Digital SLRs?

[eyes_of_glass]

It's US only AFAIK.

[sidneylo]

Let's talk about medium format digital SLRs. Haha.

http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/LO906405/

Fuck that, yo. There's a great program at NYU, though…for heavily discounted cameras, lighting gear, backs, etc. at the end of the year. Lots of good shit, though it's not too wise to actually own one of those bad boys.

What happens when a pixel goes bad? I would scream…or buy a $5000 warranty in case.

that rebate also apply to Europe?

still trying to decide between Canon or Nikon, probably gonna go with the eos 400D tho... (I don't see the use of spending more on that new 450D)

Probably not. Unless there is a rebate on their European site…

[eyes_of_glass]

quick question for Nikon users...

if you take the battery out of your body and look through the viewfinder...is it dark and grainy?

my gf's D40 does not do this...but my D80 and my friend's D70 does this. after calling Nikon support, the tech support tested on both D80 and confirmed that it does indeed do this...

now im wondering what the purpose of it is? why exactly does it get dark/grainy like theres sand spread all over the glass?

Huh. I never noticed this. I just tried it on my D70, and yeah, everything turned dark.

No idea of the purpose of it or what causes it.

[fndmybetterhalf]

nearly shit my pants...thought i got the shit one out of the stock.

just tested my friend's 30D and his doenst do it either...

tech support failed to give me any reasonable answer...just said Nikons need to be powered on to get a clear view?

[airfrogusmc]

^oh thanks for the tip. any idea around when thatd happen?

Probably not until fall...

[airfrogusmc]

Let's talk about medium format digital SLRs. Haha.

http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/LO906405/

Or this

http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/HA1504/

[mis]

The newest rumour is that it'll be announced in fall

-5dmk2

[Yardsale]

The newest rumour is that it'll be announced in fall

-5dmk2

I can't wait. Even though I'll be one of the guys that just buys a used 5d at a discount

[freecat]

There are rebates in europe too:

http://www.virusphoto.com/30437-canon-cashback-2008-a.html

[jeepster]

so i wanna get a new lense with some graduation money (that i assume i'm getting, but i may be wrong), whats good sufu? i want some options with the lense, and macro is always nice, and wide angle is cool too. i have no idea what im gonna be doing with it, but i want options - thats one of the most important things. also, i'm not looking to break the bank.

thoughts?

[ericdw]

price range? what do you shoot?

i'm gettin the sigma 30mm f1.4 this weekend, and i'm hopin the autofocus on my copy isn't fucked, cause i need it for a trip next week.

come to B&H with dino and i on sunday and go nuts.

[eyes_of_glass]

That's really vague... It would help to know what gear you already have before making recommendations. Do you like zooms or primes? Is speed an issue?

I think the Sigma 10-20mm is my most used lens. I don't know what I'd do without it, and I wholly recommend it to anyone looking for a wide.

Here it is reviewed: http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/171/cat/31

Use that site to read about some other lenses you're interested in. It's a good source. Check around fredmiranda.com, too.

[jeepster]

i think i'd want a more photojournalistic lense, i saw there was a discussion of them earlier, but i want a generally sharp, all purpose wide angle cause i'm gonna be shooting concerts, life, the universe and everything... that sigma looks nice, and eric, i'd hit up the city, but i got a lot on my plate this weekend so i doubt im gonna make it in.

right now im just shooting with my kit lenses. i've started using my 55-200 a lot more as of sunday, especially since it was sunny, i was using the shuttershade. things seemed a bit more crisp with it. maybe im crazy...

i really dont remember anything i learned about photography other than composition and developing (with film that is). so ill start taking some crash course DSLR tips and links if you guys provide.

[ericdw]

i second the 10-20 too... lots of fun. what do you mean by photojournalistic lense?

[jeepster]

i second the 10-20 too... lots of fun. what do you mean by photojournalistic lense?

there was a discussion on what kind of lenses pertinent and well-regarded photo journalists were using so i combined the ideas and came up with "photojournalistic lenses"

hah

[airfrogusmc]

there was a discussion on what kind of lenses pertinent and well-regarded photo journalists were using so i combined the ideas and came up with "photojournalistic lenses"

hah

If you have FF get a 35mm prime if its a crop go for an 24 or a 20 prime.

[mis]

I heard the sigma has very bad barrel distortion thats hard to correct in PP, any complaints from you eyes/eric?

[eyes_of_glass]

Don't know where you heard that, but I've never experienced it. Here's a shot of mine using the Sigma 10-20:

It's not entirely straight, but there was absolutely no barreling.

[mis]

is that at 10mm?

[eyes_of_glass]

I don't remember. I'll have to check... Not sure if I still have those RAW files.

Edit: Can't seem to find them. I'm pretty sure it wasn't at 10 though. That room is huge and I was way on the other side.

