Official Misc Photography Crew, Part V "Do you even shoot?"

[LieutenantGains]

To that end, its up to us to prove ourselves and maintain the gap, even though we may have to work much harder to do so. That becomes even more true, if we want our profession to survive.

Very true. The barrier to entry is so low now that every person has a camera in their pocket. However if you can prove your worth by taking photos people realize they can never get themselves and are good at marketing that (which might be more important than actually taking the photos), you will get work.

[KRANE]

Anyone here into videography? Is it a hard transition?

Not hard at all. Especially since photography and videography are closely related, and therefore, both share similar fundamentals, aspects, equipment, etc.

Video is simply moving stills, which does require you to concentrate on movement as well as thinking past, present, and future, i.e. sequence, to tell your story.

In any event, there are several dedicated videograpyy/filmmaking threads that have been started (and gone dormant), so if you want to explore the specifics in detail with others that are involved, you may want to ask more detailed questions there.

Here's the one that I started a while back that was a spin-off from this very thread.

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...post1534834621

[VmissileX]

Obviously there are creeps out there doing it for the wrong reasons as you said but unless it's a paid shoot taking specific directions I'd have zero interest in turning up with expensive camera gear and pushing a button with no creative input.

"We're not there for you [the photographer], we're there for the camera – end of story."

Everyone thinks they're a photographer these days so buy a camera, put it on a tripod, and pose away. Problem solved.

I agree. I feel i've learned enough from shooting models to improve my overall photography ability, and the skills are handy, but the industry is just so....weird to say the least. It is far past a turn-off.
Maybe it's just my vibe from where i'm situated in the US (primarily a ton of old ameteurs in their 50s+ shooting 20something models.

[Foques]

had a chance to shoot with a new MMA champ over the weekend:

[mingrey02stg2]

Have any of you switched from a DSLR to mirrorless? I have a 5DII now and since Canon has imo nothing to compete with the latest offerings, have been looking at switching to the Nikon D850. Then I see all this hype about the new Sony A7RIII, which with an adapter can use all of my Canon EF mount lenses. I primarily shoot photos of people, so the eye focus tracking of the Sony is a big selling point. Thoughts?

[Foques]

I cannot stand mirrorless gear. to my hands, it is too small, and I have to have a grip and extensions. this whole tech miniaturization is going too dam far!

[zknarc]

Have any of you switched from a DSLR to mirrorless? I have a 5DII now and since Canon has imo nothing to compete with the latest offerings, have been looking at switching to the Nikon D850. Then I see all this hype about the new Sony A7RIII, which with an adapter can use all of my Canon EF mount lenses. I primarily shoot photos of people, so the eye focus tracking of the Sony is a big selling point. Thoughts?

A number of wedding photogs are saying eye af is amazing. The adapters are no panacea and some lenses work better than others (I'm told) so keep that in mind and do your research before blowing a lot of cash.

[Dominik]

I cannot stand mirrorless gear. to my hands, it is too small, and I have to have a grip and extensions. this whole tech miniaturization is going too dam far!

What some people haven't figured out yet is the lenses are physically larger to compensate for the mount being closer to the sensor. No matter how much marketing spin they put out to win over lemmings who crave the latest technology the engineers haven't magically defied the laws of physics.

I'd rather carry a larger DSLR body with several physically smaller lenses than the other way around.

Now assuming you're not just a tourist walking around with a pancake lens, apply that physical size and weight increase across all the lenses in your bag for serious work. Quickly adds up and the novelty of that mirrorless body being 300g lighter will quickly wear off and we haven't even discussed the pathetic battery life which means packing more spare batteries.

Canon 5DsR with 85 1.2 and Sony a7RII with 85 1.4:



Some real world numbers:

Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM
Weight 820 g
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 3.52 x 4.23"

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
Weight 595 g
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 3.4 x 3.3"

Cliffs: mirrorless lenses are larger and heavier (unless they use more plastic and fewer glass elements).

[lildave]

What some people haven't figured out yet is the lenses are physically larger to compensate for the mount being closer to the sensor. No matter how much marketing spin they put out to win over lemmings who crave the latest technology the engineers haven't magically defied the laws of physics.

