The Photography Thread

[Ginger Tosser]

I had a go on a mirror lens once, wasn't a very good experience. Maybe if i had a sturdy tripod and a few sandbags it may have been better. Still for the money you can't argue over focal length.

[Paleface]

Ugh, mirror lenses. They're exactly what you pay for. Still, if doughnut-shaped bokeh float your boat, go for it!

[MartyG]

Yeah, they're pretty horrid things - I just thought I'd put the link up because bokeh was mentioned

[MartyG]

Really sunny this morning, great blue skies so I was out in the back garden, and missed my signed for delivery ( grr ) but I did get a couple of nice shots of some ladybirds sunning themselves.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101117326&size=l

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129628&size=o

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129643&size=o

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129670&size=o

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129701&size=o

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129628&size=o

and a nice fly shot

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129717&size=o

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129764&size=o

and ice

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101129741&size=o

and sky

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=101116982&size=l

Amazing what a difference nice light can do photos. Pity it's gone grey and horrible now.

[Magnakai]

A few photography bits and pieces that I've been amusing myself with this morning.

Nice enthusiastic review of the new Olympus E-330

Parts 1 & 2

This camera's a bit special, as it's the first dSLR to have a live LCD monitor feed, which it can do via either a small CCD in the viewfinder or by locking the mirror up.
There's a preview on dpreview.com, but this is the first hands-on review with pics that I've seen.

There's also this rather interesting High Dynamic Time Range technique that a Martin Krzywinski is promoting on his site.
Very pretty pictures.

Lastly, there's a column on the wonderful Luminous Landscape about an ideal small digital camera

[DaiSuki]

Only one picture this weekend... I took about 60, but the light was pretty poor and as a result the images are a bit grainy. This one's pretty grainy also, and moreso because it's a crop from a considerably bigger image, but I still like it:

Dedication

While I'm here: I was looking at my lens the other day and it looks to be lightly dusted with... well, dust. Do I need to clean it to keep it pristine, or will a little dust not hurt? And when I do need to clean it, what do I use and how do I do it?

[bangaio]

Well I had a busy weekend but have been working on this for some time, I think I have finally got close to how I wanted this mess of woods to be, what do you think?

[MartyG]

I don't think it's one of your better shots tbh, it's not really that interesting to me. There's some reasonable contrast to it, and it's nice and sharp though.

I do like Dai's photo. Although I don't believe every picture needs to tell a story, Dai's clearly does, which does add an interest factor.

As for cleaning lenses, a cloth for cleaning glasses does the job. You can get all sorts of kits for cleaning lenses, mirrors, and for digital cams, CCDs. Most consist of brushes and compressed air, and I consider most of them a bit of a rip off tbh. Getting some dust on SLR mirrors doesn't matter too much, it's just a bit annoying, and a little dust on lenses you won't really notice, but keeping them dust free as much as possible is generally a good idea.

[DaiSuki]

Cheers Marty, sage advice as ever

[Ginger Tosser]

Been through some of my pics and rescanned them

http://www.scphoto.co.uk/pages/pictures/flatiron2.jpg

http://www.scphoto.co.uk/pages/pictures/railway.jpg

http://www.scphoto.co.uk/pages/pictures/budebeach2.jpg

Dai, one thing i use to clean my stuff is a Lenspen.
Handy little thing to have apart from the fact i've lost mine. Though i agree with Marty's advice.

[bangaio]

Marty - praise first (sorry teaching technique). I think that this is a case of something I envisioned and wanted it to work but the more I look at it the more I agree with you! Do like the beach though. In the theme of telling some sort of stories here are some (and as photos lie they are not all of the same day!)

All in the name of experimenting with some b&w and no these aint sharp and are shakey but that's how they were meant to be, a little bit of blur never hurt anyone!

Anyway, I feel the need to get out this weekend and evening if possible and do some shooting as it's been a bit too long for my liking!

[bangaio]

http://www.scphoto.co.uk/pages/pictures/budebeach2.jpg

I love it! What was this shot with? It looks almost holga like (now I find out it was a hassleblad!) I love the colours and think they suit the kind of day, which looks like it could be a bit flat. I love the quare format and this really works for me.

[Ginger Tosser]

I used my ancient Mamiya C33, fully manual everything camera. Shot details 80mm F8 1/30 on Fuji Velvia. Its a camera i would like to try a bit more, but its one those that needs time to use. I need to clean up that picture a bit, get rid of few bits of dust.

[DaiSuki]

Nice one... it looks a much longer exposure than 1/30, the way the water is smoothed and misty. The sea must have been really moving

[bangaio]

Nice, I nearoy bought one of those on ebay a while ago. I will own a 'blad one day, I'd love to experiment with some medium format film but the price.....and digital is where all my printing and workflow is .... so i'd need a scanner! mmmmmm scanner......