Messages

361

Software & Accessories / Re: New Canon EOS Utility - 12.2.0

« on: October 11, 2012, 12:18:53 AM »

Thanks Pierceography...hooray! This has been professionally embarrassing! EOS Utility 2.11.4 with OSX 10.7.5 & 5DIII was appallingly unstable.
I'm going to test 12.2.0 right now...

-PW

362

Lenses / Re: 85mm lens

« on: October 10, 2012, 09:07:11 PM »

The 85 f/1.2 is certainly not an action shooters lens, primarlily becuase of the relatively glacial AF. The IQ is awesome, but is best suited to considered portrait shoots. The 85 f/1.8 is a lot quicker, and doesn't give too much away in the IQ department. If you're stuck on getting an 85, consider the highly regarded Sigma 85 f/1.4.

But what I will back 100% is the advice from other posters is to look carefully at the 135 f/2 for shooting indoor sports. Despite being an older design, it's one of Canon's most highly regarded lenses.

As an aside, as you're shooting sports with a 5DIII with its relatively shallow buffer compared to the action/sports oriented 1DX, think about getting the Lexar 1000x CF cards. On my 5DIII I tested the Lexar 1000x on 6 fps continuous, full size RAW, shooting until the camera started to splutter. With the Lexar I shot 35 frames, and it cleared for another full burst in just a few seconds. Tests with Sandisk Extreme 60 Mb/s cards gave a bit over 20 frames before spluttering, and irritatingly longer to fully clear. An older Sandisk ExtremeIV 45 Mb/s got around 17 frames, and obviously longer again to clear.

So! I'd be thinking about 135 f/2 & Lexar 1000x cards.

-PW

363

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: SOFT BOXES - BRACKETS - STANDS - MUST BUY! (say it 3 times)

« on: October 10, 2012, 06:04:13 PM »

In recent years I have become a 100% user of Paul C Buff lighting products, http://www.paulcbuff.com best known for Alien Bees and more recently the extraordinary Einstein mono lights. I have eight of them. Because you're buying direct from the manufacturer, prices are startlingly low. In my busy business which is mostly on location, the Einsteins, stands, triggers and modifiers have passed the "tough-test".

This is after a very long time with supposedly superior Profoto lighting equipment which I had a lot of, mainly 600 Compact heads and a couple of 2400 w/s floorpacks for serious grunt. It's all sold now, the efficient, lightweight and breathtakingly inexpensive Einsteins do all the heavy lifting now. I think an Einstein costs less than a new 600EX-RT.

Modifiers, softboxes etc when used with speedlights is OK up to a point, but the necessarily low w/s output of a speedlight means that only short duration, small projects can be undertaken. When you get a flow going with a human subject, waiting for flash recycling after full power dumps, and running your batteries down after not too many pops is plain unprofessional and stunts the creative flow in a shoot.

-PW

364

Portrait / Re: Ruined photo, or rescue opportunity?

« on: October 10, 2012, 07:11:38 AM »

Please tell us you shot RAW. If you didn't, let this be the day that you switch to 100% RAW shooting.

There is work to do with this image, but it's by no means lost. If this needs to be your money shot and you don't feel up to the task, pay someone to do it for you. If the result still looks a bit weird, it's extraordinary how much conversion to B&W can conceal. Good luck, and post the rescued image when it's done.

-PW

365

Lenses / Re: A final goodbye to my 50mm f1.4 lens

« on: October 09, 2012, 07:29:54 PM »

Why'd you get rid of it?  I have one myself, but have been considering upgrading to the Sigma.  Not on the top of my priority list though.

I switched from an EF 50 f/1.4 to the Sigma 50 f/1.4 and it's not really an upgrade. Neither are great wide open, both start to look good at f/1.8, both are looking very good at f/2 through to f/5.6. Both have dubious AF.

For me the only real difference is the Sigma takes up a lot more room in my bag.

-PW

366

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Rumors Surface [CR1]

« on: October 08, 2012, 06:48:32 PM »

What I'm reading here is either total speculation or wish-list mutterings. The reality is we have virtually no idea what Canon is likely to dish up, save that it will be an improvement over the 7D.

So I'll delve into the wish-list zone too with a hope that the 7DII ships with features that recognise  the hole left by the discontinued APS-H 1D4. Action shooters appreciate the extra reach be it x1.3 or x1.6, and in a FF world may be faced with the expensive proposition of new, longer lenses to compensate. It shouldn't be too hard to deliver 1D4 levels of iso performance from an 18Mp sensor.

Despite what ignorant pictures of doom and negativity the chronic knockers and trolls try to paint here at CR, what I see is Canon releasing and developing some pretty extraordinary cameras and lenses, right through from P&S to DSLR to the newer Cinema range. I'm loving it.

-PW

367

EOS Bodies / Re: Is Canon EOS-1S the Name? [CR1]

« on: October 06, 2012, 11:20:19 PM »

The best thing about this EOS-1S price of $9K is that it'll substantially drop the price of the 1D X as most of the early buyers of the 1D X will dump them on eBay and jump ship to the EOS-1S model, now you can get it for a little over 1/2 the original price with 1-2K shutter actuations.

1DX vs 1S = two different target markets; very little crossover. Some shooters will be very happy to have one of each, just as the EOS pro pair of choice for plenty of photographers over the past few years has been a 1Ds3 & a MkIV. It's a great combo.

BTW a high % of 1DX bodies would do that 1-2k shutter actuations each week, and a good number will run up over 5K per week.

