*OFFICIAL* general photography conversation thread

[The1]

Originally Posted by rodi

actually, i think it was because they were Xavier's men.

well, yes, that is the real reason, but i think my way is funnier and more to the "x-pro" way of looking at things

[The1]

Originally Posted by rodi

hell of a lot cheaper than an M9.

this is the one that shares some of the M9 equipment right?

mostly just the case?

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by rodi

hell of a lot cheaper than an M9.

A new M3 is a hell of a lot cheaper than Veyron. Still a pricey piece of kit.

Although the dedicated aperture and shutter speed settings are sweet.

[rodi]

I don't think it shares anything. someone might make a mount adapter though.

[The1]

gottcha, I was off by a long shot

[rodi]

maybe if the X-Pro2 has a full frame sensor like the M9. . . .

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by rodi

actually, i think it was because they were Xavier's men.

you men Professor Xavier... right professor?

[Chewy734]

about the X-Pro1... looks great. I tried out the X100 before and I was not a fan. The menu system is horrific (as far as I could tell). It was supposed to be compared to an M9 (without the FF sensor), and I'll just say... no... not even close, in terms of build quality, etc. It does have more features than an M9, but I would not see a person looking at purchasing an M9 to even glance at the X100.

That being said, perhaps Fuji made some great adjustments and improvements with the X-Pro1, so I'll check it out one of these days. But, if it's a glorified X100, I'll have to pass.

[rodi]

haha

[M_Six]

My 135mm F2L got delivered today from borrowlenses.com. Of course it's raining and miserable outside today for the first time in a week or two. Guess I need to prowl the building with it.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by M_Six

My 135mm F2L got delivered today from borrowlenses.com. Of course it's raining and miserable outside today for the first time in a week or two. Guess I need to prowl the building with it.

I think it's waterproof...I just got in from shooting in a snow storm. Bad weather can lead to interesting shots.

[M_Six]

The lens may be waterproof, my camera is not. But there's always the option of shooting from within my BMW-brand blind, right Dave?

This lens will take some practice. The DOF at F2 isn't razor thin for shots from a few yards away, but you do need to consider it. The bokeh looks to be nice, though. Just getting used to standing waaaaaay back for shots, like the 30ft or so I was away from these flowers, will take some adjusting.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by M_Six

The lens may be waterproof, my camera is not. But there's always the option of shooting from within my BMW-brand blind, right Dave?

This lens will take some practice. The DOF at F2 isn't razor thin for shots from a few yards away, but you do need to consider it. The bokeh looks to be nice, though. Just getting used to standing waaaaaay back for shots, like the 30ft or so I was away from these flowers, will take some adjusting.

Why buy f/2 if you're going to shoot at f/8, eh?

It's very interesting dealing with shallow DOF and some subjects. If the subject has an eye and you get that in focus, then it often hardly matters if 98% of the image is OOF. It's really interesting to study. Look at the image below:


Rufous hummingbird (female) sizes up a wildflower by dcstep, on Flickr

If you click on the image and go to Flickr and view it in the Original size, you'll see that very little of it is in focus. I got the eye, the back-right feathers on the head and a couple of spots on the penstemon stalk. The bokeh in the back and the fact that just a few parts are really, really sharp, makes the viewer think it's a "sharp" image when it's almost entirely OOF!!!

So, something has to be really sharp, but often it doesn't need to be that much.

Still, despite the success of my image above, I wonder what it would have looked like at f/11. I'd still have bokeh and the bird might be drop-dead sharp.

Dave

[Chewy734]

that's a sick shot Dave.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

that's a sick shot Dave.

Agreed. That 500mm lens is magic (in the right hands).

I think I could learn to love the 135. I already like it better than the 200 F2.8L I rented. You really needed space for that one and it seems 135 is doable for me without the IS. We're due for some snow (boo, hiss) tomorrow and I'll be home all day waiting for a new stove to be delivered, so I'll get some shots out back at the feeder with the 135.

[The1]

135L has minimal weather sealing. It doesn't even have a seal around the ring. It's an old design that's still going.

The nice thing with it is that you can still get pretty close to objects, and that's when the DOF really starts to get razor thin.

Try it out on the wife, get some head shots. You'll start to notice the DOF when you see sharp hairs in her eyebrows, and then the ones just off to the side start to blend together.

The bokeh with the lens is known to be buttery soft, so have fun with it

[The1]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Agreed. That 500mm lens is magic (in the right hands).

I think I could learn to love the 135. I already like it better than the 200 F2.8L I rented. You really needed space for that one and it seems 135 is doable for me without the IS. We're due for some snow (boo, hiss) tomorrow and I'll be home all day waiting for a new stove to be delivered, so I'll get some shots out back at the feeder with the 135.

and get yourself a rain hood one that will be big enough to fit over the 70-200 when you finally get it.

I grabbed one, but haven't used it yet. But knowing I have it makes me feel a lot more comfortable taking my camera out and about in bad weather.

Also, don't be too afraid of the 1Ti in the bad less then optimal weather, I had mine out in light misty rain and such. I've seen people with their entry level Nikons and etc walking around in the rain, drop, and do other stupid things to them. One of my buddies is a prime example, his excuse "that's why I have the entry level"

[adrean8j]

Have any of you used MCP actions before? They are giving away LR3 and some other goodies (Camera bag, LR tee, and other swag) if any of you are interested. I won't post the link here (for fear of banishment) but google it and you can find it. They have a contest giving away a Canon 5D MKII + Lens or Nikon D700 (Body) soon as well!

[adrean8j]

Anybody heard of MCP actions? They have a contest right now giving away LR3, camera bag, and other assorted swag. I won't post the link directly unless asked or PM'd but it is basically free to enter. They also have their big contest coming up to win a Canon 5D MKII + Lens or Nikon D700 (Body) Winners choice on January 17th. Pretty cool and can't hurt to enter methinks!

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by adrean8j

Have any of you used MCP actions before? They are giving away LR3 and some other goodies (Camera bag, LR tee, and other swag) if any of you are interested. I won't post the link here (for fear of banishment) but google it and you can find it. They have a contest giving away a Canon 5D MKII + Lens or Nikon D700 (Body) soon as well!

No, I use DxO Optics Pro, but this type of preset is one reason that I use DxO. The other big reason is their automatic lens corrections for geometric, chormatic aberration, edge softness, vingetting, etc. which LR has now added. Once I started with DxO there was no turning back, but if I were making the decision today I'd consider LR more seriously.

Dave

[M_Six]

FYI - From The Digital Picture website.

Abe's of Maine has the SanDisk 32GB Extreme CompactFlash Card (60MB/s) for only $94.95 using promotion code Abesaves5. Compare at $139.95. Offer ends 1/21.

[Chewy734]

that's a lot of storage. I always found it more logical to buy two 16gb CF cards instead (sometimes for an overall lower price). If one goes bad, you lose less pics.