The Professional Photography and Photoshop Thread

[Major Focker]

lynx,

thanks for highlighting the considerations. after this holiday i hope to get more into the hobby and my main interests would be "long and wide (landscape, possibly architecture), short and narrow (macrophotography)", and the aforementioned night/lowlight shots.

typically, i bring along during business trips one of those slim cybershots, and if i'm extending my stay for a quick holiday, a powershot s5. so indeed, portability and simplicity has been a consideration of mine, but i have so far not been fully satisfied by the picture quality i've been getting with these. not to say they're poor (they're mostly good actually), but every now and then there's a shot i hope to have captured better. and not to say success depends entirely on equipment, but that led me to thinking that perhaps a DSLR will afford me a better chance of capturing those moments.

let me try to describe the shots i didn't quite "make"

- semi-dark hallway inside angkor wat with light coming through some slats. wall patterns were hidden by shadows even after playing around with the contrast, and using flash totally killed the mood

- sunlight breaking through clouds over the pampas. tried using different white balance presets but still the grass weren't green enough and the blue sky nowhere as deep

- same color problem shooting inside the gaudi house which had lots of colorful glass on lamps and inset into the walls

- rising incense smoke near temple window. didn't even register.

- tulips in a marketplace and a row of traditional lanterns in a turkish pub. didn't quite get the depth of field i wanted.

have to say i'm starting to lean towards the micro 4/3, either the panasonic GF1 or the olympus EP2 (or the E-PL1 but not sure if already available), because of their portability. but i just fear that they'll fall short on color reproduction and low light performance, so i'm willing to consider lugging around a "proper" DSLR.

many thanks for the shop recommendations. i'll pass by funan in the next couple of days. just want to arm myself with some pros and cons before i hit the shops since i will most likely will have to buy on the spot because of my time constraint.

Edited March 15, 2010 by Major Focker

[Lynx7725]

A bit of a rush here, but since you did say you have a tight schedule -- hit Cathy in Peninsula Plaza first, then Alan in either Funan (nearby) or Sim Lim, and start earlier. Reason is that Cathy close quite early, so if you need to do comparison shopping and decide to go back to Cathy, than you at least got the opportunity.

But to be honest I think Sim Lim is better for variety (but most of their prices are the same within the building). Our local IT show just ended, so if you are lucky you might hit a good deal.

[Major Focker]

so i ended up at funan during lunch break and got the micro 4/3 olympus E-PL1 with the kit zoom and another lens, the panasonic 20mm pancake. blew about US$1k but very happy with the form factor. took some pics to familiriaze myself with it.

full-auto:

couldn't get much depth out of my point&shoot so i went crazy with my new toy:

also played around with the art filters.

pinhole:

soft-focus:

pop-art:

and my favorite, the diorama filter. makes the view outside my window look like model train scenery:

lastly, tried to stress it with this handheld shot under dim incandescent lighting:

i think the white balance compensation did a good job neutralizing the yellow light, but the focus could be sharper. and that was basically my only gripe with this camera, the autofocus was a tad slow and not always accurate. fortunately, it allowed for manual focus fine tuning. i've read that the panasonic GF1 focusing was much faster and very reliable. so if ever a GF2 comes out with in-camera stabilization i would probably grab one in a heartbeat, specially since the panasonic pancake i got is really turning out to be gem. i'll be keeping it on rather than the original kit zoom. aside from the excellent image quality, it makes the camera small enough to comfortably fit in my jacket pocket. perfect for travelling.

[logos]

The Diorama is cool. I totally thought that was a model set at first glance.

[BoBe-Patt]

and my favorite, the diorama filter. makes the view outside my window look like model train scenery:

Nice tilt shift photo.

[MacrossMan]

if you're gonna get a 50mm for your nikon get the sigma 50mm HSM.

What's the logic behind your choice here eugimon?

[eugimon]

What's the logic behind your choice here eugimon?

Because it's a better lens in almost every possible way. Better sharpness at 1.4 than the nikon or canon cousins. More consistent focusing, color drift is about the same as the nikon/canon (but in a different way) but most importantly, the nikon's bokeh is sharp and universally disliked, especially if you're shooting small points of light like street lamps or christmas lights in the background while the HSM's is almost universally praised.