In the unlikely event there is an increase of any camera type on eBay as a direct result of the existence of the 1S, it's more likely to be suddenly obsolete lower end or older MF kits.

-PW

368

EOS Bodies / Re: Is Canon EOS-1S the Name? [CR1]

« on: October 06, 2012, 09:30:25 PM »

$9k? Lol..what a joke.

+1

= $9001. Fine with me.

-PW

369

EOS Bodies / Re: Is Canon EOS-1S the Name? [CR1]

« on: October 06, 2012, 09:28:03 PM »

Kinda $hitty of Canon to say the new 1DX is their "flagship" only to come out with the "real" flagship shortly afterward. 

This frustrates me....the 1dx is the flagship for spots action and events!  This will be the studio flagship, both types of shooting have different needs and thus the bodies will be spec'ed in a different way

Who cares? Flagship, lifeboat or surf-ski...
I'm grateful for an increasingly comprehensive EOS range to suit a variety of shooting styles, budgets and professional requirements.

-PW

370

Software & Accessories / The fastest CF card...

« on: October 06, 2012, 09:18:55 PM »

I just got two of the Lexar Professional UMDA 7 1000x CF cards that B&H are running a special on for a two-pack. Wow!

Testing in the 5DIII shooting full size RAW, set to high speed continuous 6FPS, I did a burst and shot until it started to splutter. Would you believe 35 frames, and it cleared for another full run after about three seconds.

The same test with Sandisk Extreme 60 Mb/s 32Gb, it started to splutter at 18-20 frames, and took way longer to clear. An older 8Gb Sandisk Extreme IV 45 Mb/s  carked it at 15 frames, and understandably took longer again to fully clear.

So if you are consistently hitting buffer in your 5DIII, get yourself a couple of Lexars. I'm very, very impressed.

-PW

371

EOS Bodies / Re: Is Canon EOS-1S the Name? [CR1]

« on: October 06, 2012, 09:02:39 PM »

9000$? Why not just get a MF system then? 

...and two sets of lenses? Do a price search for lenses for Hasselblad and it will make your eyes water. They're very very good, but phew! Plus the general handling of MF compared to the brilliant versatility that makes cameras like EOS system the first choice for most shooters on the planet, whether professional or amateur.

If I held stocks in any MF company, I'd be calling my broker.

Even at $9k, isn't this a little less than the 1Ds Mk3 was when it launched? I believe that camera went on to sell in large numbers. Provided it's 1-series build, then $9k doesn't sound so unreasonable.

-PW

372

Software & Accessories / Re: Lightroom 4.2 update

« on: October 05, 2012, 10:08:06 PM »

I just realized that DNG.files are like 3x faster in develop mode to load than canon's own cr2.. Anyone else here who noticed that?

I don't use LR4 yet (I am getting a system that will run it shortly) but I do use DNG because the 5D3 is not supported in LR3. That said, when using DNG it helps to use the conversion setting of 'Embed Fast Load Data'.

And when you do your DNG conversion, go to Preferences and check "Embed Fast Load Data".

-PW

373

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Best flash diffuser for 580EX/600EX-RT

« on: October 05, 2012, 09:30:18 PM »

Forget all that! White plastic bag and a rubberband works for me when I can't bounce the flash!

That's a great idea, particularly if you're getting good results. It could save the day! I'll put a white plastic bag and rubberband in my camera bag.

If you're shooting for a client, there is the often overlooked matter of perception. Photographers are expensive people to hire. Regardless of the results you can achieve with a white plastic bag, clients don't want to see that. They want to see you with a camera and lens combination that they either can't afford or justify, and accessories that suggest innovation and professionalism.

Assuming you have the required personal, ethical, business, creative and technical abilities, the way to make money from photography is to be reassuringly expensive, and that means turning up with shiny new equipment, nicely dressed and in a decent car. On one level it's total BS, but on another it's complete reality.

-PW

374

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Best flash diffuser for 580EX/600EX-RT

« on: October 04, 2012, 11:06:44 PM »

Just got delivery of the Joe Demb diffuser.
http://www.dembflashproducts.com/
Specifically the Flash Diffuser Pro
http://www.dembflashproducts.com/diffuser/

And thanks to the poster carlc who recommended it.

Some quick testing reveals this as an uncommonly flexible and well thought out product. Quick recycle times suggest good energy efficiency. +1 Go Joe!!

The non-adjustable Gary Fong is excellent in many situations, but falls flat elsewhere. And because it sprays light in every direction, power usage is high. I'll be using the Joe Demb at a job later today. But straight up, this looks like a winner. I'll almost certainly get another one.

-PW

375

Software & Accessories / Re: Lightroom 4.2 update

« on: October 04, 2012, 08:59:41 PM »

I'll be grateful for any speed gains from LR V4.2. LR3 ran like a dream on my quad core 16Gb memory PC (SSD LR cache & catalog). LR4 was a dog and to a lesser extent 4.1. I loved the LR4 .x functionality but talk about glacial performance!

But an interesting thing which may be useful to some users, and help explain why some photographers have absolutely no speed issues and others do. The Wacom Intuos4 tablet turns out to be a culprit, specifically when using local adjustments. Brush was so bad I just never use it. The havoc it caused was so deep that it took three or four complete shutdown/restart cycles to restore acceptable performance.

So Wacom & Adobe need to talk to each other. If you use a Wacom and have LR speed issues, unhook it and taste the difference.

-PW