Messages

1

Software & Accessories / Re: Advice: Black Rapid shoulderstrap

« on: June 14, 2013, 09:59:16 PM »

Take the FastenR-3 that comes with the strap, and use Loctite Blue 242 to attach it to a Kirk QRC-1 clamp.

OK, that looks like a good solution. Thanks!

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Software & Accessories / Re: Advice: Black Rapid shoulderstrap

« on: June 14, 2013, 08:42:46 PM »

All my carriers are set up for Arca Swiss plates (which are on my camera/lenses).  For the BR straps, I use a Kirk 1" clamp on the lugs, and I have the Spider Arca Clamp.

Neuro, I'm also looking at a BR strap, but am confused by statements on their website. I want to keep my Induro Arca Swiss plates mounted to my camera/lenses, so I can pop them off the BR strap and attach them to my ballhead at a moments notice, but it says the FastenR Tripod (FR-T1) will only work with the Manfrotto RC2 Quick Release Plate. From your description, quoted above, I'm unclear as to what you found that works. Thanks.

Here's the BR page I'm referring to:

http://www.blackrapid.com/products/fastenr-t1

3

Software & Accessories / Re: New Macpro teased at Mac Conference

« on: June 11, 2013, 09:54:01 AM »

My Current MacPro left me no Change from USD$11K, so I'de expect the new Machine to be similarly priced, from Base maybe 4k through to Max everything 12k, but what an amazing design, won me, I've been waiting for 3 years for Apple to get their act together & design the new MacPro, worth the wait from what I can see in this.

Someone mentioned Cables earlier, there's a gazilion cables coming out of my Current MacPro, just like there would be if it were a PC, you have to hook up a Monitor, but your Printer will work WiFi/Blue Tooth, only extra cabling I can think of at present is DVD Reader/Writer, so I don't really see Cabling as any more of an issue than current.

I imagine the Apple haters will, other than hate the thing because it's ?? round, will feel it was designed by Steve, with an Oujia Board input.

I'm sold, only issue I have with the whole thing is it's not available until late this year.

I'm with eml58, I have a MacPro now and can't wait to get the new, faster model. The only material difference is that the drives (optical and storage) must move out , which allows the new machine to be smaller and run cooler/quieter. Putting the drives inside was necessary with the older model, pre-Thunderbolt, since internal SATA connections were at the time the fastest available.

I don't know what "work" pwp is referring to; my current MacPro with SSD chews up pretty much anything and this new model will do so in spades. Yes, it will likely be pricey, but so are big white lenses.

paul13walnut5, I'm sorry to hear you've had issues with your MacPro's RAID and graphics card, but those are distinct from the computer itself. I've had no problems with my MacPro, any of its third-party parts, or any of the over 30 other Macs I've purchased over the years. They've proven their reliability again and again in a heavy-use work environment. Finally, opinions on FCPX vary. I personally don't do video (yet), but I know a lot of folks who at first didn't like the X version of FCP, but with its updates have come around to loving it. Either way, these machines are not just video editors.

I'd suggest withholding judgment until this thing hits the shelves and we can see how it actually performs and integrates with our peripherals. If Intel can finally get Thunderbolt off the ground (now with version 2 when there's still a dearth of version 1 peripherals available), we'll finally be cookin' with gas.

4

Pricewatch Deals / Re: Closeout Digital deal on Tamron 24-70 f/2.8

« on: June 01, 2013, 07:38:46 PM »

I have a bridge for sale.  Send me you credit card number
 
You can search for them yourself.  Posting a link to them gives them free advertising and boosts their google search engine rank..
 
http://www.scambook.com/company/view/105565/Closeout-Digital
 
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/CloseoutDigitalcom/internet/CloseoutDigitalcom-Scam-Crooks-Thieves-Criminals-Internet-1015838

Ouch! Well, I'm glad admin removed the link. I posted it just so people would know who I was talking about. Thanks for the links you offered, Mt Spokane. I guess it was too good to be true...

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Pricewatch Deals / Closeout Digital deal on Tamron 24-70 f/2.8

« on: June 01, 2013, 07:09:17 PM »

Has anyone on CR done business with Closeout Digital?

URL Removed my Administrator.

They're offering the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD Lens for Canon Cameras--$1299 at B&H--for $949.05. They claim all merchandise is new and they have a 60-day return policy. Still, I wonder how forgiving they are for exchanging "bad copies."

Anyone?

6

Video & Movie / Re: Wildlife Doc

« on: May 27, 2013, 11:38:57 AM »

Excellent job. Really excellent!

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: F/8 Autofocusing impressions

« on: May 20, 2013, 10:45:58 AM »

My car runs fine, except when I try to back up while turning - then the steering wheel locks up.  But otherwise, it works fine.  Maybe that fits some people's definition of 'works fine' - not mine.

But hey, if locking up with AFMA means the Kenko TC 'works' then you could also say the Canon 1.4x 'works' with the 70-300L. If you zoom the lens out to the 250-300mm range, the 1.4x TC can be mounted.  It will AF on the 5DIII, you can AFMA the combo, and your camera won't lock up.  Retracting the zoom will bump the rear lens element into the rubber ring on the TC, long as you keep the zoom extended, it 'works' just fine.

Touche, Neuro, I clearly should have said it works fine--provided AFMA is not required. As stated in my other thread, I'm not happy about not being able to AFMA the lens + Kenko TC combo (although I'm still playing with possible work-arounds). That said, I'm getting well auto-focused shots from my various lenses + Kenko TC combos, including at f/8, and they are quite sharp.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: F/8 Autofocusing impressions

« on: May 20, 2013, 08:24:53 AM »

Someone please explain this f/8 brouhaha to me: my 5D3 + Kenko 1.4x tele-extender + 400 & 70-300 auto-focus (at f/8, pre-firmware update) all day long. I just downloaded the firmware update and will install it later today, but I've been auto-focusing just fine at f/8 for some time. Am I missing something?

