Click Click Click

I was mainly experimenting with lenses, AF area, Spot metering. Composition-wise, I wanted to try some wide-angle near the subject in the foreground, low to capture sky and reduce neighborhood distraction. Then, use the 1.8 to get some crisp shots with background blur, and telephoto to compress the subject.

I did not really get distracted by the reflection off the truck, I was too concerned picking that photo with his overall expression and exposure.

My exposure varied widely trying to follow the fast action with the spot meter setting. I switched between aperture and shutter priority. Not sure which I liked better. Some of the ones with more sky came out too dark for me so I lightened them in iPhoto. Here is the quickly-snapped series with the one photo. I used my old film camera lens 70-210, which on the D50 is longer, of course.

It was just nice sun, and I wanted to get out. He was laughing so much because all he could hear was the camera taking a ton of photos in a row. It cracked him up. "Dad, why are you taking so many photos? I can't shoot with all that noise."

All those shots are as taken, nothing cropped. I haven't had time to edit them except for some exposure.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2009 05:55PM by El Jeffe.

0218 and 0223 also good, but need cropping. good shots.

I like the pictures, but I don't know anything of photography. They look really nice to me.

Thanks tliet. I looked over all 360 since my last post. I still think this (Adorama refurb) D50 often times makes the white/light parts look way to washed out, and overexposed. I've always wondered if that is why it was inexpensive and refurbed. I just don't have a few more D50s to shoot with to compare how well they do. But, it's been a good camera for me. Like everything, I'd love to upgrade. But switching to Canon and all new glass is expensive for me.

Like I said, where is your snow!? :)

This is cool:

http://pix.ierna.com/gallery/v/tomi/Travel/Greece09/Tom/panoramas/Athens+Street.jpg.html

What'd stitch 'em together with?

The snow is in my pond, sir.

Okay, I had a couple more I edited and uploaded that I like.

http://img525.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc0113.jpg

Thanks, Stan.

I just used Photoshop CS4's panorama functionality.

There are a few different settings, but since I was using my long glass at 200mm, I think I used the simplest settings (where it doesn't try to do any lens correction, and it just places the pictures using edge detection...)

El Jeffe, you might look at the settings on your D50 to see what the auto exposure settings are. I'm not familiar with that exact body, but many times exposure is set to some sort of average of several points, and that might cause the on board computer to make bad decisions sometimes. I tend to use single-point auto-exposure if I can, that way I know exactly what part of the frame I've auto-expose-locked to. Past that, you could go partial or full manual for total control over exposure. I tend to shoot in the semi-auto and auto modes when I'm shooting candid-style because things change too fast to mickey with manual controls.

Two things:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-9973-9976

When do they update the 50D to have video too?

This Rebel looks very good ...

---
Not very fast but it's Zeiss and super wide...

Quote

Carl Zeiss has said it will produce a Canon-mount version of its 18mm F3.5 lens. The Distagon T* 3.5/18 super-wide angle lens has previously only been available in the ZF and ZK mounts for Nikon and Pentax cameras, respectively. A Canon-mount version of the lens is being shown at the Photo Imaging Expo 2009 show in Tokyo and will be available 'towards the end of the year,' the company said.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0903/09032702zeiss_3p5_18_canon.asp

Here are my other photos from the weekend.

http://img25.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc0210blx.jpg

Nice pictures Bill.. looks almost as good as Scotland too..

Hey, the Canon 5d Mk ii is available again at B&H. Use this link and MacEdition gets a cut!

Anyone have about $2,500 to lend me? :)

I'm still waiting for my Kevin Rudd money. As soon as that hits I'm buying a new lens. I was gonna buy at a local store, but I've since learned that its closed down!

I bought a couple of new things lately:

- Manfrotto HDV Tripod (basically Manfrotto's lightweight video tripod with a fluid head. The plate will fit my 5d Mk ii, also, so it's dual-use)
- Canon TC-80N3 (a timer/intervalometer for the pro Canon SLRs)
- Canon 24-70 @2.8 (a sweet sweet lens on the 5d. Fits the middle ground between my 17-35 @2.8 and my 70-200 @2.8)

The sad thing about these new purchases is that I paid more than I wanted for them, basically because of poor planning.

If I had been thinking the timing of things, I could have bought all three items from B&H and saved about $300 on the set.

It's kind of sad that my local camera store has higher prices than mail order, because they are such a neat place to shop.

But, on the same token, I did need the items faster than they could be shipped, so I guess I got off easy.

I've shopped B&H since I bought my first Beseler enlarger in 1982... here in Portland we have two prominent shops left. One of them I walked into and talked to them about a lens shortly after I bought my 10D back in '03. Their price was about 120.00 greater than BH's ... I know why and admitted that I was willing to pay more but why don't you meet me somewhere in the middle of the price difference? They said no. I walked and have never been back.

I have a very large fluid head tripod. Maybe the Manfrotto mini fluid which is about 6.5lbs would be nice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2009 04:52AM by rino.

What does a fluid head do for you? (you, personally) (Any of you)

I know why they did and I think that tide has turned, if they do not realize, they will die.

In a very weird way this is EXACTLY why none of the major newspapers understood how it is NOT the bloggers that have smashed their business model, it is f'in Craig's list.

The local camera store operator surely knows that it costs them X to pay the rent, turn on the lights and have an actual profit making business. For the whole time they have been in business they 'learned' by add Y percentage to the wholesale cost of the goods they sell they can cover those costs.

B&H (and other legitimate powerhouses of camera sales) simply operates with a smaller multiplier. The local camera store assumes that every "lower price" you bring in is from some "worthless grey marketer huckster" and ignores the FACT that B&H really does have lower costs.

This is the same thing that KILLED the newspapers. They know how much it costs to print classifieds and they assumed that NO ONE would want to read free online ads instead of printed classifieds. HUGE F'ING MISTAKE. Not only do people want to do that, they ACTUALLY PREFER having the anonymous reply / email forwarding stuff built-in FOR FREE! The lack of understanding on the part of the newspapers has DOOMED THEM.

If you have the time to 'splain this to your local camera store there is a very slight chance that they will NOT CLOSE, but you have to really and truly want them to exist AND make a commitment to honestly spend something that does "fall in the middle" of their old prices and those of operators that have lower costs. The other thing that they REALLY F'ING need to do is change their cost structure when it comes to advertising. There are MILLIONS of people that would dearly LOVE to have a CAMERA STORE explain how to really use real Photoshop to make their pictures look better. This is something that people would FLOCK into a local camera store to do IF THEY GOT EMAIL THAT ANNOUNCED this, in MUCH the same as way as hoards of people FLOCK to Apple Stores to figure out all the cool stuff they really can do with the ridiculously overpriced new Apple HW...

Quote
El Jeffe
What does a fluid head do for you? (you, personally) (Any of you)

I have a nice Bogen head that is marketed as "fluid head". http://www.opticsplanet.net/bogen-manfrotto-3130-micro-fluid-head.html

I do not think mine really has a true viscous coupling, just surfaces that have finely machines surfaces of uniform friction so that I can pan in "fluid" manner.

I also have a "quick adjust three axis head" for using the same set of tripod legs with still cameras that I may have to flop the camera around to compose the shot I want: http://www.jr.com/manfrotto/pe/MAF_808RC4/ (that is NOT the exact one I have, as the one I have uses the same camera plate at the fluid head...


And yes, I think you are serious. If you wanted me to "go blue" you know I can...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2009 05:33AM by stan adams.

?

I'm just ignorant about tripods. I have seen those with bubble levels. I wasn't sure if that was a fluid head or not.
So, fluid MOTION. Sounds like video application, not still work, then.