And gels so you don't get blue aliens visiting an orange planet.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
NeoGAF Camera Equipment Thread | MK II
- Thread starter MRORANGE
- Start date
JadedWriter
Member
Ok that makes sense. I can't really lump my office party experiences in with regular homes. Ceilings be too high and people want "mood" lighting in my line of work...it gets to be a pain. I really can't even look at mirrorless anything until somebody makes a Nikon adapter that doesn't brick your damn camera...looking at you Fotodiox. I really don't think it's worth it for me to fund two very different lens ecosystems and I'm not the hugest fan of adapting dumb glass.
The joys of not setting up your flash white balance in lightroom, especially when you put a picture taken with flash and put it on like the fluorescent setting.
Scratched up 5Dmkii for $500...
Kinda want, but it's far away. It's in my price range and I don't mind bad cosmetics if it's in good mechanical shape. Mkii sensor seems much closer to mkiii than mki and lacking live view seems like a pain for landscapes.
It feels like yesterday that mkiis were going for almost 2k used (more than the 6D). I guess the video appeal has worn off with all the video focused cameras that have come out since.
Kinda want, but it's far away. It's in my price range and I don't mind bad cosmetics if it's in good mechanical shape. Mkii sensor seems much closer to mkiii than mki and lacking live view seems like a pain for landscapes.
It feels like yesterday that mkiis were going for almost 2k used (more than the 6D). I guess the video appeal has worn off with all the video focused cameras that have come out since.
Hello GAF, my brother would like some help looking for a Christmas gift for his wife.
She has a Nikon d3300 with a 50mm lens and shoots casually, so my brother's looking to get her something different, fun or useful.
His budget's around £100 - any suggestions? Cheap lenses? Seen some Sigmas for around that price, as well as some competitively priced tripods. Any other suggestions?
He's seen this, but I warned him it won't be great quality: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008OKNUJ6/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Filters maybe?
She has a Nikon d3300 with a 50mm lens and shoots casually, so my brother's looking to get her something different, fun or useful.
His budget's around £100 - any suggestions? Cheap lenses? Seen some Sigmas for around that price, as well as some competitively priced tripods. Any other suggestions?
He's seen this, but I warned him it won't be great quality: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008OKNUJ6/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Filters maybe?
JadedWriter
Member
Any sigma lens worth getting is out of that price range.Übermatik;226611349 said:
Übermatik;226611349 said:
Filters could be fun to play with but depends on what she shoots. Maybe look at Peak design straps, they are much better than the ones come with the camera. Or you can find more fashionable ones. If she shoots casually I'm not sure she would want to carry a tripod...
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Übermatik;226611349 said:
Any decent lens is beyond that price range, unless it's some sort of novelty lens like a LensBaby.
My suggestions would be one or several of the following:
Flash, with remote triggers (would have to be third party, due to the price) - good for learning about flash photography and getting an introduction to off camera flash.
Circular Polarizer - good for removing reflections for taking pics of things like cars, or getting rid of glare in water for landscapes.
ND filter - good for making long exposure shots in the daytime.
Tripod - good for making long exposure shots, period.
5-in-1 foldable reflector - useful for portraits
Subscription to Adobe's photography package for a year - Photoshop + Lightroom are good.
QualityPixel
Banned
Übermatik;226611349 said:
Is the 50mm lens her only lens? She could really use something like an 18-55mm VR or a 35mm F/1.8G. Something with some useful range or at least a little wider angle.
Those screw-on accessory lenses can create issues with image quality.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
I think the kit lens should be good enough for a wider field of view. I'm assuming it came with an 18-55?
JadedWriter
Member
Why can't people with a video background understand why I don't want to use a camera I'm not comfortable with, that frankly isn't suited to event photography as a camera to cover events? It's a Canon 60D, that I really don't like the high iso capability of and on top of that there is no eye cup for it, neck strap or even a vertical grip. I find it to be way unbalanced whenever I put the Canon 2.8 70-200 on it. On top of this whenever the IS activates on it the vibration seems to go right to my hand. Can I deal with it? Yes, do I enjoy it? No.
You're not being clear. Are you using it for photo or video? If you'd be using it for video, why couldn't you put a small LED light on the hot shoe? And if your concern is balance when using a 70-200, then get a monopod. I don't know why you're always so angry about Canon products. Just don't use them then.
