[Sticky] Digital Camera FAQ

227,096 Views | 3079 Replies | Last: 11 yr ago by Ag CPA
3rdGenAg06
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10:23a, 11/2/09
^
I'm definitely a beginner, but here's what GS said in the OP:
quote:
But you probably WILL need a minimum of a 70-200mm F/2.8 Nikon does make a 70-200mm 2.8 as well. I have the Sigma version as well as the Canon version without the image stabilization and the Sigma glass comes highly recommended as an inexpensive substitute.

The lens you linked is a "Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III USM Autofocus". I would say the reason it is much more inexpensive is due to the minimum aperture being 4.0 as opposed to 2.8. You'll want more light for the narrower aperture so I would guess you'd be more limited to outdoor shooting as opposed to a poorly lit indoor gym.
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Guitarsoup
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10:48a, 11/2/09
Yeah, that is a different lens than you are thinking of.

That lens is a variable aperture lens, that is very slow. For indoor stuff, you really want a 2.8 aperture or better. That lens is a 75mm-300mm lens where the aperture changes from F/4 at 75mm to F/5.6 at 300mm.

That lens is worth what you pay for it. It is slow to focus, won't let in much light and will have pretty poor image quality when used wide open.

The 70-200mm 2.8L IS is going to run you about $1999 brand new.
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3rdGenAg06
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12:08p, 11/2/09
quote:
We had a family reunion over the summer in South Carolina, at which time I didn't have my dSLR. A few of my family members did and they were snapping shots of pelicans flying near the beach. I was thinking about that yesterday and I came up with a question. What do you do for focusing on something like a bird? Not AI servo, right?

to add to my post above, shooting at an airshow would use similar settings right? would manual focus be ideal?
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FHKChE07
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12:26p, 11/2/09
Thanks GS. I didn't think that it was worth getting. I will just hold out for a little longer to get the 70-200 2.8.
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Guitarsoup
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12:52p, 11/2/09

bq...

use al servo in both cases.

I only use manual focus when I shoot macros or when I use my medium format camera.
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labmansid
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1:14p, 11/2/09
bq, I shoot a lot of birds in flight, and just recently did the airshow in Houston. For both situations you definitely want to use AI Servo. I can't imagine having to manual focus on something like that, although it can be done, they can just move too fast to keep up.
The AI Servo is designed to keep up with moving objects, constantly refocusing as needed, and theoretically predicting where the subject will be in focus at the instant the shutter is opened. The real challenge is if there is something in the background to focus on, which can throw off the focus if you lose your subject briefly.
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3rdGenAg06
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3:23p, 11/2/09
My mom was probably at the same air show this past week! That's what made me start pondering this.

I guess I thought AI servo wouldn't work well because it'd be very tough to keep the center dot right on the bird/plane. But then again, once you reach the maximum focal distance for the lens, will everything past that be in focus - infinitely? In other words, if I'm not focused on the plane, will the lens attempt to just focus on the sky behind it, which is the max focal length like a plane that is far away?
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labmansid
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9:31p, 11/2/09
quote:
I guess I thought AI servo wouldn't work well because it'd be very tough to keep the center dot right on the bird/plane.


If you have a pretty clean background, such as clear blue skies like at the airshow, I just leave all the focus points activated so it's easier for the camera to keep the subject locked on. Even if you use just the center focus square, usually if the subject is still in the frame the camera won't necessarily lose it.

quote:
But then again, once you reach the maximum focal distance for the lens, will everything past that be in focus - infinitely? In other words, if I'm not focused on the plane, will the lens attempt to just focus on the sky behind it, which is the max focal length like a plane that is far away?


That is basically true, except that for various reasons most lenses will technically focus "past infinity" under most circumstances, so you can't just put the lens on the infinity setting and expect every distant object to be in focus. If you are sure your subject will be beyond the apparent infinity focus point at all times, you could find that point for your lens under that circumstance and leave it there manually. I do that often, especially for astronomical shooting. At telephoto, and especially extreme telephoto focal lengths, the apparent infinity focus point of a lens can be quite a distance away, meaning you must be careful using that technique. For more insight on the subject, read up on hyperfocal distance and depth of field, which is really what we are talking about. There is a nice interactive chart here.
I did get a shot this weekend that shows how two different subjects at quite different distances, even at 300mm and not technically at infinity, can still be in focus.

