Author Topic: Bought any photography stuff today?  (Read 169141 times)

ed_o_brain

Bought any photography stuff today?
« on: 24 August, 2011, 03:18:51 pm »
A bit like this thread, only for photography stuff.
I've just taken delivery of a panoramic head... I'm going to use it for creating 360º product photos, once I have a platform attached to the top bracket.


Manfrotto 300N Panoramic Head by ed_o_brain, on Flickr

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #1 on: 28 August, 2011, 05:51:18 pm »
A Leitz 40mm f/2 Summicron-C.  The bargain among "modern" Leica lenses, it's a small fraction of the price of the equivalent 35mm*, offers impeccable performance and (from long experience with a Minoltina-S rangefinder) 40mm is a more useful focal length than 35mm, which distorts a little too much if you don't keep the camera back straight.

The gotcha is that only the forgotten Leica CL has 40mm framelines, and this is why the lens is cheap.  The lens brings up 50mm framelines on other bodies and you basically need to shoot to the *outside* of the thick M3 framelines, plus a little bit.  This isn't as big a problem as you might think, since the framelines are only an approximation due to the increased magnification at close distances.  Remember that most consumer SLRs give you quite a lot more on the image than you see in the finder; some have only a 90% FOV.  Or you can just buy a 40mm accessory viewfinder for the hot shoe, but that won't have parallax correction.


*currently selling s/h for more than the new price at some dealers, since Leica in Solms can apparently only crank out 63 lenses a week and demand (supposedly from Chinese nouveau-riches and people with a new digital body) has gone through the roof.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #2 on: 30 August, 2011, 09:21:05 am »
A second hand Nikon SB900 flashgun.  Dear Lord, it's a bit of a beast; both in size and complexity.  I can see why Ken Rockwell slated it for being overcomplicated - it's got more menus than most DSLRs have.  The reason I wanted it was that unlike the lesser flashes in the current range, it can act both as a commander for Nikon's CLS lighting system and (crucially) it has a PC synch socket when I want to tether it up with a cord.  Also, it's a mite more powerful and comes with a really useful set of light modifiers and gels.

Probably because I already own an SB600 already, I was able to figure out how to use it without the instruction manual (that I didn't get from the seller).  Shame I couldn't figure out rear-curtain synch though; Mr and Mrs Pike were chucking fire about at the weekend and it limited me a bit.  Why don't all cameras and flashes default to rear curtain?

Still - mixed in with a little bit of strobist magic, I did manage to use it to reasonable effect on these shots.
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

dasmoth

  • Techno-optimist
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #3 on: 30 August, 2011, 09:28:04 am »
Probably because I already own a. SB600 already, I was able to figure out how to use it without the instruction manual (that I didn't get from the seller).  Shame I couldn't figure out rear-curtain synch though; Mr and Mrs Pike were chucking fire about at the weekend and it limited me a bit.  Why don't all cameras and flashes default to rear curtain?

All Nikon manuals should be available to download from their website.
Half term's when the traffic becomes mysteriously less bad for a week.

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #4 on: 30 August, 2011, 12:01:01 pm »
You don't set rear curtain on the flash, you set it on the camera.

On the D80 you press the flash exposure comp button and twiddle one or other of the dials to change the flash mode (the other does the exposure comp). Don't think your D7000 will be much different.

"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Zipperhead

  • The cyclist formerly known as Big Helga
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #5 on: 30 August, 2011, 02:15:30 pm »
You don't set rear curtain on the flash, you set it on the camera.

On the D80 you press the flash exposure comp button and twiddle one or other of the dials to change the flash mode (the other does the exposure comp). Don't think your D7000 will be much different.

It's identical on the D7000 as well - on both you probably need the external flash to be powered up, otherwise the camera won't know it's there and when you press the flash button it will try and pop up the inbuilt one.
Won't somebody think of the hamsters!

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #6 on: 30 August, 2011, 02:25:39 pm »
Bugger.  Worked it out now.  Hold down the thunderbolt button on the side of the camera and twiddle the back thumb dial.  This shuttles through the flash modes (the other dial does +/- flash compensation).
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #7 on: 30 August, 2011, 02:38:20 pm »
Doesn't matter if it tries to pop up the inbuilt flash - just push it down again.

"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

ed_o_brain

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #8 on: 30 August, 2011, 09:56:43 pm »
SB-900 is a great flash...
Here's a tip: Decent batteries will stop you hitting the thermal cut-out. Inferior batteries tend to get hotter faster.

