The Official Photography Thread - Vol. 3

[rap sizzle]

Welcome to the new official photography thread of NikeTalk. Whether you're a beginner, hobbyist or a professional making a living off photography, thisthread is for you. Feel free to share your work, blogs, helpful photography websites, reviews of cameras and lenses or whatever photography-related materialyou have.

Rather than filling this original post with the basics I will instead post links that beginners and intermediates can learn from.



BASICS OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
Ben's Newbie Guide to Digital SLR Photography on POTN

LENS + CAMERA REVIEWS:
DP Review (various)
The Digital Picture (Canon)
Photozone (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Sigma, Tamron + more)

WHERE TO BUY PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR:
B&H Photo Video
Adorama
Amazon

Note: While eBay and various other sites offer appealing low price packages, there are usually catches and is best to avoid them.There are more online stores out there but these 3 are the most reliable in my experience.

CAMERA BAG REVIEWS:
CamBags

PHOTOGRAPHY FORUMS:
Photography on the Net (Canon)
FredMiranda
Photo.net
DP Review Forums

PHOTO HOSTING SITES:
Tinypic (Free)
Photobucket (Free)
Flickr (Free)
Smugmug
Zenfolio

OTHER:
FXIF - This Firefox add-on allows you to view exif data(shutter speed, iso, aperture and etc) of photos that include them.
Strobist - Looking to give off-camera flash/lighting a go? This site willhelp you with the basics.


NEWBIE FAQ:
[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Where do I start?[/color]
For digital photography, you need a camera and a card to hold the photos. You have 2 routes; a point and shoot or a D-SLR(digital single lens reflex).

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Point & Shoot or D-SLR?[/color]
Point & Shoot Advantages:
- Portability
- Ease of use
- Inexpensive compared to D-SLR
Point & Shoot Disadvantages:
- Minimal manual control
- Small sensor means poor low-light performance

D-SLR Advantages:
- Full manual control
- RAW files
- Interchangeable lenses
- Good low-light performance (depending on lens and camera body)
D-SLR Disadvantages:
- Portability
- Expensive compared to P&Ss

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Which D-SLR?[/color]
Current entry-level (beginner) cameras include the Canon T1i and Nikon D5000. They are available with kit lenses which aregood starting points for digital photography. The are other manufacturers out there such as Sony, Panasonic, Sigma, Leica and more, but a majority ofphotographers in this post use Canon or Nikon so they will be able to help you out more if you own one of the two. Older models such as the Canon XS/XSi andNikon D40 may be found for lower prices.

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Where to buy a D-SLR?[/color]
See links I posted above for recommended stores. If you are unsure about a store, post it here and someone should be able todetermine whether it's legit or not. Avoid unnecessary packages that include tripods, extra batteries, cleaning kits and filters for now. All you need is acamera body, lens and a card to hold the photos.

If you want a more portable solution to a D-SLR, check out the Canon G10/G11 or the Panasonic Lumix LX3. These are advanced point & shoots with more manualcontrol. Good alternatives to D-SLRs. Do not expect the same low-light performance that D-SLRs give though.

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]What accessories do you recommend?[/color]
Besides a bag, avoid accessories for now. When you feel that you have settled down and have a basic understanding of digitalphotography, post the item you are interested in such as a lens, filter, flash and what your budget is, and contributors of this thread will help you out.I'm a gear junkie so don't hesitate to ask me either.

As for books, the general consensus for a good beginner's photography book is BryanPeterson's Understanding Exposure. Just note that all the information in this book can be found online if youlook hard enough. There are plenty of introductions to photography with a simple Google search.

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Any other advise?[/color]
Just go out and shoot, shoot, shoot! Take your camera wherever you can, learn from your mistakes and refine your shots.Understanding exposure and composition will come eventually. Lastly, enjoy!



Let's try to keep discussions photography-related. Select videos taken by DSLRs are fine but please keep it to a minimum. Now let's enjoy this threadfor what it's meant for...photography!

To start of this thread...here is a pic of my friend with a camera of course

 

[gtek]

I stayed lurkin in the last one.

Lets hope this one stays open.

 

[whateversclever]

Awesome, My laptop is broken and I've been posting from my iPhone for the last couple of days... but I'll try to contribute as much as possible.

 

[agentarenas]

Originally Posted by GTEK

I stayed lurkin in the last one.

Lets hope this one stays open.

Yeah hopefully. The last one was open for a loooong time too.

