From: faust@bagels.enet.dec.com (Stephen R Faust)
Subject: Re: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE: What Camera/lens?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 24 JUL 92 15:21:38 EDT


In article <1992Jul24.161008.14963@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com>, chucksi@stc.comm.mot.com (Chuckorama) writes...
>Kind of a weird question, but if anyone out there has seen any of the Sports
>Illustrated videos of their swimsuit issue phoography shoots, I was curious 
>what cameras (My guess: F1) and more particularly what lens (some of them were
>HUGE) it looked like they were using...I'm sort of a rookie to photography, but
>I love the contrast and clarity of the pictures, and the way the backgrounds
>were clear, but flat.
> 
>				Chuck
>-- 
>*-----------------------*------------------------------------*
>*  The Chuckster        * "Hey, Myrtle. Don't go puttin' yer *
>*  chucksi@comm.mot.com *  lips on that thang!"              *
>*-----------------------*------------------------------------*

Robert Huntzinger (sp?) uses Nikon equipment. In the latest one, he was using
a combonation of lenses, but the long ones were the 300mm 2.8 and either the
500mm f4, or the 600mm f4. I have the 300mm 2.8, and it drops out the background
nicely. I use it for model portfolios and nature all the time. For model 
portfolios, I've never shot it at anything but 2.8 just for that effect. For
nature, it varies, but usually at f2.8 to 5.6, or 2.8 when using the 1.4x
converter for a 400mm f4. 

The nice part about these lenses is that you can create so many different
backgrounds which make the subject really stand out. You can take georgous
shots in a junk yard, since the background will just go to a overall rust
and earth toned color, and look almost like a painted backdrop, without seeing
any of the real elements that make up the background. The effect is basicly
just the lack of depth of field, and the subject to background distance. You
can do the same with a 105mm 2.5, or better yet, a 105mm 1.8, and keep the
background 2-3 times the distance of the model to camera distance. With the
105mm, you will be able to tell what the background is, but it will be 
way out of focus, which decreases the importance.

In the previous (25th Anniversary Issue, there were many different photographers
and equipment used. I saw Nikons, Cannons, and Minoltas, and a varied asst
of lenses from long to short. All the pictures look great. Kind of puts a 
dampner on the "My brand is better" attitutide. Since I watched it closely
on what photographer whas shooting who so I could judge their abilities and
see their results, I also knew what they shot it with. After looking at the
photos in the magazine, you could never tell that shot was done with a Minolta
vs a Nikon. All the brands deliver better resolution that you can get planted
on the printed page.

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Stephen R Faust                                         faust@bagels.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corp.                            faust@bagels.enet.dec.com
Networks and Communications                                   (508) 486-7433
Littleton, MA
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