Linda K

you won't pay import duties on stuff from DWI, have bought in an 85 1.4G and the customs invoice was marked as $600, so not a cent to pay. I know there is no cover in Australia, but having bought almost all my gear from overseas due to the cheaper prices available, have never had any issues with any of them, (touch wood), coming from both DWI & BH. Given that the canon pro service is only available in Aus to 1d series, and not the 5d series as well (like it is in the US), I figured it didn't matter if I got them from overseas anyway. Given the price slugging that goes on here, would not hesitate to buy from overseas at all

given the RRP for one brand new is $11,000, seems very suspiciously cheap

perfectly normal, the longer lens would be applying more compression due to it being a telephoto lens, what you are seeing is the difference between wide angle and telephoto lenses

she is gorgeous, and another who did not know sheps come in black, is that like white, a colour that is against standards?

annie99, I am not jumping onto any bandwagon, simply stating what others have said above too - read the last 5 posts I am sure you know about the situation we have in Vic here already with the previous government wanting to make rescuers have limits etc and enforcing those, and no guarantee that the new gov won't also have the same thing suggested, this situation just plays into the hands of those who want to see these laws imposed to make rescue work even more harder to accomplish.

one can only feel for the animals - you can't save them all, and this has certainly put multiple animals lives in danger now, not to mention potentially impacted upon other rescue groups being able to get animals released from pounds

dams aren't really that great either - our lab used to go and swim in our dams, and every time she would end up with ear infections, so personally, would not be letting her anywhere near it unless you want some nice expensive vet bills

bhphotovideo.com

these are what I have tripod link head link Highly recommend a pistol grip head if you can, as it is so much easier to just twist it to get the camera at any angle you want, instead of one where you need to adjust multiple knobs to adjust it in the different directions

when it is over $1000 from overseas (which includes the postage), you will find the parcel goes to customs who will contact you, collect the import duties (15% of what they calculate the total to be - which would be the USD value marked on the customs forms plus postage, converted to AUD at their rate (not sure where they obtain that rate), and then they charge 15% of that calculated value), Once you have paid this (can either send them via direct credit or cc over the phone), they will release the item, and it is despatched to you (mine always came via UPS so the big brown truck up the drive is always the sign of excitement!!!)

had the non IS & IS of version one - much preferred the IS, but even so, I tried to love it and just didn't - tried the new version at PMA and wow, the difference in speed on the 5DII was amazing - this one has been made to work with the digital cameras, and it is amazing how much quicker it grabs focus compared to version I. Bought version II from DWI, and have been in love with it ever since, it is amazing, and if you could, would swing it for sure - the Bokeh on it is amazing

personally I prefer a tripod, as it allows you to simply compose the shot and not worry about holding it steady, whereas monopod you still need to hold it all yourself, so not quite as free, it merely gives a bit more aid for a heavier lens, or allows you to get up higher. As for what you should buy, my vote would not be to skimp - too cheap a tripod will a) not carry the weight of a heavy lens, and b) be dodgy in the event of a bit of wind, and may blow over. I have a carbon fibre tripod, and pistol grip head (manfrotto), and paid an arm and a leg for them, but they can easily support the heaviest lens (70-200), plus the camera body (5dII), no problems, and being carbon fibre, is nice and light to carry too, important when you are bushwalking and feel every kilo that you carry. Bought mine online from BH photovideo

yep, I got told that if you could not get a pug to tilt their head when taking a picture of them, give up being a pet photographer now!!! LOL

the best is to go to an area that is not that contrasty, as unlike our eyes, a camera can only capture 5 stops of light, so if you are somewhere where there is very harsh light (like shooting as someone suggested in noon sun), you are not going to get the best results - the camera is going to clip data and render areas with very little detail - it simply does not have the pixels to record all the data. Looking at the histogram will tell you if this has occured, as you will have the data squishing up against one end or the other - ideally you want the histogram to not be clipped. Natural light is certainly the key, and try areas of lower contrast than what you have here - a patch of full shade if you must shoot on a sunny day (not dappled shade), or ideally wait till the sun is a little lower in the sky (like a couple of hours just before sunset or sunrise - winter time we can get away with shooting just about all day, as the sun is not directly overhead, but on a sunny cloudless day you are making it much harder. The best of all is shooting on a bright overcast day (when it is totally cloudy, but not gloomy), as you then have the whole sky acting like a giant lightbox, diffusing the light, and making for brilliant shooting conditions.

