The Photo Snob Thread

[wombat]

cheers for the replies guys, much appreciated!

stupid question time: i understand that hsm is sigma's version of canon's usm which is all to do with the way in which the automatic focus motor operates. will a hsm lens be compatible with my canon 40d?

cheers

Yeah if it's the right mount it should work fine.
USM (ultrasonic motoor / HSM (high speed motor, maybe?) is just a reference to the sort of motor the AF uses, and a marketing slogan to say "Hey, I'm fast and quiet! Not like that Tamron you have that is kinda slow, and sounds like an insect orgy inside a megaphone!"

I'd definately consider the 17-55 too; f/4 won't cut it for concerts on the 40D, and the range would be nice on a crop body. If I was buying I'd be torn between the usability of the 17-55, and the fact that the 24-70 would keep my full-frame dreams alive...

 

[NCR600]

f/4 on the 17-40 probably isn't 'fast' enough for concerts and low light - I'd almost certainly be looking at a f/2.8 zoom and I think the 17-55 f/2.8 IS fits the bill nicely.

This would match quite will with say a fast prime such as the 50 1.4 - check out the Sigma version of this lens which I'm lead to believe is sharper and faster than the Canon offering and only $1 more as listed on DCW This of course would be something to look into as I don't actually know for certain how they both stack up being a Nikon shooter and all...

Otherwise, replace your 50 1.8

Good luck!

For the shows I've been shooting, f/2.8 on my Tamron 17-50 is marginal. Last show I shot, I couldn't freeze the action with the available light, even at 3200, although others have had better lighting and produced nicer results. If you're shooting small shows in dingy venues, I'd be looking at a 50mm or even 35mm f/1.4 (Big dollars for those though)

Theres a couple of sample images I shot with the 2.8 further up in this thread, if you want to have a look.

 

[tim_d]

Can somebody give me some advice on memory cards?
I've tried googling and found a little bit of info, but nothing from the last 6 months or so and thought it was worth asking. Camera is a 550d.
From what I read, it sounds like class 6 SDHC cards the way to go? Any that are better without being ridiculously expensive? Not really fussed on size, thinking 8-16gb is the way to go.
Like to get them fast so if that means going local and paying more I don't mind, but best place to get them fast on the net?
Thanks for any help.
Cheers, Tim

 

[AngoXC]

Sandisk Extreme SD takes you up to Class 10 - 30mb/s; probably the way to go.

8GB - $65
16GB - $112
(as from DDP).

Just remember that unlike CF cards, SD are limited in speed/capacity by the the device that they are put in - not sure of the 550D's compatibility with newer SDXC.

More can be found here.

 

[tim_d]

Cheers Ango, the 550d is compatible with SDXC cards, would i be better off looking at these?

 

[AngoXC]

Cheers Ango, the 550d is compatible with SDXC cards, would i be better off looking at these?

Perhaps. Personally, I carry multiple smaller cards rather than the one big one, just in case one fails or is damaged. For video, the larger capacities may be more handy since video file size is limited to 4GB.

I honestly dunno much about them - only that they push the capacity 'boundaries' up to 2TB.

 

[tim_d]

Perhaps. Personally, I carry multiple smaller cards rather than the one big one, just in case one fails or is damaged. For video, the larger capacities may be more handy since video file size is limited to 4GB.

I honestly dunno much about them - only that they push the capacity 'boundaries' up to 2TB.

Thanks again, really appreciate all the help you give everyone on here! Hopefully i won't need advice for much longer..
I think I'll just grab a small capacity card locally just to test it out then by a better one online soon. Do a bit more research into sdxc etc.
Cheers!

 

[hotazell]

Thanks again, really appreciate all the help you give everyone on here! Hopefully i won't need advice for much longer..
I think I'll just grab a small capacity card locally just to test it out then by a better one online soon. Do a bit more research into sdxc etc.
Cheers!

When you do your testing note the file size of the pics you take and then work out the max pics you'll take in a day. That will be the size card you need. I use a pair of 8gb cards with 2 pairs of 4gb cards as back up. I've never used both 8gb cards on a days shooting and I shoot raw+jpeg. I offload the cards at the end of the day so they are ready to use the next day. then backed up etc etc. Don't get to caught up in the speed of the card issue, buy the fastest your budget allows it'll be fine, more concentrate on buying quality cards I only use sandisk. Been burnt so just don't bother with any other brand now. I'm sure there are other quality brands but Sandisk works for me.

