Camera gear discussions

my Sony 135 f1.8 GM is probably my favorite lens, the pics I get out of that thing are basically always incredible. Sony did a great job on it.

Heh, it is the same for me. most of what I shoot are in not the best conditions inside. That is actually why I bought the 400 2.8. I have the 100-400, and sometimes Im forced to use it at 400mm, and at f5.6 inside...im rarely pleased with the results at iso like 5-10k

 

i likes my Minolta XD-11 v much, but yes, you're right, the whole process of mechanical *click* to photos in your hand/on screen is a major pain in the ass. I considered getting a DSLR just for scanning negatives, but ultimately decided against it--I don't shoot often enough to warrant the cost.

 

Hmmm... I guess that a forum where there are enthusiastic vinyl players is not the right place to ask who can be bothered with film!

And I guess also... I just want pics: I'm a bit light on the traditional crafts of photography. Mind you, I'm a long way from just using the phone.

My Sony FE 85/1.5 is my favourite. Humble, no G or GM, not very expensive. But it seems to me that it is actually hard to take a bad picture with it!

Samyang is like all-I-could-afford for a 135. And hey, it's pretty damn nice!

I have to keep the shutter fast enough to capture musicians' small head movements. ISO usually comes in at 1600. Mode A, ISO Auto, 100-1600. Look closely and there is plenty of noise in dark stage backdrops, but I don't care about that if I get the skin clean. When I use 2.8 zooms I may increase ISO to 3200. I don't like to go above that.

I don't know if a full-frame can do better. That is my dilemma! But I know that am happy with the physical feel of the aps-c cameras and the smaller lenses. I'm not a muscle man! (understatement of the century: I'm a certified weed, lol)

 

I have some nice bear shots with my A74 at ISO 32000. I don’t usually go that high, but when I’m shoot action, I set shutter and aperture myself, and let the camera set ISO. FF can handle much higher ISOs. I have many shots at 3200 or 6400.

This pic was shot using a Sony A74, 1/1000, f11, 100-400 with 2x, 770mm, ISO 32000, using Lightroom's enhanced denoise.

 

I think I have actually decided going back to DSLR for the battery life, ease of use, I can use cheap vintage lenses with ease (although no MF, I know). But even the VR lenses are super cheap compared to the Sony EF stuff.

I guess if I was doing weddings and such and needed all those AF points and such it might make sense. I just feel that color science on the early Sony's is not great and it does get better with the A7 III and forward.

So cheap glass and better color science (because I rarely shoot RAW and don't have time to process stuff). I am an enthusiast after all.

Now to just to find a good D750 with a low shutter count.

 

that's why I never left...

 

The X100F beats the pants off the iPhone 14 Pro in a lot of situations. But the inverse is true, too. It depends when/what you tend to shoot.

I had both with me on vacation last week and used both. The X100's quality far surpasses the iPhone's (I shoot raw+jpg in both and did some raw editing from both). Computation can go so far, but in the end the sensor size has a lot to do with the image quality.

There are lots of people who just shoot JPG with the Fujifilms. Their color science really hasn't been beaten. Though you may decide the reds are a bit bold for you, but you can turn down the red in camera settings if so.

IIRC, purrin was considering selling his Fujifilm gear, so maybe he's got an X100 for you.

 

I like the video on my camera but the audio sucks balls and there is no jack for an external mic. I want to get a handheld recorder like a budget Zoom or Tascam but I have no idea how to mount it with the camera since there isn't a hot shoe.

Anyone really knowledgeable about camera accessories know what I can use to mount it?

 

And one last question for you more camera experts:

How important is shutter count when shopping for a used DSLR?

I’ve red differs thinks and even the manufacturers lost only 100,000 or 150,000 shutter clicks.

Basically I’m looking at two cameras. One has 16K clicks, but needs a battery door and a replacement SD door and comes with no accessories. And another that has 65K clicks, but looks pristine, comes with everything including a prime AF 50mm lens and only $50 more.

 

What camera? Companies like Ulanzi and Smallrig make camera cages with mounting options or maybe a clamp.

 

Nikon 1 J4. It has the standard screw mount on the bottom and that’s it

I’ll see what Smallrig has

 

Might not be a cage for it since it is from a discontinued line but something like this could work: ULANZI Magic Arm with Double Ballhead 1/4" Screw, Compatible with Universal Monitor Mount for Camera, Video Shooting Photography Accessories Microphone Fill Light Bracket https://a.co/d/73ec3nh

Ulanzi, Smallrig, and Miniphoto all seem to be roughly equivalent in quality, but I am a huge fan boy of Ulanzi's F38 quick release system so I am more familiar with their offerings.

 

Nevermind.

I wound up going with the higher shutter count with the included lens. I guess care of the camera itself is better than the shutter count and it was also going to cost $135 or so with all the parts needed to make up for the other one, meaning $50 was not a deal I originally thought it was.

 

I'd have done the same. And a camera with that much external damage might have some other problems as well. You could always replace the shutter if you need to (provided the parts are still available) but unless you spam continuous shutters all the time you're unlikely to wear it out even starting at 65k shutter count. My previous DSLR that was used for 8-9 years had a shutter count of <50k with mostly single shutter shots.

