OCR: Photographers

[The Author]

Figured that if I'd post this in the offtop art thread might as well post it in the community photography thread:

http://img714.imageshack.us/g/img1130z.jpg/

Pictures I took on a roadtrip in my friend's jeep. Not many were taken at a full stop, gotta say I love his power shot, but this makes me yearn for a digital version of my rebel 2000.

[SoulinEther]

Figured that if I'd post this in the offtop art thread might as well post it in the community photography thread:

http://img714.imageshack.us/g/img1130z.jpg/

Pictures I took on a roadtrip in my friend's jeep. Not many were taken at a full stop, gotta say I love his power shot, but this makes me yearn for a digital version of my rebel 2000.

I recommend you try another photo hosting service. Imageshack doesn't make medium-size copies server-side after you upload them, so browsing through your album means downloading the full-size, ~3mb original JPEGs for everything I want to look at (unless I just go by the thumbnails). At least for future ones.

I like the rear view mirror shot with the hanging stuffed animal, perhaps because it appeals to my darker side. And the blur in the second photo makes me feel like I'm in some sort of nightmare: a nightmare in which I'm running scared from Bambi wielding a butcher knife.

edit: and i dusted off an old canon ae-1. bought it a battery so it could work, too, lol. managed to break the 28mm lens already (in my defense it was kind of coming apart already) but there's still the 50mm. if I ever churn out a gem, and get around to scanning it... i know where to go to share it

[The Author]

Been using imageshack for so long, forgot it didn't re size for me... I should probably see if I can setup a macro in gimp to take care of the size thing.

[Black Mage]

People give me grief for using Photobucket, but you know what, it's never not worked perfectly well for me. Plus you can easily resize images with it.

[Less Ashamed Of Self]

Biznut I just saw the pictures of skating over a flaming matress.

Fuck Canada is awesome eh?

[atmuh]

ok i figure i might as well ask here

what kinda cameras do you guys use as im thinking of getting one myself but there are so many i dont even know where to start

[Black Mage]

ok i figure i might as well ask here

what kinda cameras do you guys use as im thinking of getting one myself but there are so many i dont even know where to start

You looking for a small, easily carried point-and-shoot; a "medium" camera with more manual features and a lot of zoom; or an SLR?

As brands go, stick with the reputable ones...Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Olympus are my top four. Fuji is okay, as is Pentax, but do yourself a huge favor and avoid all things Kodak, GM, HP, Sanyo, Samsung, etc. Kodak Easy Shares are especially crappy, though favored by the unknowing, and elderly.

If you're looking at point-and-shoots, take a good look at what Sony has to offer. I have the WX1, and love the thing (auto bracketing, 10 shots per second at full res, and Sony's hand-held twilight mode). Sonys have great low-light performance and excellent color balance. The W330, W350, WX1, TX1, and HX5 are all great and go from $170 to $399-ish. Canon also has some good cameras, like the S90.

Next up you have your super zoom cameras, which are essentially point-and-shoots but with a lot of zoom. Many also have SLR-like options, like shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual modes, which are very helpful. The Sony HX1, Nikon P100, and Canon SX20 are all ones to look at in this category. I have the Canon SX10, also, and think it's a great camera. I especially love the three-stop auto bracketing.

Then there's your SLR cameras. These offer the best image quality (owed to their larger image sensors) and most control-ability. Prices range from $400 for the Nikon D3000 to $38,000 for the Hasselblad H4D-50 MS (drooling right now). The entry level cameras are pretty reasonably priced, but the extra lenses are what can drain your bank account...fast. A good lens can run you anywhere from $140 for a Nikon 50mm f/1.8, to $600-ish for an 80mm f/1.8, to $10,000 for a 600mm f/4 VR. The Nikon D90, Sony A500, and Canon T2i are some good options, here.

Finally, there's the newest category, Micro Four Thirds cameras. These are like mini SLR cameras. They often have a nice old school vibe, aesthetically, and offer the flexibility of an SLR camera in something as easy to use as a pocket sized point-and-shoot, all in the size of a super-zoom camera. It's still an emerging class of camera, but I think it's going to grow a lot in the near future. The Olympus E-PL1 and a good example of this class of camera, and runs about $599.

