Post a nice pic thread.....

[Otis]

Originally Posted by Rockrolex

Try this link, Vernon:

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/

Bah, you beat me to it! Must be those ultra-complicated watches that make your brain work faster.

Originally Posted by charles

I'm pretty certain this is it since I recall that I didn't want anything to carry any very heavy lenses...just a pano lens + body.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Cheers! Looks like a great height for a travel tripod.
I visited that shop last time in NYC, and boy does it put other places to shame.

[amanda]

Originally Posted by padi56

Some great pictures guys two of my favourites that bring back fond memories.This was Dell my Eagle a large and very powerful bird loved to fly and hunt,but always quite friendly he died about 3 years ago.



This was taken several years ago on 35mm film my Eagle Owl had to
give up my raptor keeping.But the owl is still alive and has a new mate down at the owl sanctuary.

WOW Padi is all I can say... you had a Eagle as a pet?? Thats like fantastic... of all animals that walk the earth I find any of the raptors the most amazing. Do you have any more photos of him? He's stunning!!!

[amanda]

Originally Posted by Otis

Bah, you beat me to it! Must be those ultra-complicated watches that make your brain work faster.



Cheers! Looks like a great height for a travel tripod.
I visited that shop last time in NYC, and boy does it put other places to shame.

Thanks for the tripod tips guys.

Otis how cool is BhPhoto???? I was just amazed when I went there in 2005, the ordering and pick up system is first class!!!!

[charles]

Originally Posted by amanda

Thanks for the tripod tips guys.

Otis how cool is BhPhoto???? I was just amazed when I went there in 2005, the ordering and pick up system is first class!!!!

They're pretty amazing...there's a lot of scammer camera shops online that are in NYC but BHPhoto is the real deal. It's a photog dream in there.

BTW...if you guys are looking for another place with good deals check here:
http://www.competitivecamera.com/
The great thing about them is they DON'T sell online. So while a lot of other online shops are sold out of things because everyone searches online with CC you have to call...I've found stuff there that was just cleaned out everywhere else. I've been to their store once and it's HUGE...

[montecristo]

Originally Posted by Otis

I visited that shop last time in NYC, and boy does it put other places to shame.

I am in NYC and I still prefer the Yodobashi in Akihabara over BH anyday.

[Otis]

Originally Posted by montecristo

I am in NYC and I still prefer the Yodobashi in Akihabara over BH anyday.

Ahhhh, yodabashi camera shop!

last time I heard they had their own little theme song piped through the store, to the tune of 'pop goes the weasel'

Also an amazing place.

But yeah Amanda, BH was great. Fast, good service and good prices.

[astcell]

Here we are, in Qatar, supporting our Commander.

[JJ Irani]

And you are the tall bugger third from the left, right?

[astcell]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

And you are the tall bugger third from the left, right?

You're good! I made sure to hide my watch too!

[Goodwatch]

Still life:

[Prince]

Originally Posted by astcell

Here we are, in Qatar, supporting our Commander.

Cool, Robert! Very cool indeed!!! I'm a Nam vet (USAF), and I salute you!!!

[mailman]

Originally Posted by Goodwatch

Still life:

That's a great picture Frans

I'm guessing that the memorabilia are yours also? What's the watch in the pic?

[Ashley]

You guys must have amazing cameras. The pictures are all so clear and crisp. Beautiful. All I have is my camera phone :P I cannot wait to upgrade to a professional camera.

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by Tags_girl_

You guys must have amazing cameras. The pictures are all so clear and crisp. Beautiful. All I have is my camera phone :P I cannot wait to upgrade to a professional camera.

There are plenty of reasonably priced Digital cameras out there now, Ashley. Good names like Nikon, Canon, Panasonic and Sony can be had at very competitive prices.

All you need is a camera with a 5 mp capacity and a good lens....and you're in business.

Good luck - JJ

PS: Watch out for sales during certains days of the year. You'd be amazed how much you would save on the SAME item.

[Ashley]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

There are plenty of reasonably priced Digital cameras out there now, Ashley. Good names like Nikon, Canon, Panasonic and Sony can be had at very competitive prices.

All you need is a camera with a 5 mp capacity and a good lens....and you're in business.

Good luck - JJ

PS: Watch out for sales during certains days of the year. You'd be amazed how much you would save on the SAME item.

thanks for the tips JJ. I'm saving up for a professional digital camera with one of those long lenses and everything. Photography is one of my passions and I want a really high quality camera.

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by Tags_girl_

thanks for the tips JJ. I'm saving up for a professional digital camera with one of those long lenses and everything. Photography is one of my passions and I want a really high quality camera.

