Camera and photography thread

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J.J.B.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by J.J.B. »

The 4S has the option of shooting in HDR (high dynamic range), which is when three photos are taken at different exposure settings and then merged to create a quite pleasing result. HDR mode will help but it's not a magic fix for not having enough light in the first place.

If you're taking pictures at night, avoid using the flash unless you want to capture an image of something no more than around 2m in front of the lens (a 'selfie', perhaps!?). If you do take a landscape shot at night and the flash goes off, it can cause a fog-like effect in the picture. You also have to be careful that your fingers are well away from the edge of the phone otherwise the flash light can be 'bounced' off, into the lens itself. You can't see your finger in the shot but a bright blurred area will be visible that is much more evident in low light conditions.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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Indeed. I asked as the photos are good and I wondered if a phone had that quality. There are a few out there that do, one is a new Nokia, but the camera actually extrudes from the frame. Pete :cheers:
Pete, you got me curious with the above comment on another thread so I did some research and among 7 review sites of cameras in phones, I found the following results which seemed to give no clear consensus even from so called experts:

Votes for best among the 7 review sites (based on camera alone):

Nokia Lumina 1020 - 3 votes
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 2 votes
LG G2 - 1 vote
Iphone 5S - 1 vote

These reviews were of the latest models. Oddly enough one of the things that got the Nokia rated better than the others is that is has a larger sensor but the previous model, the Lumina 808 had an even bigger sensor (bigger or the same size as a lot of dedicated point and shoot cameras).
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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Here's one of many 1020 commercials.

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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by TingTongJohn »

I found my 4S was good for many things. It can shoot video in poor or setting sun evening light situations with no issues. The camera is O.K for most things but no way matches my 7D.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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I'm finally thinking about buying a better camera (I now have a 10 year old 4mp super zoom and an 8 year old 6mp pocket camera, both point and shoot types).

Neither of my current cameras has the ability to shoot in "raw" mode. I understand the difference, but it seems to be a hassle to use the better quality raw mode as you have to process the image on a computer before it is really usable.

Do you enthusiasts typically shoot in raw mode or JPEG, and if you use raw, what computer software do you use to process the raw image. Is there a good free one available?

Thanks
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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^ Hmmm..."good" and "free" - ya get's what ya pay for! :|

Regarding RAW vs JPEG, I tend to shoot in both. My Nikon D200 has the option to shoot both modes so I can use the JPEGs for 'quick and dirty' shoots where I need to just get some shots, but then if they don't come out quite right I will revert back to the RAW file for colour correction.

[Even my Nikon's starting to show it's age and I have some vintage Nikkor glass (manual, of course) that I was using with large sensor video cameras as well as some Canon lenses, all of which are FX. I really want the full-frame magic you can get with today's cameras so am still torn between the D800 or 5D MkIII - as per one of my previous posts here - but still can't justify (to my wife) the $3k price tag.]

With software, Apple's iPhoto will do a good (and free) job with RAW files but I tend to use Adobe Lightroom. While not free, at around $100 full retail, it is available reliably at certain 'free' sites, if you're into that, and you can probably get a copy from MBK or equivalent. There are various filter plug-ins that you can then download - some free, some not - that take the pain away from manually adjusting the images and really help you create stunning shots. It's also available on Mac and PC.

What sort of camera are you thinking of, a full-on DSLR or mirrorless type?
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Homer »

J.J.B. wrote:Regarding RAW vs JPEG, I tend to shoot in both. My Nikon D200 has the option to shoot both modes so I can use the JPEGs for 'quick and dirty' shoots where I need to just get some shots, but then if they don't come out quite right I will revert back to the RAW file for colour correction.
+1, though I also use the RAW file for adjusting white balance, color temperature, recovering detail from areas that are pure black or white in the jpg.

A good free one? For Linux there is Darktable, which is free and getting better every release.
http://www.darktable.org/

A camera new to market may not be supported by RAW image processors for a few months. It the camera is from a mainstream manufacturer, it will soon be supported.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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What sort of camera are you thinking of, a full-on DSLR or mirrorless type?
I lugged around SLRs (3 bodies and about 10 lenses) for years, so at this point I am looking more for an enthusiast, or mid-range camera, but I want a reasonable zoom capability so I'm looking at mirrorless with a zoom lens or this crossover which seems the perfect combination of SLR and zoom without the interchangeable lenses.
It seems to have everything I want in a single lens body, but unfortunately with the price of a low to mid range SLR.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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hhfarang wrote:It seems to have everything I want in a single lens body, but unfortunately with the price of a low to mid range SLR.
Bad news is the Carl Zeiss f2.8 24-200 (35mm equivalent) lens jacks up the Sony price. The good news is you'll have a Carl Zeiss f2.8 24-200mm.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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The 1 inch sensor also jacks up the price and size of the camera, but a bigger sensor is the most important part (along with the lens) for photo quality, much more than the number of megapixels. The sensor and the lens are why I'm considering it.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Homer »

http://www.43rumors.com/ posts rumors about micro four thirds (m43) equipment, promotions, marketing and strategy of the m43 manufacturers. They categorize rumors by their estimated probability the rumor is correct. On March 31 (April 1st in some parts of the world) they said, with their highest probability it's true, Panasonic would abandon the m43 market and switch to full frame mirrorless cameras.

It's not clear if they were duped by an outsider supplying a recorded conversation allegedly between 2 Panasonic employees or if they were completely aware it was an April Fool's joke. Either way, it had an impact. Prices for the high end Panasonic m43 gear jumped on major retailer's sites. Some readers immediately sold or, if it was a new purchase, returned their gear. Either of those may be people responding to a joke with a joke, who knows.

Two hundred and forty plus comments later, the site operators have run out of ways to apologize and readers who didn't know what date it was have run out of ways to rip them a new one. http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-panasonic-w ... ull-frame/
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by J.J.B. »

^ It's so difficult to tell these days. I was completely taken in by iFixit's email announcement yesterday that they had been bought by Apple. Surprised, certainly, based on the fact that iFixit find ways to 'tear down' and repair Apple gear, accusing them of destroying the planet whenever they can, but I figured anything is possible in the age of Zuckerberg.

Somewhat relieved but sheepish to learn today that it was an April Fools' gag the whole time; got me!
:oops:
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by obey »

Hi guys, sorry if offtop, just can't find any store where I can buy Canon 6d body (I already try PowerBuy (just few canon cameras on store) and Big Camera (mb I wrong remember store name, it's 2 floor) in Market Village (they have only 6D Kit just for order with deposit and nobody knows how many days to wait). Is here any where else in HH camera shop with good line of items where I could chance to find 6d? Thanks.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Ginjaninja »

There are two camera shops in Market Village. One on the 2nd floor (floor above the ground floor) and one at the top floor. If they don't stock then you are probably out of luck in Hua Hin. If you can't make it to Bangkok then place the order through one of these shops and I'm sure you will get relatively quickly from stockists in BKK.
:cheers:
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Homer »

5th floor, MBK, Bangkok is your best bet. They have a Canon store, as in 'we only sell Canon'.
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