what is your camera

[Garzan]

They use pop up flashes to try to move it away from the lens to try to stop red eye.

 

Also with a pop up flash you can control it’s exposure from -2 to +2 ,on most cameras,some models are different,and that makes it easy to define the amount of light to use. This works together with aperture and speed to get the right exposure.

 

Also you can try to diffuse the light some way with a pop up flash,so it is not so harsh on subject.

 

The problem with the pop-up flash is that it's a small, directional point of light, aiming directly at the subject. This gives harsh shadows behind the subject and makes the photo generally unflattering.

 

One thing to remember to make things easier is that… the shutter speed controls the ambient light and the aperture controls the flash light. If you keep this in mind it’ll spare your for a lot of trouble, either with the built-in flash or any external flash. In fact, it’s as simple as that. And that means, to put it in a simple way, that once you’ve got the right amount of light to the flash, you just have to change the speed in order to get a balance between the ambient and flash lights. And from there you can define precisely the relation between main light source and fill-in and many other things.

 

Using your pop up flash as fill flash outdoors can help as well.

 

That's one of the things I like about my old Nikon P7000. It's got a pop-up flash if you really want to use one, but even better, it has a hot shoe so you can get the flash off the camera entirely.

[The Sly Fox]

Everything under 2000$ with the Leica brand name on it is made by Panasonic . 

 

The M serie is made by Leica (only the lenses , the electronics are Panasonic

of course) but is IMO a joke at prices between 5 and 7k U$ .  

 

In the days of conventional photography Leica produced their own cameras

and lenses and could make a difference with mainly high quality precision

optics .  

Now a days the quality comes from the right sensor , electronics , software and

less from the optics .

 

 

For example : i bought a cheap second hand 18-55 Canon (35 euro) last week

for my daughters Canon 40D and was surprised by the quality . 

So there's no diff between all those Leica compacts and their lower-priced Pana counterparts? You pay double for the red dot only?

[Billyboy294]

The other disadvantage of the popup flash for me is, as i take 90% of my pics now of girls, in the portrait mode. This means that  the flash is even more off-set from the lens and gives bigger shadows against a wall which i don't like to see. So i would never buy a camera with a tiny pop-up flash preferring to have the bigger built-in flash.  It is easier to deal with red-eye but there is not a lot you can do with a photo which is badly lit;

 

As i have plenty of light in my room i don't normally have a problem with red-eye., certainly never have  these bright red dots that you see in some photos..

 

The compact Lumix TZ35 is light and small enough to go in your pocket although there are smaller ones around..

Edited August 10, 2014 by Billyboy294

[jerry]

So there's no diff between all those Leica compacts and their lower-priced Pana counterparts? You pay double for the red dot only?

 

There will be small differences but nothing that rectifies the big price difference  ... that red dot is pretty expensive i guess . 

 

(Volkswagen , Audi , Skoda ... small differences but it would be impossible to sell the Audi A3 for double the price of a Golf) .  

[DMustang]

Still using my old Canon S95 here. I know there are newer/better available, but haven't seen anything that much

better to justify buying a new camera yet.

[rain_angelus]

Hey guys,

 

I hate carrying around cameras and plan to do a detailed Trip Report starting next week. I have have an Iphone 5, do you think these photos will be acceptable?

[Garzan]

Hey guys,

 

I hate carrying around cameras and plan to do a detailed Trip Report starting next week. I have have an Iphone 5, do you think these photos will be acceptable?

 

It depends on how well you take photos, more than what camera you have. A current phone camera should be more than good enough for a trip report displayed on an average computer monitor. I usually read with tapatalk on my phone, so photos with a crap camera still look good when they are that small. :-)

[The Sly Fox]

Hey guys,

 

I hate carrying around cameras and plan to do a detailed Trip Report starting next week. I have have an Iphone 5, do you think these photos will be acceptable?

OK if you fix them up later with some photo editing software. I use Picasa 3, it's freeware, there's a portable version, and it's a piece of piss to use. You can straighten crooked horizons, crop out unwanted crap, darken/lighten/sharpen/saturate. So phone pics can be OK for TRs if you spend a bit of time reworking them.

[The Sly Fox]

It depends on how well you take photos, more than what camera you have. A current phone camera should be more than good enough for a trip report displayed on an average computer monitor. I usually read with tapatalk on my phone, so photos with a crap camera still look good when they are that small. :-)

I remember donkey years ago seeing a photo spread in one of those Australian Photography magazines I got every month. They selected about a dozen of Australia's best known photographers, all noted for various fields - fashion, landscape, news...and so on. And they gave each of these guys one of those basic bottom priced Polaroid instant cameras with a single pack of pics loaded. And told these guys to go out and shoot.

 

So there was no darkroom tweaking after, no special effects filters could be used with those cameras. The results were stunning, those guys had the eyes & imagination (plus the experience) to recognize and capture remarkable images.

