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Getting Back Into Photography


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Back in the 1980's, I worked as a photographer and sales rep for a commercial photography studio. It was great experience... studio and location work for corporations and advertising agencies.

 

I had also done wedding and portrait work before that. (Horrors!) Working with the public, especially weddings, can be extremely tedious. I admire the patience of anyone who does that for a living.

 

Anyway, over the last 5 years I've been taking pictures here and there with my smartphone and have been happy with the results, but really missed using an SLR with changeable lenses and all the goodies that go along with that experience. So yesterday I went out and bought a Nikon DSLR since I can use my legacy Nikkor lenses with it, although without the fancy auto-focus features and whatnot.

 

The new camera is great--lots of features that will take awhile to figure out--however, I came across some tutorials on YouTube that were extremely helpful.

 

Then this morning I dug out my old Nikon F2. OMG! I had forgotten how heavy it is. Such amazing build quality, but the weight is unbelievable now. And I used to walk around with that hanging from my neck! The new DSLR's are so much lighter and compact.

 

Hopefully I'll upload some pictures to the forum after I figure all this out. :laugh:

 

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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Cool. We have a thread for that. clonk here.

 

IIRC, you're not a part of the evil FB world, but if I'm wrong about that, we also have a group for ourselves made up of mostly the same people. danger! evil FB!!!

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Joe, that link just leads to generic links to Facebook Groups, even when I transfer it to the browser that I keep logged in to FB.

Closed group, perhaps? Maybe need some info on how to join the group?

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

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"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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Which Nikon did you get? What old lenses do you have?

Welcome back to an addiction that is as bad as synthesizers.

 

The FB group is marked "Secret". We'll get you in.

-Mike Martin

 

Casio

Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook

The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network

 

The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for.

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I got out of photography when my entire lifetime's supply of gear was stolen by a huge gang of 20 people at the bus station in Quito Ecuador in 2009. I specialize in macrophotography, so I made sure that I got an advanced point and shoot that can go 1:1 and is sharp for that kind of work. But I miss bokeh control for portraiture, and of course landscape photography is kind of a waste on such a camera. So I do hope to rebuild a pro camera kit before I go to Nepal, Ethiopia, Rwanda/Congo/Uganda, or any other once-in-a-lifetime trips.

 

Nikon had a great user group, and there was a general pro photography forum as well, but it may have run out of funds and shut down. I eventually stopped visiting and giving money, a few years after the camera theft. And though I am now "free" to start over with Canon, I have always found the Nikon interfaces to be more intuitive, even though I did not start on Nikon. There are some very high quality lenses that aren't Nikon, which is good as it saves money. Some even have better bokeh for portraiture, in the macro range.

 

I was also semi-pro at one point, and almost went full-time pro as a photojournalist. It was super-high stress though. I've had a number of photos published, including nature photos in books, but for me it was more about documenting climate change and scientific oddities and contributing to the science community. I even dropped most of my Ecuador itinerary after the theft, as I had planned to go into some very remote areas to record what was happening. I'm going to let that be other people's burden now. :-)

 

One of the neat things about digital photography is that it makes black and white work, and experimental work, so much easier. But otherwise, I find that going digital (I was late; in November 2006 or 2007, after Kodachrome finally got cancelled), has pretty much shot me out of doing presentations and carefully organizing and culling my pictures. So much easier with slides on a light table! And no ambiguity about whether you're seeing what's there or are being fooled by the software or your computer monitor.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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Which Nikon did you get? What old lenses do you have?

 

My budget only allowed me to purchase the D5600. I can't believe the prices of flagship models... so much more than anything we bought back in the 70's and 80's.

 

Legacy lenses I still have are 35mm, 50mm, and 43-86mm Nikkor, plus two Vivitar Series 1 zoom lenses: 35-85mm and the 80-210mm. I doubt that I'll use the 80-210 as it's extremely heavy and would probably fall off the camera after extended use. :roll:

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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That does not appear to be a full-frame model, so be aware of the DX "multiplier" for "effective focal length".

 

For bird photography, this is great news, but not so much for landscapes. Your 35mm "sort of" becomes a 50mm; the 50mm is close to an effective 70mm, and so forth (the multiplier is often 1.4x but does vary between models and brands).

 

Given the quality and sharpness of those old Nikkor lenses, I would personally say you're in good standing, as those are excellent focal lengths for accurate and sharp true-to-life photos of most things. But you might want to find a used 18mm lens or 24mm lens if you want to regain your wide-angle coverage.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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you might want to find a used 18mm lens or 24mm lens if you want to regain your wide-angle coverage.

 

The camera came with an 18-55mm zoom lens. It's rather basic but will due until I can afford something better.

