Least useful accessory products for photography.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:38:02 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:

Alan Browne wrote:
Paul Furman wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:

There are many, of course, but what are the photography products you
believe or know are most useless.

There's all the stuff that comes in a 'kit' package.

You need something to pile in the attic or crawl space...

I was thinking, though, in terms of third party widgetry...

OK here's one I got, a Manfrotto Long Lens Support:
http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/Product... ryid~158.html
It's three parts as a kit, a mini ball-head #482, extension arm #3253
and the part that clamps on your tripod leg: Art. 035 max load 15kg. The
idea is to put the mini-ball head in your camera body with a lens that
has it's own mount, for better stability. It doesn't work. I thought up
the idea myself then learned such a thing exists. It was about $60. It's
almost sort of useful for clamping a P&S to a pipe or something but not
really. Quality construction. The clamp thing is powerful. The extension
arm is from the center of their big pro tripods. But it doesn't help
with long lenses, there's still a little play and it's horrible trying
to adjust your view with the thing on. Maybe it helps with the enormous
setup in the illustration on that link.

I was talking with a photographer today that shoots a lot of bird
pictures with a 500mm lens. Her camera is mounted on a gun stock
arrangement and she holds it like a shotgun. Some sort of release on
the stock. She described it, but I haven't seen it.

Dunno if she bought it or had it fabricated.


--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

tony cooper wrote:
Paul Furman wrote:

OK here's one I got, a Manfrotto Long Lens Support

I was talking with a photographer today that shoots a lot of bird
pictures with a 500mm lens. Her camera is mounted on a gun stock

Not a good choice for urban photography in post-9-11 USA g


arrangement and she holds it like a shotgun. Some sort of release on
the stock. She described it, but I haven't seen it.

Dunno if she bought it or had it fabricated.




--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

Troy Piggins wrote:
* Annika1980 wrote :
On Feb 4, 6:40 pm, Alan Browne
wrote:

Top of my list is the "Expodisc" - this was originally marketed to help
people nail their exposure. With the instant feedback of digital
cameras it is now marketed to help with white balance. I guess they get
good grades for a quick switch of "benefit".
snip /
My Canon ST-E2 Transmitter sees limited action, and will see even less
now that I've got some Pocketwizards. Should have gone that route
from the start.

Keep it for your future Radio Poppers.

Just got some CyberSyncs myself, couldn't afford PocketWizards.
When I get some time I'll have to play with them. We can have an
off-camera flash shootout.

snip /
Finally, I just had to have a Wacom tablet for my Photoshop work. My
wife bought me one for Christmas one year, and it sits near my
computer gathering dust. I suppose if I did that kind of thing all
day long I might get the hang of it.

So you reckon they're not worth it? Seen them regularly
mentioned among PS/GIMP users, assumed they made life much easier
than a mouse.

It's not the same when you can't see where you are drawing. I had wrist
problems once from autocad at work, & got one for use with my left hand.
For one thing I think you'd need a pretty big tablet to really help.
What I did like, was the ability to use that and a mouse simultaneously g.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:42:59 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:

Troy Piggins wrote:
* Annika1980 wrote :
On Feb 4, 6:40 pm, Alan Browne
wrote:

Top of my list is the "Expodisc" - this was originally marketed to help
people nail their exposure. With the instant feedback of digital
cameras it is now marketed to help with white balance. I guess they get
good grades for a quick switch of "benefit".
snip /
My Canon ST-E2 Transmitter sees limited action, and will see even less
now that I've got some Pocketwizards. Should have gone that route
from the start.

Keep it for your future Radio Poppers.

Just got some CyberSyncs myself, couldn't afford PocketWizards.
When I get some time I'll have to play with them. We can have an
off-camera flash shootout.

snip /
Finally, I just had to have a Wacom tablet for my Photoshop work. My
wife bought me one for Christmas one year, and it sits near my
computer gathering dust. I suppose if I did that kind of thing all
day long I might get the hang of it.

So you reckon they're not worth it? Seen them regularly
mentioned among PS/GIMP users, assumed they made life much easier
than a mouse.

It's not the same when you can't see where you are drawing. I had wrist
problems once from autocad at work, & got one for use with my left hand.
For one thing I think you'd need a pretty big tablet to really help.
What I did like, was the ability to use that and a mouse simultaneously g.

I've never tried drawing or any free-hand work with my Wacom. I use
it exclusively to make selections. The size of the tablet doesn't
make any difference in this application. The only "trick" I found was
overcoming the desire to look at the tablet instead of the screen. In
this respect, it's no different from using a mouse or trackball.

