In case you forgot what Cedar Point looks like...

[FeelTheFORCE]

These pictures are so awesome!

 

I wonder what MF would sound like without those little wheels. Would it sound like a normal chain lift? Are there any Intamin hypers that don't have those wheels, let the anti-rollbacks "click" on the track, and have a cable lift? Just curious.

[lapseofreason]

Awesome pictures, it's really cool how you managed to zoom in that much. I can't wait to see these rides in person

[andy_e219]

They are some awesome pics man, but I didn't forget what it looked like just yet.

[kissorkill2night]

wow amazing pics.

SLR im guessing?

What kind of lense?

[thrillrideseeker]

OMG!! Those pictures are amazing!! This makes me look forward to going to Cedar Point even more! You did a really amazing job!! I love all the reactions of the people on Power Tower!! Again great job!

~Matthew

[Rollertoaster]

For all those that asked, it's a Canon Rebel XTi. I'm thinking of upgrading soon... The XSi is about to come out with 12Mpixels (this one has 8M pixels). I also used a Canon 100-400mm IS lens, which retails for about $2500, but can be had for about $1600.

 

Thanks for all the compliments! It puts a smile on my face, for sure!

 

You're talking about this bad boy? And, the XTi is 10mp is it not? I assume you mean you have the Rebel XT a.k.a. 350D?

 

Just like the crowd said, great shots! Closeups are a great way to show the human aspect of the park. Seeing people having fun is, well..., fun!

[Bruno Lancetti]

OMG this is the best selection ever posted on TPR!!! Hey... Hanno (one of the official TPR Trips Photographers), this is a big challenge for you!!! Race for the Sky... NO!!! Race for the Pic!!! Ahahahah...

[lil jimmy norton]

Wow, those are some great pictures, and not only do I miss Cedar Point, I miss coasters in general.

[denning]

I also used a Canon 100-400mm IS lens, which retails for about $2500, but can be had for about $1600.

 

My wife always mocks my lens envy as she thinks it is Men trying to overcompensate for their other "shortcommings".

 

But I have to tell you the Kit lens that came with my Rebel SLR is feeling very very pathetic right now.

[mike541x]

Great pictures. I love the close ups on MF!

[learn0156]

My compliments on these shots, they are clearly some of the best (if not THE BEST) ones I have ever seen. The expressions you caught on peoples faces is priceless.

 

I use to think that digital cameras were still a far cry from what film cameras can do; now I’m not so sure. I realize that this form is about amusement parks (and mainly about rollercoasters), so I hope my questions are not considered too far off topic.

I am guessing there are at least a few other would be amateur photographers like myself on this forum that would be interested in knowing a little more about how you got such amazing shots.

 

It looks like the angle on the pictures you took of MF are not from that steep of an angle. Did you take them from a very long way off, or, did you get the shots from someplace up high? I was also wondering what image processing you may have done on these shots, and if the originals might be available somewhere on the net. (I would really like to see what the Rebel XT(i) was able to do, and what may be attributable to Photoshop magic.)

 

Again, incredible shots!

 

Thank You.

[Kennyweird]

WOW!

 

Without a doubt, these are the best Cedar Point shots I've ever seen, period. Kudos to you, MonkeyPants.

[Rct3man777]

Lol:

I love this picture that guy took...

I know a family I'm gonna be making fun of!

[MonkeyPants]

Rct3man777 - Are you saying that you know those people? Let them know that posting it was all in good fun!

 

You're talking about this bad boy? And, the XTi is 10mp is it not? I assume you mean you have the Rebel XT a.k.a. 350D?

 

Yep, that's the lens alright.. So nice! And yes, you're right, I mistyped... I use a Rebel XT, not XTi. I had brain fart... Good catch!

 

My wife always mocks my lens envy as she thinks it is Men trying to overcompensate for their other "shortcomings".

 

But I have to tell you the Kit lens that came with my Rebel SLR is feeling very very pathetic right now.

