The Photography Thread

[Ish]

Thats what I love about digital photography - you can just play around. It would have cost me a fortune in film by now!

[Ginger Tosser]

Just wanted to share with everyone that I have sold my first print So happy!

Congrats!

I've yet to sell anything, but my pictures seem to have made an appearance on my mates catering company's brochures. I should invoice him one day!

[MartyG]

Thats what I love about digital photography - you can just play around. It would have cost me a fortune in film by now!

Yup - from the amount of stuff I've done in the last 10 months, it would have cost me over ?1K at the developers in print and slide.

I still haven't finished off the roll of film I put in the Praktica MTL50 I got from eBay, and I've even acquired some more rolls of film, and I find myself browsing eBay for cheap film SLR bargains - it's like an obsession, searching for Pentax MZ-50s and Olypmus OM2s. Must resist temptation, the house is filled with film SLRs I hardly use ( last count I've got 7 of them ).

In other news, I got all my stuff I'd order from photobox.co.uk for Christmas presents. The print quality is great, very pleased with the calenders and even the t-shirt, which I was expecting to be an iron on but it's actually embedded into the fibres and doesn't look like it'll peel off at all, even in a washing machine. Also got a jigsaw puzzle, some small stickers, a mug and an A3 gloss print.

Not sure you'll be able get any idea from the pic, but here is one of the calenders: http://picasaweb.google.com/martypg/...66382727561234

That's all my Christmas presents sorted now

[Alastair]

Looks good, You've given me ideas now for presents!! Did you have to supply in specific sizes and formats or did they just crop as they saw fit?

I'll take a look at the site too in a min.

Also, WTF is this:

http://picasaweb.google.com/martypg/VariousStuff/photo?pli=1#4960819880037974034

[MartyG]

That was the picture used on a card for when one of my colleagues left his job a while back ( those are people who do/did work here ).

The pics I uploaded were mostly 3000x2000 pics, a couple of crops but you should be fine with anything 3MP or larger.

[Richard.John]

A new DSLR from Nikon, the oh so diddly D40.

http://www.europe-nikon.com/product/en_GB/products/broad/1111/overview.html

It could be a smart move from Nikon as it's priced to tempt potential P&S buyers. I was going to suggest that the Canon 400D/XTi/Digital Kiss X would kick its booty but its quite a bit cheaper so is not really in the same spec bracket.

[MartyG]

It is the D50 replacement. Very surprised they didn't put the 10MP sensor from the D80 and D200 in it - in fact, looking at the specs, I'm finding it difficult to see any differences at all

[briareos_kerensky]

It is the D50 replacement. Very surprised they didn't put the 10MP sensor from the D80 and D200 in it - in fact, looking at the specs, I'm finding it difficult to see any differences at all

The D40 is an ultra-cheap DSLR is doesn't allow for a large number of functions that the D50 has...bracketing, exposure steps, metering modes, autofocus points, useable lenses. At 600 USD the D40 is an excellent tool for someone approaching the world of DSLR after owning point-and-shoot compacts, a lot more than the 10 mpixel cameras from Sony and Canon (and Nikon itself), almost meant to compete with Canon's Powershot Pro line. If Nikon supports the camera with the right advertisment campaign (just like Canon is pounding right now with the 400D), the D40 is a potential success...and probably people will stop believing that more mpxiels=better photos.
A 6 mpixel sensor manufactured with today technologies should grant excellent noise at most ISOs, even if it's CCD, can't wait to see how it performs.

[MartyG]

It does, read through the specs here: http://www.europe-nikon.com/product/...fications.html

I went through the specs, and they're pretty much identical to the D50.

Edit - Ken Rockwell has a more detailed breakdown here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

Ok, I have found a difference now, there is no direct entry for QUAL, WB and ISO which the D50 has - you have to go through the menu instead to change these, and it has some of the filter stuff from the D80, like Sepia and B&W, which I usually do post process ( I'm sure that Nikon could update the D50 firmware to include these if they were so inclined ). Perhaps most noticible is the lack of top LCD ( which I find useful ).

[Paleface]

Also:

the D40 can't take anything other than AF-S lenses.

Meaning: it doesn't have a built-in focus motor. Which is fine for using things like the 18-55 and newer lenses, but means that stuff like the 50mm f1.8 AF, the 70-300G - lots of reasonably, cheap lenses - are manual focus only on it.

Also: only three focus points; left, right, middle.

The sensor is fine, I've got no problem cutting that down... but cutting the lens support to a handful of the recent, more expensive lenses, is just crazy.

[MartyG]

Aye, that seems crazy, given the market its aimed at. Perhaps Nikon are expecting people not to buy additional lenses.

So, even though they're stopping production of the D50 next year, this looks less like a real replacement to the camera. I can't see Nikon introducing a "D60" to fit in-between this and the D80 mind.

[Paleface]

Well, it's aimed at the bridge-camera market - the kind of people who really won't buy any other lenses, or maybe one other at time of purchase. "Beyond the 18-55 and 55-200, what else are they going to want," I guess is the way of thinking. It's a shame, though, for sure. Will be interesting to see how it sells.

They might introduce a D60, I don't know; not sure it makes much sense. Ah well. I'm still saving for lenses, but am even more convinced that my next body will probably be a D80.

[Richard.John]

I can see it selling particularly in Japan as women may be attracted to its cuteness and simplicity. Entry level DSLRs are always marketed as family tools here, a thing to take snaps of the kids at sports day.

As stated, Nikon don't expect futher lens purchases so have done their homework. Personally, I find a top level LCD very useful and would certainly miss it on my EOS 30D but Nikon clearly expect the user to stick it on Auto and shoot away.

[Alastair]

Enough boring Nikon, we need more pictures!

I went to see the sunset today but it rained

Subway


And a BW conversion:

[Ginger Tosser]

I prefer the colour one. Nice fire damage as well!