Messages

1

Sports / Re: Kiteboarding

« on: September 20, 2012, 11:41:24 PM »

The green is the real color.  The Oregon coast can go from dirty grey to bright blue depending on the turbidity of the water.  There is minimal color enhancement to the photos--mainly curves applied.

Nice shots nitsujwalker.  How natural is the green colour of the surf?

Here's my effort from the more subdued end of the spectrum.

(BTW "subdued" meaning from a more remote perspective rather than referring to colour - I was just interested to know if the green tint was a local phenomenon.)

2

Black & White / Re: Black & White

« on: July 01, 2012, 03:06:23 PM »

Here are a few.

3

EOS Bodies / Re: What should my next lens be...?

« on: May 16, 2012, 11:54:52 PM »

I'm sorry, I completely misread your post.  My mistake.  I agree with the post above..  I would get either the 70-200 or go wide 16-35 (depending on what kinds of landscapes). 

4

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D II/24-70L II OR 5D III/24-70L

« on: May 16, 2012, 11:47:37 PM »

well the new 24-70, as you know, will be quite a bit more expensive.  If you shoot moving subjects (animals, kids etc) get the 5diii.  For landscapes i'd just get the 5d2.

5

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D II/24-70L II OR 5D III/24-70L

« on: May 16, 2012, 11:34:26 PM »

Depends what you like to shoot!  If it were me, I would get the 5d2, the 16-35 and a 70-200 f2.8 non is.  But that's just me!

6

Lenses / Re: 4K to spend and I don't know what to do with it!!!

« on: May 15, 2012, 01:25:55 PM »

You could consider the 5d2 and maybe the 70-200 f2.8

7

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DXOMark website - mistake and careless on their part...

« on: May 15, 2012, 01:20:14 PM »

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Canon-5D-Mark-III-Review/Comparisons

This link takes you to a 5d3 vs 5d2 comparison at DXO.  Scroll down a little bit to ISO Latitude...they use the word "expendable" instead of "expandable" to describe ISO expansion.  I didn't bother to see if they do this elsewhere.

Is this a big deal?  Is it worth mentioning?  WELL, millions of photographers around the world hang the ultra important DXO scores...and then you see this butchering of a simple word, and then no follow up or quality control on their website (which gets how many millions of hits) to correct that mistake.  All this from a group that supposedly is smart enough to perform all these sophisticated tests, with controls, and a disciplined process. 

Anyway, I just thought some folks would think it interesting...

They hang the DXO scores?  Where do they hang them?  Do you mean they hang on every word that the company publishes?  Don't complain about typos in a post and then make typos yourself.

8

EOS Bodies / Re: Lower Price Full Frame Camera [CR1]

« on: May 15, 2012, 11:07:54 AM »

Doesn't make much sense to go into production with a new camera when the 5D2 is still awesome and the factories are geared to producing it.

#1 Possibly except they are spending money on R&D (supposedly) and we can assume that the 5d2 with the already stripped specs is not that expensive to make––surely less so than a new camera with newer technology.  Save the money on R&D and lower the price.

The economics of running a high tech production line are not very intuitive. Manufacturing costs are relatively fixed no matter what level of technology is actually being assembled.

This is similar to the manufacture of hard drives. For example about 5 years ago you could buy a 100 gigabyte hard drive for $100 dollars. If hard drives were like other goods, where the price of manufacturing them comes down as time goes by you would expect that you could now buy a 100 gigabyte hard drive for say $50.

This is not the case. Instead you can buy a 2 terabyte hard drive for $100 - i.e. the unit cost has really not come down at all, as cost for each part of the hard drive has remained the same, but because of the R+D done you get much more space for your $100 of hard drive.

Similarly - continuing the production of the 5d mkII may not be cheaper for Canon than producing a new cut down version of the 5d mkIII. In fact if they stopped manufacturing mkIIs and released another camera that used the same sensor as the mkIII but with other features removed - they would probably see large savings compared to having to continue to have two separate production lines for sensors. (Production lines for producing sensors has to be more expensive than production lines for assembling bodies which is relatively low tech.)

btw Yes, I'm implying that Canon are making a huge profit per mkIII sold, but they have spent a lot on R+D, and people are prepared to pay that price, so fair play to them. As the price comes down over the next year or so, it won't be due to improvements in manufacturing process resulting in cheaper unit costs - it will just be slimmer profit margins for Canon.

Also I'm not sure how they could remove enough stuff from a 5d MKIII to produce a cut down version that is so significantly cheaper that it would get reasonable sales though. Pulling numbers from my posterior:

Remove SD card - $50
Change 61 AF points to 31 or fewer - $200
Frame rate from 6fps to 3fps - $200
Direct print button - $1

Even in a couple of years time when the mkIII is selling for $2500, there's not many people who would go for a cutdown camera for $2000 when the full 5d mkIII is only a little more. About the only thing I can think of is if they removed video then they could justify a much lower price (even if the manufacturing costs would actually be the same) and be able to capture more of the market.

