Random Thoughts... [Photographic Edition]

The camera will recognize it for sure. I just wondered if there would be any difference in focal length. Based on a couple of YouTube comparisons, it seems that there would be a tiny difference, that is marginal at best.
 
One of my colleague just gave me his old Olympus OM10 with a Marexar 35-70mm and original Olympus leather carrying case, and his old Olympus 35RC :-o

The OM10 looks quite a bit more modern than my OM2 somehow, even though they are basically from the same era. Its focusing screen is also in one piece, unlike the broken one in my OM2.

I love the 35RC, the viewfinder seems bigger than my Olympus XA and the rangefinder is way clearer too. The exposure systems seems like a bit of a pain, but it still seems to work perfectly fine. Now I just need to go to my local Kodak? reseller to grab a roll of Tri-X :banana:
 
Lucky you!
Please take a zillion pictures with it.
 
The ultimate portrait lens. :lol:

Canon 300mm f1.8. I did not think such a monster existed.

image3.jpg



https://petapixel.com/2017/04/27/canon-300mm-f1-8-yes-monster-lens-exists/
 
Anybody got any experience with pinhole cameras?

I recently got in touch with someone who makes these and I find the concept rather interesting.
 
Anybody got any experience with pinhole cameras?

I recently got in touch with someone who makes these and I find the concept rather interesting.


When an old film camera is not enough. :p

Seriously: I don't see how anything could go wrong with one of those. Might be fun.
 
Yeah, that's what I thought aswell. I mean, it's really cheap!
 
Performing thread necromancy because I need advice.

I have been interested into getting into photography for a while now, but one mystery that I still haven't figured out yet is how to actually get into it. I know some basics now, and I've been taking more photos with my cellphone for almost two years now, but I think I'm ready to up my game.

Now, the part that I need advice on is how to find interesting tutorials on how to improve my photography skills, as well as how to figure out which camera would fit my needs the best. As I spend quite a lot of time on YouTube, is there any YouTube channel that might suit my needs? Preferably something that is neophyte-friendly, yet that can teach me a bit more than the bare basics. Also, if there's any video series or a channel that explains the current camera market, I'd appreciate that as well. I know next to nothing about the cameras themselves, and I'd like to change that.
 
Are you able to rent cameras?
Do you have friends that own DSLRs?

Try a few "professional" cameras before commiting, and buy what you like.
There is no such thing as a horrible DSLR/mirrorless. They are all pretty much all you need unless you're a professional.
Worry more about lenses than about the body.
Don't overdo it.
Keep it fun.
 
Unfortunately, I don't have any friends that own a DSLR, and I'll have to investigate about renting them. Local forums say it's something nobody does any more, but I found some shop that might be doing it. Alas, I'll have to wait a bit to investigate that, as everything is closed nowadays, and it's not really recommended to wander around to take photos anyway.

I've already heard about lenses being more important than the bodies, so I'm glad to hear that argument is still valid. Thanks for the tips!
 
You can probably get an app for your phone that gives you enough control to learn the basics. It might only simulate things but if you just want the feel for what does what with manual control then it might be a good start.

Definitely agree with keep it fun. Nothing ruins the fun of a hobby like getting too serious and worked up over it.
 
If you have a bit of money (and I do mean just a little bit) that you can spend, why not buy a used basic DSLR? The technological progress in the field is fast, so you’ll be able to get something useable for a good price.

I bought a Nikon D40 kit with lens many years ago to get started and sold that a few years ago when I upgraded to a (used) D7000. Neither purchase broke the bank.

Two things to consider: the size of the sensor and GPS.

If you buy an “amateur” camera with a smaller sensor (the physical size, not the number of pixels), you will need different lenses than if you buy a “professional” one. I went the amateur route with the D40 and have stayed there because I bought better lenses over the years and didn’t want to sell everything at a loss just to be able to switch to the professional line.

As for GPS, I highly recommend buying something with either a built-in receiver or the option to connect one. It may seem like a gimmick at first, but it makes organising your photos a LOT easier. No need to ever wonder where and when you took a photo.

Wi-Fi connectivity, however, has always seemed less important to me and I still don’t have a need for it.
 
Oh, and one more thing: vibration reduction is awesome! Yes, you can always use a tripod, but who really wants to have to carry one of those around every time they use a telephoto lens in anything less than the brightest sunshine?

As for guidance from others, YouTube or book or whatever, I am a bit stumped because I learned the few things I know by playing around and listening to my dad since childhood. He would always carry his SLR around and take a moment to get a decent photo. It made our family outings a bit more time-consuming, but that never really bothered me.
 
A used DSLR is pretty much what I had in mind, or a used mirrorless camera, if there are any advantages of those over DSLR, aside from (perhaps) the price.

