Bought any photography stuff today?

[ed_o_brain]

I've also heard reports of the D800 needing an extra stop on the shutter speed to reduce blur with the big sensor - I don't really understand this! But a pro has said he got slightly soft images at 100 sec and an 85 mm lens. I'd have thought he would be very safe at that shutter speed!

I can't fathom this.. the sensor is the same physical size (36 mm x 23.9mm) as it's forbear. The only thing that could have a possible effect on this is an actual difference in focal length but I can't quite see that as MFD would be greater for any lenses mounted on the camera.

Nikon seem to have turned everything on it's head. As a photographer who isn't really interested in kit I find myself trawling forums trying to gain a bit more information on the cameras. Exciting times. I can't wait to see what Canon smash back at Nikon!

I was hoping to be able to skip the D800/D4 as my current bodies will probably still be seeing good service when the D900/D5 come along. That said, the extra couple of stops in ISO performance would have been quite welcome for the last couple of jobs I've done.

[David Martin]

It is to do with pixel size. If you can resolve to a single pixel, then the shake needed (and every photo experiences shake, just sharp photos have less shake than the pixel size) to make the photo 'unsharp' is less for a smaller pixel.

1 stop seems about right (probably nearer 2/3 ) for the difference in pixel size.

[Charlotte]

May I ask which shop on eBay this was from? I've been looking at and thinking about buying lights etc for a while now.

Actually, looking back at my purchase history, I'm wrong - the speedring and bracket is a "BOWENS S-Fit speedring softbox Hot Shoe Adapter softbox" from jscamerastore, a UK seller and the beauty dish is a "41cm Beauty Dish for Bowens S type fit with Honeycomb Grid and Soft White Cover" from a seller called pro.photo.studio.  He also says he's in the UK - although you never really know this for sure with this sort of stuff.

There's loads of knock-off lighting kit coming out of China at the moment.  Mainly because Lastolite, Bowens and all the big brands get their products made out there too and the factories that they contract to are haemorrhaging all sorts of just-as-good unbranded stuff on the internet.  I don't think it's a good idea to buy off-brand tech kit (cameras, lenses, flashes or triggers) but if you know what you're looking for, there are loads of bargains to be had on eBay when it comes to lighting gear.

[Jord]

I'm glad you have explained it David - and people say it is try but in my head I just do not understand this. One photographer using the D800 with a 200 mm lens in the studio used a tripod for all shots.

I think the problem with both the D4 and D800 is the lack of samples posted by Nikon (normal procedure) so until a reputable source can get the various cameras (including the Canon competition, D3s D700 ect) in the same spot and take the same photo in the same lighting people are only left with he said she said and a lot of 'bo%$£$%%s is repeated on the internet.

People have tooooo much time and toooo little knowledge!

Charlotte that beaty dish with grid looked rather nice.

[mike]

is this where I confess to buying a new camera?  New to me, anyway - a very underpriced 1ds mark 2.  7 or 8 years old, needed a new battery but amazing focus speed, build quality, file quality (below about 800iso anyway).  Buffer is very slow, but it was fantastic for this kind of thing yesterday:


WP3P5125-14 by simpleimages_mike, on Flickr

(pretty much straight out of camera via some sharpening in lightroom)

very happy with it 

[Jord]

Mike that is a very lovely camera - once you get used to the pro stuff everything else feels like it is made of cheese ;-)

[David Martin]

Tescos are doing there clubcard deal with Jessops again - doubling the value of your clubcard vouchers for Jessops spend. I wonder how much we have in clubcard vouchers and whether it would stretch to a new body...

[Zipperhead]

I don't suppose any of youse have come into possession of a D4 or two and a D800 and a lot of glassware today?

Nikon roadshow gear worth 100k stolen

[David Martin]

But you promised not to tell...

[inc]

Just got an almost mint Asahi Tukumar 50mm 1.4   M42 thread for use on my old EOS

[Charlotte]

I don't suppose any of youse have come into possession of a D4 or two and a D800 and a lot of glassware today?

Nikon roadshow gear worth 100k stolen

*hides jemmy behind back*

[geraldc]

DK21 replacement eyecup for my aging D70s

[chris]

Tescos are doing there clubcard deal with Jessops again - doubling the value of your clubcard vouchers for Jessops spend. I wonder how much we have in clubcard vouchers and whether it would stretch to a new body...

Thanks for pointing that out. I've just found out that I have £164 worth of vouchers => £328 worth of goodies from Jessops. All I need to do now is to decide what to spend them on (there is currently a negative amount in the slush fund, so £328 is the absolute limit). On my virtual shopping list of things that I want (in no particular order) are -

• Flashgun for my 7D
• Fast lens - I've currently got the 100-400 f4.5/5.6 and the 15-85 f3.5/5.6
• Macro lens
• New compact to replace my ageing and tired G7

What do the panel suggest?

[clarion]

A parcel!*


What is it?


What's inside?



* Just brought my phone inside.  I think there may be a tad of condensation here

[ed_o_brain]

tres shiny Clarion.

Chris,
I'd suggest a flashgun anna fast prime lens.

[tonycollinet]

I could have bought this:
http://www.bristolcameras.co.uk/p-panasonic-dmw-rsl1-remote-shutter-release.htm

For £52. Instead, I went for this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300594496540?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_3765wt_1053

For £6 instead. Guess what? It works. 

[pcolbeck]

A Fuji F300EXR. Going cheap at the moment at approx £130 in a lot of places.  A bargain considering tehy were £300 ish a year ago. A lot of camera for not a lot of cash.

[perpetual dan]

An Olympus 45mm "portrait" lens. I'm looking forward to a bit more depth of field control. Looks a bit odd, silver lens on black camera, but that's not really a concern.

[David Martin]

I am very much tempted by a magic arm, but don't have the justification right now.

[Charlotte]

I'd like a magic arm, too.  Calumet do an own brand one which is significantly cheaper than the original Manfrotto one, by the way. 

Speaking of which - yesterday, I bought a nine foot Manfrotto Telescoping Three-Section Crossbar, a pair of heavy duty lightstands and a seven foot roll of background canvas, painted in an eighties-tastic blue cloud pattern - all on eBay for a song because we collected.

The background canvas is pretty nasty, but if you turn it round and blast it into orbit about a stop and a half above your main light, it's ideal for high key work until I get a pukka roll of seamless vinyl.  I can now at least do three quarters or head and shoulder portraits at home like this:



(With thanks to my long suffering and awesomely lovely cohab)

[David Martin]

My problem is that I have about 2.5m sq floorspace on which to do such things - so it ends up being a bit tricky. Here is my long suffering daughter..


rachel1 by davidmamartin, on Flickr

(It is a concept pic for a school art project.)

[IanDG]

One of these 

[clarion]

Wow.

[IanDG]

I've been allowed to open the package this morning


Birthday Present by windy_, on Flickr

[clarion]

Because it is, of course, your birthday!

Have a thoroughly good one, Windy!

And don't forget to post photos of the construction and output of that TLR