RevNeal LIVE! From the ms Prinsendam

[LSEA]

RevNeal,

 

Thanks so much for posting while on your cruise. I know in your profession you work 24/7 so I appreciate you spending some of your vacation time sharing with us. Great photos.

[jgw321]

if you have experience with a film-SLR, you really should get a DSLR ... Perhaps go with the same manufacturer that you've used in the past.

 

Agreed, film is still around, with some die-hard advocates, but it will get increasingly expensive since film (cinema) companies are gradually moving away from 35mm stock to other formats and media and the amateurs have nearly all converted to digital. There is no comparison of the convenience of two or three cards versus a dozen rolls of film when on holiday. Add to that the ability to review the exposure and the histogram after the shot, so errors can be spotted and an adjusted retake done when necessary. Digital has won the day. In our camera club there is only one person who still takes only film.

 

The big advantage of sticking with a manufacturer you already know is that the controls are going to be more or less familiar. In some cases you can use lenses from SLRs on DSLRs but usually not due to the difference in distance between the back of the lens and the sensor and needing room for the mirror to swing, although some DSLRs don't have swinging mirrors now. There is a lot to this, so if you are, or were, a film man; consider joining a local camera club and upgrading to Digital. You'll find it will revitalise your photography.

 

If you are not an SLR user already but just a compact user who would like to take better photographs then the advice is the same, join a camera club and talk to the others and upgrade to a DSLR when you are ready. You can do so much more with it.

 

If you haven't got an SLR or a digital compact or a camera at all then get a digital compact. With digital you can afford to snap away and save all your precious memories without worrying about the cost of film or prints. I'd recommend 12 mega pixels or more, the ability to turn off the flash (essential in some places), some ability for manual setting or at least a range of settings such as close-up, night-time, fireworks, +- exposure over-ride, etc. You don't need to worry about all this when you start, just start with automatic mode and explore other things as you gain experience. Get one from one of the established camera makers rather than one of the electronic muti-nationals, then when you later add a DSLR you can get the same make and not have to relearn all the little icons.

 

I'd recommend a Canon compact as there is software you can add to the card (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK) to unlock lots of functionality that you normally only get on a DSLR, such as the ability to shoot in RAW, histogram review, under/over exposure alert, etc. Carol uses this and loves it. I have a Nikon coolpix and that gives good results, including video, but secretly I'd love the ability to use CHDK.

 

Sorry to hi-jack your cruise thread here Greg and expand on the photogoraphy bit, but as a question was asked I thought I'd throw in my pennyworth too.

[RevNeal]

Sorry to hi-jack your cruise thread here Greg and expand on the photogoraphy bit, but as a question was asked I thought I'd throw in my pennyworth too.

 

No need to apologize! Thanks for the added tips and advice on this subject! I make no pretense to being anything other than an amateur when it comes to photography; I know what I like, and photograph it when I see it. I dabble in the more advanced areas, and like to play with my DSLR and its manual settings. But I do not fool myself in thinking that I know everything about this field.

 

One of the reasons I upgraded to a DSLR was that I needed a camera that I could more easily attach to my 6-inch Meade LXD75 Achromatic Refractor Telescope for astronomical photography. While my Olympus C-7070 could be attached with the proper step-down tubes, filters, braces, etc., the cost in the equipment to do that was a substantial portion of what it would have cost for me to buy a DSLR with the proper barlow adapter. My old Olympus C-7070 can take long exposure shots, etc., and so it could have done the job of astrophotography with the proper attachment equipment, but since I had been wanting to upgrade to a DSLR for years I decided to do that instead. My DSLR's body easily attaches to my Televue Barlow lens and takes pretty good astronomical photos ... both in real-time and in long-exposure with the telescope's tracking motors on. AND, I have a DSLR that I can take on cruises with me! So, I have the best of both worlds. :)

[bcd2010]

Thanks JG and Greg - good info here. I know there is a photography forum on CC and I do check it out every now and then (and would encourage others to do so also). My questions here came out of seeing specific pictures in this thread which is why I asked here. It's kind of those who take a moment to share their knowledge and expertise - much appreciated!

 

I have a Canon EOS Rebel SLR with "standard" and telephoto lenses. I expected to be using these lenses on a new (Canon) DSLR when I bought one, but what you say, JG, about the reasons this might not be possible concerns me. It will require more research on my part - it would not be a deal-breaker to not be able to continue using them, it would just have saved me money. OTOH, if they won't work, it frees me up to look at other brands if I have to buy new lenses anyway.