 

I have had my Sony A6000 since December of 2014 (9 years) and it is only up to 10K shutter count. That is less than 10K a year. So even at 10K/yr, it will take me 8.5 years to even get up to even 150K, and 13.5 to get to 200K. Who knows where camera photography will be by then. In actuality I was telling someone else that the not so great SQ and just functionality of the A6000 kind of turned me off to photography. I did not really realize that until this past week on vacation in using it for a week straight. I just was fooling myself I think it trying to love mirrorless, so I have used this camera way less than even my old D40 and the 18-55mm kit lens. So hopefully I will use this D750 a bit more.

But yes, if already missing a battery door and a broken SD card, I just started thinking about what kind of life it has had, vs. one that still has the supplied D750 strap on it. It is actually difficult to find these enthusiasts cameras with under 100k because these wedding and portrait photogs wear them out and then as soon as a camera reaches 100K, they sell - but mostly for newer/better features that they will actually use (eye tracking focus, etc.). If I blow focus on one of my kids, I will just make them do it over, lol.

Thanks guys.

 

My recently-bought D5600 has almost 150k clicks on it.
The seller divulged this at sale and I to be honest, I was hesitant. However, operational longevity and durability have been facets of my professional life as a design engineer in the nuclear and aerospace industries, so I know what goes into high-cycle mechanical system design and after doing a bit of research I came to the inevitable conclusion that should the camera be externally in good condition, showing no obvious signs of knock/impact damage then it should theoretically be fine and good for another 150k clicks and beyond.

It's a bit like cars in that respect. A car that has been looked after and serviced regularly and treated 'well' i.e. not taking it to the redline after just starting it up, not revving the ass off it at the lights is always going to be in better mechanical condition than a lower-mileage, but thrashed example.
My BMW 3 series coupe was bought at 40k miles on the clock. I put another 221k miles on it during my ownership over 20 years and by the time it was murdered (t-boned) it was still in fine condition mechanically. Why? cos I'd looked after it!







'Benny' had reached max depreciation years before it was taken out by the old fkr who claimed not to have seen any red light at the junction, but I still found someone who was willing to part with real cash money who eventually turned it into a drift beast!
It's still going strong apparently, 5 years after this photo was taken and even after being fitted with a high pressure turbo!

 

A couple of things for stability:

1. Don't put your still camera on a lightweight video camera tripod, especially with a heavy long lens.
2. On a tripod, turn off OIS on the lens and/or body.
3. With an SLR, use mirror lock-up.
4. Timer.

For sharpness:

1. Lenses tend not to be fully sharp when wide open. Stop down to f/8 for most lenses, or even f/11 for maximum sharpness.

Since others were sampling photos of the moon, last night I took a photo of the full moon. I'm not an astrophotographer by any means. I took this standing in the cul-de-sac in front of my house.


JPG OOC


JPG OOC sharpened


raw sharpened

Shot details: Fujifilm X-Pro3 (mirrorless APS-C), XF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 + 1.4x telephoto adapter @ 400mm, f/16 (this lens goes to f/32), 1/30, OIS off, 2s timer, mounted on a Berlebach Report 8023 that I used to use for a 4x5 view camera.

I cropped them all to 2100x2100 because the rest was black anyway, and spent 1 minute to run ON1's Sharpen AI on the sharpened versions, with no other processing at all.

This is the same sensor as in the X100F (and possibly V, can't remember), but of course you can't get a 560mm effective focal length with that fixed-lens camera.

 

Bit more practicing this evening with a nice clear sky, no wind and a soupson of insomnia. So out came the 150-600 again and this time I wanted to give the remote control functionality of Nikon's Snapbridge app a go.
Using it is an absolute breeze once connected. Swapping between modes, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and other settings are all done via the app which meant I didn't have to stand out in the chilly night air, choosing to shoot away from the relative comfort of my top floor office, only popping out onto the roof terrace to make minor tripod adjustments to keep up with the movement of the moon.

Sharpness is coming on but I'm sure I can do better with even more practice and I'm going to try stacking on the next attempt.

Managed to catch this one at
ƒ/9 1/320 600 mm ISO1100



However, while I was orbiting around the interwebs looking for tips n tricks I came accross this amazing video.
Absolutely mesmerising and a masterclass of how it can be done!

 

X-Pro3 and X100V have the same sensor. X100F is the previous generation, matching the X-Pro2.

 

Anyone using a gimbal?
I'm considering either the off-axis Wimberly MH100 or the on-axis Movo GH800 MkII.
Both weigh about the same even though they're totally different form-factors.
Being off-axis using the Wimberley with a monopod could be a bit disconcerting but I'd probably get used to it, but hiking with it looks easier than with the Movo.

I've found myself spending hours on the roof terrace recently catching shots of the wonderful and varied selection of flying machines that pass over my house on the way to, or flying out from Schiphol airport. Some days I'm smack bang under a flight path depending on the wind direction, so out comes the 150-600mm, but I find its' 2Kg weight a bit draining after about an hour of continuously raising it and lowering it.
I have a tripod but its' not ideal for the angles of elevation I need to be at for the passing planes.

Anyone have any experience/recommendations for a decent gimbal other than the 2 mentioned?