kja

Are both of yours equivalent cameras? And I'm sure you can tell the difference ;) I just don't think it's something to get worked up over or spend a lot of time worrying about.

Very nice! Great to see you're nailing your focus and have such a gorgeous model :)

Go to POTN and have a look around (and at the equiv Nikon forum) - you'll see more than you have interest in. In a nutshell, they are just different. Both do excellent results and 99.9% of the time and 99.9% of people aren't going to be able to tell the difference in images shot. Some will like crop and some will like FF - and each will likely be convinced that they couldn't do what they do with the other :D Just like Apple & Windows or Canon & Nik there are pretty vocal camps. I stay out of all of it coz imho it's crap - stop pixel peeping and get on with shooting, I say. All the cameras today pretty much rock, so it's not like you'll be missing out with either option. One practical item for the Canons: only the crop 1.7 cameras can use the excellent EFS lenses such as the phenomenal 60mm macro and the great 10-22 & 17-55 zooms. The crop cameras can use ALL the lenses Canon makes, the full frames (and 1D series) cannot. Not a huge deal, but something to be aware of especially if one swaps from crop to FF :)

No, it's not too basic! But if you don't know how to make your camera focus on what you want to focus on, it won't matter what settings you use. Focus is essential and it's the one bit of the manual that one should read first: find out HOW to set it and what each of the three main modes do. Personally, I'd suggest setting it on one shot AF spot to start. This will give ONE red box and what that red box is over will be what the camera tries to focus on. Learn how to select the different points (using the toggle and/or the dial on the back of your camera, usually), but keep it on one of them. I'd also experiment a bit with the half press shutter and moving the focus to the rear * (on canon, not sure what it is on Nikon). I use the * method almost exclusively. For me, it allows a smoother, faster reaction for the vast majority of what I want to shoot. Others will find the half press shutter works better for them. The only way to know is to try both in various circumstances. I find that many people learn more quickly by doing one thing at a time and then adding a second thing.

Setting your focus point will go a million miles towards getting your images in focus. Maybe focus should be one of the challenges. IMHO stop reading the books and start using the camera!!

@mini - same as always: Canon 40D in Subal housing with Inon strobes :) I suppose one day I'll change over but so far the 40D keeps on tickin! @melbomb - yeah, it's a pretty amazing place, the underwater world. But you're right - touching is a definite NO NO...kinda like you wouldn't go up and pat an unknown dog or any wild animal on land ;) A few more... Electric Christmas (it's a Christmas Tree Worm) French Angelfish face peeking sea horse

Lotsa talk in here but no action - someone just pick something and pop it up to get things rolling ;)

I'd say just start one :)

Do whatever makes you happy. Use one lens or both - doesn't really matter coz you'll be learning whichever way you go. I like to use one lens for a while (I still do this) exclusively and see what I can learn, explore, experiment with and achieve. I don't have the attention span to do this until everything is perfect so I switch lenses once my interest in the project starts to wane. Personally, I'd choose one lens an outing/day/week/insert length of time here. There's no right or wrong - just get out there and shoot, review, reshoot, review etc. The 50 is a great focal length but you can get a bit tied to it and become very repetitive (this goes for any "favourite"), so since you have the flexibility get out there and work at different focal lengths - see how the scene/subject is different when you stand in one place. Shoot it at 50mm first and then wide and then long etc. #1 way to improve is to look at your shots on the computer (forget the stupid back screen for serious reviewing) and be critical. Toss the crap (helpful starting place that SO MANY people seem to blow off - if it is not in focus, it is CRAP* throw it out!!). Look at the non-crap and identify what works for you and what doesn't. Figure out how to improve the shot. Go do it - review - repeat. as for changing lenses outside, just be aware of your surroundings and be careful. I change lenses whenever I need to and just don't worry about it. I've done it in a sandstorm, I do it at the beach near the spray of the ocean, I've done it on the back of a horse - I'm going to take all the care I can & really try to protect the open body/lens, but I'm not going to stress about things like that. My gear will survive. *usual disclaimer that there are times when OOF shots work blah blah blah but they are pretty rare, imho

