Digital Camera Tips

[Cosmica]

Hiyas

Im just getting into this camera stuff at parties, and thought a thread about how to take great pictures would be a good thing for those who are currently trying this or those wanting to get involved.

So, do you have any tips to share about taking photos at parties?

What camera do you use currently and does it serve your purpose?

Preferred camera brands and models? Which cameras get the best shots?

What settings are good for laser work?

Where is the best place to stand when doing laser work or taking shots of DJs?

Or is it just a matter of pointing and shooting?

[breaksRbest]

I used to be a photographer and took shots at clubs for some of the streetpress mags.
the number 1 rule for ANY photographer (IMHO) is composition. The angle or position that you take the photo from can make all the difference. I've even asked for permission to stand on the Bar to get a good shot.
If all your shots are taken from front-and-centre then they will be fairly boring. Even when taking photos of punters in the club, try and make it a little interesting.

play around with the camera and see which modes work better indoors. and also 'trick' the camera and manually increase the shutter speed (if your camera allows). The beauty of having a digi camera is that you dont have to develop shitloads of photos, just find a good pozzie to shoot from, take a pic, change some setings on the camera and take another one. then repeat these steps. You cant do that with an SLR unless you're wealthy enought to develop hundreds of shots.

Oh and, NEVER annoy/bump/blind the DJ!

what sort of camera do you have?

the best shots I've seen came from a SonyDSCS85,
cost about $1 600. but it's 4.1 Megapixels and has a Carl Zeiss lens (really good lenses)

[Cosmica]

hi Breaks

I first started out with a small Kodak 3600, which is basically a point and shoot with no shutter speed manual or anything else fancy.

This did fine but was limiting under low light, surprisingly it worked well for lasers, but the resolution was just too small.

I then recently tried out a Nikon Coolpix 5700, and found the camera to have a tonne of manual features, probably too many for doing work in a club/rave, because you spend half your time just adjusting the settings. But it is a really nice camera more designed for studio/macro work or landscapes.

I then took this camera back to try out the Sony F707. This is another 5 megapixel camera with 5 * optical zoom, and has laser assist for indoor work. The only problem with this camera I see is the laser will not be able to be used when pointing it at DJs etc it may be annoying, but it has some good manual focus settings on it so this can be worked around.

When taking shots of the DJ, often you have to use flash so its a little difficult not to annoy them, but I am sure most DJs are used to having many photos of them taken, so I dont see this as a huge problem just as long as you arent right in their face.

Take it easy, and thanks for the reply.

James.

[Cosmica]

Also,

The Nikon took a long time to autofocus under low light, which can be a pain with dancers because once you are focussed they have sinced moved.


The F707 also has the Carl Zeiss Lens, and am going to be testing it out this weekend so will hopefully grab some nice shots.

It is a test run though so Im not expecting miracles, still learning the camera.

[rezok]

*shudders at the thought of owning an F707*:offchops: :offchops: :offchops:

[Cosmica]

Hiya Rezok

Sony are about to release the predecessor to the F707, perhaps in about 6 months time.

I simply couldnt wait though, but I would expect the predecessor to be even better.

I figured if I got the 707 now I could always upgrade if I desired, once you have a few memory sticks updating the same make is made easier.

[rezok]

Word. :offchops:

[Juggalo Muli]

i have the sony DSP-SP5 (something like that) the 3.2mega pixel one. THis is a very cool camera, i love it.

I find for DJ and People shots a low level flash with high exporsure works best. But sometimes i need to use a higher flash.

For lasers and lighting i use no flash with high exposure on the 400 speed. Or sometimes i use the "night mode" which leaves the lense open for ages and can bring across some really cool pics, this can also be cool when the dj is going crazy with his hands as they are all blurred.

Plus i take some High Qualty movies on my 128mb memory stick which can record at total of 90mins worth, but the battery probaly wouldnt last that long. I love to get a few short clips of the crowd going off, its mad when u get home and look at the movies brings a big smile :D

Hope thats helps

Muli

[elixir]

I use a Pentax Optio 330 - 3.3mp, 3x zoom. I think they're about $1000 now, I got mine 6 months ago for $1300. Unless you are semi-professional, 3mp should be enough for your needs.

The autofocus isn't good in low light, but I use manual focus/shutter speed etc. anyway. I chose this camera because it has most of the manual functions, as well as point-and-shoot capability with fully automatic mode. Its very small, slightly larger than a deck of cards... so great to take to clubs.

But as breaksRbest mentioned, composition is the most important thing. A good camera doesn't mean you will instantly be taking good shots!

I found this site very helpful:

http://dpreview.com/

[Cosmica]

Dpreview is an excellent site.

[Candyflip]

I've been taking photos in clubs for about 4 years now, over 2 years for ITM.

I started life in 1999 with a Canon Powershot A50 (1 megapixel), only ever using the internal flash (usually none at all), which did the most amazing work for me at Frantics and large Docks parties etc. I then replaced that with a Canon G2 (4 megapixel) this year and a Canon 220EX speedlite external flash. I still take the A50 out with me as a backup in case the G2 fucks up (which it never does).

I'm still getting to know the camera, although it is worth the effort involved. Manual is really the only sensible option with a 'pro-sumer' camera like this and taking everything this way takes time and effort to learn. But its coming together. It's very comfortable to use, lightweight, performs much faster than the old A50, one battery will last all night over hundreds of shots and gives much better results overall. The flipping LCD screen is a godsend for 'over-the-crowd' shots that were near impossible with the old A50.

The next step would be a Canon D60, but I'll want to be selling a lot more photos before I shell out the big reddies for that ($8000+)!!! {:-(

My advice on taking good club shots is to never ever use an internal flash on the cheaper camera models, as it just washes out everything it touches. Faces look bland, clothing colour disappears and the backgrounds get bleached. And you can forget about capturing lighting with normal metered flash. Instead, find the 'pre-flash' setting (or Night Mode, as someone else pointed out) and start letting the natural ambient light 'fill' your photos. Then post process them with Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro (whatever you can afford) to really bring out the colours, light and movement. Always sharpen and bring up the contrast a little at least.

And finally, be brief with your portfolio. Just because you can take 200 photos in a night now (the 'film' is free!), doesn't mean you should be displaying all 200! The most good photographers can expect out of 300 shots in a night is about 10% worth displaying (my experience). If you can get more that don't repeat themselves, good luck to you...

my 2 cents.. ;)

[Juggalo Muli]

yea photoshop etc... is a need to get those colours to really show out ;)

And i usually take around 200 shots (maybe more) and post around 30 - 60 up on itm but usually around 40

[Juggalo Muli]

these are some cool effects u can get if you leave the lense open longer:

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/albums/190702-subs6thbday/aak.sized.jpg

and

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/albums/190702-subs6thbday/aai.sized.jpg

and this is a cool laser shot that i love

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/albums/190702-subs6thbday/abj.sized.jpg

its like ure inside the laser ;D

[ponsdale]

Originally posted by Candyflip

And finally, be brief with your portfolio. Just because you can take 200 photos in a night now (the 'film' is free!), doesn't mean you should be displaying all 200! The most good photographers can expect out of 300 shots in a night is about 10% worth displaying (my experience). If you can get more that don't repeat themselves...


Yep, Candyflip has the right idea. what ever you do, make sure you edit your collection tightly. There is no point posting up photos that are very blurry or repetitive. It detracts from the rest of your folio.

I use a Sony DSCS85 as mentioned by breaks and it rocks. I've had it nearly a year and taken on 3,800 shots but am still learning how to use it properly. Something different every time.

The joy of digital is that you can experiment to your hearts content, check it on the spot and just delete what you don't like.

Tips with shooting the dj.... be conscious of where your flash is aiming and shoot across or from above to keep it out of their eyes. Smile and let them know where you are and what you are doing (subtly).

Watch out for smoke machines and smokey rooms - a photographers worst enemy (most of the time). Yes, you can get good shots through them but remember to turn your flash off if you try.

Most of all, have fun and think laterally....

pons

[MattD]

well since im not a professional photographer, or hell an amature one at that, i got me a cannon ixus v2 for sheer portability..

as far as buying one, work out what camera you want (4ish megapixel, manual exposure control at least if your doing semi pro work) and shop around, and if youve got any friends going o/s get them to bring you one back in..

btw the duty limit on inbound goods is 400$, altho they wont charge you gst unless its > 50$.. so you can effectively bring back 900$ per person of goods without gst....

and cameras are a LOT cheaper o/s.. i got my ixus v2 for 670$.. they retail for 1k here...

just make sure you get a camera that works well under low light conditions if your planning on doing club work.. the canon seems to do *ok*, but in medium light conditions it can be a bit dark on automatic settings ( i told you i wasnt a photographer :)

anyway, happy shooting :)

Matt D

[DAS 18]

i like them pic's jug

[Juggalo Muli]

thanks das ;)

[smack bob]

5 mins left in lunch so i'll be quick

was using IXus the first one

now using Canon G2 (good camera needs better digi focus and a few other things but is good)

Get in close to your subject

Make people get excited your taking there pic

Be excited about taking their pic

Look at other people pics you find good and figure out what makes them good

Try to use lowish ISO on your camera if you can cos higher ISO makes em grainey (if you care about that)

Little bit of flash and then a long exposure (the flash gives you a sharp view of your subject and then the long exposure fills in the low light background with lotsa o colour)

Pics of laser after laser looks cool and is easy as to take a pic of, challenge yourself to do better with every pic you take


http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/james.mills/images/024.jpg

Get in close to your subject
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/james.mills/images/056.jpg


http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/james.mills/ (http://)

Cheapest digicameras i could find

http://www.digicamera.com.au/digicamera2002/homepage4.asp (http://)

Good review site
http://www.dpreview.com/ (http://)

PM or email me be happy to help you out

Also check out sydney morning herald metro section 2/8/02 parra leagues club article the pic is mine !! MY first published pic!! WOO HOO ;D

[funque]

Has anyone tried some subtle photoshop effects? Some obvious ones would be to remove red-eye, but it could be interesting to add strange objects in the shadows, give people a digital makeover, digitally bomb in context (not just put a logo or name in the corner) etc.

Any thoughts?

[Candyflip]

Yep, check the photos I did of Paul Mac at the Melbourne Forum last month:

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020719-paulmac

Photo 1 was a very average photo, digitized and manipulated to within an inch of it's not very precious life with Photoshop 5.5 and some plug-in filters. Looks wayyyy better blown up to A4 size.

Or check this one at the St.Kilda Festival in 1999:

http://www.xpose.biz/images/stkildafest_2000_comp.jpg

The entire sky has been replaced with one of my own choosing...

Or these:
http://www.xpose.biz/images/bbbbrrrrrrr.jpg
http://www.xpose.biz/images/blue_light_dancer.jpg

Anything is possible, if you only believe, children.. :-D

[funque]

Dem be some seriously nice pics.

I particularly enjoyed the sky...

What do they look like when you blow them up pretty big? Like, big enough to put on your wall once laser printed?

[Candyflip]

If you take the images with enough quality to begin with (like in RAW format using a 4 mega+ camera) then yes, blown up to poster size, they look fantastic.

But don't try to blow up the ones I'm showing you above: these are low quality JPEG's and would come out no bigger than a passport size shot at any decent sort of quality. I have the higher grade ones in my stash... :p

[Cancerous]

I bought a FujiFilm6800 - for $1700. Can comfortably put out 3-4Mpixel shots without a problem. When getting up around the 6Mpixel end the shots maybe a fraction grainy though, but still quite acceptable. Have not blown these shots up yet...but they look awesome on the Pc desktop at 2800x2200 res.

Camera equipped with a 128Mb card can stack on 1300Vga shots or any combination of avi flics/audio and stills. The 601 has come out recently...both models have a decent sized Lcd and some pretty cool features. A very solid constructed body fits any shirt pocket.

Check 'em out on dpreview's site as mentioned above. Very detailed analysis, but do remember even this site can be tainted by bias at times.


Cancerous.

[subpiXel]

Here's my tip - always have your camera with you. :o)

I don't know anything about photography (theory-wise). I have fun taking photos, and for some reason people seem to like 'em, so I'll probably keep doing what I'm doing for a while.

I am aware that most of my shots are average at best, but I'm not shooting portraits in a studio, so I don't have much control over the subject matter.

Perhaps if (when) I get a camera with more manual options I'll change my habits.

Current camera: Canon Digital Ixus V.

Cheers, G.

[kerplunk]

i have a SONYDSC-p9. it's got an mpeg recorder too. it's 4.0 megapixels...

does anyone know much about this model? ie, how i can take good piccies with it's settings. how do i change shutterspeed on it, if i can at all?

my email is da_funky_monk@hotmail.com if anyone wants to help me out

[Kazi]

Originally posted by Cosmica
Hiyas

Im just getting into this camera stuff at parties, and thought a thread about how to take great pictures would be a good thing for those who are currently trying this or those wanting to get involved.

So, do you have any tips to share about taking photos at parties?

What camera do you use currently and does it serve your purpose?

Preferred camera brands and models? Which cameras get the best shots?

What settings are good for laser work?

Where is the best place to stand when doing laser work or taking shots of DJs?

Or is it just a matter of pointing and shooting?


Cosmica- I am glad that you posted this one - I was going to - but havent got round too it and Ive had similar questions! Nice one!
I am looking at getting the Nikon coolpix 885 - anyone know about this one??

[Cosmica]

hi Kazi

The coolpix series are very popular, they have the swivel body which is great for taking strange shots, ie, over the head etc.

I tried out the latest Coolpix, being the 5700. I liked the camera but I just found it difficult to use, perhaps a bit too many features for what I wanted. Also, I found it difficult to manage at low light. I didnt give it much of a chance though, only about a week, but wanted to try the F707 out. I tried this at Belfast 10 in melbourne on the weekend. The photos came out a little underexposed, but I was using the wrong settings, and light was very low around the DJ console, so i feel I will improve on these.

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020803-Belfast10?&page=1

I dont know much about the 885 other than there are a lot of other coolpix that came out to replace or supercede this camera, so my advice would be to check out www.dpreview.com

There may be others around who use this camera, Ive heard the 995 was good, the 4500 is the latest swivel body coolpix with 4 megapixel and 4*zoom.