 

It's the same with guitars. A $3000 Les Paul Gibson sounds and plays way better than a $299 Chinese copy. But Eric Clapton or BB King can make that $299 Chink piece of shit sound sweet.

Edited August 11, 2014 by The Sly Fox

[Big G]

The other disadvantage of the popup flash for me is, as i take 90% of my pics now of girls, in the portrait mode. This means that  the flash is even more off-set from the lens and gives bigger shadows against a wall which i don't like to see. So i would never buy a camera with a tiny pop-up flash preferring to have the bigger built-in flash.  It is easier to deal with red-eye but there is not a lot you can do with a photo which is badly lit;

 

As i have plenty of light in my room i don't normally have a problem with red-eye., certainly never have  these bright red dots that you see in some photos..

 

The compact Lumix TZ35 is light and small enough to go in your pocket although there are smaller ones around..

This means that  the flash is even more off-set from the lens 

 

Billyboy,how is the flash more off- set from the lens ?

[Billyboy294]

The other disadvantage of the popup flash for me is, as i take 90% of my pics now of girls, in the portrait mode. This means that  the flash is even more off-set from the lens and gives bigger shadows against a wall which i don't like to see. So i would never buy a camera with a tiny pop-up flash preferring to have the bigger built-in flash.  It is easier to deal with red-eye but there is not a lot you can do with a photo which is badly lit;

 

As i have plenty of light in my room i don't normally have a problem with red-eye., certainly never have  these bright red dots that you see in some photos..

 

The compact Lumix TZ35 is light and small enough to go in your pocket although there are smaller ones around..

 

 

This means that  the flash is even more off-set from the lens 

 

Billyboy,how is the flash more off- set from the lens ?

 

 

I am surprised you have to ask.

 

In the example below when the camera is in 'landscape mode' the flash is more or less in line with the lens and will not cast much of a shadow.

 

But when you turn the camera to 'portrait mode'  (as I do 90% of the time) the flash is now off-set from the lens and will cast a shadow Much more than a built-in flash would do.

 

 

   

Edited August 12, 2014 by Billyboy294

[Scumbag]

The other disadvantage of the popup flash for me is, as i take 90% of my pics now of girls, in the portrait mode. This means that  the flash is even more off-set from the lens and gives bigger shadows against a wall which i don't like to see. So i would never buy a camera with a tiny pop-up flash preferring to have the bigger built-in flash.  It is easier to deal with red-eye but there is not a lot you can do with a photo which is badly lit;

 

As i have plenty of light in my room i don't normally have a problem with red-eye., certainly never have  these bright red dots that you see in some photos..

 

The compact Lumix TZ35 is light and small enough to go in your pocket although there are smaller ones around..

IMO the built in flash (of any size) is only good for two things: for flash fill-in and controlling off camera a flash(es). If you want good indoor photos an external flash is a worthwhile investment.

 

The video also demonstrates that there is still an issue with unattractive shadows when shooting in landscape mode. The difference is the direction the light is coming from rather than the leans being 'off-set'. The pop-up flash is always the same distance from the lens.

 

[Sailfast]

Canon super zoom

Canon pocket waterproof

Iphone

[Billyboy294]

Compact camera (SonyW1) with built-in  flash  with camera held in 'portrait mode' , Very little shadow, just a fine line on the left of the girls arms etc. A camera with popup flash would cast a bigger shadow and likely not as strong as a built-in flash  (if size of flash has anything to do with it ) and photo not so well lit.

 

I think that camera was good enough for taking photos of Thai girls in my room and for giving the girls prints. I wasn't planning to enter them in a photographic competition. When i took most of my photos 10 years ago it was for my own amusement and I never thought i might be posting some in Pattaya Addicts but many BMs seem to like them..

 

 

I like to take photos against the screen as I think it minimises the shadow as compared with a plain wall.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Billyboy294

[rain_angelus]

Yah, I'm just gonna take the pics and upload them. Not really into digital editing, let's see how it turns out.

[fostraswift]

camera phones have changed to whole scene

point and shoot  are on the way out

[The Sly Fox]

camera phones have changed to whole scene

point and shoot  are on the way out

True, just like tablets are replacing laptops.

[The Sly Fox]

Yah, I'm just gonna take the pics and upload them. Not really into digital editing, let's see how it turns out.

When you have time DL Picasa and play around with it. You'll be surprised how easy it is to vastly improve your digital pics. I have no Desire to get heavily into digital photo editing, like using Photoshop and separating image layers, but Picasa really is fun and easy to use. And it's interesting how quickly you can improve a shitty pic.

