Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Swain OHaw
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

Ahh, about a month late but the wedding went fine, really. There's a lot more light in a Spanish evening than a British one so outdoor stuff didn't require the flash at all, fortunately, but it was really good to have for the ceremony and the reception.

I'm still a bit out of practice with weddings and I think after a while you get a better sense of anticipation for the events of the day, where people are going and such. Being a foreign wedding probably didn't help. I never feel totally happy with the job I've done at a wedding and am always reminded that it's not really my thing. But the images were good in general, some really nice ones, and the family were all very happy with them.

I'm very glad to have rented the flash rather than bought it. I'm currently feeling the need for more reach when working in larger theatres, as happens more often. At the moment I'm mostly shooting these photo calls for myself rather than anyone else, but if I were doing that then I'd want to be getting the images in camera rather than through some cropping as I'm making do with at the moment. There's a 70-200 non-IS (IS being fairly useless for dance and theatre) in a shop locally and I gave it a go yesterday - it's in good condition and the price is right at about €800. I might be able to afford it in a month or two, especially with the paid photography work that should be coming at the theatre. Fortunately it's work I'm comfortable doing with my current lens as I've done it before and did it well.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by markus »

Another year, another hacker conference. This time I used the Fujis, I had the 1d and my only remaining L glass as a mental backup in the car but it was never used.

Really impressed with the little cameras once again; the venue was ISO 6400-1/160-f2-f4 dark with lights consisting of esl+led+halogen so the white balance was challenging... and I was able to shoot jpegs and pretty much post them as-is with minimal post-processing.

Pics here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/t2_fi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - biggest challenge was to come up with enough variety since there was only about 3 or 4 different shots you could take and I didn't want to just post the same pictures over and over with different presenters. I feel I failed somewhat on the variety aspect - didn't help that the rooms changed on the last minute so they were different ones from last year (that I had scouted) but overall I'm happy. Perhaps next year I'll go all artsy and shoot bw :)
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

Markus, your pictures are really good for the subject material, and I don't think one could expect too much more variety. Shooting presentations is also quite challenging with the light and white balance and yours look great. Which Fuji do you have and what lens(es)? Low light performance looks really strong - how was focussing for you?

I'm interested because most of my work is in low light and I've actually been a bit in the dark about Mirrorless cameras up until the last week or so - one of the few bad points about mostly burying my head in the sand when it comes to gear discussions. It seems I've missed news of the cracking Fuji cameras. Reading stuff from Zack Arias has made me sit up and take notice.

I don't think the jump he made is viable for me at the moment. He's a name photographer and when he turns up for a job, people know he knows what he's doing - so even if they expected to see an SLR kit, and may be surprised to see a smaller camera, he can explain why and people will trust he knows what he's doing.

I'm still trying to build anything like that kind of reputation, and unfortunately, image does help with that. A professional looking SLR (and his Fuji kit would look more professional than some SLRs and lenses) does help with this, rightly or wrongly. There was the case of the photographer who had his standard light setup of two or three lights, plus about five other lights set to fire fractionally (but imperceptibly) late and in ways that wouldn't affect the image, just to show that he had the kit and knew how to use it - which wasn't a lie either, he knew how to use it so it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference as well!

Also the lens line-up doesn't cover my needs entirely at the moment. I'd love to become a theatre rehearsal photographer, and I'm slowly getting known for that here in Spain, and whilst the line-up of prime lenses available would work for this, quite well I think with a smaller, lighter and more discrete camera offering other advantages; there isn't a fast telephoto to cover on-stage work which I'd still need to be able to do in order to get paid.

However, it's been interesting to consider. And with this system being developed, more lenses coming, and the X-Pro 2 to appear, it's something I'll be keeping an eye on, and if nothing else, looking at investing in for personal work and travelling, and maybe expanding with later. If I suddenly get cash I don't know what to do with (unlikely), then I'd get one for travelling/street photography if nothing else.
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markus
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by markus »

Swain OHaw wrote:Markus, your pictures are really good for the subject material, and I don't think one could expect too much more variety. Shooting presentations is also quite challenging with the light and white balance and yours look great. Which Fuji do you have and what lens(es)? Low light performance looks really strong - how was focussing for you?
Thanks. I have the x100s, X-e1 and the excellent 18-55 "kit" lens. Didn't have any issues with the focusing, in fact the focus is good enough that I shot the Finnish BMX championships with Fuji back in the summer

Image.

Continuous AF is pretty much useless though so don't expect to get anything useful shooting high fps when the subject is coming towards you.

Also, the pics are pretty much straight from the camera jpegs. Obviously cropping has been done, a few have had slight darkening of the corners and I think there were a couple where I had to tweak the white balance slightly.
Reading stuff from Zack Arias has made me sit up and take notice.
Zack, David Hobby, Bert Stephani, David Alan Harvey, Trey Ratcliff (switched to Sony NEX)...
I don't think the jump he made is viable for me at the moment. He's a name photographer and when he turns up for a job, people know he knows what he's doing - so even if they expected to see an SLR kit, and may be surprised to see a smaller camera, he can explain why and people will trust he knows what he's doing.