The size of the camera wasnt a problem, either way you have to lug around a camera, and even if it fits in your pocket you cant dance because you may damage the camera (precision electronics).

Catchya!

[Kazi]

Originally posted by Cosmica
hi Kazi

The coolpix series are very popular, they have the swivel body which is great for taking strange shots, ie, over the head etc.

I tried out the latest Coolpix, being the 5700. I liked the camera but I just found it difficult to use, perhaps a bit too many features for what I wanted. Also, I found it difficult to manage at low light. I didnt give it much of a chance though, only about a week, but wanted to try the F707 out. I tried this at Belfast 10 in melbourne on the weekend. The photos came out a little underexposed, but I was using the wrong settings, and light was very low around the DJ console, so i feel I will improve on these.

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020803-Belfast10?&page=1

I dont know much about the 885 other than there are a lot of other coolpix that came out to replace or supercede this camera, so my advice would be to check out www.dpreview.com

There may be others around who use this camera, Ive heard the 995 was good, the 4500 is the latest swivel body coolpix with 4 megapixel and 4*zoom.

The size of the camera wasnt a problem, either way you have to lug around a camera, and even if it fits in your pocket you cant dance because you may damage the camera (precision electronics).

Catchya!

Thank you very much Cosmica!!!
:D
Lots of great tips there! I found the 885 a bit big - so I ended up getting ( well hopefully today) the Sony DSCP9 - A friend recommended it and looks alright so fingers crossed - I got a good deal on it too!
I am quite excited to take it out with me this weekend! ha

Thanks again - much appriciated!
:p

[Cosmica]

Hi Kazi


I think you cant go wrong with the sony's, they are good for low lighting.

:)

[Cosmica]

Let us know how it goes!

[djdrey]

I use the Sony DSC-S50. It's getting a bit old now, but is a 2.1Mpixel camera. I'm not a photography nut, and have little actual technical knowledge, but I seem to have been able to get some cool stuff out of it.

The S50 (as with the other Sony digi's) has some really good controls available for low-light modes, which allow you to really get the most out of the ambient lighting. I also bought an add-on wide-angle lense, which, if there's enough light, really takes some cool shots.

As most of the other people have mentioned, some things to watch out for:

* don't use the flash for productions shots
* if there's heavy smoke being used, your flash is virtually useless - turn it off.
* make sure you frame your subjects properly. Shots of punters look much better close up rather than far away with lots of background.
* I often use infinite focus for dark shots. This makes sure the camera doesn't get confused and try to auto-focus like mad - your camera may behave differently.
* get a big memory card. I use a 128mb & 64Mb card. If you're shooting in hi-res (2048+), you'll want 256Mb or more..
* use your flash for photos of people, coupled with a lo-shutter speed. You'll keep some of the ambient lighting around and behind them, while ensuring they are nice and visible.


You can check out my shots here:
http://www.inthemix.com.au/gallery/index.php?authid=1
(though the oldest ones - June 2000 and older, are with an analog Canon IXUS APS camera)

[Candyflip]

Yeah, not bad, for an HTML-Monkey...

:lol:

[Cosmica]

Hey Guys

A thought just occurred to me. What happens when you point yoru camera CCD (the thingo that controls your pixels behind the lens) at the laser?


I did some research on the net and found that pointing the camera at the laser can do damage to your CCD.

Has anyone had problems with this before? Any tips on harm minimisation?

[Kazi]

Originally posted by djdrey
I use the Sony DSC-S50. It's getting a bit old now, but is a 2.1Mpixel camera. I'm not a photography nut, and have little actual technical knowledge, but I seem to have been able to get some cool stuff out of it.

The S50 (as with the other Sony digi's) has some really good controls available for low-light modes, which allow you to really get the most out of the ambient lighting. I also bought an add-on wide-angle lense, which, if there's enough light, really takes some cool shots.

As most of the other people have mentioned, some things to watch out for:

* don't use the flash for productions shots
* if there's heavy smoke being used, your flash is virtually useless - turn it off.
* make sure you frame your subjects properly. Shots of punters look much better close up rather than far away with lots of background.
* I often use infinite focus for dark shots. This makes sure the camera doesn't get confused and try to auto-focus like mad - your camera may behave differently.
* get a big memory card. I use a 128mb & 64Mb card. If you're shooting in hi-res (2048+), you'll want 256Mb or more..
* use your flash for photos of people, coupled with a lo-shutter speed. You'll keep some of the ambient lighting around and behind them, while ensuring they are nice and visible.


You can check out my shots here:
http://www.inthemix.com.au/gallery/index.php?authid=1
(though the oldest ones - June 2000 and older, are with an analog Canon IXUS APS camera)

Wow! Hmm makes taking a photo sound way too complicated! ha
Ill be standing there for hours just working it all out! :lol:

[djdrey]

Originally posted by Cosmica
I did some research on the net and found that pointing the camera at the laser can do damage to your CCD.

I've thought about that - but I've been pointing my camera into some damned bright lasers for over 2 years now and it doesn't seem any worse for wear.

Anyone else had any experience in this area?

[ponsdale]

Kazi,

don't stress about settings when you start to take shots. that's the true joy about digital cameras - you can shoot all day and worry about how they look later. Just play with it and then start to work out what looks good.

Cosmica, Drey,

I haven't done any serious aiming at lasers, so I can't shed any light on this topic (pun intended). My advice would be simply to avoid it where possible, but then what about aiming at the sun during the day.

/me goes home to consult his sony manual about that one...

[Cosmica]

I fucked a video camera

Had it pointed at the lasers for about3-4 hours over the course of 4 parties, the CCD developed black spots.

This is a video CCD, which means you are always holdiong it on one spot and it is always recording, a digital still cam may be different but the only difference I see is the amount of time it is held to the laser. Lasers are thermal (hot) light, which can basically burn out your circuitry.

But not entirely sure about digital stills and the the threat to them, which is what I want to find out.

[Cosmica]

You arent meant to point it at the sun, even when the camera is turned off.

[Juggalo Muli]

Mine dosnt seem to have any damage. The sony camera's are top ones especially the top of the range ones (like the one ihave) the ones over $1000, they have heaps of manual things and im getting some really great shots now.

It took me ages to get used to all the options but once you know your way around the setting you will get some great pics.

Cheers

Muli

[Kazi]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ponsdale
[B]Kazi,

don't stress about settings when you start to take shots. that's the true joy about digital cameras - you can shoot all day and worry about how they look later. Just play with it and then start to work out what looks good.

ponsdale, thanks I guess your right! Well lets wait and see shall we - Ill be taking it out for "its" first time on Friday and ill post the photos next week and we can all have a good laugh at how they turn out !

Actually thats a good point - please criticise my photos (they are bound to need improvement) as I really am interested in this and would love any comments you have!!!

[phunkdust]

In the club i use a small Canon compact - I chuck 200 or 400 ISO film in it... its nice and small and light and i can fit it in my pocket and whip it out anytime to take a shot

I do usually use a sony mavica1000... its a huge beast that records on CD, but it does have a fantastic 10x optical zoom lense. its pretty much SLR format...

Its very big so I haven't tried using it in a club - maybe next year when i start doing live stuff - but it's perfect for low light conditions. I use it mostly for artistic shots...

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation.php?id=83939

(from my now defunct deviantart site)

[djcz]

This thread rips. I was so inspired after reading it on saturday, that on saturday night I took out my girlfriends dads camera to microRAVE and started to get some shots.

I took the advice of creative composition and got some great shots (for my first time) and it was great seeing the results on the computer the next day.

I used a Pentax 4.1Megapixel, with 3x zoom. But was in a rush I didn't have time to read the manual. So trying to work it all out in the dark was interesting. Does anyone know if the Pentax allows the shutter effect that creates those nice photos that Jugs and smack bob pulls?

Im inspired. Can't wait till the opportunity comes up to shoot a big events (transmission, home specials).

Which reminds me. Every week I get sent a list of events to photograph for ITM. If I chose an event, do I get free entry? Will the club personell know im coming, are there hassles at the door?

Anyone in the know about any of this?
Thanks All

CZ

[Candyflip]

DJCJ : contact your local state rep (in that mail you're talking about) and ask them. But in the main, the answers to all your questions are 'yes'. :D

[smack bob]

Originally posted by djcz
Which reminds me. Every week I get sent a list of events to photograph for ITM. If I chose an event, do I get free entry? Will the club personell know im coming, are there hassles at the door?

Anyone in the know about any of this?
Thanks All

CZ

Yes you get you plus one friend in for freeeeeeeee :) Ussually your name will be on the door list and you say hi i am joe blogs from in the mix i am taking pics tonight and this is my plus one and it's all good. I have had hassles at the door maybe like once ever and i think it was just bad organising from the promoters side.

A Cammera with 4.1 MP will most likely be a fairly hi end consumers level camera and will more than likely have shutter speed settings and f stop settings. Another really good one to get used to is flash power. My advise is become a camera junkie to get to know your cammera, wherever you go take your cammera with you. If you are waiting at a bus stop at night practice taking pics of the cars going by (without flash, actually....hmmmm hehehe) and see what type of results you get from different shutter speeds and settings. If you dont have shutter speeds look for the white balence setting. Take pics of anything that would simulate a nightclub environment. (lights at night with ALOT of movement).

All that being said to take a good pic you must know your cammera and what the settings make your pics look like under different lighting conditions and if there is movement etc etc, BUT you need to know this so you can concentrate on looking for interesting things to take pics of. It is all to easy to just take a snap of a gurning crowd with some lasers or some people sitting there smiling. Try to make your pics creative and interesting.

[Cosmica]

bump.....taken any good laser shots recently?

[djcz]

Thanks for the tips bob, much appreciated.
I borrowed the instructions and camera off my gf dad, and have been experimenting and taking notes.
I really do believe that taking good pictures just comes down to experience, sure a good camera is great but without hours on your feet, seeing what works and what doesn't your photo's won't be the best they can be. :p

[Cosmica]

I did some research on the topic of photographing lasers

And have been told that there is no danger of burning out your CCD when shooting lasers, as the camera does not open the shutter long enough for the thermal light of the laser to do damage. The CCD is made of silicon and very hardy. Just dont point it at the sun.


So, snap away :)

[Candyflip]

Good tip, thanks Cosmica.

Must keep this in mind when I shoot the Outback Eclipse Festival for ITM in DEcember this year. Wonder how CCD's go with solar eclipses?!... :p

[raverboy]

Hey all - gota say excellent thread idea.

I am by no means a pro, at best im a complete novice. But since the beginning of this year the ITM Perth Crew (big ups Brad & Luke) have given me the oportunity to cover numerous events for them.

Rather than post a multitude of pictures here (as to reduce your thread download speeds) i shall just give you a link to my albums if you feel like viewing em.

All albums:
Raverboys albums (http://www.inthemix.com.au/gallery/index.php?authid=5830)

Laser/Crowd pix:
Gatecrasher Digital Experience (http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020503-Gatecrasher?&page=2)
Gatecrasher Summer sound System (http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/011202-gcsss)

Slo-Sync flash pix:
BloodSugar (http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020803-BloodSugar)

My current camera is an Oly c4040 zoom 4.1Mpxl, 3xOptical($1750 2months ago), i used to own a magic little Oly c860L but traded up onto the 4040. The 4040 has auto and manual everything.

*Single most important factor when choosing a Digi Cam for club work is: make sure it has an optical viewfinder as well as the lcd , so you can atleast see what your photographing in low light.

Some basic tips i may be able to empart on your wonderful selves are:

*1st rule - Have fun, thats what were there for. This ain work this is what we love doing.
*Compostion is all important. This aint no wedding people. We are here to have fun, so try to show this in your foto's. You'll find most punters are willing to try anything you ask, just as long as they get published. So just ask em to pose.
*Keep ISO as low as poss, like mentioned b4 this will decrease Noise or graininess in the picture. I use ISO100 on all my pics.
*Decide what you want to do with the pix. If your only gona post them on the web - then all you need is a 1Mpxl cam as the desired resolution is 1280X960 or thereabouts.
*The higher the resolution the longer the image processing time of the camera, which in turn negates the benifits of digital cam in the first place as you'll have to wait long periods (anywhere upto 3/4 of a min for 3+ mpxl lo-light pix) between shots. Unless you can afford expensive Sandisk memory which is relatively fast.
*Just recently i have started playing around with Slow-Sync flash, not sure if other cam's have this function, but this enables colorfull backdrops to be taken while retaining clear images of people, some snazzy blurring affects can also be genreated with a little camera movement while the image is processing.
*Take lots of pictures. If youve got the memory card then use it. I personally have 1x128Mb and 2x16Mb cards. It's not uncommon for me to fill the 128 and atleast 1 of the 16's in one nights shooting. The more pix you take the more you have to choose from and the more practice you get.
*Dont get misconstrude that the better? the camera the better your pix. Some of my best shots were taken with my fully auto C860L compact digi. I just kept practicing till i got it right.

Anyways, i think i have completely bored you all now - so i'll stop rambling.

Just remeber people ENJOY.

Gordy.
You can Email me here for rmore info: (gmcdonald@kleenheat.com.au)

[raverboy]

Originally posted by djdrey


I've thought about that - but I've been pointing my camera into some damned bright lasers for over 2 years now and it doesn't seem any worse for wear.

Anyone else had any experience in this area?

I've never had any probs with lasers. My current Oly c4040 has pixel mapping, which enables (still have to see this to belive it) dead pixels to be reincarnated. Not sure whethere this would work on laser damaged ccd's though. Besides surely the hi-shutter speed required for shooting lasers anyways would be conducisive to minimal ccd damge as the shutter shouldn't be open long enough to sustain permanant damage. ideas/thoughts??

ps. Sorry i didnt completely finish reading all this thread before i posted this reply.

