Rmplmnz

Awesome clarity on the pics!!!

venturabananas

Nice manzano Mitchel. How tall? Any Photoshopping of the pics?

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momoese

Thanks guys. Both pics had Auto Levels and a bit of cropping in Photoshop but that's it! I didn't even use a polarizing filter for these.

Both plants flowered at about 12-13 feet of P S. Both flowers are smaller than normal due to not being fed at all because I had planned to remove the stand but never did.

Chris did you get a new camera yet?

Rmplmnz

Hey Mitchel...no still look looking..saw some Black Friday deals on Canon Rebel T2i (I recall you said the Canons were good Cameras..then I got side tracked on lens speeds....)..it used to be so simple to research SLR's....

momoese

Well now days there are so many and they upgrade so fast it's tough to keep up. You have plants that I would love to see pics of so get to shopping!

venturabananas

Rmplmnz,

Buy a Canon or Nikon DSLR, any model, and you will be happy with it (I'm sure other bands are fine, too). I suspect Mitchel knows a lot more about them than I do, but I've owned two Canon DSLR's (the original Canon "Digital Rebel" and now an Xsi) and have taken lots of underwater photos with them. Both were great. Even the pros I've talked to say you really don't know anything more in terms of the sensor. It's all about quality "glass". Buy good lenses and the only thing that will stop you from taking good images is your understanding of the basic principles of photography (and Photoshop can help you "cheat"). Like Mitchel says, there is always something "better" coming along, but you know what, the lenses don't change very often and they are much more important that all the bells and whistles on the newer cameras.

That's my take. Go get more banana photos!

Cheers.

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Rmplmnz

Thanks, some of the reviews complained about the "speed of the lenses" and recommended some series of lenses over others??

venturabananas

In general, more expensive lenses autofocus faster. That said, I've never found my entry level lenses to be any more annoying about focus speed than my more expensive ones. Maybe if you were a sports photographer it would be really important. I suspect that if you are upgrading from a non-SLR, you will be so thrilled with a dSLR you won't even think about lens focus speed. I started with the "kit" lens and then went from there.

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momoese

Yes it's all about glass and that's where you will spend most of your money, or should anyway.

When they talk about fast glass they are simply referring to the max aperture size. Smaller number = bigger opening = more light hitting the film (sensor) equals the ability to use faster shutter speeds and lower ISO to avoid grain (digital noise). It also allows for better control over the DOF (Depth Of Field) Wide open apertures like 2.8 or bigger like 1.4 will produce a very shallow area of focus or DOF. I use this with most of my dog portraits or flower pictures to blur the background making to the subject the center of attention.

In general the bigger the aperture the more money you spend, especially with wide angle or long lenses. So a lot of camera shopping comes down to your budget and what you are looking to use the gear for. You will find better deals on used Nikon/Nikkor glass than Canon. Canon bodies are also a little more pricey. Most people in the know these days say you can't tell the difference in image quality between the two brands using comparable equipment so buy what fits your budget.

Hope that helps to explain fast glass.

The Hollyberry Lady

Bermy nana

Manzano flag leaf.

The flower is taking its time emerging but the weather here has cooled down to the high 60s this week and last week. All my plants have slowed their growth. Now I will have a couple months of waiting for the fruit to ripen. Next summer I expect I will have three plants blooming at the same time since I have 3 five foot high Manzanos on the same mat as this one.

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SoBe Musa

A beautiful flag leaf...of my favorite banana Goldfinger .
Some cold damages..but a strong plant it always hold pretty well.
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Bermy nana

Congrats on your bloom!

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The Hollyberry Lady

SoBe Musa

Goldfinger
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Caloosamusa

Today I have an SH-3640 and FHIA-2 (Mona Lisa) flowering. They have both made it through some cold weather.

SH-3640


Mona Lisa (FHIA-2)

Caloosamusa

Musa MacKlayi Flag leaf is showing.

sunfish

venturabananas

Tony, what variety is it and what p-stem height? That's really an attractive inflorescence.

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sunfish

P-stem is around 6' Don't know the variety I'm thinking Cavendish ?