Topics

1

Lenses / 24-70mm upgrade?

« on: April 16, 2013, 10:46:24 PM »

I've been debating adding a f/2.8 standard zoom to my kit to use for lower light and indoor family and event photography.  I currently have the following lenses that I use on my Canon 6D:

24-105mm 4.0 L
35mm 1.4 L       
50mm 1.4
85mm 1.8       
135mm 2.0 L     
70-200mm 2.8 II L

I normally use my 35/50/85/135 primes for low light photography and they do a great job, but I find myself often wishing I had a fast standard zoom to avoid frequent lens changes or missing shots with the kids who are moving faster than I do.

I use the 24-105 for most outdoor and landscape shots.  Its a good lens, but after extensive use this winter, I'm a little disappointed with its IQ, distortion at the wide end and I don't think colors are rendered quite as well as my other L lenses.  So, if I buy a 24-70, It will probably become my primary landscape/outdoor lens as well and I may sell the 24-105 at some point.

Budget isn't a major consideration.  I have the money available for the Tamron lens now and can have the money for the Canon II in a month or two. 

2

EOS Bodies - For Stills / f/22 and diffraction

« on: March 11, 2013, 08:22:52 AM »

I'm not really sure which sub-forum this topic belongs in, so put it here.

I just finished reading Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.  Excellent book, highly recommended!

Bryan recommends using f/22 or occasionally f/16 for landscape pictures that include foreground elements (should be most for good composition).

But, I've also read elsewhere that diffraction is a problem at apertures over f/11.  Thoughts?

3

Lighting / Starter off-camera flash gear

« on: February 18, 2013, 06:06:46 PM »

I am now starting to learn to use of flash.

I have a Canon 6D and 430EX II speedlight.  Thus far I've only used the speedlight on camera, bouncing the light off walls and ceilings.  I would now like to get into off camera flash and am looking for equipment recommendations.

Would i be better off buying a ST-E2 or ST-E3 RT transmitter, or going with a 90EX and 600EX speedlight mounted on the camera?  Third party options?

4

Portrait / Portrait suggestions needed

« on: February 03, 2013, 03:39:13 PM »

I've been interested in photography for roughly three years.  I've primarily been taking landscapes and kids sports shots to this point, but this winter have been experimented with portraits and indoor, natural lighting shots.

Attached is a portrait I took of my son in this Boy Scout uniform yesterday.  I'm not real happy with the result.  One mistake I made was having him stand too close to the backdrop, so that I couldn't blur it.  I find it somewhat distracting.  His left side is also shaded somewhat.

This was taken during the day, there is a large picture window to his right and I used a Speedlight (430EXII) bounced off the ceiling in addition to incandescent lighting in the room.  This picture was taken with a 6D camera with 70-200mm f/2.8 II IS L lens at 125mm, 1/50 sec. f 2.8, 400 ISO.  No post processing other then some cropping of the edges.

Any suggestions for improving set-up, lighting, technique, etc. would be appreciated.

5

Lenses / 100mm 2.8L Macro IS as a portrait lens

« on: January 25, 2013, 12:10:13 PM »

I am going to purchase a prime lens in the 85-135mm range, mostly for portraits and indoor shots on my 6D.
I already have a 70-200mm 2.8 II, but I often don't want to lug all that weight around.

I've been leaning towards the 135L, but recently have been thinking about buying a 100L macro for roughly the same cost as the 135 and using it for portraits and tightly framed indoor shots.  The 100L's macro capability would just be a nice plus I probably wouldn't use that much.

My concern with the 100L macro for my intended use is that I've heard it is soft beyond 10-15 feet.  I certainly need a lens that is capable of sharp pictures at longer ranges than that.  Does anyone who has used this lens have any comments or experience to share?

Since portrait and general purpose shooting is my primary need, should I just skip the macro lens for now and pick up the 135L?  I imagine I'll own both lenses eventually, but it might be 6-12 months before my next lens purchase.

6

Lenses / How do you test a lens at a store?

« on: January 20, 2013, 10:34:28 PM »

I'm planning to pick up a 135mm L lens this weekend at a nearby brick and mortar retailer.  I'm looking for some recommendations about how to test the lens for AF, sharpness in the store?  Anything else I should be looking for?

7

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Anybody using MagicLantern?

« on: January 07, 2013, 11:46:48 AM »

Just curious, is anybody in the forum actively using MagicLantern firmware?  I've only read a little about it and it appears to have some nice features.

I didn't want to try it out on my 7D without hearing some others experiences and opinions.

8

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Second Body

« on: December 11, 2012, 10:19:39 AM »

I've thinking about purchasing a second camera body.  I currently have a 7D with the following lenses:

EF 35mm 1.4L
EF-S 15-85mm 3.5-5.6
EF 70-200mm 2.8 L IS II

I mostly photograph the kids (ages 7 months to 14) around the house, outdoors and at sports activities including from wrestling, cross country, football and baseball.   The 7D really does a great job at the sporting events.

Recently, I've become more interested in landscape photography.  We visited Arizona, Utah and Colorado for vacation last summer and I ended up taking hundreds and hundreds of landscape shots in addition to family shots at different places we visited.

I've been thinking a full frame camera will enhance my landscape photography IQ.  I have been considering a 5D Mkiii's, but the new 6D looks like a good option for landscape photography also.  Since I plan to keep the 7D for sports photography, speed really isn't an issue.   I have enough money saved for either, so price isn't a primary concern.

Also, if I buy a FF camera, I will probably need to add a walk-around lens for the FF.  My 35mm is a good lens for that, but I would have a gap between 35mm and 70mm (on the 70-200).

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.