The Sigma 10-20 perchance?

I've got that on a D80 (above-ground use only) and it's the best camera-related investment I've ever made.

Yes it is, and very good it is too. I dare say if I was able to spend more time photographing underground that I would probably go the same way too.

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Ive decided to buy a dslr for my Christmas present from swmbo (she doesnt know it yet) and was wondering what to get ..my budget is £500 and I want a wide angle lens included in that ..not asking alot am I 😞

I still reckon the 8400 takes a lot of beating 😉 Do you want to sell yours when you've got the DSLR :flowers: 😉

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Yup i use my trusty D60 for mucky places and if i am feeling brave i take my D90 down in dryer places. I mainly use the Sigma 10-20mm as its a really nice crisp lens for the money and the wide angle works wonders in places like Barons Sump or most slate chambers. I have started taking a zoom lens with me as well for more close up shots as the wide angle does distort at the fringes and on small close up shots its very obvious. Very easy to sort in photoshop tho 🙂

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Ohhh! im so confused 😞

I was actually wondering if i should make more of a effort with my 8400 it is a really good camera and the pics Brakeman, Vanoord, Simon, Miles, and the Colonel have had from using one are outstanding so it does even puzzle me why I even want a dslr when I can get good pics from my 8400..

But the main reason is that not only for underground use I really do want a quallity camera for family pics and holidays and when doing track days on the bike..

Have also had my eye on a new Sony a33 or a55

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/news/496771/next-generation-sony-a55-and-a33-alpha-cameras-debut-with-world-firsts.html 

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The beauty of a DSL for taking pics out side is that you press the button and it takes the picture. It doesnt spend 5 seconds thinking about if it should or not. If your just looking for underground stuff then the 8400's are great cameras. DSLR's are the future tho and give much more ability to get exactly what you want from the shot. Plus with modern upgrades to sensors the pictures are much better quality.

Tis all a case of money really 😞

Time to talk to Mr Moulders for a pay rise :thumbup:

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Thing with the 8400 is that it's a great little camera but only up to a point.

Try to use it above ISO 100 and it gets really noisy. It also gets a fair bit of purple fringing on longer exposure shots.

Basically the sensor can't compete with that in a decent DSLR. In fairness you wouldn't expect it to, it's a 6 year old camera and a pretty small sensor.

Edd - do you use manual or auto focus for your underground shots? I've always found it so tricky to focus manually in the dark. Easy on close up objects, anything where you can clearly see the subject, but massively difficult in large chambers (even with 2,000+ lumens to play with).

That's one area where the 8400 scores, that 'manual' focus wheel - lock it off on infinity and at F2.8 pretty much anything over a metre away is in focus :)

But I guess the 8400 has had it's day and the future is DSLR or Four Thirds. I'm getting better results from my Lumix GF1. Now I'm trusting it to auto focus...

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Try to use it above ISO 100 and it gets really noisy. It also gets a fair bit of purple fringing on longer exposure shots.

Ive had a lesson from Moulders today and ive had the camera set up all wrong on manual for AGES.. so hes told me about this ..ive had the iso on auto for god knows how long which was causing all the grainny noise in the pics,

I dont have a problem with the purple fringe as I just turned the noise reduction on in the menu's.

so went up to cwm today in dolly and took some pics inside lake level (oh and also ive replaced the locks on the gates) Now I havent had a look at them yet but if the grainny orrible stuff is still there then im defo getting a dslr ...I'll let you know in an hour or so. 😉

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8400 golden rule :)

ISO 50 or 100
Auto white balance
High or RAW
F2.8
Manual focus
Lock it off on infinity

Can't go wrong 🙂 😉

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For the record on my Canon 450D i use:

F8
30 secs with much waving of a Wiseled 1000 lumen torch
ISO auto
WB auto

Never had an issue with being too grainy. Been playing with the WB a bit lately but thats due to taking pics in town at night under street lamps.

DP

with all these comments about different cameras- does anyone fancy a specific photography trip? I think a few have been done before? A perfect opertunity to compare notes on the different settings- and compare results when they all get posted! 😉

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with all these comments about different cameras- does anyone fancy a specific photography trip? I think a few have been done before? A perfect opertunity to compare notes on the different settings- and compare results when they all get posted! 😉

We were muttering about that a couple of days back, so yes!

Possibly sometime around Christmas / New Year - I'd like to have another go at open flash, possibly multiple flash and compare it to the same photograph taken using light painting.

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with all these comments about different cameras- does anyone fancy a specific photography trip? I think a few have been done before? A perfect opertunity to compare notes on the different settings- and compare results when they all get posted! 😉

Absolutely :)

In fact Vanoord muttered about it only this week. And then in usual style forgot all about it and vanished :lol:

Roy suggested somewhere around Western Cwffty via Parc.

Having never done these mines would really like a trip there ()ut wonder if for a dedicated photo trip where 10 or so people want to take shots of the same thing something like Cwm or Moel Fferna might be easier where you can have a go at photographing specific artifacts (even if they have been seen once or twice before) in big spaces and playing with different light sources.

Mr V?

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As I said in when mused in another thread, Days off permitting, I'll drag myself and my D60 along to pretty much anywhere.

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good idea :thumbsup:

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For something very different try Fuji Finepix IS PRO full spectrum UV/IR with UV/IR cutoff filter for daylight work with Nikon lenses. Tough as old boots on magnesium Nikon body. Just within the £500 budget now as being discontinued but were over £2500 when first announced.
Or for a more delicate approach with wizard results try Sony A55, Sony doing VAT cashback deal till Christmas so A55 just about sneaks in on that budget.

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