 

LOL! I disagree with your wife's assessment, but I could be biased since I'm a man. A small, small man. But I have a big lens! That counts for something, right? "Hey baby, check out my 400mm!"

 

My compliments on these shots, they are clearly some of the best (if not THE BEST) ones I have ever seen. The expressions you caught on peoples faces is priceless.

 

I use to think that digital cameras were still a far cry from what film cameras can do; now I’m not so sure. I realize that this form is about amusement parks (and mainly about rollercoasters), so I hope my questions are not considered too far off topic.

I am guessing there are at least a few other would be amateur photographers like myself on this forum that would be interested in knowing a little more about how you got such amazing shots.

 

It looks like the angle on the pictures you took of MF are not from that steep of an angle. Did you take them from a very long way off, or, did you get the shots from someplace up high? I was also wondering what image processing you may have done on these shots, and if the originals might be available somewhere on the net. (I would really like to see what the Rebel XT(i) was able to do, and what may be attributable to Photoshop magic.)

 

Again, incredible shots!

 

Thank You.

 

Well, thanks very much. I like your questions actually, I can tell you're probing to learn how to improve your photography.

 

In my opinion, at least in the SLR range, digital is vastly superior to film. I'm glad I switched to dig, and hope to never shoot film again. Part of what I didn't like was the extent that other people had an influence on my results (ie, labs). And I always had to make the choice between potentially half-assed processing or paying alot for pro-processing.

 

The shots of MF first drop were taken from near the first overbanked turn. If you go into the petting farm area on Frontier Trail, you can go behind it. You actually can go underneath the overbanked turn a little. That's where I shot from, and that's why it doesn't really appear that I'm 'looking up' at the lift hill.

 

I used the 100-400 of course, zoomed to 400. The really close up ones are also cropped. They were not shot that tight. That would require a very long lens. Canons longest lens currently is the 800mm. Needless to say, 800mm lenses are not cheap! It goes for about $12,000.

 

But, in order to crop tight like that, you must have a sharp image to start with. That means using a fast enough shutter speed to eliminate camera shake (the IS helps here) but also to freeze the motion of the train (not super hard at top of lift, quite hard at bottom of first drop!).

 

My older consumer level lens (70-300mm) does not have high enough quality glass to accomplish this. If I had shot this same photo with the 70-300, there's really no way it would be as sharp.

 

I used Lightroom for processing. All I really did was adjust contrast (speading the histogram towards the dark end really, really helps with making colors pop. I don't generally add saturation as a way to make colors vibrant, as this often is unnatural looking.

 

And of course, I cropped the images. That's pretty much all the processing that went into them.

 

If there was one thing I wish I could change, it would be the huge hotspot on the front of the MF train. As the train went over, that only happened for a split second, but I happened to shoot just as it did. (I actually didn't not notice it, but I suspected it might happen, since the sun was in that postion.

 

Without question, the shots would have been much prettier if I they had been shot later in the afternoon, or early evening since the sun would be shining on the people directly, and would be warmer. The trick would be that it would be harder to be able to use a fast enough shutter speed.

 

Anyway, I hope that was informative!

 

Thanks for all the compliments! Glad people are enjoying them!

[PortugePunk]

wow... just... wow...

 

these are probably the BEST shots of Cedar Point that I've ever seen! So awesome. Thanks for sharing!

[Rct3man777]

^^No, I don't know that family, but I DID have alot of fun posting that!

[Simba]

You're talking about this bad boy? And, the XTi is 10mp is it not? I assume you mean you have the Rebel XT a.k.a. 350D?

 

Yep, that's the lens alright.. So nice! And yes, you're right, I mistyped... I use a Rebel XT, not XTi. I had brain fart... Good catch!

 

My compliments on these shots, they are clearly some of the best (if not THE BEST) ones I have ever seen. The expressions you caught on peoples faces is priceless.

 

I use to think that digital cameras were still a far cry from what film cameras can do; now I’m not so sure. I realize that this form is about amusement parks (and mainly about rollercoasters), so I hope my questions are not considered too far off topic.