[smack bob]

Aiight here is how to get rif of damn red eye in pics
I am tired and want to sleep so will make it fast

1. open pic in photoshop

2. press Q (turns on/off quick layer mask

3. Press D makes your foreground/ background colour black and white

4. press X until black is the foreground colour

5. Zoom in to eyes alot

6. Use paint brush to paint black (it will look red) onto the red of the peoples eyes

7. Press Q again

8. Everything except the eyes will now be selected (it will look like the eyes are selected if you are zoomed in but they are not, everything else is though)

9. pres control + shift + I (or select> inverse) now just the eyes are selected

10. windows> show layers

11. press the little black and white circle thing at the bottom and select hue saturation brightness

12. Drag the saturation slider to the left all the way (eyes will go grey cos you have drained all the colour from them

13. click ok

14. select the layer with the little graph in it

15. there is a little pull down menu that should say normal, click it and select multiply

16. use the opacity slider to lessen the darkness of the eyes if required

17. pres cntrl > D

18. press X until the foreground colour is white

19. create a new layer

20. zoom in on the eyes and then using a v small brush paint white where there is already white (only a TINY bit)

21. give it a very slight gausian blur (in effects) AND USE THE OPACITY OF THE LAYER TO MAKE IT LOOK RIGHT

finished and me go to bed now

[Candyflip]

Raverboy : Yeah, except as you'd know from shooting slow-sync, the shutter time is actually far LONGER when shooting lasers...typically you'll have the speed at anything from 1/10 second to around a full second, without flash, or only using minimal fill.

If what they say about the CCD is true with high intensity beams coming from lasers, that's more than enough time to burn it to a crisp I would have thought....

[Candyflip]

SmackBob : There is an easier way to do this....

http://www.espressographics.com/text/redeye.html (http://http://www.espressographics.com/text/redeye.html)

This red eye tutorial uses the sponge tool, which will cut out a few steps for you.

Nice site for anyone wanting tips on Photoshop and more...

[Cosmica]

Howdy raverboy

I really enjoyed your slow sync photos. I dont think my camera can do that, the coolpix 5700 had it but the F707 does not, oh well, cant have everything.

When i take laser shots I usually have it set to a low apeture, f2-4, shutter speed of anywhere between 1/10 to 1/250, depending on what I want to capture, with low exposure, to highlight the colour. When I want to capture people in the shot with the laser I tend to bump up the exposure, but it is all dependant on how much light is around. Often venues let us photographers down because there is FA light available, making it all a bit difficult.

Te F707 also has an electronic viewfinder, not optical. I am sick of optical viewfinders and find the lcd is fairly good under low light but often you have to hit the shutter half down to light up the picture you are trying to take a pic of.

The f707 is rather large for club work but I dont find it a hindrance, but may consider buying a smaller sony to stick in the pocket for times when I need to sneak one in.

Anyways, take care of yourself, looking forward to more slow sync flash tips, for those of us who dont have this feature and may be able to emulate it with manual features...any ideas?

[raverboy]

Originally posted by Candyflip
Raverboy : Yeah, except as you'd know from shooting slow-sync, the shutter time is actually far LONGER when shooting lasers...typically you'll have the speed at anything from 1/10 second to around a full second, without flash, or only using minimal fill.

If what they say about the CCD is true with high intensity beams coming from lasers, that's more than enough time to burn it to a crisp I would have thought....

Hi Cosmica,
To the best of my knowledge the actully beam of light generated by the Laser Light Machines is actually not a continuous beam is actually a very hi-frequency pulse that looks like a beam. In order to generate the shapes that lasers can make, you require the beam of light to be rapidly switched on & off and move ever so slightly to give the affect of a constant pattern. Therefore the beam will never be on long enough or in the same place long enough to ever do any damage. Also the outut from the lasers is restricted by federal (international law) to be a such a level that permanant damage can not occur from it. That is not to say that you should directly look into the light, but use precaution.
I find that the best laser shots however come from the light refelcting of people and objects rather than looking directly at the beam. To each there own though.
Enjoy,
Gordy

[djcz]

Well, those photos of transmission totally blew me away! Transmission parties are a dance music photographer dream!
Huge effort from andre, dan shaw, muli and co. The night would have had to have been arguably one of the photogenic parties on record.

good work.
PS - Anymore tips n tricks lately?

[breaksRbest]

I just bought a Sony DSCP9 and have noticed several other ITM'ers have the same model.

I'm a little dissapointed with low light level shots. If I use a flash it just bleaches everything and a shot taken in a nice dark and moody club just comes out as if all the lights were on.

If I use the SCN (is this the 'night shot' function people are talking about?) function, it seems I have to use a tripod or just not move a milimetre while the camera 'captures' the image.

If you've got one of these cameras (or a similar model), how have you achieved the best shots in a club or even just in your own house? white balance, exposure level, ISO etc.

I didn't realise till AFTER I bought it that you can't manually adjust shutter speeds or aperture. D'OH. will have to work with what I've got.

I realise that digi photography is trial-and-error, but any tips or hints would be great.

Thanks.

[djcz]

Take comfort BRB that your exeriences have GREATLY influenced my decision. the D9 was heading my list, untill i found out that you couldn'y manually control what i consider to be nessesity functions

[sweep]

I bought a nikon cool pix 5000 a few weeks ago and seem to be having alot of trouble with it. The pics are not turning out the way i want them too, there blurred and ive played around with the settings but it doesnt seem to make a difference.

Has anyone used a coolpix 5000????
Is there any tips anyone can offer me, it would be greatly appreciated.
:blush:

[Cosmica]

sweep,


can you post some pics for us so we can see what the trouble is?


Thanks


James.

[djcz]

I have the same problem.

When i change the shutter speed and apeture value on an Optio 430, my shots come out blurry and rather lifeless. Could this be attributed to not holding the camera still?

Usually what shutter speed settings and apeture settings are best for club work, involving lasers?

[smack bob]

Use flash in conjunction with a slow shutter speed, look for subjects that are not moving but are interesting, also look for light being played across them.

[Cosmica]

OK, about Shutter speed and apeture settings.


Shutter speed: The slower the shutter speed, the more light you are letting in, but the increase risk you will get of blur if you are moving the camera around, it is called "camera shake". To alleviate this, either use a tripod (not viable in clubs) or increase the shutter speed slightly. Generally, anything slower thean 1/15 of a second is running the risk of getting camera shake. However, it is often that you may need to use 1/8 or 1/4 in a club, because there is simply not enough light. If you need to use slower shutter speeds, activate the flash, this will "freeze" the focussed image, but let in a lot of light taking away that "washed out" look you often get in clubs. Often Ill run 1/2 of a second up to 2 seconds with the use of flash. This is usefel when taking photos of DJs and people. also, for the long room shot, when you want to capture the lighting of the room.


Apeture: This is your f stop setting, ie, your lens of your camera may have f2.8-f5.0 or something like that. This is the speed of the lens itself, and allocates how much light will be allowed into the lens. It also effects the depth of field. In low light situations, you want your apeture to be as low as possible, ie f 2.0. You want to let as much light in. This may affect your depth of field so its a trade off.


For lasers, you can use the flash setting with longer shutter speed, or a faster shutter speed without flash. Laser shots are easy, the focus is the hard part, often its easier to set your focus to infinity, then do the back of the room laser shot.

To get rid of blurriness then, make sure your subject is in focus, and make sure you are not suffering too heavily from camera shake. Sometimes, a bit of camera shake adds to the shot, but often, it just ruins it.


Hope this helps guys, good luck!

[feeble]

Open the front bit before you take your photos.

I spent a long time wondering why my pics were all turning out so dark...

[Cosmica]

bump

[Rexxee]

I bought a canon S30 about 4 months ago, and it is bloody awesome, i chose the S30 after many a night going through the forums on dpreview.com.

bought it for $1300, which was good 5 mths ago as most places had it for nearly 1500.......

the only bad thing about the camera is the little toggle switch on the top right hand side you use for the menus and settings and for going thru the pics etc, its a little fiddly.....other than that i would totally recommend this camera....

mmac has borrowed it a few times and now he wants one....(or a dig vid cam)

[breaksRbest]

Cheers Cosmica, love yer work.

I'm still debating whether or not to swap my P9 for the S85, I cant decide between the portability of the P9 and the Manual functions of the S85.

I take my camera everywhere, but thats prolly coz its so tiny. If I went for the larger S85, I dont think I'd carry it with me as often. therefore defeating the purpose.

wish I could have both.XD

[Cosmica]

breaks, I used to think a bigger camera would be a liability.


For the benefit of getting better pictures, Id take an elephant size camera around if I had to.


But its up to you what your priorities are, and if you need to sneak it in or whatever. Sometimes its good to have two camera, one for the high end photo work and the other for portability when the time arises.

[djcz]

Originally posted by Cosmica
Hope this helps guys, good luck!
:lol: Thats the best peice of advice i think ive ever got outta ITM.

[raverboy]

Originally posted by Cosmica
breaks, I used to think a bigger camera would be a liability.


For the benefit of getting better pictures, Id take an elephant size camera around if I had to.


But its up to you what your priorities are, and if you need to sneak it in or whatever. Sometimes its good to have two camera, one for the high end photo work and the other for portability when the time arises.

I agree here. I have now got an FL-40 external flash, polarising filters and lenses to carry around with me. So much so when i purchased the camera i bought a kewl Lowpro camera-Backpack. It easily carrys all my gear and more. For $90 you cant go astray. The difference in qlty from my oldskewl point-n-shoot to this fully manual all the bells and whistles is amazing. But at $3300 you need to ask are you gona get your monies worth. ;D

[Candyflip]

DPREVIEW (http://www.dpreview.com) is still probably the best site in the world to ask and receive answers to all your questions on Digital photography... I use it all the time.... :)

P.S. new shots of Transmission 6 up.... Photoshop altered to within an inch of their tiny meaningless lives.. :lol:

[Cosmica]

I use it all the time too Candyflip, the forums are sensational, especially the Sony forums.

[Cosmica]

Just an update...


The best place to buy a camera? Teds Camera Store. They give you a 45 day return on the camera (if you dont like it, you can swap it for another model) This deal is superb, it cannot be stressed enough. Also, if the camera goes in repairs more than oncxe in a year, you can get a new one. The prices are very competitive.

In Melbourne, i recomend the Chadstone and also the Camberwell Store. These guys are very helpful.


Do not buy from JB Hi Fi. Good for cheaper media devices (memory) but they have a strict return policy. My video camera went into the shop for repairs twice and they would not replace it, also, they gave me a bad sales pitch, I bought the wrong camera for my needs.


So, if you are considering buying, teds is a great place to buy (an d I dont work for them)


Cheers

[Candyflip]

Agreed... Ted's in Elizabeth Street are also worth considering.. they know their product and won't try to rip you off.

[danaele]

Well, ermmm I'm going to go against the trend here, as I have the Nikon Coolpix 885 (since nov last year), and have found it absolutely amazing for the mp and price bracket. I also went with Nikon because the expertise is in photography first, then digital equipment...if that makes sense :)

Anyways, not only is it a digital camera, but it is an SLR camera as well which I find to be a great advantage. I study Graphic Design, and love takin some arty shots ;) However, one of the main features of this camera that convinced me to buy are the scene modes. Pre-set modes controlling shutter speed, aperature etc. For taking photos at events I could never live without it. Within a couple of seconds I can take a crisp clear photo, then swap slowing the shutterspeed down, and get a great photo of the lights.

Anyways, its all up to personal opinion, and like everyone has said before dpreview is really good for all round info. I'd also recommend: http://digicams.net/ as a gateway to more sites on cameras.

If anyone wants more Nikon info then drop me a line. Below are a couple of links to some pix I've taken with that camera:

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020809-paulmac/aad
http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020609-cass/aat
http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos2/020202-bushwacka/aau

[djcz]

danaele, still one of leading ITM photographers.
PS - I never got the stuff you said you were gonna email me?

[danaele]

haha, flattery gets you everywhere :P

the one with all the links/info? I could've sworn I emailed it off...eek...ermm, email me, and remind me *ahem* sowwie

[sweep]

G&V Imaging on George st is the worst camera store i have ever been too!!!!.
They quoted me a really good price over the phone and my sister went in and the quoted her the same price again. I went into the store and they wouldnt sell the camera to me cause they reckoned it was too cheap even thought they quoted the same price over the phone and too my sister.

Anyway after we had spoken to about 4 of the staff and the manager they finally deceided to sell it to me for the price that was quoted.
Ended up taking the camera home to find out that it was broken.
:(

[Cosmica]

I dunno about the Nikon 885c being a DSLR. It has manual setting but does not allow for removable lens etc.

The EOS and D series cameras are more like SLRS.


There is a new CCD technology that has just been released commercially, the Foveon sensor. It is in a new Sigma DSLR and is making big waves at the moment.

Currently we all use bayer/Mosaic sensors for our digital technology. In two-three years, silver nitrate film will be obsolete.

[djcz]

Originally posted by danaele
the one with all the links/info? I could've sworn I emailed it off...eek...ermm, email me, and remind me *ahem* sowwie Nope i'm yet to receive it! czbooger@hotmail.com ;D

[Cosmica]

bump

[Wet Cardboard]

Originally posted by danaele
Well, ermmm I'm going to go against the trend here, as I have the Nikon Coolpix 885 (since nov last year), and have found it absolutely amazing for the mp and price bracket. I also went with Nikon because the expertise is in photography first, then digital equipment...if that makes sense :)



That is what I am considering getting next.

I'm playing with my f707 as we speak but it is really too big and too expensive for club work. I love the thing to death but if it was damaged or went 'walking' there is no way I could afford to replace it on a uni students salary. It kindof just ruins my night having to worry about it the whole time.

At any given point I will have no idea where my friends and loved ones are but that camera... :offchops:

Is there anything anybody knows that I should look out for with the Coolpix 885? It's small and works at a resolution high enough for me. Those are the pros I need... any cons?

Right now for club stuff I use a traditional old Canon, a sexy scanner and Photoshop. The shots from this setup are as good as anything the f707 is capable of. Having said that I'd take the sony everywhere with me if I had a real job. :lol:

[threelittlepigs]

Boys and girls,

I am going to buy a digital camera either this weekend or next. Have just spent the last few hours reading this thread and the other threads and also checked out the dpreview site.

Basically I have no idea which way to go! Everyone has lots of quality advice but there are way too many choices and I am bloody confused. :tripping:

Does anyone have an unbiased suggestion?

I have a good SLR camera already so the digital one will more be for portability and parties etc therefore don't need to go too hardcore with the features. Happy to spend about $1500.

Thanks in advance!

