The camera/photography thread

[JBroida]

focusing with focus peaking is often faster than auto focus anyways

 

[harlock0083]

There are many great MF lenses out there that you can use on a digital body today and with the latest generation of EVFs focusing should not be much of issue either. What remains less than optimal is the size - you put large lenses with not-that-small adapter on a compact camera body. But it is just one more choice one can make (and there are small lenses one can use like the rangefinder M-mount lenses)

I have an 80-200 canon fd coming in. I'm pretty sure it'll dwarf my camera in size and probably heavier to boot. Heck, this lens I just got feels as heavy as my camera!

Now its a 100mm f/3.5 on m4/3. (I took your recommendation redisburning).

Lens was 70 bucks add another 13 for the adapter, I got a macro lens for under 100. There's like 2 other macro lens for m4/3 and they're a lot more than what I paid for here.

 

[Matus]

I just took a delivery of Olympus E-M5II, 12-40/2.8, 40-150/2.8 + 1.4x teleconverter. Man that thing is awesome. Feels so solid. Camera is even smaller than I expected. I am now waiting eagerly for the battery to charge up

But I guess I will have to free some funds to make at least partial financial recovery and will probably sell a few knives (and cameras) that I do not use often enough (the Billipp will NOT be on sale).

 

[harlock0083]

I just took a delivery of Olympus E-M5II, 12-40/2.8, 40-150/2.8 + 1.4x teleconverter. Man that thing is awesome. Feels so solid. Camera is even smaller than I expected. I am now waiting eagerly for the battery to charge up

But I guess I will have to free some funds to make at least partial financial recovery and will probably sell a few knives (and cameras) that I do not use often enough (the Billipp will NOT be on sale).

The 5 axis IS is amaze balls. Also, those are impressive zooms you got there. I went cheaper and got a speedbooster clone + canon fd lens. Oh and grats on your new gear!

 

[Matus]

Thanks. I have to admit that it will probably take me quite a while util I will to learn to use it properly (the cameras got quite a bit more complicated since the days of my Rolleiflex 2.8E). Also - the 40-150 is quite large - I guess I may need a new camera bag to carry it properly (my current one from courierware.com is very lightweight and practical, but offers very little protection). I will probably get some fixed focus lenses too - the 17/1.8 and possibly the macro 60/2.8 and maybe even some of the f/0.95 from Voigtlaender, but that will have to wait as I definitely went over budget here

But we are off to Denmark in a few days and, hopefully, Norway for 3 weeks in June, so I hope to get some nice photos to help to justify the purchase.

 

[harlock0083]

Thanks. I have to admit that it will probably take me quite a while util I will to learn to use it properly (the cameras got quite a bit more complicated since the days of my Rolleiflex 2.8E). Also - the 40-150 is quite large - I guess I may need a new camera bag to carry it properly (my current one from courierware.com is very lightweight and practical, but offers very little protection). I will probably get some fixed focus lenses too - the 17/1.8 and possibly the macro 60/2.8 and maybe even some of the f/0.95 from Voigtlaender, but that will have to wait as I definitely went over budget here

But we are off to Denmark in a few days and, hopefully, Norway for 3 weeks in June, so I hope to get some nice photos to help to justify the purchase.

Well its quite a bit smaller than a equivalent 80-300 f/2.8 . I'm not a fan of the Olympus menu system, but once you get it setup the way you want it should be fine. If you have a small tripod, take that along for the 40MP high res shot its gimmicky, but for still shots it works quite well.

 

[harlock0083]

Ordered a Chinese knockoff of the Metabones speedbooster a few weeks ago and it arrived after TWO WEEKS (I guess those pidgeons finally found my house...). Anyway here's some shots wide open on the Canon 50mm f/1.4 (nFD mount).

It took me awhile to get use to, even now it's pretty tough to get things in focus wide open, and that's with focus peaking (I get the felling that if I had better in body IS I could have done better, or I should have whipped out the tripod). Honestly, I didn't think the DOF would be an issue on m4/3. The bokeh is decent, but you do get football shaped bokeh balls near the edge of the frame. I've read that shots are pretty sharp wide open for lenses under 2.8, but don't really see it to be honest (stopping down does makes it sharper and easier to focus!). Overall I really like this adapter. Also playing with old lenses can be fun.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

 

[harlock0083]

Nice pics! Is that cat protecting your ice tea? Also, I think that cat ate some of the cow from this pond...