[indesertum]

Ok. Noob needs some advice. Basically I either want to buy a Canon 400D basic kit or a Nikon d40 kit with the 18-55 and 55-200mm. I want to shoot people and weird/ironic things on the streets. But I don't know if I should be up and front about shooting random and non random people and use a wide lens, in which case i would go with a xti and save up for the 10-22, or if i should distance myself in which case i would go for a d40 and save up for a 18-200 and sell the kit lenses. I'm more inclined towards the 400d because it's better than the d40 and marginally more expensive and i like nice wide lenses and fisheyes. I like the way they both fit in my hands and i think both interfaces are pretty straightforward. any thoughts?

also, eyes, the picture you posted looks ok, but i heard that the sigma 10-20mm is not very sharp. would you disagree?

[sidneylo]

The dynamic of your photographs changes dramatically depending if you're shooting from afar or right up close and in the moment of the action. YMMV.

[ProfMonnitoff]

What' a good prime for Canon between 15mm and 20mm? I've been looking at the Canon 20/2.8 and the Sigma 20/1.8. The Canon is about 500 Euros, the Sigma about 400. However, I've read that neither are all that great.

The other option would be to sell my soul and all my worldly possessions for a 16-35/2.8L (about 1000 Euros from ebay.com.hk), which is without a doubt a superb lens. But I'd really like to have a soul. Lens lust

[fndmybetterhalf]

not really familiar with canon lens's that much but i keep hearing more and more that thirdparty lens brands are just as nice, if not better at times than Canon or Nikon.

with that said, i say go with the Sigma cuz the 1.8 might come very useful

[ericdw]

I heard the sigma has very bad barrel distortion thats hard to correct in PP, any complaints from you eyes/eric?

yeah, i co-sign with eyes - no barrelling. barely any distortion. great value, esp compared to the nikkor 12-24

not really familiar with canon lens's that much but i keep hearing more and more that thirdparty lens brands are just as nice, if not better at times than Canon or Nikon.

with that said, i say go with the Sigma cuz the 1.8 might come very useful

i don't know specificaly for canon, but i'm happy with my sigma lens, and planning on getting another one this weekend. Nikkon lenses are so expensive, while some of them are definitely better quality, a hobbyist like me can't justify the price when there's a similar sigma lens that's half the price and good enough for what i need.

[airfrogusmc]

What' a good prime for Canon between 15mm and 20mm? I've been looking at the Canon 20/2.8 and the Sigma 20/1.8. The Canon is about 500 Euros, the Sigma about 400. However, I've read that neither are all that great.

The other option would be to sell my soul and all my worldly possessions for a 16-35/2.8L (about 1000 Euros from ebay.com.hk), which is without a doubt a superb lens. But I'd really like to have a soul. Lens lust

I'd go Canon 20 2.8 or if you sold the sole the 24 1.4L or the 14 2.8L..

The problems with wide lenses are many and the reason good ones cost so much is the difficulty lens designers face trying to minimize those problems. GOOD primes which usually means expensive corrective things like barrel distortion and many other issues that can't be solved as well with zoom designs just because of the inherent design issues with zooms. So if you really shoot allot with wide lenses, two things, go full frame and get some good wide PRIME glass.

[letthereberock]

Hey guys!

You all seem very experienced with dSLRs so maybe you can help me.

I'm owning a Pentax *ist DL (pretty cheap but alright) and the Kit lense (18-55), which is alright, too. It's just not too good. Could be sharper and the focus is sooo slow. I've photographed a lot with these equipment (more than a year) and I think it's time to invest some more money. Would you advice me to get a new camera or keep the cam and buy a better lense?

[freecat]

(are you from germany ?)

Hi. I think that the first thing you need to ask yourself is if you are limited by the hardware, or if you just want to change it because it's been a year.

If you think you'd need body stabilisation, better autofocus or better noise handling, bigger screen, maybe you can switch to some more recent Pentax gear such as the K100D (will be getting even cheaper since the K200D got released).

If you don't feel limited by the hardware and just want a better autofocus and something sharper, get a better lens. I am not Pentax-lens-savyy, but I heard that they had some very good prime, and not so expensive.

Honestly, I'd get a nice lens first if you're somehow short on money, because the Ist*DL is cool, and then maybe change the body when you can, for the latest series... if I were you.

[letthereberock]

(Yes. Is my English that bad? Damn.)

Thanks a lot! In fact I've thought about changing the system because canon and nikon are selling a whole lot more lenses, so they're a bit cheaper, too. I don't think I'm really going to do this though.

Yeah maybe you're right. I'll just look for a nice lense. Tokina has done some nice ones, too, such as the 28-70/2.8...

[freecat]

(Ahah, no, your english is perfect, unlike mine. It's just I think I know you ! Does juyle from mtf remind you of something ?)

The thing about the Tokina 28-70, is that it is a 42-105 (35mm equivalent) on a *1.5 cropped captor (not sure about ist*DL's captor size), which is a very unconvenient range, because you don't have a wide angle, which restricts you a lot (unless you do specific kind of photography). A more convenient glass can be the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. It is not very expensive and has very good review. I don't know if it is compatible with your Pentax, but i don't see why it wouldn't.