Camera Labs

I agree with wolfsongs post above, especially the part about the story behind what would actually be a not very good or an apparently uninteresting picture. I am a member of a (very) small photography club where I work and sometimes a picture is displayed and met with a muted response until to story behind it is told.

I am also sorry to read about dubaiphil, I always looked at his posts, esp. the B&W, some great work.

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Dent, Arthur Dent.

Pentax k-30 and k-x with DAL 18-55mm and DAL 55-300mm, Tamron 18-50mm and Camera Labs Straps.

Man, this spammer is on the verge of making me burst out in anger

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Gear: Canon SX20 IS, Canon Rebel T3i, Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Wishlist: Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
Visit me and leave me a comment in My Flickr

Saturday will be interesting, first photo session. Taking a friends holiday photos. For payment he and his wife have to let me take some portraits for me to get some practice and use torwards a future portfolio if they turn out

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Mike "The Squirrel"
Canon 550D | Canon EF 35mm 1:2 | Canon 50 f/1.8 II | Sigma 18-125mm DC OS | Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD | Canon 430EX II
Military Issued Canon 40D | Canon 55-250mm IS

Thinking I have a great job, just got in from flying around Milford sound looking at rockfall around the homer tunnel then flying back via routeburn track through the southern alps..... Photos to follow

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Canon 550D, Canon EFS 17-85 IS USM, Canon EF 75-300 IS USM, Canon EFS 10-22mm USM, Canon EF35mm F2.

Got some of the gear but really still no idea...

Hi everyone, thanks for all your feedback!

I'm the first to admit I've not been spending much time on the forums here - as many of you know I'm currently travelling, so have very limited time on the internet. Literally about an hour a day online. So when I am online, I'm generally publishing reviews, which as you know are still coming at a rate of at least one a week, often two. So while the forum has slowed down, the main editorial side of the site is operating at full speed!

As many of you also know I'm active on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, posting about the places I've visited on my trip so far and promoting the reviews here. Thing is, it's quicker and easier to do that on social media as there's effectively only one forum to check and post in. I can get that done in a matter of minutes, whereas the nature of the forum means it takes longer as there's more sections to check and browse.

My friends at Google tell me we should 'go where the conversation is', which right now means discussing stuff on social media. It is however frustrating when you have your own community which is struggling. Ideally I'd like to keep both the forum and my social channels active, but it can be tough while I'm away, at least until I settle in the New Year.

I do however think that the concept of a forum as we see it today is becoming outdated and that people want other means and channels to communicate and share. It's our job to try and work out what that is and to implement it as best we can here on the site.

I love Wolfsong's suggestions, although as some of you know there are already some map-based photo sharing systems out there. Maybe we can do better. Maybe we could integrate custom cameralabs versions of them, or have cameralabs teams.

We have a small but strong and friendly community here and I'd like to try my hardest to provide you with the best possible platform for asking questions, sharing ideas and most of all sharing our photos. Increasingly it's looking like a traditional forum as we see it today is not the best model, at least not for cameralabs.

So I'd love to hear what you'd like to see here in its place. I think we need something simple but unique. There's no point replicating what already exists or making it over-complicated. There are actually quite a few posts every day on this forum, it's just that they're spread out too much. We need to simplify things.

I'd love to hear what you think,

Gordon

Only have a few minutes but my thoughts are as follows...

