The Photography Thread

[mootsfox]

I'd call 12 Raw bursts absurd though :/

Absolutely relevant for sports (if your camera writes fast enough), but for studio work I cant image the card being the bottleneck.

I remembered wrong, it's 15.

Still, it's not hard to go through it. Honestly, in a studio, if you're setup with a decent camera, the CF is ether not writing at all, or is doing backup, because you're tethered to a computer.

[Zansho]

Eww, I hate wires. I had to work with them way back when I was shooting with a hasselblad and Speedotron Brown Line strobes, had to connect wires to everything to get everything to fire, and you were always tripping over some wire, or something ridiculous. I was in heaven when pocketwizards were invented, and I just upgraded to the flex version, and love them.

Shooting tethered, while it has its benefits, is something I simply won't do. I've been shooting long enough professionally that I can rely on my own experience and understanding of the histogram to make sure I have focus/exposure/depth of field right, and if I were forced to shoot tethered, I'm using this instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrc5eWFP0I - canon's wireless file transmitter. I know it's slower than shooting tethered, but in a studio environment, you're shooting slower and more "carefully" anyway, so speed is rarely ever a factor.

The majority of the time I'm using my profoto monoblocs with their built in pocketwizard recievers, so everything is pretty much as wireless as can be. Hate hate HATE wires, lol.

[mootsfox]

Eww, I hate wires. I had to work with them way back when I was shooting with a hasselblad and Speedotron Brown Line strobes, had to connect wires to everything to get everything to fire, and you were always tripping over some wire, or something ridiculous. I was in heaven when pocketwizards were invented, and I just upgraded to the flex version, and love them.

Shooting tethered, while it has its benefits, is something I simply won't do. I've been shooting long enough professionally that I can rely on my own experience and understanding of the histogram to make sure I have focus/exposure/depth of field right, and if I were forced to shoot tethered, I'm using this instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrc5eWFP0I - canon's wireless file transmitter. I know it's slower than shooting tethered, but in a studio environment, you're shooting slower and more "carefully" anyway, so speed is rarely ever a factor.

The majority of the time I'm using my profoto monoblocs with their built in pocketwizard recievers, so everything is pretty much as wireless as can be. Hate hate HATE wires, lol.

Nikon has the WT-1 and revisions.

Or you can use wireless USB.

Tethered doesn't have to use a cord. Though that's the only way I've done it Using my camera tethered via a 15ft usb cable when taking pictures for eBay is just awesome though. Since speed of the transfer doesn't matter, you can setup a second monitor as a preview, and get the exact shot you want easily and quickly.

[Tyche]

Do any of you guys have an old (preferably broken) canon P&S lying around? I'd love to take it off your hands.

[Doombear]

Any thoughts on the recently/finally announced Nikon D7000 Seems very enticing to me, but I am still leaning towards a 40D/50D and either a 35 or 85mm lens... I am actually more excited to see if this does ANYTHING to the prices of Canons one way or another. I still have yet to hold a Nikon DSLR though, but quite like the heft and feel that the 40D i toyed with has. It was much more 'substantial' than my wife's 400D, and suits my larger hands.

At this point I am just rambling, convincing my SELF really... but the 40D seems like a good choice for me as it would leave me more money for some glass and possibly a simple strobe set.

[zoobernut]

I would take the D7000 over the 40D/50D for sure now if it is as good as the specs and Chase Jarvis say it is. The D7000 should have MUCH better low light performance/noise at high iso's which to me is a big factor since for the most part everything else is pretty similar in the medium level DX format DSLR's.

The D7000 also sports the magnesium alloy body and the weather sealing of a pro camera which is nice if you do a lot of outdoors shooting. It also has full color matrix metering instead of the black and white matrix metering that Canon uses.

But ultimately it is a tough call to make until the D7000 is out and some labs have time to have a hands on review of it.

It's funny I was just about to post something about the new Nikon announcements here even though most people on this board are canon shooters, I think Moot's and I are the only Nikon shooters?

They also announced the sb-700 flash which looks nice and the really nice looking but over priced 35mm AF-S f1.4 designed for full frame.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2010/09/nikon-d7000/

There are some interesting comments at the bottom from some of his staff about the low light performance of the D7000.

[Tyche]

What's the pricepoint on the D7000? I'm guessing it's Nikon's counter to the 60D announcement, therefore, probably has a similar pricepoint. If it's $1200+, I'd consider a 7D over a 50D. The 7D is a beast of a camera. I was going to get one through the Canon Loyalty Program (at $1100, it was a steal). But, they sold out and it's no longer offered. I think I'll just get a 50D now ($720 through the loyalty program I think). Does your wife have a collection of lenses. I'm not familiar with Nikkor to EOS or EOS to Nikkor adapters, but I'd hate to have to rebuy lenses or buy 2 different lens sets.

