Messages

1

Lenses / Re: 70-200 f2.8 MkI & Mk II and Extenders

« on: April 26, 2013, 10:57:07 AM »

I concur with the above comments - I have a 5DIII, 70-200 II & use the 2x III extender.  The photos are incredibly sharp given the setup.  The backgrounds may not have quite the quality bokeh that a prime 300 or 400 lens might, but it's not objectionable & I've been able to overcome that with a blur brush in PS.

I have wanted a 100-400 for some time but didn't like the push pull zoom.  Even if they come out with the rumored new 100-400 with a standard zoom, I believe I'll stick with what I've got.  With the 2x extender, I have a 140-400 5.6 that is excellent for my needs.

2

Canon General / Re: 5D Mark III

« on: April 17, 2013, 04:43:56 PM »

Really? Because the improvements from the mkII to the mkIII seemed fairly hu-hum for the most part. Then again...everything is relative.

My guess is midphase has not shot the 5DII and 5DIII, just looked at the features list.  I shot the 5DII for 2+ years & have had the 5DIII for one year.  It is much better in almost every respect based on the results I am getting.  The colors are more vivid, the images are sharper, and the noise is lower.  Also these features make a huge difference in the field, in no particular order:

much clearer LCD screen for live view or review of image quality
5 stop exposure compensation (5DII has 2 stops max)
Ability to shoot 7 shots for bracketing - max is 3 on the 5DII
Two cards (CF & SD) for storage of images
Slightly more megapixels for more room to crop (this isn't a huge difference)
6 frames per second vs. 4 fps on the 5DII for wildlife, etc.
Multiple exposure capability for landscapes & other applications
In-camera HDR if that's your thing (it's not mine as it still doesn't save the final image in RAW)
Better auto-focus by a bunch

All in all, it's a much better camera, as expected.  I know this is only one person's opinion, but mine is a hands on experience for both cameras.

3

Lenses / Re: Focusing Advice on a Canon 24mm TS-E

« on: April 09, 2013, 02:04:36 PM »

Fergal,
I like this lens the most because it's the sharpest Canon lens in my bag by quite a bit.  It's super sharp!  I also have a 5DIII as my primary camera body.

Here's a good link that helped me a lot in understanding the "tilt" portion of my 24mm TS/E lens:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses2.htm

As for focusing, I exclusively use the live view at 10x and scroll through the image to see how well it is focused.  I've tried the Hoodman & it's good if there's a lot of glare on the screen, but useless otherwise.  the 5DIIIs preview screen is a very high resolution & gives great results without other enhancements.

Please note that when you are looking at live view, you are looking at F2.8.  It will be tough to get all portions of the scene super sharp at 2.8, even with tilt.  If you press your depth-of-field preview button to stop down the lens to your preferred aperture setting, you'll then see what the image will look like at that aperture.  If you are set to F16-F22, I'll bet everything will be sharp. 

As for "straightening buildings", use a bubble level to make sure the camera is level on the tripod.  Then use your shift feature to shift up (if they are taller than you are) to change the composition to what you want.  Shift down if you are in a high place and are shooting down on buildings.  The camera must be level (this causes the camera sensor to be perpendicular to the scene) to truly achieve this without doing it in photoshop.  If you don't have enough shift to get the right composition, you can shift the lens up as far as it will go, then adjust the camera up for the correct composition.  This will require less adjustment in photoshop than if you did not have a shifting lens.

Good luck 

4

Lenses / Re: STEPUP / DOWN rings

« on: January 22, 2013, 02:32:50 PM »

I've used the step rings for years with no issues.  I buy 82mm filters to use on my lenses that require them, and have a step ring for each lens that requires 77mm filters.  I've never had any issues with image quality at all in doing this.

5

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Canon 5D mark 3 in-camera HDR shots

« on: January 15, 2013, 04:41:55 PM »

I can't speak to the HDR feature, but I like the last post from Hawaii - good looking image!  I will say that the multiple exposure feature is a great one.  It takes the same exposure multiple times with the same settings, and has an in-camera blend that generates a composite in RAW.  It's very useful for taking a long-exposure shot in bright light to smooth out flowing water, oceans, etc.  You still have the issue of moving objects like with any multi-shot exposure. 

So, if you meter for existing light and it's at 0.5 seconds ideal exposure, you can take up to nine images, letting the camera blend them.  You end up with a 4.5 second exposure where the highlights are not blown out. 

6

Lenses / Re: tilt-shift question

« on: November 30, 2012, 11:48:43 AM »

Remember that you can shoot pano with the 24 using the shift function.  If what you are shooting is not moving, then you can get some super hi-res photos.  Shift the lens to the left & capture an image, then the middle, then the right.  Stitch the three together & you've got a stunning image.  Since the camera sensor doesn't move, there are no alignment issues. You can do the same in vertical format, shifting up & down rather than left to right.  In either format, you can still use the tilt function, as it's on an independent axis and can be rotated separately from the shift mechanism.

I've got the 24mm & it's super sharp!

7

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III Firmware Update Error

« on: June 26, 2012, 11:00:57 AM »

I updated this morning with one fully charged battery & had no problem at all.

8

Lenses / Re: Advice/suggestions extenders

« on: May 25, 2012, 10:54:34 AM »

Just a thought on the 2x extender.  The 2X III (the latest version) is VERY good with the 70-200 2.8II & the 5DIII.  I've shot birds in flight and in the bush with great results and no significant fall off in autofocus time.  The IQ is great, even at 400mm.

9

Software & Accessories / Re: Camera Raw 6.7 and DNG Convertor 6.7 [Win|Mac] final release

« on: May 03, 2012, 11:30:25 AM »

For what it's worth, I downloaded the DNG converter (6.7 for Windows) just after getting the 5DIII & am using that, then opening the images in Lightroom 4.  Everything is tack sharp using that method.  I think I'll stick to it until they get the other stuff sorted out.

