Messages

1

Lenses / Re: Who has pre-ordered or will order 200-400

« on: May 14, 2013, 05:45:22 PM »

I'd still like an updated 100-400L, though, as a more portable option.

Same here - large aperture superteles are fun and all that, but most of time I want something that can fit in my usual camera bag and doesn't weigh me down too much.

2

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Looking for an Mirorrless or Compact for climbing/high altitude hiking

« on: May 01, 2013, 04:21:15 PM »

Need some advice:

I am looking for an compact Camera or Mirrorless for climbing or high-altitude hiking.
Preferences:

• smaller an lighter than SLR
• focus on high image quality
• normal AF speed (shutter lag <0,5s)
• able to use an polarisation filter e.g.
• wide angle preference

Price unter 1500€ inclusive wideangle lens

I aimed at the Sony Cyber-shot RX100, but there are very variying tests. (Dpreview gives not the best notes. Color foto (German magazine) says superb,...) Which test to trust?
The Fuji 100s or the X-1E?

Which model would you prefer?

I have an RX100, corners at wide angle are a weakness.  Otherwise I like it quite a bit - IQ is better than any other compact I've used, but not up to the standards of my 7D.  Being able to charge the battery via microUSB is an asset in the backcountry if battery life is a concern (although the RX100 already has pretty good battery life) - you could keep it charged w/ a small solar kit (I have one that works with the RX100 and weighs about 8oz).

How about the Nikon Coolpix A or Ricoh GR?  Fixed 28mm equivalent lens, APS-C sized sensors (no AA filters on either), very good IQ for the size/weight.

Also consider the Sigma Merrill DP1 - amazing low ISO IQ, but a bit heavier, slower AF, slow write speeds, slower in general, battery life isn't great, high ISO performance is crap.  But that low ISO IQ is amazing.

I think the Ricoh GR would probably be my top recommendation at the end of the day - cheaper than the Nikon, IQ just as good or better.

3

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Post your HDR images:

« on: April 25, 2013, 06:20:21 PM »

I recently moved into a new apartment, here's an HDR panorama of one of the new bedrooms, shot with a 5DIII + 24L II.  I believe there were a total of 12 frames - 4 sets of 3 frames (-2.3, 0, +2.3) converted into 4 32-bit tiff files, then reprocessed in ACR and photomerged via PSCS6:

Very nice. Great use of HDR, not looking like something produced by Looney Tunes.

Thanks.  Although most of the credit should really go to the HDR processing method I used - creating 32-bit tiffs in Photoshop CS6 and then reprocessing them in ACR makes it very easy to create well-balanced, realistic looking HDRs.  Someone here posted B&H-produced tutorial of that functionality awhile back and it really streamlined my approach to HDRs.

Edit: So it was actually Adorama that made the tutorial I'm referring to, highly recommended viewing if you own a copy of CS6 -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JT1b12BBHs
	Small | Large

4

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Post your HDR images:

« on: April 25, 2013, 05:04:17 PM »

I recently moved into a new apartment, here's an HDR panorama of one of the new bedrooms, shot with a 5DIII + 24L II.  I believe there were a total of 12 frames - 4 sets of 3 frames (-2.3, 0, +2.3) converted into 4 32-bit tiff files, then reprocessed in ACR and photomerged via PSCS6:

5

Software & Accessories / Re: Quick release plates: RRS v's Manfrotto

« on: April 16, 2013, 07:07:13 PM »

Slightly off-topic but important:
...there are heads/clamps which don't fit between the gripped 5D3 body and the head attachment. I have the 300 f4 and the 70-200 f2.8L2 and know that for instance, my Manfrotto 322 grip head with the RC2 plate will not fit up under the 70-200 because the bulkiness of the battery housing. I have to try the same combo with the 300 but suspect I'd see the same problem. I have an aftermarket grip but I think its shape will not differ too much from the Canon offering.

I am planning a change to all Arca Swiss (AS) camera attachment so am thinking about this right now, too. I plan to adapt all heads to the AS clamps, even retro fitting somehow the AC system on a Manfrotto 410 geared head. I will have to figure out how to replace/adapt the 322 grip, too, but I knew the inability to attach the 70-200 required some new solution, anyway.

I have an 322RC2 head - the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II + gripped 5D3 (I use the Canon BG-E11 grip) does in fact fit - after installing the RC2 plate to the lens collar, you need to rotate the tripod collar on the lens (ie, as you would if you were shooting vertically), then attach it to the tripod head, and then rotate the lens collar back in place - boom, it fits with your gripped camera.  I had the same issue with my gripped 7D, too.

Regardless, I am very happy to have moved on to the RRS AS-style plate system - big improvement versus the manfrotto RC2 system.

6

Software & Accessories / Re: Help me finalize my tripod & ballhead choice

« on: April 16, 2013, 03:14:49 PM »

If you plan to use it for backpacking - sturdiness, compact size, and overall weight are all concerns.  I'm also a frequent backpacker (an ultralighter, too - excluding camera gear, my base weight is usually in the 10-11lbs range), and shoot with a 5D3/7D and an assortment of lenses (24mm f/1.4 II, 100mm f/2.8 IS, 40mm f/2.8 STM, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II, etc. - although in the backcountry I usually pack just the 24 f/1.4).