JadedWriter
Member
It's what my work has and if I don't have my own stuff I have to use that...thing. I can shoot just fine with it and have, but I don't like using it for event photography, specifically of the indoors variety and that's why I usually just prefer using mine and I'm trying to now get them to order me a camera of my own choosing for work. And no I'm not buying a single thing for a camera that I have to share with like three people. The main complaint I have isn't specifically with the gear itself, it's mainly aimed at other people that have no experience photographing an event thinking they have a grasp on what it entails to actually photograph one. Videography and photography don't exactly play out the same way settings wise. To also further specify I don't like shooting events with stuff I don't know like the back of my hand and that's Canon in a nutshell. For fun, I'm way less bitchy. When I'm doing an actual event that I have to grab a shot consistently and change settings on the fly? Much different story. My Nikon stuff it takes a lot of the guess work out for me cause I know what is what, what continuous focus is, exposure, comp and the whole nine yards. I actually find that stuff fun, with my own gear. Canon, hell if I had an XT2 I'd probably be bitching about it as well cause I'm not fluent in Fuji ergonomics. Outdoors and for fun, I'm less bothered by stuff. Indoors during crunch time I need to be comfortable with what I'm using. Just dealing with a person that doesn't exactly know what it feels like to A) jump manufacturers and B) know how stressful and event shoot could be when you're fighting with your camera to get the shot and you have a camera that's not even up to par for low light event photography.
jongkookie
Member
Just spent 20 minutes outside in the cold and windy air trying to do a Christmas picture for my car... tried flash at first and it just looked ugly as fnck so I grabbed a tripod and used the remote app with my phone. It worked great, I still had to change the settings on the camera(I haven't used my PS3 in years so I don't remember my SEN pw lol) and just used my phone as the shutter. It worked really well actually... until I get the pictures off the camera and find that they were all shot in jpeg...
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
Thankfully the arctic blast hasn't hit Texas yet and this merely was an experiment(wanted to see if I can get some nice round circles from the Christmas light decorations on my house and the neighbors, didn't work coz I'm guessing they're so small?) so I'll try again tomorrow in the daylight instead.
I posted the pic on the photo thread just so I can post something haha.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
Thankfully the arctic blast hasn't hit Texas yet and this merely was an experiment(wanted to see if I can get some nice round circles from the Christmas light decorations on my house and the neighbors, didn't work coz I'm guessing they're so small?) so I'll try again tomorrow in the daylight instead.
I posted the pic on the photo thread just so I can post something haha.
JadedWriter
Member
How much Canon glass did you have or did you just have the 6D kit lens? I'm pretty...wary about even attempting to fund another lens ecosystem now, but I'm glad you like the K1. Nothing better than getting something that handles low light and iso noise better than your previous body.
Since I'm in here does anybody else here use vertical grips? I was on Nikon Rumors and it looks like a lot of them don't. I'm pretty much getting to the point where I like having them on my cameras.
I only had a 24-105mm L and a couple of other basic lenses, Travel Photography is my thing and it's all handheld.
It was a big toss up between an A7rII / A99 / Canon 5D MK4, but they all had a big compromises. for me, Weirdly, the K1 ticked all the boxes and was a chunk cheaper.
(Especially when having to buy a new lens)
I've always debated getting a vertical/battery grip, as I shoot so much portrait stuff, but I don't really need moreheft added on.
Grabbed a new bag, it was the best balance of Looking like a normal backpack / not being giant / having a camera specific side area. It took some doing!
PXK10508.jpg by Instagram : EvilBorisJadedWriter
Member
Yeah I have a bit too much invested in Nikon and with no adapters that work with Nikon lenses fully I'm not really itching to move to mirrorless any more. Regarding grips I've never really been too bothered by the weight. I shoot a lot vertically and this helps a lot, not to mention that I cover a lot of wide ranging stuff so I like the added battery on hand just there. I have decently sized lenses and the extra spacing and weight of the grip balances stuff out pretty well not to mention my pinky isn't slipping off the bottom of the camera so it's more comfortable to me. Though I would say don't buy a third party grip. They don't feel the same at all and could cause extra problems too from compatibility issues. They're expensive and heavy, but I like having them.
This is my event bag:
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
You need a faster longer lens to get good xmas light bokeh.
To use a flash effectively on a car you need a huge ass scrim/diffuser. Like HUGE
Nikon system is pretty good at metering for the background and just doing "fill" light. Yeah F10 will kill the backgrounds, if you are running and gunning events use the the built in TTL and commander modes don't be putzing around setting flash power manually. Save that for the studio. Not sure if the D600 can do it but the D810 can set the exposure compensation for the background and subject seperatly.
