Few very basic questions wrt DSLRs...

[Jarska]

The mailman kindly delivered a brand spanking new Sony Alpha 200 DSLR to me just a few moments ago, and while the battery charges, I thought I might ask a few newb questions.

1. Can the camera be stored with a lens attached? Not for long periods, but say, for a day or two between uses? And if not, why not?

2. Is there any particularly good height to carry the camera on a neck-strap? Depending on one's height, I'd imagine the comfort and ease of switching lenses might favor certain position, like just above the lowest rib, par example? (Hey, I'm a newb. These things might seem obvious to you... )

3. Coming from P&S photography and "4xZoom" etc, what kind of reach will certain mm's in lenses give me? Like the kit lense, that comes with the camera. 18-70mm, what kind of distances would such a zoom mean in meters? Or a fixed telephoto lense of 300mm? Can I take a picture of squirrel's whiskers at 100 meters? What if the squirrel is at 90 meters? Is there any "wiggle room" in focal length?

And, can you recommend a good walk-about bag/cover? In case of foul weather... Or will any plastic bag suffice?

I had a million questions running through my head while the camera was in transit, but now can think of only three. I'm sure more will surface. I hope you good people can provide me some answers/advice, or perhaps links to some noob-proof photography sites.

Thank you.

 

[ElFenix]

the camera can be stored indefinitely with the lens attached. no reason to take it off if you don't need to change lenses (due to dust i'd recommend not removing it unless you're changing lenses)


whatever is comfortable


first thing you need to realize is that 4x zoom is a meaningless ratio. a 70-200 lens is a 2.9x zoom and yet starts off longer and only gets longer than the 3.9x zoom 18-70 kit lens.

next, on your camera about 30 mm is considered normal. 60 mm is twice as close, 120 mm is four times as close. there is no set 'distance' in meters (are you french?) that the lens will give you. you can focus anywhere from infinity down to somewhere pretty close to you with most lenses. you'd need a much longer lenses to get a close up of a squirrel at 100 meters (are you french? why are you using french units?). at least 400 mm, maybe even 600 mm.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Jarska
The mailman kindly delivered a brand spanking new Sony Alpha 200 DSLR to me just a few moments ago, and while the battery charges, I thought I might ask a few newb questions.

1. Can the camera be stored with a lens attached? Not for long periods, but say, for a day or two between uses? And if not, why not?

2. Is there any particularly good height to carry the camera on a neck-strap? Depending on one's height, I'd imagine the comfort and ease of switching lenses might favor certain position, like just above the lowest rib, par example? (Hey, I'm a newb. These things might seem obvious to you... )

3. Coming from P&S photography and "4xZoom" etc, what kind of reach will certain mm's in lenses give me? Like the kit lense, that comes with the camera. 18-70mm, what kind of distances would such a zoom mean in meters? Or a fixed telephoto lense of 300mm? Can I take a picture of squirrel's whiskers at 100 meters? What if the squirrel is at 90 meters? Is there any "wiggle room" in focal length?

And, can you recommend a good walk-about bag/cover? In case of foul weather... Or will any plastic bag suffice?

I had a million questions running through my head while the camera was in transit, but now can think of only three. I'm sure more will surface. I hope you good people can provide me some answers/advice, or perhaps links to some noob-proof photography sites.

Thank you.

1) I have some old film SLRs that haven't had the lens taken off in years. Unless you want to change from one lens to another, there's no real reason to take the lens off the camera other than space concerns when packing a bag.

2) Wherever is comfortable. Though I recommend about gut level. What you want to avoid is having the camera bounce off your belt buckle and change its own settings.

3) Regarding focal lengths: They aren't the same as focusing distances. An 18-70mm lens on your A200 goes from a moderate wide-angle to a short telephoto, which has to do with how big the field of view is. A wide angle has a wide field of view; that is, you can fit a lot more of the total scene into the picture. A telephoto has a narrow field of view, which means that only a small part of the overall scene will be in the photography, but it will appear much larger. This is why people tend to associate a telephoto lens with being "close".

This is a good example of the differences between a wide-angle lens and a short telephoto lens as well as explaining why just changing from one lens to another doesn't change the perspective of the photograph. To change perspective, you need to move your own body. For example, this photo and this other photo were both taken at 16mm. However, the first photo has a much more interesting perspective, which is due to where I physically positioned myself to take the photograph. The second photo, frankly, is boring.

And here are some examples of what a 300mm lens will look like. These are photos of airplanes as they were in their landing approach to SeaTac airport. They are still several hundred feet in the air at this point (probably about 200-250 meters). Obviously, you couldn't see a squirrel's whiskers at that range with a 300mm lens, but it's still quite helpful. Examples at 300mm.

All of my shots were either with a Sony A100 or an A700.

ZV

 

[Jarska]

Ah, thank you! Clears up a lot, my head's been buzzing with focuses and apertures... A lot clearer picture starts to form. Oh, I'm finnish, BTW. We use the metric system also, like, well, many countries, I suppose. Well, you do too, with millimeters. (Or do, erm, imperials ( ) use inches aswell with focal lengths?)

A bit of a problem with my camera, the dioptric correction isn't enough for my lousy eyesight. Are there perhaps adapters or such available, or should one just get contacts?

Again, thank you.

 

[ZOXXO]

As for bag/cover, I found no amount of reading will allow you to make a definitive decision as to what is right for you. though it may help to avoid pitfalls.

The Lowerpro AW(all weather) series of bags/packs are a good choice if weather protection is needed. I have or now own several in the AW Trekker series.


