quintesson: Most Alpha shutters are rated for 100K but I have personally run the shutter much further than that with no problems. It is supposedly RM3xx or so to replace. If you can wear it out before the warranty ends then it is free.

I've done 140K on my A100 and 240K with my A700.

The Wonder: Very cool flare! Like how you did #5.

Ahmike: Nice! Loving the 3D-ness.

Uzumaki NaruTo: Great shot, love the color... yes a CPL would help here.

freddy manson: An Alpha can use Nikon flashes if you turn your pop-up flash to WL mode, and their SB-800 or SB-900 must be in SU-4 mode. If they don't change it then maybe they want the flashes for themselves, hmmm!

A Nikon sifu does not mean they are a sifu in anything else, especially other brands.

SpOOkY: It is not the same protocol; Alpha wireless TTL cannot trigger Nikon wireless TTL. However the Nikons in SU-4 can be triggered by any Alpha since it is smart enough to skip pre-flash signals. Have not tested with Canons though.

Yes, you can use the Alpha pop-up to trigger a SB-900! Heck you can even use a Sony Ericsson phone, those with Xenon flashes, to trigger a SB-800 (this was before the SB-900 came out.)

ieR: SB-800 and SB-900 have SU-4 mode built in. So once you turn on SU-4 you're already in manual power.

clivengu: Can it also be said that it is best not to buy underwater set if you're not sure if it focuses well?

Bear in mind that Sony will not calibrate your Alpha to work for a third-party lens.

On the A900 onwards (and some later A700 bodies) there is a focusing compensation table in camera. So certain tricky lenses (Minolta 50mm F1.4, Minolta 28-70mm F2.8G) will get a focusing compensation built-in. This is based on the Lens ID of the lens.

However, all Tamron and Sigma lenses use older Minolta lens IDs. My Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX, for example, has the same Lens ID as a Minolta 24mm F2.8. So if I had both the Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX and a Minolta 24mm F2.8, and one of them misfocuses but the other focuses perfectly, I cannot dial in any AF Finetune focus compensation on my A900, because I will fix focus for one lens and screw it up for the other.

You can try your luck with Sony flashing to a new V4 with the focusing compensation. If not find strangex2.

jimlim007: The reason why 50mm F1.7 and 50mm F1.4 lenses are popular for reversing, is that their rear element is big... the kit lens has a tiny hole. You can try and see it won't be easy!

4500K is colder than daylight hence it looks bluish.

hkhk: Sigma 30mm F1.4, Sony 30mm F2.8 DT Macro SAM, Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm F2.4 (M42 mount).

The point of the Sigma 30mm is to replicate what a 50mm F1.4 does on full-frame... it is not to be a 30mm on FF. That said you'd be better off with a Sigma 28mm F1.8 on FF as the Minolta/Sony 28mm F2.8 is so-so on FF.

0168257061: There are people out there with A900s and the 35mm F1.4G. However I don't have one because I don't like the angle of 35mm on FF... I find it a boring focal length.

A F1.2 lens is only 1/3rd of a stop away... if a F1.2 lens needs ISO1600, then a F1.4 lens needs ISO2000. See lah if you need that last stop, but bodies keep getting better at ISO that it makes that 1/3rd of a stop not so worth it anymore.

clivengu: No, you cannot access AF Finetune - this is only on the A850/A900.

However, there are some people on Dyxum, who have had focusing problems with their V4 A700. They sent it in, and it seems there might be a V4 without focus compensation, and a V4 with better focus compensation. So it's really a V5 but pretending to be a V4.

I'd say wait for your A100, then send your A700 in.

vcvx: What's important is that you showed that they are having fun, and for that, people will love the shots!

A very slightly cooler WB will bring out the vibrancy in the blues/purples/greens, though. Also with good exposure, you can use higher ISO e.g. 1/8s ISO1600.

mcline_007: I like how the greens frame #6 (though it is slightly bluish.)

Banzai_san: The number of Exmor R camera owners doubled after the TT. Seriously.

electron: Does this look washed out to you?



The camera doesn't even have a Vivid Creative Style, interestingly...

clivengu: The A100 I sent it was under warranty heh.

Yes they should be able to fix the alignment of the AF point. To avoid argument prove this using a Sony lens.

SpOOkY: While DRO Level 5 is pretty amazing, I would hesitate to use it on faces due to the unnatural look it gives to faces. However, it can be recovered quite easily in Photoshop (though not as easily as AutoHDR 3EV on the A500/A550...)

DRO does have its benefits over graduated ND filters, especially with irregularly-shaped scenery - not everything will be a flat horizon of bright sky and dark landscape.

Well explained about the HSS thing, looks like it's still fresh in your head!

I take it that ieR means that when you meter for a wide landscape you get 1/2000s but when zoomed into a face you get 1/640s because the sky is so much less in the frame.

electron: I did not bring my 8mm fisheye - this gives approximately a 16mm fisheye angle on full-frame. Which is pretty darn good. Nevermind the artifacts that happen when panning Up while turning left in portrait mode...

