Posts for: Charles 46277
Jun 2, 2022 20:26:32 #
I rarely take pictures with people in them--nature scenes mostly--except where people are in public in cityscapes. I knew the general rules for people, but never had a clue about how to talk a good picture out of them.
But I just came across this old picture I took of my mother when when she was about 70 years old. I asked her to come outside and stand in the shade by the house (open blue sky above), with sunlit trees far behind (100 yards or more). I was quite surprised when I rediscovered this picture, considering it is just a yard shot. She lived into her 80's and was always beautiful in our eyes.
It was 35mm Canon Ftb, probably 200mm Vivitar lens, color, but the color was not good (I think it was in an attic for years). I just found the digital file of it, but I think the film was Kodachrome. I like the sharp version, but the slightly softened one below it may be better.
But I just came across this old picture I took of my mother when when she was about 70 years old. I asked her to come outside and stand in the shade by the house (open blue sky above), with sunlit trees far behind (100 yards or more). I was quite surprised when I rediscovered this picture, considering it is just a yard shot. She lived into her 80's and was always beautiful in our eyes.
It was 35mm Canon Ftb, probably 200mm Vivitar lens, color, but the color was not good (I think it was in an attic for years). I just found the digital file of it, but I think the film was Kodachrome. I like the sharp version, but the slightly softened one below it may be better.
Jun 2, 2022 19:46:18 #
tommystrat wrote:
Nature is known to reclaim things left standing for a long time - but I've not seen anything quite like this! Kinda got that "sinking" feeling...! 
Maybe a Montana lowrider??
Maybe a Montana lowrider??Looks like a Russian troop transport that got lost.
May 30, 2022 18:04:09 #
grahamfourth wrote:
I have read that, from an optics perspective only, F-8 is in general the best optical setting for most lenses (though obviously not every image will be best at F-8). If this is true, does this suggest that parameters such as diffraction and aberrations are minimized at F-8? Some other reason? Or is this simply not true and F-8 is not generally the best optical condition?
Thanks in advance for your help, it is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your help, it is much appreciated.
There was a popular saying among photojournalists in the days of 4x5 press cameras for best news photos: "F8 and be there!"
They often stuck to a slightly wide lens (127mm was common) so depth of field was pretty good, and they had "stops" on the focusing rail for 8 ft, 12 ft, and 20 ft, which gave instant zone focus.
But of course in any prevailing light condition they could preset an f-stop and shutter speed for the scene. The other universal setting used big flash bulbs (much brighter than most flashes today) so they did not have to worry about settings: the preset had small aperture for depth of field and fast shutter speeds, both determined by the bulbs and film used.
Still, the photos used in newspapers allowed a lot of leeway, and quite a bit could be saved in the darkroom.
But F8 is not a standard "best compromise" for general photography. Journalists almost always had a single person or object (or a group more or less lined up) to shoot, so landscape depth was not an issue. Also, F8 is pretty shallow for normal lenses, extremely shallow in long lenses; and it gives much more depth of field with small film than with larger film (or small vs. larger sensors). On 4x5 film with normal lens, many (if not most) shooters used F 22 as a default. Similar result on full-frame sensor digital camera might be around F11 (on medium format, F 16). But each lens would have its own default on a given camera.
May 23, 2022 10:42:05 #
burkphoto wrote:
If you're talking about MPB.com, did you read thes... (show quote)
Burkephoto, your comment about people with hard to find addresses, such as some rural places, reminded me of a story my father told. A man who lived in a tenant-farmer shack on a former plantation in the South (no street address) called the fire department and told them to come quick--his house at Davies Plantation was on fire. "How do we get there?" they asked, and he replied, "Don't you still have that big red truck?"
May 23, 2022 10:35:42 #
11bravo wrote:
I've bought from MPB. Good service, honest rating. Only small complaint is only 1 week evaluation period (for return). Time to check basic functions, but, for me anyway, not really sufficient time to check all the intricate functions on a new to me camera. But I would definitely buy from them again.
1bravo, another factor is whether the seller does repairs--and says that the item has been tested and approved for all functions. People can lie, but most people actually want their customers to be happy and like them. If the sellers have not tested it, they will probably say so if asked.
May 23, 2022 10:30:04 #
burkphoto wrote:
If you're talking about MPB.com, did you read thes... (show quote)
Burkphoto, if that is their purchase agreement, I would hate to see their pre-nuptial contract!
If somebody is visibly paranoid about doing business, I go elsewhere. Purchases should be fun for both parties, and without a certain amount of trust, it is not fun. (Also, no document can really save us from crooked dealers.)
