The Photography Thread

**Marked** · 2013-07-03 23:18

**zeal5050** · 2013-08-15 12:56

Hey guys,

Looking for advice on purchasing a new camera.

I don't have any lenses at the moment, so I'm not married to one brand in particular. However, I am leaning towards the Canon 6D. I will be using the camera mainly for concert, landscape, portraiture, astrophotography & occasionally for video. The full frame sensor in the 6D should allow for better low light performance, and any investment I make in lenses would hopefully carry over to future body upgrades. Would love input on lenses & flashes as well.

I was thinking:

CANON EF 70-200mm IS USM II Lens - Telephoto
ZEISS ZE 50MM F1.4 - Portrait
SIGMA 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 DG HSM II - Wide-angle
SIGMA 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO - Macro

LUMOPRO LP180 Quad-sync Manual Flash

Here is a sampling of the types of photos I would like to take:

Spoiler: show

Many thanks!

sorry for bamping.

**zoobernut** · 2013-08-18 15:08

That is a great kit and would certainly allow you to take all of the photos that you posted. But so would the Nikon D7100 and the Canon 7D. Full frame does not necessarily give you any better low light performance anymore. The main advantage of full frame these days is limited to a bigger brighter viewfinder. And the fact that full frame cameras usually are in the pro range of cameras so the controls are usually set up to be button based rather than through menus. You could save a lot of money and accomplish the same thing with a crop sensor camera.

In all honesty you could get away with the 50mm lens, and the macro lens to take all the photos you posted. Just walk in and out. I would suggest going minimal on your purchase initially then building your lens collection up as you run into situations where your current gear does not fulfill a specific role. Often times people way over spend on gear and they are lacking in technique and knowledge so they don't end up using the gear.

If you want the equivalent Nikon it would be the D600 and it is pretty much the same as the Canon. I would go play with both of them and see which one fits your hands better and has ergonomics that make the most sense to you. That goes for any cameras that you are considering. Panasonic, and Sony are also making some very nice Digital cameras in the same quality and capabilities as the D600 and the 6D so you should take a look at them as well. The fuji x100s is a fixed lens camera but I have heard amazing things about it too so that might be worth checking out though it would be difficult to get some of the shots you posted with that camera.

What level of experience do you have? What is the purpose of your purchase? What are you going to be doing with the photos you take?

Edit: Adding photos. Just some cell phone pics from the last 2 weeks.

Spoiler: show

**Norrissnake** · 2013-08-18 16:07

If you are going to spend a small fortune on gear make sure you protect it.

http://fstopgear.com/

You can call them up and they will walk you thru the right product for the equipment you have.

**zoobernut** · 2013-08-18 16:15

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/

Think Tank makes some of my favorite camera bags and gear.

Though mostly now I just use a regular backpack when I am walking around and a pelican case for actual traveling.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Exactly the max size for carry on great for traveling on a plane with your gear.

**zeal5050** · 2013-08-18 16:36

Originally Posted by zoobernut

What level of experience do you have? What is the purpose of your purchase? What are you going to be doing with the photos you take?

I've been shooting for about 1 year. I would say I'm an enthusiast. I'm looking to upgrade to pro level gear for work, as they will be paying me to shoot on location and covering some of the cost of equipment. I will be traveling a lot and shooting a variety of events, such as corporate functions, portraits, nightclubs etc.

The D600 looks like a fantastic value on paper compared to the 6D. (Higher MP, Faster Burst Rate, Dual Card SD Slot, Headphone output)

Initially my only concern wit the the 6D was the 1 crosstype auto focus point (which the D600 apparently improves on with 9.) Also, access to magic lantern on the Canon is a nice plus for video.

Really hard decision, compounded by the fact that both cameras are the same price in my area.

I will have to look into the lens comparisons as I know relatively little about the NIKKORs. 70-200 and 50mm will probably be the most important for now.

**zoobernut** · 2013-08-18 18:14

Honestly if you are an enthusiast shooting for about a year I think you are getting ahead of yourself with the D600 and 6D. Why do you want full frame? If you don't have a really good specific reason for that then you would be better off at the d7100 and 7D level cameras and spending more money on lenses or saving your money for later when you have a specific reason to upgrade. OR you could buy 2 D7100's or 2 7D's because if you suspect you will be shooting professionally in any capacity having a backup body is a must.

I have done plenty of professional work on a D7000 and never had any issues. I know professional photographers who make 100% of their living doing photography that use digital cameras at that level or lower. Lenses are much more important.

Also the quality difference between the canons and the nikons and sony and panasonic is negligible for comparable cameras. They can have slightly different qualities to their photos similar to different film brands but overall they are all pretty equal quality wise. The main difference is their ergonomics and how the button layouts are set up. You really should play with them and make your decision based on how comfortable they are to use.

Edit: I do not make 100% of my income from photography I am more of an enthusiast. I am not saying full frame is a bad choice for you but a lot of people think it is this magical thing when it really isn't. Most of the people who really benefit from full frame are people who have been into photography for a very long time and were shooting 35mm film extensively. If you didn't learn on 35mm film and are not used to how certain lenses behave with respect to 35mm film then a lot of the benefits of full frame are diminished.

**zeal5050** · 2013-08-18 19:00

Thanks for the great recommendations! I started out on a Minolta XD5 that I purchased used, and still use frequently. I also have access to the company camera, a Canon T2i w/ kit lens. I agree that having a backup camera is a must. My main reason for going full frame right out of the gate is that work is compensating me for most of the price of the equipment. I will be shooting in low light situations at concert venues and would like very good ISO performance. I would also like to use the camera for landscapes & astrophotography on my own time, so FF might be more beneficial for that.

