digitalirony

If the light is very little light I would suggest trying the 1600 instead of the 800. I have been experimenting with 800 and 1600 film recently and although I have been using much faster lenses I have found that the step up from 400 to 800 is not enough, considering the increase in grain.

 

I have been using Kodak Supra 800 and Fuji Press 1600. I have even tried 'pushing' the supra to 1600 to see what it would be like. (A note here - I do not process or print any of my own film. It is all done on a frontier machine).

 

I find tha main problem with working under very low light conditions is the lack of contrast, you will have to keep a very careful eye on the light and its interplay with your subjects. Then again I am not using any flash (if I was I could easily use a 400 speed film).

 

If you are feeling really adventurous you could try some black and white Ilford Delta 3200.

Wonderful saturation RML. I've never heard of Hema Film before, ad can't read their website :(. Is it really saturated or did you do that in post processing?

Wonderful saturation RML. I've never heard of Hema Film before, ad can't read their website :(. Is it really saturated or did you do that in post processing?

Thanks for all of your advice. I'll drop by and ask them about it when I am next in the area, probably in a few days time. Maybe they'll give me another roll of that annoying 200ASA film. Why they can't offer a choice of 100, 200 or 400 I don't know.

 

I guess the two (or three) exposures are gone forever :(

 

The idea of getting the developed fim back in a full strip appeals to me. I've got a clearfile negative folder that was a gift and it has sleves for six exposures. How difficult is it to cut a roll of film inot strips? I've noticed that most scanner holders are designed for strips of six (athough I haven't got one) it may be useful to cut them into strips of six for the future.

The cut half frame has half of a photograph of a steam train, the next (missing) frame is of the same train - only closer as it was moving towards me at the time. I can't remember if there was enough time for me to get a third shot, but I think that there was, and that I did.

Hi there,

 

I recieved a roll of film from Jessops (Richmond branch) this Monday

that has th 37th frame cut in half and no print. I know that I took

38 exposures on the roll (I may have taken 39) and I am now missing

at least a frame and a half!

 

Jessops advertises the cost of processing for 36-40 exposures, do I

have any chance of getting any compensation from them. Also is there

any chance of me gatting my frame and a half back? I can get the cut

frame scanned in two parts and may be able to recover the image if

this is possible.

 

Any opinions on how to approach this will be most welcome.

If the walgreens Gold 100 film is long dated then buy a couple dozen rolls and stick it in your fridge. Then you can top up your supply whenever you find it and not worry about running out :) Just remember to use the oldest rolls first and to leave the cannister at room temperature for about an hour before you use it.

Left eye, right hand. Just tried it right eyed, right handed - almost fell over, it made me dizzy!

"I was wondering how DX coding worked"

 

try: http://www.bythom.com/dxcodes.htm

In my very humble opinion if you are going to be shooting landscapes then you would be better off with the 28mm 2.8, a 50 1.8, and a 7x-300 zoom.

 

My reasoning is that for family events you are not likely to need a longish lens and therefor buting a decent one for outdoors like the sigma 70-300 APO Macro Super II would be cheap but give you good results. Also the distortion on the wide end on the 28-xxx zoom would annoy you before long, I know mine does. The 50mm 1.8 or 50mm 1.4 would be an excellent lens for indoor family stuff in larger rooms and is worth having in your bag for zillions of reasons.

 

The only other lens I might recommend you consider that you could use for both indoor and landscape photos would be a 35 f2.0 but you didn't ask about that one.

 

Good luck and enjoy your photography.

To my horror 7dayshop no longer carries the Kodak Portra range of

film any more.<br><br>

It used to cost:<ul>

<li>£1.99 per roll of Kodak Portra NC 160 135-36</li>

<li>£1.79 per roll of Kodak Portra VC 160 135-36</li>

<li>£2.49 per roll of Kodak Portra UC 400 135-36</li>

</ul>

I have looked at a few other websites and they all seem to charge a

lot more per roll.<br><br>

Does anyone out there who uses Portra film know of anywhere else

with similar low prices?

After a recent trip to the caribbean myself I would recommend using a slower print film. I used Portra 160VC and 400UC and was very pleased with the results but there were times when I wished I had a slower film as my min shuter speed was 1/2000 sec. I coudn't get my hands on any UC100. If your camera has a faster shutter, say 1/4000 sec then you should be fine with a 160 or 200 speed film.

 

Whatever you take with you make sure you take odas with you, at least 2 rolls per day, I'd advise 75-80% of it should be the slower film.