I'm still trying to build anything like that kind of reputation, and unfortunately, image does help with that. A professional looking SLR (and his Fuji kit would look more professional than some SLRs and lenses) does help with this, rightly or wrongly. There was the case of the photographer who had his standard light setup of two or three lights, plus about five other lights set to fire fractionally (but imperceptibly) late and in ways that wouldn't affect the image, just to show that he had the kit and knew how to use it - which wasn't a lie either, he knew how to use it so it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference as well!

Also the lens line-up doesn't cover my needs entirely at the moment. I'd love to become a theatre rehearsal photographer, and I'm slowly getting known for that here in Spain, and whilst the line-up of prime lenses available would work for this, quite well I think with a smaller, lighter and more discrete camera offering other advantages; there isn't a fast telephoto to cover on-stage work which I'd still need to be able to do in order to get paid.

However, it's been interesting to consider. And with this system being developed, more lenses coming, and the X-Pro 2 to appear, it's something I'll be keeping an eye on, and if nothing else, looking at investing in for personal work and travelling, and maybe expanding with later. If I suddenly get cash I don't know what to do with (unlikely), then I'd get one for travelling/street photography if nothing else.
Much of the same issues about looking pro and what can and cannot be done you raise were covered in an episode of 'This week in photo' I listened to last week; http://www.thisweekinphoto.com/2013/twi ... irrorless/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - you might want give it a listen to.

I'm happy that I don't have to think about looking pro or covering special needs - I'm only two primes away from having an optimized, almost dream gear for shooting my kids and now the whole kit fits in a small bag, no need to haul a heavy backpack anymore :)
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

I was getting the idea that Hobby was on it as well. Seems there's more than I thought, though. Really missed a trick.

I saw some of the BMX stuff as well, I think it was while I was in Edinburgh though so I was very much lurking due to the particularities of that work environment.

Going to give that episode a watch now as I conveniently have about an hour spare.

If I had solely my own interests to consider, I think a Fuji and a few primes would suit me down to the ground. Unfortunately, I'm probably going to have to buy more big and heavy kit to cover my specific needs in the near future ... and a bigger bag for that matter!
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by DexterPunk »

I bought a damn $80 button yesterday.


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

I always wanted one of those, but the steep price for what is, as you said, a cable and a button, always put me off. I never needed one enough to investigate the cheaper options which surely must exist?

Having just shot a rehearsal for a few hours, I've remembered how good my 5DII is for that as well. A Fuji might well do it nicely too, but it was as if my camera knew I was considering something else and decided to be extra good today. Still think a Fuji would be great for travelling and street stuff, but it would be an addition rather than a replacement for sure now.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by DexterPunk »

I'd love an x100s. But would be an addition for sure. The 1Dx blows me away every time.

Yeah it's far too steep for what it is. And near $400 if you want the one that has all the intervalometer stuff built in. There's rip off brands which I'd probably try for the intervalometer.. But for a cable release i really want the reliability.


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

DexterPunk wrote:I'd love an x100s. But would be an addition for sure. The 1Dx blows me away every time.

Yeah it's far too steep for what it is. And near $400 if you want the one that has all the intervalometer stuff built in. There's rip off brands which I'd probably try for the intervalometer.. But for a cable release i really want the reliability.


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I've no idea what that is in Euros but probably far too much.

Basic model just gives you button press to open the shutter and button press to close it, I guess? You can do most things with that and a bit more personal effort, I imagine.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Swain OHaw wrote:I always wanted one of those, but the steep price for what is, as you said, a cable and a button, always put me off. I never needed one enough to investigate the cheaper options which surely must exist?

Having just shot a rehearsal for a few hours, I've remembered how good my 5DII is for that as well. A Fuji might well do it nicely too, but it was as if my camera knew I was considering something else and decided to be extra good today. Still think a Fuji would be great for travelling and street stuff, but it would be an addition rather than a replacement for sure now.

Just found my receipt from Paypal for a $12 remote with interval timer I got. Works a treat. They have gone up in price however.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cable-Changa ... 4ab25d043b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:D
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Speed »

My opinion of Paul C Buff Australia isn't helped any by my latest problems.

One of my $400 batteries shit itself on Saturday, 8 days out of Warranty & they won't cop it, quoting me approx. $150.00 & back to the US for repair.
Also one of my Einstein lights, purchased in Jan this year, crapped itself at the same time, (caused by the battery I reckon).
That has to go back to the US for repair. The last time it took 40 days to replace it from Qld. so I can only imagine how long it will take this time.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by DexterPunk »

That really sucks! Hope it's not such a long wait.

Haven't bought this yet, but I'm pretty excited. (Yes I'm excited about a bag). Going to pick up a new travel camera bag, and noticed the Lowepro flipside sport range. The 20 liter version is what I'm gunna grab. Spot for my new MacBook Air, built in hydration pouch, can remove the entire inner section and turn into two bags, and the whole bag only weighs 1.6KG.