I am guessing there are at least a few other would be amateur photographers like myself on this forum that would be interested in knowing a little more about how you got such amazing shots.

 

It looks like the angle on the pictures you took of MF are not from that steep of an angle. Did you take them from a very long way off, or, did you get the shots from someplace up high? I was also wondering what image processing you may have done on these shots, and if the originals might be available somewhere on the net. (I would really like to see what the Rebel XT(i) was able to do, and what may be attributable to Photoshop magic.)

 

Again, incredible shots!

 

Thank You.

 

Well, thanks very much. I like your questions actually, I can tell you're probing to learn how to improve your photography.

 

In my opinion, at least in the SLR range, digital is vastly superior to film. I'm glad I switched to dig, and hope to never shoot film again. Part of what I didn't like was the extent that other people had an influence on my results (ie, labs). And I always had to make the choice between potentially half-assed processing or paying alot for pro-processing.

 

The shots of MF first drop were taken from near the first overbanked turn. If you go into the petting farm area on Frontier Trail, you can go behind it. You actually can go underneath the overbanked turn a little. That's where I shot from, and that's why it doesn't really appear that I'm 'looking up' at the lift hill.

 

I used the 100-400 of course, zoomed to 400. The really close up ones are also cropped. They were not shot that tight. That would require a very long lens. Canons longest lens currently is the 800mm. Needless to say, 800mm lenses are not cheap! It goes for about $12,000.

 

But, in order to crop tight like that, you must have a sharp image to start with. That means using a fast enough shutter speed to eliminate camera shake (the IS helps here) but also to freeze the motion of the train (not super hard at top of lift, quite hard at bottom of first drop!).

 

My older consumer level lens (70-300mm) does not have high enough quality glass to accomplish this. If I had shot this same photo with the 70-300, there's really no way it would be as sharp.

 

I used Lightroom for processing. All I really did was adjust contrast (speading the histogram towards the dark end really, really helps with making colors pop. I don't generally add saturation as a way to make colors vibrant, as this often is unnatural looking.

 

And of course, I cropped the images. That's pretty much all the processing that went into them.

 

Anyway, I hope that was informative!

 

Thanks for all the compliments! Glad people are enjoying them!

 

Hi!

 

First of all thank you for all those wonderful pics, how lucky you are to own "The Dyson" it appears to be an amazing lens.

 

I have the 400D (Rebel XTi) and I think they are pretty similar (except for the 10Mpx Sensor and the dust cleaning mechanism (which was the first on a Canon DSLR that's why it doesn't really work )) and I've got to say that I understand your willing to change your camera. But I don't think that there's a big difference between the 350D/400D and the 450D (Rebel XSi). Now it depend on your needs, do you really need all the little gadgets that were added to the 450D (Liveview, Bigger LCD screen, 12Mpx...). Considering my needs I would rather wait for the price of the 5D to lower even more and get one. This is an incredible DSLR having the advantage of a full frame sensor in a compact "cheap" body. The image quality of the 5D is now legendary even if some of the latest DSLR have a better image quality (particularly the Nikon D3).

Well we may have different needs so I guess that a 40D may better suit you. It's better than the 450D (except for the 10Mpx, sensor which is totally sufficient) and their prices are pretty close.

I think the most important thing before choosing a camera is thinking about your utilization.

 

I was wondering also, what other lenses do you own?

Cause if you own expensive EF-S lenses (EF-S 17-55 IS or EF-S 10-22) the 5D might be a bad choice since it's only compatible with the EF mount lenses.

 

A little "photo geek fact" the longest (and biggest) Canon super-telephoto lens is actually the EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM, it's price is around 125 000$ and it's a very rare lens.

Here's a photo of the beast:

 

And one last question, are you shooting in raw or jpeg?

 

But I have to tell you the Kit lens that came with my Rebel SLR is feeling very very pathetic right now.

