At 11:38 PM +0000 3/28/02, Kierstin wrote:
will I be able to get a good sunset shot with my lens? [SOLIGOR MC
ZOOM-AUTO F2.5/3.5 f=35-70mm]
It costs me about £4 a roll to develop (& this is cheap mail in
development).
The first thing my photojournalism prof (ex-LIFE) told us way back when
is that the film is the cheapest part of the equation -- if you consider
the cost of your time, or going to the place where the pictures will be
taken, of the camera equipment, of not getting the shot you want, a roll
of film is negligible. Even for amateur photography, that's still a good
rule, especially in the earlier stages -- a couple of rolls spent bracketing
exposures. testing compositional details and shooting techniques,
generally getting to know how your camera and lenses perform under a
specific set of
conditions, will end up producing better pictures later (and possibly even
saving film because you'll know what to expect).
(By the way, for sunsets one assumes you're shooting transparency
film or else can somehow get around the endless hassle involved in
trying to get regular photofinishers to do justice to non-average
frames.)
As for the question of "Can I get good sunset pictures with a decent
off-brand 35-70, the answer depends on what kinds of pictures you are
trying to make.Telephotos are best for sunsets in which the sun
itself and a tightly-cropped, compressed section of the landscape
directly in front of it are the main elements you're looking for.
Wider lenses let you capture the gradations of color across the sky
and the effect of the horizontal, strongly colored light on the
landscape. To get the full range from bright to dark you may need a
24 or even a 21. My best sunset picture, the one people look at and
exclaim, or ask for a copy of, was taken with an Oly Stylus.
Composition and color often trump perfect sharpness and resolution
for such pictures.
paul
--
Paul Wallich pw@xxxxxxxxx
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