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silverhippo · Master

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Dave · Enlightened One

Claire, these are just lovely

Isla · Enlightened One

They are very arty - good way to get special effects. Mine never work out like that! Dogs look like they're having a ball.

MojoTilly · Master

Wow. Stunning phots and equally stunning dogs. Can't wait to see the rest. Think you've missed your true vocation there.

FAJ · Enlightened One

Absolutely gorgeous piccies - the first one is incredible.

Can I ask what sort of camera you have, please? I need a new one but don't know where to begin.

silverhippo · Master

MojoTilly wrote:

Wow. Stunning phots and equally stunning dogs. Can't wait to see the rest. Think you've missed your true vocation there.

I did photography and Graphic Design at art collage, but found that computing pays more. So now I mainly do it as a hobby. I have done photos shoots for web sites (where I have been designing the site) and I advise on the product shots at work, so I do a bit.

silverhippo · Master

FAJ wrote:

Absolutely gorgeous piccies - the first one is incredible.

Can I ask what sort of camera you have, please? I need a new one but don't know where to begin.

I use a Canon EOS 20D (http://www.canon.co.uk/for_home/product_finder/cameras/digital_slr/eos_20d/index.asp), which is quite a serious bit of kit (cost about £1300 with the lens I wanted). I think that it has now been replaced by the 30D.

It is a digital camera but it is also what is called an SLR. An SLR camera has the following features:

• With an SLR camera, you see exactly what the lens sees
• You can change the lens on a digital SLR
• Digital SLRs have large image sensors that produce high-quality photos
• An SLR has a near-zero lag time, and is ideal for action photography
This is what is normally called a semi professional camera, though plenty of pros use this type of thing as the next model up is way more expensive.
If you are looking to buy an SLR I would recommend the 350D which come in about £600 with a good lens.
(http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/EOS_350D/)

These may of course be way above anything you might need or want and there are a lot of non SLR cameras that are very good as well. If you want to let me know the type of photos you want to take and a budget I could recommend some.

I could also let you have a try of a couple of cameras at one of the walks or if you want to meet up for a walk and camera try.

Claire

Valerie · Guru

Claire - stunning photos, and Tara in particular looks so noble!, and you've caught the light in their eyes - it's cracking. Austin was also gratified by your comment on the Canon Eos 350D as he has just upgraded to an SLR, but he says your kit is obviously the "dogs wotsits"!

silverhippo · Master

Valerie wrote:

Austin was also gratified by your comment on the Canon Eos 350D as he has just upgraded to an SLR, but he says your kit is obviously the "dogs wotsits"!

I am very happy with my camera (it is the dog’s wotsits), especially given the time it took me to save up to get it. I also spent about a month researching and trying out different cameras. I nearly got the 350D, but decided that the 20D was better for the kind of photography that I do (lots of things requiring very fast reaction from the camera). I looked at the real top of the range ones, but they were way out of my price range and also too big to hold comfortably with my tiny hands.

Anyanka · Master

Love the colours, Claire! Photoshop?

How big is the Canon? I've moved from a traditional Minolta SLR which gave me great quality pics to a tiny digital Minolta which is merely ok for quality, but has the great advantage of fitting into a jacket pocket. No more 'shall I/shan't I take the camera and end up with an aching shoulder and not one picture'... but the little digi-camera is rubbish for dog shots because of the delay.

silverhippo · Master

Anyanka wrote:

Love the colours, Claire! Photoshop?

How big is the Canon? I've moved from a traditional Minolta SLR which gave me great quality pics to a tiny digital Minolta which is merely ok for quality, but has the great advantage of fitting into a jacket pocket. No more 'shall I/shan't I take the camera and end up with an aching shoulder and not one picture'... but the little digi-camera is rubbish for dog shots because of the delay.

The colours surprisingly, are natural there was heavy rain the day before so there was a lot of silt in the water. It was not something I even noticed when taking the pictures.

Here is a shot of the waterfall on its own to show how brown the water was.

I also still have an old 35mm Minolta SLR that I used when I was at Edinburgh College of Art. The Canon is about the same size as my Minolta so not small at all. It was just smaller than the big Canon pro cameras which all came with a side grip.