For a really good SONY or a MINOLTA, you'd be looking around the $800~900 mark...maybe even more if you really want to go professional. The accessories like the lenses, etc. would be extra.

JJ

[Ashley]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

For a really good SONY or a MINOLTA, you'd be looking around the $800~900 mark...maybe even more if you really want to go professional. The accessories like the lenses, etc. would be extra.

JJ

That's a pretty fair price for a decent camera. Those lenses can be crazy expensive though

[Otis]

Originally Posted by Tags_girl_

That's a pretty fair price for a decent camera. Those lenses can be crazy expensive though

My advice (well... not really advice, more like opinion! ) is that if you want to get a DSLR, get a body only, and use the money you've saved towards some decent lenses. even if you can find a gently used, older lens, you're in business. make sure it's in good condition and fungus free. Some of the older lenses are rock solid and built to last.

Even if you pick up an old film SLR bundled with lenses it can be a great buy.
Hell, I'm still shooting film. for three reasons: I like experimenting with different stock, I like the learning experience, and I like being a bit old-fashioned

Also, I've recently discovered that the most fun can be had with a sharp, fast 50mm prime lens (or around the 35mm mark for you digital people).
Instead of using a zoom lense to frame your subject, you actually have to MOVE to re-frame and compose a shot, which of course means you spend more time thinking about and setting up the shot.

Also, at f2 or faster you can have a lot of fun with depth of field or bokeh (just wanted to say that ), plus you won't have to worry much about a blurred picture, even if you are using 50 ISO trannie film
Hair waving in the wind, birds flying etc will be frozen in time. Fun stuff

[Alcan]

Most of these were collected from the internet, but I think they're all pretty cool.

[JJ Irani]

WOW!! Awesome pics.....especially that one of the iceberg!!

[Ashley]

Thanks for the tips Otis!! I'll make sure to stay away from moldy lenses

[amanda]

Originally Posted by Otis

My advice (well... not really advice, more like opinion! ) is that if you want to get a DSLR, get a body only, and use the money you've saved towards some decent lenses. even if you can find a gently used, older lens, you're in business. make sure it's in good condition and fungus free. Some of the older lenses are rock solid and built to last.

Even if you pick up an old film SLR bundled with lenses it can be a great buy.
Hell, I'm still shooting film. for three reasons: I like experimenting with different stock, I like the learning experience, and I like being a bit old-fashioned

Also, I've recently discovered that the most fun can be had with a sharp, fast 50mm prime lens (or around the 35mm mark for you digital people).
Instead of using a zoom lense to frame your subject, you actually have to MOVE to re-frame and compose a shot, which of course means you spend more time thinking about and setting up the shot.

Also, at f2 or faster you can have a lot of fun with depth of field or bokeh (just wanted to say that ), plus you won't have to worry much about a blurred picture, even if you are using 50 ISO trannie film
Hair waving in the wind, birds flying etc will be frozen in time. Fun stuff

Very good advice. A Canon 400D and a 50mm F1.8 is not alot of $ and plenty to start learning with. The 50mm is an awesome lens around the $60US mark I think or in our terms RRP$149AU. It's very fast and the best bang for buck out there.

As they say Ashley its not just the camera that takes the photos - its the person behind the lens... you can be creative with ANY camera... a Canon ELPH (IXUS) for a few hundred $ will get you started. Many of the shots on this site are taken with Point and Shoots... for watch photos it's all about the lighting which has been said here lots already! All you need is a Macro function... a true Macro lens for a DSLR will cost hundreds.

Get yourself a camera and have fun with it... its all about YOU not the camera.

[Mrdi]

Foredeck skipper

[Gedanken]

Originally Posted by amanda

As they say Ashley its not just the camera that takes the photos - its the person behind the lens... you can be creative with ANY camera... a Canon ELPH (IXUS) for a few hundred $ will get you started. Many of the shots on this site are taken with Point and Shoots... for watch photos it's all about the lighting which has been said here lots already! All you need is a Macro function... a true Macro lens for a DSLR will cost hundreds.

Get yourself a camera and have fun with it... its all about YOU not the camera.

To a great extent I agree with you, Amanda, and to be honest i started out this post with the intention to demonstrate the case. I took three shots with three different digital cameras intending to show that there was no difference, but the results were somewhat surprising.

