Ken chooi's Page

I'll have a thorough look at this later, but there are two options that came in my mind (both of them I know by myself, and are really budget lenses, excellent value for the money).
One is the new Nikkon 18-105VR, very good sharpness/color and all round lens, with good results at the long end.
The second is the 55-200VR - while it is good as tele zoom, it is excellent for portrait work and even for close-ups from a reasonable distance.
Have a look at them and we will futher dicuss this, if you wish.

By the way, another excellent option for portraits and shots in lower light is the AF 50 f/1.8 prime. Excellent IQ and low price.

Dear Ken
I was used canon 75-300mm f 4-5.6 usm lense for shooting the tiger posted in my page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization
http://bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/polarizers.html
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/techniques/polarized/gallery/index.html
rgrds
gotru

Dear Ken,
read your query on polarziers her are a few sites to give you a back ground on the subject( not that you could not find then on the net) if you are inteseted in the theory of light for a photographer or using the filter please let me know

gosh u r good.. im far from ur shooting experience :D

Hi Ken,
As a percentage the number of portraits I shoot is very small. Also, I prefer to shoot with natural light and don't own any studio lights. My portraits are typically of family and friends, the remainder are of performers or attendants at public events. The result of all of this is that my portraits tend to be candid photos. I don't think you need a specific lens or camera for portraits, a portrait I really like, of a friend, was taken by my wife with a CoolPix 2100 which is a 2 megapixel camera with a 3x zoom. Another favorite is of my father, taken with a CoolPix 5700, a 5 megapixel camera with a 10x lens. Other favorite portraits were taken with Canon SLR's with either Canon or Sigma lenses.
Quality lenses make a difference. Conventional wisdom is that a focal length of 50 to 135 mm is recommended, the D80 has a 1.5 crop factor so the frame will fill with a slightly shorter lens than on a film SLR. If you specialize in portraits, you might decide to use a prime lens but to start out, a quality zoom lens will give the flexibility to move close, or step back and adjust composition from either position.
I think rather than a specific lens, the picture benefits most from practice, practice, and more practice. And, perhaps a little luck.

Hi Ken! Thank you for the compliment about my "In Flight" photo. I used a 28-135 IS Canon lens.

Ken - I currently have a Monfrotto tripod with a pan/tilt head and a Monfrotto monopod. A lot depends on your budget and usage. Bogen will have something that starts in the $200 range and goes to more money than most folks would care to spend, then you've got to add a head.

Murray

I don't shoot with tripods unless I'm required to at weddings for balcony shots inside churches. We use Bogen/Manfrotto, and they're alright. I mean, I'm probably not the best person to ask. All of my work on here was shot handheld.

You will need a good metal, though, like aluminum.. it's lightweight and trustworthy at the same time.