Messages

1

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

« on: May 19, 2013, 01:46:00 AM »

Since I got my 5D III, with it's incredible autofocus system, I can now use my prime lenses to good effect.  One that has become a favorite is the 85mm 1.8 USM lens.  I shoot mostly people these days who are moving and posing, so a light, compact lens is very helpful.  This shot was at 1/200, ISO 200 and F/4.  The light was very flat due to the bright overcast sky, so I increased the contrast in Lightroom.  I can do so much in Lightroom now that I really question the need to have heavy, expensive prime lenses that give a bit better contrast or color rendering than the mid-range primes like the 85/1.8.  I have a 135L that is fun to use, but I can't pick out the 135L images from the 85/1.8 images without cheating.

This is not one of the better images from this shoot, but the model was quite the exhibitionist and there weren't many images suitable for this forum.   

2

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: my new 5D3 battery life

« on: May 17, 2013, 12:14:16 PM »

So far I have not had to change batteries during a shoot and I've gone a bit over 1,000 shots.  Note that I don't use Live View, do you?

I'm not sure how accurate the battery condition report in the menu is. In any case, it is good practice to always carry a spare battery.

3

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Waiting for a Sigma 50 "A" like their 35 to appear?

« on: May 14, 2013, 02:14:48 PM »

My Sigma 50mm 1.4 sat on the shelf a lot when my primary camera was a 5D classic.  The focus was just too erratic to make use of it at wide apertures.  My 7D was a bit better, but still not great.

When I got my 5D Mark 3 about 7 months ago, the Sigma suddenly started focusing very well!  I now use it a lot hand held as a full body portrait lens at about F/2.0 in soft available light where I focus on the eyes and let the body be blurred.  That's what I bought it for in the first place.  I have to admit that I'm not getting tack sharp images this way, but it works fine for the boudoir business and saves me a lot of retouching.  LOL

Anyway, the point I'd like to make is that some of the erratic focus may be due to the camera body you are using.

4

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: dissapointed 6d 100mm f2 and 24mm 2.8 (non l)

« on: May 06, 2013, 01:21:40 PM »

Not enough info so far to give much useful advice beyond what Mt. Spokane offered. but one thing I've learned is never to take off on an important vacation with a brand  new camera.   I have sometimes needed a thousand or more exposures to figure out how to use a new camera body, even with my old lenses.

5

Lenses / Re: What exactly is a 100% crop?

« on: April 28, 2013, 08:04:28 PM »

I guess I had the wrong idea about the 100% crop images people post on forums.  I thought that it meant they were cropping the image to a certain standard percentage of the frame to allow meaningful comparisons with other images.   

Since it apparently refers to a 1 to 1 display of pixels on my monitor, it does not seem like a very useful concept for use on the forum.  I like the way that the river photos were posted above.  You can see the full image, then the small cropped section.  That seems like a pretty practical way to show people how sharp your cool new lens is.

6

Lenses / Re: What exactly is a 100% crop?

« on: April 27, 2013, 09:43:29 PM »

Hmmm...

I can certainly use Photoshop to crop to a certain pixel size. I think even Lightroom will do that in the export options.  However, that doesn't really create a standardized crop that folks on forums like this can use to compare lens resolution and such.  To do so, I think we'd all have to agree that our sample images would be a certain standard portion of the original frame.  Am I missing something?

7

Lenses / What exactly is a 100% crop?

« on: April 27, 2013, 06:40:37 PM »

For years I've seen people post examples of a "100% crop" to show the sharpness of a lens or the noise level of a sensor.  Today I was thinking about posting some images from a EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS that I just picked up and realized that I don't know how to do a 100% crop.  Can someone provide brief instructions on how to do that?  I'm using Lightroom 4 if it matters.

8

Canon General / Re: 5D Mark III

« on: April 17, 2013, 12:42:48 PM »

Any rumors of a newer 5D Mark III or it being upgraded.  I am about to buy one and if a newer model is around the corner I can wait.

What body are you upgrading from, Prospero?   If you are just upgrading from the Mark 2 and you don't need a killer autofocus system, there may not be much of a rush.  If you are upgrading from anything else farther down in the Canon heirarchy, I'd say go for it and have fun with your new Mark 3.  I've found mine to be a fantastic tool for my type of photography (mostly people, indoors and outdoors).