Given my intended use and equipment set here's what I ended up with:

For the legs I went with a gitzo GT1540F, a 4 section design which uses gitzo's ocean locks on the bottom two leg sections (about $580, the ocean locks make the tripod easier to clean in the field and give me more flexibility/less to worry about when setting up in streams, etc.).  For the head I have a RRS BH-30 ($275, plus about $50-60 per for several plates - one of the 5D3, one for the 7D, one for the 70-200 f/2..

The combination is exceptionally sturdy - the gitzo tripod is appreciably more solid feeling than the manfrotto 190CXPRO3 tripod I was using before.  And lighter - the combined weight of the head/tripod is pretty manageable at about 3lbs (which is about what the manfrotto weighs by itself). Folded, the combo is quite compact, and with all leg section fully deployed my ungripped 5D3's viewfinder is at eye-level (I'm 5'8") w/o having to extend the center column.

The RRS plate system combined with the lever release of the head itself is unequivocally better compared to the manfrotto RC2 QR plates of my previous head (a manfrotto 322RC2).  The RRS system offers a simple, sure lock, but the RRS lever release also allows for you to fine tune placement of the setup without having to fully unlock (there is a halfway point where the plate itself is free to move, but it isn't a full release so there is greatly reduced risk of your equipment taking a catastrophic fall).  Comparatively, my RC2 system would occasionally jam, placement had to be just right for it to lock, there was no adjustment available, etc. - the arca-swiss style plate systems are better in every way I can think of.

I paid twice looking for my ideal setup, hopefully others examining this thread don't have to do the same.

7

Lenses / Re: 40mm f/2.8 Wow what a lens

« on: March 27, 2013, 02:10:40 PM »

I love my 40!

Same here, it's such a perfect pairing for unobtrusive general photography on my 5D.  I think it and a 6D would make a wonderful compact/stealth kit.  Canon really needs to make an equivalent lens for EF-S mount, the shorty 40's just a bit too much telephoto for my tastes on APS-C.

8

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Which camera brand you actively use, other than Canon?

« on: March 14, 2013, 01:54:12 PM »

Sony RX100 - highly impressive IQ for such a tiny package.  Just wish the lens was a bit wider and had sharper corners...

9

Lenses / Re: 25mm EF Pancake

« on: February 23, 2013, 04:24:39 PM »

The lens already exists, sort of, in the form of the new 24mm/28mm f/2.8 IS lenses.  I don't think we'll see a relatively fast wide angle prime get smaller than these two lenses already are.

10

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D III Dynamic Range

« on: February 11, 2013, 06:14:41 PM »

that means he is waiting for "flame war" with his pop corn... hic.. hic... i am getting tired of that too.  however, back to your question.  below is the link to show you the good way:

HDR Ep 115: Take & Make Great Photography with Gavin Hoey: Adorama Photography TV

Thanks so much for the link.  After putting this technique (multiple exposure to 32 bit tiff and processing again in ACR) into action on a few of the HDRs I've shot, wow, so easy, very powerful, great results.

11

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: future of sigma art line

« on: February 04, 2013, 10:02:28 PM »

the 50mm needs an optical redo but would be a big hit

Respectfully disagree, Sigma has the best 50mm f/1.4 for Canon available, and I include Zeiss in that statement. I think a modern 24mm f/1.4 is the obvious opportunity to me.

Just curious, is there anything wrong with the 24mm f/1.4L II (other than cost)?  Or maybe you are specifically talking about such a lens aimed at APS-C users?

12

PowerShot / Re: Best Low Light Pocket Size Camera

« on: February 01, 2013, 02:15:11 PM »

RX100 is pretty much it.  There isn't really anything else out there that can be called pocketable and has as large a sensor and a lens that collects as much light.  I own one, IQ-wise, compared to an SLR it's just passable, but it circles its pocket-sized compact competition several times over.

13

Canon General / Re: Why did you choose Canon?

« on: January 27, 2013, 10:24:27 PM »

The big whites?  Canon's lens lineup was very appealing when I was researching systems - I started with a T1i but wanted lots of room to grow.  Which I did plenty of (currently sitting on 7D/5D3 and a stack of L's).

14

EOS Bodies / Re: DSLR & Lens Coming on January 15, 2013? [CR1]

« on: January 15, 2013, 11:13:35 AM »

K-amps, completely agree with you! It seems that Canon EOS 6D is cripled 5D Mark III and EOS 7D This model is aboslutely ridiculous and it is very clear that marketing department in Canon should be fired for such product!

Or we could say that the 6D is a smaller 5DII with expanded feature set and better high-ISO IQ, metering, AF, etc....

15

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark iii ai-servo

« on: January 07, 2013, 12:04:07 PM »

How did you get the red focus highlights with Ai-Servo?
I thought this was one of the main complaints with the 5D MK3?
I can't get any to show up with mine

Also, not to hi-jack this thread, but can Ai-Servo be used with single shot as a method of tracking moving subjects?
I think it can.
If so, how does back button focus work in this mode.

I would hope that while depressed, the camera would continue to track the subject and when released focused would be locked?
It's just that without red highlights I'm unable to see this.

Thanks

ET

If the camera is set to focus using the AF-On button and the camera is in AI-Servo AF mode, then camera will continually auto focus using the active AF point(s) for so long as the AF-On button is depressed.  But AI-Servo AF never locks like One-Shot mode does, it just continually tracks as long as AF is active, so if you release AF-On and auto focus is only mapped to AF-On, then the camera is no longer auto-focusing - the focus position just stops wherever it is when you let go of AF-On.