??'s for Serious Amateur Photographers

[American Scrapper]

Yes Sam, I did mean to address this to you. Thank you for the information, it is possible that I just have not spent the time to work with my camera in the manual mode like I should. I have had some pictures of the show turn out pretty good, but most are usually blurry or too dark. Often when I take pictures, such as in the theater or my DDs dance recitals, I get very discouraged because it seems to focus on an object closer to the camera and then the subject I am trying to take pics of are very dark. Before investing in something that I think might be too much for me to figure out, I will work on my cameras that I have. Thanks for the info! You have really made somethings more clear.

Kathy

 

[Brisully]

I'm planning to be on that same one. Shall we plan a group photo shoot of the ship one day? Could be fun!

Sam

I didn't know you were going on the Repo cruise. Maybe we can start an exclusive 1DMKII Repo Cruise Club!!!

I would love to get together for the cruise.

 

[lkohawaii]

Sam. I didn't know you were going on that repo cruise either. I'm going in June once it gets to L.A. Good...you go find all the tricks I need to know and then I'll be ready when I go 2 weeks after you. I got your PM...just haven't gotten on the computer long enough to get it to you.

Kathy-Sam has been such a big help to me with my digitatal SLR. Yes, I think I got in over my head but people on the boards will help you through. As long as you're committed to work it out you'll get there eventually. I'm still working on getting there eventually. Everytime I want to give up I see a post from Sam and keep going.

 

[mark & sandra]

great photos i only hope that I'll be able to do as well dh just gave me the nikon d70 ive allways had point & shoot 35&digital no problems now im seeing the advantages of a good zoom sandra

 

[smchan]

I didn't know you were going on the Repo cruise. Maybe we can start an exclusive 1DMKII Repo Cruise Club!!!

LOL! Sorry, but I won't be a member of that club. Well - I could be but then I wouldn't be on the cruise! Far too many dollars tied up in Nikon glass to change now. (Unless, of course, Nikon doesn't get their butt in gear this year and come out with some new bodies - then I might revert to ebay and a new system.)

So... forgetting about brand loyalty for the moment, it's really all about taking good pictures, right? In fact, I recently got a Nikon FG and 50/1.8 lens at a yard sale for $20. It's manual everything, but I thought learning to use it might be fun - and keep my finger off the dang shutter button. (I think digital encourages us to OVER shoot and UNDER think.)

I'll bet if we put our collective minds to it, we could get some amazing shots around the ship. I am not at all embarassed to build one other peoples ideas.

Sam

 

[smchan]

great photos i only hope that I'll be able to do as well dh just gave me the nikon d70 ive allways had point & shoot 35&digital no problems now im seeing the advantages of a good zoom sandra

Sandra - lots of good help to be found at dpreview.com. Check it out!

I also recommend Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the D70 available here: http://www.bythom.com/d70guide.htm I don't have the D70 but I've seen his book and it appears to be fairly comprehensive. He has other, good Nikon articles on his site: http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm

My best show pictures, I think, are taken with prime lenses. I use a 50/1.4 and a 85/1.8. If you only have the kit lens for your D70, I'd get a 50/1.8 or (if you can spare the extra expense) a 50/1.4. The 50/1.8 will run about $100 - the best value lens out there - and the 50/1.4 is roughly $300. Either 50 is sharp, fast, and light.

Sam

 

[Brisully]

Sam - I am sorry, I thought you were a C owner, not an N owner!! Oh well, it's the image that counts, right? The equipment is just a tool to make your image after all, right??

 

[smchan]

Sam - I am sorry, I thought you were a C owner, not an N owner!! Oh well, it's the image that counts, right? The equipment is just a tool to make your image after all, right??

Exactly! And no need to apologize. (I'm not at all engaged in the brand wars one sees on dpreview, etc.)

Sam

 

[landmark]

I have found this post helpful. I just purchased a D70 and am wondering what would be a good selection of lenses to have on hand to take the following photos... park photos, night shots ie lights/fireworks, show photos, typical around the ship photos.

It comes with the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5

I've seen the recommendation for the 50mm 1.8 and have that written down. Would one need to have a telephoto on hand as well? What would you recommend?

I also will be taking photos of my daughters swim meets.