Also, more photos!

[Kureejii Lea]

ok i figure i might as well ask here

what kinda cameras do you guys use as im thinking of getting one myself but there are so many i dont even know where to start

Well, I guess a good place to start would be to ask what kind of things you want to take pictures of (general use, like everyday snapshots, or specific things like sports, macro...?) and what price range you're looking at... depending on what you want, you may need to compromise in some areas in terms of features, abilities or even image quality; no camera will give you everything perfectly.

I got a Canon PowerShot SX20 IS for my birthday a few months ago, and while I'm still getting used to it it's pretty nifty. The picture quality is not always as sharp as I'd like, but the 20x zoom is great since I like taking pictures of animals and there are lots of adjustable settings and features. It uses four AA batteries, but the battery life is pretty damn good even with non-rechargeables (my old Pentax would eat normal batteries in about twenty minutes), and if it happens to die you can find AAs pretty much anywhere anyway. The only thing that pisses me off is the retarded clip-on lens cover; I'm amazed I haven't lost it yet.

Here's a shot I took last month of a bird that was pretty far away...

[atmuh]

Well, I guess a good place to start would be to ask what kind of things you want to take pictures of (general use, like everyday snapshots, or specific things like sports, macro...?) and what price range you're looking at... depending on what you want, you may need to compromise in some areas in terms of features, abilities or even image quality; no camera will give you everything perfectly.

ok yeah should have been more specific

id definitely use it when i go to concerts and sporting events (and probably those two would be the most commonly used occurrences)

as far as price im not really afraid to spend a bunch more for better quality

i mean i probably wouldnt spend something RIDICULOUS like over 600 maybe (?) but yeah id love to see as many options as possible with their pros and cons

also thanks for the info so far

and oh yeah most of the concerts i go to are standing room shows so it couldnt be too big

[Black Mage]

ok yeah should have been more specific

id definitely use it when i go to concerts and sporting events (and probably those two would be the most commonly used occurrences)

as far as price I'm not really afraid to spend a bunch more for better quality

i mean i probably wouldn't spend something RIDICULOUS like over 600 maybe (?) but yeah id love to see as many options as possible with their pros and cons

also thanks for the info so far

and oh yeah most of the concerts i go to are standing room shows so it couldn't be too big

As super-zooms go, the Sony DSC-HX1 might be an option. You get 20x optical zoom and Sony's Hand Held Twilight mode, in which the camera does six shot in one second, then blends them together to bring out the details and remove any camera shake. It's about $399, I think.

An SLR would also work better in the low light of concerts, though a long zoom lens with a wide aperture and vibration reduction will cost you close to a grand, if not more (nearly $5,000 in the case of the AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED). If you're going to up on stage (or on the 50 yard line) taking the photos, then you can use something more like a 50mm f/1.8 ($139.99) or a 35mm f/2 ($380-ish).

So really, if you were to go with a Nikon D3000 and a 35mm lens, you'd be at about $650-ish. A Sony equivalent setup would be an A330 with a 50mm f/1.8 for about $630-ish.

[atmuh]

As super-zooms go, the Sony DSC-HX1 might be an option. You get 20x optical zoom and Sony's Hand Held Twilight mode, in which the camera does six shot in one second, then blends them together to bring out the details and remove any camera shake. It's about $399, I think.

An SLR would also work better in the low light of concerts, though a long zoom lens with a wide aperture and vibration reduction will cost you close to a grand, if not more (nearly $5,000 in the case of the AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED). If you're going to up on stage (or on the 50 yard line) taking the photos, then you can use something more like a 50mm f/1.8 ($139.99) or a 35mm f/2 ($380-ish).

So really, if you were to go with a Nikon D3000 and a 35mm lens, you'd be at about $650-ish. A Sony equivalent setup would be an A330 with a 50mm f/1.8 for about $630-ish.

well after talking with someone on irc for a bit and looking at slr cameras i decided that theyre just a little too big for my liking

i started looking at canon cameras and i think i really like this one

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10051_229151_-1

thoughts?

anyways i may as well share my latest picture from a concert (taken with my iphone no less)

friken love taylor swift

[Black Mage]

The SX20 is a good option, too. I shoot a lot with the SX10, so I'd certainly recommend it. The only reason I haven't mentioned Canon much is that we don't carry Canon at work, so I can't speak from my personal testing of their newest cameras.

