Photographer's Corner - equipment

I was never able to get Eye-fi to function... in a useful manner. I do, however, like "CANON Connect" for remote operation (through my cell phone). I do wish that my 7D Mark II had a Wi-Fi feature. (Their excuse was it has a metal body.)
 
Roger Cicala is the CEO of LensRentals.com. He knows lenses and writes well. He wrote these as a pair.

First published was a satiric article comparing lens reviews at various sites: https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/08/my-third-grader-analogy-for-lens-reviews-and-testing/

The second one is serious, titled 'A Reasonably Non-Geeky Guide to Lens Tests and Reviews'. He wrote it because: "And because I get to see behind the curtain of the photography industry I have a different perspective than most of you. So I thought I’d share how I look at tests and reviews." https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/08/pay-attention-to-the-man-behind-the-curtain/

It's a long piece. He summarized it for three types of buyers. "If you’re an intense early adopter,..." the summary is 2 sentences. "Or, be a fanboy,..." the summary finishes that sentence. For the rest of us, it's a two paragraph summary that whet my appetite to read the entire article. Summary is at the bottom of the article.
 
Finally a reason to consider a Canon mirrorless. Their EOS M all but died upon arrival because of auto focus that was both inaccurate and slow. The slight improvements of M2 and M3 pleased the few fans. Others wondered why Canon bothered.

Wonder no more. Canon announced the M5. Sensor and autofocus from the 80D and a viewfinder top the list of improvements. There is hope...

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-m5-first-impressions-review
 
explanade said:
May want 4K video though.
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True. Canon differentiates it's product by their lower end models either not having features or having them with lower capabilities than in the more expensive models. I hope Canon chose HD video after careful understanding of their intended buyer and didn't pick something at random that is a deal breaker for too many.
 
I think the micro 4/3 mirrorless and the Sony A6300 offers 4K?

Though I'd wait for at least another generation for better 4K support.

The TVs are affordable but the cameras are initially offering limited 4K support, like only 4K at 30 fps and no HDR support, which TVs are starting to offer.
 
My old HP Z3200 has bit the dust and fixing it is just to costly for me at this point. And it takes up to much precious space in my office area. So, I sold it for parts to a guy who fixes HP products on the side. Now I need another color printer that is smaller but still capable of doing what the z3200 did except for printing on 24 inch media.

So...

I am looking for a desktop sized color printer that can print up to 17 inches wide and handle rolls of canvas along with sheets and rolls of other artistic papers.

I have an idea of what may fill the bill, but before I prejudice the replies I would like to see what other people think.
 
Anyone has any suggestions for GoPro cameras? Particularly for underwater. I'm a newbie in this area.
 
Fedup said:
Anyone has any suggestions for GoPro cameras? Particularly for underwater. I'm a newbie in this area.
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I'd say get the GoPro Hero5 black - their best camera. Waterproof without a housing to 33'. $399

I'm thinking of getting one myself. I currently have a Hero3 and have done underwater filming fish at about 2' deep. I've had it for 2-3 years and use it quite a bit on likes, biking, road trips.
 
Ronstar said:
I'd say get the GoPro Hero5 black - their best camera. Waterproof without a housing to 33'. $399

I'm thinking of getting one myself. I currently have a Hero3 and have done underwater filming fish at about 2' deep. I've had it for 2-3 years and use it quite a bit on likes, biking, road trips.
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Thank you. I'm going to get this to film my kids in action, windsurfing in Hawaii too. I hope to try it out before my Bora Bora trip.
 
Fedup said:
Thank you. I'm going to get this to film my kids in action, windsurfing in Hawaii too. I hope to try it out before my Bora Bora trip.
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Look into some extra batteries. And you'll need a few sd cards if you don't bring a computer to download.I believe the 5 takes a micro sd card.

GoPro has a free software to download and make videos.
 
Chuckanut said:
My old HP Z3200 has bit the dust and fixing it is just to costly for me at this point. And it takes up to much precious space in my office area. So, I sold it for parts to a guy who fixes HP products on the side. Now I need another color printer that is smaller but still capable of doing what the z3200 did except for printing on 24 inch media.

So...

I am looking for a desktop sized color printer that can print up to 17 inches wide and handle rolls of canvas along with sheets and rolls of other artistic papers.

I have an idea of what may fill the bill, but before I prejudice the replies I would like to see what other people think.
Click to expand...

I'm also starting to look for 17" printers since I sold my z3200 due to moving. I haven't really done much research on this yet, but if you want roll support isn't your only option the epson? Also I thought the canons have a ridiculous limitation of only 24" max print length. In the past, I've cut roll paper using a rotatrim but this limitation is a complete non-starter for me.
 
Fedup said:
Anyone has any suggestions for GoPro cameras? Particularly for underwater. I'm a newbie in this area.
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I was looking at the go pro but decided instead to get the sony fdr-x3000. Big advantage is the optical stabilization which works at 4k. Not as good as using a gimbal but it works very well. I've been very happy with it.

