[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

On a gray scale? How do you do that when you are spot metering?

Simple exercise - try taking photos of a table lamp that is switched on in a otherwise dark room. Try different metering modes. Will help you practically understand the dynamics between metering modes, exposure compensation and what happens when you meter for different areas.

Note: sometimes you need to meter for one area and focus on another. Do note that you can't do this in Matrix mode for Nikon cameras - check the manual if you use Canon.

Originally Posted by Aroy

There are many options when shooting birds which are predominantly is shadows.

1. Use matrix metering and hope for the best. That too will invariably over expose the sky and under expose the bird. Underexpose may be recovered but blown sky never.

2. Use spot meter for the sky. The sky is perfectly exposed, but every thing is in shadows. With the modern DSLR there is at least 13EV of DR (for D3300, and 14.5EV for the D610/800), so shadows upto -11EV are recoverable with little noise if you use base ISO (100 in case of most modern Nikons)

3. Use centre weighed metering for the bird in the shadow. The bird and the surroundings will be perfectly exposed. The sky blown. If you are only interested in the bird this is the correct metering.

If you know how much shadow you can recover with very little noise, then it is better to expose for the sky, unless the subject is really dark - 6 or more EV below the sky. Otherwise expose depending on what you want - the bird or the whole image including sky.

The only other method of getting both right in a high DR scene, is to bracket for exposure -5 EV, 0 EV,+5 EV and then merge the sky with the bird.

True. But modern metering is very sophisticated (varies from camera to camera though), and one can get away with matrix mode for most of the situations. Especially for wildlife where the creature can vanish in an instant. I would try 1, 3 and even spot for the bird if results are not satisfactory - if I have time to experiment.

Originally Posted by Bluu

Anyone? There are some decent discounts being offered at present that I want to take advantage of.

The 50mm 1.8 D or G would be nice. You might also want to consider the Sigma 16-35mm 1.8 which has been getting rave reviews.

Originally Posted by WindRide

All this 'which camera to buy' and exposure related chatter makes me quote the lovable Mr Ken Rockwell ;-)

"For the first 15 years I was an idiot. I thought the way to get better pictures was with a better camera. I thought the camera was responsible for metering and making the correct exposure. I was too inexperienced to realize that, like driving a car, you always have to apply intelligent corrections to get perfect exposure, just as even the best cars need a driver to keep them in-lane."

If i REALLY want to learn photography, i would buy the most basic camera body that has full manual controls and take it one step at a time. No wonder the agricultural Pentax K1000 was held in such high regard among both students and teachers, despite being such a brick.

But i digress.

KR needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. If it took him 15 years to figure that out then....

But gear does matter, all things being equal. Especially for certain genres where you need low light capabilities, reach, speed and focusing sophistication.

Btw KR is increasingly losing it, if you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by Aroy

In case you need telephotos for shooting wild life, then primes are much better (though more expensive) options, as in most of the cases you will be shooting at a great distance (that is why telephoto) and unless it is an elephant at 10 meters, the animals/birds will rarely fill your frame. You need maximum sharpness and at times low light capability to shoot wild life.

The better wildlife lenses are prohibitively expensive...sigh. Try explaining to a wife that you bought a 600mm lens instead of that Maruti Swift that was required for the family .

The Tamron 150-600mm could be a game changer for 'poor' wildlife shooters, let's see how the Nikon mount is.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I would go the other way. Bodies come and bodies go. Every quarter there is a new body, but lenses are upgraded at a much slower pace.

At the start one wont even know what he would end up shooting or what his preferences are. Yes there are good lenses. But how does one as starter know which one should he invest in. Those preferences you would build up over time as he starts spending more time with the camera. May be then he can choose according to his need slowly. A UWA for landscapes, a macro, a portrait, a mid-zoom, a long range for wild life etc.

As you rightly said bodies would come and go. But what if one realized after 6 months of usage that the ISO performance of the body is not good and the person would have been better off with the next level as he mostly shoots indoors? (Just an example). He is now stuck with the body since its just 6 months old and he cant replace it. As I said I am saying one end up buying 5D MKIII instead of 1100D. But spend on a decent body such that he can use it for quite some. And slowly during that period build up lens portfolio.

I dont how does D3XXX fares against D5XXX series, but in Canon there is quite some difference (I think) between 1100D Series Vs 5XX/6XX series.

