Messages

16

Lenses / Re: Can a UV filter affect IQ (sharpness) on a lens?

« on: November 01, 2012, 11:35:04 PM »

I just ran my 70-200 II at 70mm through Focal with and without the Hoya HD filter I use regularly.

I ran it six times total. I used live-view focus before the first shot so AF would have NO factor in these results as it stayed the same between all the tests. Three tests with filter and three without back to back to directly compare.

My three best shot results WITHOUT a filter... 2091, 2092 and 2065.

My three best shot results WITH a filter... 2010, 2045 and 2053.

Filter OFF Average: 2082.66
Filter ON Average: 2036

Difference of around 2.24% using this testing method. Would you see that in real world shooting? Probably not. But if you want to maximize IQ than filter off.

Note, even running the same test back to back shows some difference in final results... Without moving anything at all or letting the camera AF. Most likely a slightly tolerance in the analysis software. However, the results are still consistent between them.

Another side note, there is quite a noticeable reduction in light hitting the sensor with the filter on. Afterward, I did 2 set's of comparison shots with and without a filter, same exposure, WB, etc... The shot with the filter was always a hair more underexposed. I did not expect it to be as noticeable as it was. In Lightroom, both images came out to about a 8% difference in exposure with the filter (.08 slider adjustment to match the exposures).

17

Lenses / Re: AFMA'ed the 24-70 mk.ii ... not sure I am loving it.

« on: October 16, 2012, 11:43:29 AM »

I am on my second copy of the 24-70 II... First had a decentered element (softness on right side of frame at 24mm).

Both copies were excellent at 24mm (minus right side on first one) and about even at 70mm... No real variation I see between the two. I would shoot a subject in good light outside on a tripod using live-view, then compare that image with the same image allowing the camera to AF. If they don't look identical, your MA is off.

My current copy is at -2 wide and +1 tele with my 5D3 (with some help from Focal). That -2 on the wide end made a BIG difference. I did not think with all the DOF it would matter so much, but it really is required for maximum sharpness. I see a huge difference if I shoot at 0 versus -2... The telephoto end, surprisingly is more forgiving. Strange, but just what I have noticed.

Shoot with live view though and see if the sharpness looks good to you then... If soft still, exchange it. Live view should draw maximum sharpness out of the lens for the most part, not relying on the camera AF system.

18

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

« on: October 16, 2012, 10:04:31 AM »

Some examples I have from this lens...


Leviathan Panoramic by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C3264 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C3225 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1522.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1814.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1812.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1769.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1630.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1519.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0651 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C2105 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1815.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C1818.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr

19

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon 24-70 II

« on: October 04, 2012, 11:05:20 PM »

Love mine... Except it has a decentered element in it... Right side much softer than left. I sent to Canon and they basically told me they can't fix it. So it is going back and I will be getting an exchange.

20

Lenses / My 24-70 II review... With photos!

« on: September 25, 2012, 01:36:47 AM »

I just wanted to write a little review on this lens, comparing with past lenses and being as honest and humble as I can be about this new Canon offering... I will throw in some pictures at the end taken this weekend at the Aviary... Click on the image to view at full resolution at my Flickr page.

When announced, I was really excited... But the lack of IS was a worry, especially for the price. Once reviews start coming in (mostly LensRentals article) it got me really intrigued, to say the least. I was able to find one at PC Nation on Thursday last week in stock (no pre-order) and had it overnighted to me. I got it Friday along with all my gear back from CPS for check/clean and calibration (great timing to say the least!). In case you are wondering, I am selling off my trusty 24-105L and the 35L I had to fund this lens.

Pulling it out of the box I was surprised at the weight, or lack of. After reading so many complaints about the weight and all that of the old one, although I knew they did weight reductions, I was really shocked to feel how light it was compared to what I was expecting. It honestly feels nearly identical to the 24-105L... No longer will weight be a factor for this lens, IMO.

