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Counterpoint, get a Metz CT series
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Sep 20, 2023 10:25
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counter, counterpoint get a MT-26EX-RT and only take pictures of bees' crazy faces Bumblebee on Marjoram by Aves Lux, on Flickr
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Sep 20, 2023 11:09
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Thanks for all of the feedback! It’s really helpful
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Sep 20, 2023 11:11
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I’m not a fan of the look of flash but I know it can be super helpful. Is minimizing that flash look, while still getting useful light, just about power or is it a timing thing? Like I’ve read about Hasselblad’s leaf shutter system being great for flash and didn’t know if that is because it helps it look more natural or if you can just fire more off?
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Sep 20, 2023 13:20
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Incredulous Dylan posted:I’m not a fan of the look of flash but I know it can be super helpful. Is minimizing that flash look, while still getting useful light, just about power or is it a timing thing? Like I’ve read about Hasselblad’s leaf shutter system being great for flash and didn’t know if that is because it helps it look more natural or if you can just fire more off? It's about placement, modifiers, bouncing and diffusion. Understanding light types (soft/hard/specular/diffused) is key as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBuz-MPo0DI The least optimal solution (unless you want that trendy 90's point and shoot look) is a camera mounted flash pointed at the subject.
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Sep 20, 2023 13:36
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Watched through - thanks for sharing! Doesn't look like I'd be employing it in my current style but certainly useful for controlled environments.
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Sep 20, 2023 15:21
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Incredulous Dylan posted:I’m not a fan of the look of flash but I know it can be super helpful. Is minimizing that flash look, while still getting useful light, just about power or is it a timing thing? Like I’ve read about Hasselblad’s leaf shutter system being great for flash and didn’t know if that is because it helps it look more natural or if you can just fire more off? Leaf shutters of any kind are benificial for flash work because you can use the flash at any shutter speed, making balancing your exposure for natural light against your flash easier. When using a focal plane shutter you'll only be able to flash sync at a certain shutter speed or slower as that's the fastest speed where the entire sensor is exposed. As you increase shutter speed in a focal plane shutter the curtains get triggered at shorter and shorter intervals until you reach a point where there's only a slit that's open and exposing the film.
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Sep 20, 2023 21:08
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modern flash systems can sync up to 1/4000 and even 1/8000, which for portrait work is great to keep aperture wide and shutter speed high to account for sunlight and still get fill flash. Otherwise most cap out at 1/200 meaning you'll have to drop your aperture significantly.
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Sep 20, 2023 21:41
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Megabound posted:Counterpoint, get a Metz CT series i modified one many years ago to accept giant remote control car batteries. that thing would fire full power for hundreds of shots
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Sep 21, 2023 00:55
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:hell yeah I want to make a lithium battery pack for mine, sick of buying double As
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Sep 21, 2023 01:14
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Mine came with it. but it doesn't hold a charge, just a handful of flashes. Would you know how to replace those cells with fresh ones?
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Sep 21, 2023 03:28
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Megabound posted:I want to make a lithium battery pack for mine, sick of buying double As you could buy rechargeables!
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Sep 21, 2023 03:29
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Something else to note re: flash, slow shutter speeds are actually pretty useful for it too. Flash will 'freeze' whatever its light falls on and keep it tack sharp (one reason why it was/is so heavily used in technical/action/sports photography), but if the scene isn't super active, you can pair it with a slower shutter speed and that can help fill out whatever isn't covered by flash by capturing more ambient light. It helps a lot to avoid that very 90s 'only the subject is lit and everything else is basically shadow' look. Incredulous Dylan posted:Watched through - thanks for sharing! Doesn't look like I'd be employing it in my current style but certainly useful for controlled environments. It's actually very useful for uncontrolled environments too. You can bounce a flash off of virtually anything - walls, ceilings, etc, and that does a lot to soften the light and provide more natural looking illumination. And you can use it to make up for otherwise poor lighting conditions in areas that you want to shoot in - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syjpcamSzJU&t=8s is a fun example. And you don't even need elaborate equipment or setups, I do technical photography for my work and because 90% of the things I shoot tend to be small, most of my setups just end up being Nikon speedlights literally just sitting around the object, with all kinds of jank rear end 'diffusers' made from printer paper and tape whenever I need softer light. The biggest downside though is it can go very wrong, very easily, and you're still ultimately flashing whatever your subject is and that isn't always pleasant for them for stuff like street/candid/etc.
