graciegirl
Active member
I'm testing the S2 this weekend...curious...what tests would you do if you shoot portrait & travel for example? with 50mm 1:1.4D; 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5D , ED AF 80-200MM 1:2.8D; & SB-80DX ?
-
Welcome to the new forums! Please read this first. For known issues we are working to resolve, click here.
Testing S2; what tests eould you do?
- Thread starter graciegirl
- Start date
graciegirl
Active member
Anthony32599
Veteran Member
Simple: Take the shots you would with any other camera, using the camera as you intend to use it. That's the best way of finding out if the camera "fits" you. Are the buttons in the right place? Does it feel right in your hands? Are things logical or not?
Don't forget to play with the flash, both hot shoe and built-in.
Try some fill flash in daylight, if it's something you would do.
Finally, print the images and see how they look.
A few tips on using the S2: 1) turn down the brightness on the LCD all the way. 2) disable custom menu settings 7 and 8 closest focusing priority. 3) hold camera firmly and minimize camera shake.
Anthony
Don't forget to play with the flash, both hot shoe and built-in.
Try some fill flash in daylight, if it's something you would do.
Finally, print the images and see how they look.
A few tips on using the S2: 1) turn down the brightness on the LCD all the way. 2) disable custom menu settings 7 and 8 closest focusing priority. 3) hold camera firmly and minimize camera shake.
Anthony
Robert Whiteman
Senior Member
If possible, get a copy of EX converter and shoot some RAW files. Not everyone wants to add RAW conversion to their workflow but I feel it's worth it. Use it all the time in studio and outdoor portrait work. Better detail and no moire that usually shows up in jpeg in most any digital camera. Turn off in-camera sharpening and do this in Photoshop instead for better, more controlled results
Recent outdoor portrait...
Robert
David Grabowski
Veteran Member
Kind of depends on what you meen by testing it out. If you are going to a store a trying it out there , that's one thing, but if say you're renting one for the weekend that's another thing all together. many of us who are already digital just take a card and pop some photos at the store, bring the files home and look them over, print them.
One thing I think you should do is definately print some of the images you take. This is the best way to compare IMO, unless you only intend to screen view for web or some such thing. For instance , there can be some noise on screen, others speak of moire, but non of this usually shows in print anyway, unless very severe.Any of this is only good if where you try the camera out from helps you set it up properly though. I know you don't have any knowledge of the S2 functions in terms of hands on, it would be nice if the store people help you out, or you may be shooting in it's lowest quality setting which won't teach you much.
It takes time to learn to use any DSLR, or any digital for that matter. Try to get the camera set up in the highest jpeg setting, get color and tone settings and sharpness to ORG ORG STD and focus set up to center focus. These settings will be good for what you shoot. For scenic shooting you can go to STD ORG STD. Then print them.
You could do the same with the Canon 10D, but you will need to ask at Canons forum for details ( function settings are different). The D100 isn't a straight up shooter, for best results you need to load in a custom curve through capture software, then it's an entirely different animal and much more versatile shooting than if you don't load the custom curve, though +.5 exposure will help.
David.
Mr. Stacey188461
Well-known member
It's your first DIGI. You really have nothing you can use as a BENCHMARK.
It's like this. You give an Amish guy his first car, a 1987 Dodge Omni. He "tests" it and thinks it's the greatest thing or the worst thing in the word. How does he determine this? He's never driven a car! And has never been inside a Mercedes.
--
...been b@nned 7.5 times and counting!
It's like this. You give an Amish guy his first car, a 1987 Dodge Omni. He "tests" it and thinks it's the greatest thing or the worst thing in the word. How does he determine this? He's never driven a car! And has never been inside a Mercedes.
--
...been b@nned 7.5 times and counting!
J
Joe Peoples
Guest
Joe Peoples writes:
Stacey, I agree in part with you, but unless she's just come out of a cave, Gracie's been shooting film and has a frame of reference.
Anthony32599
Veteran Member
Not that good an analogy, Mr. S. I'd be willing to be that Graciegirl has seen photographic prints before and actually handled a camera--she's hardly "Amish" in that regard.
So, she can evaluate how the camera feels in her hands and what kind of prints it makes. What she can't evaluate is how the camera compares to other digitals, but the fact is that all the current digital SLRs produce great images, and the differences tend to settle on how they handle, workflow, and feature differences to get those images. Many of the people switching away from the S2 do so because of camera features, not image quality alone; they usually acknowledge that the S2 produces great images but the body lacks a feature they need like full frame or high-speed sync. Most of the people switching to the S2 do so for image quality and workflow, if the posts here are any indication. The usual reasons I see are focus issues with other cameras or out of the camera jpegs being better and easing workflow.
I read somewhere that digital SLRs are much more consistent in color quality now than film, where color can vary from batch to batch. I think Gracie can properly handle the S2 and see if the handling, ergonomics, and controls suit her style.
Anthony
So, she can evaluate how the camera feels in her hands and what kind of prints it makes. What she can't evaluate is how the camera compares to other digitals, but the fact is that all the current digital SLRs produce great images, and the differences tend to settle on how they handle, workflow, and feature differences to get those images. Many of the people switching away from the S2 do so because of camera features, not image quality alone; they usually acknowledge that the S2 produces great images but the body lacks a feature they need like full frame or high-speed sync. Most of the people switching to the S2 do so for image quality and workflow, if the posts here are any indication. The usual reasons I see are focus issues with other cameras or out of the camera jpegs being better and easing workflow.
I read somewhere that digital SLRs are much more consistent in color quality now than film, where color can vary from batch to batch. I think Gracie can properly handle the S2 and see if the handling, ergonomics, and controls suit her style.
Anthony
graciegirl
Active member
grin...very well said.
graciegirl
Active member
right you are...and ALOT of slide if you can believe that ;^)
graciegirl
Active member
Excellent...exactly me plan...I've been in and out of the forums trying to pick up these clues...thanks.
William Carson
Veteran Member
If you are going to compare different DSLRs using the S2 as the benchmark for professional work, then you will find the camera bodys the DSLRs are based on make how the camera feel to work with are very different. A D1X or D2H will suit some professionals better than the N80 based camera body DSRLs just based on how it feel to hold and shoot with the camera. As well as frame rate and dynamic range, size of viewfinder, etc. I would be interested to know how you feel about the camera after you test it. The images it produces are outstanding for portrait work for sure.
Will
Will
Robert Whiteman
Senior Member
Hey gg, if that's the case then check this out...
http://www.fcenter.ru/articles.shtml?digitalphoto/5573
Don't worry about the Russian (?) language, the pictures are worth 1,000 words each and are clearly marked in english so you know what you're looking at.
enjoy!
Robert
p.s. 2 more links of the same type of thing...
http://www.fcenter.ru/articles.shtml?digitalphoto/5568
http://www.fcenter.ru/articles.shtml?digitalphoto/5571
Keyboard shortcuts
- f
- Forum