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My FF gear is for sale. D700 and A900. Lenses too.

I'd recommend a GND instead, or occasionally even a polarizer to manage contrast, depending on the scene. The reason to use a straight ND is to drop the EV so you can use slower shutter speeds or a wider aperture as required... it's not very effective as a contrast management tool.

If I may make a suggestion, dd... for these types of shots, i might try to get more light on the subject from the side using (preferably) sunlight, and if not, wireless flash, or as SD said, a reflector. In a pinch, you could also use a ring flash (something like the Orbis) if off-camera flash...

FWIW, I love the way Lightroom works (and frankly, so do most people who give it a chance). The database-driven photo management engine is simply fantastic with the ability to rank, flag, filter/query, create collections, sets, virtual copies, snapshots/milestones for versioning and stacking...

I use Adobe Lightroom 2 and so do many wedding photogs. You rate files numerically pressing 0-5 on the keyboard. You can rate pics individually, look at and select say 9 of them on the screen at the same time to rate, or you can play them in a slideshow, rating them as you go along by pressing...

Good luck, Dave. ... Although, I suspect that since they didn't feel it was important enough to budget for and spend time looking for a pro wedding photographer, wedding pictures are not a high priority for them. I wouldn't worry too much about it; you can only do what you can, given the...

Yes, I agree, but let's not forget that one needs to learn how to walk before they can run. You can't write great poetry unless you already have a good command of the language. Being a former teacher, you are no doubt familiar with the learning process... one popular model includes 4 phases of...

Naturally, LM. But no, the software does not purport to be able to do that either. It is, IMHO, a pattern detector for "the rules of composition", which form the technical basis of what consitutes a good photograph. As you suggest, it does not take artistic vision or creativity, timing, and the...

But remember not to get too caught up in trying to appease the black box. It does get fooled, rating good pics poorly and mediocre pics highly. For example, the following pic I submitted was rated 97.3. Is it a good pic? Yes. But does it merit a top rating? Not really...

I know what you mean, but they do specify what the software evaluates in the help section, and if you read the research papers at the bottom of the page, it will give you a lot of (technical) details behind the algorithm. But to save you from having to read all that stuff, I'll get you...

Online system rates images by aesthetic quality http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1242668316.html Hardly definitive, but I think it's a useful tool to quickly improve one's images, especially as one is still learning composition and what constitutes a "good" photograph on some level...

I hear Keeble & Shuchat is a good pro shop. Samy's Camera I hear is a good higher volume shop.

But what if you want to do panning as well? I assume you like the BH-1 for its panning feature (since you like to do panos). Are you going to pan a tilted head?

Yes, quite true Tannin. A good reminder that it is often more important to get the right shot than to pass up the shot in the pursuit of technical perfection.

I think LM already mentioned this, but don't forget a leveling base or even a leveling center column (although i don't know how much it affects stability). The legs don't make that much difference IMHO to performance (i.e., $100 either way), so I would say get cheaper legs to fund it, as if you...

Actually most tripods are significantly less stable when their center columns are extended. I have to think, however, that the EX center column is simply a bit more wobbly when extended than a mountaineer's. But either way, if extending a center column is significantly detrimental to stability...

The trick center column greatly reduces rigidity and stability in any position except for fully retracted, defeating the purpose of a nice tripod unless you do a lot of macro or low-angle shots.

But that assumes one is in it for the long haul. At this point, for all we know, this is just a spring fling. I don't think it's a good idea to splurge for the best setup right off the bat when one is new and inexperienced. I believe you need a proof of concept first using a cheaper setup to...

No idea, LM. The Photo Clam suggestion was not as a bullet-proof ball-head of such reliability that you briefly wonder about putting it in your will to pass it down to the next generation. The recommendation is more like a "since you're new to this and neither of us know whether this is...

Well, it is a magic turd that proved you actually can polish a turd! Polished to a glistening sheen, the little turd that could is now called Cloud Gate, or by its technical name, The Bean -- the most famous tourist landmark in Chicago! ;)

Here's the boat tour: http://scpublicgallery.smugmug.com/gallery/8153081_HUJXo/1/529703276_bTURU

I agree, but I am primarily a wide-angle travel / street / urban architecture shooter. I do use longer lenses, but only when shooting weddings and sports -- just for fun, none of it professionally. No long-lens wildlife or landscape photography. Ever. Seriously. To give you an idea of how much...

Here's something to get you started: Feisol CT-3471 http://reallybigcameras.com/Feisol/CT-3371_CT-3471 Photo Clam PC-48NS http://reallybigcameras.com/PhotoClam/Photo%20Clam%20Table.htm You'd need a QR plate like the PC-59-UP2 for your Rebel class body or a PC-75-UP2 for a 5D body.

BTW, you're looking at around $750 minimum for a decent setup. $300+ for legs, $300+ for a ball head, and whatever plates, brackets, bases, etc. on top of that.

dd, Not sure what you meant by Q1 exactly. At a minimum, you'd probably want CF tripod legs and a good ball head. Generally, Manfrotto/Bogen is not considered pro quality. Feisol makes some CF tripods that are said to be light, sturdy, and more economically priced than the big names, e.g...

