Hello from a new member in Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:30 pm
G’day!
I’ve just joined photoclubalpha and, as it seems polite to say hello before asking any questions, thought I’d say a few words about myself.
I’ve been a keen photographer for about 25 years but have only just recently purchased a DSLR. Why so long? Well, although I enjoy photography immensely I don’t get the chance to pursue the interest anywhere near enough, and domestic priorities prevented me from shelling out the cash.
My first camera of my own, once Dad’s immense patience finally tired of me borrowing his gear, was a little Minolta XG-M, eventually teamed up with an SRT100 for colour work. With a few lenses and flash, this set up worked well for my modest needs for over twenty years.
Then two things happened more or less at the same time. I turned 40, and not long after found my eyes really weren’t what they once were. My wonderfully sensitive optometrist said “you’re over 40, get used to it. It’s all downhill now”, which got me thinking about AF. Not long after, my XG-M started playing up so it really was time to move up in the technological world. After trying the usual suspects at my local camera shop I settled on a Dynax 5 – a little small for me but pretty well laid out, comfortable and capable. Certainly much more comfortable than any of the Canons and Nikons I tried. But…as someone who uses manual a fair bit I really didn’t like the “hold this button, and turn this dial” approach to setting aperture. So the Dynax 5 was sold and replaced with a 600si. What a lovely camera this is! Comfortable and intuitive, it is a delight to use. And the two control wheels are very welcome.
Combined with the body, the lens selection is a Tokina 19-35, a 28m, a 50mm 1.7 and the 70-210 beer can along with a 5400HS flash and a few other bits and pieces.
For the last few years though, I have been keeping a close eye on DSLRs – the 7D looked the one because of its ergonomics and familiar approach to controls, except for the price, and more recently the 700 would be the body of choice, but more likely the 200. If only the cash was available!
A couple of weeks ago though the eBay gods were at work and before I knew it I had purchased a Dynax 7D for A$400. Hello DSLR world! Why an old 7D, rather than say a A200 for not much more?
Good question, and I may regret it yet. But my logic was: ergonomics are important to me (and underrated in reviews, IMHO), it had a reasonably familiar control layout and logic, and I am not really a fan of menus on cameras. Assuming I still will not have as much time as I would like for the hobby, a familiar and intuitive layout (and you cannot get much more intuitive than knobs and dials!) is very important – it seemed less likely I would forget where a particular function would be. As someone who regularly forgets passwords, a menu driven setup seems to rely on regular use to maintain familiarity. And at the price I assumed I could sell it and upgrade without too much risk.
I have barely had a chance to use it but the layout is exactly as I had hoped, although the overall feel is a little different than I had expected. Now just to really start using it!
Oh, and my photography? Well, my subjects of choice are landscapes, urban photography and railways. And our young kids of course. I am looking forward to the potential of getting good hand held shots up to 800ISO, getting a couple of stops benefit from anti-shake and the 1.7 50mm in the city. If you would like to see some of my work, you can go here: http://home.iprimus.com.au/brindabella/Railgrafx.html although I should warn you this is my railway collection so if you don’t like trains don’t go there!
So there is a rather lengthy introduction for you. I have a few questions to ask over the next few days about some of the gear, and I will be seeking advice on rationalising my lenses (I think I need something different at the wide end) as well as workflow and software questions, which I will post in the relevant forums.
For now though that will do. I’m looking forward to sharing the experience of this forum.
Alan
Brisbane, Australia
I’ve just joined photoclubalpha and, as it seems polite to say hello before asking any questions, thought I’d say a few words about myself.
I’ve been a keen photographer for about 25 years but have only just recently purchased a DSLR. Why so long? Well, although I enjoy photography immensely I don’t get the chance to pursue the interest anywhere near enough, and domestic priorities prevented me from shelling out the cash.
My first camera of my own, once Dad’s immense patience finally tired of me borrowing his gear, was a little Minolta XG-M, eventually teamed up with an SRT100 for colour work. With a few lenses and flash, this set up worked well for my modest needs for over twenty years.
Then two things happened more or less at the same time. I turned 40, and not long after found my eyes really weren’t what they once were. My wonderfully sensitive optometrist said “you’re over 40, get used to it. It’s all downhill now”, which got me thinking about AF. Not long after, my XG-M started playing up so it really was time to move up in the technological world. After trying the usual suspects at my local camera shop I settled on a Dynax 5 – a little small for me but pretty well laid out, comfortable and capable. Certainly much more comfortable than any of the Canons and Nikons I tried. But…as someone who uses manual a fair bit I really didn’t like the “hold this button, and turn this dial” approach to setting aperture. So the Dynax 5 was sold and replaced with a 600si. What a lovely camera this is! Comfortable and intuitive, it is a delight to use. And the two control wheels are very welcome.
Combined with the body, the lens selection is a Tokina 19-35, a 28m, a 50mm 1.7 and the 70-210 beer can along with a 5400HS flash and a few other bits and pieces.
For the last few years though, I have been keeping a close eye on DSLRs – the 7D looked the one because of its ergonomics and familiar approach to controls, except for the price, and more recently the 700 would be the body of choice, but more likely the 200. If only the cash was available!
A couple of weeks ago though the eBay gods were at work and before I knew it I had purchased a Dynax 7D for A$400. Hello DSLR world! Why an old 7D, rather than say a A200 for not much more?
Good question, and I may regret it yet. But my logic was: ergonomics are important to me (and underrated in reviews, IMHO), it had a reasonably familiar control layout and logic, and I am not really a fan of menus on cameras. Assuming I still will not have as much time as I would like for the hobby, a familiar and intuitive layout (and you cannot get much more intuitive than knobs and dials!) is very important – it seemed less likely I would forget where a particular function would be. As someone who regularly forgets passwords, a menu driven setup seems to rely on regular use to maintain familiarity. And at the price I assumed I could sell it and upgrade without too much risk.
I have barely had a chance to use it but the layout is exactly as I had hoped, although the overall feel is a little different than I had expected. Now just to really start using it!
Oh, and my photography? Well, my subjects of choice are landscapes, urban photography and railways. And our young kids of course. I am looking forward to the potential of getting good hand held shots up to 800ISO, getting a couple of stops benefit from anti-shake and the 1.7 50mm in the city. If you would like to see some of my work, you can go here: http://home.iprimus.com.au/brindabella/Railgrafx.html although I should warn you this is my railway collection so if you don’t like trains don’t go there!
So there is a rather lengthy introduction for you. I have a few questions to ask over the next few days about some of the gear, and I will be seeking advice on rationalising my lenses (I think I need something different at the wide end) as well as workflow and software questions, which I will post in the relevant forums.
For now though that will do. I’m looking forward to sharing the experience of this forum.
Alan
Brisbane, Australia
When I hit 45 I started to need reading glasses and they are a pain in the butt. For normal stuff I don't mind them so much but for using my beloved cameras I find my need for reading glasses to cause me lots of trouble. I am often having to put my reading glasses on so that I can look at the histogram and image on the LCD. Without the reading glasses I can see it, but to get a really good look at it (like I want to do sometimes) I need the reading glasses. At least I can make changes to the settings using quik-navi without the glasses. My previous DSLR was a Canon 30D and that camera had a little top LCD with icons that were only about 1.5mm so I was constantly putting on my reading glasses for that too. What a relief to have the nice, big LCD on the back of the A700.