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Is anybody here into DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY as a hobby?

Hoeboy

Banned
I was thinking about it since developing film is too expensive for my taste. I also bought an expensive digicam so I might as well put it to good use. I was thinking of doing black and white digital photographs of people. You know, try to catch the emotions of people in a picture. Anybody care to share their experience in photography?
 
well, uh

um...

if you are really into photography, screw megapixels, look at the lense system. you will want to get an external (actually slave) flash cuz built in ones suck in general. plenty of batteries, so get the AA ones and stock up on rechargeables. if you want to get candid shots, spring for a smaller form factor camera (note, canon elph is small, but its too damn small).

with B&W it is very easy to edit in the computer since you dont have to worry about colors as much, just dark\light and stuff. so, its a pretty nice way to go ;-)

get 4 megapixel or higher for 8x10 prints that look better.

After all the accessories and stuff, you can expect to pay double the initial camera purchase. batteries, bags, filters, flash, memory and stuff add up quick. I do recommend getting a filter if the camera you choose has a thread like regular film cameras. it protects the lense as is the situation for regular film cameras. some digital cameras cant take a filter though, and cant really take on any lense accessories.
 
sure. i love digital photography. what is it that you want to talk about. 🙂

i would rate myself currently as an amateur, but i love the instant gratification of digital.

let's start with what cameras we have and the corresponding lenses, shall we?

mine:
canon d30
sigma 20/1.8
canon 24-85/3.5-4.5
canon 28-70/2.8L
canon 70-200/2.8L

i'll wait for your response. 😀
 
with B&W it is very easy to edit in the computer since you dont have to worry about colors as much, just dark\light and stuff. so, its a pretty nice way to go ;-)
i don't agree with this. digital black and white and film black and white are very different. if you took black and white FILM and a corresponding picture in digital and do black and white in photoshop, the film photo will definitely look better almost all the time.

After all the accessories and stuff, you can expect to pay double the initial camera purchase. batteries, bags, filters, flash, memory and stuff add up quick. I do recommend getting a filter if the camera you choose has a thread like regular film cameras. it protects the lense as is the situation for regular film cameras. some digital cameras cant take a filter though, and cant really take on any lense accessories.
this i agree with. my lenses are costing me about as much as the camera, and i didn't even buy an external flash yet, tripod, and other lenses i would like to have (maybe a macro).

*edit: cause my post look like crap without the breaks.
 
d30?!? lucky bastard! ive been drooling over the new d60. wish i could afford it. ill have to stick with my elan II and my powershot s20 for now
 
d30?!? lucky bastard! ive been drooling over the new d60. wish i could afford it. ill have to stick with my elan II and my powershot s20 for now
LUCKY?! are you kidding me? i just thank my job for paying me enough to afford luxuries such as these. 🙂 anyways, it is possible to own a d30 for under 2000 (esp a refirbished one). one thing for sure. i don't EVER wanna go back to those little point and shoot cameras. eww. digital SLR... can i get a w00t w00t? 😀
 
i can't afford all those stuff. that's why i opted for digital photography. yes it's not "real" photography but i'm not expecting to make a living out of this. just something for fun.
 
i can't afford all those stuff. that's why i opted for digital photography. yes it's not "real" photography but i'm not expecting to make a living out of this. just something for fun.
i can understand the fun factor. honestly, the one time cost of digital really brought the fun factor back in for me. i can experiment with different settings and composition and not worry about wasting exposures. i don't have to "finish" the roll to take it to develop, and then wait an hour for it to finish. digital is great.

i don't agree with your opinion that digital isn't "real". it is very real, and some cameras really do take results that rival the film cameras. of course film still has it's place for certain applications.

what camera are you using anyways? before i bought my d30, i was using a coolpix 950 (til it got looted in the wtc attack :|)
 
i got the canon s110. i kinda regret buying it because the lens is horrible. unless i'm pratically up close, the 2x optical zoom isn't enough and the digital zoom is just plain horrible.
 
