[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by it_inspector

Actually its no the price. For a pro who spent $13,000 on D3x, few hundred on Capture NX isn`t an issue.

Fact is that even after spending money on Capture NX2 we really don`t get much benefit out of it, except batch NEF conversions. In comparison to Canon side/Adobe Lightroom and Capture One, Capture NX2 is in one word, PATHETIC.

Almost all of the photo-togs i know use Adobe Lightroom for conversion and managing of files/folders (catalogue).

But not everyone wants to buy a D3X and D3X is not the only Nikon camera thats allows to shoot RAW. Even the entry DSLRs can shoot RAW. NX2 or the original Capture is still the best RAW convertor for NEFs period and yes there are others too but for the sheer quality of NEF conversion nothing beats Capture. Agree with you about the other oddities of Capture. Adobe lightroom and others cost money again so my point is that Capture should be free as others are providing a free RAW convertor along with their cameras.

[it_inspector]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Huh! D3x came out with a price tag of $8000, are you talking Singapore dollars?

Sorry i should have mentioned, i was talking in Australian Dollars.

Originally Posted by SPARKled

But not everyone wants to buy a D3X and D3X is not the only Nikon camera thats allows to shoot RAW. Even the entry DSLRs can shoot RAW. NX2 or the original Capture is still the best RAW convertor for NEFs period and yes there are others too but for the sheer quality of NEF conversion nothing beats Capture. Agree with you about the other oddities of Capture. Adobe lightroom and others cost money again so my point is that Capture should be free as others are providing a free RAW convertor along with their cameras.

I agree with free raw conversion.

[Shan2nu]

My Canon 1000 D also offers RAW mode. Haven't tried it yet but after reading some articles on "RAW vs JPEG", am really tempted to give it a try.

I just have 1 question though. If i need to print a RAW image, what would be the best format to give it in.....TIFF?

Shan2nu

[it_inspector]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

My Canon 1000 D also offers RAW mode. Haven't tried it yet but after reading some articles on "RAW vs JPEG", am really tempted to give it a try.

I just have 1 question though. If i need to print a RAW image, what would be the best format to give it in.....TIFF?

Shan2nu

No point shooting JPEG with a DSLR . If you want perfect colors, calibrate your screen and then get the printer profiles from the shops and use them in photoshop. That is if you want perfect colors.

For the users of Canon P&S`s, download CHDK for your camera and firmware revision and shoot RAW. You won`t regret it, there are crazy amounts of functions added to the normal P&S via CHDK.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

My Canon 1000 D also offers RAW mode. Haven't tried it yet but after reading some articles on "RAW vs JPEG", am really tempted to give it a try.

I just have 1 question though. If i need to print a RAW image, what would be the best format to give it in.....TIFF?

Shan2nu

Oh yes you should definitely give RAW a try especially if you are going to encounter a tricky light situation and you are going to get that once in a life time shot that you dont have enough confidence of how it may turn out. With a RAW file at your disposal the possibilities to get the best out of the image are much much more than regular JPEGs. Not to mention the pictures are sharper and you can change basic things like white balance, exposure compensation etc which may not be possible with JPEGs at a higher level. However shooting with RAW on a continous basis has its drawbacks like huge file sizes, generally slower processing times and dedicated software programs. I wouldnt recommend shooting RAW for your everyday causal pics or for sharing on the web for drawbacks mentioned above. But then there are people who shoot nothing but RAW for everything.

To print a RAW image, TIFF would be a good option but file sizes may be more than the basic RAW file. Good RAW convertors can convert RAWs to JPEGs without a noticable difference in image quality unless printing in huge sizes. Experts what are your views on this?

[amitk26]

Hi,

I am reading and planning for DSLR as a noob.

Read at quite a few places that best bet is to buy only body without kit lens and purchase a 50mm lens and an additional 70 - 300 lens.

What is so bad about the 18 - 55 Kit lens provided say 18 - 55 IS lens with Canon 500D or 1000D ?

