Brisbane POTN: General Ramblings Thread

[Meaty0]

I'm doing my presentation at the Brisbane Camera Group this Tuesday! *is excited but nervous*.

I am still alive... just busy. :) Gosh, and I don't even have a part time job yet.

Hey I've got an idea. Why don't all the people from this forum turn up for your talk and we'll all sit up the front and try to make you laugh while you're giving your presentation?:D:D Then we'll all ask REALLY hard questions.:D

Seriously....good luck...I'll clap loud:D

[-Pleiades-]

I wish I could AL, we've got/had more than our fair share of rain. It's amazing what a couple of hundred k's make!

Come on .. show us your Macro skill ...


Here's a couple I prepared earlier ;)
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s130/KinnonBellPhotography/hibiscus.jpg

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s130/KinnonBellPhotography/droplets_filtered.jpg


I think because of the weather today I'm just not in the mood for anything. Since about 12 today I've been curled up on the lounge under the doona watching TV, it's the perfect weather for it.

I think we all have the same photography disease. I know where ever I go I'm always checking things out and thinking what would make a good photo, even if I don't have my camera with me. I'm forever composing pictures in my head. Like you, if I cook dinnner I always examin the photographic potential of everything!

[PeacePlanet]

Wow great photos there KInnon ...

Wondering how did you get the second water drop picture. So nice and clear !!!!
Amazing ... fast shutter speed ? what else ? trripod ? what else ? :D zoom lense ?

Thanks for showing ...

AL

[justin carpenter]

Everyone has been quite talkative lately haven't they.. I went to Mt.Cotton on Thursday afternoon. Here are some photos .
1.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/474453928_6e9557cca6_o_d.jpg

2.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/474389244_7ead781ce1_o_d.jpg

[catsith]

wow, great shots kinnon and justin.
good luck tuesday night kelsey, i am at a meeting in ipswich, so i can't come.
kinnon, curled up with a doonah? God, i never have time these days. I have finally started playing properly with proshow gold. Going to an av meeting tomorrow, hopefully i can get some tips on music. I have resized my images, chosen the transitions, just need to choose the music. I have worked out how to put the music in, etc, just need to think of a song. I am doing an av on birds, any thoughts guys on a suitable song?
Hey, it's raining!! Well, sort of, i can actually hear something light. Might be a centimetre in that if lucky!
Oh, and i got a third and 4 merits out of my 6 entries into the ipswich show! I am chuffed.

[-Pleiades-]

Al, with the water drop I took probably about 300 pictures that night, how I had it set up was a black background and blue glass bowel. I was just usinga drink bottle to drip the water in. I used my 100mm lens and.....wait for it.....on board flash (shock horror! I didn't have my 480ex at the time). Can't exactly remember my shutter speed, but it was fairly fast. For focusing I just stuck my finger where I thought the water would be and just manual focused on that and all I did was just drop the water in and try to time my shots, I missed a lot but got a few alright ones. The actual height of those water droplets were only a couple of centimeters high.

Hope this helps.

[PeacePlanet]

Kinnon .. thanks heaps for the info .. i would experiment a little once i have my monopod set up securely.

Did you use a timer and intervalometer for the shots ?

I am yet to capture nice sharp butterflies. Nice shots Justin.

BWT, has my black sense of humour turned people away hmmmmm ...

Cheers
AL

[Andrew Carpenter]

just need to think of a song. I am doing an av on birds, any thoughts guys on a suitable song?


Hey Tina, I know often times people just want instrumental music with their AV's, personally I enjoy finding songs where the words suit as well, There's a song by Seal called "fly like an eagle" it was on the soundtrack to the movie Spacejam, also on that sound track is the song "I believe I can fly" by R. Kelly, either I think would work well with birds, Av's are great fun, look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[catsith]

thanks for that andrew, there is also an abba song called eagle, but not too many of my bird shots are in flight, 90% are poses. Really hard when one has to think of a song! I too want a song with words, i am not into listening to birds chirping on an av. I prefer to listen to that in nature. My problem now is that i have downloaded from limewire and put the songs into my music, but my files are coming up as rar, not mp3 (at least, where i can find them, can't find my other limewire folder, even though it is staring me in the face!)
Did that make sense? it did to me!sort of.:lol:

Al, you havn't chased us away!:)

[Greg_C]

Hi guys, great shots everyone.

@Tina. rar is a compression format like zip. You'll need to look for a progy to decompress it. WinRAR is one that comes to mind. There may be a trial version of it.

[-Pleiades-]

Al, no timer no nothing, just water in one hand and shutter button in the other. I just dripped some of the water then hit the shutter button, I got practised at it by the end.

I'm sure there is an easier way to do this, but I like to do things the hard way :rolleyes:

[wakko]

if you want winrar, I have their promotional free copy (fully legit) which was given away free by them.

PM me if you want a copy. It's v3.51 only, but it does the trick for me ;) and it's free ;) free = win :)

[Greg_C]

Al, no timer no nothing, just water in one hand and shutter button in the other. I just dripped some of the water then hit the shutter button, I got practised at it by the end.

I'm sure there is an easier way to do this, but I like to do things the hard way :rolleyes:

Hi Kinnon, the only thing I can add is to use a shish kebab stick with a pencil mark on it as your focus point. I never seem to have enough hands when doing these shots.:oops: It takes HEAPS of practice before you get good shots with this. Lots of trieal and error, ie lots of errors.:D

[PeacePlanet]

Thanks KInnon .. Just make sure dont drop the camera LOL. Yes I do tend to do things the hard way .... trial and error and at the end find the easier way LOL.

But that is life right .. why spoils it ?

Thanks AL

[PeacePlanet]

thanks for that andrew, there is also an abba song called eagle, but not too many of my bird shots are in flight, 90% are poses. Really hard when one has to think of a song! I too want a song with words, i am not into listening to birds chirping on an av. I prefer to listen to that in nature. My problem now is that i have downloaded from limewire and put the songs into my music, but my files are coming up as rar, not mp3 (at least, where i can find them, can't find my other limewire folder, even though it is staring me in the face!)
Did that make sense? it did to me!sort of.:lol:

Al, you havn't chased us away!:)

Phew .. it is good that some of you are still here LOL ... otherwise I would be a bit lonely talking to myself ...

