Messages

646

Canon General / Re: Photography kit getting more expensive...

« on: October 15, 2011, 11:14:44 PM »

Since prices have not went up that much in US dollars, doesn't it mean that equipment costs less (in Japanese Yen)?  We are getting bargain prices in the USA because Canon hedges currency by having large investments in US dollars.

Yes, the yen-denominated price of equipment sold in the US is lower.

Brick and mortar prices on shelves lag FX movements by a surprisingly long time. Canon HQ have to decide to adjust prices, then the retailers follow. Canon might be cautious about passing on FX moves to consumers immediately, because they don't want to squash their sales.  Also, some of the costs of distribution are US dollar denominated (e.g. cost of running a US based retail operation).

Most $US denominated investments won't do well for them when the $USD goes down against the Yen.

647

EOS Bodies / Re: The New EOS [CR3]

« on: October 15, 2011, 10:50:17 PM »

Also, what is with people on this forum? My karma keeps going down. I have never flamed a single member of this board. I've been a follower since day one, before Craig had his spat with Canon over logo and design. Every time he disbanded the comments and renewed them I would be one of the first to sign back up. I appreciate what he does, I do. I just think that Canon is a very tight lipped company and it means much less entertainment re: speculation than say the micro 4/3 companies or Sony.

There are some flaws with the "karma" system. There is one website I frequent that does the karma thing quite well (partly because they had some very committed trolls and therefore needed a robust system). The website is slashdot.org. Some of the more useful features are:

(1) It is made explicit that you don't score a poster, you score their post.
(2) Each post starts at +1 for someone who's logged in, 0 for anonymous posters, and +2 for posters who have accumulated karms.
(3) score on the post is the sum of the moderators actions. Post can't go below -1 or +5. This means that you don't get someone being kicked to the kerb for one bad post (because once 3 mods hit your starting score of -2, the post is at -1 and can't go lower). The asymmetry (that is, the fact that you start closer to the bottom of the scale than the top) discourages negative moderation. The fact that it's cumulative prevents the mods from hitting the same post repeatedly.
(4) you only get to be a moderator once your karma reaches a certain level

I think they might also have an additional rule for preventing moderators from moderating and posting in the same thread. It's too bad similar functionality is not available on most of the other web boards I visit -- these features have been deployed on busy websites for a good 10 years or so, it's not as if they're brand new.

648

Lenses / Re: Canon 135 f2

« on: October 14, 2011, 09:27:33 PM »

I would love to get the 85 1.2 but it's out of my price range.   

What about the Sigma 85mm 1.4 ? Price is similar to the 135L, so it won't break the bank. It's a good portrait focal length both for the crop and full frame.

649

Lenses / Re: Refurb lens worth the savings?

« on: October 14, 2011, 09:18:23 PM »

In the world we leave in we have to look at every option for saving money.  In my search I'm checking out refurbs lens, mainly l series lens.  My main two lens I'm looking at are the 24-70 2.8 and 50mm 1.2 (or 1.4). Has anyone purchased these refurb lens and what are your experiences? I know that canon only gives a 90 day warr. compared to a year, but I could save myself about  $500 on between a 24-70 and 50 1.2. Let me know what you all think..thanks so much.

I got a refurb 5D Mark II and a refurbed lens -- the 35 f/2 around the tsunami, everyone except the refurb store was selling them well above the standard list price.

The camera had just under 1000 clicks on it, and looked brand new. Besides the box (they ship in a refurb box), I couldn't tell the lens from brand new.

The prices for the better quality refurb lenses on Canon's website are lower than street prices on used items. This is why quality items sell out very quickly there. So the opinion of the market is that the items you are looking for are a bargain at those prices.

Another place I have hunted for bargains is lensrentals used site. Because it's rental gear, it is not going to be almost new. However, it is sold at a good price (price after shipping and taxes is much lower than Canon's price) and it has the advantage that the seller knows their stuff and does a careful inspection of the gear, so you know what you're buying.

The only downside with these options is that it might make it harder to sell the item, because you don't have a "new" box. This is probably a non issue if you're planning to hang onto it for a year or more.

650

EOS Bodies / Re: 60D or Wait?

« on: October 11, 2011, 07:01:23 AM »

Hoping for a new sub $2500 body announced soon.