When it comes to different lenses for different types of sensors, I assume that different camera manufacturers use different standards for mounting the lenses, and that for the same manufacturers, it again depends on the sensor format (full frame, APS-C, 4/3rds), right?

Vibration reduction is the same thing as image stabilisation, right? I think I'd agree there, my requirement for mobile phone cameras is that they have OIS built it, as I do have a slight tremor, and carrying a real tripod seems really impractical.

About tutorials and guidance, I'm mostly wondering how do I recognize a good deal on a camera, and what to search for, as well as some explanation what does what (e.g. what ISO settings actually do). I found some tutorials on YouTube already, so I'm searching for some channels that do it the fun way, preferably aimed at someone who doesn't have much knowledge of the camera market or who is rather willing to buy a used camera than a brand new one.

That being said, I'll take @Matt2000's tip and play with my phone's manual settings, and generally play around with my phone's camera. Now, my dad could be a bit of help there, as he did even some semi-professional photography back in the pre-digital days, but he generally tends to go into long explanations and doesn't do very beginner-friendly explanations. In short, he pretty much involuntarily sucks the fun out of it. But I guess if I get some background through e.g. tutorials, I could make use of his tips.
 
I always felt the "manual" settings on phones to be really REALLY frustrating, and nowhere near the experience a "real" camera gives you, but then again I always had midrange phones.
As for explanations, just ask here! It's quarantine, we have plenty of time. :p

PS:
You have three main variables when shooting:
Aperture
Shutter speed
ISO
Aperture is how wide you are opening the lens. Wider = more light and more exposure.
Shutter speed is how long the shutter will remain open and therefore how long will light pass through it and reach the sensor.
ISO is the light sensitivity setting, similar to when we used to shoot film and you had to choose the "speed".

It's a balance and each one has different effects on the end result, but this is already getting too long.
I don't know how much you know about theory, so I tried keeping it simple.
Feel free to ask. I am not a pro but I have been fiddling with photography for over 10 years now.
 
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I bought a Nikon D40 kit with lens many years ago to get started and sold that a few years ago when I upgraded to a (used) D7000. Neither purchase broke the bank.

D40 to D7000 is an excellent progression. You have extremely good taste.

My D7000 is almost nine years old now having had it from new, still a great camera. If I replace it I'll probably go full frame for the sake of it, but that's a long way off. Or to the Fujifilm GFX 100. :drool:

Oh yeah, if you do get something I and go to Nikon I would recommend looking for something with the Nikkor 18-200mm or 18-300mm lenses. They're very good value for money as well as generally being considered (as far as I know) good quality overall. I'm constantly impressed with the quality of images taken with my 18-300mm VRII in any circumstances. Low light isn't it's strongest point as it's a big lens for 18mm but it's rare that it causes me a problem.
 
You have three main variables when shooting:
...
ISO is the light sensitivity setting, similar to when we used to shoot film and you had to choose the "speed".

I knew what aperture and shutter speed did already, as they're fairly easy to understand, but ISO is a bit of a mystery to me.

From what I gathered, it's best to keep it as low as possible in daylight, and only increase it in lower-light conditions when you want to take moving photos, i.e. scenarios in which you need more light, and longer exposure (slower shutter speed) would make the objects too blurry. But it does sacrifice the image quality by adding grain (noise) to it.

Now, when it comes to theory of how ISO settings work in digital cameras, i.e. what do they actually do... I don't know the answer. I tried reading about it, but that didn't quite clarify it to me.
 
I knew what aperture and shutter speed did already, as they're fairly easy to understand, but ISO is a bit of a mystery to me.

From what I gathered, it's best to keep it as low as possible in daylight, and only increase it in lower-light conditions when you want to take moving photos, i.e. scenarios in which you need more light, and longer exposure (slower shutter speed) would make the objects too blurry. But it does sacrifice the image quality by adding grain (noise) to it.

Now, when it comes to theory of how ISO settings work in digital cameras, i.e. what do they actually do... I don't know the answer. I tried reading about it, but that didn't quite clarify it to me.
You are correct. Higher ISO means more grain and in REALLY high ISO (specially older cameras) things get horrible.
Don't dwelve too much on the technical aspects, think of it as changing the sensor's sensitivity. Higher sensitivity will get the light you want, but degraded quality. The sensor will be so eager to catch those photons that every little glimpse will turn to a bright spot in the final image.

I hope my analogy is not too terrible. :D
 
In the days of the film, the actual silver grains of higher ISO film was bigger, making it more sensitive to the light, but also making the image grainy.

In the digital age, the sensor is stimulated to be more sensitive, but this adds noise, which give a similar grainy result.
 
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