The Photography Thread

[Gareth C]

Anyone got any recommendations for a decent tripod ?

I have a Nikon D40, and would mainly be using the Sigma 10-20 with it when I would want to use the tripod.

I've been looking at the Manfrotto 190XB legs and the 486RC2 Ball Head - anyone know if it's any good, or if there's better, or even if this is overkill for a relative beginner ?

Thats the set-up I have and its brilliant. Manfrotto gear lasts forever and you can really throw it around without worrying (unlike my last two tripods that broke after very little use).

[Garf]

Thats the set-up I have and its brilliant. Manfrotto gear lasts forever and you can really throw it around without worrying (unlike my last two tripods that broke after very little use).

Cheers - how do you think it would compare to this Manfrotto, with a fixed head ?

The separates weigh more, but can support more weight, but that said, even with the wide-angle lens I want to use, my camera is well within the maximum supported weight for both tripods.

The separates also cost twice as much as the all in one - going back to the buy cheap, buy twice theory, is a 70 odd quid tripod considered cheap ?

[Gareth C]

I wouldn't worry too much about weight support. All manfrotto limits are on the very safe side (or so i was told by calumet).

I wouldn't get a fixed head personally. I think just about ANY manfrotto gear is going to last a long time and for that reason I would go for separates as you can upgrade the head as and when you want to spend more money/get more serious.

That said, £70 for a tripod is by no means 'cheap'. Yes, you can easily spend more but also you can buy a 'cheap' tripod set-up for £20.

[winky]

bleh havent done much recently (got obsessed with Psyvariar2 again) but just wanted to say good luck dan, let us know how you get on

[MartyG]

Went out to Rutland Water today to check out the Pentacon 135mm f2.8 M42 prime I picked up for £18 - I got one I really quite lked, still going through the others




I wasn't sure whether to crop this one tighter or not - this is full frame

[PeteJ]

Keep that shot full frame imo, its a nice shot.

[MartyG]

Cheers Pete - I uploaded it to flickr as is.

I went for a walk around Stamford and into Burghley Park today, I took the Canon 10D and Nikon D80 and took well over 200 shots. Must say I was pretty disappointed with the results, I only got two that were just about reasonable - and the damn 10D is giving Err 99 far too much. Never had issues with Nikons ever, but I understand this is quite a common problem with Canon cameras.

Anyway, two shots I uploaded, this one with the Nikon



And this one with the Canon

[funkydan]

Some highlights from my (first ever) stint of nightclub photography at The Loft in Maidstone last night:












Twas a good night with a friendly crowd, most of which wanted their photo taken. In fact, I was constantly being tapped on the shoulder and asked to take people's photos, which was nice. The rest of the shots can be seen here. Although there is no nudity, some maybe considered NSFW!

[MartyG]

Some nice pics there FD - I like the 2nd one particularly. Looks like you did a good job, so you were worrying about nothing

I've gone through the pics again and I'm reconsidering this one - I've uploaded it to picasa, I might put it on flickr if I get some positive feedback on it. What I like is the unusual tree on the right, and the framing of Burghley House in the background. It just seems a little too over-exposed for my liking.

[Ginger Tosser]

10D is giving Err 99 far too much. Never had issues with Nikons ever, but I understand this is quite a common problem with Canon cameras.

Usually a dirty contact between lens and body. Common fix is to clean with a rubber. If it keeps doing it you may have found out why it was sold on ebay.

[MartyG]

Yeah, I tried cleaning the contacts, it seemed to help for a bit, but it's playing up again - it was still an issue with the M42 adapter, which doesn't use the contacts at all. It's completely inconsistant, some times it'll be fine for 40 odd shots, then it's play up every other exposure - most annoying :/

[Magnakai]

Dan, those are ace. I think you've cracked it That one of the guy (with a mullet?) throwing the Vs is really nice.

Marty, I've been reading a few camera forums, and even though it's meant to be caused by a lens issue, it can actually be a wide variety of things. Some people have reported it being caused by a faulty Microdrive, a loose battery grip, and even a dodgy shutter mechanism. It seems to be a general error message used when it's not sure what else to say. It might be worth sending it into Canon for a checkup. I'm not sure how much they charge for a service though.

That shot you got with the Canon is really nice though. Definitely postcard territory.

[Alastair]

Did ya miss me? Well? Not even a little bit?

Too much has happened on here in the last week and a half for me to comment on but let me say that, Dan, it looks like you did very well there, no need to worry eh, was the wife pleased with the shots

I want to use that monster Sigma, badly. In a real life situation though, not at a show etc. I bet it's ridiculously unwieldy and almost impossible to use, imagine trying to track a bird or pan a car, never going to happen with that much weight.

Marty, bad luck with the error, seems it is a Cannon crux but I've never seen it on either of mine and none of my Canon using mates have either. Possibly not as common as the net may suggest in real world terms, can't suggest a fix I'm afraid other than the lens contacts thing already tried

First 2 shots from the 1600 mile 8 day adventure. I took over 400 in total but as usual will be limiting the uploads to the cream of the crop and the ones that have a special place in my heart!

First off is a stone wall in Northumberland, the light was just beautiful:



Next is a long exposure of Windermere, again, lovely light and I couldn't resist using the ND's to smooth the waves.



Both look way better in original size (link on the flickr text (click the pic)).

Now I've got familiar with the 17-50 2.8 I can say it was definitely money well spent, lovely lens, colours are so much better than the kit, detail and definition too

[MartyG]

Marty, I've been reading a few camera forums, and even though it's meant to be caused by a lens issue, it can actually be a wide variety of things. Some people have reported it being caused by a faulty Microdrive, a loose battery grip, and even a dodgy shutter mechanism. It seems to be a general error message used when it's not sure what else to say. It might be worth sending it into Canon for a checkup. I'm not sure how much they charge for a service though.

I think it's shutter related as it seems to be worse at certain exposures - I've emailed a repair centre to give me a rough idea of repair costs on a shutter, so I'll see what I'll do once I get a reply. It doesn't happen all the time, so I could probably live with it ( though I can see myself getting yet another body now ) - it's just frustrating when it does happen as you lose the shot taken.

[Alastair]

Last ones no good? How about these?