Some idea ...

Westlife ... I believe I can fly ... I believe I can touch the sky ai ai ......................

HEHHEHE not sure it is suitable ... just a thought ...

Cheers
AL

[Kelsey-Lee]

Hmmm... well it probably has nothing to do with birds, but whenever I listen to 'What a Wonderful World' I think of ducks.

[Meaty0]

And there's always Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" but personally, whenever I hear that song, I have to put my fingers in my ears.:-) If you're into classical music, The Minute Waltz or Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 : "Morning Mood" or same Opus but "In The Hall of The Mountain King" goes very well with BIRD AVs....much like a fine champagne goes with chicken :-D

[Greg_C]

Here's a bit from my garden (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3121419#post3121419). Anyone know the name of this plant? The flowers a just so tiny.

[Carjo]

"Hey if you mixed LSD in with the contraceptive pill, does that mean you'd go on a trip without the kids?"

lol I think that's the funniest one liner I have seen to date, Paul :D

[Meaty0]

Hey everyone, I went down to Coffs Harbour a couple of weeks ago and while I was there, I got an HDR of the sunrise. I'm always a little skeptical of HDR technology, but this one is okay.

SEE HERE (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3122129#post3122129)

[Greg_C]

That's a great shot Paul. Well done.

Here's a shot of Morgan (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3122182#post3122182)from this morning.

[catsith]

i have winrar, what confused me is that i have downloaded as an mp3, put it in a folder (that i can't find now), copied it from that folder (or cut) into my music folder. I opened up my music to get a song for my av, and they are all showing as a rar file. I did click on one, but it didn't do anything. Will have to try again tomorrow.
thanks for all the tips guys. Wings beneath my wings is no good, my birds are generally not flying.
I'll have a go at downloading the other suggestions, see what i like. (i need to find my folder!!)I can see i am going to have to broaden my horizon, i havn't listed to classical etc for years and years. And my memory is crap anyway, i never remember the names of songs.

[-Pleiades-]

Good idea about the kebab stick Greg, have to try it next time!

I took this on monday (Ithink) and I'm not too sure about it, would love some thoughts....

Click here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3122450#post3122450)

[-Pleiades-]

oh oh oh, I did it, I did it!

(the 'click here')

[PeacePlanet]

NOw .. dis my first simple studio lighting portrait ... hmm lighting shadows etc etc lots to learn but simple touch up bring up seemingly professional portrait pictures.

Now how do I upload pictures here the easiest way ?

Thanks
AL

[catsith]

al, as far as i know, you need a flickr, photobucket or something similar account (web hosting for your pictures). You then select the section you want to post in, and click on new post. You then click on the image(the url link i think) you have downloaded into your web host, and paste that in your post. Did that make sense? There should be a sticky on that somewhere. I use photobucket, and it is the bottom link under the photo that i just click on, and it is automatically ready for pasting.

well done kinnon, when i am not so tired, i will re-read the instructions and see how computer illiterate i am!

[PeacePlanet]

al, as far as i know, you need a flickr, photobucket or something similar account (web hosting for your pictures). You then select the section you want to post in, and click on new post. You then click on the image(the url link i think) you have downloaded into your web host, and paste that in your post. Did that make sense? There should be a sticky on that somewhere. I use photobucket, and it is the bottom link under the photo that i just click on, and it is automatically ready for pasting.

well done kinnon, when i am not so tired, i will re-read the instructions and see how computer illiterate i am!

Thanks Tina .... I think I get the idea ... does the manage attachments work here at all ... could not try cos my file was too big somehow

Peace
AL

[Carjo]

Some dates of events I'm planning on going to if anybody is interested...

Brisbane Medieval Fair (http://www.ourbrisbane.com/whatson/events/html/events/1/88996.html)
5-6 May, St Joseph's (Nudgee) College

Brisbane Miniature Train Show (http://www.brisbaneminiaturetrainshow.com.au/)
5-7 May, RNA Showgrounds

Labour Day March (http://www.awu.org.au/cmtool/news/news.php?news_id=1760)
7 May
Times and Route details on above website

I'm planning on combining the last two - the Labour Day March ends at the RNA Showgrounds so the Train Show is a small walk away. I'll be at the Train Show on Sunday as well so if anybody decides to come I'd appreciate it if someone says hi. :)

[Carjo]

Al, I'd just go with PhotoBucket. IMHO the extra images and quality that you are allowed are worth the minimal extra work. :)

[catsith]

al, you have to resize you photos down to about 800x600 pixels max.

[catsith]

seqacc salon this w/e, so i will be there all weekend. It's a photographic comp between seq clubs. i have 23 entries, but the competition is very tough. I just hope some of my piccies are up there in points.

[Greg_C]

@Rob - I've shot both of those in the past. I'm looking at going to the Medieval fair for sure - just not sure what day though. I did the train show two years ago, and the year before that also.

I can't work out if this is the same Medieval fair that was at Musgrave park and has moved to Nudgee College or what?

[wakko]

al, you have to resize you photos down to about 800x600 pixels max.

and on top of the 800px width/height restriction, when uploading attachments, there's also a size limit (100kb for images and different for other things I think?).

[PeacePlanet]

Ok thanks for all the info, I might need to get a website with all the strict requirements.
Stay tuned :D

Peace to all

AL

[catsith]

i havn't resized my size limit, only the pizels. I just go into image size, change the pixels to somewhere between 600 and 800 (make sure constrain proportions is ticked), depending on my croping, and then use save as tool, to save into a folder that i then upload from to photobucket. I don't take any notice of the actual file size. Lately i have made them a touch smaller.

[wakko]

i havn't resized my size limit, only the pizels. I just go into image size, change the pixels to somewhere between 600 and 800 (make sure constrain proportions is ticked), depending on my croping, and then use save as tool, to save into a folder that i then upload from to photobucket. I don't take any notice of the actual file size. Lately i have made them a touch smaller.

Oh... when you're hot linking (to an external site) you only need size proportions... rest is net-ettiquite (sp.) as far as I'm aware... like nothing ridiculous. The 100KB limit is for attachments (which uploads to the site).

