My First DSLR - "Is 'Dunning-Kruger Effect' a Photoshop plugin?"

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > My First DSLR - "Is 'Dunning-Kruger Effect' a Photoshop plugin?"

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Nice opening post. The only thing I'd add would be to stress the importance of lenses.

A decent lens will outlast your current body, or if you decide to sell it, will have held its value better.
When deciding which of the Canon/Nikon/Sony/Pentax system to become a disciple of, it's as (or more) important to consider which lens range better suits your need, as it is to find a body you like.
And so don't spend all of your budget on the most expensive body you can, leaving yourself with just enough for a single, bottom of the range lens.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2013 09:38

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 23:35

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

GobiasIndustries posted:

Now that I've got a full range of focal lengths covered

Not the full range. Time to start lusting after that 800m f5.6

#blackmarketkidney

# ¿ Feb 15, 2013 08:58

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

This is why you should use their real names, 600D and 1100D, not the weird system dreamt up by the US marketing team.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2013 09:04

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Pretty much every range of mirrorless camera seems to be named using some combination of N, X, F and/or 1.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2013 22:20

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Question Mark Mound posted:

I have to admit, Canon's numbering system is confusing the hell out of me. The T2i is also the 550D, but the 550D and 600D are better than the 1100D despite having a smaller number. I'm so used to the simplicity of "bigger numbers mean higher up in the range" for so many devices.

Once you grasp it, the numerical numbering system makes sense but is terrible to try to explain even when you do....

Less digits denotes a better class of camera, but for a given number of digits, the higher number is newer. Except for the single digit cameras, where you want the lowest number. Except the 6D vs 7D which isn't really better but different (bigger sensor vs superior body). Except the 100D which is newer than the 700D.

This timeline is the quickest overview.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Canon_DSLR_cameras

# ¿ Jul 4, 2013 20:08

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

..also they both have mono microphones, but with an input socket for a stereo microphone. The 600D should have everything that the 550D has, plus a bit more. According to dpreview, the improvements found in the 600D are:

* Vari-angle display
* Scene intelligent Auto Mode
* 'Basic+' creative controls in scene modes
* 'Creative Filters' can be applied to images in playback mode
* Multi-aspect ratio shooting (3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 1:1, previewable in Live View)
* Integrated Wireless flash controller with multi-flash support
* 'Video Snapshot' mode
* Auto Lighting Optimizer now adjustable in 4 levels
* Feature Guide
* Image rating (1-5 stars)
* Eye sensor for LCD display replaced by 'DISP' button
* Marginally larger and heavier

If those are worth the extra depends on you.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2013 21:26

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

SpoopyMonkey posted:

They kinda suck but they're also an absurdly cheap way to get into doing macro stuff. I bought a set of bullshit Kenko ones and got some relatively passable shots.

Or get a reversing ring and some old manual-aperture 50mm lens.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2013 20:43

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Pick a manufacturer based on the handling (body specs get upgraded but the ergonomic philosophy tends to stay the same) and the lens line-up (lenses outlast bodies). Split your budget to spend at least as much on the lens(es) as the body.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2014 12:07

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

I did say "and lens line-up" but I should have stressed that as the first point.

The 'ergonomics' thing is a combination of (a) that neither Canon or Nikon make a bad camera these days and (b) photography should be fun. If a camera feels unintuitive because of some choice on the layout of buttons, knobs or menu system, it doesn't aid it being fun.

Ultimately it's about making first time buyers realise that it's not about picking the camera that is topping the gigawatts chart this week, but the one that feels right for them (be it because of the lenses, the feel, the accessories line-up, etc)

# ¿ Feb 16, 2014 19:57

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Kenshin posted:

I have a stupid newbie question:

Why are telephoto primes so much more expensive than telephoto zooms? It seems like less moving parts would make it less expensive or difficult to manufacture, but there must be something I'm missing here.

Others have answered, but here's an example:

Canon 400mm f/5.6 is $1,339
Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is $1,699

Both have been around for a long time so all R&D costs are long gone and both are of a similar quality. The zoom does have IS while the prime doesn't which will account for some of the difference.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2014 09:47

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

hatesfreedom posted:

I tried using lightroom, and it's really slick but is there anything kind of as good that isn't so expensive/require a subscription? It's not like I ever do anything too complex.

As well as the already mentioned DarkRable, Raw Therapee is another of the more successful open source photo programs.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2015 00:46

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

torgeaux posted:

Subject? Tripod or sandbag or just a ledge, plus delayed shutter, that's all you HAVE to have.

Unless the long part of long exposure is over thirty seconds, when you have to switch to bulb mode (why do they insist on keeping this dumb limitation?) and some sort of cable/remote release is more or less a prerequisite unless you want shaking photos.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2016 09:22

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

timrenzi574 posted:

Once Canon sensors are past ISO 1600 or so, they behave more like the on-chip ADC ones. So an ISO 1600 , underexposed and pushed 2 stops, has equivalent noise to an ISO 6400 properly exposed in camera shot. This is because there is so much shot noise at that point, that it overwhelms the read noise and drowns it out. It becomes negligible.

I recall on-chip ADC also has some penalty in terms of thermal noise. At low ISO that's now a negligible source of noise but it's still a factor at high ISO, allowing Canon's off chip ADC to remain competitive at high ISOs.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2016 00:54

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

They do still sell a non-cc Lightroom too. It just won't get any new features via updates (only bug fixes?) and it'll only be cheaper than CC sometime in to the second year. Either way CC is cheap compared to CaptureOne....

For something cheap but with a commercial organisation behind it, you could try Serif's Photo Affrinity. (mac �40. Windows free beta).
https://affinity.serif.com/

# ¿ Dec 2, 2016 01:01

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Wildlife photography is difficult to do cheap because long lenses are never cheap....

The cheapest decent entry in to DSLR would be to go used for a entry level Canon body and a 100-400 mk I (was going to suggest the 400mm f5.6 but it has no IS). A tripod is probably going to be beneficial too. That's all going to top $600 mind. Bridge cameras these days can be surprising not-poo poo particularly for those wanting to document their sighting rather than win Wildlife Photographer of the Year. (Birdforum.net has some useful threads).

Re: Pentax. While they do offer a lot for the money, wildlife photography has to be one of the worst use cases for their system, due to a limited telephoto lenses lineup and autofocus/motor technology.

Pick up a copy of The Handbook of Bird Photography by Varesvuo et al. It's a great look at world class nature photographers achieve what they do.

Finally regarding 'distant moving targets'. Don't forget to factor atmospheric issues on to your expectations. Heat haze, dust etc can an do have noticable effect. World class wildlife photography is about using fieldcraft to get closer...

# ¿ May 17, 2018 08:01

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 23:35

Pablo Bluth: Sep 7, 2007; I've made a huge mistake.

Fair sure that's a coyote, based on the pointy ears and long snout.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2018 20:00

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > My First DSLR - "Is 'Dunning-Kruger Effect' a Photoshop plugin?"