 

I used to have an auxiliary fisheye lens that screwed onto the front of my Nikkor 50mm, but I can't find it. Not something I'd use often, but it produced some fascinating results. I did locate my old Bogen tripod and some interesting filters. :)

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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If you need to get back into fisheye, via dedicated lens or screw-on adapter, don't forget that there are two types: circular, and rectangular. They both have their uses, and of course have different parallax issues.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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Joe, that link just leads to generic links to Facebook Groups, even when I transfer it to the browser that I keep logged in to FB.

Closed group, perhaps? Maybe need some info on how to join the group?

The FB group is marked "Secret". We'll get you in.
Oops. :blush: Sorry about that. I forgot. If you're a KC photographer on FB, yeah, contact Mike and he'll decide if you're worthy. ;)

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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May I offer my envious congratulations on the D5600. I have two consumer-grade APS-C Nikon DSLRs, but I have been GASsing for years for D5000 series so I can do macro photography without getting my face wet. :)

 

Having gotten into film photography in high school -- back when ASA 400 was Fast film and Mastodons were still in North America -- I have a great / grateful appreciation for the current technology.

 

Now DSLRs are on the way out in favor of the streamlined mirrorless cameras. But we have to wait a few years until early adopters have paid the initial premium price for 'em.

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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In my youth I guess you might have called me an "advanced amateur" as I had an SLR (Mamiya Sekor 1000DTL - yes that's how long ago this was!) and a few lenses, and did my own darkroom work. These days I have an older M4/3 camera (Panny Lumix G3) with the stock zoom lens but I found my old Takumar 35mm I used with the 1000DTL, so I bought an adapter and use it occasionally (it becomes a 70mm equiv f3.5 on the Panny). I see some very talented folk here, maybe someday I'll have a picture or two I feel worthy enough to post!
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Having gotten into film photography in high school -- back when ASA 400 was Fast film and Mastodons were still in North America -- I have a great / grateful appreciation for the current technology.

 

I remember photographing the Mastodons back then... with Kodak Tri-X film. :laugh:

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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Question for photographers here, has anyone tried out Darktable (Adobe Lightroom alternative) ?

 

Pros, cons, advice? I'm disgusted with Adobe, especially with the recent lawsuit thing. :mad:

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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I haven't heard about the "recent lawsuit thing". Any links?

 

Also not familiar with Darktable, but it sure has been difficult to get the final updates to pre-subscription versions of any Adobe products, and to get things authorized on a new computer. Luckily I have a friend who is less patient than I am, so he usually susses it out and gives me hints on the new way they hide things each time.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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I'll have to read that in more depth later, as my initial reading indicates that this is about the Creative Cloud subscriptions only, and those of us who stayed on the final versions involving persistent licenses, should be OK. If that is not the case, then this seems likely to be an illegal move, if it goes to court (which it likely would).

 

I refuse to do the subscription plan because I only use their apps about twice a year. I have written to them several times, and in surveys, but never hear back. If every vendor is the center of our daily existence, most of us would have to make a million dollars a year just to keep our data access and licenses active. That is completely unrealistic.

 

I'm not even sure I should have signed up for Slate's subscription, even though I actually trust him (and have had no reason to lose that trust), as I haven't used his products in over 18 months now since I haven't been doing production work in that long (I've been focusing on wrapping up arrangements, compositions, tracking, refinements, etc.).

 

But Slate's price is right for what he offers (unlike Roland's cloud subscription, which presumes that the importance of the products in that suite are super-high and daily use, which is only true for a small percentage of people interested in such products).

 

The data lock-out is my biggest gripe about Creative Cloud, as I can't predict my usage needs even though on average I only use the stuff twice a year. Otherwise, I suppose the pricing is fair.

 

UPDATE: I have clarified that perpetual licenses of "bought" products are not affected by this threat.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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I'm thinking about getting a 50mm lens. Any thoughts on this?

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/457680-USA/Canon_1257B002AA_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_2L.html

 

Can't help with Canon gear but... I'd recommend a simple web search for reviews, including YouTube.

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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UPDATE: I have clarified that perpetual licenses of "bought" products are not affected by this threat.

 

That's what I thought. Still... seems quite a few photographers are ditching Adobe.

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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I'm thinking about getting a 50mm lens. Any thoughts on this?

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/457680-USA/Canon_1257B002AA_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_2L.html

 

I've used one.

Stunning lens. Focus a little slow. Do you really need f1/2? I'd suggest that you highly consider the Sigma 50mm ART.

[video:youtube]

 

I've found this to be a great resource to make purchase decisions. Sample photos from just about every camera / lens combination you can imagine

 

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=107

 

-Mike Martin

 

Casio

Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook

The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network

 

The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for.

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I've used one.

Stunning lens. Focus a little slow. Do you really need f1/2? I'd suggest that you highly consider the Sigma 50mm ART. ...

 

Thanks a lot for the link!

 

I'm pretty sure the Sigma 50mm that you posted is going to be plenty for my 'basic' needs. The main reason I wanted to get the Canon was the size/weight. It looks pretty small in comparison.

