Messages

1

Contests / Re: Gura Gear Giveaway!

« on: December 06, 2012, 06:00:37 PM »

I want to win!

2

Lenses / Re: What lenses do you own?

« on: August 28, 2012, 07:23:13 PM »

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L (second most-used lens)
Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 w/ Ed Mika conversion kit (my absolute favorite lens, on the camera 90% of the time)
Sigma DG EX 24-70mm f/2.8 (good all-purpose but looking to replace with a Canon EF 24-70 or 24-105)
Canon FD Tilt-Shift 35mm f/2.8 w/ Ed Mika conversion kit (great glass, small metal body)
Canon FD 300mm f/2.8 L w/ Ed Mika conversion kit (monster glass, big white metal body)

Using all on a 7D body.

3

Site Information / Re: In Sympathy for CR Guy

« on: July 17, 2012, 01:09:34 PM »

Craig, so sorry for your loss. 

4

Lenses / Re: FL 55mm 1.2 or FD 50mm 1.2L?

« on: April 19, 2012, 02:27:44 PM »

I love the FL 55mm.  It's an absolute pleasure to shoot with.  Right now I've got a shot from this lens in the Gura Gear World of COLOR contest:
http://bit.ly/HanHZZ
It is a 15 sec exposure of the MAX train in Portland, Oregon. 

P.S. Consider "liking" the Gura Gear page and vote for my photo!  Voting is allowed once every 24 hrs thru April 22nd. 

5

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 (Ed Mika Conversion)

« on: April 19, 2012, 10:23:23 AM »

My photo is in the Gura Gear World of COLOR contest:
http://bit.ly/HanHZZ

This is shot with the Ed Mika adapted FL 55mm f/1.2 lens.  It is a 15 sec exposure of the MAX train in Portland, Oregon.  I discovered both Ed Mika and Gura Gear here on Canon Rumors. 

Please "like" the Gura Gear page and vote for my photo!  Voting is allowed once every 24 hrs thru April 22nd.  Thanks!

6

EOS Bodies / Re: Anyone shooting film?

« on: April 05, 2012, 03:12:05 PM »

After many years without film, I am back into it.  I still have my Canon Rebel 2000 and recently acquired a Mamiya M645 1000S.  I wish I had gotten into medium format years ago but better late than never!

The oddity is i balk at the cost of film/developing/time yet dont think twice about a $3500 5d3....  Dont ask me how that is. 

Yeah, not to mention the costs for software, memory, printers & ink, etc!  Shooting film is really quite affordable.  Really good equipment is available and inexpensive and the film and developing is not hard to come by. 

7

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Travel tripod help!!

« on: March 23, 2012, 02:04:03 AM »

Thanks everyone who have replied. I am based in the Uk. Searching for the Benro tripods, it looks like that they are not popular here in the uk and there are no local dealers. Many models mentioned on there and on their webistes are not sold here, not even on amazon.co.uk:(

FYI, I got a Benro C-2691 off eBay from a Chinese seller named "Coobuy."  I was a little nervous but got a recommendation from wickidwombat and took a chance.  It was the right decision.  The product is the real deal, worldwide shipping was available and not expensive (about $20), and it came quickly and was less expensive than any other seller I found by over $100. 

8

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Travel tripod help!!

« on: March 20, 2012, 01:04:44 PM »

This string might be helpful...
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,2487.msg76313.html#msg76313

9

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Travel tripod help!!

« on: March 20, 2012, 01:01:38 PM »

I was in the same boat as you.  I'm a backpacker and traveler.  After getting advice from a bunch of CR forum members, I got the Benro C2691-TB1 Travel Angel off eBay as well.  It's a great deal on a great tripod!  The TB-1 ballhead is even quite usable.  I can put an old all-metal FD 300mm f/2.8 L and 7D on it with no worries -- it is rock-solid.  Folded up it fits inside my standard carry-on luggage.  The tripod is substantial and doesn't feel like a flimsy travel version.  Plus the camera sits at eye-level without extending the center column.  One of the best purchases I've made in years.

