Messages

16

EOS Bodies / Re: Lost and Found - Not an April's Fool joke

« on: April 01, 2013, 03:57:49 PM »

Yeah, I really enjoyed using my SD600 and WP case in St Lucia and would trust it 100%.  I wish there were reasonably priced WP cases for DSLRs (like if Canon made its own).  The fact that the cases and accessories are so expensive make the G1X ($650) and WP-DC44 ($275) the best deal in good-quality underwater photography/videography.  The $925 price for this kit is a fair amount less than even the cheapest DSLR cases ($1000-1200 w/o lens tubes).  Heck, even the S110 and WP-DC47 ($670) or G15 and WP-DC48 ($750) could produce pretty good results for a fraction of the price.  Cases for S100 (WP-DC43) and S95 (WP-DC38) can be picked up new for $212 and $140, respectively, so picking up a used S100/S95 could get you in the game for well under $500.  There is no way I'd go for a D20 ($300) since much better quality can be had for slightly more.

I often peruse eBay for the WP-DC35 to go on my S90, so I can eliminate my need to keep my SD600.  They come up fairly regularly, so I'm just holding out for one in good condition for $50-60.  For anyone who's interested, here's the site that outlines all the cameras Canon makes WP cases for:

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/underwater_photo

Thanks for sharing. WOnder how the camera drifted so far?

Based on the photos, the camera is an PowerShot A510 or A520 in a WP-DC40 case (which Canon specifies should have a single WW-DC1 weight to stay neutrally buoyant).  Since the photos show that no weights are attached to the tripod mount, I would assume that the camera floated on the surface all the way from Hawaii to Taiwan.

17

EOS Bodies / Re: Big Megapixel Development Announcement in the Fall? [CR2]

« on: March 26, 2013, 05:41:54 PM »

Seriously, some guy just said "very rarely do people shoot in high iso"....are you kidding me?

To be fair, what he said was above ISO 6400.  I suspect he's true, only because until the most recent Canon bodies, shooting above ISO 6400 gave unusable results.  That's not true anymore.  On my 1D X, ISO 6400 is the new ISO 800.   

I am in the minority as I never shoot at ISO 6400 (because that ISO setting does not exist in the 5DC).   
I know I can buy a camera today that produces wonderful results (for my purposes) at ISO 6400, and I would be thrilled to own one of them (6D, 5D3, D600, D800).  I have no desires to have a camera more advanced or feature-rich than the 5D Mark III.  I would also be happy with the 6D.  My hobby and my disposable income do not allow me to invest in a 5D3 or 6D, even though I know I would be completely content with either one.  In my case my upgrade is not limited by what is offered by camera makers, it is limited by budget.

Also, regarding the form factor debate - I would not want a camera with a built-in vertical grip.  Personally, I would not care what size the body is for any future cameras (i.e. 5D-class, 7D-class, 60D-class, Rebel-class, SL1-class, mirrorless) so long as the viewfinder is as big and bright as the 5D and the sensor is full frame.  I enjoy the handling of my 5D, but I also think the 60D is the perfect mix of handling size and weight.

18

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 400D (Digital Rebel XTi): Sell, or keep it?

« on: March 21, 2013, 09:13:24 PM »

I gave mine to my daughter 5 years ago, she was happy to get it plus a couple of lenses.
Consider donating it to a friend or a school that will use it.

+1, I have given gear to friends and relatives.  Often times it feels better than selling for less than market value on eBay (after fees and shipping) or CL.

19

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Which camera brand you actively use, other than Canon?

« on: March 20, 2013, 01:25:54 PM »

I'm a chemical engineer, and I use my iPhone multiple times a week to take pictures out in the field for documentation. 

I didn't know the iPhone is intrinsically safe.   

Class I Div I ... no kidding 

20

Software & Accessories / Re: What would you use to steam out a 10x24" green screen for wrinkles?

« on: March 19, 2013, 04:37:27 PM »

10 inch by 24 inch is smaller than most pant legs. 

Anyway, I would say a steamer would be the best way to flatten it, just make sure it's not a super delicate material that could be damaged by 212°F (100°C).

21

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-b Images Leak & a New Kit Lens

« on: March 19, 2013, 11:20:42 AM »

The weight is in the panasonic G3 class - amazing. And the lens mount looks h-u-g-e!

Yeah, here's a comparison to the other smallest Rebels of the past (XTi and XS), sorry I was too lazy to resize the pictures:

'EOS-b'


XTi


XS


Just look at the height of the grip, the EOS-b has a grip the same height as the lens mount, the XTi and XS and visually a little taller than the mount.

Or compare it to the largest Rebel yet (T4i, 650D):

'EOS-b'


T4i/650D


EDIT: On the opposite side of the spectrum, here it is in comparison to the EOS M and EF adapter:

'EOS-b'


EOS M with EF adapter

22

PowerShot / Re: Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

« on: March 18, 2013, 03:28:05 PM »

.
Digic 6???

You mean I've got a 5D3, and I'm now out of date!!!!

Oh, Canon, what have you done to us!!!!!!

DIGIC6 ??

that would be great. but i guess it´s a typo.

Why not? Digic 5 was first introduced in the Powershot S100 (Dec 2011), if I recall it right. Correct me if I'm wrong, my memory's no longer what it used to be  . And Digic 5+ may likely be still better than digic 6. Maybe we'll see the Digic 6+ in the 70D and 7DII, who knows...

You are correct about the Digic 5, however, an S100 (RAW, 1/1.7", F2.0) is a very different animal from the SX2x0-line (1/2.3", 20x zoom, f/3.5, JPEG only, single control dial).  To be fair though, the SX40 HS was annouced at the same time as the S100 with the Digic 5, so maybe what we'll see is an S120, or a compact DSLR camera with an 18MP APS-C sensor in it also with a Digic 5.

