Photography tips

[Talkenlate04]

I saw on ebay a while back that there are some mobile external slave flash that does not need a hot shoe so you can basically set it near the T before taking pics. I don't know if it's gonna work or not but that's an option. Just go on ebay and search for "S5000" and "flash".

His camera does NOT support an external flash of any kind. In addition to that it does not have a setting to change the white balance it is done automatically by the camera.
His only choice as I mentioned already is to use natural lighting when ever possible, or as you mentioned get a lamp or other source of light.
From my stand point it is a compact camera with some added features that are not normally found in a compact.

And DSLR is not the only type of camera that can fit external lens (and S5000 is not considered a "compact" camera). Almost all ultra zoom cameras are designed to be able to fit a conversion lens (and filters). S5000 is not the exception. After reading some review, the lens hood apparently douples up as a lens adapter (or rather the lens adapter doubles up as a lens hood). With the lens adapter, you can fit conversion lens (wide/telephoto/macro). Try searching on ebay again "S5000" and "lens" to have an idea, especially the thread diameter (I think yours is 55mm but I'm not sure). I don't recommend buying lens on ebay for daily use though because the lens ain't that good quality and good lens cost a fortune. Your camera alone is good enough.

None of this information fixes his flash problem.

Here is a link from dp review.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/FujiFilm/fuji_finepixs5000.asp

 

[testdasi]

I read the review as well. The thing is you don't need a hot shoe to support external flash. How the external flash I saw on ebay works is that it uses a preflash by the camera (e.g. red eye) as a synchronizing mechanism to flash at the appropriate time. The idea seems clever and at the very least, it was advertised to work with the s5000 camera. My point is that saying the camera does not support external flash so external flash can't be use is a misconception I believe.

The 2nd paragraph was a response to Garvin's comment that you can only fit macro lenses on DSLR to take macro pics from a distance away. I was just saying that it is actually possible to put on conversion lens for Codykrr's camera which is not a DSLR. I guess it "solves" the problem by allowing him to take macro pics from a distance away.

Ultra zoom is not a compact. The censor is bigger (so more light sensitive) but smaller than DSLR (allowing smaller zoom lens to be installed). Digital cameras are categorized in DSLR and non-DSLR (basically anything with a smaller censor than a DSLR and can shoot pics without having to buy a set of lenses). non-DSLR includes ultrazoom (or super zoom <-- at least 10x zoom, usually with the ability to use conversion lens and/or a hot shoe for external flash), compact (the type you can put in your pocket) and high end (everything can be adjusted manually and can use both conversion lens AND hot shoe for flash). There are also Four Thirds camera that are almost exactly like a DSLR but with a smaller censor.

Anyway, I was agreeing with Talkenlate04. I was also saying that lots of ambient light is actually best (and cheapest).

 

[codykrr]

ha..ok guys all of your input in much appreciated but dont start fighting please...ok....yea my camera isnt a "badass" camera...but i did pay 400 bucks for it...also i can manually adjust the white balce...but doesnt do much at all...also...here my plan....my camera is good for some things....but macro isnt a strong point for the reason i explained...shadow casting...so...my plan...sell this camera...and buy a new one...im staring some photography classes next spring, and i want a really good all round camera....preferable one thats capible of some very amazing macro shots seeing as how i like flowers bugs....ect ect, and i hate taking pics of people but....i will need to anyway because people pay and bugs dont...so an all round camera is needed...also. one question that didnt get answer very clear is...what are some good ambient lighting options...? and yeah i called acamera shop today and there isnt any flash rings readily avalible thats worth buying....but, this is a great camera and i have definatly out grown it by far....so what is a good top line camera thats all round has many lens options and awsome quality? i need macro and flash rings...basically im wanting to drop around 4 thousand on camera and a few lenses and possible a flash ring....what are some good options...tis isnt just to have either im going to be taking classes and possible have a side buisness of sorts....so i need to make a "good investment"

 

[testdasi]

Haha, we weren't fighting. Just some good debating. Anyway, what you are looking for basically points to a DSLR (warning! DSLR is the professional type so it will be bulky). When I looked for my camera, I used the following review sites a lot:

• Camera Labs
• Digital Camera Review
• Photography Blog

The review seems to come from people who actually know what they are doing. And there are a lot of detail so you can read up.

