Photography Shoutbox

[ryan s]

ugh, want a new camera body but cant decide what to do

my K10D is now a 5-year-old body with the ISO performance to match. ridiculously awesome 100-200 performance, terrible over 400.

problem is, pentax's * lenses (equivalent to L and AFS G from canon and nikon) use a decently unreliable, slower AF motor. so while the K5 body wipes the floor with the 60D, 7D, D7000, and D300s, its held back by the speed and reliability of the lens.

the second problem is pentax bodies have SR/IS/VR built in. a used canon 300/4L goes for ~$575, while the IS version sells around $875. there is no canon 50mm with IS built in, nor is the nikkor 85/1.4 offered with VR yet. those are just a couple examples, but i will be getting a 300/4 in any case.

third is i absolutely love the handling and images from pentax cameras--side by side, i can always tell which came from a pentax. the K5 absolutely dominates the 60D and D7000 from the images i see.

so, where i'm at is...

stick with pentax for better images with worse focusing

or

better lens choice for comparable money, but no built in shake reduction and "flatter" images

 

[fastflyinaccord]

got the nifty fifty for christmas, lovin it already

 

[kn0x47]

i'd say it depends on whether or not you normally shoot moving objects. none of my lenses have VR and i cant say i've needed it. i just bump the ISO up to 1000 or 1600

 

[ryan s]

got the nifty fifty for christmas, lovin it already

ive lost count of how many 50s ive owned...probably in the 20-30 range

i'd say it depends on whether or not you normally shoot moving objects. none of my lenses have VR and i cant say i've needed it. i just bump the ISO up to 1000 or 1600

its a sword that cuts both ways, to me.

i can shoot a non-moving subject with my current 300mm lens at 1/60s, handheld, with ease. ive even done 1/20. absolutely can't do that without SR.

on the other hand, i try to use 1/250 or 1/400 at the minimum for moving/fast subjects. so while its not necessary to have an anti-shake system--and some people argue it moves so little at telephoto lengths with high shutter speeds--i like it to reduce any motions.

but therein also lies the rub: the K5 looks better at ISO 12800 than the 60D/D7000 at 6400 plus the pentax has SR built-in. versus non-IS/VR lenses, thats about a 5-stop advantage.

 

[AustinJohnsen]

picking up a sony A55 does anyone on here have one or know much about them

 

[dharding413]

Just installed Magic Lantern on my 50D. HD video recording ftw

 

[Nismode]

Just installed Magic Lantern on my 50D. HD video recording ftw

Wait what? seriously? 50D video? ****, I need to get rid of my 40D.

Is it in a similar fashion to how it is on the HDSLRs?

 

[dharding413]

Wait what? seriously? 50D video? ****, I need to get rid of my 40D.

Is it in a similar fashion to how it is on the HDSLRs?

Shoots 1080p at 30fps I believe. It eats up a lot of battery on the 50D, but luckily I have quite a few spares. The only other downside is there's no built in audio... but it still looks great imo.
Magic Lantern is a firmware add on that runs alongside the stock Canon firmware and gives you a lot of added features, including video on the 50D.
I just stumbled upon their website the other day and tried it out.
I'll post up a sample video later.

 

[iHazSnail]

guys need some input on how and where to point the flash and at what power level to get this sort of an effect using one speedlite? I know multiple shots need to be taken just where exactly to bounce the flash from and power level.
thanks

 

[Nismode]

Shoots 1080p at 30fps I believe. It eats up a lot of battery on the 50D, but luckily I have quite a few spares. The only other downside is there's no built in audio... but it still looks great imo.
Magic Lantern is a firmware add on that runs alongside the stock Canon firmware and gives you a lot of added features, including video on the 50D.
I just stumbled upon their website the other day and tried it out.
I'll post up a sample video later.

Yea, I have Magic Lantern on my T2i. I have a BG-E2n grip and about 6 batteries, so if I were to get a 50D I'd be good on that part.

Yea, post up some video when you can. Can you play it back on the camera or do you have to connect it to a computer? No pc required right?