|
Articles and Reviews
|
Home >> Photography Frequently
and Not So Frequently Asked Questions What kind of digicam would you recommend?
For the entry level, a digicam from any of the primary brands (Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Olympus, Minolta, Pentax, etc.) will do you well. A 2 MP camera can output excellent 4x6 and very good 5x7 sized prints. 3 MP cameras are very reasonably priced these days and will allow for a nice 8x10 size print. For the mid-level, I like what Canon and Sony have to offer and for the high-end, the Konica Minolta A2 with image stabilization looks like the camera to buy, but DPReview and others indicate lower detail resolution vis a vis other 8 MP digicams due to the apparent use of an older lens. What kind of digital SLR would you recommend?
For those without any loyalties to one brand or another:
Keep in mind the need for storage media and spare batteries in your budget and if you don’t already have a recent vintage computer to work on the files created by the cameras listed above, make allowances in the budget for one. What kind of photo kit would you put together if money were no object?
Right now Canon is the leader in 35mm based digital systems, but as most would know I prefer Nikon, so I would go with whatever Nikon has in store for its coming D2X camera, a pair or three would suffice. Add to that a whole mix of prime and zoom lenses to cover everything from low light to super telephoto and convenient, pro-quality zoom lenses. The medium format backs are where the edge of the art is for digital and right now it’s probably a toss up between the Phase H25, Creo/Leaf Valeo 22, and the Kodak/Sinarback 54. Mamiya probably has the most lenses available currently for their 645AF, but I’m inclined to go with the Hasselblad H1 system. Since I’m playing with Monopoly money, I’ll take two for good measure. With more realistic cost constraints, I’d stick with the 35mm based digital system and completely eschew film. One Phase H25 back would more than cover a comprehensive 35mm based kit for me, perhaps even doubled up. What kind of film camera would you recommend for a beginner, or advanced amateur? None, film is pretty much irrelevant today. Just kidding, look for a Nikon F100 or Canon EOS 3 or 1v.
See the two answers below. I have an old camera that doesn’t seem to work anymore, any ideas? Other than changing batteries, not really, as I’m not much into the inner workings of cameras. Bring it into a service shop and get an estimate to see if you really want to spend the money needed to get it back in working order. I’m looking for parts, lenses or other accessories for my old camera? Try www.keh.com. A reputable dealer by most accounts and pretty conservative with their ratings for used gear. Computers and Digital Darkroom
PC or Mac?
For what it’s worth, I don’t have issues with my PC that some Mac users claim to afflict all PCs. Photoshop works the same on the PC as on the Mac with only minor differences that do not affect the quality of the image file. Just as cameras and lenses are tools, so too are computers and waxing orgasmically over a computer is just not cool – although I did seem to mess myself up when I wrote about my Toshiba notebook.
To be fair, many in the PC camp offer pretty vitriolic comments too (do I qualify?) with statements about mission critical applications over umpteen machines as one example and market share as another. Well, I don't really care how one or the other platform works in such capacities because the only mission critical application I care about is my own, and for me, my PC works just fine. And who really cares about who's got what percentage of the market, that is just completely irrelevant for your own personal computing needs since neither platform is going away anytime soon. For an amusing, but ironic look at Macs: http://www.drjack.com/macs_suck/
If you can afford it, a sub-notebook, such as a Panasonic Toughbook or IBM Thinkpad with a CD burner. If you can’t afford it, then get the cheapest digital wallet available because it’s a risky device that you don’t want to spend much money on (or at least that’s my opinion on such devices). The Vosonic X-Drive offers user replaceable hard drives and batteries for half the cost of similarly spec’ed name brand digital wallets.
Neither, as I would prefer the Eye-One Photo for my monitor and printer calibration, but I don’t have CAN $2000 to buy one, thus, I prefer the ColorVision Spyder with OptiCal because it works better with my particular Sony CRT. In Canada, the Spyder is also a better deal than the Eye-One, but the general consensus amongst users who have used both is that the Eye-One is superior to the ColorVision Spyder.
No, you would be better off buying a film scanner that has Digital ICE to save you countless hours touching up the files for dust spots. Minolta has a very high specification scanner in the Elite 5400 that is very reasonable in cost at around CAN $1000. Other scanners to look into are the Nikon Coolscan V and if you have the money, the Coolscan 5000, both with the latest generation of Digital ICE and the 5000 also offers batch scanning of slides with an expensive accessory. Would you recommend a flatbed scanner?
There are some who claim very acceptable results when using flatbeds with larger film sizes such as medium and large format, but while my heart would like to believe it, my head tells me that the quality is still going to be questionable. Better to find a good service bureau to scan your larger pieces of film and the bonus is that they have to sweat it out spotting the file instead of you, unless you can afford something like the Nikon or Minolta medium format scanners. However, if you still have your heart set on one the Epson 4870 is the one to get because of the higher specifications and Digital ICE built-in. What brand of printer do you prefer? Epson is the obvious choice, not only because I already own one, but because Epson has been the pioneer for photo quality inkjet printers and continues to push the state of the art to new levels. However, Canon has made huge strides in a short time and is worth a serious look. They are especially impressive for their printing speeds.
