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remember if speed is your primary concern, your computer and router and nas have to all be WIRED not wirelessly connected.... wireless is fine if you are backing up overnight, but if you are storing huge files and need access wired ethernet is the only way to use those drives... I found a hybrid wired and wireless set up works best for me... in the studio, a bunch of nas drives and my laptop wired together, for backing up my video off my firewire drives, but we also have a wireless connection to out house where there is another wired network, with internet connection... So from the studio, If I want internet, I'm connected to a wireless network, but once I disconnect from that network, my work is unaccessable to hackers as it is not connected to the net anymore.
Comment by Don posted on USB hub question at 18/07/2011 - 15:24
thespirit3 wrote:
Interesting comments though - you're already giving me ideas above and beyond my initial plan. I'll keep things safe/simple for now but I will investigate slaves as a future option (a great excuse for more toys!).
I've bid on an AF 280T and also impulse bid (and won) this:-
Sigma (?) CENTON FG30D CAMERA FLASH
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190555487955
For a grand total of £8.50!
I figured at this price, if I don't win the AF 280T this should at least be an improvement over the internal flash. I believe whilst fully manual, it won't fry the K-x. Is it a piece of junk?
Steve
when in doubt, just put a slave on it and use it off camera...lol!Interesting comments though - you're already giving me ideas above and beyond my initial plan. I'll keep things safe/simple for now but I will investigate slaves as a future option (a great excuse for more toys!).
I've bid on an AF 280T and also impulse bid (and won) this:-
Sigma (?) CENTON FG30D CAMERA FLASH
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190555487955
For a grand total of £8.50!
I figured at this price, if I don't win the AF 280T this should at least be an improvement over the internal flash. I believe whilst fully manual, it won't fry the K-x. Is it a piece of junk?
Steve
Comment by Don posted on Basic Flash Advice (indoor party) at 18/07/2011 - 15:08
Mannesty wrote:
Whilst the post relates to a strobist setup, that does not preclude alternative, and possibly better, suggestions.
Constant, or continuous lighting is used more and more nowadays, especially for product shoots and other studio work, due to the coming of age of lighting systems that do not 'cook' the subject.
as well as the need to switch hit between stills and video, as everything is multimedia these days..claudefrog wrote:
Portable light sources of any kind can be moved to a more appropriate position, the sun can't. When it's cloudy, you have no sun.Quote:
Have you considered constant lighting instead of flash?
The post relates to Strobist set-up, why would you want to use a constant light source outdoors when you have the sun?Have you considered constant lighting instead of flash?
Whilst the post relates to a strobist setup, that does not preclude alternative, and possibly better, suggestions.
Constant, or continuous lighting is used more and more nowadays, especially for product shoots and other studio work, due to the coming of age of lighting systems that do not 'cook' the subject.
Comment by Don posted on Starter strobist setup at 18/07/2011 - 15:06
Dangermouse wrote:
Problem is, there seems to be a prevailing attitude in some very noisy quarters that mirror lenses are always useless.
I was recently given a Makinon 500mm f8. My assessment would be "Not too bad". Cropped shots from my 50-135mm are possibly better but that's comparing a £640 lens with something which you could buy a new version of for £100 or so (Samyang make something which looks identical).
Incidentally, one trick I used to deal with the hunting for focus problem: Prefocus on the tarmac where you want to photograph the car, then keep the shutter button half pressed. When the car is in the right place, press the button. This should stop it hunting and get around any problems with slow AF.
sometimes a company has to look at how the technology has changed and make the right choices regardless of a few vocal, set in thier ways, die hards, may feel about it. FWIW, Apples new final cut pro ROCKS!Problem is, there seems to be a prevailing attitude in some very noisy quarters that mirror lenses are always useless.
I was recently given a Makinon 500mm f8. My assessment would be "Not too bad". Cropped shots from my 50-135mm are possibly better but that's comparing a £640 lens with something which you could buy a new version of for £100 or so (Samyang make something which looks identical).
Incidentally, one trick I used to deal with the hunting for focus problem: Prefocus on the tarmac where you want to photograph the car, then keep the shutter button half pressed. When the car is in the right place, press the button. This should stop it hunting and get around any problems with slow AF.
Comment by Don posted on Testing my 500mm Tamron Mirror at 18/07/2011 - 15:04
get your manual out and see what your ethernet jack supports... I run HUGE back up drives off my router with ethernet... prices have dropped dramatically on nas drives.
