The Official Photography Thread - Vol. 3

[tokes99]

Hello NT Photogs.

So I finally decided on getting my GF camera attachments for her iPhone for Christmas.  We're going on several trips in 2017 so I figured it'd make sense.  I know there are reviews on the first page and I'm going to dive into those but what do you guys think are the best lens/camera attachments for an iPhone?  Apologies if this is a repetitive question.

Sidebar:  I'm down to spend between $150-$250.

those moment lenses that fongstarr linked to are probably the best bang for your buck joints i believe, but there are also these zeiss exolenses exolenses that are $150-$250 a piece (vs. about $90 a piece for the moment lenses) there are also kits that are much cheaper but not as well made...honestly spending even the $90 seems like too much to spend for such awkward attachments to phones, you might be better off just getting the ole' lady an iphone 7 plus contract with the dual camera lenses built in...

#relatedbutunrelated, just got this in:

i was waiting to grab the impressively minuscule dji mavic pro as an update to my old phantom 2 setup, but the more i thought about it (and after watching way too many videos) the phantom 4 pro made more sense to me...a couple of test flights in, and it's pretty amazing...i can't imagine how good the next generation of these things are going to be:

edit: 2 sec exposure in relatively windy conditions...crazy!

Untitled by a0, on Flickr

 

[djyoung08]

Ended this year with a bang!!

Just ordered the 85mm f/1.2L... gonna do some DAMAGE with this thing.

2016 was so big for me. Thank you for the support famb Time to hustle even harder in 2017

Gear copped this year by using my camera after investing regular income on a 5d mark 2:

85mm 1.8
70-200 2.8L IS II
24-70 2.8L II
100mm 2.8 macro
5d mark 3
85mm 1.2
canon speed light and transmitter

Time to make 2017 my *****

 

[bjamez20]

 

[jodeva89]

@Fongstarr and bjamez20 when you take landscapes, what is your method of focusing, are you just center focusing with the smallest aperture?

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^^^^Pretty much. Depends on the light but I try and shoot f22 but I think according to some reviews on my Tramron, the best aperture to shoot at as far as sharpness is f/8-f/12 or so. At least with f/22, the corners get sharp or sharper but the overall photo isn't as sharp as a tad more open aperture. Focus wise, I shoot at the at the subject at hand which is mostly focus in the center.

 

[bjamez20]

@Fongstarr and @bjamez20 when you take landscapes, what is your method of focusing, are you just center focusing with the smallest aperture?

I'll focus on the skyline/bridge/whatever is interesting in the distance. Sometimes if there's an interesting foreground and I'm shooting wide, I'll focus closer. For the shots up above, the first 2 were focused on the center rock and the 3rd was focused on the stacked rocks in the foreground. With an ultrawide, everything tends to be in focus either way 

Usually shoot at f8-11, f16 if there's lights or sun in the frame.

 

[djyoung08]

You guys stay posting landscapes that could easily be apple default wallpapers

 

[mjbetch]

Hello NT Photogs.

So I finally decided on getting my GF camera attachments for her iPhone for Christmas.  We're going on several trips in 2017 so I figured it'd make sense.  I know there are reviews on the first page and I'm going to dive into those but what do you guys think are the best lens/camera attachments for an iPhone?  Apologies if this is a repetitive question.

Sidebar:  I'm down to spend between $150-$250.

I'd go with the moment lenses without hesitation. I have the 18 and 60 and I love them. I have an 18 I can let go if you want haha. But yeah, since you mention she prefers iPhone photography, those lenses will do perfectly in her purse.

 

[djyoung08]

So antsy waiting for the UPS bruh to delivery my 85mm

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^^^Nice. I've been watching some reviews on the Sigma 85mm art and it's not turning out to be the 85mm killer that people wanted it to be. Dustin Abbot has been doing reviews and is comparing it to the Tamron 85mm and it doesn't seem to be outperforming even that lens as far as sharpness and contrast is concern. The thing that everyone has been saying that is a pain is the size. Apparently it is so big that it is pretty much annoying.








I just bought a Incase Reform bag for daily use for work and gym and what not during Black Friday. I was trying to find a perfect camera bag that would accommodate my needs and hold a camera but I found nothing that would fit that. This bag has a nice form where it can hold a camera insert for an DSLR and one lens.

I found this Tenba that is the perfect size that would fit snug at the bottom and still have ample room for other things.

 

[mylesp]

^^^^^^Nice. I've been watching some reviews on the Sigma 85mm art and it's not turning out to be the 85mm killer that people wanted it to be. Dustin Abbot has been doing reviews and is comparing it to the Tamron 85mm and it doesn't seem to be outperforming even that lens as far as sharpness and contrast is concern. The thing that everyone has been saying that is a pain is the size. Apparently it is so big that it is pretty much annoying.








