Videos/Photos in Monterey
Posted by daniel
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i just filmed a few songs from a concert tonight, and once again the sound quality was abysmal compared to any other concert videos i have done. i am really disappointed with the audio quality of my lumix fz28.
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I have heard that the D90 can really only be used for short bursts of video anyway, as it is really taxing on the sensor. I don't ever see myself as a "film-maker," I have a video camera just to capture neat things the kid(s) and dog(s) do. I have Sony Vegas Movie Studio, but have never had time to sit down and go through footage I've shot and make even a badly edited DVD for grandparents, etc. Someday I'll have a huge and daunting project on my hands.
I also am not terribly interested in shooting cool video. Obviously if there is something I really want to save, I want the ability to film it, but for the most part it just doesn't really appeal to me. OTOH, still shots do appeal to me. I would love to someday be able to compose good photographs and actually understand how and why to use the various settings/lenses/filters/etc to good advantage. For whatever reason, that just appeals to me a whole lot more than good video. Maybe that will change in time, but for now, I am having a great time learning how to use the D90 and occasionally even getting some output that I like!  Cab 
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
I'm exactly the same way. There's something about composing a still photo, and capturing that instant in time, that is irresistible to me. A good photo is something that stays with me forever, whereas I seem to forget most video clips shortly after watching them. Having said that, I do like to have fun with the video camera too (except mine is currently broken.  )
If you're interested in learning to compose better photos, read some books and take some classes. There are lots of good introductions available. I think this one is pretty good, though others will give you more technical slant to things. I get a lot of inspiration and ideas from this web site, too, and the forums there. Above all, take lots of pictures! Take your camera everywhere, and don't be shy about using it! __________ Dave '91 325iX |
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Cool, man. Thanks! I've been needing a good book or two. The manual that I have is about 10 years old, and barely mentions digital at all. It has some cool things in it, but a whole lot is devoted to choosing and developing film, how to set up a darkroom, etc.
I am taking the camera with me as much as possible, however since it's our family camera, it stays home during the day so Mrs. Cab can shoot the baby. So I can't stop and shoot during the day if I'm driving around (like this morning, with the mist rising from the ponds... very cool). Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
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I have started leaving my camera in its bag in my car (out of site, of course), so when that opportunity for a potentially ok photo comes along, I can take it, and possibly involve my car also, haha.
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Yup, I would totally do that as well. Maybe someday we'll get another body, and my wife and I can each have "our own" cameras. I could carry the P&S we just replaced with the D90 around with me, it's not a bad camera by any means, but I just don't have fun using that one. I could still get neat pictures with it, and learn a lot about composition, but I just don't have that same fun factor. So I just play with the D90 on weekends, mostly. Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
I know what you mean about it not being fun, and I am getting a little antsy with wanting to get a new camera. My girlfriend has a D50, which is nothing special, but there is simply something magical about using an SLR. The sound of the autofocus and the click of the shutter makes it seem as if no photograph can turn out poorly, and that one is truly capturing the image. sounds cheesy, but that is what it feels like. When I go to her house I often just pick up her camera and start taking photos of random things.
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well i bought a d40x body for a really good price, and am selling my current camera.
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Sweet. I'm sure you'll have a blast! What lens(es) did you get with it? Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
just kidding. i found a d60 for almost the same price (successor to the d40 and d40x), so i'm going to have to sell the d40x when it gets here. the d40x body was brand new and didn't come with any lenses, $330. i did some shopping and then found a new d60 with the basic 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens for $500. the price difference between the d40x plus a lens and the d60 with the included lens was too small, and frustrated the crap out of me knowing that for just a little bit more i could have the d60, so i got the d60. sooo anyone wanna buy a d40x body for $330? 
or for that matter, my current Panasonic Lumix for like $300? Once i take some interesting photos, I will post a couple here for the hell of it. eventually i'd like to get the 70-300mm f4-5.6 lens, but for now i am already spending more money than i have (and was stupid enough to buy 2 cameras at one time), and need to get a new exhaust for my car. i cant wait to hear the sound of the camera focusing and that lovely shutter snap!
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Bah! Nikon! Welcome to the dSLR club 
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i looked at the canons also, but relative to their nikon counterparts, they were more expensive, and also the position of the shutter button really bothers me. what do i get for being in the club? some kind of cash certificate granted to me, right?