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3rdGenAg06
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10:14p, 11/2/09
great information and picture, thanks lab!
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FiTxAg04
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12:05p, 11/3/09
Guitar, what are the differences between Photoshop and Darkroom? I've been doing all my processing with Photoshop and am very happy with it's capabilities. Is darkroom mainly for RAW editing?
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Guitarsoup
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2:41p, 11/3/09
I think you are referring to Lightroom.

Lightroom is more for batch editing, color correction, RAW conversion, etc. Photoshop gives you a bit more control over all the minute details of photo editing like removing artifacts, etc.
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FiTxAg04
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7:54a, 11/4/09
Yeah, Lightroom is what I meant. Thanks for the explanation!
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rachag03
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11:48p, 11/6/09
GS, I just filled up my hard drive...my computer only has a 150 gig drive since it's 5 years old. So far I've only been using my computer hard drive and a portable EHD for back up, but I guess I need to do something else.

Should I get something like a desktop 1TB drive and move all my PC files on to that to free up my internal hard drive for editing? And maybe get another 1TB to back up the other one? Do you have a brand you recommend? My portable EHD is a Western Digital.

I would also have DVD backups of my files if my stupid DVD burner in my tower would actually work. It won't burn me a data DVD.
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Barnaby Jones
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12:26p, 11/9/09
I use the Western Digital 1TB drives, and they are awesome. Cheap, fast, and reliable. Having two copies of your data should be fine (I would not recommend a RAID mirror).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Hard+Drives-_-Western+Digital-_-22136317
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rachag03
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6:53p, 11/9/09
Thanks Barnaby! Of course right after I posted that question someone started a whole thread on EHDs. Oops!
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Thriller
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4:47p, 11/10/09
yo Soup - nice shot. Congrats on the shot.

From the Talented Mr. Roto page on ESPN.com:
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Guitarsoup
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3:28p, 11/12/09
It'd be a lot better if you could see his face. I'm surprised that pic sold.

I've had three pics chosen in the weekly USA Today best pics of the week in the three weeks I have shot NFL this year. So I got that happening for me.
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Comeby!
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9:57a, 11/20/09
I need a zoom lens for my Canon Rebel T1i that would be good for shooting kids/general under $500. Is there such a thing?
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Barnaby Jones
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1:43p, 11/20/09
Tamron 17-50 if you plan on staying with a crop body, Tamron 28-75 if you plan on moving to full frame in the future.

/end of discussion
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Tabasco
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5:14p, 11/20/09
What he said.

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Tabasco
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5:14p, 11/20/09
I have the Tamron 17-50 2.8, great lens.

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Bevo99
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1:57p, 11/21/09
Ok, I could use some help. I'm a complete photography/camera noob in the market for a PnS digital camera. I will mostly be using it for pictures of friends and family, generic social stuff. The most important factors for me are price, ease of use, and compactness. I want something that I can easily slip into a pocket and take with me whenever I want.

From the little research I've done, I'm leaning towards the Canon Powershot SD780 IS. I really love the slim design. From the reviews I've read the "Smart Auto" mode seems very useful for someone who doesn't know what they are doing (like me). The 1280x720 video capture and HDMI output are nice too, but not something I particularly have to have.

From browsing this thread I noticed one mention of the SD780 (it was Tabasco I think) talking about a noise issue. One question I have, is the noise issue going to be a problem on any compact PnS camera, or is it specific to this model?

I would really appreciate any feedback on this particular model, or suggestions of alternatives that I could look at.
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Guitarsoup
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7:17p, 11/21/09
No clue. I have the SD890IS and am happy with the performance. All PnS cameras will have higher noise than a DSLR because the pixels are smaller and more compact.
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Tabasco
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11:23a, 11/22/09
That is my wife's camera and we both really like it. I would recommend it. Very easy to use and very compact.

