General Photography Chat - Page 45

Ramsayfarian · #**881** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 8:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flamesrule

Ok. So what are good Point and Shoot cameras?

I've heard good things about the Canon S90

Witty Nickname · #**882** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 9:06 PM**

^^^ S95 is now out too.

mr.John · #**883** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 9:15 PM**

How about a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700?

http://www.lozeau.com/Product.aspx?N...tureCode=en-CA

toyota74 · #**884** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 10:27 PM**

Go for a dslr Flamesrule.Throw yourself into the deep end,you can
start on automatic settings and then progress.Still have get it into
my head that you are twelve but hey go for it now.

Flamesrule · #**885** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 10:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyota74

Go for a dslr Flamesrule.Throw yourself into the deep end,you can
start on automatic settings and then progress.Still have get it into
my head that you are twelve but hey go for it now.

haha, thanks. But I'm not 12 anymore, but it doesn't matter.

Flamesrule · #**886** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 10:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.John

How about a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700?

http://www.lozeau.com/Product.aspx?N...tureCode=en-CA

Oh, now that looks nice.

Doady · #**887** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 3:33 AM**

For a point-and-shoot, I recommend the Panasonic LX5. Super-bright (F2.0-3.3) wide angle lens, large sensor (by point-and-shoot standards), multiple aspect ratios, manual controls, RAW, $500

https://panasonic.ca/english/audiovi...ll/DMCLX5.asp#

HomeInMyShoes · #**888** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 10:44 AM**

@Flamesrule: You will get two main advantages if you go for a D-SLR instead of a P-and-S. Reduction of shutter lag and ease of controls. While I love my little Canon Powershot when I'm lazy the lag is frustrating and it's difficult to control aperture quickly.

Then again, having something fit in your pocket on the go is nice sometimes. There are always trade offs. If I was going to go the route of the suggested Panasonic, I would think hard about it because you're going to lose some of that compactness that a P-and-S could -- and should in my mind -- get you.

vid · #**889** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 11:20 AM**

My HP fossil is bigger than that Panasonic and it isn't too hard to carry, as long as you have a large pocket somewhere on you.

mr.John · #**890** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 2:21 PM**

Remember Panasonic's lenses are made by Leica ....enough said, end of argument, case closed. PS my sister in law has a little Lumix and her shots are sharper than anything I could come up with my D80 Nikon shitbox (which weighs half a ton and makes more noise than a Justin Bieber concert)

Flamesrule · #**891** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 3:45 PM**

Thanks everyone for your help. I looked into the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX700 online, and I like what I read about it.

diskojoe · #**892** Posted **Dec 28, 2010, 4:34 PM**

need some help picking a lens!!!!!!

i wanted to get a F1.4 lens to take portraits with but there are lots of options, some more costly then others.

my top pick so far is the sony 50 mm F1.4

this one would work with my autofocus which is why i like it but have not used one yet.

next i saw a rokinon 85mmF1.4
this one is manual focus but much cheaper

then there is the vivitar 85mm f1.4
this one is cheaper too but needs an adapter ring to fit my sony a200. dont know much about using adapter rings and such.

then there is the minolta 50mm f1.8
this is the cheapest of the bunch at only $120 but i have to give up some dof.

i just dont know what to pick. i would like to save money but havent used any manual focus lenses before and was hoping maybe someone could give me some feed back about any of these products.

Doady · #**893** Posted **Dec 29, 2010, 5:09 AM**

A 50mm lens for portraits??? Most fast 50mm prime lenses seem to be very crappy for portraits. All have terrible, harsh bokeh based on pics I've seen, including the Sony 50mm F1.4. They just aren't designed for portrait photography. Stick with 85mm lenses.

diskojoe · #**894** Posted **Dec 29, 2010, 6:16 PM**

okay one vote for 85mm. anyone else want to chime in?

i_am_hydrogen · #**895** Posted **Dec 29, 2010, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doady

A 50mm lens for portraits??? Most fast 50mm prime lenses seem to be very crappy for portraits. All have terrible, harsh bokeh based on pics I've seen, including the Sony 50mm F1.4. They just aren't designed for portrait photography. Stick with 85mm lenses.

This comment is kind of a head-scratcher. 50mm lenses are quite often used for portrait photography and are capable of producing pleasing bokeh to boot.

