darin_schaffer

<p>Ebay is fine, pay close attention to the photos of the product, and make sure you buy from a good sellar, # of sales and satisfaction ratings are the key things to look at. KEH is great for lenses, don't be afraid of their bargain lenses. I purchased a bargain 90mm from them at a price that rivaled the best deals on ebay. That bargain lens is in about as close to mint as you could expect(not saying all bargain lenses will be mint). I did have an issue with the first Hassy I tried to buy on ebay, as in it never showed up. That problem was quickly resolved by ebay in the form of a complete refund including shipping credited to my paypal account. Patience combined with the ability to recognize a good deal and quickly pull the trigger when it comes is all you need. Good luck.</p>

<p>Thank you for the info on the Algarve, I thought we might be pushing it a bit. I think we are going to skip the Algarve this time around and stay mostly around Lisbon with side trips of which Porto will be the longest and we may stay over night there. I think there is a point where reality has to creep in. I would rather really enjoy a few spots than see a bunch and never have time to enjoy them even a little. Porto, Sintra, and Lisbon seem like they will offer up a lot that we are looking for. Thank you again everyone for your thoughts, much appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks Bill,<br>

Your visit sounds similar to what we are leaning towards. I think our 8 days will go quickly. I would like to get to Porto but we may not be able to. If we do, it would probably be an overnighter. Good to hear about equipment safety. You always have to be on your tows but having to be excessively so can ruin a trip.</p>

<p>Thank you Anders, yes we are aware that there are some issues in portugal right now. Obviously safety is a concern for everyone when traveling. We will keep an eye on it but I think we will be fine. Arthur, Sintra is pretty high on the priority list. It seems to be a stunning city with incredible beaches to photograph and old world grit and charm all rolled into one. If it is what I think it is, we will probably do a couple of day trips there. It is a shame we don't have more time but it is difficult to get away even that long at work, unlike my wife who works in the school system and gets summers off. Stefan, Coimbra looks interesting as well. From what I have seen, I don't think we will be disappointed by the places we are considering. I know theft is a big issue in Rome but how is it in Portugal. Did anyone have any issues with camera security? A hassy on a tripod does standout a bit. </p>

<p>Thank you for the responses. I thought we might be trying to fit a little too much in. We will probably focus more on Lisbon and the North. I had considered the Algarve strictly because of the stunning beaches, not so much because I want to lay around on one. I am sure we won't get everything in that we would like but 8 days is what we have so that will have to do this time around. I plan on taking my D200 with a 12-24 and either the 55 or 105 micro for digital and my 500 c/m with a 50 and 100 for film. I would venture the 12-24 and the 100mm will see the bulk of the work. I will check into Evora and the Douro valley, thanks again for the advice. Scott I did indeed find my ball head. I got a Gitzo 1277, I love the simplicity of it and it holds everything I have with ease. I had looked at and was considering the hydro's but lucked into a great deal on the 1277. It is well made and will last quite some time. Well thanks again everyone, your comments are much appreciated.</p>

<p>Hi my wife and I are going to Portugal in late June. We will be based in Lisbon for most of the trip. We have identified a few places we would like to see. Sintra, Obido, Porto, and the Algarve area(probably a couple of days). It should allow us to get a wide range of photography in from gritty street shots to beautiful beaches. I am curious though if that sounds like a realistic plan or if we are trying to see too much, it would be nice to have a day or two to just relax. I have done a fair amount of research but always nice hear the experiences of PN. Thank you in advance.</p>

<p>I haven't used it but the new Arcaswiss p0 looks like it might fit the bill, also check out really right stuff, strong and more squat then usual.</p>

<p>Ross,<br>

I am curious a Paul is, what binding method are you using? How many photos per book? Unless this is something you feel you need to make, there are several photobook sites that will make very nice books for you at reasonable prices. By the time you throw in the cost of paper, ink, cover material, binding material, and time you probably won't be saving a whole lot and having someone else do it for you will save you a major headache as your BFA show hits the crunch time. I built all my own frames, cut all my mats for mine(illustration), the mats weren't bad but the frames were a time consuming pita. There are a lot of nice papers out there, most of the super glossy are a little fragile and may need to be protective sprayed. I haven't used many of the super glossy so I won't make a bunch of recommendations. Just do a search on best glossy inkjet paper and you should have ample reading. Good luck on your BFA!</p>

<p>Just out of curiosity I tried to find this but couldn't, was this under photo or event, what was the date? A little more info would have been helpful</p>

<p>Maybe you misunderstood and he said bald heads aren't good for the outdoors as they are easily burnt by the sun, was he standing by a display of 90spf coppertone?</p>

<p>Not sure what's next but I would like to see a basic(as in take out all the fluff) MF that was actually in the affordable range. I highly doubt that will ever happen but wouldn't it be nice.</p>