I'd rather carry a larger DSLR body with several physically smaller lenses than the other way around.

Now assuming you're not just a tourist walking around with a pancake lens, apply that physical size and weight increase across all the lenses in your bag for serious work. Quickly adds up and the novelty of that mirrorless body being 300g lighter will quickly wear off and we haven't even discussed the pathetic battery life which means packing more spare batteries.

Canon 5DsR with 85 1.2 and Sony a7RII with 85 1.4:



Some real world numbers:

Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM
Weight 820 g
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 3.52 x 4.23"

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
Weight 595 g
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 3.4 x 3.3"

Cliffs: mirrorless lenses are larger and heavier (unless they use more plastic and fewer glass elements).

The battery life is supposed to be a lot better with the A9 battery in the A7iii... Also depending on what kind of shooting you are doing you can just hook up an external battery pack (like one used to charge your phone) while shooting. With the 25000 mah battery bank I keep on my bag I would run out of space on my card long before the battery would be dead.

[Dominik]

The battery life is supposed to be a lot better with the A9 battery in the A7iii...

That looks promising.

My point is at the end of the day unless you're using a pancake lens where I completely see the appeal for travel, street photography, etc. then you're not shaving off any weight by going mirrorless. Lenses will be larger and possibly heavier than DSLR equivalents and you're going to need bigger batteries like you mentioned or more of them to shoot all day.

And personally I'm not a fan of a heavy lens on a small, light camera body. I prefer a DSLR w/ grip when paired with a 70-200 2.8 for example. It feels a lot more balanced.

Also with an optical viewfinder you're not draining the battery like a EVF and it works fine in high contrast conditions. And when a photographer can properly interpret the camera's meter rather than just blindly trusting matrix/evaluative metering in all situations then they can turn image review off and use the LCD only occasionally to confirm focus with key shots saving even more juice.

Anyway I'm not anti-mirrorless so much as I'm tired of hearing people talk about DSLRs like they belong in a museum when they still have a few advantages.

[Foques]

^ yup. plain physics.

[Griggz]

[zknarc]

Anyway I'm not anti-mirrorless so much as I'm tired of hearing people talk about DSLRs like they belong in a museum when they still have a few advantages.

Each time song inches closer but the D850 is a polished professional tool while the A9 and A7riii still feel very much like good somewhat immature tech cobbled brought together.

[sweetneybrian]

Not a photographer at all but I really like this pic and wanted to share it somewhere.

[xxAchillesxx]

^^^ Gotchu on recharge. That's a great pic.

[KRANE]

Should cameras have locks on them? I suggest this for two reasons:

1) Nobody can access your photos/videos/data without your permission

2) An extra deterrent to theft.


I really think at this point the technology has advanced to the point where manufactures can do this without much of an issue.

After all, that's one big advantage of a cell phone cameras that's never advertised or talked about. You can shoot your video/pictures then shut it down and lock it. No such advantage with any traditional camera.

[Dominik]

Should cameras have locks on them? I suggest this for two reasons:

1) Nobody can access your photos/videos/data without your permission

2) An extra deterrent to theft.


I really think at this point the technology has advanced to the point where manufactures can do this without much of an issue.

After all, that's one big advantage of a cell phone cameras that's never advertised or talked about. You can shoot your video/pictures then shut it down and lock it. No such advantage with any traditional camera.

Very good point however ideally it would use some form of encryption on the card otherwise someone could just pop the CF/SD slot and view the images on another device. I could see this functionality being incredibly important to photojournalists.

I shot a wedding once where one of the groomsmen at the reception feeling a bit loose after a few drinks picked up my second camera after I put it down for a few minutes and started going through the photos. It wasn't the time to say what I really felt because it would have killed the mood but the camera asking for pin or password like a phone to view images would have solved that. It could work the same way as a phone where you can still take photos and view the ones you just shot but can't access any other images until you unlock it.

[Burtle1]

Soo I bought the Tokina 100mm 2.8 for my Nikon d750. I’ve been wanting to get into Macro photography for the longest time.