:P

[meandarkdirty]

Another photoshop trick -

* Open pic
* Image -> Adjust -> Levels
* Note the the three eye droppers that sit in the bottom right corner of the Levels window that opens up.
* Select the dark eye dropper and then click on the darkest point on your subject (i.e. the darkest area on the person you're trying to photograph)
* Select the white eye dropper and click on the lightest point on your subject.
*Hit OK on the levels window.

[Cosmica]

If you have 1500 dollars to spend look out for the G2 Canon to drop in price when the G3 is released here in Australia in a month or so.


Also around that price you can pick up a Nikon 4500 (latest upgrade to the 885/990/995 series)


I personally avoid the Nikons because of their low light focussing ability limitations.


For low light work, you want a camera that allows for autofocus assist and a low apeture rating (preferably f2.0-2.4)


Unfortunately only a few prosumer cameras offer this, the G3 does and also the Sony f707/717.

Also, consider the Sony s85, others use this camera to great effectiveness. If I had 1500 dollars to spend Id consider the G2 or the Sony s85.

[helraza]

Originally posted by Kazi



Cosmica- I am glad that you posted this one - I was going to - but havent got round too it and Ive had similar questions! Nice one!
I am looking at getting the Nikon coolpix 885 - anyone know about this one??

check out the green guide that came with Thursdays Age, it had an excellent article on buying a digital camera

[Candyflip]

The Green Guide tips are all for very average middle to low level camera entries... if you have $1500, you're in (or very close to)pro-sumer level and for that, you should be considering the bigger guns from Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fuji.

But, you say you have a great standard format 35mm SLR already and this new one is for the portability factor in clubs? OK, forget $1500. You can get a great 2 megapixel camera now for around $7-800 that will see you through the next 2-3 years comfortably. For a large slice of the last 3 years, I photographed everything I did for ITM with a Canon A50 (1 megapixel) and it produced absolutely beautiful photos... the photographer will always matter as much as the tool.

Take your money to a reputable retail outlet and ask the guy what he has in a $7-800, 2-3 megapixel range. For that, ALL the lower end super flat technology cams are in your range and will provide you with super portability and years of fun shooting in clubs.... it's then personal choice as to what feels right in your hands...

js :D

[threelittlepigs]

Thanks to Cosmica and Candyflip for the advice :)

I'll let you know how I go...

[NextWish]

Eh there,

I've been taking photos for a while now, but I've recently came into the dance scene.

So along with me, came my trusty Cannon G2 digital camera.

I'd highly recommend the G2 camera, or the G3 (soon to come out) to anyone who can afford it ( It's around $1300 right now )

I'm uploading this longweekend's haul of photos as I'm writing up this post.

( Uptopia & The Good Times Sound System )

When they are up, I'll post some of the better shot's I've taken here.

Mean while, there's a few thousand photos from parties and of my kitten over @ http://pics.nextwish.org

[NextWish]

Anyways I've had my camera, for almost 9 months now and I'm still learning.

One of the main reasons I joined up with ITM was that it was a great optitunity to learn more about my camera and meet great people.

None the less, here's some of my better shots :)

http://pics.nextwish.org/albums/Panorama/aag.sized.jpg
Sounds On Sunday @ Greenwood Hotel.

Resized, Original Picture Size [ 5481 x 1199 ]

http://pics.nextwish.org/albums/VG_Wedding/aak.sized.jpg

http://pics.nextwish.org/albums/Panorama/aab.sized.jpg
Photos, from my best friend's wedding.

http://pics.nextwish.org/albums/Kitteh/abs.sized.jpg
My kitteh! :D

One thing I have learned, is that smoke machines are my mortal emeny, they manage to destory the best of photos.

Sometimes, they do provide some really cool shots.

http://pics.nextwish.org/albums/[SoS]15-09-02/acc.sized.jpg

http://pics.nextwish.org/albums/[SoS]15-09-02/acd.sized.jpg

I'll post the URL to my ITM submissions in the morning.

50mb of 154mb uploaded, thank god for 256Mb CF cards o_O

[danaele]

"One thing I have learned, is that smoke machines are my mortal emeny, they manage to destory the best of photos."

I cant stand it either. Drives me nuts! Especially when theres not really enough light to not use a flash :meh:

[Cosmica]

Its a challenge thats for sure!


Thats one of the fun things about it, our style of photography is never easy, makes it all the more fun when you get the great shots under extreme situations.

[Cosmica]

Check these pictures from Dutch bloke who posted them to dpreview.com under the sony forum


http://dance.student.utwente.nl/~party/index.php?SECTION=gallery;ACTION=single;PARTYID=11 1;PUSERID=317


Nice shots.


He used a Canon Ixus V

[danaele]

definitely - ive come up with some of the best shots under the weirdest conditions. Always a suprise thats for sure :)

now just time to try and start savin for a 5mp camera. Anyone wanna donate to my cause? :P

[raverboy]

Gota agree there. The bain of any club/event photographer - the smoke machine. Gosh darn evil stoopid device. The sooner the club realises this the better...lol

I have this theory that smoke machines are only used in those clubs/events that dont draw a big crowd; used to cover up the fact that no1 is in attendance.

Beofre you say it - i know this is a completely unfounded theory, but a theory nonetheless. :blush: :blush:

Bring on then Olympus C5050. Actually i'd love an E20 myself.

[NextWish]

My mate owns a E20, he's too scared to bring it out clubbing thou :)

If your ever seen one, you'd understand why :)

[threelittlepigs]

Slightly off topic but that second last photo of NextWish's contains arguably the biggest gurn ever caught on camera. The guy looks like he paying homage to the devil or something.

[raverboy]

High all,
Anyone get any new funky x-mas present's over the break. It appears this thread hasn't been used in a while so.... BUMP....

[sofu]

-Never, under any circumstances, smear fresh cow shit over the lense. ^_^

kthxbi�

[larz]

Originally posted by sofu
-Never, under any circumstances, smear fresh cow shit over the lense. ^_^

kthxbi�

Thnx sofu that was a great advice! ^___^

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally posted by Cosmica
If you have 1500 dollars to spend look out for the G2 Canon to drop in price when the G3 is released here in Australia in a month or so.


Also around that price you can pick up a Nikon 4500 (latest upgrade to the 885/990/995 series)


I personally avoid the Nikons because of their low light focussing ability limitations.


For low light work, you want a camera that allows for autofocus assist and a low apeture rating (preferably f2.0-2.4)


Unfortunately only a few prosumer cameras offer this, the G3 does and also the Sony f707/717.

Also, consider the Sony s85, others use this camera to great effectiveness. If I had 1500 dollars to spend Id consider the G2 or the Sony s85.
If the G2 is a bit pricey for you you also might want to consider the Casio QV4000. This camera uses the same lens as the G2 (f2.0, 3x zoom) and has pretty much all the features of the canons (including the all-important af-assist), about the only thing it is missing is manual ISO and the funky flip out LCD panel that the Canon has. It also uses AA rechargeables rather than a proprietory battery type so its cheap to buy spares to carry with you and if your batteries run out you can always grap a set from a 7-11 if you have to. Its almost identical to the G series canons in size and weight and can be picked up for around $1200 (I scored mine brand new on ebay for $820 ;D ) Dpreview highly reccomends it. review here (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/casioqv4000/)

[silvaside]

im tossing up between an ixus v3 or powershot s45
i like the size of the v3 but i would have not have the manual controls the s45 has..

[threelittlepigs]

After much deliberation I bought a sony DSCP7 a few months ago and it fucking rocks. I couldn't recommend it enough in terms of picture quality, ease of use and the mpeg movies function is awesome (go the home pornos!).

The images are so much clearer than my Minolta SLR. Unless major manual settings are required I think it's going to be digital all the way from here.

If it helps anyone, digital cameras are cheapest in Hong Kong followed by Canada. No idea why they are so cheap in Canada but I paid less than AUD$800 for my camera and a 128Mb memory stick when in Australia the same package has an RRP of $1350. I also bought my little bro a IXUS VIII & a 128 Compact Flash card for just under AUD$700.

Comparing the SONY to the Canons (P7 vs IXUSVIII)
- canon is smaller
- sony is lighter
- canon takes 30 sec Quick Time AVI movies
- sony takes much better quality MPEG movies (length only restricted by the size of your memory stick)
- canon is more sturdy/solid
- sony takes better quality images
- canon takes longer to load/view images through the viewfinder.
- sony is more expensive but definitely worth it

[hyperdimension]

Originally posted by raverboy
Gota agree there. The bain of any club/event photographer - the smoke machine. Gosh darn evil stoopid device. The sooner the club realises this the better...lol


In a slightly ironic way, smoke is need to be able to see lasers.
Lasers are invisble without smoke.

I have an Olympus C-960, it's over 2 years old now. Back then amateur photography at dance events was rare, so people were amazed at my camera and surprised at how many photos I'd take and how they could immediately see how the photo turned out.

The club/rave environment is a good playground for experimenting with lighting in photos. I especially love laser shots, and I have lots of very interesting and spectacular ones. Hardcore raves, e.g. Utopia, Mystic, Scattered seemed to have much better lasers than other kinds of events. I've been disappointed for a long time how recent non-rave events have had little or no lasers, even if it's a special event like an Armin, Ferry Corsten, or Tiesto (Two Tribes 2002) gig.

I try to avoid using flash as much as possible because the photos just don't look "natural". I often wait until the lighting in the club becomes bright enough to see people's faces, like bright white or yellow, then take a crowd shot. It can be frustrating though, because often you have to be prepared for when that opportunuity arises, otherwise you miss out and have to wait for the lighting again!

Red lighting and lasers have a very interesting effect, you get to see some yellow and pink in the resulting image.

Before purchasing my camera I made specifically sure that it would perform well in low light. It's very important for the club/rave environment.

Do any of you make money from your shots?


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid5/p5088fa0f0340a436f2ec21f2f54d6144/fe43fb2e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid5/p04152a659e9696cf0bafdf79d2f481b2/fe43efdd.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid4/p08bfcd90469e7628f3325639860e3cd2/fe4e9b59.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid4/p7499737b8435cf8815a5fb39a91f79dd/fe4e9851.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid5/p6fc63d7b9ce8cf325ba77d518a4914b2/fe43fbd6.jpg

[Cosmica]

nice photos!

[SpaceMonkey]

Does anyone else think an ITM photographers meetup at a forthcomoing event to swap tips and tricks would be a cool idea? (assuming some of you photo gurus aren't jealously guarding your secrets!) This thread is cool but it's a long way from being in a club and it's sometimes hard to remember all the cool tips you've read on ITM when your try to take pics at 2am! (especially when you're a dumb-ass like me who has trouble remembering what his camera settings do :P )

[Cosmica]

If you are ever in melbourne Id be happy to hook up with you and take some pics.


Some of the Melbourne photgraphers know each other more or less and we see each other out quite regularly.

[hyperdimension]

You guys in Melbourne better take some great shots at Two Tribes 2003, and put them online. I'm disappointed there are none online for last year's Two Tribes, niether Melbourne nor Sydney.

[Cosmica]

hyperdimension,


sometimes events do not allow for photography or give out the rights to ITM for photography.


Usually future entertainment does, so I do not know what the problem was with last year.


BDO may not be covered in Melbourne for this exact reason.

[Cosmica]

Sometimes things work out though, a photographer in the kindness of their heart may take a camera in when they also have to pay for the event.

Just for the love of it.

[SpaceMonkey]

Does anyone know of a good shop in the city to buy CF cards? I want a 256mB card and obviosly want to pick it up as cheap as possible (as long as it's a reasonably fast card). I can get them online for around $180, (200ns read access, 10us write access), how good is this?

[hyperdimension]

Originally posted by Cosmica
Sometimes things work out though, a photographer in the kindness of their heart may take a camera in when they also have to pay for the event.

Just for the love of it.

Hehe, that would be me. I've never contributed my photos anywhere, only for my personal collection and for friends to see. Therefore I've always paid as a normal attendee. Yeah I guess you can say that I take photos for the love of it.

Maybe I should contribute to inthemix so that I could get free entry to events?

Do contributors get paid?

[hyperdimension]

I had just discovered that there are quite a few good photography tips on inthemix contributors help section. Click on photos, Help.

[Cosmica]

You should get involved :)


Yes you get free entry, and no we do not get paid for it. There are a lot of political things that go on with this, dealing with various organisers etc.

Often we get media passes etc to get around the event more freely.


But its a lot of fun, take a look at some of your local photographers, PM them if you want advice.


Good luck!

[Candyflip]

<b>hyperdimension</b> : You don't need smoke to see lasers... lasers are visible to the naked eye in clear air. Where did you get that idea?!?

On another point you made about waiting for the light, have you considered using curtain sync flash to fill the foreground while leaving the background lit by laser light? Flash is almost essential to use in a club environment (unless you like waiting around for 5 minutes in-between shots), but you need to use a fill flash, not a fully charged one, to gently 'fill' the foreground (and any foreground subject), while letting the lasers light the background for themselves. There are many great articles around on the web about this type of flash, or check your Olympus manual to see if your camera has this feature. Another great resource are the folks gathered at www.dpreview.com who can help you with everything you ever wanted to know about photography, 35mm SLR or digital.

I think you'd do well to attend that photographers meet-up that Cosmica is organising!.. :)

[Cosmica]

I`m organising it?

News to me, by the way, where have you been Candyflip? Have missed seeing your photos up :p

[Candyflip]

You are now mate... :)

Shooting for money... so I've little time for the free stuff. BUT, I'm shooting Frantic tonight and possibly something Sunday, so you'll see something up next week....

You? How's that Sony treating you?

[Cosmica]

Im not entirely happy with the f717, but when it comes to cameras Im never happy. I was considering jumping over to the G3 but cash is an issue. I may wait for the next generation of cameras and see whats on offer then.

Im doing Kenny Ken and Rotation 9 this weekend so should be a good coverage.


Its hard organising a meetup for photographers as they all want free entry :)


Im going to be at Street Parade in switzerland this year (thats the plan) so will put some nice overseas photos up on ITM with a bit of luck.

