Comments on: Some Q&As From Last Week http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481 Scoops, tips and comments published exclusively for friends of Scott Kelby Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:48:08 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Big Winner | Where Art & Engineering Collide http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-107887 Big Winner | Where Art & Engineering Collide Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:14:48 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-107887 [...] Scott Kelby answered a few of my questions in his recent Q&A blog post. Read it here. [...] [...] Scott Kelby answered a few of my questions in his recent Q&A blog post. Read it here. [...]

]]> By: Alessandro Rosa http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-67812 Alessandro Rosa Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:19:53 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-67812 Sid, I can't say that I am of any book that comes in workbook format, although I think an assignment based book would be a great idea. There may be some out there, but I haven't come across them personally. A general can't go wrong book on Photography is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I really found this book helpful. He also has a book called Learning to See Creatively which gets into some of the why behind the choices to make when taking a picture. He does have a few "assignments" that he includes. I also saw his digital photography book, but I think that there are much better out there, like Scott's books. Also check out some of the blogs, such as Strobist, David Ziser (Digital ProTalk), Planet Neil and Zack Arias. Sid,

I can’t say that I am of any book that comes in workbook format, although I think an assignment based book would be a great idea. There may be some out there, but I haven’t come across them personally.

A general can’t go wrong book on Photography is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I really found this book helpful. He also has a book called Learning to See Creatively which gets into some of the why behind the choices to make when taking a picture. He does have a few “assignments” that he includes. I also saw his digital photography book, but I think that there are much better out there, like Scott’s books.

Also check out some of the blogs, such as Strobist, David Ziser (Digital ProTalk), Planet Neil and Zack Arias.

]]> By: Sid http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-67612 Sid Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:14:55 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-67612 Thanks Alessandro Rosa for your advice. I just placed an order for Canon 24-105 f/4. Now the ball (oh no, Camera) is in my court to prove my passion/interest or whatever to that effect. I will be using the flash on need basis rather than "most of the times". And I already sold my kit lens 28-135 for a decent price. So, my out the door cost for 24-105 is around $500. In all, 40D, 24-105 Lens, 580 EX II flash and 430 EX flash, 50 mm f/1.8, B+W 77 mm UV haze filter $2200. I sold my Sony DSC R1 and other camera, and Windows Mobile phone and ended with an additional expense of about $500. I am now looking for a good work book to learn all the possibilities of a modern SLR. I dived into two Kelby's books The Digital Photography Book 1 and 2 along with "Moment it Clicks". Any advice on "DSLR workbook"? Thanks again!! Thanks Alessandro Rosa for your advice. I just placed an order for Canon 24-105 f/4. Now the ball (oh no, Camera) is in my court to prove my passion/interest or whatever to that effect. I will be using the flash on need basis rather than “most of the times”. And I already sold my kit lens 28-135 for a decent price. So, my out the door cost for 24-105 is around $500. In all, 40D, 24-105 Lens, 580 EX II flash and 430 EX flash, 50 mm f/1.8, B+W 77 mm UV haze filter $2200. I sold my Sony DSC R1 and other camera, and Windows Mobile phone and ended with an additional expense of about $500. I am now looking for a good work book to learn all the possibilities of a modern SLR. I dived into two Kelby’s books The Digital Photography Book 1 and 2 along with “Moment it Clicks”. Any advice on “DSLR workbook”? Thanks again!!

]]> By: Alessandro Rosa http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-67549 Alessandro Rosa Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:11:22 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-67549 Hi Sid, I responded to Bryant in response # 31 and suggested the 24-105 to him. This is my go to lens and I think that it does a really good job. I wouldn't worry too much about the 1 less stop of light, especially since you have done a good job upgrading to the Speedlites. Also the 40D is said to handle ISO noise pretty well, so going up one stop on ISO won't give you any real noticable difference in quality unless you are at 800 or 1600 and are trying to print poster size. The only place this might be slightly annoying is when you want to limit the depth of field, but then you can always change to the 50MM f1.8 and shoot that wide open. The 24 end on the 40D becomes more like a 36, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue unless you are in cramped quarters. Always remember that the Nike zoom is sometimes better than a do it all lens (Nike zoom is my term for walking closer or further away from your subject to reframe your picture). But on the telephoto side you are looking more like a 160 than a 105. If you ever think that you will be upgrading to a full frame sensor like on the 5D or whatever comes out to replace that, then you would be better off with the 24-105, as it will work on that camera where as the EF-S will not. Best of luck making your decision. I hope that this helps a little. Hi Sid,

