Author Topic: Bought any photography stuff today?  (Read 169159 times)

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #700 on: 27 July, 2016, 08:33:28 pm »
An Olympus TG-4 camera, spare battery, 64GB memory card, and screen protector.

I've managed to avoid using screen protectors in the past, generally with phones, but I tend to be careful with those, and part of the reason for getting the TG-4 is so I've got a camera which is tough enough to carry in a back jersey pocket, and get out quickly when I want to use it.  I want it to be water (and sweat!) proof, as well as tolerating some minor abuse and fumbling.

The authentic replacement battery from Olympus is £44, so I'm just living with a clone that's only £8, and 70% of the capacity of the authentic one.  I'm also unsure how fast I'll use up the capacity of the original battery anyway, but a spare gives me some room to keep on shooting should I run out of oomph.

I think the 64GB memory card will allow me to take over 800 photos, storing both Raw and Fine quality JPEG, which ought to be enough (and will probably not be reached even with two batteries!)

It will be interesting to see how well the internal GPS works.  I've only ever combined camera images with GPS information in that past, using software tools, and the need to accurately set the camera's clock.  The GPS in the TG-4 is supposed to rapidly get a fix, and use both Navstar and Glonass satellites, so I'm a little curious to experiment with it.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #701 on: 29 July, 2016, 12:04:40 pm »
I fancy a TG-4 (or 3, or 2...), as my TG-630 has proved surprisingly good for most purposes.

Do report back on your experiences.
Getting there...

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #702 on: 29 July, 2016, 01:20:29 pm »
I bought a TG4, it takes surprisingly good pics.

but it's not as tough as it should be, I lent it to someone to take to a training camp for a week when it was about 3 weeks old so he could film some rowing, he hung it round his neck and it was bashing against the zip on his coat for the time he wasnt filming  - he assumed it should be fine, it's a tough little beast.   But no, when he got back the screen was scratched really badly and Olympus have refused to replace it under guarantee, so he's having to claim it on the rowing club insurance.

I'll be fitting a screen protector when it eventually comes back to me.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #703 on: 29 July, 2016, 03:58:02 pm »
My experience is that the screen is the softest bit.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #704 on: 29 July, 2016, 09:34:06 pm »
With the TG-4, it's been quite promising so far.  I've not taken any photographs other than to experiment, so I'll post a few in another thread, when I've got something other than the odd scary selfie!

It'll focus down to within a few cm of the lens, which has needed a macro lens with my SLR.  It's hard to focus that accurately when hand held, so I need to experiment with the focus bracketing feature.

The GPS can log where you go, even when the camera isn't turned on.  It'll stop after 24 hours, if you haven't used the camera, to save the battery.  It only seems to log a point every 30 seconds or so, which is probably adequate for walking, but with my cycle commute, has some minor gaps when I go around a sharp corner.  It seems to record track points which are almost immediately on top of the GPS track from my Garmin Virb camera, so quite accurate for a unit with a tiny GPS antenna.  It also records what direction the camera is pointing, when you take a photo, using an internal compass, and has a barometric altimeter, which is novel.

(Slightly annoyingly GPSBabel doesn't seem to be able to correctly deal with the NMEA GPS logs that it generates, and ignores the altitude information, but that's a GPSBabel issue, not the camera's fault.  The NMEA files appear correctly formatted, as far as I can tell).

You can use its WiFi with your phone, to provide a poor man's remote trigger, and indeed entirely control many of the features of the camera.  So far, it seems to only download a slightly lower resolution image to the camera, but that may just be some setting which I've yet to find.

I managed to confuse the panoramic shooting system, and it stitched together the images oddly, but I think that's because I took a silly set of photographs.

The image quality appears pretty good, and on the normal "Auto" setting, it seems to get the exposure correct, with nice sharp images, showing up where I've got stubble.  ;D

Like most modern cameras there are lots and lots of features, most of which I haven't experimented with yet, and most of which I probably won't ever use beyond a quick "So, what does this do ... ?". :)
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

paul851

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #705 on: 08 August, 2016, 03:47:18 pm »
A Kiev 60 TTL medium format SLR , I swore blind I wouldn't have another Ukrainian camera but I always fall soft when I see a good deal (if it works  ::-) )

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #706 on: 08 August, 2016, 08:00:40 pm »
With the TG-4, it's been quite promising so far.  I've not taken any photographs other than to experiment, so I'll post a few in another thread, when I've got something other than the odd scary selfie!

