The Digital Camera Thread: Questions, discussions, etc.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

I have almost decided to buy Oly E510 body only and Oly 14-54 lens. Total it is costing me about 1200USD.
Cheaper prices of pro lens compared to Canon and Nikon made me decide on this. Also the reviews are coming out great for E-410/E-510. The reviews about built in IS in 510 shows it is effective. There seems to some problem with Dynamic range but i am just a hobbyist and i don't have sharp eye to see the difference.

Thank Samurai for the info & suggestions.

Great choice Satish. Don't worry too much about dynamic range. Except for Fuji, nobody else can cover much out of the box. I am not sure about your price though.
the Kit(14-45) costs 850$ from big stores like B&H. body only is 800$.
the 14-54 costs 400$ but is slightly better than the 14-45 kit lens.
So its like 50$ vs 400$.
Not a good deal I say.
Oly kit lens is great stick to it, and save up that extra moolah for a 11mm on wide end lens if you are a landscape freak or on a 300mm on long end if birds are your forte

[Samurai]

You are welcome Satish, the E-510 is certainly receiving great reviews from both professional reviewers and users.

Here is the only professional review available as of now: Olympus EVOLT E-510 full review Cameralabs introduction

The 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 is a fantastic high grade allrounder lens giving 28-108EFL. If you want only one 4/3 lens, this is the one to have.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

the Kit(14-45) costs 850$ from big stores like B&H. body only is 800$.
the 14-54 costs 400$ but is slightly better than the 14-45 kit lens.
So its like 50$ vs 400$.

Well, it is a better lens. The 14-54 is a high grade lens which is dust proof and splash proof. It can focus at minimum of 22cm vs 38cm of the cheaper lens. Finally it matches the size of the body much better than the smaller lens. Gives a really good balance. It is worth the price difference.

[satish_appasani]

Thank tsk and Samurai. I am going with the pro lens because of it's wider aperture. I am going to take many indoor family pics and the larger aperture defnetely helps. Sometime next year i will buy a faster telephoto zoom, probably 50-200. In between i will throw in a flash.
I already have a Seknonik L308s light meter from my old film camera kit, a 25 years old cullman light weight tripod.
There is another review on E-510. The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum: The Olympus 510 Feild Review by John Isaac

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani;497103There is another review on E-510. [url=http://www.nwpphotoforum.com/ubbthreads/information/php/2007_Reviews/Isaac/Oly510Review.php

The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum: The Olympus 510 Feild Review by John Isaac[/url]

This guy has some very serious glass...

Many of my other photographer friends have tried several times to convince me to switch to a camera with more mega pixels and more focusing points. However, the E-510 camera is so nice, and I am very happy that I chose to stick with Olympus as my camera system of choice. To me, the 4/3 System has many advantages. For example, with those systems I would have had to lug all those heavy lenses and humongous cameras to the field. My entire gear fits into a Lowepro Rolling Compu Trekker bag. I am talking about my 90mm-250mm lens, two bodies, 50mm to 200mm lens, 150mm f/2 lens, 1.4x teleconverter, 50 mm macro 14mm-54mm lens, plus my laptop and a small tripod.

From his collection, I have all except the super pro grade 90-250mm F/2.8 and 150mm F/2, these two cost $5500 and $2200 respectively.

[kvish]

After loads and loads of reviews and research, I finally bought the K100D with the sigma 17-70mm macro. And I am quite pleased with it. (bought for 1330SGD) The lens is really sharp and the IS in the camera works very well. I still havent explored it a lot though. Will post some pictures in a day or two.

[HellwratH]

Originally Posted by kvish

After loads and loads of reviews and research, I finally bought the K100D with the sigma 17-70mm macro. And I am quite pleased with it. (bought for 1330SGD) The lens is really sharp and the IS in the camera works very well. I still havent explored it a lot though. Will post some pictures in a day or two.

Wow! Congratulations buddy. I am waiting to get my hands on the same setup with a K100D and a good macro lens. So, abt 35k INR eh? Pretty Cool... And yes, I am waiting to see the pictures soon. . I am getting impatient here, post the pictures soon!

