My kids are homeschooled, so we have to handle all of our own extra curriculars. As such, my son has taken an interest in Photography. He has moved from his iPhone and starting to get into my Nikon D70s (yeah, I know, I'm that old). It works fine and does all of the stuff he should need as a beginner. However, we need a book that is suitable for a 15 year old beginner. My wife asked me for help with this and I said "A book? You mean like the user manual?" That's not what she meant.

Anyway, do you guys have any suggestions for something like this? A book or book designed as a course we can incorporate into the curricula would be good.

We found these:

The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most From Your Digital Camera

National Geographic Photo Basics: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Great Photography Paperback Illustrated

Digital Photography Complete Course: Learn Everything You Need to Know in 20 Weeks (DK Complete Courses)

Guitarsoup said:

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Photog said:

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I've been without power for nearly 3 days and my house is warm and humid. Could my camera equipment get damaged? Serious question.

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How was everything? Mine is all fine, same situation, only 10 days without power.

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It is OK! Almost 4 days without power, so not nearly as long. That being said, our downstairs A/C never came back. At least we have fans!

Anyone know much about studio strobes? Doing school photos for the 4th year in a row and I've always rented two Westcott FJ400's and 1 FJ200. Is that overkill? I've thought about buying a set since it's about $200 every time I rent the setup and I'm doing two schools this year so would have to rent it twice.

With school photos you might be able to get buy with a couple flashes and umbrellas, or soft boxes at least for the individual shots. I did that with a couple flashes. If you're going to do a class picture the flashes might not have enough power. I don't do big groups anymore, but I ended up getting a couple of Flashpoint Xplor battery/cord lights and I will put those in octaboxes or a softbox. I even use one outside in bright sun. I like taking outdoor portraits and that gives me plenty of power and mobility.

whats the best way to sell a camera lens these days? I have a Canon 300/2.8 I'm looking to part with.

In my experience KEH/MPB for an easy process, or EBay if you're trying to maximize what you get for it.

FightinTexasAg15 said:

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In my experience KEH/MPB for an easy process, or EBay if you're trying to maximize what you get for it.

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I agree, but would add Facebook Marketplace has been solid and easy.

It sounds like an expensive proposition to switch from SLR to mirrorless. The bodies are dramatically more expensive and, if I understand you guys correctly, the SLR lenses can be used but it's better to switch to lenses designed for mirrorless. Am I incorrect on that?

If it is a lot more expensive (i.e., $10,000 or so), what are the advantages of mirrorless that make that outlay worth it? I'm an amateur dabbler, if even that, not a pro at all.

Jabin said:

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It sounds like an expensive proposition to switch from SLR to mirrorless. The bodies are dramatically more expensive and, if I understand you guys correctly, the SLR lenses can be used but it's better to switch to lenses designed for mirrorless. Am I incorrect on that?

If it is a lot more expensive (i.e., $10,000 or so), what are the advantages of mirrorless that make that outlay worth it? I'm an amateur dabbler, if even that, not a pro at all.

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I'm an amateur dabbler, and I don't think I would switch unless I really wanted a new camera body. My 7D went completely dead so I got the Canon R7 last year. I'm using my EF lenses and only bought the Canon RF 100-400 because I'd been wanting a longer lens for a long time (and we had a trip to Yellowstone coming up). That being said, I'm enjoying the new camera, but who wouldn't enjoy new features when their camera was 13+ years old! The digital viewfinder took some getting used to, and I despise change, but I got over it. I have enjoyed the flip screen when I have my camera mounted on a tripod.

I use the SLR lenses and mirrorless side by side. As long as you stay in the same ecosystem, it isn't that big a deal to slowly switch.

Does this thread cover video?

Has anyone here ever had to convert a PAL video file to NTSC? It appears I might wind up using a PAL camcorder for an event, but would need to convert it to NTSC to render the finished product to an MP4 video file (no, the operating system of the camera isn't selectable). I think my editing software does it (hoping to experiment with the camera soon), but if not there are software options to employ. I'm just curious as to how much of a hit (if any) do you take in quality from the conversion process.

Is this a "convert my dvd's to laserdisc" notion?

If this is a set production-type event , rent a Lumix GX85 + whatever prime you'd need for your setup for ~$100 for a week, stick it on a tripod, and keep it powered from the floor.
If it's a more run & gun event, rent a G7Xiii or ZV-1 for ~$60 for a week.

4k video out of the box, and with a day or two to get accustomed to the menus, built-in color options, and settings you'd have an objectively better and more flexible setup that saves in h.264 on a universal SD card.

What am I missing?

MonkeyKnifeFighter said:

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What am I missing?

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Pretty much everything. I thought I asked a pretty simple question.

Understood, OK. Laserdisc confirmed.

Alright, I'm off to go figure out how to send d*** pics on a rotary phone over a landline.

Pulse?

This might end up being a separate thread but I thought I would start here.

So I have an odd camera question that might be beyond the skill of this thread. I have an old Seneca Folding Scout 3A from around 1917 from my film collection and its one of the few that I have never actually used. As a fun project I want to get it working again and run a few rolls through it.

At first glance it doesn't look too bad but the bellows are shot with pinholes. Anyone know of a place that can make new bellow? Most of the stuff I have seen is for high end/newer large format cameras. Just thought I would try here first to see if anyone had any leads

No clue at all. I had one of those for awhile and just gave it away without using