aubreyp

If I had $4K and no gear, here's what I'd buy:

 

1) 5D $2000

2) 50mm f1.4 $300

3) 85mm f1.8 $300

4) 135mm f2 $900

 

OR

 

1) 40D $1400

2) 35mm f1.4 $900

3) 50mm f1.4 $300

4) 85mm f1.8 $300

 

Obviously the 5D is a nicer camera, better res, etc. but you can get more glass if you get a 40D and don't care about going wide, which is not *usually* necessary for non-documentary portraits.

Those are beautiful photos!

 

This lens is at the top of my wish list. I've often considered trading in my 70-200 f4 plus a few hundred for it, but just can't quite seem to justify it.

I had a loose connection between my 10D and a rented 70-200 2.8 IS. occasionally the camera would show an ERR99, and I would have to re-seat the lens. Keep in mind that this was on a highly used rental lens, and probably had a lot of wear on it.

> ps. I'm also curious: How accurately does the LCD screen show the >exposure of the RAW image?

 

It's my understanding that the histogram shows the data from whatever processing setting you have in the camera NOT the actual RAW file. I read an article on that recently, but I can't find the link again.

I recently bought a "high-end" ($600) Acer monitor. The contrast and brightness are really way too high. I ended up turning both down. I think my contrast is somewhere around the lowest setting and brightness is about 50%. Typical LCDs seem designed for games and web surfing, not accurately displaying subtle color gradations.

You might check these guys out:

 

http://www.metroframe.com/

 

I haven't used them, but I considered them for some large work I'm getting framed. The reason I didn't use them is because it looked like a lot of work putting the frames together. If you've time, I think their prices are reasonable -but not cheap.

I haven't noticed a significant difference in viewfinder brightness when using my f1.8/f2 lenses on my 5D. The grid has been very helpful for all kinds of shooting though. It's a lot of $$ for a tiny piece of plastic, but actually worth it.

I consider weekly if I should get a crop body to use my Canon 35 f2 on. It made a great

normal lens for a crop with really good close up abilities. I don't use it quite as much on

the full frame. I have a 50mm 1.4 and I don't find it all that inspiring. But it was good for

portraits on my crop body. The USM on the f1.4 lenses is much nicer than the focus on the

50mm f1.8 and 35mm f2. Most people put aperture above focal ease/speed/accuracy

when buying, but the focus really makes a difference.

 

That wasn't your questions though. If price was no object, I'd get the 35 f1.4 for a crop

normal lens. I'd get it before the 50 f1.2 as well.

I've heard people like mpix.com, but they only go up to 16x20. EZPrints / Smugmug make good prints too and give you a nice interface for printing.

 

I use Digicraft in Portland,OR (http://www.udevelop.com/pages/chromira.htm) They have very consistent color and good customer service. I get a good value using their plug-and-play printing system.

 

It's important to decide which RGB colorspace you are going to use. Digicraft (and other pro labs) use Adobe 1998, but most consumer printing places use sRGB. If you use one and your printer uses another you will have to convert and readjust your out-of-gamut colors before sending them to print.

I just have a bit to add about sharpening, and I'm sure it's open to debate:

 

Sharpen LAST.

 

You want to sharpen for your final output size. This means images posted to your web site will have different sharpening settings than ones you intend to print large.

 

Check out books by Dan Margulis on using Photoshop. They are quite advanced, but may give you some good ideas after you've been working for a while.

I suggest you have a separate hard disk partition for your photoshop scratch file as well. There's probably a tool to resize an existing partition, so you'll have to do that when you get your new computer. I usually keep a 60GB scratch partition for Photoshop.

 

All that helps your swap speed a little when Photoshop runs out of memory and has to write out to disk.

 

You definitely need more RAM. Order from Kingston or other reputable Mac memory seller. Apple charges WAY too much for their RAM.

Why not get a 20D body and a 28-135 IS lens? Use it for a while and decide if you want to

invest in wider or longer lenses. It wouldn't hurt to get a 50mm 1.8 for portraits. That and a

decent bag should set you back less than $1000 and give you a good starting point for

taking some great photos and evaluating your future needs

 

Remember you can always rent lenses if you want to try out a few before you buy.