Which Tripod do you guys sugest?

What about a wireless/remote light? Which one?

I’ll mainly be taking pictures of water drops, snow flakes, foods, flowers, insects, and other various objects.


Will rep for good suggestions

[Cinderblock]

I really want to take shots that have that red and orange lighting of sunrises/sunsets when the sun is near the horizon. I moved to Florida and live near the beach too. But no matter what, I cannot get the motivation to get up early and prepare. It would be so nice to live on the west coast where the sunset is on the ocean's horizon in the evening.

[KRANE]

Very good point however ideally it would use some form of encryption on the card otherwise someone could just pop the CF/SD slot and view the images on another device. I could see this functionality being incredibly important to photojournalists.

Exactly what I was thinking.

I shot a wedding once where one of the groomsmen at the reception feeling a bit loose after a few drinks picked up my second camera after I put it down for a few minutes and started going through the photos. It wasn't the time to say what I really felt because it would have killed the mood but the camera asking for pin or password like a phone to view images would have solved that. It could work the same way as a phone where you can still take photos and view the ones you just shot but can't access any other images until you unlock it.

I'm glad you agree; your opinion means a lot to me. At present anyone that got your camera would also have access to your media too. It occurred to me that something like this lock would deter camera theft since it would provide another measure to overcome thereby reducing their profit.

I will will be composing a letter and send it to the major manufactures.

BTW, I've never received a survey from any of the camera manufactures (despite all the equipment I've purchased) have you? I do get regular surveys from Adobe however.

Soo I bought the Tokina 100mm 2.8 for my Nikon d750. I’ve been wanting to get into Macro photography for the longest time.

Which Tripod do you guys sugest?

What about a wireless/remote light? Which one?

I’ll mainly be taking pictures of water drops, snow flakes, foods, flowers, insects, and other various objects.


Will rep for good suggestions

You need a budget brah. A tripod can cost $50 or $2000 depending on your needs.

[Brandon211]

Any brahs shooting film in here?

[zknarc]

Any brahs shooting film in here?

Not anymore. I've shot everything from 35mm, 6x7 medium format to 4x5 large format and developed all the b&w myself with esoteric developers but once digital was high res enough I have never looked back.

Film is just not that great but people that start on digital seem to think it has some kind of mystical quality for some reason and insist on telling you a certain shot was done on film. The old cameras are a lot of fun though, I still kinda miss my Mamiya RB67 so if you want some fun buy a TLR or something off ebay and dev b&w with a changing bag in your kitchen.

[Burtle1]

You need a budget brah. A tripod can cost $50 or $2000 depending on your needs.

Budget 175.00ish

[KRANE]

Not anymore. I've shot everything from 35mm, 6x7 medium format to 4x5 large format and developed all the b&w myself with esoteric developers but once digital was high res enough I have never looked back.

Film is just not that great but people that start on digital seem to think it has some kind of mystical quality for some reason and insist on telling you a certain shot was done on film. The old cameras are a lot of fun though, I still kinda miss my Mamiya RB67 so if you want some fun buy a TLR or something off ebay and dev b&w with a changing bag in your kitchen.

I have to agree with this. But it wasn't that long ago that digital finally caught up -- and passed -- film.

I did film work when I took photo classes, and have to admit the visceral experience of holding and developing the film was great. I also got an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the history of photography and what the early adapters had to go through (we think our cameras are big and heavy).

Nevertheless, digital has now surpassed anything that film can offer, so unless you really love the experience, its more trouble than it's worth.

Still, it is a great hobby though, which is to say photography isn't just all about technology. It can also be a lot of fun.

After all, even though we have supermarkets, people still take the time and go through the trouble and expense to hunt, fish, etc. themselves. I still have my camera and several rolls of B&W film I need to use or sell.

BTW, I think I posted one of my class photos I took at the farm expo a couple years back. Haven't used it since.

[zknarc]

I have to agree with this. But it wasn't that long ago that digital finally caught up -- and passed -- film.

