Looking for an active photography forum

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

Although I've been a member of this forum for over two years, I'm been inactive all this time. I'd like to find an active photography forum. I've been a member of CameraLabs, a UK-based group, for years and they seem to have dried up. I posted a question a few weeks ago and there's been no reply. I'm living in the Midwest, Minnesota to be specific, and am interested to know where ya'll are from, mostly because I felt like an outsider on their UK site. I'm a Canon equipment owner and would like to know what type of equipment ya'll have. You know, are there enough Canon owners to help out with such questions.

I tried signing up with my username PalaDolphin and discovered that was taken. That never happens; I own that domain name. So, I tried an old password and sure enough, I've been a user since January 27, 2013. I'm old and new, but I've learned a lot about photography in the couple years since. I've even won some awards.

So, how are ya'll doin'?

astroNikon · Apr 11, 2015

there are several TPFers from Minnesota here. I'm from SE Michigan and there are others from Michigan here too. You'll find tons from the US and Canada here, Europe, Asia, etc.

pixmedic · Apr 11, 2015

I think we have a few people here that shoot Canon, (not sure why though :biggrin-93:

) so im sure you can get Canon related questions answered in a fairly timely fashion.

480sparky · Apr 11, 2015

pixmedic said:
I think we have a few people here that shoot Canon, (not sure why though ) so im sure you can get Canon related questions answered in a fairly timely fashion.

It's because Canon has a 'Zoo' mode for shooting at the zoo.

jake337 · Apr 11, 2015

Hello from Minnesota. This right here is a pretty active forum. There also is photocamel.Com, Fred Miranda Forums and Openphotographyforums.com.

Depending on where and what time of day you posted your question it may Have just got lost in the sea of threads.

Overread · Apr 11, 2015

Your poll won't let me pick more than one lens - and in all honesty I don't have a go-to. What I go-to depends entirely on what I think or will be doing.

If I'm going to do macro I could pick any number of several depending on if I want to do regular or high-magnification work. I oft take two (one regular and one the MPE65mm for high mag work).

If I'm going to the zoo or doing wildlife its the 120-300mm

If I'm going eh actually you could kinda say my go-to for everything else is the 70-200mm. Though on the flipside until recently I didn't have anything shorter than 70mm that I liked using that wasn't a macro prime lens - so my Tamron 24-70mm still has to get some more miles on the focus wheel to win its way into being the grab-lens for things.

Anyway welcome to the site - hope to see you around and see your photography! We are certainly an active bunch here; active and yet not so active that you're lost in a sea of users (some of those huge sites can feel a bit odd to be on when the number of users is so huge

astroNikon · Apr 11, 2015

I didn't pick anything either in the poll.
Because I have specific lenses for specific duties.
And why specifically a pancake prime in the poll?

Derrel · Apr 11, 2015

Hey, welcome back to TPF, and great to see you posting. So you like mini soda's too! I LOVE those tiny mini soda's as well! My favorites are the little Mexican bottles of either orange soda or Coca~Cola, made with real sugar!

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

Overread said:
Your poll won't let me pick more than one lens...

That's intentional for the reason I will explain below...

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

astroNikon said:
I didn't pick anything either in the poll.

That's intentional for the reason I will explain below...

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

Derrel said:
So you like mini soda's too!

What? Mini soda? I swear I didn't smoke weed. LOL!

Derrel · Apr 11, 2015

I coulda' sworn I heard mini soda thrown around in there when you were talking!

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

The reason for a single choice pole:
I just bought the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake prime with the intention of using it on my Rebel T4i and carrying it around like a point-and-shoot. I just sold my Canon G12 and used those funds to purchase the 40mm. However, I'm still more comfortable with my kit lens, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; I've shot most of my best photographs with it. But, I wanted the 40mm pancake prime to push myself, to bring back those old 35mm film experience w/55mm, to zoom with my feet. (Note: 40mm on a crop sensor is a 64mm for 35mm full-frame equivalent). So, I intentionally want the pole to be single-choice. If you had to grab just one lens and go, which would you be most comfortable with? It's a hypothetical situation. I chose my kit lens with all its distortion and chromatic aberrations issues in the pole; I hope one day that will change to the 40mm; it's a better lens in many ways.
In a way, I added the pancake prime to answer the question to the vast body of knowledge of TPF what they would recommend in that one-lens hypothetical situation.
In reality, I own four lenses (check my profile) and they all fit in my little SlingShot 202AW, which is a small camera bag. When I'm intentionally going to a photo shoot, there's no reason for me not to grab that bag and give me every option.
Today, it's between the old reliable kit lens and the new 40mm, and I have to give the latter a chance.

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

Derrel said:
I coulda' sworn I heard mini soda thrown around in there when you were talking!

So I'm not high? Thank God!

PalaDolphin · Apr 11, 2015

Oh, and of all the lenses listed, the one I miss the most in my 35mm film days is the wide-angle. The kit at 18mm becomes a 29mm for a crop-sensor body, not nearly as wide as my old Fujifilm 18mm at full-frame. It's my destiny to purchase a 5th lens and it's a tough choice because I want wide-angle now. That's not a good choice for migrating to full-frame later; I hear you can't even put a filter on them. LOL.