Comment by Don posted on USB hub question at 18/07/2011 - 15:01
thoughton wrote:
'Basic' flash advice guys. Enough with the M mode this and radio slave that already!
lol!'Basic' flash advice guys. Enough with the M mode this and radio slave that already!
ok basic means push the little button to pop up the on camera flash.... anything else requires thinking and even a little planning! to me basic, means using less than four flashes!
Comment by Don posted on Basic Flash Advice (indoor party) at 18/07/2011 - 14:55
Frogfish wrote:
Nice job ! I have one of these and think it is a great piece of kit for the few pounds they cost. The Tamron is probably the highest rated 500 mirror. Easily the cheapest way to get to 500mm.
agree and agree... I really wish pentax would bring out an affordable 500 5.6 da-af mirror lens... or even a 300 f4 that I could clip onto my 1.7 af converter... Nice job ! I have one of these and think it is a great piece of kit for the few pounds they cost. The Tamron is probably the highest rated 500 mirror. Easily the cheapest way to get to 500mm.
big fast teles may be what people demand, but I'd bet an affordable compact lightweight mirror would sell en mass....
digital has changed the landscape of the industry... with high iso and stabilization built in, a 300, or 400 or 500 mirror that is no bigger and even lighter than the 16-45 would sell like crazy...
Comment by Don posted on Testing my 500mm Tamron Mirror at 18/07/2011 - 14:46
bretti_kivi wrote:
Plug in an "active" hub, i.e. one with a power supply.
USB can supply up to 500mA per port, so adding in a powered hub will avoid problems. Belkin are supposed to be pretty good, and I'd also trust D-Link (who both have a 7-port design, neither of which are cheap).
Bret
can vouch for belkin as well... very reliable.Plug in an "active" hub, i.e. one with a power supply.
USB can supply up to 500mA per port, so adding in a powered hub will avoid problems. Belkin are supposed to be pretty good, and I'd also trust D-Link (who both have a 7-port design, neither of which are cheap).
Bret
Comment by Don posted on USB hub question at 18/07/2011 - 14:36
johnriley wrote:
Sometimes things don't like being plugged into a hub and if this is the case the instructions usually mention it.
I would only plug in what needs to be plugged in though as computers can be sensitive devices. It strikes me that plugging a 7 or 10 USB hub is not unlike overloading power sockets with four way adapters plugged into four way adapters. It doesn't sound like good practice.
totally agree with the first part... the second part... POWERED usb hubs are available (they have thier own power cord and wall wart you plug in) BUT you have to be careful which devices you plug in where as you'll be SHARING the bandwidth.... so multiple hard drives for example will slow right down if you're accessing more than one at a time! (this is why I like firewire drives, you can daisychain a dozen and they ALL go full speed).Sometimes things don't like being plugged into a hub and if this is the case the instructions usually mention it.
I would only plug in what needs to be plugged in though as computers can be sensitive devices. It strikes me that plugging a 7 or 10 USB hub is not unlike overloading power sockets with four way adapters plugged into four way adapters. It doesn't sound like good practice.
don't plug one hub into another hub either.
Comment by Don posted on USB hub question at 18/07/2011 - 14:33
thoramay wrote:
but when set up like this I can only wonder how it was done with such purr-fection. Makes my efforts look like kindergarden stuff
easier done than said I'm affraid..lol!but when set up like this I can only wonder how it was done with such purr-fection. Makes my efforts look like kindergarden stuff
ok here goes:
the back corner of my studio... set up a table and props...
That babmoo booth in the background? (We rent out Photo booths for parties, that bamboo and curtian "Tikki Booth" people can walk in sit down, push a button anf smile for the camera.... my mac based software script and ds2 then snap the photo and (a,b, and or c) can then send the photo to print, upload to internet/social network site or send directly to our projector DJ booth....why is there a mattress topper foam on the ceiling? because when not being rented out, my photo booth doubles as my podcast recording booth and there is a mic, laptop and sound mixer board in there and we record voice overs and podcasts there) that is being used for a backdrop...
then we added a stand with a chinese lantern, and daylight CFL. It is one of my two fill lights, adding fill for the cat.
then there is the large softbox, adding very little fill, just enough to reflect off the black glossy surfaces).
Then there is a strobe with silver umbrella on a stand for a main light on the cat... lastly to add contrast and depth to the curtians behind the cat there is another strobe with grid and barn doors adding a thin strip of light and shadows across the curtians...
reality? took me twice as long to type this as it did to set up.
Now getting a cat to co-operate was a whole other story... involving tuna.
don't let all the gear fool you.. you could esily create a similar shot in front of a large window without all the crap.... you just use the expensive gear to MIMIC natural light 9 times out of 10 when you're working in a studio...
