Copyright Scott Bourne 2008 – All Rights Reserved
Today I’ll answer some of the questions my Twitter audience posed to me this week via Twitter. I received lots of questions and can’t answer them all, but I picked some that were asked more than once figuring I’d help more people by using those questions as the basis of this post. I’ll do this again next Saturday. To ask me questions on Twitter, take the following steps:
Follow me on Twitter go to http://www.twitter.com/scottbourne
Then post your questions and end them with the following: #photoQA.
Here we go:
QA #1 @pxls2prnt: wht tips wld U giv an amateur photographer traveling overseas? wht’s the best lens 2 take with U (focal lgth)
I’d take a wide angle and a medium telephoto to help you get the most variety. But I can’t say for sure since a. I don’t know where you’re going. b. I don’t know what you plan to photograph. If you were going to Africa to photograph big game, I’d tell you to take a very different set of lenses than I would if you told me you’re going to England to photograph wild flowers. Another piece of advice, make sure you fill out a customs declaration form on the US side of the border before taking your gear out of the country. Otherwise, you may be forced to pay a duty on the gear when you return if you can’t prove you had it with you when you left.
@rreif: Bought a used Canon 10D. How to determine what 3rd party lens to use. ex. Interested in tamron af 18-270mm di II vc
See my article on evaluating lenses. Add to that information that generally, zoom lenses are great for people who are just starting out in photography. They give you flexibility. I tend to prefer Sigma to Tamron, but that’s about as relevant as comparing Burger King and McDonald’s. If you can rent or borrow the lens(es) you’re interested in, that’s the best way to decide. All the lenses manufactured today are amazing compared to most we could buy 20 years ago, especially the zooms.
@alexnis: How do I sell my old Nikormat FTN to finance a new DSLR?
Sorry no magic bullet here. Ebay will probably get you the most bang for your buck. If you take it to a camera store, they will give you wholesale value at best.
@danschuh: Does the Picture Style in the custom menu have any effect when shooting RAW?
Typically, no. If you shoot RAW, you don’t need to worry about picture styles other than they might (depending on your camera) impact the way the image looks in the histogram and if you use the camera manufacturer’s processing software, there may be some added benefit to using picture styles, but I am not aware of any.
@jarrodg: What do you think about using diffusers on one’s flash compared to bouncing the flash for Weddings and Events?
In my opinion it shouldn’t be an either or. But I can say that simply putting a diffuser on a flash won’t give you the right quality of light. The number one piece of advice I can give you is get that flash off the camera at all costs. Then, do something to make its light source as big as you can. This will provide much more flattering , natural looking light.
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