What DSLR you should buy basically depends on how much you are willing to pay. And my advice for DSLR is make sure you buy a good set of lenses (not the ones that are included in cheaper DSLR "kits" <-- usually they are cheap lenses). It's not really a bad thing to use expensive good lenses on a decent DSLR. It's a very bad thing to use cheap lenses on a good DSLR.

 

[codykrr]

awsome....any brand or model suggestions?...also yeah i dont plan on skimping any seeing as how id kinda like to make a semi living doing this.....im also thinking either canon or nikon....any suggestions? also...what are some good lenses for macro...?

 

[testdasi]

For that, Talkenlate04 will be a lot more experienced than me. Try asking Rick McJimsey as well. He has some really good macro pics.

 

[Talkenlate04]

I am bias myself toward Nikon. I have used both Canon and Nikon and just keep coming back to Nikon. If you are talking long term I would invest in a mid range model of ether brand.

Its going to cost you a bit of dough but its worth it. A good learning camera imo would be something like the Nikon D80 or even the D40. If you want to buy a very well reviewed camera that will be a good step up from the mid range cameras the Nikon D300 is amazing. It will set you back a few $1,000 to get the body a flash and lens but wow that is a killer camera.

Dp review is the place I tinker on the most. Photo.net has a lot of good information as well and the same with Camera Labs, Ken Rockwell can be a tool sometimes but he has great info as well.

First figure out what your goal is in photography then pick a camera that fits your goals. Your the one that has to be happy with it.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

His camera does NOT support an external flash of any kind. In addition to that it does not have a setting to change the white balance it is done automatically by the camera.
His only choice as I mentioned already is to use natural lighting when ever possible, or as you mentioned get a lamp or other source of light.
From my stand point it is a compact camera with some added features that are not normally found in a compact.


None of this information fixes his flash problem.

Here is a link from dp review.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/FujiFilm/fuji_finepixs5000.asp

You can get an SB-800 (discontinued) or an SB-900 and use it in SU-4 mode. Any flash source will set it off, even one from a point and shoot. You can also dial down the camera's on-board flash intensity to control how much light is coming from the on-board flash. Also, the S5000 also does have an adjustable white balance: Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, and Incandescent.

My suggestion is to get a used SB-800 or new SB-900 (overpriced IMO) plus a Rayonex DCR-250 macro lens. The flash you can use with an SLR so even if you upgrade later, it will still work. The Rayonex lens works with 52-67mm filter diameters so it'll also work with whatever kit lens comes with the SLR until you buy a dedicated macro lens.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Somehow I doubt he will want to spend the same amount if not MORE money then he spent on the camera for a flash, but maybe that is just me.
So yes you are correct about how the 800/900 can be used but not really correct in the expectation for it to be bought for this camera. He is far better off upgrading his whole setup imo.

Also, the S5000 also does have an adjustable white balance: Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, and Incandescent.

Those are auto settings not settings you can change freely from within. You get what you get under the setting. I'll be more clear next time.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

Somehow I doubt he will want to spend the same amount if not MORE money then he spent on the camera for a flash, but maybe that is just me.
So yes you are correct about how the 800/900 can be used but not really correct in the expectation for it to be bought for this camera. He is far better off upgrading his whole setup imo.


Those are auto settings not settings you can change freely from within. You get what you get under the setting. I'll be more clear next time.

Upgrading his whole setup would have to include buying an external flash if he's concerned about lighting so he'd have to spend that kind of money anyway.

If you never ever in your whole life plan on upgrading to an SLR, then you can get the standalone SU-4 flash adapter for $75 and a Vivitar 285HV flash for about $90 and it'd basically do the same thing.

 

[Talkenlate04]

awsome....any brand or model suggestions?...also yeah i dont plan on skimping any seeing as how id kinda like to make a semi living doing this.....im also thinking either canon or nikon....any suggestions? also...what are some good lenses for macro...?

I think he plans on upgrading.

 

[testdasi]

The flash stuff I saw on ebay is very similar to that SB800/900 thingy but very cheap - like in the $30 or $40 price range. Must be one of those cheap spinoffs.

There seem to be a lot of Nikon DSLR fans out there.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

I think he plans on upgrading.

