16
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: When you get a new Body (Camera) and Lenses, what do you do to check it out
« on: April 03, 2013, 01:22:58 AM »
Well, nothing like a test run going out shooting. 
D
D
June 18, 2013, 01:45:23 AM
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
17
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Just picked up a ligtly used 40D as a back up for my 7D!
« on: April 03, 2013, 12:10:02 AM »Don't overlook the 30D either, there were probably more of those made and it's not that much less of a camera than the 40D. I've still got one of each, don't see a point in selling them as they just won't get me enough money to make it worth selling. I use them when I can, just to keep them operational, and they will serve as emergency or beater cameras when needed. Whenever I do use them, I marvel at just how good they were for the time, and still quite good unless you need high ISO performance (higher than 800 at least).
I agree that the 30D is a really good camera, but Canon added a ton of new features to the 40D that makes it "pop" over the 30D. The live view is nice and well as the sensor cleaning. The larger screen is always a plus and the 1.5 fps addition is always welcome. But I would have to agree, the 30D for the price right now is a very good camera.
D
18
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Just picked up a ligtly used 40D as a back up for my 7D!
« on: April 02, 2013, 11:41:11 PM »Very much agree. 40D is a brilliant camera. Had two of them myself both running in over 150k clicks and still have one.
If you compare the 7D and 40D on DXO there is not much between them at all. Put a 17-55mm on it and it creates razor sharp images.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/619|0/(brand)/Canon/(appareil2)/180|0/(brand2)/Canon
I used mine for weddings, landscape, motor sport and editorial work never missed a beat.
But lets not delude too far, it is a great camera but certainly showing its age. Screen res (you cant really tell if the image is sharp), no AFMA, one F2.8 cross type and 8 F5.6 cross type outers which aren't that useful or accurate, ISO 1600 is about as far as you can shoot and not that it bothers me as I dont shoot video but no video.
If you want a cheap fast camera with brilliant IQ then the 40D was probably the best of its era.
Its only when you get cameras like the 5DMKIII that you realise. If your not spoiled in tech like that the 40D still impresses. I upgraded to the 7D and apart from obvious body upgrades the IQ difference was not that great and they are very similar infact I found the 40D to create images less noisy where it counts 100-400. So sold the 7D for a 5DMKIII and kept the 40D.
The 50D didnt appeal to me. 50% more pixels on similar tech made the images rather noisy.
Well said, the 50D did not appeal to me either. I chose the 40D when I upgraded from my XTi over the 50D because the money spent on the 50D did not seem worth it. To this day I believe I made the right choice. I have used the 50D and as far as features goes, it is a very nice camera. But image quality and resolution? I have VERY hard time telling images apart taken with the two cameras.
The 40D takes very low noise photos and are silky smooth. I look forward to taking my new 40D out for a spin. I can't wait to try my new EF 70-300L on it!
D
19
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Just picked up a ligtly used 40D as a back up for my 7D!
« on: April 01, 2013, 11:18:32 PM »The 40D is a very nice camera, I've had five of them. I'd consider buying another if the price was right. $200 - $250 is a good deal if its a nice low usage body. The problem is that on our local Craigslist, prices are silly.
I have seen 40D bodies on Adorama for $250-$275 bucks and believe me they sell as quickly as they are posted. Local prices range from $300-$350 for a body only. Once the rumored 70D hits the market I bet you will start seeing a lot more 40D's in the range of $200-$250. I still think $300 for a good used 40D body is very reasonable, esp for what you get for that price.
D
20
EOS Bodies - For Stills / Just picked up a ligtly used 40D as a back up for my 7D!
« on: April 01, 2013, 10:52:10 PM »
I find it amazing how many people dump their equipment when new stuff comes out, believing that the new stuff is just miles ahead of what they had been using, (and had been getting great results with to boot!)
I have been looking for a nice 40D w/ grip as a backup/second body to my current 7D. For the money you cannot beat the 40D. The image quality is fantastic (for 10.1mp) and it is as fast as ever. I truly believe this was one of Canon's most overlooked cameras. It's run only lasted a year and many people passed it over when the 50D came out. I have used/owned the 40D and 50D and I love the 40D for the price and image quality. My first 40D I bought used (for $500 bucks) and I replaced it with the 7D when it was stolen about 2 years ago.
I found a really nice 40D with a Canon bg-e2n grip for about $350 bucks. I can't complain. The older cameras may be scoffed at, but they are far from done.
If you have an older body and think you need to "upgrade", take a look at your glass. Good glass will take you farther than any camera body can.
Like a good friend of mine says, "Learn your equipment and learn it well, you will be miles ahead of someone who solely thinks newer is better but does not know how to use it."
D
I have been looking for a nice 40D w/ grip as a backup/second body to my current 7D. For the money you cannot beat the 40D. The image quality is fantastic (for 10.1mp) and it is as fast as ever. I truly believe this was one of Canon's most overlooked cameras. It's run only lasted a year and many people passed it over when the 50D came out. I have used/owned the 40D and 50D and I love the 40D for the price and image quality. My first 40D I bought used (for $500 bucks) and I replaced it with the 7D when it was stolen about 2 years ago.