9

Lenses / Re: Lightweight lens for backpacking and bicycle touring

« on: April 16, 2013, 06:30:10 PM »

I'd go with a good point and shoot, myself.  Nothing spoils a hike or bike trip for me more than lugging a bunch of heavy photo gear along. 

If you want to take full advantage of your 7D and super sharp zoom, you will also need to bring a sturdy tripod.  Kinda defeats the purpose of leaving the car behind, if you ask me.

As an intermediate option, an 18 MP Rebel would be good.  I've carried one on my motorcycle trips with the 18-50 stabilized kit lens.  Daylight shots look fantastic and you can bring a lightweight tripod if you want to do some night shots.

10

Lenses / Re: Aftermarket tripod rings vs OEM

« on: April 08, 2013, 07:54:24 PM »

One problem I ran into with an Ebay ring was that it did not fit the lens it was claimed to fit.  It was so cheap I did not bother to send it back overseas.  Maybe someday I'll have a lens that it fits! 

B&H had a non-canon ring that was correctly sized and not too expensive.  I'm using it happily on my 200mm F2.8 L.

11

Landscape / Re: San Francisco Sunrise to Yosemite Sunset in a Day

« on: April 08, 2013, 12:05:30 AM »

Great images!  Sounds like it was a memorable day!

12

Lenses / Tamron 28-75

« on: April 08, 2013, 12:01:07 AM »

I'm a big fan of the Tamron 28-75 2.8.  I bought a well used copy for $260 about two years ago and it is still going strong.

It's $500 new, so you can have a good lens now and save up for the later purchase of a trophy lens that will make you feel good. 

http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-28-75mm-Aspherical-Canon-Digital/dp/B0000A1G05

For landscape work you will presumably be using a tripod so you won't need stabilization and you will be stopped down to F8 or so.  You don't need the latest and greatest lens.  Why spend a lot of money for capabilities you won't use?

The really great thing about this Tamron 28-75 is the small size and light weight.  After using this lens for a while, I find the Canon 24-70 mark I is annoyingly large and heavy.  So was the new Tamron 24-70 stabilized lens that i rented.  It's a nice lens if you need stabilization, but I felt that my old 28-75 did everything I need with substantially less bulk.  Instead of buying the new Tamron, I bought a couple of the less expensive L primes and I'm very glad I did.

I got together with my local photo buddy today to help him confirm the MFA on his 7D with the Canon 50mm 1.4 (+5 MFA needed)  I was surprised to learn that he has become very attached to his (much newer than mine) copy of the Tamron 28-75.

13

EOS Bodies / Re: What's the normal battery drain for a 5D3 that's off?

« on: March 30, 2013, 07:48:59 PM »

I don't notice battery drain while my 5D3 is off, I just notice it while I'm shooting.  Mine only gets 300-500 shots per battery, and I'm using genuine batteries.   

I have taken over 900 shots with mine and the battery is still about 40+ percent charged.  Wonder what causes the difference?  I guess we don't have to consider flash usage since the 5D family has none. LOL

I almost never use live view, do you use it a lot?  I'm using non-stabilized lenses and no Eye-Fi card.

14

EOS Bodies / Re: What is missing from the 7DII specs

« on: March 29, 2013, 12:27:12 AM »

I would ask for less noise in my RAW images, so maybe a better sensor design?

As for autofocus, I don't care too much how many points there are, I just want it to be accurate, like my 5D3. 

My poor 7D just sits on the shelf since I got the 5D3, due to these two factors.

15

Lenses / Re: 40mm f/2.8 Wow what a lens

« on: March 27, 2013, 09:58:21 AM »

I haven't done any sharpness tests with the 40 yet.  It's sharp enough for my needs and I love how light it feels on my 5D3 or even my T2i.

Here's a shot I did a couple of weeks ago on the 5D3.  It was at F/6.3 since I wanted to keep the statue of Portlandia almost in focus.  ISO 3200.  Shutter speed was 1/160 hand held so it isn't really tack sharp, but it doesn't need to be: