mlhostetter

OK well I did it. I just purchased the S7000 after reviewing all of

the options I had out there. It seems as though this will be a great

intermediate camera to fill my needs. I have scoured the web and I

believe that I will be able to obtain great portrait shots of my

daughters cheerleading team and GOD help me if I am wrong. I just

couldnt afford the higher end cameras and with a price tag of $439 at

Buydig, I felt I couldnt go wrong, Soooooooo .. here's my question,

If you use this camera could you give some examples here of your

results or simply a quick response so that I can view your work from

the links here? Needless to say I am both excited and terrified of

taking this step from my 35mm Canon and my 4mp Samsung Digimax.

Help????

 

Thanks so much,

Marylou

Thanks to all for your answers. It would seem that I narrowly averted a tragedy here! I appreciate the feedback and I "love" and definitely get the sarcasm....lol...

I really appreciate it and think I will stay with the top named brands!

 

Marylou

Has anyone ever heard of this thing and if so what do you know about

it?

 

Megxon C480

 

New Model, Just Released, Will Not Last Long AT This unheard of

Price. Try to Beat This Deal.

 

Features:

 

8.0 mega pixels image resolution (interpolation)

32X total zoom: 8X Optical and 4X Digital

4 in 1: digital still camera, digital camcorder (audio & video),

voice recorder, & USB hard-drive

Extremely easy to use - takes 2 minutes to learn.

Expandable SD/MMC memory slot

Connect to TV to view photos and video on TV (NTSC / PAL)

15 scene modes

11 colour filters

4 Exposure Modes

3 Metering

6 Frame Editing

Macro zoom, as close as 20cm

Power: 4 X AA batteries

 

USB 2.0 connection full speed

Add voice memos to your picture right on the camera

Built-in flash

Built-in speaker & microphone

1.6'' TFT LCD Screen

 

 

Technical Specifications:

 

Product type: Digital Still Camera, Digital Camcorder (A & V), Voice

recorder, & USB Portable Hard-Drive

Resolution: Choose among 4 picture modes on camera:

 

8.0 mega pixels (interpolated)

6.0 mega pixels (interpolated)

4.0 mega pixels

1.3 mega pixels

 

Image sensor: 1/2.5'' 4.23M Panasonic CCD sensor

Zoom: 32X Total Zoom:

 

8X Optical & 4X Digital

 

Aperture: Wide: F2.8 - 5.58 / Tele: 3.41 - 6.82

Focus Length: 6.6 - 58.2mm (=35mm camera: 40 - 350mm)

ISO: Auto / 50 / 100 / 200 /400

Lens: 14 piece / 4 group

Exposure: -2.0EV to +2.0EV in 0.3 EV

Macro Zoom: 25cm to 50cm

LCD Screen: 1.6'' TFT LCD screen

Flash: Built-in flash: auto red-eye reduction, off, Force, slow

Memory: 16MB NAND Flash memory

External Memory: SD/MMC memory card slot, expandable up to 512MB

Voice Memo: 20 seconds per picture

Video Clip: 320 x 240 @ 30 fps; MPEG 4 format

File Format: JPEG / ASF / WAV / HTML / EXIF 2.2 / DPOF

Metering: Center / Spot / Matrix

Digital Filter: Color / BW / Sepia / Red / Pink / Purple / Blue /

Green / Yellow / Solarize / Negative

White Balance: Auto / Shade / Sun / Tungsten / Fluorescent / Manual

Scene: Auto / Sport / Landscape / Night / Portrait / Self Portrait /

Night Portrait / Sunset / Beach / Back Light / Autumn / Natural /

Sky / Party / Text

Interface: USB 2.0 full speed and TV output (NTSC / PAL)

Self timer : 3 - 10 seconds delay

Power: 4 X AA batteries (included) or DC 6V/2A

 

Dimension: 111 x 70 x 105mm

Weight: 419g

 

System Requirements:

 

Pentium 166 MHz processor or higher

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP

CD-ROM Drive

32MB RAM Recommended

USB Port

200MB Available Hard Drive Space<div></div>

Its so nice to see you kids playin nice!!!!! ;-> GL with your endeavor Jerry! Let us know how they turn out when you get them done! Personally , I did 3 and gave it up and bought them.lol...

 

Happy Shootin' Ya'll.........