A new full frame body probably won't be sub $2500, but the 5D Mk II will probably come down a little when the next body comes.

New Vs. Used
I will probably by new.  I am not opposed to used if the seller is local and the price is right.  Canon gear seems to hold its value so well that used prices are usually within 5 - 15% of new prices.  If the camera was greater than 30% off then I would go used.

Refurbs on Canon's website are 20% off the new price, but then you pay taxes and shipping. 30% off is quite a bit below street prices for used gear -- the problem is that a reputable seller with a good track record is also well enough informed not to price there. So that leaves you with craigslist or similar.

30mm vs 50mm
I am also looking to get a good prime lens to start with.  I have been looking at the canon 50mm f/1.4 but also considering a sigma 30mm (I think this is users have rated highly) due to the crop factor.  Is the sigma a good way to go?  Is it a good lens?  would you go 30mm or 50mm as your only prime on a crop body camera?

It depends on what you're planning to do with your prime. If your setup is general purpose zoom and a portrait prime, then take the 50mm. But it seems that you want a general purpose prime, so 30mm is a better choice. The Canon 35mm f/2 delivers excellent image quality so it's also worth a look.

Telephoto Zoom Lens
In addition to a prime lens I would also want to get a nice zoom.  Any suggestions if you could only get one zoom?

If you want a tele zoom, it's a no brainer -- Canon make four different 70-200mm lenses, all of which get excellent reviews. You can't go wrong with any of them.

651

EOS Bodies / Re: 60D or Wait?

« on: October 11, 2011, 06:45:51 AM »

Thanks again guys... how about purchasing new vs. used?  Thoughts.  I am skeptical about purchasing high-end electronics from private sellers...thoughts?

fredmiranda's buy/sell forum has a good set of listings at reasonable prices and a feedback system. If you pay via paypal (not the "gift" option), you have some recourse if the seller doesn't ship you anything.

652

EOS Bodies / Re: 60D or Wait?

« on: October 08, 2011, 05:50:43 PM »

Thanks all!

For the confusion, I am coming from an HF-S20 camcorder and disliked its inability to provide a cinematic quality DOF.  The film shot with DSLRs are becoming popular and have made it to big-budget movies and TV production.

I would like to spend (with tax) under 2,000.  I am a novice and already feel I am investing a lot of money into a passion/hobby.

I am teacher who would like to take "stunning" footage for personal and professional (teaching) use.  Capturing the protests for Occupy Wall St. was a big thing for me and I used my HF-S20 but if you look at how it compares to the DSLR footage of the protests it pales in comparison.

Having said that...

I need:

1. D60 body
2. 50mm F/1.4

OPTIONS:

1. another lens
2. a rode mic to mount on top for interview purposes and better audio
3. not sure...

Any further thoughts?

The 50mm f/1.4 is a great portrait lens on an APS-C body, but you won't want it to be your only lens. If you get your camera with one of the kit lenses, you should be fine.

One lens option that is a little wider is the Samyang 35mm f/1.4. Its image quality is reputedly superb, the only downside is that it's manual focus but that may not be such a big deal if you're using it for video (you don't have continuous autofocus in video)

While I haven't done any serious video work with my SLRs I've looked into it and read up on the topic. The predominant recurring themes are, stabilizing the camera (a tripod already mentioned is an inexpensive and effective way to do this) and getting the microphone away from the camera body internals if you want good audio.

I'd be inclined to keep the camcorder. I recently got a 5D mark II and will still keep my budget camcorder. There are some things a cheap camcorder does really well that a DSLR struggles with -- such as staying focused on a moving target.

653

Canon General / Re: Photography - Equipment or Skill ?

« on: October 02, 2011, 12:57:20 PM »

We spend allot of time here comparing equipment and extensively analyzing the pros and cons of bodies, lenses, etc.

However - many people say, that the real ingredient for producing special pictures - is the skill of the photographer. Many all time famous monumental photographs where taken black and white with "simple" equipment. The special part of those photos is often the content and meaning of the picture - much less the "sharpness" or other tech features.

How important is our equipment ? Would you agree that it more like 85% skill and 15% equipment ?

My take on it as an amateur photographer is that having usable equipment is essential -- for example you can't take pictures without a camera ! However, the main thing more expensive equipment buys you is convenience, not necessarily better quality.

