I got a used monitor from EBAY designed specifically for viewing photographs on screen, an IPS type of monitor. Got it for $350 plus shipping. The model is NEC Multisync LCD2490WUXi. The first time I viewed a photograph on photoshop, my reaction was "WOW".
One more thing, and this is very important. You should have a back up camera in case your main camera malfunction. You don't need to buy another camera. You can rent or you can ask someone who is also attending the wedding if you can use his/her DSLR in case of emergency. Nowadays, a few people bring their DSLR to the wedding.
QUOTE ("Quite honestly I recently got a Canon 24-105 f4 L... yes it was expensive-- BUT except for sports I think it is FANTASTIC! ") END QUOTE
I have used this lens (Canon 24-104 f4 L IS on Canon 5D Mk II) on a friend's wedding. I agree, it is FANTASTIC. It has image stabilization (IS) to prevent blurry pictures. All the pictures came out perfect, exposure, focus, etc.
However, your 18-135 lens should be OK as long as you use shutter speed no less than 60 when hand holding the camera, preferably 90 or 125. And use Speedlight flash indoor preferably with modifier like the Sto-Fen Omni Bounce. Before the wedding, be sure to practice till you drop! And be VERY familiar with your camera and Speedlight settings.
In my film days, I have taken a lot of wedding pictures with a medium format film camera with only a standard lens (equivalent to 50mm on 35mm camera). It was all in manual focus and manual exposure settings. 99% of the pictures were perfectly exposed and focused. The 1%, I forgot to turn on the bracket mounted flash.
MainStreet Business wrote:
A photographically challenged friend is asking me to purchase a good point and shoot for them and try and get them the most bang for the buck.
They don't want a DSLR as it seems to complicated for them.
SLR cameras is all I have and use Nikons, Olympus and an old Pentax film camera.
I am totally unfamiliar with desirable features on today's point and shoot cameras.
Can anyone offer suggestions as to brands and models that might make my friend happy in around the $200 - $300 price range.
Thanks ever so much in advance.
John
A photographically challenged friend is asking me ... (
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Canon s95 or S100. Read this reaview:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/s95.htm
This article is specific for Canon Speedlite but most ideas can be applied to Nikon or other brands.
Please read frequently asked question #7 and # 9.
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
The reason I pointed these FAQ is that I was doing it wrong before I read this article. When shooting indoor, I was using the aperture priority and the people would come out under exposed. When I set up to full auto or program, the people came out well exposed.
The idea above can also be applied with or without flash modifiers.
"And the remote flash will still work?"
Sorry, I'm not familiar with the 60D and I don't have the built-in pop up flash on my 5D Mk II. My guess is, probably not.
My setup for table top still life, I have a long coiled Canon compatible ETLL cord that I connect to my remote 580EX II as my main light and master. My second 580EX II is my fill light, also remote but wireless and is controlled as slave by the master.
I could have eliminated the long coiled cord by using radio triggers but my setup on tabletop indoors works fine for me, at least for now.
There is a way to disable the built-in pop-out flash in the camera menu.
You need to check your 60D manual, I'm not sure it emits red light when focusing but I just took a picture with my 5D Mk II and 580EX II in the dark here in California. The 5D emitted red crossed lights (just like my Sony P&S) to aid in focusing and the picture came out perfect.
Jackinthebox wrote:
avendano27, I value your input, you said it right and you are factually correct. My beef is with Canon for skirting on false information. The 580 does not fire remote without the onboard flash. It is fair to judge the Canon 580EX II after spending near $500 on it and reading all the literature and testing it for many hours. It is near useless in dark situations and I was lucky to have a little sony P&S in a very remote location in Vietnam at a night event that is held only once a year.
I hope I am wrong but now it starts to look like that Canon looks for cheap and nasty solutions v/s the use of technology to accomplish the task. i.e to fire a $500 remote flash they use the pop up that one wants to eliminate to begin with. Is the purpose here to sell gadgets or is the purpose to make better photos? Canon would do well to study how Sony does the flash.
I would find it hard to sell all my Canon stuff just because of this, but an upgrade to FF is in the future. That will mean selling the Canon 60D and EF-S lenses etc. and it could be a time to seriously consider moving to Nikon, or other, equipment. I wonder how those items are handled on similar Nikon gear? DOES Nikon twist the facts, approaching lies, as Canon does?
It is very difficult to get the needed info before buying that is why a service like UHH is invaluable.
There are many new solutions, like mirror less on the horizon.
avendano27, I value your input, you said it right... (
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I don't work with Canon and I am not promoting Canon products. Thousands if not millions of professionals including weddings, events and sports photographers use Canon DSLR and Speedlite 580EX II all over world.
I was in your situation when I first got my 580EX II and I almost sold it on Ebay because I was not getting the right exposure most of the time. But When I read this website: http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
I realized I was doing something wrong. Now I'm very happy with my 580EX II in combination with my full frame Canon 5D Mark II. I do mostly weddings and event photography and occasionally table top still life.
I used to use Mamiya medium format camera with Metz flash unit and professional 120/220 films. This setup is much simpler than the digital DSLR in terms of flash photography. I mentioned this because when I moved to digital DSLR and 580EX II, I was applying my familiarity with Metz flash to the 580EX II which I realized was my mistake.
My intention for responding to your post is just to help and nothing else. Hope you were not offended by my remarks on my previous post.
Jackinthebox wrote:
I am attaching 4 pictures.
I am not at all saying that a little sony P&S is better than the Canon 60D, but the canon flash is terrible in many situations like being in a vertually dark place. The speed light 580 etc. is lacking in needed functions. I will buy another P&S as they seem to make more advances than the Canon DSLRs.