 

I have 2 DSLR cameras but one lens:

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/843008-USA/Canon_5175B002_EF_24_70mm_f_2_8L_II.html

 

I'm really happy with it. For shots over the keyboard is too heavy, so for that angle I use a GoPro. Fast-forward to about 0:38

 

[video:youtube]

 

GoPro shots don't come out well because of the lighting. I would much rather use my 2nd DSLR and for that position a lighter lens would probably be easier to work with.

 

What do you think?

 

www.youtube.com/c/InTheMixReviews
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Sigma, Tokina, and Tamron, are all brands that have some very specific lenses that are high quality at lower prices than Canon or Nikon, and a few are even considered better -- or at least more practical in terms of features that regular photographers use.

 

It's been too many years for me to remember what I had specifically, but I seem to recall it was the 30mm Sigma (equivalent to full-frame 45mm) that was quite good, and either Tamron or Tokina for a 90mm macro lens (equivalent to 135mm full frame) that had the best bokeh (Japanese term for how out-of-focus background elements look; it affects whether they are distracting as in mirror lenses, or soft and pleasing) -- better than Nikon's own macro lenses (at least, ten years ago).

 

For reviews, there are three good sites I know of, but only one that I can reiterate from memory without consulting printed notes at home, and that is Ken Rockwell's site. Some people take issue with him, and I understand why, but I do find his reviews quite useful, and also easy to parse for bias.

 

You will find reviews of the lenses I mention above on his site, which will quickly disambiguate any faulty memory on my part.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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The big thinh with digital cams, even at this point in time, is that you need some way to handle the range of light that is sensed and put into bits. Using a High Dynamic Range program to process your camera's HDR images is imperative in most cases to escape the standard web snapshot jpeg atmosphere and color distortion, even if your photos are to end up that way after all.

 

There are useful Open Source image processing programs like Krita that will let have a more (IMO pleasant) analog cam feel by doing processing in more than 8 bits per color component.

 

T

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I've used one.

Stunning lens. Focus a little slow. Do you really need f1/2? I'd suggest that you highly consider the Sigma 50mm ART. ...

 

Thanks a lot for the link!

 

I'm pretty sure the Sigma 50mm that you posted is going to be plenty for my 'basic' needs. The main reason I wanted to get the Canon was the size/weight. It looks pretty small in comparison.

 

I have 2 DSLR cameras but one lens:

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/843008-USA/Canon_5175B002_EF_24_70mm_f_2_8L_II.html

 

I'm really happy with it. For shots over the keyboard is too heavy, so for that angle I use a GoPro. Fast-forward to about 0:38

 

[video:youtube]

 

GoPro shots don't come out well because of the lighting. I would much rather use my 2nd DSLR and for that position a lighter lens would probably be easier to work with.

 

What do you think?

 

Unless you're doing some serious portraiture why not just get a 50mm f/1.8 and save a lot of money. Solves the weight issues and for video purposes gives you a bit more light than your f/2.8 lens.

-Mike Martin

 

Casio

Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook

The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network

 

The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for.

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Hello everyone. Interesting thread - always great to discuss photography. :) It is so cool how many keyboard players love photography..... There seems to be some strange connection between the two activities... (and of course the potential for GAS is prettly well limitless for photographers :D )

 

Here are a couple of thoughts on what is being discussed: For anyone looking for a lightweight, small but excellent quality camera, consider considering the Fuji Xt mirrorless cameras. I love mine (and have our own Ken to thank for recommending that I get it).

 

I also am appalled by Adobe. I refuse point blank to jump on the subscription bandwagon. My way of coping is to have purchased Lightroom 6 (which is still available). I use that for cataloguing and much of my processing. If I need to do anything else, I use Affinity photo which is a delight to use. Not as heavy duty as photoshop, but much easier to understand and user friendly. Plenty good enough for my needs. If adobe never come to their senses and start allowing people to buy upgrades again I shall simply switch to another cataloguing program when necessary at some point in the distant future. Several are being developed and on the day when I get a computer too advacned for LR 6 (which I suspect is a very very long way off...I shall completely jump ship.)

 

 

"Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" ;) Bluzeyone
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Hello everyone. Interesting thread - always great to discuss photography. :) It is so cool how many keyboard players love photography.....

 

Glad you could join us. This is definitely a great place for pictures and keys.

 

And by the way... Tom was supposed to bring the beverages to this party.

 

:cheers:

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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Question for photographers here, has anyone tried out Darktable (Adobe Lightroom alternative) ?

I just got this email from Photoshelter in my inbox - Alternatives to Adobe Lightroom 2019

 

I personally haven't used any of them as I'm currently unbothered by whatever Adobe is doing (though I suppose that could change at some point?) Maybe it's a generational thing, but I'm fine subscription software models and potential price increases. I run my photography business as an LLC part time, so all my software purchases are tax writeoffs anyways.

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