Photographic Equipment...

[marshal]

i will check out the close up adapters as well, thanks for the advice

[Torurot]

You can easily use a Macro lens as an everyday lenses. Sure they are expensive to buy initially but they take wonderful photos. My 100mm Macro lens is easily my most used.

[marshal]

what type of price was your lense? i,ve seen a canon for £300 british pound in uk or a sigma for £169. Not sure if they were 100mm or not but they were macro.

[Torurot]

Around US1000, I've had it a while now. You can use them for everything, not just close ups. Good for portraits except that every blemish will show cause they are so sharp. If you are getting one, get a 100mm . This gives you distance from the subject, Insects, Plants, LB's, food, and gives you lighting/flash flexibility as well. Minor negative, they are heavy as they are so full of glass elements. There is "macro" and Macro. Don't confuse a lense with a "macro" feature with a genuine Macro lense. They are NOT same same. Genuine Macros have low F stop, always under 3.

[rxpharm]

Tourot, I know you use the "A" mount system formerly Minolta and now Sony. You must have the highly regarded 100 mm F2.8 Minolta Macro lens.

That is good advice - one other thing to keep in mind is these lenses focus slower than a regular lens so using them for action photography where the subjects are moving at high speeds would be more challenging.

[Torurot]

Correct They do tend to hunt a bit on the 5D in low light, and at close to 1:1 macro it can be a little tricky, but they have a manual switch which limits the amount of lense travel if needed. Apparently on the A700 they focus VERY fast, and hunt not at all. Still a magnificent lens worth every cent. The detail quality of the pictures cannot be beat. Now for a 500mm Mirror.

[rxpharm]

Hey, I've got a Minolta 500 mm mirror reflex!

Pretty neat lens, the shot I took of the F1 Power Boat flipping earlier in another thread came from this lens.

The only autofocus mirror lens produced (well the Sony 500 mm mirror is a simple rebadge).

I have a Minolta 5D as well - great camera and as long as it keeps working no need to upgrade. This lens gives a 750 mm equivalent on the APS-C sensor - a pretty good reach!

[donnnnnny]

my macro lens is a nikon AF60mm 1:2.8 cost me under $450 aus dollars on special. Great lens with manual focus over ride
deffinatly look in the usa market for all photographic equipment as it is the cheapest place to buy

[donnnnnny]

little shit tried to bite me when i saved him from my tyres

[Torurot]

A little cutie! Hong Kong is the cheapest place in the world for high quality camera gear, closely followed by Singapore. I'm still going to get a 500 Reflex! Photog4raphy has always been an expensive, but rewarding hobby.

[donnnnnny]

yes indeed. expensive and rewarding
but i beg to differ with you. i can buy the nikon D3 body only in the usa for just over $3000 us
i don't think i have seen it that cheap anywhere else???

http://www.shopcartusa.com/P_Nikon_D3_(Body_Only)_25434/

[Torurot]

OK Nikon freaks, start saving your pennies. The 12.1meg FULL FRAME D700 is released.

http://www.engadget.com/2008....apixels

http://www.engadget.com/2008....agazine

[rxpharm]

Tourot, sounds good - 12.1 MP, full frame sensor it should have good high ISO, low noise characteristics.

The upcoming full frame Sony Alpha will be 24 MP - unlikely to perform as well in high ISO situations as this new Nikon. However, plenty of speculation Sony will release a full frame 12 MP version later.

Photokina here we come, for the Apha mount users!

[Somchai]

(rxpharm @ Jun. 19 2008,04:24) I would think they are cheaper in Thailand than in UK - I've seen prices almost the same as Canada, so that is pretty good.

I find that the best place to lookup discount UK photographic equipment and prices is at Jessops UK online shop.

Sorry - dont have the url but google " Jessops UK' and it will get you there- and yea the UK is much more expensive.

Cheers Somchai

[donnnnnny]

i thought the D3 was full frame image sensor and 12.1 megapixle ?