Will post a comparison between my Peleng 8mm on FF and this soon. I just discovered the Wide mode takes in more (instead of cropping the top and bottom) so I have to take the shots again.

ahtsong: Love that shot! The kid and old man make it even cooler.

ieR: DRO Level 5, to me, has always been like an Auto ISO for underexposure. Adjusting EV affects the DRO midtones mostly. The A550 has better color with DRO Level 5 than the A700 with DRO Level 5, but still not as good as the A900 with DRO Level 5.

Er... have you had much experience with a DRO Level 5 body to talk about this?

DRO picks a faster shutter speed to make sure the highlights are not blown. That is the first priority of DRO. Then it brings up the shadows towards 0 EV (if you set -1 EV then it only brings the shadows up to -1 EV.) How close it gets, depends on the DRO setting.

So yes, "it's the metering that prevents blow-out" because DRO affects metering.

Dude, just because the shutter speed is 1/2000s, the shutter does not open and close within 1/2000s! It only travels at the flash sync speed, but with the second curtain following behind the first curtain closer. This was discussed a long time ago, I hope SpOOkY can pick up from here as he got the idea. I don't even remember what to search for on Youtube that explains this really well. Here's one link to get you started:

http://www.mhohner.de/essays/myths.php#shutter

The reason why HSS is weaker is because the flash has to pulse repeatedly as the frame is never fully exposed at any one time when using HSS.

Also, 1/1 does not really mean flash power - it means flash duration. A flash shot at 1/32 is not weaker - the flash duration has just become 1/32th of the 1/1 flash duration. The flash always, always fires at full power, just the duration changes.

While at it, the speed of light is 299,792 kilometers per second. So it travels 299.792 kilometers in 1/1000s or 37.474 kilometers in 1/8000s. However refer to above about the true speed of a shutter.

And yes, you can use 1/8000s and ISO1600 and HSS with the flashes being reasonably far.


75mm F4.5 1/8000s ISO1600 on A900.

hazril: Your flash could've been in TTL.

Technically, the flash head being straight forward is "0 degrees" while when it is pointed up it is "90 degrees". (Check out the markings on the flash!)

navilink: There are many options:

Sigma/Tamron/Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DT
Tamron/Sony 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DT
Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS

The Sigma and Sony versions of the 18-250mm are better.

achew: Nice to see natural backgrounds!

SpOOkY: Yes that is the one!

electron: Nope, the F20 only works as a wireless controller on the A850/A900.

Poadster:

LX-3:
24-60mm equivalent F2.0-2.8
bigger, chunkier
720p HD video cannot use optical or digital zoom (can't remember if it can autofocus or not while recording video)
RAW + JPG
2.5 FPS for 8 images
1/1.63" sensor (bigger)
has manual focus
1 cm macro
PASM modes
3" 460K LCD

WX-1:
24-120mm equivalent F2.4-5.9
smaller
autofocuses in 720p HD video and can use optical zoom!
JPG only
10 FPS for 10 images
1/2.4" sensor (smaller)
autofocus only
5 cm macro
Program mode only
2.7" 320K LCD

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_po...dscwx1&show=all

Do I miss the PASM modes? No, not really, being an Program/Aperture Priority fan myself. It is at F2.4 most of the time anyway.

The WX-1 is a camera I feel confident in carrying around instead of a dSLR knowing I won't lose a shot due to the camera being not capable. I haven't felt this kind of bond since my Canon Powershot A520, really!

Then there are the other fun frills like Smile Shutter, Face Detection, and the fantastic Sweep Panorama. I never have to worry about 24mm being not wide enough as this can capture a scene wider than the 180 degrees of my Peleng 8mm F3.5 circular fisheye!

Kul | Mo0: Hot dang, you have a friend with the 135mm STF! It is destined for full-frame.

clivengu: The F20 cannot be used as a controller on the A700; however, you can use the F58 on your A700, to control a F58 or F42 off-camera.

amadeo: More samples here, from the Sony STF:

http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/sony-135-f28-t...topic11302.html

kelvinyam attempted to STF-ize a shot, but honestly nothing like the real thing:
http://www.alphanatics.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11053


Top row is from my Zeiss 135mm F1.8; bottom row is from the Sony 135mm F2.8/T4.5 STF. Top right is with a Kenko 2x teleconverter; bottom right is with the Sony 2x teleconverter.

achew: Are you buying the 70-200mm F2.8 for bokeh, or focusing and zoom range? If you buy for bokeh, the 135mm STF is unparalleled. There is no lens like it, not even the Soft Focus/Defocus Control lenses out there, which have a different effect.

Why not head out on the MRT with your A850 and 50mm F1.4 alone? Street shoot with that lens alone.

Poadster: Anywhere that gives you a proper Sony warranty as Sony is a fair bit more professional when dealing with warranty claims compared to some sellers out there.

achew: I would suggest you justify it by going out and taking pictures of Singapore in general! I went crazy just photographing everything I could! Shoot real bokeh instead of Photoshopping it in - the A850 begs you to!

The STF lens of course requires you to frame your pictures to have a busy background (which is then melted into creamy perfection by the STF.)

The lens aperture is physically F2.8. The DOF is the same as a F2.8 lens.