I had been selecting with a trackball in my right hand (I'm
left-handed) and moving the ball with my thumb. This is surprisingly
easy for me even with precision placement of the cursor. I don't find
the table more precise, even though I'm using it with my left hand,
but I do find it to be quicker. I do work with the image zoomed up
quite a bit. The Bamboo has programmable touch buttons at the top, I
have one set to Control Z to cancel the last placement.





--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

tony cooper wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:42:59 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:

Troy Piggins wrote:
* Annika1980 wrote :
On Feb 4, 6:40 pm, Alan Browne
wrote:

Top of my list is the "Expodisc" - this was originally marketed to help
people nail their exposure. With the instant feedback of digital
cameras it is now marketed to help with white balance. I guess they get
good grades for a quick switch of "benefit".
snip /
My Canon ST-E2 Transmitter sees limited action, and will see even less
now that I've got some Pocketwizards. Should have gone that route
from the start.
Keep it for your future Radio Poppers.

Just got some CyberSyncs myself, couldn't afford PocketWizards.
When I get some time I'll have to play with them. We can have an
off-camera flash shootout.

snip /
Finally, I just had to have a Wacom tablet for my Photoshop work. My
wife bought me one for Christmas one year, and it sits near my
computer gathering dust. I suppose if I did that kind of thing all
day long I might get the hang of it.
So you reckon they're not worth it? Seen them regularly
mentioned among PS/GIMP users, assumed they made life much easier
than a mouse.
It's not the same when you can't see where you are drawing. I had wrist
problems once from autocad at work, & got one for use with my left hand.
For one thing I think you'd need a pretty big tablet to really help.
What I did like, was the ability to use that and a mouse simultaneously g.

I've never tried drawing or any free-hand work with my Wacom. I use
it exclusively to make selections. The size of the tablet doesn't
make any difference in this application. The only "trick" I found was
overcoming the desire to look at the tablet instead of the screen. In
this respect,

it's no different from using a mouse or trackball.

Right. To be a significant improvement, you'd need a tilted touchscreen
where you can draw on the actual image.


I had been selecting with a trackball in my right hand (I'm
left-handed) and moving the ball with my thumb. This is surprisingly
easy for me even with precision placement of the cursor. I don't find
the table more precise, even though I'm using it with my left hand,
but I do find it to be quicker. I do work with the image zoomed up
quite a bit. The Bamboo has programmable touch buttons at the top, I
have one set to Control Z to cancel the last placement.







--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

Paul Furman wrote:
tony cooper wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:42:59 -0800, Paul Furman
wrote:

Troy Piggins wrote:
* Annika1980 wrote :
On Feb 4, 6:40 pm, Alan Browne
wrote:

Top of my list is the "Expodisc" - this was originally marketed to
help
people nail their exposure. With the instant feedback of digital
cameras it is now marketed to help with white balance. I guess
they get
good grades for a quick switch of "benefit".
snip /
My Canon ST-E2 Transmitter sees limited action, and will see even less
now that I've got some Pocketwizards. Should have gone that route
from the start.
Keep it for your future Radio Poppers.

Just got some CyberSyncs myself, couldn't afford PocketWizards.
When I get some time I'll have to play with them. We can have an
off-camera flash shootout.

snip /
Finally, I just had to have a Wacom tablet for my Photoshop work. My
wife bought me one for Christmas one year, and it sits near my
computer gathering dust. I suppose if I did that kind of thing all
day long I might get the hang of it.
So you reckon they're not worth it? Seen them regularly
mentioned among PS/GIMP users, assumed they made life much easier
than a mouse.
It's not the same when you can't see where you are drawing. I had
wrist problems once from autocad at work, & got one for use with my
left hand. For one thing I think you'd need a pretty big tablet to
really help. What I did like, was the ability to use that and a mouse
simultaneously g.

I've never tried drawing or any free-hand work with my Wacom. I use
it exclusively to make selections. The size of the tablet doesn't
make any difference in this application. The only "trick" I found was
overcoming the desire to look at the tablet instead of the screen. In
this respect,

it's no different from using a mouse or trackball.

Right. To be a significant improvement, you'd need a tilted touchscreen
where you can draw on the actual image.

I don't go along with that.
Making selections and drawing is /vastly/ improved with a (wacom)
tablet. That's before you get to pressure sensitivity etc.
If you dispute that, then try writing your signature with a mouse.
When they've developed a reasonable sized photo-quality touch-screen
with a non-reflective surface that doesn't mar, then the wacom tablet is
toast.
Until then...


