^ Ah. The main attraction of dslrs for me, other than the glorious resolution, is that the images aren't or have the capacity to not be flat, haha

50mm f1.8 is all I've had the chance to use

5/21/2013 2:41:14 PM

^On my D7000 I am at the point where I almost like carrying a couple of prime lenses most of the time in lieu of zooms. My go to lens that I keep on is the 17-35mm f/2.8, but now that I have a nice, sharp set of prime lenses I am considering just going with those instead. Even in airshow photography I found that I got the sharpest shots with a fixed 300mm f/4 lens that I rented once.

Currently I have a 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8, 60mm f/2.8, and manual 105mm f/2.8. The last two are work glass, so I am thinking about buying an 85mm f/1.8G to get a little more length in lower light. Anybody used/owned that lens that could comment on it?

5/21/2013 3:22:54 PM

Question, and this may be a silly question, as I only just learned what most of these things are... the 50mm lens I was using had an f stop range from 1.8 to 22. When you're saying the f values, are you saying the minimum values? And do most of them have a range that large, or do they cap at 20something?

5/21/2013 3:28:58 PM

Yes, the biggest difference on lenses is usually how open they can get. A lot of your kit lenses can only go to 3.5 or so at the lowest amount of zoom. Hence why an f/1.4 lens can cost a lot more than an f/1.8 lens, as you get another 2/3rds stop of light available with that wider aperture. That said, I am going for a good budget set.

5/21/2013 3:49:55 PM

Quote :

"Diagram of decreasing apertures, that is, increasing f-numbers, in one-stop increments; each aperture has half the light gathering area of the previous one."

5/21/2013 3:53:07 PM

Wait, I thought the lower number meant a narrower depth of field... Would that mean the aperture is opened wider? So when you say "only go to 3.5", you mean that's their lowest value?
What would the largest value be?

I was able to take pictures of groups of people that made a pretty flat image with just that one lens but using the same f1.8. I'm so confused ><

Ohh so inverse relationship that makes sense. So a lower number means a narrower depth of the field which means an image with more depth because the aperture is opened more. Maybe?

[Edited on May 21, 2013 at 3:58 PM. Reason : ]

5/21/2013 3:57:28 PM

F values are fractions, so the smaller the F value (Ex: f/1.4) the LARGER the aperture. These let in more light at a time and can give faster shutter speeds. They also have narrower depths of field.

There's not really a maximum or minimum F/Value, though you'll probably never see anything larger than F/1.4 since anything wider than is astronomically expensive and they aren't for you're average DLSR. As for the narrowest, I think you may find some lenses that stop at about F/22, maybe F/32 on most DSLR lenses. Again, some lenses can go narrower but they're usually for large format cameras. The benefit of a narrower aperture is the depth of field, which if you're doing macro photography can be a big deal.

If you want to go past F/22 to shut out more light in non-macro work, check out neutral densities filters. They're like tinting for the lens, blocking a significant amount of light before they hit the aperture. It's great for doing long exposure stuff in bright light, which can give some really cool effects.

(not mine)

5/21/2013 4:01:47 PM

Well I went by Southeast yesterday afternoon and picked up a pair of lenses. Got the Nikon 85mm f/1.8D and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8.

5/22/2013 1:00:16 PM

This is how the difference between f values was explained to me... the difference between the backgrounds of these two photos, and the way that the object is focused.

f3.2


and f1.8


The lower the f-stop number, the narrower the depth of the field, and the wider the aperture?

5/22/2013 1:10:36 PM

Quote :

"The lower the f-stop number, the narrower the depth of the field, and the wider the aperture?"

That's right.

Lens length and focus distance will also change your depth of field. For focus distance, the further something is from you, the wider the depth of field. For lens length, the longer the lens the shallower the depth of field from a particular distance. (ie. 70mm f/2.8 @ 50ft will have a wider depth of field than a 20mm f/2.8 @ 50ft)

5/22/2013 4:21:19 PM

Caught the beginning of an outflow boundary this afternoon as the thunderstorms moved eastward. Got the best perspective I could.

