Messages

1

Software & Accessories / Re: Nik Software worth it?

« on: April 07, 2013, 04:26:21 PM »

its absolutely worth the 129.00

the noise reduction plugin is great...
colorFX and silverFX are both amazing..
HDR Pro 2 is the best HDR software out there.

when you buy the software you get more than the plugins, you also get their training.. their training videos are amazing.. the software is very user friendly, but there is a lot of power under the surface... Their training is by real photographers showing their workflow and technique. i highly recommend it.

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Lenses / Re: ok so i did it and bought into FF... now i need a good standard zoom

« on: April 07, 2013, 03:28:24 PM »

if you do mainly landscapes.. the 16-35L is one heck of a lens.. but i wouldnt call it a standard zoom. the 17-40mm F4 zoom is another great lens and is about 600.00

for a standard zoom.. and a standard lens you cant get better than the 24-105mm F4.. its a great every day lens.. does great at landscapes .. and everything else.

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Lenses / Re: Suggestions for Zoom Lens for Canon Mark 5D Mark iii

« on: March 18, 2013, 01:43:30 PM »

the 70-200mm range is a really nice range for portraits.. the F4 or the F2.8 lens are both very good lenses you couldnt go wrong with either. i'm surprised no one has mentioned the 24-105mm f4 L lens. its another very versatile lens.

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Reviews / Re: I'm amazed by my 5D Mark iii

« on: January 10, 2013, 11:05:13 PM »

i'm another 7D -> 5d mk III upgrader..

i was never happy with the grain or noise out of my 7D.. i took some great shots with it over the 3 yrs i had it.. but i always thought it was noisier than it should have been.

5D mk III is a very refined and nice camera. image quality is amazing, noise levels are amazing. i think its priced a little high.. but other than that i have no complaints at all.

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EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 6D launch and effect on 5D MkII & MKIII

« on: November 23, 2012, 10:05:44 PM »

the wifi option in this camera isnt just meant for just uploading pics to the web.. much like the gopro helmet cams, you can completely control the camera from a remote or from your smart phone. you can set and control every aspect of the camera from it. It could be an incredibly powerful feature if Canon ever opened up the SDK (software  development kit) to software developers. If they were to ever do that, a developer could write an application for a computer or smart phone that could completely control the camera and add new modes of shooting or different functionality. This is just the start i hope.

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EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 6D launch and effect on 5D MkII & MKIII

« on: November 23, 2012, 09:44:26 AM »

i think it will partially depend on the camera... and the reviews.
i think they are very different cameras... the 5d mk III is one hell of a camera.. but at the price point its out of a lot of peoples reach. the 6D will fill a really good part of the market if its sensor performs well. i think market price is 2000.00?  or 2100.00? meaning sale/retail will be 1700 to 1800.00 its still not a cheap camera but given that its full frame with GPS and some other interesting features... there will be  a market.

Car manufacturers have always had multiple cars with many of the same features but things that make the models stand out. i see this no different. as of now if you're a canon shooter you have a 5d mk II which is a good camera but 5 yr old technology and the 5mk III, and the 5DX.. as great as the high end market is.. There are far more amateur.. semi-pro, and soccer moms that want a nice camera. but dont need a high end full frame for $3000.00+ 

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Pricewatch Deals / Re: Sigma 35 f/1.4 Available for Preorder

« on: November 07, 2012, 11:30:19 AM »

i've been wanting a 35 prime for a while. for me its going to come down to low light performance. i really want to like sigma lenses.. but i've rented the 30mm f1.4 3 times and havent been impressed at all. the lens just cannot focus in low light. if this one is better i'm all for it. i'm curious to see how the canon 35mm f2 performs too.

we'll see when the lenses really come out.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Full Frame Sharper Than Crop?

« on: October 19, 2012, 02:18:25 PM »

i just went from a 7D to a 5D mk III. Both are incredibly sharp cameras when you have proper exposure and shutter speed. The difference i see is that the 5D mk III is much less noisy.. so it seems sharper in high ISO situations.

i will also say i know alot of people when they move from shooting JPG to RAW dont realize that they have to sharpen their images in post. With JPG's its done in camera, but with RAW you have to do the sharpening. it makes a difference.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Training: Any comments for the Lynda.com training site for photo/vid/tools?

« on: October 18, 2012, 07:58:35 AM »

i've used all the sites mentioned above, there really is no perfect solution. Creative live is great and if you can catch the lessons while they are recording them they are free.. They tend to focus on model photography.. or at least thats what they have been focusing on recently.. which isnt my thing, but they really are good classes.

