Messages

1

Lighting / Re: Light stand recommendations/advice

« on: Today at 03:18:07 PM »

Wind will be the big issue, a gust of wind is going to blow over a lightstand with a softbox, or even without one.  You need to devise a weight or sandbags to hold it in place.
 
 
 

2

Lenses / Re: Purple artifacts with 35mm f1.4L on long exposures

« on: Today at 03:13:31 PM »

Those are severely overexposed images, for the highlights. Most likely flare. What f-stop?

Yes, so badly overexposed that they can't be saved.  You need to shorten the exposure, use lowest ISO, smaller aperture, and possibly a neutral density filter.

3

Lenses / Re: Zeiss 15 vs Canon 14

« on: Today at 12:15:07 AM »

From the images I've seen, the Zeiss is head and shoulders better, and priced to match.
 
Of course, there are some with enough money to buy it as a hobby, but many of them are not expert reviewers.
 
I'm waiting on a Lens Rental Review, perhaps he did one and I missed it.  Here is what Roger says.
 
http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nikon/lenses/wide-angle/zeiss-zf.2-15mm-f2.8-for-nikon#
 
You can easily see the difference here:  Its sharper center, mid frame, and ciorners.
 
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=794&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=454&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0

4

Canon General / Re: Canon direct mail marketing

« on: May 24, 2013, 11:31:22 PM »

Filtering and consumer-centric marketing is not as easy you might think.  That is, until you make the commitment to CRM (like Amazon) and then you can make your marketing $ much more efficient.

In other word, laziness.

Actually, Canon could market high end stuff to CPS members, its a no brainer.  No CRM required.  Google is the king of targeted marketing, if I look at a product online, I'll suddenly see it in Google advertising everywhere I go.
 
They are working on extending this to retail stores with their face recognition, in the not distant future, advertising will follow you from store to store.

5

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why is my 5D3 so noisy???

« on: May 24, 2013, 10:57:33 PM »

Realizing that there is not a whole lot that can be done with a low resolution jpeg, here is my try using lightroom.  I brightened it up 1.5 stops, corrected colors, added NR, and sharpness.
 

6

Canon General / Re: Canon direct mail marketing

« on: May 24, 2013, 10:25:15 PM »

How many did you buy?

7

Lenses / Re: I just bought a like new Canon 400mm f/5.6L for $600...

« on: May 24, 2013, 08:33:49 PM »

Every so often I run into a to good to be true deal like this on Amazon, and almost always it's cancelled after I order (though I did once score a used NEC 30" monitor for about half off, that is still with me and working well). I really don't understand why some sellers do this. What do they get out of this? Maybe they're playing some game where they're trying to get other sellers using automated listing software to lower their prices? I don't know.

I think about doing this every now and then.  I  would be the lowest price,  so I initially set a crazy low price, $1,  and that triggers the  camel price watch  emails,  then I raise my price so people go to the ad,  they have some interest in the lens,  and they seer my price which is the lowest,  and they buy.   I  don't do that though...

Amazon has lots of clueless third party sellers.  If they get many complaints or cancel many orders, they are removed.

8

EOS-M / Re: Yasuhara-Nanoha-4x-to-5x-super-macro-Lens-for-CANON-EOS-M

« on: May 24, 2013, 12:25:35 PM »

Looking at their website, they have restarted the Yasuhara Company. 
 
http://www.yasuhara.co.jp/index-e.html
 
I think that their products are innovative and it looks like they know what they are doing.  There are only a few distributors, so getting service will be a huge issue, likely requiring that a lens be sent back to Japan for service.  The built-in light in the Macro lens is handy. 
 
The 5X Macro has adequate information about it. 
 
http://www.yasuhara.co.jp/nanoha/index-e.html
 
 
Their sample image taken with their fisheye huge a huge amount of purple fringing, not something that I'd want to show.  The shadow of the photographer in the image does not look very professional either.
 
http://www.yasuhara.co.jp/madoka/index-e.html
 
 
A company has to start at the bottom of the food chain, and there is a lot of low priced competition from Samyang, so they are trying to produce something that others do not make.
 
 
 

9

Software & Accessories / Re: Screen protector question

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:17:05 PM »

When my cameras are cleaned by canon they replace they protective skin on the LCD screen.  Though I get small scratches and Face oil on the screen, when I get them back from canon the LCD looks new

Not the 5D MK III.  Up until it came along, the LCD cover was easily replaced, I replaced a few.  With the 5D MK III and likely all later models, the protective cover is bonded to the actual LCD, so the whole assembly must be replaced, which runs $300  or much more depending on who's fixing it.
 
If you are willing to dismantle your camera, you can but the new sandwich for less.

10

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Mk3 Reliability

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:08:34 PM »

My 5D, two 5D MK II's and two 5D MK III's were fine.  I've had over 20 Canon DSLR's and no failures.  My Nikon DSLR's haven't failed either.
 

11

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why is my 5D3 so noisy???

« on: May 23, 2013, 10:42:07 PM »

I find that it takes a near perfect exposure at the extreme high ISO's.  There is only about 5 stops of DR, and underexposure is very bad.  More than 1/2 stop of overexposure can blow out highlights depending on the scene.
Its definitely subject related, so learn the right way to expose for your subjects.   Then check to make sure your highlights are not blown out.
 
The ISO 12800 image above was overexposed 0.3 stops while the ISO 25600 was 1/2 stop over and had some blown highlights.

12

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon beats Nikon in accidental damage tests

« on: May 23, 2013, 08:40:35 PM »

Having performed many damage and durability tests in my lab, I will say that NASA would have demanded my resignation if I pulled a "Scientific Test" like that.  For them to call it scientific is a affront to engineers and scientists.
 
The first rule of a test is that it be repeatable so that a person anywhere can do the same test and have the same results.  There is no way this test is repeatable.
 
Its just a stunt, not a test.

13

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why is my 5D3 so noisy???

« on: May 23, 2013, 08:33:11 PM »

Did you shoot with RAW or JPEG.  If
jpeg, you will not have much ability to fixup a seriously underexposed image.
 
Expect to use NR with RAW high ISO images, using them out of camera will be a issue. 
 
ISO 12800, f/3.2 1/60 sec.  Plenty of noise, but it responds well to post production fixes.  DR is the biggest issue at very high ISO's.
 

 
Here is almost the same scene taking the evening before at ISO 25600, f/2.8 1/80 sec.  DR was a big issue so I dropped the shutter speed to 1/60 with my 24-70mm MK II the 2nd night and that dropped ISO a stop.  The light was just a little different as the lighting crew got better with practice.  Generally, I just shoot the first night of a dress rehearsal for practice
 
 

14

Lenses / Re: Disappointed with 50 f/1.2 sharpness @ f/1.2

« on: May 22, 2013, 10:40:50 PM »

Its not uncommon for lenses to be a bit fuzzy at close range.  Macro lenses have a different design that makes them sharp even at mfd.
 
The new 24-70mmL f/2.8L MK II is another lens that is not at its best when you get near mfd.

15

Lenses / Re: stacking up 2x+1.4x (both Mk 2's) on a 70-200 f2.8 L IS & Canon 5d Mark iii

« on: May 22, 2013, 10:34:55 PM »

Yes, I've don it with a number of lenses.  The 1.4X goes next to the camera, and the camera only sees the 1.4X.  I could mount it to my f/4 lenses and get autofocus at f/11 that way.  AF at f/11 is hit and miss.
Here are a couple I took recently with both TC's, my MK III, and 70-200mm MK II. The aperture was wide open.  This was before the f/8 firmware update, it wasn't needed when you stack TC's.