Photography forum recommendations?

[B33fy]

After any recommendations for a friendly informal, uk orientated digital photography forum. Looking to generally improve knowledge base to an "advanced" amateur level and also improve skills with computing/processing software. Decided to go DSLR, after using various types previously including digital compact and film SLR. Wanting to improve quality of images related to main hobby of messing about with cars. And do some HDR photography after being inspired by the Chernobyl thread on here.

Cheers.

Edited 26 November, 2016 by B33fy

[Measures]

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/ tends to be quite good, although a recent rule change has made the classifieds a bit of a ghost town.

[Lady Elanore]

Which make of DSLR did you go with? There are some good manufacturer specific forums out there 

Edited 9 December, 2016 by Lady Elanore

[kilted]

Bit late here but does it have to be UK?

 

Great one for all camera models (used to be Canon specific) is Photography on the net. Topics covering all types of photography and all brands of camera

[Chris GB]

A bit late to the party, but DPNow is friendly and informal. A pretty decent bunch when I used to go there. Must find time to get back into my photography

[OldTrilobite]

Also a late comment, and only relevant to Pentax/Ricoh camera users:

 

https://www.pentaxuser.com/

 

It seems a pity that the excellent Pentax dslr cameras are so little-known in Britain. The above group is UK based (there is a similarly-named Pentax group in the USA). I bought my first slr, a Pentax Spotmatic, just over 50 years ago. It was then unrivalled, until Canon started making their slrs. Since then I have used Canon and Olympus cameras, but when I returned to digital slr I opted for Pentax again, because all my old lenses for the 35mm film Spotmatic can still be used (with an adapter) on all current Pentax dslr models.

 

I have been an active member of the UK Pentax User Group for several years, and have learned a lot, picking up all sorts of useful tips. They are a nice bunch - but strictly Pentax-only. As for HDR, you will find several members showing their photos processed that way.

[B33fy]

Which make of DSLR did you go with? There are some good manufacturer specific forums out there

Went for a Canon 760, 18-200mm lens and a 430 flash. Picked up a Manfrotto Carbon tripod which is superb, worth every penny. Been messing about with a bit of HDR, though I'm no David Bailey, it's good fun and passes the time. A bit of HDR below..

Will probably get a 10-22mm lens and get out and about to do a bit of landscape stuff, as well as the usual car stuff.

[Lady Elanore]

I can recommend the Sigma 8-16mm lens, which is astonishingly wide on a crop senor camera. if you have big feet beware they don't get in the shot!!! 

 

As a Canon owner (7D II and 5DIII) I can recommend the POTN forum - as mentioned above. It has a section for images captured buy lenses and Camera bodies, so you get to see what can be done by some very (and not so very) talented people. 

 

I started with a 18-200mm lens,, but once you get faster glass, say f2.8, especially on a longer focal length, you really get to see what can be done creatively with bokeh. i also still have my 430 flash (mkI) and it's a great flash

 

If I can suggest a couple of things to buy (bearing in mind that since Brexit all these lenses have gone up quite a lot in price :( )...

 

17-55mm f2.8 Canon lens. This used to be available at just over £500 and has ULD glass. It is almost an 'L' lens in the quality of it's elements, although it lacks the weather sealing of a proper 'L' lens

50mm f1.8 Canon lens. A spectacular value for money lens. Circa £100. you can see what a really fast lens can do (Canon do this lens in f1.2 but it cost as much as some nice bits for you V8 :D) Decent portraits too as it's effectively a 80mm equivalent and pretty fast :)

 

And when you think you want to spend the money, the Canon 70-200mm f2.8II. Probably the finest lens in the world of it's type, even Nikon haven't surpassed it for quality. Canon also do the 70-200mm f4 which can be gotton without image stabilising for around £700 I think and is fabulously sharp. but the f2.8 is amazing and built like a tank. Canon are developing a newer version, which might mean a price drop some time this year. it's circa £1,500 at the moment, but Calumet sometimes do interest free credit over 2 years on this lens as well as rebates. it's the best lens I have ever owned. It also works fabulously with the 1.4TC adapter which turns it into a still sharp 112-320mm f4 lens with 4 stop stabiliser and full weather proofing :)