I first bought The Micro Trekker 200 but its size left me making tough choices on what to leave at home and just never felt comfortable when mounted on my back. It rode to high and the waist strap actually wrapped around the top of my stomach.

The Mini Trekker AW pack has become the one I use most often. It allows me to pack three or four lenses(one mounted on body), flash and miscellaneous support gear(cleaning, batteries literature, jerky...). It is slightly larger than the Micro Trekker thus more comfortable as a backpack but not so large as to be unwieldy when carried like a bag.

The Nature Trekker AW allowed for carrying a plethora of gear and the rigid frame made it nice and comfortable as a backpack when properly adjusted but is just too large to be carried like a bag when not walking any great distance. It finds use for longer or overnight excursions when I'm not sure what photo ops may present themselves and want to have a more varied selection of gear at my disposal.

I also own a Photo Trekker AW (larger then the Nature Trekker) that has been relegated to being used as a storage locker for seldom used gear but can be put into action as a pack when I want to have nearly all my gear including macro and panoramic specific gear.

FYI, packs/bags may be the only area of photography in which one can easily find cheap but top quality gear. I bought the Micro at retail and all others on ebay for less or very little more than the Micro.

Cambags.com is a good source for comparing different brands, models and styles.

Good luck HTH.

 

[ElFenix]

i guess north carolina is the default for the forums software

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Jarska
Ah, thank you! Clears up a lot, my head's been buzzing with focuses and apertures... A lot clearer picture starts to form. Oh, I'm finnish, BTW. We use the metric system also, like, well, many countries, I suppose. Well, you do too, with millimeters. (Or do, erm, imperials ( ) use inches aswell with focal lengths?)

A bit of a problem with my camera, the dioptric correction isn't enough for my lousy eyesight. Are there perhaps adapters or such available, or should one just get contacts?

Again, thank you.

Strangely even those of us in the US have been describing focal length in mm for a very long time. Occasionally I'll come across an older German lens that describes focal length in cm, but that's as different as I've seen it get.

I never bother with the diopters, they rarely work for me either. I just live with smudged glasses. Sony does offer some additional lenses for the viewfinder though.

ZV

 

[soydios]

1) You should always have a lens on the camera, if possible. This means that it will always be ready to shoot, and will keep dust out of the body.

2) Experiment. I like my camera straps short, but others like them long. Figure out what's best for you.

3) This is a simple question with a simple but long-winded answer. First I'll discuss ye olde fashioned 35mm film, also known as 135-format, FX-format, or full-frame. Conventional wisdom with film was that 20mm or shorter was ultrawide, 20mm-35mm was wide, 35mm-60mm was normal, 60mm-135mm was short telephoto, 135mm-300mm was long telephoto, and more than 300mm was supertelephoto.
With digital, the sensors are often smaller than a full frame of film, as denoted by a crop factor such as 1.3x, 1.5x, 1.6x, or 2.0x. Sony, Nikon, and Pentax use a 1.5x crop factor, so you need to multiply the focal length of the lens used by the crop factor to find the equivalent focal length in 135-format. For example, a 50mm lens on a 1.5x digital sensor provides the same field of view as a 75mm lens on full-frame, fulfilling the role of short telephoto.

4) Look into sling-type bags from LowePro, Tenba, or Kata.

 

[virtuamike]

1. Yes, you can store it with lens attached.

2. Personal preference. I like my strap short enough that it doesn't bounce around too much but long enough so I can get my arm through and sling the body around to my side.

3. Suggest going to a camera store and playing around with (or renting) a few lenses to get a grasp on what different focal lengths look like. It helps to see with your own eyes.

As far as bags go, I like having my camera out when I'm walking so I can shoot, but everyone has their own preferences. If I need to bring more gear with me then I have a couple Domke shoulder bags that I pack up (but I still leave the cameras out of the bag). The only time I have the cameras in a bag is when I'm going from point A to point B and don't plan on doing any shooting in between.

And yes, plastic bags will keep the water out. I shot this year's SF chinese new year parade in a downpour with a couple of plastic bags. I always have a couple packed with me.

 

[dblevitan]

Regarding bags, Lowepro's AW series is definitely amazing, although you can get something similar (and only slightly more complicated to use) with a rain cover from the likes of REI or Campmor. I recently picked up one for a new bag that was $20, folds up as flat as the AW cover, and is just as easy to store in a bag. Based on personal experience, shoulder bags are a pain in the neck to use and I would advise against them. I personally use only backpacks, although the sling bags are also not bad (although I still prefer backpacks like the Fastpack that offer a similar ability for side access but are supported on both shoulders).

My big pack (for hiking primarily) is a Lowepro Rover Plus AW which has great support, great protection, lots of room, and a tripod holder. But it's also big and bulky and doesn't work well for traveling. My other pack (which I just got) is a Lowepro Fastpack 250 (+ the rain cover I mentioned) which is much smaller but still padded for the camera and also lets you hold a laptop. It also has side access and can be swung around. To give you an idea of how good the rain covers work, a few years ago I was in a national park in Costa Rica and was a few hours into a trail when a downpour started. By the time I got back to the car, the trails were flooded, I was soaked, and the back of the Rover Plus was soaked, but the camera equipment was barely damp and there was no water inside the pack at all. Note that all the Lowepro bags I've seen are made of waterproof nylon with only the zippers not being waterproof.

In terms of shooting in the rain, you can either use plastic bags or a "real" waterproof cover which is slightly easier to use and tougher but still annoying. I have one and tend not to like it, but they're not that expensive. Also make sure you pick up a UV filter or under protection for the rain if you don't have one already. Dangerous conditions are the only time I really use them, but they are useful then.