So then what's wrong with spending that kind of money if he'll have to do it anyway in the future? (unless he wants to use the on-board flash which will put him back in the same position he's in now) :? This way he can play around with lighting while he saves for a better camera.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Ahh your right, buy the flash first, camera second.
But in all seriousness you can't use the 800 anywhere near its capabilities with that camera he has, so while it might fire with his camera, it is not going to really be effective until he has a camera it is meant to work with.
Not to mention if he settles on a canon there is no point in getting the sb-800/900.

 

[jharr]

I see that this thread has turned into a hardware discussion, but I just thought I would put in a little info about resizing/scaling photos. What you need to keep in mind is that when you change the dimensions of a photo (not cropping, but scaling) you need to increase the # of pixels per inch at the same time. For example, if you have a photo that is 2000px by 1500px at 72 px/inch and you want it to be smaller, you can change the dimensions by 1/2 so you end up with a 1000px by 750px photo. However if you are still at 72 px/inch, you have just degraded the quality of your photo. You need to increase the pixel density by 4x to maintain the same level of detail. So your 1000x750px photo should have 288 px/in. That also increases the size of the file, so take that into account if you are trying to reach a certain MB number.

Hope this helps,
J--

 

[biomarine2000]

I see that this thread has turned into a hardware discussion, but I just thought I would put in a little info about resizing/scaling photos. What you need to keep in mind is that when you change the dimensions of a photo (not cropping, but scaling) you need to increase the # of pixels per inch at the same time. For example, if you have a photo that is 2000px by 1500px at 72 px/inch and you want it to be smaller, you can change the dimensions by 1/2 so you end up with a 1000px by 750px photo. However if you are still at 72 px/inch, you have just degraded the quality of your photo. You need to increase the pixel density by 4x to maintain the same level of detail. So your 1000x750px photo should have 288 px/in. That also increases the size of the file, so take that into account if you are trying to reach a certain MB number.

Hope this helps,
J--

You just solved my problem. I was doing that exact thing. Now I can crop the pictures and load them up and they wont look so stretched. Thank you for posting this. I've been getting so frusterated.

 

[jharr]

No problem. I was stumped by this for a long time. Glad I could pass it along. Happy shooting!
J--

You just solved my problem. I was doing that exact thing. Now I can crop the pictures and load them up and they wont look so stretched. Thank you for posting this. I've been getting so frusterated.

 

[codykrr]

haha...well guys tomorrow im off. so im going to go shopping....theres a camera shop here in town im goin g to check out....the price range ifor me is about 4 grand...also...yea im upgrading!...i just feel the need to..kinda outgrown my old camera...its still nice and is in perfect working condition...also i am planing on getting a nikon....a macro lens...and a flash ring...like i said...this is a future investment, i do plan on trying to someday doing this as a living...and diddling around with t shots and other insects though there mainly my "hobby focus", i do see what you are saying buy just tryi ng to get new flashes to play around with, but while i got the money im just going all the way. also the photography classes im enrolling in this spring/summer hs finacial aid that will cover lens upgrades and tripods flashes just not the camera...sooo...if im lucky i may get me some government paid for flashes and lenses for school ! and i belive someone said im the one who has to be happy....but in the long run when i open a buisness its the clients im trying to please.....so even if i think its junk, and they like it then thats what i give them...supply and demand right?....another thing im curious about though....is...once i do start taking incredible shots....how do the pros devolope them?...since everything is digital now do they use a home printer , a photo machine, or what....?

 

[codykrr]

oh yeah by the way....i took some pictures of a little baby mantid eating a cricket...i took about 15 shots and got maybe 2 that were "alright" imo....please critisize! or comment...or what ever...go to the link to see

 

[jharr]

Cody,
Printing is a whole other discipline from photography. There is a huge amount of knowledge needed to do 'custom' printing. I have only scratched the surface, so I can't really help other than to point you to places like photo.net where the real experts hang out. $4k should get you a pretty nice pro-sumer rig and anyone will tell you that great cameras don't make great photographs. It is up to you and it sounds like you are on the right path. Taking classes and learning from people whose photos you like is the best way to be a better photographer. Post your photos on photo.net and request critiques there. It's what they do.

J--

....how do the pros devolope them?...since everything is digital now do they use a home printer , a photo machine, or what....?