[amol4184]

Could be slight OT but I have a question on wearing protective gear to avoid mosquito bites -
There is an outburst of mosquitos with the ongoing rains and overall dampness and its making life rather difficult.
Just setting macro equipment in the garden means 10 different bites all over the body. Sitting patiently for perfect light and pose (if its insect) is a torture. I tried the Odomas ointment but that hardly helps? Wore full sleeved t-shirt and track pants but the buggers drill through that material - especially where the fabric stretches on knees, elbows. What do you guys do? Recently while shooting a jewel bug, my wife stood behind me killing mosquitos with the electric bat and then we ran inside.

[vredesbyrd]

Finally, bucket list task for attaining Full Frame is completed. More photos soon. The noise control is stellar and unlike anything I've ever used.





Here are the samples from the D600 with a Nikkor 50mm F1.8D. What better excuse to take pictures of your steed, right?















Note: Photos are lightly touched with Lightroom mobile and are smaller due to size and bandwidth constraints.

[vredesbyrd]

Small update:

Received the new (used) low budget (can be considered no budget) all-in-one full frame lens from Amazon Japan.

Presenting the Tamron 28-300mm XR DI Aspherical Macro 1:3.5-6.3.

I don't understand the widespread hate for this lens. Quite sharp below 200mm but it's still manageable at 300mm (nothing a little magic in Lightroom can't fix). It is still as sharp as the ancient Nikkor 28-200mm AF-D if not better. Focus is pretty fast and it doesn't have a built-in motor and depends on the body's screw-type driver.

Overall, best 6000 yen ever spent (plus 4000 for shipping and import duty). Will eventually upgrade to Nikon's own 28-300mm in a few years but at least I should Corbett/Ranthambore with this once.

Adding some pictures as a fat lens does justice to a small body:







Edit: To all who are wanting to upgrade, note that the market is flooded with mirrorless cameras (like EVs everywhere).
Now's the best time to get a slightly old Full Frame.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Presenting the Tamron 28-300mm XR DI Aspherical Macro 1:3.5-6.3. ... ... ... I don't understand the widespread hate for this lens.

I thought Tamron had always been respected?

the market is flooded with mirrorless cameras ... Now's the best time to get a slightly old Full Frame.

You mean full-frame DSLR. There are plenty of full-frame mirrorless. Sure. It's the coming technology. The mirror will die.

[vredesbyrd]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I thought Tamron had always been respected?

Indeed sir. However, not this lens. Considered a very low budget offering and it not being the sharpest at 300mm. Have seen people dismiss it in reviews and on forums.

Jared Polin comes to mind because he absolutely bashed the Nikkor 28-300mm.

You mean full-frame DSLR. There are plenty of full-frame mirrorless. Sure. It's the coming technology. The mirror will die.

Correct. For those who are new to photography (like me) can get a decent used DSLR instead of a new mirrorless. It's just viable alternative in my books. I got this D600 for a little under the price of a Fujifil X-T100.

For nearly 9 years old hardware, the output is pretty solid. Since I don't make videos, I don't even need 1080p, let alone 60 fps.

[JoshMachine]

Hi all - I recently took the plunge into the world of DSLR with/ the entry-level Nikon D3500.
I have considered myself a hobbyist photographer and wanted to up the game a bit. But again, for the transition from a point & shoot mode/smartphone to the slightly serious world of mirrors (or without), I want to calibrate my pursuit one step at a time and hence I have considered the D3500 for now. The kit comes with 2 lenses (18-50 mm + 70-300 mm). Both seem to be serving the purpose decently for now.

Credit for my initial learning goes to Dr. AD, who elaborately helped out with some of the courses, and ofcourse some of his pictures also helped me expedite the plunge into this fascinating world. Thanks Dr.!

I also spent some weekends learning the ropes at a professional photography outfit here in Pune. And it helped put together a seamless & continuous perspective into understanding basic concepts.

Ok, enough with the words. Let me share few pictures now. Please note that these are some of my early attempts, so not sure if they qualify to be posted in this thread comprising of super professionals

Just posting them in a bunch here.

Have attempted to shoot close-ups (amateurish attempt at macro photography) and few landscapes as well:-

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Hi all - I recently took the plunge into the world of DSLR with/ the entry-level Nikon D3500.
I have considered myself a hobbyist photographer and wanted to up the game a bit. But again, for the transition from a point & shoot mode/smartphone to the slightly serious world of mirrors (or without), I want to calibrate my pursuit one step at a time and hence I have considered the D3500 for now. The kit comes with 2 lenses (18-50 mm + 70-300 mm). Both seem to be serving the purpose decently for now.