What kind of camera bag do you recommend? I’m partial to Lowepro, but then that could because it’s the only brand that is so widely available for so much of its product range in my city. Other brands are available, but in limited supply for type, color and quantity. For specific types of camera bags, that depends (I seem to use this term a lot) on the style of photography you’re doing versus what kind of equipment you need to haul with you, e.g., for nature and wildlife, the obvious choice is a backpack, but wedding photographers may prefer a rolling case, although I have seen a wedding photographer carry and work out of a large Lowepro Photo Trekker backpack. Are you one of those photo-geeks with a closet full of photo bags and cases? See photo below…
Are you one of those photo-geeks that wear the name of your chosen brand proudly on your body? See photo below…
Are Gitzo tripods really worth the money?
Who are your photographic influences? Galen Rowell was the first big name photographer I discovered early on and his photographs and writings still influence me today. Except for his tragic death, he seemed to have led a charmed life that is the stuff of dreams for so many aspiring photographers. First job received when he decided to turn pro was a National Geographic assignment that wound up with a cover photo. Ironically, one of his last major assignments was also for National Geographic, which saw his return after an absence of many years. Since that first job, he had been propelled to the first ranks of outdoor photographers with assignments all around the world. It seems so cliché to say that Ansel Adams is an influence because so many people cite him as theirs, but so it is for me too. His best photographs are timeless, something that cannot be said of many professionals’ output today. The images are so much, that at times I hanker to try my hand at large format photography, but then that was only half the process for Ansel Adams, with the darkroom work the other half. Darkroom work is something that I do not have a discipline for, so it mitigates further equipment expenditure by me to pursue the Ansel Adamsesque landscape. What style of photography do you prefer? I like landscapes and nature photography, but most of these are eye candy for me. For photography that provokes me and makes me think, often about humanity, I look to documentary and photojournalism. The Magnum style, if such can be defined, is the type of photography that I’m referring to. Which films do you prefer? Quick response – none, I prefer the digital capture and processing for my photography. Long answer – it depends on the subject, but I like to keep things simple and not have a dozen emulsions in my bag to cover every conceivable moment or opportunity. Less film types means less worry in the field. Landscapes and other general situations where I want slides – Fuji Velvia and/or Provia 100F. Kodak has also some good films, but I’ve not tried any recent emulsions. People – Fuji or Kodak professional negative films. NPS 160, NPH 400, Portra 160NC and Portra 400NC. B&W – Kodak Portra B&W (discontinued for TMAX 320CN), Ilford SFX 200 (near infrared response), Kodak TMAX 100 (highest resolution film widely available) Nikon or Canon?
As I am not a professional photographer dependent upon my skills and equipment to put food on the table (merely a dabbler), I do not need to use the most state of the art gear coming from any other brand. However, I do acknowledge that if such were the case then my choice in brand may well be different based on the kinds of photography I would specialize in and after careful consideration of all the strengths and weaknesses of the brands under consideration. Coke or Pepsi? Coke, but that means nothing for what tastes good to you, or for that matter, photography. Boxers or briefs? Neither, but let’s not go there. Are you still an audiophile? Yes and no. Yes, I still love to read about the high-end audio equipment and will still peruse the major mags now and then, but no, in that I’ve sunk so much money into photography that nothing is available to continue the audio hobby. Three kids in the house also makes me squeamish to have all the components connected after one of them turned on my power amp and nearly cooked it death because a towel used as a dust cover was still on top, blocking the air vents. My cloth dome tweeters in the speakers also appeared to have been pushed in somehow (sigh). My only meaningful way of listening to tunes for a longtime was via headphones, but I’ve set up a small system in my home office based on a Yamaha five-disc carousel CD player with a line control for volume, NAD power amp with gain control to work with the CD players volume controll, and Energy XL150 bookshelf speakers wired with cheap Monster cable. Speakers need to be broken in as of this writing, so no comments can be made yet about its serious audio qualities, but its perfectly fine for background jazz and classical listening while I work on digital files.
Tubes or solid state? I like tubes, truly I do, but I can’t stand the maintenance required. Even the modern designs that adjust bias on their own are too much for me to worry about, although I did almost buy a set of used Quicksilver mono-blocks. The only concession I make to tubes is my Sonic Frontiers pre-amp with a single tube used in a hybrid design, but then Sonic Frontiers products do tend to be more solid state in sound despite their use of tubes. If I were to do it again, I’d just as soon go all solid state for pre and power stages.