 

[AngoXC]

When you do your testing note the file size of the pics you take and then work out the max pics you'll take in a day. That will be the size card you need. I use a pair of 8gb cards with 2 pairs of 4gb cards as back up. I've never used both 8gb cards on a days shooting and I shoot raw+jpeg. I offload the cards at the end of the day so they are ready to use the next day. then backed up etc etc. Don't get to caught up in the speed of the card issue, buy the fastest your budget allows it'll be fine, more concentrate on buying quality cards I only use sandisk. Been burnt so just don't bother with any other brand now. I'm sure there are other quality brands but Sandisk works for me.

I need to update my cards. I have 2x 4GB and 2x 2GB (shooting NEF) and rely on being able to backup if I get close to filling them. A little bit irresponsible of me really...

 

[24alpha]

I think I'll just grab a small capacity card locally just to test it out then by a better one online soon. Do a bit more research into sdxc etc.
Cheers!

You should buy all your cards locally at reputable sellers. Fleabay tends to be flooded with shonky sellers with shonky cards.

 

[BT180]

I bought my card at the same time as the camera, on the same site (Top Buy). I ended up with a Transcend 16GB SDHC (Class 10) for $80.05, which is a great price.

 

[tim_d]

Thanks guys, I have no local camera shops whatsoever, nearest one is about 80kms away, hence looking online.
Retravision is about the only shop around you'd call 'reputable' so I had a look in there, got a 4gb Transcend Class 10 card for $30, that will do for now
Also, camera got delivered this morning! Pretty excited, waiting for the battery to charge so I can give it a test.

 

[Nick53]

On the subject of memory cards. I'm looking at initially getting about 64gb worth of cards just to start out. Needs to be at Class 6 or higher and I'd like to break it up into 4x16gb cards. I was thinking of going for 4 of the Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC's @~$30ea as they are less than $1 more each than the Class 6 equivalents at the moment.

Was just wanting to see if anyone has had any failures with Transcend cards. From the reviews I've read most people seems to love them and at about a quarter of the price of the Sandisk cards they're hard to go past. Is there a brand in the middle price wise that has similar quality to the Sandisk's? Any brands you do/don't recommend?

Camera is a EOS 60D primarily being used for video.

 

[Elbo]

A Canon EOS500D and EF 35mm f/2 lens arrived by courier today . First DSLR. Looking forward to learning lots.

 

[Chalkie]

Yet again, I found myself in some of the most beautiful settings I've ever been and was stuck with my little compact lumix!!! Ah well, work with what you've got.

Purlingbrook Falls, QLD

 

[BT180]

^^ Holy crap - that is amazing.

 

[spinner]

Yet again, I found myself in some of the most beautiful settings I've ever been and was stuck with my little compact lumix!!! Ah well, work with what you've got.

Purlingbrook Falls, QLD

Still a great capture. Great work.

 

[24alpha]

Was just wanting to see if anyone has had any failures with Transcend cards. From the reviews I've read most people seems to love them and at about a quarter of the price of the Sandisk cards they're hard to go past. Is there a brand in the middle price wise that has similar quality to the Sandisk's? Any brands you do/don't recommend?

Camera is a EOS 60D primarily being used for video.

I have had two of the Transscend cards fail, they were used for HTC devices and not cameras, but they failed.

Something in the middle....try Kingston. They have a really good name in memory manufacture. But there is a reason why Sandisk is expensive and all the pros use them.

 

[slamer]

i don't contribute as much as i would like to this thread but anyway my camera has come out of uni hibernation just in time to distract me from exams. but here is a shot i got in the city the other night so feel free to c&c it.

that last picture....if i could shoot like that with my dslr i would be so stoked, that mist is amazing!

 

[Lemontime]

Yet again, I found myself in some of the most beautiful settings I've ever been and was stuck with my little compact lumix!!! Ah well, work with what you've got.

Purlingbrook Falls, QLD

Better than most photo's that come out of DSLR's! That is amazing. A little processing and you could really have a gem there..