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  1. #1001
    Who's driving? Oh my God Bear is driving! How can that be??
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    The Baader film is pretty nice, I've used their products before to take a picture of the solar eclipse (smaller aperture filter used on a point and shoot camera). My only gripe is the film is very thin so you have to be careful not to puncture it, but it comes with a circular cardboard disk to protect during storage. I could get a lot closer but my girlfriend has the eyepiece projector tube that she uses on her 6 inch Newtonian (She won it off a space.com contest...lucky girl...) and hopefully she will bring it over and we will get some shots with her Nikon.

    As far as capturing coronas and solar flares, you should look into H-Alpha solar filters (which are very expensive and only are made for small aperture refractors) or a PST (Personal Solar Telescope) which is specifically designed for viewing advanced features of the sun. I hear nothing but good things about the Coronado PST's, in fact I looked through one a few weeks ago while visiting the local telescope store...it's pretty breathtaking.

  2. #1002
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    Nice. I did not have time to get Baader film for the anular solar eclipse we just had and I didn't bother getting it for the venus transition. I purchased some solar viewers from the planetarium and I tapped one to the front of my lens. That worked really great for the eclipse and the transition but it is far too dark since it is designed to look through with your eyes so it filters out a lot more light than the photographic filters. But I want to get more detailed pictures of the corona and outer solar features in 5 years when we get to see another total eclipse in my part of the world.

  3. #1003
    Who's driving? Oh my God Bear is driving! How can that be??
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    Yeah there is a huge difference between the two. Here are two shots with a Panasonic Digital Camera @40x zoom

    With Solar Glasses





    With Baader Filter


  4. #1004
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    The one thing I like about the solar glasses over the baader film is the color still comes through though you could easily color correct the baader film and get the sun color back.

  5. #1005
    Who's driving? Oh my God Bear is driving! How can that be??
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    I've have been struggling with the idea of changing the color back to what we normally see (yellow orange) since the baader filters give the appearance of what the Suns true color is. A lot of people look at it and are puzzled since they aren't accustomed to seeing the Sun in its natural light. Though I have to say seeing it in yellow/orange does look more appealing.

  6. #1006
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    http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...83705784_n.jpg

    Here is my Venus Transition shot. I only got the one good shot before the sun went behind the clouds. It is also not quite as sharp as I would want because I was shooting with only 300mm as well as non mounted filter material.

  7. #1007
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    That's pretty awesome. I wish I could have framed up the whole sun in my shots but we didn't get to put the eyepiece projector on in time and the sun went behind the houses in our neighborhood. Also, here's my shot of the moon through my telescope:



  8. #1008
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    http://www.petapixel.com/tag/donpettit/
    http://files.petapixel.com/assets/up...6/don_mini.jpg
    A friend just sent me this link and I thought it was really cool to see. This guys photographs are truly amazing. He does have the advantage of taking these photos from the most unique vantage point ever. Several of those camera bodies floating around are D3 or D3s camera bodies (can't remember which) that Nikon custom made just for the astronauts to take up into space.

  9. #1009
    Chram
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    I went to the Bronx Zoo yesterday and took some pictures. I've only had my camera since October of last year, so I figured I'd post some of (what I think) are the better photos here for critique.

    Photos were taken using a Nikon D5100 with 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR lens. I shot all of the photos in manual with auto-ISO on with maximum ISO set at 1600.

    I have an external hotlight, but I didn't bother bringing it since I figured the subjects would be too far away for the flash to help. Is this correct? It was a really sunny day yesterday, so some of the animals had a lot of shadows and the flash would have definitely helped.

    Any critiques are welcome. I still feel like I'm not using the camera correctly 90% of the time haha.
    Spoiler: show





























  10. #1010
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    This are some great photos of the zoo Xerlic. My favorites are the ones of the primates.

    I have been shooting more medium format lately so I don't have any photos to post. But I might scan some in at some point. Anyone here do any serious video? I am trying to research what a good video camera would be that would last a long time. I need a video camera with XLR inputs for sound, time coding on the video files for audio syncing, preferably interchangeable lenses, and preferably three sensors. It would also be nice if I had 60, 30, and 24 fps available. My budget is in the $2,500 or less range too. I know that is a lot to ask in that price range but maybe someone knows of a good camera like that.

  11. #1011
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    Spoiler: show


    Handing an elephant sized frozen treat to one of our girls

    edit: spoilered for table breaking

  12. #1012
    Chram
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    Nice shot. I never realized an elephant's trunk was so hairy. :s

  13. #1013
    the elephant whisperer
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    Quote Originally Posted by Xerlic View Post
    Nice shot. I never realized an elephant's trunk was so hairy. :s
    Some are, some aren't. The elephant that trunk is attached to is a very hairy girl also. lol It is regional for the most part. Burmese elephants tend to be shorter, thicker, hairy, and have darker skin.

  14. #1014
    Chram
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    I've been in the market for a midrange walkaround lens to replace my kit lens, so I went over to B&H during my lunch break to try different stuff out. Now, initially I was thinking of the 16-85mm VR based on reviews and browsing dpreview's forums. I was also looking at the the 17-55mm f2.8 when researching lenses. It's a really top notch lens, but I initially dismissed it due to price.

