emaxxman

<p><a href="http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-35mm/system-Minolta-Maxxum/category-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses?s=1&bcode=MA&ccode=6&cc=81126&r=WG&f">http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-35mm/system-Minolta-Maxxum/category-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses?s=1&bcode=MA&ccode=6&cc=81126&r=WG&f</a></p>

<p>I have an older Minolta brand 100mm macro. I love it. Mine was the "D" version that was sold right before Konica Minolta was sold to Sony. You don't need the D version for macro. Optically, non-D and D are the same. Barrel is metal (from what I can tell.)<br>

Lens is tack sharp and doubles as a great portrait lens. In fact, I bought it for portraits but macro is great with 100mm. Personally, I think 30/50mm is just too short for true 1:1 macro. You're almost touching the subject.<br>

The used lenses at KEH (very reputuable) are just slightly over $300. I bought a 50mm f/1.7 from them that was old barrel lens style (close to 20 years old) and it works great! </p>

<p> </p>

<p>I don't know what the cause is in your situation but I can say, on my Maxxum 7D, I've gone past 35K pics and have no issues with the file naming.</p>

<p>I don't know if it can handle .NEF files or pull the EXIF data out and put it in the file name but try IrfanView. It's completely free and has many options for setting up naming templates. I used to use it under Windows XP with great success...haven't reinstalled it yet since I upgraded to Windows 7.</p>

<p>As an original Minolta Maxxum 7 (then Konica Minolta 7D) user, I'm just not happy with what Sony has done with the pricing of the line. New lenses, etc. are ridiculous expensive. I just took a look at gettng a wired remote release. $59 at Amazon!!!! I vaguely remember it being ~$30 when it was branded as a Minolta. Ended up buying used at keh.com for $6.<br>

With that all said, I really hope that Sony doesn't drop the SLR line. They have made some great advances in body features (although, I still prefer the knob layout of the 7D). Switching to Canon or Nikon would be financially painful.</p>

<p>Anyone?</p>

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I've got a pretty good Bogen/Manfrotto tripod and ballhead that I've been pretty happy with for photography. I'm now looking for something that I can use for videography. It's mostly of the kids during school plays, concerts, and outdoor play. As the kids get into more sports, I plan on using it for that too.</p>

<p>Let me first say that this is only for personal use BUT I do want quality. I know I can get a nice dedicated geared video head but they are above my price point currently and a little to limited.<br>

After some research, the Manfrotto 808RC4 seems to be a good upgrade from my ballhead but also has pan/tilt capabilities.</p>

<p><strong>QUESTION:</strong> Is the pan/tilting smooth enough for video? This is amateur video so it doesn't have to be "movie" smooth but I don't want to see any of that jerky motion I get with handholding or the ballhead.<br>

The equipment I'm using is a Maxxum 7d with the 100-300mm lens as the heaviest setup (add a flash and that is the max weight). The camcorder is a small palm sized camcorder but I'm considering upgrading to a high end amateur level HD camera...nothing too big in size.</p>

<p>Rick - how much was it to fix? I bought my camera in 2005.</p>

<p>I know there is a known issue with the shutter locking up. I tried googling it and searching here on photo.net. Unfortunately, searches turn up articles around the mirror lockup function and not the actual defect. Does anyone have a link to a more detailed explanation of the issue.<br>

My problem with the shutter lockup has been strange. I've had it where the shutter locks up after a long period of non-use. Removing the battery to reset the camera and reinserting usually fixed it. Recently, I had a strange issue where the shutter locked up and the only thing that worked to fix it was replacing the battery in the external 5600hs flash. The batts were low in the flash. Replacing the batts seemed to unlock the lockup. I also noticed that the internal lithium batt, if low, contributed to the lockup. A freshly charged camera battery pack resolved the problem. I do NOT have the extra vertical grip.<br>

To recap, I've had shutter lockup based on 3 situations:<br>

1) after a long period of non-use.<br>

2) external 5600hs flash had a low battery indicator.<br>

3) internal lithium battery pack (OEM) was low</p>

<p>Are these all symptoms of the same shutter issue? Or are these all non-related?</p>

<p>Thanks in advanced.</p>

Thanks all. It's a tough call. I use a work laptop 99% of the time so it's tough to justify more than $300 for a really nice LCD. I will look into the DVI.

