What should one look for when buying a used film camera?

Question

I'm planning to buy a used Nikon F5. I've no experience with a film camera and i want to know what all should one be careful of before buying a used film camera and more specifically an F5.

Thanks.

Answer

Nikon film cameras are practically indestructible so unless used heavily by a professional photographer, who mostly switched to digital five to ten years ago, it should appear to be in pristine condition.

The F5 is old now so you will probably need new batteries. Specific areas to check would be the mirror, film winders, and lens mount. There should be no sign of wear except maybe on the grips. If the camera looks old, tatty, or worn then just walk away and look for another. Lots of owners will also expect an unrealistic price because they were so expensive when new, shop around to get an idea of the right price.

You could also consider the the F80 if you want something lighter and cheaper or an F6 if you want the 'end of the line' camera.

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What are recommended places in Ireland to photograph?

Question

I am going on a short photo trip to Ireland next March and plan to stay for 4 days. I rent a car and want to visit great photo places in Ireland.

What places can you recommend going to and at what time of day?

Answer

If you have access to an iPad, Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs has a free app called Stuck on Earth. This uses crowdsourcing to choose popular locations and photos. Like Google Earth/Maps, you can zoom in on locations, and with the app, click on spots and view photos taken there.

You can take Shane's advice, have a look at south west Ireland, and then click through images to help choose specific locations you want to visit.

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What is the impact of high, low, or eye-level point of view in composition?

Question

Of course there aren't any fixed rules in photography, but since part of photography is about sharing one's viewpoint, I'd like to hear how experienced photographers choose this key aspect of composition.

What impact, in general, does it make to choose:

• A high point of view, above the scene?
• A eye-level point of view, at normal human height?
• A low-to-the ground "earthworm's view"?

Does the choice of subject completely overrule any difference, or is there a general sense each viewpoint gives? When the choice of subjects matter, which subjects lend themselves to each perspective? Do certain types of photography work best with a particular point of view?

Are there other possible viewpoints to consider?

Answer

When you take portraits, the rule is to be to eye level. But... if your model does not have too much hait, a little down the eye point of view can help. Same thing if your model has a double chin. A little higher than eye level can help.

Another thing is about the use of a wide angle lens. The rule is to keep the camera horizontaly and verticaly "aligned". But if you want to enhance some curves, or some perspective, you may rotate it a little bit.

Also, with a wide angle lens, getting a little bit down can reduce the importance of the ground, and at the opposite, taking it up may increase it (always with the camera H/V aligned).

A last thing. Putting the camera higher than your eye level may introduce a feeling of power / detachment. On the opposite, putting it lower may introduce a feeling of submission.

The main rules given in this answer also apply for all subjects. Another thing : taking a picture at eye level may give a picture that "anyone can see". The more you change your point of view, the more the picture will be intriguing. takin for example a landscape at your point of view, if there is nothing interesting in the landscape, would result to a not-so-good picture. taking the same landscape from the grass level could give some interesting effect and result to a Wooooaw to not-so-bad image.

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What kind of color treatment is applied to these Sean Flanigan photos?

Question

Sean Flanigan is probably one of my favorite photographers. His photos has an extremely unique feel to them, at least to me they are unique. Whenever I try to describe his photos, words fail me. I don't know if "vintage," or "retro," or what is the correct word. I've been trying to learn and replicate his colorsin Lightroom, but haven't come close to being successful. Maybe you guys will know more.

One thing that I have learned is that his white is never truly white, and his black is never truly black. Check out his black and whites and you'll see what I mean, and this treatment can be seen on all his photos, kinda like his signature. I don't think he changes his colors much, it's just the blending of colors, if that makes any sense at all. His colors just kind of blend together evenly and nicely, and then he adds something to it to make them feel vintage/retro.

Another thing I notice is that he does a lot of tilt-shifting, either by Photoshop or by actual tilt-shift lens. Just can't figure out what it is about his colors.

Would really appreciate some lessons from other master photographers. Thank you!

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Answer

alien skin 2 old actions, faded actions VSCO

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How important is optical zoom in snapshot cameras?

Question

I want to buy a new snapshot camera. Because i want a new one with geo-tagging, I haven't such a great choice. So the following three cameras are my favorites:

http://digitec.ch/ProdukteVergleichen1.aspx?artikel=209007,207072,208802

• Canon Powershot SX230 HS
• Sony DSC-HX7V
• Panasonic Lumix TZ20

But now they look all very similar to me. The biggest difference I can see as a beginner is the optical zoom. Is this correct? Or is there a more important difference that I can't see?

And if it is only the optical zoom. How much is the difference between 10x and 16x? Do I feel any difference?

Answer

I never tried to hold a 384e mm zoom on such a camera, but as @dpolitt mentioned it might be very difficult. You may want to try that at a store or read up on that.

But, leaving any other image quality aspects aside, I think the wide angle focal length might be much more interesting. 24e to 28e mm, from your given comparison, is quite a difference which cannot be compensated by moving your feet as much as on the narrow angle end. If that is important to your needs, of course.

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Is the Canon Semi Hard Case EH19-L good for a entry-level body plus 18-135 lens?

Question

On the Canon site, is not mentioned. Is this product good for Canon 600D + 18-135 lens?

If the answer is no, which similar case do you suggest for me?

Answer

It looks like it does fit the camera combination that you have according to the B&H Photo Video website - here. They state that the EH19-L is:

Compatible with: Rebel T1i with EF-S 18-55 mm IS lens, a T2i with EF-S 18-55 mm IS or IS II lens, a T3 with 18-55 mm IS II lens, a T3i with 18-135 mm IS lens or 18-55 mm IS II lens, an XS with 18-55 mm IS lens or EF-S 18-55 mm IS lens refurbished, an XSi or XSi refurbished, an RFD RBL T1I or an RFD T1I

As a note, the Canon T3i is the US name for the Canon 600D.

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What is the relationship between Guide Number and flash power level?

Question

From this post, I understand that the flash guide number (GN) is given by the following formula:

Guide Number = Shooting Distance × f-number ÷ ISO factor

I'm assuming that the GN calculated via the equation above will be based on a flash that is firing at full power. Am I correct to assume that if I set the flash to fire at half power, that the guide number is effectively halved? i.e. the equation will now be:

Guide Number = Shooting Distance × f-number ÷ ISO factor * Power Level

where power level can be the following 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, ... 1/64, etc?

Answer

The guide number is inversely proportional to the power squared. This is due to the way that light intensity diminishes with distance, at twice the distance light is spread over four times the area, so each bit of that area receives 1/4 of the light.

So the actual formula needs to take into account the square root of the power level:

Guide Number = Shooting Distance * f-number * (Power Level)^0.5 ÷ ISO factor

The guide number has the same inverse square relationship to the sensitivity, as detailed by the ISO factor, defined as follows:

ISO factor = (ISO / 100) ^ 0.5

Substituting and bringing sensitivity onto the top of the fraction gives a formula which you can simply plug numbers into:

Guide Number =  Shooting Distance * f-number * (Power Level)^0.5 * (ISO/100)^-0.5

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