This post really was what spurred me into getting DSLR. I have an Olympus C750 UZ and really do love it as a point and shoot but I was very disappointed in my night shots last trip. In fact all night shots were very blurry... didn't even get any good ones of the castle. Rats! Found out that I really do enjoy taking vacation photos and wanted to try for some really great shots this time! Will of couse be taking the Olympus as it takes great during the day outside shots. It's just not so great at indoors out of flash range and really not so great at shows etc. When everyone else was gearing up their cameras at the beginning of shows I was putting mine away.

Thanks in advance... I'm excited to get started. Just want to make sure I have all the equipment I need to get some really memorable shots.

 

[smchan]

I have found this post helpful. I just purchased a D70 and am wondering what would be a good selection of lenses to have on hand to take the following photos... park photos, night shots ie lights/fireworks, show photos, typical around the ship photos.

It comes with the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5

I've seen the recommendation for the 50mm 1.8 and have that written down. Would one need to have a telephoto on hand as well? What would you recommend?

For those night shots and other low-light photography where you need to freeze the action (like shows), you have a need... a need for speed. The 50/1.8 is a great lens for starters. It's fast, sharp, and cheap. (If you can afford it, go for the 50/1.4. Slightly better but costs 2-3x as much as the 1.8.)

If long exposures are ok, then you need to think about a support system. A good tripod, ballhead and quick-release plate system. Bogen and Gitzo are good brands to consider for tripods, and Arca-Swiss makes good ball heads. (There are other possibilities; no need to limit your choices to these brands necessarily.)

Combined with a support system, your kit lens will be fine for low-light still shots. But if you're photographing action (like a show) in low-light, it probably won't be fast enough. The 50/1.4 and 1.8 are great but do require you to use your feet to recompose the scene. At 6 megapixels, you can always overshoot a bit and crop later.

For swim meets, a fast lens is not so important assuming you're shooting outdoors. Your kit lens on the long side (60-70mm) would be a good start and should help you evaluate whether you want a longer or faster lens. If you want something longer (can't get close enough to the action) and faster (eg you're shooting indoors or you want to completely freeze the action), the Nikon 80-200/2.8 or the Nikon 70-200/2.8 VR are probably your best choices. I usually use the 70-200/2.8 or 85/1.8 with a ND filter when shooting my local swim club in full daylight. An example follows:

Good luck and please share your photos from your Disney trips.

Sam

 

[smchan]

One other tip. Consider buying this book: http://www.bythom.com/d70guide.htm

I've read it and thing it's a great place to begin to learn about your new D70. (I'm not affliated with the author or book in any way.)

Sam

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We have a bag that fits my SLR, point and shoot, video camera, and one extra lens. It's a bit heavy, but I like to have options. There are some great shots to be had, so I say bring it all if you can! The safe will fit some of extra stuff you might not want to lug around with you. There are also some inexpensive tripods that fold up nicely. I would try and bring one of those too.

All this photography talk has me wanting to get out my camera and start practicing again! You guys have some great shots. My dream someday is to be a photographer. Frankly, I suck at it right now. I think for every 10 pics I take, there's only that I am happy with. I have an N65 that I started on, and I'm thinking of getting a D70. I'd like to stick with Nikon since I've already invested in a couple nice lenses. For those of you skilled at photography, did you take classes or are you self taught? Should I just focus on digital photography? So far every instructor I've had says that you still can't the depth and quality out of a digital as you can on a 35mm camera, but I dunno - I've seen some great shots out of high quality digitals. Also, any recommendations on must-have lenses? Thanks!

 

[smchan]

Frankly, I suck at it right now.

That's *exactly* how I feel about my skill!

I've had a couple photography classes, I've done some minor work on the side with a wedding pro, and I take tons of pictures of my church activities and my kids' sporting events. I've also read (and re-read) a lot of photography books. And I still suck.

The best way to sum up film vs digital is that it's different. Some things are easier in digital; some more difficult. Some digital unique issues you may need to concern yourself with are: the crop factor (sensor size versus film size), digital noise, exposure issues (it's more difficult to get correct exposure with digital than it is with negative film), color spaces, color profiling for monitors and printers, and post processing (Photoshop!).

But... I've learned more with digital because I was never good about keeping log books of my exposure settings with film. With digital, the exposure settings are stored in the picture, and it's cheap to experiment so you can rapidly start to get a sense of what works and what doesn't without wasting money on processing.

I think the D70 would be a nice step-up from your N65. If you enjoy your N65 and aren't afraid to learn a some new things, I think you'll get more enjoyment out of a D70. (Budget a little extra for post processing software like Photoshop or Nikon Capture as well as some memory cards.)

