Messages

1

Canon General / Re: Seeking advice for corporate sporting event gear

« on: May 20, 2013, 04:46:31 PM »

I think in this situation, less is more.  I would bring the 5DMIII, the 70-200, and either the 24-70 or the 50mm.  If I were doing this just for the Company, I wouldn't want to be bogged down with all this equipment, changing lenses, toting around a big camera bag, etc.  You want to have fun at this event too, I'm guessing.  Being outdoors, the 70-200 I think is plenty to catch the action up close.  The wide angle or the 50mm prime would be good enough to capture the scenery surrounding the events. 

I don't think you need a backup body.  If your camera bugs out, remember you aren't getting paid.  Same thing could happen with someone who volunteers with a point and shoot.

Less is more.

I agree, the 70-200 and 24-70 would be exactly what I would bring (I have them both and use both for high school sports, in fact that is what I use for indoor sports with a 5DIII and a 1DX). Along with a flash for dark situations, you should be good to go. If you can, you could add another 5DIII or 7D. I would prefer the 5DIII just for consistency and familiarity. It doesn't sound like you are going to be restricted to the sidelines or behind barricades like you would at competitive sporting events so you won't need the longer reach of the 7D and again not having to learn a new set-up would more than offset the crop factor IMO.

Andy

2

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II

« on: May 15, 2013, 10:59:01 PM »

I already have the version I of this lens and have been thinking about selling it and upgrading. Is it worth it? I also have a 1.4x III and use it to get close enough to 400 that I don't think I can justify getting the 400 as a second lens. I would also love to have the new 200-400 but the cost is just ridiculous although it would be perfect for me - I shoot a lot of field sports (soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse . . . ). So again anybody that has upgraded for the version I of this lens, was it worth it?

Thanks,

Andy

Hi Andy, if you can afford it, absolutely do it.

I was always impressed with the Version 1 300f/2.8, but the advantages of the Version 2 are immediate weight gain, this Lens is about as Hand Holdable (is that a word??) as the 70-200f/2.8 L II, it's amazing how they got this (and the 400V2/600v2) Lens so light. You will see an immediate gain in Focus snap on, this V2 focuses faster, I get a lot more In Focus shots now than I did with the V1 Lens, agreed, I'm now using the 5DMK III & 1Dx so some o0f the faster response etc perhaps go to the new Cameras, I used the Version 1 Lens with the 5DMK II & 1DMK IV.

I have the 200f/2, 300f/2.8 v2, 400f/2.8 v2 & 600f/4 v2, the 200-400f/4 I'll have hopefully by the end June this year, and the only Lens I intend then selling will be the 400f/2.8 v2, the 300 I'll likely die with, this without any doubt is the sharpest Lens I own. The 200f/2 is no slouch either, but it's not as fast as the 300 v2.

The 3 Lenses i have that I use the most & just love the Images that come from them, in order of Love, 300f/2.8 v2, 200f/2, 85 f/1.2 L II.

Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts - I thought about waiting and selling my 300 (and a kidney) to help finance the 200-400. I have no doubt that would be a perfect lens for me. Maybe they will come out with a 100-400 ver 2 - that along with a 300 ver 2 would be a great combo as well.

3

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II

« on: May 15, 2013, 02:47:48 PM »

I already have the version I of this lens and have been thinking about selling it and upgrading. Is it worth it? I also have a 1.4x III and use it to get close enough to 400 that I don't think I can justify getting the 400 as a second lens. I would also love to have the new 200-400 but the cost is just ridiculous although it would be perfect for me - I shoot a lot of field sports (soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse . . . ). So again anybody that has upgraded for the version I of this lens, was it worth it?

Thanks,

Andy

4

Lenses / Re: EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x Available Mid 2014?

« on: April 24, 2013, 11:34:07 AM »

I primarily shoot sports and would love to have this lens for field sports. At f/4 it is kind of slow but I just got a 1Dx and can probably afford the loss of light in exchange for the flexibility. I don't think I would use the teleconverter very often if at all and would probably prefer a less expensive option without it.

5

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Advice needed: Possibility to improve IQby sending to Canon service department?

« on: March 25, 2013, 09:42:40 PM »

When I first got my 5DIII (brand new from B&H) I noticed the photos were not as sharp as the ones taken with my 5DII using the same lenses - a lot of back-focsing. I eventually noticed that the global setting for AFMA was set to +7. I don't recall changing that setting but may have inadvertently. I set it back to 0 and cleared everything right up (pun intended).

Recently, I used the dot-tune method to AFMA my cameras and all of my lenses individually - one of my lenses (70-200 2. seems noticeably sharper with a +4 adjustment at both 200 and 70. The other lenses seem slightly sharper (may just be be my imagination). Regardless, it was worth an hour of my time and NO expense using that method.