Arca Swiss... it's the standard when it comes to mounting/clamping systems

Be sure to re-load your calibrated profile about 2-3 min after you boot up. Some display drivers usually over-ride the calibrated profile with their profile loader settings as part of the boot-up sequence. Also be sure to remove Adobe Gamma or any other utilitiy that will adjust your display...

That's a great monitor from most reports. For a more affordable model with decent performance, the HP LP2475w is one of the few left on the market that hasn't gone crazy with the quest for the widest colour gamut: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176104 I have the BenQ...

I personally recommend an even warmer setting. I have mine around 6000 K, but you could go even warmer, IMO, as most ambient lighting sources indoors are quite a bit warmer than that, and your prints will be most likely be viewed in warmer light as opposed to anywhere close to the D50-ish white...

Yeah, that's the one, dd. Never tried nor researched the ColorEyes software / bundle uda linked to but it sounds pretty good. It is also possible that your Sharp is only capable of interpreting / rendering 7-8-bit-ish tonal precision whether it's the D/A conversion, look-up tables, backlight...

Actually dd, another thing came to mind that would, IMHO, go a ways to improving the quality of your work... which would be to address your monitor situation. It is my contention that you're not seeing a true representation of your pictures, and thus your reference point for an accurate...

Not sure why you would want a 17-40 as a wide-angle lens on a APS-C body. You'd have to go with something like the 10-22 for that. And, not sure why you'd want another Rebel class body when you could just keep the XSi or just get a 5DII. A T1i is just an unnecessary diversion, IMHO (and if you...

Not sure why you would want a 17-40 as a wide-angle lens on a APS-C body. You'd have to go with something like the 10-22 for that. And, not sure why you'd want another Rebel class body when you could just keep the XSi or just get a 5DII. A T1i is just an unnecessary diversion, IMHO (and if you...

BTW, If you're willing to step away from the world of Canikon, Olympus has a brilliant lineup of WA zooms. I use Olympus gear exclusively for my WA and travel photography needs now as any WA lens you pick is a winner. All of them are better than any Canikon WA zoom except for the Nikon 14-24...

If you want to get the IQ from your $2.5k camera, you need to use optics that will perform at that level. Otherwise, what's the point of getting a $2.5k camera? Might as well save your money and stick with the XSi. BTW, don't you shoot mostly panos? If so, why not just get a cheap macro lens...

WR, Good suggestions to heed from LM, uda, P5. I concur that using a faster shutter speed and higher ISO would be the first things that come to mind. A few minor things to add to the discussion: 1. The 70-300/VR starts getting softer progressively above 200 mm or so. If you want maximum...

I still don't think your equipment is the limiting factor here, but if you really want better wide-angle lenses, you can also look outside the Canon arena. The 17-40/4 L is good, but the 16-35 is kinda expensive for what you get. If you want zooms, an increasing number of Canon shooters use the...

The composition is stronger on those. That's what stands out to me. Sorry to say, but not a huge fan of the technical quality / post-processing...

I dunno... what colour does simian fur glow upon vapourisation? LOL... :mrgrn:

Since right around this time: http://www.storageforum.net/forum/showthread.php?p=111156#post111156 ;)

Mixed lighting sources are a pain, especially when they involve fluorescent. Can you turn off the fluorescent lights? That's always the easiest solution. I guess you couldn't. What kind of fluorescent? If it's warm white / soft white around 2700 K like incandescents, that makes it a bit easier...

So you can call the 40D lack-lustre but I can't?!? ;) LOL... welcome back, Tony.... we've missed you.

I agree, T. dd, IMO your gear is not the limiting factor here. I would say spending some money on taking composition and photoshop/post-processing courses would yield more dividends. When I look at your pics, I don't think "man, this guy needs better gear". I'm going to refrain from commenting...

But why would you compare the 5DII to the D300 and the D3? The D300 is APS-C and the D3 is a high-speed pro FF body with integrated vertical grip. The closest competitors to the 5DII IMO are the Nikon D700 and Sony A900. As for which one is best for you, it depends on what you're using it for...

Hey SD, Have dd's shadows called you yet? Last time they went missing, I believe they called you... :mrgrn: Mind you, they haven't disappeared... it's more like they've been cutting class this semester ;)

I do think that 10 stops of DR is plenty for most things, though. I know you like more, but what do you think of the following pic? I would say that's quite a lot of DR in that scene, wouldn't you? Full sun in the frame and shadows everywhere. This is a JPEG from an Olympus E-520, which means...

I don't think those concepts are just for "the old days"... they are just as valid today, but it depends on what you're doing. If the goal is to produce a good photograph is the traditional sense, then why wouldn't you use best practices? But there is an increasing trend towards "deviant art"...

I guess I'm just too rigid in my notions of what consitutes a good photograph, at least from a technical perspective. I mean, if the intent was never to produce a realistic photograph in the first place, then how is "good" defined? I am trying to improve my grasp on the tenets of drawing...

I honestly can't see needing more DR than that, but to each his own... Here are a couple other techniques you can combine with HDR for even greater range: GND Filter: Since I rarely use HDR anymore, I rely mainly on GND filters. A standard 2-stop GND is great for balancing a bright, sunny sky...

Handy, I think you underestimate EVF's. I was skeptical of using EVF's as well, but when I got the G1, I was really impressed. From what I've seen, the industry is marching towards EVF's; eventually, they will replace OVF's across the board in all mfr's lineups, except in professional...