[Tyche]

Also, I was looking at strobe sets. I think I want to go with Alienbees. They reviewed really well on the strobist blog and the price is absurdly awesome.

[zoobernut]

I agree with Tyche, the 40D and the 50D were good cameras in their time but at this point it really should be between the 7D and the D7000. The 40D and 50D will be quite a bit behind either camera. And either of those cameras are going to be amazing cameras for a long time, since they are both similar stats and price points I think at that point the most important thing is ergonomics which camera feels better and more comfortable to you?

Also which system do you want to buy into don't forget once you invest in one brand it is rarely worth switching to another so figure out which brand has the lenses you want or what brand your friends/siblings/coworkers/significant others use.

Tyche the D7000 is releasing at $1200 for body only and has better stats than the D300s which was Nikons top of the line equivalent to the 7D. The 7D is going to be better for movies but I am sure the D7000 will have some advantages in other areas. They are both capable and great cameras right around the same level.

[Tyche]

I don't know if the D7000 has it, but the 7D also has a built in wireless ETTL transmitter. That saves a couple hundred over the canon accessory you'd have to buy (or the pocket wizards).

But yeah, at $1200, I'd compare it to a 7D. Since the 7D went off the loyalty program, I just decided to get a 50D and a 70-200L lens.

[Tyche]

Also, by most accounts I've read, the 60D is shit. Don't consider it.

[zoobernut]

I don't know if the D7000 has it, but the 7D also has a built in wireless ETTL transmitter. That saves a couple hundred over the canon accessory you'd have to buy (or the pocket wizards).

But yeah, at $1200, I'd compare it to a 7D. Since the 7D went off the loyalty program, I just decided to get a 50D and a 70-200L lens.

I don't know if the D7000 has a built in wireless transmitter but it can use the built in flash as a master flash for the CLS system. It can control many other nikon flashes using this system with i-TTL metering. That is awesome that you are getting another camera and the 70-200L lens I am very jealous. I really want to get the D7000 when it comes out as I am due for a new camera, I outgrew my other one.

Business has been slow lately and I can't really spend money on camera equipment right now unless it comes from jobs so I will just have to be patient.

[Tyche]

I actually already have the 70-200. It makes my little rebel look like a bazooka. (my wife, we were doing some practice runs).

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6261988_n.jpg

(taken with my phone).

[Tyche]

Ooooooooooh.

How many CF card slots does that new camera have?

I'M POKING YOU MOOTS!

Also, autofocus in movie mode is nice.

[zoobernut]

It has 0 CF card slots, it uses SD but it does have 2 SD card slots which is nice.

[Tyche]

That was a rhetorical question

And yeah, 2 slots should help the buffer as long as it can write both simultaneously (which, it sort of has to right?).

I was more or less just wanted to jab at moots for the earlier discussion.

[Doombear]

I read that it has a few options there. You can use the 2nd as overflow/back up, or set it for a specific file type. So card 1 is for JPGs and Card 2 is for RAW files, etc.

Personally, unless the 7D comes down closer to $1k for the body, I don't see myself grabbing it. For me, right now, it makes more sense to get MORE for my money. When I say more I mean items, not necessarily MPs or upgrades, etc. I know that I would rather have a 7D than a 40/50D, hell... gimme a 5DMkII. That just isn't quite feasible just now though.

So, the 40/50D may be old sure but they are very reliable cameras and if had more money for better glass then that extends how much i can do with it. On the flip side I would have to justify having JUST a 50mm 1.8 (shoddy build, etc. etc.) and the Kit lens that came with the wife's 400D if i got the 7D. That make sense?

I am not shooting fast subjects either, or burst. Take a look at what I shoot currently. I imagine that a 50D would be a nice upgrade here... ?

My Flickr --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/effny/ (and of course, feedback is always welcome)

[zoobernut]

That was a rhetorical question

And yeah, 2 slots should help the buffer as long as it can write both simultaneously (which, it sort of has to right?).

I was more or less just wanted to jab at moots for the earlier discussion.

Oh yeah that earlier discussion. I don't honestly know why they went with sd instead of cf but I suspect because they don't want to alienate the consumer level and the new pro-sumer DX that replaces the D300s will be sd/cf capable and the new replacement for the D700 (the FX camera) will be CF only. Graelinn beat me to it but yeah you can configure the slots to do various things, straight backup, raw on one jpg on another, overflow fill first card then start filling second when the first is full etc.

[Tyche]

Are they releasing the new FX camera soon? The 5D Mark III from canon has been rumored for about 2 years now. I think they're waiting to see Nikon's cards. All I know is that I want a mark II when the Mark III hits.

[zoobernut]

Well the D7000 has such impressive stats that people believe Nikon must be announcing the replacement for the D300s soon unless their plan is for the D7000 to be top dog in the DX market. It is also rumored that Nikon will be announcing the replacement for the D700 their least expensive full frame camera and the equivalent to the 5DmkII soon too.