What Shell has said 0 if there is too much of a difference between where each dog is (ie if one is closer to you than the other), the camera will have trouble having them both in focus - make sure they are as near to each other distance wise from you as you can, and then make sure you have the aperture set at least F5.6, and if that does not work, even F8 - the good thing about a digital camera is you can take the shots, and then CHIMP on the back and see of you need to make any adjustments and then try again. Are you shooting on manual, AV, TV or full auto?

have just got the Nikkor 85 1.4G, and love it so much, it and my new Canon 70-200 II are my 2 new best lenses!!!! (and got them online from DWI, absolutely no problems and can highly recommend them)

hmmm, methinks this one might get a bit heated

so we should just accept that they can crush things like this, and not feel that it is WRONG on so many levels - what if it was a baby, would that be OK too just because they were from a different country - psycopath is the word I would use, people that have absolutely no regard or compassion for life like this, and value money far more, are not likely to d=turn down anything, and don't fool yourself, killing random people for money for the thrill of a video is not far away

don't forget, peoples diets also weren't that flash either - I can remember my dad (who still raves about the bread & dripping sandwichs he had as a kid), was a very much a chops & 3 veg man, and without fail, our main meal was always lamb chops (overcooked), peas (overcooked), mashed potato & masked pumpkin - so any leftovers for the dogs were also the same things, certainly there is far more variety in our scraps now. Agree that pets are no so much treated as a disposable - if that one dies, someone down the street has just had a puppy / kitten, so here is the replacement (at least not by as many people anyway), and so having spent the time & effort searching out a new family member, we are more inclined to pay far more attention to them, and their needs, so are prepared to buy the premium foods, and also monitor the health a lot more (probablyl also helps there are a lot more 2 income families, so more money to spend on that) Long story short - I don't think it is so much we are creating more issues and breeding expensive animals to look after, as opposed to the "hybrid vigour" mongrels, I think it is more we are more around them to see things, and are more prepared to spend on them

depends on the age of the animals, the quality of life afterwards, but would have to think very hard for anything over $5000

candid shots can still be candid (esp with kids), even if they know they are having a picture taken - they haven't yet got the frozen face syndrome we as adults pull when we know there is a camera around - I know this, as I do it for a living, and am certainly more than capable of getting all kinds of faces and reactions during a session, they will very quickly forget the camera is there you know, and I do not need to hide from them to get a natural reaction. I would though object to someone just taking pictures of my kids without my permission, and certainly would be far less inclined to give it if the person doing it had been hiding, and assured me they only wanted it for their own collection and said it was tasteful and not creepy, and I would not care what sex they were.

good luck - there is a reason a lot of photographers will not work with kids between 18 months and 5 years, good luck with that mix of ages (of course we will, but you almost need hazard pay for those ages, as you can either get really lucky, or they can be complete tearways, esp if they are going through the terrible twos). My main tip would be if you can to do the group stuff first, then split them up and work with each one on their own, and definitely have someone helping, even if it is another parent, toys on the head are always good, and I have a pez dispenser that I have cut to fit in the hot shoe - gives them something to look at, or a hair scrunchy around the lens if they are girls. Parent behind you as well, so if they are looking at mum, and she is right behind you, then they will give you eye contact, instead of staring off to the side.

have not yet read everything (will do that now), but as a pro photographer, no I would not just snap away without consent, and before anything is used in my portfolio, on my website, or in marketing material I have a model release signed so both parties have agreed to that occuring - I have done a job for someone in the defence force, someone in the police force, and an AFL footballer, none of whom wanted their images anywhere, and so I was happy to comply with their request. If I was also taking a shot of someone I saw that I just had to get for my portfolio, I would also be offering them something in return (such as a free image), not just snapping away and walking off, that is just rude, IMO. Off to read the rest of the topic, and may add more later.

personally I think Nikon at the moment has the momentum from Canon, as Nikon seem to at least be making their focus including the bettor sensors into all of the cameras, whereas with Canon, you only seem to get those with the full pro bodies - I love that the D700 gives a lot more options for focal points to use, the 5DII has only the centre plus a sparse selection around that. I shoot both Canon and Nikon (5dII & D700) But would also say, it is not only the camera or the lenses that makes a shot, it is also the photographer too, just buying now gear will not automatically make things better, you need to learn the learning curve with all of them, and get to know them inside and out - so as has been said, work out what your current body is not doing, and what you want, and what is the best investment to get that - & also remember, the whole industry is targeted to make you think you need to swap up all the time and get the next best thing - not always true, but they need people to keep buying bigger and better, otherwise they will have no more market to sell to. I did start with a 10D,, and loved it, but boy did it suck once you got past ISO 400 - that was why I traded up to the 5DII - the low light ability of that is to die for, but also got the D700 as a backup / 2nd option, as the 5DII is getting a reputation as having focus issues & I can't afford to have a failure on a job, and have only heard great stuff about the D700 - it is also great at low light, and the focus is snap fast too. If you already have an investment in Nikon, I would not be making the jump unless you are really sure it is what you want

definitely you need to be up way higher than them - I know with the Auskick group shot, they get up into the scorekeepers box and take it from there, and from memory, the last group shot at a wedding I was at, they did it from a balcony, but if those things are not available, then would certainly make sure you have a large step ladder available, and use that. Go wide, at least 35mm, maybe wider, and a nice small aperture - F12 probably, but depends how deep you need to stack the people and your distance from them as to how wide the focal depth is that you then need to cover. Good luck - to get that many people and animals all cooperating at the same time will be fun