Which camera are u using?

[Woofiee]

Funny thing is i had the 90 and the 95 but sold the 95 last month because i think the 90 still gives the best results and has a better build quality , lol .

 

Interesting! Thanks for the tip - I had planned on buying blind off the interwebs, but now I'll see if I can find one in a store somewhere first. 

[jerry]

Interesting! Thanks for the tip - I had planned on buying blind off the interwebs, but now I'll see if I can find one in a store somewhere first. 

 

Bought the 90 last year in a pawn shop in Patts . It was as new with only 800 clicks . Including an extra battery , leather case

and 8GB card for 2800Bht .... think the girl that sold it to me didn't realise that it was worth at least twice that price  ... 555 .

Happy hunting ...

[kopite]

@kopite

 

Hi again

 

Following your remarks about the Sony Nex 16-50mm lens, I logged on to the site I always refer to for lens.reviews. The lens, you will note is also not 16-55mm, as per your last post.

 

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/sony-e-16-50mm-f-3-5-5-6-oss-lens-review-20667

 

It gets a mixed conclusion and is not one I would now consider. It is ,after all, a 'kit' lens and these are always a compromise. At f/3.5-5.6, it is also slow. I agree the lens is tiny and therefore portable. Decent lenses cost lots of money unfortunately.

 

My preference always leans towards prime lenses. If you wish to see the specs and verdict on the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, on the above site, you will note it gets a superb write-up. As I mentioned it is very sharp even wide open. I do not like zooms for candid photography or street photography. I 'zoom' using my feet. A few steps is normally all that is required.

 

Cheers

 

PS Link to the specs for the Pannie 20mm f/1.7, for your info.

 

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-20mm-f-1-7-lumix-g-micro-four-thirds-lens-review-17550

 

Cheers again

 

John

 

I had the 20mm and 14mm panny lens but sold them both with my GF2. TBH Nex 3n is an entry level model but it will sell shed loads as it's so cheap. And I'd take that over a m43 any day of the week. Each to their own but I've found the panny gf range to be terrible in terms of noise in low light images.

[Woofiee]

Bought the 90 last year in a pawn shop in Patts . It was as new with only 800 clicks . Including an extra battery , leather case

and 8GB card for 2800Bht .... think the girl that sold it to me didn't realise that it was worth at least twice that price  ... 555 .

Happy hunting ...

 

I already have the s90 for a few years now - the only thing I didn't like (besides the silly spinning wheel) is that it's boot time and cycle-between-frame times are a little slow compared to the s95, which is essentially twice as fast. I'd consider the s110 just to get rid of the wheel, which always seems to change between sessions…

[john2028]

I already have the s90 for a few years now - the only thing I didn't like (besides the silly spinning wheel) is that it's boot time and cycle-between-frame times are a little slow compared to the s95, which is essentially twice as fast. I'd consider the s110 just to get rid of the wheel, which always seems to change between sessions…

I too have the S90, which is one of my favourites. You can buy a glue-on cheap security ring to obviate problems with the spinning dial. It prevents any inadvertent adjustments. Google it. They are readily available.

 

I also have a 32gb very fast pro SDHC in mine which helps with any slow Write problems. A non-reflective screen protector helps too, in the tropical sun I shoot RAW + fine J Peg’s, and seem to experience little in the way of delays.

[john2028]

This is the Control Ring solution. I've added the alloy grip mentioned previously too.

 

http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/canon-s90/s90-control-ring-solution/

 

Cheers

[Methos]

I had the 20mm and 14mm panny lens but sold them both with my GF2. TBH Nex 3n is an entry level model but it will sell shed loads as it's so cheap. And I'd take that over a m43 any day of the week. Each to their own but I've found the panny gf range to be terrible in terms of noise in low light images.

 

My OMD is amazing in low light. You can go to really high ISO with minimal noise. I go to 1600 and even 3200 once in a while. Nex cameras are nice but not a great selection of lenses. 

 

I'm waiting for a good sale on either an XZ-2, LX-7 or RX-100 to have a higher end pocket cam as a back-up. I briefly owned an S95 and didn't like it at all so Canon is out for me (owned others too). 

