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Digital SLR / DSLR Camera Question / DSLR Thread 2

at least for nikons, the difference between the two speedlights is only about 1 stop of light. if you could use that extra power, and it has an interface that you prefer, might be worth the extra cash. the higher end speedlights also usually have extra features, like a built in bounce card, and corrective gels included.
 
BrassPremier said:
i really like the 85 1.4, i just think it would 'feel' better on a full frame camera. awkward focal length for me on crop body
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That's one of the reasons I'm getting rid of it. It's never quite right on a 1.5x body, I loved it on my D700 and film camera, but now I never use it.
 
Joebar4000 said:
580EX, or 430EX, that is the question?

The 580 has a slighly nicer UI, a bit more power, but it's ~$500 after tax, basically. Also, doesn't appear to shoot backwards, only 90 degrees left/right.

The 430 has buttons instead of scrolly wheel, less power (but still good) and faster recharge at full-power, but that might simply be a function of it having lower max output... it definitely does do 'behind', and it's ~$330 after tax.

I'm leaning toward the 430, because I'm not sure I need THAT much range, and I know it does rearward shooting.

However, if the 580 does indeed do rearward, then, it has that extra 'headroom' of more power, and the scrolly wheel interface that I'm very used to.

Both interface some functions with the 5D Mk2, both since E-TTL II as slaves from either flash as the master.
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Not sure what you mean about the flash not shooting backwards. I've owned 2 580EX and 2 580EX2's. I'm pretty sure the 580EX shoots backwards. I sold them both and picked up 2 580EX2's. Hope this picture helps. I turned the head of the flash backwards. Not sure if this is what you were talking about?


580EX2.jpg
 
pitslave said:
Not sure what you mean about the flash not shooting backwards. I've owned 2 580EX and 2 580EX2's. I'm pretty sure the 580EX shoots backwards. I sold them both and picked up 2 580EX2's. Hope this picture helps. I turned the head of the flash backwards. Not sure if this is what you were talking about?


580EX2.jpg
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Aha!

Yes, that helps a lot, thanks :thumbup

Marketing-fail by Canon, they 'interactive' demo showed it only going 90 degress to left and right, and it said, '180 degree swivel', but that made it seem like, 180 total from left to right, not from front to back.

What do you think of it? Still tempted by the 430 based on reviews on Bhphoto... but can be convinced otherwise.
 
Joebar4000 said:
Aha!

Yes, that helps a lot, thanks :thumbup

Marketing-fail by Canon, they 'interactive' demo showed it only going 90 degress to left and right, and it said, '180 degree swivel', but that made it seem like, 180 total from left to right, not from front to back.

What do you think of it? Still tempted by the 430 based on reviews on Bhphoto... but can be convinced otherwise.
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I like the extra output for outdoor shooting. But it really depends on what you are using it for. I like the 580 cause they can control other 580's and 430's as slaves. I'm probably the wrong person to ask cause I have a bad habit of buying one or more of everything. :laughing If you wait for rebates you can get a 580 mail order in the $400 dollar range.
 
pitslave said:
I like the extra output for outdoor shooting. But it really depends on what you are using it for. I like the 580 cause they can control other 580's and 430's as slaves. I'm probably the wrong person to ask cause I have a bad habit of buying one or more of everything. :laughing If you wait for rebates you can get a 580 mail order in the $400 dollar range.
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Yeah, see, I hardly ever do any event photography, or much on-location where I need multiple flashes.

I already have a nice Vivitar that worked great on my old Rebel, but it doesn't talk to the 5D Mk2 very well, and even using it in manual seems very hit/miss, and completely unfeasible for 'on-the-fly' shooting, which is about all I would ever use it for. Now it's been relagated to manual slave...

So, might just get the cheaper 430 - it seems to review better from wedding photographers and the like, and this will be used almost exclusively for fundraising parties. The rest of the time, I just use an F1.8 and shove the ISO up to 3200 or even more and fix the grain in post.

Basically, still haven't decided. The other thing to consider is that the difference in budget allows me to get a bunch of LED panel lights, as I'll be doing some videography at these events too.

Just got a Sennheiser MKE 400 - wow, well worth it!
 
I'm going out on a limb here, but I figure at least a few of you may have some input. I've been wanting a DSLR so I bought a DMC FZ20 Panasonic Lumix for about $100 just to learn on, and I've taken some pretty decent shots with it.

I think I'm ready to move on now though, I want a camera that has some real zoom in ability, Not necessarily out of the box of course but I also want a camera that shoots in HD. I'm really getting into scenery, and moto/auto shooting for my own personal use.. (not as a proffession)

What camera would you guys recommend overall? I'd like to keep it within the $1000 or less limit (including add ons), I'd only hope that this would be generous enough especially for it being my real first DSLR that I can actually swap a lens on etc..
 
Any suggestions on finding lighting gels in Oaklamd?
 
Thateguhate, no limbs here. This is the place to ask on BARF (and AFAI can tell we don't have any photo nazis...)

I just looked at the www.dpreview.com of the FZ20 ( http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz20/ ) and that sounds like a pretty nice camera. If you want to get a different setup / kit for < $1000 new I'd say a kit from either Nikon or Canon will do you fine. However -- aside from any particular features -- you're not going to get an order of magnitude better, just an incremental change.

