The Photography Thread

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Sly Boots
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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Sly Boots » Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:26 pm

Erm, I didn't want to start a thread just for this, but guess this thread is slightly related?

I just wanted to ask if anyone has any recommendations for sites that print out digital photos, that they've used in the past? Looking for a combination of decent quality and affordable price.

I've got circa 100 images to print but don't want it to be ruinously expensive.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Stormbringer » Wed Aug 28, 2019 10:04 pm

We use York Photo. They seem to do a good job.
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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Alan » Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:16 am

Standard size? Snapfish give you 100 free prints for new accounts, you just pay p&p
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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Sly Boots » Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:57 am

Ooh, that sounds cool, will check it out, cheers

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Sly Boots » Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:04 pm

Alan wrote:
Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:16 am
Standard size? Snapfish give you 100 free prints for new accounts, you just pay p&p
Just took delivery of my Snapfish pics, so thanks for that.

I think the 100 free prints must have been a limited-time deal as it wasn't mentioned anywhere as I signed up, however I got 50 free prints for using their app (you get 50 free prints per month every month for doing so, in fact), and because they were all standard size I ended up getting 125 photos delivered for about £12 total, which was great.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Mantis » Sat Jan 04, 2020 6:03 pm

Does anyone have any recommendations for both a good starter camera and also any resources online which can really help someone get to grips with photography?

The girlfriend keeps dropping not so subtle hints that she's interested in it. And to be honest, after I've done my research and seen how well she takes to it I may end up branching into the hobby myself.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Raid » Sat Jan 04, 2020 6:32 pm

I suppose it depends on how much you want to spend, how much weight she'll want to carry and what you think she'll want to take photos of. Cameras are pretty general use, but the lens choice is important. Honestly it's difficult to buy a bad camera if you stick to the big names (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji), and they'll all come with dozens of features that it's not worth worrying about when you're starting out. Stick to something released in the last five years or so if possible.

If you don't mind going with second hand equipment, there's a vast array of choice. I'd suggest looking at a site like MPB who have decent prices while still actually being photography specialists unlike somewhere like ebay. Find a camera within your price range and google it to see when it was released. I'll happily comment on a choice if you post it up here.

As for learning resources, there are so many to choose from online that it's difficult to really pick one. I find Tony and Chelsea Northrup to be decent teachers, just stick to their basics videos and ignore their recent material which is largely clickbait (and they get increasingly smug as time goes on). This playlist is a good place to start, particularly this one on the basics of the exposure triangle then once you've got the basics down, just stick "(subject matter) photography" into Youtube's search bar to find tips on taking photos in specific circumstances.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Alan » Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:09 am

Pretty much that. Price and size are the biggest considerations. I would say go used of a slightly older/used "prosumer" (boak) level than a more budget new one. I would also say a fixed lens rather than an interchangable lens system might be best for a first. I mean, when you get an ILC 90% of the time you stick to one lens anyway! Also fixed lens tend to have a leaf shutter which means its nearly silent when you press the shutter which is nice for animals/museums/concerts etc...

Some vague recomendations on the older/cheaper side but there are hundreds of others out there that could be as good or better.

Sony RX100 series
I dont think Id recommend picking up the latest model for the price but the MkII can be had under £200 (adds tilt screen and Wifi to the MkI) or the MKIII which adds a viewfinder around £260ish. Heck even an MkI is still pretty good at around £130ish
Tiny camera, 20MP, built in zoom lens of around 28mm-100mm (varies depending on Mk, the latest goes out to 200mm!). Great image quality, easy to pocket, fast autofocus but its only a 1" sensor so you wouldnt be able to get real shallow deapth of field.

Ricoh GRII (£250-£300)
APSC size sensor, fixed 28mm lens, 2.8 aperture, 16MP. Smallest APSC camera that I know of so still very pocketable. If shes used to say an iPhone lens this has the same FOV but with a much bigger sensor. Very customisable if you want to get in deep but also really easy to get the basics of. The only negative I can think of is the AF isnt superfast, especially in low light and its a fixed non tilty screen.

Fuji X100t (£400)
APSC fixed 35mm lens, 2.0 aperture, 16MP. Total bias because Ive loved the X100 series since the original. Nice physical controls, awesome hybrid viewfinder (optical or electronic) and one of the best looking modern cameras. It is however much larger than the other two so much less pocketable and still has a fixed non tilty screen.


Ive been thinking the same for my better half too and for her Ive settled on the Fuji X70 (£350). Its a very similar camera to the Ricoh GRII. The software is worse, its slightly bigger but the physical controls and tilty screen are better. It also looks way nicer ;)
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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Mantis » Sun Jan 05, 2020 5:15 pm

Cheers chaps, I hadn't thought about going second hand or looking at older models.

The article I was reading which recommends a list of starter cameras had the Canon EOS 250D at number one, but investing £500+ right off the bat seemed like a big step to me even if the article advocated spending more early for better features to save on upgrades in the future.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Alan » Sun Jan 05, 2020 5:43 pm

If you fancy a free shot of some gear buy from CeX and abuse their no quibble 14 day website returns policy ;)
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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Raid » Sun Jan 05, 2020 6:03 pm

£500 does feel like a lot to spend on a starter camera. It'll be a good camera, no doubt, but the only thing you're gaining over the previous model 200D is a larger number of autofocus points (which to a beginner may actually be a disadvantage as it massively increases the complexity of the autofocus system). You can get the a "Good" condition 200D with the same lens for about £350 from MPB.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Pew-Pew » Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:56 pm

I would go for a lower end mirrorless camera, e.g. the classic Sony A6000 or some updated version/something similar. I think playing with different lenses is part of the fun, especially if she gets into it. Usually they are smaller too (although not as much as the fixed lens compacts).

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Mantis » Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:48 pm

I read a little about mirrorless versus DSLR and couldn't really draw a conclusion on it other than that they were both really good nowadays but if you want a similar quality of mirrorless camera you need to be prepared to pay more.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Pew-Pew » Tue Jan 07, 2020 5:33 pm

Mantis wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:48 pm
I read a little about mirrorless versus DSLR and couldn't really draw a conclusion on it other than that they were both really good nowadays but if you want a similar quality of mirrorless camera you need to be prepared to pay more.
How much are you willing to spend? I think the smaller size is a large (lol) benefit.

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Re: The Photography Thread

Post by Mantis » Tue Jan 07, 2020 6:37 pm

I haven't really given myself a strict budget though £500 for that Canon 250D was the most I would likely be willing to stretch.

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