I see it takes RAW images, that's nice.

Does it take RAW + jpg? (I mean does it store 2 copies of the same image in 2 formats?).

I find that "back of the jersey" photos benefit from RAW (and post processing) more than any other type of photography. 
Usually that's because I'm shooting on the move a lot and giving the camera's light-metering a tough time.  I don't have time, or balance, to start locking the exposure.

The ability to record both formats means you don't have to faff with image editors just to send a quick snap to FB.

If it does store both formats, and you choose not to store RAW, then you may one day look at a favourite photo and sob into your keyboard that you didn't.

Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #707 on: 09 August, 2016, 08:39:15 am »
A Kiev 60 TTL medium format SLR , I swore blind I wouldn't have another Ukrainian camera but I always fall soft when I see a good deal (if it works  ::-) )

Hefty beast, but strangely alluring.  Druther have real match-needle than LEDs, but using LEDs back then was in.  And hell, it's a 6x6.

Good luck with the works.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #708 on: 09 August, 2016, 11:25:24 am »
Kiev 60 is cool.
Getting there...

billplumtree

  • Plumbing the well of gitness
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #709 on: 09 August, 2016, 12:55:43 pm »
Kiev 60 is cool.

Way cool.  I've still got mine, and a good selection of P6 lenses, though I do occasionally threaten them with ebay

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #710 on: 15 August, 2016, 11:29:56 am »
Macro extension tubes. Less than £20 off Ebay. Seem to work nicely - they let me focus a lot closer anyway. And have electrical connections, so work fine for autofocus etc.
Only annoyance is they don't include a lens cap / body cap. Will have to buy a few more of those on Ebay.

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #711 on: 15 August, 2016, 11:38:19 am »
A Kiev 60 TTL medium format SLR , I swore blind I wouldn't have another Ukrainian camera but I always fall soft when I see a good deal (if it works  ::-) )

Hefty beast, but strangely alluring.  Druther have real match-needle than LEDs, but using LEDs back then was in.  And hell, it's a 6x6.


The Kiev 60.. a Zenit E on Steroids (which wouldn't surprise me actually).

What's it like when the shutter fires?  The Zenit E would knock you off your chair if you weren't ready for it. I suspect the internals were modified AK47s

I once dropped my Zenit E on the pavement and damaged it beyond repair*


*The pavement I mean.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #712 on: 17 August, 2016, 09:12:42 am »
A 64 LED godox video light for about 16 cephalopods from a south american river. It sits on top of my monitor and is great for skype and doing wee videos. And for video in the wild.

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

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #713 on: 22 August, 2016, 01:12:26 pm »
B'day prezzie of Panasonic 100-400 zoom. Micro 4/3, so 800mm equivalent FOV :o - and pretty sharp for a  lens of its class.

Next step - learn how to get good results from such a long lens :D


Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #714 on: 22 August, 2016, 03:01:55 pm »
With the TG-4, it's been quite promising so far.  I've not taken any photographs other than to experiment, so I'll post a few in another thread, when I've got something other than the odd scary selfie!

I see it takes RAW images, that's nice.

Does it take RAW + jpg? (I mean does it store 2 copies of the same image in 2 formats?). ...

It does do RAW (ORF in this case) and JPG simultaneously, and I have it set to that.  I think I can only fit 6000 images on the memory card with this setting. ;D

I've done little with the ORFs so far, although exiftools appears to see the EXIF data in those as well as it does with the JPGs.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #715 on: 22 August, 2016, 03:08:30 pm »
B'day prezzie of Panasonic 100-400 zoom. Micro 4/3, so 800mm equivalent FOV :o - and pretty sharp for a  lens of its class.

Next step - learn how to get good results from such a long lens :D

That's the  Leica badged one isn't it? Now that's a seriously good b'day pressie. What body are you using it on?

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #716 on: 22 August, 2016, 03:30:13 pm »
With the TG-4, it's been quite promising so far.  I've not taken any photographs other than to experiment, so I'll post a few in another thread, when I've got something other than the odd scary selfie!

I see it takes RAW images, that's nice.

Does it take RAW + jpg? (I mean does it store 2 copies of the same image in 2 formats?). ...

