Photographers

[Augustus]

use your head and the good old sunny 16 rule.

I love it that you can get exposures right in desperate situations, purely from experience. So cool.

 

[The Ken]

I have a canon 400D, pretty decent and its replacement the 500D is meant to be really good for film work too(something I'm interested in)
The stock lenses though are really poor - I have a tamron lens and it is great in comparison.

I would check reviews of the lenses you are able to afford and base a camera around that, I would expect nikon to be the best for stock lenses within a normal price range.

 

[Tad]

use your head and the good old sunny 16 rule.

I love it that you can get exposures right in desperate situations, purely from experience. So cool.

I spent 5 weeks as the photographer on a trip to Kenya doing that after my meter packed up on the first week out there. I was traveling light so no spare bodies, no spare meter... It saw me through with no problems. Mind you I was shooting on Reala C41 stock. I don't think Velvia E6 would have coped so well. Those were the days, the original Velvia 50 rated at 40, a beautiful film before Fuji had to reformulate the emulsion.

If you want some more retro photography phrases how about "reciprocity failure" for long exposures or even better, "the Scheimpflug principle" or "hyperfocal distances" for when lenses had proper depth of field scales engraved on them. Those were the days, digital makes it so easy chimping away.

What is it your mate says? An old EOS1D with a 70-200 f2.8 will take pictures of the same quality as a new 400D with the 70-200 f4.5-5.6, the only difference it will still be able to take pictures once Hugh Grant has lobbed a bin at you with the EOS1.

 

[Augustus]

use your head and the good old sunny 16 rule.

I love it that you can get exposures right in desperate situations, purely from experience. So cool.

I spent 5 weeks as the photographer on a trip to Kenya doing that after my meter packed up on the first week out there. I was traveling light so no spare bodies, no spare meter... It saw me through with no problems. Mind you I was shooting on Reala C41 stock. I don't think Velvia E6 would have coped so well. Those were the days, the original Velvia 50 rated at 40, a beautiful film before Fuji had to reformulate the emulsion.

If you want some more retro photography phrases how about "reciprocity failure" for long exposures or even better, "the Scheimpflug principle" or "hyperfocal distances" for when lenses had proper depth of field scales engraved on them. Those were the days, digital makes it so easy chimping away.

What is it your mate says? An old EOS1D with a 70-200 f2.8 will take pictures of the same quality as a new 400D with the 70-200 f4.5-5.6, the only difference it will still be able to take pictures once Hugh Grant has lobbed a bin at you with the EOS1.

LOL.

Sheimflug!!!!!!


Another personal fave.....


Gumbichromate!

Fridisms, all. LOL.

 

[Tad]

Silver halide, cyanotype, reticulation...

It's like a photographic version of Mornington Crescent.

I think I shall let the thread get back on topic now

 

[Augustus]

I have it on good authority that the difference between 'pro' gear and 'amateur' gear is this....



Both types of gear will take a pic of Hugh Grant coming out of his house and chucking a bin at you. Both will deflect said bin. Only one set up will be able to still take pics of him getting into his car and speeding off afterwards.

 

[MagD]

Did seven years working in Jessops in Edinburgh many years ago, as my provenance on what to look at.....

Agree with a few of the posters re going for a camera that fits your hands and how well your fingers fall onto the buttons dials etc.

Canon and Nikon have the wider ranges of lenses vs pentax / sony etc.

Nikon's will accept pre AF manual focus lenses, with some exceptions, but canons won't.

A D-SLR wioth 8 / 9 / 10 MP or greater will be enough for most uses.

Professional or pro-sumer cameras from canon and nikon have metal chassis, which will survive the hugh grant bin thowing / nose dive down a WC DH route on a rigid SS scenario better and keep working ;-)

As always buyer beware on S/H stuff - avoid any marks / scratches etc and defo avoid anything with the merest hint of sand / dirt showing inside.

Likewise anything that smells musty - the perils of water imersion to photographic equipment are great!

Cheers M.

 

[Huntso]

Professional or pro-sumer cameras from canon and nikon have metal chassis

The new Canon 60D body is now plastic instead of magnesium, probably just as strong, just doesn't feel so solid
Good camera though by all counts, just feel that the sensors are getting a bit overcrowded with 18mp

 

[kaiser]

Lots of good stuff folks Top two are the Nikon D90 second hand or D5000 new. Going to phone Grays tomorrow

 

[FMJ]

one thing to check if you're considering buying a used body is to check the total number of shutter releases. Like used bikes, you ideally want to buy one that wasn't used much.