I responded to Bryant in response # 31 and suggested the 24-105 to him. This is my go to lens and I think that it does a really good job. I wouldn’t worry too much about the 1 less stop of light, especially since you have done a good job upgrading to the Speedlites. Also the 40D is said to handle ISO noise pretty well, so going up one stop on ISO won’t give you any real noticable difference in quality unless you are at 800 or 1600 and are trying to print poster size. The only place this might be slightly annoying is when you want to limit the depth of field, but then you can always change to the 50MM f1.8 and shoot that wide open.

The 24 end on the 40D becomes more like a 36, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue unless you are in cramped quarters. Always remember that the Nike zoom is sometimes better than a do it all lens (Nike zoom is my term for walking closer or further away from your subject to reframe your picture). But on the telephoto side you are looking more like a 160 than a 105.

If you ever think that you will be upgrading to a full frame sensor like on the 5D or whatever comes out to replace that, then you would be better off with the 24-105, as it will work on that camera where as the EF-S will not.

Best of luck making your decision. I hope that this helps a little.

]]> By: Sid http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-67430 Sid Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:02:12 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-67430 Scott, Not sure this is the right place to ask this question. But trying...Can you help me out of this perpetual dilemma of choosing between Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L ($950) vs. Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 ($950 and non -L) for my 40D? I am a family person not a professional photographer. But wanted to be good at whatever I do including taking good picture of my 1 year and 5 year old, family gatherings and any other nice photo around the house and travel pictures as well. I moved from nice contrast based focusing Sony DSC R1 14-70mm Carlzeiss T* Lens camera to Canon 40D just to get faster response and control about what I shoot. I am still on the learning rope including reading your books. Given a chance, I wanted to avoid swapping lens often. Ideal would be to have one most used walk around lens.And may be one good zoom like 70-200 mm f/2.8 or f/4 down the road - provided wife approves it! I also ordered one cheap Canon EF 50 f/1.8 Lens as well ($75). Also bought Canon Flash 580 EX II and 430 EX. I will be using one as a master and other as a slave (flashes are more flexible to move around the house - location based picture taking). Another point that making me to agonize on this issues is, with the advancement of technology, full frame bodies may become default choice as they have lot more room to play and compatible. Any suggestions greatly appreciated! Scott,

Not sure this is the right place to ask this question. But trying…Can you help me out of this perpetual dilemma of choosing between Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L ($950) vs. Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 ($950 and non -L) for my 40D?

I am a family person not a professional photographer. But wanted to be good at whatever I do including taking good picture of my 1 year and 5 year old, family gatherings and any other nice photo around the house and travel pictures as well.

I moved from nice contrast based focusing Sony DSC R1 14-70mm Carlzeiss T* Lens camera to Canon 40D just to get faster response and control about what I shoot. I am still on the learning rope including reading your books. Given a chance, I wanted to avoid swapping lens often. Ideal would be to have one most used walk around lens.And may be one good zoom like 70-200 mm f/2.8 or f/4 down the road – provided wife approves it!
I also ordered one cheap Canon EF 50 f/1.8 Lens as well ($75). Also bought Canon Flash 580 EX II and 430 EX. I will be using one as a master and other as a slave (flashes are more flexible to move around the house – location based picture taking). Another point that making me to agonize on this issues is, with the advancement of technology, full frame bodies may become default choice as they have lot more room to play and compatible.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

]]> By: Alessandro Rosa http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66783 Alessandro Rosa Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:52:10 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66783 Sorry, I didn't mean to bold the entire rest of the post, just the URL. I forgot that the HTML code to end bolding was /b and not just b. My bad. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bold the entire rest of the post, just the URL. I forgot that the HTML code to end bolding was /b and not just b. My bad.