(I'd say think of it as akin to one of the "Upgrading from a Starter Bike" issues: going to a slightly 'better' bike / camera may tend to disappoint if there isn't enough of an obvious change, like, e.g. "graduating" from a Ninjette to an EX500.)

Also note that you'd be going from a "f/2.8, 36 - 432 mm equivalent" lens to something slower and shorter in whatever kit you decide on, so... you'll be able to zoom in less. The SLR lenses available that are longer than 400 mm are going to cost $5000 or more (and would probably be used to get near that low in price).

Anyway, I'd say pretty much compare the features of the cameras in newest Nikon and Canon kits and choose one or the other, then choose a kit with a lens you'll like (probably one with the longest zoom in your case), then choose if you want to buy online or support a local shop or buy used. Then buy from bhphotovideo.com or <your shop of choice> or BARF / Craigslist.

Does this help any?
 
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Charles R said:
I saw a couple vids recently, and was thinking about just how much work stuff like this would have been before the digital era we currently enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/10859897

and a video with the rig.
http://vimeo.com/15788402

this other one from NPR was just a fun one about the San Francisco fog.
http://vimeo.com/15788402
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Man, I'm gonna make time to play with some ideas like that.

mosquito said:
Any suggestions on finding lighting gels in Oaklamd?
Click to expand...

Looking Glass Photo on Telegraph in Berkeley.
 
ive even heard of people going to kinkos or something and printing transparencies, using a file thats just a pure color, or multiple colors and cut size you need.
 
Cool thanks. Turns out today that there's no longer a need for the gels.
 
mosquito said:
Thateguhate, no limbs here. This is the place to ask on BARF (and AFAI can tell we don't have any photo nazis...)

I just looked at the www.dpreview.com of the FZ20 ( http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz20/ ) and that sounds like a pretty nice camera. If you want to get a different setup / kit for < $1000 new I'd say a kit from either Nikon or Canon will do you fine. However -- aside from any particular features -- you're not going to get an order of magnitude better, just an incremental change.

(I'd say think of it as akin to one of the "Upgrading from a Starter Bike" issues: going to a slightly 'better' bike / camera may tend to disappoint if there isn't enough of an obvious change, like, e.g. "graduating" from a Ninjette to an EX500.)

Also note that you'd be going from a "f/2.8, 36 - 432 mm equivalent" lens to something slower and shorter in whatever kit you decide on, so... you'll be able to zoom in less. The SLR lenses available that are longer than 400 mm are going to cost $5000 or more (and would probably be used to get near that low in price).

Anyway, I'd say pretty much compare the features of the cameras in newest Nikon and Canon kits and choose one or the other, then choose a kit with a lens you'll like (probably one with the longest zoom in your case), then choose if you want to buy online or support a local shop or buy used. Then buy from bhphotovideo.com or <your shop of choice> or BARF / Craigslist.

Does this help any?
Click to expand...

I hear ya loud and clear my friend. :thumbup I was sort of interested in a camera kit such as the ones that Best Buy sells for about $900-$1000. Like you said though, All the info I'll need will be within the specs..

The camera I have now is great and all, I just really don't have that clarity when zooming in like I hoped I would. Would it maybe be in my better interest to just buy a body alone, and scrounge up for lenses separately? This way I don't fall back into the same hole as I'm in now with a "start up kit" pretty much..?
 
When you have time pop in at Calumet in the City or Keeble and Shuchat in Palo Alto and check out what they have. I haven't priced anything lately but I think you should be able to get a good kit for $600 or less. And then if you have another $400 to spend you could get a second lens or an external flash (or both, maybe).

Generally, a DSLR will get you better glass, better sensor speed (you're limited to ISO 400 right now), better resolution, and less noise. I think the review said noise when you went faster than ISO 100 was pretty apparent. All of those combine to give you better images, even when you need to crop down your images (to sorta zoom in more). And normally, the less you ask a lens to do the better it can do that job (i.e. a prime/non-zoom lens of equivalent quality will give better images than a zoom and that in turn will be better than a large-range zoom like what the FZ20 has.)

For advice, I'd say it depends on where you think you'll go with your photography. If you'll pull it out every few months, just get a kit with a zoom lens with a range that works for you.

If you're going to be shooting every week and you're interested in continuing to work and learn, your real investment will be in your lenses. (Like at the beginning of the year I had about $5000 in lenses and a $1200-ish body and I always wanted more / different / faster / better.)

If you want to put together the best kit for $1000, buy used. Cycle61 posted a link to a good online shop for used... prolly at least 20 pages ago... I think this is it: http://www.keh.com ... Get a body like a Nikon D3000 and find one good zoom or two prime lenses and then learn the hell out of what you got. If you had something like $2000 to spend I'd say get something like a D3000 and the Nikon / Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 DX lens.

Back to the bike analogy: you can always spend more on farkles and bling but it'll never turn a low-end bike to a top-end bike.
 
So, made the decision to go with the EX430 instead of the 580.

So far, very much not disappointed.

