Hi.. Is anyone into photography?

Not just people photography but macro and landscape and nature.. still life type stuff?

 

I don't know that I would say I'm into it, but I have a pretty nice camera and I like taking pictures.

I'm trying to get better at it because the better the cat pictures are, the more quickly the cats get adopted.

There's a good photographer on this board named Triton. I don't know that he's around much.

I rarely ever take pictures of people.

 

We have I am not sure how many Digital Cameras and we are now looking into the nikon d200 but not ready to toss that much $$ into our hoby. We are flower and sunset/sunrise and lately bug macro nuts. We sell some for stock photographs but most are just us taking silly photos of silly things. We are a silly couple!

What kind of Camera do you have?

 

I'm more into videography, but one my best friends does a ton of still life and macro, she's pretty good. Just got herself a nice Nikkon D40 SLR too!

Her Flickr site

 

The D40 DSLR camera is a nice camera.

 

I have film SLRs, but this past fall I bought my first digital one--a 10MP Canon Rebel xti. Previously I had a metal-body Nikon Coolpix 4500 that was only 4 MP. The Rebel is generally comparable to the Nikon D80, but at a slightly lower price point.

I've been amazed at the Canon's ability to shoot in low light, even without the pricey stabilization lens (which I want to move up to at some point). I've been able to shoot some indoor night portraits I was really happy with using nothing more than diffused household lighting (tri-pod mounted, using a remote and with the white-balance corrector in use).

Having 10MP is so fun, and I find I shoot wide and crop later in Photoshop to get the composition I want. Since I got it just as the weather turned wet, I've only had a couple chances so far to try it on landscapes, but I was happy with those results. One thing I miss from the point-and-shoot varieties though is the ability to preview in the LCD screen.

 

From the time my dad bought me my first 110 camera, I've been taking pictures, with him drilling me on composition and lighting. The most archaic but special present he bought me was an old Nikromat and a hand held light meter. I can't remember how many rolls of film I felt I wasted because I was experimenting. I even kept a book of my failed photos and made a portfolio out of the good ones.

Then he bought me a Fuji FinePix 6900 about 4 years ago. It's slow on the saving, so I find I use the multi-frame feature alot, and I'm still getting the hang of good macro shots. It does okay in low light, but manual focus is a necessity. The only real downside to the camera is the smart media card, I feel like I'm going to snap it in half when I put it in the camera.

Everyone in my family is some kind of artist: writer, painter, muralist, musician, sculptors, and I was just the jack of all trades until I discovered my love for photography

 

Am I a photographer? Probably not.
I'm not even sure what photography is anymore, with the digital breakthrough, it is the most accessible "art" - just about anyone can point and shoot and get something worth looking at.

I love taking photos though.
"Take a photography class" winds up on my New Years list just about every year, and somehow, it never happens.
Probably because I'm outside in the garden, with the camera.

 

I've been real happy with my Canon Digital Rebel 300D SLR. Its not a current model and its "only" 6.3mp but you can find used and refurbed units reasonably priced. One thing I really like about it is that it uses most of the same lenses I already had for my Canon Rebel film camera so I didn't have to buy lots of lenses right off to get the most out of it. Its very similar to the more expensive Canon 10D and uses the same image sensor and processor but its not in the same more rugged metal case as the 10D. There are free firmware hacks that unlock some of the crippled features to make it more like a 10D operation wise also. It works very well in low light, its SLR and has most any feature you could want.

Dave

 

Thus far my favorite camera was my Minolta T100 and still not sure why. Guess it is what I learned on. Been through at least 10 digitals starting with some old $300 Fugi to the Sony FD and Sony CD to a few of the kodak point and shoots to the point now that the little woman says I buy another one and I might get locked out of the house.

Our passions though, really are flower and bug macros and the typical water/sky shot.. here is an example of one of mine.. this is without any edit at all. The edited version is deep in the belly of flickr.com but this will give you an idea.

 

Hey Rainy, I just got an Xti a few minutes ago. I'm still charging the battery.

What did you mean about the inability "to preview in the LCD screen"?
Do you have to use the eye piece to view while shooting? Obviously, I'll find out shortly, but gimme all the info you've got!
Thanks!

 

Ooh, you're going to love it, Cat. Hope you'll show some of what you take with it because I've enjoyed your photos in the past.

Yes, you have to use the eye piece to shoot, unless I've missed something in the instructions. I think I remember my brother telling me that right now all the digital SLRs are that way, but I could be wrong. I much prefer viewing on the screen, so I miss that. The photo is available on the LCD as soon as you take it, but that's not the same.

The only other thing about the camera that I dislike is the automatic shut-off feature. As with most digitals, the power shuts off after a few minutes to save the battery, but the trouble is there's no override for when you're using the remote. In a couple of the photos I showed in the Clubhouse my face is kind of flushed and it's because I'd had to hop off the bed and haul across the room to the tripod about fifteen times turning the dang thing back on. That part's very inconvenient. Otherwise though, I love it.

BTW, if you happen to buy a remote on Amazon, they have it listed in two different places at different prices, one quite a bit less than the other for the exact same item. If you need a link for the cheap one, let me know. Also, there are two different remotes that work with it and one is better because it snaps the shot instantly vs. making you wait 2 seconds.

Also, the UV filter (skylight lens) Amazon lists as fitting it is the wrong size.

 

Nice, Wombat. And thanks for starting a fun thread.

 

Thanks..

as for the d-slr camers.. I don't know of any that don't have at least a 2.5 inch lcd screen. I try to keep up to date as much as I can but for example

Specs for the Nikon D 80

Camera Type: DSLR
Megapixels: 10.2 Megapixels
Optical Zoom: 2.9 X
LCD Size: 2.5 in
Media Type: SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital (SD) Card

 

Do you know if you can preview the photo on the LCD of the Nikon before you take it, Wombat? I'm curious. It just seems like such a basic feature to leave off a digital camera that I'd like to know if they really all do that.

 

From what I have understood, there are only a few that don't have the lcd screen. I have a D50 now that has the lcd screen and works like my old kodak Z750 and Olympus cameras. I am in some groups (flickr.com) and we discuss this pretty often. I know there are a few that don't offer it but I am not aware of many.

If taking macro or any really serious shots though, I find the view finder is your best option because you get a true visual of what your photo will be. The LCD screen doesn't really do that.

 

Thanks for the info, Rainy! You're awesome!

Too bad 'bout the LCD preview. I'm going to miss using the screen, too. It'll take quite a bit of getting used to, methinks.

I wonder if the two wireless remotes I have from the G6 and G2 will work? Well, I guess I'll find out shortly on that, too. Let me know the link for the more inexpensive variety. Thank you!

For the auto power-off, there's an "off" setting in the tools menu. You can also set it to be 15, 8, 4, 2, or 1 minutes or 30 seconds. Page 95 of the manual, if you've still got it handy. If you're doing remote shots, I would think 15 minutes should be good enough...then no more flushed face shots.

Thanks again!!

 

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I'm not talking about it not having an LCD screen. The Rebel has a nice large one. It's just that the LCD doesn't show anything until you take the shot. Non-SLR digitals I've used let you preview what you're shooting on the LCD before you hit the shutter.

 

Hey wombat - I use a Minolta too.

Here's one for you, and bugs and flowers are about my favorite things to shoot.

 

Oh, I see what you are saying. I don't know then. I have used D-slr cameras that let me use the screen and not have to use the view finder but I tend to only use the view finder and to keep my batteries in tact I have the lcd screen turned off in the options menu.

sorry about the mix up