vancouverphotographer

<p>A lot of good points. I didn't have a problem with reciprocation though, if someone takes the time to provide feedback then I'm going to go have a look at their latest stuff. For sure, nothing can be done to please everyone but PN is still the best site around for feedback easily.</p>

<p>How can you tell? Like what are the telltale signs to look for in your images? My collection of lenses aside from the kit lenses are generally acknowledged to be good to great lenses but I have historically gotten lower end bodies. Thanks.</p>

<p>i been using the canon 85mm f1.8 a lot recently for portrait and concert work and the sigma 30mm f1.4 for concerts and general walkaround lens and finally the sigma 10-20mm for event and walkaround use.</p>

<p>I would take the 85mm f1.8 over the 50mm f1.4 because sometimes the 50mm hunts for focus and on a cropped sensor might not be long enough in some situations. I think the 50mm is not true USM ... check out the new Sigma 50mm f1.4 as well - I heard good things about it.</p>

<p>In my concert experience I think there's a decent chance you can use the big zoom at Country concerts unless they're the big acts like Keith Urban for example. But it's a good idea to have a smaller fast prime for those times when they allow you to use cameras but not the big lenses. The smaller fast prime in close will do just fine if not better - so much easier to wield around at the expense of no zoom.</p>

<p>The white balance that Paul mentioned was what helped me shooting a purple car that kept coming out blue with both my Sony and Canon ... I was trying all kinds of different things like changing my angle etc., thinking the light might be messing me up etc.</p>

<p>In the old days I pretty much used my 70-200mm f2.8 exclusive for concerts. In some of the bigger well lit concerts, some slower lens can get by. These days I have been employing the 2 camera system with either the 50mm f1.4 or more likely the 85mm f1.8 on my cropped sensor camera and a Sigma 30mm f1.4 on my other cropped sensor camera body and it has served me well - sometimes better than the 70-200mm f2.8 which is sometimes too slow in very dim lighting without cranking up the ISO.</p>

<p>Agreed, Peter ... the 50mm would be more useful in other situations as a general lens for sure. Just for me, I end up using the 85mm more.</p>

<p>Peter, you grew up with a prime but I am not sure of the OP grew up with a prime or not - I know I was all over the place with my first zoom because I let my hands do the zooming rather than my feet. What you said was what I was thinking - you grew up with a prime and used to thinking that way so you position yourself accordingly even when you have a zoom in your hands ... if the OP was like me with my first zoom, I'm all over the place so that's why I wasn't sure if the EXIF on the focal length was all that useful.</p>

<p>Both the 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8 deliver great results - I have both and I use them on my Rebel camera bodies. I shot a lot of portraits and I find the 85mm is on my camera much more - I agree that it is a little long sometimes indoors but that has not stopped me from using it indoors. For me, the built quality on the 50mm is not that good - better than the 50mm f1.8 for sure but not all that great. The 85mm's quality is fine for what it's price. The 50mm hunts for focus sometimes. I have the Sigma 70mm for my Sony and I quite like that lens - just starting to use it for portraits now.<br>

As far as looking at EXIF info, not sure how useful that is since you were shooting with a zoom on them - likely you will think and position yourself different using a zoom vs a prime. What kinds of portraits do you take a lot of - head shots, half body or full body? How much room do you generally have to work with? etc.</p>

<p>Thanks guys for the discussion .... he tempted me a bit with the prices but I also value piece of mind and would rather go thru normal channels. </p>

<p>Hi all, my friend recently got interesting in buying gray market stuff ... he's asked me if I wanted to explore that avenue too - I wonder, have you guys had some horror stories that you can share? Or is this gear generally a good viable option? Thanks.</p>

<p>John, interesing spinoff thread ... your comment on serious critiques made me wonder about how any image can be critiqued whether or not it's been submitted for critique.<br>

Bill, your example of model shots seems to be directed at me LOL</p>

 

<p>Mine glows green once it's done - XSi and T1i (forgot about the XTi and XT) ... how long do you leave it charging?</p>

<p>How about adding an extra "archive" flag to each image so that if we tag a photo for archive, it's like a deletion for all intents and purposes as far as viewablity in our gallery but it retains the ratings and comments history for our own private viewing? As our galleries get bigger, I was thinking we can archive some images and shove them off into some archive folder. Thanks.</p>

<p>Calvin, I like the idea of seeing which images others like enough to add to their favourites.<br>

Josh, I think I think I see the ratings suggestion on other photo site - not sure how successful they are or not as I don't recall which particular site it was now. And thanks for keeping an eye on suggestions.</p>

<p>Not too much makes me pull it out nowadays in stark contrast to the old days ... that was my go-to lens for everything from concerts to model shoots to birding, you name it. These days that thing is just too big and unwieldy and sometimes just a burden to carry around for two of the things above - now, it's just birding I pull it out for but once I get a different lens, maybe I won't even use it much for that anymore.</p>

<p>Thanks Lex ... honest rants I can suck it up and take as well .... it's the malicious ones that bother me a bit - like in the old days when we used to see photos in the critique queue ... well when I see a 3/3 followed by another 3/3 then another ... up to 20 in a row on all different genres of images and different levels of quality (to my eyes anyway) then i think there's something wrong and it appears it's the same person doing it. But I guess the admins feretted those out pretty quick.<br>

Admins, is it easier to spot people playing the fool with ratings under the new more randomized system? Do you guys have sophisticated scripts to search out the trolls?</p>

<p>Hey John, in the beginning I was scared of retribution (not for unwarranted 3/3's but for the malicious 3/3's) because I read all about retribution and stuff at the time and somehow just remained status quo on that ... what's your theory, I can take it?</p>

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<p>The one thing I was curious about was the thinking behind some 3/3's ... did they give a 3/3 because they really think it's 3/7 O, 3/7 A or were they thinking 1/1 or 2/2 but decided not to since it doesn't show.<br>

Anyway, Lex, if you're not tired, I wouldn't mind some brutal feedback too (you only comment now, no ratings right? I wouldn't want my average to plummet overnight LoL). Thanks.</p>

 

 

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<p>Thanks for the tip ... I actually tried to use a wimpy blower that didn't work then used compressed air which did work (hopefully it didn't do any damage, I didn't notice any damage though) but now I better not use the compressed air again.</p>

<p>Rashed, I would agree with Gordon that they're metering modes and as far as focussing, the centre points on my cameras is the most accurate so if you're ok with focussing with that point and recomposing then shooting, go for it (personally I am always afraid of maintain the same focal plane as I recompose), otherwise you can try to select one of the points to focus on the important eye and shoot. As for metering, I am thinking partial or spot might throw you off depending on the skin colours.<br>

Alec, I'm a Canon shooter but can I especially add "partial metering" as a Canon invention too?<br /></p>

 

<p>I would keep the 85mm ... it is a bit long on a cropped sensor for portraits but that hasn't stopped me from using it for portraits though. I don't like the build quality of the 50mm f1.4 either but the 85mm f1.8 has acceptable build quality. I always hear the 50mm f1.8 has great image quality as well but crappy build quality - my friend has one and he admits it has great image quality but he does not seem too much of a fan of this lens and he lives for portraits, he's always tossing it around in his bag not caring and he doesn't even bother paying for a filter for it - presumably because it's so cheap.</p>

<p>I use Photo Resizer from Faststone and do it in a batch mode of a whole folder of images at a time.</p>

<p>Looking forward to your review Bob. I too have not noticed any unusual exposure problems with the T1i so far.</p>