[Greg_C]

Hey guys, I got a equal second in one of PetKal's contests - The Old Ways of Doing Things (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=310506).

On the topic of image sizes I have set my IMatch script to resize the longest edge to 800 pixels. I have two different version of this script, one produces images 90-150K and the other produces 150-320k, they just have different compression settings coded into the scripts. Can show you how this works in June. I'm moving more towards the smaller version as disk space on my server is limited.

[catsith]

well done greg

[catsith]

i put my waterdragon here

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=312349

[catsith]

my grasshopper face off
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=312354

i must learn how to do what greg said!

[Greg_C]

i must learn how to do what greg said!
Thanks Tina.
What'd I say, what'd I say?;) If you mean he script stuff you need IMatch Image Management Database for that. I honestly think everybody should use some form of DB.

Here's a duck (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3127211#post3127211) from our trip into the Roma St parklands.

[wakko]

I think Tina means the linking over text thing? not sure.

Great stuff with the shot in Petkal's contest :)

[Ospi]

Hi guys and gals. Long time no post. Been absolutely flat out the last couple of months with uni and havnt evne been able to touch the camera until this weekend when i went to a hill climb event at Mt Cotton. You can see the photos from it here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=311815 (better ones down the bottom).

[shayb]

hey Ospi, next time you going to an event like that give us a yell.

[Ospi]

will do, i was at the event with the motorsport team though so it kinda didnt cross my mind. the next event is on the 8th or july for a quick heads up though.

[-spam-]

will do, i was at the event with the motorsport team though so it kinda didnt cross my mind. the next event is on the 8th or july for a quick heads up though.

Sounds good to me. Where is it at? Mt Cotton again?

[Meaty0]

Hey guys, I got a equal second in one of PetKal's contests - The Old Ways of Doing Things (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=310506).

On the topic of image sizes I have set my IMatch script to resize the longest edge to 800 pixels. I have two different version of this script, one produces images 90-150K and the other produces 150-320k, they just have different compression settings coded into the scripts. Can show you how this works in June. I'm moving more towards the smaller version as disk space on my server is limited.


Hey Greg..well done!

[Meaty0]

my grasshopper face off
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=312354

i must learn how to do what greg said!


A wonderful series of shots Tina...and grasshoppers scare the crap out of me!

[Ospi]

Sounds good to me. Where is it at? Mt Cotton again?
Yep. Im pretty sure there are events at Mt Cotton every weekend anyway, its a bit of a trek for me but im willing ot go down some weekend in the near future if anyone is interested. ALso plenty of track days at willowbank.

[-Pleiades-]

just wondering....does anyone know if there is a way on the net to finding out how many k's something if away, for example Lismore to Melbourne?

Ignore this, I was able to find out!

[-spam-]

ALso plenty of track days at willowbank.

ooh ooh... count me in for one of those if anyone wants to go as a group one weekend.

[PeacePlanet]

Now ...

I may feel like going with my humble S3 ... I do not drive though so if anybody is willing to give me a lift ? :D I might consider ...but can share petrol cost :D

AL

[PeacePlanet]

Congrats to Greg too :D. Never enter anything but would have to wait a bit I think.

So, is Photoshop post processing desirable ??? What is the common practice for competition ?

Thanks
AL

[wakko]

Now ...

I may feel like going with my humble S3 ... I do not drive though so if anybody is willing to give me a lift ? :D I might consider ...but can share petrol cost :D

AL

Where abouts are you based anyways? I'm sure (not speaking for everyone) that if it's on someone's way, someone will sing out...

F.

[PeacePlanet]

Toowong here Feng ...

Thanks for clarifying ... but no sweat ...

I can just shoot anything at the moment hhehehe whatever in my path ... :D

Peace
AL

[catsith]

greg, i meant how you change the link to a word. I tried to find where you told kinnon how to, but couldn't find it.
al, we all use some sort of photo manipulation for photo comps. I use basic stuff, levels, sharpening, contrast, etc. I sometimes clone things out. It doesn't matter, so long as the end result looks good and natural. You can't change a horrible photo into a good one with photoshop, though it sure helps, but it does make a good shot better. Greg went on the forum comp here, some of us belong to clubs, and enter the comps there. So it will be interesting in interclub comps, we will be against each other!

hey reece, good to hear from you, and some very good shots there. And since you are lurking again, put sunday 3rd june in your diary, we are having a workshop and bbq day.

justin, you need to put that on page 1.

kelsey, how did tonight go?

[::John::]

greg, i meant how you change the link to a word. I tried to find where you told kinnon how to, but couldn't find it.


Just popping in to say Hi...

Tina - I haven't seen how Greg said to do it but what I do is type the word (or sentence) and then highlight it (drag the mouse over it) and then click the link button http://photography-on-the.net/forum/images/editor/createlink.gifand enter the URL. Works OK for me but would be interested to see if there is a quicker way.

[-Pleiades-]

John, that's how Greg told me to do it

[::John::]

Ah, cool. Thanks Kinnon

[Carjo]

Kelsey-Lee's Wonderful World of Photoshop went well I think. I sure found it interesting. Heck, I think most of the stuff I'm seeing at these meetings is interesting. I'm glad I started going. :)

[catsith]

hi john, thanks for that, save me searching for it again.

[HelenThura]

Did anyone catch a photo of the sunset tonight? what a stunner, I was going home on the bus so didn't get a photo but went past numerous people who had stopped on the footpath and were taking photos with their phones or cameras. It was a beauty!

[Andrew Carpenter]

No saw it and wished I had a camera and a good position to shoot it from, just had to enjoy watching.

[Meaty0]

Did anyone catch a photo of the sunset tonight? what a stunner, I was going home on the bus so didn't get a photo but went past numerous people who had stopped on the footpath and were taking photos with their phones or cameras. It was a beauty!

Great minds think alike. Also saw it but...me at work...camera at home:(:evil:

[PeacePlanet]

I actually missed it but I thought the light was pretty surrounding my place, covered by roof and trees. I caught a nice bird though with my new TC AT LAST. Might happen again tomorrow perhaps ? Would be watching for it.

Or maybe sunrise :D ...

