|
The absolute best thing about this new gypsy magic snyping device is that it adds at least like two more math problems that newbies will get endlessly confused about.
|
# ? Feb 4, 2013 05:18 |
|
|
# ? May 16, 2024 18:13 |
|
ahmeni posted:In terms of monitor alternatives, has anyone tried using the newer retina iPad 3/4 + something like PhotoSmith for reviewing? I'm considering a 27" IPS (Dell S2740L) monitor for review/post work but something high-res that I'd be able to flick through in bed or at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee would be nice. If you want to review stuff on a tablet, there is no other choice than the ipad. I don't think anyone else screen comes close to the ipad 3/4 in quality. If it does, it's probably a janky piece of poo poo anyway. Don't get it instead of a 27 inch monitor (not sure if that's what you meant). Though it's nice to look at stuff anywhere on a tablet, it's more important that you have a big monitor for editing. Having a big monitor will help prevent you form overlooking the small details of your photos.
|
# ? Feb 4, 2013 22:01 |
|
Also, room for all the loving UI elements.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 01:44 |
|
I just bought a 35RC. What are the best options as far as batteries go?
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 01:56 |
|
I've been idly pondering what lens I should get excited about lately, and I keep coming back to Sigma's offerings. I shoot a K10D, and Pentax's offerings in UWA and 70-200/2.8 are pretty weak at the moment. In both UWA zooms (10-20mm -ish) and "sports zoom" 70-200/2.8, Sigma has released a few different designs over the past 5 years or so that don't differ from each other very much. Pentaxforums has done some head-to-head reviews in both ranges, and the Sigma designs come up on top for what I'm looking for, the weird thing (to me) is how while Pentax isn't really doing anything at the moment, and Tamron has a reasonable choice, Sigma puts out two or three options. In UWA, there's the 8-16mm, two different 10-20mm, and a 12-24mm. In telezoom, there's the current EX DG OS HSM, plus the now discontinued EX DG APO Macro HSM II and the older, screw-drive focus APO EX. Does anyone have any idea why Sigma releases new revisions of lenses more frequently than other manufacturers? I don't pay much attention to Canon, Nikon, or Sony - are they in the habit of tweaking their existing designs almost every year?
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 02:06 |
|
Because there's something wrong/missing/can-be-improved with the previous version. I have the HSM II and it's more than serviceable. The corners suck on FX, but on a pentax mount you don't have to worry about that.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 02:19 |
|
Sony tends to release new bodies pretty often, but not lenses - they tend to focus on the entry-level market, and most entry-level users never move beyond their one or two lens kits. Off the top of my head, there are five lenses in Sony's current lineup that are just rebadged Minoltas with optical designs from the 80s.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 02:23 |
|
Hey neat, a double post. Sorry about that.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 02:24 |
|
Can't speak to all of those, but some of it has to do with different versions for crop-only vs. ff cameras. That and the 8-16 is a pretty different beast than the other UWAs.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 02:27 |
|
ExecuDork posted:Does anyone have any idea why Sigma releases new revisions of lenses more frequently than other manufacturers? I don't pay much attention to Canon, Nikon, or Sony - are they in the habit of tweaking their existing designs almost every year? I don't know if Sigma has always released so much so quickly, but lately they've been working really hard to become a real viable alternative to first party lenses rather than the cheap alternative. And it seems to be working, too. They've been putting out lenses that are at least as sharp as the first party stuff, and stayed significantly cheaper, even though their prices have gone up somewhat. I think their quick iterations lately have been to shore up known weaknesses in their lenses, basically. Nikon tends to be slow at updating lenses, except the super-telephotos that no one can afford quickly get updated with the most current VR system. They're especially bad in regards to filling in their DX lineup, particularly in the affordable wide angle prime category (I guess they're bad for FX there too), but I think that's more that they have no intention of doing so than being slow at it .