Regards
Amit

[it_inspector]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Hi,

I am reading and planning for DSLR as a noob.

Read at quite a few places that best bet is to buy only body without kit lens and purchase a 50mm lens and an additional 70 - 300 lens.

What is so bad about the 18 - 55 Kit lens provided say 18 - 55 IS lens with Canon 500D or 1000D ?

Regards
Amit

I suggest get a kit lens and a 50mm. Since you need to understand basics and adopt a shooting style.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by it_inspector

I suggest get a kit lens and a 50mm. Since you need to understand basics and adopt a shooting style.

I understand few basics as I use manual mode of my current Powershot A-700 but pardon my ignorance if I buy a 18 - 55 IS why exactly a separate 50 mm is required ? I thought chucking 18 -55 mm is to reduce cost.

[it_inspector]

Originally Posted by amitk26

I understand few basics as I use manual mode of my current Powershot A-700 but pardon my ignorance if I buy a 18 - 55 IS why exactly a separate 50 mm is required ? I thought chucking 18 -55 mm is to reduce cost.

Buying a kit lens always turns out to be cheaper than buying it later as a seperate. Hence dealers will try to sell you body alone.

There is nothing wrong with a kit lens but they are also not the best lenses. They are considered slow since they have small aperture or large f no.

50mm alone is a PRIME lens while kit 18-55mm is a KIT lens. Prime lenses focus faster, are fast as F No. is low - Large Aperture. Since large aperture is available you will be able to experiment with DOF. While 18-55mm kit lens helps you find your shooting style, for example do you shoot mostly at 18mm or 55mm or somewhere in the middle.

Also 50mm is pretty much the cheapest lens available and should be the part of every kit.

Also remember kit lenses usually give best results at f8, since that is the sweet spot. For f1.8 50mm`s its usually around f5.6-f6.5 (except of course Zeiss and Leica).

EDIT:
For those who love canon, here`s something-something for you. Quite rare items, so much so, canon has ran out of parts for both worldwide.

Canon 200mm 1.8L series telephoto lens - eBay Digital Camera Lenses, Lenses, Photographic Accessories, Cameras. (end time 11-Nov-09 20:20:16 AEDST)

Canon 50mm 1.0L Series Lens - eBay Digital Camera Lenses, Lenses, Photographic Accessories, Cameras. (end time 11-Nov-09 20:21:42 AEDST)

And little something for the Pentax lovers.

Pentax SMCP-FA 600mm f/4 ED IF Lens RARE! K20D K10D - eBay, Lenses, Lenses Filters, Cameras Photo. (end time 07-Nov-09 07:03:34 AEDST)

What are the odds of all these landing on ebay at the same time. BTW i am not affiliated with any of those. Just thought people will appriciate the rareness of these. I personally feel prices are way out of line for all three.

Cheers

[RuffRyder]

Originally Posted by it_inspector

These are the colors Japan consumers will get when ordering K-X.

Thanx for the info @it_inspector.

[rkbharat]

man, this is already a painful hobby, even when it has not yet started.

Every evening I console my self to stick to my P&S for some more time before I have enough money for D90,

then next morning I see beautiful pics from all you guys,

that frustrates me,

I start doing research on different sites, look for cheaper options like 1000D, then gets confused, unsure, sad, and by the time its evening and cycle goes on.

I need to stop this some how.

See its painful

[Sha]

Guys anybody has purchased Canon 7D, I want to know hand on experience.

[navin]

Originally Posted by it_inspector

In my particular case, i rarely take on assignments and when i do, i rarely get them out of studio or at day time, either way i end up using a tripod.

Do you work in India or Australia?

Originally Posted by it_inspector

I am so going to get both flamed and hated for this comment. In-Lens IS is better than In-Body IS.
Also for better performance a mixture of In-Body and In-Lens Is can be utilised.

From what I've been told for shorter focal lengths in-body IS works better for longer focal lengths in-lens IS works better.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Huh! D3x came out with a price tag of $8000, are you talking Singapore dollars?

Samu, he says he lives in Melbourne.