Interesting insight..  The harddrive analogy makes sense.

9

Landscape / Re: Post Your Best Landscapes

« on: May 15, 2012, 01:33:28 AM »

Those are fantastic!  I love 'em.

10

EOS Bodies / Re: Lower Price Full Frame Camera [CR1]

« on: May 15, 2012, 12:01:24 AM »

So essentially it will be the 5d2?  I'm not sure why they don't just drop the price of the 5d2.

They did, they dropped the MSRP from $2499 to $2199...it just happened to coincide with the time prices normally rise. That said, there have been a variety of deals where its been <$2k.

And they dropped it fairly significantly in their refurb store...with Canon Loyalty, a refurb 5D comes out to $1500ish. Can't really get any cheaper: http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/subCategory_10051_10051_-1_29252#

Except the point is that they will release a CHEAPER fullframe with stripped specs.  So why not keep the 5d2 around and lower the price.

#1 they can't reduce the 5d2 price below a certain point or they lose money per unit
#2 if the competition introduces a camera for cheaper than the 5d2 then they can't compete on price because of #1
#3 they can't add features to the 5d2 that could be seen to be expected by customers
#4 if other brands introduce ff cameras for the same price or cheaper than the 5d2 with newer features then the 5d2 will lose out

#1 Possibly except they are spending money on R&D (supposedly) and we can assume that the 5d2 with the already stripped specs is not that expensive to make––surely less so than a new camera with newer technology.  Save the money on R&D and lower the price.
#2 irrelevant if #1
#3 True––completely agree (but new features [generally] equals higher price)
#4 True-- but once again new features [generally] equals higher price (especially with Canon's recent history)

I suppose my point is that I don't know how they can strip a camera down much more than the 5d2 and sell it at a lower price.  Or how they can add features and sell it at a lower cost.  Your point is that the 5d2 price can't go down because they will lose money.  But feature-wise the 5d2 doesn't have much (I own one and love it by the way).  If the point is to have a cheap full-frame then the 5d2 would work without the R&D.  But if it's simply marketing and they are releasing a camera similar to the 5d2 in hope that the 'new' camera will make people buy it, then I suppose I understand.

11

EOS Bodies / Re: Lower Price Full Frame Camera [CR1]

« on: May 14, 2012, 09:35:21 PM »

So essentially it will be the 5d2?  I'm not sure why they don't just drop the price of the 5d2.

They did, they dropped the MSRP from $2499 to $2199...it just happened to coincide with the time prices normally rise. That said, there have been a variety of deals where its been <$2k.

And they dropped it fairly significantly in their refurb store...with Canon Loyalty, a refurb 5D comes out to $1500ish. Can't really get any cheaper: http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/subCategory_10051_10051_-1_29252#

Except the point is that they will release a CHEAPER fullframe with stripped specs.  So why not keep the 5d2 around and lower the price.

12

EOS Bodies / Re: Lower Price Full Frame Camera [CR1]

« on: May 14, 2012, 03:52:38 PM »

So essentially it will be the 5d2?  I'm not sure why they don't just drop the price of the 5d2.

13

Canon General / Re: I have a question about wedding photography

« on: May 13, 2012, 12:27:43 AM »

interesting thread... But you should really remove that before/after photo before your client sees it...

14

Lenses / Re: BATTLE OF THE PRIMES: F1.8 Vs F1.4

« on: May 09, 2012, 10:59:29 PM »

I currently own both lenses and I much prefer the 1.4.  It is as sharp at 1.8 as the 1.8 is at 2.2 (at least my 1.8 copy).  I would spend the extra money and get the 1.4.  Some people report autofocus problems with the 1.4 but I have not personally experienced them.

15

Lenses / Re: BATTLE OF THE PRIMES: F1.8 Vs F1.4

« on: May 09, 2012, 10:57:14 PM »

I started with a 1.4, broke it after years of use, then replaced it with the 1.8, returned that lens and bought another 1.4. 

The 1.4 is simply a joy to use.  It's fast, quiet, and delivers stunning photos.  I returned the 1.8 because the autofocus was so loud - it sounded like an electric razor.  I wasn't as much fun to use. 

If you want to begin experimenting with prime lenses, and want a good experience, get the 1.4. 

If you are an impoverished student and have to choose food or camera gear, then get the 1.8.

Whoa.... Totally disagree... If you're an impoverished student, buy the camera gear and skip meals/sell a kidney if necessary