Photography Equipment

[Stormy]

We have a really nice photo of the day thread but thought it might be worth having a secondary thread to discus equipment/lens etc.

So what are you using? What you want? How do you find the results?

So at the moment I'm running with the Canon 450d, pretty mid range SLR but for an amateur like me really does a nice job. The camera its self came with an 18-55mm basic kit lens, it does the job but really for any kind of interesting or dramatic pictures.

For me the the 18-55 is great just for snaps and will also be useful for taking images which can later be used for textured 3D assets.

Camera + Stock Lens

The only other lens that I have right now is a 10-22mm wide angle, this little baby hasnt left left my camera for months, really fantastic lens, the super wide angle creates a really dramatic feel, esp when you get a good low angle on something tall. It was pretty damn expensive but was well worth it.

And here are a couple of snaps taken with the 10-22

The next lens on the list, pretty much on the vurge of clicking on the buy button right this second.. is the 50mm f/1.4. These little lens are so much fun as well as being small + compact. And with such a massive aperture you can have some great fun with the depth of field.

 

[Kaptain H]

I've been using a Samsung Pro815 for most of my photos for the past four years. I'm too poor to afford a DSLR because of the cost of lenses, but this works well enough for most of what I need and Photoshop takes care of the rest. The end of my lens got partially submerged a few years ago in an accident, and there's a few minuscule water droplets inside the lens that creates a dark smudge in the middle of all my photos. It's pretty cool.

 

[Stormy]

There are some nice lens you can get with out braking the bank, just be picky about which ones you really need over which ones you want. The problem is you always seem to want more and more =(

I've right this second pressed the buy button on the Canon 50mm f/1.4. Should arrive mid next week some time so will be posting up a few images once it comes through.

 

[knut]

i've moved up from a D40 to a D90 before i went to uni, have yet to invest in kitting it out as i've been distracted by analog - currently shooting with a diana and a nikon FE2. developing is a bitch but the results are so worth it.

 

[Qonfused]

If you own a DSLR, get a 50mm 1.8f or equivalent right now. You'll love it. You'll use it nonstop.

 

[Destructo-Bot]

I use a 40D with a 24-105L as a walkaround lens. The 50mm f1.8 II is my fast prime and the Sigma "Bigma" 50-500mm is my telephoto. My next lens is the 11-16mm f2.8 Tokina and I really need to get a decent flash unit. It all gets tucked into a Pelican case.

 

[Dynasty]

Nikon D5000 stock.

I need to get a quality 10-20 odd wide-angle lense as I love landscape photography. And a decent tripod and some filters, and I will be set, happy as punch.

My dad went on a buying spree a few years back and bought one of those Canon EF Telephoto paparazi lenses with the 600-odd mm zoom.

Thing weighs a tonne and is pretty much never used without the tripod. He also bought a Canon EF Telephoto lense with a 300mm zoom.

Bloody jealous if you ask me. The zoom is ridiculous and blows alot of telescopes out of the water. Its insane how much detail you can get and how far away you notice you are when you see the shot on the screen. And with the lense hood on the end, it looks like he's aiming a beige-ish 50.cal from a distance.

At the same time though, my Nikon's Aperture settings, sensor, live view, better ISO settings and swivel screen beat his current Canon (dont know what model). Then he announced he's getting a new camera thats just come out from Canon for about £4-5k as his current Canon is about 3 years old. And my ego is once again shattered.

 

[Unfocused]

I've had a stock Nikon D40 for some time.

Wanted to finally buy some other lens for it, but I can't decide what I want.

I looked at some old manual M42 type lens which you hook up through an adapter, both of which you can get cheap on eBay-type sites, but I learned that this does not work well with Nikons, as the construction is such that the lens will not focus infinitely. :|

So I guess I'd have to look at some original lens, with all the fancy, convenient AF stuff, but damn, this is expensive :|

If I finally decide to dish out on some lens, I'll probably go for something 200-300mm, as I'd like to increase my range. Does anyone know if Tamron lens are any good? They make cheaper alternatives to original lens from what I gather and I've found a 55-200mm at a reasonable price, so maybe that would make a nice addition to the 18-55mm kit I have (EDIT: scratch that, it doesn't have it's own "screw" mechanism, which is a must in this case; so maybe a Sigma 70-300 for twice the price...).