[Piece Corp]

I'm thinking about upgrading to a Full Frame and buying a Nikon D610 for night street photography on Walking Street and Soi Cowboy. Prices are usually higher in Thailand than in the states, but I found a shop in MBK with a lower price than amazon. This model is assembled in Ayutthaya.

[Scumbag]

When you have time DL Picasa and play around with it. You'll be surprised how easy it is to vastly improve your digital pics. I have no desire to get heavily into digital photo editing, like using Photoshop and separating image layers, but Picasa really is fun and easy to use. And it's interesting how quickly you can improve a shitty pic.

If you can get a copy of Photoshop you can learn very quickly how to improve your photos and still full control. You don't have to go into creating different layers as most times it is just a matter of tweaking the levels, curves, increase sharpness and perhaps a little noise reduction. It is sometimes also useful to increase the colour a bit. With a little familiarity it can be achieved in about a minute or so.

 

I don't have any girlie photos to share but below is a comparison between a jpeg straight out of the camera and the same photo with about a minutes work on the RAW file.

 

[Billyboy294]

IMO the built in flash (of any size) is only good for two things: for flash fill-in and controlling off camera a flash(es). If you want good indoor photos an external flash is a worthwhile investment.

 

The video also demonstrates that there is still an issue with unattractive shadows when shooting in landscape mode. The difference is the direction the light is coming from rather than the leans being 'off-set'. The pop-up flash is always the same distance from the lens.

 

 

 

At least two things i don't agree with the expert

 

He thinks the photo with the much bigger shadows under the ears is better than the one with the smaller shadow as in the video start. Don't agree. His problem is his flash is set too high in both cases causing a shadow under the ears ( what else is causing it).

 

 

He thinks pointing the flash up at the ceiling is now better than the first shots,(anything would be better). When i had a SLR (film) and a big Speedlight I gave up reflecting it off the the ceiling because of the shadows under the eyes, under the nose and chin and when a girl a big shadow under big boobs. He looks better  in the video shot than in the photo with the shadows.

 

 

That expensive setup is not really appropriate for taking photos of our Thai  girls. If you wanted to take photos in different situations in the room, standing and sitting. it would take too long to set up and the girl would become bored. Also not  all that suitable for taking photos of the girl lying on the bed in different poses.

 

I don't think my photo in Post #289 seems to have any of the problems which he seemed to find in trying different positions with his flash. Ok could do with a sharper lens (only 4.2 megapix)

Edited August 12, 2014 by Billyboy294

[Scumbag]

At least two things i don't agree with the expert

 

He thinks the photo with the much bigger shadows under the ears is better than the one with the smaller shadow as in the video start. Don't agree. His problem is his flash is set too high in both cases causing a shadow under the ears.

 

Speedlighht 11.jpg

 

He thinks pointing the flash up at the ceiling is now better than the first shots,(anything would be better. When i had a SLR (film) and a big Speedlight I gave up reflecting it off the the ceiling because of the shadows under the eyes, under the nose and chin and when a girl a big shadow under big boobs. He looks better  in the video than in the photo with the shadows.

 

Speedlight. 2jpg.jpg

Of course it is objective but no experienced photographer would ever consider using an on-camera (in any variation) direct flash for portrait photography. What he refers to as 'deer in the headlight' lighting is fucking awful IMO and should be avoided unless there are no other options.

 

If you don't want to evolve as a photographer that is OK but perhaps others do and it is for them that I am posting. Please take any replies to your posts as being directed to them rather than yourself.

 

BTW he looks awful in both of the two first photos and I agree that there is not much improvement.

[Billyboy294]

Scumbag, you seem to have taken offense at my reply..

 

I was just pointing out that in my opinion the setup that he had  (apart from being only appropriate for the very few  here with a Tripod, SLR and a big Flash) was not really suitable for taking photos of your barfines in your room.

 

A camera at a fixed height on a tripod will not give the flexibility and spontaneity that i think is required  for taking the kind of photos I have posted in 'Billyboys Cute Girls' or 'Thai Girls in Bikinis' for example..

 

I don't think that particular video would  help me "evolve as a photographer".

 

 

We can agree to disagree on that point.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Billyboy294

[Billyboy294]

camera phones have changed to whole scene

point and shoot  are on the way out

 

They have also changed the scene in that i find Thai girls are not so willing to let you take their photo  ( i am not talking about nudies) now that they and their friends can take 'selfies' and post them on facebook.

 

Years ago when i took most of my photos they were pleased to let you take their photo, as i always gave them prints and they liked the ones with fancy frames I got from Ulead Photo Impact.  Example below.

 

Edited August 15, 2014 by Billyboy294

[Billyboy294]

True, just like tablets are replacing laptops.

 

I think there is still a place for both. Certainly a camera phone is useful for taking unexpected snaps of situations that may arise when you are out.

 

But a compact with a bigger flash and longer zoom will give you a better range and quality of photos.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Billyboy294