[anime52k8]

Because it's a better lens in almost every possible way. Better sharpness at 1.4 than the nikon or canon cousins. More consistent focusing, color drift is about the same as the nikon/canon (but in a different way) but most importantly, the nikon's bokeh is sharp and universally disliked, especially if you're shooting small points of light like street lamps or christmas lights in the background while the HSM's is almost universally praised.

funny, the one complaint I see a lot about most sigma lenses (including the one in question) is that they tend to have really inconsistent/poorly calibrated focusing. (and I don't know about the Nikon but the Canon is $150 cheaper.)

[eugimon]

funny, the one complaint I see a lot about most sigma lenses (including the one in question) is that they tend to have really inconsistent/poorly calibrated focusing. (and I don't know about the Nikon but the Canon is $150 cheaper.)

yeah, in general. But most people praise the 50mm HSM in terms of performance and build quality. It's consistently reviewed to be superior to the canon 1.4 50mm.

The HSM is more expensive than either the canon or nikon equivalents. But if you're doing any night photography the harshness of the bokeh makes the sigma an easy win over the nikon and that it's noticeably sharper than the canon @ 1.4 gives it an easy win there too. What's the point of buying such a fast lens if the images are soft?

[anime52k8]

yeah, in general. But most people praise the 50mm HSM in terms of performance and build quality. It's consistently reviewed to be superior to the canon 1.4 50mm.

The HSM is more expensive than either the canon or nikon equivalents. But if you're doing any night photography the harshness of the bokeh makes the sigma an easy win over the nikon and that it's noticeably sharper than the canon @ 1.4 gives it an easy win there too. What's the point of buying such a fast lens if the images are soft?

point taken. Although personally I'd stick with the 35mm lens or even go with a wider 28~30mm rather than a 50mm on a crop body.

[eugimon]

point taken. Although personally I'd stick with the 35mm lens or even go with a wider 28~30mm rather than a 50mm on a crop body.

yeah, I wouldn't get the 50mm HSM personally, I was just offering a suggestion for MacrossMan since he was saying he was going to be doing club/night photo work and the harshness of the nikon's 50mm is a really bad choice for that situation.

[Vegas]

speaking of 50mm lens. i finally got mine.

[Dante74]

The Digital Picture has something to say about the Sigma 50 mm 1.4.

Basically they say that if you get one that focusses properly it's a better lens than the Canon 50 mm 1.4.

yeah, in general. But most people praise the 50mm HSM in terms of performance and build quality. It's consistently reviewed to be superior to the canon 1.4 50mm.

The HSM is more expensive than either the canon or nikon equivalents. But if you're doing any night photography the harshness of the bokeh makes the sigma an easy win over the nikon and that it's noticeably sharper than the canon @ 1.4 gives it an easy win there too. What's the point of buying such a fast lens if the images are soft?

[Vegas]

what a better way to test the new lens with a new pair of subjects

no sharpening has been done on these pics and shot them on different f stops

[eugimon]

dude. awesome... shoes... yeah. WTF MAN? VALKYRIES VALKYRIES!

that is all.

looks nice, a little soft but digging the creamy bokeh, makes the background look painterly and really pops the shoes out, nice.

Edited March 24, 2010 by eugimon

[Vegas]

dude. awesome... shoes... yeah. WTF MAN? VALKYRIES =7]

that is all.

sorry i moved in a new house and my toys are currently in storage right now

as expected @ f1.4 .....soft but it gets better @ f2 and up

Edited March 24, 2010 by Vegas

[eugimon]

sorry i moved in a new house and my toys are currently in storage right now

as expected @ f1.4 .....soft but it gets better @ f2 and up

excuses.

psh.

See, soft at 1.4, that's why you shoulda gotten a sigma 50mm HSM.

Congrats on the new house though, that's pretty awesome. You'll have to take a few shots once you get your stuff out and displayed.

Edited March 24, 2010 by eugimon

[Vegas]

excuses.

psh.

See, soft at 1.4, that's why you shoulda gotten a sigma 50mm HSM.

Congrats on the new house though, that's pretty awesome. You'll have to take a few shots once you get your stuff out and displayed.

that is if im lucky to get one that focuses properly

thanks eugimon

[Dante74]

Nice shots Vegas! Maybe I should get the 50 mm f1.4 too.

