[kala]

What do you think is the maximum price one can pay for a used (4 months old - supposedly in almost new condition with original packing boxes, bills etc) Sony SLT Alpha A55 with 18-55 and 55-200 kit lenses and a 32GB Sandisk Ultra memory card ? The price that the seller is asking is around 40K.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by geeash

now finding my feet into macro. i need a flash for all the above thingy. Have come across nissin di622 mark II. just wanted to get a opinion on how it is?. anyone using it?.

For macro, you need macro flash. The normal flash won't even cover the macro object since the object will be quite close to the lens. That said, ring flash for macro is quite expensive.

On the other hand, you can try this: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ml#post2804763

[Parthasarathig]

Hello experts
The following pictures are of a camera that my father bought in 1990 from Vienna. Japanese brand. Ive not much expertise in all this. So i was wondering if you could tell me if the camera is an SLR camera. It requires film and has detachable lens.

Are films available these days? I was wondering if I could use this once again? Atleast the pictures would come out good in those days using this camera than the regular point and shoot ones.

Its lying around unused for a few years ever since i got my digicam. Also, can someone tell me how big a picture can we print from a negative without the image pixellating? Like in digicams theres this concept of megapixels; does the same apply to the cameras that use film?

I couldnt find a suitable thread to post this query so posting here if its okay.

This equipment is lying in my native home along with a few point and shoot film cameras which were the craze those days. If there is any chance of reviving this camera i shall carry it back to bangalore with me. My requirement is to be able to shoot landscapes such as valleys, hills, giant rocks and open seas.

Also is it possible to get extra lenses for this camera? Like the big ones displayed on this thread or even macro lenses for some closeups?

Thanks if youve the answer to my queries.

[gd1418]

Yashic FX-3 Super 2000 was my first SLR camera that came with the 35~70 mini zoom lens. The number 2000 meant that its shutter speed was 1/2000 that was quite big in those days (1986-87)

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

if you could tell me if the camera is an SLR camera. It requires film and has detachable lens.

Films are available these days too but with a little difficulty.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Are films available these days? I was wondering if I could use this once again?

Unlike megapixels in the digitalcameras, it is the ISO of the film that matters the most. The lower the ISO, the less grainier is the picture and much easier to make big blow-ups. Any film of ISO 100 or lesser rating shall give you crisp & sharp pictures with very little noise and big printouts taken without pixellating.

In those days I used to use Kodak's ISO 25 film that I used to get from Canada.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

can someone tell me how big a picture can we print from a negative without the image pixellating? Like in digicams theres this concept of megapixels; does the same apply to the cameras that use film?

If I remeber correctly, this camera uses the C/Y bayonet mount. You can look for Zeiss lenses on eBay.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Also is it possible to get extra lenses for this camera? Like the big ones displayed on this thread or even macro lenses for some closeups?

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by gd1418

....

Actually i love this camera because it used to be more involving than point and shoot ones. The ability to zoom and also i could somewhat focus on an object and blur the background or focus on the surroundings and blur the centre. (Forgive my newbie like words related to the camera.)

The fact that it took great photos was that till this day the photos are much more clearer than the ones taken by the simple point and shoot one. Of course now ive stopped using cameras and mostly use the phone (N8 and Note) for my pictures.

Earlier it used to be so much fun and tedious too, checking out the negatives searching for the shots we want to print.

Do you still use that camera these days or have completely shifted to the digital ones?

Also are filters available for these cameras? Like sepia, bw etc.

Thanks for answering my queries.

Regards.

[gd1418]

I migrated to Nikon long time back owning the F & the F-801, our of which I've retained the F-801 but do not use it. My current gear is given below in my signature.

Filters that you mentioned should be available (Tiffen), but I've not seen anyone using off late.

sepia lens filters | eBay

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Do you still use that camera these days or have completely shifted to the digital ones?

Also are filters available for these cameras? Like sepia, bw etc.

[mayankjha1806]

Have a question for experts. I have been doing some sports photography recently and facing problems.

Nikon D90 with 28-300 Lences.
ISO at 3200 and shutter speed at 100.

Pictures are coming darker then i would like. The lighting is bad but how can i still get better shots. Slowing down shutter speed makes pictures blurr, and increasing iso makes it lots of grains. Needless to say auto sports program is not good and hence i moved to shutter priority program.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Have a question for experts. I have been doing some sports photography recently and facing problems.

Nikon D90 with 28-300 Lences.
ISO at 3200 and shutter speed at 100.

Pictures are coming darker then i would like. The lighting is bad but how can i still get better shots. Slowing down shutter speed makes pictures blurr, and increasing iso makes it lots of grains. Needless to say auto sports program is not good and hence i moved to shutter priority program.

What aperture/ F value when you shoot at 1/100? I am not familiar with 28-300, so asking.

Suggestions:

1. 3200 ISO pictures on D90 will have significant noise. You can get rid of some of the noise in high noise reduction mode, but there are compromises. Or try a SW for noise reduction. I sometimes use Neat Image, a free SW. Others can recommend better SW.

2. If you check exposure or look at the histogram, you would probably see that significant underexposure is happening. You have already pushed the ISO, and I assume that you don't want to reduce shutter speed further since you want to freeze the action. So only solution is a bigger aperture - which might not be possible with your current lens. So it seems you need a faster lens :-)...sports in low light calls for expensive lenses or fantastic high ISO capability.