I found a really nice 40D with a Canon bg-e2n grip for about $350 bucks. I can't complain. The older cameras may be scoffed at, but they are far from done.
If you have an older body and think you need to "upgrade", take a look at your glass. Good glass will take you farther than any camera body can.
Like a good friend of mine says, "Learn your equipment and learn it well, you will be miles ahead of someone who solely thinks newer is better but does not know how to use it."
D
21
Software & Accessories / Re: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4... DOH!!!
« on: March 31, 2013, 07:32:14 PM »OK, now I remember ... so it was said by both. ThanksI went with a dual boot XP/Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit system. XP will allow me to still use some hardware and software that I have that is only comptatable with XP and 7 will allow me to go forward.Congratulations ... Good choice. I like your tag line from Matrix "There is no spoon" ... I wish it was true for some of our problems in life
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
LOL! I love that movie. And the quote reminds me that there is always a different way of looking at things, esp when you have to solve a problem. When you think you have tried all logical means, then maybe you need to start looking outside the box.
A quote from Sherlock Holmes is a great one to remember, "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.."
D
Oh, and Neo said it one more time when he and Trinty were standing on the cable mount above the elevator holding onto each other, just before he shot the base of the cable mount sending the car plunging.
22
Software & Accessories / Re: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4... DOH!!!
« on: March 22, 2013, 11:18:46 AM »If you are upgrading the OS on an existing machine - Win 7 64-bit.
If that machine is older than 2 years, buy a new machine with Win 8 and Start8.
Or, buy a Mac. I have Macs and PCs. Versus Win 7, I find the Mac UI different, not necessarily vastly superior (snow leppard). However, the overall experience is better - things just work. It takes a while to get used to doing things on the Mac if you are a life-long PC user. But once you do, most people don't go back to PC.
I agree Win8 is a failed attempt by microsoft to catch up to the well designed OS X/iOS multi-device user experience. If you have to go up the learning curve for Win8, why not spend that time transitioning to a Mac?
I ended up building my own system dedicated to my photo & video processing, and went with Win7 64-bit because I could do so for far less money than purchasing a Mac. But if I were buying a new machine for general purpose use, I would not bother with a win8 machine. I would go with a mac.
My machine is fairly new, I rebuild it about every two years. I custom built my PC so I can upgrade components as they are needed. I am currently running a Black Edition quad core AMD CPU overclocked to almost 4GHz running 16GB of DDR3 memory and 3TB of SATA drives.
D
23
Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Experience with CP-E4 Battery Pack and/or clones
« on: March 21, 2013, 09:54:38 PM »I got my clone via eBay and I love it. Cost me about 40 bucks and it works perfectly! It came with a soft case and everything!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/170946384770?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
D
I have 4 of these with the yongnuo brand each take 8 eneloops they work really well
never tried the genuine ones though
Just an update, I have been using my clone for a while no and no issues what-so-ever. I love it. I even bought a clone for my girlfriend's Nikon flash and it works perfect.
D
24
Software & Accessories / Re: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4... DOH!!!
« on: March 21, 2013, 09:40:17 PM »
Wow, lots of thoughts and ideas. Just for the record, I went with a dual boot XP/Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit system. XP will allow me to still use some hardware and software that I have that is only comptatable with XP and 7 will allow me to go forward.
I love 7 so far and I even upgraded to 16gb of DDR3 ram. (I only had 2gb before) My machine flies now. I will only use XP when I need to use hardware or software not compatable with 7, but I have been able to get about 98% of my stuff to work with 7. I love the feel of 7, it's a fantastic upgrade to XP.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and responces!
D
I love 7 so far and I even upgraded to 16gb of DDR3 ram. (I only had 2gb before) My machine flies now. I will only use XP when I need to use hardware or software not compatable with 7, but I have been able to get about 98% of my stuff to work with 7. I love the feel of 7, it's a fantastic upgrade to XP.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and responces!
D
25
Lenses / Re: Starting Lens Recommendation
« on: February 14, 2013, 09:01:09 PM »
I would say that the EF 28-135 is a good, affordable alternative to the 24-105L but the L is a MUCH better lens, combinded with the EF 100mm macro (non-L) with the 70-300 IS USM (non-L) you would end up with 3 affordable lenses that are outstanding for the cost and would cover about 99.9% of all of your shooting needs. I have used/still use each of these lenses to this day.
D
D
26
Lenses / Re: Is your midrange gear insured?
