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[snaffles]

Two more weeks and I can afford a new lens.

It wont be this one (300mm F4), this may actually be too big for my E-M5 II. Olympus says it's their sharpest lens yet, which means something if true. And it's reasonably priced at $2.5k. Looks like a great lens.

This does look really nice, it is interesting how they are making the lens stabilization work in conjunction with the body stabilization. $3,500 here in Australia though so I certainly won't be getting one any time soon.

 

[Koriandrr]

Two more weeks and I can afford a new lens.

It wont be this one (300mm F4), this may actually be too big for my E-M5 II. Olympus says it's their sharpest lens yet, which means something if true. And it's reasonably priced at $2.5k. Looks like a great lens.

I got the Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm, which is about the same size, maybe a tad smaller and it was indeed a bit too large for my E-M10, BUT, if you buy the Handgrip for your camera it'll fix the issue like magic. I paid an extra £50 for the grip, but well worth it for bigger lenses on Olympus cameras

 

[TerryLee81]

this is part of why i'm getting rid of my oly gear. 2.5k for a 300f4 is way too high.

The Canon or Nikon 600mm F4 are 11k.

 

[captive]

The Canon or Nikon 600mm F4 are 11k.

Uhuh, this is not a 600f4. Even talking in "equivalence" it's not, there is no substitute for reach. Your talking to someone that owned Olympus 300f2.8. And will have Nikons new 500f4.

A 300f4 is exponentially easier to make, regardless of brand. Because no matter the sensor size it's still 300mm from the front to the back and f4 doesn't require a massive front element at 300mm. In fact due to the smaller senor size this oly lens should require less materials than a canikon 300f4, from that standpoint has the possibility of being cheaper to make. Canon and Nikons 300f4 can be had for 1000-2000 depending on the model. At the Olympus price for a little bit more you could buy a canikon 300f2.8

A 600f4 is a beast of a lens, the old Nikon weighed ~14lbs the new one weighs almost 9lbs, has a monster front element and isn't even close in size or reach to being a 300f4 from any brand.

 

[Astral/H3X]

I thought about calling that out but I see you did that better than I would've.

 

[Lucis]

The Canon or Nikon 600mm F4 are 11k.

why are you comparing a 600mm and a 300mm? why not go to the canon 1200mm 5.6 for 180k?
I guess someone has said it already, but the difficulty of making telephoto goes up exponentially from that point.

 

[giga]

Idk what you guys are talking about. Lens prices are directly proportional to their focal length.

 

[TerryLee81]

Uhuh, this is not a 600f4. Even talking in "equivalence" it's not, there is no substitute for reach. Your talking to someone that owned Olympus 300f2.8. And will have Nikons new 500f4.

A 300f4 is exponentially easier to make, regardless of brand. Because no matter the sensor size it's still 300mm from the front to the back and f4 doesn't require a massive front element at 300mm. In fact due to the smaller senor size this oly lens should require less materials than a canikon 300f4, from that standpoint has the possibility of being cheaper to make. Canon and Nikons 300f4 can be had for 1000-2000 depending on the model. At the Olympus price for a little bit more you could buy a canikon 300f2.8

A 600f4 is a beast of a lens, the old Nikon weighed ~14lbs the new one weighs almost 9lbs, has a monster front element and isn't even close in size or reach to being a 300f4 from any brand.

Of course it's not the same, there is a reason why the others cost 11k.

But the 300f4 on m43 should give you a similar field of view as the 600f4 on a FF camera, or not?

DOF will be different, of course.

 

[Melon Husk]

Any thoughts on Fujifilm's instax brand instant film? How much detail can you get from a quality scan? I understand they make two sizes. Any experiences of scanning them afterwards?

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Any thoughts on Fujifilm's instax brand instant film? How much detail can you get from a quality scan? I understand they make two sizes. Any experiences of scanning them afterwards?

From what I have read about it, the quality is okayish-decent. But then again, I don't think high image quality is the purpose behind it. The only downside to it IMO is the price of the photo paper.

 

[Dr.Horrible]

So I told my dad I was thinking about getting into photography and he loaned me his Canon EOS 7D so I can fool around with it before I take the plunge.

This creates a problem for me since I was looking at the Sony a6000, but I wouldn't be able to borrow his lenses if I did that, right? Are the mirrorless Canons any good?