-- Edited by silverhippo at 13:46, 2006-09-15

Laura · Master

Lovely photos! They look so happy and the waterfall in the background is really good. But, am I the only one getting confused with all this camera talk?

Ive got a wee £90 digital camera which records like a camcorder aswell, but I wasnt really looking for anything big and complicated!!

FAJ · Enlightened One

Hi, Claire - thanks for the tip, I'll check out that camera. I've looked at the website quickly but cannae fathom the jargon! Any translation tips.....?

I'm looking for something good to take with us when we go to Hawaii in a wee while (hate to show off!!). Something that'll capture the scenery really well because there's no way we'll be able to go back again and I want fabulous lasting reminders. I'm looking for a decent zoom and decent width too. And something with quick reactions. I was thinking of spending around £500 (but don't tell Steve!!).

I used to really enjoy photography years and years ago as part of my college course. I keep dreaming of taking a perfect shot of the dogs but it's never going to happen with my current camera.

Cheers,

Fiona

greyluvver · GAL Membership Co-Ordinator

Claire, terrific photos! I can just see them framed and hanging up on a wall

Fiona, no doubt the Hawaii trip has a connection to your forth coming wedding day

Teresa · Enlightened One

Claire, beautiful dogs and absolutely stunning photographs. Of course, computing pays more but what a fantastic talent you have

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

Claire, I just love the photos you have taken. the scenery as well as the concentration on Zak and Tara's faces is wonderful.

Nicki · Big Cheese

What amazing pictures, love the one of the two of them at the waterfall, just stunning.

Nicki and wee Janie.x

silverhippo · Master

OK more photos.

The best of our 'Dogs on holiday' photos are at:

http://www.silverhippo.com/images/summerholiday06/dogs_on_holiday/

All of our holiday photos should you want a look are at:

http://www.silverhippo.com/images/summerholiday06/

Anyanka · Master

Thanks for sharing those, Claire. Your man goes well with the hounds, too

I love it when owners resemble their dogs (my husband is short and broad, better suited to bullterriers; but the daughters do the long-legged willowy thing).

silverhippo · Master

FAJ wrote:

Hi, Claire - thanks for the tip, I'll check out that camera. I've looked at the website quickly but cannae fathom the jargon! Any translation tips.....?

I'm looking for something good to take with us when we go to Hawaii in a wee while (hate to show off!!). Something that'll capture the scenery really well because there's no way we'll be able to go back again and I want fabulous lasting reminders. I'm looking for a decent zoom and decent width too. And something with quick reactions. I was thinking of spending around £500 (but don't tell Steve!!).

I used to really enjoy photography years and years ago as part of my college course. I keep dreaming of taking a perfect shot of the dogs but it's never going to happen with my current camera.

Cheers,

Fiona

OK given your budget there are 2 options:

An SLR camera such as the Canon 350D - pros, good range, versatility and all round very good camera – cons large size, slightly harder to use (though you can set everything to auto).

A small compact digital such as the Canon IXUS series – pros small and light, good mega pixel quality, good for macro shots – cons slower speed, less versatile, not so good on the zoom ability.

The choice here will really depend on the size issue versus how keen you are on getting pro shots rather than good shots.

Other things to look at when looking for a camera:

Batteries – these can be standard or they can be a battery pack that is either charged with a charger or by plugging the camera in. Look at battery life as some of them have a very short usage.

Storage type – the type of media the photographs are stored on e.g. SD card. Look at the maximum size that the camera will take and how many images you should get on it versus the cost of that size. Quite often the card that comes with the camera is tiny meaning that you have to buy a bigger one. Sometimes shops will throw in a bigger one free so ask. Also you don’t have to buy a branded one as the shops own brand or other cheaper brands are usually just as good.

Jargon

Mega pixels (MP) – this is the most often quoted thing and it relates to how good the images is (the bigger the number the bigger you can print the image). Something over 6 is good, my camera is 8. Watch out for things that say effective mega pixels sometimes this means that the camera is doing some fancy stuff in the software to get the image that big rather than recording it that big.

