Poo d'état

Well in that case, methinks your avatar needs an update!

Naaaaaaawww he's so purdy! I love the little poking tongue , is that just how Barkly rolls? Eta: love the squiggly sig/watermark too, very nice

Holy crap Ruth, what a sight to have to come home to! No advice to offer here, just lots of hugs

Aaaaaaaargh! I thought i had the Nikkor 20mm set up for auction sniping, but i must've missed a step... so i missed out! I'm so annoyed with myself, it went for only $311! Argh dammit. Well, i'll have to keep an eye out for any other ones. In the meantime, i might just get the Tokina anyway.

Yeah, the photojournalists that i work with have reported similar, people are getting more and more sensitive, and i don't entirely blame them. If i'm shooting a person in particular, i try to ask for permission, or, depending on the situation, i hold my camera up to my face but not quite to my eye, wait for the person's response to see if they object, and if they don't seem bothered, i take my shot. I've also on a couple of occasions shown people photos on my camera to let them know i'm not shooting anything sinister, defamatory or distasteful, that it's just a mere record. That's okay, it's not a major deal, it's just that i sometimes pre-focus or shoot without looking TTL, and others i do, so a good mechanism would be advantageous but not essential. Thanks for the feedback guys.

Ripley i did look at the Sigma 10-20 but it just didn't seem quite small or fast enough at 4-5.6. The more i think about it, the more i'm tempted to get both the Tokina and the Nikkor... hmm, decisions, desicions.

Yeah, optically it's really the Tokina that i want. I really need to fit it on my camera to see how big and heavy the whole thing is (but i'm yet to find it in a bricks'n'mortar shop), and how well it'll fit in the regular bags that i take with me. It's mainly so that i'd shoot more street stuff. Kja how do you find the focus ring mechanism when switching between AF and MF?

Okay, i'm considering my next lens, and being a big fan of the wide angle, i've narrowed it down to three nominees: - Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL-II Aspherical - Nikkor AF 20mm f/2.8D - Tokina AF 11-16mm f2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX Unfortunately i'm yet to find one that ticks all my boxes (needs to be superwide expecially given cropped angle of viewing on my D90, but needs to be small and light so i can take it around in my handbag/tote/etc - my current staple Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 DX is a bit of a beast to lug around, not to mention makes me stick out like a sore thumb), i've weighed the pros and cons of the above, and just want to see what everyone thinks i should get: - the Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL-II Aspherical pros: is uber small, bit of a pancake lens at 63mm diameter x 28.8mm length and only 205g cons: bokeh is rather ugly, for want of a better word (i do like a nice and creamy bokeh); is a focal length already covered with my current zoom, and a whole 2 stops slower cost: $769 - the Nikkor AF 20mm f/2.8D pros: size - not as small as the Voigtlander but still compact enough at 69mm diameter x 42.5mm length and 270g; very nice bokeh cons: once again, a focal length already covered with my current zoom, equally fast cost: $300+ secondhand (currently available), $820ish brand new - the Tokina AF 11-16mm f2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX pros: much wider than the others, possibly the widest on the market at f2.8, woukd complement my 17-55 very nicely: very nice bokeh cons: size is a bit of a bitch at 89.2mm long and 560g, quite close to my current one in size but about 200g lighter; this is a DX/cropped lens, at this wide, i probably won't have much use for it if/when i upgrade to full frame (though i can still sell it i suppose) cost: $795 So, opinions?

What a terrible tragedy, so sorry for your loss.

So sorry for your loss, what a beautiful dog and lovely tribute. My condolences.

FYI, there's a second-hand AF-D version of the 80-200 2.8, condition "excellent", going for $750: it's in Sydney but they do ship, in case you're interested.

Speaking for myself only but i'm yet to actually use live view on my D90, i just haven't been in a situation where i need to use it. It might come in handy when shooting from an awkward angle (e.g. from above, reaching above people's heads in a crowded situation), but even in those situations, once you get the hang of the SLR, you should be able to pre-focus and shoot without looking through the viewfinder. If anything, the live view function may eat up a lot of battery power (i suspect). So, my opinion is that it shouldn't be a deal breaker. I'm about to get the D60 for my little cousin too.

