Messages

1

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: The 5D Mark III & SD Memory Cards

« on: June 25, 2012, 05:53:32 PM »

Unfortunately my own theory about why the SD is crippled is more annoying. Because SD can be cheaper and nearly as fast as CF, which would move the 5D3 closer to the 1dx than canon marketing wants.

No proof, but certainly reaonable based on other behavior. Not that I have minded it once I got over the initial shock when the manual first became available. The rollover prevents you your photos from stopping completly while you find the right moment to swap the CF.

However, putting in a new CF isn't the end of it. You have to manuall switch the camera back to recording on the CF or it stays on the SD until its full. That another 10 to 20 seconds after already being slow and swapping a card until you get back to the job.

I think the major disppointment was that you couldn't do jpg to SD and RAW to CF without the performance hit.

2

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon fixed 5DIII light leak with tape

« on: May 02, 2012, 02:34:46 PM »

It kind of cracks me up when people talk about/are worried about the resale value of a camera they just bought 37 seconds ago.  I have NEVER based any purchase decision on the future resale value it may have, whether it be a vehicle, a piece of gear or an iPod.  If you want one, buy it. Use it, ENJOY it.

As I'm one of the ones who mentioned I'm concerned/annoyed with it, I'll respond....Loss of value means reduced profits as that money has to come from somewhere. Even for hobbiest, it may make the difference on when/if they upgrade and what else they purchase. If I knew that after a 3 years, a 1dx and a 5d3 would both depreciate only $1000, I'd get the 1dx and everything beyond the $1000 would just be a deposit that I get back. On capital equipment, resale value is important. You wouldn't buy a $300,000 home believing it would only be worth have that in a year, would you?

3

EOS Bodies / Re: New Extensive Firmware for the Canon EOS 7D? [CR1]

« on: April 20, 2012, 03:27:21 PM »

Canon announced that the GPS module is going to be compatible on 7d with firmware upgrade.  So we know that a 7d firmware update is coming soon with at least that feature. I wonder if thats enought to call it "extensive".

4

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Have you considered joining the dark side?...

« on: April 20, 2012, 08:47:43 AM »

IMO, anyone who hasn't considered it isn't serious about their hardware.  In fact, I'd point out that there aren't just two sides. I consider the smaller brands too.

But, not only do I have a glass investment with Canon, I also have a personal familarity with it, not that it woudln't translate into a reasonable familiarity with any brand, but I have never picked up a Canon SLR and felt out of place. Sure, some buttons are missing, there might be a new button here and there, and certain placement varies a little, but when I pick up a friend's Nikon (yes, I'm friends with Nikon owners), there is a different philosophy in place which is reflected in the buttons/switches, their functions, and their layouts. Its not amazingly different, but its different enough.  There are times I like the Nikon philosophy better, but not usually.

I think if I had started with Nikon, I'd prefer it, just as I prefer Canon since I started with them. There is the old saying about "the grass is always greener".  Sometimes the grass is actually greener, but that usually means more maneur.  People starting off have a great chance to invest in the manufacture that best fits their hands and their minds.  I wish all experienced people would push newbies into trying both/all cameras equally and getting them a great fit, instead of pushing them into their own choice.

5

EOS Bodies / Re: Light leak on 5D3 IS a big issue, and should embarrass Canon

« on: April 19, 2012, 02:13:09 PM »

From my quick personal tests, I'm not too worried about this except for one thing....

if Canon makes a change to the design but doesn't replace/fix the earlier models, then those of us with the early design may find our cameras with a lower resale value. In short, this could cost *me* money, and I don't like that.

I could just see Canon offering % or fixed $ off coupon in the Canon store. I had that happen before due to a printer design issue, and it was very displeasing since the discounted price was still higher that what I could get on the open market.

6

Lenses / Re: shooting into the sun...

« on: April 17, 2012, 08:19:57 AM »

Hi Photogs,

Would it harm my camera body or the lens if I shoot toward the sun?  If so, what type of filter protections can I get?  Please advise.  Thanks!

It would help if you were more specific. Towards the sun won't hurt, but extended periods of the sun going down the barrel of your lens would be undesirable, especially if the sensor is exposed for long periods (live view). If your talking a quick snap shot, or happening to scan past the sun while panning, then no big deal.

Also the size of the sun, relative to the pictures, will change how long your camera can look into it.  A wide angle lens isn't taking in as much heat/light with the sun in the corner as a telephoto pointed straight at it.