Edit: I also love that the SX10 and SX20 both have hot shoes. While I wouldn't recommend throwing a 430EXII speedlight on there (which I have done before, see also Nikon P6000 w/ SB900), but it works wonderfully with a Gary Fong Puffer diffuser (it's not just DSLRs).

[Black Mage]

I finally have something approaching a portfolio and sales website for my photography.

tomhamiltonphoto.com

It's kind of cheating, hosting the domain at godaddy which immediately redirects to a site from a template and hosted at wix.com...but I have no web design skills to speak of, so it will have to do for now.

[atmuh]

oh i forgot to post that i got that camera maybe ill take some pictures or something soon

well i definitely will at a concert this tuesday

oh and the lens cap doesnt stay on at all is there something i can do about this besides glue it on since i dont think thats a really good idea

[BlackDragonSoul]

i use to take a lot of black and white photos in school. i did love taken pictures and i hope i can get back into it once i get myself a camera

[Flik]

Snapped a photo of my old puppy while visiting home.

http://www.deviantart.com/download/165113594/Happy_Woof_by_DirectorFlik.jpg

[Harmonious Dissonance]

These Two I took at our local park. (One of them, Anyway)

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii262/goldenmoss/101_0043.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii262/goldenmoss/101E0083.jpg

And these two I took from my house:

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii262/goldenmoss/101_0425.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii262/goldenmoss/101_0396.jpg

[atmuh]

i took this with my new camera today

[Kenogu Labz]

Not bad, there! Nice lines.

If your lens cap isn't staying on, don't try to jury rig something; you're more likely to end up scratching your lens that way. I think they sell extra lens caps (though for a relatively high price).

[Kureejii Lea]

oh i forgot to post that i got that camera maybe ill take some pictures or something soon

well i definitely will at a concert this tuesday

oh and the lens cap doesnt stay on at all is there something i can do about this besides glue it on since i dont think thats a really good idea

Is it the Canon? You should just get it in place by pinching the sides (it won't snap in on its own in most cases). If it's not fitted right or something, take it back to the store and ask for a new one.

[Black Mage]

I designed a new polyptych. The square ones would be 24x24 inches and the long panels would be 12X36 inches, so the whole piece will measure about 7.5 x 3.5 feet. I also added a very slight dry brush filter to hide the digital noise from being enlarged to much.

[Black Mage]

I decided to do a fast mod for my Nikon FM10 to make it into a pin hole camera. I just bought a Nikon body cap ($3) and drilled a small hole into the centre. I then took a small square cut from the top of a can of beans (79¢)and carefully punched a tiny hole in it and used electrical tape (69¢) to tape it behind the hole. The whole thing cost less than $4.50, verses $35 from various photo sites.

I went to shot a roll today, and will develop and scan it tomorrow at work.

Edit:

Hrm, I think I need to research my pin hole a bit. They all look blurry like this; and actually, this is probably the best example.

I think my pinhole was too big.

[ddavis1979]

I am newer on the forums, but I am into some photography, mainly macro shots. I found that instead of spending $200+ on a ring light, that you can substitute a $10 UFO Camping LED light with some very slight modifications.

Visit my gallery at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/ddavis1979

[Black Mage]

I emailed one of my professors from my alma mater with the details, and she confirms that my pinhole was too big. So, time for version 2.0!

Edit: Here are a couple of my better photographs from the new "lens"...

[Ray Falling]

Out of curiosity: what purpose does the pinhole lens serve? Is it supposed to create a specific effect an ordinary lens cannot produce?

Also: I've updated my website. Most of the content has yet to be written, but my photography gallery is already up and running. I also added an Animals category, which it didn't have before because I'm not particularly an animal kind of guy (for no particular reason).

I did get some nice shots of some little bugz0rs the other day when I was walking around a nice natural environment with my girlfriend (+1 forum envy point):