5/23/2013 3:41:45 PM

So, I have never owned an SLR camera and would like to get one. I am looking at the Nikon D7100 and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

Should I opt for the 18-55 lens or go for the 18-200 lens? or some other lens? Is there anything I should watch out for or be sure to include? Is there a different camera that you all would recommend?

Also, is this a good deal?
http://www.rythercamera.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=49663

Thanks!

5/23/2013 3:59:43 PM

I shoot with a D7000 and really enjoy it. I do not see enough improvement in the D7100 to justify the upgrade, but I do enjoy the camera and would recommend it if you do not want to drop the can for full-frame.

As for the lenses, neither are all that great. Long term I have to say I would think the 18-200 would be a better lens. The 18-55 is a lens I have, but I never use it. But the 18-200 is a lens a lot of people keep in their arsenal for travel. If you are traveling and want to have a lens for every event, the 18-200 gives you both wide angle and telephoto capability without necessitating multiple lenses. I think that would be the better way to go.

5/23/2013 4:26:17 PM

^Pretty much what he said, but I would also add looking into the 18-105. Just depends on your needs.

I haven't really followed the kit lenses for a few years, but the 18-55 was usually a cheaper quality lens than either the 18-105 or 18-200.

[Edited on May 23, 2013 at 4:54 PM. Reason : .]

5/23/2013 4:49:34 PM

Yes, I have/had a pair of those 18-55s. My D40 came with one and the D80 Dad got. He bought a 16-85 lens and gave me his 18-55 because it had VR on it. I since traded my non-VR lens in, but I never use the other lens either. At least the 18-200 would still have a place in my bag as a travel lens when I can't carry my camera bag.

5/23/2013 4:58:07 PM

i have the 18-200 that i picked up from CL for a steal...that and the tokina 11-16 (which i also picked up from CL) are what i use on my D90 when i travel

actually, i don't shoot much anymore unless i'm traveling, so i guess those are really the only lenses i use

5/24/2013 7:07:56 AM

http://slickdeals.net/f/6049156-Four-Personalized-16-X-20-Photo-Canvases-For-99-Regular-Price-of-348

so, i want to do this and create a series of 4 canvases from a picture taken with my D90...assuming i'll be going horizontally with the images being tall (so lined up side-by-side at 16" wide per canvas), will an image from my D90 do the job?

assuming yes, what should my settings in photoshop be to produce the best image? right now, the digital negatives report a PPI of 240, while the JPGs generated by the camera are 300 PPI...the images are 4288x2848

i've gotten a 16x20 print from them before and used a cropped image set at 150 PPI and it came out beautifully...but that's not going to be enough...won't i need to get the size of the image to 64 inches wide? if so, that means that using the DNG as the source, i'll need to drop the PPI to 67 or if using the JPG, drop the PPI to 83 or 84

is that right? or do i not understand this at all?

5/24/2013 1:41:35 PM

noise/experimental music sci-fi live scoring last night

5/26/2013 12:40:56 PM

So I just got a Getty invite on Flickr. I've never sold rights to an image before (other than to draw an image), anyone have experience with it?

Pine Barrens Treefrog in seppuku pose from Memorial Day.

5/29/2013 1:39:10 PM

Goofed off with the kid for his 3-year pictures.

5/30/2013 8:40:22 AM

Some shots of my gf from a few weeks ago. Feels nice to shoot again.

5/30/2013 9:19:37 PM

:3

5/30/2013 9:24:30 PM

?

5/31/2013 9:40:22 AM

idk it's a smiling emoticon.

[Edited on May 31, 2013 at 12:30 PM. Reason : for good/cute pictures]

5/31/2013 12:25:43 PM

Corn snake wants to fuck shit up.

