http://www.camerasdirect.com.au/sigma-70-200mm-f-2-8-ex-dg-os-hsm-lens-for-canon
$1140 at cameras direct.
Photography
- Thread starter Sully
- Start date
- Status
$1140 at cameras direct.
Rob42
John Solomon (38)
I got my hands on a very nice Canon L lens yesterday and gave it some exercise for my son's rugby team and then the Woodies game v Parramatta - a few photos from the latter here:
http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0092009/photos/99508740@N06/sets/72157634819487091/
A real struggle battling the half-light/half-shade at TG Millner, but good fun nevertheless.
http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0092009/photos/99508740@N06/sets/72157634819487091/
A real struggle battling the half-light/half-shade at TG Millner, but good fun nevertheless.
Not much you can do about the shadows but everything else is spot on! Nice one.
Monopod for Rugby Tripod for scenery.
SSM_4767.jpg
SSM_4767.jpg
No4918
John Hipwell (52)
http://www.mycamerafocus.com.au/shop/sigmaapo-70-200mm-f2-8-ex-dg-os-hsm-for-sigm/
Excellent buy if you need the extra stop for low light. Can't compare IQ between them but do know the 70-200 Canon F4 is one of the sharpest zooms you can get.
No4918
John Hipwell (52)
Just made my purchase! I bought the Canon EOS 60D. Waiting for the battery to charge so I can play. Waiting... waiting...
Scored a very good deal I thought. Single lens kit (18-55mm) from Aus shop front with Local warranty for cheaper than I could buy a body only out of Hong Kong!
How's it camera going? I have the 60D as well and it is a great camera, especially if you picked it up at these prices.
Dear Mods
Should there be a "Post your Rugby Photo here" thread?
Make it an annual competition. We are all competitive buggers aren't we?
Most "likes" takes the notional prize of bragging rights or something.
Keep the photos to smaller than 1 mb size for those not on a broadband plan.
Should there be a "Post your Rugby Photo here" thread?
Make it an annual competition. We are all competitive buggers aren't we?
Most "likes" takes the notional prize of bragging rights or something.
Keep the photos to smaller than 1 mb size for those not on a broadband plan.
We tried with the Lions series but maybe we should have another go. Here is the thread.
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/wallabies-v-bil-post-your-photos.13074/
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/wallabies-v-bil-post-your-photos.13074/
It is a bit tough to get a good pic at Wobs games, unless you have the Gaggerland press pass. A 500 mm lens is not particularly welcome in the Grandstand.
I was thinking more about posting piccies from Premier Rugby, Junior and Schoolboy footy where those outside the press corps are able to get reasonably close to the action to be able to take a fairly decent photo.
I was thinking more about posting piccies from Premier Rugby, Junior and Schoolboy footy where those outside the press corps are able to get reasonably close to the action to be able to take a fairly decent photo.
Scoey
Tony Shaw (54)
Only just touching the surface with it I'm sure but so far I'm very happy with it. Apart from the physical dimensions (bigger camera better for bigger hands) I've been very impressed with just how easy it is to control. The buttons and wheels/dials are very well set out and easy to use on the fly. Coming from 35mm SLR's and not having touched any form of SLR for over a decade I thought that it would take some getting used to but now I'm wondering where this camera has been all my life! Love it.
As for the performance, I am particularly impressed with how well it performs in low light. I have been getting some really good results with little to no effort in some fairly crappy light. I don't know whether this is particular to this camera or just a sign of the technology these days or simply just a digital thing but whatever it is, I'm impressed.
I am using my old lenses of my 35mm at the moment but have had a little play with the kit lens that came with the body. It's the standard 18-55mm lens but it has image stabilisation technology which is, again, new to me. The IS is quite amazing and really makes a difference in some conditions. I am curious to see how effective it will be over longer focal lengths though. Can't wait to get my hands on some decent lenses to really see what I can produce.
No4918
John Hipwell (52)
Scoey, the dimensions and second and top LCD/dual wheel were part of the reason I went with it as well. Agree that low ISO noise on crop cameras is excellent now.
I learn and improve with each outing and have a couple of lenses that are upgrades on the kit. The 18-55 does have a good reputation for a kit lens.