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Tabasco
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11:27a, 11/22/09
and to give you an idea of size, it fits perfectly in a standard card deck case. That is how I wrapped it for her.

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Bevo99
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12:44p, 11/22/09
Very cool, thanks for the response!
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rmag8205
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8:56a, 11/23/09
Does anyone know if BHPhotoVideo normally has good black Friday deals? I was going to order a camera from them this week, but I'm wondering if I should wait until this Friday to do so.
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Guitarsoup
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9:12a, 11/23/09
Nope. I don't think they run any sale at all.
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BQ2001
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11:12a, 11/23/09
I am a photog beginner as well and looking for a PnS for the family. I won't be taking much time to use photoshop to edit or anything, if that tells you how in depth I will be.

I am looking for something that has these features
- good image quality (of course)
- doesn't take a long time to "reload" between taking pictures
- ability to take short video clips a big plus
- decent battery life
- Good zoom. I'm frustrated with the 3x optical that is on our current camera
- ease of use. When my wife uses it she will want to just point and shoot and not mess with any settings or anything.

I saw on another thread a recommendation for the Canon G10/11 and S90. Are there any others I should look at? Is the G11 overkill for my needs?
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04texag
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3:16p, 11/23/09
I'm looking to get the Canon 50mm that every says is the staple, or must have for canon owners. I always see comments, here and other blogs/sites, saying you can get it for 80 bucks or less, but I've always seen it at 99 or so.

Not that that is a huge deal, but where is it recommended to get this lense?

Also, any other recs like this for a good quality lens or other must have accessory that is not too expensive?

Looking for ideas for christmas for my wife. I'm more of the photo guy, but she loves taking pictures of our baby, etc.

Thanks

[This message has been edited by 04texag (edited 11/23/2009 3:28p).]
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Guitarsoup
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3:23p, 11/23/09
It was 75 when I bought it. Dollar is weak against the Yen and the economy is in the tank, so I dont think you can get it cheaper than 100 anymore.

You may want to get a lens hood for it or a filter (52mm) for it. I used to always use filters, but don't anymore. Other than that, it is good to go out of the box.

The only other accessories I can think of are a CF reader, new or faster CF Cards or bags.
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3rdGenAg06
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3:56p, 11/23/09
pretty common dSLR noob question, but can ya'll explain the whole 1.6x sensor/crop deal? i have a 20d. if it's been touched on earlier in the thread please direct me to it, or any other links that help explain it.
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Guitarsoup
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4:03p, 11/23/09
A 35mm frame of film is 1.6x bigger than a regular sensor found in most of your consumer/prosumer cameras. Because the frame is smaller, it is like you cropped out that extra space.

So if I shot something on a 35mm frame of film and something on a 1.6x crop camera with the same lens, the two pictures would look identical, except the crop would look 1.6x closer. So a 100mm lens on each camera, the crop would look like it was shot with a 160mm lens.
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Tabasco
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7:36p, 11/23/09
Saying the same thing in a different way...

GS has a full frame body and the Tamron 28-75. I have a XTi 1.6 crop and the Tamron 17-50. The zoom range on these two are roughly equivalent.


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3rdGenAg06
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12:46p, 11/24/09
aero and i were discussing it in another thread, but regarding manual blending in photoshop to produce HDR photos, do ya'll use the bracketing option on your camera? and is this what you do regarding the aperture?
here's what i found at another site:
quote:
My preference is to set the camera to Aperture Priority and either manual focus or Single Shot focus. Tripod mounted is preferable as well. The reason for all this is that you don't want there to be any difference between frames. If the aperture is varied there will be a focus and depth of field shift. If the focus varies the frames won't line up, and if the camera moves you're completely out of luck. I have had success hand-holding such shots, but only of the lens isn't too long and the shutter speed is high enough to ensure that during the 3 frame burst there is no movement. It's better to use a tripod.
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