One of my favorite features of eBay is the number of happy campers they have bought and sold from. Only actual customers can post, and if they are 98% positive out of hundreds of sales, that is great. (Mine is 100% out of 800+.) I once had a foaming-at-the-mouth disgruntled buyer who wanted to keep the lens and get a refund too. I went ahead and refunded on the hope he would return it, and he did.
May 23, 2022 10:17:12 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Wherever you shop, make sure you can return the item, if necessary.
Amen, Jerry.
Recently I bought an item using American Express card and it was not right. I went to the AMEX site and opened recent purchases, clicked "Refund" and reason, and soon they gave me return instructions. I did not even have to contact the seller. I think other cards may do this too.
May 23, 2022 10:10:21 #
I have not used MPB either. Virtually all my second hand buys (and most new buys) have been over eBay since the Internet appeared. One major factor was that I was in the past mostly interested in medium and large format equipment, which was not available in local stores (and super-expensive direct online new), but readily available on eBay. B&H, Calumet, and Adorama were (and are) my most common go-to stops for new equipment.
The sources mentioned here, such as Roberts, Adorama, and KEH are all on eBay, and often the prices posted there are lower than the prices at their own sites. They don't use the auction option (fixed prices), which was the whole idea of eBay in the beginning (and great fun). Often individuals will offer "best-offer" options, and I have often found reliable professionals selling good used equipment there when they have replaced items or no longer use them.
My first large format stuff was from a retired professional in my neighborhood--I could never have afforded new, and he explained how to use things. My current Hasselblad digital was bought on eBay from a pro who had newer equipment and no longer needed it for backup. At first he listed it as "no returns" but after a couple of messages he saw I was a serious buyer, he felt confident in assuring me I could return it if I found problems. As it turned out, the normal lens had a serious shutter problem and he compensated me for the value of it.
I don't think I have ever used a warranty on any camera equipment--they all lasted much longer than warranties. Often, repairs cost more than new (used) equipment. Old large format lenses/shutters needed routine professional service now and then, but my Canon 650D and my Hasselblad H3 are both around 13 years old and have never needed any service. They don't get the wear and tear of professional use.
The main thing I look at is the return policies. eBay enforces return policies and once in a blue moon I have returned items. At first I was suspicious of being cheated on eBay, but never was. If I ask the seller appropriate questions, they always told me the truth. If I didn't ask, some of them volunteer all the bad news; other might not; some just don't know. If they say, "My uncle died and left all this--I don't know anything about it," and they do not accept returns, I look elsewhere.
The sources mentioned here, such as Roberts, Adorama, and KEH are all on eBay, and often the prices posted there are lower than the prices at their own sites. They don't use the auction option (fixed prices), which was the whole idea of eBay in the beginning (and great fun). Often individuals will offer "best-offer" options, and I have often found reliable professionals selling good used equipment there when they have replaced items or no longer use them.
My first large format stuff was from a retired professional in my neighborhood--I could never have afforded new, and he explained how to use things. My current Hasselblad digital was bought on eBay from a pro who had newer equipment and no longer needed it for backup. At first he listed it as "no returns" but after a couple of messages he saw I was a serious buyer, he felt confident in assuring me I could return it if I found problems. As it turned out, the normal lens had a serious shutter problem and he compensated me for the value of it.
I don't think I have ever used a warranty on any camera equipment--they all lasted much longer than warranties. Often, repairs cost more than new (used) equipment. Old large format lenses/shutters needed routine professional service now and then, but my Canon 650D and my Hasselblad H3 are both around 13 years old and have never needed any service. They don't get the wear and tear of professional use.
The main thing I look at is the return policies. eBay enforces return policies and once in a blue moon I have returned items. At first I was suspicious of being cheated on eBay, but never was. If I ask the seller appropriate questions, they always told me the truth. If I didn't ask, some of them volunteer all the bad news; other might not; some just don't know. If they say, "My uncle died and left all this--I don't know anything about it," and they do not accept returns, I look elsewhere.
May 23, 2022 09:36:18 #
Mike D. wrote:
In the past I have purchased from KEH with zero problems but now there are more choices.
Has anyone had a positive experience with MPB.com? Feel free to suggest any other online stores that you have received good or great service from.
Thanks,
Mike
Has anyone had a positive experience with MPB.com? Feel free to suggest any other online stores that you have received good or great service from.
Thanks,
Mike
May 23, 2022 09:34:52 #
Mike D. wrote:
In the past I have purchased from KEH with zero problems but now there are more choices.
Has anyone had a positive experience with MPB.com? Feel free to suggest any other online stores that you have received good or great service from.
Thanks,
Mike
Has anyone had a positive experience with MPB.com? Feel free to suggest any other online stores that you have received good or great service from.
Thanks,
Mike
May 21, 2022 17:30:53 #
farwest wrote:
My friends son has been saving his money and has 500.00 saved to buy a camera. He is into aviation and wants to take pictures of the moon. Looking for recommendations to get the teenager started.
