[ampere]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Edit: I bought the Nik Software bundle a few weeks back. Have started liking a few of the plug-ins (Silver Efex, Sharperner, Dfine). I can launch them by dragging an image (TIF) on the Desktop icon, or by calling them directly from ViewNX2.

+1 Silver eFex is amazing! The more I use it the more I like it! Dfine is something which I am trying to come to terms with. I guess, I am not able to use it the way it should be. Need to learn (alternative that I use more often is Topaz DeNoise).

[ampere]

Which is a good remote release to have? Wired or wireless?

- Wireless is convenient. But does it support bulb mode?
- If wireless ones are good (with bulb mode support), how good is the IR interface for long exposures?
- While crawling through the web, I see that most long exposures snaps are taken with wired remote release. Thats because the photographer need not be close to the camera all the time for the reasons of IR proximity.
- What are the recommended ones?

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by ampere

Very true. Some how I was not planning for any of the costly prime lenses. I am determined by make the basic one work to the best possible effect.
(Plan to look at Macro lenses)

I somehow, always like Macros for portraits. I have a Tamron 180mm Macro that shoots as well as my Nikon 85mm. Have always loved the effect of my Tokina 100mm as well. These are all primes, though not costly.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by ampere

Which is a good remote release to have? Wired or wireless?

- Wireless is convenient. But does it support bulb mode?
- If wireless ones are good (with bulb mode support), how good is the IR interface for long exposures?
- While crawling through the web, I see that most long exposures snaps are taken with wired remote release. Thats because the photographer need not be close to the camera all the time for the reasons of IR proximity.
- What are the recommended ones?

Both are fine ,IR remote is more useful from end user point of view.

Problem is that in many cases IR receiver is in front of camera so using
IR Remote may require you to be in the frame. The solution is to choose setting with 2 sec delay.

If you are canon user then for XXXD bodies you can fabricate a wired remote release with a mobile wired hands free kit which we all get with mobiles but never use . Just open the plastic housing of mic with a paper cutter and cut the mic connection and then cut off the 2 ear peaces.
This is required to reduce impedance from the circuit.


About the fast primes versus zooms , Actually the real purpose of using a fast prime is never low light shooting. It may sound strange but for low light in DSLR era you can always bump up ISO or / and use flash. The real use of wide aperture lens is the bokeh , short DOF and more artistic picture.

You can almost never get these with a F2.8 zoom lens costing many times more. So primes are very cost effective for portraits and environmental shots.

[govigov]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

7DMKII will still be a APS-C by all accounts and if the price is higher (most surely will be as per Canon's practice) then it may make sense to buy a full frame 6D at the least (for people considering only Canon).

I had a 7D earlier (sold it recently) but have a full frame camera now and can now see that I upgraded well.

+1 to this, if they price the 7d mkII close to the 6D isn't it better to go for the 6D and get full frame rather than sticking to 7D?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by govigov

+1 to this, if they price the 7d mkII close to the 6D isn't it better to go for the 6D and get full frame rather than sticking to 7D?

But that depends. If wild life snapping is the choice, then 7D makes much more sense than a full frame.

[vasudeva]

If I remember correctly, 7D used to be 3rd price wise in Canon's SLR range till around 2011. It was supplanted by the 6D in 2012 which does not have a significant price premium over 7D. 7D has been there since 2009 while Canon has upgraded its full frame range with launch of 6D, 5d2 to 5d3 and ID.

Suppose new 7D is priced somewhat higher than old 7D. Then the price premium of 6D over new 7D narrows further and at that time it would make sense to go for 6D. Even now, I would personally spend the extra 33K on 6D (incl. EF 24-105mm) than on 7D (with EF-S 15-85).

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by amitk26

About the fast primes versus zooms , Actually the real purpose of using a fast prime is never low light shooting. It may sound strange but for low light in DSLR era you can always bump up ISO or / and use flash. The real use of wide aperture lens is the bokeh , short DOF and more artistic picture.

You can almost never get these with a F2.8 zoom lens costing many times more. So primes are very cost effective for portraits and environmental shots.

Quite right. Also, for low light, zooms with vibration reduction work very well now. I find that my VR zoom at 1/10 second, even at 80-120 mm, takes care of camera shake. Don't need the equivalent prime that can let in the same light at 1/60. The thin DOF on the prime wide open is the only "missing" feature on the zoom. The other advantage is also the size/weight advantage of the prime.

