Messages

1

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: I've had a revelation

« on: May 10, 2013, 03:22:48 PM »

I shot a couple of rolls of Velvia 35mm in Yosemite National Park last year and I agree completely with all previous comments... the slides look stunning on the light table. Velvia detail resolution is pretty much on par with a couple of shots that I took with the 5d3/24-70f/2.8 combo that I tried at the same park as part of a canon promotion.

if you can find a reputable print shop, you can come close to the quality of viewing the slides with a loupe and then a lot of credit will go to the print shop for the end result.

currently I am "scanning" the slides with my 7d and 100mm macro lens but I am having a very hard time reproducing the colors with DPP

2

Pricewatch Deals / Re: Canon Refurb 400mm f/5.6L $910

« on: April 10, 2013, 07:37:35 PM »

I got a copy of that lens back in December (new)... along with a 7D. I am quite impressed with the quality of the build (it survived being yanked off my shoulder by the kids) as well as the image quality. I've attached a shot of an osprey I took last week with it. image is not cropped but has been scaled down

3

Animal Kingdom / Re: Show your Bird Portraits

« on: February 21, 2013, 07:27:24 PM »

I ran into this pair of hawks on the way home from work today

4

Lenses / Re: 400 mm f5.6 non-IS / 300 mm f4 IS with extender 1.4 III or waiting?

« on: January 29, 2013, 04:45:30 PM »

I recently tested the 400L and 100-400 and I found that for shots faster than 1/500 sec, the 400L gave me sharper images so I bought the 400L... I agree with Mt Spokane that this lens shines for birds in flight but far I have used it successfully for still images of flowers, celestial bodies and of course "still" wildlife.... of course wildlife never sits still....

5

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Shutter count on a new 6D

« on: January 28, 2013, 08:50:38 AM »

I noticed the same thing when I picked up my new 7D about a month ago... hmm interesting

6

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 7D - How bad is it? Really?

« on: January 23, 2013, 09:32:59 AM »

I picked up a 7D about a month ago and I've used it for both studio and wildlife. I have a few decent ISO1600 shots for wildlife that did not lose too much detail during noise reduction but if you want those magazine quality photos try to stick with ISO 640 or less.. .maybe ISO800 with good light

for studio, I do find that FF will give you some better detail resolution but I'm not making money off photos.... so for me the 7D is proving an excellent value... to upgrade it for studio use... is about a $2000 deal... to upgrade it for wildlife use.... is more than a $10,000 deal

7

Lenses / Re: Want 400mm reach (FF) - 70-200 2.8 IS II + 2x III or 400 5.6L?

« on: January 07, 2013, 01:36:01 PM »

I was in the same boat as you until recently. I chose the 400mmf/5.6L lens and I could not be any happier (well maybe if I had the 600f4L.....). Granted, the 100-400 has IS but in testing the lenses head to head at the store I found that for any shots faster than 1/500sec, the 400mm prime was sharper than the 100-400.

after I bought it, I have shot it at 1/250 sec handheld with acceptable results. if I'm shooting still objects... I put it on a tripod anyway.

8

Lenses / Re: 4 weeks Trip around California

« on: January 03, 2013, 09:18:40 AM »

my family and I did a ery similar California trip last summer. I took all the lenses I owned at the time along with my film camera in a backpack... hiking up and down Yosemite.... with 3 kids.... rewarding in the end... but the journey was hard at times

the 24-105 on a FF camera will be your workhorse lens - 90% of your shots will be with this one
take the macro as you will see some nice flowers and insects
see if you can get a longer tele.... I recently got a 400mm for Christmas that would have brought in the deer closer than the 70-300 that I had at the time
... no need for 1.4 apperture... take the 40mm pancake lens since you have it

9

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: What photo/video gear did Santa bring you this year?

« on: December 27, 2012, 07:20:06 PM »

a 7d with a 400mm f/5.6L lens crept into my stocking... and is now by my side when I take long walks in the park....

10

EOS Bodies / Re: Digital equivalence: film tab holders

« on: December 24, 2012, 07:43:56 PM »

paper towel diffusers? - I came close last week... used blank copy paper as a diffuser for some corporate photos...

11

Animal Kingdom / Re: Show your Bird Portraits

« on: December 23, 2012, 04:57:00 PM »

this one showed up in front of my door about an hour ago.... gave me a chance to test my recently acquired  7d/400mmf/5.6 combo at close range

12

Portrait / Re: First model shoot...input pls!

« on: December 19, 2012, 02:43:51 PM »

I also come from a similar background (mainly a wildlife photographer but recently shooting models as well). I agree with others that the second and third images stand out and draw the viewers attention to the right spot.

my advice will be to invest in a small flash and either a wireless transmitter or long wired cable. My reason behind this is to find a way to put catch-lights on the model's eyes. Even when I shoot wildlife, I try to use the sun for that. but a small off-camera flash will work wonders for fill light

13

Animal Kingdom / Re: Show your Bird Portraits

« on: December 16, 2012, 10:14:22 PM »

I finally got some new toys.... 7D and 400mm F5.6L... the images below are from the first day of testing things out

14

Contests / Re: Gura Gear Giveaway!

« on: December 06, 2012, 08:43:20 PM »

I might want to win....

15

EOS Bodies / Re: Downgrade to crop

« on: December 03, 2012, 03:34:45 PM »

The 5DIII is a camera which is a generation ahead... therefore, the comparison has a significant variable. Also, the 16 being bigger in the 7D shot is a serious deal...

I agree that there is a generation gap between cameras but I somehow suspect that the gap is much bigger between crop & FF than it is between two FF bodies that are only 1 generation apart.

I'll agree with other posters that in good light... it makes little difference. I actually took some photos of a bright giant yellow Nikon logo at the store at ISO 6400 with the 7d and the image wasn't as bad.

My current dilemma... is the $1800 (more or less) difference between the cameras justified for a non-professional?