He's got a macro lens, a 100mm macro lense, a 16-35mm lense, and a 70-300mm lense.

They are all very nice and priced between $550-$1,500 over the last 3-4 years.

 

[theepicoftyler]

So I told my dad I was thinking about getting into photography and he loaned me his Canon EOS 7D so I can fool around with it before I take the plunge.

This creates a problem for me since I was looking at the Sony a6000, but I wouldn't be able to borrow his lenses if I did that, right? Are the mirrorless Canons any good?

You can buy an adapter for the a6000 if that's what you want to do. I haven't heard much good about Canon's mirrorless line (compared to the competition), and you'd still need an adapter.

 

[Ty4on]

You can buy an adapter for the a6000 if that's what you want to do. I haven't heard much good about Canon's mirrorless line (compared to the competition), and you'd still need an adapter.

The Canon EF to EF-M adapter is just 50 bucks on BH.

Either way though you're usually better off using native glass. What Canon glass does he have that you'd like to borrow?

 

[Dr.Horrible]

The Canon EF to EF-M adapter is just 50 bucks on BH.

Either way though you're usually better off using native glass. What Canon glass does he have that you'd like to borrow?

It looks like they are:

Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro usm
Canon EF 70-300 4-5.6 IS usm
Canon EF 16-35 2.8L II usm

So, while possible, a converter to Sony may not be ideal then? Would a converter for a Canon mirrorless still have the same issues?

 

[Ty4on]

It looks like they are:

Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro usm
Canon EF 70-300 4-5.6 IS usm
Canon EF 16-35 2.8L II usm

So, while possible, a converter to Sony may not be ideal then? Would a converter for a Canon mirrorless still have the same issues?

You can google AF performance. On the Sony I think it should be pretty slow, but on the Canon it might be OK. The 7D should focus a lot faster than either. A high quality Canon to Sony mirrorless adapter is also 3-400$.
In general usability the main issue is that SLR glass is typically made for a big camera body and can feel unbalanced on a small mirrorless camera.

Here's a picture of a 100mm macro (probably a bit bigger than the one your dad's got) on a mirrorless Canon to show off the size difference.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Omitting everything else.. the silent electronic shutter mode is the biggest thing there for me.

Of course, I've only had my a6000 for a year, so.. upgrading to the 6100 would be crazy.... right?

The XT1 has the silent electronic shooting, and to be honest, it's kinda creepy. I have a hard time figuring out whether or not I actually took the image.

 

[jongkookie]

Any recommendations for a decent Nikon SLR under $100 bucks?

Met up with a photog buddy from the Philippines earlier today and he's rocking a Nikon FM10 as he's travelling around the country. That thing looked beautfiul... I want one but the price is too damn high lol.

I just want a film camera to play with, not really use for work or leisure. All it needs to do is take Nikon AI-S lenses.

 

[M52B28]

Any recommendations for a decent Nikon SLR under $100 bucks?

Met up with a photog buddy from the Philippines earlier today and he's rocking a Nikon FM10 as he's travelling around the country. That thing looked beautfiul... I want one but the price is too damn high lol.

I just want a film camera to play with, not really use for work or leisure. All it needs to do is take Nikon AI-S lenses.

Hit up eBay.

The Nikon F2 will run you a bit over $100, but if you can find another like this, pounce on it. The Nikon F2 is one of the best film cameras ever made. This one is a steal.

If you can't find any others, look at the Nikon FM series.

 

[Ty4on]

Any recommendations for a decent Nikon SLR under $100 bucks?

Met up with a photog buddy from the Philippines earlier today and he's rocking a Nikon FM10 as he's travelling around the country. That thing looked beautfiul... I want one but the price is too damn high lol.

I just want a film camera to play with, not really use for work or leisure. All it needs to do is take Nikon AI-S lenses.

So you have AI-S lenses to use with it, but don't need automatic aperture (S and P mode)? Lenses without an aperture ring (G) won't be usable on old Nikons.

If you want something really cheap, there's the EM. It's aperture priority only, so no manual shutter speeds apart from flash sync (1/90) and B. You also have the FG which had M, A and P mode, but was still a low end model.