[rm_arjuna]

I am looking to buy a DSLR moving from a point & shoot high zoom model, i am a novice and want to learn more . most advice was to opt for canon 600 d with 18-135 lens due to budget ,however most prefered was 60d with 18-135 lens instead of kit lens combo . I would like to keep the camera before upgrading for atleast 5 yrs .which would be a better buy and also is it advisable to get the camera from US where it retails for around 50K.

Guru's request suggestions .

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

........
The better wildlife lenses are prohibitively expensive...sigh. Try explaining to a wife that you bought a 600mm lens instead of that Maruti Swift that was required for the family .

The Tamron 150-600mm could be a game changer for 'poor' wildlife shooters, let's see how the Nikon mount is.

That is where the 300mm F4 from Nikon and 400mm F5.6 from Canon score. You get a long lense and it suffices most of the time at the cost of a mid range motorcycle and not a Swift.

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

I am looking to buy a DSLR moving from a point & shoot high zoom model, i am a novice and want to learn more . most advice was to opt for canon 600 d with 18-135 lens due to budget ,however most prefered was 60d with 18-135 lens instead of kit lens combo . I would like to keep the camera before upgrading for atleast 5 yrs .which would be a better buy and also is it advisable to get the camera from US where it retails for around 50K.

Guru's request suggestions .

The best part of the new Nikon DX series is that D3300, D5300 and D7100 have similar sensors and similar ISO performance. In D3300 they have some how crippled the DR at ISO 100 to that of ISO200, else all of them are similar. D3300 has a better colour depth because of lack of AA filter.

Keeping a DSLR for 5 years is not worth while. Better get a low end one today and keep upgrading it every year. With OLX and other sites it has become easier than in past to get a reasonable value for your DSLR. The beauty of upgrading every year while starting with low end is that as you learn to use the DSLR and become familiar with what it can and cannot achieve, your upgrade will be easier both technically and financially. Of course if you have tons of money then just get the D800 for its 36MP sensor or the D4s for its raw speed and ISO performance.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

I am looking to buy a DSLR moving from a point & shoot high zoom model, i am a novice and want to learn more . most advice was to opt for canon 600 d with 18-135 lens due to budget ,however most prefered was 60d with 18-135 lens instead of kit lens combo . I would like to keep the camera before upgrading for atleast 5 yrs .which would be a better buy and also is it advisable to get the camera from US where it retails for around 50K.

Guru's request suggestions .

I agree with 18-135, it is the wise choice.
It covers most used range in day to day use, has got decent focusing speed(I suspect it has micro motor focusing against USM - still decent), very good image stabilization - all in all a decent and convenient choice, especially when you are moving in from realms of P&S convenience :-)

Even if you change camera body, this lens will serve you for long time. Moreover it will work on all DSLR models from Canon.

If you decide to go for Nikon body, I would recommend 18-105 lens rather than 18-55.
Nikon 18-105 is superior to 18-55 in terms of better zoom range, better focusing speed, and also I believe it has full time manual focus.
Take your pick.
Regards
JLS

[ampere]

Finally 1200D in India @ 31K

Looks like D3300 specs seem better to 1200D

http://www.digitaltrends.com/photogr...-d3300/#!BycTD

http://www.dpreview.com/products/can...canon_eos1200d

[latentpotential]

Got a 5d mark ii with 24-70 2.8 L glass. Need some recommendations for tripod, strap and bag /pouch. Have got a caselogic vertical pouch that fits it all together for now, but would prefer something bigger that can hold another lens, battery, charger.

This was an upgrade from a 550d taken over by a sibling sometime back. Have an older slik compact xl tripod that can't reliably handle this weight.

Also, how many of you have used a software called dxomark? The reviews are impressive for the Lens corrections on offer.

[ssingri]

Originally Posted by Bluu

Anyone? There are some decent discounts being offered at present that I want to take advantage of.

I bought a 35mm 1.8 DX lens on Flipkart for Rs7100 and an additional cashback of 10% on Axis bank cards. Keep an eye out for offers.
The 35mm would do well for landscape as you can use polarizer filters on them which generally cost an f stop or two. With F going down to 1.8 you still have enough light to shoot, but of course your depth of field will be thin.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by latentpotential

Got a 5d mark ii with 24-70 2.8 L glass. Need some recommendations for tripod, strap and bag /pouch. Have got a caselogic vertical pouch that fits it all together for now, but would prefer something bigger that can hold another lens, battery, charger.