Build quality is excellent, as you would expect. Very smooth focus ring and a very smooth, fluid zoom ring. Very well dampened with a slightly different feel than the 24-105L. The large use of plastics does not bother me one bit and it still feels very high quality. The zoom-lock is a very nice feature for me, as I generally walk with my lenses hanging downward. It does not 'cheapen' the lens one bit. It is actually a very nice feature.

The lens simply put, performs incredible. I was really not expecting it to be as good as it is! From 24mm to 70mm wide open, the level of detail and contrast is extremely impressive. Colors are beautifully rendered requiring very minimal post work. The images taken this weekend required less than 30 seconds of edit time each. Out of focus areas are extremely smooth and pleasing, even with busy backgrounds... Unlike the 70-200 II which can get 'harsh' and busy looking at times, this lens did not show this one bit. Backgrounds really melt away at longer focal lengths and near MFD at 24mm.

Compared to the 24-105, the images simply pop more, for one. Less distortion, much less CA (if not non-existent) and vignetting. Many images taken this weekend give a near 3D look you only get with amazing detail and microcontrast. I really enjoy the 24-105L, but it does not reach the type of detail this lens can render. In fact, compared to my 70-200 II, I find the 24-70 just as good, if not superior in terms of sharpness. I think the 24-70 II and 70-200 II combo will be my workhorse combo for many years to come, no doubt.

Edge sharpness is really good... An image at f/8 below shows the entire image and extreme 100% crops (photobucket compression here may lower the resolution a little... The rest are on Flickr)... Not the best image (poor actually, but the only one I had stopped down to show!).



Right:



Left:




I also found the lens to have probably the quickest AF I have used. Regardless of the light level, it zips right into place and locks on extremely fast. Even in very dark conditions it has no problem what so ever.

Overall, I am more than impressed with this lens. Even given the steep price point given the lack of IS, I don't think I will really miss it... The image quality alone makes you forget that one downfall this lens has. The prime IQ from 24mm to 70mm wide open is stunning, the build quality is top notch and the AF speed is extremely impressive...  There is nothing not to love about this lens (minus price for some). It has become my favorite lens in the very short time I have owned it. It just may top my "Canon's Best List" for those I have used, including the 35L, 85L, 135L, 300/400L and a few others. It really is that good.


6M3C0602 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0625 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0626 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0649 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0651 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0672 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0721 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0741 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0788 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0799 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0635 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0659 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0719 by invertalon, on Flickr

21

Lenses / Re: Which to get: 50mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/2?

« on: September 20, 2012, 09:53:02 AM »

40mm f/2.8 STM is your best choice if you can deal with f/2.8 vs. f/1.8 or f/2... About one stop difference. The pancake is the best choice. Awesome little lens.

22

Canon General / Re: How many of us are making money out of photography ?

« on: September 20, 2012, 09:49:41 AM »

I recently had my first paid job a few months ago for a company. The photographer they used basically said no more and my friends wife is head of marketing... So he told her about me and in a nutshell I got the job last minute.

Had to shoot a few images for a trade magazine (cover and images inside). I was paid around $700 for 9 images.

They must of liked the images, thankfully, because I was invited to shoot their Holiday Party in December for even more money.

So I have a little something going with this company which is nice... Hopefully it continues with a few events each year! I also have a lead with another company that may turn into something, but the chances are a bit more slim with that.

But I never really expected to make money from my hobby... I don't require it, but it is nice to say the least. Especially when it is stuff I am comfortable with (basically anything but formal portraits).

23

Lenses / Re: 24-70 II

« on: September 20, 2012, 09:29:33 AM »

I picked up my 24-70 II last night from PC Nation... I just called and confirmed they still indeed have stock and not a fluke with the online status. Mine is being shipped tonight and overnighted to me (just got off phone with them just now). Since I was a first time customer they did a verification over the phone to my house phone number, that way they could release the order faster and ship it ASAP.

I have learned to never pre-order... Same thing with 5D3... I got it before Adorama/B&H/Amazon through The Imaging World. They had stock one day and had it the next. Best to just find through another vendor if you want it quicker than a pre-order list (esp if not at the top of it).

