[Dry Ice]

Gurus,

Came across this lens -- Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 -- during my search for a vfm wide angle lens. Read some reviews online and most seem to speak highly of this.

How do you guys recommend it? and more importantly where can I get it in India?

[gd1418]

It is a DX lens and works best with the DX DSLRs. You could try Chandni Chowk Camera Market, Delhi for this..

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Gurus,

Came across this lens -- Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 -- during my search for a vfm wide angle lens. Read some reviews online and most seem to speak highly of this.

How do you guys recommend it? and more importantly where can I get it in India?

[raju2512]

Originally Posted by joshguy

Hi all,

In which mode should i take pics generally? Aperture or Shutter priority?

A quick thumb rule. Every time you halve the F number, the shutter speed should be quadrupled.

If you shoot with F11 at 1/125 shutter speed, F 5.6 will require a shutter speed of 1/500sec for the same exposure

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

....Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 -- during my search for a vfm wide angle lens.

Its one of the best wide angle lenses for a DX body, many of my friends are using it and happy with it. Its not a VFM though, will cost you around 35k, where as you get a Sigma 10-20 for 25k. VFM is a personal term anyway

[Ho0ligaN]

Guys I am still undecided on the various options canon users have for telephoto lenses. I am not considering the 100-400L. However the 300mm and 400mm options are really giving me sleepless nights. I mainly have two choices in front of me

1) 300mm f/4L + 1.4x and stick with my existing Sigma 70-300mm APO DG for lower focal lengths.

2) 400mm f/5.6L + 70-200mm f/4L (non IS) and get rid of the sigma 70-300.

I expect most of the usage to be from a safari jeep, so tripods aren't an option. Will go for a bean bag though. I am interested in mammals more (not that I don't like birding, but mammals more as of now) every review/article I read about the 400mm only talks about how good a lens it is for birding and birds in flight. How does it fare on safaris for mammals? Recently I tried out the 300mm+1.4x combo once and I found it too long sometimes and I hadn't taken my Sigma 70-300mm along so ended up with a lot of pictures that look like trophy heads. Thats why I am little concerned about the 70-xxx range also now, not just the 300+ range. Need to make a decision soon, as I have a chance to get somebody from the US to bring these lenses for me

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by gd1418

It is a DX lens and works best with the DX DSLRs. You could try Chandni Chowk Camera Market, Delhi for this..

Thanks gd1418, your contact there was real helpful while getting the cam itself! Will get in touch with him.

Originally Posted by shajufx

Its one of the best wide angle lenses for a DX body, many of my friends are using it and happy with it. Its not a VFM though, will cost you around 35k, where as you get a Sigma 10-20 for 25k. VFM is a personal term anyway

Well, shaju, 35k puts it out of my vfm range too
I came across some posts on IndiaMike and BCMTouring where guys have mentioned 27-28k price! It retails for $600 in the US, maybe they had it brought over by someone.

Also, since there arn't any official dealers for Tokina, how is the warranty service? Any of your friends have any experience with that?

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by TheBeastFieast

One of the best comparison between 550d and D90 i have found:

Canon Rebel T2i / EOS 550D Compared to Nikon D90 Side by Side

How much the crop factor (1.5 in D90 and 1.6 in 550d) matters?

Come on man,
you are really referring that site for a well informed decision/opnion making?

That site is dedicately Nikon partial.

Check out even the old cases of D40 and D60 where Nikon offers 3 AF points, vis-a-vis 7 by Canon 1000.
And the guy has a cheek to say somthing like ultimately its the center point that counts. And then hurries off to Canon bashing.

Regarding hte D90 noise at higher ISO vs 550d noise.
Check out the pix at dpreview.
Canon 550d triumphs over Nikon 90.
And predictably so.

This is not film era SLR. Where SLR meant nothing and it was only the reel and lens that mattered.

Here the body matters because body = reel. 550d has 2010 sensor.
D90 has 2008 sensor.

You really think that in two years there has been NO progress in solidstate sensors and the underlying mathematical algorithms?


However, there is indeed one blanket statement about Nikon I would like to make (over the Canons).
The kit lenses.
The kit lens quality and well as built is really much better than Canon.


Oh, and another thing.
Please do not take DXO sensor ratings too seriously.
Use your eyes to determine the quality


Darn, I am coming off as a Canon fanboi :(
But I can't tolerate this Nikon Elitism present in the Democratic republic of India.

[RaguHolla]

Originally Posted by rajatsingh78

Aperture Priority
[Denoted by A in Nikon; Denoted by Av in Canon (means Aperture Value)]
You can select the aperture you want and the camera chooses the best corresponding shutter speed


Shutter Priority
[Denoted by S in Nikon; Denoted by Tv in Canon (means Time Value)]
You can select the shutter speed here and the camera chooses the corresponding aperture

In DLSR, it also changes ISO if Auto ISO is selected (Meaning set to On). Read Auto ISO mechanism of your DSLR about how it works.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by raju2512

A quick thumb rule. Every time you halve the F number, the shutter speed should be quadrupled.