[Candyflip]

I guess I'm not entirely happy with the Canon G2 either... low light focussing (hell, just seeing a damn thing) is very difficult through that camera with add-on lenses attached. I doubt the G3 would make me any happier, although the ability to first and second curtain sync the external flashes would be a huge plus. I'm instead looking at the real-deal D60 digital SLR upgrade, but that depends on how much paying work I get this year, to justify it. Still, it's the tradesman, not the tool, that's most important in the end.

Doing Transmission again in Sydney in February, which I'm really looking forward too. Was the highlight of the year, shooting wise, in 2002 for me.

[Cosmica]

I may also be interested in upgrading to a true DSLR, but the cost is the huge factor. If I could start making it apaid hobby rather than an unpaid one I may be able to justify it.


Any tips on getting paid work?


:)

[Candyflip]

I'll try and keep this reply generalised, so as this doesn't turn into a conversation we could have on PM and instead, everyone gets something from it they can perhaps use.

I'm hardly the best test case to talk about making money out of this industry: Transmission is my only paying gig in the dance industry so far, after shooting as a hobby for the last 3 years solid. Everything else you've seen on ITM I've done for free, simply because its the only way to keep your hand in, and to get the opportunities to shoot people, which is what I love to do. Unfortunately, it's this willingness to shoot parties and people for free (which I'm as guilty of as anyone else) that means this industry remains, by and large, a "do-it-for-free-or-not-at-all" one. I'll leave that large topic for another time.

My suggestions are to keep shooting as much as possible, raise the standard of your work as high as possible, get some formal training in what it is you're doing (I studied SLR use and print making in high school and have followed it ever since) and think more commercially if that's where you want to end up. Photos of lasers are great to show friends, but honestly, nobody is paying for them. It's <i>people</i> that other people mostly want to see and it's those shots that have a hope, commercially.

Also, consider the fact that more and more people have more and more digital cameras and that the only way to stand out from the happy-snapper crowd is to be really different in what you produce. From an equipment point of view, that makes a $6-8000 investment in a true digital SLR with lenses and flash a very easy, if somewhat expensive, justification for photogrpaher loking to turn 'pro'.

Otherwise, continue doing it for the love of it, and to have a record of one of the most amazing periods in your life. In 20 years time, we will look back on these shots in disbelief and wish we'd taken more.. :)

[Cosmica]

Thanks Candyflip,


Good advice there.....

[Tristan]

i got a panasonic lmc20 before christmas. Does everything I need it to do. Raverboy urged me to get slow synchro flash when i bought a camera. I did and it sexually excites me.

[Cosmica]

Got any photos you can show us on the panasonic Tristan?


Wouldnt mind seeing some examples from this camera.

[Candyflip]

:lol: 8-) :lol: :-D :lol: @ Tristan...

[Tristan]

here you go, I'd only had the camera a few days so as you'd guess a few are good, some are bad and a lot are rubbish.

The gallery (http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/021221-MOSTasmania)

[hyperdimension]

Originally posted by Candyflip
hyperdimension: You don't need smoke to see lasers... lasers are visible to the naked eye in clear air. Where did you get that idea?!?


Yeah I'm partially wrong... it depends on the gas inside the laser module... different gases produce different wavelengths of laser light. The light is invisible if the wavelength is beyond the visible part of the spectrum.

Smoke does enhance the lighting though, you get to see the path of the rays due to the reflection of the colours off the smoke.
Maybe it also enhances the lasers too... I like the textures the smoke creates when the flat/planar lasers sweep across.



have you considered using curtain sync flash


My camera doesn't have the feature. It's a very non-professional camera, even if it does take nice pictures. I didn't want to spend too much on accessories either, considering that technology gets outdated quickly these days. It costed me $1100 two years ago.

It's always satisfying when I do manage to take timely shots that are not easy to catch... have to be quick and steady! There's no alternative to the real lighting of the surroundings.

[hyperdimension]

What kind of paid photography work do you usually do Candyflip?

[Candyflip]

(sheepishly).... ummm... weddings... (hides under sheet) :blush:

[SpaceMonkey]

I just scored a 256MB CF card for my camera, can fit over 250 1600x1200 shots at fine compression, nice!
Gonna be taking it to SSublime tonight so looking forward to having a good play. My camera does curtain sync flash as well so I'll definitely experiment with that.

[larz]

Originally posted by SpaceMonkey
I just scored a 256MB CF card for my camera, can fit over 250 1600x1200 shots at fine compression, nice!
Gonna be taking it to SSublime tonight so looking forward to having a good play. My camera does curtain sync flash as well so I'll definitely experiment with that.

so spacemonkey...when are we gonna swap camera?

[Nico]

Originally posted by breaksRbest
I used to be a photographer and took shots at clubs for some of the streetpress mags.
the number 1 rule for ANY photographer (IMHO) is composition. The angle or position that you take the photo from can make all the difference. I've even asked for permission to stand on the Bar to get a good shot.
If all your shots are taken from front-and-centre then they will be fairly boring. Even when taking photos of punters in the club, try and make it a little interesting.

play around with the camera and see which modes work better indoors. and also 'trick' the camera and manually increase the shutter speed (if your camera allows). The beauty of having a digi camera is that you dont have to develop shitloads of photos, just find a good pozzie to shoot from, take a pic, change some setings on the camera and take another one. then repeat these steps. You cant do that with an SLR unless you're wealthy enought to develop hundreds of shots.

Oh and, NEVER annoy/bump/blind the DJ!

what sort of camera do you have?

the best shots I've seen came from a SonyDSCS85,
cost about $1 600. but it's 4.1 Megapixels and has a Carl Zeiss lens (really good lenses)

Werd ! Well said !!!

golf claps to my firend ;D

[Nico]

X(

[smack bob]

I have a canon G2 and I can't stand it. I think i have outgrown it a fair bit. THe thing about it I hate is the responsivness, when i want to take a pic of something that is happening right then and there the G2 is still deciding if it is switched on or not by the time everyone is going home.

I had a play with a Canon D60 (SLR) in G and V imaging the other day and the focus etc. is a hell of alot faster. I have made the decision I am going to get the successor to the D60 when it is discontinued and have a hunt around looking for some more paid work. At the moment I am getting the odd bit (once a month or so) of clubbing photography work and it is sooo much more fun getting paid for it :)

I like laser shots to, but how many people on ITM consantly fill their albums with laser shot after laser shot, and how many of you have clicked on them all, i am thinking not many, unless there is something interesting about the laser shot, like it playing across someone or it is in the background of something else worthwhile. If you want to set yourself apart from the rest then laser shots IMHO are not the way to go, neither is this brick with G2 written on the side of it. Wish Canon would come out with a new one!

For a meet up in Sydney I would be keen as :)


(anyone want to buy a G2? )

[silvaside]

bought a powershot s45 today
still getting used to the controls
takes some sweet macro shots though
some samples at my pbase gallery
http://www.pbase.com/nsgtr34/

[smack bob]

Congrats silva :)

How much did you end up geting it for and where from?

Also I have found some really good club images from www.photo.net if you are a decent photographer and want to improve and learn more go to that site and read the comments for peoples images.

Some of the most anal people i have ever seen, but also articulate and constructive, highly reccomend it and check this guys images out, he is what i aspire to

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=232180

He generally tends to use a G2 alot, and he also has a D60 wiht a 50mm f1.8 (that is a very fast lens). Nice, cant wait to get mine!

[SpaceMonkey]

Took my QV4000 out for it's first real mission last night, took about 130 pics, some of them look pretty decent for a first effort. Will have them up in the galleries in a day or so...

[peakin bunny]

sony dscpf717 rules

as samck bob said with all digtal cameras you will never have the response time of manual cameras unless you want to spend some 14g on digtal slr's:tripping:

[corporateboy]

/me uses a Sony 707

The processing time is a little slow for the 2550 x 2000 (or whatever monster sized shots are) but the lazer focus is sweet and the night vision is great for framing shots easily.

128mb memory stick works like a charm - Jugs I didn't know you were packing the same shooter as me!

Some of the shots posted in this thread are just amazing! I shoot for fun, and free entry is always a plus, not to mention meeting a million great people inside the club.

If anyone want's to write up good photo tips send them to marcus@inthemix.com.au

Some of the ones under contributor help are from me, but the biggest tip is to just play with the settings, and keep shooting, i'm forever tweaking the exposure and shutter speeds with a preflash for excellent FX.

[Candyflip]

One essential tip for photographers on ITM, which I don't believe anyone covered in the ITM Tips that corporateboy just mentioned, is to get yourself a decent photo editing program.

Obviously Photoshop 5 or better is absolutely ideal, but at around $1000 is not the first choice of everyone. There are plenty of other great programs, including cheapies like Ulead PhotoImpact or Paint Shop Pro. Whichever you prefer, or can get your hands on, use it. Almost any photo will be improves out of any digital camera with a tweak of it's contrast, sharpening and perhaps even it's Hues and Saturation. If you wanna get really funky, why not try a few of the Filters in Photoshop and create the next digital dancing Mona Lisa?

If you'd like a free copy of registered Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition for Windows or MAC to start you off, PM me and I'll direct you to an FTP site where you can find one. ;)

[silvaside]

Originally posted by Candyflip

If you'd like a free copy of registered Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition for Windows or MAC to start you off, PM me and I'll direct you to an FTP site where you can find one. ;)

for evaluation purposes only right? :lol: :lol:

[Cosmica]

Originally posted by peakin bunny
sony dscpf717 rules

as samck bob said with all digtal cameras you will never have the response time of manual cameras unless you want to spend some 14g on digtal slr's:tripping:


bunny, got any examples pictures for the f717? I find I have to do a lot of post processing with mine, do you have to work hard with contrast etc on your pics?

Cheers.

[hyperdimension]

Originally posted by smack bob
I like laser shots to, but how many people on ITM consantly fill their albums with laser shot after laser shot, and how many of you have clicked on them all


I love laser shots... I was once obsessed with them, it's probably the main reason why I bought my camera! I wasn't seeing enough laser shots in the online galleries, and the ones that were up were mostly not good enough, and so decided to do my own shots!

I hope there'll be lots of laser shots online from Transmission in February, it's one of the few events that actually have an excellent laser setup!


If you want to set yourself apart from the rest then laser shots IMHO are not the way to go


I think shot after shot of people can get boring too. I try to capture the whole experience of a night out, not just people & friends, but also the venue & decor, lasers & lighting, crowd, DJs/musicians, and the interaction between all of these things.

My favourite shots are often of lasers if there are any, and big clear crowd shots taken in the surrounding lighting (without flash). I also like quick candid shots that turn out with something very interesting in them. I'm not a big fan of posed or staged shots.

[christlh]

i purchased a minolta f-100 about 3-4 months back and this is a quality camera
fully manual
that�fs the way I like it

[Cosmica]

SpaceMonkey,

Enjoying your pics, that new camera of yours is not doing too bad a job.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally posted by Cosmica
SpaceMonkey,

Enjoying your pics, that new camera of yours is not doing too bad a job.
Cheers mate, still experimenting at the moment but I'm starting to get there I think. Got Photoshop 6 installed before I processed the last lot which helps a lot, haven't used it for a while but getting back into that again, its a wicked piece of software. My fave so far:http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/albums/030131-ianpooley/acf.sized.jpg
One thing that I do that nobody's mentioned but that I find helps is that I shoot a couple of resolution settings higher than I need for my end results. Say if I'm doing stuff for the web and I want 1024x768 pictures I'll have the camera set to 1280x960 or even 1600x1200. That way I have plenty of room to crop my pictures without ending up with a titchy low res end result and I can always downsize a pic if it's still a bit on the large size after being cropped. I find this helps in dark clubs where it's difficult to frame shots perfectly. Of course it helps that I have plenty of memory (256MB) and some fairly high resolution options

[Cosmica]

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/albums/030131-cjbolland/aca.sized.jpg

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/albums/030131-cjbolland/aba.sized.jpg

[danaele]

Originally posted by Candyflip
Obviously Photoshop 5 or better is absolutely ideal, but at around $1000 is not the first choice of everyone.

If you'd like a free copy of registered Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition for Windows or MAC to start you off, PM me and I'll direct you to an FTP site where you can find one. ;)


I was about to say - who on earth ever buys those progs?? :P

Ive been without my third arm lately because it had to go in for service. I've since discovered they're having trouble fixing it - so they are thinking of giving me a replacement camera instead.

Shame mine is discontinued now, and the replacement is 4 mp, not 3.4 ;) Yeeeeha!

[danaele]

Sees Candymans PS5.0 and ups it to Version 6.0 hehe

I have a few others aswell if anyone wants to PM me. Illustrator 10, dreamweaver, fireworks etc...

[glitch]

hey guys, there's some great advice given above ....

i've done a wee bit of photography in the past (incl some study)but have only just started taking shots at events because i'm a bit of a photo-junkie, so always want to be creating pics :)

i'm a big fan of using as much available light as possible, but with judicious use of fill flash where needed. the key is to not overdo it with the flash because that is the surest way to kill the mood/atmosphere.

hyperdimension - you've pulled off some v cool shots with avail light. love that one with light just coming down on the punters from above -- veeery noice (something of the mood of a bill henson in a club environ - v high praise as i love henson's work). i completely agree with you re capturing the feel of the whole event.

cosmica gives great advice on the basics of aperture and shutter speed ... almost all of my shots have slow shutter speeds (sometimes ridiculously slow because the lighting is so low) and a little bit of rear-curtain flash. great laser shot on punters btw cos .... it rocks!

as candylflip suggests i alway optimise the levels in photoshop. definitely cull your shots as well .... choose the best ones - it looks much better with a good edit.

as far as distinguishing yourself from the happy snappers you definitely need to produce something different but i say it really comes down to your eye - it's what you choose to photograph and how you do it much more than the gear that you're using. you don't need a high end digital slr to stand out (it just makes some things a bit easier and gives a few extra alternatives ;) although the cheap digicams will hold u back).

it's what breaksRbest said at the start ... composition!! even more importantly: LIGHTING!!!!! those 2, movement, colour, contrast and subject selection all go towards making a great photo (a cheap digicam will leave you stuck with shite lighting and hence avg shots but a $10,000 camera won't sort all that stuff for you)

i'm shooting club shots with the least tech advanced camera i own (because it's small) and i'm shooting with film (because i can't afford a digicam - unless smack bob wants to sell me that g2 for a ridiculously low price). will go thru pros and cons of film vs digital later if anyone is interested:?

point is my camera is cheap and not very clever but i know how it works so i can use it to get decent shots.

if i was getting a digicam i'd definitely go the canon g3 if i had $1600 to spend (sure i'd love a d60 or an eos 1ds but they're just too expensive) . i'd read that the g3 had one of the slowest shutter lags on a prosumer digicam (is that what you were complaining about smack bob?). all the reviews i've read have suggested it's the best in that price range. i've even come across one pro who says he has used it for pro jobs.

anyway .... too much ranting from me ... could say much more but have a look at my pics and let me know what you think. so far i've shied away from taking the 'say cheese' shots because i prefer something more journalistic ... do people primarily want to see that sort of thing or would they rather see people in the thick of it??? am wondering if i should include some of these sorts of shots but just find them a bit fake. looking for feedback

http://www.inthemix.com.au/gallery/?authid=18264

[smack bob]

You can keep my heap of shite G"brick"2 grrr. I am not complaining about actuall image quality because it is quiet good, definantly enough for clubbing work except for absolutly terreble noise at iso 200 or above, which i guess makes it not good enough.