6

Lenses / Re: Best sports lenses for Canon 7D

« on: March 20, 2013, 05:57:19 PM »

Definitely get the 2.8 for night games. At all of the HS football stadiums around here that I shoot at, my setting are usually 1/500 - 1/800, f2.8 and around 10,000 ISO give or take a stop. If I had a slower lens, I would need to drop shutter speed and accept some subject motion blur.

7

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 1DX vs 5DIII Wildlife Comparison

« on: March 18, 2013, 05:23:31 PM »

wonder if you have a bad battery.
I got a loaner from CPS, and took it along a snowshoeing hike yesterday. I had it powered on the whole time, exposed to single digit temperatures - wind chill driven, and powdery snow. The is on the mounted 24-105 was on too.
Took 100 shots or so, and even after checking all the shots later in the comfort of a local bar, the charge was still above 85%
I find the grip ergonomics better than the 1dsmk3 or the 5Dmk2 with grip
Yes, the shutter it's a loud and solid clunk - and 12 fps scares nearby P&S shooters 

Ha Ha  - a few weeks ago I had a referee jump for cover when I first started firing the 1DX off behind him at a basketball game - he said he thought it was gunfire . . . glad he wasn't packing . . .

8

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Lexar CF cards FAIL - Sandisk?

« on: March 18, 2013, 03:35:00 PM »

The reason I purchased all professional gear, is so things like this CANNOT happen.

Stuff like this can ALWAYS happen, that's why "professional gear" has two memory card slots.   

I bought two 32gb 1,000x Sandisk Cards around Christmas from B&H. I shoot sports and had something similar happen to me a few times while shooting basketball games. At the time I had a 1DIV and a 5DIII. Happened with both cameras when I got close to filling the buffers. Luckily I kept the original packing and B&H agreed to take them back in exchange for 2 similar Sandisk cards - the Sandisk cards were almost twice as much but I have never had a similar problems to the one I had with the Lexar cards and my Canon Cameras. I will say the Lexar cards were super fast downloading from my card reader and I did have more buffer head room but it still wasn't worth worrying about camera lock up . . .

I should also point out that the cards didn't fail i.e. I didn't lose any data while I had the cards, they just didn't play well with my cameras . . .

9

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Lexar CF cards FAIL - Sandisk?

« on: March 18, 2013, 03:32:24 PM »

The reason I purchased all professional gear, is so things like this CANNOT happen.

Stuff like this can ALWAYS happen, that's why "professional gear" has two memory card slots.   

I bought two 32gb 1,000x Sandisk Cards around Christmas from B&H. I shoot sports and had something similar happen to me a few times while shooting basketball games. At the time I had a 1DIV and a 5DIII. Happened with both cameras when I got close to filling the buffers. Luckily I kept the original packing and B&H agreed to take them back in exchange for 2 similar Sandisk cards - the Sandisk cards were almost twice as much but I have never had a similar problems to the one I had with the Lexar cards and my Canon Cameras. I will say the Lexar cards were super fast downloading from my card reader and I did have more buffer head room but it still wasn't worth worrying about camera lock up . . .

10

Portrait / Re: Bikini girl in my studio with my first scenic bacground

« on: March 10, 2013, 12:25:48 PM »

I'm going to start putting "bikini" in the title all of my posts from now on . . .

11

Technical Support / Re: Things to shoot around Marco Island/Everglades in Florida

« on: March 08, 2013, 09:16:34 PM »

Thanks CharlieB

12

Technical Support / Things to shoot around Marco Island/Everglades in Florida

« on: March 08, 2013, 06:49:56 PM »

Hi Everybody,

I am taking the family down to Marco Island, Florida in a few weeks and wanted some advice on things to see and photograph in and around the everglades. Already planning a trip to Shark Alley for some wildlife shots. I will be taking my 5DIII, 70-200 2.8 II, 1.4X III and 24-70 2.8 II (mainly for family shots).

Any advice appreciated.

Andy

13

Lenses / Re: Review of my bag - help me to reduce weight and overlap

« on: March 08, 2013, 06:46:23 PM »

I sold my 24-105 for a 24-70 II and love the 24-70. However, I am now starting to play around with video and regret not having the 24-105 with its IS. Something to consider if you do video.

14

Black & White / Re: Made by Italian craftsmen.....EF 24mm TS architecture...

« on: March 05, 2013, 01:30:33 PM »

Very nice - completely changed the photograph - in a good way.

I have the TSE-17 and wish I had occasion to use it more often.
Andy

15

Software & Accessories / Method for taking names while shooting candids at an event

« on: February 18, 2013, 10:32:39 AM »

I have an event coming up and was wondering how everyone else takes names while taking candids at events. Is there an App for that? Or, should I just continue to carry a small notepad with me?

Thanks,

Andy