Messages

1

Canon General / Re: Announcement: Canon EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x

« on: May 14, 2013, 06:27:57 AM »

Meh...

I'll wait for the MK 2 for the improved IQ.. 

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Lenses / Re: EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x Release Date [CR1]

« on: April 29, 2013, 07:45:08 AM »

Will the wait ever end??

It's like being a Cubs fan

Fortunately for us in Canada, it will be released before Toronto wins the Stanley Cup......

You might even get a MK 2 before that.... 

3

Lenses / Re: Best sports lenses for Canon 7D

« on: March 20, 2013, 06:30:26 PM »

Missed the video bit.  But then I don't care about video anyway, I must have sub-consciously filtered it out!

Guess it's a trade off?  f/4 plus IS for video of f/2.8 for stills.  Or save up to get both.

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Lenses / Re: Best sports lenses for Canon 7D

« on: March 20, 2013, 06:10:42 PM »

If you want to save some money get the 2.8 Non-IS version.  You don't need IS for sport.

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EOS Bodies / Re: Need help. Canon 60D for sports--is it better to pony up for the 7D?

« on: March 06, 2013, 07:39:55 AM »

I've gone from a 7D to a 5D III.  Very, very occasionally I'll look at a sequence and know that the one that nailed the shot wasn't there because of the reduced frame rate.  The increase in IQ and low light capability far outweighs the loss of 2 FPS, but I'm not sure I'd want to go lower.

6

Software & Accessories / Re: Backpack Suggestion

« on: February 28, 2013, 04:31:39 PM »

I recently sold my Tamrac Expedition 4x for nearly what I paid for it new.  I liked it a lot, but I didn't use it enough.  I really need something more like a bag I could carry like a suitcase, or else both that and a "slingpack".

I have one of these which I don't use much, but is great when I do need it.  It would certainly hold what you've got, I use it with a 5D III, 70-200 f/2.8 plus a couple of short zooms, a 430EX II and a few other odds and ends.  Straps on the front for a tripod are also invaluable.  In fact, the reason I usually use it is when I need to carry a tripod round.  Otherwise I just use an ordinary rucksack.

7

Lenses / Re: first trip to England any recommendations ?

« on: February 24, 2013, 09:34:13 AM »

Watch out ! They drive at the wrong side of the road !

No, We drive on the correct side of the road.... 

If you look around the castles outlined by johnb, then you also have the Brecon Beacons for some superb landscape photos as well.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/picture/2013/feb/20/eyewitness-brecon-beacons

I wish I'd taken this!

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Landscape / Re: Transmission tower

« on: February 11, 2013, 04:51:02 PM »

I know you didn't ask for feedback... but... I can't help myself. 

This is never an image I would have thought to capture. I generally find large towers and power lines to be a distraction in a landscape photo, rather than the subject of one. But I can't stop looking at this. It may be the composition, or it may be what you did to it in post- the surreal colors are intriguing, for sure- but I am really enjoying this one. Kudos!

I've been scouting a pic of some disused power station cooling towers, but keep thinking that to get the right angle the transmission towers (pylons in UK speak) and power lines would be in the way.  Maybe I've missed the point and need to get them in shot rather than out of shot?

9

EOS Bodies / Re: Yet Another 5D vs 7D Question

« on: January 22, 2013, 05:20:20 PM »

If you're going to sell it, sell it quick.  IF (and I know it's a big IF) Canon release a 7D II, the market will be flooded with second hand 7D's, and the price will plummet.  I part ex'd mine for a 5D 3 just before Christmas and got a good deal on a 2 year old camera.

Compare that with the Panasonic GH2 that I bought (don't ask why, long story...) I put off selling it, the GH3 got announced and eBay was flooded with users upgrading.

(Weirdly though, I've just checked eBay and there's only 1 for sale in the UK...)

10

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Sigma Launches the Sigma USB DOCK

« on: January 08, 2013, 07:04:18 PM »

^ Do you really expect corporations to code their software to work with Linux, representing a whopping under 2% of computer users?

Anyways, if sigma would have had this accessory years ago it would have saved their brand an awful lot of hurt over bad AF!