 

Marylou

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008O0M

 

http://www.phototakers.com/forum/archive/dying-muslin-backgrounds-2327.htm

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0090ys

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0091Y3&unified_p=1

Jerry,

 

Cheap Shot! I have to say that I am alittle suprised by your reaction. First Off, You were right in the assumption that this was not the forum to post such a question.

 

I will say that Tom did not ask for nor have a say in that cute little icon placed by his name. He has said this time and time again. I can also tell you that He has gone to great lengths to help all members of this forum in MANY areas. Just because he didn't feel like re-writing an answer that he has given TO MANY times to count because you did not feel like doing a search on this topic.

 

Tom is a fun loving, happy go lucky type of guy who has helped many people on this site, If you do not believe me, go to his members page and read his responses for yourself! The hero icon has been well derserved for him even though he did not want it nor ask for it.

 

I can say for certain that this topic has been covered because I asked the same question when I first started. Next time you have a question, look it up, if you can't find it then ask where it can be found, if no one knows where to find it, then ask how to do it...... Geesh... Now I am starting to realize why all the old timers (No Offense Tom) are getting frustrated with the newbies...

 

Good Luck on your search. Maybe if you weren't so tacky to others, I would have several answers to the question at hand.

 

Marylou

Just a we bit harsh don't ya think?

 

John,

 

The above could have probably been stated alittle more nicely, but his point, while alittle tacky, is a valid one. But I encourage you to do the research anyway.

 

That is what this forum is here for. To Learn from others. I guess we learn more than just photo tips here also.........hmmmmm.

Take what you can learn here. Use it. FWIW, it might help if you don't post the same question twice on the forum. People tend to get alittle miffed about that.

 

You may think that you are rambling, but in the future... try to be "alot" more specific about what you need to know and what you have, not nessasarily why you want to do it. The why's are irrelavant and sometimes people just want to know so they can tell you thier opinion as to whether or not you can do it.

 

Happy Shootin to you!

 

Marylou

 

"Perfection is sought through perserverance, though never achieved. For one can always do better."

It might be wise to invest in a shoot tent. These are made exclusively for product shots and other small items. They are made of a diffusing material that completely surrounds the item and casts light beautifully. Flash is a completly different animal as I am learning myself. Small portable flashes mounted on hot shoe triggers and placed stratically around the light dome could save you alot of time and money. Some will say that you MUST have the best you can get in order to look professional to your models, however IMHO I don't really think a product is going to say alot about the means you use to show its appeal. There is always more than one way to get it done. Start from the bottom and work your way up if money is an issue. Hope this helps.

 

Happy Shooting,

;> Marylou

Animals are a whole other.. well... (animal*) for lack of better words...

I am not sure about this from a technical standpoint, ie..lighting fur..notorious red eye..ect.

 

However, I think my first concern would be how to get a pet to sit still and not waller around on the backdrop, or worse yet, eat it. Then there is the curiousity of a dog, each time I try to photograph mine I get a really nasty doggy lurp* across my lens.... ewwwwwwww.

 

Will this be your animal you are photographing or clients? Is the dog well behaved and obey? Is the dog protective and will it let you approach him or his owner without your losing a limb? Just a few things to consider. I know it can be done because of all of the great pet pictures I have seen here, but I think this is a good thread to learn some tips from those who have been there and done that.....

 

Marylou

I recently purchased the Britek HS600 Strobe kit and it should be

arriving in a day or two. This kit consists of two heads, two 20"x20"

softboxes and light stands. My question is this, does anyone have

any experience with these lights or any tricks with using them that

can help me achieve good portrait lighting results.

I have seen references to Britek in threads, but not the answer to my

question. I even ran a search on google before posting,

soooooooooooooo...

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Marylou

I have recently signed up with Filmet.com they have a really user friendly software and thier prices seem inexpensive. I sent in a test shot to see the quality at no cost to me and am waiting to recieve it. SO far it seems like a great deal.You can check them out at www.filmet.com

 

Good luck to you

My god, LOL, you all are giving me a headache!! I did not realize I had to be a math wiz to figure lighting! Geesh, LOL... I read to learn, true enough, but I feel as though I need a college course to figure out the math on this one.. Is there a simple "lay-explaination" for the "layman shooter"? You guys are really way over my head but I think if the above could be explained in more simple terms, alot of us who follow this thread could learn alot! Thanks in advance to those who bring it down a notch....

 

Happy Shootin'...