The thought of having output devices that degrade hour by hour until they burn out is too much for me to bear no matter how glorious they sound in the beginning. Digital or vinyl? I ike vinyl, truly I do, but I can’t stand the maintenance required – oops, is that the record skipping and repeating again? I once had about 400 records, pared down from over 1000 after I bought someone’s collection. Played back on an Oracle turntable that was an objet de art in itself, it made for some soothing tunes that was…liquid.
Back in the McJob days, spending a few grand on this vinyl excess eventually got to me and I sold out for convenience and went whole hog to CD. The ritual of cleaning the records by dousing them in flammable alcohol and then scrubbing them with a custom brush, before suction vacuuming and “finishing” them with more expensive flammable liquid and then inserting into new sleeves took their toll. Probably all the fumes from those flammable liquids. Vinyl “generally” has rolled off high and low frequency response, but what’s left can be pure magic. In the same way that many are drawn to tubes and small BBC monitors despite obvious shortcomings, vinyl has its adherents. When it all comes together on the right kind of music, you just close your eyes and… What kind of speakers do you prefer? The biggest, baddest floor standing models possible. While this may seem a pathetic paean to consumerism, it really has to do with obtaining the best sound quality possible from the drivers to reproduce the deepest bass notes. I don’t mean top 40, one-note rap bass, but bass that adds weight to an orchestra or can actually make a huge cathedral organ sound like more than a kazoo sized instrument when recorded and reproduced. Deep bass performance is a matter of physics, the larger, deeper and louder you want that bass, the bigger the speaker system has to be and the better and larger your amplification to drive those speakers with control and finesse. Ribbons and electrostatics do have a “liquid” (damn, the player’s repeating again) sound to them that many box speakers cannot approach, but most if not all suffer from the deep bass response that a full range dynamic system can offer. The best box speakers can offer similar quality as the box-less or baffle-less designs have, but at incredible prices that match their physical size. What’s the dream audio system? Very difficult since there are so many high-end companies producing incredible sound, but I lean towards companies with a proven track record over many years. However, some of those companies are headed by the founder, who also happens to be the lead engineer and I wonder about how those companies will fare once the founder retires or is ousted (think Carver as one example of an ousted founder and Rowland and Krell as companies still being run by one dominant person/engineer). Mark Levinson and Classe have already undergone upheavals with founders being uninterested or ousted, but emerging even better than before. Bryston is another company that has continuously brought in good engineers to replace old ones and produce highly acclaimed products. Krell is like Canon, always pushing the boundaries of the state of the art, especially for the number of watts available in an amplifier. Levinson is like Nikon, steady and conservative, but just when you think that they’ve become too staid, they shake the market up with a tour de force product that sets the standard for years/decades to come. At this time and based on limited experience, I lean towards building a system around a pair of Wilson X-1 Grand SLAMM speakers with compatible amplification and source components. Most likely Levinson Reference or Classe Omega products. Less ambitiously, some B&W Nautilus 800 speakers could also find favour avec moi Someday, I may be able to play again and setup a solidly top-end, but unpretentious audio system. Likely single digital source going into solid, second tier amps and speakers, e.g. Levinson 390 player, with built-in line control, into a Levinson 433 power amp leading to some B&W Nautilus 802 speakers, all lashed together with some Wireworld cable. |
|
Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
|
 |
|
Depends
on the budget you have available, keeping mind that you should
also budget for spare batteries and a high capacity storage
medium (flash card).
Depends
on your budget and what kind of system you have currently.
If you don’t have much invested in film then the whole D-SLR
market is open to you, but if you’re already heavily invested
in Nikon, Canon, or Pentax lenses, then it makes obvious sense
to review what these brands have available. Pentax only offers
the one body at this time, whereas Nikon and Canon have a
range of bodies with varying resolution and performance specifications.
Fuji is another alternative for Nikon lens users.
I
would have two systems, one 35mm digital based and one medium
format based with one of the new, high 
I have a Canon AE-1 or AE-1 Program
that does not seem to work anymore, or I need lenses and accessories
for it.
PC,
but that means nothing for what would work best for you. Some
people like Mac and some people like PC, it’s a personal choice
based upon the pluses and minuses of both systems and which
compromises or feature sets appeal to you, or choose the one
that annoys you the least.
Notebook or digital wallet?
You’ve reviewed the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display and 
You like the Minolta 
Having
seen the output from two of the best flatbed scanners in the
world, I know that high quality can be available from flatbed
scanners, but these scanners cost in the range of US $50,000.
However, the same cannot be said of consumer flatbeds costing
in the hundreds of dollars. Frankly, I think you would be pissing
your money away if you wanted to scan 35mm film seriously with
a cheap flatbed unit.
Other
points to consider are:
For
a lifetime warranty, they could be, but 
Nikon,
but that means nothing for what you need and would
work best for you. Some people like what Canon has
to offer for lenses and others like being able to
use 30-year lenses on recent model cameras (among
many other reasons). Choose the system that fits in
with your style and needs the best.