The Sigma 30mm 1.4 is actually an outstanding portrait lens but it is not necessarily an easy portrait lens. It is also simply a fabulous lens that IS easy to use for a whole range of other things. I adore mine, though it doesn't get as much use as it should. The 50mm is "easier" as it seems to be about right where most folks who pick up a camera feel comfortable. Gives you a bit of distance from your subject, but not too much. The 30mm is just enough different that, for some, it feels a bit odd at first - even to those who haven't used either before. I don't use my 50mm much either, really LOL As for how to choose a new lens, I think you're on the right track. Use what you have until they won't give you what you need anymore - then you will have identified not only your preferred focal ranges but also what it is that is missing from your current lens. Then you can shop effectively. Once you reach the limits of your current lenses and add a new one, work with that until you are totally comfortable with it and then consider adding a lens outside of your comfort zone. This will expand your options and help you think and see in new ways.

Looks like a great trip! I think a couple of the black/whites in particular could maybe do with less blocky blacks as I think right now the blacks are so dominating that we lose some of the textures & details that would provide more connection & punch. YMMV

I'd get a new card. That just shouldn't happen. Did you review the images in camera while you were shooting at all?

hmm, that doesn't sound good. Try this: take your card out of camera take battery out of camera - count to 60 put battery back in put card back in If it's still saying it needs to format, your best bet is to give one of the photo recovery software options a try to see if it can identify images from the card. PhotoRec is my choice. Do not reformat the card until you are sure you either have all the images off it or are sure you never will. Good luck.

Nice week's photos, everyone! I still haven't caught up on mine from when I was and haven't sat down to go through all of your fantastic contributions either - it may be one of those projects that I just don't get to! Week 30 - My Harry

I have both a lappie and a desktop. At home now that I don't have the dive shop, I only use the desktop. But I like my dual monitors, I have a very comfy chair and my office is set up to be super user friendly. I don't computer anywhere else in the house really :) But I wouldn't be without the laptop as I use it when I travel. The only way I could deal with lappie only would be to have at least one external monitor. I do really like my Toshiba laptop. I have a very light one (a Portege model, under 3lbs) with the 13.3" screen & dvd/cd burner. I wouldn't have anything with a smaller screen as I wouldn't be able to edit. As is, I can quite happily do some editing while on the road and that's my main concern since any machine can deal with emails/web etc. I would certainly check out the Toshibas next time I need a new lappie. I paid just under $800 for mine (you pay for that light-weight thing!)

Honestly pretty much any computer out there right now will do the job just fine. I know so many people are all like you need a million GB of RAM and this processor or that processor, but the truth is that there just aren't that many total duds of machines. If you are a power user who has massive multiple files open at one time, for instance, then it's smart to buy something big and bad. But if you're a "normal" user - and I class myself here mostly - then just look around at your price point. Despite the ongoing and tedious Mac vs PC debates, in real use terms it's all what you are happy with. I have no need to change to a Mac as there's nothing they offer me that I'm missing out and and I was able to create a machine with better specs for far less cash outlay. Others will say their Macs do offer them things they never got on a Windows based machine. Each to their own. They both work. To get Lightroom on your new machine: - download it from the site again or load from your disk - enter your serial number(s) - get to work :) Things I'd get on a new machine - a goodly number of USB ports, some of the cheapest models can skimp on this. You can add a hub to them for not much money so if you find a machine that looks good in everything else, go for it. Otherwise spend a bit more on more ports. - USB 3 these are still expensive and much of the stuff you currently own, I'm guessing, doesn't support it anyway. my new machine has a couple of usb3 ports but all the rest are 2 - this seems to be about standard. Good to have one or two usb 3's for the future, but not a huge deal imho - RAM. I'd get the machine in my price range with the most and fastest RAM possible but I wouldn't increase my budget dramatically to get masses of this. RAM is what lets your machine work - the more & faster RAM, the more crap you can open at one time or the bigger demands you can put on your machine. Again, most of the new machines are more than adequate for Photoshop and Lightroom 90% of the time - the other 10% there's simply a bit of drag or delay. No biggie - hard drive. If I had to choose a smaller hard drive for better RAM, I would. Hard drives are dirt cheap (just bought a nice 2TB for $108) and easy to install if you find you need more. I personally would have TWO to start anyway because having a backup all ready to go from day one helps build good habits. - monitor: IPS screens have better viewing angles so it's easier to edit. So saying, I have one IPS and a second hand older Dell non-IPS and I have no problems editing on either. I do think the IPS is nicer, but not so much that I feel the need to upgrade the other one just yet. - burner. bluray, dvd/cd whatever. I didn't spring for the bluray coz I knew it was something I just won't use. But I do use my burner for dvds/cds quite often so just got a pretty basic one that does the job. I don't need super fancy in my computer. I just need something that works and allows me to use my time efficiently. I have better things to spend my money on than all the extra stuff computer salesmen think you need :) HTH