A salesman at the local camera store referes to DSLRs as "expensive Polaroids" - so there's definitely a contingent of folks who are hanging on to film. And there are still people listening to stereo amps made with the old glass tubes from decades ago. As for me, I'm yearning to try film again and eventually will. My point is accept digital for what it is - a new technology that is different from yet complementary to film.

Sam

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Thanks for the info Smchan! My mom still holds on to her 8 tracks so I can understand the need to hang on to traditional cameras! I'd like to have both. I've found though that even when I use my digital point and shoot (nikon coolpix) I tend to get lazy and use it as my main camera. I recently put it in a place that's harder to get to and got out my N65. Now I just need to pick it up and use. The cost in developing film is also a factor for me, but I think I want to stick to learning on a regular SLR and then making the move to digital just so that I have a better concept and appreciation of the art of photography.

 

[PhotoLisa]

This is definitely a great thread. Thanks to the members that posted images that had exif data. That should help those that need a place to start.

I too have a 1D Mark II. I only had my 10D for my last cruise in 2/2004. I take lots of sports action photos for the newspaper and use the 70-200/2.8L IS exclusively for sports. The IS saves me because I need to keep my shutter speed at or above 1/250 regardless of what length I'm shooting at. The natural rule of thumb is to not handhold for images that are less than double the distance (a 50mm lens should not be used handheld at a shutter speed of less than 1/125 . . . 50 x 2 and rounded) You risk blur in your image from camera shake.

Make sure you support your camera well during the shows to eliminate blur. Blowing out the highlights is extemely easy to do with stage productions with spotlights.

I always shoot in RAW mode and convert my images using Capture 1 Pro. It gives a lot of latitude on being able to save images that are over/under exposed.

Thanks to everyone for sharing!

Forgot to say that I ALWAYS travel with my backpack full of gear . . . even if I'm hiking.

 

[landmark]

Another question for the "camera people" Do you also lug your gear around the parks? I'm going to be taking the D70... after all some great vacation pictures is why I bought it. I'm excited to get some great pictures in general but especially want to get some great shots at the parks and on the cruise. Do you just take the p/s when going to the parks or do you find that you nit pick at those images too much and "should have taken the (insert brand here)"

I'm getting a Tamrac backpack and it actually should fit the D70, and the p/s so am planning on both even though I know the bag will be heavy. Though probably not too bad as I will not be taking any really heavy lenses with me... just the kit lense and the 50/1.8

Any advice to "lugging" the equipment about? Did I make a mistake in thinking I'd purchase this fabulous camera to take on vacation when I see most people (not on this forum btw we are obviously different )finding reasons not to carry it around?

 

[smchan]

I carry 2 backpacks with me on vacation. A large backpack that carries just about ALL my photogear and a small one that'll carry my camera and 2-3 lenses. The small one is for things like park excursions, and I'll usually throw in a zoom (typically my 17-55/2.8), one or 2 primes, a flash, and a couple filters (neutral density and polarizing).

It helps to think about the shots you want so you can be efficient with choices of gear. I've also been thinking about getting a waist case that'll just carry my camera body and 1 lens.

Sam

 

[brack]

I usually carry all my equipment on vacation (two bags; one for my Canon EOS1 film camera and one for my Canon Digital Rebel). Each day I take only part of the stuff based on what I plan to do. Usually it is just one camera and a big flash (even though the Rebel has a built-in flash I prefer my 550EX for more control).

Both cameras are heavy with the extras but if I do not have them then I can not take ANY pictures. What use are they at home or in the room?

This last DCL cruise in January the EOS1 stayed home. Maybe I am really getting hooked on digital.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

I always carry a decent P/S with me and a low-end dSLR with a walkaround lens. I leave my better equipments and lenses at home.

After all, I want to enjoy the trip.

 

[minniemoms]

I too have the Canon Mark II but, I don't travel with my cameras and big lenses. I miss them when I travel, but I am on vacation. My equipment is for wedding, and portraits, and I can't afford to replace them if I should mess one up. If I have a wedding to do right after I come home from a trip and if I have messed it up, then I am in TROUBLE. So, even tho I have the canon 20 D as well, I don't want to bring it either, it is my back-up. I have a decent P/S a canon s60, it is pretty good, and I love shooting digital. When I didn't have big jobs to do, I used to take my good cameras, but now, they just get to stay home.