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Author Topic: Getting started in Photography  (Read 2140 times)

  • Offline BigSoy

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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #15 on: July 05, 2010, 23:23:27 PM
Indeed, primes for the win.

Was set on getting the nifty fifty for my canon but having tried a mates 50mm f/1.4 at the weekend now Im wavering... is a probably too much money after shelling out on the camera relatively recently though.

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Getting started in Photography
Reply #16 on: July 05, 2010, 23:30:02 PM
I have been thinking about prime lenses but would need 300mm+ and they are.. expensive
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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #17 on: July 05, 2010, 23:30:49 PM
Ive got the 1.8 and its still a very good lens! Although Im sure the 1.4 is fantastic ;)
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  • Offline BigSoy

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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #18 on: July 05, 2010, 23:40:18 PM
Wouldnt bother with a long prime unless I was a pap personally as I suspect youd lose as much from focusing challenges and subject movement as you gain from the glass unless you were only shooting long-range static subjects.
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  • Offline Serious

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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #19 on: July 06, 2010, 07:18:20 AM
Quote from: Dave
Quote from: Serious
The fujicas lens has f=50mm on the front which means its a bog standard 50mm lens.


Yup - though Im not sure I like the term bog standard - not familiar with the fujica lens but the canon f1.8 50mm (available for <£100) can be as sharp as some of the expensive L series zoom lenses costing over a grand.


Bog standard as in fitted to virtually every camera until fairly recently as the de-facto standard lens. This says nothing as to the quality of the optics, which are often excellent. While they didnt pay much per lens in development the sheer number of lenses churned out meant that most companies put a lot of effort into them.

On a reduced sensor Canon or Nikon camera a 50mm is effectively the same as an 80mm portrait lens.
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  • Offline Dave

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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #20 on: July 06, 2010, 07:54:50 AM
Yes theyre very common indeed, though the point I was making was that I wouldnt describe them as bog standard given the quality of the optics when compared with say youre average kit zoom lens.

Yup as Ive already mentioned they are like a small telephoto lens on a crop sensor - which makes them great for portrait shots. Ive also found mine useful for taking pictures at a gig in low lighting opening it up to f1.8 - in other pictures my friend has had taken at gigs etc... the photographer used a rather expensive zoom but had to convert to black and white and still had loads of noise etc.. due to high ISO setting - many small venues dont like the use of flash photography so fast prime like this 50mm is great.
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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #21 on: July 06, 2010, 10:26:47 AM
the 50s have the advantage that they are a really simple design so its almost difficult to make a bad one. Plus, back then it was standard practice to provide a lens with the camera which would show off its capabilities, whereas now standard practice seems to be to try and get the add on sale by making the kit lens as rubbish as they can get away with.

As for the usefulness of long primes, I took this with my 300mm f/2.8 manual focus prime on my DSLR



hand held too, damn I love shake reduction!
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Re:Getting started in Photography
Reply #22 on: July 06, 2010, 15:50:46 PM
Quote from: Mongoose
.
a lot of film SLRs from that era have a focusing aid in the middle of the field of view. This is either a split prism, a microprism array or (if youre lucky) both. These work thusly:

When the image is in focus, the microprism array will appear totally transparent, a really good one should disapear entirely. A 30 year old one which was entry level at the time probably wont, but it will be as close as it gets.

The split prism is easier in good light, it will split the image in two, all you have to do is adjust the focus until the two images line up.

The metering is a match needle system, all you have to do is adjust the aperture and shutter speed until the needle is just above the middle.

full manual is easier than most people think. With the Canon youll fire off a lot of frames without learning much, and frankly for the amount youll spend on film you may as well buy a DSLR. The Fujica has a better lens on it (those cosina short zooms are nasty IIRC) and if you keep track of what youre doing with it youll learn more.


Quote
Special features of this camera are: the new Fujica X bayonet mount which permits quick interchanging of the lenses, a full aperture metering system. and three-way focusing with split image, microprism and ground glass It is also provided with a shutter speed indicator scale in the viewfinder to enable you to set the shutter speed while looking through the viewfinder
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