 

[apicius9]

Cool stuff. I have been spending more time on photo forums than here recently. Got bitten by the bug again, and decided to 'restructure' my photo equipment. Selling a bunch of handles helped with that, even though most of the money will fall into the big black hole. But I now own a Panasonic GX7 which is another mirrorless camera similar to Matus' Olympus EM5-II. Almost went for that Oly, but I just get along better with the Panasonic menu, and this one seemed the most comfortable for using adapted lenses. And I have larger hands, these small Olympus bodies are just too tiny for me as my 'main' cameras. That said, I will keep an eye on the next couple of generations of the EM1, the Olympus m4/3 'flag ship'; that is still a nice size and the great image stabilizing system would really help with the old lenses. Also added a couple of m4/3 lenses plus a few cheaper manual ones. The Macro I finally went for is the Vivitar/Komine 55/2.8 that I got for a good price and it seems to be really nice. Now I gotta sell off a few of the less-used lenses. Oh, and find the time to take pictures

As a general note: Almost all camera equipment I bought in the past 10 years or so was bought used. I am usually at least 1 generation behind on the camera body and all my lenses are used also. If you look around in photography forums with BST sections, you often can find great deals, and people in these forums usually take care of their gear - same as here with knives. In dozens of dealings I only had one fluke so far, and that was my own fault - it was on Ebay and I did not look closely enough at the pictures (old lens had fungus). For me, the main reasons to upgrade are 1) noticeable advances in low light usability, and 2) advances in user convenience (like easier use of adapted lenses in this case). My other camera body is a Panasonic GH2 from 2011 (I think). I will probably spend the rest of my life working on my skills to get to the point where this camera would not be enough anymore. I think that in 99% the limitation is behind the camera...

Stefan

 

[user 16756]

any body will work.

look at what I own wrt lenses; my only body is a 40d.

ok already posted that one so here are a bunch of images where I dicked around with color in photoshop (my favorite part about shooting digital)

Untitled by P M, on Flickr

Untitled by P M, on Flickr

Untitled by P M, on Flickr

Untitled by P M, on Flickr

Untitled by P M, on Flickr

and Ill cap it off with what is probably my favorite image that Ive ever done:
Untitled by P M, on Flickr

 

[user 16756]

ps one of these is a 5d mk II and one is a nikon lens (the others are all olympus on a 40d).

kudos to anyone who can guess which two they are.

 

[harlock0083]

Cool stuff. I have been spending more time on photo forums than here recently. Got bitten by the bug again, and decided to 'restructure' my photo equipment. Selling a bunch of handles helped with that, even though most of the money will fall into the big black hole. But I now own a Panasonic GX7 which is another mirrorless camera similar to Matus' Olympus EM5-II. Almost went for that Oly, but I just get along better with the Panasonic menu, and this one seemed the most comfortable for using adapted lenses. And I have larger hands, these small Olympus bodies are just too tiny for me as my 'main' cameras. That said, I will keep an eye on the next couple of generations of the EM1, the Olympus m4/3 'flag ship'; that is still a nice size and the great image stabilizing system would really help with the old lenses. Also added a couple of m4/3 lenses plus a few cheaper manual ones. The Macro I finally went for is the Vivitar/Komine 55/2.8 that I got for a good price and it seems to be really nice. Now I gotta sell off a few of the less-used lenses. Oh, and find the time to take pictures

As a general note: Almost all camera equipment I bought in the past 10 years or so was bought used. I am usually at least 1 generation behind on the camera body and all my lenses are used also. If you look around in photography forums with BST sections, you often can find great deals, and people in these forums usually take care of their gear - same as here with knives. In dozens of dealings I only had one fluke so far, and that was my own fault - it was on Ebay and I did not look closely enough at the pictures (old lens had fungus). For me, the main reasons to upgrade are 1) noticeable advances in low light usability, and 2) advances in user convenience (like easier use of adapted lenses in this case). My other camera body is a Panasonic GH2 from 2011 (I think). I will probably spend the rest of my life working on my skills to get to the point where this camera would not be enough anymore. I think that in 99% the limitation is behind the camera...