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 02:44 |
|
evil_bunnY posted:I have the HSM II and it's more than serviceable. The corners suck on FX, but on a pentax mount you don't have to worry about that. Thanks for replies, everyone. The HSM II is the one I'm considering most strongly, the newest version adds OS (that part of Sigma's alphabet-soup naming scheme I'm pretty sure means "optical stabilization", equivalent to Tamron's VC I think) which I don't need, but the HSM autofocus is appealing for the lower sound. I'd use this lens for birds, especially the little guys that hide in bushes and let me get a bit closer than the big birds, and less sound is good. And the 8-16 UWA, because 8mm! and I have no plans to go full-frame in the foreseeable future, my budget isn't likely to stretch beyond one new lens this year (assuming for the moment the possibly-misunderstood-in-translation story about Pentax developing a FF for end-2013/early-2014 are accurate). So I'll have to choose between UWA zoom and a replacement for my slow-and-dark current mid-tele-zoom situation. Assuming I don't win the lottery or something.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 05:49 |
|
Panasonic has announced “micro color splitter” sensor technology. The idea is that it’s like three‐CCD technology, but instead of having one beam splitter and three sensors, there is one sensor and millions of beam splitters. It promises up to 1⅔ stops improvement in light sensitivity. I have my doubts about cost, colour fidelity, and dynamic range but we’ll see how it develops.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 08:59 |
|
Would any of you guys trust 3rd party batteries (from China?). $90 is a lot to spend on a spare Nikon battery. Do you think these are bootlegs? http://www.ebay.ca/itm/EN-EL14-Came...1#ht_695wt_1163
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 19:05 |
|
SterlingTek makes the best 3rd party batteries. They sell all over--Amazon, ebay, direct.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 19:21 |
|
Anyone have recommendations for a 58mm CPL and ND filters? Please and thank you!
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 20:13 |
|
Marumi super DHG, and dunno.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 20:23 |
|
Tactical Mistake posted:Anyone have recommendations for a 58mm CPL and ND filters? Please and thank you! One thing you might want to consider is buying a filter bigger than the lens you have now and just the right right size for what you plan to buy in the future. For example, if you were on the Canon system and were planning on buying a 70-200 2.8 some day, get a 77mm and a $5 step up ring for your 58mm lens. That way when you buy it, you won't have to buy another one down the line. Anyway, I don't know what your budget is but I'd recommend a B+W for the CPL (what I use)and a Singh Ray Vari ND for the ND. Singh is pricey but it's pretty useful. I don't have one yet but it's on my wishlist.
|
# ? Feb 5, 2013 20:35 |
|
B+W and Heliopan are top‐of‐the‐line. Some of Hoya’s filters are in the same league, but some aren’t. Hoya has several price/quality tiers. I don’t trust variable neutral density filters because they have an unavoidable polarising effect that is not always desirable. I have separate three–, six–, and ten–stop NDs instead. If you want a variable neutral density filter anyway, just mount a linear polariser on top of a circular polariser and save a boatload of cash. It’s tempting to get filters in one size and use step‐up rings on all smaller lenses, but 58 mm filters are relatively cheap and 77 mm filters are comically large on 58 mm lenses. I say just get the 58 mm filters for now. If you do go for the one‐size‐fits‐all approach, it’s worth noting that some lenses use 82 mm filters, e.g. Canon’s 24–70 II and 16–35 II. Platystemon fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Feb 5, 2013 |
# ? Feb 5, 2013 21:38 |
|
Hate to post a straight up newbie question, but here goes. I am an experienced DSLR shooter, but have stopped learning about new gear and alternative systems since getting a reasonably professional kit together - it Suits My Needs (tm). I am at the point where I am wanting a smaller kit to carry around from day-to-day, especially with babby on the way. It seems like the major branches here are the micro 4/3 line, the NEX line, and the Fuji X100 (and beyond) line. I probably don't want to fully invest in a new system and could see myself being happy with a single prime lens to keep things simple, although I do have my EOS setup. I guess I want something that won't feel junky or limiting (like my Olympus Stylus Tough with slow turn on and bad focus and slow shutter trigger time) compared to my DSLR. Is there a reasonable consensus on what is the best option (or the bang-for-buck option)for a Sunday driver (shooter?) like myself? I'll be trying to keep costs down where possible, so it seems like m43 and NEX are a fair amount cheaper than an X100, but if an X100 is all that and a bag of chips and will last me 5 years, I'd spring for a used one. Am I overlooking anything obvious?
