From what I've read in other forums, most likely the papers would want the photos for nowt, unless you have been paid to cover an event for them....or if its something really really news worthy (like Gary Linker Eats Golden Wonder Crisps)
I'd say unless you have a real scoop of something incredibly newsworthy (in which case it would go beyond a local paper anyway) then it's impossible. Newspapers have photographers on their staff to cover events for them. If they don't send a guy to cover an event, chances are they don't want pictures on it anyway. Any generic, non-event photography will be sourced through a stock agency.
VR kicks ass but I don't really think it's make-or-break on an 18-55mm.
The vibration reduction system does help you shoot in lower light situations because you can shoot 2-4 stops slower without handshake blur. But it doesn't stop motion within the frame, so if someone's hand is moving it'll blur, or if someone is talking their lips will be fuzzy, if they blink during exposure things really begin to look odd.
VR really comes into its own, I think, above about 80mm. To an extent it then loses effectiveness above ~250mm, because handshake can be too dramatic for the VR to counter. Combine a steady hand with VR in short- to mid-telephoto and it's an awesome feature.
I decided I want a DSLR as I'am planning on doing Photography.
Anyway, my price range is up to £360 or so.
I have looked at 2 options so far, the D40 and the D60. I nearly brought a D60 10mins ago, but decided I should look around a bit more and ask you guys for a bit of advice.
Which one is better for its money? A D40 or D60? (Talking about with the default lenses at the moment)
D60 lens has VR whereas the D40 one doesn't - if you do zoomed-in shooting or shooting where the camera might shake then VR is great and the reason why I really want a D60.
I've just looked it up, and it would cost me £200 for a new one apparently.
So is it just the settings you have used, or the capabilities of the camera? It's not that i was trying to put you down about your pictures, but the fact that there so blurry and full of noise makes me think my phone could take a better picture.
What do you expect from a 1/4 second exposure on high ISO? Even though it is f2.8 and has IS, nothing will beat good hand holding or even better a tripod. And it is a compact digital camera, smaller sensors < DSLR sizes (APS-C) < Full frame for quality and noise.
Well i bought it some years ago. On most of the pics iso was at 80(one at 200 i think) and longish exposure (5 -15 secs or so)
And by the way, I did use a tripod, but it was reasonably windy(around 20 mph probably) as i took them off a hill next to the sea... so it wasn't perfectly still...
It is not just the quality that is lacking.
I see big pieces of black all around the frame,almost 3/4 of it is pitch black and has no detail.
When photographing landscapes or using very wide lenses the challenge is not to leave a big part of the frame without detail.
I know that it was night and there was the water for most of the frame but...
Electric Eye's pictures lack in composition,a couple of lights can't do all the job.
Given the negative tone of your first post on this, I'd like to see evidence to support your statement. Get posting.
You're introducing a destructive tone to this thread that I don't think will be appreciated by its participants. This thread has run its entire history with appreciative comments and constructive observation until now. It would be a shame to see it degenerate.
Out-of-hand criticism and dismissal of other peoples' photographic efforts is something I think you'll find that most photography forum users are careful to avoid. Anyone can destroy a photographer's confidence with a few very short words. But you don't do it, ever, firstly because it's unkind and secondly because by doing so you invite everyone else to obliterate your own photographic efforts. And trust me when I say that they will. Set yourself up as the bad guy and your photos become fair game. Seen it a thousand times before.
Boo bloody Hoo Sam! Is it a Golden rule NOT to criticize photographers photos? This is a Forum. If your expecting 100% positive criticism from everyone, then you shouldn't be on a Forum in the first place.
My comment was not nasty, nor was i trying to discourage the guy from taking any photographs in the first place. My point was that the quality was very bad, and i wanted to know whether it was something to do with the Camera, or just the general environment (Harsh lighting at night).