]]> By: Alessandro Rosa http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66782 Alessandro Rosa Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:49:53 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66782 Jeff, If he had only mentioned the Canon's I would have thought he should have recommended the Nikon as a consideration as well. And it is interesting as I made the same defense that this was Scott's personal blog here <b> http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1349 <b> Comment #87. There he was giving a personal opinion about how he was treated by a hotel security guard and while I may not have agreed with the rant, I felt that this was in his right and not a waste of time as the person I was responding to felt. Here he is making a statement which many will use as the sole critera other than can they afford it to make decisions about what camera to buy without making a thoughtful consideration. "Scott said D300, so I'm getting a D300." Scott has that kind of influence and all I was suggesting is that this influence creates a greater responsibility for Scott when he says buy X without pointing out that there should be more to be considered than what is the hot item today. I think I would have much less of an issue with this if Scott was sponsored by Nikon, as that may give someone the necessary pause to think twice. It somehow makes his recommendations more powerful because he points out he is independant. But that doesn't mean that he should not be thorough if he is going to make a recommendation with as much implication of what camera to chose, given that you basically marry a manufacturer when you choose a body. There is more to it than just evaluating the body and then making a purchase. By not being more brand neutral in this respect, I thought that Scott was doing readers who basically do whatever Scott does a disservice by not pointing out that there are a lot of things that someone new to SLR's should be considering before choosing their first SLR. All of the bodies right now are equally slick, heck the Rebel Xsi is 12MP with the same 14 bit A/D converter that the 1D's have for about $800. That wasn't the case four years ago when I decided to go digital and switched from Nikon to Canon. I bit the bullet on a few thousand dollars of accessories because at the time Canon was, in my opinion that far ahead of Nikon in digital. That isn't the case today, so there are other things that need to be considered. The question, if it wasn't a composite of several questions that Scott has received, said that the person was taking up photography for the first time. Might they not be better served with a $600 D60 or a $700 D80 or an $800 Xsi, which is designed to be easier to use for a beginning photographer without giving up that much in file quality. That extra $1,000 could be used to invest in better glass or in Speed Lights, and then when they have worked through the learning process, at Kelby Training of course, maybe the D500 will be out there that will make the D300 look like a steam engine car and they can upgrade. I think that what I am trying to say is that the answer that I was looking for from Scott, as a well respected educator and internet celebrity, would be to point out to the person that the choice of buying a camera has more questions than just what the current coolest most feature rich body is. We tend to forget that these modern marvels are just tools for our expression and in my opinion we get too geeked out in the whiz bang features than we do on what we are looking to actually accomplish by using that tool. What was motivating this person to buy a camera for the first time? What were they looking to do with that Camera? Are they going on a once in a lifetime trip? Is it because they want to take snapshots of their kids parties? Are they looking to start a stock photography business? Are they interested in Nature Photography, Portraiture, Street Photography, Sports Photography? Each has different requisits that can give you a different answer on what direction to go. I think that the D300 is a great Camera too. I think every camera marketed by Nikon and Canon in their current DSLR lineups are great cameras. But that doesn't mean I would endorse any one over the other unless I understood more about what that person intended to use the camera for. While I understand that Scott can't take that kind of time to make that evaluation, maybe simply saying, D300 is a great camera, I love it for what I need a camera to do, but you may want to make a visit to your local professional camera store or give B&H a call to discuss what camera will be best for you, would be the most responsible answer to give. A professional salesperson will take the time to get the right camera into the hands of their customer. Jeff,

If he had only mentioned the Canon’s I would have thought he should have recommended the Nikon as a consideration as well.