I had been selecting with a trackball in my right hand (I'm
left-handed) and moving the ball with my thumb. This is surprisingly
easy for me even with precision placement of the cursor. I don't find
the table more precise, even though I'm using it with my left hand,
but I do find it to be quicker. I do work with the image zoomed up
quite a bit. The Bamboo has programmable touch buttons at the top, I
have one set to Control Z to cancel the last placement.


Yep - mine is set for left click - undo, right click redo.

On 2009-02-04 15:40:22 -0800, Alan Browne
said:


There are many, of course, but what are the photography products you
believe or know are most useless.

Top of my list is the "Expodisc" - this was originally marketed to help
people nail their exposure. With the instant feedback of digital
cameras it is now marketed to help with white balance. I guess they
get good grades for a quick switch of "benefit".

Second would be the little add on widget for the monitor on DSLR's to
shade them from the sun (and I fell for that one). What really counts
is what shirt or jacket you're wearing: all white - you can't see the
screen.

Actually, I like the ExpoDisc.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

Paul Furman wrote:
tony cooper wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:42:59 -0800, Paul Furman

wrote:

Troy Piggins wrote:
* Annika1980 wrote :
On Feb 4, 6:40 pm, Alan Browne

wrote:

Top of my list is the "Expodisc" - this was originally marketed
to help people nail their exposure. With the instant feedback
of digital cameras it is now marketed to help with white
balance. I guess they get good grades for a quick switch of
"benefit".
snip /
My Canon ST-E2 Transmitter sees limited action, and will see
even
less now that I've got some Pocketwizards. Should have gone
that
route from the start.
Keep it for your future Radio Poppers.

Just got some CyberSyncs myself, couldn't afford PocketWizards.
When I get some time I'll have to play with them. We can have an
off-camera flash shootout.

snip /
Finally, I just had to have a Wacom tablet for my Photoshop
work.
My wife bought me one for Christmas one year, and it sits near
my
computer gathering dust. I suppose if I did that kind of thing
all day long I might get the hang of it.
So you reckon they're not worth it? Seen them regularly
mentioned among PS/GIMP users, assumed they made life much easier
than a mouse.
It's not the same when you can't see where you are drawing. I had
wrist problems once from autocad at work, & got one for use with
my
left hand. For one thing I think you'd need a pretty big tablet to
really help.
What I did like, was the ability to use that and a mouse
simultaneously g.

I've never tried drawing or any free-hand work with my Wacom. I
use
it exclusively to make selections. The size of the tablet doesn't
make any difference in this application. The only "trick" I found
was overcoming the desire to look at the tablet instead of the
screen. In this respect,

it's no different from using a mouse or trackball.

Right. To be a significant improvement, you'd need a tilted
touchscreen where you can draw on the actual image.

Which, FWIW, is called a Wacom Cintiq. Expensive but coming down.

I had been selecting with a trackball in my right hand (I'm
left-handed) and moving the ball with my thumb. This is
surprisingly
easy for me even with precision placement of the cursor. I don't
find the table more precise, even though I'm using it with my left
hand, but I do find it to be quicker. I do work with the image
zoomed up quite a bit. The Bamboo has programmable touch buttons
at
the top, I have one set to Control Z to cancel the last placement.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On 2009-02-04 18:59:32 -0800, tony cooper said:

I was talking with a photographer today that shoots a lot of bird
pictures with a 500mm lens. Her camera is mounted on a gun stock
arrangement and she holds it like a shotgun. Some sort of release on
the stock. She described it, but I haven't seen it.

Dunno if she bought it or had it fabricated.

The Bush Hawk shoulder mount. I have one of those. They actually work.
I took one on my last trip to Florida and used it with a 400 mm lens in
an airboat.

The only complaint I have about it is that the shoulder pad keeps
coming off. I need to figure some way of securing it better.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On 2009-02-04 19:37:49 -0800, Paul Furman said:

tony cooper wrote:
Paul Furman wrote:

OK here's one I got, a Manfrotto Long Lens Support

I was talking with a photographer today that shoots a lot of bird
pictures with a 500mm lens. Her camera is mounted on a gun stock

Not a good choice for urban photography in post-9-11 USA g

A 500 mm lens is not a good choice for urban photography, period.
However, I have had no one even take a second look at the Bush Hawk.
The shoulder mount is dwarfed by the camera and lens. Disassembled it
looks like a gun stock. Once a camera is mounted on it, it is no more
threatening than some flash brackets I have seen.



--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor