Since I can't get in to Canon vs Nikon debate (SONYhoto: owner) I do have a gear question for everyone. What are you using for a bag?
I started off with a small Pelican to hold the camera w/ kit lens and everything that came with it. It worked great and while a bit awkward still fit in my back pack for hiking. As I added a couple of longer zoom lenses I grabbed a cheap bag that basically fits two lenses and some accessories (if you don't plan to put the body in it). and used that combo last year in combination with the Pelican. Since then I have added 3 more Minolta lenses to the mix including the "beer can" lens which is fairly long for a 200mm lens. I picked up a used 1600 Pelican but still need to order the foam and this will be a great long term storage solution, and will even work well with a lot of trips in the 4Runner. However we all know you probably won't need 6 lenses at any single event. Especially not the 6 lenses that I have right now. So what I am looking for is something that fits in my MR2 Spyder (tricky part here) and holds the camera and a couple of lenses (including the tall beer can which I will have to measure), and doesn't make me feel like I am grossly overpaying for a backpack with some velcro sewn into it(the hardest part so far). Don't get me wrong I'm okay with a cheaper solution as long as the cost matches the construction.
and sorry no picture to post today... I'll try harder next time lol
Since I can't get in to Canon vs Nikon debate (SONYhoto: owner) I do have a gear question for everyone. What are you using for a bag?
I started off with a small Pelican to hold the camera w/ kit lens and everything that came with it. It worked great and while a bit awkward still fit in my back pack for hiking. As I added a couple of longer zoom lenses I grabbed a cheap bag that basically fits two lenses and some accessories (if you don't plan to put the body in it). and used that combo last year in combination with the Pelican. Since then I have added 3 more Minolta lenses to the mix including the "beer can" lens which is fairly long for a 200mm lens. I picked up a used 1600 Pelican but still need to order the foam and this will be a great long term storage solution, and will even work well with a lot of trips in the 4Runner. However we all know you probably won't need 6 lenses at any single event. Especially not the 6 lenses that I have right now. So what I am looking for is something that fits in my MR2 Spyder (tricky part here) and holds the camera and a couple of lenses (including the tall beer can which I will have to measure), and doesn't make me feel like I am grossly overpaying for a backpack with some velcro sewn into it(the hardest part so far). Don't get me wrong I'm okay with a cheaper solution as long as the cost matches the construction.
and sorry no picture to post today... I'll try harder next time lol
[MENTION=25366]IntoTheVoid[/MENTION], where were these taken?
Since I can't get in to Canon vs Nikon debate (SONYhoto: owner) I do have a gear question for everyone. What are you using for a bag?
i use lowepro gear. i think its probably the best stuff out there for soft cases. but when i go to afganistan ill be using pelican stuff too.
Not sure if your looking for a sling pack, but I just got the Naneu Correspondent C7, and so far I'm happy with it. It fits the two kit lenses with a Canon T3i and a battery pack. It also has a couple pockets for filters, batteries, and a memory card pouch. I just got it so I haven't been able to really put it through its paces, but it seems well built.
mind you i do not have a tripod, so these were exceedingly hard to get, i probably shot over 400 pics at this spot... thankfully i have a digital, other wise this would of been a lot of money down the drain in film. this one shoot just made the digital switch pay for it self alone.
It may have been mentioned but how do y'all do the effect where the stars are going across the sky? Is that just leaving the shutter open or wouldn't that let too much light in?
It may have been mentioned but how do y'all do the effect where the stars are going across the sky? Is that just leaving the shutter open or wouldn't that let too much light in?
Mostly, yes...just leaving the shutter open to record the movement. You could get too much light depending on how bright the area is that you're in. It can take a bit of trial and error to get the settings right.
Usually you'll want to open up the lens aperture as much as possible (lowest F number). The next thing to adjust would be the ISO. If you leave the shutter open long enough to get star trails, then you usually don't need to worry about raising the ISO much (if at all) since you really don't need anything other than the stars lit up. If you're in a great spot to see stars fill the sky, then more than likely there won't be much out there brighter than the stars.
The higher the ISO, especially in dark conditions like that...the more likely you are to get noise in the pic. The lower the ISO, the longer the shutter needs to stay open to expose the same picture correctly. A good starting point is the lowest F number and the lowest ISO, then set the shutter for a minute or so...and see what you get from that in terms of exposure. Start adjusting the shutter speed longer and longer till you start to see too much light. That's when you'd need to then think about adjusting the ISO higher...or using a neutral density filter.
i'll agree to most of this. i'd try to keep the ISO under 800 if possible, otherwise it'll be too noisy. also instead of doing a long-@ss xx-minute exposure, do multiple long exposures and then photoshop them hoes together to make one picture. hay, star trails.