazed me with the capabilty to use flash for macro.
But my latest upgrade, is the Sony Ericsson C902 cameraphone, as it means I always have a 5MP camera on me.
Might still upgrade camera-wise as well, in some respects, a pocketable camera is great, but it just does not have the proper grip compared to others.

The Pentax was great, weight, balance, cradled in left hand with the finger and thumb tweaking focus, and so long as I was well clear of meeting end of roll, I could shoot and then thumb the wind lever at quite a rate.

Is it possible to hold the tiny ones steady, I just cannot find a hold that works?

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Mary had a little lamb,
Her father shot it dead
Now Mary takes her lamb to school,
Between two crusts of bread

Falstaff

publish your pics man..looking forward to it.

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dj_stick

check out the EF-S 17-85, or even the 17-55 (it's like an L-series, but for the APS-C type camera you've got) or even the same 28-135 I use

the 24-70 would be a great lens, but very pricy indeed

I've used the 16-35mm L, really nice lens, but not all that wide on an APS-C sensor (it's designed for full-frame - 5D/1Ds/film) so I'm looking at getting a 10-22mm or equivilent at some point, and maybe a 28mm prime

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LeanWolf

I had a Canon 350D since 2005 but I recently sold it (+all glass) to a friend who wants to get into SLR photography (it was a great learning camera). So now I'm ready for a more professional camera. I'm thinking of going full frame, either the Nikon D700 or the Canon 5D mk II. An update to the D700 is well overdue but there is speculation that it will never come as it would directly undercut their own pro models. The Canon has more pixels and HD video but very poor AF compared to the Nikon.. A tough decision. On top of all this I could save some money and stay cropped with the very sweet Canon 7D.. If anyone has any of these cameras their opinions would be appreciated.

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dj_stick

the AF on the 7D is like nothing i've ever seen, so quick, even on a cheap lens, that said, there's no real issue with the AF on the 5DmkII unless you're trying to shoot a moving target, or in extremely low light without a flash that has AF-assist

almosth ad the opportunity to pick up a D700 really cheap, but I just missed out

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LeanWolf

pity you missed out, the image quality on the D700 is top notch despite the relatively low pixel count, but the speed is what you get for that, and more pixels means more storage.
I know the 7D is the best cropped dslr on the market, but it's not full frame...

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