5/31/2013 4:11:53 PM

Good lucking stuff on this page. My son turned 3 this week and I've been taking a bunch of pics, but just learned my hard drive is maxed out. The pancake lens just came in but it looks like I'll need to also order a Drobo so I can free up my laptop and finally download my card.

5/31/2013 4:24:45 PM

6/2/2013 10:13:09 PM

I really like that guitar pic.

6/2/2013 10:38:45 PM

I think I got just got lucky.


Snapped it right before this one...



[Edited on June 2, 2013 at 10:51 PM. Reason : Jj]

6/2/2013 10:48:52 PM

welp, I took the plunge and got a d600.

took her out for a spin on Key Biscayne tonight

never really done skyline shooting before

6/10/2013 5:17:44 AM

Hey guys. How's everyone doing?

6/26/2013 7:57:09 PM

Sup Ronny. Its going good.

Feel a little guilty posting in here without sharing a pic, so here's a shot of my kid cleaning the mixer while my wife makes his birthday cake


And a shot of him and some friends on "The Dragon"


And a shot from a portrait series I'm working on

6/26/2013 10:04:38 PM

Good stuff dude. Lighting in that last photo, is that just one light and ambient or what?

Also, here are some recent posts of mine, shot for my gf's blog.
http://www.eversothea.com

6/26/2013 10:20:37 PM

All natural. He had two big windows in a tiny little office that provided some good natural light. It did however make it almost impossible to get my image without the background being blown out. I had to dodge over the window a little just to bring some detail back.

I was looking through your set when you posted them to Flickr. That last one is phenomenal.
Whenever I see you and Nick post new stuff I keep kicking myself for putting the camera down for so long, you guys have really developed some great natural styles.

6/26/2013 10:25:47 PM

is there anything not-obvious I need to know about filters? I want to get a polarized filter to help with landscape shots.

6/27/2013 9:07:48 AM

^ I just bought one myself for my pancake lens so I don't have much practical experience with it yet, but there are plenty of good tutorials online for their use. I think beyond understanding the basics of how they work and when they can be effective the best you can do is get out and use it. As far as I can tell there are no magic secrets to unlock with polarizers, they're a pretty simple filter that can do something that Photoshop can't do (yet), so its worth having one in your bag.

Videos tutorials:
http://petapixel.com/2011/01/10/what-circular-polarising-filters-are-for/
http://fstoppers.com/a-great-example-of-what-a-polarizing-filter-does

6/27/2013 9:32:18 AM

Capture One 6 express is free right now from Phase One.
http://petapixel.com/2013/06/26/download-capture-one-express-6-by-phase-one-for-free/

I don't know a whole lot about Capture One except that while researching assistant gigs, its a software application you're expected to know. I think it's fairly popular with tethered shooters, studios and large format digital.

6/27/2013 12:28:52 PM

Is it comparable in functionality to Lightroom?

6/27/2013 12:38:07 PM

Would anyone here recommend a d7k?

6/27/2013 1:45:05 PM

^^ I believe so. I'm not sure the difference between the pro and express versions.

Their site should have a good breakdown of all that it does, or at least what the current version 7 does.
http://www.phaseone.com/en/Imaging-Software.aspx

6/27/2013 4:33:13 PM

it doesn't do everything Lightroom does, but it does 99% of the features of Lightroom that I use. That's a pretty good deal for free, thanks!

6/27/2013 7:04:40 PM

^^^I really like my D7000. I have shot almost exclusively with it over the last 2 years. I added on a battery grip as I prefer being able to shoot on the side when I do portraiture. The D7100 has some nicer features, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my D7K and will probably stick with it until I finally make the leap to full-frame with a D600 or D800.

6/28/2013 1:19:26 PM

Got to watch this cicada go through the entire molt last night.

7/3/2013 1:28:37 PM

I've got a full tank of gas, a can of Grizzly, a huge bag of trail mix, a brand new dSLR, a well-broken-in pair of hiking boots, and nothing to do for the next two days.