Those would be two different files - one image with watermark and one naked - so you just save each of them to the proper location. Every difference you want saved has to be its own file.

In Lightroom on the right hand side of the import screen is an -> Click that and choose where you want to dump stuff, otherwise I think the default is My Pictures in Windows; no idea on a Mac. It's no biggie to move stuff after import either. If you manually move a folder (or rename it), Lightroom simply shows a ? next to the folder name in the menu on the Library's left hand side. Click the ?, choose where the new folder is and ta da everything is sorted :)

Step one: import to Lightroom - pretty much a one click deal - this saves the originals on your disk of choice + you can choose Make a Second Copy To and it will save a second copy of originals to another location - at import you can choose to add things like keywords (where it was, what it was blah blah blah), your copyright information and bunches more so you don't have to futz later With step one the worst that can happen is that I have to redit anything I haven't resaved in multiple locations once I've worked on it. A pain, but not a huge deal as I don't lose any images. Step two: fiddle with whatever I'm going to do - keywords - editing Step three: export finished files to new folders on TWO or more drives then delete the original originals. This gives me multiple copies of the untouched files AND multiple copies of the "finished" files. Lightroom makes this a one button task, too. I used to save to DVDs but I haven't done that in a while. Hard drives are so little and so cheap now that I simply save to multiple drives instead. Use a hierarchy that makes sense to you. For me, I usually use the month & year then have subfolders. For some things I will use the name of the event instead of putting it in the monthly folder: USA2012_JUNJUL or BONAIRE2012. But do what works for you.

yipppeee!! New toys - have fun!

hope you love it!!

Honestly, I've never had a warranty problem with any gear I buy overseas. Though I rarely have a problem in the first place - can't even tell you the last time I had to deal with warranty on a baby camera, in fact. They've all just worked. I wouldn't pay very much extra to buy here in Australia, I'd take the punt. YMMV

My TS3 is my video/happy snappy camera. The photos I've posted from Bonaire are all done with my BGC (Big Girl Camera) = Canon 40D + whatever lens + Subal underwater housing & ports + 2 Inon strobes ;) This was one of my friends entering the water for our dive - taken with the TS3 BH Photo has them in stock for $299 and when I buy from them things usually arrive in about 7-10 days :) Gah, just looked and the newer TS4 is on sale for $265 right now :)

Yes, they can do whatever they want with the images once they have them but unless you give them the files on a rewritable dvd or cd, they'll need to save the changes to a different media (another disk, a usb stick etc). Personally, I'd just give them a normal disk as they're cheaper and I always have them on hand. I think most of those kiosk type printing places allow them to crop the photo once it's loaded onto the machine so they won't have to mess with anything - just stick your disk in and go.

@1-5m while snorkeling And I love the video!