3. See if you can lighten up the image using SW. But you might not get good results at such high ISO.

4. See if by mistake you have negative exposure compensation dialed in.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

So i was wondering if you could tell me if the camera is an SLR camera. It requires film and has detachable lens.

Back then, there were only SLRs which came with detachable film. This one is an SLR.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Are films available these days? I was wondering if I could use this once again? Atleast the pictures would come out good in those days using this camera than the regular point and shoot ones.

Yes, films are very much available (despite some people telling me that Kodak has shut down production of films in the US: FYI I use a Nikon FE which works with film and I have had no problem buying films from my neighbourhood studio)

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Its lying around unused for a few years ever since i got my digicam.

If you are unfamiliar with the film SLRs, take it to a photographer/photo studio and get it checked. Worst case scenario is you will have to spend upwards of Rs. 100 for a new roll of film, and then spend another twenty bucks to get it developed to see if the camera is functioning well. So in under 200 bucks you can find out if you can use it. If it doesn't work, chances are the photographer may also direct you to someone who repairs them. The older SLRs should be easy to repair compared to their electronic counterparts, but this one is not as mainstream as a Nikon or a Canon so getting the right parts may not be easy.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

My requirement is to be able to shoot landscapes such as valleys, hills, giant rocks and open seas.

Give it a shot with a roll of film to make sure the camera and the lens are good. You can then start using it for all kinds of photography you wish to do. As you advance further you may want to use different types of lenses specialized for specific tasks. For e.g. not all lenses can give you a good landscape picture, there are some lenses which work even with low light, while there are some which are excellent for portraits and close-up shots. Since this is an old model and not as mainstream, finding compatible lenses may require some legwork.

Check from the internet (or if you have the camera manual with you) what type of mount the camera uses (mount refers to the mechanism used by the camera body to hold the lens, sort of like the lugnuts of a car which hold the wheel). Any lens must be compatible with this mount to be usable with your camera. Most likely the aperture control setting won't be available on the camera body in this model. This means any lenses you try must have an aperture dial on it. Also I doubt if this camera has auto-focus.

Basically stay away from any modern lenses and try and scout the photography shops to see if you can pick up an old (but working) lens for cheap. Most commercial photographers are switching to digital and will happily relieve themselves of the old lenses which are occupying precious space in their cabinets.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

The lighting is bad but how can i still get better shots. Slowing down shutter speed makes pictures blurr, and increasing iso makes it lots of grains.

Use a tripod - increase exposure time - reduce ISO

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Back then, there were only SLRs which came with detachable film. This one is an SLR.
.

Basically stay away from any modern lenses and try and scout the photography shops to see if you can pick up an old (but working) lens for cheap. Most commercial photographers are switching to digital and will happily relieve themselves of the old lenses which are occupying precious space in their cabinets.

Wow thats so detailed. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Now i feel happy that this camera can be put to use. The shutter is making noise, the film removal mechanism is also working; i.e the thing that auto rolls the negative back to its original state.

I dont know if this camera requires any battery; never had to use one.

My neighborhood friendly photographer had used petrol to clean the lens due to some artifacts appearing in some of the pics. Im not sure if im using the correct terms. After that however we stopped using the camera.

I guess i may have to collect some older editions of photomags to learn more about this subject. Some of the wildlife pics posted by nilanjanray and some macro photos(i think) of insects, reptiles are also just amazing. Here in the dooars we have lot of opportunity to capture such photos but point and shoot cameras dont offer much flexibility except the few preset modes. I can never take photos of nature posted in this thread with the p&s cameras. Maybe because im not much of an expert.

Maybe il try my hand using this first and learn the basics properly. Then when the right time comes ill shift to dSLR as i dont want to buy equipment without knowing the basics. For too long ive used point and shoot cameras, yet when i visit hillstations and other scenic places; p&s cameras just tend to give average photos. Like in terms of clarity, detail, zoom etc.

One day i hope to click photos as good as you guys post here. Each of them are superb.

One last question. How does one shoot a panorama with a film camera?

Thanks once again for your time and patience.

[honeybee]

For Panorama, you may need a wide angle lens. Or else you need to carefully take photos so you can scan them into the PC and use software to join them together to make your panorama. A tripod recommended for this approach.

Don't try and rush things. Give yourself time to get familiar with the camera and its features.

And don't expect great results from day one. Won't happen even if you bought the most expensive DSLR. It's what the man behind the machine does that matters more than what the machine is capable of.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

The lighting is bad but how can i still get better shots. Slowing down shutter speed makes pictures blurr, and increasing iso makes it lots of grains.

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Use a tripod - increase exposure time - reduce ISO

I have one more technique in my camera to get noise free low light images in high ISOs & faster shutter speeds without a tripod, that is the multi-shot NR. Works very well.

An ISO3200 handheld shot @1/15s (x6) in a room with very low lighting through a window, no post processing

Originally Posted by honeybee

For Panorama, you may need a wide angle lens. Or else you need to carefully take photos so you can scan them into the PC and use software to join them together to make your panorama.

Some DSLRs have a panorama mode, mine does. You just need to sweep while holding the shutter - it takes pictures in a burst and makes an in camera Panorama.

[thalavoy]

Has anyone in Chennai checked out the image Expo at Ctc? Any thing interesting?

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Some DSLRs have a panorama mode, mine does. You just need to sweep while holding the shutter - it takes pictures in a burst and makes an in camera Panorama.

No doubt, but his question was for a film SLR, I don't know if any film SLRs have a panorama mode.