10

Lenses / Re: Going Beyond 300mm... for the birds

« on: March 18, 2012, 06:54:48 PM »

One more "budget" option:



Vivitar 800 mm pre-set lens (not mine, just a photo I snatched off flickr, but I have one just like it).

Nice!  That's a bazooka!

11

Lenses / Re: Going Beyond 300mm... for the birds

« on: March 18, 2012, 02:26:56 PM »

Another option on a budget is to find a reasonably priced FD supertele and get an EDMika adapter to make it EF.
http://www.canonrumors.com/tech-articles/fd-fl-lenses-on-your-ef-body/
Great IQ, great build quality (albeit heavier).  No AF or IS, but also at a total cost of 15-30% of the equivalent EF lens.  Ed's newest version of the 0.75mm adapter in the article, the 0.5mm bi-rotational adapter, works on crop or full-frame cameras. 

12

Software & Accessories / Re: EdMika relaunch of FL 55mm 1.2 EOS brass conversion kit

« on: March 18, 2012, 02:06:15 PM »

FYI, I lost a ball bearing when putting on the new FL 55mm adapter -- I sure was glad to have that spare!

13

Lenses / Re: Recommend me a lens that's better/more useful than a 50mm lens

« on: March 18, 2012, 01:42:22 PM »

Thanks for the suggestion, I will have to do some research on that particular lens. First time I've heard of it. Can I only get the lens and adapter from ebay? I dont use ebay coz of some dodgy 'sellers'.

Yes, as scrappydog indicated, Ed Mika is the only source for this adapter (which has no glass optics -- it's purely an engineered brass replacement for the FL 55mm's breach lock mount).  He is currently only selling on eBay.  Ed is an excellent seller and will do everything to make sure you get your adapter in a timely manner and provide all the support you'll ever need in getting it installed and functioning.  It's really quite fast and easy to adapt the lens and it is entirely reversible if you want to take the lens back to its original condition. 

Other adapters for old Canon glass usually involve optics which effectively slow the lens down.  Some adapters require you to permanently alter the lens making it thereafter unusable as originally intended.  All of Ed's adapters are non-permanent and non-altering, involve no optics, and have microchips providing autofocus confirmation and EXIF data back to the camera body.

I'm a big fan and now have several old lenses with Ed's converters.  The FL 55mm was my first.  Having a lens that can shoot at f/1.2 is a huge advantage -- it's letting in about 50% more light than f/1.4 and about six times more light than f/2.8 so you can do available light interiors and night shots.  Plus at that wide an aperture you can get super-shallow depth of field.  It's an 88mm equivalent on a crop body like the 7D so it's a great portrait lens, too. 

It's an awful lot of bang for not a lot of bucks.  And it's just a fun and versatile lens. 

14

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 (Ed Mika Conversion)

« on: March 18, 2012, 12:49:57 AM »

UPDATE:

I recommend getting a lens hood for times when you want to control flare -- the standard FL hood works (S-60), but if you're shooting on APS-C you can use the deeper telephoto lens hood (T-60-1) without it showing up in the corners of the frame.  I have both.

The T-60-1 telephoto hood works great to control flare but I have noticed occassionally that it affects the light metering, so I have switched to using the standard S-60 hood more often.

15

Lenses / Re: Recommend me a lens that's better/more useful than a 50mm lens

« on: March 18, 2012, 12:44:06 AM »

Since you're using a 7D, I would recommend looking for a Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 and get the EdMika FL 55mm brass adapter.  Search this forum for EdMika and you'll see photos and comments from people using it.  Also here's a link to one thread:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,1758.msg73641.html#msg73641
Also, if you look at the ribbon at the top of the CR home page you'll see and article called "FD & FL Lenses on your EF Body."  This is the whole story about Ed Mika.