On the higher end you had the FM, FE and FA. I don't have any experience with either, but you can find plenty of that online and I don't see anything objectionable with any of them.
The FM2 and FE2 had very advanced shutters with max shutter speed of 1/4000 and flash sync of 1/200, but seem to be too expensive on the used market. You also have the F3 which was the flagship, but while it is surprisingly affordable (I think it was 3k back in the day) I doubt you can find a decent copy for under 100$.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

So, curious about opinions on the Canon 70D with the 18-135mm STM lens from experienced DSLR users in here.

Good for taking pictures? Good for taking video? I'm looking to do both, so I want a camera that's versatile, easy to use, and high quality for right around the range that this camera costs.

I have mine paired with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. It was between this and a 5D MkIII, There is a huge difference in cost even with the $1k lens out of the equation. I opted for the 70D and have no regrets. I shoot a lot of video and photos and it exceeded my expectations in every way. I wasn't a fan of DSLR touch screens before, but it saves a *ton* of time when you remember that a simple 'tap' of the screen can adjust something otherwise would take 2-3x as long to adjust via the menu/wheel.

Highly recommended!

 

[VisceralBowl]

I have a hard time figuring out whether or not I actually took the image.

Haha I have the same issue!

I still love the electronic shutter though.

 

[JadedWriter]

What's the recommended focal length for indoor event shooting? I have an indoor event to cover next month and was thinking about picking up the Sigma 2.8 17-50 for it cause the 1.8 50 I have is pretty much a 75mm and I figure it's a bit too narrow for that kind of thing. I have a Nikon 18-105 and 18-55 kit lens, but I really don't like the bulk of the images I can pull out of those. Whatever lens you recommend me it can't be more than about 350 retail which I can probably find in the high to mid 200's used.

 

[FStop7]

I would use the equivalent of a 24-70

 

[Flo_Evans]

What's the recommended focal length for indoor event shooting? I have an indoor event to cover next month and was thinking about picking up the Sigma 2.8 17-50 for it cause the 1.8 50 I have is pretty much a 75mm and I figure it's a bit too narrow for that kind of thing. I have a Nikon 18-105 and 18-55 kit lens, but I really don't like the bulk of the images I can pull out of those. Whatever lens you recommend me it can't be more than about 350 retail which I can probably find in the high to mid 200's used.

35mm 1.8 DX and a flash you can bounce off the ceiling.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Whatever lens you recommend me it can't be more than about 350 retail which I can probably find in the high to mid 200's used.

35mm 1.8 DX and a flash you can bounce off the ceiling.

I would even suggest for your budget that if you don't already have an external flash that you get one first (along with a few sets of NiMH batteries).

Have used the older 35mm f/2 and a flash on a DX body for a wedding reception and it worked out OK. I would have used a fast zoom in that range had I had one, but I didn't.

 

[JadedWriter]

I would even suggest for your budget that if you don't already have an external flash that you get one first (along with a few sets of NiMH batteries).

Have used the older 35mm f/2 and a flash on a DX body for a wedding reception and it worked out OK. I would have used a fast zoom in that range had I had one, but I didn't.

I already have a pretty decent external flash and a set of rechargeable eneloops. Those two have gotten me through my last two modelling shoots actually. I have a Neewer flash can't remember the model. Edit it's a VK750 II I have a flash diffuser as well.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

I already have a pretty decent external flash and a set of rechargeable eneloops. [...]

Then go for the Sigma— assuming it's the newer one and not the older one which is apparently not much better than your kit 18-55.

I have a flash diffuser as well.

That's what the ceiling is for (but take it in case you're outdoors or in an atrium or something).

 

[JadedWriter]

Then go for the Sigma— assuming it's the newer one and not the older one which is apparently not much better than your kit 18-55.



That's what the ceiling is for (but take it in case you're outdoors or in an atrium or something).

By newer one are you talking about the 17-70 or the 17-50 the os cause the previous one lacked that.?

 

[PanicFreak]

I have a question about flashes. I'm looking at getting one of the Nikon flashes for my DSLR. I currently shoot on a D5200 (looking to upgrade to a different Nikon soonish). I'm looking at the SB-300 or the SB-500. Is there a reason that I should look into the SB-500 versus the 300? What advantages do you get by being able to pivot the flash horizontally instead of just vertically?

I would use the flash in a couple of ways. First (and foremost) would be to take better photos of my family, specifically my baby girl. The second thing I would do is to tinker around with long exposures where I use a flash to illuminate the foreground.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

By newer one are you talking about the 17-70 or the 17-50 without the os?