#1 I love this site and plan on being here for some time...
#2 It is sad to see that some of the ppl who first drew me to this site are now gone but such is the way of these things as we all evolve and many times our interests change or we simply decide to travel a different path.
#3 I've often thought when reading posts in the past that asked a question "man just take a few minutes and look through the site as that question has been asked and answered multiple times". Thining back however I can see how the average user with only so much time just doesnt want to spend that time "searching" or feels his/her time could be better spent. When looking at the forums right now many times actual tips or answers are buried within pages upon pages of posts which are more social posts than posts that relate to tips, ideas or questions. I came to cameralabs to learn but for me it has evolved, as mentioned in a prior post, to more of a socail place for me to share my wildlife experiences while all the time willing to share what I know of course... but again.. I came here to learn and I found it a great place to do that.
#4 I think it is important for cameralabs to stick with what I think its original goal was which to me was an educational site where ppl could come to learn about all aspects of photography as well as gain understanding from Gordon's reviews and make buying their gear that much easier.
#5 IF cameralabs was to figure out a way how to seperate the social from the tips and reviews I think you would get the best of both worlds... The reviews would always stand alone as they do now which is great but the tips as well would stand alone making it that much easier for new members to navigate the site to find their answers hopefully in a quick and easy way... while those who have been here for a while would hopefully gradually take interest in the ongoing social aspect of the site which would still revolve 100% around photography.
#6 IF this social aspect of the site could have the appearence and ease of use of some of the more advanced social sies out there today all the better ... if like I said to enter a post there would be fields which needed to be filled in, even though your post would fall in line as the newest post in the forum and as such one can easily keep up to ALL the most recent posts in one forum, the fields you filled in would drop the post into subforums pertaining to a country, area, city.. you get the idea... and if the forum had a world map on the main page above the posts one could easily choose to read the individual random post in order of date posted much like we do now or if that person is more interested in a particular reagion he could just click on the region on the world map and it would list for them all the posts made about that region...

I have to go.. hope that above makes sense as I just basically babbled it out and never reread it but those are my thoughts... when I get home Ill correct anything above in case I totally screwed up what I meant...

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Canon 7D + 50D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Pelican // Black Rapid // Think Tank // Manfrotto // Garmin

Reflections On Canadian Wildlife
My Flickr

I actually have to agree completely with Wolfsong, he just made a clear explanation of what I was thinking.

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Gear: Canon SX20 IS, Canon Rebel T3i, Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Wishlist: Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
Visit me and leave me a comment in My Flickr

http://venturevillage.eu/how-to-be-german-part-1#

As someone from Germany I really had to lough: It's just so true. But hey - I'm a vegetarian for 18 years now and I'm still alive without "Wurst". But I like Sauerkraut as well as Baked Beans, which are typically English - and vegetarian.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

I almost pulled off a trifecta of awesomeness today. #1 I confirmed that I will be getting a 5D mkII to carry to Afghanistan with me (almost got a 5D mkIII) and can order a 70-200 f/2.8 IS II once we get there #2 Found out that on 1 December I get promoted #3 got skipped today. I was supposed to get a small award from the General but he got too busy so I don't see getting that before I leave for Afghanistan

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Mike "The Squirrel"
Canon 550D | Canon EF 35mm 1:2 | Canon 50 f/1.8 II | Sigma 18-125mm DC OS | Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD | Canon 430EX II
Military Issued Canon 40D | Canon 55-250mm IS

Congratulations!

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Gear: Canon SX20 IS, Canon Rebel T3i, Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Wishlist: Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
Visit me and leave me a comment in My Flickr

For the USA folks, Happy Thanksgiving Day to all!

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Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro

You to Rex and to all others as well that celebrate

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Mike "The Squirrel"
Canon 550D | Canon EF 35mm 1:2 | Canon 50 f/1.8 II | Sigma 18-125mm DC OS | Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD | Canon 430EX II
Military Issued Canon 40D | Canon 55-250mm IS

One of my tripod legs has come loose

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

My deviantART

SOooooo, you have a bi-pod now

I hope it wasn't a Manfrotto I just added 2 to my Amazon wish list

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Mike "The Squirrel"
Canon 550D | Canon EF 35mm 1:2 | Canon 50 f/1.8 II | Sigma 18-125mm DC OS | Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD | Canon 430EX II
Military Issued Canon 40D | Canon 55-250mm IS

Haha, yes a bipod and a monopod!
No Manfrotto - it's the Velbon in my sig

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

My deviantART