 

Marylou

I am glad you have listed the thread above. I was able to browse through your images and I greatly enjoyed them. Your work is over all very beautiful and while not all photos fit my taste, you have done a great job. I see your point now that I have seen your photos. You have a definitive shooting style and I can see where my basic tips would put a straight jacket on someone with your shooting style. I agree that creativity is a must in order to grow, but here again , I stand by my earlier statement, "we must learn to walk before we can crawl"

 

You have a beautiful style of work and I appreciate your eye. Now that I know where to find your work, I will defintely keep on watching.

 

Best Regards,

 

Marylou

True.. true..... or here's a thought, maybe they could both be right........... i'll leave this for another day.... best to all....

 

Marylou

I do think that beginners must not follow your steps.

(Sort of a strong statement don't you think?)

 

Beginners are often more creative then pros becouse they try to experiment, that is why many agencies/magazines hire young photographers (except that they are cheaper of course...)

(speaks for itself I would think.)

 

Experimenting makes you a good photographer.

(I agree but if we followed your philosophy we would have no need for a camera's operating manual would we? Its kinda hard to use if you don't know where the on button is..lol)

 

Just Maybe one can watch paintings (Matisse, Balthus) before starting shooting portraits.

(do you not mean picking up a paintbrush?)

 

Igor... It seems that you are seriously upset by this post for some reason, although I have no idea why. We are all here to learn something. And everyone here has very different views and opinions on how some thing should be done. Any 2 people can look at the same photograph and have entirely different opinion. This is simply about what the viewer, or in this case, reader, sees when they look at something. BTW I tried to look at your portfolio to gleam some insite to your earlier comments and only found 1 photo. Which is very nice BTW, but I cannot understand fully what your point is without having something to compare it to. I would like very much to see more of your work.

We are all here to learn and to share...I understand you are passionate about your opinions, that is good, but it may help to be alittle more lighthearted when trying to convey your meaning.

 

You must learn to crawl before you can walk...

 

Keep on Shootin' ;->

 

Marylou

Igor,

This was not meant as a hard and fast rule by any means, its just that often beginners pick up a camera and have no idea where to start. This list was complied as a starting place. Not a place to get award winning photos. I think it is important for new photographers to have a starting point. I think that you can obtain good photos using these methods, however we all agree that the only way to improve is to try something and variate methods based on your results. Beginners are often overwhelmed in trying to remember EVERYTHING that goes into a photo, sometimes it helps to have a physical list to refer to until they can stick it mentally.

To all prospective newbies, please take this list, use it, modify it and accept it in the spirit in which it has been offered.

 

Keep on Shootin' ;->

Marylou<div></div>

Here are some great steps I have gathered from this site and I have

complied them into this list to keep with me when shooting. I would

like for you to check it out and let me know what I may be missing

here. There are just so many questions about this and the answers

seem to be strewn everywhere. I am hoping to compile a single list to

help beginners get started. Let me know where I have strayed? Of

course I know that there are alot of variables to this, but I am

trying to keep it a general starting point as not to overwhelm with

things the beginner may not yet know.

 

Photo Tips

 

 

SETUP

 

1. Clear location of any distracting clutter

2. Check available light direction and intensity

3. Setup background support. (if necessary)

4. Arrange lighting and scrims (if necessary).

5. Test shoot with digital before placing subject.

6. Re-adjust lighting and place subject for quick test shots.

7. Use this time to loosen up the subject. Chit chat and fire

till ready.

8. This will allow the person to become comfortable in front of

the camera.

 

OUTDOORS (portraits)

 

1. When shooting outdoors, use narrow DOF and Slow Film. shoot

wide open. (non action shots)

2. Shoot early morning or late evening. Watch for shadows. Use

fill light. (magic hour. Light is warmer)

3. Focus on subjects eyes. Shoot at eye level.

4. Use longer lens and fill frame by zooming with feet to avoid

barrel effect. (Personal preference here)

5. Capture subject at ease. Avoid forced expressions.

6. Polarizing filters will cut through haze for great color

saturation.

7. Use reflectors to fill in shadow areas.

8. Test shoot with Digital, then shoot film.

 

 

STUDIO SETTING (Portraits)

 

1. Adjust lighting and watch for shadows

2. Use butterfly lighting to minimize flaws.

3. Play music that will put subject at ease.

4. Work efficiently and smoothly.

5. Focus on eyes, shoot at eye level.

6. When using filters, adjust for light loss.

7. Use reflectors for fill light to ease shadows.

8. Test shot with digital, then with film.

 

 

Do NOT let your frustrations show. This will put your subjects on

edge which will come across in their photographs. Make it a fun and

relaxing experience for both you and your model. Remember what you do

this for.

