Calling all Sony Alpha users! (Part 5)

guys, sorry to steer this thread, but, is the any Alpha users that dabble in macro?
i have a 50mm 2.8 macro on the way, was wondering how usefull that focal length is? idea to get a teleconverter?
 
hannakournikova said:
guys, sorry to steer this thread, but, is the any Alpha users that dabble in macro?
i have a 50mm 2.8 macro on the way, was wondering how usefull that focal length is? idea to get a teleconverter?
Click to expand...

i do a little macro work,and use a sigma 105 macro.this lens gives a reasonable working distance @ 1:1[true macro].with a 50mm macro,the working distance will be a lot closer,which isn't so good if you intend to shoot bugs etc...as they may scare easily.having said that..someone may prove me wrong,as i'm not that experienced at macro.
 
stan the man said:
i do a little macro work,and use a sigma 105 macro.this lens gives a reasonable working distance @ 1:1[true macro].with a 50mm macro,the working distance will be a lot closer,which isn't so good if you intend to shoot bugs etc...as they may scare easily.having said that..someone may prove me wrong,as i'm not that experienced at macro.
Click to expand...

Mark, funny i just saw an pm in my inbox from you ages ago mentioning macro work.
the distance is what im concerned about, will give it a go :clap:
 
Why is it that when your skint you always find a bargain.

Just picked up a new grip for my A700 from Currys in cardiff for a grand total of £139.97. :)

Only popped in on an off chance as well. lol.
 
I use a sigma 105mm for macro. Makes a nice portrait lens too.

Also use the minolta 50mm 1.7 for portraits. It does AF if you have the AF version.
 
Can't compare to either, but the Minolta 1.4 is a fabulous portrait lens - if you can find one.
 
Is anyone using Lightroom 3 and an A700?

Why is altering the colours and exposure when i go to develop or preview the file?

In the thumbnails they look great but when they load up they look awful, overexposed and lacking colour.
 
Have you tried loading them into iphoto to see if they look the same when normal size? Also try shooting raw & jpg and comparing those in lightroom.
 
The colour changes because LR initially shows the embedded JPEG, which has had all the in-camera processing, and it then switches to the rendered RAW file which has only very basic adjustments. The RAW will always initially look flat compared to the JPEG. Camera profiles can help but you really need to get a basic set of adjustments you like and then save that as the develop default.

Here are some profiles a DPR forum member created come time ago for the A700:

http://beer_stalker.www.idnet.com/Profiles_A700.zip

IDC looks different as it reads the creative style setting from the EXIF and tries to replicate the processing that would have been done by the camera.
 
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Wow. Some great info there. Thanks a lot for that, pretty much confirms what I thought.

Can you create a profile which is user by default when developing the images instead of the adobe standard one?
 
the sony f/1.4 has greater contrast and is sharper than the 50mm f/1.7. I've owned both and although the sony is a better lens, is it worth the extra? Probably not unless you get a good deal on the f/1.4.
 
YorkieBen said:
the sony f/1.4 has greater contrast and is sharper than the 50mm f/1.7. I've owned both and although the sony is a better lens, is it worth the extra? Probably not unless you get a good deal on the f/1.4.
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Depends really if you have the cash available and you require the f1.4 aperture, I personally don't see much between alot of lenses and I've seen images on Flickr that you can't tell was shot either using an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 or a 24-70mm f2.8 :LOL:
 
mastertrinity said:
Depends really if you have the cash available and you require the f1.4 aperture, I personally don't see much between alot of lenses and I've seen images on Flickr that you can't tell was shot either using an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 or a 24-70mm f2.8 :LOL:
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That's because the lens doesn't take the photograph. You will always see awful photos taken with the most expensive lenses and vice versa, I've seen incredible shots taken with kit lenses.
 
fabs said:
That's because the lens doesn't take the photograph. You will always see awful photos taken with the most expensive lenses and vice versa, I've seen incredible shots taken with kit lenses.
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Indeed! one of my friends is new to photography and he's getting excellent shots with "apparently" crap 18-70mm kit lens variant.
 
Beer_Stalker said:
The colour changes because LR initially shows the embedded JPEG, which has had all the in-camera processing, and it then switches to the rendered RAW file which has only very basic adjustments. The RAW will always initially look flat compared to the JPEG. Camera profiles can help but you really need to get a basic set of adjustments you like and then save that as the develop default.