Well, yes. They could easily have used a cross platform library for writing the application and then it would have worked everywhere. I am tired of companies offering software for Windows and Mac OS alone. It smacks of laziness.

it smacks of good business sense, you don't waste money and stay in business.

I think what JohnnyWashngo is trying to say is, it likely could have been done in a fully cross-platform for little to no additional cost (money/personal/etc). Not sure if he's completely correct or not, but it very well may be correct since the only cross-platform stuff I've developed has been Java, and that has it's own quirks and issues.

If the cost had actually be very minimal, it might very well have been nice to release it. However, I'm sure some enterprising person will sniff the USB packets and reverse engineer the protocol. Then all of us linux geeks (well, ok, I use Windows for Lightroom. I'm sorry ) can put together our own application as we will.

Which Linux distribution, and what about Android for tablets?

11

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6D or wait for New 7D?

« on: December 27, 2012, 05:47:05 PM »

I'm in the exact same situation.  Really want a FF but if the 7d2 has good specs then I might just stay using cropped body.

I would also presume (hoping) that the 7d2 price point will be between 6d and current 7d.

So in my case I will sit and wait......at least 1st half of 2013. Hopefully by that time the 7d2 is out and/or the 6d prices would be lower and bug/glitches are fixed.

Speaking of which, I have not read reported bugs or glitches other than slow focus on some copies.

I often have to use jpegs straight out of the camera for speed, and all I'll say is the high ISO stuff on the 5D 3 is incredible compared to the 7D.  I occasionally miss the higher FPS, but not the crop factor.    A 70-200 is good enough for everything I need.

12

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5d2 officially discontinued.

« on: December 23, 2012, 06:32:05 PM »

.
Most interesting thing to me is that the EOS 1V is still alive.

$1699 new at B&H, film not included.

SHAME ON THEM! They should include a free film 

Just the one??  Be a bit like selling you a 5D III with a 256MB CF card.....

13

Lenses / Re: Vignetting on 24-70 F/2.8L II USM

« on: December 15, 2012, 07:01:13 AM »

Wide open, f/2.8 at 24mm I expect a lens this expensive to have abolutly no vignetting.

The 600mm f/4L IS II costs $13,000 and has about 1.5 stops of vignetting wide open.   

The 24L II is $1500 and it has 3 stops of vignette.  O_o

This is typical of a board with "Rumors" in its name.
We start by talking about the 24-70mm f/2.8 L II shot at 24mm, jump to the 600mm II and then it somehow turns in to the 24mm f/1.4L II 

The New Rumored 24-70 2.8L III will have Zero vignette at all focal lengths and perfect IQ. It will weight in at a reasonable 500 Grams and a MSRP of 1299$ including canons all new 7th generation Image Stablizer providing 8-stops of compensation.

This could be a "rumor" right?

Might be
Can I pre-order now?

Sure, If you've got a spare billion dollars for the R&D. 

No, no, no, NOOOO this will be 24-70 2.8L IV not III. You are too optimistic 

And we will still complain that the nikon 24-85 F/2.8 IS has more reach and we should jump system.   

Is the 24-70 2.8L IV still EOS mount or the newly rumoured EOS II which converges EF, EF-S and EF-M to a single standard mount?

Work finished for the year, so off to do some testing!

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Lenses / Re: Vignetting on 24-70 F/2.8L II USM

« on: December 14, 2012, 04:12:39 AM »

There's a reason to dump FF and go crop now, you won't even notice the vignetting!

Typical!  I went from a 7D to a 5D 3 and had to replace my lovely 15-85 EF-S, hence the 24-70.  Now I need to go crop.....
That mk3 sounds perfect, I'll start saving now!

15

Lenses / Vignetting on 24-70 F/2.8L II USM

« on: December 13, 2012, 07:53:54 AM »

I picked up a new 24-70 F/2.8L II USM this week and from initial shots, it appears to have very bad vignetting.  I'm not sure wether I'm expecting too much, or whether I have a duff copy?  Due to work stuff I haven't really been able to test it properly, but so far, I'm not very impressed.
I'll upload some test shots this evening when I've got a bit more time free to play about with various focal lengths and f numbers.