William Michael

Well as I wrote - it annoyed my brain to look at it: and I continued to look at it for quite a while Therefore, I can't mount any substantial argument for the slightly skewed verticals not being an enhancing quality of the image. WW

Yes, I saw this first on the No Words Thread. I pressed "Like" - because I do like it. I like the balance of the two negatives spaces - dark and light. I like the remnants of rain. I like the transition from shadow to light which comes from both left to right and also front to back. I really like the quality of 3D 'Depth' which is very well displayed. I can smell the damp and feel the mist and mood - it is a really good shot. Bravo. WW I really am annoyed (well my brain is really annoyed looking at it) by the four main verticals (three main posts and the fancy metal support and the building's edge at RHS) they are all slightly NOT vertical. Slightly not vertical is usually always "not on purpose", but rather just the camera not held level, (funny, mostly always tilting camera downward on the left). So easy to fix - if you're interested it is a simple rotation 1 degree.

Dawn. Macquarie Lighthouse, Sydney, AUS.

For conversation - please see this (merged) thread: LINK William

Then the main issue raised in this conversation issue is now resolved. This is a secondary topic. Several Secondary Topics were begun as a result of the (detailed) Opening Post. The conversation will continue to harvest opinion and comment, provided the conversation remains within this Forum's Guidelines. William

4 Girls, Greenhills Beach, AUS, 2008

Seems reasonable price if condition is OK but there's stuff you don't need. It seems to me that the owner bought a "starter kit" which was laden with "stuff" that they were told was "necessary" - either told by the salesperson or an 'expert' on the www. *** I agree with both comments above and my emphases are: > Check the price and condition against what is available used from KEH, Roberts, Adorama, and B&H. For a first real camera, I think buying new, or used from these reputable dealers would make sense. > add on tele and wide angle adapter lenses are usually poor quality and not very useful. Cheap tripods are also usually not that good and won't last long. . . cheap tripods, most filters, too big a camera bag, and especially the wide & telephoto adaptors are junk you don't need. > Would not recommend any additional lenses or other stuff until you have used the camera for a while. WW

Approx. EV 2.5 to 3 in the Nave

There is no debt: simply passing it forward.

My guess is you re in the USA, I have bought second hand (on line - delivery by mail) from B&H Photo - I reckon I am a lot further away from them, than you are. I found them good. If you are in the US, you have other large stores from which to choose, Adorama and KEH are often mentioned in these forums: I have dealt with neither. That's an option. If I were you I would hold off on that option and research what your money can buy. The point is you know that there will be a new i-phone coming, on the other hand, it seems that you are not sufficiently educated on the alternatives, yet. On buying into "systems" I believe that one should consider the advantages of buying into a 'big manufacturer' and 'readily available most anywhere' system: ergo second hand there will likely be more options; repairs likely easier; going to a physical camera shop - likely more choices; apropos range of lenses and accessories - likely a bigger range; apropos third party compatible options - likely a bigger range; etc. That means Canon or Nikon. As for lens recommendations - I comment below. As a general comment, I think it unwise to classify lenses by the job that they do. The reason is that I think doing so might limit one's thinking and creativity. For example I have a very fine, thin 10" blade knife, I use it mainly for slicing ham, thinly: but I don't refer to it as my 'ham knife' or my 'carving knife' - this tool is really useful for: filleting large fish; flaying medium sized carcasses; butterflying steaks and poultry; etc. What is important to consider is the suitability of the characteristics of the tool, for the particular task. Landscapes can be photographed with a range of lenses: noting that there is a large range of Photographs which fit the genre "Landscape" So too, Sunrises and Sunsets, for the same reason. *** When you mention "Light Trails" I assume 'Night Sky Light Trails' you are now getting specific - that's a 'particular task'. So yes, we can now begin to define the characteristics of the lens which will be suitable for that task; keeping in mind that, such a particular lens might well (probably will) suit other tasks too, For 'light trails' - typically I would choose a wide angle lens, because I want a vast expanse of night sky in the image. Secondly I would choose a Prime Lens (not a Zoom Lens), because I would want to limit the likelihood of Ghost Images, Flare and Veiling Flare. Thirdly the Lens would not necessarily need to be very 'fast' - that means it would not necessarily need to have a very large maximum aperture, because to capture a Light Trail, the shutter is going to be open for several second anyway, so fast lens speed in not a priority. On the other hand: IF I also wanted to have a lens to capture the night sky WITHOUT star movement then I would want fast lens speed. Ergo - IF I bought a fast wide angle Prime Lens I could use that for both tasks. What I advise you NOT to do - Please do not read the above as advice to run out and buy Prime Lenses instead of Zoom Lenses - that was not my point, nor my advice. The above was an explanation, and example of how I believe one should work through the thinking and the planning of what you want to achieve. *** I have (mainly) SLR and DSLR Camera systems. I also have Mirror-less systems, both film and digital. (I have difficulty parting with my cameras and I have been at this for a long time - you probably have, or will have lots of favourite knives and pans.) That said, my digital Mirror-less system is Canon. It is Canon because Canon is one of the big two, it is also Canon because my DSLR system is Canon - my Canon lenses can fit to both. However - for my digital Mirror-less system I have bought and use (almost exclusively) third party Lenses. The third party lenses are all manual lenses (meaning I need to use manual focus and metering). I could use any of my Canon EF (i.e. DSLR) lenses with my Canon Mirror-less camera, but I find the balance is poor (i.e balance - weight - in my hand). The above is merely to outline the background from which I am writing. *** If I were to buy into a Mirror-less System, from scratch, I would investigate Canon and Nikon (I hold neither as preference). I would assess which camera feels 'right' in my hands. I would assess which Menu System is intuitive. I would assess the range and diversity of the lenses available. And (importantly) the Image Quality of the basic, or next up from basic, Standard Zoom Lens. These are the basics for the first choice. With one's first camera, I advocate buying a Standard Zoom Lens, the better the quality, then good, within the budget - and then use that Lens, really use that lens, really really use that lens - the more one uses that lens, the more one will learn what is possible and what is not possible, and what one wants to do next. You will be able to make many "Landscape" images with a Standard Zoom Lens. You will also be able to make "Light Trails" with a Standard Zoom Lens. (Probably) for both tasks you will need a Stable Tripod, Head and Remote Shutter Release: if Landscapes are your thing, then factor these tools into your budget. A quality Tripod and Head are typically expensive if bought new; the good thing is buying these tools second hand, in person, is both are really easy test. My least expensive Tripod was bought at a money lender's shop - I simply plonked my biggest camera and biggest lens on it and then wobbled the rig - simple test. Good luck with your choices and have great fun in your Journey with The Craft. WW

You can't delete it. You should list what has been sold and what is no longer for sale. WW

I like the way you capture people going about day to day life in street environs. I recommend you re-think your Shutter Speed choice for (any) Street Work. I interrogated four images: Man with coffee; man smoking; man and woman with red wine; woman on mobile phone. The reason I looked closely at these four images was because on my Studio Monitor the Subjects appeared soft yet the plane of focus was sharp. Tell-tale Subject Movement Blur. EXIF revealed the four images mentioned were pulled at 1/100s - I think one was 1/125s. All were shot a about ISO100. What I mean is there was plenty of light and bumping to ISO 400~800 or thereabouts, places you in a better range of Shutter Speed (and Aperture) selection. WW

That's good advice. As a few suggestions - I reckon the faces need pulling out of shadow, as do the eyes need some assistance. The black in the Boy's jacket could have a bit more detail. Rough indicative only: WW

Paris Street