My complaint is more than just shutter respoonse but absolutly everythign takes a long time to do on the G2, from changing the flash power to metering your shot in full auto to throwing it across the courtyard at sounds cos you had to wait 3 seconds for the shutter to fire and the missed the guy doing the backflip off the garden. it is also pretty clumsy for handling it could do wiht a rubber grip with a pronounced grabby bit like an SLR.

[Tax Invoice]

Oh dear! -I just bought a G2, but don't have it yet as girlfirends mum bought it duty free for me. Have I made a big mistake?
3 Seconds is too slow!{:-(

[glitch]

whoa ....... now that's one unhappy customer. i haven't had a chance to use one in club conditions so it seems that might be its limitation because everyone seems to think it's dandy in less demanding conditions. don't know if the g3 is better in those respects? does anyone have experience with a g3????

i'm still not a fan of digital when it comes to quality (for print - unless you get a soon-to-be-outdated pro body and even then it's not the same) and people have always complained with shutter lags which i can see as a major problem.

think i'll definitely take one for a serious test drive before forking out that kinda money ...... thanks smack bob :)

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally posted by smack bob
You can keep my heap of shite G"brick"2 grrr. I am not complaining about actuall image quality because it is quiet good, definantly enough for clubbing work except for absolutly terreble noise at iso 200 or above, which i guess makes it not good enough.

My complaint is more than just shutter respoonse but absolutly everythign takes a long time to do on the G2, from changing the flash power to metering your shot in full auto to throwing it across the courtyard at sounds cos you had to wait 3 seconds for the shutter to fire and the missed the guy doing the backflip off the garden. it is also pretty clumsy for handling it could do wiht a rubber grip with a pronounced grabby bit like an SLR.
I know what you mean about shutter lag, I've noticed it with my QV4000 and while it doesn't bother me much in clubs it sucks trying to do photos at sports events. No other real complaints yet though.

[Cosmica]

All cameras have their positives and negatives, even the high end prosumer cameras have problems that may not suit certain users. The Nikon 5700 has problems focussing under low light, for example.

The G2 may be slow but it does take a great picture and candyflip is testament to that with his pictures, also chrisb from Melbourne has done some fantastic work with the G2. If you have purchased a G2 do not despair it may suit YOUR needs, it may not suit the next guy. Everyone has their own techniques and this may affect whether you are happy or not with your camera.


I use the f717 and it has extremely fast shutter lag and start up times, but I am not happy about the flash system onboard this camera.

It may take owning 2-3 cameras for difering types of shots before I am happy or perhaps a jump to the dslr`s, once you get into photography cameras can be outgrown very quickly and you are always looking for the latest and greatest to try and chase that perfect image, however, this gets expensive.

[Cosmica]

In regards to Noise


The g2 has a lower ISO setting, ISO 50. It is often argued that this is the equivalent to ISO 100 on other cameras, but the g2 is well known for best ISO at this setting. So, with this in mind, ISO 100 would be the equivalent of ISO 200 on other cameras, and ISO 200 would be similar to ISO 400 on other cameras, hence the increase of noise at this setting.

So you may find ISO 100 would be better suited if you want low noise shots.

Noise and photography is a trade off, as you are often using this in low light, then you are trading off with the amount of noise that the CCD is rendering in your camera. If you dont like lots of noise try longer shutter speeds but then you increase the chance of blur etc.

Prosumer digital cameras have not yet achieved great noise reduction algorythms to handle high ISO settings, as this is often governed by the size and design of the CCD. When you bump up the ISO on any camera unde rthe value of 3 grand, noise will increase dramatically.

There are software programs out there that can do great jobs in reducing your noise levels for shots that have been set to high ISO, they may be worth checking out.

[bella boo]

Cosmica, I am buying a digicam shortly and I think I'm coming to you so you can adivse me on the best one to get for my needs :p

I don't know very much about them...actually I don't know very much about anything :lol:

[Cosmica]

Whats your budget sugar?


:)

[bella boo]

I really have no idea. I don't want anything too extravagant, however I do want a relatively good one, maybe somewhere between $400-$700. But then again I really don't know what makes a good digicam, and I would be happy spending a little more.


sugar :p

[Cosmica]

There are so many cameras around that price range...


You need to work out what you are going to use it for, does it have to be portable (fit into a pocket)? Are you going to be printing images or are they for uploading to the net? Will you be doing low light photography work, ie, taking pictures at clubs, or mainly daytime shots?

Do you want something fairly basic because you do not have a great interest in photography, ie, just want to take snaps when out, or do you want a camera that you can grow into?

If I had that budget I would go for something small and portable because I already have a big camera and need something that I can put in my pocket for travelling etc.

I would look at the Canon IXUS range, or the Olympus range of cameras, but at that price range many cameras can be chosen and investigated.

Check out www.dpreview.com and take a look at the different camera around the 3 Megapixel range. Go to www.teds.com.au to have a look at general prices for the cameras that seem to appeal to you. Go into a camera store and just hold them and get a feel for what is comfortable in your hands.


Keep in mind you may need some extra cash for memory and perhaps an extra battery, and maybe even a cover/carry case if it does not come with it.

[bella boo]

Thanks sweety, that helps alot!!! I will definately check out those sites and I am after a small portable one for night and day shots (I do have an interest in photography, obviously not as much as you though!). But I definately will investigate and if I have any questions (and don't trust the sales people!!!) then I'll PM you.

Thanks Cosmica ;)

[Cosmica]

Salesmen will try and give you the hard sell, try and resist purchasing on your first visit to the camer store. Have a look, go away, investigate the cameras further this will help you narrow down the selection, and give you more a chance of purchasing something you will be happy with.

Teds offers a 45 day return policy, if you do not like the camera you can take them back for another model.

[bella boo]

Ooohhhh, I'm excited. I'm going to get on it straight away, I make it my mission :P

Thanks again for your help Cosmica, very much appreciated! I'll PM you and keep you posted and ask questions if I have any...just because I can ;)

ta!

[peakin bunny]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid50/p1433ffb63fb525c11c88dfa6fb9553f4/fcae61f3.jpg.orig.jpg

[smack bob]

If you know what you want and you want it cheap, get it from a net only vendor. Do a search on www.yahoo.com.au for your brand and model number, then compare all the prices of as many sites as you possibly can, I just bought my gf a Nikon coolpix 2500 and found it at $512 from http://www.ccccamerahouse.com.au generally it goes for $599 or higher, beware of GandV imagin on george street I was looking at it on there at the start of my search and they had it for like $699 and said ooo we can give a massive $100 discount, just for you though, heheheh they were dreaming.

The coolpix is a really nice little camera but you will have problems with low light focus due to no Af (auto focus) assist. I have not had a go of it in low light to see how good it is or isnt but I am guessing its not good http://www.ht.com.au/Attach/Images/ZOZ.JPG If you want to go for chepa as chips but still from a reputable manufacturer the canon A200 is aiight. But do your homework big time study every aspect of every camera and figure out what is important, stuff you dont understand ask people here or at www.dpreview.com


edit : look here they are pretty cheap http://www.storeonline.com.au/

[edenconnell]

Just wondering if anyone has a Canon IXUS v3 - this is a 3.2 megapixel camera and is really small (has just been released before Xmas)

If so can you tell me what it is like because I have ordered one with a 512 mb memory card and I'm waiting for it to come into stock (what sort of speed should the memory card be)

I currently use a 2.0 megapixel camera which has lasted me about three years and it time to upgrade....

I love the size of the Canon IXUS range !!!!

I have looked at the sites suggested in this forum and would like a personal opinion on this camera

If there is anything better that is about the same size feel free to suggest

Thanks Guys!!!!!

Happy Snapping :)

[Cosmica]

I like thew IXUS cameras, would be good if they had more zoom though, but for a small camera they do a great job.


Personally I hate buying over the net, always worry about it getting damaged in the mail etc, or having troubles returning it.

[Cosmica]

My latest efforts:


Pics (http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/030131-cjbolland)

[Candyflip]

Hey glitch,

I'm interested in what SLR you're currently using? The photos you posted are very strong (perhaps too strong) in the red tones and are quite soft as well. This maybe only a consequence of the scanning you did to get them into digital format for the web, but if it's not, I wonder why? Also what film were you using?

On the point about digital SLR's not making a bad photographer better, I couldn't agree more in regards to composition and the ability to use light, BUT the mere fact that you are now 'seeing through the lens' with a digi-SLR, can manual focus using the lens, have higher grade optical glass at your disposal, can now easily alter shutter speed and aperture in concert as you would do with a 35mm SLR, all make the process of capturing photos a more (to me) 'natural' process. This is the number one problem I have always had with this technology and I'm no longer prepared to accept being held back by the tool and having creativity stifled. Dammit, if I have to sell a body part, I'm gonna own a digital SLR in the next few months! ;)

[glitch]

Hi Candyflip

I'm not using an slr at all ... nothing so advanced. It's an ultra cheap (or was before it was marketed as a cult camera), low tech, tiny russian p&s which makes a selling point of all the faults its lens has (and there are many!). You probably know what camera i'm talking about now?

I have lots of glass that is optically spot on but i still like to play with toys, primarily for the distortions they introduce. A lot of the other photography i do is all about precision so it's nice to go out with the intention of breaking all the rules.

As i said before i like to rely heavily on available light, hence the heavy red bias - due to the lighting at the venue (they had a lot of red lights). It's really strong, i agree and some would say it's over the top but for me the venue was pretty visually uninspiring so i rely on colour to kind of cover that up and to provide some visual interest and cohence between images. I'm not that concerned with showing things clearly if they're not going to look good ...... would rather imbue everything with a bit of mood, even if it looks a bit weird or unreal. It's also a bit of a stylistic point of difference as well, i suppose.

The softness is due to a combination of a lens which is inherently soft, they're all shot at widest aperture and VERY long exposure times (with no tripod - too bulky!). Personally i prefer some softness in my club shots as i find really sharp shots to be a bit more clinical and (at least in club settings) favour atmospheric/mood focused imagery.

Film is just your standard fuji 100 asa neg film .... could use 400 asa to reduce the amount of camera shake and blur but as i said i'm intentionally after that and because of the low tech setup that i have with this camera the flash that i'm using would probably overpower the shots with 400 asa film (could use nd filters on flash, yeah, but not with flash on auto). I really try to avoid shots where the flash is the dominant light source because i find them a bit harsh and often unflattering (to venue and punters)

Having said all that i'd go beserk if i had a g3 XD .... the benefit of seeing what you've got straight away would be enormous. I have to rely on a fair bit of intuition and guesswork as to what i might have managed to capture (experience helps). I'd shoot more (the cost of film & processing is limiting). I'd have way more control over the final image and could do all sorts of things that i can't do with my low tech gear. I'd still aim for a similar style of imagery but could just do so much more ;)

I agree re most of the benefits of the digital slr (as i said in the first post, a high-end slr makes some things a bit easier [all the stuff you mentioned] and gives a few extra alternatives [shots you couldn't have otherwise got]). And if you're doing it professionally i agree you need to have the best gear you can afford because you just have to get the shots - no excuses. The thing that freaks me out, though is the cost and speed with which they're obsolete ....... you need to be shooting a lot (for money) to pay off one of those and start making money (saw an eos 1d for $11,000+ ..... then you can get your lenses).

Do you have a film based high-end slr? Have u tried taking that out and shooting with that? You can shoot a lot of film with $10,000? ;)

btw, which body parts are worth the most ........ i could do with some new gear at the moment as well ;)

[Candyflip]

glitch: Ahh, I see. Well, skip all those comments I made on the photos. Considering what you're using to produce them, I'm amazed they're turning out as well as they are!... :) Are you going through your "I'd rather use a pin-hole camera than this damnable new technology" faze?... ;) To answer your question, I have an old Canon T50 SLR film camera, which I haven't use in many years. Film seems a waste to me now.

I shoot at clubs, private parties and weddings currently with a G2. Unlike Smack Bob, I have generally been able to make this camera perform and believe it to be an excellent tool for most applications, excluding a very narrow band of low-light, no flash applications, such as those odd weddings. For club work, teemed with an external 220EX flash and using Manual settings to control second curtain flash syncs, it has produced some decent work for me. For more advanced professional and some commercial purposes that I am currently being offered, it has limitations which I cannot afford to accept. That is the only driver for me to get a D-SLR now.

Yes, they are expensive and quickly obsolete these new cameras, but I rent all my camera equipment (including the G2 of course) and the rental payments, when used for business purposes, are completely tax deductible, softening the blow somewhat. Not forgetting that there are Pros still using Canon D30's, now more than 2 years old, everyday in studios and commercial applications around the world. If you invest in the RIGHT D-SLR, there is no reason to think it can't see you through a good 3 years of constant output, keeping enough value to be saleable at the end on eBay (or elsewhere) for a decent whack of money (I proved that with my first digi-cam: a 1.3 megapixel Canon A50, which sold s/hand, more than 3 years after it's debut, for more than $350).

