Photography - equipment, help hints

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Karl (Rochie) did a cracker last year at Duxford. Just as he was about to take a shot in the static flight line, some bloke looked at him, walked directly in line with his lens, stopped, and turned his back.
Karl tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he had an e-mail address. When the idiot asked why, Karl replied "So I can send you a photo of the back of your ****ing head !".
 
LOL. I had someone step in front of me while panning with the Nikon 200-400mm. <following, following, click, click...thud>. I lowered the camera and checked the lens while the dumbass just looked at me. I looked him in the eye and tapped the lens hood and said "Carbon fiber, the lens is okay". He just stood there with his mouth open. Then I added "Oh yeah, you might want to look from behind people that have large lenses." He muttered something and moved on.
 
For those of you in North America, especially the northern States, the Solar eclipse is starting. It should reach totality in two hours (it will reach 90% in northern states, 40% in middle-southern states).
 
As it turns out, clouds rolled in and obscured the solar eclipse (such is my luck)...

However, my luck isn't all that bad. I was checking out the local pawn shop the other day and spotted this little gem: a Pentax-F SMC 35-70 (1:3.5-4.5) lens.

After giving it the hard eyeball, I purchased it (and the shop tossed in a 55mm diffuser lens from their drawer of odds-and-ends) for under 50 dollars. The one thing that I appreciate about my Pentax bodies, is that they can use any K-mount lens, fully backward compatible. So I am looking forward to some nice days here soon, so I can take it out and run it through it's paces. Should be nice for landscapes and such, since the closest lens I have to it, is the 18-55.

 

i have my moments !

Terry remember last time at Duxford when they were wheeling out the Spitfire Pr XI and we were all in a bid semi circle taking pics and that bloke with the make your pictures better hat on just walked straight in and was about 3 feet away from the guys working on it, when he turned round he was shocked at why we were all glowering at him ?
 
I mentioned metering in my photo phun thread. Here is a good example of why metering is important. Center spot or weighted center spot works well if you are shooting airplanes flying by when they pretty much fill the frame. But that doesn't work well if you are shooting a wider shot. If you have a bright sky and a normally lit subject, your highlights are going to be blown out! Once that happens, you cannot recover the image. It's better to be under-exposed, as you can recover an image, although it could be grainy. Take a few test shots and do a quick review on your camera and you will see how it looks. Blown out highlights will be very apparent. Here are some examples. These are some quicky edits (resize and mark) without optimizing. The matrix metering is clearly the way to go, and with a little tweaking, works great.
 

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Yep! I seem to remember I walked up to him and told him he was in the way of around 50 or more, patiently waiting photographers - who weren't wearing stupid bl**dy hats !!

I've very recently up-graded my outfit, by adding a 'used' Nikon D 80, in 'as new' condition, bought for a very reasonable price (only£100), and a chest harness with a center and hip holster, to take the weight of the two Nikons.
The D80 has a much better focusing screen for fast-action shots, and is easier to use than the 'do it all in one package' D3100, aimed at the 'amateur' or 'beginner's' market.
So, I can now use the D3100 with 18 - 55mm lens for static and general shots, and the D80 with 55 - 300mm lens for 'action' shots, mounted on a shoulder stock with trigger release pistol grip.
 

My D80 served me well for many years. After taking almost 100,000 images, I retired it to the museum and replaced mine with a "like-new" D200. Good to carry two cameras, that way you never miss anything while changing lenses.
 
Nice info, Eric and that setting makes a big difference between a "wash out" and a really nice shot (killer photos, by the way...you must have had FAR too much fun during that session)

As far as my "new" lens goes, I took it out today and made a discovery. I suppose it pays to pay attention to what you're buying. In this case, it's a positive revelation...not only is that lens a 35-70mm, it also has a MACRO mode!
 
Eric, I almost bought a used D 200, but most were in quite worn condition, and with a high shutter count (average 85,000), with an average price of £180+.
As the spec is virtually the same as the D80, except for the mag alloy body, I decided to go for the D80, in much better, almost new, condition, and only 18,000 shutter count.
I used to use Olympus OM equipment for 30 years, in the days of 35mm, with two OM1 bodies, and four lenses, until I got my first DSLR two years ago. Using the D3100 with the 300mm zoom, and the little Fuji bridge camera for general shots was fine, but I now find the little Fuji a tad difficult to use in some cases, especially on full 'zoom', due to my stiff hands being unable to press the shutter button smoothly. It's also limited for fast action shots, or, for example, shooting aircraft moving on the ground, although I'll still use it for general 'happy snaps' and model photography.
I'm still deciding whether to take the plunge, and get either a Sigma, or preferably Nikon, 400mm zoom, but it's a lot of dosh to justify for the relatively limited use it will get.
 
Congratulations on the upgrade Terry. I now have two camera bodies and will be able to shoot without missing any opportunities...................hopefully. Still learning my 6D. Only problem, Canon's EFS lenses won't fit the 6D, but I only have one, the 18-55. I can put that one on the XSi and keep on gettin' it.
 
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