Photography General - Sperging about taking pictures and shit

[Silent Seeth]

It's a D70s, I'd actually no use auto since it's not great at higher ISO compared to something newer but it doesn't much matter, it only goes to 1600.

Ah fairs, I'll change my advice slightly. I'm used to having to take noisy photos then trying to recover.

...too cloudy and too late to get well exposed freehand photos, I still have no idea how to adjust the settings according to scene's conditions. I've set it to take NEF RAW's as well as a basic quality JPG's so I have a point of reference and something to toy with in Darktable.

Take some sample photos at each ISO range then see how high you are willing to go after denoising, Try the different metering settings like highlight, centre weighted, spot or multi-metering using a histogram. I use centre weighted for action or a single subject. Highlight or multi for landscapes.

 

[DavidS877]

Ah fairs, I'll change my advice slightly. I'm used to having to take noisy photos then trying to recover.

Don't worry, it has plenty of noise at 1600. This is from my D70 years ago, just a small crop.

I think that's 1:1 if you click on it. Anyway that was processed long ago before there even was denoising.

 

[Nevermore Fish]

I managed to borrow a DSLR from a family member. A Nikon D70s with Nikkor AF 50mm 1:18, Nikkor 80-200mm 1:4.5-5.6 D and Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f 2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical IF lenses, as well as a Speedlight SB-800.

I have, no fucking idea how to use any of it but I'm trying to figure it out. I tried taking some photos today, but not only was it too cloudy and too late to get well exposed freehand photos, I still have no idea how to adjust the settings according to scene's conditions. I've set it to take NEF RAW's as well as a basic quality JPG's so I have a point of reference and something to toy with in Darktable.

Here's one shot that I think was fairly decent. I know, basic bitch depth of field photo because I now have a camera with an actual lens, wow, but before I start figuring out composition I still need to get the hang of the basics.
Settings: 1/100, f/5,6, ISO 200
The low quality JPEG from the DSLR:
View attachment 6578246
The result of me dicking around with the RAW in Darktable for a few minutes:
View attachment 6578252
And another one, further stylized for a more orange vibe:
View attachment 6578447

Here's one that I've underexposed since it got too dark and I didn't have a tripod to keep it stable for a longer exposure or anything like that.
Settings: 1/125, f/5,6, ISO 200
View attachment 6578527
This is the result of me trying to salvage the RAW in Darktable. Kinda sorta, but the noise is evident. Shit photo, gotta git gud.
View attachment 6578528

I still have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm afraid by the time I figure it out, all the leaves will be gone by then (November isn't called "listopad" in Polish for no reason), so I'll just have to hone my skills during winter and hope to get some proper photos next fall. Maybe even with a DSLR of my own, who knows.

You don't need a tripod for exposure this short. You can easily go up to 1/15 without seeing any blur, as long as you hold still while taking the picture.
Also, you should get used to checking your photo after taking it to make sure your settings are good.

 

[triggersliver]

go up to 1/15 without seeing any blur

Assuming he was using the telephoto lens, the ideal lowest shutter speed is 1/focal length, which means at 200mm it should be no lower than 1/200 sec. (With OIS and/or IBIS you probably have much more wiggle room). Ymmv when it comes to handholding shots, a heavy dslr+long lens is much harder to keep steady. A good tip for shooting on a tripod at slower shutter speeds is to use the built in self timer to avoid bumping the camera as you press and depress the shutter button.

The reason you're seeing so much noise at a lower iso is due to the lack of dynamic range of the sensor. It's typically better to try and achieve a proper exposure than to under/overexpose and try to fix it in post with older cameras. I haven't touched adobe's recent versions of Photoshop or Lightroom so they might have fancy ai denoising and upscaling now.

 

[Silent Seeth]

You don't need a tripod for exposure this short. You can easily go up to 1/15 without seeing any blur,

That slow people start using remote shutters and locking the mirror.
I am retarded and caffeinated, so this may be the extreme/done wrong:

1/15 on equivalent 200mm full frame:


One on the left is using IS, bearing in mind it's a mirrorless camera so a DSLR will be worse.
Even with class leading stabilisation it's a tad blurred.