AdoramaTV is very good too..

i've been on lynda.com for about 2 yrs.. their photoshop and lightroom training is 2nd to none.. in the last year or so they really have changed their focus from trainers teaching the classes to professionals in the industry that really use the software.. and use it in the way you would use it.. In the last year they've also added a photography catagory, all these classes are taught by photographers.. some very famous photographers.. some are very beginner type classes.. but they are getting more and more intermediate and advanced classes. for 20.00 a month you can get 1 yr of unlimited classes for the price of one creativelive class.

D

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Renting 5DIII for a wedding, would like advice

« on: October 03, 2012, 09:10:29 PM »

i've had a 7D for 3 yrs, have been renting a 5d mkIII for events since it came out.. be prepared to not want to send it back when you're done..

it handles much like the 7D .. but has just enough changes in the button placement to frustrate you. Try to get it a few days early to get used to it.  the "Q" key is now by the scroll wheel on the back. not hard .. its actually a better placement.. but takes some getting used to.. reviewing photos is a little different too. you use the top dial to zoom into the images for review.

as for performance... 7D.. i never really liked the noise above ISO 1600-2000.. 5D mk III iso 2000 is nothing.. 3200 is perfectly usable.. 6400 is very good too.

as for lenses.. use lenses you're comfortable with.. you're switching cameras.. so use lenses you know how to use.. you wont have the crop factor zoom you're used to.. so you're going to lose a little reach with the 5d mk III.

focusing is pretty much just like the 7D but with more focus points to choose from. same modes, just more points. High speed shooting is about the same as the 7D. 5D has a "silent shooting mode" its really nice.. slows down the shooting (the fps) but its significantly quieter than normal shooting mode.

other than that your'e going to be really impressed.

11

EOS Bodies / Re: 7D or 5D2

« on: October 03, 2012, 05:17:49 PM »

i just upgraded from a 7D to a 5dmkIII. i've been really impressed with the upgrade. i've had the 7D for 3 yrs (since it came out) and honestly i've never really been happy with it. i've gotten some good shots.. but it just always seems noisier than it should be.. even at low ISO.. maybe i had a bad copy i dunno. i got some great images out of it. but i shoot mostly landscapes and city scapes like you. your money is better spent on the 5d mk II.

12

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 5D3 vs. Nikon D600

« on: October 01, 2012, 08:46:55 AM »

After almost 6 months of internal debate (and renting the camera twice), i purchased a 5d MkIII last week. i'm no pro, its not my full time career, but i do make some income off my photography. The 5d MkIII isnt a perfect camera... i think its priced about 500.00 too high.. but i offset that 500.00 with credit card reward points. Nikon might have more mega-pixels. and higher dynamic range. All those specs sound amazing.. but in the end, i have a huge investment in canon lenses.. yes i could have sold them.. but that would take time.. lots of time. I also am very familiar with the canon interface and menu system.. dropping everything and moving to nikon is doable.. but is it worth the time? in my case i dont think so..

The nikon is probably a better  camera.. but we're talking the difference between a porche and a ferrari.. and i'm honestly just driving around town. Looking at 500px and flickr.. there are plenty of truly breathtaking images coming out of both cameras. i will be happy to admit this camera is far more than i need.. and far more capable than i am. It does all i need, i see a CLEAR improvement over my 7D in low light situations. Its a far less noisy camera around ISO 2000 and above.

The tools any artist uses is very personal.. and important.. but at some point you have to stop worrying about which tool is just a little bit better.. and start doing the actual art.

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EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Hacked! The Magic Lantern Team Cracks the EOS 7D

« on: September 18, 2012, 11:38:18 AM »

this is a good thing, there had to be away.

its a great camera, i just really would like AEB bracketing with options for 5,7 or 9 frames. its not something i need all the time... but when i do, it would be really nice..

same thing with time lapse, and super long exposures.

14

Software & Accessories / Re: Google Buys Nik Software

« on: September 17, 2012, 02:04:12 PM »

these are by far my fav plugins.. colorFX and silverFX are phenominal.. Dfine and their new HDR 2.0 are VERY VERY good too.. i hope google takes them under their wing but doesnt ruin them.

D

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Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: New Canon Flash This Fall? [CR2]

« on: August 29, 2012, 01:13:58 PM »

two major photo shows in sept and october.. i'd wait to purchase anything until then.. but you really cant go wrong with a pocket wizard