Ooh hey Rocco which 50 1.4 do you have? I'm going to pick up the 1.4G tomorrow, but i'm actually still somewhat undecided on whether it's worth the estra few hundred over the D version. And Dieseldog, to answer the original question in your OP, i have a Nikkor 17-55 2.8, Tokina 100mm 2.8 macro, and some el crappo lens kit number that came with the Nikon F55 that i got as my first camera. I'm getting the 50mm 1.4 tomorrow, and also looking to add the Tokina 11-16 2.8 in the very near future.

If i recall correctly, you already take some pretty darn good photos Dieseldog (i think one of them might even be on the cover of a calendar i have on my wall? ). I don't know much about Canon lenses so can't help much there, though i've recently been using the Flickr discussion boards a lot to see people's results with particular lenses (in addition to the standard lens reviews), and see what their comments are, worth checking out (if you haven't already done so) before parting with your money.

Nice! A fellow student showed off brought in a very nice Mamiya TLR the other day, immaculately kept and very drool-worthy.

Can't agree more, eta: especially if you're shooting larger than 35mm. The first photographer i assisted shot on two Hasselblads, running around doing location portrait sessions with him was quite an experience, i got pretty damn good at reloading magazines! Ashanali what MF film camera do you have? Rocco1 love the parrot shot. How are you liking the D700 and shooting in full frame in general?

- Ken Rockwell is the Chuck Norris of photography - Ken Rockwell's camera has similar settings to ours, except his are: P[erfect] Av[Awesome Priority Tv[Totally Awesome Priority] M[ajestic] - Ken Rockwell doesn't color correct. He adjusts your world to match his. - Sure, Ken Rockwell deletes a bad photo or two. Other people call these Pulitzers. - Ken Rockwell doesn't adjust his DOF, he changes space-time. - Circle of confusion? You might be confused. Ken Rockwell never is. - Ken Rockwell doesn't wait for the light when he shoots a landscape - the light waits for him. - Ken Rockwell never flips his camera in portrait position, he flips the earth - Ken Rockwell ordered an L-lens from Nikon, and got one. - Ken Rockwell is the only person to have photographed Jesus; unfortunately he ran out of film and had to use a piece of cloth instead. - When Ken Rockwell brackets a shot, the three versions of the photo win first place in three different categories - Before Nikon or Canon releases a camera they go to Ken and they ask him to test them, the best cameras get a Nikon sticker and the less good get a Canon sticker - Once Ken tested a camera, he said I cant even put Canon on this one; thats how Pentax was born () - Rockwellian policy isn't doublethink - Ken doesn't even need to think once - Ken Rockwell doesn't use flash ever since the Nagasaki incident. - Only Ken Rockwell can take pictures of Ken Rockwell; everyone else would just get their film overexposed by the light of his genius - Ken Rockwell wanted something to distract the lesser photographers, and lo, there were ducks. - Ken Rockwell is the only one who can take self-portraits of you - Ken Rockwell's nudes were fully clothed at the time of exposure - Ken Rockwell once designed a zoom lens. You know it as the Hubble SpaceTelescope. - When Ken unpacks his CF card, it already has masterpieces on it. - Rockwell portraits are so lifelike, they have to pay taxes - On Ken Rockwell's desktop, the Trash Icon is really a link to National Geographic Magazine - Ken Rockwell spells point-and-shoot "h-a-s-s-e-l-b-l-a-d" - When Ken Rockwell went digital, National Geographic nearly went out of business because he was no longer phyically discarding photos - For every 10 shots that Ken Rockwell takes, 11 are keepers. - Ken Rockwell's digital files consist of 0's, 1's AND 2's. - Ken Rockwell never focuses, everything moves into his DoF - Ken Rockwell's shots are so perfect, Adobe redesigned photoshop for him: all it consists of is a close button. - The term tripod was coined after his silhouette - Ken Rockwell never produces awful work, only work too advanced for the viewer - A certain brand of high-end cameras was named after people noticed the quality was a lot "like a" rockwell - Ken Rockwell isn't the Chuck Norris of photography; Chuck Norris is the Ken Rockwell of martial arts. - Ken Rockwell never starts, he continues