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 15:46 |
|
SKULE123 posted:I guess I want something that won't feel junky or limiting (like my Olympus Stylus Tough with slow turn on and bad focus and slow shutter trigger time) compared to my DSLR. Is there a reasonable consensus on what is the best option (or the bang-for-buck option)for a Sunday driver (shooter?) like myself? I'll be trying to keep costs down where possible, so it seems like m43 and NEX are a fair amount cheaper than an X100, but if an X100 is all that and a bag of chips and will last me 5 years, I'd spring for a used one. Am I overlooking anything obvious? Do you like zoom lenses? If so, look at the bridge camera lineups from Canon and Nikon or the Fuji X10. If you like fixed lenses, the X100 is a real nice camera. They're coming out with an X100s soon so if you're going to buy used you might want to hang on a bit and buy as people upgrade. The NEX bodies are great but they lack selection of glass unless you buy third party or adapt some other glass. M43 bodies run the gamut from cheap to awesome and have a pretty good selection of glass at this point, but they have small sensors even compared against APS-C. There's also the Fuji X1 which is Fuji's stab at the NEX's niche.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 15:56 |
|
Paul MaudDib posted:Do you like zoom lenses? If so, look at the bridge camera lineups from Canon and Nikon or the Fuji X10. If you like fixed lenses, the X100 is a real nice camera. They're coming out with an X100s soon so if you're going to buy used you might want to hang on a bit and buy as people upgrade. The NEX bodies are great but they lack selection of glass unless you buy third party or adapt some other glass. M43 bodies run the gamut from cheap to awesome and have a pretty good selection of glass at this point, but they have small sensors even compared against APS-C. There's also the Fuji X1 which is Fuji's stab at the NEX's niche. The idea of a fixed lens seemed interesting as a pre-emptive strike against any gearhead desire to upgrade, and a challenge to myself as someone who has spent 90% of my DSLR life with a zoom lens on despite having access to good primes. I wouldn't be against a zoom lens if the right body value presented itself, though. I'll have to look at the Canon bridge cameras (keep it in the family, I guess) as well as the X1 - had not even started to investigate those. Had seen a few X100s hit the used market recently so I thought the X100S was out, but it's good to know that there will probably be more available soon, because early research made the X100 look pretty darn appealing.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 16:08 |
|
If you want something really portable, give Sony's RX100 a whirl. I went from M4/3 gear as my day to day carry around to the RX100 and much prefer it. For me it's simply about how portable it is—with the M4/3 stuff I still wound up carrying a whole extra bag around. The RX100 is a much different experience than most P&S class cameras I've used thanks to a fairly fast autofocus and excellent low light performance. All that said, I've really been lusting after the X100s lately.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 16:18 |
|
Had forgotten all the talk about the RX100, having confused it (and price) with the far more expensive RX1. I am completely out of the gear loop. :/ Seems like a pretty killer option, especially against the new Canadian prices of the X100 and X100s - and a solid horserace with a used X100, accepting the relative tradeoffs for each.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 16:28 |
|
Hi all, not sure if this should be in the Nikon thread or over here, apologies if I got it wrong. I've been given a D5100 as a Christmas present. It has the kit 18-55mm on it and I'd like to get a versatile prime for it. I'm looking at the moment at a few options, but as I'm new to SLR I'd like to solicit some advice. Here's my thoughts so far: 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX: Cheap, but no aperture ring 50mm f/1.8D AF: Dirt cheap, won't autofocus on D5100 but aperture ring 35mm f/2.0D AF: Expensive, won't autofocus on D5100 but aperture ring and maybe better at 1.5x crop for portraits I had a look for sigma/tamron primes but found nothing in my budget or in the 35-50mm range. The reason I'm looking at lenses with aperture rings and slightly less bothered about AF on the D5100 is twofold: I want to do some macro shooting on a budget, so cheap (no electronic passthrough) tubes are a possibility, and I like the idea of forcing myself to manually set aperture and focus in order to learn a bit. That second reason might not be a very good one though, so if you think I'm better off going for the DX lens and passthrough tubes I'll listen. With the non-DX lenses listed, I'll still get metering, just no auto aperture/focus, right?
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 18:21 |
|
I would get the 35/1.8. It's cheap and works properly and a good focal length. There really aren't a lot of APS-C primes in that focal length, there's the Sigma 30/1.4 which is OK and then you skip down to like the 14mm range and wider. Unfortunately full frame primes have to cover a lot more sensor and are usually a lot bigger, heavier, and more expensive.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 18:26 |
|
Everyone here will recommend the 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX. It's really good.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 18:29 |
|
StarkingBarfish posted:The reason I'm looking at lenses with aperture rings and slightly less bothered about AF on the D5100 is twofold: Get the DX lens and passthrough tubes. Manual focusing on a crop camera is unfun and setting the aperture on the lens is unfun.. If you want to, you can always manual focus anyway, and setting the aperture in aperture‐priority or manual mode is fundamentally the same as setting it on the lens.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 18:34 |
|
Thanks all, DX it is then!