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Sep 21, 2023 04:00
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bobmarleysghost posted:you could buy rechargeables! After doing some research apparently enerloops provide really good recycle time, so I will, thanks!
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Sep 21, 2023 04:41
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Enerloops are some dark magic. Pretty sure I have a set that's going on a decade now.
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Sep 21, 2023 05:06
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On the topic of off-/on-camera lighting, I just got a new toy I'm excited about :  NEEWER BH-30S 'Light Wand'. It's an RGB light stick you can hold in your hand or mount on a tripod. I've seen them used in a couple of contexts; a photographer employed by my work to take product shots brought a similar one in a few weeks ago and demonstrated how he uses it to key light instruments and gear, or puts it behind the gear (it's magnetic so it will clip to, for example, a guitar stand) for interesting backlighting. I also saw a friend shooting events with one and went "huh, neat" as it never occurred to me to do something like that. He was changing his reach and direction to alter the light and shadows on people in portraits/group shots. I'm excited to try it out, as I've been shooting with a large on-camera flash this whole time, and while my shots are great, I find it's difficult to keep that hard light reigned in and I always, ALWAYS have to wrench down the Highlights in every photo I take. It's going to be weird to adjust to not having a beer in my other hand while I'm shooting though, lmao. Also looking into getting another SmallRig articulating arm (the spare one I have is busted, ball joint came right out) so I can mount the light to my DJ desk since my mix videos tend to be quite dark. Anyway maybe something like this is an option (as an alternative to speedlights) for landscape/environmental shots too. Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Sep 21, 2023 |
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Sep 21, 2023 13:12
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Bottom Liner posted:modern flash systems can sync up to 1/4000 and even 1/8000, which for portrait work is great to keep aperture wide and shutter speed high to account for sunlight and still get fill flash. Otherwise most cap out at 1/200 meaning you'll have to drop your aperture significantly. The method by which they do this significantly cuts the effective output power though, which means you run into the problem of needing significantly more powerful strobes to use flash in natural light settings, and iirc it can cause weird artifacts with fast moving objects.
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Sep 22, 2023 19:29
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Yeah, everything has a tradeoff with flash. Portrait work is the only practical use I have for HSS, but it is an important feature for a lot of folks for other reasons. Just wanted to bring it up while we were giving a flash primer.  These were done with a relatively weak strobe and HSS. I had to push the exposure but it worked well to balance the ambient and keep the aperture where I wanted.
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Sep 22, 2023 19:59
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Fwiw though the high speed sync issue doesn’t exist for leaf shutter cameras like medium formats or the X100 series because of how the shutter works compared to a curtain, so if you ever wanted to do strobe work outdoors in the middle of the day without dragging out massive lights and battery buckets that’s the way to go
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Sep 22, 2023 20:07
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Flashchat reminded me of how much I have not been doing one of my favourite things: 1. Drink half a bottle of wine 2. Slam that macro lens onto the camera, grab the wireless flash, and get outside 3. Take endless half-focused pictures of random leaves, flowers, and bugs with the flash at whatever angle you goddam well feel like. Stuck to the side of the lens? Arm's length above your head? In-frame? Fuckit, just shoot. .... .... 4. Edit hung-over, discarding 98% of the shots but keeping the 'good' ones. Cursing your foolishness is optional, but recommended.  Blackstrap Weekend 38 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 115 Four Waterfalls 73 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 114 Bruny Part 4 Macro on the beach 3 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr
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Sep 25, 2023 04:02
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Does anybody use DxO PhotoLab or have strong feelings about it? I was looking at Lightroom alternatives that aren't subscription-based, and while I like Capture One's integrated Fuji film simulations, I find a lot of the workflow and interface really irritating. I saw PhotoLab's ML-powered denoising and it looks really, really impressive, and cheaper than Capture One to boot. I've got 30 days to experiment with it on my free trial, but I'm wondering if anybody else has found pain points with it that I should keep an eye out for.