Same thing happend to my 7d and 5600hs flash. My son stepped on the camera strap accidentally and yanked it out of my wife's hand. It felt about 3 ft hard to a museum floor. Flash broke. $20 for a new shoe..was a quick plug and play fix.

 

Sucky part was that it was the first day of our vacation. Had to use the onboard flash for the rest of vacation.

Wow..bummer that the lens is not a fast focusing lens.

 

I should've mentioned that I am shooting with the center focus point locked and am in AF-C mode. I'm going to use the monopod this coming weekend and then try the wide focus area mode. I will also try f/16.

 

thanks,

I need some tips with shooting my son's soccer games (he's 6 years old.) I'm

handholding, shooting in fairly good but bright light, ISO 4, f/5.6 to f/8.

 

The images tend to be a little soft. Is it the lens or my technique. The

entire image appears to be a little soft but not the kind of softness you would

expect from camera shake.

 

Should I shoot wide open? I shot at f/8 to try and maximize sharpness. The

shutter speeds I was getting were very close to 1/1000th sec so it should be

fast enough to stop motion.

 

I was thinking the AF speed of the 7d and 100-300 zoom weren't enough to keep

up. Anyone else have good luck with this combo? Any tips?

 

I have a monopod. Would that help given the shutter speeds I was getting?

No it's not the same. The black version was a very slow focusing lens. The white version is a high speed focusing lens, hence the HS designation. That's the reason the black one is only $900.

Well, I picked up the KM 17-35 lens. I sold a few old items and put the credit towards the KM lens. The Tamron 17-50 nice but at almost $100 bucks more, I had to pass due to budget constraints. I was leaning towards the KM and the price made the choice easier.

 

The KM lens feels nice, solid, and well built. The focusing and zoom rings feel smooth. I'm sure it will hold up just fine as I don't really abuse my equipment. I have a 1985 edition 50mm f1.7 lens and that still works great.

 

I haven't had a chance to really review and take formal test shots yet. However, I'm very impressed with the picture quality, i.e. sharpness so far. Hopefully, I'll get to take some formal shots soon.

 

Thanks everyone for your help.

Thanks everyone for your input. I have a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 and am pretty happy with it. It needs to be stopped down but so does every non-pro level lens.

 

The Sigma 18-50 looks interesting. It is a 72mm filter which would let me use some filters I already have. The 24-70 has a ridiculous 82mm filter. I also considered the 17-50 but didn't like the fact that it was only useable on non-full frame cameras. I still have a film 7 and occasionally use it. It's a minor point regardless.

 

I'm torn between getting a KM lens vs a Sigma/Tamron. The S/T have a warranty of 4-6 years. The KM only has a 1 year warranty of which I would have to go to Sony for (ugh.) I have 3 Minolta brand lenses and prefer the ergonomics to my 2 Sigma's.

 

I will be heading into NYC this week so I'll see if I can check them out in person at B&H Photo.

I've search extensively on the net for reviews of both of these lenses. There

are alot of reviews for the Tamron 17-50 and 17-35. All for the most part

compare it against the Canon or Nikon ~equivalents.

 

Does anyone have link for a review of the KM 17-35 and/or a comparison. The

only 17-35 review I can find is for the G version by Michael Hohner. As much

as I would love that lens, it's too expensive and not easily found anymore.

John Lee,

 

Portrait lenses traditionally are in the 80-135mm range (although what you take a portrait with is completely dependant on your artistic taste.)

 

KM 28-75mm is a good zoom in that range.

 

KM 100mm macro f/2.8 is fantastic. I have the newer "D" version. I love it. In fact, it is my dedicated portrait lens. One caveat is that it could be TOO SHARP for older adults. Being a macro lens, it will bring out every wrinkle on an older person's face.

 

Maxxum 85 f/1.4 is a "G" lens, is a great lens, and the cream of the crop. Waaaay expensive, even used.

 

Get a used Maxxum 50mm f/1.7 lens. I got mine from keh.com in "excellent" condition for $50 (incl shipping) Aside from my macro, the 50mm is the sharpest lens I have and was on my film 7 99% of the time. The Sony version f/1.4 but unless you do alot of lowlight, handheld shooting, I don't think you'll get your money's worth.