24

Lenses / Re: 24-70 vs 24-70 II Outdoors Test! WHOOAAA!!!b

« on: September 19, 2012, 08:48:09 PM »

It may be warmer, but still, to do an accurate judgement you need the RAW files 

25

Lenses / Re: 24-70 vs 24-70 II Outdoors Test! WHOOAAA!!!b

« on: September 19, 2012, 08:34:03 PM »

You would need the original RAW files to accurately judge color... Never know if the camera changed the value slightly between the shots. If you had the RAW file, then you can put both at same WB and compare. But using JPEG's is not accurate.

26

Lenses / Re: Quality control issues with the 24-70 L II?

« on: September 19, 2012, 07:37:59 PM »

Anybody know if they focus via live-view for these tests (I would hope so)? It would be weird relying on the AF of the camera, so I am 99% sure they do use live-view.

27

Lenses / Re: 24-70 II

« on: September 19, 2012, 07:29:49 PM »

Light leak? Really 

That was basically a made up issue as far as I am concerned... It has been found to happen to the past few generations of bodies, not just with 5D3. It was not until the 5D3 did people actually find it. Mostly because they wanted to find fault in it (very few faults). So the best they found was light leak and banding in shadows.

My 5D3 has the light leak and yet to show any signs of hurting my images... I shoot with my cap off! So non-issue. Canon has my 5D3 currently and I did not request the fix to be done for free, as it is a silly issue to rip the camera apart.

But I do agree on price... This lens will prob go down to $1899 or so after 6 months or so. So best to wait, if you can.

28

Lenses / Re: 24-70 II

« on: September 19, 2012, 07:06:44 PM »

Highly doubtful... I really think that is just to be expected with this lens design. There will be slight copy variation lens to lens, no doubt... But distortion is generally not one of those variations.

What is being made now is most likely what is being made years from now... Very very small changes in production, possibly. But they would not release sub-par products early on, that is just silly and stupid for a company to do. Imagine if that was the case? Canon can get a TERRIBLE bad reputation extremely quickly if found out.

The delays in product are just normal. Maybe they had other priorities on the product lines (5D3, 1DX, super-tele's, etc...) before they switched over to the 24-70 and had to make upgrades to robotic equipment to produce the lenses or something of the sort. I don't think it will have to do with actual changes to the lens, just the methods to build the lens. Just like some car manufacturers, they must upgrade production and assembly lines for new car models. Canon probably had to do the same. The delays could simply be just due to this reason and nothing at all with the lens design. Everybody assumes it has to do with the design or final tweaks to the lens itself but I honestly think it was final tweaks to the production equipment more than anything. Most likely once that was figured out, they tested with test lenses and made sure production was outputting ideal lenses to spec. Once that was complete, they start mass production which we will have in our hands once orders get filled.

I would not think much into it though... This lens is finalized and complete. Production is running and I am sure a few containers on ships and planes are currently en-route to the US and other countries to start fulfilling demand. I don't think the lens itself will change internally at all, unless a fault is discovered and most likely be "recalled" and repaired at local facilities if your lens is apart of that said batch.

I wouldn't worry about early copies, though. Canon does not tend to have issues like Tamron with elements falling out

29

Lenses / Re: Quality control issues with the 24-70 L II?

« on: September 19, 2012, 02:21:20 PM »

I find one of the samples fishy to be honest. Take a look at this:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=787&Camera=453&Sample=1&FLI=2&API=0&LensComp=787&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=1&FLIComp=2&APIComp=2

Same lens, same focal length, one a stop down from the other. The f/4 should be sharper. Why is it so soft compared to f/2.8?

Something seems off.

30

EOS Bodies / Re: DxOMark Sensor Performance: Nikon vs. Canon

« on: September 19, 2012, 01:06:58 PM »

Makes you wonder where Nikon sensors would perform if not for Sony...

My guess? Very similar to Canon.