1
Animal Kingdom / Re: Birds with attitude
« on: June 15, 2013, 01:32:26 AM »
Here is my favorite shot. Canon 7D, EF 70-300mm. Blue bellied roller.
June 19, 2013, 03:13:31 PM
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2
Third Party Manufacturers / Re: D7100 ... Will Canon meet this specs?
« on: May 01, 2013, 01:18:10 AM »
Wait, 1.3 crop? I think you guys are thinking backwards...
A 1.3 crop sensor is BIGGER than a 1.6 crop... so how can Nikon offer a BIGGER crop than the 1.5 crop sensor they put into the camera?
Unless the SENSOR is bigger, allowing for a slower 1.3 crop and then a faster 1.5 crop....
Don
A 1.3 crop sensor is BIGGER than a 1.6 crop... so how can Nikon offer a BIGGER crop than the 1.5 crop sensor they put into the camera?
Unless the SENSOR is bigger, allowing for a slower 1.3 crop and then a faster 1.5 crop....
Don
3
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS 40D?
« on: April 27, 2013, 05:46:57 PM »
I have owned 2 40D's (And I still have and USE one of them on a regular basis) and I love them. To be honest, I cannot tell between an 8x10 print made from my 40D and one taken with my 7D!
The 40D is a steal at this time. I see bodies all the time from $225 to $350. Some are still largely unused. It is VERY easy to find a lightly used 40D right now for sale. I have done personal comparisons between images taken with the 40D and the 50D (and even the 7D) and it is VERY hard (almost impossible) to tell the images apart. I love the 40D because 1) bodies have always been reasonably priced (Thanks to Canon for releasing the 50D less than a year after the release of the 40D!) and the image quality and colors are fantastic. At 6+ fps it is a workhorse and with a 10.1MP sensor, the images are super smooth and noise free all the way up to ISO 1600!
I would say the EF-s 60mm macro is one hell of a prime lens and at a great price. VERY, VERY sharp and not only is it a great prime/portrait lens but it also gives you the advantage of being able to do macro photography. (I have owned 3 myself) It's lightweight and the images are stunning with this lens.
The EF 70-300 IS USM is another great lens for the price. From 70-200 it is super sharp, even compared to the L class versions of the 70-200 (f4) lenses (I have used the 70-200 f4 IS USM for comparison). From 200-300, you lose a little detail but not much. BUT for the price, it is one lens that is hard to beat. AND it will give you IS and a super fast USM for "right now" autofocus!
You will not regret the 40D, I haven't. Even after shooting with the 7D and 5D2 I am still amazed at the image quality and colors from my 40D. Stick some good glass on it and you will not be disappointed!
D
The 40D is a steal at this time. I see bodies all the time from $225 to $350. Some are still largely unused. It is VERY easy to find a lightly used 40D right now for sale. I have done personal comparisons between images taken with the 40D and the 50D (and even the 7D) and it is VERY hard (almost impossible) to tell the images apart. I love the 40D because 1) bodies have always been reasonably priced (Thanks to Canon for releasing the 50D less than a year after the release of the 40D!) and the image quality and colors are fantastic. At 6+ fps it is a workhorse and with a 10.1MP sensor, the images are super smooth and noise free all the way up to ISO 1600!
I would say the EF-s 60mm macro is one hell of a prime lens and at a great price. VERY, VERY sharp and not only is it a great prime/portrait lens but it also gives you the advantage of being able to do macro photography. (I have owned 3 myself) It's lightweight and the images are stunning with this lens.
The EF 70-300 IS USM is another great lens for the price. From 70-200 it is super sharp, even compared to the L class versions of the 70-200 (f4) lenses (I have used the 70-200 f4 IS USM for comparison). From 200-300, you lose a little detail but not much. BUT for the price, it is one lens that is hard to beat. AND it will give you IS and a super fast USM for "right now" autofocus!
You will not regret the 40D, I haven't. Even after shooting with the 7D and 5D2 I am still amazed at the image quality and colors from my 40D. Stick some good glass on it and you will not be disappointed!