The 100x80 was taken with the little sony and printed as a 100cm x 80 cm poster hanging on the wall.
Now the real question, are Nikon flash units any better than Canon speed lights?
Hats of to all professionals who master this stuff so easily.
Dria wrote:
I started playing with this capability the other night-- my 60D only sends 1 little blast of light to trigger the speedlight-not multiple flashes.---it has to send something to trigger the speedlight--other wise use a radio trigger.
in the menu where you choose the off camera flash make sure you choose the one that doesn't show the pop-up flash- 2nd option.
YOU "little Sony" is it triggering an off camera flash or using it's on board flash? I have a sony that does that but the pics are the on-board flash and they are blah.
I started playing with this capability the other n... (
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I am attaching 4 pictures. br I am not at all s... (
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It is not fair to judge the Canon 580EX II if someone is not familiar with it. Of course you will get acceptable "average" photos from Sony P&S. The 580EX II is in a different league of flash unit. I must admit, it is more complicated than the P&S flash. You really need to learn how to use it in order to get "above average" results. I have both Canon 580EX II and the Sony P&S. I use two 580EX II for specialized shooting like "studio type" portrait and "studio type" still life. I use the Sony P&S for everyday people snap shots.
This website has frequently asked questions about Canon Speedlites:
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
Jackinthebox wrote:
If there is one disappointment with the Canon 60D and the 580 EX ii it is the way they fire with the speed light remote. Somehow, I was convinced that the camera would fire an infrared beam to focus and I could fire the speed light without the on camera flash, and the interal flash closed. Now it appears that the on camera flash does not actually fire but sends some test flashes that are still very annoying. My little sony W35 can be used in total darkness and it sends a red beam that illuminates the subject enough to enable framing but no blinding flash until the shot is actually taken. Seems like the cheap P&S does a better job handling flash use. Please show us where I am wrong, what I am overlooking, as $500 for a flash unit should do better.
If there is one disappointment with the Canon 60D ... (
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You might find an answer from this site:
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
avendano27 wrote:
This site has a lot of good information about using flash:
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
Although it was written for Canon Speedlite, some of the information are applicable to any DSLR specially the FAQ.
FROM http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/ FAQ #7:
7) I tried to take a flash photo and the camera wanted a really slow shutter speed. Why?
This occurred because you are trying to take a flash photo in low-light conditions and the camera is in Av (aperture priority) mode or the night PIC (icon) mode if your camera has it.
In Av, night and Tv (shutter speed priority) modes the camera meters for ambient (existing) light and fills in the foreground subject using the flash. It does not assume that the primary light source is the flash, and therefore the shutter speed it sets is the same as it would set if you werent using flash at all.
In low light this results in slow shutter photography. If the shutter speed is very long you will, therefore, need a tripod to avoid motion blur during the exposure.
Alternatively you can switch to full auto (green rectangle) or Program (P) mode, which automatically expose for the flash-illuminated subject and not the background. These modes try to ensure that the shutter speed is high enough to let you handhold the camera without a tripod. The drawback of P and basic modes is that photos taken in dimly lit areas usually end up with black or poorly lit backgrounds.
This site has a lot of good information about using flash:
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
Although it was written for Canon Speedlite, some of the information are applicable to any DSLR specially the FAQ.
Old Redeye wrote:
However, everyone seems to be under the impression that you can't use the flash on manual mode. In fact, you can use the flash if you want to; press the button on the side of the pop-up flash and it will open. It will then fire when you take the photo.
I agree with you 100%. My advice regarding using auto mode when using flash was for beginners. Of course we can use flash in manual mode but with caution and understanding of how the camera meters with the flash and ambient light. In fact I use the manual mode (both camera and flash) when using flash in a more controlled shooting like still life photography and with the use of flash meter.
cfbrown wrote:
I'm new to the dslr and have been shooting in the auto mode.
I want to branch out and learn the rest of my camera's features. I have a Rebel t1i and I'm having an awful time learning my Manual Mode. I'm trying to take pictures inside but they are not good at all. Most are dark or my camera takes too long once I click the button.
I have been watching the Bryan Peterson video clips that someone on the board posted. I've heard him talk about metering. Can anyone explain that to me? Any advice as to how to learn my other modes?
Thanks so much.
Cinda
I'm new to the dslr and have been shooting in the ... (
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If you are using the built-in flash to take picture indoor, you need to set your camera to full auto. I think you already know this.
If you are not using flash and you want to take pictures indoor using the manual mode, you need to understand the basics of photography exposure.
Exposure is the combination of three variables:
1. Aperture
2. Shutter speed
3. ISO (or ASA)
Being familiar with each one of these will help you understand photography exposure. Familiarize yourself with the "rule of thumb" on the limitations of each of these variables.
It is much easier to understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO with the vintage 35mm film camera than the DSLR.
If I were you, I would visit a camera store that also sells used vintage 35mm film camera. An "old school" sales person would be glad to explain the three variables mentioned above. He might be able to show you how to use a basic film camera like the Olympus OM-1 or Pentax K. With these cameras, you will have to set aperture, shutter speed and ISO (or ASA) manually. There is a meter needle visible in the viewfinder that you need to adjust to "0" or center mark by changing the aperture and shutter speed. The ASA is adjusted based on the ASA value of the film. (NOTE: For DSLR, you can adjust the ISO from 100 to 3200 (depending on your camera). You can use the upper ISO value for indoor low light condition but the picture might come out "grainy" or "noisy".)
You can also take photography lessons in your local high school that offers adult education. Check you local camera club for photography seminars.
PM me if you have any question.