 

Greg - astronomical photography - wow, another thing I'd like to learn more about, see some examples. I just looked at your website and did not see any such pictures posted there - if you ever have the time and inclination to post some... (I know you have just oodles of time to take on another big project! ;))

[Ship's Wake]

This has been a very enjoyable thread. Thank you RevNeal for sharing your trip and travel tips with us and letting us come along.

[RevNeal]

Greg - astronomical photography - wow, another thing I'd like to learn more about, see some examples. I just looked at your website and did not see any such pictures posted there - if you ever have the time and inclination to post some... (I know you have just oodles of time to take on another big project! ;))

 

Astrophotography is such a new field for me that I've not shared any of the few photos I've been able to take. I'm probably going to do that, however, once I really get the hang of how to do it well and have time to locate dark skies nearby where I can set up and stay for a night. I've gone to Hugo State Park in OK, not too far from Dallas, and here they have wonderfully dark skies, so I might go back there and see what I can photograph. Astronomy is a field of interest that I've had for a long time, but it's only been in recent years that I've been able to afford the kind of telescopes needed to do astrophotography.

[bcd2010]

I look forward to seeing your photos.

 

Yes, gotta get away from those city lights. I lived in the Chicago suburbs for 18 years and tried to see the Perseid meteor shower every August. Most times it was overcast, other times I couldn't find dark skies. I'm 2 for 2 here in SC - twice it was overcast, twice it was clear and I saw them but lotsa mosquitos - sigh...

[DrFUN]

While I'm not Greg, I can try to answer from a woman's perspective. The only themed night where passenger clothing was tied in was the 'Black & White Ball'. It is easy for the men as tuxes are B&W. Ladies wore pretty combinations of black, white, and silver. As on other formal nights the VAST majority we saw wore suits/tuxes and dressy dresses/pants-sparkley tops. The very few who didn't, did stand out.

 

THANKS SO MUCH, dear Mary Ellen!

 

This really helps us properly prepare for our Prinsendam 24-night "T.A. to Bordeaux & Beyond" next May-June.

 

Appreciatively,

Mary-Lou

[jgw321]

a camera that I could more easily attach to my 6-inch Meade LXD75 Achromatic Refractor Telescope

 

Wow! How come we didn't talk about this when we had lots of time. We have a Meade too. Now we are off topic so I'll email you direct.

 

JG

[jgw321]

what you say, JG, about the reasons this might not be possible concerns me. It will require more research on my part

 

Ask in the CC photography forum or find one on the web. I use my local club experts when I need help.

 

Greg - astronomical photography - wow, another thing I'd like to learn more about

Send me your email at jgw321@gmail.com and I'll cc you when I write to Greg.

[mamaofami]

Greg, I loved the pictures you posted and am looking forward to seeing them all when you get them up. Glad you had a good cruise.

[jgw321]

but what you say, JG, about the reasons this might not be possible concerns me.

 

I don't know how your reseach is going, having alarmed you I did some of my own. I could not find a reference for the bit about swinging the mirror and missing the lens. However from memory it only relates to some lenses, those where the rear elements are beyond the mount, ie go inside the body. If the mount has no lens bits projecting beyond it then there can be no problem. I also found this link http://forums.steves-digicams.com/newbie-help/134320-slr-lens-dslr-camera.html which seems to say you'll be fine.

 

If your DSLR has a sensor that is smaller than full frame then the SLR lenses will come up with longer aparent length. The Wiikipedia entry helps on this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenses_for_SLR_and_DSLR_cameras

[bcd2010]

Send me your email at ... and I'll cc you when I write to Greg.

 

I sent you my email address - thanks!

[bcd2010]

I don't know how your reseach is going, having alarmed you I did some of my own. I could not find a reference for the bit about swinging the mirror and missing the lens. However from memory it only relates to some lenses, those where the rear elements are beyond the mount, ie go inside the body. If the mount has no lens bits projecting beyond it then there can be no problem. I also found this link http://forums.steves-digicams.com/newbie-help/134320-slr-lens-dslr-camera.html which seems to say you'll be fine.

 

If your DSLR has a sensor that is smaller than full frame then the SLR lenses will come up with longer aparent length. The Wiikipedia entry helps on this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenses_for_SLR_and_DSLR_cameras

 

Thanks - really appreciate the references (and your help).

[RuthC]

Whew! Took a while, but I finally caught up on the eight pages that accumulated since I last had the opportunity to read this thread. So glad you had the cruise you were looking forward to. The pictures you posted reflected what a grand cruise it was.

Thanks for taking the time to let us ride along with you. It was just as good this time around.

Can't wait to right-click on the pictures in your gallery. ;)