17-50 with OS, I think. Thom Hogan review

What advantages do you get by being able to pivot the flash horizontally instead of just vertically?

Lets you aim the light better; also, do you ever hold the camera at 90° ("portrait")? Nice to bounce off the ceiling then, too. The SB300 also can't be a remote or commander flash with Nikon's native system (CLS) if you ever want to get into off-camera flash.

 

[JadedWriter]

I have a question about flashes. I'm looking at getting one of the Nikon flashes for my DSLR. I currently shoot on a D5200 (looking to upgrade to a different Nikon soonish). I'm looking at the SB-300 or the SB-500. Is there a reason that I should look into the SB-500 versus the 300? What advantages do you get by being able to pivot the flash horizontally instead of just vertically?

I would use the flash in a couple of ways. First (and foremost) would be to take better photos of my family, specifically my baby girl. The second thing I would do is to tinker around with long exposures where I use a flash to illuminate the foreground.

By being able to pivot it you can bounce the flash off walls and other surfaces so you don't blast the subject in the face. You should get a dome diffuser as well so you don't wash out the subject. They're cheap as hell so get one, I learned that the hard way.

 

[lt519]

Picking up my a6000 when I get home. I have no idea what I'm doing; should be fun!

edit: not from the future

 

[jongkookie]

So you have AI-S lenses to use with it, but don't need automatic aperture (S and P mode)? Lenses without an aperture ring (G) won't be usable on old Nikons.

Yeah, all my lenses, minus the 18-55mm kit lens have a proper aperture ring.

I personally would get newer lenses tbh, but I don't think any modern lens these days lets you control the aperture physically and since I primarily use this for video, I need a physical aperture ring.

The Nikon F2 will run you a bit over $100, but if you can find another like this, pounce on it. The Nikon F2 is one of the best film cameras ever made. This one is a steal.

If you can't find any others, look at the Nikon FM series.

Thanks for the tips. I actually almost bought an FM this morning but I passed on it since I had to get a stabilizer rig for an upcoming video shoot.

I'm gonna wait until the next paycheck before I pick one up instead, I should be able to afford the F2 by then lol.

 

[PanicFreak]

Lets you aim the light better; also, do you ever hold the camera at 90° ("portrait")? Nice to bounce off the ceiling then, too. The SB300 also can't be a remote or commander flash with Nikon's native system (CLS) if you ever want to get into off-camera flash.

I honestly never thought about using it in portrait but that makes a lot of sense. It's definitely something else to consider.

By being able to pivot it you can bounce the flash off walls and other surfaces so you don't blast the subject in the face. You should get a dome diffuser as well so you don't wash out the subject. They're cheap as hell so get one, I learned that the hard way.

That's the main reason I want to get an external flash. I am not happy with the results from my built-in. It looks nice in low light situations outdoors but it looks gross as hell when it's low light, indoors.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I have a question about flashes. I'm looking at getting one of the Nikon flashes for my DSLR. I currently shoot on a D5200 (looking to upgrade to a different Nikon soonish). I'm looking at the SB-300 or the SB-500. Is there a reason that I should look into the SB-500 versus the 300? What advantages do you get by being able to pivot the flash horizontally instead of just vertically?

I would use the flash in a couple of ways. First (and foremost) would be to take better photos of my family, specifically my baby girl. The second thing I would do is to tinker around with long exposures where I use a flash to illuminate the foreground.

SB-500 adds remote wireless triggering. I don't think the D5200 supports that though, and it looks like the SB-500 doesn't support "dumb" fire when it detects other flashes mode.

Pivoting horizontally is nice when you want to bounce off the ceiling in portrait orientation or off the wall for side light.

 

[JadedWriter]

17-50 with OS, I think. Thom Hogan review



Lets you aim the light better; also, do you ever hold the camera at 90° ("portrait")? Nice to bounce off the ceiling then, too. The SB300 also can't be a remote or commander flash with Nikon's native system (CLS) if you ever want to get into off-camera flash.

That's the exact lens I was going to get. I heaRd there's a bug or 2 with the D7100 though.

 

[QualityPixel]

Any recommendations for a decent Nikon SLR under $100 bucks?

Met up with a photog buddy from the Philippines earlier today and he's rocking a Nikon FM10 as he's travelling around the country. That thing looked beautfiul... I want one but the price is too damn high lol.

