michael_madio

<p>Use a sync cord or radio remote.</p>

<p>Yes, it's used. The T2i is a tech upgrade but in a different class of camera. Rebels are pro-sumer, XXD are semi-pro. Ergonomics isn't about tripod, it's about the menu interface. For example, if in manual mode (most common in a controlled studio-type situation), there are discrete controls for shutter and aperture on the XXD cameras while the Rebels need a few button presses to accomplish the same thing. The PC port is a flash sync port for studio flash ... nothing to do with a computer. The Rebels don't have this. The 30D interfaces to a computer via USB and uses the same software as the T2i. The 30D is a good solid pro level camera while the T2i is a consumer camera. They both work, both can produce excellent results. If you want video and "features", get the T2i. Consider that the price delta between a new consumer camera and a used semi-pro camera is enough to buy you basic studio lighting gear. Just trying to give you a practical perspective without all the marketing hype.</p>

<p>"Is there something significantly better in the 30D than the T2i for me and my preferences?" ... better x-sync speed, PC port, and much better ergonomics (fewer button presses to make common changes). There's a 30D at KEH on right now for $254 so it's cheaper than a T2i.<br>

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"And do u mean get 2 separate lenses?" ... yes. For the type of work you plan on doing you typically want f/2.8 or faster lenses and these two cover a broad range of focal lengths, provide very good quality, and are not very expensive.<br>

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<p>If I was in your position and had to shoot on a shoe-string budget while still having high quality I would go for the following camera gear (used from KEH):</p>

<p>- Canon 30D<br>

- Tamron 17-50/2.8 (non-VC)<br>

- Canon 85/1.8</p>

<p>For flashes go with a Flashpoint II 320M (Adorama) and 10' stand (Adorama). For a diffuser/reflectors use shower curtains or bed sheets and make some v-flats.</p>

<p>From the original post "I will get a better camera as soon as I can afford it, but for my purpose right now, I think lighting is much more important" ... something that may not be apparent right now is that the better camera does indeed give you better lighting because with flash, you can control the ambient (it's like a double exposure). For example, with a flash setup you can use a white background and have it render all the way from solid white to full black and every shade in between ... this is much harder using only ambient light. The fundamental point here is that going to a camera with external flash capability and a single off-camera flash, you're getting a second light (ambient) free and gaining much needed control.<br>

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If you really can't afford a camera upgrade now (get a used DSLR), shoot with what you have and use ambient light (windows, etc.). Don't spend on non-flash lights as it's money you can put towards a better camera or more useful lights. There are plenty of serviceable inexpensive flash units on the market now so if you shop wisely and you can get great "studio" results for a few hundred dollars (that's including a used DSLR!). You might also consider getting creative with financing and getting your model to kick in some funds to get you going.</p>

<p>Just scan it and don't worry about the mask.</p>

<p>"What Size genorater should I look for, for the lights we have talked about" ... it depends on the lights you're getting. Look at the generator + light specs to determine what is appropriate for you.</p>

<p>"I will only be shooting one or two teams a day if that makes a differnce" ... not really. Speaking as a parent with kids on sports teams, we don't like to wait for photos so flash recycle is a big concern. I would also be weary of complicated setups that take more time ... go for simple, fast, and safe.<br>

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"What about 2 vivitar 285s" ... these take ~5 seconds to recover from a full power flash and they can over-heat to the point of literally melting themselves down (don't ask me how I know!). As mentioned before, you're in studio light territory which doesn't necessarily mean expensive ... AlienBees are quite "budget" but you can go a step lower still by looking at the Adorama Flashpoint II units (a friend has a few and they work very well). Also consider that the studio lights have an integral stand mount where you would have to buy one for a hot-shoe flash (e.g. <a href="http://www.adorama.com/BG2905.html">http://www.adorama.com/BG2905.html</a>).</p>

<p>"Shooting into the sun I would shoot open flash to have enough power, right?" ... pretty much. This will make for long recycle times and will over-heat the flashes. Depending on the distance (groups?) and modifiers, you most likely will not have enough power.<br>

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"I also need to know what to get to fire the flashes" ... you can use sync cables, optical, or radio remotes. Studio lights use generic 1/4" audio jacks while hot-shoe flashes may or may not have PC sync connectors, in which case you need adapters (more cost). Studio lights also have integral optical slaves so all you need is a sync cable (typically included) to your closest light and the others will trigger optically. As for budget radio triggers, I recommend either Paul Buff CyberSyncs or for even less, Cactus V5 triggers.<br>

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<p>"I like to have clear and detailed pictures" ... shooting RAW or JPEG makes no practical difference here so if that's what you're after stick with JPEG. The practical benefits of shooting RAW are post-exposure white-balance, highlight recovery, and more flexibility when making drastic colour/tonal changes. The down side is additional storage space and the need to process the images (not a big deal at all ... even with the simple but good and free DPP, just plug in your memory card and let it chew on the files while you do something else). I strongly suggest Lightroom as the noise reduction alone is worth it and the workflow can really make things simple.<br>