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 18:36 |
|
The AF-D lenses aren't particularly nice to manually focus either—the rings are super loose in MF mode. I love the 35 F2.0 on my D800, but the 35DX is optically better and costs less.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 18:39 |
|
powderific posted:The AF-D lenses aren't particularly nice to manually focus either—the rings are super loose in MF mode. I love the 35 F2.0 on my D800, but the 35DX is optically better and costs less. Yeah, I had a 50mm 1.8 AF-D once and haaaated it on my F3. On my F4 it autofocused so I didn't care, but powderific is right.
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 19:06 |
|
StarkingBarfish posted:Hi all, not sure if this should be in the Nikon thread or over here, apologies if I got it wrong. There's the Sigma 30/1.4 too, they just put out an updated version (don't know how good it is).
|
# ? Feb 6, 2013 19:24 |
|
Is there such a thing as an SD card with NFC built in? I'm looking at buying the new Lenovo Thinkpad Helix, which doesn't have an SD card reader, but does have NFC and I want a way to be able to copy stuff off my SD card without carrying around a USB reader or USB cable.
|
# ? Feb 10, 2013 01:23 |
|
Anmitzcuaca posted:Is there such a thing as an SD card with NFC built in? I'm looking at buying the new Lenovo Thinkpad Helix, which doesn't have an SD card reader, but does have NFC and I want a way to be able to copy stuff off my SD card without carrying around a USB reader or USB cable.
|
# ? Feb 10, 2013 01:47 |
Anmitzcuaca posted:Is there such a thing as an SD card with NFC built in? I'm looking at buying the new Lenovo Thinkpad Helix, which doesn't have an SD card reader, but does have NFC and I want a way to be able to copy stuff off my SD card without carrying around a USB reader or USB cable. NFC isn't a useful data transfer method in itself. Wikipedia says it has a theoretical bandwidth of 424 kbit/s, which would yield at best around 40-50 kb/s, or more than 2 minutes to transfer a single 6 MB picture. Usually NFC is used as a set-up protocol for other, higher bandwidth networks like Bluetooth or Wifi. However I have seen (and used) some SD cards that had a built-in USB interface. It wasn't that fast, but it was certainly handy.
|
|
# ? Feb 10, 2013 01:49 |
|
Anmitzcuaca posted:Is there such a thing as an SD card with NFC built in? I'm looking at buying the new Lenovo Thinkpad Helix, which doesn't have an SD card reader, but does have NFC and I want a way to be able to copy stuff off my SD card without carrying around a USB reader or USB cable.
|
# ? Feb 10, 2013 12:23 |
|
Can someone recommend me a decent scanner for scanning negatives? My max budget is $200
|
# ? Feb 11, 2013 04:31 |
|
Ethanfr0me posted:Can someone recommend me a decent scanner for scanning negatives? My max budget is $200 Epson v500 would fit that price range pretty well.
|
# ? Feb 11, 2013 04:58 |
|
mclifford82 posted:Not that I'm aware of. Your best bet might be the Eye-Fi 16GB Pro X2. It's labeled as a class 10, but doesn't disclose actual write speeds. It'll save you from having to get an adapter though; transfers over wifi. Super pricey. I've been hearing good things about the flucard series, which are cheaper by a large margin than the Eye-Fi cards, and the versions on dealextreme seem to be the real deal. http://dx.com/p/flucard-sd-memory-card-w-wi-fi-for-camera-white-4gb-162942 That's the 4GB version for $44. The 16GB is only a little over $100... I might get one with my next dx shop, but for me it isn't so much of a problem to swap SD cards out.
|
# ? Feb 11, 2013 15:16 |
|
Is there a secret to browsing KEH that I'm unaware of? I am trying to search and none of my keywords bring up any results. I'm looking for Canon FD lenses.
|
# ? Feb 11, 2013 18:29 |
|
|
# ? May 16, 2024 18:13 |
|
BANME.sh posted:Is there a secret to browsing KEH that I'm unaware of? I am trying to search and none of my keywords bring up any results. Their search sucks basically. It's much quicker to just pick the category and go from there, (for example, to find canon fd lenses click 35mm -> canon manual focus -> fixed focal length lenses (or whatever type of lens you're looking for, zoom, etc). The categories are split up enough that there's almost never more than a few pages of results.
|
# ? Feb 11, 2013 18:35 |