And here's another tip: The supplied diffuser dome when attached spreads the light emitted out as if to use with a 14 mm lens. This shortens the range of the flash, and because the light is covering a wider area, more power is used to reach more distant subject. If you are using the flash to provide fill, forget the diffusion dome and use flash value compensation to slightly reduce the flashes output.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #9 on: 01 September, 2011, 06:42:57 am »
As usual with eBay, the Summicron turned out to be misdescribed (hazy, and has been modified to bring up the wrong framelines) and so is worth about half the cost.  Business seller, so it's going back for a refund.

Crapshoot.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

ed_o_brain

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #10 on: 16 September, 2011, 01:53:18 pm »
Rogerzilla,
Any joy getting a refund for that Summicron?

Earlier this week the postman deliverd a Nikkor 85mm f1.4 ... bought really with a couple of upcoming weddings in mind. This is the outgoing AF-D version, not a newer AF-S nano-crystal coated version.

I used it for a simple lifestyle product photo this morning:


Lifestyle product photo by Daniel Cadden Photo, on Flickr

ISO 200 (base ISO), 1/400s, F/2.0
Gridded SB-900 used camera right on 1/128 with a CTO gels and 2 x -1EV ND gels

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #11 on: 16 September, 2011, 08:48:56 pm »
Rogerzilla,
Any joy getting a refund for that Summicron?
Yup.  Someone on this forum has a CV 40/1.4 in which I have expressed an interest.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #12 on: 17 September, 2011, 04:54:50 pm »
Other half has come home with a book that roughly translated is Pretty girl photographers love self portraits. It's an awesome book of what a girl needs to take self portrait photography as she goes round the world. It also has a large number of example images for you try.





I thought this idea of taking a self portrait inside a fridge was particularly clever. It should be where all audaxers take their photos post audax, as it's where they spend most of their time.



Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #13 on: 11 October, 2011, 05:36:42 pm »
Cameraworld had a weekend special price of £799 on the Fuji X100, so I finally caved in and bought one. It was delivered today. I have taken a couple of pictures of flowers. They are very nice bokehlicious, and the camera itself is, among digital cameras at least, a thing of beauty  :)
Profit or planet?

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #14 on: 12 October, 2011, 06:41:11 pm »
I have just stashed 70 rolls of Fuji Neopan Acros in the freezer.  40 rolls of Neopan 400 and 10 rolls of Neopan 1600 are on their way, after which I can sleep at night.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #15 on: 11 December, 2011, 06:18:25 am »
Just ordered a Panasonic 25mm f 1.4 leica dg summilux.

How to stop the other half noticing the N+1 though?

ed_o_brain

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #16 on: 11 December, 2011, 07:22:01 am »
Just ordered a Panasonic 25mm f 1.4 leica dg summilux.

How to stop the other half noticing the N+1 though?

So much easier to conceal than a bike though? :)

Just got myself a set of Calumet pro series radio flash triggers after finding myself in a situation a couple of weeks ago exceeding the limitations of the Nikon Creative Lighting System. I'd love a set of pocket Wizards though.. just for their fast sync speeds!! There's no way I can justify spending over £500 on transceivers/receivers for my flash guns!!

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #17 on: 13 December, 2011, 02:58:20 pm »
It's arrived! So playing with it in the office, brought the camera body into work, just in case...

I know it's not a 'real' Leica lens, what with it being Japanese and not German, but I likes it.

Even has a square plastic lens hood...



ed_o_brain

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #18 on: 13 December, 2011, 03:05:26 pm »
Keen to see some images produced from that combo!!

I may finally have my 360º product photo set-up working soonish!

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #19 on: 13 December, 2011, 03:43:45 pm »
1L Tmax developer, 100ft Fomapan 400 and a film retriever just ordered and I'm awaiting delivery of a Holga 135 (if that counts as photography stuff)

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #20 on: 13 December, 2011, 07:45:42 pm »
Even has a square plastic lens hood...
The real ones have a square metal lens hood which costs about £110, presumably cold forged between Angela Merkel's powerful Teutonic buttocks.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #21 on: 15 December, 2011, 03:03:48 am »
Wireless intervalometer for my Panasonic GF-1, time-lapse movies for the making of.  It will also serve as a remote shutter release (claimed 80m range). Looking forward to trying it out over Christmas.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #22 on: 15 December, 2011, 07:18:16 am »
wireless flash trigger for some off-camera playing.  Not pocketwizards, cheap chinese imitations. And a brolly and a lightstand are on the way from ebay :)

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #23 on: 15 December, 2011, 09:08:07 am »
Some of the wireless triggers are better than the others. Cotswold photo on ebay do a good range of stuff (their Hobo softbox is excellent value)
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #24 on: 15 December, 2011, 12:07:31 pm »
The new 25mm Summilux on my old G2.

It's small enough to carry with me all the time, unfortunately haven't had a chance to get out with it properly, hence me playing with HD video, depth of field and focus in the office.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77272293@N00/6513158827/