How many DSLR users here?

[N_Architect]

5D II video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdaybWRRDWI

Makes you wanna go out and buy the damn machine today... (just when the body only price was reduced in the U.S. to 2,499 USD)

Of course as an amateur you're rather unlikely to use all these lenses, effects and visit all these serene locations with a tripod and equipment.

[jhm]

If I am at home with friends or family at 9pm on a nice winter night and want to take some pictures, what do I do? Take a shot with the cube in the picture, go to my room open the PC, open LR, set the correct WB, disconnect the camera and then go back and take my intended shot with the recommended WB? (phew!)

It's still sitting in my camera bag but as I understand it, all you do is take a shot with the cube in the picture along with all of your other pictures (with the same lighting as the picture with the cube).

Later - the next day or whenever - you tell LR that the black patch of the cube is black; the grey patch of the cube is grey; etc. From that, LR can determine the correct WB and LR then automatically applies such WB to the rest of your pictures. Apparently, it takes less than a minute to do this and fix the WB for all of your pictures.

The cube with its grey, black etc surfaces is just an easier to use, and easier to carry around, version of a grey card which some (used to) carry around.

That's all the theory at least!

[nickbot]

nickbot has produced a new baby after all the strenous activities over the weekend! Show show tell tell!

Ok, ok, despite my deliberations and overloaded credit card I decided to go shopping at the weekend (just looking you understand ). Somehow I came out of the shop armed with a nice shiny box in a carrier bag, and a rather scorched BD MBNA card smouldering away in my now threadbare wallet!

Yes, I bit the bullet and purchased the GF-1 with 20 mm pancake lens, plus a new 8 Gb SD card. That's the most I've ever spent on a camera, and to be honest it kind of made me feel rather sick, but I'm sure I've made the right decision (please please tell me I have, I need reassurance! )

It's still early days, and due to family commitments I've not really been able to play with the new toy a great deal, but I'm pretty happy with it. Phaleesy and jhm's comments earlier in the thread concerning DOF issues have very much been confirmed from my initial exploration (I wished for narrow DOF, and narrow DOF is what I got,...in bucketloads!) - just got to get back into "proper" photography after many years of P&S and start to counter this when necessary with appropriate control.

As for a show and tell phaleesy, I'll pop up one of the first ever shots taken with my new toy - I'm not claiming it to be any good, but seeing as the subject matter is my main photographic muse (at least for publishable shots you understand ) it serves as a startpoint marker for my journey into (hopefully) better photography! Please no comments about the white or catbalance or other techie stuff, I have yet to investigate such things as post processing! Oh and yes, I acknowledge that the shot would've been better if Nibbler was still in posession of his ears, but he decided the photoshoot was over right after taking this, so it's the best I've got



Thank you all once again for your help with my buying decision, I do very much appreciate the discussion in this thread and look forward to more in future (when, in about 2 weeks time I imagine, I being to deliberate about a zoom lens!)

[Kyo]

That shot makes me *almost* want to go out and get a GF1 now. Looks fantastic, mate... congratulations!

I think that's an awesome shot..

[nickbot]

Thanks mate I reckon you owe it to yourself to bite the bullet and get the GF-1

[jhm]

Congratulations on your new baby, nickbot!

With your duck shots, you must now work hard to keep the background in focus.

[N_Architect]

Yes, Sir nickbot has been pretty secretive lately indeed, but the Nibbler shot was worth the wait (and the White Balance IS accurate, as well as the focus, of course).

I was surprised to read this was the most $$$ he had ever spent on a camera. (I guess the surprise was to discover he's actually reasonable and not impulsive like ...me).

Anyway, enjoy and let us (slowly through time) see what beautiful images you can produce with this toy!

[nickbot]

Congratulations on your new baby, nickbot!

Many thanks jhm - you paved the way

With your duck shots, you must now work hard to keep the background in focus.

Duck shots - is this a photographic term, or do you mean photographs of ducks? Either way I'm a little confused (easily done, some might say )

[nickbot]

Yes, Sir nickbot has been pretty secretive lately indeed, but the Nibbler shot was worth the wait (and the White Balance IS accurate, as well as the focus, of course).

Thank you for your encouragement Sir I must say, I would've preferred to have Nibbler's right eye in focus also, but overall I like the DOF on the image, especially the way his whiskers blur away.

I was surprised to read this was the most $$$ he had ever spent on a camera. (I guess the surprise was to discover he's actually reasonable and not impulsive like ...me).

Yes, it's true. My camera history has previously been an Olympus Trip, a Practica SLR, a second hand lower end Olympus film SLR (OM-10) which I loved (and still do, despite not having used it for years), through a couple of Pentax digital compacts (the first of which died a catastrophic death when knocked out of my hand at a wedding), to Nokia's Zeiss offerings. None of these cameras cost over about £140 IIRC, so the GF-1 was a massive leap for nickbot

Anyway, enjoy and let us (slowly through time) see what beautiful images you can produce with this toy!

Thank you again, I hope not to disappoint!

[jhm]

Duck shots - is this a photographic term, or do you mean photographs of ducks?

I seem to remember a photo of some strategically placed ducks.

[nickbot]

I seem to remember a photo of some strategically placed ducks.

Duh (smacks forehead), of course! How could I forget one of my more famous compositions?!

[SQflyergirl]

Very nice Nickbot!... but as they say, a camera's no good sitting in the camera bag! Shoot away and put those pics up!

[nickbot]

Very nice Nickbot!... but as they say, a camera's no good sitting in the camera bag! Shoot away and put those pics up!

Thanks SQfg - no danger of this baby sitting in the camera bag,...spent so much I couldn't afford the bag yet When she has to travel at the moment, she does so wrapped in bubble wrap

Luckily, there was a 5% cashback voucher offer on when I bought the camera, so I have a £35 voucher to use between 1-14 Feb, so planning on investing in a case then.

[jhm]

Luckily, there was a 5% cashback voucher offer on when I bought the camera, so I have a £35 voucher to use between 1-14 Feb, so planning on investing in a case then.

Or you can use something like what I use (a SQ J socks cloth bag!). The only other accessories I've bought for my GF1 have been a protective lens filter and a Nintendo Wii wrist strap.

[SQflyergirl]

and a Nintendo Wii wrist strap.

Hey that's a cool accessory! Looks a bit longer than normal, which is probably what i need for my compact.