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Ouch. You didn't get the memo? There is no cash involved in being in this club. In fact, you'll find that you start losing money. But it's worth it :-) |
i'm afraid the camera i just purchased will probably be the cheapest primary camera i ever buy. i know in the future i'll be looking into the more ridiculous models, and am excited to see what the future brings in terms of technology (which is why i read engadget 10x a day).
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I've recently discovered this link, which has TONS of great info, lens reviews, etc etc, almost all about Nikon stuff (which a few 3rd party compatible lenses thrown in). It's a great site, of course there are lots of great photo-related sites that I'm sure you've found already. I've been trading a couple of emails with the owner of that site, and he mentioned what you probably already know, that the real money is in the lenses. When DSLRs were first "growing up," the bodies were making such great strides with every generation that it was worth it to upgrade every couple of years (worth it to the financially well-endowed, anyway). But now, he says, the bodies are all so good (in general), that the industry has come back around to focusing (haha) on good lenses as opposed to continually upgrading bodies. So you'll be just fine with that D60 for quite a while, once you have $10k or so invested in lenses.
Just make sure you get AF-S lenses, or get really good at manual focus!Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
*bookmarked* looks like a great site. thanks for sharing. i have noticed that dpreview.com has an indepth easy to read review for just about everything, so I have been reading that site as well, but it is always nice to get a different take on things.
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and you can get an adapter for normal lenses, apparently. i'm sure i will eventually get another lens to play with, but for right now its my 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AF-S VR kit lens, and my dad's old 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 lens that i have to focus manually. after that, i'd rather get a telephoto lens than a shallow lens, even though those are nice too. and i still need to spend money on my car, haha.
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k i have pretty much decided my next camera related move. when it will happen, i am not sure.
sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 w/ stabilizer. ~$530, (the nikon 18-200 is ~$650) sell my kit lens (18-55mm f3.5-5.6) ~$100 on ebay. i would've gone with the 70-300, but right now i need something i can leave on the camera all the time, and 250 is pretty close to 300. nikon is releasing a 35mm f1.8 soon that i may look into for certain stuff, but for now the 18-250 is the one (once funds are achieved).
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I have the 35mm f/1.8 prime on order. Nowhere has any in stock, b/c it's such a popular lens. Finally a standard lens for the DX format! I'll let you know what I think whenever it is mine gets here. I thought the same as you, wanting more telephoto rather than wide angle, so we could get candid shots of kid/dog doing neat things without them being aware of the camera. So I returned the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 that I had initially ordered and instead bought the 55-200 f/4-5.6. The Sigma just didn't feel right to me. The tele zoom is nice, but now I *really* want something wide angle. The widest lens I own is the 50mm f/1.8 prime, and that's equivalent to a 75mm on DX. Soooo... I have on my wishlist the 16-85 zoom and the new 10-20 f/3.5-4.5 that Nikon just came out with. Neither are the "pro" quality lenses, but the 16-85 I envision as a "stay on camera 95% of the time" lens and the others will complement it. I figure having a couple of nice, large aperture primes will sort of make up for having a slower zoom lens. Then someday, after I win the lottery, I can upgrade to a nice set of pro lenses.  Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
Translation: "I'm so bummed, because *yet another* person has made the decision that I so desperately wish I had made."
I agree in general, but one can still get nice bokeh without a really wide aperture. This was f/5.6: 
Another f/5.6: 
f/7.1: 
f/8:  Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
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I think I was about, oh, 2-3 feet away from the flowers when I took those. I was really just playing around with the lens, b/c I've been reading various reviews about how lenses tend to not be as good wide open, so I wanted to take some pics not at the max aperture (I've been shooting a lot wide open). To be fair, the trees in the backgrounds of these pics are much farther away from me than the flowers were, so there was no danger of them being in focus.
Here are a couple I've taken wide open with my 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. In each shot, I was no more than a couple of feet away from the tree branch when I took it. 
 Cab
1990 325i(s) 2004 325XiT |
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All good pics Cab.
The second f5.6 picture is still my favorite. The f1.8 pics are the razor thin shallow DOF I was talkin about. haha One bulb is in focus and the next isn't. |
sample vids [www.dpreview.com]
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i just received my sigma 18-250 lens in the mail. it is a (sexy) beast. i will take pictures of my car tomorrow or something and post them in my wheels thread.
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