It does do RAW (ORF in this case) and JPG simultaneously, and I have it set to that.  I think I can only fit 6000 images on the memory card with this setting. ;D

I've done little with the ORFs so far, although exiftools appears to see the EXIF data in those as well as it does with the JPGs.

a big pain with the TG-4 is the proprietary USB charging cable. Which I think I didn't pack  >:( :(
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #717 on: 23 August, 2016, 08:32:16 am »
a big pain with the TG-4 is the proprietary USB charging cable. Which I think I didn't pack  >:( :(

Yes, that is rather annoying, although I have spare cables from another Olympus camera.

I'm wondering about getting an external charger, but there's then the decision between a ludicrously expensive Olympus charger, which I know will be safe for the batteries, or a random Chinese manufacturer's version, which may have poor charging characteristics.

I guess I could design and build my own, but I haven't a clue where to find the battery's more detailed charging criterion, and the assembly of the actual charging cradle for the battery would be somewhat involved.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #718 on: 27 August, 2016, 03:12:07 pm »
Nabbed a Nikon Coolscan V yesterday.

Tried it out today, it is rather good. Going to be feeding negatives into it in the next months.

Despite what loads of people said, it works well on OSX. Using Vuescan.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #719 on: 01 September, 2016, 11:06:16 am »
Vuescan is brilliant.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

paul851

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #720 on: 04 September, 2016, 01:15:34 pm »
A Kiev 60 TTL medium format SLR , I swore blind I wouldn't have another Ukrainian camera but I always fall soft when I see a good deal (if it works  ::-) )

Hefty beast, but strangely alluring.  Druther have real match-needle than LEDs, but using LEDs back then was in.  And hell, it's a 6x6.


The Kiev 60.. a Zenit E on Steroids (which wouldn't surprise me actually).

What's it like when the shutter fires?  The Zenit E would knock you off your chair if you weren't ready for it. I suspect the internals were modified AK47s

I once dropped my Zenit E on the pavement and damaged it beyond repair*


*The pavement I mean.

Sorry for the delay in replying , my youngest has led us a merry dance in and out of ICU over the last 4 weeks but things are looking up for now  :thumbsup:

The camera turned up in it's original box with all accessories apart from the neck strap which was a result , it also looks to have had very little film put through it looking at the film pressure plate which either means it's a cupboard queen or it's been broken from new  ;D It cocks and fires so I just need to put a test film through it as for the shutter well I won't be trying hand held under 1/125 to be honest as apart from the weight (1.928 kg) with prism finder the mirror slap sounds like a rat trap going off  :o


Paul

Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #721 on: 09 September, 2016, 10:00:18 am »
You heard a Pentax 6x7 going off?  I've not heard the Kiev, but I'd reckon it couldn't be a lot louder than the Pentax.
Wombat

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #722 on: 19 September, 2016, 01:48:15 pm »
Got myself a replacement for my old semi destroyed Nikon D200, in immaculate condition, low shutter count, and for ridiculously cheap....

I'd been using a micro 4/3 mirrorless for a while (panasonic GX7), which cost me 10x as much!, and though it was very cool, can do video, and has some advantages over a DSLR (EVF's are pretty neat in low light, and the focus aids are great for old manual lenses), I never totally got on with it's tiny little buttons and important stuff hidden in menus

Have to say, I've fallen back in love with the D200, it might be old but still makes great images and is pretty much perfect ergonomically....a bit heavy to take on the bike, though once you factor in lenses the GX7 probably only saves a few hundred grams

seeing the prices of D700's these days is starting to rekindle my desire for something full frame though

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #723 on: 24 September, 2016, 05:51:18 pm »
An old but perfectly serviceable Manfrotto 055 tripod with 029 head off t'bay. For less than price of two pints of beer.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Samuel D

Re: Bought any photography stuff today?
« Reply #724 on: 25 September, 2016, 11:32:32 am »
I'd been using a micro 4/3 mirrorless for a while (panasonic GX7), which cost me 10x as much!, and though it was very cool, can do video, and has some advantages over a DSLR (EVF's are pretty neat in low light, and the focus aids are great for old manual lenses), I never totally got on with it's tiny little buttons and important stuff hidden in menus

I had a similar experience moving from Nikon SLRs to Olympus Micro Four Thirds. I haven’t reversed that move yet, but I must (though the small size of Micro Four Thirds is so nice to carry).

The D200’s lack of live view would bother me. The D700 you mention remains a highly capable camera by modern standards.

The beauty of these professional-class Nikon SLRs from a few years ago is that they were built tough, which makes them a smarter than average used buy. Nikon SLRs, like bicycles, are now going plastic, but the D700 was made to last a hundred years. Just look at the mag alloy body on page 16 of this PDF brochure!