Messages

61

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Kenko lens2scope first impression

« on: January 31, 2012, 07:31:20 AM »

Hi,

I bought a lens2scope.

First impression:
Yes , it works and with a 200 mm lens the moon almost fills "the frame". Furthermore, it is sharp enough for bird watching at significant distances, let's say half a mile
Drawbacks:
1) Biggest drawback is the focussing. With an EF-S lens such as the 18-200 kit lens it takes a very steady hand to gently turn the focus ring to get focus. I tried it with a an old 100 mm macro L lens and the issue disappears as the focus ring is a lot better
2) in bright light, chromatic aberration is visible through the viewfinder

Would I recommend it ?

Yes/No.
If you have a lens that you do not use anymore and you want to have a scope for 200$, then the answer is yes
If you plan to use it with a new L lens that you use in everyday life on your camera, then the answer is no. There have been other reports of damaged electrical contacts, which can happen if you are not carefull during the mount.

62

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 1DX pricing in Australia

« on: January 14, 2012, 05:10:36 PM »

Hi,

in general cameras and lenses are expensive in Oz. A EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM will set you back around 2800-2900$ while you can get them around the 2000$ mark from B&H.
I had a chat with Camera Electronic in Perth (very reliable) and they confirm $9999. I complained as well and they say that their price is based on canon price with their usual mark up to sustain their business.
Looking at the price ratio for a EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, which ~ 1.5 then the $9999 makes sense.
I do NOT like it either, but please do not blaim the retailers, they have to make a living as well.
It is a fact that canon is forcing a base price on them and the result is that we pay a lot more in Oz.

63

Software & Accessories / Re: Looking for a good monitor

« on: December 31, 2011, 01:45:28 AM »

ICC profile.
There is a difference between a monitor profile and printer profile(S).
The monitor profile sets your display.
Printer profiles are unique for each printer and paper!!
The software does not know what type of paper you have loaded in your printer, so you need to "tell" the software via a profile which paper will be used for the print.
For example:
Canon Platinum paper on your printer needs a profile called Canon Pro9000 Mark II Photo Paper Pro Platinum
Canon Semi Gloss paper on your printer needs a profile called Canon Pro9000 Mark II Photo Paper Plus Semi Gloss
If you use HahneMuhle or Ilford paper, you will need to download the files from their website.
I have attached the HahneMuhle instruction in a pdf file, but it probably will confuse more then anything else

Also read:
http://www.imaginginfo.com/print/Studio-Photography/ICC-Color-Management-Explained/3$3667

64

Software & Accessories / Re: Looking for a good monitor

« on: December 31, 2011, 12:05:52 AM »

I have no experience with Lightroom, but regardless which software you use, it is vital to match the profile (ICC) with the paper.
Spyder 3Pro is an excellent piece of kit, you can't go wrong there, but please follow the instructions carefully.

Dark prints, yes, I had the same problem before, in my case I was using an old printer driver on my MAC, after I downloaded the latest driver, the problem was 95% solved.
Having said that, the problem is well known, have a read at
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/stuff/?p=1361

65

Software & Accessories / Re: Looking for a good monitor

« on: December 30, 2011, 10:48:35 PM »

Libertyranger,

you have arrived at a point where you will need a lot of determination to get it right, so don't give up!!

One bit of advise, when you print in Photoshop, in the print dialog:
In print settings, fourth setting from the top , go to "quality and media" and select the right Media type and set quality to high. SAVE.
In the colour management box:
tick document
Photoshop manages colors
Printer profile should be the same as the media you selected before. If you do not have the profile, download it
Relative colorimetric
tick black point compensation

At least this way, you know that you use the right ICC profile for the paper.

Your Pro9000 as it is DYE based printed, should give you very vibrant prints, trust me , it is a GOOD printer.

as I mentioned before, print a test chart and compare.
I know that I am repeating myself, put set the brightness of your monitor as low as possible.

66

Animal Kingdom / Re: Zoo Pics

« on: December 30, 2011, 01:23:07 AM »

Perth West Australia, 7D, 70-200 L II
I still feel guilty that I woke him up

67

Software & Accessories / Re: Looking for a good monitor

« on: December 29, 2011, 05:31:31 PM »

Hi, I forgot.
If you send your pictures to a Photolab for printing, the only way to get "matching" prints is when both you and the photolab work in the same colorspace e.g Adobe RGB 1998. This is getting very technical, but that is the story with colour management, remember, people get paid for this!

