The photography thread

ThePrettyDamned

These are all one shot only as they were larger. The parasol was huge, 20cm or so. 

- shot with 90mm macro on Canon 6D 

- shot with a minolta 50mm 1.7 on fuji xt-2

- 6D

- 6D

Last big tip! Take a fine spray bottle of water, a soft brush and some tweezers to clean the scene. Mushrooms grow in damp, dark, dirty places! 

ThePrettyDamned

I'm going out mushrooming tomorrow if you live local to Cambs I'd be happy to show you some stuff. I don't have a macro lens any more, so will use a 50mm 1.8 prime cheapo although I'm not sure we'll have many mushrooms given recent weather... 

ThePrettyDamned

stickyfiddle said:

robgilmo said:

stickyfiddle said:

Inspiration time. I've been watching Sean Tucker's youtube channel for a while now, but this video with Rachael Talibart is fantastic. She's an awesome photographer, and I'm hoping my own corporate job can at some point give way to something more creative. 

Is that porthcawl? Ive seen very very similar photos posted on a photography forum receantly.

English south coast, I would assume. They’re Rachael Talobart’s shots, and she’s based near London, so I’m assuming the majority of her output is that direction. 

Long been a fan of her work, and her gallery is the reason why I wanted to get a long lens, ultimately forcing me away from the fuji system to a more affordable full frame one. 

She works hard at it though. 

zepp76

ThePrettyDamned said:

zepp76 said:

Any tips on macro photography please, now it’s fungi season and there’s hopefully some frost on its way in these parts I’d like to get out and give this style of photography a go. I have a Sigma 105mm Macro EX DG OS lens, tripod and remote switch, anything else I need except for a good amount of skill (which I really don’t have!). My camera isn’t anything special (Canon EOS3000D/Rebel T7 import) and I’m worried this is going to trip me up when it comes to quality macro shots. I will mainly excuse the pun, be focusing on different types of fungi as this has interested me since I was a kid but also frost patterns if that’s possible with my lens and camera? Any helpful hints and tips or recommendations for other needed kit would be much appreciated, thank you.

1. Tripod - use it. 
2. Learn macro stacking. Practice making tiny, manual incremental adjustments to focus distance. Even at f/64, nothing is in focus. 
3. Aim to shoot between 30 and 100 shots per image, at base iso. 
4. While photos hop can macro stack, it's not the best in the world and does take a fair bit of manual input. I used to use a piece of dedicated software, but can't remember what it's called. 

Obviously, big shroomies (say, 5cm and bigger) need fewer shots (maybe only 1!). Mold slimes and the like will need many more. 

Don't be afraid to stop down for a hair extra depth! I find macro lenses are sharp to f/16 and sometimes f/32.

That’s some great advice thank you, some fantastic shots there too. Taking a brush, tweezers and spray bottle is a really good idea, I would never have thought of that! I never knew I’d have to take so many shots per subject matter! Your photos have really spurred me on and I’ll try extra hard to get out within the week. Again thank you.

ThePrettyDamned

zepp76 said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

zepp76 said:

Any tips on macro photography please, now it’s fungi season and there’s hopefully some frost on its way in these parts I’d like to get out and give this style of photography a go. I have a Sigma 105mm Macro EX DG OS lens, tripod and remote switch, anything else I need except for a good amount of skill (which I really don’t have!). My camera isn’t anything special (Canon EOS3000D/Rebel T7 import) and I’m worried this is going to trip me up when it comes to quality macro shots. I will mainly excuse the pun, be focusing on different types of fungi as this has interested me since I was a kid but also frost patterns if that’s possible with my lens and camera? Any helpful hints and tips or recommendations for other needed kit would be much appreciated, thank you.

1. Tripod - use it. 
2. Learn macro stacking. Practice making tiny, manual incremental adjustments to focus distance. Even at f/64, nothing is in focus. 
3. Aim to shoot between 30 and 100 shots per image, at base iso. 
4. While photos hop can macro stack, it's not the best in the world and does take a fair bit of manual input. I used to use a piece of dedicated software, but can't remember what it's called. 