Amen Gary!

I couldnt agree more. If you do not have high ceilings, a full length portait will be difficult to be sure. but you can use white ceilings to your advantage and strobe flash bounce off the ceiling will help to illuminate your subject. Honestly I have found that while there are many so called rules to photograpghy, (rule of 1/3rds, ect,) Rules are made to be broken. Experiment with what you have, some of the greats photographs where created by accident. Get creative. When you are working with lighting especially there is always more than one way to do things.. Good luck 2 you and let us know what you come up with. Oh BTW, always try to shoot test shots with a digital, it will save you alot of time and money.....;>

 

Marylou

Here is what I got using this diagram.... No touch ups, just a white background, battery operated flash on a slave trigger fired off the cieling and a screw mount slave bulb shot through an white umbrella.. OUCH..<div></div>

I am in the same boat although I do not have alot of $$ to spend on elaborate lighting. I recently posted a diagram on a basic setup on another thread and took test shots using a digital. There was way TO MUCH light using this set up which consisted of 2 slave strobe flash units. More is not always better I guess. Practice, practice and then practice some more with diffrent setups. I have asked for alot of advice on this topic but until you try it out for yourself, ya never really know what your gonna get.

Regards,

Marylou<div></div>

Douglas,

I am a beginner too, with not alot to spend on expensive equiptment. There are alot of good ideas posted here and I wanted to throw my question in here also as it runs along the same lines. I have several bounce flashes and slave units that I am playing with and I came across this diagram. Maybe it will help give you some ideas. I plan on trying it out myself soon. Hope this helps and I wonder what everyone thinks about this tactic of lighting?

Marylou<div></div>

Your link is invaild. Please correct this so we an take a look;>

Marylou

I will try to be as detailed as I can in asking this question so that

all who offer to help will know what I am using.

 

First the available equipt:

 

3 hotshoe slave triggers (these mount to tripods easily triggered by

other flash)

3 Basic Flash Units ( Vivitar Elec. Flash 2000- Vivatar Auto

Thyristor 550 FD & Sunpak Power Zoom 4000 AF )

1 Screw mount slave flash bulb (fits socket)

 

I also have the following light modifiers:

 

2 white 32" umbrellas w/ black back

1 white diffusion umbrella (shoot through)

1 32: silver / gold reflector panel

1 Lumiquest x-small flash softbox

1 32"x32" softbox with a universal rig that is to larger for my

equipt.

 

Cameras available to me:

 

1 4 meg. pix. Digital Point & Shoot. (zoom Lens)

1 Canon Rebel 2000 AF/MF with a 28-80 lens

1 Minolta 370 MF w/my 135mm Portrait Lens.

 

Now that I have covered my available equipt. Heres where I need your

HELP. I have limited space to work in (10x10 room.) I know these

units will probablly be way to much light for portraits, but my

concern is how to use what I have to its most potential. I have

backgrounds, props , ect. but I have learned that Lighting is the

most important thing. My problem is such that I am tring to create

portraits for my extended family members (guinea pigs) that are

beautiful. I know I will not achieve high dollar studio prints with

what I have, but I would like to get as close as possible.

 

Your Ideas are much needed and greatly Appreciated!!

 

Marylou

I am in a world of trouble here can someone help me out>? I have been

reading threads like crazy but my biggest question is this. I am

Shooting( no way out of this one) a wedding in a beautiful catholic

church. No flash allowed during the ceremony.

 

I have gone to the church to take light readings but I can never find

it empty at the time of day the wedding will take place, in order to

get accurate readings. The church has lovely Stain glass sindows all

around. Exteremely high vaulted ceilings, but the light looks very

dim none the less.

 

I have an AF Canon Rebel 2000, and my old standby's, the Minolta X-

370, X-5, and 700.. I have enough lenses for these to choke a horse,

but i do not know what the right combination would be with no

flash ... I have heard that the NPH and NC are great, but with no

flash>????

 

I am lookin for a miracle here. Can you give me some general

guidelines to follow. for correct exposure and film selection?

 

Thanks to you all,

Marylou

You all have given me alot to think about and I am not quite ready to part with it just yet, so, I shall send this one to the shop and look for another body, probably the X-570. I have heard alot of good things about them so, here goes ... lol .. thanks all.. I have had a photo.net member email me and offer to sell me one for a reasonable cost. A second body is a definite must no matter what I choose... Thanks again to everyone for this help