 

Actually it is not THAT bad. Okay it's not great but once you know it's flaws you learn how to get the better of it. But you better take photo on a sunny day cause you've got to close your diaphragm (to approximately f/8) to get sharper photos this means that you need much more lights to achieve fast shutter speeds, that's why I usually move during the exposure to create motion blur effects.

I had to shoot with it for a long time (before I bought the Tokina 12-24 f/4)

and I got some pretty nice photos, here are some examples from my US trip last summer:

 

If you're looking for a cheap and wonderful lens go for the cheapest of all the canon EF lenses: the 50mm f/1,8 II. I have one and it's absolutely amazing how sharp the images are and even more when you close a little to f/2,8.

[rollerboy]

WOW those are some of the best pics ever loved them Cedar Point looks amazing!

[MonkeyPants]

Simba,

 

Cool shots! Interesting post, clearly you are experienced in the world of photography.

 

I don't have a bunch of expensive lenses... I'm just starting to think about upgrading. I'm contemplating the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS. Futher down the line, I'd like a good wide angle, and am considering the Canon 10-22.

 

btw - I don't own that 100-400... I rented it from lensrentals.com. Super nice lens!

 

How do you like that Tokina 12-24? That may be a good alternative, but I'm not familiar at all with that brand.

 

As for camera bodies... I have a hard time telling the benefits of the more expensive bodies, except that they are more durable, but I'm excessively careful with my camera. Back in the day, I worked at a camera store, and when it was not busy, I'd read about the cameras. I remember comparing a Canon Elan II to an A2 (significant price difference) and the only real difference in the specs was the A2 had faster burst speed, and more frames. Plus it had a max shutter speed of 1/8000 vs 1/4000 in the Elan II.

 

I guess in some ways, I still think the same way about bodies. Plus, they're so expensive!

 

What are the benefits of the 5D, in your view? You mentioned the full size sensor... What else?

 

With the XT, there are a few things I would like to upgrade from... One is the view screen is much too small, and of a style that doesn't show detail clearly enough for me. Also, there is some functionality that is a little frustrating ie I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally bumped the little button that turns on timer mode, and subsequently missed the shot because when I press the shutter release, it begins the timer instead of snapping the image.

[Millennium Force 44]

Check out what i just found

 

 

 

See anything similar?

[zano]

How do u get that blur effect?

-I know you like follow the subject with the camera but I always get the whole picture blurry.

 

-And how do you set a digital SLR to take "reasonable" pictures in dark environments at a park e.g a dark ride Que.

[Simba]

Simba,

 

Cool shots! Interesting post, clearly you are experienced in the world of photography.

 

I don't have a bunch of expensive lenses... I'm just starting to think about upgrading. I'm contemplating the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS. Futher down the line, I'd like a good wide angle, and am considering the Canon 10-22.

 

btw - I don't own that 100-400... I rented it from lensrentals.com. Super nice lens!

 

How do you like that Tokina 12-24? That may be a good alternative, but I'm not familiar at all with that brand.

 

As for camera bodies... I have a hard time telling the benefits of the more expensive bodies, except that they are more durable, but I'm excessively careful with my camera. Back in the day, I worked at a camera store, and when it was not busy, I'd read about the cameras. I remember comparing a Canon Elan II to an A2 (significant price difference) and the only real difference in the specs was the A2 had faster burst speed, and more frames. Plus it had a max shutter speed of 1/8000 vs 1/4000 in the Elan II.

 

I guess in some ways, I still think the same way about bodies. Plus, they're so expensive!

 

What are the benefits of the 5D, in your view? You mentioned the full size sensor... What else?

 

With the XT, there are a few things I would like to upgrade from... One is the view screen is much too small, and of a style that doesn't show detail clearly enough for me. Also, there is some functionality that is a little frustrating ie I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally bumped the little button that turns on timer mode, and subsequently missed the shot because when I press the shutter release, it begins the timer instead of snapping the image.

 

Sorry it took me so long to answer but I've been really busy lately with photos and video editing.