What's your current equipment, Qonfused? Any photos with the 50mm 1.8 you'd share?

 

[The_Freeman]

Nikon D5000 with kit lens and Tamron 70-300mm

Its my first camera and I'm starting to learn how to use it. I can't really think of anything to say as I've only had it for a week and a day but I have taken quite a few photos.

 

[Unfocused]

Bumping with a question.

As I said my previous above post, I'm planning to buy some lens for my D40. Most likely I'll make the purchase in May. Currently I only have the kit 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. I'm looking to buy one of these; please advise (BTW I just compared the prices of lens here with those on amazon.com and I'm crying a little):

1. Sigma 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 APO - to increase my range; both for stuff far away and for photographing people unnoticed (that is I like unposed photos and people tend to react when they see you're pointing your camera at them). My main choice. ~300$

2. Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 - no AF (does not have an AF motor, which is required if I want to autofocus on the D40) - for shallow DOFs and comfort various light conditions. Worried about the lack of AF. ~170$

3. Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 - this one has AF; if the 50mm had AF, I would not consider the 35mm most likely, so this is an alternative to the above. ~250$

 

[Stormy]

Dude, I really recomend getting a 50mm, I got mine today and **** its fun, every pic you take just looks stunning. You really want AF on it tho, the depth of field is so damn strong that its will be quite hard to get the focus right all the time..

I'm sure processing a few pics now and will upload on the photography thread.

What app's are people using to develop their pictures? I been using lightroom lately, seems really good.

 

[knut]

probably going to be ordering a 50mm next week sometime for my nikon, or as soon as i can get back into my online banking and assess the damages of my student loan so far. eek.

 

[Unfocused]

Dude, I really recomend getting a 50mm, I got mine today and **** its fun, every pic you take just looks stunning. You really want AF on it tho, the depth of field is so damn strong that its will be quite hard to get the focus right all the time..

I'm sure processing a few pics now and will upload on the photography thread.

What app's are people using to develop their pictures? I been using lightroom lately, seems really good.

Well technically there's a tiny green dot to let me know when I've got the object I'm aiming at in focus... If I want AF I'd have to get the 35mm, unfortunately.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing your pictures!

 

[Viperidae]

D90 with kit 18-105mm. Edges are kind of blurry at full telephoto, but whatever. My dad has a bunch of old lenses for his FE2 that work with it, unfortunately no AF though (D700 plz).

I really want the Nikkor 35 (keep in mind people, 50mm is roughly 75 on full frame, so 35 is the same as 50 full), and at some point we might be getting the Tokina 11-16 but we've yet to find a reasonable deal in Canada (**** you Ken Rockwell for ruining the market on it).

 

[Stormy]

Well technically there's a tiny green dot to let me know when I've got the object I'm aiming at in focus

Coolio... i just found on manual focus even the smallest of errors can kill the picture just because the DoF is so dominant. But the wee green dot should help

 

[Stormy]

This is gunna have to be the next camera at some point in the far distant future!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digit...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1272378225&sr=1-2

Only issue would be the 10-22 lens does not work with it so would have to flog it and get a 17-40 wide insted.

 

[Stormy]

I have srs just broken my bank account ordering a new lens but should be totally worth it.

Canon 20-200mm f/2.8L usm

 

[Qonfused]

Monster of a lens you have there. What do you plan on shooting with it exactly?

Apparently I never posted what I currently rock: Nikon D200, 50 1.8F 95% of the time...if not, my 18-70 3.5-4.5.

 

[Stormy]

Really enjoy taking shots of people but find it really frustrating when they know and pose for the camera. Really hoping the range is really going to help get some good shots of people just getting on with their every day lives and the 2.8 should make it really quite fast and allow for some nice bokeh too.

Also going to start trying to do some hiking/camping so should be great for taking closeups of animals/plants etc or even heading down to some of the race tracks too for cars etc. Really looking forward to it landing on the door step.

Also realized today that there is no chance of that lens fitting in my current kit bag so also put in an order for this. Managed to find it on ebay for £50 rather then 80+ elsewhere.

 

[Raziaar]

I wish my digital camera could take nice pictures like those.

Maybe some day they'll beat traditional.