D
4
Third Party Manufacturers / Re: D7100 ... Will Canon meet this specs?
« on: April 27, 2013, 01:30:34 PM »
It's funny, I shoot Canon and my girlfriend shoots Nikon. We are always teasing each other about which camera is better.
She shoots with the D7000, and if I had not already been a Canon user, the D7000 is a VERY tempting camera. Nikon really thought the D7000 out, so much so, that we have been talking about getting another D7000 as a backup once her current body wears out. (She has close to 80K clicks on it already in 2 years) She refuses to look at another camera because the images she captures are simply amazing, in terms of sharpness, color and DR.
We have spoken to a couple of people who have upgraded from the D7000 to the D7100 and so far, the information they have given favors the D7000 over the D7100. The thing that kills the 7D and the D7100 is image noise at higher ISO's. Simply put, that many pixels crammed into that small of a space creates image noise, something where the D7000 has the advantage. In fact, that is one reason why I love my 40D so much. The images are smooth all the way up to ISO 1600.
Unless Canon comes up with a new sensor that can control image noise better than the 7D or even the D7000, to me there wouldn't be much of a reason to upgrade even if it had higher MP, why? Because more megapixels does NOT mean a better image, in fact it has been proven that it can push images the other direction. I think photographiers are starting to realize that more MP are not always better.
A 8x10 print made from my 40D and an 8x10 print from my 7D are extremely hard to tell apart. So, for Canon to motivate me to switch from my 7D (which I love!) to the 7D2, it has to be a truly new, innovative camera, capable of taking noise-free images at much, much higher ISO's than the 7D, even if they kept (or eveb lowered) the MP count of the new sensor.
At this point in time, Canon simply has too many 18MP cameras to choose from that in terms of image quality, I doubt one would be able to tell any of them apart in a print.
D
She shoots with the D7000, and if I had not already been a Canon user, the D7000 is a VERY tempting camera. Nikon really thought the D7000 out, so much so, that we have been talking about getting another D7000 as a backup once her current body wears out. (She has close to 80K clicks on it already in 2 years) She refuses to look at another camera because the images she captures are simply amazing, in terms of sharpness, color and DR.
We have spoken to a couple of people who have upgraded from the D7000 to the D7100 and so far, the information they have given favors the D7000 over the D7100. The thing that kills the 7D and the D7100 is image noise at higher ISO's. Simply put, that many pixels crammed into that small of a space creates image noise, something where the D7000 has the advantage. In fact, that is one reason why I love my 40D so much. The images are smooth all the way up to ISO 1600.
Unless Canon comes up with a new sensor that can control image noise better than the 7D or even the D7000, to me there wouldn't be much of a reason to upgrade even if it had higher MP, why? Because more megapixels does NOT mean a better image, in fact it has been proven that it can push images the other direction. I think photographiers are starting to realize that more MP are not always better.
A 8x10 print made from my 40D and an 8x10 print from my 7D are extremely hard to tell apart. So, for Canon to motivate me to switch from my 7D (which I love!) to the 7D2, it has to be a truly new, innovative camera, capable of taking noise-free images at much, much higher ISO's than the 7D, even if they kept (or eveb lowered) the MP count of the new sensor.
At this point in time, Canon simply has too many 18MP cameras to choose from that in terms of image quality, I doubt one would be able to tell any of them apart in a print.
D
5
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D mark III problem - 32gb sandisk extreme pro destroyed
« on: April 22, 2013, 11:15:25 PM »
Hmm, I have recently had a similar issue with a Lexar card with my 7D. Two brand new cards used for only a short time and then bzzzt, gone, nothing. I sent the first one back to Lexar and they replaced it and then about 2 months of use the second card also crapped out. I am running the newest firmware V2.03 on my 7. I baby my camera and my equipment, I have no idea why 2 cards have taken a dump, I have never in all of my years of using compactflash (both Sandisk and Lexar) I have never had a problem. I bought my first card from Adorama and the second card came direct from Lexar... Hmmm, I am really confused...