« on: February 14, 2013, 08:57:12 PM »
All of my camera equipment is insured through State Farm. They wrote me a personal articles policy and have had it for almost 2 years. As of my seperation from the wife I ended up with half of the camera equipment and she the other half. But even at around 6 grand worth of camera gear, it runs me about 70-80 bucks a year for the coverage, and you get to set the value of your equipment. (I would imagine within reason of course, I always went for new replacement value)
Zero deductable and 100% accident/theft coverage. I have used it twice now, once for my 40D when it got dropped (they gave me $1100 towards a new 7D) and my EF-s 60mm macro when my wife's cat knocked it off of the bookself. (Full replacement cost)
No questions asked and wonderful service. I couldn't be happier.
D
Zero deductable and 100% accident/theft coverage. I have used it twice now, once for my 40D when it got dropped (they gave me $1100 towards a new 7D) and my EF-s 60mm macro when my wife's cat knocked it off of the bookself. (Full replacement cost)
No questions asked and wonderful service. I couldn't be happier.
D
27
Software & Accessories / Re: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4... DOH!!!
« on: February 03, 2013, 11:37:13 PM »Ugh, I just bought Lightroom 4 and to my horror, it is not comptatible with XP!!!Do not assume that your new computer is fully Windows 8 compatible. They do not sell full versions of Windows 8, just upgrades. OK, there is a system builder edition, but its renamed because it assumes you are a professional system builder and test/debug your hardware with Windows 8 before going into production.
After the release of Vista, I swore to myself that I would stick with XP (which I really like) for as long as I can. Well after 12 years of faithful XP use, it looks like my travels have come to an end.
Now, mind you I am running a new system (AMD Phenom II X4 965, OC'ed to 3.8Ghz) DDR 3 memory, etc... but I have just resisted upgrading to Windows Vista (Gag! Yuck!), 7 or now even 8 for YEARS.
Well, that has come to a quick end with the purchase of Lightroom 4. Now, my question is, which is better? Windows 7 or 8? Any thoughts?
D
This is one time where just buying a new Dell XPS for $700 is a good idea if you want Windows 8.
Assuming your hardware will fully support it, get Windows 8. It is faster and has some features like support for larger hard drives, and GPT format. This is not trivial, you may have a tough time trying to make copies of a Windows 8 hard drive unless you upgrade other software. Readup on GPT format, you might not want to go there yet, but its coming sooner or later.
The good news is that you will be good for several more years.
As to the interface, just purchase Start 8 for $4.99 and get the old start menu back. A relative is a Microsoft Manager, and he uses it on all his pc's. If you do not have a touch monitor, you need the start menu.
Windows 7 is going to be easier to learn, because the interface is familiar. I have both. It took me 2-3 hours to become fairly proficient with Windows 8, but there are just some things that do not seem to make sense without a touch screen. You will find some software and some drivers that are not updated, and never will be.
Windows 7 is safe, lots of drivers now, but there will be older scanners, etc that are not supported, particularly with 64 bit. You do want 64 bit!!
Thank you for taking the time to help explain some of these things. My gut is telling me to go with 7 for now, mainly because it has been out for a while and most of the bugs have been worked out and 99% of my hardware is comptatable with it.
I will lose my ATI TV Wonder VE capture card because ATI has not yet developed a 64-bit driver for it yet (and likely never will).
Guess I could always dual boot XP with 7.
D
28
Software & Accessories / Re: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4... DOH!!!
« on: February 03, 2013, 10:49:44 PM »i chucked it all in and finally crossed over to the mac side.
Mac? (*hiss*) I am too far gone to switch to Mac or Linux. Thanks!
D
29
Software & Accessories / Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4... DOH!!!
« on: February 03, 2013, 10:08:56 PM »
Ugh, I just bought Lightroom 4 and to my horror, it is not comptatible with XP!!!
After the release of Vista, I swore to myself that I would stick with XP (which I really like) for as long as I can. Well after 12 years of faithful XP use, it looks like my travels have come to an end.
Now, mind you I am running a new system (AMD Phenom II X4 965, OC'ed to 3.8Ghz) DDR 3 memory, etc... but I have just resisted upgrading to Windows Vista (Gag! Yuck!), 7 or now even 8 for YEARS. (Call me a rebel...)
Well, that has come to a quick end with the purchase of Lightroom 4. Now, my question is, which is better? Windows 7 or 8? Any thoughts?
D
After the release of Vista, I swore to myself that I would stick with XP (which I really like) for as long as I can. Well after 12 years of faithful XP use, it looks like my travels have come to an end.
Now, mind you I am running a new system (AMD Phenom II X4 965, OC'ed to 3.8Ghz) DDR 3 memory, etc... but I have just resisted upgrading to Windows Vista (Gag! Yuck!), 7 or now even 8 for YEARS.
(Call me a rebel...)Well, that has come to a quick end with the purchase of Lightroom 4. Now, my question is, which is better? Windows 7 or 8? Any thoughts?
D
30
Lenses / Re: Just bought a new Canon EF 70-300L IS USM lens.
« on: January 27, 2013, 11:32:09 PM »
I am seriously thinking about getting one of the Kenko tele's, but has anyone had any experience using the 2X tele's with this lens?
D
D