vancouverphotographer

<p>I keep my boxes cuz I'm a packrat ... I'm not gonna buy a used lens that looks like crap but has a box (as some alluded to earlier) but of course a good copy of a used lens with a box is more appealing to me.</p>

<p>Sometimes it creates a funny image ... I rarely do it myself but when I shoot with groups of friends, I might take some as behind the scenes shots just to share amongst ourselves typically.</p>

<p>Richard and Antonio, thanks guys.<br>

Richard, I haven't really done video before except in digicams and the videos were always supported by whatever software I had in Windows loaded up. I was just wanting to play them back on my PC for now as I explore DSLR video.<br>

Antonio, thanks for the link. I will look again at PMB more closely, I thought it was just to import files and the interface looked a bit confusing too.</p>

<p>Anyone use the video on the A55? I haven't really used video on an SLR before and looking the manual, seems easy enough to activate it and I think I can figure out how to use it by playing around ... question I have is more file management. I am using a memory card reader to get my files usually. I see an MTS file in there - anyone know if that is the only file I need to save to my hard drive or if I need to copy any supporting files? How do you guys playback MTS files on your computer? Thanks.</p>

<p>Some look okay to me and in some cases works for the particular image. But it's no different than any other kind of post processing, often times it's a fad kind of thing. Sometimes it's a way to mask an otherwise ordinary or inferior image. I think I tried to play around a bit with that too but it was more in playing around and perhaps covering up for an average, at best, image in my cases.</p>

<p>MM and William, thanks.</p>

<p>I shoot a lot of concerts and used to use the 70-200mm f2.8 almost exclusively in the old days when usually i tried to shoot from my seat at shows ... nowadays shooting local bands from in close or when I have a pass, I tend to use a combination of a Sigma 30mm f1.4 on my Sony camera and either the Canon 85mm f1.8 or Canon 50mm f1.4 on my Canon body. The 50mm f1.4 sometimes hunts a bit more than the other two primes. If you are only getting the one lens and you always have passes, then go for the 50mm f1.4 as a compromise ... what kinds of shots do you do mostly? Head shots, full body, half body? Likely you will want instruments in the frame too so the 50mm would be the compromise I think.</p>

<p>Hey while on the topic of fast primes, I had a Canon 85mm f1.8 for the longest time (since 2001 I think) but never shot with it much until these last two years and these last couple of years and been thru a couple Rebels and now just got a 60D. I never noticed what I see is maybe a backfocus or focus shift issue. For sure I saw it on the T2i but I don't recall offhand if I noticed it on the T1i body, haven't tried the lens out much on the 60D yet. I wonder if you guys that used this lens before noticed any focus issues ... I have had 2 of 3 friends routinely complain about not getting sharp pics from this lens - one's sold hers and the other does not use his much but when I see him use it, he seems to have similar incorrect focus to what I describe. I shoot at f2.8 and f4 with this lens a lot and for example I could be shooting a person not facing me straight on and I'd focus on the eye closest to me and the other eye would come out sharp instead. Maybe this problem was always there but maybe I was shooting from further out and not framing so tightly that I did not notice before. But just wondering you guy's experience with this lens. Thanks.</p>

<p>Well I guess the main reason for the f1.4 and f1.8 lenses is the option to use shallow DOF, a brighter viewfinder and better focussing, and better quality when stopped down to f2.8 than a f2.8 lens as mentioned above and those are the reasons why I own these lenses as well. I agree with the "too shallow" DOF some of mentioned above and I try to shoot at f2.8 and f4 more nowadays for portraits but I also shoot a lot of low light events and when I want to use a lower ISO, I will often shoot wide open with those fast lenses. But I am more apt to shoot wide open on my 30mm rather than my 85mm.</p>

<p>Richard, Will, it makes sense but yeah, my fave photo site is without a doubt, photo.net.</p>

<p>Hey it is a new month already, I didn't really notice but yeah, I did see the previous month's thread. I'll look forward to seeing the new month's thread then Paul.</p>

<p>LoL ... I just hate seeing Sony always 3rd fiddle but I have to admit I swing both ways using Sony and Canon.</p>

<p>Are there so few Sony shooters on PN? Not as active shooters?</p>

<p>I bought an A55 yesterday from Broadway Cameras in Vancouver, EVF has problems keeping up as you pan as Robert suggested but I think I like the functionality of it. </p>

<p>I believe I can outdo any non-pro photographer but I won't be able to do 2000 in a week unless I shot more than 1 day a week.</p>

<p>The Sony raw converter has something called D-Range Optimizer which sounds like the Highlight tone priority and it does have a Peripheral illumination correction. Sony's seem easy enough for me to use though I don't really use either of those functions. I think you should be able to download a copy of the Sony raw converter and check it out yourself to make sure.</p>

<p>You have to submit for critique or for ratings to keep the free membership? I regularly have over 11 ratings now since the changes.</p>

<p>Oh I see. Yeah the new system seemed to generate more activity to me. I'm on less though because shooting too much this year for some reason.</p>

<p>Anyone else notice a surge in activity in terms of ratings etc. This seems to coincide with the recent changes to the critique and ratings system.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the responses, guys. I think I'm interested in signing up and trying - just need some place to put some images first.</p>

<p>Me too, William ... I was hoping someone can tell us. I seen some sites that took a high percentage of the sales and others that have some fees for keeping an account, issues with licensing, ownership etc.</p>

<p>I was reading along on some other post about blogging and saw Fotomoto mentioned - not a blogging thing but wondering if anyone used this to sell images and what you thought of it? Thanks.</p>

 

<p><a href="http://www.fotomoto.com/">http://www.fotomoto.com/</a><br /><br /></p>

 

<p> </p>

<p>It should bring it up - not sure what's happening .... does it work from the Features menu? As long as an image is highlighted, it should work.<br>

My system is very limiting so sometimes it does take forever for the thing to respond.</p>

<p>the Output option is also under the File menu.</p>

<p>I can only Save-As .ARW as well .... the only way I get it to jpg is use that Output icon that is next to the Save icon just below the menu.</p>