Anyone else jealous or am I the only one the want to be in Vegas' shoes. (I know, bad joke, but I couldn't help myself )

I went the the local camera store yesterday to get a price for my 'wishlist'

I'm up to €4400,00, but that includes a Gitzo GT2531 carbon 6x series 2 tripod to replace my current Gitzo Basalt tripod and a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW backpack.

what a better way to test the new lens with a new pair of subjects

no sharpening has been done on these pics and shot them on different f stops

[Vegas]

I went the the local camera store yesterday to get a price for my 'wishlist'

I'm up to €4400,00, but that includes a Gitzo GT2531 carbon 6x series 2 tripod to replace my current Gitzo Basalt tripod and a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW backpack.

very nice stuff!!!

[Kicker773]

Any opinion on the Nikon - AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 or AF-S NIKKOR

16-35mm f/4G ED VR

Leaning on getting the first one. Slowly getting the hang of the a few things.. but need more practice.. and finally got a Kata bag .. awesomeness..

[eugimon]

Any opinion on the Nikon - AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 or AF-S NIKKOR

16-35mm f/4G ED VR

Leaning on getting the first one. Slowly getting the hang of the a few things.. but need more practice.. and finally got a Kata bag .. awesomeness..

the 18-200 is a better lens than either the 18-50 or 50-200 with less distortion at 18mm and a better focal length than the 50-200.

It's a well regarded lens, it's just big and long.

[Vegas]

my 70-200 has arrived!!!!

and here are some quick samples

shot of my camera

pic taken by the 50mm F1.4

[eugimon]

wow, nice!

[anime52k8]

my 70-200 has arrived!!!!

so sexy...

Edited April 1, 2010 by anime52k8

[Vegas]

thank you guys.

the IS works great.....im so happy and sooo broke

[Kicker773]

contributing a lil bit

[Dante74]

my 70-200 has arrived!!!!

You're gonna love that lens vegas! Have you still got the 450D? If so, it'll give some nice reach with the crop factor.

My 5D mkII + 24-70 mm f2.8 + accessories should arrive sometime next week. Can't wait!

[Vegas]

contributing a lil bit

very nice! when are we going to see the whole collection???

Edited April 2, 2010 by Vegas

[Vegas]

You're gonna love that lens vegas! Have you still got the 450D? If so, it'll give some nice reach with the crop factor.

My 5D mkII + 24-70 mm f2.8 + accessories should arrive sometime next week. Can't wait!

i sold my xsi to fund my 5d2. yah im loving the 70-200. im going to shoot some cars with it hopefully soon.

show us your loot when it comes!

[miriya]

Hey Kicker773, I like that minmei valk girl. I it looks like you modded it for some articulation. Can you post some pics of that?

[Major Focker]

had a blast with my new camera during my recent holiday. my only regret was not having a wide angle lens so now i'm contemplating getting one.

the thing is, there are still very few lens choices for micro four thirds and the wide angle ones available (or soon to be) are f4-5.6

my limited knowledge tells me this should be okay since landscapes are supposed to be shot at small apertures anyway and ideally with a tripod. so when i read about people clamoring for fast, wide-angle lens, i'm a bit confused as to why such lenses would be desirable and in what instances/applications.

appreciate if someone can enlighten me. thanks.

[Dante74]

a fast wide angle lens is needed in low light conditions or when you need to freeze fast moving objects. I'll be using my 24-70 mm f2.8 in the pits at racing events.

had a blast with my new camera during my recent holiday. my only regret was not having a wide angle lens so now i'm contemplating getting one.

the thing is, there are still very few lens choices for micro four thirds and the wide angle ones available (or soon to be) are f4-5.6

my limited knowledge tells me this should be okay since landscapes are supposed to be shot at small apertures anyway and ideally with a tripod. so when i read about people clamoring for fast, wide-angle lens, i'm a bit confused as to why such lenses would be desirable and in what instances/applications.

appreciate if someone can enlighten me. thanks.

[Kicker773]

Sorry Ruski but that's just how she is. She isn't modified to move about lol. As far as the whole collection it will probably be awhile until I get my macross room set up. =)

[eugimon]

had a blast with my new camera during my recent holiday. my only regret was not having a wide angle lens so now i'm contemplating getting one.

the thing is, there are still very few lens choices for micro four thirds and the wide angle ones available (or soon to be) are f4-5.6

my limited knowledge tells me this should be okay since landscapes are supposed to be shot at small apertures anyway and ideally with a tripod. so when i read about people clamoring for fast, wide-angle lens, i'm a bit confused as to why such lenses would be desirable and in what instances/applications.

appreciate if someone can enlighten me. thanks.

Wide angle shots are the rage right now with wedding and group photography as well. And since the in style now is photojournalism/natural, you need a fast lens to capture the action