Peace
AL

[shayb]

this sounds like the begining of the Brisbane POTN sunset shoot gathering.

[HelenThura]

I had my camera in my bag but I knew that no photo I took from the bus through the advert covered window was really going to work. It was a beauty.

[Carjo]

Darn council whoring out their bus windows to advertising... :p (no offence intended)

[wakko]

far out what a sunset.... there was that special glow eh? camera was at home :(

on a side note... just won an ebay auction yesterday on a Contax Planer 50mm f/1.4 :) going to get into a bit of MF fun with it and my split screen (see sig for details).

Here's their product shot of my win! :D

http://stuff.planetslackers.com/imageshare/forums/contax_50mmf1.4.jpg

[gebuz]

Hi All

Wakko introduced me to this forum and what a great forum it is. :D

I use to be a Nikon shooter until Wakko converted me to Canon. For a variety of reasons, I decided to switched.

I started out with a Nikon D50 and switched to a Canon 30D.

I'm loving the 30D now and not looking back.

I only have a 50mm 1.8 for now but I borrow lenses off Wakko. I'm definately buidling my system though. Give it six months and I'll have more :D.

Anyway there's bit of history of my photography adventure. Looking forward to all the outings.

See you all soon
GeBuZ

[wakko]

Welcome to the forum and also this thread Gee! :)

Just be aware of the subliminal influences in this thread (and also the Aussie one ;) heheh)

[Meaty0]

Yeah those subliminal influences can be a real mongrel....just going off now to order my Newton rotating camera bracket :-D

[Nick C.]

Hi GeBuZ. Look forward to meeting you!

Paul, are you getting the 100 or the 400? I'd be keen to get a look see at it next time we meet. I'm tossing up between the Newton and the RRS alternatives.

[catsith]

hi gee
you guys are talking double dutch!

i saw the sunset, out of my window, not enough of it, cause i didn't realise it was so beautiful. I could have taken it from just up the road! I was very tired after a very busy day yesterday.

nick, u said u r with camera? what's the news

[Meaty0]

Hi GeBuZ. Look forward to meeting you!

Paul, are you getting the 100 or the 400? I'd be keen to get a look see at it next time we meet. I'm tossing up between the Newton and the RRS alternatives.

Nick, I got the Di100CR simply because with the battery grip on AND the rotator AND the heavy lens (28-70 f:2.8 ) it all gets too heavy. I'm taking the grip off the camera body while I'm using the bracket, just to make it a bit lighter.

I think you have the "big" body camera don't you (the 1dn MkII?)? If so, you have no choice; it has to be the 400. I'll let you know when I get it.

TINA: Look HERE (http://www.newtoncamerabrackets.com/default-old.htm) and you'll see what we're talking about. BEWARE: Subliminal Messages;)

[catsith]

aha. I will be getting a sort of bracket made for me, when i finally move into having slave flashes. The camera club guys all make their own. Still a bit of a learning curve for me yet, i still have to work out my own main flash, let alone work out 2 slaves to go with it. But mine is for macro work, not portrait work.

[PeacePlanet]

First post here in Brisbane ... not a great pic and I dont know how to use the Photoshop yet. So there is no processing apart from cropping. I am wondering what kind of bird this is. It comes quite regularly to my backyard ?

Wonder any bird watchers here ? Ah just a thought .. is this a baby kookuburra since it is kinda small .. I thought it could be something else ???

BTW, if any PP expert .. wanna show me the ropes ? Welcome to edit the image for me and show me the way ... :D

I just did some shapening ... WOW WOW WOW .. what a difference a sharpening does to a picture ???

Hmmm .. I think I would sharpen my pictures from now on ...



Thanks
AL

[wakko]

Nice Alexson.

Yeah... always good to do a bit of sharpening eh? :)

[Greg_C]

Hi GeBuz - welcome.

Hi All,

Been out shooting tonight :p A good friend coaches Volleyball and I shot his club team Vs Paupa New Guinea, who were touring.Trouble was I got home to no power bl$%dy Energex;)! Came on just a few minutes ago. Nearly 300 shot to go through. I've played Volleyball for the last 10yrs and this helped so much, you at least can make a guess where the ball is likely to be, but it is so hard to get good shots - especially of the spikes. A lot of the time you just pick a player and hope he receives the ball.

I was on ISO3200 almost all night so noise will be an issue. I had full access to shoot from anywhere - this made it good. Oh and the tourists won 3 - 2 in a very close game. Our guys should have won but made far to many mistakes, gift points for the other team.

Will post some later - maybe tonight, if not tomorrow.

[Carjo]

Alexson, I too would say that is a Kookaburra. I also think you might have a white balance problem. What setting was it on when you took the photo?

[Greg_C]

Got a few images processed. See them Here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3144905#post3144905). Not 100% happy with the results, slightly soft from shooting wide open and noise is noticeable also. I'll be trying to do this again. Practice, practice, practice is guess is the only way to improve at it.

[PeacePlanet]

Nice Alexson.

Yeah... always good to do a bit of sharpening eh? :)

Thanks Feng ...
Yeah ... simple sharpening for now till I know the ins and outs.

Peace
LP

[PeacePlanet]

Alexson, I too would say that is a Kookaburra. I also think you might have a white balance problem. What setting was it on when you took the photo?

A baby Kookaburra that is then ...

I can see your point of it being bluish ... I have to check the EXIF for you. Just need to figure that out how in Zoombrowser.

Cheers
AL

[wakko]

Thanks Feng ...
Yeah ... simple sharpening for now till I know the ins and outs.

Peace
LP

You'll have to come to Greg's little seminar June?

Actually Greg, what weekends do you have time? Could I trouble you (in return I'll make you a dinky coffee) for some advice onsite? Just with regard to workflows and scripting (actions?).

F

[catsith]

al, did you shoot in raw, then you can change the colour balance in raw converter. Just a quick peek in here guys, i have to run, seqacc w/e, wish me luck!! catch you on monday, have a good w/e.

[Nick C.]

nick, u said u r with camera? what's the news
Without camera at the moment :( Sold the 2n but now have to wait for don't know how long before the III arrives. I've seriously been considering just picking up a 5D instead - not fun being without something to shoot with.