Also play around with rear curtain sync and longer exposures, great for parties/dancing to add some motion in there.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
If you're exposing with the background in mind anyway, it will never kill the background. It may mess up your subject, however, depending on your settings and the lighting conditions.
Or a lot of multiple exposures and a lot of time in Photoshop.
JadedWriter
Member
Yeah I usually just run mine in TTL, sometimes I just set the aperture far too narrow though. I usually get it figured out after a few shots, every event seems to be different any way. Though I will admit to learning that my D600 is way more forgivable with too much flash than my D7100 was. Freaking blasted some dude with it at an event, but was able to fix it very well in post to recover the skin tones.
I think I'm usually in matrix metering, though sometimes I switch it to spot metering or then, back, I need to check my camera honestly. I pretty much switch it to and fro' when I notice my shots are looking weird.
They definitely need to do more marketing. But being a small player they rely a bit more on word of mouth. Which part of the world do you live in?
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
If you stay in manual mode, keep your aperture and ISO constant, then use your shutter (since that does not affect flash exposure) speed to control the background exposure , it's fairly manageable.
finalflame
Banned
Just ordered the XF56mm f/1.2 for my X-T2 (joining my 23mm f/1.4) after laboring over sample pictures and reviews for the past few weeks. Didn't think the APD version was worth another $400. Can't wait to shoot portraits over the holidays with it.
Next on my list now is the 50-140mm f/2.8 and 10-24 f/4. Then I think I'll be happy with my kit.
Next on my list now is the 50-140mm f/2.8 and 10-24 f/4. Then I think I'll be happy with my kit.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
North America. I don't think I've ever actually seen a Pentax DSLR in the wild.
After looking it up, I think I still would have went with the A7RII despite the price difference.
It has been a truly incredible camera for me. My only complaints with are: no GPS, short battery life, no way to take RAW + highest quality JPEG at the same time.
Late reply, but I was very unimpressed with it. Of course, my first lens was the Zeiss 55mm f/1.8, so coming from that the lens was really, really soft. I did a bunch of comparison shots at 55mm and a few different aperture settings and the level of sharpness just couldn't compare, especially when you left the center. It was noticeable even without zooming. I ended up returning it and spending a bit more on the Sony 28mm f/2 lens to compliment my 55mm.
With that said, it's hard to beat the price. I got mine for around $250 as well (unwarrantied version) before returning it. The focal range is great, but I just wasn't happy with the image quality. I wonder if it wouldn't be as noticeable on camera with a lower megapixel sensor.
JadedWriter
Member
Yeah I try not to be too high on my shutter with a low aperture. Probably should do a bit of the opposite or not be too extreme on both ends. I'm usually F8 at 1/40th or something.
Astral/H3X
Member
Can't say I've ever used F8 on anything but a macro lens, and not even frequently then.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Why not? You don't ever want to take photos with end to end sharpness?
Astral/H3X
Member
Would basically always rather have the bokeh, to be honest.
It's just not my style to worry about maximizing sharpness, if I stop down it's more likely because I have less time to focus and don't want to misfocus, than it is to have more sharpness.
Note: I do not consider myself a good photographer. Just a passable one lol. Could I be better if I shied away from bokeh more? Maybe, but eh.
MisterNugNug
Member
Thought about getting the 10-24 or the 16 f/1.4 and chose the latter but both are awesome lenses.
Sake by Tony Nguyen, on Flickr[/IMG]JadedWriter
Member
That is what happens when you do a group shot and try to get the whole damn group in focus.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
I mean, I'm with you when it comes to photos of individuals. I love me some good looking bokeh, but surely you can't want a super narrow depth of field for every photo you ever take, right?
Like JadedWriter said, the narrower your depth of field, the harder it is to get a group of people in focus unless they are in a perfect line.
I ruined so many good group shots shooting wide open in aperture priority mode before I started to understand how aperture and depth of field are related. I'm still learning of course.
JadedWriter
Member
Group shot at 1.8 ain't happening, barely even at F4. It really depends on height differences and how big the group is, which is why I fucking hate group shots. Shit even two people next to each other gets tricky, especially with a massive height difference. I don't even know who to focus on half the time.
Astral/H3X
Member
Luckily, I don't know enough people to make group shots a big concern of mine. :x
Yea I have only ran into a few in NA. They are more easily to find in Asia some some parts of Europe.