D
D
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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 11, 2013, 09:42:52 PM »
I never said that Lexar was crap or produced crap. I just got unlucky to get two bad cards one after the other. So far I have not had a bad card from Sandisk, but that doesn't mean that you can't get a bad apple once and a while.
Just for the record I ran the Lexar card through my Canon 7D with V2.03 firmware. I have done timed tests between my Sandisk Extreme and the Lexar Professional 1000X and the Lexar card is much faster at clearing the buffer once it was full. My camera can take advantage of the UDMA7 interface.
My rant on here is simple, I got two bad cards, I just cannot justify taking the chance with another Lexar card and that's too bad. I have always liked Lexar which is why I bought the card to begin with. All I can do now is wait for Lexar to replace my card and I will promtly sell it.
D
Just for the record I ran the Lexar card through my Canon 7D with V2.03 firmware. I have done timed tests between my Sandisk Extreme and the Lexar Professional 1000X and the Lexar card is much faster at clearing the buffer once it was full. My camera can take advantage of the UDMA7 interface.
My rant on here is simple, I got two bad cards, I just cannot justify taking the chance with another Lexar card and that's too bad. I have always liked Lexar which is why I bought the card to begin with. All I can do now is wait for Lexar to replace my card and I will promtly sell it.
D
7
Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 11, 2013, 01:51:58 AM »
OK, to all who have asked. My card simply stopped working. Both my 40D and 7D CANNOT even "see" the card. My PC CANNOT "see" the card. Cameras will not take a photo because they both tell me format the card. Cannot format with both cameras. My PC cannot format because it CANNOT "see" the card. Same issue as before with my first Lexar card.
Sandisk, I have the "Ultra" "Extreme III" "Ultra II" "Extreme" "Extreme Pro", from card sizes 2gb to 32gb. I can plug any one now into my 40D, 7D and even my PC and they work with NO ISSUES!!!!
My HARDWARE is fine, so stop asking. It is the Lexar card and ONLY the Lexar card that has failed.
Oh and BTW, I take care of my camera equipment better than some peope take care of their kids. I baby my equipment and treat it with respect. All of my equipment looks and performs as new.
D
Sandisk, I have the "Ultra" "Extreme III" "Ultra II" "Extreme" "Extreme Pro", from card sizes 2gb to 32gb. I can plug any one now into my 40D, 7D and even my PC and they work with NO ISSUES!!!!
My HARDWARE is fine, so stop asking. It is the Lexar card and ONLY the Lexar card that has failed.
Oh and BTW, I take care of my camera equipment better than some peope take care of their kids. I baby my equipment and treat it with respect. All of my equipment looks and performs as new.
D
8
Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 11, 2013, 01:23:55 AM »Yep. Even the 350 pounds I paid for a 512mb (yes you read that right!) Lexar failed after a few months.
I bought two 1gb Lexar some time later and they failed.
Bought around 20+ Sandisk without issue
Local pro shop told me the only returns he gets are lexars
Other pros I know have had similar issues over the yrs and no longer buy Lexar
But people on here say they've no issue
I think once you experience a serious loss, and not just pics of the cat, you find it impossible to trust that manufacturer again.
True, but you also need to look at the cause of the issue if you can, because many have never had even one failure, so to have two like that must be pretty rare in the big scheme of things.
Plus if you were (God forbid) unlucky enough to have one of each major brand fail, you would be pretty stuck.
I do think it important to buy a card which is appropriate for the camera it will be used in. I believe (might be wrong) but the 5D Mark II has read/write speeds of around 50ish MB/s which really does make the Lexar 1000X overkill, and maybe something to do with that caused the problem.
Who knows, but I do feel for the OP. Good luck with SanDisk.
I am not using it (the Lexar card) with the 5D2. I am using it with my 7D.
The Lexar card (when it was working) was much faster than my Sandisk 16gb Extreme card. (in clearing the buffer once full) I know with the 7D, the faster cards ARE faster.
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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 11, 2013, 12:35:56 AM »Yep. Even the 350 pounds I paid for a 512mb (yes you read that right!) Lexar failed after a few months.
I bought two 1gb Lexar some time later and they failed.