And it is interesting as I made the same defense that this was Scott’s personal blog here http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1349 Comment #87. There he was giving a personal opinion about how he was treated by a hotel security guard and while I may not have agreed with the rant, I felt that this was in his right and not a waste of time as the person I was responding to felt. Here he is making a statement which many will use as the sole critera other than can they afford it to make decisions about what camera to buy without making a thoughtful consideration. “Scott said D300, so I’m getting a D300.” Scott has that kind of influence and all I was suggesting is that this influence creates a greater responsibility for Scott when he says buy X without pointing out that there should be more to be considered than what is the hot item today.

I think I would have much less of an issue with this if Scott was sponsored by Nikon, as that may give someone the necessary pause to think twice. It somehow makes his recommendations more powerful because he points out he is independant. But that doesn’t mean that he should not be thorough if he is going to make a recommendation with as much implication of what camera to chose, given that you basically marry a manufacturer when you choose a body. There is more to it than just evaluating the body and then making a purchase.

By not being more brand neutral in this respect, I thought that Scott was doing readers who basically do whatever Scott does a disservice by not pointing out that there are a lot of things that someone new to SLR’s should be considering before choosing their first SLR. All of the bodies right now are equally slick, heck the Rebel Xsi is 12MP with the same 14 bit A/D converter that the 1D’s have for about $800. That wasn’t the case four years ago when I decided to go digital and switched from Nikon to Canon. I bit the bullet on a few thousand dollars of accessories because at the time Canon was, in my opinion that far ahead of Nikon in digital. That isn’t the case today, so there are other things that need to be considered.

The question, if it wasn’t a composite of several questions that Scott has received, said that the person was taking up photography for the first time. Might they not be better served with a $600 D60 or a $700 D80 or an $800 Xsi, which is designed to be easier to use for a beginning photographer without giving up that much in file quality. That extra $1,000 could be used to invest in better glass or in Speed Lights, and then when they have worked through the learning process, at Kelby Training of course, maybe the D500 will be out there that will make the D300 look like a steam engine car and they can upgrade.

I think that what I am trying to say is that the answer that I was looking for from Scott, as a well respected educator and internet celebrity, would be to point out to the person that the choice of buying a camera has more questions than just what the current coolest most feature rich body is. We tend to forget that these modern marvels are just tools for our expression and in my opinion we get too geeked out in the whiz bang features than we do on what we are looking to actually accomplish by using that tool. What was motivating this person to buy a camera for the first time? What were they looking to do with that Camera? Are they going on a once in a lifetime trip? Is it because they want to take snapshots of their kids parties? Are they looking to start a stock photography business? Are they interested in Nature Photography, Portraiture, Street Photography, Sports Photography? Each has different requisits that can give you a different answer on what direction to go.

I think that the D300 is a great Camera too. I think every camera marketed by Nikon and Canon in their current DSLR lineups are great cameras. But that doesn’t mean I would endorse any one over the other unless I understood more about what that person intended to use the camera for. While I understand that Scott can’t take that kind of time to make that evaluation, maybe simply saying, D300 is a great camera, I love it for what I need a camera to do, but you may want to make a visit to your local professional camera store or give B&H a call to discuss what camera will be best for you, would be the most responsible answer to give. A professional salesperson will take the time to get the right camera into the hands of their customer.

]]> By: Jeff http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66728 Jeff Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:06:41 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66728 Alessandro, I am surprised at how vehement you are in telling Scott what his responsibilities are. As I recall from the original post, the question was specifically what Scott would recommend so it would be inaccurate for him to recommend a Canon camera. He also mentioned that his answer was biased. I would be disappointed if he gave recommendations for gear that he had no knowledge of, just to be "Fair Handed". From the scope of your comments I am guessing that you would have never brought this up if his first reply would have been for the Canon 5D or 40D. Hopefully you understand that this is a personal blog site that contains no sponsorship so any opinions Scott gives are purely his own. I believe it would have been more appropriate for you to offer suggestions for readers who might be considering a Canon product. But of course that would be your own opinion which of course would not have been a fair and balanced reply either. Oh well. Alessandro,
I am surprised at how vehement you are in telling Scott what his responsibilities are. As I recall from the original post, the question was specifically what Scott would recommend so it would be inaccurate for him to recommend a Canon camera. He also mentioned that his answer was biased. I would be disappointed if he gave recommendations for gear that he had no knowledge of, just to be “Fair Handed”. From the scope of your comments I am guessing that you would have never brought this up if his first reply would have been for the Canon 5D or 40D. Hopefully you understand that this is a personal blog site that contains no sponsorship so any opinions Scott gives are purely his own. I believe it would have been more appropriate for you to offer suggestions for readers who might be considering a Canon product. But of course that would be your own opinion which of course would not have been a fair and balanced reply either. Oh well.

