some people claim that they can achieve really fast focus by always keeping the lens focus all the way at macro or all the way at infinity and then to just swing the focus until it lines up and stops
I get around all this by being continually in ~zone focus~
― flagp∞st (dayo), Tuesday, 13 March 2012 21:42 (twelve years ago) link
I feel like the best accessory I've bought is the upstrap
http://www.upstrap-pro.com/
never falls off my shoulder unless I kneel to tie my shoes
― flagp∞st (dayo), Tuesday, 13 March 2012 21:46 (twelve years ago) link
oh that looks nice
― catbus otm (gbx), Tuesday, 13 March 2012 23:06 (twelve years ago) link
I've got a Artisan & Artist silk strap that I like. Way too short to use as a neck strap, but perfect for wrapping around my wrist a couple of times. Stupid expensive normally, though, for a strap. You could do pretty much the same thing with paracord but I haven't seen anyone do a good paracord camera strap yet.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 01:25 (twelve years ago) link
my boutique strap days are behind me I think. Had a Gordy's camera strap for awhile (one of these) but never ended up liking it. I wear the camera around my neck now. I'm increasingly convinced that if I don't I will certainly drop it.I mostly either guess/zone focus or set to hyperfocal (out at least out to some set distance, like 20 meters or something). Only use the rangefinder occasionally.
― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 01:44 (twelve years ago) link
with guess focussing, btw, for me it's much less about quickly seeing something, quickly guessing how far it is, and then adjusting the lens than it is about setting the lens ahead of anything else (to maybe 6ft, 8ft, 10ft, etc.) and then waiting until things are in that range. so if I'm walking I'm mostly seeing what things are falling within the prefocussed range I've set. I think it's not a bad way to work, since you've already thought about how close you'd like to be to a subject and have some idea of how much of the frame you'd like to fill. then you can do the quick little run when something is just out of range before snapping.
― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 01:51 (twelve years ago) link
I did the prefocusing thing for candids in Uganda, only blew it on a few pics (DOF was way too narrow)
― catbus otm (gbx), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 02:32 (twelve years ago) link
yeah I'm usually using a 35mm at f5.6-f11, only occasionally f4, so that provides some leeway.
― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 02:42 (twelve years ago) link
http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/jiaoqu/vivitaruws.jpg
― dylannn, Monday, 19 March 2012 03:31 (twelve years ago) link
Confirmed my spot for a Fuji XPro-1 and 35/1.4 lens. Looking forward to being able to go longer and wider than 35mm.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Monday, 19 March 2012 03:40 (twelve years ago) link
nice, dylannn!
keep your fingers far away from the lens!
― ⚓ (gr8080), Monday, 19 March 2012 04:38 (twelve years ago) link
dope, I would like to pick up a vivitar ultra slim for $10 like gr80
― young drometheus (dayo), Monday, 19 March 2012 12:32 (twelve years ago) link
dayo playing the zone. It's true, man-to-man focus takes more precision. But it can also be more effective. It's a matter of taste, almost.
― cue "White Rabbit" (kenan), Tuesday, 20 March 2012 05:22 (twelve years ago) link
I got a Contax ST because I've never really had a manual-focus SLR. It's awesome. Big, bright viewfinder, A+ ergonomics.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 00:04 (twelve years ago) link
On the train home the other day, there was a guy with a camera phone taped to one end of a 5 or 6' long 1x3 board. He would stand between the train cars, hit the button to record video, and then hold the camera over the top of the train as it zipped along. I gave him my card and told him to write me with the link if he got any good video and put it online. I just thought it was such a cool bored-college-student-type-activity.
― cue "White Rabbit" (kenan), Friday, 23 March 2012 16:54 (twelve years ago) link
good idea bad idea: ~carefully~ using sugru to affix a lil nubbin to the shutter release as a poor man's soft release
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 17:26 (twelve years ago) link
the danger is it might get stick in the screw-in hole I would guess?
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
yeah that's my concern.
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 17:29 (twelve years ago) link
well the threads at least
http://www.rapidwinder.com/
might be worth it to buy one just to scratch the itch - about $22 after shipping iirc
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 17:31 (twelve years ago) link
I'm impatient.
also you guys talking about the screwy bit possibly causing damage made leery
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 17:32 (twelve years ago) link
ABORT
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 18:08 (twelve years ago) link
I'll mail you one of my extra soft-releases if you want to try one. I never check the e-mail attached to ILX - not sure what google-proofing requires these days but my email is mlpowell@<thesameasbeforethe@>.net
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 18:34 (twelve years ago) link
It can only cause damage if you put it in a bag with the SR on (or drop it/catch it on something), and lots of people get away with using one no problems. To be safe, you could just screw in the soft-release when you've got it around your neck or however you carry it when not in a bag.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 18:36 (twelve years ago) link
SR makes most sense when you have low shutter speeds - like 1/15, 1/8, maybe 1/30 - so you could keep it in the bag for those situations
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 18:37 (twelve years ago) link
i don't have a camera bag :(
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 18:45 (twelve years ago) link
always wondered if a camera bag would serve to make me more or less inconspicuous, esp for street photography
(and ty milo!)
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 18:47 (twelve years ago) link
mostly its handy for putting things in!
― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Friday, 23 March 2012 19:06 (twelve years ago) link
do you have recommendations
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 19:08 (twelve years ago) link
Soft Release is the name of my new softcore porn zine, guys
― ♆ (gr8080), Friday, 23 March 2012 19:14 (twelve years ago) link
i would like that very much to be true
― catbus otm (gbx), Friday, 23 March 2012 19:15 (twelve years ago) link
I use this one:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/16034-REG/Domke_701_83B_F_803_Camera_Satchel_Shoulder.html
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 19:23 (twelve years ago) link
yikes, forgot how expensive it is
there's a chinese company called safrotto that makes domke knockoffs. used to be you could buy a safrotto knockoff for 1/2 or 1/3 of the domke price. maybe now it's 3/4 of the domke. domke's are made in the USA though so there's that.
however among a certain savvy group of thieves in foreign countries, "DOMKE" screams "HIGH END CAMERA EQUIPMENT." that's no less true of LOWEPRO though.
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 19:31 (twelve years ago) link
I'd check secondhand. I've seen cheap stuff on craigslist and in thrift stores. I like the low key-ness of a 'regular' soft bag from say the late 70s (I use my dad's old bag).
― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Friday, 23 March 2012 19:45 (twelve years ago) link
i'm kind of in to this http://www.etsy.com/listing/85065708/medium-dslr-camera-bag-with-leather
― ♆ (gr8080), Friday, 23 March 2012 19:56 (twelve years ago) link
the high-end, boutique, only-bag-fit-to-carry-a-leica brands are artisan & artist and herringbone
http://www.artisanandartist.com/bags/index.htm
http://www.billingham.co.uk/pages/index.php
― dayo, Friday, 23 March 2012 20:04 (twelve years ago) link
wow those billingham ones are gorgeous
― ♆ (gr8080), Friday, 23 March 2012 20:13 (twelve years ago) link
Cheap camera bag - army surplus or messenger bag of your choosing plus a Domke insert.
I think I'm going to spring for a Courierware Incognito - all the legit camera bags I've tried are too bulky and structured (incl. Billingham), they feel weird to carry. The Courierware is along the lines of that Domke, but with a few niceties (zippered front pockets, zippered iPad pocket, etc., for ~$40 more.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 20:56 (twelve years ago) link
http://courierbags.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=162
if you don't care about iPad room, the Mini will hold a Leica plus film and come in at around the same $$$ as a Domke with zippers and stuff.
http://www.indianhillimageworks.com/catalog/camera-bags/the-bare-bones-bag-evolution-bbb-ealso nice - made by Courierware but a guy had them design a model to his specs
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 20:59 (twelve years ago) link
anyone ever played with a finepix x100? i'm still interesting in buying one, mainly because i've always had a dream of "shooting what i see" and because i very very rarely take any sort of zoom or autofocus shots with my camera.
― the late great, Friday, 23 March 2012 21:18 (twelve years ago) link
I have/had (selling it so I can buy a XPro-1 whenever they arrive) one. It's a great little camera, as long as you don't need fast AF. It is AF-only, though, the manual focus is pretty useless. But it works a lot like a rangefinder or Hexar AF - center point focus and recompose, and even though the AF is slowish, it's accurate and faster than I'm able to focus with a RF.
The lens is fantastic - tack-sharp in the center from f/2.8 on, very usable at f/2.
Files are great from 200-800 and good beyond that - not as much range in the high ISOs compared to my old D700, but the camera is half the size of a D700+50mm.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 21:36 (twelve years ago) link
I'm selling it because I miss being able to go wider or longer and I'm hoping the new sensor has a bit more dynamic range at 1600 and 3200. Sometimes starting to reconsider, though, as the XP1 is quite a bit larger and new Fuji models tend to have quirks that get ironed out in the first months.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 21:38 (twelve years ago) link
also has an auto-panorama mode which I have not found a use for yet.
here's 180 degrees from my driveway
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/7009637847_7373d286c6_b.jpgX100 Auto Panorama by celluloidpropaganda, on Flickr
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:29 (twelve years ago) link
huh you selling a rolleiflex too then?
― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:52 (twelve years ago) link
I think so. It overlaps with my Bronica too much.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:16 (twelve years ago) link
what's the digital equivalent to the yashica T4/ricoh GR1/contax T2 etc – ie simple, robust, small cameras with superb lenses capable of very high image quality
― hard in da hummus (cozen), Sunday, 25 March 2012 10:28 (twelve years ago) link
ricoh cameras, the class of cameras that includes the panasonic lx5, canon s90/s95/s100, etc.
― dayo, Sunday, 25 March 2012 12:38 (twelve years ago) link
kinda tempting to sell my gf1 and trade it for a small digital like those and a neg scanner
― catbus otm (gbx), Sunday, 25 March 2012 16:33 (twelve years ago) link
the Ricoh GRD line is probably the closest in lineage - fast, wide prime vs. the Canon lines relatively slow zoom lenses.
I had a IV for a while and it was awesome, but I couldn't get on with just having a LCD screen for framing and it wasn't that much smaller than my X100. If you don't mind a bit more size, the Ricoh has enough DOF that you could use a simple 28mm hotshoe finder, though.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Sunday, 25 March 2012 21:33 (twelve years ago) link