An example of needing usable equipment -- my move to SLRs was motivated by very unsuccessful attempts to take indoor portraits with a point and shoot. The camera had no manual focus and had a lot of trouble auto-focusing in that light. Under the same conditions, an inexpensive manual focus film SLR would have worked admirably.

These days, one can pick up a pro autofocus film body like the EOS 3 for the price of a mid range point and shoot. This camera has weather sealing, 45 autofocus points, 7fps with battery grip (4 without) and an eye tracking AF system, E-TTL flash, and spot metering.

So having equipment  is essential but once you have an appropriate setup, you won't get better returns in terms of quality for your dollar. However, you might get more in terms of convenience or quantity. For a pro, being able to crank out more of the same in less time (more quantity and more convenience) is good for business. Few amateurs suffer from not being able to take enough pictures ! The amateur doesn't have to photograph everything -- they always have the option of saying "the lighting is no good" and putting away the camera, but this approach won't work very well for you if you are the paid wedding photographer. So for the enthusiast, an expensive DSLR is really more about convenience than better results.

654

Canon General / Re: The age old lens question...50mm vs 85mm

« on: October 02, 2011, 12:32:27 PM »

I shoot mainly low light, indoor concerts. I own both the Canon 50mm F/1.4 and the Canon 85mm F/1.8 but I tend to favor the 50mm because I am able to use the flash less with it mounted vs the 85mm. The focal length does not matter for me, as my ability to get closer to the subject is adjustable. I only shoot with primes.

Moving closer to the subject with a normal lens won't give you the same picture as a short tele further from the subject. The wider fov will force you to be more careful about the composition of the background. On a crop, both of these lenses are short to medium telephotos -- ideal portrait focal lengths. On full frame, 50mm isn't really a portrait focal length any more.

Do you use a 35 or 28 on your crop at all ?

655

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Low light compact for £250

« on: October 01, 2011, 03:48:26 PM »

I don't think there's a camera available with as wide a lens choice as the NEX, there seems to be an adaptor for every system that's ever been made, including Canons old FD mount.

The micro 4/3 system also has a pretty comprehensive selection of adapters. The problem with adapted lenses is that autofocus either works poorly or doesn't work at all. Also, if you're after a very compact setup, an adapted 35mm full frame lens isn't a good choice.

As a camera for someone who wants a compact though I don't think a user would be that interested in changing lenses, would they?

I agree --  it would be enough if they could come up with just one  good general purpose lens.

656

EOS Bodies / Re: Shooting in manual

« on: October 01, 2011, 03:02:42 PM »

Lots of good responses, much appreciated. 

Seems to be the most common situations are either; while using a flash, for consistency when shooting in a fixed environment, or when you have a background consisting of a mix of highlights and shadows that might fool the metering system.

I wouldn't say that I'm afraid of using "M", but since I didn't start off using it, its more time consuming for me to get to the proper exposure than either in "Av" or "Tv".  I was really trying to find a reason to use it more than anything, so I'll pay attention to whenever I come across these situations in the future.

It gets faster with practice. Start with the right aperture (or shutter speed). You probably already know what an appropriate ISO is. Tap the shutter button to get a meter reading. The +- exposure scale on the bottom of the viewfinder (and the LCD) will tell you if you're over or under exposed, and will change as you turn the shutter/aperture dials. With a bit of practice as long as your exposure is in the right ballpark to begin with (e.g. within a few stops), you can dial the right exposure in a couple of seconds.

It also came to mind that when using a zoom, which I typically do, using AE lock can can solve the problem of the "confusing" backgrounds, by zooming on the subject and locking the exposure, then zooming out and recomposing the shot (if you don't have a moving subject and can zoom enough to frame the subject only).  Obviously this may be difficult/impossible when using a prime without the luxury of framing the subject to expose it properly. 

Well yes and no. Using AE lock works well for some scenarios. However, having a zoom doesn't buy you as much as you might think -- partly because someone who uses fast primes is likely to also use spot metering (so they can "meter and recompose") and can also "zoom in with their feet". So the prime user can also use the AE lock trick.