Taken by bearkeithly

Devyn
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojo2fa...7624952641560/

diskojoe · #**896** Posted **Dec 29, 2010, 10:30 PM**

yeah, i didnt really take much stock in that response cause i have a friend who is a professional who uses a 50mm. and lots of the folks on the board i know use 50mm.

what i am really looking for is would it be worth my time to spend the extra money for the 50mm f1.4 that will auto focus or would it be easy to use the manual 85mm f1.4 that costs less.

i have not really had much success with using my camera in manual mode so im hesitant to purchase a lens that can only be used in manual.

also would anyone think there is much of a difference between f1.4 and f1.8. the f1.8 is a third of the price of the f1.4.

also the flickr link you posted for devyn was really hot. good stuff there. very sexy.

Ramsayfarian · #**897** Posted **Dec 29, 2010, 11:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by diskojoe

yeah, i didnt really take much stock in that response cause i have a friend who is a professional who uses a 50mm. and lots of the folks on the board i know use 50mm.

what i am really looking for is would it be worth my time to spend the extra money for the 50mm f1.4 that will auto focus or would it be easy to use the manual 85mm f1.4 that costs less.

i have not really had much success with using my camera in manual mode so im hesitant to purchase a lens that can only be used in manual.

also would anyone think there is much of a difference between f1.4 and f1.8. the f1.8 is a third of the price of the f1.4.

also the flickr link you posted for devyn was really hot. good stuff there. very sexy.

My rule of thumb is to always buy the fastest glass that I can afford. I have a 50mm 1.4 and love it. Well worth the extra money.

HomeInMyShoes · #**898** Posted **Dec 30, 2010, 12:42 AM**

I've got a 50mm F/1.4. I like it a lot, but truth be told, I went for speed as opposed to bokeh. As far as diskojoe's search goes, I would try out a couple at the store and see what you like. 85mm is going to push you further away from your subject matter and 50mm forces you to get too close for candid-style photography. That's the usual argument I hear from people when choosing 85mm over 50mm. It's for candids and not portrait. I'd love an 85mm prime, but it's not going to happen.

Trying to answer diskojoe's other question, for my Nikon, the F/1.8 was a cheaper built lens so part of the price disparity something like $100US to $250US comparison was the build quality and some was the lower F.

I'll also add to the confusion in that just having a fast lens isn't always a great option because when you're shooting F/1.4 you're making your DOF very narrow. Narrow enough that I've found it can be difficult to get the right spot in focus. Easy with non-moving targets, difficult with a kid that never stops coming directly at the camera.

i_am_hydrogen · #**899** Posted **Dec 30, 2010, 1:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by diskojoe

what i am really looking for is would it be worth my time to spend the extra money for the 50mm f1.4 that will auto focus or would it be easy to use the manual 85mm f1.4 that costs less.

i have not really had much success with using my camera in manual mode so im hesitant to purchase a lens that can only be used in manual.

I think you might be conflating manual focus and manual mode. You can use a manual focus lens in any camera mode, not solely manual. Having said that, I wouldn't recommend a manual focus lens for people photography because subject movement, changing facial expressions, etc. can present challenges.

Quote:

also would anyone think there is much of a difference between f1.4 and f1.8. the f1.8 is a third of the price of the f1.4.

also the flickr link you posted for devyn was really hot. good stuff there. very sexy.

The most obvious difference is that 1.4 is a half stop faster than 1.8. In addition, a 50mm f/1.4 lens has been better bokeh than its f/1.8 counterpart because the former has eight aperture blades and the latter five. Those eight blades more closely resemble a circle, resulting in softer bokeh.

I had to make a similar decision a couple of years ago. I had the Canon 50 f/1.8 and was considering upgrading to the f/1.4 version. Now, I can't speak for the lenses you're looking at buying, but I found the Canon f/1.4 to be worth the price: faster, better bokeh, less flare, better build quality, faster and more accurate auto-focus, etc.

diskojoe · #**900** Posted **Dec 30, 2010, 2:03 PM**

thanks guys. this has helped alot.

The minolta f1.8 i saw i think is discontinued bc i didnt see any listings for new one. But that one is pretty much out of the running now bc i would like to get a very nice bokeh with my shots.

i think i will have to go to a shop somewhere and see if they have any of the 85mm f1.4 lenses in stock so i could try them. i would like to have the 85 so i could get shots of people from a little further away when im walking down the street. just sony does not make a 85mm f1.4 that is automatic which kind of surprised me. i thought that would be a pretty standard type of lenses. But i figured the 50mm would be the next best thing.

has anyone ever used a vivitar or rokinon lens before?