Edited 8 January, 2017 by Lady Elanore

[B33fy]

Thanks Amanda some really helpful info, I might take a look at the Sigma, thanks again. :)

[Lady Elanore]

:) Thanks

 

You are probably already aware, but some lenses like the 10-22mm, 8-16mm, 17-55mm are only for the APS-C crop sensor cameras like the 760, 7Dii etc and can't easily be used on a full frame camera if you ever get one. The back of the lens sticks into the camera body a teeny bit and the bigger mirror on a full frame camera smacks into it :( 

[Chris GB]

The Sigma does give huge scope for exaggerated perspective effects, I use the Sigma 12-24 on full frame, same field of view as the 8-16 on a crop sensor. When it comes to wide apertures, Sigma do a couple of excellent ones too, a 50mm and an 85mm f1.4.

I'll bring the wide angle to the next Maidstone meet if you want to have a play.

[Lady Elanore]

I've got the old Canon 50mm f1.4, not the sharpest of lenses even if you nail the focus (obviously I'm not expecting sharpness across the frame), but every now and then something nice comes out of it :D I'd still recommend the Canon f1.8 as a starting point to fast lenses, as it's cheap and you get to see what silly lenses can do :) The thing I like about the Sigma 8-16mm is it's rectilinear and with the profile correction in LR things aren't too distorted - considering :)

Edited 8 January, 2017 by Lady Elanore

[Lady Elanore]

Here's a couple of shots taken with the old Canon 40D and the f2.8 17-55mm Canon, when a friend asked me to grab a couple of shots from his garage. You get to see the bokeh and depth of field quicker glass can give you. I've borrowed really fast glass, but struggle with it a bit as focus is hyper critical 

 

Landie Wolf (1 of 1)-3 byAmanda, on Flickr

 

Landie Wolf (1 of 1)-6 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

Landie Wolf (1 of 1)-5 by Amanda, on Flickr

 

Not exactly high art, but it shows that an old lens design and not too many pixels is still fine :)

[ColinD]

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/ tends to be quite good, although a recent rule change has made the classifieds a bit of a ghost town.

 

Out of interest, what was the rule change?

[Measures]

Out of interest, what was the rule change?

 

They set a rule so that if you had more than 50% of your posts in the classifieds you were banned from the classifieds in an effort to drive away traders or make them contribute to the main forums. You can guess what happened! When I joined there used to be at least 3 or 4 pages of current ads but now it struggles to make it above 1. Also seems more expensive but that might just be me.

 

To add to what Amanda has said, the Canon 17-55 F2.8 is a truly excellent lens. If only it fitted full frame cameras too! Also you can pick up a tidy 70-200 F4L non IS for around £350, brilliant lenses, very portable and also sharp. I've had 2 and both have been excellent. I occasionally toy with the idea of buying one again as the F2.8 gets a bit heavy after a while.

[Lady Elanore]

I work with  a pro tv cameraman who bought the '70-200mm f4 non IS' secondhand and he rates it as superb :thumbup: .

 

If the new f2.8 mkIII version of this lens is better than the mkII, then it could replace a lot of peoples medium length Primes! It's also supposed to be lighter than the mkII. I can shoot hand held for a couple of hours with a 7Dii plus grip and the 70200mm f2.8 mkii. I'm usually a bit sore by the end though and the next day I can't move my arm :D

[Measures]

I work with  a pro tv cameraman who bought the '70-200mm f4 non IS' secondhand and he rates it as superb :thumbup: .

 

If the new f2.8 mkIII version of this lens is better than the mkII, then it could replace a lot of peoples medium length Primes! It's also supposed to be lighter than the mkII. I can shoot hand held for a couple of hours with a 7Dii plus grip and the 70200mm f2.8 mkii. I'm usually a bit sore by the end though and the next day I can't move my arm :D

 

Yup, they're brilliant VFM. 