Stefan

Hey we have the same camera. OLympus menus really do suck. Main reason I went with gx7 instead of em5

 

[apicius9]

Took the camera and the Leica Summicron for a walk, some pupus, and a few beers after work today. Wanted to catch the 'golden hour' but then almost missed it because I got talking to people on the neighboring table. Funny thing, the guy was using the GH2 (which I also have), shooting an interview with a mediocre kit lens. I offered him my 20mm lens for the interview and we had a great time after that. Turned out these guys were into shooting pilot and promo videos and photos for local talent and wanted to recruit me - probably because of the lenses I own, because they couldn't know a thing about my talent. I was skeptical, but when the really cute waitress turned out to be a model and was intersted in some shoots, somehow my skepticism disappeared Well, I think there was a lot of hot air, but we'll see. Helping out with a few video or stills shoots of local musicians and models could be fun. Anyway, here are a few pics I took - the last one one of the only 'golden hour' shots I got in from my bar table...

Oops, phone battery almost gone, pics to follow shortly.

Stefan

 

[harlock0083]

Is the exif data still there? I'd have to cheat lol. I've thought about getting the Sony a7r II because of the full frame hype... Sigh I'm level 7 susceptible.

 

[harlock0083]

Took the camera and the Leica Summicron for a walk, some pupus, and a few beers after work today. Wanted to catch the 'golden hour' but then almost missed it because I got talking to people on the neighboring table. Funny thing, the guy was using the GH2 (which I also have), shooting an interview with a mediocre kit lens. I offered him my 20mm lens for the interview and we had a great time after that. Turned out these guys were into shooting pilot and promo videos and photos for local talent and wanted to recruit me - probably because of the lenses I own, because they couldn't know a thing about my talent. I was skeptical, but when the really cute waitress turned out to be a model and was intersted in some shoots, somehow my skepticism disappeared Well, I think there was a lot of hot air, but we'll see. Helping out with a few video or stills shoots of local musicians and models could be fun. Anyway, here are a few pics I took - the last one one of the only 'golden hour' shots I got in from my bar table...

Oops, phone battery almost gone, pics to follow shortly.

Stefan

Native m43 lenses? I rented the panaleica 42.5 f 1.2. If I wasn't thinking about the Sony mirrorless cameras I would save up for that.

 

[apicius9]

I have the native 20/1.7, 75/1.9, and the 45/1.8 in the mail plus the 14-140 and the 14-45 Panasonic zooms. The 35-100/2.8 would be nice but is out of my price range.

Ok, here are some pics from today. I hope they are sharp, I forgot my glasses All straight from the camera (only resized), 3x with the 50mm Summicron, and the wider one with the 20mm native lens. The last one has the light I was waiting for, but I was too involved in talks to get up for more shots

Stefan

 

[user 16756]

Is the exif data still there? I'd have to cheat lol. I've thought about getting the Sony a7r II because of the full frame hype... Sigh I'm level 7 susceptible.

the sony a7rii is well worth the money.

full frame makes a big difference. personally, I can see the difference at larger web sizes. also, the sony has hugely increased dynamic range (which results in being able to handle more stops of light without blowing out highlights or getting noise in the shadow). but between two aps-c bodies? not so much. most of the stuff on cameras is irrelevant IMO. video is useful, stabilization is useful, that's about it?

but... do you have the lenses to take advantage of it? do you have the right monitor/printer? are you going to put time and effort into post-processing? really the best thing about FF IMO is how lenses look on it. you lose a lot of character when you take off the outer zones. it's easy to make a sharp lens for a small camera; it's much harder to make a personable one. conversely for full frame 35mm there are tons like Leica Summilux ASPH, Zeiss 25/2 distagon, Olympus OM 90/2, etc.

 

[designdog]

There are two problems with Sony. Actually, three.