Canon consumer cameras have a center spot of around 9 or 10 percent of the frame. This is because when using a spot meter it is very easy to select a mid tone that isn't quite accurate and they consider that the average consumer would be likely to choose the wrong tone and end up with an incorrectly exposed photograph. The larger spot incorporating more of the image makes the liklihood of this happening smaller.

 

The Pro bodies all include a small center spot as they believe that professional photographers will know what they are doing and wont make the same errors that a consumer would.

 

It would be very simple and inexpensive for canon to add a small center spot to all of their cameras but they are more concerned about ease of use and the resultant conception by the user of how good the camera is. In essence they want photographers for whom the 3000 or 300 series cameras are likely to be thier first SLR to feel that they are taking great photographs and to tell their friends how great and easy to use the cameras are.

 

I can't tell you how many times I have lent my 300V to people who when they return it tell me 'what great photos it takes'. The bottom line is that these cameras allow people to enter the world of photography in a gentle, mostly safe way and feel good about the photographs that they take. If they persue photography in more detail eventauly they may need a small center spot, but then they will probably want, faster shutter speeds, faster focusing, and possibly a faster motor drive as well, so then they buy a 30 or a 3 series camera.

 

Hope that this has made sense to you. Its basically knowing your market and providing the right features for the right level of user.

 

I mean how many users shooting on consumer print film ith its huge exposure latitude, and having the prints make on a Frontier machine at their local, tesco, jessops, snappy snaps, whatever would really benefit from a small center spot meter? Even if there are a few, the number who are likely to screw up the exposure metering (probably me included here) are far likely to exceed them.

Michael,

 

Any filter will reduce the amount of light passing through the lens. Some more so than others. A UK filter will typically reduce the amount of light by about 2/3 of a stop. A circular polariser will usually reduce the light by between 1 2/3 of a stop to 2 stops depending on the orientation.

 

You can find a handy list here: http://www.photofilter.com/hoya_factor.htm

 

You wont have to make any adjustments if your camera has TTL metering but it is worth being aware of the amount of light reduction, if only to remove them when necessary in low light situations.

"Pricing, availability and reader enquiries<br>

The EOS 20D will be available from mid-late September 2004 for:<br>

Body only ?1279.99 RRP inc. VAT / ?1849.99 RRP inc. VAT.<br>

Lens kit ?1349.99 RRP inc. VAT / ?1949.99 RRP inc. VAT."<br>

<br><br>

http://www.canon.co.uk/about_us/news/consumer_releases/eos20d.asp

Hi Philip,

 

I am not an expert but I usuallu use the Kodak Portra range of negatives. I have them processed and printed at a local jessops, but occasionally I have them scanned and prined at A4 or A3 size and they are quite pleasing.

 

I believe that most negative films would be suitable, I have a lot of photographer friends who use a range of negative films, and scan and print them.

 

I believe that the skill is in the scanning and the subsequent Photoshop work. I don't think that the type of film makes a huge difference (unless you are thinking of scannes B&W negs).

Cheers everyone, I was hoping to see a side by side comparison of images at the same aperature and perhaps some of the same images at the wider aperatures. It seems like the Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM would perhaps be a better choice but I have seen a number of Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 lenses for sale second hand at very good prices so I think I may get ne of these for the time being.

Anyone know where I can find direct side by side comparisons of tow

(or all three)of these lenses?

 

1. Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM

2. Canon EF 28mm f/2.8

3. Sigma 28mm f1.8 EX DG ASPHERICAL MACRO

 

I am considering buying one and was wondering if there were any

objective comparisons with subjective notes.

 

If anyone has an opinion as to which I should purchase please feel

free to say so but please state why.

 

Cheers.

Forgot to say that when you are looking for a new system, the equipment doesn't have to be new. There is an awful lot of good second hand equipment out there if you look for it.

This is probably a bit of a vague answer and does not directly answer your question, but it is the best advice that I can give.

 

Michael what kind of photographs are you taking/selling?

 

For scenes where fast autofocus isn't required but maximum quality is a Medium Format system might be what you are after. There are a number of medium format cameras that will give you excellent results, mamiya RB67, Hasselblad 501CM, Bronica SQ-Ai, etc. These will give you the option of shooting 6x7, 6x6, 6x6 or 6x4.5 which wil give you superior enlargements over the 35mm, film format. You could use these for landscapes & studio work,

 

If you are shooting sports or wildlife however a fast autofocus system will probably be what you need. Something like the canon EOS3 with PB-E2 and a couple of fast telephoto primes like the 300 f/2.8 LIS, 400 f/4.0 LIS & the 500 f/4.0 LIS would probably be what you want. Another body like the 7NE with a 70-200 f/2.8 LIS USM in the bag as well would probably be a good idea. Oh and don't forget a good monopod or tripod, depending on where wuou are and what you are shooting.