 

Are you sure? The MkII is still quite a young lens... I'd be surprised if they updated it so soon. I wouldn't mind, I'd be able to justify buying a MkII secondhand as the prices would drop :) Still love my MkI, I've had a MkI non IS and that was superb, razor sharp it was! Replaced it with a MkI IS earlier this year and it vignettes a bit worse wide open but the IS is great. 

[Lady Elanore]

 

 

 

Are you sure? The MkII is still quite a young lens... I'd be surprised if they updated it so soon. I wouldn't mind, I'd be able to justify buying a MkII secondhand as the prices would drop :) Still love my MkI, I've had a MkI non IS and that was superb, razor sharp it was! Replaced it with a MkI IS earlier this year and it vignettes a bit worse wide open but the IS is great. 

 

I was surprised too, but one of the rumour forums showed a patent for a newer lighter version. Perhaps it will be mainly aimed at videographers or what ever they are called these days? I use my mkii with a 1.4TC most of the time and the quality is still really good. Built like a tank too :)

[Mort]

I can shoot hand held for a couple of hours with a 7Dii plus grip and the 70200mm f2.8 mkii. I'm usually a bit sore by the end though and the next day I can't move my arm :D

I did a wedding last year with the 7dII+grip and the 70-200 f2.8 IS (mk1) and my old 50d+grip with the 17-55 on. After 10 hours shooting I could barely walk the next day! And my neck was killing me.  :no:

[Lady Elanore]

Funnily enough I'm working with a wedding photographer in a couple of days time (he's also a TV cameraman) and he now shoots with a couple of 5DIIIs and a Fuji Fixed lens camera. I can't remember which Fuji it is, but it a little over £1K in price and he reckons it's now his main camera. The 5Ds are almost just to keep the client happy. He does have the Canon 85mm f1.2 mkii and 35mm f1.4 for those moments when nothing else will do. I've seen his work and it's stunning. He says the Fuji's silence is a real boon when in church and it is so easy to capture those unrehearsed moments with it being so small. He's not cheap either, but I guess it just goes to prove the person behind the camera is more important than the camera. 

Edited 10 January, 2017 by Lady Elanore

[ColinD]

Cheeky... I just found this one on google ;)

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/43-photography-and-photoshop/

 

Actually cheeky aside; for a moment, I did purchase a domain years ago, with the intention of forging a photography forum, true to the briskoda form of being slightly obtuse... it was openaperture.co.uk  I still have it and the lic for the codebase :)  Although the concept name has been over taken by many other sites and projects.

[ColinD]

Funnily enough I'm working with a wedding photographer in a couple of days time (he's also a TV cameraman) and he now shoots with a couple of 5DIIIs and a Fuji Fixed lens camera. I can't remember which Fuji it is, but it a little over £1K in price and he reckons it's now his main camera. The 5Ds are almost just to keep the client happy. He does have the Canon 85mm f1.2 mkii and 35mm f1.4 for those moments when nothing else will do. I've seen his work and it's stunning. He says the Fuji's silence is a real boon when in church and it is so easy to capture those unrehearsed moments with it being so small. He's not cheap either, but I guess it just goes to prove the person behind the camera is more important than the camera. 

 

Might be the XT-1/2 I seem to recall lots of 'pro' ditching dslr for it a while back.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&q=fuji+replaces+my+dlsr&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=h2R1WO2dHpLW8Ae_up4Q#safe=off&q=fuji+replaces+my+dlsr+x-t1

[Lady Elanore]

I should remember, he let me have a play with it :D

 

If I remember I'll ask him when I see him again. But the chances of me remembering what I had for lunch is a struggle these days. 

[B33fy]

James Karate teacher Chris, does a bit of protoghaphy swapping to an x something or other Fuji. Happy with my DSLR for now, does what I need it to.