Show us your camera's best pix! (1 Viewer)

[Dave_vega]

man-fai..maybe you can help me with a problem..I have been looking for a dslr for a bit now and I need to know if say the canon G5 will be a better fit for me or should I go with a full on dslr like the canon digital rebel or the nikon d70..the main thing I want over my current sony camera is a bigger zoom and aperture and shutter priorities..the G5 really has my interest because it has a 4x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom, but will the pictures be ok with the digital zoom? the main thing I like about my sony camera is it's size and convenience which is basically lost with an slr..they are pretty big..our canon rebel 2000 slr film camera is kind of a hassle to lug around..but a big advantage is we are getting a sigma 28-300mm lens for the canon and I know they are interchangable to the digital slr's..I guess what i'm getting at is will I be able to take the quality shots I am seeing with your pictures with a canon G5 and will the zoom be enough to get up close to a macro subject with the 4x digital zoom?..I know you used a G3 for some of your shots and they look really good..any kind of insite you can give me would be appreciated..other opinions are more than welcome also..

 

[JohnRice]

Dave, macro and long focal length/long zoom are 2 different things. Also, digital zoom is a complete marketing scheme if you have an image app that can do decent upsizing. You might also look into a Canon S2 and Pro 1 (or whatever the model is) since they will give you most, if not all of what you want, but without the SLR size and hassles. Wide angle is a hassle on DSLRs and that 28-300 will only give you an equivalent wide angle of 45mm, which isn't exactly wide. That is based on a 1.6 lens factor, which is what I believe the Rebel has.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Hi, Dave.

John is right. If you really want a relatively compact solution w/ a large zoom range, then the new Canon S1 IS or Pro 1 make good choices depending on your needs. The G5 should be a good choice also if you don't need more tele range than that. Don't rely on digital zooming. I'd say one or two steps of digital zoom is ok (for ~7x total zoom or ~245mm tele in 35mm equiv terms), but not more than that. You can add a tele converter to either G5 or Pro 1. For G5, you can add a good 1.7x converter from Canon, which is what I did on occasion w/ my G3. That plus a couple steps of digital zoom should give you what you want for tele range (~415mm total). Even w/out digital zoom, the ~240mm reach after adding tele converter should come reasonably close to what you'd get w/ that 28-300 on a film SLR, ie. 240mm vs 300mm is very small diff. However, when you have tele converter attached, you lose the wideangle-to-normal ranges due to the magnification and some vignetting towards the wide end of the magnified range -- basically, you end up w/ ~100-240mm of useable range w/ converter on.

You should note that digital zoom does not work when shooting RAW. In that case, you just apply the zoom in software just like John suggested -- just crop to desired framing and then resize w/ bicubic resampling (or maybe something better) if needed. I'd say though that in-camera digital zoom for JPEGs does yield better results than doing applying the zoom on the JPEGs in post since in-camera digital zoom does it before JPEG compression.

The Pro 1 offers more MP than the G5, but for most people, the diff is probably too small to be worth the extra $$$. And there are some drawbacks to the Pro 1 too, eg. smaller aperture lens, noticeable vignetting at max apertures, can't use a wideangle converter although it does start at 28mm instead of 35mm. Personally, if I were looking for an 8MP super-zoom digicam, I would also give serious consideration to the Minolta A2 -- having image stabilization is nice, especially on these super-zoom compacts. It's too bad that Canon couldn't fit the Pro 1 w/ an IS lens despite all their touting of the "L quality" lens w/ its signature "red ring" (that still has noticeable vignetting no less) even though they did it for the S1 IS.

The problem w/ going w/ these compacts is not really the zoom range, but all the other stuff that most people don't understand or tend to overlook (at first anyway), eg. depth of field control for good out-of-focus blur, shooting in difficult lighting, AF performance, etc.

BTW, you should note that many of my indoor G3 shots (mostly the people shots) used bounced flash also, ie. need to carry a sizeable external flash that would also work on your film SLR. External flash option is one of the key selling points for the Canon prosumers. And bounced flash does wonders for the shots when flash is needed and bouncing is possible. I rarely ever go w/ direct flash and usually also add a diffuser of some sort. Also, if at all possible, I avoid using flash completely. And while one cannot get as high shutter speeds w/ a DSLR in such situations, one can take advantage of things like the flip-out, live preview LCD and more easily brace the camera for steady shooting w/out needing dedicated support. And yeah, the much larger DoF of these compacts can often be an advantage in such situations also.

Basically, I'd say these compacts are really completely different kinds of cameras than the DSLRs. You lose some things and gain some things w/ each type. And this is why I haven't sold my G3 despite not having used it at all since getting the D70 -- and most people who do sell for the upgrade find they actually still need a compact for one reason or another.

