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Archive through October 13, 2007

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Oct. 2007 ~ Dec. 2007: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: Digital Camera/Photography Help: Archive through October 13, 2007 users admin

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Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 8:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karen a private message Print Post    
...onto my camera as standard movie files...

Oops, that should read, onto my computer, not camera.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 9:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I'd just google "convert DVD-RW to avi" and see what comes up....

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 4:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
i have two questions:

1. i just took a wonderful photo of an unusual squirrel in my backyard (red and white instead of the gray that is common) through my screen door. so, i have this blurry screen photo now. how do i filter out the screen in photoshop?

2. how do i make my digital camera not take a picture of the screen in the future and of the squirrel instead?

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 4:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
red

here is the photo.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 4:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Are you sure that it's a squirrel? I see a chicken.

Babyruth
Member

07-19-2001

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 5:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Babyruth a private message Print Post    
I see the number 6 with the groundsquirrel critter from Caddyshack in it...LOL

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 5:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
LOL, i see the chicken too!!! what appears to be the chicken's beak is the squirrel's tail curled over his back. he was busy hiding a pecan in the grass facing to the right. his right hip is white! he is so pretty and different.

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 5:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
here is another photo of him i was able to take once i got outside:

rs

the other one would have been so much better and showed much more detail to his color pattern.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 7:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Your camera auto-focused on the nearest object (the screen). There is no way around this unless you have the option to focus manually.

You need a higher shutter-speed in the second picture.

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 7:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
thanks, jimmer! i'll have to read the manual for both of those. i don't think i can change the shutter speed, but i think i can disengage the auto-focus. i'm such a dork though with this camera.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 7:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
If you can't set the shutter-speed, some cameras have a "sports mode" which causes the camera to use higher shutter-speeds. Another possibility is that the light was low so it had to use a slower shutter-speed, so maybe a higher ISO setting might help.

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 7:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
is there anyway to edit the blurry photo in photoshop so we can see the squirrel? i really don't know anything about using PS enough to know what to do, but i would guess it had something to do with layers. or maybe the picture is unable to be saved?

i checked and i can put the camera on manual. now, i have to figure out what to do once i've set it there. LOL it's a Canon Powershot A 530. guess it's time to read the book.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 11:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Red squirrels are fairly common in other parts of the country. And we have black squirrels as well as brown squirrels up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 10:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I don't think you can do much with the one through the screen. With respect to the second one, you can use tools in PhotoShop to combat camera shake but you are pretty limited in what you can do. Sadly, your best bet is to simply re-shoot if you can.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 4:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I've got the same camera Cnd, and I've used the manual setting. However, I have NO idea what I did. :-) I just played around w/the settings snapping pictures until I got one I liked. :-) Pretty technical of me, wasn't it?

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 8:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Jimmer (et. al):

All other things excluded, is a 0.45 wide angle lens BETTER or WORSE than a 0.5? I don't know what that means, and I am comparing two kits that include a wide angle lens.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 8:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Second question:

Would I rather have a 28-70 lens as the small number lens, or the 18-55?

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 8:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I don't know what you mean by .45 vs. .5? Do you mean the f-stop which would be 4.5 or 5?

As far as which is better, between the 18-55 and the 28-70, the first is a wider angle lens with less telephoto and the second one is less wide angle with more telephoto. Are you shooting landscapes or people more? If you are shooting mostly people then the 28-70 would be better.

However, none of the above says anything about which is the better lens, quality
wise.

What kit and lens are you looking at?

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Gosh, there are so many different kits out there. I'm looking on eBay, because the prices are great (especially with the CDN dollar!), and two of my friends who are into photography suggested it as a good way to get started.

Different sellers are offering different lenses, in size, brand name, and number of lenses included. I have done some research on my own about the brand names, and it seems that most people prefer Tamron over Sigma, so I'll probably be staying away from those. But there are a few kits (actually tons of kits) that also include the wide angle.

Anyways, here's what it says beside one of the lens descriptions:

Features:
The Titanium Digital Optics multi-coated .45X lens is a professional grade, wide-angle converter that increases the angle of view by more than 100%, allowing the video or digital camera to take breathtaking ultra wide-angle shots.
This high-speed, fully automatic lens features multicoated optical glass, Day or Night Vision, Infrared Compatibility and comes with a macro converter for close-ups.
The lens attaches easily and directly to any camera or camcorder.

Specifications:

Power: 0.45x time conversion factor of your current lens setting plus a Macro mode.
Optical System: Conversion type; mounts on front of existing lens.
Mounting System: Screw type in front of existing camera lens into the filter accessory threads.
Optics: Designed to maximize use day and night with coated optics to provide maximum image transmission with minimum distortion.
Auto Focus: Utilizes camera auto focus system.
Adaptability: Maintains all the camera functions plus it provides 0.45X wide angle lens conversion power.
Macro: The Macro mode is accomplished by unscrewing the front lens assembly and using the section labeled Macro with your existing camera lens.
Warranty: 10 year manufacturer's warranty


So with that description, would I prefer a .45 or a .5 power lens for wide-angle?