Also like the other flipsides, access from the back of the bag only, so you can't have someone open your bag when wearing it. You can however flip it around and get stuff out without removing the bag or putting it on the ground. Also has a new way of attaching a tripod which looks awesome.

http://store.lowepro.com/backpacks/flip ... ort-20l-aw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Grabbed it today as I was in the city helping a friend buy a camera. I'm pretty sure I paid way more than I should have since I can get these things at cost, but on well, it was there and I didn't have to wait. I got $50 off anyway, so not too bad.

I have to say, this is the best camera back pack I have owned. It's a great size, really comfy, and my god it's light! The new tripod attachment spot is brilliant. The spot for the water bladder is ideal. One thing I have always found trekking around (whether is be around a city, or in the wilderness) is that you are always carrying water, and access to water is such a pain. The old back pack I had, I used a laptop sleeve area to stick in a bladder, which never really worked all that well. It's so nice to have a bag designed for a water bladder. It doesn't just stop at the pouch and hole for the tube either, down the shoulder straps there are stretchy loops to hold the tube and stop it flailing around.
The waist strap which supports the bag and helps take some of the load off your shoulders, like always on Lowepro, works well. The extra strap across the chest helps to keep the shoulder straps where they belong too. You can swing the bag around on your waist, and access the bag a bit like a table. I was skeptical as to how well this would work, but it works really well. Just takes a bit of moving stuff around and moving velcro separators around to make sure everything is in the right spot to access easily when the back is accessed this way.

The entire innards can be removed. The padded area has handles and can be used a carry bag itself. while the outer (rest of the back pack) is then transformed into a normal back pack that could be used for anything non camera related. They also included this internal rain/dust protection so you can do things like change lenses inside your bag etc if you're in some not so nice weather.


All in all i'd rate this bloody highly... And i've now owned 5 camera bags. I have a bigger back pack that holds more stuff, but this is brilliant for travel. The only down side is it doesn't hold my macbook air 13" and the dimensions on the site suggested it would. No matter for me really anyway. It would be kinda nice, but when I travel I take a separate laptop bag (as you're allowed to on planes), which leaves less weight in carry on, and potentially more gear in your bag.

4.5/5 stars (only because it suggested it had a larger tablet/ultrabook sleeve bit).


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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How much Dex?

My old Lowepro back pack is starting to deteriorate. Too much salt spray me thinks.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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They did it for $200 even. Worth a look for sure.


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

Looks like a well designed piece of kit ... far too large for my needs, but I am looking around at new bags.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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It's actually a fairly small bag. You'd probably have to go look at one.


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Problem is I'd put my camera and lens in the main pouch and then have to hunt around to find stuff to put in the other ones and just end up carrying battery chargers and Skype headsets to fill the space ... my kit is pretty minimal these days, there;s a good ten pouches I don't have anything to put in unless I'm travelling.

Problem will be when I pick up a 70-200. I've not found much in between small sling bags (dubious fit with a 24-70 and 70-200) and bags with so much space - a bag for two big lenses without fitting the kitchen sink is in order.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Those sections (in the pic) are small. I can't fit as much in this bag. At the moment it has 1Dx + 16-35, 24-105, 50mm, and 70-200 and that's about it. Some other various bits and pieces but that's about all it will hold as far as camera and lenses.

You can get the 15 liter version by the way, this is 20L. They also do a 10L I believe.


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by Swain OHaw »

Ahh, so you can. The 10 or 15L look like they might be right - based on their website, it should fit a body plus two big lenses and some miscellaneous stuff. Looks like the sections are small, as you said. Good to know. I don't need a new bag for now but when I have the second big lens, I will need something.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

Post by VTRacing »

Decided to spend some money to upgrade my gear, so I'm now the proud owner of:

Canon 7D :)

Tamron 70-200 f2.8 Di VC (I was looking at the various Canon versions of the 70-200, but this was more than $1000 cheaper than the equivalent 70-200 f2.8 IS and seems beautifully built)

Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (I haven't taken delivery of this yet, seems to get some good reviews for a "kit" lens)

This also goes with my existing Canon Speedlite 430EX II & 50mm f1.8.

I'll keep my existing 450D and lenses as a backup body.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Awesome stuff. You must be seeing a pretty big difference between the cameras. The 7D is an excellent body.


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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Barely had a chance to play with it, Dex. The main things so far are the heft (feels much better) and the extra fps which will come in very handy shooting motorsports. The 450D could only manage two or three shots in a burst before the buffer ran out. Motorsports & landscapes are my main targets for photography so it should be fine.

I was thinking about getting the 10-22 as an UWA but I'll see how the 15-85 goes for starters.
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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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My Nikon D5200 18-55 mm VR lens. It's my first camera. The pic was taken on my surface rt with it's shitty 1.1 mega pixel camera. I'm having a lot of fun seeing what it can do and I haven't yet ventured past it's shooting pre sets.

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Re: Your gear. The good and the bad.

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Congrats! If you need any help with it, don't hesitate to ask here, there's a wealth of knowledge.


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