Bought around 20+ Sandisk without issue
Local pro shop told me the only returns he gets are lexars
Other pros I know have had similar issues over the yrs and no longer buy Lexar
But people on here say they've no issue
I think once you experience a serious loss, and not just pics of the cat, you find it impossible to trust that manufacturer again.
Yeah, I'm done with Lexar.
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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 10, 2013, 11:40:10 PM »I might look at the hardware you're using it with. Perhaps a bad card reader overvolting the card on read? Two failed cards of a typically reputable brand sounds to me like there may be something else going on. Don't rule anything out.
It's not my hardware. My PC is new, my cameras work great using Sandisk cards.... I even replaced my card reader recently (because my new card reader can read microSDHC cards now). I own several Sandisk cards and only ONE Lexar. NONE of my Sandisk cards show a problem. ONLY the Lexar.
My first failed card was with my "old" card reader and my replacement card with my "new" reader. Funny, they have both worked for YEARS with Sandisk cards without NO problems what-so-ever. Strange...
Maybe they (Lexar) are the ones at fault???
D
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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 10, 2013, 11:37:24 PM »There have been quite a few threads on this recently.
I have 2X Lexar 16GB 1000x cards and so far no problem. No problems with the SanDisks I have too.
Let's hope that is not about to change.
I hope not either but TWO cards? Flash memory has been an accepted "safe" haven for years. I used Lexar back in the day when I had 32MB (megabyte, not gigabyte) compactflash cards. I switched to Sandisk and had no problems. I read that the Lexar 1000X cards were the fastest so I bought one. I was sadly disapointed. I can handle ONE card having an issue, but TWO??? I tried it in my 40D and 7D and my PC and *pizzzt*, NOTHING.
Nothing personal to Lexar but I won't try this a third round. I am going to send it back for replacement and I am going to sell whatever card they replace it with. I am going back to Sandisk!!!
D
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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 10, 2013, 11:23:39 PM »
Oh, and Lexar does not give refunds, just replacement products....
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Software & Accessories / NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!
« on: April 10, 2013, 11:11:03 PM »
Ok, I bought a Lexar 32gb Professional 1000x card from Adorama about 4 months ago (give or take) and I had to send the card back within a month because it crapped out. Lexar replaced it without question with a 'new' card and this also has just crapped out. I aksed Lexar about a refund because at this point I do not trust getting and/or using ANOTHER memory card from them.
Anyone else had this problem? I have several Sandisk cards and not once have I ever had to send one in because it stopped working. I am so frustrated...
D
Anyone else had this problem? I have several Sandisk cards and not once have I ever had to send one in because it stopped working. I am so frustrated...
D
14
Lenses / Re: Aftermarket tripod rings vs OEM
« on: April 08, 2013, 07:21:59 PM »Generally, the heavier lenses that need a foot come with one, so that leaves lenses like yours, or like the 100mmL that might be better if they had one.
I really doubt if there is a issue with light weight lenses like those, I have a cheap ebay foot for my 70-200mm f/4L IS, and my 100mmL I have no concern about them breaking, they are very strong.
Some people have had issues with the adapter scratching their lens, so read the reviews. I've had no scratches either.
My ring did chip a little paint off but I was going to make some touch up paint at work (I paint cars for a living) and then wrap a strip of 3M Paint Protection Film around the body to keep scratches at bay in the future. I have a friend who custom cuts screen protectors for the Canon bodies (and some flash units and lenses) so getting a 1/2" wide strip is no biggie.
Don
15
Lenses / Aftermarket tripod rings vs OEM
« on: April 08, 2013, 06:21:39 PM »
I was curious how you guys felt about aftermarket tripod rings (like the ones found on eBay) vs the Canon OEM ones. Of course you can get the aftermarket ones cheaper and the couple that I have used seemed decent quality and build. BUT, that is a lot $$$ (equipment) to trust to something that make break easier than the OEM brand. I am not talking about super heavy lenses. My biggest lens is the EF 70-300L and I have an aftermarket ring for it.
Thanks!
Don
Thanks!
Don