Photography Thread

[Philligan]

Also, as cool as the HDR and panorama merging will probably be, I don't think I'll be buying Lightroom 6. It seems like they haven't done anything to help with the algorithms for the Fuji files, and they're not going to be doing major updates to LR6 - only to LR in Creative Cloud. I don't really want to pay monthly to rent editing software, so I'm about to download the Capture One trial.

 

[flint757]

Yeah, I'm very much against the creative cloud being the only thing Adobe offers. It's only a good deal for people who upgrade their software annually. For anyone else the CC Suite is just a rip off compared to owning it outright. It's frustrated me so much I've found alternative for pretty much everything I used to use through them.

Good news for me is that my current setup is already supported with lightroom 5. So until I upgrade my rig it's a non-issue.

 

[soliloquy]

just a theoretical question.
seeing as how pentax has announced a full frame camera by the end of this year, i'm wondering what happens to lenses that are designed for crop cameras?
for example, i have a pentax k5 right now, with a 50mm, 18-135mm and 10-20mm. in a full frame, do those measurements go up? are they even compatible? the pentax full frame is supposedly k-mount, so all k-mount lenses will work just fine. but will a 10-20 mm lens turn into a 15-25mm or something like that?

in other news, finding an ND filter for an 82mm thread is really hard to do. i wanted to get an 8 or 10 stop ND filter that wasn't a variable filter. all i kept finding were SUPER cheap variable that went up to 8-10ish or so but with horrible color cast and loss of sharpness. i ended up getting a 6 stop hoya filter. gonna try pairing it with a CP filter to see how that goes...

 

[ThePhilosopher]

The APS-C lenses may not cover the full frame sensor is one possibility, another is the camera will switch to a crop mode like Nikon cameras do, and a final option is it will not work at all like Canon EF-S lenses.

They are going to be pricey, but here are some 10-stop 82mm filters: Neutral Density (Solid) | B&H Photo Video

 

[Tang]

solio: the 50mm will work as a 50mm on the Pentax FF. The 18-135 and 10-20 will probably operate in crop-mode, but no details have come out yet.

 

[Philligan]

Are any of you guys familiar with the Nikon Coolscans? Dawn and I are gonna be renting my grandpa's house from him because he lives in the US, and I found out he's got a Coolscan V ED. It doesn't look like it'll do 120 but it does 35mm. Going by camera standards the specs look terrible haha but I don't know what the standards are for scanners. Is it still worth using? If so I'll probably order some B&W developing gear after the wedding, and start buying more C-41 so I can pay less for developing and just get the negatives.

 

[Rook]

The Nikon Coolscan stuff is some of the most desirable scanner tech available.

Definitely get your hands on that if you can haha. Search for it on Flickr and you'll see what I mean, it shows up as the camera.

 

[Philligan]

Excellent. He got it something like 7 years ago to scan some old slides he had. Once he scanned the slides he didn't need it anymore, but didn't want to admit that he paid so much for something he didn't need anymore, and it's just sat around. I don't know if I can officially have it until he wills it to me or something, but I am definitely gonna have around the clock access to it.

 

[Tang]

I haven't used my real camera in about 2 weeks..

the day the earth turned sideways by nrrfed, on Flickr

filament by nrrfed, on Flickr

 

[Philligan]

We head to New York on Sunday. I haven't been shooting much, but it's been crazy with the wedding. I've got all my stuff packed up camera-wise. I'm skipping the flash, because that and the triggers take up a decent amount of space, and I doubt I'll use it. I'm just bringing the X-T1, 35, 18, a cheap tabletop tripod, the Instax, and a small flashlight.

I'm gonna bite the bullet and shoot small JPGs most of the time. If I see a nice shot I want to set up and it looks pretty serious, I'll shoot raw, but after shooting a whole Florida vacation in raw, I'm never doing that again. Besides, Fuji's JPG engine is really good, and I want to force myself to trust it a bit more.

Packed bag by philbabbey, on Flickr

Contents by philbabbey, on Flickr

 

[Tang]

If I had a Fuji I'd be comfortable shooting in .jpg. My Pentax on the other hand.

 

[tank]

any advice? I can't decide between the nikon d750 and the canon 6D..
for live photography for the most..

 

[Philligan]

Get the one that feels better in your hands, unless you already have some decent glass from either company.

The D750 is *technically* a better all-around camera, but IMHO it's not enough to warrant switching brands if you're already invested in Canon. The D750 basically has slightly better image quality, more resolution, a little faster burst rate and better tracking AF, and I think that's more or less it for major differences.

When you say live photography, I'm assuming bands. The D750 is technically the best high ISO DSLR at the moment AFAIK (short of a D4s/1Dx), but it's not that much better than the 6D. The fact that it's a little better *and* higher resolution is worth mentioning, but again, that's not enough to switch brands.