IOW, anyone who is very serious about their photography really should have at least 2 good cameras. Since you already have a Canon Rebel film SLR (and seem to want to continue using it) and only a strictly p&s digicam, I would suggest going w/ a Canon compact like the G5 to get more into digital photography first before diving into something that requires substantially more $$$. If and when you're ready, then maybe get the next version Canon Digital Rebel or perhaps even 10D Mk2, which will likely be cheaper (and better) than the current versions. You should note that getting truly better results from the DSLRs does require a strong grasp of the basic principles of photography *as well as* the digital "darkroom". So it's not just about buying a camera, but learning many seemingly peripheral things to make the most of the tools.

_Man_

 

[Rudi B]

Here's a little compilation of "contemporary stock photos", as I like to call them...

http://f2.animeslovenija.org/r/fotke/f-s-h/

 

[Ryan Tsang]

I love your sunflower shot. Too many flower shots are close up. Yours is fresh!

One critique: if it were me, I'd pull off the leaf. to me, the fact that it's just one of them I find distracting and takes away from the main subject. Otherwise, beautiful and inspiring shot. Hmm....I could try a silhouette shot like like that...

Thanks!

 

[Rudi B]

I was inspired by Martin Crespo's shot. I saw it a year or so ago, but it is still etched into my head.

My photo was totally spontaneous. Found the sunflower somewhere on Sicily, right in front of a church or something.

...still searching for a big sunflower field!

 

[Wes]

I love looking at everyones pics, keep them coming! Here is a few of my shots!
http://autographprod.8k.com/

Wes

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Rudi,

I'm familiar w/ that shot also. And yes, I do like Martin's a lot myself. And also, I do see plenty of people being inspired by his work (and also seem to copy him quite often). But I do hope that you're not merely out to copy him. FWIW, IIRC, he used a reflector to bounce sunlight back at the sunflower on that one, and I'm pretty sure it was not shot quite that long ago, but more like 1/2 year ago during the last solar eclipse that we experienced north of the equator -- he actually titled that one "Solar Eclipse" or something like that for a little humor as he himself would not bother to shoot a real solar eclipse (well, at least not in some conventional way).

Anyway, I did enjoy your little gallery. They are nice pics though nothing quite like Martin's -- well, I guess that sunflower shot is a little bit like his though it's rare to see one so seemingly "ordinary" from him. :wink:

Wes,

You have some nice pics there also. Most are not quite my cup of tea though I can appreciate them to some extent and can see why others may even love such. I do like the portaits shot on film quite a bit though.

_Man_

 

[JamieD]

My Father

One of the ones I like best.

 

[TimDoss]

Here are a few that I think show off the quality of my new
S1 IS

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tkdoss....net/my_photos

 

[Dave_vega]

after getting used to my f717 a bit..here are a few samples..loving the new camera!! seems liek you have to copy and paste the links..

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...my_night__.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...waterfall1.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...n_tracks__.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...n_the_lake.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian..._over_pond.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...1cm_spider.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian..._lights_on.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...ght_dock__.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...ctory_shot.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian.../fireworks.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian...eault_hill.jpg

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs4.devian..._listening.jpg

 

[todbnla]

Anyone using a Nikon Coolpix 995 in this thread? If so, I would love some tips as I seem to be stuck in the damnation of auto everything mode...Dan, those pics are very nice, the hiway/truck one is too kewl.

 

[JohnRice]

I have used a 995. The first thing you have to do to not get auto everything is turn the dial on the shutter release to "M" instead of "A."

I'm going from memory here, so it may not be exact. I think then you change the exposure modes by hitting the "Mode" button, or holding it in and turning the dial.

I could probably give more positive info after the weekend.

Don't you have a manual for it?

 

[Jay H]

Not a photographer by any means but I liked this one from my Powershot G3. It's a 360° panoramic shot on top of Mt Marcy in the Adirondacks in NY.

Photo

It was stitched using Panoramic Factory.

I think it came out pretty good except for one slight blotch in one of the exposures.

Jay

 

[Julie K]

I was recently in Providence, Rhode Island for a conference and while I was there they set a river on fire.

It was a part of an art exhibit called WaterFire and I found it very enjoyable. They light aromatic wood fires in the river and play evocative music over loud speakers.

I've started playing around with RAW format and this was the first attempt I've made with sunset/night photography.

http://www.pbase.com/image/32834295/large

 

[TimDoss]

Here are some shots from my recent San Francisco trip

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tkdoss....net/my_photos

(In the "San Francisco" folder)

 

[Kaj]

Some of the work shown here is amazing

here are some pics from my 2 month holiday. http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=430088

please let me know what you think

cheers
KJ

 

[Kaj]

Whats the best site to see professional photo galleries?
Thanks