the s110 is specifically made for p&s. if you want something that'll allow you to do more, i would suggest something like the coolpix, especially since you can set the f/stop and shutter speeds. plus, the coolpix allows for attachments such as a teleconverter and a wide angle lens. this isn't to tell you to sell it, just throwing in my two cents (and if you are interested in selling it, i would buy it from you 🙂)

lemme look at the specs of the s110. i'm a canon fan, but i don't remember everything about their cameras.
 
i already spent almost 500 on the s110 (camera + 3 yrs warranty). i dont think i can shell out anymore money 🙂 for now it'll do although the zoom thing is starting to really bother me. oh wells 🙂
 
according to the specs, the s110 has a 35-70mm/2.8-f4.0 lens. that's not impossible to work with. although the coolpix 950 sports a 38-115mm/2.6-4.0 lens, giving you slightly more zoom and more flexibility. i understand what you are saying about being smack in the person's face to get a full frame face shot. i am reading the dpreview report (glimpsing it) and there are no manual controls so everything is camera controlled. that's a big limiting factor imho.

what you are trying to do isn't really what this camera was made for. for doing people shots, you want to be able to produce a good amount of bokeh and it'll be really difficult to produce that at 35mm/2.8, you will REALLY have to be in that person's face. the f4 on being wide at 70mm isn't really workable either.

i'll trade you a coolpix for your s110. 🙂
 
Digital photography is one of my favorite hobbies albeit a new one. I just last week got a toshiba 4.2mp point and shoot for $300. I used to take a lot of pictures with my SLR in B&W but I kind of lost motivation. I'm really stoked about digital because I have direct control over how my color pictures turn out. With photo processing I felt restricted so I stayed to black and white develloping.

I also have a digital video camera which is oodles of fun. Someday soon I'll start sharing some stuff more over the web. Anyone else have any pictures or video to look at?

<----- says Macs are the BEST for digital photographers
 
I also have a digital video camera which is oodles of fun. Someday soon I'll start sharing some stuff more over the web. Anyone else have any pictures or video to look at?
i have some online if you guys want to check it out. the first two were taken at the statue of liberty with a 70-200/2.8L and the last was taken with a 20mm/1.8. enjoy here 🙂
 
i swear, those digital SLRs with the damn burst shooting are making me wanna just go blow my wad (of funds)... having to wait to take pics or take one at a time is driving me nuts ;-)

Any who.. dpreview for some of the newest cameras that are not out yet... not really reviews yet, but =D
 
Any who.. dpreview for some of the newest cameras that are not out yet... not really reviews yet, but =D
everything is speculative at the moment, but foveon technology, and nikon d100 as well as canon d60 will be interesting. the d100 wouldn't be coming out till the end of the year anyways.

depending if you have any money in lenses, you can pick any system or you're locked down. for me, i have ohh... 2000+$ in canon glass, so jumping ship isn't really a good option. 😉
 
I have a Minolta Dimage 7, the first digital camera to go over 5m pixels. The only thing wrong with it? Its a battery guzzler.
You just add a microdrive so you store a lot of pictures, a PC with Photoshop and lots of memory (Macs are actually better at this because their color matching is way better), a good photo qualty printer like Epson 6-color models and you're set. I also have lens taht attach to the thread in frnt of the lens just incase I need a focal length outside the capabilites of the built-in zoom ( oc course if you have an SLR digital camera, you use regular lenses).

The cost of printing pictures (like photo quality papers and the cost of the ink) can be pretty high. An alternative that I use is to have my photofinisher just develop my slides/negatives and NOT have them print it. Then you can scan them with a film scanner. Results are better but more time consuming.
 
What do you guys think of the Canon Powershot Pro 90IS? I have found one for $700 (new). I want a digi with a good zoom capability, hunting pics, drag racing pics, dog training pics, wildlife..............
 