A few things to note: (1) the sony has a different form factor which you may or may not like. (2) you need a separate underwater housing which is included. The separate housing is waterproof to 200' whereas the go pro is only 30. (3) the sony doesn't have a preview LCD on camera -- you need to get either the live remote, use your phone, or go without.
 
photoguy said:
I was looking at the go pro but decided instead to get the sony fdr-x3000. Big advantage is the optical stabilization which works at 4k. Not as good as using a gimbal but it works very well. I've been very happy with it.

A few things to note: (1) the sony has a different form factor which you may or may not like. (2) you need a separate underwater housing which is included. The separate housing is waterproof to 200' whereas the go pro is only 30. (3) the sony doesn't have a preview LCD on camera -- you need to get either the live remote, use your phone, or go without.
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I haven't checked out the Sony - didn't know it existed. Just checked some reviews online. Looks very impressive - especially stabilization.

Fedup - you should check some comparisons online between the GoPro5 and the Sony FDR-X3000. I've seen some say that the GoPro is better overall. Some say Sony. But the best camera for you is the one that is the best for what you're filming.
 
One more thing about the Sony - the sound is terrible in the case so if you want to record audio as you go in and out of the water (like kids playing at the pool) the GoPro is probably better.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
photoguy said:
I'm also starting to look for 17" printers since I sold my z3200 due to moving. I haven't really done much research on this yet, but if you want roll support isn't your only option the epson? Also I thought the canons have a ridiculous limitation of only 24" max print length. In the past, I've cut roll paper using a rotatrim but this limitation is a complete non-starter for me.
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So far it seems that the Epson P800 is the only one that will meet my needs. I was hoping that somebody else might know of another printer similar to it so I can compare them. I have quite a bit of roll paper left, in both 17 inch and 24 inch roles. I am hoping to cut the 24 inch rolls down to 17 inches if possible.
 
I noticed that some places still have the canon ipf5100 for sale even though it has been discontinued. But this is quite a large printer.

As far as I can tell, the only options are Epson P5000, P800 and 4900 (replaced by p5000, will be discontinued soon?) and canon pro-1000 (and the discontinued ipf5100). Did I miss any options?

Only the P800 and pro-1000 are small enough that I would consider at this point.
 
Ronstar said:
I haven't checked out the Sony - didn't know it existed. Just checked some reviews online. Looks very impressive - especially stabilization.

Fedup - you should check some comparisons online between the GoPro5 and the Sony FDR-X3000. I've seen some say that the GoPro is better overall. Some say Sony. But the best camera for you is the one that is the best for what you're filming.
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Thank you. I will check them out.
 
photoguy said:
Only the P800 and pro-1000 are small enough that I would consider at this point.
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h.

The P800 has a $300 rebate if it is purchased this month. No point in passing that up, so I ordered the printer. :)

Thanks for all the advice and help.
 
This isn't exactly equipment but I guess it can be put here.

Having just bought an new Epson p800 I am thinking that maybe I might experiement with papers by other manufacturers. Previously, I had used a lot of Breathing Color papers, but I know peole who use Red River, Moab and others. I find the BC canvas does a great job as well as their flat artistic papers. They really show off the colors! But, maybe there are other looks I can play around with also.

What paper/print-media do you like to use? Why?
 
Chuckanut said:
What paper/print-media do you like to use? Why?
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For larger prints (13x19 is as big as the Canon Pro-100 can go) I've been using the Canon Pro Platinum Luster (glossy) or the Canon Photo Paper Pro Luster (semi-gloss). For smaller prints like when DW wants a photo of a relative printed from a Facebook post I'll use some leftover HP photo glossy or semi-gloss paper from when I had a HP printer. I bought too much of that and I'll probably never run out of it.

I've used some other papers but frankly I can't see any difference. I read somewhere that very often inks and papers are formulated to work best together so I'm prone to buying paper from whoever made the printer. I don't print all that much so the cost of paper is a minor issue to me.
 
Chuckanut said:
What paper/print-media do you like to use? Why?
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I am one of those that are partial to Red River. The price and quality is unmatched. My biggest use is "Artic Polar Luster." I particularly like the double-sided version for creating books.

(FWIW, I have an Epson "Stylus Pro 3880" printer.)
 
RonBoyd said:
(FWIW, I have an Epson "Stylus Pro 3880" printer.)
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I was tempted to buy one of those when the HP printer died but with the small amount of printing I do I just couldn't justify the expense. And at the time I found the Canon Pro-100 had a rebate program going on, buy the printer for $400 and a $300 rebate so I bit on that deal. Other than not being able to print 16x20 I really like the printer.
 
Chuckanut said:
I do find I have a strong preference for the higher quality matt papers.
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Paper type is such a personal thing -- there are a gagillion articles on recommending this and that as the best. I am partial to using Matte paper for Black & White images. It is also good for those images that are processed as line drawings or sketches. However, for no particular reason, I find the semi-gloss (luster) papers to more accurately represents what a "photograph" should look like. That is, obviously, not true but I will fight to the death to defend that thought.
 
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