The DOF and brightness make it look a lot like a 50 1.4/1.8.

There are relatively cheap versions of this lens like this, though TBH it looks like the pictures were taken from closer up than what that prime lens can do.

Do they make 1.4/1.8 in zoom?

I got my new crumpler bag today, it's awesome. Made of win.

At a minimum he is probably asking for a well-lit table. Any time but winter a table by the window will give a decent amount of ambient light for an early dinner. There looks to be some pretty harsh shadows in some of the pics so he probably sits under tables with lights pointing almost directly at them.

50 1.4 or 1.2 is pretty likely or another similar prime with wide ap. He's also shooting a little bit slow, probably 1/30 at the fastest. You can see the blur on the wine bottle shots, and he probably asked the waiter to hold it still too.

A small table-top tripod is also a possibility

Just ordered a canon rebel t1i from adorama. Hope to be contributing to this thread in the future.

idk about your budget, but I'd suggest you look into purchasing a ultra-wide angle lens for landscapes, like a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, available for pretty much all mounts.

I was gonna ask for a few filters for my 10-20mm Sigma, what is best for Sunsets and Landscapes or Architecture. Well any suggestions really. Who knows what best means

A graduated neutral density filter will help a lot with landscapes that involve a skyline. It'll clip highlights from clouds and anything else that might be bright in the sky

cool this is exactly what I was looking for. Tried to find the differences of fitlers online but I didn't get much further than not being able to connect to dA's photography forum and the digital picture didn't have any info on them.

Maybe someone here could help answer a lens question I have. I'm very new to photography and I just purchased a Canon Rebel T1i with the 18-55mm kit lens.

I want to buy a zoom lens to give me some versatility, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I've seen some really affordable 75-300 telephoto lenses with macro from Tamron and Sigma and also some 55-250 lenses as well. Looking for something very affordable to get me started. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

I love my Sigma 70-200 f/2.8: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B001046ES2

At 135mm, the images come out perfect. I get chromatic aberration in some shots at 70mm and 200mm, but not a big deal unless you need it perfect at 100%. The price ($800) is well worth it. Generally, the lenses that cover a large focal length range have poor quality throughout the lens (so for instance a 55-250 lens won't give you great quality, although the flexibility is nice). IMO, much better to have to change lenses and have great quality than not change lenses and have meh quality.

I was shooting with my 50mm 1.8 this weekend, and could notice a stark difference between the quality/sharpness/color of it and my 55-200 and 18-55 D50 kit...this epiphany will not end well for my wallet

Versatility comes at a price (usually quality).

You already have the 18-55mm, do you know which focal range you are missing? If you shoot most of your photos at 18mm then something like a Sigma 10-20mm might be good. If you shoot most of your photos at 55mm then it makes sense to look at the longer lenses.

+1 to ponying up the money for a quality 55-200...mine is fairly awful at anything but 135mm, and even then it's not very impressive IMO. But I'm very green in terms of photography so I'm probably just messing something up

(I have the Nikon/Nikkor in the $200 price range)

so I accidently screwed my polarized filter too tight onto my lens...anyone have suggestions for getting this sucker off? Tried using gloves and to no avail, f***'d.

Maybe try putting in a plastic baggy and let it sit in the fridge for a while? See if lens shrinks more than the filter? Could try the opposite with a hair dryer too I guess, see which one expands more.

Or take it to a local camera store and see what they can do...

Hey everyone,
Im looking to get my fiance a nice camera for Christmas. She really likes taking pictures, especially landscape and outside shots but I'm not really sure what to look for. She doesn't really have a photography background so what is a good starter camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc....html#features

is this any good? any other recommendation? Thanks for your help.

I went with a Nikon as my first camera because I was worried about being limited in terms of lenses I could use. Nikon and Canon both have a good amount of 3rd party lenses available which means you can get lenses for the cameras for significantly cheaper (although they won't give you the best quality, but this is hardly noticeable for a new photographer). I've heard great things about the camera you have there, although I don't know the deal with what lenses will work with it. It's been said a million times, but lenses are more important than the body (for the most part). So hopefully someone can comment on that. I think it would be bad if you can't use cheaper lenses for it, as at some point she will probably want to try out a super wide, fish angle, telephoto, etc lens.

It's hard to just say "yeah get this specific camera" because it seems like a chevy vs. ford debate. They'll both do the job, but everyone has a brand preference. Basically any DSLR will do good landscapes and outdoor shots.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...XS_a_k_a_.html

maybe this one is a little better since its a canon?

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Guid...g_guide_01.htm

this site might help. I really don't want to steer you away from the Sony, since I really do not know much about the lenses/compatibility. I'm hoping someone else can comment on that.

edit/ I will say, and for solids (who asked a similar question): If I had to go back in time to when I was looking for my first camera I would have said two things:
1) Canon seems to have their top end equipment for like 1/2 the price of equivalent Nikon's.
2) If you go with Nikon, just get a D90 to begin with.

That assumes I remained as avid as a hobbiest as I have been for the past two years, etc. If I was just using it for like traveling overseas and to take snapshots, I would tell myself to just get the best P&S.

thanks for all your help, if anyone else want to chime in that would be much appreciated.

I'd advise against that Sony as at least for me the grip was terrible, it is too small. For a girl some of the colourful Pentax K-x-es would be good, at least my gf likes the idea.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...gital_SLR.html

They are good solid cameras with great image quality (esp. high ISO), a good third party lens selection and great value for money.

Random review:
http://www.photographyblog.com/revie...ew/conclusion/

You do lose conformism points though.

lol

I'm pretty sure the Pentax K-x model uses AA batteries as I've read complaints about that.

My recommendation is the Canon Rebel XSi. Probably the best value for the money when it comes to entry level dslrs. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Si_a_k_a_.html

Well, to me the AA batteries are actually a benefit, as I can buy them at some random souvenir shop if I run out.

XSi has worse high ISO performance (C P N) than comparable Pentax / Nikon models and no video recording, so being best value is suspect - it does carry the most recognizable brand name though.

Thanks everyone, I think I'm probably going to go with the pentax.