 

This was hand-held at 1/10th sec, f1.7, ISO 1600 with the 20mm.

 

[john2028]

@Methos

 

Very atmospheric shot. Nice effort hand held at that shutter speed . Low noise with high ISO too. You have steadier hands than me!!

 

Too much jet black and therefore big areas lacking in interest, for my taste. When I copied your shot into CS4, you seem to have published it at 350dpi. OK for prints but not needed on-line. Most monitors, even HD can only handle approx. 100ppi. Anything above that is a waste of file size.

 

I looked at the RX100 and it has some good reviews. The 1” size sensor is a bit of a compromise at that price range. The lens however is a beauty.

 

There is no such thing as a universal camera, as you will agree. Everything is subjective.

 

I note you are from Ontario. I have a sister in Toronto, and visit her most years. We hired a huge camper and got out into the wilderness one holiday. Canada is an amazing country.

 

Hope you don't mind me playing around with your shot.

 

Cheers

 

PS. This is a full review of the Sony RX100

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-cybershot-dsc-rx100

 

John

[Methos]

It's a pic from a couple of weeks ago when I was in the Caribbean and I hadn't messed with it too much yet. I did want to crop it a bit and make some other fine adjustments - which I just did. I only store a high-res version and smugmug allows me to link to a smaller size but I'm not adjusting the dpi for that.

 

I really only posted it to show the low noise/high ISO you can get with a m4/3 OMD-EM5. Being able to go that low speed hand held is mostly due to the 5 axis image stabilization I think. It constantly surprises me when I try something really out there with this camera and it works. 

 

It doesn't bother me if you mess around with it - but I prefer it without all the added brightness/highlight. I know it's dark, but hey I took it at midnight!

 

The RX100 has some great reviews but it is too expensive unless there's a massive sale with the RX100-2 being out now. I'll probably either wait for a sale on an LX-7 or pick up a used XZ-1.

 

edited a bit:

[Methos]

One more since I ran across one at 3200 ISO. 

 

This was at a water ballet show at the hotel and was taken with the amazing Olympus 75mm lens. I had it at a pretty high shutter speed to capture some things in the water so this is at 1/640th sec, f1.8, 3200 ISO. I was shocked at the quality at such a high shutter speed/ISO. 

 

[Billyboy294]

What surprises me about this topic is that while there are 7 pages of 'great' cameras. I can only remember seeing photos of 2 Thai girls.

[jerry]

What surprises me about this topic is that while there are 7 pages of 'great' cameras. I can only remember seeing photos of 2 Thai girls.

 

Ok got the hint ... here's a pic of May made with a Canon S90 .

 

[Billyboy294]

By coincidence this girl is also called May.

 

Taken with a Sony Cybershot W1 (500 megapix) in 2005. So are the new cameras any better for taking photos of Thai girls.

 

 

[bigbill340]

It's a pic from a couple of weeks ago when I was in the Caribbean and I hadn't messed with it too much yet. I did want to crop it a bit and make some other fine adjustments - which I just did. I only store a high-res version and smugmug allows me to link to a smaller size but I'm not adjusting the dpi for that.

 

I really only posted it to show the low noise/high ISO you can get with a m4/3 OMD-EM5. Being able to go that low speed hand held is mostly due to the 5 axis image stabilization I think. It constantly surprises me when I try something really out there with this camera and it works. 

 

It doesn't bother me if you mess around with it - but I prefer it without all the added brightness/highlight. I know it's dark, but hey I took it at midnight!

 

The RX100 has some great reviews but it is too expensive unless there's a massive sale with the RX100-2 being out now. I'll probably either wait for a sale on an LX-7 or pick up a used XZ-1.

 

edited a bit:

 

I also prefer your photo too!

 

 

Bill

[Billyboy294]

Another one with the same Sony W1 camera. Photo cropped from a larger pic.

