AG 2000' said:

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MBAR, remind me, you a Canon or Nikon user?

I heard the early MIOPS had issues with the hot shoe slot, trying to figure out if that's been corrected.

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I shoot a 6d and a T7i.

My rental Sony Zeiss FE 16-35 f4 lens just arrived. Can't wait to see how it performs in the North Carolina forest this week. I'll post some photos when I get back.

My GFX100 got in this morning...and of course I took the earlier flight to LAX to save my company some money and have to wait until Friday to get it now.

Anyone have experience with drones and videography? Looking for recommendations and have heard DJI customer service is horrible but have a good product.

Fantastic product, luckily haven't had to deal with support but I love flying my drones

Mavic 2 Pro owner here. It is awesome. Just a heads up, if you don't live out in the middle of nowhere, you're going to want a drone license. They're constantly changing the laws with drones and becoming more strict lately.

Well that was a wallet thwack but loving my GFX100 so far, hopefully will get to shoot with it this weekend.

MBAR said:

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Guppy91 said:

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At airport about to visit Argentina for Total Solar Eclipse. I've been gearing up and never referenced this thread. Oh well!

Going on a stargazing excursion one night and hope to get some nice shots and an astro-lapse. Eclipse day, plan on taking a pan-lapse with an Osmo Pocket while catching the corona using "Eclipse Orchestrator" to take pics while we experience totality. Utilizing SkyWatcher's Star Adventurer Mini for tracking.

Weather looking good for viewing site in Bella Vista. Look forward to sharing and nerding out with you fellas after!

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I photographed the last total Eclipse here in the US, and I can tell you that no matter how good your plan for what you want to do in totality, you'll likely get blow away and forget your plan. I got a fair number of pictures, but there were large stretches where I just stood there in awe. No regrets though.

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Thanks MBAR! Yes, I too was thrown for a loop last TSE (Nashville). The great feature of Eclipse Orchestrator Pro, you use a tool to write a script that does all the picture taking for you ("watch the eclipse not your gear!"). Rule of thumb is at 5 minutes to go, you check focus one last time and you are done messing with it (except to pull and replace solar filter). It utilizes usb connection through a mini pc, but also allows for a mod that connects usb to talk through the serial cable trigger (faster response time / much shorter recovery time between exposures). Made it to Buenos Aires with all the gear. Ready to get back in the shadow of The Moon!

UpstateAg said:

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Anyone have experience with drones and videography? Looking for recommendations and have heard DJI customer service is horrible but have a good product.

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What do you want to know?

If it's just about DJI customer service, I'd say that's a mixed bag. They fixed my crashed drone last year without much of a hassle, but if you have a fly away or something I understand they can be difficult to deal with.

Additionally, their control of the no fly zones, etc. is incredibly annoying. But there's ways around that, just have to keep it in mind and plan accordingly (i.e., if you fly into a no-fly zone that starts over a body of water, your drone may be going for a swim).

Post any questions you have, happy to help where I can.

Guppy91 said:

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Thanks MBAR! Yes, I too was thrown for a loop last TSE (Nashville). The great feature of Eclipse Orchestrator Pro, you use a tool to write a script that does all the picture taking for you ("watch the eclipse not your gear!"). Rule of thumb is at 5 minutes to go, you check focus one last time and you are done messing with it (except to pull and replace solar filter). It utilizes usb connection through a mini pc, but also allows for a mod that connects usb to talk through the serial cable trigger (faster response time / much shorter recovery time between exposures). Made it to Buenos Aires with all the gear. Ready to get back in the shadow of The Moon!

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Wow, that software looks pretty darn cool! Could come in real handy for eclipse shooting.

A wifi hotspot/bridge and a power inverter, your car becomes a rolling storage server

https://m.dpreview.com/news/8577060498/synology-launches-ds419slim-miniature-nas

Speaking of Fuji.. selling my GFX 50s if someone wants a cheap entry point into the world of medium format.

https://texags.com/forums/50/topics/3043628

WOW!

hows the new camera feel compared to the old one bthotugigem05? Also, care to share where you sold your old body?

I liked the grip of the 50s more and I miss the D-pad a lot, but man the autofocus is so much freaking better.

I sold the 50 to a friend for a bit less than you're asking.

I mean I think I'd rather spend the money on that body than buy some of the ultra long lenses I see. That's freaking amazing!

Philosophical question:

I have a Nikon D750 (upgraded from a D60). When I had the D60, I purchased the Tamron 28-75 F2.8 from around that same generation (~2008) that Guitarsoup recommended. I've got myself some money set aside for a new lens, and I'm finally where I can make a decision. I don't currently have a 70-200, and the Tamron G2 and the new Sigma Sports look awfully tempting. I also wonder if the Tamron 24-70 G2 or a used Nikon 24-70 would be a significant improvement in image quality over the older Tamron that I currently have. There have been multiple times when I've wished I had just a little more reach than 70 mm (now exacerbated by my being full frame as opposed to crop sensor), but even if I had one I would still probably use the 24-70 a little over 50% of the time, and if the improvement in lens/image quality is significant, I might be happier there.

So, if you were in my position, would you

A - Get a 70-200 F2.8

B - Get a newer 24-70 F2.8

If you don't have complaints about the 28-75, I would get the 70-200.

I was about to post the same thing. Sounds like you need a second lens for the immediate future, if you are still reasonably happy with your current lens. Then weigh the need for an upgrade.

dubi said:

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Solar eclipse photos taken from a U2!

What a cool job!

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That wing in the lower right corner ruins it.

Quote:

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A - Get a 70-200 F2.8

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I have the Tamron 70-200 F2.8 G2 and it is absolutely fantastic. It also took a drop from 6' onto concrete and is still going strong.

Indoors / tight spaces I use my Canon 24-105 F4 or Tamron 24-70 F2.8. Outdoors I use the 70-200.

Phenomenal! What a cool experience I bet.

As not to clutter this thread: https://texags.com/forums/30/topics/3043625

bthotugigem05 said:

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Phenomenal! What a cool experience I bet.

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I agree!

FYI Nikon people. Items for sale as I no longer own a Nikon.

Nikon D500 accessories

I came across a deal on a Nikon D850 that was too good to pass up even though it's way more camera than I will ever need.

That being said it didn't come with any lenses, and after browsing the web I have run across lenses from $200-2000+ I realized I'm completely lost...

I'd rather not spend a fortune on multiple lenses and would prefer one to do most of my shooting (at least to start). I will probably be using it mostly for wildlife, landscapes, and probably family pictures.

I found a few reviews for a couple lenses online and they seem to be well reviewed just not sure how well they would work for my application.

Nikon 35mm f/1.4G AF-S NIKKOR Lens

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The 28-300 is fine for outdoors, daylight stuff.

Indoor stuff would struggle. Maybe get a 50mm 1.8 as well for low light indoor

bthotugigem05 said:

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Sony FINALLY announces a 35mm f1.8 for it's full-frame mount. $750, ships in August.

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I'm really interested in this... might sell my thrifty fifty to offset the cost.