This was an upgrade from a 550d taken over by a sibling sometime back. Have an older slik compact xl tripod that can't reliably handle this weight.

Also, how many of you have used a software called dxomark? The reviews are impressive for the Lens corrections on offer.

Congratulations, that is some good gear.
Tripod - Manfrotto 055X Pro B - I bought mine from flipkart along with a HD498RC2 ball head for about 16,000.
Bag - I cannot exactly recommend one as I have multiple bags depending on where I am going and for how long, but the biggest one I have is LowePro Runner 350AW
I use both DXo Pro Optics 9 as well as Lightroom. DXo is good for portraits and has good superior noise reduction in my opinion, but I prefer the workflow of Lightroom. Happy shooting.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by JLS

With new models, the processing and high ISO (read low light) performence improves.

Originally Posted by Aroy

If you are not averse to spending a bit more, get the latest DSLR.

Originally Posted by ampere

Invest in good body with kit. Dont go with 55-250. Wait for the time. A better approach would be to get the 50mm prime in due course instead.

JLS, Aroy, Ampere, gendarmee

Many thanks for the help. Finally ordered Nikon D5300 with 18-55 Kit lense. 35 mm Prime lense is in pipeline ( ~8k).

Price of DSLRs can put stock market to shame. Four days back, D5300 was available for 52k - 56k (called 15 - 20 Nikon stores in western suburbs + checked online).
Today Flipkart had it for 45k (including next day delivery), so just ordered it.

Was planning to get Canon 700D, but did not like manual focus on STM kit lens (it is "focus by wire", quite like Fujinon lens I have at the moment). It is great for autofocus, but somewhat fuzzy for manual.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

The better wildlife lenses are prohibitively expensive...sigh. Try explaining to a wife that you bought a 600mm lens instead of that Maruti Swift that was required for the family .

Found out that lenses are available for rent (@approx 1k per day / 5k per week). Might be a good option for 2 - 3 trips in a year.

Originally Posted by ampere

I dont how does D3XXX fares against D5XXX series, but in Canon there is quite some difference (I think) between 1100D Series Vs 5XX/6XX series.

Originally Posted by ampere

Finally 1200D in India @ 31K

My reading as a newbie is, Canon has not added any new sensor in last 4 years. In pure manual mode, RAW images from 1100D a 600D or 650D should be same. More expensive APS-C bodies will have more features (better auto-focus, metering, bigger buffers etc etc).

And 1200D seems to have same sensor.

[govigov]

@net-freak,

Canon 70D has a new sensor, unless i am very much mistaken.

On another note, the canon 24-105 F4 is now available with Aneesh (Videolinks) at sub 40K, if in case anyone is thinking about it.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

JLS, Aroy, Ampere, gendarmee

Many thanks for the help. Finally ordered Nikon D5300 with 18-55 Kit lense.

Great buy at 45k. The D5300 sensor is superior to the Canon cropped sensors.

Re: the wildlife lenses- the ones I like cost 2.5 - 3 k per day to rent. Still, worth renting than spending lakhs.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by govigov

Canon 70D has a new sensor, unless i am very much mistaken.

700D certainly has a new image processor (DIGIC 5), but sensor is same.

There are bunch on comparisons with 60D that has DIGIC 4 processor but same sensor. Image quality is same in both cameras.

[dre@ms]

How is this Zoom lens for my D5100? Price is very catchy for Rs. 8195 from Flipkart.

Nikon AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55 - 200 mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED Lens

Or is there a better Zoom or Telephoto lens available, for my budget of 15k.

[nilanjanray]

Was attending this event on nature/wildlife photography. Met Steve Winters (Nat Geo - look him up if you haven't heard of him), Romulus Whitaker and many of the best India nature/ wildlife shooters (Sudhir, Dicky Singh, Kalyan etc.). Learning: making it big requires full commitment - time, money, sacrifice. And probably 20 people in wildlife photography in the world make decent money to put the food on the table. Sigh! Our genre calls for heavy investnent and low returns. 80% of wildlife photography is about being at the right time at the right place ( and being ready - which assumes you have good enough technical skills and talent). Biases the odds against us weekend warriors with a family. We will never be able to spend so much time or money to get those shots.