68

Software & Accessories / Re: Looking for a good monitor

« on: December 29, 2011, 05:26:51 PM »

Hi,

even if you have a perfectly calibrated monitor , there is no guarantee that you will get good prints. Printing is the last step of the digital workflow and it is often underestimated how difficult this is.
Each printer has a specific colour range (gamut) which will only partially overlay on top of the gamut of the display, so the mapping is not one on one. Furthermore, the combination of paper, type inkjet (dye vs pigment), printer settings in Photoshop..... make a hell of a difference.
A good test is to make a picture of a Xrite colorchecker (or similar), process your RAW file as best as you can and then print it. The white balance is set on the THIRD grey field from the left on the Xrite chart

I mentioned before that colour management is very tricky, there is a real good book that explains all of this well:
The Digital Photography Workflow Handbook, from RockyNook, author Gulbins, Steinmueller

69

Software & Accessories / Re: Looking for a good monitor

« on: December 28, 2011, 07:29:53 PM »

Hi,

please check if the graphics card in your macbook air can actually drive the 27" monitors, should be no problem, but it is worth checking.
JR, and for those who own a Mac monitor, go to the display settings, set color to iMac (for a start) and turn down the brightness to something like 20% as the default setting is way to bright. Intially it will look very pale, but it will be a lot closer to what you get on your prints.
Color management is a different story. I have just bought a ColorMunki and calibrated my 27" Imac (latest version) and I do see significant improvement. A tricky thing is that during the calibration the level of background light in the room is measured and you will be asked to turn down the brightness of your monitor.
On an iMac, there is no hardware way to do this, so after changing the slider in the software, the process has to be repeated.
There are some very good articles on

https://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/65/Colour+Control+on+Monitors

Hope this helps

70

Lenses / Re: Any problems with the newer 24-70mm USM L ??

« on: December 26, 2011, 07:07:19 AM »

Yes, there were problems with the first batch of 24-70 lenses.
I bought a new one about six months ago and it works just fine, no problems at all.
I tested it with my micro adjustment rig and there was no need: the focus was just fine, both on the short and the long end. Any "misfocus" was small and random, and the hit rate of smack in focus was very high.
There is a lot of fuss about the fact that this lens does not have IS, but I do not miss it at all with THIS lens. I do have other lenses with IS , which benefit a lot from IS, such as the 100 mm macro and the 70-200 F2.8 on the long end.
I will not upgrade to the new 24-70 (whenever???)  for IS. If the new is significantly faster then the 2.8, I will consider.
In short, I love my 2010 model, it a fantastic lens!!

71

Third Party Manufacturers / Kenko lens2scope

« on: December 14, 2011, 06:36:58 PM »

Hi,

does anybody have experience with LENS2SCOPE? Does it have autofocus (HAHA)?

Anyway, this little gadget has the potential to give a new life to my "old" tele lenses, even if the image quality is far from superior.


http://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/Default.aspx?Cat=THK-Photo-Products-News

72

Lenses / Re: Owners of 70-200f2.8L IS mk.II & 70-300 L IS

« on: November 22, 2011, 06:04:37 PM »

Indeed the 70-200 is heavy, especially if used with a 2X extender. WIth the 2X extender the centre of gravity shift even more forward, so it feels a lot more heavy. Of course the extender adds weight as well.
However, as the images are EXCELLENT, I am still happy to carry the extra weight

73

Lenses / Re: Your Go To Portrait Lens?

« on: November 20, 2011, 11:09:27 PM »

100mm EF f/2.8L IS USM Macro

This may sound strange, but it is not only a macro, but also a  lens with a relatively wide aperture, superb image quality, fast AF and  impressive IS. I just love this lens for head/shoulder pictures

74

Software & Accessories / Re: Off Camera Microphones

« on: November 03, 2011, 01:49:22 AM »

Hi,

I use a RODE StereoVideoMic with my 7D for video. It works well, the quality is a LOT better then the build in mic (as expected). As mentioned in the other post, it is better for general sound, but not fantastic for dialog. Consider the small Sennheiser ME66 for dialog, but it is very expensive (I believe around the 600$ mark).
Problems that I have: the left and right channel are "swapped". It is a mind teaser, but it depends if you stand in front or behind the microphone to determine which side is left or right. Anyway, when you video a passing car, the sound is going left-right, when the car is moving right-left, very annoying. I solve this by mounting the microphone upside down.
Furthermore, the AUTOMATIC audio input level adjustment of the 7D is VERY annoying.

Hope this helps?

75

Australia / Re: Buying Camera gear in Aus? Who do you use?

« on: October 30, 2011, 08:50:03 AM »

Camera Electronic in Perth. These guys have been around well over 30 years and give excellent service. They are a bit more expensive (~5%) then others, but you do get top quality advice and whenever something is wrong they will handle it professional i.e fix the problem with passion. Website: http://www.cameraelectronic.com.au/