I just want a film camera to play with, not really use for work or leisure. All it needs to do is take Nikon AI-S lenses.

I got a Nikkormat EL on ebay for about $45, and in a separate auction I got a 50mm F/1.4 non-AI lens for around $50. Both were in excellent working condition (but I did need to buy a hard to find 4SR44 battery for the camera light meter). It's a great camera, built very well, and does have "aperture priority automatic" (which I looooove). I wish I could put that lens on my D300, but I need to get it modified first.

Edit: I'm a dummy, lol. I got my AI and Non-AI lenses mixed up. It's still an awesome camera but it won't meter with lenses that don't have the little metal hook thing sticking out. It needs lenses with this little thing:

 

[FStop7]

Looks like I got one of my bucket list cameras. An Olympus 35 SP. Compact, 35mm rangefinder with a fixed 42mm f1.7 G.Zuiko lens. $50 on Craigslist. If it's fully functional then I stole it, they seem to go for $150 on eBay.

I've got 10 rolls of CineStill bwXX in the fridge and 5 rolls of Portra 400 on the way. I'll probably grab a few rolls of CineStill 50D and 800T, too.

This is the sort of camera I'd like to take with me to Japan. Film is stronger there than anywhere else. Leica said that 60% of the analog cameras they manufacture are sold there.

The rest of my bucket list is looking pretty good... I'm sure there will be more added but these are the ones I'd like to get within the next year:

Contax G2
Leica M2, M4, M6, MP, M-A (one of them... still unsure as to which, leaning toward M4)
Mamiya 7ii
Hassy XPAN
Nikon F6
Canon EOS 1V

My instinct is that we're going to see the market for certain analog cameras blow up in the next few years. I think it's already started, in fact. I'm not in it for investment purposes, I just want to get all of these before the prices get out of hand and the supply completely vanishes.

 

[Dr.Horrible]

Picking up my a6000 when I get home. I have no idea what I'm doing; should be fun!

edit: not from the future

Looking forward to impressions as I'm close to picking one of those up too.

 

[Astral/H3X]

Looking forward to impressions as I'm close to picking one of those up too.

The a6000 is an excellent camera. It's one of, if not the best selling Mirrorless cameras right now for a reason.

Really only thing that can go wrong is if you find you really hate the menu system.

 

[MickD]

My uncle passed away and left me his Camera kit. There's a Nikon 600 and 400. I don't even know where to start. I have a vague understanding of how all the stuff works due to my film degree but I am not a photographer. Any tips on learning a d3x/d4 plus all these crazy lenses?

 

[DarkJediKnight]

My rig

 

[Ty4on]

My uncle passed away and left me his Camera kit. There's a Nikon 600 and 400. I don't even know where to start. I have a vague understanding of how all the stuff works due to my film degree but I am not a photographer. Any tips on learning a d3x/d4 plus all these crazy lenses?

Sorry to hear about your uncle, but that's some amazing kit he left behind him. Any resource should help you with that kit (pro cameras are quite similar in operation), but it looks like he was into wildlife so you might wanna look into that as well.

 

[Radec]

My rig

Nice. Only 14-24 left for the trinity!

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Nice. Only 14-24 left for the trinity!

I actually want a longer zoom for sports.

 

[TerryLee81]

I really want to learn how to use a flash. Never used one before except for the tiny one that came with my camera, and pictures look like crap with it.

 

[Astral/H3X]

I really want to learn how to use a flash. Never used one before except for the tiny one that came with my camera, and pictures look like crap with it.

To start off, the biggest immediate improvement will come from one simple trick: point the flash at the cieling, not the subject. This isn't the only technique obviously, but it's the first step to having flash be useful.

 

[Lender]

Still in doubt over the X-T1. Problem is that at this time it's not like I really need it, but it's such an attractive price. 850€ with the 18-55 f2.8-f4. Im torn...

 

[RuGalz]

Still in doubt over the X-T1. Problem is that at this time it's not like I really need it, but it's such an attractive price. 850€ with the 18-55 f2.8-f4. Im torn...

what's the concern? just curious

 

[Radec]

Still in doubt over the X-T1. Problem is that at this time it's not like I really need it, but it's such an attractive price. 850€ with the 18-55 f2.8-f4. Im torn...

Why not get the XT10? Cheaper version of the XT1