However, the Transmission value is the same as a F4.5 lens - meaning the shutter speed you get is the same as a lens at F4.5.

clivengu: No, NO OTHER brand makes anything like the STF. Nikkor has a Defocus Control lens which does not have the same look in the bokeh. Canon has a Soft Focus which again, does not look anything like the STF.

That means you don't know how to shoot street photography. You can shoot strangers. You just have to know how. And get it right one time lah why would you need to shoot and reshoot?

achew: No, you don't see the STF in videography. The Transmission value is just a videography term because video lenses have different transmission values as well.

Kul | Mo0: Was the STF on a FF body?

5564321: It is normal for some lenses to focus past infinity - this is to accomodate for heat expansion (and possibly, focus shift when changing focal length - some lenses change focus distance slightly when zooming in or out.)

signither: WHOA.

SpOOkY: I tried the Tamron 10-24mm F3.5-4.5. Good what!

lwliam: By all means, go ahead - Studio Zaloon has it for around RM2k.

grotesk: That is the A550 with Sony 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DT lah.



In other news, the other bag is the LCS-MS10:



Also, at the Sony Style, was this:



Yes that's right a Sony which is a giant touchscreen running on Windows 7 Home Premium!

ieR: The tree in front is not comparable with the STF. It won't look 'ringy' like at the point where the tree has a cut.

Ranceed: Nice shot nevertheless! I can see some geometry between the tree and reptile. I would compose it so the tree cuts nicely into the corner if I had time.

ieR: Of course, the background is much further away from the subject than the tree is.

No, the bokeh from the Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 is quite... plain and un-Minolta-like. It also lacks longitudinal chromatic aberration, and some people might like the Tamron because of this. The Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM however is very much like the Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan but minus the purple fringing (I use this lens as reference since more people have had this.) It's too bad you don't have the Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan, or you'd know what I'm talking about - the look is very different from the 'modern-looking' Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT.


Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT


Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT


Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT


Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan


Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan


Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan

lightning69: I am liking the pastel-ish color tones and bokeh-priority of your shots.

ieR: Well, the 55-200mm has its pros like weight, size, focusing speed and minimum focus distance.

hinika:

Flare spreads out from the lightsource and leaks onto the rest of the picture.

Ghosting is a 180 degree rotated image of the bright light.

Poor filters cause flare, good filters stop flare.

Poor filters have a lot of ghosting, good filters have little ghosting (but I haven't tried any filter that has no ghosting.) So if you get ghosting, you will have to remove the filter!

jimlim007: STD dangerous wei! We're talking about the STF LOL.

No, the 55-200mm has a different look from the 70-210mm F4. I would not call the 55-200mm painterly; it's more harsh.

What do you mean the background of the STF is superb sharp? You mean, it is not hazy like soft focus lenses are? A Soft Focus lens does this:



This is from the Minolta 100mm F2.8 Soft Focus lens.



Here's one from the Minolta 135mm F2.8/T4.5 Smooth Transition Focus lens. Notice what happened to the Sony 300mm F2.8G SSM in the background - normally, you would see the OOF shape more blockishly with any other lens.

longpants: The framing was different for all shots but I shot in Aperture Priority, multi-segment metering. It may be different subjects that give the Minolta a brighter exposure - the Sony gets KLCC as a background, while the Minolta barely does and has a human (which meters darker than the surroundings.)

Since you have both lenses, you could do a quick one out in the sun. Both the 55-200mm and beercan are indeed contrasty lenses wide open. I don't have the 55-200mm.

Hinika: Hoya Pro1D at least, then Hoya HD/Carl Zeiss/B+W are more expensive and slightly better. All of these can stop flare, but not ghosting.

MemorableStudios: I like the grayscale treatment on #1! Very classy. Some of them like #5 and #6 seem a few milliseconds off the perfect moment, though. Is it just me, or do some of the pictures look slightly pixelated?

jimlim007: No, if the bokeh is squarish, we call it squarish. If the bokeh is hazy, we call it hazy! I am not really understanding your post...

Congratulations mc_line007!

cjlai: I like your bubble bokeh shot! For a while I thought it was achew's shot LOL.

MemorableStudios: Sounds like one of those guys who didn't buy a D3 by earning it through photography. If he really is a pro he would know pros don't go that low.

braindead_fr3ak: Split the table into 3 sections.

lwliam: Nice!

The A500 doesn't have 7 FPS mode, and has a 320x240 3" LCD instead of a 640x480 3" LCD. It also has 12 megapixels instead of 14 on the A550.

e-jump: Your shutter speed is limited to the flash sync speed of your camera i.e. 1/160s. However, you can enable faster shutter speeds by using High Speed Sync (HSS). To enable this your flash must be pointing directly forward and not bounced.

Alternatively, use a lower ISO and darker aperture.

SpOOkY: Technically if you look at the flash head, 90 degrees is pointed straight up, and 0 degrees is pointed forward.

SpOOkY: Nikon and Canon also use 90 degrees as up and 0 degrees as forward (look at the flash head joint.)

The Sony Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4 ZA is RM5000 or so. The Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 SSM ZA is RM5400 or so.