I was talking to a 30 year veteran proffesional photog down at Queenscliff last weekend and he asked me what sort of stuff I shoot. When I told him about the digital I do in clubs, his eyes lit up and he said "oh yeah, I could really get into that. All those willing models performing in front of you for free, the incredible light and the mood generated, and the challenge of capturing all that....". I couldn't help but agree of course, as that's the thing that attracted me to the scene in the first place. But as I nodded at him, I also realised just how very lucky we are to be in this very exclusive little arena, with so much amazing material being offered for us to shoot, and how quickly we might be 'over' this and doing other things with our lives. For that reason alone, I believe you owe it to yourself to be taking as many great photos as you can of these events, with the best tools you can find to ensure the quality of your output.

In the end, it's only money. This art, however, is forever.

[Miss_E2]

Hi guys,

I've been following this threat for a while now and many of you sure know your stuff :)

I am by no means an expert on photography but I'm faily well informed on the subject of lasers (and for the record, there's no "Z" in laser ;) ) and things associated with them, like taking pictures of them...

I'd just like to offer a few bits of advice and information:

Firstly, you either have it or you don't. Some people just "have a good eye" - this really helps!

Secondly, you need the steady hand of a surgeon if you want to take photos of a laser... even then it's still a bit iffy. If you seriously want to get a good shot you must use a tripod (or alternatively prop your arm/elbow or the camera firmly against something like a pillar).

In regards to cameras, a fully manual camera is always best, but not so easy to find in a digital. There are a few that claim to be "fully manual" but are infact not - so please research before you buy. We use a Fuji FinePix 6900 when taking pictures of our shows - apertude fully open, slowest shudder speed possible (depending on if using a tripod or not) and NO flash. Result: If I took it - average pic of a laser (I don't have the "eye thing" happening at all:lol: ), if my better half took it, a sharp, brillantlly coloured pic and taken at presisly the right moment! In the hands of even an average photographer, I would recomend this camera to anyone. It also takes very good general happy snaps too... we recently went overseas and took both the Fuji and a SLR with us, and we ended up not taking a single picture with the SLR!

And lastly, I'd just like to clarify a few points....

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Candyflip
hyperdimension: You don't need smoke to see lasers... lasers are visible to the naked eye in clear air. Where did you get that idea?!?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah I'm partially wrong... it depends on the gas inside the laser module... different gases produce different wavelengths of laser light. The light is invisible if the wavelength is beyond the visible part of the spectrum.


Actually, you're both kind of right/wrong.... true, laser is invisible (smokey room or not) if it's wavelength is below or above the colour spectrum ie. infared or ultraviolet laser..... However, laser within the colour spectrum, technically is also invisible if it where in a vacuum. The light must hit something and reflect off it for you to see it (or unless it passes across your eye directly) - so when you are seeing it in "clear air" it is only because it's hitting and reflecting off all the crap in our air... and when you add to that the nice big fat particles that get pumped out of a smoke machine you end up being able to see some of the best coloured (and purest) light ever.... please don't hate the smoke machines:(


raverboy quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Candyflip
Raverboy : Yeah, except as you'd know from shooting slow-sync, the shutter time is actually far LONGER when shooting lasers...typically you'll have the speed at anything from 1/10 second to around a full second, without flash, or only using minimal fill.

If what they say about the CCD is true with high intensity beams coming from lasers, that's more than enough time to burn it to a crisp I would have thought....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Cosmica,
To the best of my knowledge the actully beam of light generated by the Laser Light Machines is actually not a continuous beam is actually a very hi-frequency pulse that looks like a beam. In order to generate the shapes that lasers can make, you require the beam of light to be rapidly switched on & off and move ever so slightly to give the affect of a constant pattern. Therefore the beam will never be on long enough or in the same place long enough to ever do any damage. Also the outut from the lasers is restricted by federal (international law) to be a such a level that permanant damage can not occur from it. That is not to say that you should directly look into the light, but use precaution.


Raverboy, you are not quite right here - a beam emmitted from a gas-based laser system (ie a full colour laser) is a continious waveform and is not pulsed. That single beam is then, what is called "scanned" over and over to produced a pattern or shape. Although laser systems scan at a very fast rate, they can still damage your camera. Please be aware of this guys! The best advise is not to zoom right into the laser head or be right up close to it - I'm sure that would make a rather crap pic anyway :) !

Having said all that, I would like to tell all the folk in Sydney going to Transmission - BRING YOUR CAMERA! There is a great show planned for you guys!

Cheers, Miss E

P.S. If you're trying to take a few serious laser shots, sometimes it helps to let the operators know (talk to them in your best professional voice ;) ) and sometimes they do something fancy for you.... I'm using the word "sometimes" as I do not know and cannot speak for all the laser and lighting operators around....

[jesus4c]

Ohhh.... I've only just discovered this thread, and it's faaaaar too big to read all the way through, so I hope this hasn't been touched on yet, but......

Have any of you guys successfully printed out copies of your photos with the intention of framing them to stick on your walls?

I don't have my own photo printer, so I took a few of my prize jpg's along to be printed, but the end result was a bit disappointing. The photos looked fine BUT the beautiful, vibrant colours that appear on my monitor didn't end up on the print. In short, the printed versions lack the intensity and brightness of what I see on my monitor.

Anyone got any ideas on how to get my printed shots looking like what appears on my monitor?


And the best accessory I have for my camera is a good small secure camera case that my belt threads through. Allows me to tuck that camera away safely for a frequent, good hard boogie when the mood takes me.

That and 2 sets of rechargable NiMh batteries.

[smack bob]

I have always used Print@Kodak for my prints and the resuts have been very good. But you high resolution, when you look at an image on your computer screen that is say 140dpi it will look twice the size of what it is, that is because your monitor can only display 72dpi.

When it gets printed the printer needs much higher resolution to make it look decent which is why if you want to print it have your camera set to maximum size, if the colours are a little unsaturated or not sharp use photo shop to tweak the levels and the satuaration and the curves. If you do have PS give me a yell i have some cool tricks

[sweep]

I got hp photosmart 130 for my bday.
So far i would have to say its one of the best digital printers i have seen and used, also the easiest.
I burnt about 80-90 pics about 2 mb each and took them to Kodak to get processed, they did a really dodggy job on them, there we lines though most of the pics.
and ended up spending about $80.

The photosmart printer does a really good job, no lines or markings though the photos and the pics are so bright.

The printer cost about $350 -$400 and and paper cost about $13-$20 for a pack of 20.
Its small and compact and doesnt need to be puged into a computer.
It takes secure digital, multimedia card, compact flash, smart media and memory stick. All you do is put your card in one of the slots( 4 different slots) and which size u want(4x6, wallet or thumbnail), chose the pic you want printed and then how many copies u want.

http://h10003.www1.hp.com/digmedialib/prodimg/lowres/pic14216.gif

[glitch]

welcome to the wonderful(ly frustrating :mad: ) world of digital printing

one thing you need to know up front is that it can be impossible to replicate what you see on your monitor in a printed image (see some of technical reasons below). what you want to aim for is to get the closest match possible and to get the best print you can. this requires calibration of your monitor and printer (which is a potentially complicated process - there is eqpt out there to do this with commercial printing that costs upwards of $10,000 - but cheaper consumer products are avail). Most of us can't afford such things and there are some simpler and cheaper ways of improving the match somewhat.

Don't despair, though. While it's tricky, it can be done if you're willing to put in the time and effort and it does depend on how fussy you are as to when you'll be happy. I've spent countless hours trying to get matches both from my photo printer at home and from prints from photo labs and am still refining it all but I am incredibly fussy with the results.

If you're serious about it there's a bit to do and the steps you need to go through are a bit too lengthy to mention here. There are some good books out there that go through it in detail but I'll try and find a web page (have read a lot a long time ago and just have to hunt it down again) that sets it out reasonably clearly and post it up later. In the meantime, here's an excerpt from a site that explains some of the reasons why your print doesn't look as good as the pic on your monitor:

"Getting the display and printer to produce consistent color so that what you see on the display is what you get on the printer turns out to be a surprisingly difficult process. One reason is that the eye and brain are very sensitive and discriminating to subtle differences in color and intensity. Color reproduction involves the interaction of many complex parameters, each of which must be carefully accounted for and calibrated. The technologies involved are also very different and they give rise to significant differences in reproduction:

The display has a much broader color gamut than the printer, so there are colors that can be displayed on your monitor that can not be accurately printed.

The display uses additive RGB colored light given off by phosphors, whereas the printed output uses subtractive absorption of the light reflected off the paper through CMYK pigments.

The display has greater color saturation, dynamic range and contrast. Printed images generally appear darker and duller.

The texture and brightness of the paper are also important factors.

Printing is inherently nonlinear because of the layering and overlapping of the different inks and variations in the relative positions, sizes and profiles of the ink dots"

taken from -- http://www.displaymate.com/printcal.html


That's all probably a bit technical if you're a hobbyist who's not working in the imaging industries but I reckon it's good to at least broadly understand why it may not look quite as you expected. Then you can understand why it doesn't work and start to work out how to improve your results.

The results are worth the effort, though........................................

[jesus4c]

Wow! Thanks for all that info, glitch! I sort of thought I might be kidding myself if I thought I could get prints looking as good as they do on the monitor.

Looks like I've got a bit of work to do. If you DO find that link on exactly how to do it, I'll be very interested.

Damn - bought special frames an' all. They prints look VERY bland in their frames. If I can't get 'em looking REAL good, it won't be worth stickin' 'em up on the wall.

And sweep - yeah I like the idea of your printer, but unfortunately, I got noooo money :(. Plus I was hoping for slightly larger prints.

[Miss_E2]

So, did anyone get any good pictures from Transmission???

[SPOKEYDOKEY]

cosmica you've sold me with this one

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/albums/030131-cjbolland/aay.sized.jpg

[Cosmica]

always happy to please, spokey :)


glad you enjoyed them.

[Juggalo Muli]

Originally posted by Miss_E2
So, did anyone get any good pictures from Transmission???

Yea i did, will upload them tonight ;) I got some really cool pics to :d

But QUESTION!!!!!!

My camera is fooked i think :( I have a sony DSP-5 and well it just wont seem to focus anymore for people shots, i have tried all focus settings, auto - infinity and nothing works, yet its fine for distant shots, lights and lasers are not problems either, it just wont focus for people shots, out of about 30 people shots, only 5 turned out not blurry :( SO do any of you know what the prob may be, can you suggest anything. AND could it be the camera, i may take it back then, i have a 3 year waranty so i may as well use it :P

[Cosmica]

Juggalo,


Can you post an example of a blurred image using "manual" with the EXIF data including the shutter speeds you were using.


Thanks

[Juggalo Muli]

Originally posted by Cosmica
Juggalo,


Can you post an example of a blurred image using "manual" with the EXIF data including the shutter speeds you were using.


Thanks

yea will do that tonight when i get home.

BUT.... whats this EXIF data and how do i get it, i think my camera tells me that for each photo ill have to see when i get home.

thanks

[Cosmica]

The EXIF data is the settings the camera was using for the particular photo, and tells us things like ISO settings, shutter speed, apeture, exposure, flash used, etc.


If you are using Win XP, you can get tihs info by right mouse clicking on the photo file, properties, advanced summary.

If you have a reasonable software package it may allow you to export the EXIF data as a TXT file.


Otherwise, if you just list the above mentioned settings for us, that would be good.


PS, ITM lists these for many of the photos that are uploaded to ITM, if you do a click on "photo summary"


Cheers

[robotech]

Has anyone heard about these cameras which are (supposedly) to be released late next month?

Pentax Optio S:

http://www.pentax.com/images/products/m_18263.jpg
See: http://www.pentax.com/products/cameras/camera_overview.cfm?productid=18263

And the Casio EXSlim Zoom:
http://world.casio.com/asia/news/2003/images/ex_z3/z3_01_S.jpg
(see http://world.casio.com/exilim/en/)

They use some crazy new lens technology which allows a 3x optical zoom to fold into a body approx. the size of a pack of cards! And both are 3.2 Megapixel, 11MB onboard and accept SD or MMC memory cards... the Pentax is listed as having a RRP of US$425, so they're looking to be pretty damn good value.

I was considering buying an IXUS V3 to travel with later in the year, but will definately wait to see if these cameras are as good as they look. Pretty much the only difference seems to be that the Casio has a slightly bigger LCD (5cm).

Has anyone had any experience with Pentax or Casio digital cameras in the past? What are they like?

[Juggalo Muli]

Originally posted by Cosmica
The EXIF data is the settings the camera was using for the particular photo, and tells us things like ISO settings, shutter speed, apeture, exposure, flash used, etc.


If you are using Win XP, you can get tihs info by right mouse clicking on the photo file, properties, advanced summary.

If you have a reasonable software package it may allow you to export the EXIF data as a TXT file.


Otherwise, if you just list the above mentioned settings for us, that would be good.


PS, ITM lists these for many of the photos that are uploaded to ITM, if you do a click on "photo summary"


Cheers

ok no worries will post info up tonight.

[Juggalo Muli]

ok here is an example, there were pics far worse but i deleted them sorry before u asked me.

http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos4/20030215-transmission_muli/acf

here are the settings

F2.8
Shutter speed - 1/40
Exposure - +2.0
ISO - 160
Auto white balance (not sure on what to use this for so i leave it on auto)

exposure was set manual the rest was auto. I usually use 400speed but it must have changed it to 160 (or is that a different thing)

Most photos with a flash were the blurred ones with a few non-flash blurred pics.

Thanks

Muli

[smack bob]

Originally posted by robotech
Has anyone heard about these cameras which are (supposedly) to be released late next month?

Pentax Optio S:

http://www.pentax.com/images/products/m_18263.jpg
See: http://www.pentax.com/products/cameras/camera_overview.cfm?productid=18263

And the Casio EXSlim Zoom:
http://world.casio.com/asia/news/2003/images/ex_z3/z3_01_S.jpg
(see http://world.casio.com/exilim/en/)

They use some crazy new lens technology which allows a 3x optical zoom to fold into a body approx. the size of a pack of cards! And both are 3.2 Megapixel, 11MB onboard and accept SD or MMC memory cards... the Pentax is listed as having a RRP of US$425, so they're looking to be pretty damn good value.