Unlike the others, I don't think the camera matters much for Moon shots as long as it has the basic exposure controls--what matters is the lens (which can of course be used later on other same-brand cameras). The longer the lens, the closer you get to filling the frame with the Moon. If the camera is full frame, you can enlarge the image by cropping the image (more so than you could with crop-field cameras).
It may well be that moon shots soon become boring. Or not. Astrophotography in general, which might never become boring, does not necessarily requite long lenses, and for some photos does not require an equatorial mount--but the beginner would soon want both. A landscape with stary sky does not need a long lens, but does need an equatorial mount. A shot of the Big Dipper would need both. A Moon shot would require a long lens but not an equatorial mount.
Fortunately almost all cameras are made for general photography, and adaptable for many special purposes. My own favorite Moon shot was hand printed by the photographer over 1300 times and prices for those prints are pushing $900,000 these days:
"Moonrise over Hernandez"
It was shot with a camera and lens used for normal landscapes.
May 16, 2022 09:44:00 #
burkphoto wrote:
Art is any human creation that moves people in some way — whether mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, or as a call to action.
To insist art belongs to any single medium or type of media is to be uninformed and unimaginative.
Art is any human creation that moves people in some way — whether mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, or as a call to action.
To insist art belongs to any single medium or type of media is to be uninformed and unimaginative.
Art moves people in some way--an artistic way--but does not move people as cars and trains do.
Language, by design and by function, is flexible. Some of it is more flexible than other parts--technical terms try to be exact and inflexible, but are soon twisted by the Bush Hog of common usage. So we have MGM movies start with the lion and "Ars Gratia Artis," (art for the sake of art--hardly the point for Mr. Goldwin) and then the talk about the dark arts of diabolical sorcery. Or perhaps "The Art of the Deal." (Divine or diabolical?)
Our words technique (artistry, in a way) and technical (scientific or practical, in a way) have different implications, but for the ancient Greeks, the word "techne" blended the two together as one, in unity. The sculptor uses the practical to create the spiritual.
Do we exist for the sake of art, or does art exist for the sake of us? The same can be asked of photography, and of any activity that can be either a goal in itself or a tool for other purposes. It can also be either a sideline or our life's work. Or an amusement versus an obsession. It comes in varieties and in degrees (being both ambiguous and vague). And it can be for peace or for war, for kindness or for malice, just as chat can be.
May 15, 2022 21:26:21 #
Gene51 wrote:
This guy is called a pro by many. He uses a Ricoh ... (show quote)
There has been a movement called Snap Shot Style for a long time--this looks like that sort of art, at least in some of the pictures. They have a market. Don't ask me--I still don't get it about Jackson Pollack's art dribbling with house paint brushes, but he was instantly seen as a great artistic genius by critics who know about art.
May 12, 2022 08:37:08 #
Crabby Guy wrote:
I know, use a tripod, higher ISO, and higher shutter speed. I have an excellent tripod but it is hard to get on a plane. A monopod and remote shutter release taped to lens? Give up shooting birds? Any suggestion helpful.
More of the obvious, but does your really long lens have its own mount to monopod/tripod? Hanging on the camera makes it inherently shaky. If the lens does not have a mount built in, or a ring that came with it, you can buy the ring for it--some even have quick-mount shoe.
https://www.amazon.com/Tripod-Lens-Mount-Rings/b?node=3190374011
I have a walking stick with height adjustment and camera mount discretely on top, and museums that don't allow tripods have let me use that (it does not interfere with foot traffic). The Americans with Disabilities Act might squawk if they did not allow walking sticks, but some do not allow cameras at all if they sell photos of their art.
Tamron makes "the world's smallest and lightest telephoto zoom lens" (70-300) that is under 6 inches long, but I think it is only available for Sony E-mount mirrorless (covers full frame)--probably adaptable to other mirrorless.
https://petapixel.com/2020/09/25/tamron-unveils-the-worlds-smallest-telephoto-zoom-lens-for-sony-e-mount/
May 11, 2022 10:34:18 #
MDI Mainer wrote:
Neither did Close. John (1971–1972) sold at Sotheby’s in New York, 2005, for 4.8 million!
Well, $4.8 million proves he was a professional, if posthumous riches count.
I never waited around for inspiration--maybe that was my first mistake. I thought inspiration came first, and then you went out and looked for an occasion to make use of it--whether amateur or pro. Sometimes the work itself is the inspiration, yes?
Some amateurs never see the work side of art, just as some pros never see the spiritual side of it. ("Inspiration" is Greek for "getting the spirit," but whether it comes from within or Beyond is anybody's guess. It takes vision to be a pro, but faith to be inspirational. See Stieglitz below.