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Sep 26, 2023 14:28
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I've been playing with their film simulation offering, FilmPack, and I'm not a fan of the interface as far as workflow. It is basically a series of presets with small thumbnails for example renderings next to your photo. There is filtering but I haven't found it to be very useful beyond choosing B&W or Color. The actual adjustment panes are accessed using small icons at the top which replace the preset pane entirely. Then you have to expand submenus within and play around to see what they might do. They are pretty limited and separate so no scrolling around between them like LR to make little easy adjustments between them on the fly. Of course this isn't a software imaging suite but I wouldn't use it daily for my needs. I do really like some of their film stuff more than Mastin Labs, though.
Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 26, 2023 16:02
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Cognac McCarthy posted:Does anybody use DxO PhotoLab or have strong feelings about it? I was looking at Lightroom alternatives that aren't subscription-based, and while I like Capture One's integrated Fuji film simulations, I find a lot of the workflow and interface really irritating. I saw PhotoLab's ML-powered denoising and it looks really, really impressive, and cheaper than Capture One to boot. I've got 30 days to experiment with it on my free trial, but I'm wondering if anybody else has found pain points with it that I should keep an eye out for. I had the following rationale: I won't be changing my camera body or laptop for another decade or so, most likely, so why would i change the software??? No more catalog either! just sidecars!!! amazing
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Sep 26, 2023 22:18
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I use PhotoLab and mostly like it. As mentioned their lens profiles and denoising are amazing. The interface is different to Lightroom but good one you get used to it. Some features you'd think would be builtin are paid extras, like split toning and advanced colour adjustments (FilmPack) and distortion correction (ViewPoint) . But you can do a 30 day free trial of any of their stuff and see how you get on. They just released a new version which I haven't tried yet and it seems like it has some of the colour tools previously missing. They typically have a decent Black Friday discount on it so it you're thinking of switching I'd suggest the 30 day trial and wait to buy until the discount.
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Sep 27, 2023 15:04
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Is this the thread to ask for camera recommendations for a beginner? Wanting to pick up a new hobby that will encourage me to get out of the house, took a photography class back in highschool in like 2007 and wish i had put more time into it. Interested in taking pictures of stuff I see on my commute and my pets, and think it would be cool to toy with macro/night sky/long exposure stuff, but I understand that may be it's own rabbit hole to fall down in the future. Budget around $500 seems reasonable, no more than a thousand. I'm really just trying to dip my toes back in. Mirrorless cameras look cool. Love the idea of being able to branch out with different lenses and also not have a huge bulky camera to lug around.
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Oct 9, 2023 05:12
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If you like the idea of a smaller, lighter camera, you may want to look at some micro four-thirds cameras like Olympus (or OM or whatever their name is this week) and Panasonic. They may also be a little more budget friendly. Personally I love the retro looks and feel of the OM-D cameras but I've never used one further than messing around in the showroom.
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Oct 9, 2023 09:35
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As a newer photographer, I'll say to check out some reviews when you narrow down to make sure you'll like the auto focus. Probably some decent options these days at all ranges. Nothing sucks worse than getting into it and you come home to realize you just missed focus on all your best stuff! Have a way to nail the photo you (or your family!) really want and then experiment with your manual settings / focus. They always say spend more on the lens than the camera body (I mostly agree) but make sure you have the bare minimum of features you might want in the camera. I'd ignore video features entirely at that price range. For a lens, if yours doesn't come with a kit then I'd go with a 35mm prime (if budget allows) or a 50 because they are cheaper than wider angles. I've been learning on a 35mm and it has been great for pretty much everything except birding / wildlife and events where you can't get close to your subject. If you end up with a Canon EF mount, shoot me a PM and I'll give you a fantastic deal on a great Sigma 35mm f/1.4 prime I used on my old DSLR. Just remembered I still have it and you can do a ton with one good lens. Actually, I think I still have a 50mm prime for that mount as well - would be much cheaper. Good luck! Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Oct 9, 2023 |
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Oct 9, 2023 14:32
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As someone who recently got back into photography, I don't at all regret spending the money on a somewhat fancier kit. There's stuff you can't do with a lot of the cheapo entry level cameras. A used XT-3 and 18-55 lens is around $1000 and very capable. Plus at least from MPB you can return it no questions asked for two weeks so you can play with a bit before committing. I picked up an entry level Canon before getting Fujipilled and it just frustrated the hell out of me. I'm big into low light/night photography which simply wasn't possible. The lenses for it were too slow and the camera itself literally didn't have the exposure options I needed, the software on the camera didn't support it.