1. Very limited lens selection, particularly fast primes

2. Sony compresses raw files in camera and no way to override it

3. One year from now, or maybe 6 months, all bodies will be obsoleted with new models

 

[harlock0083]

the sony a7rii is well worth the money.

full frame makes a big difference. personally, I can see the difference at larger web sizes. also, the sony has hugely increased dynamic range (which results in being able to handle more stops of light without blowing out highlights or getting noise in the shadow). but between two aps-c bodies? not so much. most of the stuff on cameras is irrelevant IMO. video is useful, stabilization is useful, that's about it?

but... do you have the lenses to take advantage of it? do you have the right monitor/printer? are you going to put time and effort into post-processing? really the best thing about FF IMO is how lenses look on it. you lose a lot of character when you take off the outer zones. it's easy to make a sharp lens for a small camera; it's much harder to make a personable one. conversely for full frame 35mm there are tons like Leica Summilux ASPH, Zeiss 25/2 distagon, Olympus OM 90/2, etc.

High ISO performance is still lacking a bit on m43 that's one of my gripes (3200 is okay with some work, anything past that is mush). If I get the A7r II, there'd be 2 lenses I would "need/want" the Zeiss Batis 55mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.8 and then later add some wide angle zoom. I hate to do it, but I'll probably be selling off my m43 lenses (all 3 of them.. and a couple gyutos) to recoup some of the cost of the damn body. Realistically though I'd probably be just using the Helios 58mm f2 or the Canon nFD 50mm f1.4 (heck even a Fuji 55mm f1.8) on the sony until I can afford the native lenses. Monitor I'm set as far as printer, I generally send off to mpix for printing (the wife uses sam's club).

designdog
There are two problems with Sony. Actually, three.

1. Very limited lens selection, particularly fast primes

Agreed, but there's really only two that I would want the Zeiss Batis 55 and 85 @ 1.8 which is decently fast (they're no Noct-Nikkor or the Canon 85 red ring fast, but they're also quite a bit more expensive) also you can adapt the Canon EF lenses onto the sony mounts. The autofocus is a crapshoot though.

2. Sony compresses raw files in camera and no way to override it

From dpreview interview with Kimio Maki

One of our main criticisms of the a7-series has been raw compression. Is the raw processing of the a7R II the same as previous cameras?


KM: Right now it is the same, yes. We’re still working on it. In the future we may change the software but that’s not completed yet. We have consumers who require 14-bit etc., and we’re considering [how to deal with it].

which is a good sign I suppose, but may change isn't a good guarantee. Still I'm not sure if that's a negative for me.

3. One year from now, or maybe 6 months, all bodies will be obsoleted with new models

I generally wait for the next generation to be released for tech stuff that's how I save money! Not quite a negative, but hopefully Sony support can be more like Fuji's in terms of firmware updates.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Few from Alaska Trip

Latter part of trip stopped on a small island Janice and I hiked to a place called Eagle Point we were the only people there these Eagles were diving out of the trees down to the water grabbing fish.

Engine room of Catalyst

 

[marc4pt0]

Bald eagles know they're cool.

 

[apicius9]

Nice pics, Keith, should have looked at them last Sunday

Stefan

 

[Matus]

Keith, some really cool photos. That must have been amazing vacation.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Yes Matus it was a great trip 10 days a lot of hiking and Kayaking. Catalyst was built in Seattle Washington in 1932 out of Oak. We rarely saw any other boats entire trip.

I worked fishing boats in my younger years. 24 hours a day you had to sleep through all the noise. Now I sleep best on a boat with a thumping engine like a heartbeat sleep like a baby.

 

[harlock0083]

Tried my hand at HDR photography. Sometimes I liked the heavily overprocessed look.

 

[harlock0083]

More HDR photos.

 

[designdog]

My main kit, and I have gone through Leicas, Canon, Sony, etc., is Nikon D810 with Nikon 24, 58, 85 1.4G primes and the 70-200 2.8G IS zoom. Also have the Zeiss 2/100 Makroplanar.

I also enjoy the Fuji X100T with the "50mm" conversion lens. Great for travel, spontaneous needs.

I use Lightroom and Photoshop - been with PS since before Adobe bought it. VSCO presets are nice too, along with Topaz plugins.

I would be happy to answer any questions on any of this equipment, or processing in general. Been at it a long time...

 

[MadDurrr]

Tried my hand at HDR photography. Sometimes I liked the heavily overprocessed look.

Could almost pass as a painting or drawing of some sort. Very cool!

 

[apicius9]

Just playing around over lunch

Stefan