    Well stupid me tried it out and now I'm starting to reconsider.. The constant f2.8 is amazing. I want to rent it just to make sure since it's a pretty big investment for a hobby, and my other hobbies aren't nearly as expensive. (A new lens will buy a lot of drafts. Zoobernut knows what I'm talking about haha.)

    I noticed that while it's ~1400 new, you can buy it significantly cheaper used. Do any of you guys have experience buying used lenses on Ebay/Craigslist? How would it work in terms of warranty? I'm kind of afraid of buying a faulty lens for a largish sum of money and not being able to do anything about it.

    Also, if any of you have used both lenses (16-85VR and 17-55), how do they compare?

  15. #1015
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    Xerlic I know exactly what you mean!

    I have never used either lens but having been in the same situation as you and done quite a bit of research into it I have heard great things about both lenses. I don't think you will be disappointed with either. With respect to buying used lenses I too am wary of buying a used lens on craigslist. I would be less wary about it on ebay if the seller was an actual camera store somewhere. My usual recommendation for used gear is KEH.com they are very generous with their grading and their gear comes with a warranty.

    I would love to pick up the 17-55mm f2.8 and I have been talking about it for a very long time. It is a great quality walk around lens though for some it can be a little bit heavy for long periods of time.

  16. #1016

    Never die Photography Thread!

    Ok, BG Photofaces.... I have a question. My place of business is looking to get some photos taken of some local venues, and I would love input from some of you on what lens I might need to look into buying/renting.

    So essentially, we are looking to take some indoor shots of various theaters/venues in town showing view from specific seats/sections. My arsenal is mainly geared towards portraiture so I have a 50mm 1.4 and an 85mm 1.4. These live on my SDMkI. What would you all suggest I pick up for this? I need to price some options out either buying or renting (buying would be nice as it would mean I walk around with the lens anytime we are NOT shooting theaters) but if Renting makes things much easier then I will go that route.

    EDIT: Looking at prices at lensrentals.com and borrowlenses.com ... I think it is unlikely that I will be able to convince them NOT just to rent the lens. A 17mm Tilt Shift is something like $100 for 6days. So that should be a factor too.

    So what do you think? How wide do I need to go? I will of course be checking out some stock photography, and other info forums but wanted to get my trusty BGer's advice.

    10-20? 30mm? I will say, I don't think that I have too much room here on cost at least as far as purchase. Rentals though, if there is a lens that is just ideal (tilt shift for example) then I may be locked into just having them rent it.

  17. #1017
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    Hmm I think how wide you go is going to be entirely up to your personal or your place of businesses taste. Since you are shooting full frame a medium wide angle like 24mm would be a good place to start. That is going to give you a nice field of view without too much distortion. If you want to go super wide then I would say closer to 14mm would be the answer. With that in mind for your project the most logical lens to look at renting would be something like a 14-24mm lens. That would give you some versatility. And if you find yourself needing to do a more "normal" field of view you can always pop your 50mm on the camera.

    An update on my photography: I haven't been doing many photos lately as I have been so busy with my son (8 months old now) I really need to get to a point where I can do photography full time so I actually have time. In July I shot my first short film, I was the director. In September one of my friends who is a photographer had me film his workshop to create a promo video for him. I have been shooting a lot more film when I am out shooting exclusively 120 on my Yashica TLR.

    Edit: I agree Photography Thread must not die!

  18. #1018
    the whitest knight u' know
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    Keep in mind that the wider you go, yes the more you can see, but the stage will look further away from these venue seats.

    For a standard SLR, 50mm is the closest you're going to get to a human eye's angle of view, so I consider this an absolutely necessary focal length to have no matter what you're doing.

    As far as a tilt-shift, I can't really say that is going to be very useful/necessary for such functional photography (as opposed to editorial/artistic/etc.). I can't imagine you really need to land focus across a non-parallel plane or correct for any architectural distortion.

    My suggestion would be to always have a 50mm, and not to go much wider than about 30mm unless you're really trying to show more of what can be seen from a location. I love 40mm because it gives just that tiny bit of extra view all around, but doesn't do much in the ways of warping straight lines, making close-up objects look too bulbous, or causing the subject appear far away.

  19. #1019

    Excellent advice from you both. Always appreciated. I should clarify a bit, if it wasn't before, these would be empty house shots. Not during performances. It sounds like you both got that though, I just wanted to be clear.

    Excellent point Mioko, the wider I go the farther away that stage is going to look, and when I am trying to get asses in seats (ALL seats) I don't necessarily want to make the farther sections seem pointless. I am not trying to point out how gorgeous some of these venues are, I am trying to show them what they will see from that seat. Thank you for making me realize that.

    Something with a bit of both. A good idea of what you are going to be able to see, but a better idea of what you would see if you are looking at the stage. That is where they will be looking 90% of the time after all and what they will be most interested in knowing before they throw down their money for tickets. So perhaps a 30 or 40 would be worth looking into. I had eyed the 30mm Sigma for a long time for my personal use, but shied away at the poor calibration issues (really miss that micro adjust that the MkII has), but renting a 35mm 1.4 L ... around $50 before shipping and optional insurance.

    Thanks again!

    (and a thank you to Zansho for putting lensrentals.com and borrowlenses.com on my radar via a post in this topic some time ago)

  20. #1020
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    Bump for Justice! A couple of photos I took recently on campus while I was walking to class.
    http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...87144387_n.jpg

    http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...06785172_n.jpg

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