Here's a shot taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-F7. It's a little 2 megapixel point-and-shoot job with no manual settings available, set at 1/8 second and F/2.8:



Here's an identical shot taken using a Canon Powershot S1IS. It's a 3.2 megapixel prosumer with manual settings, set at 1/25 seconds and F/4.0:



Finally, this shot was taken with a 10.1 megapixel Canon 400D, using the standard 18-55mm lens and set at 1/15 seconds and F/4.0:



All three cameras were set at autofocus, and that created some interesting results. The 400D focussed on the Sea Dweller, the Panasonic focussed on the DateJust and Tudor, and the S1IS couldn't make up its mind. The auto white balance also came out different for all three. The Panasomic gave the shot a pinkish tinge (I actually cranked it down in Photoshop), while the Canons came out yellowish.

So to some extent, the camera does have some influence on how the shots turn out, but still, once you know your camera's characteristics, that shouldn't stop you from taking good shots. The S1IS can be manually focussed and the white balance on the Panasonic can be changed. The 400D, of course, can do any blooming thing you want it to!

Originally Posted by amanda

Very good advice. A Canon 400D and a 50mm F1.8 is not alot of $ and plenty to start learning with. The 50mm is an awesome lens around the $60US mark I think or in our terms RRP$149AU. It's very fast and the best bang for buck out there.

I wouldn't write off the 400D's standard lens quite so quickly, Amanda - I paid about A$1250 for my body and lens kit and taking the lens off would have saved me a hundred bucks at the most. Right off the bat I wasn't too happy with it because I had to go from the S1IS' f/2.8 lens to the 400D's f/4.0, so I got myself a Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8-4 as a fast lens. However, after two weeks with the Sigma I went back to fiddle around with the Canon lens, and one thing I do like about it is that it has a minimum focal distance of 10cm compared to the Sigma's 50cm, and it's much better for close-up shots as long as the lighting's right. Here's a shot I took yesterday using only natural light, and I'm not too displeased with the results:

[JJ Irani]

Love that sparkle and twinkle off the bezel in that last shot, James!!

[steve-o]

Here's me with the rug rats at a pep rally.

That day it was the Timex Ironman...

[amanda]

Originally Posted by Gedanken

So to some extent, the camera does have some influence on how the shots turn out, but still, once you know your camera's characteristics, that shouldn't stop you from taking good shots. The S1IS can be manually focussed and the white balance on the Panasonic can be changed. The 400D, of course, can do any blooming thing you want it to!

I wouldn't write off the 400D's standard lens quite so quickly, Amanda - I paid about A$1250 for my body and lens kit and taking the lens off would have saved me a hundred bucks at the most. Right off the bat I wasn't too happy with it because I had to go from the S1IS' f/2.8 lens to the 400D's f/4.0, so I got myself a Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8-4 as a fast lens. However, after two weeks with the Sigma I went back to fiddle around with the Canon lens, and one thing I do like about it is that it has a minimum focal distance of 10cm compared to the Sigma's 50cm, and it's much better for close-up shots as long as the lighting's right. Here's a shot I took yesterday using only natural light, and I'm not too displeased with the results

Hey James.. wow thats some effort you went to there!!! You will always see varying results from using Auto mode on 3 totally different cameras. I wasnt questioning that. I spose my main point was.. dont wait forever to buy an expensive camera, just get a simple P & S with Manual modes for a first timer, learn to use that.. practice composition, post processing and manual functionality etc - learn how to get the most from the camera ... then move onto the DSLR later. You will learn quicker if you have the camera now rather than later!!!

I use my Canon IXUS 50 more than any camera I have ever had. Why? It fits in my pocket, my bag... it's light and compact and I take it with me everywhere I go! I am thinking of upgrding to the wideangle version the 800 or 850 I cant remember the model no.

The kit lens is ok for what it costs, that I wouldnt dismiss - I still use mine all the time. The 50mm is perfect for a beginner to learn with - it teaches depth of field and as Otis says above composition, you have to really think about what you are shooting and move your feet to get the right frame. It's a lot of fun this lens and its cheap!!!

[Gedanken]

Can't fault your logic there, Amanda. Even the Panasonic was an interesting learner's tool once I started taking note of the camera's automatically-determined shutter speed and aperture. The S1IS, like the IXUS line, is an excellent beginner's camera, and the current S3IS with 12X optical zoom and 6 megapixels is a very capable little piece of work.

The 50mm's good, but what I learned by going from the S1IS to the 400D is that having a fast lens can spoil you - for the past few weeks I've been coming to terms with shooting at f/4.0, and it's been an interesting exercise in skill-building.

By the way, taking the shots wasn't all that much trouble - all I had to do was switch cameras on the tripod.

[amanda]

Too true James! I have sooo much to learn about photography it isnt funny... I always feel totally disappointed with everything I shoot.. I look at everyone's shots and go 'wow why dont mine look like that' .

Anyway I soldier on.....

[Gedanken]

One word, Amanda, one word:

LIGHTING!