Bought a new camera

[masraum]

Originally Posted by equality72521

I've been putting it off for a long time but I finally decided to go for it. I've always wanted to get into some amateur photography. Now to take some classes.

Nikon D5000 DX-Format Digital SLR Camera Two-Lens VR Outfit (18-55 VR & AF-S DX VR 55-200mm F4-5.6G) - 25454-2166 - RitzCamera.com

There's a lot of stuff to learn. In the mean time, practice using Av and Tv modes. Try changing the Aperture to see what it does to the depth of field and change the shutter when shooting stuff that might normally need a flash or that is moving. THere's also tons of really good info on the basics on the net.

Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO

I'm SOOOO jealous of your AZ night sky. If I tried the same thing here in Houston, it wouldn't be nearly as pretty. (actually, I have done something similar).

Nice, I see Canis Major (the big dog) and Sirius (the dog star) and Lepus. I was wondering what the heck the glow was on the top right because there are no nebula or anything in that area, but then I realized that it's lens flare from the light in the lower left. If you had the camera pointed a bit more skyward, you'd have gotten Orion and the Orion Nebula. That would have been cool.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by masraum

I'm SOOOO jealous of your AZ night sky. If I tried the same thing here in Houston, it wouldn't be nearly as pretty. (actually, I have done something similar).

Nice, I see Canis Major (the big dog) and Sirius (the dog star) and Lepus. I was wondering what the heck the glow was on the top right because there are no nebula or anything in that area, but then I realized that it's lens flare from the light in the lower left. If you had the camera pointed a bit more skyward, you'd have gotten Orion and the Orion Nebula. That would have been cool.

Hell, OddJob sees "the big dog" standing right there by his leg! No camera needed!

[ODDJOB UNO]

do you realize HOW MANY BEERS that was and WHAT TIME IT WAS? LOL!


younger spawn is taking photography 101(finished) and now 102 at NAU. i gave him my nikonos IV which is 35mm to play with and learn. he also got certified as a diver,so learning the ropes on the nik IV is crucial, to its survival underwater.


and there is NOTHING WORSE than FLOODING A CAMERA(ask me how i know!)


anyway btwn the both of us and my pro pic taker amigo, we is having more fun than a barrel of minkies(monkees) with cameras.

digital/35mm/light/no light/still/moving/sun/no sun.


once ya get the bug NOTHING IS OUT OF THE REALM!


take 1000 pictures and it = maybe 3 really really good pictures.



some of my most 1/2 assed-1/2 hearted-1/2 prepared snap shots have been my best.


my future fer sure has a 200mm lenzz VR in it.


my computer is literally SATURATED with pics and thats why we did a backup hard drive in the event of a crash.


there is NO SCREWING around with these new NIKONS they are one hell of a camera and just putting it on "A" is all ya need to know to get started taking some great pics.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

You are correct, RAW is what the camera saw without any of the magic bells and whistles thrown in the mix.

The question is, do YOU want to take the photo or do you want your CAMERA and all its software, bells and whistles and so on to take the photo?

Guess I am old school and can most of the time do it better without the software, but then I did grow up with a 35mm rangefinder Leica and a handheld light meter!

This isn't quite right, Joe. Although you can print a RAW image without any manipulation, the print will be soft. As I said there is no in-camera sharpening or any other treatment to the picture. At a minimum, all digital pictures need sharpening.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO

That is just so friggin nice!

[ODDJOB UNO]

ya wanna really pull yer hair out???????????????????????


try taking a CLEAR picture of the moon.



there is no way in hell yer gonna do it with out a tripod. evidenced by these.

[ODDJOB UNO]

[ODDJOB UNO]

this is where the nikon remote gizmo dohickey thangy comes in handy when just yer hand pushing da button moves it.

[ODDJOB UNO]

[ODDJOB UNO]

note mr harris hawk(raptorous giganticus erecteorus) coming at me mid-flight.

[nostatic]

Actually different cameras RAW files have different amounts of manipulation done to them. While in general a RAW file is "all the data", sometimes there is noise reduction and other math applied to the files.

The big difference between RAW and JPG is that RAW is uncompressed (usually - some manufacturers also have "compressed RAW" formats) and includes all the sensor data. JPG is a lossy compression and tosses data out. Many cameras also have various filters and tweaks that they apply to the data to give a finished JPG file.

In order to see the RAW file you need some software program. Cameras will come with one but often they are klunky and lack features. That's why so many people use iPhoto, Lightroom, etc. You can think of a RAW file much like the raw film in an analog camera. In the old days, you used to develop the film (during which you could tweak things a lot of ways), and get a negative with which you could use to make a print (and again tweak more things). If you shoot RAW, your RAW converter program is essentially "developing" the RAW file into something you can look at. And since it is digital, you can tweak away to your heart's delight, as you can always go back to the master or hit "undo."

[TimT]

moon



Taken with a Pentax IstD on tripod, triggered with remote..

Slodave takes better moon pics than me

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by TimT

moon



Taken with a Pentax IstD on tripod, triggered with remote..

Slodave takes better moon pics than me

thats nice. very good.

[equality72521]

Whoa, those are some nice pics. I'll definitely need one of the remotes because I'm a star junky and would love to get some nice night shots. Thanks a lot everyone, keep it coming.

[TimT]

On most of these cameras there is a setting buried way deep, where you can set the mirror to flip up a few seconds before the shutter triggers..

Using the remote and a 2 second delay, hit the remote, then the mirror flips up... then the shutter opens..

This is all on a really good tripod also..

Wait till you shop for tripods and ball heads...

Talk about a steep slope

[equality72521]

Originally Posted by TimT

On most of these cameras there is a setting buried way deep, where you can set the mirror to flip up a few seconds before the shutter triggers..

Using the remote and a 2 second delay, hit the remote, then the mirror flips up... then the shutter opens..

This is all on a really good tripod also..

Wait till you shop for tripods and ball heads...

Talk about a steep slope

I have an older tripod but not sure what kind of quality it is by expert standards. Also, what do you guys think of this Nikon wireless remote? ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control (Infrared) from Nikon

[HardDrive]

I'll play. Canon EOS Rebel Xsi.

[equality72521]

My tripod is a Kenlock 3000 GLB (Smith-Victor). It seems pretty good and I use it for my video camera but not sure how it compares with modern tripods.

[equality72521]

HardDrive, I debated the Xsi vs. the D5000 and it came down to the lens feel. The Canon lens felt more "notchy" when dialing it and the Nikon lens felt so much more smooth. My point and shoot is a Canon and I love it so naturally I leaned toward the Canon but I couldn't get over the feel of the lens.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Actually different cameras RAW files have different amounts of manipulation done to them. While in general a RAW file is "all the data", sometimes there is noise reduction and other math applied to the files.

Really? I thought RAW was, well, raw. As in the raw sensor data, regardless of the brand and/or proprietary extension (Canon's .CRW, Nikon's .NEF, etc.). Are you maybe thinking of TIFF's? This is how I understand it:

RAW = uncompressed & un "developed"
(can only be saved as tiff, jpg, etc.)
TIFF = uncompressed & "developed"
(viewable right out of the camera, but huge file size/long write times. Fairly useless IMO)
JPG = compressed & "developed"
(most decent cameras allow you to choose the level of compression)