10

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Best strategy for processing MK lll RAW files ?

« on: April 24, 2012, 01:36:11 PM »

There are several ways to go with the raw files.  Adobe has  DNG converter (version 6.7) for download that will convert the raw files from your 5DIII into DNG format.  This is a standard format that Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom, and others will read.  Until those products get converters embedded in them  through an upgrade, this seems to be the best way to initially get the files in a usable format.

I used Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) for years to process raw files.  I just switched to Lightroom 4 ($149 now) because of the massive control it gave me over the photos with tone, color, etc.  ACR just did not have the robust controls.  You can do all of it in Photoshop, but it's harder there.  ACR that comes with Photoshop CS6 has some of those new controls embedded in it, but Lightroom is cheaper than the upgrade from CS5 for me, so I went that route.

There is a learning curve, but you will be amazed how much more color and contrast you can pull out of each photo, especially in the shadows, getting full detail that you cannot get from a JPG file.

Good luck!

11

EOS Bodies / Re: Light leak on 5D3 IS a big issue, and should embarrass Canon

« on: April 18, 2012, 02:06:09 PM »

While you are certainly entitled to your reaction, and feel the need to send your 5DIII back to the factory, they'll get mine back when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.  It is a fabulous camera, that I truly have enjoyed.  It's much better on several fronts than my 5DII (which isn't perfect either but is a great camera).  Every camera has nuances that we must deal with.  If I have to worry about light leak from the LCD in dark environments, then I don't have much to worry about.  I simply check the histogram as I do for virtually every shot I take.  If the exposure isn't right, I compensate.  There's usually a lot more reasons to have to compensate than light leak from an LCD impacting the metering by some small percentage.

For those that think this is a big deal, good on 'ya!  I choose not to sweat the really small stuff...

12

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Canon 5DIII & Nikkor 14-24mm lens compatability issue

« on: April 03, 2012, 12:38:50 PM »

I tried to shoot my Nikkor 14-24mm on my new 5DIII, and the camera got very confused trying to sort out what the aperature was.  It finally threw an error saying there was not a connection to the lens & to clean the contacts.  I have the camera in "Manual" mode.  I'm using this converter: http://www.adorama.com/CZNKGEOSAF.html

It works great on my 5DII.  Has anyone else had good/bad luck in marrying up this lens with the 5DIII?

13

Lenses / Re: Canon 16-35 MKII or Nikon 14-24mm Manual Focus?

« on: March 31, 2012, 12:14:30 PM »

I've got the 5DII and have used the 16-35mm II for a couple of years & do like it.  Mine's just a hair soft on the left side unless I stop it down to f16 or so, but it's super sharp in that range.  I've heard that several have that issue.

I bought the Nikon 14-24 this past winter & got this adapter for it: http://www.adorama.com/CZNKGEOSAF.html

I think I wasted my money on getting this more sophisticated adapter.  The one without the added chip would have been just as useful. Supposedly this chip enables the focusing confirmation function but it didn't work on my copy.  The lens is stunningly sharp wide open & stopped down in the middle and the corners.  I get the extra 2mm of wide angle - you can almost see your ears in the viewfinder 

I shoot landscapes only, so I'm always manually focusing whatever scene I shoot, so that is not a big deal for me.  If I was using it to wander around & shoot, I would not buy that lens given the manual focus.

Three other items to note:
1) you cannot use filters on the front of the 14-24 lens unless you buy some pretty exotic and expensive adapters - I have not bothered with this - so if you want a polarizer, forget about it.
2) the aperature of the lens is adjusted with a manual lever that protrudes from the adapter - you slide it one way to open up, and the other way to stop it down.  There are no marks or clicks to let you know where you are between F2.8 & F22 - it's a guess.  It's not hard to get it in the ballpark of what you need though.  It just takes some getting used to.
3) You have to open the aperature wide open to focus (manually), then stop down to the desired point to shoot the image - stopping down significantly reduces the light in the Live View, or view finder & it's tough to focus that way.

If you can live with these caveats, its a fabulous lens, even on the Canon body.

14

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D3 Mirror Lock up use and reccomendations

« on: March 29, 2012, 02:36:32 PM »

Here's another tip on mirror lockup - if you are shooting landscapes & macro on a tripod, then I've found it best to use Live view to frame.  Because it has to move the mirror out of the way to show you live view, it is the same as mirror lockup.  On the 5DII you could not autofocus in live view without pressing another focus button.  With the 5D3, you can zoom 10X to the spot you want to focus on, press the shutter release half way down, and it will focus on that specific spot, giving you a green box overlay when it has achieved focus. 

With the new view screen, it's really sweet because of the resolution, even at 10x.  You can verify with your eye whether or not it's in true focus.  I've found it to be very accurate.

The major point - when you use live view, it's the same as mirror lockup.  It's how I shoot all landscapes & macros.  With the 5DII it was manual focus at 10x.  with my new 5DIII, it will be auto focus at 10x.

15

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: A bad workman blames his tools? (5DMkIII)

« on: March 28, 2012, 10:20:54 AM »

I used the Adobe DNG converter 6.7 to convert my MKIII raw files to DNG format - I was then able to use my normal work flow with ACR and Photoshop to process the images - it seems to work fine until they get the new ACR updated for the MKIII

Link to the download: click here

You'll get an error message saying this beta software expires at the end of March, but it also says it will still work after that, but you'll see the message each day.  A small price to pay to have the consistent work flow.

FYI - my raw files were stunningly sharp with some test shots and a 16-35mm 2.8 lens.  I love the camera so far.  I only shoot raw, no JPGs.