Nick, I got the Di100CR simply because with the battery grip on AND the rotator AND the heavy lens (28-70 f:2.8 ) it all gets too heavy. I'm taking the grip off the camera body while I'm using the bracket, just to make it a bit lighter.

I think you have the "big" body camera don't you (the 1dn MkII?)? If so, you have no choice; it has to be the 400. I'll let you know when I get it.
That'd be great, Paul. I just want to get an idea of how the thing actually handles. Weight is a concern of mine too. I don't know how they manage to carry around those large Custom Brackets ones for a whole event?

[-Pleiades-]

Selling my 10-22 and 50mm (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=314231)

Not too sure if the prices are reasonable or not, but they are neg. ....I bought the 10-22 for $1600 and I realise now that I got ripped off.... ahh well....
__________________

[kendickson]

This time in 2 weeks those of us going to New Zealand will be taking in our first sunset at the Kinlock Lodge. I can hear the camera's firing now and the can nearly taste the beer already!!

[PeacePlanet]

You'll have to come to Greg's little seminar June?

Actually Greg, what weekends do you have time? Could I trouble you (in return I'll make you a dinky coffee) for some advice onsite? Just with regard to workflows and scripting (actions?).

F

Yes, that would be a great idea I think. Where is it located please ?
Cheers
AL

[PeacePlanet]

al, did you shoot in raw, then you can change the colour balance in raw converter. Just a quick peek in here guys, i have to run, seqacc w/e, wish me luck!! catch you on monday, have a good w/e.


Tina, I think I have the raw version however I do not know how to process it as yet. The one I have displayed is the jpeg one.

And all the best for whatever you are having this weekend. I would be taking pics of the cathedral again. Did not do a good job last time.

Thanks

[Andrew Carpenter]

I think the bird might have been an immature grey butcherbird. Not 100% sure but thats my 2 cents.

[RockOne]

I'll second that Andrew. It's definitely a butcherbird.

[PeacePlanet]

Thanks for guys ... I did a bit of search. Now, I know I have new kind of visitors to my garden apart from the noisy crows/ravens, kookaburra and noisy miners. I think I saw another one this arvo, trying to pick on the noisy miners, but luckily the prey managed to escape, not fast enough to get the action shot though. Bum bummer ...

[HelenThura]

Hi Al,
A great book to pick up is Wildlife of Greater Brisbane (http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/organisation/publications/guides/wlgb.asp) put out by the Queensland Museum. It is great for helping you know what bird/lizard/critter that is running round your backyard.

[lycan]

been taking a few photos time to time when i can.

Here is a link to some werehouse photographs..
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3152944#post3152944

[-Pleiades-]

Oooooooh I'm so excited!!!! I've just purchased a 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8 IS 2nd hand off here :D:D:D:D:D:D I can't wait till when I get them.

Wedding photography, here I come!

[Greg_C]

Oooooooh I'm so excited!!!! I've just purchased a 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8 IS 2nd hand off here :D:D:D:D:D:D I can't wait till when I get them.

Wedding photography, here I come!

Oooow congrats Kinnon. I hate waiting. I'm more of a I want it now type of person.

[-Pleiades-]

lol, me too Greg, yesterday would be nice!

But by buying these lenses second hand it's saving me about $2000 so I think it's worth the wait!

Other than photo continental and dd photographics is there anywhere else that sells 5D's for decent prices?

[Greg_C]

lol, me too Greg, yesterday would be nice!

But by buying these lenses second hand it's saving me about $2000 so I think it's worth the wait!

Other than photo continental and dd photographics is there anywhere else that sells 5D's for decent prices?

Good work on the savings, I remember you talking about your budget for this stuff and this will make a big difference. Are you going to spend the savings?:D:D
Can't help on other places for the 5D. Stu at Quality Camera sales is great but his prices are probably higher than DD or PC's.

[Greg_C]

Actually Greg, what weekends do you have time? Could I trouble you (in return I'll make you a dinky coffee) for some advice onsite? Just with regard to workflows and scripting (actions?).

F

Just send me a PM Feng, things on a lot of the time but we'll easily be able to work something in.

[Greg_C]

Yes, that would be a great idea I think. Where is it located please ?
Cheers
AL
Hi Al

3rd June at my wife's work at Moorooka. More details to follow as we get closer to the date.

[-Pleiades-]

It's makes a HUGE difference.

I'm thinking a laptop with the savings.

I had been saving for one and just about got there when a few weeks ago I had to go in for some surgery, and because I wasn't able to wait to go publicly I had to go private and it ended up costing me about $1400, so that was a huge chunk out of my laptop savings.

So it will be either a laptop, or a decent monitor. But I still need to get a new bag to fit everything in and some more memory, so I'll see how much is left over. I've got about $8700 to play with all together so I *sholuld* be able to get what I want.

[shayb]

Oooooooh I'm so excited!!!! I've just purchased a 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8 IS 2nd hand off here :D:D:D:D:D:D I can't wait till when I get them.

Wedding photography, here I come!

well I'm green with envy.

[Meaty0]

lol, me too Greg, yesterday would be nice!

But by buying these lenses second hand it's saving me about $2000 so I think it's worth the wait!

Other than photo continental and dd photographics is there anywhere else that sells 5D's for decent prices?

Hi Kinnon,

You could try here for your 5D. I've bought from him in the past and he seems pretty good. CLICK HERE (http://www.printercartridges.com.au/store/category68_1.htm)

[-Pleiades-]

Cheers Paul, their price is very similar to DD photographics.

Continental on their website list the 5D as $4550 and DD list it as $3775.

Do you think continental would drop their price a bit if a took a print out of dd's prices? It just seems like a huge difference in price. I'd rather buy from brissy but if dd is going to be $775 cheaper (not including postage) I'll go there.

[::John::]

Check where the warranty on the body is, Kinnon. Canon warranty on lenses is international - it isn't on bodies. DD bodies are imports and the only warranty you will get is back through DD.

Stu at Quality Cameras sources his through a high-end Australian dealer - so his come with a Canon Australia warranty.

[-Pleiades-]

Ahhh, thanks John. That would explain the price difference then. Great another decision to make...... :rolleyes: It was a hard enough decision to sell my shares to be able to afford this spending spree, I thought that would be the end of the tough decisions....