Originally Posted by it_inspector

No point shooting JPEG with a DSLR
For the users of Canon P&S`s, download CHDK for your camera and firmware revision and shoot RAW. You won`t regret it, there are crazy amounts of functions added to the normal P&S via CHDK.

Yes there is a point of using JPG. In the old days (my dad, aunt & I) used to shoot on slide film then use a slide projector for 'family nights' when all of us would watch the slides. Today the slide film is replaced by a compact flash/SD Ram card, the projector is a Sony PS3, the screen is a 46" LCD. The family nights are still the same. My wife uses a Canon HF10 for video so we get to use the PS3 for still (JPG) and 1080 video. If I used a P&S for the shots would look all grainy and patchy. The SLR with a larger sensor is just about perfect.

Does CHDK work on all canon P&S cameras? Which cameras does it work on. I was looking to get a Canon S90 soon for portability. My Malay suppkier has just quoted me a price of MYR 1500 (Malaysian Rupee).

Originally Posted by rkbharat

man, this is already a painful hobby, even when it has not yet started.

Dont sweat the small stuff. The kit lenses 18-55 & 55-250 (IS or VR) are very good VFM. CCDs require more light than film so add a flash that will extend range to about 40 meters (SB800/900 or 420/430EX) for indoor shots.

Then add a couple of primes (like the 35/2, 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 for Nikon users and 28/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8 and 100/2 for Canon users) later based on the focal lenghts you use most. Prime lenses have less glass hence are sharper than kit-zoom lenses. Get a nice bag that can carry everything - the brand I like is Kata (the DR467 is their mainstay - I use a 3N1-30) but Lowepro and Tamrac are more easily available.

[it_inspector]

Originally Posted by navin

Do you work in India or Australia?

I am currently working in Australia but will be in INDIA next yr.

But to be honest, i havn`t saved a single cent from photography. I started with a Pentax istDS and just kept doing shoots and whatever i got back basically went into upgrading my photography gear. Since i got a Full Time job, it doesn`t matte anyway.

Originally Posted by navin

From what I've been told for shorter focal lengths in-body IS works better for longer focal lengths in-lens IS works better.

Yep that is 100% correct.

The only thing with In-body IS, you cannot see it in-action and know when the camera went overboard. Sure you can see it in-action using Live-View but one can always argue that using Live-View puts the DSLR away from your body hence increases the chance of Vibrations/shake.

Originally Posted by navin

Samu, he says he lives in Melbourne.

Yep, i live in Melbroune.

Originally Posted by navin

Yes there is a point of using JPG. In the old days (my dad, aunt & I) used to shoot on slide film then use a slide projector for 'family nights' when all of us would watch the slides. Today the slide film is replaced by a compact flash/SD Ram card, the projector is a Sony PS3, the screen is a 46" LCD. The family nights are still the same. My wife uses a Canon HF10 for video so we get to use the PS3 for still (JPG) and 1080 video. If I used a P&S for the shots would look all grainy and patchy. The SLR with a larger sensor is just about perfect.

Fair enough.

But have you looked into Canon G series, Micro 4-Thirds, Leica D-lux series, Ricoh G-R series. Whole point of these are to provide portability and are made DSLR sensors.

Originally Posted by navin

Does CHDK work on all canon P&S cameras? Which cameras does it work on. I was looking to get a Canon S90 soon for portability. My Malay suppkier has just quoted me a price of MYR 1500 (Malaysian Rupee).

CHDK is basically a hacked firmware for Canon cameras. You can check the CHDK wiki here.

I don`t think it supports S90 yet.

Originally Posted by Sha

Guys anybody has purchased Canon 7D, I want to know hand on experience.

I got a studio shoot 3 weeks away. Studio has a Canon 7D in stock. Will check it out. Lemme know what questions you have specifically.

Cheers

[Proxima]

Guys, how much should I pay for the 50mm 1.8 Canon lens? It sells for 100USD in the US and the quotes I am getting are for 6.5k. Is that to much?