 

 

You wrote:

***I love the way portrait shots or macro shots are filled with Bokeh elements.***

 

If you want to take portraits and macro, then go with a used macro lens. There are tons available at www.keh.com. That would be my recommendation. The older non-D version is all metal and was rated by photodo.com as the sharpest macro out of all of the manufacturers. I got the "D" version which is all metal, supports "D" metering, and has larger focusing ring which makes it easier to handle. You can't go wrong with either.

 

Check out these postings for more info on the macro:

 

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JRD6

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007ztz

 

BTW, there was never a 28-135 "G" lens. Someone is listing it with the "G" to make extra money.

Steve,

 

I agree and am in the same boat as you. I bought a 7D because I had tons of money invested in lenses and flashes for my 7. However, Jenny is starting new from what it sounds like. There are more things to consider than image stabilization when investing in a pro level system.

 

Personally, I would go with Canon. The variety of bodies demonstrates that Canon has the will to invest. They have a robust system of lenses that should fit a variety of needs.

One more thing...

 

You asked: What do the pros use to take such amazing shots (especially landscape, with such vivid colors)?

 

Answer: Their brain and years of practice and experience. An $8000 Canon DSLR in the hands of a newbie is a paper weight. Great pictures have nothing to do with equipment. Pros buy pro level equipment so that they are not limited by the equipment but by their own skill level.

I am a huge fan of Minolta (of which the Sony DSLR system is based on.) I have a film Maxxum 7 and digital 7d. With that said, I do not consider Sony a wise choice for building a camera system for professional use.

 

As a professional, you will have to rely on your equipment to make a living. That requires camera bodies with pro level reliability and performance as well as pro-level customer service.

 

Sony customer service is already renowned for sucking the blood out of customers. I'll leave it at that.

 

The A100 is not a pro level body. It is on par with the digital 7d (and I do not consider the 7d to be a pro level body.) In fact the film 7 was closer to a pro level body. The focusing speed of the 7D and A100 are relatively slow, body ruggedness is not there, & flash sync is too slow. I also don't care what anyone says about the availability of pro level lenses is...a camera company that has only one amatuer level body available is not a brand to build a living on.

 

There is a very valid reason as to why Canon and Nikon are the pro's choice of cameras. They have the customer support network, they have the pro level equipment available now, and they are a proven system to build on. Minolta is dead and Sony is unproven in the DSLR market right now.

 

And that is coming from a Minolta fan (who does not have to rely on his equipment to feed his children.)

While those aren't the greatest shots, I don't think they're meant to be portfolio level work. They are candid shots in uncontrolled environments of personal, family moments.

 

Now if you really want to be objective and fair, you should grade him on the pics in his gallery. But it doesn't actually sound like you want to be fair...more like you just want to knock someone down.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007ztz

 

In the link above, another poster had the same question as you. I got my Maxxum D macro lens. I also had to make a choice between the Tamron, Sigma, or Maxxum. My reasoning is in that thread.

 

The other thing you could explore is a used Maxxum "D" macro lens. It will be close to the price of a new Tamron. Go for the D version as it has the wider focusing ring. To me, that makes a huge difference in ergonomics and is the reason why I went with the Maxxum version.

 

I think the Tamron Di version is the same that was available back when I bought my Maxxum so my comments in the thread should still apply.

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Peter wrote:

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Rather than extending the range of the flash (and the life of the batteries) where the background would be white/flash light, the photographer, Thang, is trying to capture as much ambient non-flash light as possible while also letting in some supplemental fill-flash order to (a) fill in otherwise lost detail in high contrast shadows - that's "fill flash", and (b) allowing the fill-flash to also gently fill in facial features that may have unflattering shadows, but still having the flash NOT be the primary lighting in the portrait. These, (a) and (b), are the usual purposes of fill-flash, especially in portrait photography.

---------------------

 

You are correct. I've found that I get a more desireable balance of ambient light when using ISO 800. I've also used a tripod and manually setting a slower shutter speed with decent results. I will have to practice with different shutter speeds more.

Peter,

 

I think you may be on to something with the Stofen. When using the Stofen, I get very severe flash underexposure if the flash is not bounced off the ceiling. I also have to up the flash exposure compensation by 1/2 when using the Stofen.

 

Note: I am using a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 "D" lens. It always worked well with my film Maxxum 7. I got it rechipped by Sigma when I got the 7D.

Mike - The room has a bright white ceiling with all bright white wood trim and wainscot. In fact the room is more than 70% bright white. The only non-white surfaces are the floor, couch, curtains, the grey-blue wall you see in the background.