....But now I have to decide on a camera bag, a new tripod (something better then my tripod who likes to be a duopod on occasions) maybe even a laptop if there's anything left......and they say women like shopping.....pfft not me!

[::John::]

I didn't mean to kill a sale for DD - but felt you needed to know about his warranty. I have bought most of my lenses from him and am happy knowing they are covered by Canon Australia.

I bought my 5D from Teds when Canon were running a $500 rebate - it still came to around $4250 so it was a sizeable lump of cash - but nicely protected by the local warranty.

Sometimes, some of the camera stores will talk a discount to get the gear out the door, too. A friend recently bought a Slingshot 300 bag - retail was $199 and he walked out the door with it for around $150 or so. My tripod isn't anything special - but the Camera House dealer dropped $60 for me to take it away then and there. Sometimes it pays to ask - especially if you are in front of them with cash. The savings you make are handy for more 'stuff' :)

[-Pleiades-]

I appreciate that John.

I just have to weigh up now if the $700-odd saving is worth not having a proper Aus warranty. Touch wood all the cameras I've had nothing has gone wrong with them and have never needed the warranty. But knowing my luck once I don't have the proper warranty coverage something will go wrong.....

I might go to continental and say I want....., I have......, what can you do for me?!?! :D

[Meaty0]

Cheers Paul, their price is very similar to DD photographics.

Continental on their website list the 5D as $4550 and DD list it as $3775.

Do you think continental would drop their price a bit if a took a print out of dd's prices? It just seems like a huge difference in price. I'd rather buy from brissy but if dd is going to be $775 cheaper (not including postage) I'll go there.

Kinnon. You should be aware that D-D Photographics is a "Grey Market" importer and as such, you take a risk if the product develops a fault. I suspect Cameras Direct is grey market too but at least they're at Labrador on the Gold Coast, within striking distance.

While Greg has had a good experience with DD not everyone has...READ THIS (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=233576&highlight=d-d+photographics)

If you want to be sure you'll have no warranty problems, go with Photocontinental.

[::John::]

Am I invisible?:rolleyes:

[Nick C.]

Am I invisible?
Who said that? ;)

Kinnon, congrats on the new lenses. You'll love the 24-70, a great piece of glass.

Your prices for the 5D - when I was looking I thought Continental's ~$4500 included the battery grip and extra battery (I could be wrong though)? Does DD's price include that too? Just wondering whether you're actually comparing apples to apples.
Stu over at Quality Camera has it for $3,999 which sort of makes me think that the PC price did include the grip+battery.

[Nick C.]

An FYI - I just had a look at DD's site and the 5D is now listed at $3595. It's getting lower as this discussion progresses :)

[Greg_C]

Kinnon. You should be aware that D-D Photographics is a "Grey Market" importer and as such, you take a risk if the product develops a fault. I suspect Cameras Direct is grey market too but at least they're at Labrador on the Gold Coast, within striking distance.

While Greg has had a good experience with DD not everyone has...READ THIS (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=233576&highlight=d-d+photographics)

If you want to be sure you'll have no warranty problems, go with Photocontinental.

I rang DD on Thursday about a lens and was told they didn't sell them. Ah guys, look at your web site. Not exactly giving me a lot of confidence, and it would be a week and a bit to get one in. I'm like John, I've bought the 70-200 and 100-400 from them no probs. 30D body only came from PC's, first day they were on sale, first one they sold8-)

I remember reading that thread back when it was active. Not my idea of good business practices.

Am I invisible?:rolleyes:
Peek a boo:D

[wakko]

Check where the warranty on the body is, Kinnon. Canon warranty on lenses is international - it isn't on bodies. DD bodies are imports and the only warranty you will get is back through DD.

Stu at Quality Cameras sources his through a high-end Australian dealer - so his come with a Canon Australia warranty.

Yeah I heard that about grey market bodies too... although.. I did also hear something about canon providing warranty on them as long as you have an Australian Invoice with ABN or something?! not sure... I actually called canon to verify and they seemed to confirm this. Not 100% sure...

Another weird thing with warranties which confuses me no end.. is that even with canon's international warranty, why is it that Japan lenses in US are not covered by the 'international' warranty... *sigh*... it's all too complicated :( I just tend to buy things from AU now that I'm in AU... pay a smallish premium... either that or I'll buy something like a mack warranty or something... I dunno...

SO CONFUSED :(

@Greg: Thanks for the offer... may take you up on that one day... time is pretty precious for me now too... so we'll see... 3rd June isn't as far away as I thought, so I may see what happens there first... and work from there ;)

Feng

[Meaty0]

Am I invisible?:rolleyes:

Only when I'm not looking at your post...sorry:D

[shayb]

Do you think continental would drop their price a bit if a took a print out of dd's prices? It just seems like a huge difference in price. I'd rather buy from brissy but if dd is going to be $775 cheaper (not including postage) I'll go there.

I've have done this when i bought all my 4 lens' and my flash, on one occasion they beat the price by $30 or so.

[-Pleiades-]

I thought I was comparing apples to apples Nick, but it's quiet possible I have made a mistake. I'm trying to look now at the site and it's so slow it keeps timing out.

I think I've been talked out of DD. I think I'd rather pay a few extra hundred for piece of mind!

Are there any other good camera shops in Brissy? Monday week I've told my husband we're going up to brissy to do some shopping, I jsut want to be fully prepared!

[-Pleiades-]

Just another question (my husband asked me to ask this one)....

When I was at Roma St Parklands with everyone a few sundays ago with everyone I noticed in one of their ponds they have grunters in there. What my other half wants to know is if you can fish in there? Specificially catch and release.

[wakko]

I got to admit... I haven't heard anything bad about DD. The 24-70 I have was from DD... the guy sold it to me and it was about 5 days old... the guys at DD even changed the invoice to my company name... got to admit their service wasn't that bad.... but yeah... if you want the peace of mind of AU stock etc from AU canon, then perhaps another supplier is the way to go.... not sure... almost all my gear is parallel imported...

Can't help you with the fishing question though ;)

[-Pleiades-]

Rightio, photocontinental is up and running again. I must have made a mistake somewhere along the line.... 5D only $4200 and with grip $4690.

