zack_lau

<p>I'd suggest taking photographs outside on an overcast day--you get a much different effect with a large diffuse light source than directly light from the sun, which acts as a point source.</p>

<p>The tolerance of a Hitachi SR7 photo flash capacitor is -10% to +20 %.<br>

High capacitance devices used for energy storage often have rather loose tolerances.</p>

The extremely bright light of the candles, relative to the rest of the scene, means that ghosts too dim to be seen under normal conditions, are quite bright in this shot. You may be able to reduce the effect by using flash or another light source to reduce the effective brightness of the candles, but this may adversely affect the mood of the shot.

<p>The cheaper DSLRs have a smaller sensor, which means an 18mm lens is effectively 28mm.</p>

<p>A true wide angle lens is great for emphasizing something in the foreground, such as a pretty flower. There are excellent wide angles for DSLRs, but it is likely they will all be out of your budget.</p>

<p>The best feature of the Panasonic LX5 is the wide angle lens--24mm equivalent--most other cameras, including the Ricoh, stop at 28mm.</p>

The strength of this forum is the hard earned wisdom earned through years of experience. Not surprisingly, folks are much more comfortable teaching others about older technologies that they are familiar with, than a new camera they just got themselves. It isn't just the newbies who have to deal with learning curves--it is often worse for the old timers who now have to deal with multiple ways of doing something similar.

<p>I got an LX5 because I like to use a wide angle lens (24mm equivalent). Plus I got in on the Amazon sale!</p>

<p>We have a professional that comes in to take pictures for book and magazine covers--he typically takes a few hours to get the lighting just right--and then takes another hour after the shot to pack away all his lighting gear.</p>

<p>You might also experiment with a small sensor compact camera with a wide angle close focus lens to see if you can get images of acceptable quality for your catalog. The results can be surprisingly good.</p>

<p>How are your shots with the stock zoom lens set to 18mm?<br>

Your stock camera is already considerably wider the typical camera used by other real estate professionals. <br>

You might look into getting an external flash to brighten up the room with your lens set to 18mm. As Rodeo Joe points out, going wider and making the whole room brighter at the same time is likely to be tough.</p>

<p>If you are close to the Equator, such as in Hawaii, the "golden hour" goes by really quickly.</p>

<p>You will find so many beautiful things to photograph that you don't need anything more than those two lenses to fill an album full of pictures.<br>

Wide angle, long telephoto, and macro are nice to have, but you should be enjoying your vacation, not learning photography!</p>

 

<p>I also have the FG and think it is a good choice. A common issue is that the mirror gets stuck with a weak battery--but you can easily fix that by setting it to the M90 manual shutter option.</p>

<p>Micro Tools recommends using double sided tape--they also sell leatherette and other supplies for repairing cameras.</p>

<p>Do you plan to travel with others? A simpler kit of photo gear makes more sense if you want to enjoy a vacation with other people.</p>

<p>The big benefit on an ultra wide lens is perspective distortion--so you can make a person's nose look much bigger than it really is, or show an interesting rock or flower with a lot of background behind it for context. For many, the distortion you get with your 18mm on a DX camera is plenty--an ultra wide 10mm will further exaggerate the effect.<br>

I used to shoot ultrawide all the time, but I realized that I can't really do serious photography and travel with with my wife at the same time. It isn't easy to use an ultrawide because there is a lot more to worry about--unless you want to spend time editing things out like powerlines, airplane contrails, and other stuff that creeps into the picture. Instead, I just enjoy the vacation and take snapshots as they come--no spending half an hour to compose the right shot. Sort of like the pro ballplayer who takes whatever the opponent gives them, instead of trying to force a particular outcome.</p>

 

<p>Focus stacking combines images using software.</p>

<p>How about the aluminum foil or wrap available at grocery stores? The heavy duty wrap may meet your needs.</p>

<p>The value of historical photographs--old photographs in the hands in archivists today--is significantly enhanced if they are accompanied by descriptions of who or what is in the shot. </p>

<p>We were just there last month. The Alluvial Fan Falls is a short hike--the easiest waterfall to see in the park. <br>

Two days is a very short time to get used to the altitude--it may be wise to avoid Trail Ridge road that goes to 12,000 feet--altitude sickness is quite common.</p>

<p>You might be interested in reading Robert Young Pelton's Dangerous Places to help make a decision.<br>

He has a web site at http://www.comebackalive.com/</p>

Roughly where do you live? Your condition may make plane travel difficult as well.

A conventional lens is a compromise--you can't open it wide enough to get the bokah you want.

 

 

There are expensive tilt/shift lens that can be used to tilt the plane of focus, so both eyes are in focus, even when the model is angled to the camera.

<p>I see nothing wrong with tweaking the colors so the look the same as in real life, to my eye. This is particularly true for red roses, which are notoriously difficult for camera systems to represent accurately.</p>