Messages

1

Lenses / Re: Who do you recommend for Lens Rental?

« on: May 19, 2013, 07:30:09 PM »

I've used www.lensrentals.com several times for both lenses and bodies. Speedy deliveries, quality gear,  ease of return, lots of reasons to check them out and rent something fun for a short period of time.  The last thing I rented was the 1Dx and I had a blast with it!!!

2

Lenses / Re: Canon 70-200mm F/4L or Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 USM or other suggestions?

« on: March 23, 2013, 04:04:42 PM »

You are unlikely to get a better value for money lens than the 70-200 f/4 (non-IS). It was my first L lens and since then I've purchased only Ls ... It's addictive.

+1

I have the 70-200 2.8IS and I have borrowed the F4 version for comparison.  The L series glass is great and I highly suggest it.  If you need the additional reach, you could pick up the 1.4 Teleconverter when you have the budget and get out to 280 @ f5 which is pretty close to 300 f5.6.

3

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: No 30fps in the video menu in my 5d3

« on: March 20, 2013, 07:52:21 AM »

It's tricky, but its there.  You have to first turn the 'Live View Shooting' function switch from still photos to video.  The live view should turn on. From there you press the 'Q' button and then lots of options will pop up. 

4

EOS Bodies / Re: 6d vs. 5d mkiii for sports photography

« on: January 07, 2013, 03:28:10 PM »

I have the 5D mkIII and it's a great sports body.  Couple that with the 70-200, you'll be set for indoors and the higher iso ranges. 

5

Lenses / Re: AFMA'ed the 24-70 mk.ii ... not sure I am loving this copy.

« on: October 17, 2012, 08:31:13 AM »

I had troubles getting consistent AFMA results once and I had to change the process.  I found that consistently shooting in the same spot was my challenge.  Here's the process (bear with me) that I used.

-Mount the camera to your tripod and level it out
-Tether the camera to your PC. 
-Mount the lens align target on a tripod and level it out.  I get it as close as possible to MFD.  Ideally, you have an old tripod that has a crank to raise and lower it.
-Open the EOS utility and go to live shooting.
-Click test shot.
-Zoom to x1
-If the scroll bar on the side of the test shot lines up in the middle, great.  If not, raise and lower the target until you achieve this. (see pic below) 
-From there, you can adjust the AFMA.  I was VERY delicate when pushing the buttons so as not to move the camera.
-Keep it tethered throughout the adjustment process so there is no variation.

This helped me to get consistent results.  If you're doing this already, my apologies.  Just offering up a solution that helped me.   

6

Lenses / Re: What lenses do you own?

« on: October 17, 2012, 06:31:37 AM »

24-70 F2.8 v1
70-200 F2.8 IS v1

Both are great lenses that have been recently updated so you can get the v1 at a bargain or go with the v2 and get the latest/greatest.  My only suggestion is to get a camera with auto-focus micro adjustment to help perfectly focus your lens on your body. 

If you haven't been to www.the-digital-picture.com for reviews, check him out.  It helped me figure out what I wanted to buy.

7

Lenses / Re: I'm not impressed with my 70-200mm f/2.8L USM... so is it me or the lens?

« on: October 16, 2012, 01:34:13 PM »

The one question I have is that are you shooting at 2.8 or are you opening it up to 3.5 or 4.0.  Depth of field at close distances is very thin at 2.8.  If you shoot 135mm @ F2.8, your DOF at 10 feet is a little over 3 inches.  At 20 feet, you get 1ft 1in.  I have the 5dmkiii and I shoot my son's baseball games at 4.0 and iso range of 200-400 with aperture priority to handle the shutter speed.  It works fantastic!  The only other comment I have is that the AFMA has brought new life to my lenses.  I had the 40D without AFMA and now with the 5dmkiii, I have tuned my lenses so things are sharp.  Given that the smallest of tolerances can affect the overall shot we generate, I have come to believe this is a necessary feature for me. 

I'm always learning and by no means a know it all.  I just shot some individual shots for the baseball team and botched several with the flash fill and washed the whole image out.  It's a fun hobby to play with and learn as we go.