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Oct 9, 2023 21:44
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What camera was that? An R50 and a prime lens (28 pancake and 50 1.8) or two would come in around 1000 and be a great setup.
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Oct 9, 2023 22:39
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Rebel 7. Better than a point and shoot but not by a lot. There might've been faster lenses, not really worth the money on that body though. I found its limitations pretty quick then moved to a X-T4 and am much happier.
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Oct 9, 2023 22:48
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I also tried a Rebel T7 and bought an R6 ii within a month because of the T7’s lack of features
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Oct 9, 2023 22:51
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My first was a Rebel T6 and it had a really bad focus success rate. Downright demoralizing at times but it got me into the hobby.
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Oct 9, 2023 23:00
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Another part of that is just DSLR autofocus was So Bad. Nine points? Whereas the mid- and lower-tier mirrorless cameras have something like 80%-90% frame coverage with a ton of points. Between that and the better low-light high ISO capability, the tech has moved on and doesn’t have to be the flagship camera to have it.
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Oct 10, 2023 03:07
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harperdc posted:Between that and the better low-light high ISO capability, the tech has moved on and doesn’t have to be the flagship camera to have it. The new flagships are nice as gently caress though. A buddy let me play with one of his Z9s a few weeks back at the airshow and it made me want to take out a line of credit like, immediately.
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Oct 10, 2023 03:58
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Pentax K-5 I sent my camera to the shop in the next town over because it was locking up sometimes. I would press the shutter button, the mirror flips up and then it stays up, no shutter action, soft humming from the camera while it's holding the mirror up, and nothing I can do to get out of this mode except pull the battery. Put the battery back in, seems OK, then it happens again after I get a few normal shots off. It's at very close to 100 000 shutter actuations and the shop said they might be able to repair it, depending on what it needs - some parts are no longer available for a camera from 2010. Anyway, email today from the shop, apparently the only thing wrong is it needs a new focus ring. I did not send a lens, just the body. Googling for "Pentax K-5 focus ring" gets me only descriptions of focus modes and the ring on a lens that everyone refers to as the focus ring - of the lens, nothing to do with the camera body. I can believe that (what I call) the bayonet mount, the metal surface that mates with a lens and includes the electronic contacts to communicate between body and lens as well as the mechanisms to drive autofocus and aperture actions, could go wrong. And I could believe that problems here could lead to strange behaviour from the camera as it tries to deal with conflicting or invalid information from the lens. I'm going to ask if that's what the shop means by "focus ring" on the body of the camera, but I wanted to ask here as well in case anyone else has any ideas.
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Oct 10, 2023 04:26
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Two days later, he insists the AF doesn't work at all. So, I guess I'm shopping for a replacement and repairing a 12-year-old camera is a job for an individual obsessive, which isn't me.
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Oct 11, 2023 23:43
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Thank you to those who encouraged me to learn my flash rather than return it. I have done so and now I love it
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Oct 12, 2023 12:55
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It's less about DSLR autofocus being bad, and more about newer bodies just having better AF systems overall. Newer lenses also often come with faster, more precise focus motors. You shoot on a 10 year old entry level DSLR or mirrorless with a cheap kit lens in low light and you might have a bad time. You shoot on a 10 year old flagship DSLR with a flagship lens and suddenly it's much easier to acquire and track your subject.
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Oct 12, 2023 16:30
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I left the AA batteries in my Nikon SB700 for months and it looks like there's acid buildup and damage to the metallic plate in the battery compartment. Worth talking to the big city camera shop to see if they can repair it? Anyone ever get a speedlight repaired who might have a guess at how much it might cost?
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Oct 14, 2023 04:57
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I had that happen to me. An old toothbrush, some white vinegar and 5 minutes later it was all working. Mega Comrade fucked around with this message at 12:16 on Oct 14, 2023 |
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Oct 14, 2023 12:14
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