Sensor – this is the digital camera equivalent of the film, i.e. the bit that records the information. The better the sensor the better the image quality (mega pixels) and the faster it can record the images, different makes of sensors also record colour differently.

Zoom – how close to the image can the camera zoom, for an SLR this will depend on the lens chosen. Optical zoom means that it is using the lens to zoom. Otherwise it is using software (digital zoom) to give the effect of zoom, so optical is better.

Focal length – this is often given as the 35mm equivalent

Depth of Field - Depth of field is the area in focus before and behind a subject. This means that when you focus precisely on a subject a certain distance in front of and behind the subject also will be in focus, although not as sharp. The depth of field increases or decreases based on the Iris.

F-stop - The ability of a lens to gather light depends on the relationship between the lens opening (aperture) and the focal length. This relationship is symbolized by the letter f, which is commonly referred to as the "F-stop," and can be found printed on the side or front of the lens. The lower the F-Stop number, the larger the maximum lens aperture and the greater the lens' ability to pass light to the camera imager and the better it can view a low light scene. For example, a lens with an F-stop of f/1.2 can gather a great deal more light than a lens with an F-stop of f/4.0. A lens with a low F-stop number is sometimes also called a "fast lens". This means that you will have to weigh up getting a greater depth of field (more in focus, bigger f stop number) against the shutter speed needed for the light level. So if I am photographing a dog in the evening I will be able to either have just the dog or part of the dog in focus (a small f-stop), and not need a flash or tripod as enough light is getting in (so there is a faster shutter speed). Or if I want the background and foreground in focus as well (a large f-stop) I will need a tripod as the shutter speed will be much lower.

Macro – for close-up shots how close can you get to the subject. Interestingly the compact cameras are better for this as they allow you to get about 1cm away while SLRs are typically 20-30cm away.

LCD Monitor – this is the size of the viewing screen on the back. Also if you have a preference most SLR cameras have a viewfinder and as it is through the lens you have to use the viewfinder and not the screen to compose the shot. Lots of compacts allow you to use either or in some cases just have the screen. Using the screen to take photos will use up batteries quicker.

Image burst or burst mode – this is the ability to take lots of images in quick succession.

Lens – if you are buying an SLR the lens is very important. The canon SLR bundles usually come with an 18-55mm lens, this is not a good general purpose lens. I bought mine with a Tamron 55-200 lens. Again if you are going for this kind of option ask if the shop will do you a bundle deal on it. If you are going down the SLR route let me know and I can give you more info on lenses. The numbers that are on the lens denote its focal length, see above. If the lens has a single number it can’t be used to zoom in and is normally called a prime lens. If it has 2 numbers this is the different focal lengths it can zoom between.

So to use the 350D spec as an example:

8.0 MP – 8 mega pixels this is good

3 fps with up to 14 image burst – this says that the camera can take 3 frames (pictures) per second and that if you hold down the button it can take up to 14 in a row one after the other

E-TTL II flash system – this designates the flash type unless you are going to look at external flash devices the fact that a camera has a flash is probably all you are looking for.

DIGIC II – this is the sensor type, again unless you are a real camera geek you find out how good this is by seeing what people thought of the camera in use.

7-point AF – this says that the camera has a 7 point auto focus. I like auto focus on digital cameras and the more points it is using to get the focus the more accurate it will be. Learning to use these can be difficult though.

DPP RAW image processing software – RAW is a format for taking images, again this is very specialized but does tell you that a camera with this is aimed at the pro market.

Separate RAW/JPEG image recording – see above

USB 2.0 Hi-speed/Video Out – this is the connection to the PC (USB) and a TV (Video Out).

Compatible with EF/EF-S lenses/EX Speedlite flashes – as this is an SLR this denotes the lens ranges and flash types that it is compatible with.

PictBridge compatible - pictbrige is software to allow printing directly from the camera.

One of the best things to do would be to go into your local branch of Jessops and have a play with some of the cameras that you have short listed. Don’t worry too much about the prices as they will often price match (even online prices).

Let me know if you want any recommendations, but with £500 to spend I would buy the 350D, but that may not be the kind of camera that you are looking for.