Here are some profiles a DPR forum member created come time ago for the A700:

http://beer_stalker.www.idnet.com/Profiles_A700.zip

IDC looks different as it reads the creative style setting from the EXIF and tries to replicate the processing that would have been done by the camera.
Click to expand...

+1....;)
 
fabs said:
Daft question but how do you utilise profiles in Lightroom
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Firstly you need to install the profiles under AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\CameraProfiles of your account or on C:\ProgramData\Adobe\CameraRaw\CameraProfiles.

To use the profiles go into develop mode and scroll down on the right until you get to Camera Calibration and then select the profile to apply to the photo.
 
snapsnap said:
Hi looking at getting a minolta 50 1.7 lens for the a700. Does the lens AF??

Also would this be the right choice of prime for portraits or should i go sony/sigma lens.

Cheers
Click to expand...

This lens is awesome for portraits !!
 
hannakournikova said:
guys, sorry to steer this thread, but, is the any Alpha users that dabble in macro?
i have a 50mm 2.8 macro on the way, was wondering how usefull that focal length is? idea to get a teleconverter?
Click to expand...

The 50mm 2.8 is a cracking little lens, redefines sharp, you can get really close. I prefer it over the 1.7 for general 50mm shots. You have to be careful with portraits, great for young ones and animals but the ladies don't like it much it is just to sharp.
How useful the focal length is depends on what subjects you want to dabble in.
 
Beer_Stalker said:
Firstly you need to install the profiles under AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\CameraProfiles of your account or on C:\ProgramData\Adobe\CameraRaw\CameraProfiles.

To use the profiles go into develop mode and scroll down on the right until you get to Camera Calibration and then select the profile to apply to the photo.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help. All sorted now.

Ive now set "Standard" as my deafault which is near enough what it should look like straight out of the camera. Then i can apply any further changes i need.

If people are not sure how to set develop settings as default this is how you do it...


Alter any of the develop settings that you always want applied to your photos by default every time you import, including camera calibration settings.

Press ALT and the "Reset" button at the bottom will change to "Set As Default". Prese this and a pop up will appear where you can update your settings based on your new ones.

If anyone wants a guide for this i dont mind doing one.
 
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fabs said:
I'm using a mac but I tried the recommended folder but it wasn't doing anything. en you say install, do you just mean paste them into the relevant folder?
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I've never used a Mac but it should just be a case of copying the files to
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/
 
Beer_Stalker said:
I've never used a Mac but it should just be a case of copying the files to
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/
Click to expand...

That makes more sense than the path I got via google.

Only think is, I then get a folder called Adobe Standard which actually contains an A700 dcp file and a folder called Camera which contains folders for the different camera modes but not Sony. I'm unable to create a new folder in there either. :shrug:

Can yo-u tell I'm confused? :bonk:
 
You probably need admin privs to copy the files there. You could try putting them under your user profile:

Macintosh HD/Users/[your username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles

On Windows I created a new Sony directory under CameraProfiles and put the dcp files in there.
 
Beer_Stalker said:
You probably need admin privs to copy the files there. You could try putting them under your user profile:

Macintosh HD/Users/[your username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles

On Windows I created a new Sony directory under CameraProfiles and put the dcp files in there.
Click to expand...

I've put the files there but when I open Lightroom and go to calibration, I still only get "embedded"
 
I'm having an odd issue with my A450 and Jessops flashgun, when I set the aperture to f4 and bounce the flash off the ceiling it seems to expose the shot properly, but if I set the aperture to f1.8 I get a dark underexposed picture, why would allowing more light in make the shot darker?

The flash is set to TTL and the camera is set to ADI so I'm not sure what's wrong.
 
Broken Hope said:
I'm having an odd issue with my A450 and Jessops flashgun, when I set the aperture to f4 and bounce the flash off the ceiling it seems to expose the shot properly, but if I set the aperture to f1.8 I get a dark underexposed picture, why would allowing more light in make the shot darker?

The flash is set to TTL and the camera is set to ADI so I'm not sure what's wrong.
Click to expand...

Set the camera to TTL too. Does it do the same thing? ADI flash can be unreliable.
 
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