 

If you are shooting street stuff then a quality reangefinder would probably be less obtrusive than an SLR but your reach would be limited, however the quality of glass available would be limited only by your budget.

 

If you are making money from your photography and are reasonably sure that you will continue to do so, then any equipment you buy will be an investment in that income stream. Most systems with interchangable lenses will have quality glass available (at a price). Buy the equipment that best suits your style of photography and that you feel the most comfortable using. Try before you buy when you can.

Hi JK,

 

I have owned and usd a 300V for almost 2 years now and have found it to be a reliable and for the price well specified camera. I bought mine in a kit with a 28-90USM lens and was quite happy with only that lens for nearly a year. I subsequently bought a 50/1.4 and a 100/2.0 and then a Sigma 75-300 APO as well.

 

I recently took the camera along with the kit lens the 50/1.4 amn the Sigma to Peru and spent a week in Cusco (around 11,000 feet). We were as high as 13000 feet at times and I took about 15 rolls of 36 exposure print film in the week. I was very pleased with the results. My only negative coment about the kit lens is that the distortion at the wide end is a bit dissapointing. To that end I would recommend buying a 28/2.8 if to take a lot of wide shots or maybe a 24./2.8.

 

My main recommendations would be to

1. get yourself an all weather cover for your camera bag! I used a plastic bag - which worked but prevented me from accessing the bag during damp weather.

2. If the tamron lens does not have a macro facility I would recommend that you get the Sigma, I have been very happy with the results and the macro is very useful for getiing shots of small wildlife and flora.

3. Take more film than you think that you could possibly use. I ran out of Portra on my trip and could find any while I was out there so had to substitute with Gold.

4. Take a variety of fulm speeds 100, 400 maybe even a roll or two of 800.

5. Take some sort of tripod! even a small one would at least allow you to take descent shots of the sunrise or sunset - you will not be able to hand hold for these!

6. The camera is very good at calculating exposures butin tricky lighting bracket. You will kick yourself if you get a really great shot severly under or over exposed.

 

All in all the light weight of the 300V and the 28-90USM lens make them excellent for travelling with. For low light the light weight 50/1.8 & 28/2.8 lenses are definately worth a look at. Skylight 1B or UV filters will be usefull for lens protection. A polarising filter is also an essential to carry with you. Use the lens hoods to control flare and increase contrast.

 

have a nice trip, be friendly to the natives - but be aware of your surroundings and whats going on around you.

Try using aperature priority mode. This hould allow you to pop up the built in flash and providing that there is enough light the camera willl meter for the ambient light and use the flash to fill in.

 

I have not used a 300D but every EOS film camera I have used has worked this way. I can't see why it would be different on the 300D. Try it and see :)

I posted this at the bottom of my previous thread but as that was a

few days ago no one may see it so...

 

I've got a Canonet G-III 17, and the meter dioesn't seem to work. I

couldn't find the correct 1.35v battery (although I can't be sure

that the battery supplied with the camera is dead).

 

I bought a SR44 battery and the meter doesn't seem to work. The test

light doesn't light up and there is no change to the meter in the

viewfinder (yes I took the cap off :)).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong or

of any common faults that I may be able to repair myself. I was

planning on trying to dismantle the camera and give it a clean

anyway.

 

I don't have an external meter and although I use print film I don't

feel comfortable with trying to guess the exposures (although I

admit it could be a way of learning about exposure).

 

Does anyone know how much a repair shop should charge to repair the

meter should it be faulty, or for that matter of any reputable

repair shops in West London?

I bought a SR44 battery and the meter doesn't seem to work. The test light doesn't light up and there is no change to the meter in the viewfinder (yes I took the cap off :)).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong or of any common faults that I may be able to repair myself. I was planning on trying to dismantle the camera and give it a clean anyway.

 

I don't have an external meter and although I use print film I don't feel comfortable with trying to guess the exposures (although I admit it could be a way of learning about exposure).

 

Does anyone know how much a repair shop should charge to repair the meter should it be faulty, or for that matter of any reputable repair shops in West London?

Thanks everyone for your help. I have ordered some batteries and hopefully I'll have some time to clean it up and take a few shots over the weekend.