Credit for my initial learning goes to Dr. AD, who elaborately helped out with some of the courses, and ofcourse some of his pictures also helped me expedite the plunge into this fascinating world. Thanks Dr.!

I also spent some weekends learning the ropes at a professional photography outfit here in Pune. And it helped put together a seamless & continuous perspective into understanding basic concepts.

Ok, enough with the words. Let me share few pictures now. Please note that these are some of my early attempts, so not sure if they qualify to be posted in this thread comprising of super professionals

Just posting them in a bunch here.

Have attempted to shoot close-ups (amateurish attempt at macro photography) and few landscapes as well:-

Excellent shots.

I advise you to do two things

1. Shoot in RAW full resolution.
2. Process RAW images using Nikon NX-D software, available free from Nikon site.

The advantages of shooting RAW are many, as you can make all sorts of adjustments on computer. What is most important is that RAW gives you an extended dynamic range - 12 bits against 8 bits of JPG. That means you can recover a lot of information from shadows, and can now expose for the brightest part rather than average light of the scene.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Excellent shots.

I advise you to do two things

1. Shoot in RAW full resolution.
2. Process RAW images using Nikon NX-D software, available free from Nikon site.

The advantages of shooting RAW are many, as you can make all sorts of adjustments on computer. What is most important is that RAW gives you an extended dynamic range - 12 bits against 8 bits of JPG. That means you can recover a lot of information from shadows, and can now expose for the brightest part rather than average light of the scene.

Thanks Aroy!
Most of my shots have been captured in RAW with slight edits (only when required) coming from the versatile Nikon NX Studio.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Ok, enough with the words. Let me share few pictures now. Please note that these are some of my early attempts, so not sure if they qualify to be posted in this thread comprising of super professionals

Don't under-rate your skills. Some really great shots there!

[vredesbyrd]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Hi all - I recently took the plunge into the world of DSLR with the entry-level Nikon D3500.

Fantastic photos. It seems you already have a good mental visualisation of the kind of picture you want. You already have a good grasp of rule of thirds as yor framing is on point.

I would agree with Aroy about shooting raw. Lots of headroom, you can totally transform the shot and even pull out details not visible initially.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Hi all - I recently took the plunge into the world of DSLR with/ the entry-level Nikon D3500.

Just posting them in a bunch here.

Wow! Some of these are really good pictures. Congratulations on getting the D3500 and starting your photography journey!

I am glad that my suggestions helped.

Looking forward to more photos from you as continue your journey of this really fascinating hobby.

[sach.sri]

Hi

Looking for a camera rental company to rent a lens in Delhi/Gurgaon. Most of the companies I found wanted to verify me and the procedure is like applying for a loan.

Want to know how dependable these are - as I am required to share a good amount of info and documents for this process and it can be misused and worst or my data sold at best.

Thanks for any pointers.

[zurura023]

Originally Posted by sach.sri

Hi

Looking for a camera rental company to rent a lens in Delhi/Gurgaon. Most of the companies I found wanted to verify me and the procedure is like applying for a loan.

Want to know how dependable these are - as I am required to share a good amount of info and documents for this process and it can be misused and worst or my data sold at best.

Thanks for any pointers.

I have rented in Bombay here quite often till 2016/17 without much documents - few copies of my driving license usually. I never give out Aadhar and PAN copies usually. But I do know of a few vendors that used to ask for documents, to the extent of holding back originals . Given the way most rented stuff is used in India, that does not come of as a surprise though. Go with recognised vendors who you can reasonably trust with safeguarding your data. Renting without documents may come with a reference or at a cost, probably a deposit.

Do specify what gear you are interested in and I can check to see any photography connects has someone who can help with this.

[condor]

Folks, your thoughts pls ?

I have a Nikon d5200 which is about 6-7 years now, with less than 10k shutter count. However, I have not been using it much. The trips have come down, no functions etc, I dont do street photography etc. So should I hold it, or sell it ? I have a slightly old Canon Powershot P&S which I can use for some shooting, apart from the iphone that I use for quick/incidental pics. If I feel the need in future, I could get another compact camera later.

[DaptChatterjee]

Originally Posted by condor

Folks, your thoughts pls ?

I have a Nikon d5200 which is about 6-7 years now, with less than 10k shutter count. However, I have not been using it much. The trips have come down, no functions etc, I dont do street photography etc. So should I hold it, or sell it ?

It's a no-brainer. Sell it while you still can. Nobody except antique collectors would buy a DSLR in a few years.

The D5XXX series has been discontinued by Nikon but there is some demand for it in India. So you can get a few bucks for it.