 

[queencitysneakerqueen]

I lurked in the last but I hope to participate this time around

 

[airphilippines]

Officially official

 

[superantigen]

...

I should be getting my Nikon in the coming weeks so hopefully, in due time, i'll be able to contribute to, and learn from, this thread.

...

 

[kl9]

Rap, I requested mine to be locked. Check the title though

.

 

[rap sizzle]

^ Thanks dude. I felt like an original post would be dull without a pics...so I've decided to add one, enjoy!

 

[cobra kai]

New thread, I can finally get some help and not get lost in the maze of posts.

As a beginner, how's the Canon T1i?

 

[rikan havok]

well I'll play ...

one of my favorites for the sake of contributing ..

 

[SVNTI]

Fresh start.

Made a wallpaper using a fellow NTers tutorial. Here's a small version. All Photos were shot by myself. (Except the Hardwood floors which I found online)
The shot on the top left is a Forza Motorsport 3 Photo. I Just wanted a quick Image to fill it up so I grabbed the first thing I saw on my desktop.

 

[sigmakidownz]

This will top 800 pages hopefully. The last one almost made it.


^Rikan nice pic on the last thread too. The controversial processed picture one.

 

[rikan havok]

You know what I really miss about this thread

The occasional assignment we made for each other .. I think we can do one once a month (the 1st week of the month) and keep it running .. so 12 a year

 

[rap sizzle]

KL9 - i saw in your last thread that you were debating between 16-35 f/2.8L and EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS. Seeing as you seem to have a cropped body, the 17-55 IMOis the best walk-around lens for an APS-C sensor. Although it doesn't have the magical "L" tag, it's just as sharp as most L zooms, is builtwell, and even has the edge on the 24-70L (which would be the closest equivalent for full-frame) in that is has IS. Another edge it has over the 16-35 isit's focal range. While it can still be use for cropped bodies, 16-35L was made as full-frame ultra-wide angle zoom. Just a tip though, the 17-55 is knownfor sucking in dust thanks to it's extending zoom. Fit it with a high quality filter like a B+W 77mm MRC 010 UV filter and you should be good to go.

Cobra Kai - from reviews, the T1i is an excellent camera for beginners. From general discussions, it seems to be receiving far more love than the Nikon D5000(my Canon bias aside).

 

[mjbetch]

just gonna post a random picture i have already copied to my clipboard.

Nikon F4 Film 50mm

 

[rap sizzle]

Originally Posted by RiKaN HaVoK

You know what I really miss about this thread

The occasional assignment we made for each other .. I think we can do one once a month (the 1st week of the month) and keep it running .. so 12 a year

if you or someone else would like to revamp the assignment project, PM me so I can post it on the original post for everyone to see and keep itupdated as it progresses.

 

[verynecessary]

can we bring back the "gnome" project that didn't quite get off the ground the last time?

 

[nikeairsncrispytees]

I'll contribute some oldies. A fresh start is always nice.

For reference, I printed this next one 11x17 nearly crystal clear using my D40x. Granted I'm pretty sure I shot it at ISO100 using my 50mm wide open(f/1.

.

All from Germany this last summer.

 

[rikan havok]

I don't know if before me that assignment thing was going on - I just remember asking to see if everyone wanted to do it and most of us were down .. I didthe 1st one and ask suggestions from there .. so it wasn't just a one person idea .. like I said we can do something pre new years and then do one everymonth (the 1st week of the month or something and have it in by a specific date) a calender will be needed for this of course .. lol

 

[irpstakid]

As refreshing as it is to start anew, it just doesn't feel the same.
At least to me...

 

[bhupy]

Since a new thread has started I guess I should come out and say I would like to learn a thing or two about photography. Obviously I would have to buy a camerabut what else would I need? Where would I start? At the photography forums? I had an urge to post in the older thread but resisted because it was too big andfigured I was dealing with pros.

 

[cobra kai]

Originally Posted by Rap Sizzle

Cobra Kai - from reviews, the T1i is an excellent camera for beginners. From general discussions, it seems to be receiving far more love than the Nikon D5000 (my Canon bias aside).

Thanks Sizzle.

I've been sitting back just reading and watching yall perfect the craft, patiently waiting.

I should be picking it up in January, gonna go check it out either tomorrow or Wednesday and get a feel for it.

 

[tripledunk]

hey, a noob shot from an Olympus user.

 

[kl9]

Always appreciating the advice Rap!