Obviously, big shroomies (say, 5cm and bigger) need fewer shots (maybe only 1!). Mold slimes and the like will need many more. 

Don't be afraid to stop down for a hair extra depth! I find macro lenses are sharp to f/16 and sometimes f/32.

That’s some great advice thank you, some fantastic shots there too. Taking a brush, tweezers and spray bottle is a really good idea, I would never have thought of that! I never knew I’d have to take so many shots per subject matter! Your photos have really spurred me on and I’ll try extra hard to get out within the week. Again thank you.

None of the above are focus stacked so it's definitely doable! I shoot further back to get a bit of extra depth of field, so there can be compromise on composition. But stacking is the way to get truly insane shots. Lot of work, though! 

A brush, tweezers and spray will do much more than a million stacked photos  

mattdavis

Hi all - some advice would be much appreciated! I started off with a canon eos 1000f film SLR back in the day when I did my GCSE photography. Loved it. Moved on to a 500d which is great too - simple, takes good pics and I have a small pancake lens to make it more portable. But with kids in tow and generally life hectic-ness I am almost always forgoing it for my iPhone XR which is fine for snapshots but I miss more control and better image quality. 
So I was thinking of getting a smaller mirrorless  camera. The snob in me is very attracted to the Leica D lux 7 which looks to have a fast lens, the aperture and shutter control I want - and, well, I think it looks really cool...
But I suspect it’s over priced. Any opinions?

In terms of other options in a sub £1000 bracket what would you suggest? Happy to look at good compacts as well as lens-interchangeable cameras. There seems to be a lot of love for Fujifilm on here but lots of models to choose from. 

Cheers all

stickyfiddle

mattdavis said:

Hi all - some advice would be much appreciated! I started off with a canon eos 1000f film SLR back in the day when I did my GCSE photography. Loved it. Moved on to a 500d which is great too - simple, takes good pics and I have a small pancake lens to make it more portable. But with kids in tow and generally life hectic-ness I am almost always forgoing it for my iPhone XR which is fine for snapshots but I miss more control and better image quality. 
So I was thinking of getting a smaller mirrorless  camera. The snob in me is very attracted to the Leica D lux 7 which looks to have a fast lens, the aperture and shutter control I want - and, well, I think it looks really cool...
But I suspect it’s over priced. Any opinions?

In terms of other options in a sub £1000 bracket what would you suggest? Happy to look at good compacts as well as lens-interchangeable cameras. There seems to be a lot of love for Fujifilm on here but lots of models to choose from. 

Cheers all

The obvious equivalent to that Leica would be the Fuji X100F (or used X100T). Or go interchangeable and look at the X-Pro2 with a small prime, or 18-55 if you want zoom

mattdavis

stickyfiddle said:

mattdavis said:

Hi all - some advice would be much appreciated! I started off with a canon eos 1000f film SLR back in the day when I did my GCSE photography. Loved it. Moved on to a 500d which is great too - simple, takes good pics and I have a small pancake lens to make it more portable. But with kids in tow and generally life hectic-ness I am almost always forgoing it for my iPhone XR which is fine for snapshots but I miss more control and better image quality. 
So I was thinking of getting a smaller mirrorless  camera. The snob in me is very attracted to the Leica D lux 7 which looks to have a fast lens, the aperture and shutter control I want - and, well, I think it looks really cool...
But I suspect it’s over priced. Any opinions?

In terms of other options in a sub £1000 bracket what would you suggest? Happy to look at good compacts as well as lens-interchangeable cameras. There seems to be a lot of love for Fujifilm on here but lots of models to choose from. 

Cheers all

The obvious equivalent to that Leica would be the Fuji X100F (or used X100T). Or go interchangeable and look at the X-Pro2 with a small prime, or 18-55 if you want zoom

Would you have a recommendation out of those? Do you think the Leica would live up to its heritage? 