]]> By: Alessandro Rosa http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66308 Alessandro Rosa Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:29:32 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66308 Bryant, I have found the Canon 17-85mm EF-S lens to be a very capable lens. The only hesitation I would have if I were you is that it will not work with the 1D. The alternative I am going to suggest is an L lens, but it is great. It is the 24-105 f4L IS. I love this lens. It is my walk around everyday lens that does almost everything well. It has a black finish, and isn't very heavy or long, plus it is a 77mm filter mount, so you won't have to spend extra money on different sized filters like that ever important polarizer. B&H is selling it for $1,059 and if you are a NAPP member, you get free shipping. It also has a 5 Star rating on B&H based on 117 reviews. I am not too familiar with your other choices other than I have a Sigma 150MM macro lens. Cosmetically it is beautiful and optically it is good, but even though it is an f2.8, it doesn't autofocus that well. That's really my only recent experience with off brand lenses. Bryant,

I have found the Canon 17-85mm EF-S lens to be a very capable lens. The only hesitation I would have if I were you is that it will not work with the 1D.

The alternative I am going to suggest is an L lens, but it is great. It is the 24-105 f4L IS. I love this lens. It is my walk around everyday lens that does almost everything well. It has a black finish, and isn’t very heavy or long, plus it is a 77mm filter mount, so you won’t have to spend extra money on different sized filters like that ever important polarizer. B&H is selling it for $1,059 and if you are a NAPP member, you get free shipping. It also has a 5 Star rating on B&H based on 117 reviews.

I am not too familiar with your other choices other than I have a Sigma 150MM macro lens. Cosmetically it is beautiful and optically it is good, but even though it is an f2.8, it doesn’t autofocus that well. That’s really my only recent experience with off brand lenses.

]]> By: Dermot Murphy http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66235 Dermot Murphy Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:49:02 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66235 Scott, Anyone. Do you know the name for that wordpress plugin that dispalys the expanding image at the top of you blog. I have looked for something like it several times on Google but ain;t been able to discover which one it is yet. I would like to use it on my blog too! Tnx, Dermot. Northern Ireland. P.S. Scott. Thanks for the 'tell it as' it is recommendations! Scott, Anyone.

Do you know the name for that wordpress plugin that dispalys the expanding image at the top of you blog.

I have looked for something like it several times on Google but ain;t been able to discover which one it is yet.

I would like to use it on my blog too!

Tnx,

Dermot.

Northern Ireland.

P.S. Scott. Thanks for the ‘tell it as’ it is recommendations!

]]> By: Steven Marks http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66212 Steven Marks Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:27:50 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66212 C'mon Scott. You KNOW you want the ring light because you HAVE to have one of everything. No problem with rationalizations, though. I do it all the time. Steve C’mon Scott. You KNOW you want the ring light because you HAVE to have one of everything. No problem with rationalizations, though. I do it all the time.

Steve

]]> By: Jason D. Moore Photography » Blog Archive » P&P Weekly: #81 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481/comment-page-1#comment-66151 Jason D. Moore Photography » Blog Archive » P&P Weekly: #81 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:10:04 +0000 http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1481#comment-66151 [...] Scott of Photoshop Insider has another of his famous Q&A sessions. [...] [...] Scott of Photoshop Insider has another of his famous Q&A sessions. [...]

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