 

[IrishGuy088]

It would be worth noting the difference between CCD and CMOS sensors. CCD is not a catch-all term. Digital cameras today all utilize CMOS sensors. CCD sensors require more power and are more sensitive to digital noise, which is why manufacturers abandoned it for CMOS sensors. Fujifilm ditched the traditional bayer array for their x-trans sensors which differentiates them from Canon, Nikon, and Sony. It's worth noting their medium format digital cameras still use the traditional bayer array. Sigma's Foveon sensor is really interesting because it stacks 3 RGB dedicated sensors on top of each other(technically tripling resolved megapixels), the drawback is the sensor requires a lot more light in order to penetrate all three layers and reach the sensor. Cameras only survive today to fill niches that phones can't; macro, product, fashion, sports, wildlife, etc.

Great information! Thank you.

I'll admit I've had to apply a lot of my old knowledge to the new technology. Thankfully digital isn't too different with regards to the fundamentals of photography. Neat stuff on sensor types.

@Slav Power Grab a roll of infrared for your Fall leaf pictures. (this is a troll post)

 

[Null]

ok bumping again with my spoonfeeding bullshit

• hard budget of $2k for camera + accessories, not going over even a dollar.
• compact camera, easy to carry, otherwise i won't
• needs to fit one of those lenses everyone says is mandatory + the cap without a bunch of bullshit that compromises the carry-ability, and these lenses need to be in that budget.
• hdmi ouput + usb-c output ports.
• also needs video quality that justifies the price (not the GR IIIx which has fucking awful video)
• image and video output should be adequate with the camera itself, if I have to edit the raws of every fucking thing i take a picture of it's not worth it

name names. i don't want the new fuji, it seems like bullshit and their business practice of deliberate supply shortages makes me hate nips more than i already do.

 

[DavidS877]

• compact camera, easy to carry, otherwise i won't
• needs to fit one of those lenses everyone says is mandatory + the cap without a bunch of bullshit.

1. How compact is compact to you?
This, to me is compact because it's way smaller than my D750. But it would take a pretty big pocket to fit it.

2. Do you want interchangeable lenses?

3. Do you want a viewfinder to look through or is just a back display ok?

 

[Null]

1. The smaller the better. That looks a bit bulky to me because I just can't imagine where I'd put it on me.
2. I have repeatedly been told that you absolutely need some sort of very slim lens on it to achieve reasonable results. So it needs that thing.
3. I do not need a mirror viewfinder.

 

[DavidS877]

1. The smaller the better. That looks a bit bulky to me because I just can't imagine where I'd put it on me.
2. I have repeatedly been told that you absolutely need some sort of very slim lens on it to achieve reasonable results. So it needs that thing.
3. I do not need a mirror viewfinder.

Most stuff is out of stock, as usual.

These are based on specs, I'll let others chime in with actual lived experience.

If you must have a Leica but out of stock
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/leica-d-lux8-initial-review about $1600
Dimensions (WxHxD) 130 x 69 x 62 mm
Weight Approx. 397 g/357 g (with/without battery)
It's basically the Panasonic with a Leica lens.

Sony(actually in stock)
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-zv-1-mark-ii-review $800
vlogger review: https://petapixel.com/2023/05/23/sony-zv-1-mark-ii-review-the-vlogging-you-love-but-wider/
Connection is USB-C but only USB2 speeds. But it's always faster to pull the card and put it into a reader.
Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 105.5 x 60.0 x 46.7 mm ( 4 1/4 x 2 3/8 x 1 7/8 inches)
Weight (with battery and memory card included) Approx. 292 g (10.3 oz.)
Body only (oz.) Approx. 266 g (9.4 oz.)

Battery life for these small cameras is going to be limited, 300 shots or 30-60 minutes of video. The HDMI will always be the micro or mini HDMI. They never have a built-in flash, which probably doesn't matter to you.

 

[Null]

I am not 100% on Leica, I just enjoy that it is a German product. Its drawback seems to be that it is always seems at least twice as expensive than nip products with identical specifications. Are its sensors and lenses so much better than nip lenses that it is worth that price?

edit: WHY ARE THESE ALL OUT OF STOCK? holy shit camera manufacturers need to be fucking bludgeoned until they stop acting like fucking fags. it's christmas season and they don't have shit for sale.

 

[deadtofaunus]

2. I have repeatedly been told that you absolutely need some sort of very slim lens on it to achieve reasonable results. So it needs that thing.