I learn and improve with each outing and have a couple of lenses that are upgrades on the kit. The 18-55 does have a good reputation for a kit lens.
Snuck the 300mm zoom into the rugby last night in my jacket pocket.
Took a few shots with the 50mm f1.8,
and then switched to the 300mm in the second half.
Was pretty happy with the results*, as the only other time I have taken the 300mm, we were up in the nose-bleed section, and the results were less than perfect
(*Can't say the same for the game result)
The whole gallery is here -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100900132@N02/sets/72157636937828823/
Took a few shots with the 50mm f1.8,
and then switched to the 300mm in the second half.
Was pretty happy with the results*, as the only other time I have taken the 300mm, we were up in the nose-bleed section, and the results were less than perfect
(*Can't say the same for the game result)
The whole gallery is here -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100900132@N02/sets/72157636937828823/
M
Muttonbird
Guest
Nice work! Yep, you need to be at ground level in order to get the feeling you are part of the game.
M
Muttonbird
Guest
This is Lion Rock at Piha on the west coast of Auckland.
10:18pm
ISO 1600
f/8.0
30.0 sec
Stunning shot.
This is Lion Rock at Piha on the west coast of Auckland.
10:18pm
ISO 1600
f/8.0
30.0 sec
Elfster
Dave Cowper (27)
Showing my not inconsiderable ignorance but what do the stats mean?
This is Lion Rock at Piha on the west coast of Auckland.
10:18pm
ISO 1600
f/8.0
30.0 sec
I know ISO is related to the speed of the film thingy (and can be changed or selected by the user), but what are the next two.
(I have an EOS450 and can't use it too well. I seem to get better shots with my phone. I try it on full automatic but still with not much joy)
Related to Film, the ISO speed relates to the granularity of the image, and the amount of light needed to produce a good image.
Essentially the higher the ISO speed the more granular the image is, but less light is needed to produce a good image. High ISO images generally did not blow up well (in the old days).
The ISO speed is linked to the shutter speed and the f stop.
The f stop is the relative size of the diaphragm in the lens related to the diameter of the lens. The smaller the f stop the greater the depth of field, that is the amount of the image that will be in focus. The trade off here is to have most of your image in focus, you need a large f stop (small diaphragm) letting in little light. To produce a good image from a large f stop, you need to have a slow shutter speed to "accumulate" enough light through the small hole.
ISO Speed - bigger number needs less light, but image is more grainy.
Shutter speed - fast speed captures movement, but needs small f number
f stop - small number = small distance in focus and lets lots of light in, so faster shutter speed is needed. Large number = more of the image is in focus, but needs slow shutter speed which can blur fast moving objects.
So @Muttonbird has used a very high speed "film" which doesn't need much light to produce a passable image (appropriate for a 10 pm shot [9 pm in non daylight savings time]), and a high f stop to have a good depth of field (lots of the image in sharp focus. To produce a workable image he has used a 30.0 second exposure time. Obviously the camera was tripod mounted otherwise there would be "camera shakes" evident. This is not really an issue because at 10 pm the only moving things in the image are the waves which appear as a whitish blur, but this does not detract from the image itself.
The secret to all photography is the manipulation of these three factors. Vastly different results can be produced from different settings of these three elements for photos taken at precisely the same time in the same prevailing light conditions.
Cameras are extremely complex machines nowdays, with many other factors that can be manipulated to such an extent that most people revert to using them on automatic. This is the gastronomic equivalent of going to Tetsuyas and ordering a Big Mac value meal.
Learning how to use all the features on a standard SLR camera can take a considerable amount of time, and there is a stack of technical jargon to learn. Most people are not prepared to invest the necessary time to accumulate the knowledge and master the skills to get the absolute best from their camera.
Essentially the higher the ISO speed the more granular the image is, but less light is needed to produce a good image. High ISO images generally did not blow up well (in the old days).
The ISO speed is linked to the shutter speed and the f stop.
The f stop is the relative size of the diaphragm in the lens related to the diameter of the lens. The smaller the f stop the greater the depth of field, that is the amount of the image that will be in focus. The trade off here is to have most of your image in focus, you need a large f stop (small diaphragm) letting in little light. To produce a good image from a large f stop, you need to have a slow shutter speed to "accumulate" enough light through the small hole.