Nomad

Leica and Panasonic have been in bed with each other for years. Leica do a lot of the design (especially optics), and Panasonic do the manufacturing. Leica score outsourced manufacture to cover the lower price bands of their market, and Panasonic score Leica optics. For these cheaper Leicas, there's usually a Panasonic equivalent. In this case, it's the Lumix LX100, and it's about half the price of the D-Lux 7. Worth checking the specs of both in detail, but I suspect the hardware will be near identical, with probably most of the difference in the firmware.

Assuming they're both perfectly usable, which you go for is down to whether you consider the Panasonic to be a cheap Leica, or the Leica to be an overpriced Panasonic.

If I was in the market for a digi compact with manual controls, I'd need a lot of convincing to spend the extra half a grand on the Leica (and I'm a bit of a film Leica fanboi).

ETA: There's a newer version of the LX100 that's recently come out, for about £800. Check which of them is closest to the D-Lux 7. At that price, the choice between that and the Leica might be less clear, and ditto those and other options like the Fujis.

mattdavis

Nomad said:

Leica and Panasonic have been in bed with each other for years. Leica do a lot of the design (especially optics), and Panasonic do the manufacturing. Leica score outsourced manufacture to cover the lower price bands of their market, and Panasonic score Leica optics. For these cheaper Leicas, there's usually a Panasonic equivalent. In this case, it's the Lumix LX100, and it's about half the price of the D-Lux 7. Worth checking the specs of both in detail, but I suspect the hardware will be near identical, with probably most of the difference in the firmware.

Assuming they're both perfectly usable, which you go for is down to whether you consider the Panasonic to be a cheap Leica, or the Leica to be an overpriced Panasonic.

If I was in the market for a digi compact with manual controls, I'd need a lot of convincing to spend the extra half a grand on the Leica (and I'm a bit of a film Leica fanboi).

ETA: There's a newer version of the LX100 that's recently come out, for about £800. Check which of them is closest to the D-Lux 7. At that price, the choice between that and the Leica might be less clear, and ditto those and other options like the Fujis.

Ta muchly

dazzajl

I’d say @mattdavis that what you need to do
first is make some choices about what will make
for the most usable camera. Since they are all essentially a compromise of some sort. 

When you’ve figured out what size sensor will produce a quality you’ll be happy with. Whether you want a fixed lens or start a new system. What size and weight your happy to take on. The range of focal lengths you want covered, viewfinder or screen and the cost you’re willing pay to tick as many boxes as possible. 

Get you list of must haves and your ‘would likes’ in order and you’ll be down to a decent short list. 

The sort of cameras that have come up so far, suggest Fuji probably won’t be at the top of the pile. Fixed lens zooms are not the house speciality. 

Panasonic are excellent at that market and it follows that the Leicas are great too. If the red dot means a lot to you, then it’s worth the cost and I completely get the desire to have such an emotive and iconic thing. They have no genetic  link back to the film cameras though. 

dazzajl

Another thought @mattdavis ;

You should probably take a look at the latest Sony RX100, the mark vii. I’ve never owned a Sony or held any of the RX100 variants but they are spoken of very very highly in all sorts of circles. And under the £1000 mark now, just 

https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/New/Sony-Cyber-shot-RX100-VII-(DSCRX100M7)_43898.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoc2C-6i15gIVBEPTCh22WwlVEAkYASABEgJThfD_BwE

mattdavis

Cheers guys 

boogieman

dazzajl said:

Another thought @mattdavis ;

You should probably take a look at the latest Sony RX100, the mark vii. I’ve never owned a Sony or held any of the RX100 variants but they are spoken of very very highly in all sorts of circles. And under the £1000 mark now, just 

https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/New/Sony-Cyber-shot-RX100-VII-(DSCRX100M7)_43898.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoc2C-6i15gIVBEPTCh22WwlVEAkYASABEgJThfD_BwE

Great little cameras, I’ve got the Mk 4. The later models (Mk 6 onwards) have a longer reach zoom if that’s important to you. 

goldtop

+1 on the RX100 series. But one thought: I would have upgraded from the Mk2 to the Mk6 or 7, but I didn't because it is so small that you need to check it in person first (John Lewis/Jessops/etc). It's the size of a pack of playing cards (=good), but for regular man-sized hands, that's a bit small, and without a grip this body size and style can be a bit slippery. It's also so small that its capabilities are a bit trickier to exploit if you want frequent access to controls. It's the price you pay for pocketability. I loved mine, but it wasn't my only digicam.