What do you guys think of the Canon Powershot Pro 90IS? I have found one for $700 (new). I want a digi with a good zoom capability, hunting pics, drag racing pics, dog training pics, wildlife..............
well, i have never used this camera, but these are the impressions i have with it.
PROS:
1. incredible reach. 10x zoom with Image Stabilization.
2. it's sorta like an SLR but not really (explanation below)

CONS:
1. it's not an SLR. it is, but you can't change lenses. for something like what you want to do, this might not be a bad thing, but for someone who wants a well rounded camera (i.e. take shots of landscapes), this camera will not do.
2. it's not 3 megapixels. this is a big one to me because IMHO, i feel a digital photo needs at least 3megapixels to print a nice picture, plus you have the flexibility of cropping.

i really suggest you read the review at dpreview. another negative that was pointed out was that there was an almost non-existent continuous shooting mode. if you are planning on doing drag racing pictures, hunting pictures, anything with action, you will want that ability to make your life easier. i take pictures of my alum tennis team and boy, having that burst gives me more chances to capture a good action photo.

good luck with your decision. i personally would pass, but we might have different interests.
 
I have been doing digital photography for US College Hockey which is an ESPN affiliate for about 3 years now. There are cameras that do a better job at photographing certain things. All cameras are not equal. I did a lot of research on dpreview for my latest camera. I currently use a Olympus E-100RS and it does a pretty good job for the price. I would really like a Canon 1D, but those are about $5000 and USCHO won't pay for it. 🙂

Take a look at my freelance photography section on my website to see some samples of my shots. 🙂

 
<<according to the specs, the s110 has a 35-70mm/2.8-f4.0 lens. that's not impossible to work with. although the coolpix 950 sports a 38-115mm/2.6-4.0 lens, giving you slightly more zoom and more flexibility. i understand what you are saying about being smack in the person's face to get a full frame face shot. i am reading the dpreview report (glimpsing it) and there are no manual controls so everything is camera controlled. that's a big limiting factor imho.

what you are trying to do isn't really what this camera was made for. for doing people shots, you want to be able to produce a good amount of bokeh and it'll be really difficult to produce that at 35mm/2.8, you will REALLY have to be in that person's face. the f4 on being wide at 70mm isn't really workable either.

i'll trade you a coolpix for your s110. >>


Well the good thing is that I really like to take pictures of people AND their surroundings. Thus I don't really have to be in their face. As for trading my s110 for your coolpix, I'll have to pass 🙂 I love the compact size and sexiness of the s110 too much to trade it for the bulkier coolpix.
 
<< have some online if you guys want to check it out. the first two were taken at the statue of liberty with a 70-200/2.8L and the last was taken with a 20mm/1.8. enjoy here >>

awesome pix. especially the panoramic shot. another thing i really hate about the s110 is that when you go into panoramic mode, you don't get a full view on the LCD. so it's hard to try to guide the next picture to match with the previous one since the view is so small. do you have any advice for a nice panoramic shot? mines come out pretty lopsided.
 
Well the good thing is that I really like to take pictures of people AND their surroundings. Thus I don't really have to be in their face. As for trading my s110 for your coolpix, I'll have to pass I love the compact size and sexiness of the s110 too much to trade it for the bulkier coolpix.
can't blame you... i wouldn't trade it if i were you either. the s10/s100/s110 are really nice cameras because for me to take a d30 to take pictures at informal occasions is just too obvious and my friends just hate it. i think a couple more gatherings and they will just ignore my idling around snapping pictures. 😀

awesome pix. especially the panoramic shot. another thing i really hate about the s110 is that when you go into panoramic mode, you don't get a full view on the LCD. so it's hard to try to guide the next picture to match with the previous one since the view is so small. do you have any advice for a nice panoramic shot? mines come out pretty lopsided.
thanks for the compliments, but to be critical to myself...
(1) i don't like the statue of liberty pictures mainly because of the lighting. the picture is sharp, and the composition is ok, but because the sun wasn't shining on her face and on her arm takes the emphasis away.
(2) from the panarama, it's blurry because i handheld it. i didn't stitch the picture and cropped out the unwanted parts.

as for advice for taking panaramas, i believe the s110 has a stitch mode. i suggest you lock the AE (auto exposure) and take over lapping photos of the landscape, a tripod that rotates in a circle will help immensely.
 
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