 

The 70-200mm f/2,8 IS is sure a really nice lens but really too expensive. If I had enough money I would definitively buy it. Actually I'm saving money to buy a Sigma 70-200 f/2,8 II DG Macro APO EX. I've read that its construction is not as good as the Canon's but you get really nice and sharp pics but it doesn't have an image stabiliser.

 

I never really though of renting a lens, but you gave me the idea! I may try it soon.

 

The Tokina 12-24mm f/4 is a really nice lens, the only thing I can regret is the 2mm difference with a Sigma 10-20 DC or Canon 10-22. It doesn't make this big of a difference but in some cases it does. Also it tends to produce Chromatic Aberration, but it's easily correctable with Lightroom. You can find the first photos I took with it at Disneyland Paris here:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40382&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 --> http://magicvision.free.fr/TOTUGA/

 

Well you can't compare today cameras with older ones. Today each camera have it's own sensor on which the image quality depends a lot. The size of the sensor, its resolution, its type (CCD or CMOS mainly)... are to take in consideration while choosing a body.

For example, Canon has 3 type of sensors:

- APS-C, like the 40D, 30D, 350D, 400d... This sensor has a crop factor of 1,6x. This means that to have the equivalent of a focal length on a 24x36mm camera you have to multiply the focal by 1,6.

Example: My Tokina 12-24 on my 400D is actually a 19-38mm. This is due to the sensor size cause the APS-C is smaller than a Full Frame one.

 

- APS-H, it has a crop factor of 1,3x. This type of sensor is used on the 1D pro bodies: EOS 1D, 1DII, 1DIIn, 1DIII.

 

- Full Frame, the sensor has a size of 24x36mm, that's the same size as the old 35mm film cameras. This type of sensor is used on 1Ds series (1Ds, 1DsII, 1DsIII) and the 5D.

 

So this differentiate the "cheap" and expensive cameras. A bigger sensor always means less noise (just take a look at the amazing Nikon D3!) and sharper images. Expensive bodies have a LOT of settings, much much faster focusing systems, way better viewfinders... there are many differences. Due to the crop factor of smaller sensors the full frame always has a wider angle.

 

Those are some of the reasons why I'm obsessed with the 5D!

 

Also, there is some functionality that is a little frustrating ie I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally bumped the little button that turns on timer mode, and subsequently missed the shot because when I press the shutter release, it begins the timer instead of snapping the image.

 

I had a similar problem while taking photos on Gemini. I accidentally hit the white balance button and changed it. The on ride photos are yellowish because of that...

 

How do u get that blur effect?

-I know you like follow the subject with the camera but I always get the whole picture blurry.

Well you got it right. Actually the photo of Mean Streak was taken from a moving car, it was kinda funny to race with the train.

You just need to practice, this is not easy at first. Shot in continuous mode, aim at a point or something on the train that you follow. Put the camera in Tv mode to set your shutter speed. Set it to 1/80 or 1/100. Depending on your focal length you'll need a shorter or longer shutter speed. When the focal length is important the shutter speed can be faster. Just take a look at the Exif of the photos

 

-And how do you set a digital SLR to take "reasonable" pictures in dark environments at a park e.g a dark ride Que.

Use the Exposure Compensation:

 

Usually cameras are set to underexpose the pics. If the weather is bad and the sky is grey, it's more likely that the photos will be really underexposed, in that case I always set the exposure compensation to +1 EV or more.

To know if you have to set a higher ISO or not take a look at the shutter speed value that the camera gives you after measuring the exposure. If it's too slow, you may get motion blur. In that case set a higher ISO value. To know if the shutter speed is fast enough to get a sharp image, you have to know yourself, knowing which shutter speed is your limit. This depends on the focal length too (longer focal length meaning less stability).

Of course you have to take into consideration the subject of your shot. If it's still or moving.

 

 

I hope that my post was entirely comprehensible and helping. Once again sorry it took me that long to answer.