So, long project with sun as the subject....not a good idea without massive ND filter(s). Sun in the background of a snapshot, don't worry about it.

7

Third Party Manufacturers / High dollar battery chargers, who buys them?

« on: April 15, 2012, 08:43:34 PM »

I was looking at Dolgin Engineering chargers on B&H and couldn't figure out something...

Can anyone tell who buys these $300 to $600+ chargers, and more importantly why?

While I'm sure they can charge quickly and maintain battery health, you can buy a lot of batteries and cheap chargers for the same money. So where do they make sense?

Thanks

8

Lighting / Re: What happens to a non-sealed speedlite when getting wet?

« on: April 15, 2012, 04:16:13 PM »

It all depends where the water goes. As was said, the high power capacitor has enough stored energy to do damage the electronics. Its probably even enough to be dangerous, but I'm doubtful that a complete path could form from the capacitor to the end user.

That said, I'll use my 580 in "damp" weather. A cover of some type is a good idea. Rip a small hole and tape it down so IR light can make it to the trigger.

9

Software & Accessories / Re: Best resource to learn Lightroom

« on: April 15, 2012, 04:10:10 PM »

I don't think anyone mentioned looking at Adobe's own video library. They are free and fairly informative. Many of them are done by outside companies so you get a chance to see what is available before plopping down some money.

10

Software & Accessories / Re: Thoughts on DNG

« on: April 15, 2012, 04:05:31 PM »

I'm more than happy to have the 10 to 30% reduction in file size. There is no loss in image quality. DNG uses a lossless compression, but otherwise the image data should be identical to the original RAW. You could get similar space savings by just compressing the RAW into an appropriate zip, rar, or other compressed file, however it would need to be decompressed to work on it.  Enabling windows compression on a directory with RAW files save little or nothing.

As pointed out, in DNG some of the metadata in the original RAW file may have been thrown out. Also you wouldn't be able to insert the DNG into Canon software to have it show you that metadata or apply Canon specific algorithms. I too miss the AF points, but it doesn't have much weight against the space savings.

11

Software & Accessories / Re: Film Scanners - any user recommendations?

« on: April 15, 2012, 03:56:06 PM »

I'm fairly happy with my Epson Perfection V700 Photo, and they have a V750 for wet process scanning.

However, it is a slow process and I don't have much scanner experience outside of this model, so I'd take my own comments with a grain of salt.

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EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: tax on videocams with more than 29min 59sec recording time?

« on: April 13, 2012, 11:48:56 AM »

I guess this raises the obvious question, why not two versions of the camera? Identical versions except with and withou >30 min recording and with the EU tax collected. However I prefer the "firing" of legislator until this gets fixed.

13

Lenses / Lens focus tracking data

« on: April 13, 2012, 11:11:51 AM »

Does anyone know if there is a site that looks at focus tracking in lenses in a measured way instead of just "its fast/slow" or "one 1 in 5 shots has usable focus"?

I'm hoping someone is alternating between targets at different distances and recording change time.  Maybe also using something that moves a target in a repeatable way while firing off photo to see how on/off focus they are?

14

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 5D Mark III for Sport

« on: April 13, 2012, 11:05:22 AM »

2. 6 fps is barely adequate. The swing of an arm happens in a fraction of a second and the length of time between clicks means an entirely different picture. I think to do it right you need minimum 8. Ten is borderline overkill, and you start getting quite a few of exactly the same shot. I think beyond 10 is a recipe for filling your hard drive needlessly.

To be fair, the fps is specific to the sporting situation. Seeing 12 or 14 fps isn't unreasonable for some, but I wish "we" could dial in back as we see fit. I don't like have to choose between single, 3fps and max fps. In some cases max fps matches a cadence and I keep getting the same couple of photos over and over with just slightly different background. Being able to adjust fps (or even randomize a bit) would allow those types of problems to be cleared. However at over 10fps, not many things will be able to stay in cadence, so its less of an issue, but then I do have to delete a much of unwanted images.

15

EOS Bodies / Re: *UPDATE* Canon EOS 5D Mark III Stock Delayed? [CR1]

« on: April 13, 2012, 12:20:02 AM »

How would this help Magic Lentern?  Is the fact Canon releasing a new firmward helping them in anyway to "hack" the system as they say?

In theory, you can reverse engineer the update to figure out some of what's needed to produce your own firmware version. However since Magic Lantern doesn't directly change the firmware, instead choosing to load off the card on each startup, its unlikely to be of much help.