Topics

1

Third Party Manufacturers / FoCal or LensAlign - Which is better?

« on: April 19, 2013, 12:46:24 AM »

I need to AFMA two of my primes with a 7D, which are visibly off in AF, but when I MF them they are sharp.

I am trying to decide which product to get to help me do this - FoCal software or the LensAlign product.

Does anyone have experience using either, or ideally both that can provide some help in my decsion?

2

EOS Bodies - For Stills / 5D III, or 6D+7D combo - your thoughts?

« on: October 12, 2012, 04:50:05 PM »

I have a 7D and love it.  I primarily shoot my kids sporting events.  Football, volleyball, basketball, track.  Indoor/Outdoor.

Here is my dilemma.  I want to buy a FF camera to do more portraits, landscape, etc.  Do I sell my 7D and get a 5D III, or keep my 7D and get a 6D for a second body? (I couldn't justify the cost of the 5D III unless it could replace the 7D as well)

With the 5D III, I really only give up a couple of FPS vs the 7D and some reach which I would probably only miss in football.  I gain much better ISO performance for the indoor sports like volleyball, where the 7D can struggle (even with an 85mm f/1.8 I need ISO 3200 which honestly is poor on the 7D).

I know many of you have owned a 5DII & 7D combo and have some experience with that.  For those of you that moved to a 5D III - did you find yourself still using the 7D much?

I'm not in a hurry.  I want to wait out the release of the 6D and see the reviews, and decide if I would go with the 6D vs. a 5D II (new or used).  So, maybe next spring I would pull the trigger on the FF.

3

Lenses / 70-300 L vs 100-400 L vs. 70-200 f/2.8 IS MkI with Extender

« on: March 02, 2012, 09:22:57 PM »

I have a 7D, and spring is coming in the US and that means kids sports shooting.
Track & Field, Baseball, Soccer.  All outside, mostly good light - except for some overcast days.

I have been itching for a 70-300 L and am about to pull the trigger, but ..... there are 2 other options for me.
 - I have a 70-200 f/2.8L IS MkI, would adding an extender to this be just as good?
 - How about the 100-400 L?  It gives more reach, but the IS and AF are old vs the 70-300L

For those of you who have used these lenses, esp on a 7D, I would appreciate your thoughts & suggestions.

4

Lenses / Which is the best "normal" prime for a Crop Camera?

« on: August 13, 2011, 03:40:32 PM »

I have a 7D and want to get a fast prime lens that would be close to the equivalent of a 50mm on a FF camera.  I have a 17-55 f/2.8, so I want it faster than that. 

This will be my "learn composition & photography the old school way" with a standard length prime, zoom with your feet, etc.  I would also use this for indoor pics of the family, children, dogs.  Possibly indoor events like kids plays, or sports in a poorly lit gym when I want a wider angle shot (I have an 85 f/1.8 and a 50 f/1.4 and those usually handle the indoor sports stuff)

Sharpness & accurate focus are important to me.

There are several lenses in this range to choose from, and they all get mixed reviews from what I have read.  I can't see a clear winner.

For those of you that have any of these lenses, I could use some of your advice, thoughts.  I am tempted to rent them all and compare them, but that would be somewhat of an expensive experiment.

I assume the 35 f/1.4L is the best, also Zeiss lenses but that is beyond what I would want to spend. (unless someone could convince me to spend 3x the money  )

I am looking at the following lenses
- Sigma 30mm f/1.4
- Canon 28mm f/1.8
- Canon 35mm f/2

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

5

Lenses / Noisy IS on EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 - is this normal?

« on: December 24, 2010, 12:36:18 AM »

I just purchased a new EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 from B&H and noticed a noise when using the IS. It is like a switching or soft clicking noise, and it happens during focus (sometimes) and a second or so after I stop pressing the shutter button.
 I have two other lenses with IS and there is no noticable noise (both inexpensive kit lenses).  I rented this lens a year ago and don't remember hearing a noise with the lens at that time. 
Is this normal, or do I have a defective lens?  I'll call B&H, but wanted to know what you guys have experienced.
Thanks!