Strangely enough it's cheaper to buy the body and grip seperatley then it is in their 'package'

[Nick C.]

Kinnon, the PC site was doing that for me this afternoon too. That's why I couldn't check then. They really could do with an overhaul of their website.

*EDIT* Never mind, I see you got onto the site too.

I'd guess they'd at least meet Quality Camera's $3999 for the body only.

[-Pleiades-]

I'll try. No harm in asking I guess.

True about the overhaul. That's not the first time it's played up on me. Very annoying.

Can't wait til next monday now :D

[Nick C.]

I just found the 5D at CameraStore for $3,859.
http://www.camerastore.com.au/ProShop/Canon+Eos+5D+Body-details.htm
Might be able to use it in negotiations?

[-Pleiades-]

Cheers, Nick, maybe I should take you in as my negotiator ;) I'm crap at that kind of thing.

Anywhere in Brissy to buy a reasonably priced laptop?

[Meaty0]

I'll try. No harm in asking I guess.

True about the overhaul. That's not the first time it's played up on me. Very annoying.

Can't wait til next monday now :D

You mean Monday the public holiday or the Monday after that?

[Nick C.]

That's just mean, Paul. :)

Not a problem, Kinnon. I'm no negotiator though. To do it properly I always feel you've got to be prepared to walk out if you don't feel they're fully entertaining your offer. And I'm usually just too impatient to get the item to bother with too much haggling.

I just got my new notebook on Friday. Bought mine from MLN (http://www.mln.com.au). Not here in Brisbane (Melbourne, actually) but it was the cheapest price I found for the one I picked up.

[-Pleiades-]

There's a public holiday? Crap!

Monday the 14th. There's no public holiday noted in my diary. Hope it's just not a qld thing.

I'm the same as you Nick. I give it a half arsed attempt but usually just cave in.

What notebook did you get Nick? Looking at their site now....

[Nick C.]

I'm the same as you Nick. I give it a half arsed attempt but usually just cave in.
Yep, that's what I look like in action too :)

Got the Asus G1. Could not be happier with it (and rightly so, it took three weeks to get here after ordering it). I'm not sure what most notebook screens are like now but I'm incredibly impressed with this one.
I should note too that the three weeks lead time was due to short supply by ASUS (G1's been in short supply since it's arrival in Oz) and not the fault of MLN. It took me a while to find someone who could actually get hold of one in a reasonable amount of time. A lot of the other suppliers were only receiving one or two (if any) with each new shipment and was obviously not enough to even fill their pre-orders.

[-Pleiades-]

Mmm.. looks like a good machine, may be just a tad out of my price range. I was just looking at the ASUS F3Jr (http://www.mln.com.au/product/?itemID=248&typeID=23) and that looks good too for the price.

Anything in Lismore with more than a gig of memory you're looking at least $3000 for something basic.

[Nick C.]

I'd say that F3Jr looks pretty darn good for the price. Essentially the same major insides as the one I got, except for the graphics card and that's not too important for Photoshopping and such.

[-Pleiades-]

Do you know if it's got the same monitor? That's my main concern as the monitor I have now is crap so I need something half decent so I know what my photos actually look like.

[Nick C.]

I know what you mean about the monitor. I was thinking the same thing when I was shopping, remembering back to the little 12" laptop I had about 4/5 years ago.

I couldn't really say if it's the same sort of monitor or not. It appears to be 1200x800 which is lower than the 1680x1050 on the G1. Not that that's much help in regard to colour issues.
Probably best if you can get a look at one somewhere just to be safe. The screen on mine is a glossy coated one where a lot of notebooks I've seen use a matte screen.
While I'm more than happy with the screen in the mean time, I do intend to pick up an external LCD for more accurate colour work in the future. I think that's always the safest bet, especially if you're moving into the business side of things.

[wakko]

If you want some comparative pricing on LTs when you decide what you want, I have my own IT business and get wholesale prices on parts and accessories, laptops etc... flick me over a PM. Offer is open to any POTNAC guys (cos freight within AU is fairly cheap ;)).

Can also spec up custom builds for you to take to a local guy to build if you like, or comment, price match for you providing official quotes ;)

Let me know if I can help ;)

[justin carpenter]

99....

[justin carpenter]

100 pages!!!!

I coudln't wait any longer :mrgreen:

[-Pleiades-]

If you want some comparative pricing on LTs when you decide what you want, I have my own IT business and get wholesale prices on parts and accessories, laptops etc... flick me over a PM. Offer is open to any POTNAC guys (cos freight within AU is fairly cheap ;)).

Can also spec up custom builds for you to take to a local guy to build if you like, or comment, price match for you providing official quotes ;)

Let me know if I can help ;)

Cheers Feng, might have to take you up on that offer! I'll know by next monday how much I'll have left over for a laptop!

Aaron and I need to upgrade our tv (or at least I think we do) and I'm thinking of getting an LCD that I can use as a monitor hooked up to my laptop, would that work or would I be better off getting a dedicated computer monitor?

[wakko]

Yeah... depending on what laptop of course, but 99.9% of them have outputs for external monitors, and some even have DVI. Larger LCDs (dedicated computer ones) tend to lose a bit of quality if you use the D-SUB interface.

Problem with using a TV (say 42" plasma type thing) to use as a monitor, is their resolution tends to be poor for the size that they are)... say for example a HD 42" Plasma/LCD would have a vertical res of 1080 (and the relative 16:9 or 16:10 horizontal resolution).

My 24" Dell monitor has a res of 1920x1200.

Hope that sorta answers your question.

[PeacePlanet]

If you want some comparative pricing on LTs when you decide what you want, I have my own IT business and get wholesale prices on parts and accessories, laptops etc... flick me over a PM. Offer is open to any POTNAC guys (cos freight within AU is fairly cheap ;)).

Can also spec up custom builds for you to take to a local guy to build if you like, or comment, price match for you providing official quotes ;)

Let me know if I can help ;)

Hi Feng ... Wonder if you can help since you are in the IT business ...

IF you are keen and kind enough. I have issues with my old puter with all my photos I wanna link to my external HDD.