The only thing that sucks so far, is that the selection buttons require being pressed in a really long way, like, 3mm. And my fat fingers barely fit, have to use my pinkie. If I didn't cut my nails down to nothing, it would be no problem.

Everything else is swish - even the locking mechanism is a quarter-turn thing that tightens to just the right amount, very quickly. Dismounting it is very fast.

First flash that REALLY actually works and figures out the correct exposure, no matter where you point it. For this shot, I just shoved it directly upward to the ceiling. No adjustments, nothing. Just fired away.

I had to work hard to catch it out, like, bouncing it off a window and stupid shit like that.

While I was at it, also bought a Zeikos universal ring flash. Cheap POS. Which is OK, as the pictures it produced were decent. For all of the 15 shots I used it before it made a loud 'pop' and lived no more... time to test the returns procedure and BH Photo *sigh*.

Also went to Fry's and found 10x AA holders, that each hold 4 batteries - perfect for 'charged' and 'dead' stockpiling. 99c a pop :)

Oh, also got the Sennheiser MKE 400 mic - and yes, it DOES sound better! And 3 of those Sima LED light panels, for $30 a pop. Now they've gone up to $60 each! Guess they figured out they were way underpriced compared to everyone else. They work *really* well too, shame there's no adjustment.

I have a shoot at a film premiere in 2 weeks, hence all the mobile stuff. Even bought some belt-mounting lens holders instead of my huge backpack, or shoulder bag that lets everythign knock together.

Anyway, this was 1/60th, at ISO 1000 (!) to try to keep some of the daylight, with the flash firing directly up (as you can see in the catchlights, just about).

What's really nice, is now I have a camera/flash combo that does what I expect it to. I played with manual a little and found it very easy to dial in.

exflashtest.jpg
 
mosquito said:
When you have time pop in at Calumet in the City or Keeble and Shuchat in Palo Alto and check out what they have. I haven't priced anything lately but I think you should be able to get a good kit for $600 or less. And then if you have another $400 to spend you could get a second lens or an external flash (or both, maybe).

Generally, a DSLR will get you better glass, better sensor speed (you're limited to ISO 400 right now), better resolution, and less noise. I think the review said noise when you went faster than ISO 100 was pretty apparent. All of those combine to give you better images, even when you need to crop down your images (to sorta zoom in more). And normally, the less you ask a lens to do the better it can do that job (i.e. a prime/non-zoom lens of equivalent quality will give better images than a zoom and that in turn will be better than a large-range zoom like what the FZ20 has.)

For advice, I'd say it depends on where you think you'll go with your photography. If you'll pull it out every few months, just get a kit with a zoom lens with a range that works for you.

If you're going to be shooting every week and you're interested in continuing to work and learn, your real investment will be in your lenses. (Like at the beginning of the year I had about $5000 in lenses and a $1200-ish body and I always wanted more / different / faster / better.)

If you want to put together the best kit for $1000, buy used. Cycle61 posted a link to a good online shop for used... prolly at least 20 pages ago... I think this is it: http://www.keh.com ... Get a body like a Nikon D3000 and find one good zoom or two prime lenses and then learn the hell out of what you got. If you had something like $2000 to spend I'd say get something like a D3000 and the Nikon / Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 DX lens.

Back to the bike analogy: you can always spend more on farkles and bling but it'll never turn a low-end bike to a top-end bike.
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me man. I'm thinking Black Friday would be the day to do it, if only I could get out of the family dinner early enough the night before lol
 
I feel like my photo creative side has gotten stumped, and a friend pointed out that using fill flash could help out, so i've started thinking more about this, and have come to the conclusion that i would like to get 2 flashes and rig them wirelessly. Im a total noob when it comes to flash photography, and im lost when it comes to creating a wireless flash setup.

I've been looking at sunpak and sigma flashes (eventually getting a canon flash would be nice) but dont know how to interface them wirelessly. Any pointers would be all kinds of awesome and much appreciated!

Thanks! :)
 
DOMS said:
I feel like my photo creative side has gotten stumped, and a friend pointed out that using fill flash could help out, so i've started thinking more about this, and have come to the conclusion that i would like to get 2 flashes and rig them wirelessly. Im a total noob when it comes to flash photography, and im lost when it comes to creating a wireless flash setup.

I've been looking at sunpak and sigma flashes (eventually getting a canon flash would be nice) but dont know how to interface them wirelessly. Any pointers would be all kinds of awesome and much appreciated!

Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Been thinking about a wireless setup too. Friend told me about Cactus wirelss triggers. Somewhat cheap but hear it's not consistent. I bought a SB600. Sucks that it's not a master, can only be a slave. I hear it's best to have the flash OFF the hotshoe. School us on wireless setup.

P.S.
Diffusers. Stick with the diffuser that the SB600 came with? Or get one like the gary fong lightsphere?
 
flash on hotshoe can be fine as long as you arent just pointing straight at your subject. if indoors, point up to bounce light off ceiling, much more natural. the wide angle diffuser built in doesnt do all too much, and those gary fong lightspheres are overpriced tubberware. there are plenty of DIY modifiers for speedlights, a quick google search should find you some ideas.
 
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