I just bought a Incase Reform bag for daily use for work and gym and what not during Black Friday. I was trying to find a perfect camera bag that would accommodate my needs and hold a camera but I found nothing that would fit that. This bag has a nice form where it can hold a camera insert for an DSLR and one lens.

I found this Tenba that is the perfect size that would fit snug at the bottom and still have ample room for other things.

i bought the brevite original earlier this year and its nice. you can remove the camera bag part which is a bag in itself to use as a full on backpack. i used it that way this semester at school since i didnt take any photography classes this time around. maybe look into that? they do have other bags now but i will link the one i pruchased

Edit:they took the leather off the bottom of the bag. wow. mine has the leather

https://brevite.co/product/modern-student-camera-bag/

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^Oh nice. It just looks like a Jansport backpack. I actually like their rucksack a lot. I so badly wanted the Langly bag but it just wasn't functional from all the reviews I read. Like it's such a pain to get your camera out of the bag. The only thing nice about it is just the look.

 

[kdawg]

^^^^^^^Pretty much. Depends on the light but I try and shoot f22 but I think according to some reviews on my Tramron, the best aperture to shoot at as far as sharpness is f/8-f/12 or so. At least with f/22, the corners get sharp or sharper but the overall photo isn't as sharp as a tad more open aperture. Focus wise, I shoot at the at the subject at hand which is mostly focus in the center.

I would highly recommend changing that. Once you've seen the effect of diffraction at f/22 you'll never go back - as you say you'll be much better around f/10. Then you'll get better results with the hyperfocal distance. I use an app to work that out - just plug in the f stop and focal length and it will say something like 6m. Focus at that and you'll get nice landscapes with everything (pretty much) in focus.

That's the point of the hyperfocal distance - it's just acknowledging that there are other factors (the atmosphere, the limits of resolution...) which means that focussing far away isn't better.

I also like the look too - if there's anything in the foreground it looks much better set up like that.

It worked for Ansel Adams...

 

[mylesp]

^^^^Oh nice. It just looks like a Jansport backpack. I actually like their rucksack a lot. I so badly wanted the Langly bag but it just wasn't functional from all the reviews I read. Like it's such a pain to get your camera out of the bag. The only thing nice about it is just the look.

mine looks a little different but the same exact bag, i liked it for the fact it doesnt look like a camera bag. it doesnt flash camera bag so its less likely for people to steal from it. plus im still a college student haha

 

[djyoung08]

^^^^^^Nice. I've been watching some reviews on the Sigma 85mm art and it's not turning out to be the 85mm killer that people wanted it to be. Dustin Abbot has been doing reviews and is comparing it to the Tamron 85mm and it doesn't seem to be outperforming even that lens as far as sharpness and contrast is concern. The thing that everyone has been saying that is a pain is the size. Apparently it is so big that it is pretty much annoying.

yaaaaahhhhhhhhh

looks like waiting and paying only a couple hundred bucks more for a used canon 85 was the right way to go for me.

Sigma joint has 14 elements too.

I doubt anyone will actually be unhappy with the sigma though.

That zeis 85 he showed off at the end.....

 

[Fong$tarr]

I would highly recommend changing that. Once you've seen the effect of diffraction at f/22 you'll never go back - as you say you'll be much better around f/10. Then you'll get better results with the hyperfocal distance. I use an app to work that out - just plug in the f stop and focal length and it will say something like 6m. Focus at that and you'll get nice landscapes with everything (pretty much) in focus.

That's the point of the hyperfocal distance - it's just acknowledging that there are other factors (the atmosphere, the limits of resolution...) which means that focussing far away isn't better.

I also like the look too - if there's anything in the foreground it looks much better set up like that.

It worked for Ansel Adams...

I never thought to do that. I shoot at f/22 mostly to get a longer exposure but for night shots like that, I don't always necessarily need 30 seconds or more. I'll definitely try that out next time.

 

[mylesp]

I would highly recommend changing that. Once you've seen the effect of diffraction at f/22 you'll never go back - as you say you'll be much better around f/10. Then you'll get better results with the hyperfocal distance. I use an app to work that out - just plug in the f stop and focal length and it will say something like 6m. Focus at that and you'll get nice landscapes with everything (pretty much) in focus.

That's the point of the hyperfocal distance - it's just acknowledging that there are other factors (the atmosphere, the limits of resolution...) which means that focussing far away isn't better.

I also like the look too - if there's anything in the foreground it looks much better set up like that.

It worked for Ansel Adams...

thanks for this. im actually researching hyperfocal distance now

 

[Bruce Banner]

Can anybody help me out please ? Took a few pics while on this trip with my D3200 and they're coming out a bit grainy & unfocus . Anybody on here good at photo shopping ?

 

[mylesp]

Can anybody help me out please ? Took a few pics while on this trip with my D3200 and they're coming out a bit grainy & unfocus . Anybody on here good at photo shopping ?