 

[john2028]

@Billyboy294

Two magnificent shots. I especially like the recliner. The fact that the head and shoulder portrait is also a crop is amazing. Slight typo in the info Billy. The Sony Cybershot W1 was 5 and not 500 MP. Great camera of course and now a snip. 500Meg in 2005!! Kylie once sang, “I should be so lucky”!

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/290935000592?var=gv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=65

We're all crazy, and perhaps conned by the big boys in the camera trade. They are experts at relieving us of our cash. It is too easy to always have that urge to upgrade. I have 2 full DSLR outfits, Nikon and Sony Alpha. I barely use them, unless I'm on a day out with the camera club. Having spent the dosh, I like to have everything with me on such days. My camera case had wheels and a folding towing handles and I can barely lift it unaided, at my advanced age. I also detest changing lenses on such trips. I’ve dropped a few in my time! Lenses, also of course!

Like lots of keen snappers, I'm now into micro 4/3. My walk-around gear is a Panasonic GF1, with the f1.7 – 20mm pancake lens (equivalent 40mm), which is sharp wide open and gets rave lab reviews. Because I don' t like shooting via LCD, I use it with a Olympus OVF, (designed for a 17mm lens). This is great in bright sunshine and, with the more braced position at eye-level shooting, helps obviate camera shake. Holding a camera steady at reading position, i.e., semi arms length, is difficult for me these days. I must lay off that Chang beer!!

Cheers to all.

John

[john2028]

A pal of mine at the camera club, is even crazier than me.

 

Micro 4/3 gear (see above)

 

 

Canon 300mm f/2.8, Sold, at his wife's insistence, to finance some of his mad spending sprees. He cried in the pub later, as he loved that long lens Forgot to mention. He sold the matching mono pod too. (It was top of the line of course, and a snip at £150).

 

He has hidden his full frame Canon body in the loft as his wife can't operate the built in loft ladder. (A bargain he came across on Ebay, £4,000, body only) He's great at buying rounds in the pub, He knows we will 'blab' to his Missus, if he doesn't watch his p's and q's. I'm always up for a free booze-up myself. (He's loaded of course and builds deluxe conservatories for posh houses).

[Billyboy294]

Hi john, thanks for the correction. Yes I should have said 5 megapix..I have edited my post.

 

The best part of the Sony W1 was the flash. In my room I just pointed the camera at the girl with the flash at Auto and the pictures came out fine, even full length because i like to see the legs.

 

All of the later compacts I tried as a replacement had a flash that was only fit for head and shoulder shots. My current camera is a 2008 Lumix TZ5 compact.(10 megapix and 10 x zoom) which i think is an ideal package. The flash on it was disappointing also so i had to add  a 200 watt bulb to supplement my room lighting.

 

Here is a sample with the LumixTZ5.

 

 

So what more do you need if you just want to photograph Thai girls. I have all the photos of temples etc that i need.

[jerry]

 

Another May , this one is with the Canon 5DII

[john2028]

Beautiful young lady and gorgeous lighting. Well done!! Love the soft focus. Perfect for intimate portraits.

[jerry]

 

 

 

Some more 'Mays' , Canon 5DII .

 

 

[john2028]

@Billyboy 294

 

Lovely shot of a delightful 'sleeping beauty'. The skins tones are very accurate. Adding the 200 watt bulb has done away with the harsh shadows one gets with an on-board flash. Good that you managed to mix lights of different colour temperatures. All the lights I have at home are natural daylight balanced @ about 6000 Kelvin. This is about the same as most electronic flashes from memory. It apparently is better for most people, especially for SAD, (Seasonal Affective Disorder), sufferers. If I'm ever sad, which thankfully is very rare, I just have an extra big slug of Sangsom and Coke.

 

The young girl is very nicely groomed and takes great pride in her laundry and hygiene. Isn't it strange how they all love to drop off, which they all can, at a moments notice, on towels??

 

@jerry

 

Great shots of the same lovely girl. Those are the biggest shoes I have ever seen on one so tiny. 'May' I say how yummy she looks. Sorry! I have this dreadful weakness for terrible puns.