Now a virus has kinda messed up with my configurations somehow. It was reconfigured for win2k. When I got it back, the DVD rom and cd RW drives did not work. I played around and got it fixed. It must something to do with the drivers set up I did. could not remember what I did a year ago.

Now, it is back on again the issues. Keep giving me warning with no disk in the drive and/or the drive is not formatted. DVD rom can play audio cds but not movie cds and dvds any more. The CDWR just not working.

IT does not recognise my external drive also.

Wonder what I need to do as without it is going to be a real pain to link between external HDD and the old puter.

In case there is an IT genius here :D. Got Hitachi DVD ROM GD-5000 and Samsung CD-R/RW SW 216B. I have tried the control panel etc etc. Delete the hardware and get it loaded again by itself etc. But still seems the same issue. I also notice that my sound card blaster has also changed ... how weird what the virus did. How annoying since win2k do not have restore facility.

I have downloaded some drivers from their official websites but nothing seems to happen. I try to change the drivers but not sure where to locate those drivers. I would have thought that they should be automatically adjusted for its manufacturer's drivers rather than using the windows ?? But they did not so if any experts here, please show me the ropes lol.





Thanks
AL

[PeacePlanet]

Hi Al,
A great book to pick up is Wildlife of Greater Brisbane (http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/organisation/publications/guides/wlgb.asp) put out by the Queensland Museum. It is great for helping you know what bird/lizard/critter that is running round your backyard.


Thanks for that Helen. Might check it out to see if it is worthwhile.

[PeacePlanet]

Hi Al

3rd June at my wife's work at Moorooka. More details to follow as we get closer to the date.


Thanks for that Greg.

Al

[Nick C.]

Aaron and I need to upgrade our tv (or at least I think we do) and I'm thinking of getting an LCD that I can use as a monitor hooked up to my laptop, would that work or would I be better off getting a dedicated computer monitor?
Definitely better off with a dedicated monitor, I'd say. As Feng said, the relatively low resolution for such a large viewing area isn't generally ideal for computer work.

I have a 26" Sharp LCD that I had hooked up to my desktop. It's definitely usable but not ideal. I'm selling that now that I have the laptop and a new 40" Samsung LCD HDTV. :D Well, almost...

I picked up the TV yesterday, unpacked it and sat it on the entertainment unit and the screen sloped to the left at about 10 degrees. Wasn't impressed. :mad: I'm taking it back today for them to swap over so I'll let you know how the laptop goes when hooked up to the Samsung.

[-spam-]

Did anyone go to the Cameraholics camera fair this morning? I went with my dad and we came home with 3 TLR's (2 of them are mine), and old 16mm Mamya video camera, a canon film body, some old light metres and a bit of 120 film.

My TLR's are a Yashica Mat and a Yashica 44 (baby rolleiflex clone).

[Meaty0]

Nope. Didn't even know it was on. But I did buy a pretty good photography book titled, "The Complete Guide to Light and Lighting in Digital Photography " by Michael Freeman.

An excellent read so far. Wished I'd had it when I first picked up a camera.

[wakko]

Hi Feng ... Wonder if you can help since you are in the IT business ...

IF you are keen and kind enough. I have issues with my old puter with all my photos I wanna link to my external HDD.

Hi Alexson... If I can help, I'll be happy to. I live on the south side near Garden City... but if you live somewhere between Wacol and Garden City, I'd be happy to swing by on the way home... either either really...


Now a virus has kinda messed up with my configurations somehow. It was reconfigured for win2k. When I got it back, the DVD rom and cd RW drives did not work. I played around and got it fixed. It must something to do with the drivers set up I did. could not remember what I did a year ago.

when you got it back? did it go somewhere?


Now, it is back on again the issues. Keep giving me warning with no disk in the drive and/or the drive is not formatted. DVD rom can play audio cds but not movie cds and dvds any more. The CDWR just not working.

IT does not recognise my external drive also.

Wonder what I need to do as without it is going to be a real pain to link between external HDD and the old puter.

In case there is an IT genius here :D. Got Hitachi DVD ROM GD-5000 and Samsung CD-R/RW SW 216B. I have tried the control panel etc etc. Delete the hardware and get it loaded again by itself etc. But still seems the same issue. I also notice that my sound card blaster has also changed ... how weird what the virus did. How annoying since win2k do not have restore facility.

I have downloaded some drivers from their official websites but nothing seems to happen. I try to change the drivers but not sure where to locate those drivers. I would have thought that they should be automatically adjusted for its manufacturer's drivers rather than using the windows ?? But they did not so if any experts here, please show me the ropes lol.

Thanks
AL

I definitely would be easier to have a look. I don't mind popping around and spending some time looking through it. I never charge for that service... If it requires more than a couple of hours work, then I'll let you know...

@spam: DAMN!... I'm going through a "collect old lenses" phase :( ah well :)

Cheers
Feng

[Greg_C]

No we didn't do much this morning. Did take a trip down to Wellington Point with the family late the arvo to have some Fish & Chips in the park on sunset. Kids did the things kids do and were climbing the large trees down there.

Got a quick snapshot of the sunset that I'm very happy with. Here. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3159080#post3159080)

[Kelsey-Lee]

Did anyone go to the Cameraholics camera fair this morning? I went with my dad and we came home with 3 TLR's (2 of them are mine), and old 16mm Mamya video camera, a canon film body, some old light metres and a bit of 120 film.

I was stuck at home twiddling my thumbs all day! That would have been really interesting!

Went to the P!NK Concert on Friday night... they let me in with my camera, but I had too much fun dancing to take photos:o! Next time...

I did mess around a bit with the camera today, and took a self-portrait. I'm not sure what to make of it though...

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b208/Loquaci/LoveME.jpg

[35mm]

Evening fellow brisbanites!

[Greg_C]

Hi ya 35mm,

Very interesting portrait Kelsey-Lee. You look much older in this, and you have PP'ed this shot very well. I drawn to both the writing and your eye, back and forward. Well done.

[Meaty0]

Good one KL! Like Greg says, well processed and well taken. I seem to remember David Bowie doing an album cover with him posing like that...a very looooong time ago. What processing did you use to do the skin softening? Did you use studio lights?