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If you aren't going to leverage any of the benefits of shooting RAW and can get the results you like straight out of the camera, it's probably not worth the additional storage and effort for you.</p>

<p>"I will be in the sun with subjects facing me while i'm facing the sun as to really make the shot pop" ... for high volume shooting you're out of speedlight territory and into studio lights (rent a generator or get battery operated units if there's no AC power available). A single ~60Ws flash will be working very hard to compete with the sun. From a budget perspective, consider that you can get a 640Ws unit + accessories (e.g. AlienBees B1600) for less than the SB-910 and it will go all day without over-heating.</p>

<p>The "wormy" artifacts look like what I get with the scanner grain reduction on very dense areas of film. The best way I found to deal with this is to disable any auto-correction features such as grain reduction, scan at the highest optical resolution, then down-sample by 50% (e.g. scan at 4000dpi then down-res to 2000dpi).</p>

<p>Re the fixer, based on the MSDS it's very similar to Ilford's Rapid Fixer so you you should be able to use it per the Rapid Fixer instructions (use 1+4 for film, 1+9 for paper). As for using 2150XL for film, it's quite active with a high pH so it would work but you may not like the results (grainy ... read about using Dektol for film). For film your best bests are ID-11/D-76 or XTOL.</p>

<p>I personally have not had any issues with many films but I'm sure you're right that this may cause problems in some cases ... regardless, use Photo Flo at 1/2 strength as above with distilled water.</p>

<p>As the others have mentioned, Kodak HC-110 or Ilford's Ilfotec HC is probably your best bet for a one-shot (single use) long-life developer (get a dosage syringe from the pharmacy). For stop use water (2 changes) and for fix use Photographer's Formulary TF-4. For a final rinse use the following - 2.5mL Kodak Photo Flo 200 + 25mL 91% (or greater) Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) + distilled water to 1L ... give it a few slow inversions and let the film drip dry.</p>

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<p>Just to chime in here again, be sure to add up what hardware store shop lights cost vs the $99 Adorama flash ... it's 150WS which is the equivalent of 3 hot-shoe flashes and has an integral umbrella mount. Not to pick on anything particular here but even with 3 or 4 shop light fixtures with bulbs you're more than half way there to a "real" flash that isn't too hot and lets you use more typical ISO, shutter speed, and apertures. I have no affiliation with Adorama or these products in any way, just saying that for relatively little money you can get the right tool for the job as opposed to a poor substitute that is extremely limiting and will be frustrating to work with.</p>

<p>"I have heard of some people using clamp on lights that can be bought at the local hardware store. Any advice??" ... don't use the lights ;-)<br>

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The simplest and most cost effective way of shooting people in your scenario is to get a flash unit of some sort (inexpensive units work as well ... e.g. <a href="http://www.adorama.com/FP320M.html">http://www.adorama.com/FP320M.html</a>) and fire it through a white bed sheet or shower curtain emulating a large window.</p>

<p>I will third the recommendation for the Sekonic L-208 ... compact, reliable, and simple to use.</p>

<p>40"-45" is a good general purpose size. As mentioned by Richard, getting a translucent one with black removable back makes it quite versatile. For something with even more versatility look at the 46" Photek Softlighter.</p>

<p>"Personally I use a piece of black felt or flannel from the local fabric store" ... same here. Also, using flash as your key light helps as you can minimize the ambient exposure to help the black background stay black.</p>

<p>Shoot in aperture priority and adjust ISO to give you appropriate shutter speed.</p>

<p>Responses to your questions are as follows:</p>

<p>"1. For instance, I get a correct exposure with a particular setting and then If I increase the f-number (smaller aperture), which is the best compensation - ISO or the Shutter speed ?" ... increasing ISO gives noise and longer shutter speed gives motion blur. No free lunch ... pick your poison.</p>

<p>"2. Is it advisable to use manual mode always ?" ... depends. If using flash manual mode is probably the most consistent but without flash using aperture priority works well.</p>

<p>"3. You've got any other tips for me ?" ... practice and consider using flash.</p>

<p>It might be a T4 or TX mount ... difficult to tell without seeing it. Another route is to get a Nikon to EOS adapter.</p>

<p>"i want good quality pictures in the end, like professional ones" ... the lens is fine, it's lighting you need to worry about.</p>

<p>"surprisingly long" = 1/120s from some older Photogenic units I had (not very friendly with leaf shutters)</p>

<p>I've read reports of modern "ebay" studio flashes being measured at 1/60s.</p>

<p>Bottom line ... check the specs first.</p>

<p>Adorama or B&H</p>

<p>Very true. Some older units have surprisingly long durations.</p>