23

Lenses / Re: best NON L long lens

« on: March 15, 2013, 04:35:59 PM »

I bought a Tamron 200-400mm f/5.6 lens (I believe it was the 75DE model) locally on Craigslist for $100 (which I found out was a steal - normally goes for $200-250 on eBay).  Image quality was quite good, but the focusing was too slow for my needs (I'm not a sports photographer, but the gearing for the AFD motor is pretty low).  Ended up selling it for well over double what I paid on eBay about a month later.

I had the Canon 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM lens for about a year and a half and can echo the sentiment that between 200mm and 300mm the image quality is quite mediocre.  Focusing is fairly fast and quiet with the FTM Ring USM motor.

The Canon 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is optically not much better than the 100-300mm, and it has a more limited range, but it is 2/3 stop faster and has the same good focusing that I liked in the 100-300mm.

Ghosting of highlights, at the long end especially, is a problem for both Canon lenses mentioned above.  I used a friend's 70-200 f4L non-IS for Game 7 of the World series in 2011 and loved it, but haven't been able to justify the expense yet.  I've also tried to find good condition used copies of the 50-200mm f/3.5-4.5L (1988) and 100-300mm f/5.6L (1987) on the market; unfortunately, however, they retain their value pretty well despite lacking USM or IS and typically sell for prices close to that of a used 70-200mm f/4L.

24

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Which camera brand you actively use, other than Canon?

« on: March 15, 2013, 10:40:53 AM »

I'm a chemical engineer, and I use my iPhone multiple times a week to take pictures out in the field for documentation.  I have 2 Canon compact cameras that are used seldomly (one I just keep around because I have an underwater case for it), and one Nikon D70s body I use to test Nikkor lenses that I occasionally fix.  I've often looked for good used deals on Panasonic GF series and Olympus E-PL series cameras for a small, light camera to carry, but never jumped on anything I've found (Nikon 1 sensor is too small, as is its selection of third party lenses currently, and I'm not a big fan of the NEX cameras, since they don't have a truly compact zoom like the Panasonic 14-42mm PZ).

25

Canon General / Re: Which eye do you shoot with?

« on: March 13, 2013, 03:53:47 PM »

Right (dominant eye).  Don't wear glasses (always had 20/20), and I close my left eye when looking through the VF.  My dad has always shot with his left eye, which I always thought was weird, but it could be just his dominant eye.  The ergonomics are better for using right eye on SLRs (and even more so on rangefinder cameras), but I guess one will typically use their eye with better vision.

26

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 200 f/2L IS & EF 800 f/5.6L IS [CR2]

« on: March 13, 2013, 01:22:29 PM »

But looking at this from Canon's perspective, this is economic genius...refresh two already great lenses, give them a new paint job and sell them for double the price!

Seriously, who wants these two old lenses that clash with the new big whites?!? 

In all seriousness, I think between weight, coatings and paint (in that order of importance) are more than enough to justify replacement.  I think when they are replaced and we see the image quality improvements on the 800mm it will make sense, I mean, think how good the 600mm II is with the 1.4x tele at the same focal length - how good will a native 800mm II look?  For the 200mm, I can't see that the image quality will increase that much (at least given current pixel density).  Maybe in the near future when there is a >24MP FF camera, it might show all the difference between the I and II superteles.

27

Software & Accessories / Re: 1d X "silent" mode.

« on: March 12, 2013, 01:28:35 PM »

AquaTech makes a 1D X silent mode, it's called the:

AquaTech 1046 Sound Blimp for the Canon 1D X Digital SLR Camera
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/879579-REG/AquaTech_1046_Sound_Blimp_for.html



Unfortunately, it costs $1200 (before adding on a lens tube, like an underwater housing), and adds a fair amount of bulk and weight (almost 3 lbs on its own) to the camera.

28

EOS Bodies / Re: A New DSLR Line from Canon? [CR1]

« on: March 12, 2013, 09:33:38 AM »

Could it actually have both DSLR-like AF and an EVF?

Doesn't the reflex mirror required for phase detection AF force you to use an optical viewfinder?

They could bring back the pellicle mirror, but angled the other way.  Actually, such a system (reverse-angled fixed mirror and EVF only) would remove the geometric limitation on AF point spread, in theory allowing phase AF points to cover a much larger area of the field...

+1

Does anyone see this rumor as being a future EOS 2000D-RT or something?

29

Lenses / Re: Tilt Shift Lenses - Looking for Advice

« on: March 11, 2013, 03:31:20 PM »

If you're talking about a 2 shot (+12 / -12) or 3 shot (+12 / 0 / -12) horizontal panarama (2.5:1 aspect ratio), the resulting effective image sensor size would be 60mm x 24mm, or an effective crop factor of 0.6x (24mm would become a 14.4mm; 17mm would become a 10.2mm).

If you're a 4 shot (+12 at 45°, 135°, 225° and 315°) for an approximately 3:2 aspect ratio photograph the resulting effective sensor size would be 53mm x 41mm (53mm x 35.3mm when cropped to maintain the normal 3:2 AR) with a crop factor of 0.68x (24mm would become a 16.3mm; 17mm woud become an 11.6mm).

30

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Information [CR1]

« on: March 11, 2013, 12:47:20 PM »

Wouldn't it be easy enough to modify a cheap extension tube (like this one on eBay) so that a osciliscope could be hooked up to the Vbat and A_GND contact to see exactly what voltage is driving the AF system for a given camera?



That might not tell you what's going on downstream between the AF electronics and the USM motor, but it might help to support the higher-voltage/faster-AF theory.  If the voltages for a 7.4V-based camera and an 11.2V-based camera are the same, then that theory can be put to bed.