I have the 35mm f2 and I really like it as a lens. One of the overlooked features of this lens is it's close focusing distance. Really nice for seeing details in context. The optical quality is nice too. The only real drawback is the slow/loud focusing.

 

I started using it on a crop body, and now use it on my full frame. I think it's a more interesting lens on the crop body.

 

I'm currently saving up for the Canon 35L, but I may not sell my f2 even after I get the other one. It's just plain fun to use.

Hi Bill,

 

I've been charging hourly and use fees for the photos I've taken in the past, but I see your

point about being punished for being fast. I'm going to change my billing arrangement from

now on.

 

Thanks for such an informative post!

Check out Fotoquote. It gives ranges for photos depending on use. Really handy for

determining use fees.

 

http://www.fotoquote.com/

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions! My ex-roomate also suggested cdia. I might be inclined to live in Boston, or NY, but I don't think I could live in MT or rural Washington. I really enjoy city living.

 

Glamour Girl: I've always gone thong myself.

I'm interested in going back to school for photography. I already have a BA from a liberal arts school,

where I did a lot of art training, but I didn't get a lot of formal, technical photography training. I see a lot

of fashion work that I like, since the good stuff seems to be about emotion, lifestyle and beauty, but I'm

interested in taking those fashion photo skills (lighting, sets, composition, post-effects, working with

models) and using them in my personal art. I'm in my 30's and have a career doing other kinds of artwork.

I don't mind if I can't make money right away at photography, but I really would like to push my photo

work much harder. I've also considered going to film school to learn cinematography.

 

Anyone have some suggestions about possible schools or programs? I live in the pacific northwest, but

may be willing to move for the right school/environment.

 

Thanks!

 

-Aubrey

Buy the Canon 50mm f1.8 and the Canon 85mm f1.8. That should be about $400 and give

some fine choices. I don't really recommend spending the $ for the 50mm f1.4 unless you

need the quicker focusing for the weddings.

I was getting error like that when I transitioned from my 10D to my 5D. People suggested reformatting the memory cards a few times and that worked like a charm.

I just saw a number of them on ebay today.

I would buy the 35mm f2 and the 85mm f1.8. The 85mm is a great lens and I use it a lot for portraits and close ups of street stuff. The 35mm f2 gives you a "normal" perspective and really close focusing on the crop body. I have both 50s and am impressed by neither. I use the 50 1.4 b/c is focuses faster.

There are decent alternatives to the Canon 17-40mm f4L. I used my Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 on a 10D (1.6 crop) and it was a great lens. I recently bought a 5D and now that lens really shines. You can pick them up for about $300, which I consider a bargain.

 

Here's a review from Bob Atkins:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/tamron_17_35_review.html

I would hesitate to change cameras right before a big trip. You will have a lot of learning to do on the switch to digital, and you may not want to do that during a time-limited trip. I agree that renting a lens is a great idea for short durations. Here's what I would do:

 

1) Bring 50mm 1.8

2) Buy 35mm f2 ($250?) or rent a 17-40mm f4

3) Rent 70-200 f4 (IS?)

 

The 35mm f2 is fast, light, compact and good quality. The 70-200 is light, quick focusing and sharp. You will probably get a lot more of your shots with that lens than your current zoom if you like shooting with zooms. Do that and your lens bag will be nice and light.

The biggest difference is the build quality and the UI. After trying to use a friend's Rebel, I'm very happy I bought my 10D & 5D. The Rebels seem cheaply made and hard to use to me. The more I shoot the more I really appreciate the quality difference of the XXD series over the Rebel.

 

Shutter replacement is cheap, but it does take your camera out of commission for a few weeks. I got about 12,000 clicks on my 10D before I had to replace the shutter.

Here are examples of the 1.8 wide open bokeh:

 

http://www.rendermack.com/photo/photos/studio_tara/14.html

http://www.rendermack.com/photo/photos/studio_tara/15.html

http://www.rendermack.com/photo/photos/studio_julie/9.html

http://www.rendermack.com/photo/photos/studio_julie/10.html