Longleat and new toy...

[munge]

So, finally took the plunge and bought a new camera, settled for the 5D Mk III in the end, on the basis that I wanted full format, good low light and good for action photography, amongst other things.

Below are a few snaps from the day, very lucky with the light, though ramped up the ISO for a few in the dark as I hadn't brought a flash. Still toying with the multitude of settings, back focus button etc. But really impressed with it. Less impressed with my 25-300mm lens, just seemed a little slow. And some hampered by having to shoot through the window and from moving car, which turned quite a few shots into slightly blurry images. Not of course helped by children bouncing around in the back of the car!

JAME2526 by munge, on Flickr


White rhino by munge, on Flickr


JAME2820 by munge, on Flickr


JAME2789 by munge, on Flickr
Heavily cropped, ISO 1600


JAME2676 by munge, on Flickr


JAME2654 by munge, on Flickr


Red deer by Munge, on Flickr

Was really impressed how the pictures came out of the camera, even in RAW, they needed little processing (not that I'm that good at processing anyway!). The high ISO ones I took were very impressive, I managed without any flash all day. Whilst it might have improved some of them (portraits which needed a little fill spring to mind), it otherwise coped very well. Took quite a few of the parrots performing, the room is rather dark but cranking up the ISO, I just about got away with an adequate shutter speed. Typically I didn't have a long enough lens on at the time, so had to crop.

I definitely need a faster lens than the 75-300 I have - whilst it's not bad, particularly at 300mm, it seems to struggle to perform. More money, but that's the joy of cheap hobbies...

Any C+C welcome, particularly processing wise, something I just tend to "add a bit of this, reduce a bit of that" with no real idea of what I'm doing, other than by eye. And I've lost my calibrator since moving house!

Processing, all I really did other than crop or straighten, was white balance, levels and fiddle with exposure a little, but surprisingly little of everything.

 

[eyetrip]

Love the first and last, but all have great detail - that's about as far as my critique can extend!

More money, but that's the joy of cheap hobbies...

You consider this a cheap hobby having purchased a camera like that?

But can empathise, my camera purchase was supposed to be cheap, so got the NX1000 for £325 with free tab...

Have since spent £800 on lenses (after £200 cash back), more on filters, camera bag, etc, etc... Suddenly that GH3 I briefly considered doesn't look THAT bad any more...

 

[munge]

You consider this a cheap hobby having purchased a camera like that?

But can empathise, my camera purchase was supposed to be cheap, so got the NX1000 for £325 with free tab...

Have since spent £800 on lenses (after £200 cash back), more on filters, camera bag, etc, etc... Suddenly that GH3 I briefly considered doesn't look THAT bad any more...

Sorry, perhaps my tongue wasn't firmly enough in my cheek when I described it as a "cheap" hobby. I don't, however, want to be one of those "all the gear, no idea" people!

If somebody quoted for the whole lot at the start, nobody would ever do it, but it seems so much easier to think of the thousands spent a little at the time!

 

[londonbairn]

Some may be underexposed, especially the deer shot. Also on the deer shot consider going into portrait and framing more of it, and some of the others in how you frame them

Perspective also can help, like on the butterfly if you were in line with it rather than shooting from above

 

[munge]

Some may be underexposed, especially the deer shot. Also on the deer shot consider going into portrait and framing more of it, and some of the others in how you frame them

I'm never sure about the cropping, sometimes I look at pictures and think "yes, I like it portrait style" and other times I prefer the same image in landscape. The deer photo was uncropped, but I agree it could do with exposing a little more. I'll see what I can do with the cropping...

 

[munge]

Perspective also can help, like on the butterfly if you were in line with it rather than shooting from above

Was more impressed with the size of the thing and the colours and sort of forgot to get down for better perspective, though part of me likes the contrast of the brown with the gaudy colours.
May have been better if I had framed the wings against blurred foliage, with enough angle to catch the gaudy table top underneath it?

 

[londonbairn]

I sometimes take shots from multi perspectives as sometimes it varies. This is not always fun, when i went to take pictures of deer this involved lying down in muck! With animals it usually works well when you have the camera at their level.

The reason the butterfly one I picked out especially was to capture it against the blurred background

You are doing the right thing; going out and experimenting! I used to try and read tonnes of books but no substitute for going out and enjoying yourself

 

[munge]

Is always difficult having kids around, as the last thing they want, is to hang around whilst you look for that "perfect perspective". And I think the park people would have become a little distressed if I'd tried lying outside the car, particularly in the lion and tiger enclosures - would have been action shots for all the wrong reasons!

That is one of the beauties of digital photography though, the ability to be able to shoot potentially hundreds of the same shots, looking for just that one where there is eye contact, or interaction or perfect positioning. I do admire the film photographers from yesteryear, going abroad with perhaps what, 20 or 30 rolls of film, no ability to check on exposure, composition etc and once back from a trek up the Amazon, unable to return if they haven't got it right. I took a few thousand in 3 weeks in Madagascar, of which a fair few are "keepers", but at the expense of perhaps 9 out of 10 to throw away. Would be interesting to know what the "keepers" rate was for film photographers.

We're spoiled these days. Those guys and girls must have had incredible talent to see and shoot what they did.

 

[londonbairn]

Is always difficult having kids around, as the last thing they want, is to hang around whilst you look for that "perfect perspective". And I think the park people would have become a little distressed if I'd tried lying outside the car, particularly in the lion and tiger enclosures - would have been action shots for all the wrong reasons!

That is one of the beauties of digital photography though, the ability to be able to shoot potentially hundreds of the same shots, looking for just that one where there is eye contact, or interaction or perfect positioning. I do admire the film photographers from yesteryear, going abroad with perhaps what, 20 or 30 rolls of film, no ability to check on exposure, composition etc and once back from a trek up the Amazon, unable to return if they haven't got it right. I took a few thousand in 3 weeks in Madagascar, of which a fair few are "keepers", but at the expense of perhaps 9 out of 10 to throw away. Would be interesting to know what the "keepers" rate was for film photographers.

We're spoiled these days. Those guys and girls must have had incredible talent to see and shoot what they did.

Exactly. Photography is so subjective, best outcome is to enjoy yourself

 

[munge]

Exactly. Photography is so subjective, best outcome is to enjoy yourself

Exactly.

Have had a crap few months at work, so has been a little bit of an outlet for me. Enjoy the technical side of trying to get a good image, but also when you look back and the memories of fun times are stimulated. Particularly when it's cold and wet outside and I'm looking at sand or sun!

Is only really the last few months when I have taken any proper interest in it other than as a way of recording events, and if a picture came out really good, then all the better. Now I'm trying a little to do both!