The D750's AF is technically way better on paper. It'll definitely do better tracking and area AF, and has way better coverage of the frame. The 6D still has something going for it, though. It's centre focus point is one of the best on the market. The D750 is rated to AF in the same light (or dark) levels as the 6D, but all the reviews I've read say the 6D is still more consistent at focusing in near-darkness. Even the 5D3, which isn't rated to focus as dark as the 6D or D750, still kept up with - and kind of out-performed - the D750. So if you want to do a lot of tracking or continuous shooting, hands down the D750. If that's not a huge concern for you, and you do a lot of single point AF, they're pretty evenly matched IMHO.

The Elephant in the Room: Canon's low ISO dynamic range vs Nikon's. A lot of people rag on Canon for being behind Nikon in dynamic range. It's true - you can push shadows pretty much to the max on Nikons and still get useable images, while the pushed Canon files get really messy after a stop or so. What a lot of people/articles fail to mention, though, is that this is only true for ISO 100-800, maybe 1600. At 3200 and up, Canon catches up to Nikon's dynamic range, and I think the 6D might even pull ahead a bit. So if you're shooting weddings, daytime events, or stuff like landscapes, the D750 is a clear winner. If you're shooting dark stuff like concerts or astrophotography, the Canon is just as good, if not better. The D610 isn't as good as the D750, but I read an article where an astro guy switched from the D610 to the 6D because the 6D had cleaner high ISO and more high ISO dynamic range. The D750 might be better, but it just goes to show that those blanket statements definitely don't apply to every person or situation.

IMHO: The D750 is technically better for almost all situations. I would want to get one, but I really don't get along with Nikon's feel or button layout, and I like Canon's lens selection a bit more. I'd probably end up going for the 6D, especially if I was gonna be shooting shows primarily.

If you are gonna be shooting in bright situations a lot and would benefit from being able to expose for highlights and push shadows on your subject, you should definitely get the D750. There's a world of difference with what you can do there compared to Canon. Generations of difference.

However, if being able to push shadows at low ISOs isn't a big concern for you, then the 6D still holds its own and is still a totally viable option. In that case, you should either get the one that you already have glass for, or the one that feels better in your hands, or the brand that your friend shoots.

 

[Tang]

the pentax reenters the fray! the first two are extremely low-light. At this point I can either get a faster lens (something 1.4.. preferably a 35mm) or go full-frame. Or hell, just keep pushing the Pentax.

night watchers by nrrfed, on Flickr

night gardening by nrrfed, on Flickr

shadow selfie by nrrfed, on Flickr

puzzling by nrrfed, on Flickr

and one from the galaxy s6. I can see where having a nice EVF can come in handy with things like seeing live exposure at all times.

kitchen solar system by nrrfed, on Flickr

 

[Philligan]

I really like that last one. I used to not shoot below like 2.2 because I was worried about the lens being soft (my old Canon 50mm probably wasn't the greatest wide open), but I've started doing it more. I'd still be nervous using it for a paid shoot unless it was for a handful of posed portraits. When I was shooting those local shows, I was at 1.4 just to maintain 6400 and 1/125. I've stopped worrying so much and have gotten some pretty cool results wide open. I can't wait til I can afford the 56 1.2.

So I just wiped my Quick Menu and rebuilt it from scratch. It sucked, but I'm glad I did it. I got rid of the settings I never touch, and organized it so it seems to make some sense. I'm also randomly a little OCD, and I'm really satisfied that I took out the four settings I have programmed to custom buttons.

Also, the official decision is in. I'm shooting bracketed jpgs: Classic Chrome, Velvia, and B&W. If I see something or plan a shot that I want to take more seriously, I'll shoot it in raw, but I'm gonna force myself to stick to mostly jpgs. I'm shooting bracketed because, aside from potentially editing a few on my phone to post while we're there, I want to be able to have some variety in the look of the album without having to sit down and process a bunch of stuff.

 

[capoeiraesp]

trust the Fuji JPEGs, they rule. I've shot most of my stuff on the XT-1 in JPEG and they're so workable and I simply love Chrome.

 

[JeffFromMtl]

Back from Guatemala with some photos. I shot some film which I need to get developed, but barely shot anything with the Fuji, which is the only "real" digital camera I took with me. As I'm consistently finding, I used my phone more than anything. I love it for its convenience, its quality is outstanding for what it is (with good light, it can be incredible - the giraffe photo, for example), and its discreteness is priceless. Given the focal length of its lens, this makes me believe that a Ricoh GR would have been the right choice for me over the Fuji X100s which I initially opted for as a compact because of the viewfinder, which the Ricoh does not possess.

All of the following were taken with the iPhone 6 and edited in-phone with the VSCO app.

 

[capoeiraesp]

The iphone photo master. Love ya stuff, Jeff.

 

[Tang]

Excellent, Jeff. Also congrats to Phil on his wedding day!

 

[Philligan]

Thanks man!

Great things happened today:





This lens is basically perfect. Amazing balance and feel, super sharp, fast focus, and I see in 35mm so I pretty much never have to move to get the right frame after I've put the camera up to my face. Shooting jpg has been going fine. Gonna wait til we're home and post a collection of my favourites.