That pelican case looks perfect for my travel needs.

**zoobernut** · 2013-08-18 19:11

The ISO performance of the D7100 and some of the Sony and Panasonic cameras is excellent and easily rivals full frame cameras. Canon traditionally has not had the best low light performance of the major camera brands but it isn't terrible. You just see noise show up a little bit sooner in the shadows. That goes for their full frame too.

Full frame also doesn't really make a difference from crop sensor for landscapes and astrophotography either.

Really your strongest argument to go full frame is the compensation from work. But I still think better lenses and better accessories to go with the camera would be a bigger cost to benefit ratio. In business you really want to evaluate your ROI and make sure you maximize where your money is spent.

Go out there and look at actual ISO/noise comparisons between the different cameras, you will be surprised. All the different cameras also render noise differently and because noise is unavoidable sometimes it is more important to get a camera that renders noise in a more visually pleasing way than to just go for the least amount of noise.

In camera noise reduction is also a factor because some cameras cannot have it disabled and it has a tendency to make your pictures mushy and smooths out texture quite a bit.

I am glad that I can be helpful with my experiences with different cameras.

These days I mostly shoot film though so I haven't used the new generation of cameras as much as I would have liked to. Go check out dpreviews they show good comparisons. Or Thom Hogans website is a great resource too.

**SamanosukeShiva** · 2013-08-20 11:37

Hi BG photography thread, I'm looking to start learning and take up photography (as a hobby), do any of you guys have recommendation on where is a good place to learn about photography for a beginner like me?

thanks in advance

**zeal5050** · 2013-08-20 12:05

YouTube is a great resource. I found videos from Tony Northrup & Mike Browne very informative and helpful.

No amount of video watching is a substitute for practice & real world experience though. Keep shooting!

**zoobernut** · 2013-08-20 12:12

Originally Posted by zeal5050

YouTube is a great resource. I found videos from Tony Northrup & Mike Browne very informative and helpful.

No amount of video watching is a substitute for practice & real world experience though. Keep shooting!

Those are great ideas. I would add http://www.bythom.com/ , www.photo.net, Understanding Exposure (book) and classes at your local camera shop to the list. And the best resource ever for all things lighting: http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/

And yeah keep shooting.

Also make prints. People forget to print out their photographs. Taking pics to post on facebook or even in an online gallery will not really help you much. Those are all low res relatively speaking. But if you print out your photos not only do you get to enjoy them but you get a better sense for what works and what doesn't.

**Xerlic** · 2013-08-26 08:12

I went to a garden/park thing in upstate NY and did some shooting. It was around 1PM and a sunny day, so the lighting was really hard. Here's a few that I liked. It was also my first time using lightroom, so hopefully they don't look too post processed.

**Xerlic** · 2013-10-14 08:47

Pictures from NYCC 2013:

Anyone have any tips for taking photos in convention centers like this short of carrying around an umbrella lol? I have an external flash with one of these, but I sometimes still end up with super bright subject against a dark background.

**zoobernut** · 2013-10-15 11:20

You should look up a technique called dragging the shutter. It doesn't work if it is too dark in the area where you are but it involves setting your flash to rear sync mode so it fires right as the shutter is closing rather than right when the shutter opens. Then you set your shutter speed to correctly or at least better expose the background environment without flash. You might need to dial back your flash just a touch but once you get it right you should have a nice balance between the background and your subject. Also angle your flash slightly up away from your subject and tape an index card on the top of your flash so part of it is hanging out over the flash head. This bounces the light back down towards your subject.

http://heatherclemons.com/wp-content...b01a00eb2b.jpg

This helps in situations where the ceiling is too high to bounce the flash off of.

**Xerlic** · 2013-10-16 06:42

I've heard of dragging the shutter, but never knew what it meant. Thanks, I'll look into that.

I was actually using the index card hack on Day 1 of the con then stopped off at B&H and bought this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...itionable.html

I used it on Day 2 and I'd like to think that the pics came out better..

I've mainly just using the flash in TTL mode and letting it decide the power. Do you manually control the flash when you use it, zoobernut?

**zoobernut** · 2013-10-16 10:54

Sometimes I run my flash in manual mode but usually for situations like a convention I run my flash in TTL mode but I will adjust the EV output of the flash manually. On Nikon there is a button that you can push and hold then spin the finger dial to attenuate the flash up or down from where the TTL value is.

I mostly use the flash in manual mode when I am setting up a photo shoot in a set place.

**TummieGaruda** · 2013-12-15 18:27

Just started getting into false color infrared photography with my 350D.

I don't have the camera modded because I am getting a 600D converted to full spectrum. The biggest issue I have with the IR filter is maintaining focus. I have to auto focus, attach the filter, then switch to manual mode and shoot. Sometimes the LCD display looks in focus but then when I get home and look at the photo it is slightly out of focus. I might have to start bringing my laptop with me and use it as a picture viewer to make adjustments to the focus.

**zoobernut** · 2014-01-02 12:36

Gallery of images I took while fighting a large wildfire threatening my families homes.

http://www.studio-inspiration.com/Ky.../Pfeiffer-Fire

**SamanosukeShiva** · 2014-03-20 03:29

Finally saved up enough money to buy my first DSLR, got a Canon EOS Rebel T3i w/ stock lense, 50mm f/1.8 lense, and Lightroom 5. Going to Bali and Borneo in 2 months, hoping to contribute to this thread in the near future. :D

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