jim_service

<p>Another shot from the Palouse.</p><div></div>

<p>Craig - I've known of focus shift from zooming, but never from aperture adjustment. Was this a typo? If not, I have some painful re-adjustment in my life and outlook! : )</p>

<p>Like Stephen P., I was also in SE Washington/Idaho. I really love this country. The people are great. Took close to 2900 images. I may submit shots from here for the rest of the year.</p><div></div>

<p>I'm in the Palouse with a bunch of shooting buddies from Marin. It's hot and sticky, but great shots are everywhere. This one made me feel like I was in North By Northwest. Luckily found out who the pilot was and am sending shots to him. What a kick.<br>

Too bad I don't look like Cary Grant.<br>

5d2, Tokina 150-500mm @~400mm with a Canon adapter ring, 200 ISO, 1/800 sec, f8 (?)</p><div></div>

<p>Ah! Silver Falls! Love that place.</p>

<p>Just got back from a New Moon shoot at Lassen Volcanic Nat Park. Here's a shot of the galactic center rising over the peak from one of the lakes.</p><div></div>

<p>Bob,<br>

I offer to provide a good home to yours.<br>

I'll even ride down there and pick them up.</p>

<p>On a hike this week with friends, playing tourist in my own town.<br>

5D2 ISO 1250 (forgot to set it back after some interior shots) f3.5 20mm (16-35 zoom) 1/8000</p><div></div>

<p>Vintage racers at Infineon last weekend. Here's a Maserati from the late 40s/early 50s. Pretty much straight out of the camera. 5d2, Tokina 500 zoom @ 350-400mm, panned and shot at 1/50th sec to get a nice blurred background.<br>

Nice shots, all. As usual.</p><div></div>

<p>Ansel said "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it." from behind his 8x10 (or 11x14) Horseman. I think the key to this whole argument is being able to see through this apparent paradox: as you use increasingly better equipment, your mastery of technique and artistic vision and ability <em>need to similarly increase</em> or you'll wind up with with the same slightly out of focus 8x10 snapshots that no one else really wants to look at for more than a second.<br>

Give me a hammer and a chisel, could I create a David or a Pieta? No. If I got one of those $500 Pentagon hammers and a zircon encrusted chisel, could I do any better?<br>

Bringing in Lomo/Holga/iPhone photography into the argument is false. It implies that<br>

1.) If some particular person took a great shot with a Holga, then NOBODY needs to have anything better.<br>

2.)The photographer behind that great shot taken with such a simple camera has a corresponding simple mind.<br>

Both obviously untrue.<br>

Putting someone with great artistic and technical ability behind a Holga will/can yield amazing results. But for me and probably you, throwing money at the problem of artistic limitations will eventually run into dimished returns.</p>

<p>Next you're going to tell us that your friend's last name is "Butler".</p>

<p>I'm with Laura, I think it's an oof spider web strand.</p>

<p>Thomas Kinkade on a bad day.</p>

<p>I am also interested in this lens, as well as the Tamron 200-500. I've heard talk of the Sigma being soft at the long end. I've also heard things about the Tamron.<br>

Does anyone know if there has been a recent side by side comparison of these along with the Canon 100-400 + 1.4 extender? Which has the best IQ, especially at the long end.<br>

I'm currently using a 15 year old Tokina 150-500 from my old Nikon setup, with a Canon adapter ring. I get good results but I'm tired of using it in full manual and the adapter introduces a lot of slop.</p>

<p>By the way, it will be about 105, but it's a dry heat. ;)</p>

<p>+1 Zabriskie at sunrise.<br>

The dunes at stovepipe can be chancy.. If overnight winds do not erase the previous days footprints, your shots will suffer. Also, people a half mile away can sit on the perfect dune in your shot. If you go there and it's no good, it's too late to go anywhere else.<br>

Zabriskie has your highest %age of success if you've only got one morning. Give yourself plenty of time to get there. Distances are looong in Death Valley.<br>

After breakfast, try Artist Drive and then the first 3 or 4 miles of West Side Rd that takes off just to the west of Artist Drive.<br>

Pack a good lunch and cruise up to Scotty's Castle and Ubehebe Crater.<br>

From there, the most awesome thing you can do is to hitch a ride to The Racetrack.</p>

<p>I bought what looks like a similar item long ago, a Polaroid Fun 620.<br>

http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Fun-620-Digital-Camera/dp/B00005LP03/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top<br>

No point in going digital without getting the best! I spotted it in a blisterpack on a rack at Rite-Aid for $20. I grit my teeth and paid up.. you can't compromise with your Art.<br>

While the 640x480 matrix is more than any serious photographer would ever need, the image IQ is truly in a class by itself. And the current price on Amazon is proof positive.<br>

Eat your heart out, Andreas Gursky.</p>

<p>Some reasons I would stay away from magnetic mounts..<br>

1 - They require a surface that exactly matches their working surface (flat). Car bodies are nothing but compound curves so you would not get the rated hold strength or, in extreme cases, may pull the body surface onto its flat face and leave a dimple after you're done.<br>

2 - Metal dust is everywhere (at least here in California). Just take a good magnet and drag it through the dirt and see all the metallic fur it comes up with. Now, try cleaning it off. Very difficult. Any of this stuff between the magnet and the car surface equals a messed up paint job. I have a magnetic tank bag for my motorcycle that I do not use because I found this damage to be inevitable.<br>

I would stick with suction cups with whatever redundancy, safety straps and tape makes you comfortable.</p>

<p>These suction cups are seriously strong. They are a standard tool in body shops to pull out dents. The main danger is if they leak and as you said, the prime concern is to keep the surfaces clean. Another tip is to wet the surface with liquid soap. If you really want to go the "belt and suspenders" route, use two but it's not likely to be necessary.</p>

<p>And so the war begins..</p>

<p>Why don't you become friends with a student in the art department? Then both of you would have the best of both worlds, engineering and art.</p>

<p>The old "Abe's of Maine" was bought by Cambridge Camera Supply quite a few years ago. I'm guessing that Cambridge did it to get the "Abe's" name because the "Cambridge" name had gotten such a poor reputation over shoddy practice. Since they are the same people they didn't waste any time running the "Abe's" name into the ground either. You will wish you had used B&H or Adorama.</p>

<p>Martin S - wow! I'd like to see that as a 5 foot canvas print on my wall.<br>

I find that what I've been submitting has been too bright when viewed on other pcs. I'd brighten my monitor but I find I'm locked out and can't find the book.<br>

But I hope is the correct compensation.</p><div></div>

<p>Yep, as far as "photogenes", I'm calling BS.</p>

<p>Ditto what Craig said. Though I've never been on one, I've rubbed shoulders with many of these groups at several locations. They range from just getting you to a location and setting you free, to the leader being a complete drill sergeant monitoring everyone's exposure settings etc. Choose your flavor.<br>

I myself, find them too pricy to seriously consider. Transportation and lodging are not usually included.</p>