[vasudeva]

Perhaps, the zoom versus prime debate has been settled. For one lens only, most people go for zooms. However, most serious/enthusiast/professionals definitely go for primes as an addition or even as primary ones. I for one could be done with zooms and perhaps invest only in primes from now on. I have a 24-105 mm zoom plus a 85 mm prime. I find the 85 mm f/1.8 prime to be much better for what I shoot (portraits) than a zoom. By walking forward or backward, it can serve as a zoom of say 70-100 mm. What I do not have now is the long (>100-200 mm) range and the wide (<20 mm).

[typeOnegative]

I wanted a bit of advice from the participants here on a suitable monopod. I am stuck between the following:

The Manfrotto 682B - which is heavy but can double up as a pseudo tripod
The Manfrotto 685B - which is supposed to be fast

I am not an expert on this subject and would like your comments please on these choices or other recommended ones. I would also like your recommendation on a good camera back back pack and a head for the monopod.

The monopod would carry one of my two DSLRs mounted with a Nikon 80-200 or a Sigma 150-500 and should be suitable for heavy weight. The backpack should be capable of taking those two bodies and three to four lenses - Nikon 80-200 (large), Nikon 50mm (small), Nikon 85mm (smallish medium) and a Tamron 180mm (medium). Thanks in advance.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I expect this lens to be at Rs 12-14L in India and we may get discounts on that.

Nikon has announced the pricing for the 800mm F/5.6. Slap bang in the middle of what I imagined the pricing range would be.

To mimic a lady tending the cash counter at a UK supermarket: "That'll be Rs 12,99, 950 please. Thank you!"

Gulp!

http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/product...on/data/Nikkor Lenses/FX Format/Single Focal Length/Telephoto/AFS NIKKOR 800mm f56E FL ED VR.xml&CategoryID=gp11zkyu&currentTab=gp11zkz5&cur rentLink=gp11zkzd

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by ampere

But that depends. If wild life snapping is the choice, then 7D makes much more sense than a full frame.

Well not necessarily.
Besides 7D is soon going to be replaced soon.
Once the full frame bug hits you, its pretty hard to settle for the crop sensors, however tempting they might be. The DOF and noise performance of a full frame camera is much better than a crop frame DSLR.
The only advantage of a crop sensor is the reach but with a higher resolution full frame, its possible to get a similar image by just cropping it.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Well not necessarily.
Besides 7D is soon going to be replaced soon.
Once the full frame bug hits you, its pretty hard to settle for the crop sensors, however tempting they might be. The DOF and noise performance of a full frame camera is much better than a crop frame DSLR.
The only advantage of a crop sensor is the reach but with a higher resolution full frame, its possible to get a similar image by just cropping it.

How about FPS and af speed ? if one doesn't want to fork out money for 1d series 7d is next best
Weather sealing and af performance is important for wildlife photography 5d mk. III and 6d are not there yet.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by amitk26

How about FPS and af speed ? if one doesn't want to fork out money for 1d series 7d is next best
Weather sealing and af performance is important for wildlife photography 5d mk. III and 6d are not there yet.

I have used 7D and 5DIII extensively and the 5DIII just blows away the 7D in every department. Then again the 5DIII costs twice as much as the 7D.

I would even say the AF in 5DIII is better than even the 1DIV. Its much faster than the 7D obviously (AF wise). I believe weather sealing in the 5DIII is as good as the 7D if not better and the fps of 6 in the 5DIII is more than adequate (7D is 8fps). I have not used the 6D so I cannot comment on that.

With the price drop the 5DIII is around 2700USD (launched at 3500USD) and its a brilliant camera at that price.

The only thing the 7D has going for it is the price , built-in flash (sometimes its convenient to have it) and the ability to use EF-S lenses.

[latentpotential]

Note to all DSLR owners:

Most DSLR's have a open/ hidden option in the menu settings where you can enter your name & basic contact details. Please do update this.

e.g in Canon - In the Set up 3 menu under Copyright Info - you can enter your info into the camera there. Every picture taken with the camera will have the data you enter here in the EXIF information.

-- Background --

About a month back, my kid sis had a break-in at her house and almost all electronics got stolen. She had done this, and yesterday she got a call from www.polizei.hessen.de (Frankfurt Police) that they have found her camera and lens kit. We have sent them scanned copies of the bill, warranty cards of the body and lenses, service history documents and they have confirmed that it is her camera and lens kit, and they will proceed with the steps to get it back to her.

It is near impossible to just look at any camera and declare if it is yours, unless you have done a very visible modification/ colour enhancement using tools such as Sugru (E.g. http://bit.ly/1600laC & http://bit.ly/182ZWU2 ).

For us it was a real shock to know that they have identified it as a stolen device, took the effort to check for the contacts saved in the camera and contacted us.

At the very least, it can improve your chances of getting your gear back at least a 1% which should be worth it as it will take you just a minute to do the needed settings.