I was considering buying an IXUS V3 to travel with later in the year, but will definately wait to see if these cameras are as good as they look. Pretty much the only difference seems to be that the Casio has a slightly bigger LCD (5cm).

Has anyone had any experience with Pentax or Casio digital cameras in the past? What are they like?
RIght now or very soon there is a big show called the PMA. This is a photographic trade show but one of the biggest. Most of the big camera manufactures wait til PMA to display their latest gadgets and models.

So even though Casio has these new models canon and nikon may have something even better in the next few weeks also. Also I would say 3MP will ebt he new base standard for digicameras now. However 3MP will be more than enough for most people. Unless you want to print them into larger sizes you wont need much more and 3MP wiull still give you a decent larger than normal photo size print of your image.

[Cosmica]

Hi Juggalo,

The photo does seem out of focus due to the focussing system but you do have it at a relatively slow shutter speed and you may be suffering from a bit of hand shake.


What was the zoom set at when you took this shot? Often, some cameras have a harder time resolving focus when zoomed out to maximum. This is a combination of poor light and movement of camera at extended zoom settings. This may also be compounded by slow shutter speeds. You could resolve this better by getting up closer, using a faster shutter speed with flash (lower the shutter speed to let in more light for different lighting effects, although this may result in blowout highlights and also blur). You can compensate a faster shutter speed by using a higher ISO setting, although you may get more graininess using this.

I took a look at your other photos, namely the close up photos of people (punters) and they seem to be coming out as expected.

Your lighting photos also look pretty good from a camera of this calibre.


I would suggest just perservering with the camera, and try and get a bit closer when doing people shots (DJ's), rather than relying on extended zoom if this is what you were doing. My camera tends to do a similar thing, so I try and rely less on zoom under low light situations.


Also, cameras like this often require a half press to "lock on" with focus. Trying to speed this up by taking the shot before it autofocusses can result in higher than expect out of focus shots.


Also another tip, with smoke filled shots, try cleaning them up by using photoshop or similar package, this can be done by dropping the brightness a little, and bumping up the contrast, you will be surprised by the results.


Cheers.

[Juggalo Muli]

Thanks cosmica.

It wasnt zoomed in much at all from memory, most of the blurred shots seemed to be when it was zoomed out, so thats what had me stumped. it was probably my hand shaking :P

I do use photo shop occasionally, but im usually in a hurry so dont always bother, but i usually use it to brighten photos up, havnt thought of the oposite ;) WIll give it a shot in future. I have Two Tribes comming up in 2 weeks so will test out what you said there.

Thanks for the tips. Ill keep my eyes peeled on this thread.

[Cosmica]

Sony new cameras!


Here (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0302/03022406sonyv1.asp)

[Iain]

that V1 looks a bit nice!

[Juggalo Muli]

wow that new sony looks great. I love my sony :blush:

Hey can some explain what the white balance is for and if you need to use it for club shots?

[smack bob]

If you want a canon I would reccomend waiting til these lil babies hit the streets, canons new product line :)

look for the canon bit

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/pma2003/

[Atlantis]

OK, i'm getting a D camera... Are there any brands to stay away from? Any that are a lot better than others?

I want the camera for everyday use plus use in clubs etc.

Has anyone heard anything about the

Sony DSC-V1 cyber shot?

Cannon G3?

Canon PowerShot S230?

Nikon Coolpix SQ?

Pentax Optio 550?

Sony DSC-P92?

Sony DSC-P72?

Olympus C-300 Zoom?

Konica KD-500 Zoom?

Sony DSC-P10?

recommend any?

[smack bob]

Personally I would steer clear of Sony, but their new line up does look bloody good. Actually their new line up might be well worth it, How good at photography are you?
how pro do you want to go?

[Atlantis]

I did photography at school and college and always got great marks, so I guess i'm ok.

I wouldn't want to do it as a full time job... Well actually that would be really nice, but I think i just want to do some photos for web sites etc for now... See what happens?!

I was leaning towards the Sony DSC-V1 cyber shot.

[smack bob]

I would be leaning towards the Sony, the G3 is pretty average and a brick, the Sony is what you want

The G3 is oldish technology the Sony have made some v full on upgrades to their cameras while the G3 has been out for ages

[Atlantis]

Yeah the sony is a winner.

Unless anyone can find some good reason why I shouldn't :?

[Candyflip]

Get the drum here, Atlantis.... (http://www.dpreview.com)

[smack bob]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0302/03022703sonyv1preview.asp

[dubst3p]

hey peoples.. how can you get rid of fingerprints on the lens? i've tried using the cloth for cleaning glasses but it's not helping. photo quality is suffering :(

before
http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos3/albums/021226-summerbreak/abj.sized.jpg

after
http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos4/albums/030301-miguelmigs/aao.sized.jpg

[Cosmica]

hi dub,


That looks more like a difference in ISO setting to me rather than a fingerprint on the lens, however, you can buy lens cleaning clothes at any reputable camera store.

[smack bob]

Yeah that graininess I dont think is caused by finerprints. A fingerprint tends to look like an out of focus smudge. TO get rid of noise use a lower ISO setting, however it is the eternal trade of for high ISO Much better for low light but lots of noise, or low ISO low noise, but shite in low light.

[dubst3p]

thanks guys.
for both those pics, the iso setting was on auto so i thought it would be the same considering both of them were in low light. will try it on 50 or 100 next time

[glitch]

You do have some strange coloured elipses in there but they are probably just flare (from lights). If the same marks occur in different shots in the same place then it's probably on the lens. If it's the 'graininess' then it's definitely just due to a higher iso.

The camera doesn't see both scenes as the same 'low light'. The bright lights directly visible in the first pic will cause the camera to set a lower iso (when on auto) as it sees the scene as brighter overall.

As suggested before you should be able to remove fingerprints with lens cleaning cloth (rub gently as there are multi-coatings on modern lenses and you can eventually cause wear to this if heavyhanded).

Candyflip .... thought you'd be excited by the announcement of the canon 10d (sold any limbs yet???) - better than a d60 and CHEAPER!!! I've been using a d60 a bit lately (not mine - borrowed :~( ) and it's been lots of fun. Still haven't shot with a G3 or G2 so i can't directly compare but the d60 is a pretty slick unit. Still doesn't compete with the eos 3 for autofocus speed or shutter lag and nowhere near the latitude of neg film but it is great to see what you've got straight away. I'd love to add a 10d to my camera gear but, as i said before, there are other things i really should buy first (like studio flash gear).

Not really going through a 'pinhole phase' ... just like doing both highly accurate and technically correct AND loose and impressionistic shots. When you do a lot of precise stuff (and i mean spending hours and hours on one shot) .... sometimes it's nice to go out and not have the control.

[sHaRp-b0y]

could i get a semi decent digital camera for around $500? PM me

(the perils of being a vinyl junkie)

[smack bob]

Glitch have you soon the 10D noise levels, holy buttery smooth bat man!

[glitch]

yep .... had a peek at the samples on dp review a few days back and i have to admit that they're looking pretty good esp in comparison to the d60 (or other lower rate digicams) - esp at higher iso levels. big improvements for sure

still too much for me at anything over 200 iso, though, if am shooting something like skintones. prefer the look of film grain to digital noise if i need higher sensitivity

there's lots more to come with new chip technology, though. foveon chips (if they make it into decent cameras) and the fuji super ccd sr are pretty exciting developments. can't wait till they manage to work these ideas into a canon body........... mmmmmm

[smack bob]

damn straight ;)

and neat image + 10D will be my weapon of choise until then

[Cosmica]

The new Pentax DSLR is looking a winner, an affordable step up for prosumers....

[Candyflip]

Glitch: bought a D60 two weeks ago. Love it. No, not sad about another great camera being released in it's wake. Happens every year and I need a digi SLR now, not in 2 months time when Canon Aus MAY have some in (like thy've done with the G2 and G3 and a lot of their other range that was hotly sought). See the 'LEE Party with Frankie Knuckles' from last week for the latest output.

smack bob Check the DPreview site for answers to your threads there from me.

best

[smack bob]

Agreed, looks ok, I am leaning for the Canon 10D, but if i cant afford it i will go the pentax, or when the 10D comes out the D60 will be cheap as chips

[smack bob]

Candy about the lottery, good guess and you are close

[simba]

hi guys

ive been reading up about digital cameras etc and checked out this forum....

im on the look out for a nice digital camera for myself - never had one before its time to upgrade from the processing ones...

anyway.. i cant afford to spend much .. looking up to $200-$250...and i have not idea as the ones you all mention are pretty expensive....

any ideas...just something i can take pics for ITM.. can print pictures out... that sort of thing....

any help would be great

thanks heaps

sim

[skware]

Figured I'd resurrect this thread cause I caught the bug at two tribes when my friend let me borrow her camera for a while, and I wanna get into it. So what would your recommendations be for somthing around $5-700 mark that will mainly be used in club situations, but should also look good for normal everyday shots. I want something that isn't just an automatic thing. I want to be able to adjust things and I'm not hassled about spending time getting to know all the features, no matter how hard they are to use, as I'm a geek.

[smack bob]

I would be waiting a little while for the Sony and Canon offerings, there is a V sweet little Sony that has just been released, not sure of price but it is one full on camera packed into a tiny body....not sure of price but it will be expensive,

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0302/03022703sonyv1preview.asp

Search around that site for some of the cameras from canon, but do not buying anything until the latest batches have been released, then search the net as much as you can for the cheapest price in aus.

If you want to see some of the most creative awesome photography you may ever see check out

http://www.myownself.com

http://www.myownself.com/0001/images/bigeyes.jpg

[Jerry]

Hiya Digital Camera Experts, I am thinking of getting a Digital Camera. Now I am going O/S and only have each item insured to a max of $250, so I want a cheap one thats half decent. Now my question is - Whats the Kodak CX4300 like ? Harvey Norman has it on special for $369 until 13/04/03, I had a look in the Teds camera store catelogue and it's $559 there. It says it has 3.2 megapixels and I can't remember what else it has, but is it a good camera and worth purchasing for the above price ? Thanks for any tips or advice..

[glitch]

Candyflip Liked the shots at the Lee party ... much softer lighting than we usually see in darkened clubs. And you're right ... no point in worrying about the 10d ... next year it'll have a full frame sensor but do u wait till then?

I managed to borrow a d60 the other night for the lab4/yoji gig and i have to say it was good to work with. Have recently played around with a canon g3 and found that the manual focus was almost unusable on a moving subject. Also way too slow for that kind of work. Fantastic to be able to stick my 35mm lenses on the d60. Had so much fun i'm seriously tempted ... if only i could see myself making some money with it i'd be able to justify it.

Have a look at the shots and let me know what u think:

lab4/yoji pics (http://www.inthemix.com.au/photos5/030418-lab4yoji-glitch?&page=1)

What i can say after that outing is that if you've got a lot of money to spend a canon digital slr will do the job (meaning it won't hold u back). Cheaper options will still do a great job, there will just be certain things they can't quite do....

[peakin bunny]

heya peeps

i recomend the sony dscf717 its a great camera a bit big bit thats cause it has a mad lense/zoom on it.. i have had it for 5 months and still finding new things about it,, they are a bit expensive thou rrp 2599..

if anyone is lookin to buy a new camera send me a pm my dad flies o/s and gets em very cheap...
eg my 717 was 1800...

so send me a pm with model number and ill try and help out...

[danaele]

Smack Bob - some cool pix in the site - some freaaaaaaaaky ass ones too :p

Well, Ive got a Nikon885 and love it - but I want to upgrade. Ive learnt so much more about digital photography etc...any suggestions SB?

[smack bob]

Yepo, since PMA (massive trade show they release all the new cameras at) there have been HEPAS of new budget cameras with much larger sensors and new technology for a cheaper price released. Personally i would steer well clear of Kodak they are cheap but they are also very very basic.

First:

Select the camera you want i recomend www.dpreview.com go to the bit about PMA nad see what cameras were released. Look for Canon, SOny, Nikon, major brands dont go for gimmick cameras.

Second:

Spend a bit of time searching the web for the very best deal you can, remember oversease places dont have int warranty and you have to pay shipping and GST. i reccomend www.dirtcheapcameras.com.au or www.digicamera.com.au

Third:

Learn how your camera works, like every single function and how photography in general works.


You are right about the G3 i have the G2 and it is WAY too slow. I should be buying the 10D and a 16 - 35 L in the next month or so ;D cant wait!!!!!!!!

[peakin bunny]

bob that not completly true i got 3yr international warrenty instanly replaced... and didt have to pay for gst nor shipping. there are ways around this...

but he is right when buying over the internet you totaly forget that once arrived here they will keep it and then charge you gst..and unless you pay you aint getting your packege

and shipping can be upto 400 bucks as well....

[Tax Invoice]

Originally posted by smack bob
You are right about the G3 i have the G2 and it is WAY too slow.

I have a G2 & wanna smash the thing on the floor sometimes cos it's so slow. Almost need to buy a time travelling machine so you can predict 5 seconds ahead of taking a photo.:p

[smack bob]

Taxy, totally agree wiht you there, the G2 is a joke, I cant wait to get something wiht a decent response and AF.

PB, If your dad buys it for you os and brings it back in for you then yeah you dont have to pay shipping etc. If you buy over the web most major brands dont come wiht int warranty and you have to pay shipping and GST. The GST is calculated after you put shipping onto the price as well :(

Gov't bastards :p

If you want to calculate the cost of Us etc $ against the aussie to work it out cos you can get some pretty good savings from OS go to www.stgeorge.com and click on calculators and then choose the foreign currency one :)

I bought my G2 from www.digicamera.com.au for $1690 back when in the shops they were $2000 + so shop around.

[peakin bunny]

that y i can help gets it tax free plus even better deal with o/s anyway and he brings it back claming he already bought it ..

[Cosmica]

The Sony F828 is out november!


8 mPIX, takes memory sticks and CF cards and microdrive!

Fastest lesn in the prosumer market.


check it out at www.dpreview.com


If you have 2500.00 or therabouts, this is the ultimate prosumer camera.

[Cosmica]

Not just to revive an old thread, but happy to help with any tips.

Question 1: Anyone bought the Pentax 10D yet? Experiences?