Woohoo!!! new toys!

[squidders]

I\'m all happy because a nice new Nikon D3 and a 14-24mm f/2.8 lens are winging their way to me.

I might pop out in a bit and buy the Nikon 60mm f/2.8 macro lens for it too.

At the same time I am sad because i\'m now poor and it\'s not going to be here in time for salute.

 

[demonherald]

another new camera .....:cussing:
Hope you have a good day chief.. I\'m gonna sulk......

 

[squidders]

Well, I\'m going to be selling my D200 when the new one arrives... new camera sir? lol lol lol lol lol

 

[PegaZus]

Hehehe.... new camera here too. Don\'t know what it is. General purpose anyway. All I know is 10 megapixels. It\'s replacing a lowly 1.3 megapixel camera.

Wonder if the added power is going to drop my scores more? lol

 

[Roger Bunting]

I still haven\'t got my camera yet. Lack of internet for a month put me behind shedule, and I decided to get my eyes tested (appointment is tomorrow) as I thought it\'d be a good idea for me to be able to see properlly when checking the camera and lenses out for any problems.

 

[Legacy Account]

It would appear sir has money to burn!!

Nice toy....

Still waiting for my paltry-in-comparison 40D and 70-200 to arrive from Japan.

:duh:

 

[Roger Bunting]

Incidentally, where you you guys buy your cameras? Browsing the online shops the Hong Kong shops are cheapest but I don\'t think I like the idea of having to send it all the way back (and they don\'t seem to cover the cost so it\'d be out of my pocket).

 

[Legacy Account]

Now I\'m down in NZ, I think I\'m going to be forced to do the parallel import thing to save cash.

Saved well over a thousand bucks (nearly 500 quid) on just the body and lens by getting it from Japan.

Some gear will come with an international warranty which should be cool as long as you have the receipt/invoice.

Try 7 Day Shop for cheap Canon bodies. Amazon is surprisingly reasonable for some stuff too if you want the security of a warranty.

All my gear\'s insured. If it stops working out of warranty, it gets a swift clout and a claim! Haven\'t had to resort to those tactics with my camera gear yet mind....

Come on Squidders! Let\'s see a pic taken with the new beastie - I want a full size one too!

 

[Roger Bunting]

7 day shop works out about 4 or 5 quid less than the nearest UK based shop for the camera body and about 10-11 quid less for the sigma macro, although I\'ll have to get the tamron elsewhere.

I managed to get in to town today and went in London Camera Exchange. I\'ll definately not be buying lenses from there, about 70 quid more for the tamron.

 

[Legacy Account]

Wayhey!!

My 70-200mm turned up today. Been out and fired off acouple of hundred pics, and I have to say it\'s a step above every other lens I own. Image quality is supreme and it\'s built like a tank! It\'s going to be expensive gettting the rest of my lens collection up to a similar quality....

40D is due on Monday or Tuesday as well. Can\'t wait!

Here\'s a few I took with the new lens today:
Looking across the Ruahine Mountains - lots of nice mist in the valley and blazing blue skies and sunshine above!

Another one taken through the mist on the way up to Te Apiti Windfarm:

A random cow, shortly before pooing:

These were everywhere:

What a great place this country is!:beer:

 

[supervike]

jeebus scott! You\'ve the eye of an artist, that is for sure.

It maybe easier when you start with fantastic subjects, but you capture them so wonderfully. Very impressed sir!

 

[Sukigod]

Those are some fantastic photos - the camera helps but yo\'ve got a great eye and sense for composition there. I love the cow! Something I\'d expect to see in a National Geographic.

Well done and well spent.

 

[Legacy Account]

Thanks chaps! This place really is stunning. This lot was taken only a 10 minute drive from my house. The lens is helping things considerably - the best quality bit of kit I own now. Super-sharp and brilliant colour reproduction.

Just a couple more:

These Fantails are brilliant little creatures. They\'re ultra-friendly and will fly down from their perch in a tree to flutter around you. Even had one briefly land on my shoulder the other week. Very pretty too:

I liked the colours in this - bit burnt out on the right and I didn\'t bracket either

 

[Roger Bunting]

A random cow, shortly before pooing:

You or the cow?

Great shots there. Once my payments for my specs go through I\'ll be getting m camera.

So, camera, 2 lenses, spare battery, cf card (not sure what size yet), remote bag/case and tripod. Have I forgotten anything?

 

[Legacy Account]

Get at least a couple of CF cards - more if you plan on shooting RAW. They\'re cheap as chips at 7 Day Shop. I\'ve used the bog-cheapo Kingston 2gb ones they sell, and they work very well - no probs with data transfer speeds with my 400D. They\'re also cheap for batteries and filters.

Speaking of filters, I recommend whacking at least a UV filter on every lens as protection for your glass. Circular polarisers are well worth their cost as well. I use Hama and Marumi for CPL - have a look for Hama on Amazon and Marumi on Ebay. I reckon they\'re similar (if not identical!) to Hoya filters. Hoya are great too if you have a bit more cash. Can\'t see the point in buying more expensive ones than that personally.

I recommend spending a bit more on a tripod to get something decent. If you buy a cheapy, you\'ll get annoyed with it from my experience, and some of the plastic quick release plates they use inspire no confidence at all! Manfrotto do some decent ones for a hundred quid or so. Benbos are top notch if you don\'t mind their \'Krypton Factor\' design. Try Slik or Giottos as well for slightly cheaper, reasonably built \'pods. Just make sure you check the load capacity of any head you buy....

 

[Legacy Account]

Originally posted by Roger Bunting

A random cow, shortly before pooing:

You or the cow?

The cow....

 

[supervike]

That aint real!

Bullshit I say!

 

[Roger Bunting]

lol

Thanks for the advice Spacemunkie.

 

[squidders]

My camera has yet to arrive :no:

Backlog apparently... I ordered it (body and lens kit) from empire direct because they were about £300 cheaper.

I want it here NOW damnit!

And taking good photos in NZ is like shooting fish in a barrel lol

Nice photoshop work too... keeping it subtle yet effective like that is very tricky!

 

[Legacy Account]

Originally posted by squidders

And taking good photos in NZ is like shooting fish in a barrel lol

Nice photoshop work too... keeping it subtle yet effective like that is very tricky!

Good subject matter is no guarantee of good photos. Neither is top quality, expensive gear. A good photographer will find things to shoot wherever they are and will take decent pics with whatever they\'re using.

Good photography lies in seeing images and composing them properly imo. The whole exposure/pressing the shutter button is just a technical exercise that can be learned and perfected over time. Digital is a blessing for the technical aspects of photography.

However, good subject matter does help:

Only the last pic has been \'Shopped - and only a touch at that. Most of the first ones I posted weren\'t \'Shopped at all other than to convert to b&w.

I forgot my tripod (DUH!). Wait for the HDR pics when I\'ve got some spare time....