It's funny, I was talking to a friend of mine, telling her I wanted to take a real photography class, but then in order to TAKE the photography class, I need an SLR to use. But then in buying the SLR, I don't understand the words and descriptions when comparing equipment. So it's like the old chicken and egg argument. Which comes first? Good camera, or good photo knowledge?

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
This is an example of the packages available.
LINK

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I'd stay with Canon or Nikon.

With respect to the .45 or .5 converter lens, I honestly wouldn't bother with a converter. What a converter does is modify your existing lens. The optical quality just won't be very good unless you are considering a Canon or Nikon converter (and they are for telephoto). Plus with converters you lose light.

Be very very careful buying a camera on eBay or anywhere over the Internet unless you are buying from a big name reliable company (like B + H for example). There are an awful lot of scams out there. If the price seems ridiculously low, it is a scam.

The kit lenses aren't terrible lenses optically. They are pretty cheap though.

Even if you aren't planning to buy locally, I'd highly recommend going to a local camera store and talking to them and looking at the bodies and lenses.

I have mostly Canon Pro lenses and I can't remember much about the best quality lesser expensive lenses out there but I'll take a look when I get the chance.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 1:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Interesting (and very helpful) feedback.

I guess I was just trying to avoid going into a local store and dealing with those people. I hate face-to-face shopping, for some reason.

It's just crazy. Locally, the camera I want (Nikon D80) is retailing at about 1300 plus tax. That seems ridiculous to me, when I can get it for 300 less, with a ton of extras.

I'm on the fence about the gray market cameras. Personally, I'm not one to need "service" on my electronics, and for the amount I save, I don't really care too much about the US only warranty. I bought my little camera that way, and the one time I needed it fixed (dropped it and broke the LCD), it was a 60 dollar repair. So STILL a better value to go with the US camera.

As for lenses, I hem and haw over whether I should BE so discerning, or if I should admit that I am so "new" to photography, that the difference that PROS see in these lenses are things I will NEVER pick up on. And by the time I am good enough to pick up on those things, I will know more about exactly what I want from a camera, and can then seek out better accessories. What do you think Jimmer? I liken it to a teenager's first car being a beater, then once they know what they want, only then do they need to be spending their money on a Lamborghini. Does that make sense? I'm not a good enough photographer for me to rationalize getting TOO picky about lenses. This is my first EVER SLR, and I'm thinking maybe the equipment offered in these packages is "enough"? Or is that a misconception on my part...?

I really just want something to learn on, and it's not a hobby I'll spend more than a couple hours a month on. How good should I go?

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 1:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I just keep thinking, "For less than the price of the camera bought here, I could get a bazillion accessories, and even if they all suck, it's still less that I would have paid locally." So if I have to switch to a better lens, I'm still ahead in the deal. No?

Maybe I'm one of those suckers!! hahahaha

A thousand bucks is a lot of money, so I'm not jumping to any quick decisions. :-)

Nyheat
Member

08-09-2006

Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 8:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nyheat a private message Print Post    
Try 35 mm Pentax, which I bought for a photography class for about 350 dollars. I used it for darkroom developing and it was pretty good as a beginner's camera.

Seems like prices have gone up, but epinions is a good place to see what's on the market.

http://www.epinions.com/Film_Cameras

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 1:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
The pluses to the pro lenses:

- incredibly tough and durable and will withstand a lot of use.
- Very nice optically, particularly at the extremes (very wide open) with larger apertures so you can get lovely clarity, depth of field and really nice bokeh (the way out of focus objects look in the background) and shoot in less light.

The minuses:

- brutally expensive
- very big and heavy to carry around

Consumer lenses:

- not as good optically but not bad (particularly in the middle f-stops)
- much lighter and smaller
- cheap (both in price and construction)


Will you see a difference in the results? Well yes …. But more so if you know what you are doing and if you shoot at the extremes. If you shoot all of your pictures at F-8 (where most lenses perform best), the difference won't be as noticeable.

-----------------------------------------------

The way gray market sales usually work is that they will take your info over the Internet and then ask you to confirm by telephone. When they ask you to confirm by telephone they will try to sell you over-priced accessories or worse, accessories that should have been included with the camera in the first place. If you steadfastly refuse to fall into that trap and just insist on buying the camera body, you may find that your camera is mysteriously out of stock or takes weeks for delivery.

That is not to say that there aren't some great deals out there but it is definitely buyer beware.

I'm also surprised that you are seeing such a difference in the camera body price but maybe that is because our dollar is stronger now. Usually you will see a big difference if you buy pro lenses from the States but not so much in the bodies.

I really just want something to learn on, and it's not a hobby I'll spend more than a couple hours a month on. How good should I go?

Um …. That's not a huge investment in time. So I would start pretty cheap and see how you like it. But remember that once you buy the camera body, you are stuck with that system so you want to pick a manufacturer that has lots of room to upgrade. Some people like Pentax and you can take fantastic pictures with a Pentax. I will say though that most of the pros use either Canon or Nikon.