Help me choose my photographic destination. I've narrowed it down to: Ruby Dome (Nevada), Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Utah), Lewis & Clark Caverns (Montana), Sawtooth National Forest (Idaho), or Sinks Canyon (Wyoming)

7/6/2013 1:02:35 PM

I know it's a bit further than Elko County (Ruby Dome), but if you can get to the Sierra's there are some breathtaking off the beaten path places to shoot. Most scenic areas in the country, IMO.

[Edited on July 6, 2013 at 4:29 PM. Reason : Ruby Dome was kind of blah from what I remember actually]

7/6/2013 4:29:04 PM

decided to take the Northern day trip. Yellowstone to Big Sky

^ I definitely want to check out the Sierras. Specifically Donner Pass near Truckee, CA. That's a 9hr drive, so it'll require an overnight

[Edited on July 7, 2013 at 12:20 AM. Reason : d]

7/7/2013 12:15:28 AM

^Yellowstone is the only park on your list I've been to, should provide for a ton of good photo ops.

Son #2 was born last week, so the wife and I sat down this afternoon to get some good photos of him before he loses the wrinkly newborn look. My oldest son (3) joined and and hammed it up every time the infant had to nurse.









Put a bunch on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/austingd/sets/72157634559125136/

7/8/2013 10:55:13 PM

7/9/2013 9:04:59 PM

This seems like a good deal for an entry level to me, but what say you people who know much more about this than I do?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1K50F22601

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera with Nikon 18-55mm VR Lens + Huge Bundle

This Kit Includes:

1- Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera
1- Nikon 18-55mm VR Lens
1- Wide Angle Lens
1- Telephoto Lens
1- Filter Kit
1- Hard Tulips Lens Hood
1- 16GB SDHC Memory Card
1- USB SD/HC Memory Card Reader
1- Digital Flash
1- Wireless Remote Control
1- Soft carrying case
1- Full Size Tripod with Carry Bag
1- Pack of LCD Screen Protectors
1- Lens/LCD Cleaning Kit
1- Mini Table Top Tripod

$624.95

As posted several pages back when I got some good advice, I am looking for a nice, entry-level DSLR to be able to capture some decent pictures of projects around the house (so lots of interior shots and this should perform better than the 3200 in slightly lower light it seems like) as well as just general use. We have a 5 year old Nikon point-and-shoot that honestly still is not bad, I was just looking for something new and considering we already had the point-and-shoot, I was looking at entry-level DSLRs. The price on that package seems pretty reasonable for some of the stuff that is included. Am I missing something?

[Edited on July 10, 2013 at 9:56 AM. Reason : ]

7/10/2013 9:42:59 AM

Another advice question (answer his^ first though). I ended up getting a Canon T2i a couple months ago (refurb, but still in box factory sealed for $370, which I thought was pretty good). I've been using the kit lens but I'd like to start branching out a bit. So, still trying to keep it reasonable, I'm wondering what would be the better course of action.

I could go for the EF 50mm f/1.8, which would give me a lot of extra aperture range compared to the kit lens (f/3.5 at the wide end). It's not IS, which might be a problem as I don't have particularly steady hands, but perhaps I need to learn to be less reliant on stabilization and it's not as much of a problem at that focal length. Plus it's compatible with a much wider range of bodies, being EF (though I don't know how well a $125 lens would hold up over time...)

Alternately, I could add something like the EF-S 55-250mm. That gives me a lot longer range than the kit lens, and while its f/4 at the wide end is nothing special, it's better than the kit lens at that length. Plus it would give me almost as much tele capability as the older superzoom compact I've been keeping in the bag in case I needed it.

I don't shoot a lot of landscapes or action but I do enjoy architectural detail shots, so the zoom capability might come in handy. But the universal opinion seems to be that the 50mm f/1.8 is a lens you need to have in your bag. So which one first...

*If anyone has a suggestion for an inexpensive but good lens for a crop body Canon, I'm listening as well.

7/10/2013 2:54:51 PM