Just a reminder that the World Press Photo awards exhibition is on at the State Library until this Sunday, May 31, before it heads up to Brisbane. Go check it out if you haven't already done so.

Acrylics do look fantastic, and yes, especially with metallic paper, though it could be costly depending on the size of the image, and harder to display/mount, again, depending on size and therefore weight. I personally think they're more for smaller displays, but if you have the money to spend, go for it! We offered acrylic finishings at my last job and had a really fantastic supplier, i can pm you their details if you are interested. Personally i don't think canvas is such a good idea for exhibitions either, purely because no matter how good the print, the textured surface still takes away from the clean, sharp feel of a regular print. They look great in the home, but i've never seen them used for photographic exhibitions in galleries/museums. I think frames are still the best way to exhibit your work, unless you're going for the arty or avant garde, in which case lightboxes/backlighting and other fancy techniques can be very effective. With framing you can go with or without the matting - if your prints are large it can work better without or with a very little, but of course it depends on the image. Going without also makes it cheaper. A cheaper alternative still is as Kja mentioned, block mounting, which is usually on foamcore, though there are other materials to choose from that vary in cost and finish. You can also set it in a frame, which i think is really nice. There's usually a tiny gap between the foamcore and the frame, so sort of like the 'floating' effect you get in architecture terms. Well, sort of, but not really, it's probably just me, hehe.

Nice work Rocco1, that is one beautiful piece of equipment. I'm very jealous. *sigh*

Like many people will tell you, i'm sure, it all comes down to how the camera feels in your hands, so research a few model numbers, write them down, then go to a shop and try them out. One piece of advice though - do yourself a favour and choose a model with separate dials for aperture and shutter speed, especially since many lenses that come with the kits don't have an aperture ring for manual adjustment. This might mean ruling out most (if not all) entry-level bodies, but will still leave the entire Nikon mid-range (D70, D70s, D80, D90) and some Canon mid-range ones. I was quite surprised to try a Canon mid-range camera a few years back (can't remember the exact model) that only had the one dial, the inconvenience of it shat me to no end i almost smashed it to the ground :rolleyes: . It might be just me, but i think it's much easier to learn on two dials (as i did, with my entry-level Nikon film F55). Good luck and happy shopping.

ILuvAmstaffs, if you're near Drummoyne, European Camera Specialists have this listed second hand, probably worth checking out: Nikkor 18-70mm/f3.5-4.5 AF-S DX Lens #4178311 c/w Lenscaps, Lenshood and original packaging - (Excellent+) $425 Alternatively, Camera Action has the 18-55 /3.5-5.6 DX ED Li brand new for $135 , they're in Melbourne but i've ordered and shipped from them before without any problem. Eta: the VR version is $225 The only thing to keep in mind if considering the 50mm is that the D200 is DX format so you'll have to take into account the increased focal length.

Redangel, if flash is a problem then i'd definitely avoid it, take her outdoors or place her right next to a window during daytime. If even the sight of the camera/bag makes her nervous, then i guess maybe have her get used to it gradually? Leave the camera out (if it's safe to do so), have her 'acclimatise' to it, gradually working towards pointing it (not at her) an firing off a few shots (of nothing in particular, just to get her used to the sound of the shutter release), then see if she can handle having it pointed at her? Not sure if it'll work but worth a try. Good luck!

I thought you'd like him. His aesthetic and style definitely works better as straight up portraiture. He loves his wide lens too. :D

Clearly they had so much fun they sneaked you a parting gift... :p