I did film work when I took photo classes, and have to admit the visceral experience of holding and developing the film was great. I also got an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the history of photography and what the early adapters had to go through (we think our cameras are big and heavy).

Nevertheless, digital has now surpassed anything that film can offer, so unless you really love the experience, its more trouble than it's worth.

Still, it is a great hobby though, which is to say photography isn't just all about technology. It can also be a lot of fun.

After all, even though we have supermarkets, people still take the time and go through the trouble and expense to hunt, fish, etc. themselves. I still have my camera and several rolls of B&W film I need to use or sell.

BTW, I think I posted one of my class photos I took at the farm expo a couple years back. Haven't used it since.

I shot the D700 side by side with film for a while, stitching about 12 frames together and using it for stuff larger format wasn't appropriate. The D800 was the one that changed everything for me, suddenly I got basically 4x5 quality (with normal films) with 14.5 stops of DR in one frame.

The freedom of digital is immense. You can focus stack, exposure blend and review in the field. Using flash it is an utter lifesaver, I used to have to use a polaroid back on my RB67. The hassle of sheet film was horrific even when quickload was available.

[KRANE]

Budget 175.00ish

I have the Ravelli APGL4 Professional 70 Inch Pistol Grip Head tripod. However, the term "professional" is purely generic. I bought this one because it was so affordable. It is very sturdy, however, one of its negatives is that its heavy...very heavy. So even though I manage it whenever I need a tripod, it does take its tool if you take it out for the day.

If I were to choose another tripod at this moment -- within that price range -- I'd go with K&f Concept TM2534T.

Good tripods (particularly for video) can cost well over $1000. But the good new is that once you purchase in this price range (professional, i.e. lightweight and durable), you purchase them for life.

[Burtle1]

I have the Ravelli APGL4 Professional 70 Inch Pistol Grip Head tripod. However, the term "professional" is purely generic. I bought this one because it was so affordable. It is very sturdy, however, one of its negatives is that its heavy...very heavy. So even though I manage it whenever I need a tripod, it does take its tool if you take it out for the day.

If I were to choose another tripod at this moment -- within that price range -- I'd go with K&f Concept TM2534T.

Good tripods (particularly for video) can cost well over $1000. But the good new is that once you purchase in this price range (professional, i.e. lightweight and durable), you purchase them for life.

I've been reading reviews on the TM2534T. For the price I think I'm going to go with it.


$102.00 shipped to my door from Ebay. That's not bad at all. Amazon wants 150-160ish shipped.

[MoeBettuh]

Been wanting to try out photography. Intended to buy either a Fuji X-T20 or a Sony Alpha A6300, but was offered a camera from a friend. He has a D3300 that has two lenses (seemingly from a kit offer) that he's willing to let me have for $300. He mentioned that there are associated goodies with it that he'll toss in, I'm not really trying to verify if it's a good deal, I'm totally fine with the price. I'm just wondering if you guys think it would be advisable to go the route of the few year old used camera for what feels like quite a bit less money to see how I like it before getting something like the above named mirrorless cameras?


I also believe the current owner of the Nikon is someone who would have taken care of it, so the condition isn't in question, fwiw.

[KRANE]

Been wanting to try out photography. Intended to buy either a Fuji X-T20 or a Sony Alpha A6300, but was offered a camera from a friend. He has a D3300 that has two lenses (seemingly from a kit offer) that he's willing to let me have for $300. He mentioned that there are associated goodies with it that he'll toss in, I'm not really trying to verify if it's a good deal, I'm totally fine with the price. I'm just wondering if you guys think it would be advisable to go the route of the few year old used camera for what feels like quite a bit less money to see how I like it before getting something like the above named mirrorless cameras?


I also believe the current owner of the Nikon is someone who would have taken care of it, so the condition isn't in question, fwiw.

Once you commit to Nikon always a Nikon. Not really. But that should be your only tough decision. Otherwise, $300 to test a hobby is a great deal.

I'd go on line and do some research on the camera though. Just in case they are any glaring defects (all cameras have them) you need to be prepared for.

[SanOs]

Saving up for the Fujifilm X-T2