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by kvish

After loads and loads of reviews and research, I finally bought the K100D with the sigma 17-70mm macro. And I am quite pleased with it. (bought for 1330SGD) The lens is really sharp and the IS in the camera works very well. I still havent explored it a lot though. Will post some pictures in a day or two.

1330 USD is very steep. The Canon 400D is 722$ with the kit lens and its 10 megapixels.

[gkrishn]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

1330 USD is very steep. The Canon 400D is 722$ with the kit lens and its 10 megapixels.

Thats 1330SGD not USD...

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by gkrishn

Thats 1330SGD not USD...

oops! thanks for correcting me!

[tsk1979]

Did you buy the Pentax K100D Super or just the K100D.
BTW how much is the Singapore $ doing nowadays.
This cam with kti lens is around 600$ approx in the US

[kvish]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Did you buy the Pentax K100D Super or just the K100D.
BTW how much is the Singapore $ doing nowadays.
This cam with kti lens is around 600$ approx in the US

I bought the K100D. The K100D super is not out yet. Well, the dust reduction system in the K100D super is supposed to be the same as K10D which I heard is not that effective. Also I dont plan to use any SDM lenses ( they are going to be available in $1000 range) which is why I decided to go for the K100D itself.

Singapore dollar is hovering around 26-27 range.

Prices in US are cheaper than in Singapore. That is because US dollar has weakened, but Singapore dollar has remained the same. I think buying in US would anyday be the best option if there is a choice

[kvish]

I shot these pictures soon after purchasing the K100D, Infact didnt even set the date on it!! This combo is really really good. The IS is just awesome and the images straight off the camera are really nice. [ All photos that I have taken are handheld. ] Very little pp needed. I did some basic fixes using picasa. That too for a couple of them, rest are just resized samples.

I spent 4 days in Cambodia and 3 days in Singapore. Cambodia is an AWESOME PLACE! A Must see! Of the 750 odd photos which I clicked I took some random ones and posted them here. I plan to put it in a gallery sometime soon. I posted thubnails since images were quite large











Now for the questions for experts:

Any good s/w for doing borders? (freeware?? )

How does one set the circular polarizer? I was just trying out something random!!

On ebay some OEM versions of photoshop elements 4.0 are available for around $25. And the 5.0 is double in terms of the price difference. I feel 4.0 should be fine for basic fixes. What do you suggest??

[Eddy]

Guys,

I am an amateur and have a Canon Powershot A 540. Does anyone have a tutorial as to how I can get the best out of the camera ?

And some freeware that will help me play around with the pictures ?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by kvish

I shot these pictures soon after purchasing the K100D, Infact didnt even set the date on it!! This combo is really really good. The IS is just awesome and the images straight off the camera are really nice. [ All photos that I have taken are handheld. ] Very little pp needed. I did some basic fixes using picasa. That too for a couple of them, rest are just resized samples.

I spent 4 days in Cambodia and 3 days in Singapore. Cambodia is an AWESOME PLACE! A Must see! Of the 750 odd photos which I clicked I took some random ones and posted them here. I plan to put it in a gallery sometime soon. I posted thubnails since images were quite large
Any good s/w for doing borders? (freeware?? )

How does one set the circular polarizer? I was just trying out something random!!

On ebay some OEM versions of photoshop elements 4.0 are available for around $25. And the 5.0 is double in terms of the price difference. I feel 4.0 should be fine for basic fixes. What do you suggest??

Awesome pics!
First suggestion. Spend some 20-30$ and get an online gallery. you will need it. Zenfolio is a cheap choice(though I am a smugmugger).
Circular polarizer.
Look at glass with reflections through your viewfinder. Rotate the polarizer till reflections vanish. This is max setting. While looking at sky(sun at 90 degrees to your left or right) turn polarizer and watch sky turn deep blue, thats max setting. Circular polarizer cuts through haze and makes your photos stand out.
Photoshop elements 4.0 is good enough, but for simple needs gimp is excellent.
Gimp is not as powerful as Photoshop CS2, but still can do most things which photographers desire, namely
1. Watermark
2. Borders
3. Unsharp mask
4. Auto levels
5. Curve adjustment
6. RAW processing(need to install plugin)
7. Layers and palettes.

Stuff like HDR etc., is difficult, but most of the things like Orton effect etc., are possible.
Look at GIMPguru.org for tips and tricks.
The best part, its free.