If you don't need an interchangeable lens then perhaps the Sony ZV-1 II fits your needs? My friend acquired one recently and it is absolutely tiny, but the stills performance seems excellent for what it is. Plus it is marketed as a vlogging camera so should fit your video needs as well.

Otherwise, the ZV-E1 and ZV-E10 systems might fulfill your requirements in the interchangeable lens department on paper, but they will obviously be a bit bigger, even with the more compact lens out there. I haven't had any hands-on experience with these platforms but for reference I run an Olympus E-M10 II and I am able to carry it in a small pouch without too much encumbrance. Chart for visual comparison:



Edit: A few more options for size comparison. Note the D-Lux 7 is basically the same size as the D-Lux 8 as far as I can tell.

 

[DavidS877]

Are its sensors and lenses so much better than nip lenses that it is worth that price?

Generally Leica's sensors and most other internals are Panasonic so the same as the Lumix line. The lenses will usually be specifically Leica, but I'm not sure that means nearly as much as it used to and at the low end it may not be any different at all.

You'll notice how suspiciously these two match:

In reality, you're paying for this:

Which, to be fair, depending on where you are you might want to cover it with electrical tape.

 

[Null]

If I buy the Panasonic LX100 II, should I buy any kind of polarizing lens with it to get better results out of the box with low IQ picture taking

I imagine taking a lot of pictures indoors at certain places (i.e. museums) but there's also specific outdoor things where I want to capture light accents correctly

 

[deadtofaunus]

If I buy the Panasonic LX100 II, should I buy any kind of polarizing lens with it to get better results out of the box with low IQ picture taking

I imagine taking a lot of pictures indoors at certain places (i.e. museums) but there's also specific outdoor things where I want to capture light accents correctly

You might want a ND filter for daytime photography given the aperture range on it.

A polarizing filter can provide interesting results if you don't mind experimenting on the go. I shoot a lot of low-light (night photography) and I do not use one. I would not recommend one for indoors photography either.

It usually isn't much money though so no real loss if you want to try any of these out.

Do note the LX100 II does not have USB-C.

 

[Null]

Do note the LX 100 II does not have USB-C.

It also doesn't have any video stabilization...

 

[DavidS877]

polarizing

They can be handy at times. They're cheap for any camera with front threads on the lens, looks like the LX100 II has 43mm. A cheap polarizer is $20, an expensive one is $60.

I've almost never used them. These days the color can be improved in post. They are handy for removing reflections from glass/water/etc just like your polarizing sunglasses, if you have those. I carried one for some city shots from inside a hotel room, but I found it worked better to turn off all the hotel room lights and wrap a towel around the camera lens. They do reduce light somewhat(typically 1-2 stops. 1/2 to 1/4 in normal people terms) so outdoors is fine but indoors for say shooting stuff behind glass it can get you into the range of blur from camera shake and a long exposure or needing to boost the ISO to compensate.

Of course some people swear by them.

I was trying to find some stuff from my collection but I realized that pretty much everything has been shared and is likely on image search websites.

It also doesn't have any video stabilization...

Do you expect to be doing hand-held video often?

 

[Null]

i hate photography so much and i haven't even bought a camera. the horrible business practices, inconsistent advice, fake competition between subsumed brands, the horrific youtuber influencer reviews - truly a shockingly awful field, and I am convinced it is so large so that college boys can ask girls to get naked for them under the guise of art

Do you expect to be doing hand-held video often?

Not particularly, but it would be nice to have. Without any stab it might as well not have the feature at all though, because it will always produce better video with a phone.

 

[DavidS877]

Not particularly, but it would be nice to have. Without any stab it might as well not have the feature at all though, because it will always produce better video with a phone.

I just checked the specs, it does have video stabilization.
But, wait, you say...

Yes, fine, there's 2 flavors.
One flavor the camera crops the image recorded and if shake is detected then the camera uses different parts of the image and records those instead.
Other flavor Optical Image Stabilization the camera physically moves the lens or sensor to compensate and keep the image centered in real time using gyroscopic sensors.

It has flavor B, OIS. So, it's not as advanced as some later models.

Depending on your needs you can also further improve videos in post.

Avoid analysis paralysis, pick something, use it, decide if you hate it and go back to a phone or decide to go all-in and get a Nikon Z9.

 

[Null]

Ok, I bought one. Will report back later.