<p>Peter, if you have time, and I hope you do, I second the recommendation for Zion np. it is about 2 hours away and stunning, check out a website citrusmilo.com/zionguide/ it is pretty good and I believe there is some stuff on Bryce as well. Hope you have as much fun as I did.</p>

<p>Sergey,<br>

How many items are you shooting, if you are shooting several I would stay away from windows, unless you want to battle changing light all day long. You want to control the light not the other way around. Do some research on how to keep food looking fresh for extended periods of time. There is definitely and art to it and it is one even talented sushi chefs don't know because they don't deal with it on a day to day basis. Food for shoots is normally done by a stylist and with good reason. Usually the #1 rule on a food photoshoot is don't eat the food. Napkins or cloth that compliment the color of the food are a good idea to make certain items pop. Being sushi they probably want a very clean look to the shots, that said I have been in enough sushi restaurants that look like they used to a Hardees, it would be a good idea to have a nice base or two to place plates on(bamboo cutting board, slate, low pattern granite or marble etc.) Get some molding puddy and some wood shims, these work great when you need to make something a little more prominent. Wood blocks with slots cut out combined with pieces of mat board wrapped in foil make great small reflector when you just need a little light in a very specific area. Well I am rambling, lastly always shoot raw.</p>

<p>Depending on how long you are there, leave the camera at the hotel the first couple days, enjoy the city and make notes on things/areas you would like to photograph. Pick a day strictly for photography and go to it. This way you get to enjoy the city and you will slow down when you are doing photography, since you have already been to these spots, you aren't worried about missing out on anything. Just MHO.</p>

<p>I haven't used it but Hahnemuhle makes a protective spray, I think it is about $30 for 2 cans.</p>

<p>Bill,<br>

Unless high ISO performance is important to you, I second Alvin's suggestion of the D200(I know that wasn't one of the original choices). It might not be as new as the D90 but it is produces great images, is rugged, can meter with ai/ais lenses and should be a fair amount cheaper than your first two choices. I bought my new for $599, you can use that extra cash to add a lens or two.</p>

<p>Jessica, not really sure what your budget is, the tokina 12-24 is very nice and reasonable at around $500.</p>

<p>B&H, KEH, and Adorama as stated are all reliable. If I was spending a $1000 on my first set up and wanted the most bang for the buck I would by used on the auction site. There is always some risk involved and you usually don't get a warranty but the flip side is you will be able to get more for your money. Look at who you are buying from, how many transactions they have had, what their rating is and actually read some of the comments, if you do that you should be pretty safe and you will be able to stay closer to your budget. I don't know much about Canon and I am sure the 50D is a fine camera but with your budget you may want to look at something a notch or two down so you can afford to get some quality glass. Just a thought.</p>

<p>I'm with Jennifer, depending on what body you have. I have the 55mm 2.8(which is also a great all around lens) and the 105mm f/4 with a PN-11 extension tube. Bought both on the auction site for barely over $300(including extension tube) combined, both in near mint condition. So for about half of either of those lenses you can have two well regarded macro lenses that perform great a everyday lenses and still have enough left over for a decent macro tripod.</p>

<p>I'm with Jennifer, depending on what body you have. I have the 55mm 2.8(which is also a great all around lens) and the 105mm f/4 with a PN-11 extension tube. Bought both on the auction site for barely over $300(including extension tube) combined, both in near mint condition. So for about half of either of those lenses you can have two well regarded macro lenses that perform great a everyday lenses and still have enough left over for a decent macro tripod.</p>

<p>I'm with Jennifer, depending on what body you have. I have the 55mm 2.8(which is also a great all around lens) and the 105mm f/4 with a PN-11 extension tube. Bought both on the auction site for barely over $300(including extension tube) combined, both in near mint condition. So for about half of either of those lenses you can have two well regarded macro lenses that perform great a everyday lenses and still have enough left over for a decent macro tripod.</p>

<p>Trying to download an image which I haven't done yet so here goes.</p>

<p>If you haven't tried, it is very nice.</p>

<p>Has anyone used all three of these papers? I have used the exihibition fiber as well as HFAB and like them both quite a bit. I am intrigued by the photo rag baryta and the FB. From what I can tell the PRB is similar to silver rag which I liked quite a bit but too much texture and the FB is similar to Harman FB AL which is also nice. If you have used these and have reasons why you like one over the other I would be interested in your opinion. Price doesn't matter that much, although I did just get a screaming deal on exhibition fiber(50 sheets of 13x19 for $85 including shipping). These would primarily be used for B&W from a 3800. Thank you for your time and thoughts.</p>

<p>Hahnemuhle as I am sure most paper manufacturers, has their paper specs on their websites. Not sure about the lab a and b stuff but a 96% brightness without OBA's might be tough to find. I looked at HM site and the highest non-oba matt paper was 88.5 most are in the 82-83 range. All that said you should check out Hahnemuhle photo rag smoot. I personally think that museum etching is the best matt paper I have used but it might have too much texture for you and probably isn't bright enough.</p>