Photogs: Those who take 'em and those who love 'em

[Fancy]

Do you have an idea yet of what faster lens you're looking for?

Originally Posted by little man

just finished up day two of production photos for an indy zombie short being shot here in austin. i discovered that i'm on a learning curve with this sort of photography...i have to remember that i'm shooting production photos, not the movie. i have also discovered i need to add a couple of faster lenses to my armory.

tomorrow and tuesday, i'll be doing production photos for a dyke movie being shot here. it's a film adaptation of "Valencia" by michelle tea. each chapter of the book will be shot by a different director and cast. sounds like an interesting project.

for now, i'll leave you with my final heroes vs zombies shot for today.

[little man]

Originally Posted by Fancy

Do you have an idea yet of what faster lens you're looking for?

i'm shooting with my nikon and a canon (a friend gave me a great deal on it). i have a couple of manual focus lenses for the nikon that give me great, sharp pics...unfortunately, my eyesight is not what it used to be so using them is a crapshoot so far as focus goes. i find that i rely more and more on the autofocus lenses.

the canon came w/ an 18-55 f3.5-5.6 that's very serviceable. i wouldn't mind having a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 for low light, indoor shooting. it's fast enough to accomodate the low light and will lessen any hand shake from handheld shots. i'd also like to have one for the nikon as well.

i'm not very happy with the autofocus lenses i got with the nikon. the focus is just a little too soft. i'd like to have a 70-200 zoom. that covers a lot of range...couple that with a 1.4x teleconverter and it's close to a 90-280 zoom. i like the teleconverter i have for the nikon and would invest in another for the canon. it's small and gives me an "extra" lens. problem with that is that you lose an f stop or two when you use it. longer lenses with 1.4 or 1.8 f stop are hideously expensive, though.

that's as far as i've gotten on considering lenses right now. i'll keep an eye on craigslist and the pawn shops, though...you can sometimes get a great deal.

i'm finding the wider angle lenses are working nicely for interior shots with marginal lighting. i'm having to learn to shoot action sequences. fortunately, it seems the director will run the actors through the scene a time or two before they actually shoot. i've been reading a little about sound blimps...they deaden the shutter noise in the camera, which allows for shooting while filming is going on...without the sound being picked up by the sound boom. since those are insanely high, i may look into making a couple for my cameras. i swear my project list is getting unreasonably long.

the film i'm starting on today seems to be more character/plot driven than action. i'm hoping that will make it easier to shoot. we'll see about that, though.

hope this answered at least part of your question...i'm just now on my first cuppa coffee and don't make sense to myself either.

[Fancy]

Perfect sense! Have you found a good local camera supply, or are you surfing the web for gear?

Got my fingers crossed for Tuesday, even though I know you don't need extra luck. You got this in the bag.

Originally Posted by little man

i'm shooting with my nikon and a canon (a friend gave me a great deal on it). i have a couple of manual focus lenses for the nikon that give me great, sharp pics...unfortunately, my eyesight is not what it used to be so using them is a crapshoot so far as focus goes. i find that i rely more and more on the autofocus lenses.

the canon came w/ an 18-55 f3.5-5.6 that's very serviceable. i wouldn't mind having a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 for low light, indoor shooting. it's fast enough to accomodate the low light and will lessen any hand shake from handheld shots. i'd also like to have one for the nikon as well.

i'm not very happy with the autofocus lenses i got with the nikon. the focus is just a little too soft. i'd like to have a 70-200 zoom. that covers a lot of range...couple that with a 1.4x teleconverter and it's close to a 90-280 zoom. i like the teleconverter i have for the nikon and would invest in another for the canon. it's small and gives me an "extra" lens. problem with that is that you lose an f stop or two when you use it. longer lenses with 1.4 or 1.8 f stop are hideously expensive, though.

that's as far as i've gotten on considering lenses right now. i'll keep an eye on craigslist and the pawn shops, though...you can sometimes get a great deal.

i'm finding the wider angle lenses are working nicely for interior shots with marginal lighting. i'm having to learn to shoot action sequences. fortunately, it seems the director will run the actors through the scene a time or two before they actually shoot. i've been reading a little about sound blimps...they deaden the shutter noise in the camera, which allows for shooting while filming is going on...without the sound being picked up by the sound boom. since those are insanely high, i may look into making a couple for my cameras. i swear my project list is getting unreasonably long.

the film i'm starting on today seems to be more character/plot driven than action. i'm hoping that will make it easier to shoot. we'll see about that, though.

hope this answered at least part of your question...i'm just now on my first cuppa coffee and don't make sense to myself either.

[little man]

Originally Posted by Fancy

Perfect sense! Have you found a good local camera supply, or are you surfing the web for gear?

Got my fingers crossed for Tuesday, even though I know you don't need extra luck. You got this in the bag.

i appreciate the mojo. it'd be a swell job. and i can shoot movies and music in my spare time!

honestly, i'm looking on the web for stuff. the stores are just so damn high. i realize they need to make a profit, but damn. i was looking into softboxes for lights. insane prices. so, i made my own. they don't look all fancy, but they do a great job and give a nice light for portraits or for product stuff in a light tent. i was able to make them for much less than what they sell for through camera stores. i haven't made a light tent yet, but i don't think it'd be all that difficult...

i'd think that you're in a pretty good area to find gear reasonably priced. there are universities near to you and i'll bet you can find gear that students are looking to part with. i've found some really great deals in pawn shops, too. just take your camera body with you and try the stuff out. if they don't want to let you do that, chances are they're trying to hide something. or maybe i'm overly suspicious.

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by little man

i'm shooting with my nikon and a canon (a friend gave me a great deal on it). i have a couple of manual focus lenses for the nikon that give me great, sharp pics...unfortunately, my eyesight is not what it used to be so using them is a crapshoot so far as focus goes. i find that i rely more and more on the autofocus lenses.

the canon came w/ an 18-55 f3.5-5.6 that's very serviceable. i wouldn't mind having a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 for low light, indoor shooting. it's fast enough to accomodate the low light and will lessen any hand shake from handheld shots. i'd also like to have one for the nikon as well.

i'm not very happy with the autofocus lenses i got with the nikon. the focus is just a little too soft. i'd like to have a 70-200 zoom. that covers a lot of range...couple that with a 1.4x teleconverter and it's close to a 90-280 zoom. i like the teleconverter i have for the nikon and would invest in another for the canon. it's small and gives me an "extra" lens. problem with that is that you lose an f stop or two when you use it. longer lenses with 1.4 or 1.8 f stop are hideously expensive, though.

that's as far as i've gotten on considering lenses right now. i'll keep an eye on craigslist and the pawn shops, though...you can sometimes get a great deal.

i'm finding the wider angle lenses are working nicely for interior shots with marginal lighting. i'm having to learn to shoot action sequences. fortunately, it seems the director will run the actors through the scene a time or two before they actually shoot. i've been reading a little about sound blimps...they deaden the shutter noise in the camera, which allows for shooting while filming is going on...without the sound being picked up by the sound boom. since those are insanely high, i may look into making a couple for my cameras. i swear my project list is getting unreasonably long.

the film i'm starting on today seems to be more character/plot driven than action. i'm hoping that will make it easier to shoot. we'll see about that, though.

hope this answered at least part of your question...i'm just now on my first cuppa coffee and don't make sense to myself either.

Regarding the teleconverter. I have one for my Canon and I don't like it. Can't get a clear shot. I went cheap and bought a kenko one. Not worth it, I wonder if the Canon one would have been a better buy.

B&H often sells used pieces, may be worth a shot. I got my 40D from them for 500.00 and it works great.