VisceralBowl
Member
I know this isn't entirely relevant but Unreal Engine 4 has this as an option to focus its physical camera. The plane makes focusing really really simple.I wonder if anyone has made something to project a plane so you get people placed in the plane of focus. Maybe looking through a depth camera. Even better if it could project a curved plane if you knew the field curvature
It'd be awesome if a camera could overlay something like that in live view. I've never done well with focus peaking.
Astral/H3X
Member
I know this isn't entirely relevant but Unreal Engine 4 has this as an option to focus its physical camera. The plane makes focusing really really simple.
It'd be awesome if a camera could overlay something like that in live view. I've never done well with focus peaking.
The problem with that is that it would need to be able to measure the depth of the scene, which would likely mean either some crazy tech we don't know about yet, or two lenses for 3D information.
With focus peaking I can pretty much always use grass or carpet on the ground to give myself my "plane" of focus, so that's what I do.
JadedWriter
Member
Corporate events...corporate fucking events...
finalflame
Banned
Thought about getting the 10-24 or the 16 f/1.4 and chose the latter but both are awesome lenses.
Awesome shot! I'm still on the fence between staying all prime or getting zooms. It's just a shame that to go as wide as possible on Fuji, it needs to be with the 10-24, as the widest prime is the 14mm f/2.8, which isn't THAT wide on the 1.52x crop.
If I do end up sticking with primes i'll most likely get the 14mm f/2.8 + 90mm f/2.
Astral/H3X
Member
Luckily, the events I shoot are military promotions 9 times out of 10, so only one guy matters!
That'd be pretty coolI know this isn't entirely relevant but Unreal Engine 4 has this as an option to focus its physical camera. The plane makes focusing really really simple.
It'd be awesome if a camera could overlay something like that in live view. I've never done well with focus peaking.
I don't think it's that impossible. You can get a crude 3d map with dual cameras (could be cheap cellphone cameras) and the phase detect sensors already give the AF system a rough depth estimate. I haven't tried it, but I think Fuji has attempted something similar with their simulated split prism focusing.
I think something more realistic would maybe be multiple face recognition and/or better peaking.
Maybe a square around each detected face with a color or bar representing how in focus they are. Probably needs more processing power than what most cameras have today.
Peaking wise I hope we see more options in how aggressive it should be so we don't end up with out of focus objects that still lit up the peaking. Maybe put it on a dial so you can narrow it in while asking people to move and find focus as quickly as possible.
I hope we get more stuff like this in future mirrorless cameras. I feel like this is where they can do really well and it's not just for group shots. For landscapes this could make tilt shift lenses more manageble and maybe help find the threshold where stopping down is detrimental.
MisterNugNug
Member
I've heard that the 90 is one of the fastest focusing lenses in the Fuji lineup. I have the 35mm F2 and the 16mm, my next lenses will probably be the 23mm F2 and maybe the kit lens for travel. I
anyone have an underwater housing case for a D500 or D800 they want to loan me? Maybe even go in on one together and we can share? They're so fucking expensive for what they really are. Have trips to Barbados and Belize in Jan and March i want to use it on.
Astral/H3X
Member
Or, screw all that, and put those damn phase detect pixels to use in focus peaking. Bam, done. Use both contrast detect and phase detect simultaneously, use the red lines to get in the general area, and then get little blips to confirm phase detected focus.
It would be interesting to see how that would work. I want something more granular than out of focus/in focus though.
DSLRs could probably do something similar by making a depth map and maybe take a picture to overlay on top of it.
Astral/H3X
Member
Well, that's what having the current Contrast detect layer is for. CD focus peaking is good for getting a good "idea" of where it's focused, and then for that one critical spot (eye, etc), you'd have it light up with the phase detect point.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
You're shooting at F8 at events? Just group shots, or all the time, even with single people in it?
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
I have a possibly malfunctioning one (some screw loose somewhere but I haven't had time to check where it is) for a D700 lol...
JadedWriter
Member
Just group shots. I usually dual body. One with flash the other no flash and a 70-200 and do groups with one and wide angle the others candid portraits and other stuff. Depending on what's going on I usually change settings and stuff. Last time I think I was at F4 for my groups cause I only had one camera cause it was last minute and just lens switched based on situation. I had the 24-70 on for groups and tight quarters shots and when the graduation ceremony started I switched to the 70-200 for the speakers and speech parts.