ISO Speed - bigger number needs less light, but image is more grainy.
Shutter speed - fast speed captures movement, but needs small f number
f stop - small number = small distance in focus and lets lots of light in, so faster shutter speed is needed. Large number = more of the image is in focus, but needs slow shutter speed which can blur fast moving objects.
So @Muttonbird has used a very high speed "film" which doesn't need much light to produce a passable image (appropriate for a 10 pm shot [9 pm in non daylight savings time]), and a high f stop to have a good depth of field (lots of the image in sharp focus. To produce a workable image he has used a 30.0 second exposure time. Obviously the camera was tripod mounted otherwise there would be "camera shakes" evident. This is not really an issue because at 10 pm the only moving things in the image are the waves which appear as a whitish blur, but this does not detract from the image itself.
The secret to all photography is the manipulation of these three factors. Vastly different results can be produced from different settings of these three elements for photos taken at precisely the same time in the same prevailing light conditions.
Cameras are extremely complex machines nowdays, with many other factors that can be manipulated to such an extent that most people revert to using them on automatic. This is the gastronomic equivalent of going to Tetsuyas and ordering a Big Mac value meal.
Learning how to use all the features on a standard SLR camera can take a considerable amount of time, and there is a stack of technical jargon to learn. Most people are not prepared to invest the necessary time to accumulate the knowledge and master the skills to get the absolute best from their camera.
M
Muttonbird
Guest
Pretty good summary, Huge. To recap, there are three move-able controls in the camera:
ISO (international Standards Organisation) or ASA (American Standards Association) are the same thing. Both relate to film speed or sensor sensitivity. The bigger the ISO number the more sensitive the sensor is.
F-stop is a measure of the size of the aperture (or iris, or opening) that lets light get to the sensor. A wide aperture (f/2.8) lets more light in and a small aperture (f/22) lets less light in.
Shutter speed is how long the shutter is open and delivering light to the sensor. The longer the shutter is open the more light gets to the sensor.
In any scene there is one correct exposure according to the light that is available and the photographer sets these three controls to meet that exposure. The controls are measured in increments called "stops" and when you change one of the three controls you must change one or both of the others to maintain the correct exposure.
So Elfster, the longest exposure that my camera will do by itself is 30 seconds so I chose that. I wanted everything sharp so at that lens length (24mm) f/8.0 is good. The available moonlight then dictated the third, the ISO. As Huge says high ISO's are noisier (grainier) but the software noise reduction is improving all the time and ISO1600 is fine. If I'd wanted to use ISO 100, which is the best quality, the shutter would have to be open for 8 minutes! You'd then have star drag and risk unpredictable colour shifts. Even at 30.0 seconds the stars are noticeably elongated in the northern part of the sky.
ISO (international Standards Organisation) or ASA (American Standards Association) are the same thing. Both relate to film speed or sensor sensitivity. The bigger the ISO number the more sensitive the sensor is.
F-stop is a measure of the size of the aperture (or iris, or opening) that lets light get to the sensor. A wide aperture (f/2.8) lets more light in and a small aperture (f/22) lets less light in.
Shutter speed is how long the shutter is open and delivering light to the sensor. The longer the shutter is open the more light gets to the sensor.
In any scene there is one correct exposure according to the light that is available and the photographer sets these three controls to meet that exposure. The controls are measured in increments called "stops" and when you change one of the three controls you must change one or both of the others to maintain the correct exposure.
So Elfster, the longest exposure that my camera will do by itself is 30 seconds so I chose that. I wanted everything sharp so at that lens length (24mm) f/8.0 is good. The available moonlight then dictated the third, the ISO. As Huge says high ISO's are noisier (grainier) but the software noise reduction is improving all the time and ISO1600 is fine. If I'd wanted to use ISO 100, which is the best quality, the shutter would have to be open for 8 minutes! You'd then have star drag and risk unpredictable colour shifts. Even at 30.0 seconds the stars are noticeably elongated in the northern part of the sky.
- Status