Photography

[Pedrostt500]

Ive got a canon powershot G5, and Ive got no idea how to use it properly, the manual is a bit of a telephone book and not to easy to use for a simpleton like me.

[NordieBoy]

A UV filter will do wonders to remove glare and unwanted reflections but that $70 skylight filter won't do much.

In my opinion if you're not being careful enough with your lenses that you might scratch them them you're not taking enough care. If the lens is expensive enough to worry then why lower it's quality with a shit piece of glass in front?

The lens cap was on when I put the lens down.
It was in the camera bag when I picked the lens up though.



I don't take good enough pics to show the difference between a skylight and uv filter.

Skylight and cir-pol however yes

[Headbanger]

well, I just dropped $1200 on a Sony A300, Should take delivery of her by Friday.



......Wonder if this will be another expensive toy that spends most of its life stored away....

[Winston001]

I thought about getting a Canon Eos 400D or 450D, as I have an Eos 1000FN (film camera) with a couple of lenses, and a Sony Cybershot, and needed something a bit better for our vacation photos. However, I opted in the end for a Canon S5i IS, as it was lighter and more compact, still had more features than I would use, no lenses to change, and the image stabilisation was perfect for shooting shots in a hurry from the bus, or pics of moving objects. It was brilliant, and the new model is even better, with 20X optical zoom.

Interesting, I have a Canon EOS 35mm plus USM (high quality) zooms for it, just gathering dust. So I'm thinking of a digital Canon because you are able to place existing 35mm lenses on it. The focal length is doubled - could be fun. Having said that, the S5i IS is a lovely camera.

........one thing I really miss with the S5i is that it doesn't seem to be able to take accessory filters. For years, first with the Olympus I used to have, and then with the Eos, I used a polarising filter a lot of the time: it cuts out the glare, and makes for much sharper pix with better colour.

That's what Picasa is for.

But I agree - a polarising filter is really necessary in NZ with the amount of hard light we get. Just can't be fagged taking it on and off so when I used film, just stuck with a simple UV filter.

Now, software cleans up 50% of pics and it's great.

[Winston001]

well, I just dropped $1200 on a Sony A300, Should take delivery of her by Friday.



......Wonder if this will be another expensive toy that spends most of its life stored away....

Nah you'll have a heap of fun with it. Capture those two boys clambering up trees, over your bike, the possibilities are endless.

Went to a photography course years ago and the tutor had a competition-winning snap of a shaft of sunlight through storm clouds lighting up the Dunedin cathedral. Magic.

He said the shot was available for about 30 seconds - glanced, saw it, screeched to a halt, jumped out and snap. His point was - never be without your camera.

[NordieBoy]

Interesting, I have a Canon EOS 35mm plus USM (high quality) zooms for it, just gathering dust. So I'm thinking of a digital Canon because you are able to place existing 35mm lenses on it. The focal length is doubled - could be fun. Having said that, the S5i IS is a lovely camera.

Focal length is 1.6x on the consumer Canon dSLR's.

[Headbanger]

Speaking from a position of complete ignorance in regards to photography, I found the following site useful.


http://www.picturecorrect.com/PhotographyTips.htm

[discotex]

Skylight and cir-pol however yes

Ahh yeah Where I said UV in my post I mean polariser. Good spotting

Take your point re lens cap. I have silk at the bottom of my bag for exactly that reason.

Screw on lens caps would be the best idea huh?

[discotex]

Now, software cleans up 50% of pics and it's great.

Not really a big deal for on-screen shots or 6x4 prints but surely if you're doing 8x10 or larger it'll be a visible difference in overall colour quality and pixel noise.

Call me a perfectionist but I think it's always best to get the best quality from camera and lens then "fix" as little as possible.

On the other hand, there is something fun about taking a photo then later totally changing it in photoshop. E.g. original was landscape but crop out a square or portrait then make it black and white or make it appear cross processed.

[Headbanger]

Well well well, My camera arrived today, Heavier then expected, Covered in buttons, manual is something like 126 pages, Doubt I'll ever need to read it.

Managed to take a couple shots as the light faded. Granted its not a bike, But it is plastic Obviously I have reduced the size and quality substantially before uploading it.

BD, I'm ready mate, Send some of those bikes my way so I can photograph them for you, I'll fly up to Auckland and ride em down if ya want, Thats probably my preferred method anyway.

[Big Dave]

Let's talk further when you get the hang of image re-sizing huh :-)

[NordieBoy]

Let's talk further when you get the hang of image re-sizing huh :-)

One thing at a time

[Headbanger]

Nah, thats deliberate, Going for impact.

Otherwise I would have just attached a more suitably sized picture.

[Gremlin]

Depending on what camera you have (if you are clever like BD and I, you got the 400D ) there should even be auto-settings for flash exposure, or cloudy etc shots.

The image colour is automatically adjusted, as one of the traits with a normal flash is to drain some of the colour, and the compensation puts some back in.

[Big Dave]

You certainly have got the gist of modern art though - the justification is more important than the composition.