What shutter speeds did you uae and what focal length is your lense?

 

[bjamez20]

 

[manusousou]

bjamez20 digging the 4th !

Recent stuff edited

More on https://www.instagram.com/manvsovsov/

 

[djyoung08]

This monster of a lens is freaking beautiful.

Cant wait to rock with it this weekend. 3 shoots!

 

[djyoung08]

Can anybody help me out please ? Took a few pics while on this trip with my D3200 and they're coming out a bit grainy & unfocus . Anybody on here good at photo shopping ?

grain is introduced by having poor quality light hitting the sensor and/or a high ISO setting.

Unfocused images can be the camera missing focus or you missing focus

Photoshop will not correct very much grain and it will not correct images that are out of focus.

 

[mylesp]

Never realized this until now which is pretty dumb but on crop sensor your lowest hand held shutter speed should not be your focal length. It should be the focal length with crop factor tied in. Meaning lowest shutter speed when shooting handheld using a 50m. should be set at 1/80 not 1/50.that's for Canon crop sensor since it's 1.6. I haven't shot in awhile but that could be part of the issue that I was having. Maybe i knew this wheb using my old camera but forgothe since I don't shoot often as I want. Just thought I'd share for anyone who needs to know lol.

 

[djyoung08]

Never realized this until now which is pretty dumb but on crop sensor your lowest hand held shutter speed should not be your focal length. It should be the focal length with crop factor tied in. Meaning lowest shutter speed when shooting handheld using a 50m. should be set at 1/80 not 1/50.that's for Canon crop sensor since it's 1.6. I haven't shot in awhile but that could be part of the issue that I was having. Maybe i knew this wheb using my old camera but forgothe since I don't shoot often as I want. Just thought I'd share for anyone who needs to know lol.

the reciprocal rule is a good guideline but its ultimately up to your own technique.

I rarely shoot under 1/200 regardless of the lens im using. But i use my 70-200 at 1/125 at almost every wedding. its all about your technique.

https://photographylife.com/what-is-reciprocal-rule-in-photography

Although it is commonly referred to as “reciprocal rule”, it is not a rule per se – just a guidance for minimum shutter speed to avoid blur caused by camera shake. In reality, how shutter speed affects camera shake depends on a number of different variables, including:

The efficiency of your hand-holding technique: if you have a poor hand-holding technique, the reciprocal rule might not work for you and you might need to use faster shutter speeds. Gear and lenses vary in size, weight and bulk, so you might need to utilize specialized hand-holding techniques depending on what you are shooting. For example, check out this great article by Tom Stirr on hand-holding techniques for telephoto lenses.
Camera resolution: whether we like it or not, digital cameras are increasing in resolution and as we have seen in the case of high-resolution cameras like Nikon D810, having more pixels crammed into the same physical space can have a drastic effect on how sharp images turn out at 100% zoom. Higher resolution cameras will show more intolerance to camera shake than their lower resolution counterparts. So if you are dealing with a high resolution camera, you might need to increase your shutter speed to a higher value than what the reciprocal rule suggests.
Lens quality / sharpness: you might have a high resolution camera, but if it is not matched by a high-performing lens with great sharpness, you will not be able to yield sharp images, no matter how fast your shutter speed is.
Subject size and distance: photographing a tiny bird from a long distance and wanting to have every feather detail preserved usually requires faster shutter speed than recommended by the reciprocal rule, especially if the subject needs to be tack sharp at 100% zoom (pixel-level).
Image stabilization: is a major factor and should be explained separately – see below.
Image Stabilization

Reciprocal rule falls apart if your lens or your camera come with image stabilization (also known as “vibration reduction” or “vibration compensation”), because it effectively reduces camera shake by moving internal components of a lens or the sensor of the camera. Since the implementation and the effectiveness of image stabilization depend on a number of factors including manufacturer technology, lens vs in-camera image stabilization, effective use of stabilization technology and other factors, its impact varies greatly from camera to camera and lens to lens. For example, Nikon and Canon both use lens stabilization and usually claim between 2-4 times of compensation potential on lenses, whereas Olympus claims up to 5 times of compensation on its OM-D E-M1 mirrorless camera with 5-axis in-body image stabilization system. That’s a pretty big potential for reducing shutter speed to numbers way below what the reciprocal rule would recommend.

In the above example with the Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G VR, since the lens comes with image stabilization and Nikon claims up to 4 stops of compensation, you could theoretically reduce the recommended shutter speed by reciprocal rule by up to 16 times! So when shooting at 400mm, if your hand-holding technique was perfect and you turned image stabilization on, you could go from 1/400th of a second (reciprocal rule based on a full-frame camera) to 1/25th of second and still be able to capture a sharp image of your subject (provided that your subject does not move at such long shutter speeds and cause motion blur). In such cases, reciprocal rule simply does not apply…