The Kenko locks up the 5DIII when used with the latest generation telephotos, and you have to remove the battery to restart.

I found this to be true ONLY when AFMA is enabled. Otherwise, Kenko TC's autofocus fine at f/8 and did so prior to the 5D3 firmware update.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Kenko teleconverter questions

« on: May 19, 2013, 08:40:47 PM »

Yes I got that, and I assumed you used "Adjust by lens", so I wondered if (after removing the current setting) you could set the measured amount in "All by the same amount" and then add the teleconverter. And alternatively if you could set up "Adjust by lens" while the Kenko teleconverter is attached. But the latter will most likely crash the camera at some point so I'm not asking you to try this. I have kenko teleconverters so if I ever get another camera it will have AFMA and I can test it myself (my 600D doesn't do AFMA).

Hmm, interesting ideas. I might have time to experiment a bit with some of the combos you suggest, tomorrow. I did record all of my AFMA numbers for each lens, so there's no risk of losing them and having to retest. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Kenko teleconverter questions

« on: May 19, 2013, 07:42:16 PM »

The question is whether the combos with the Kenko TC are giving accurate focus.  Because if they're not, and you can't apply AFMA, I don't think you can state that your Kenko TC actually 'works'.

Yes--they work--the Kenko TC combos yield sharp images. I just want them to be as sharp as they can possibly be, hence my desire to test/adjust them in FoCal.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Kenko teleconverter questions

« on: May 19, 2013, 06:49:01 PM »

Mt Spokane, I appreciate your input. Again, I need the Kenko because it's the only TC that works with the 70-300L; Canon TC's are not an option. So, I have to decide if I need a teleconverter for my 70-300L more than I need properly AFMA'ed lenses. Tough call, especially because my 70-300L is so sharp, right out of the box.

spturtle, here was my sequence: I attached my EF 400 f/5.6 lens and ran FoCal to get an AFMA of +7. I then attached the Kenko TC and previously AFMA'ed 400, thinking I'd AFMA this combo next. That's when things went nuts. Once I realized my only escape was popping the battery, my only option was to DISABLE AFMA so I could use the TC + lens combo.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Kenko teleconverter questions

« on: May 19, 2013, 04:07:13 PM »

1.  No effect on MFD. Max mag increases by TC factor (1.4x or 2x).

2.  You won't have that problem with a Canon TC. The body will treat lens + TC as a separate 'lens' - which it should, because a TC can (likely will) alter the needed AFMA.  Some models/versions (versions as in 'blue dot' or 'green dot') of Kenko TCs have that issue - Kenko releases versions with new firmware (dot color) to work around such issues, no idea of there's a fix but I don't believe there is - one reason I've stuck with Canon TCs.

Thanks, Neuro. I bought the Kenko because it works with the 70-300L, whereas the Canon TC does not. The Kenko is a fine TC at a reasonable price and works well with all of my lenses with little perceptible degradation in IQ. This AFMA issue is the first problem I've encountered (mine is "Blue Dot," the latest version).

I expected, as you said, for the lens + TC combo to be treated as a separate lens with its own AFMA, but there's something amiss in the communication between the 3 parts. As soon as you turn the camera on with AFMA enabled and lens + TC attached, everything goes nuts. Even turning the camera body off has no affect--you have to pop the battery out to get the camera to properly reboot--and that's only after you've removed the offending lens + TC combo.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Kenko teleconverter questions

« on: May 19, 2013, 03:10:11 PM »

1. How do teleconverters affect a lens's Minimum Focus Distance?

2. When I AFMA a lens with FoCal, it gives me a figure (+3 or -2, etc.) that I manually dial into my AFMA menu on my 5D3. But when I then attach a Kenko 1.4x teleconverter between that lens and body, the body goes nuts. To regain control, I must remove the battery for at least 5 seconds. If I disable AFMA, I can attach and use the lens and teleconverter without a problem. So, is there any way to get AFMA to play nice with Kenko teleconverters, or must I always remember to disable AFMA before using it? And do Canon teleconverters face this same issue?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: F/8 Autofocusing impressions

« on: May 17, 2013, 01:13:59 PM »

Someone please explain this f/8 brouhaha to me: my 5D3 + Kenko 1.4x tele-extender + 400 & 70-300 auto-focus (at f/8, pre-firmware update) all day long. I just downloaded the firmware update and will install it later today, but I've been auto-focusing just fine at f/8 for some time. Am I missing something?

You are missing ... Canon teleconverters which report the correct maximum aperture to camera.

When you put kenco with your say 400 f/5.6 lens does it report it as having a maximum f/8 aperture? I guess not! It still reports it as f/5.6!

You have effectively a 1.4X400 = 560mm f/8 lens but the camera thinks it is connected to a f/5.6 maximum aperture lens and tries to autofocus!

When my Kenko is attached to my EF 400 f/5.6 lens, the 5D3 tells me that the max aperture available is f/8. It auto-focuses just fine (I used it that way between my last post and this post). The EXIF data in Lightroom lists the lens as the EF 400 f/5.6, but the images display the correct EXIF data: f/8. So, tron, maybe I'm still not seeing something, but this all jives.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: F/8 Autofocusing impressions

« on: May 17, 2013, 10:15:52 AM »

Someone please explain this f/8 brouhaha to me: my 5D3 + Kenko 1.4x tele-extender + 400 & 70-300 auto-focus (at f/8, pre-firmware update) all day long. I just downloaded the firmware update and will install it later today, but I've been auto-focusing just fine at f/8 for some time. Am I missing something?