The Photography thread!

[socket7]

So. I take photos! Does anyone else?

I use a Canon SXi, a kit lens, along with a 70-200L, a 100mm macro, and a nifty fifty.

My Flicker photostream is http://www.flickr.com/photos/socket7/ and an album of my personal favorites is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/socket7/sets/72157623717228114/

Comments and criticism are always welcome about my photos, and so is bragging about your own gear and posting your own photos!

[Ydoow]

I\'ve been wanting to get into photography. I\'ve got about $600 saved up so far.

I have a terrible feeling Summer tuition will suck it dry though...

[socket7]

The SXi should be pretty cheap these days. It\'s a very old model. You might be able to pick one up used. (Make sure a camera shop checks it out first before buying! Or yourself if you know what you\'re looking for, things like dusty sensors, lens scratches, partial to non functioning shutters/mirrors.

L Quality glass is stupidly expensive (worth it though) and only useful for very specific work (Macro lenses, super zoom). Some of my best works have been taken through my cheap kit zoom lens, or my $50 nifty 50mm, which gives incredible quality for the price (comes from having so few lens elements) and gives you a nice artsy fartsy look.

If you can save up enough to pick up a full frame sensor on your DSLR, that\'s awesome. my SXi has an APS-C cropped sensor though, and I\'m more then happy with it.

One of these days I want to try astro photography, but I don\'t think my tripod is stable enough.

[Feragorn]

T2i and old FD lenses + adapter here. Don\'t have the money for fancy new autofocus lenses, and my stuff comes out good.

[socket7]

T2i and old FD lenses + adapter here. Don\'t have the money for fancy new autofocus lenses, and my stuff comes out good.

Autofocus can get in the way sometimes. It\'s handy to focus quickly, but when you\'re trying to set a depth of field, it just ruins your hard work the moment you press the shutter. I don\'t know how many times I\'ve setup a macro shot just the way i want, press the button and the thing refocuses. *headdesk*

[Feragorn]

Forgetting about the AF/MF switch on your lenses?

I\'ve done that.

[madmat]

I\'m pretty keen on photography as well. I use a Canon 40D with 60mm Macro,17/85mm and100/400L series, LUV it,,Airshows are a BUZZ but i\'m right into Wildlife at the moment,Particularly raptors. They are Majestic.The 100/400L makes light work of it though,It\'s an AMAZING lens.

[Feragorn]

How do you normally acquire your L glass? Even used, it\'s far out of my price range.

[thorfinn]

A question: what are the highest sensitivities available now in digital cameras, in the various price brackets? (I mean usable sensitivities, not bullshit '6400 ISO' stickers that correspond to useless grain) The big thing that still eludes me is making decent photos at night: usually, you don\'t carry a tripod when you\'re going for an evening stroll in a city with your girlfriend...

I remember that Fuji was kinda on the frontier with this, with their EXR sensors, but I\'ve not been following for a while.

[Feragorn]

My T2i produces usable pictures at ISO 6400. It\'s expandable to 12,800 though, and that gets kinda bad.

Most point and shoots can shoot decently up around 800, some do well at 1600.

[madmat]

Feragorn, I bought my 100/400L new. Yes they are pricey,BUT they are really worth the money.The difference in quality is as plane as day. I wouldn\'t personally buy one used, even though they are VERY robust, you have to consider the moving motors inside and ANY scratches on the glass would be devestating.Mine always has a UV filter on it to prevent this. Besides having a warranty is sometimes priceless.

As far as ISO is concerned i generally don\'t go over 1600, anything over that and digital noise is too extreme,You can pick up TINY tripods no bigger than your camera really cheap,they fit into your pocket. Also consider a Monopod they make a handy walking stick and would be strong enough to beat off thugs if necessary ???.

[Feragorn]

I\'ve got tripods and monopods out the wazoo, but I\'d really love to have a 24-105 L. If only because there\'s no 24-105 non L lens, but that seems to be one of the best focal length combinations. I\'ve got one manual focus FD lens of that, and I love it.

[madmat]

Yep the 24/105 would be an excellent choice,Would save a lot of lens changes at the worst possible times.I find the 100/400 can be too long sometimes, but the more lens changes = more chance for dust to get on the sensor.Your size would be ideal.

[socket7]

How do you normally acquire your L glass? Even used, it\'s far out of my price range.

There was a time when I had a job that allowed me to save up enough for a piece of L glass once or twice a year. I made sacrifices though. My 70-200L for example, is not stabilized.

I took a photo today! (spoilered for bandwidth safety)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/socket7/7009369575/#in/photostream

[madmat]

That is a QUALITY shot , you can FEEL the atmosphere. Definitely worth the money eh

[socket7]

The difference between a good photographer and a great one is leaving out all your bad photos. This was the only half decent shot today. Everything else was worse LOL

[socket7]

I want this to be a thread for people to talk photography and show their work. Makes me duty bound to post first

Some more of my photos, ones I\'m more proud of.

Spoilered for bandwidth considerations

[Feragorn]

Here\'s an old one from when I was starting out about a year ago. Actually, thirteen months to the day.

[socket7]

oh i do so love a rusty machine.

I cant help but wonder what it would look like if the focus was centered on that walkway in the back.

[Feragorn]

You\'re in luck! I took another shot with a further focus:

Here\'s one of just the walkway:

Little information: This is Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama. Used to be one of the largest pig iron manufacturers in the world, but is now a state park with lots of nice rusty machiney things. I love going there.