If you shoot with F11 at 1/125 shutter speed, F 5.6 will require a shutter speed of 1/500sec for the same exposure

I think that every time you half the F stop you double the speed not quadruple.
The F stops are normally arranged to give half the exposure in successfully increasing settings (area of light entering is halved)

Originally Posted by Ho0ligaN

Guys I am still undecided on the various options canon users have for telephoto lenses. I am not considering the 100-400L. However the 300mm and 400mm options are really giving me sleepless nights. I mainly have two choices in front of me

1) 300mm f/4L + 1.4x and stick with my existing Sigma 70-300mm APO DG for lower focal lengths.

2) 400mm f/5.6L + 70-200mm f/4L (non IS) and get rid of the sigma 70-300.

I expect most of the usage to be from a safari jeep, so tripods aren't an option. Will go for a bean bag though. I am interested in mammals more (not that I don't like birding, but mammals more as of now) every review/article I read about the 400mm only talks about how good a lens it is for birding and birds in flight. How does it fare on safaris for mammals? Recently I tried out the 300mm+1.4x combo once and I found it too long sometimes and I hadn't taken my Sigma 70-300mm along so ended up with a lot of pictures that look like trophy heads. Thats why I am little concerned about the 70-xxx range also now, not just the 300+ range. Need to make a decision soon, as I have a chance to get somebody from the US to bring these lenses for me

For shots from Safari Jeep you require higher speeds to avoid vibration, hence faster lenses.

Getting rid of Sigma depends on how much extra you have to shell out in the exchange of Sigma to Cannon. The only reason I can see is if Sigma has 5.6 or larger minimum aperture.

My recommendation would be to wait and save for a faster lense with IS, though the faster lenses cost a bomb they are worth it in the end. In wildlife photography every stop matters as most of wildlife is sighted at the magic hours of dawn or dusk, when a fast lense is not only desirable but at times essential. An IS lense lets you shoot at a much lower speed compared to a non IS. The TC would reduce your aperture by one more stop further minimising the window of opportunity for good shots.

Some sample prices from B&H
300mm/F2.0 - 5,200
300mm/F2.8 - 4,340
400mm/F4.0 - 5,700
from Canon USA
400mm/F4.0 - 6469
400mm/F5.6 - 1339
300mm/F4.0 - 1399
Extender 1.4 - 500

also browse through the Canon India prices Prices - Digital Cameras - Canon India
they are comparable to US prices with the advantage that you get warranty service here.

[raju2512]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I think that every time you half the F stop you double the speed not quadruple.
The F stops are normally arranged to give half the exposure in successfully increasing settings (area of light entering is halved)

.

No you have to quadruple the shutter speed.

Set your camera in aperture priority and change the aperture and check how the shutter speed changes.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by raju2512

.

No you have to quadruple the shutter speed.

Set your camera in aperture priority and change the aperture and check how the shutter speed changes.

Please refer to these articles.
Nikon | Imaging Products | Digital SLR Camera Basics | Combining Aperture and Shutter Speed
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography...e.htm#bigsmall
Shutter and Aperture - Beginners Guide to Photography - Photonhead.com

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I have 3 friends who are using the same on canon bodies, very happy with what they get for that price ! Its soft above 400 on the field, I dont know what the reviews say about it. Expect very bad images if the natural light is poor. Its better to remain in the bag before sunrise and after sunset. Overall, bang for the buck !

Thanks Shaju. Got this lens couple of days back. Like you said, is is indeed bang for the buck.

[Samurai]

Aroy, raju2512 said half the F-stop, not one F-stop. One f-stop is sq.rt of 2. Therefore, raju is right.

To retain same exposure:
If you reduce by one F-stop (say F2.8 to F2), you need to double the speed.
If you half the F-stop (F2.8 to F1.4), you need to quadruple the speed.

Remember, you move between F-stops by either multiplying or dividing by sq.root of 2.

[aburagohain]

Originally Posted by shajufx

There is something called 'straight blade' and 'round blade' which decides the quality of bokeh in lenses. Usually primes have 7 to 9 blades either rounded or straight. I think its more blades = better bokeh. You can see the details in every lens technical information. Nikon 50mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.4 and 85mm 1.8 have the highest number of blades = 9 straight blades. I think most macro lenses use 9 blades.

Are there lenses with more than 9 blades in the market ? I dont know, please add your comments if you know of a brand.

Post open to correction: I have tried to put whatever I have learnt from small and big gurus whomever I know !

Found one with 10 blades in a secondary array, quite unusual and interesting construction, only manual focus:

Sony 135mm F/2.8 [T4.5] STF review
Sony 135 F2.8 [T4.5] STF SAL-135F28 review - dyxum.com

[raju2512]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Aroy, raju2512 said half the F-stop, not one F-stop. One f-stop is sq.rt of 2. Therefore, raju is right.

To retain same exposure:
If you reduce by one F-stop (say F2.8 to F2), you need to double the speed.
If you half the F-stop (F2.8 to F1.4), you need to quadruple the speed.

Remember, you move between F-stops by either multiplying or dividing by sq.root of 2.

Thanks for clarifying on my behalf.

@aroy, I gave the example of F11 & F 5.6 just to avoid this confusion.