A limitation of the AE trick is that if you do this and want to take another photo, you have to do your AE lock trick all over. If you're the guy taking boxing shots, or a night time street photographer, this approach is just a non starter -- you will spend so much time fighting the cameras metering system that you will miss your shots. If you are shooting with manual exposure, you can set the right exposure and the camera will not mess with it on your next shot. The boxing guy for example can probably meter once and use that exposure for the next several shots -- as long as the lighting in the ring is fairly constant, he doesn't need to take a separate meter reading for every shot. He has plenty of time to do the initial metering, but when it's time to capture the decisive moment, he wants to hit the shutter, not the AE lock.

657

PowerShot Cameras / Re: Low light compact for £250

« on: October 01, 2011, 02:41:02 PM »

I have a suggestion, but new might be a little outside the budget.  Sony have now launched the NEX 5 N and the older models are being sold off quite cheap.  I'd suggest the NEX5 with 18 - 55mm lens, having just bought the twin lens version I shot a load of low light stuff at Iso 800, most of it doesn't even need to have noise processing applied.

It's a decent choice, but a used micro 4/3 will be cheaper and have a better lens selection available. The sensor is slightly smaller than the sony's, but much larger than that of the G12.

658

EOS Bodies / Re: Shooting in manual

« on: September 30, 2011, 07:58:10 PM »

I've been visiting the site for quite some time now and recently joined.  Thought I'd introduce myself by asking the requisite novice question.

I've learned a lot reading the various posts here (thank you all).  And I've picked up some modest skill over the course of the past 2.5 years since purchasing my 500D, but I have yet to find a shot or a shooting situation yet, in my experience, that requires I shoot in manual mode.  I haven't done any macro or sports shooting, and I have almost no experience using flash so perhaps those are some of them..  I generally shoot landscapes, city-scapes, architecture, portraits, and birds.  I shoot with the following glass; EF 50 1.4, EF-S 17-85, EF 70-200 f4L non-IS, & a Speedlite 270EX that collects a lot of dust.

So the question is, when do you find yourselves shooting in manual, or what situations require it? 

Whenever the cameras metering fails, you will need to either use AE lock or manual exposure. This for example can often happen if you have strong backlight. It's common for night lit scenes where there are intense contrasts and you need to make an intelligent choice about what you want the camera to meter. For landscape photos, you might have to set exposure carefully to get the sky right. If you're taking a picture of a scene with a lot of snow, the automatic metering probably won't do the right thing. Take a look at Bryan Peterson's "understanding exposure" for some interesting examples that benefit from thinking carefully about metering. If you take landscape/cityscape photos, you'll like the book (most of his shots are landscape/cityscapes)

And yes, it's useful for flash pictures -- set the shutter speed to "fast enough" and pick an aperture that gives the right depth of field.  I find Av usually doesn't do what I want when I have the flash (it uses long exposures to expose the back ground but I find it over exposes which means I'd need to adjust it anyway)

659

EOS Bodies / Re: Price point of a 5Dmk2 replacement

« on: September 30, 2011, 07:44:40 PM »

How much of that was because it was Sony?

Sony continue to produce a full frame camera at a similar price point to the D700 and the 5D Mark II. Sony didn't kill it because they can't produce full frame cameras, they killed it because   they came to the same conclusion as everyone else who manufactures full frame bodies -- a $2000 full frame body isn't a winning proposition for the manufacturer.

  Sony I think more of the P&S crowd

Perhaps because they don't have as much history as Canon/Nikon/Pentax ? However, they do make full frame cameras (just not in the $2000 price range)  and (unlike their mirrorless) their SLR mount has a pretty decent lens lineup. Not perhaps as comprehensive as Canon and Nikon but they touch all the right bases.

660

EOS Bodies / Re: Price point of a 5Dmk2 replacement

« on: September 30, 2011, 12:35:23 AM »

Sony did it with a $2000 FF.

Yes, I know they released a $2000 full frame camera which I addressed it in my earlier post. Quoting myself:

In terms of manufacturing costs alone -- Sony has already sold a full frame camera for $2000 (the A850). So it is likely that it is possible to get full frame cameras on the shelves for $2000 a piece with 0 marginal cost per unit  to the manufacturer.

But pricing does not depend on marginal production costs alone.  It depends partly on fixed costs and partly  on supply and demand economics

However, they didn't exactly corner  the full frame market. The A850 was so successful that they pulled the model less than two years after its launch.

Does the A850 hold the record for the shortest lived full frame DSLR ?