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I'm sure you'll meet people who are in photography, and unfortunately, after being there for about 10 months, you'll finally meet someone who's in a camera club. Taipei's a pretty cool place, with great people. I'm sure that there'll be a following of the film variety there, and tracking them down would, albeit, eventually successful.

Got one! Well... I'll keep looking for a good op'<div></div>

Certainly an interesting project. Apparently, it was Minolta who devised the bokeh concept, and did much of the research on it. Perhaps too late the MD generation of lenses. Right now, I'm considering investing in a 100 2.8 Macro, as the aperture has 8 leaves, which apparently help improve bokeh (the more the better).

Richard, I haven't had the chance to compare the 7d to the a700, so I took it with a grain of salt that there would be improvement. There are reports though, that there is significantly less noise in the current generations of the Sony Alpha series, since the KM's and a100's had been released. Here, I must admit that noise has been a concern for me, and so it's acted as a kind of barometer for me, as to the improvement of digital sensors, over that of film. But it's interesting, your crowd says the 7d is better on noise, and my crowd says the opposite. (Donations of 7d and A700 for Richard and I are called on so we can properly evaluate this ;) ). You are right, there are features in the 7d (and apparently Dynax / Maxxum 9) that haven't been taken up by either Sony or the competition, which still make these cameras in some ways nicer.

 

In any case, this is Sony's first generation of a seven series camera, and they're still getting to know the a-mount following, so I expect things to get significantly better in the next few generations of cameras.

I agree with Edward

- Great Ocean Road, also

- Sorrento (seascapes)

- Hurstbridge (mountains and forest)

- Mt Feathertop (mountains with a variety of vegetation types)

- Mallee (landscapes)

lol... and the cobbles make it more blurry ;) I'll see what I can find. The weekend is promising to be at least overcast.

Short answer, the Sony A900 (full-frame camera) will be out this year. Old Minolta AF (auto focus) and G lenses will be perfect with it. These lenses will also be fine with the A700 (and the DT's). If I were him, I wait for the A900, and be shopping for second hand Minolta AF and Konica-Minolta G lenses. The good thing with the KM and Sony system is the menu system is much simplified and quite intuitive. He should be able to learn quick.

I can only think of any unwanted surface marks and scratches, and if there's satisfactorily enough power in the battery. Oh, most 7d's haven't seen their self life of about 100,000 shutter actuations, so you should be fine there, too.

That's an interesting one.

I agree with Douglas, however, I chose a smaller SLR, and went with the kit lenses, 18-70mm (macro) and 75-300mm. So, I have a lot of flexibility. These lenses aren't fantastic for high quality work, but for travel, and for my needs, they're perfect. It is horses for courses.

I love the first one, that's cool. Love the grain in the second. Thanks for the ideas.

I think you'll find that the A700 is leaps and bounds over any camera released a year or more ago, regarding image quality. However, digital still hasn't caught up with film, but film has its own problems: grain. I agree with the others, it does depend on the light conditions, and as you realised: iso. Try using your flash more if you're doing stuff indoors. The other thing is, I never use 'Auto' mode. I don't use an A700 (it's older little brother KM 5d), and I was never happy with the results I got from Auto. Using 'S', 'A', or 'M' gives you much better control of quality. For that, check this out: http://www.winjeel.com/photos.htm Still, if you're not happy with your A700, I'll (very) gratefully accept any kind donations ;)

Thanks. That's a great portfolio you've got there. You've certainly have travelled and experienced.

There's a tutorial that you can use here: http://www.winjeel.com/photography/how_to_take_photos/fireworks.htm and you're right, tripod, tripod, and tripod... but don't forget a remote shutter release is the other important thing.

The names of the Minolta cameras are not confusing. It's Canon that's got the confusing ones ;)

 

I've never heard of such a fault, but you can get it repaired if it's still under warranty by Sony (they'll also do that First Frame Black issue, too: warranty or no warranty). Again, I've never heard of focusing problems when in manual mode. I can only assume that you might not be using a KM lens or there's some dust in the circuitry somewhere. It might be worth getting it checked out.

I'd suggest having lenses to cover from your kit 18mm to maybe 250 or 300mm. That gives you quite a bit of

flexibility. The d40 is a great little travel camera, but I wouldn't expect super high quality pics from it, so,

unless you've an eye for its bigger brother later, I wouldn't go out looking for an expensive array of lenses.

The other thing is, I'd definitely recommend a tripod, or at least a monopod for using zoom lenses, and low-light

shots. Here's a few tips: http://www.winjeel.com/photography/how_to_take_photos/Travel.htm

Does anyone have any good ideas for subjects to photograph in the rainy season?

 

How about the upcoming summer?

I think camera theft occurs in Phnom Penh, but only when you're not looking. I haven't heard of it happening, but have seen the cameras and lenses for sale in one of the markets there. The hotels in Siem Reap include a safe, otherwise, keep it around your neck, and you'll be fine.

I'd definitely fly in, as road journeys can be dangerous. I stayed (unashamedly) in a four star hotel there, and it was superb (at USD$200 a night), quite worth it. Park entry was USD$20 a day, and three day pass was USD$40. Don't rent a bike to travel to Angkor Wat from Siem Reap, since it's quite hot there, you'll be worn out before you get there. When I was there, I met a guy and set up this website for him: http://www.winjeel.com/fesp/index.html He offers tours and these help pay for children's English education. Otherwise, go there by motorbike taxi or motor rickshaw, and the drivers can still give you some basic info about what you're looking at. Also, it's an absolute must to take a notebook and write down the names and info about places and picture frame numbers, as you won't remember a thing about the photos you took, otherwise. One more thing, it's a great place, and the people are nice. Enjoy.

Not bad prices. I haven't looked in this forum for a while, so I missed your earlier post about travelling around here. I don't know if you can walk all 88 temples of Shikoku. It's a big place, and they can be spread out apparently. I know someone who's planning to do thirty this year, and he's spreading them out through the year. Good luck, and have fun.

To me it depends. If there's higher risk, then I leave my more expensive stuff behind (which is probably only my 75-300mm lens). All my gear otherwise is on the cheap. I've chosen the Konica Minolta 5d, not the bigger more expensive 7d. And if I do upgrade to a Sony, I'd still take my 5d on the riskier adventures. Oh, and both my tripod and monopods are inexpensive, too. I like to travel a lot.

I've got a Lowepro backpack. The top is for lunch, and the bottom is for the gear. My only complaint is that the waist strap could do with some more padding. Otherwise good layout.

I'm living in Japan, and for studies, you'd need to pass at least level two of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which is quite difficult. In my opinion of Japanese photography, of what is commonly seen on the train advertisements, album covers and the like, it has either poor lighting and shadows or it's very formulaic. I'd stick to European training if you can.

 

However, I'd hate to see you throw everything in, lose your comfortable life just to see if you can live off of your hobby. It might be best to go part-time in your first job and part time as a photographer, rather than taking the plunge off of the deep end.

 

This website was designed for beginners, but might still be useful for you: http://www.winjeel.com/photography/how_to_take_photos/making_money.htm

These links goes to my website. Though it's not geared for exactly what you're looking for, it has somethings that could be useful. Of course, feel free to ask questions.

http://www.winjeel.com/teaching_english.htm

http://www.winjeel.com/Teaching_English/Basic_lesson_plans.htm

 

I have taught online, and still do a little, so I'll be happy to help

Finish your studies in Sociology first, then let yourself get distracted. Photography will always be here, but not your chance to complete your degree. The best thing I've done Was to finish my degree... in Biology :)