 

Cheers

[john2028]

@Methos

You will probably recognise the Olympus EM-5 camera, in my friends collection, in the shelf unit pics of the Micro 4/3 gear .above He also owns, as you will see, the Olympus f/1.8 -75mm, which you praise so much. I borrowed it for a weekend, and it is amongst the best optics I have every used. Considering it is the equivalent of a 150mm, (on full frame), it is amazing how easy it is to get a sharp capture, due to the fantastic I.S. He also has the Olympus 7-14mm extreme wide angle zoom, which is also an wonderful lens. It should be at approx.£1,000 (GB)! He is past all help, of course!! You will also notice the GF1, GX2 and the tiny Olympus Pen (in white). That belongs to his long suffering wife, who just uses it on auto, very occasionally. She's not even into photography.

I myself am content at the moment to use lens adaptors for my Nikon and Minolta lenses, although I do have the Panasonic 14-50mm zoom AF. With adaptors you loose out on the auto-focus of course, but it is a very good and inexpensive way to use great DSLR gear on the micro 4/3 format. It’s worth buying decent adaptors as some are rubbish and the lens/bodies are a poor fit. C mount lenses are a nice thing to try out also and the adaptors are really small and cheap. Lots of old lenses, even Leica, on Ebay at bargain prices! Some of my pals lenses in the shot above are adaptor/lens combos. Lots of fun when the usual rubbish is on the TV.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-MMF-3-Thirds-Adapter-Lenses/dp/B0073A1EBE/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373914649&sr=1-6&keywords=micro+4+3+lens+adapter

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fotodiox-adapter-Adapter-Olympus-Panasonic/dp/B003G49V70/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373914795&sr=1-11&keywords=micro+4+3+lens+adapter

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRAKTICAR-CARL-ZEISS-JENA-P-LENS-BAYONET-MOUNT-Canon-Nikon-Sony-4-3-Micro-Adapt-/321149061756?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item4ac5f9ca7c


Later I might just sell some of my DSLR gear and go shopping, but NOT with my camera club friend! Certainly not with a Thai girl, either, as I have made that mistake too often in the past 25 years of visits to the LOS

Cheers to all

PS

Make sure you buy the correct type of adaptor. If your SLR lens has NO aperture ring, buy the adaptor which has built in aperture adjustor With older lenses , most will have an aperture ring.. The correct type of adaptor is then merely an extension tube, with the appropriate mounts at each end, for instance Nikon to M4/3, Minolta to M4/3, etc Such adaptors are very cheap. Many people are into M4/3 because it's an easy way to use expensive glass. Lots of fine heritage lenses on Ebay really cheap. I bought a Pentax 100mm prime macro lens recently, 200mm equivalent on the M4/3 smaller bodies.

[john2028]

I also prefer your photo too!

 

 

Bill

 

I'll get you at playtime Bill. We fat lads should stick together!

 

It must be hellish driving a bus in this heat-wave. I hope it is not a double-decker. There seems more and more of those in Manchester these days, after many years of just single-deckers. They must cost a fortune brand new. We even have bus trains on some busy routes. That is, a bus pulling a motor-less coach. How they do it is beyond me. Rounding corners must be murder. It's a lot of responsibility, a hundred or so people up. l don't even like handling a car in the 24/7 heavy traffic these days.

 

Cheers

 

John

[bigbill340]

 

I'll get you at playtime Bill. We fat lads should stick together!

 

It must be hellish driving a bus in this heat-wave. I hope it is not a double-decker. There seems more and more of those in Manchester these days, after many years of just single-deckers. They must cost a fortune brand new. We even have bus trains on some busy routes. That is a bus pulling a motor-less coach. How they do it is beyond me. Rounding corners must be murder. It's a lot of responsibility, a hundred or so people up. l don't even like handling a car in the 24/7 heavy traffic these days.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

 Hi John,

 

 Yep they are deckers that I drive in this heat, no such luxury as air-con either, just a fan that blows hot air at you if you turn it on!

 

 We fat lads should stick together as those skinny gits can outrun us, but if there is enough of us we can block there way! 5555

 

 

 

Bill