I'd more likely point someone at the Olympus Pen-F or maybe the Sony A6nnn-series. (Or the equivalent Fuji/Panasonic - I don't know the models). Alternatively, the Olympus E-M10ii/iiiis like a tiny SLR with great handling and control access.

Budgie

Well, with the limited amount of time I’ve had and been able to have a play with my new (to me) Fuji X-T2 I’m really enjoying it, it’s a cracking introduction into mirrorless and Fujifilm. I love the size compared to my big ole Nikon D810. Not so keen on the shallow depth of the grip but that only really affects the handling with a larger lens (55-140mm) I initially bought the 18-55mm but despite it’s obvious quality, didn’t really do it for me so I sold it and bought a 35mm f1.4 which is superb on this body. I was planning to try it with a view to selling my Nikon gear but I think I’ll keep both for the time being as they are completely different tools. I may get rid of the 55-140mm too despite the fact it is a totally superb lens and just get another prime and use it for street type stuff.

I’m becoming a Fuji fanboy I think! 

dazzajl

Budgie said:

.........

I’m becoming a Fuji fanboy I think! 

It's worryingly easy to do and I'm sure the T2 is fabulous gateway drug. I've got a couple of zooms because my work sometimes demands that flexibility but they don't feel right on the camera the way that the primes do. I ummmed and ahhhhhd over which 35mm to get and eventually went for the f2 for snappy focus but I still very much covet the f1.4, I bet it's beautiful to work with

Budgie

dazzajl said:

Budgie said:

.........

I’m becoming a Fuji fanboy I think! 

It's worryingly easy to do and I'm sure the T2 is fabulous gateway drug. I've got a couple of zooms because my work sometimes demands that flexibility but they don't feel right on the camera the way that the primes do. I ummmed and ahhhhhd over which 35mm to get and eventually went for the f2 for snappy focus but I still very much covet the f1.4, I bet it's beautiful to work with

I did the YouTube review thing with the 35mm and ummed and ahh’d too, I doubt there’s much in it. I’ve only had mine a couple of days, so not had a real opportunity to use it yet. It’s really well put together though. I love the hood and end-cap combo too.

dazzajl

Budgie said:

dazzajl said:

Budgie said:

.........

I’m becoming a Fuji fanboy I think! 

It's worryingly easy to do and I'm sure the T2 is fabulous gateway drug. I've got a couple of zooms because my work sometimes demands that flexibility but they don't feel right on the camera the way that the primes do. I ummmed and ahhhhhd over which 35mm to get and eventually went for the f2 for snappy focus but I still very much covet the f1.4, I bet it's beautiful to work with

I did the YouTube review thing with the 35mm and ummed and ahh’d too, I doubt there’s much in it. I’ve only had mine a couple of days, so not had a real opportunity to use it yet. It’s really well put together though. I love the hood and end-cap combo too.

The rectangular front and rubber cap? The 18mm has that and it makes me more happy than such a little thing should 

stickyfiddle

FWIW I had the 35 f1.4 first, then tried the f2 when it came out as I like the smaller size and WR. That did 2 weeks in Japan and performed brilliantly, but didn’t quite have the same magic that the f1.4 had, so I swapped that for the 23f2. Honesty 2 years later I’m barely using the 23f2 either (as much down time focal length preference as anything else) so will be selling that and going back to the 35f1.4 as my only prime. 

I’m currently looking more at food photography, so getting tempted by the 56mm or 16-80mm