Messages

2911

Lenses / Re: Kenko 1.4X PRO 300 TC DGX?

« on: February 16, 2012, 07:08:02 PM »

I did a search and nothing conclusive turned up (which doesn't mean there is nothing), so here it goes:

I've got a crop body and will buy the 70-300L. The Canon extenders won't work, but there is this Kenko 1.4x that seems to "work ok" and costs half. Does anyone know anything more specific concerning iq and af speed, preferably with a crop body like the 60D?

I would get this TC not as a "always on", but for special occasions when the 1.6x300mm aren't sufficient. However, if the iq is so degraded that it's better to shoot @300mm and then crop, you can help me save money here :-o

I have this teleconverter I used to use it on my 28-300 which canon Tc wont work on. I have tested it on all my lenses the only one it wont fit is my FD lens due to the apature level
IQ is good, wide open it introduces some CA and softens the image a bit but on a sharp lens this isn't too bad
stop it down a stop and IQ is almost back up to par with the base lens with a 300 f4L it you still get AF on all cameras if you have 300 f5.6 you need a 1series. The DGX also reports all info correctly to exif and metering is all correct. It's cheap lightweight and nice to keep in the bag in case you need it

2912

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II

« on: February 16, 2012, 06:52:59 PM »

So how many of you paid $4000 (amazon's list price) for the 70-200mm II?

I paid $3000 for mine (which i sorta had to haggle for since the store i bought it from were selling it for like $3200 pr something, too long ago i cant remember) pretty much right at the end of 2010, but then again I didn't buy it from amazon nor do I live in the US. That's why I hate the retail price, in like 12 months it'll be a couple of hundred dollars cheaper, it's not fair!

yeah mate we take it in the butt from canon here in oz

2913

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Full Frame body with crop mode ( that can use EF-S lenses)

« on: February 16, 2012, 06:42:26 PM »

Time to chime in on this one.  I am a 7D user here just to get that out of the way...
http://chuckalaimo.com/

LOL i had to laugh it made me think of AA... "Hi my name is.... and I'm a 7D user"

But I think you are right if you have a good WA like the 10-20 or the tokina then the 24-70 is better on a crop than on FF especially if you are shooting people with it effectively 38mm to 112mm, wide enough for group shots, long enough for tight portraits head shots and some candids.
Although if the new 24-70 is as sharp as it promises i'll have to seriously consider it
but i'm trying very hard to resist buying the 24 f1.4L II at the moment

2914

EOS Bodies / Re: 7D upgrade or wait for 5DX/III

« on: February 16, 2012, 05:43:21 PM »

If you cant stretch to a 1Dmk4 look for a 1D mk3 there are more and more coming up for sale
I used the same lens setup as you for ages the 28-300 L is awesome paired with the 1D mk3
also do yourself a favour and pick up a kenko DGX 1.4 teleconvereter it works on the 28-300 boosting your long end to 420mm plus you get the 1.3 crop on top of that giving you 546mm effective focal length that will autofocus at f8 I found in good daylight drop it to f11 and the image quality is still fantastic (it still autofocuses on the 1D)

the rebel hanging off the back of the 28-300L must look great got any pics of it?

2915

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 5D Mark III/X Commercials Being Shot? [CR1]

« on: February 16, 2012, 05:36:33 PM »

While I kind of see what people are getting at, video is nice and all. I like to watch movies too but a still image is different in that it's a moment frozen, capturing a certain motion blur when panning, stopping a bird in flight all of these tangible things that happen in a blink can be frozen for a viewer to spend however long they want to look at absorb the detail. Video is kind of like life its there then its gone only you cen rewind and replay pause and slow down and speed up but that still involves a process but to look at a still image all you need to do is look at it.
When cameras were invented did all the painters in the world cry that no one would be painting anymore in a few years? I dont think so.
Its a different  medium and presents the subject completely differently

2916

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Off Lighting/Color With 7D

« on: February 15, 2012, 11:46:45 PM »

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1039&message=38940401&changemode=1

people are reporting them not working well on these monitors
I have just got 2 dell u2711 monitors and i'm having issues with getting colours right

i just found this process on the internet today, gonna try it out today or tomorrow

Note: I didnt write this i just copy pasted from a forum i found on a google search

Step 1: Setting up the display.
Set the contrast to 100% and the brightness to 80%. Set the Gamma to (Mac), the Mode Selection to (Graphics), and the Preset Mode to (Custom Color). Now, in custom color leave the green at 100% and set both the Red and Blue to 98%.

Step 2: Setting up the Mac.
Run your Mac's Display Calibration Assistant (located in the Display section of System Preferences). Select the checkbox for Expert Mode and keep clicking continue till you get to the section with the lined boxes with the Apple logo in the middle.

Now, for all 5 'lined box' steps, make the Apple logo disappear using only the left slider (do not touch the right slider at all). To make the Apple logo disappear (blend into the box) you must squint your eyes until the lines that make up the box itself become one solid color (my eyes were about 75% closed). Take your time and make sure you are confident that the Logo is gone.

Then, when you come to the gamma screen either select 2.2 or 2.15 - the proper setting should be 2.2, however, I found the blacks to be not as deep as I'd like them to be (most likely because of the AG coating) so I choose 2.15 which I found to be the key to giving the display the richness it needs to look great.

When you get to the 'Target White Point' screen, select the checkbox 'use native white point'.

Then save you calibration profile and exit the assistant. Now go back to your Dell display settings and set the brightness to 100% and you should be good to go! Note: if you find your screen to be a little too dark, re-calibrate but try selecting 70% or 60% for the brightness during step one. That way, when you raise the brightness to 100% at the end, it should be somewhat brighter.

original link here
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1054380

2917

EOS Bodies / Re: How far will the 5DMKII drop in price?

« on: February 15, 2012, 10:58:25 PM »

i think for you they'll make a special price of $100 per body
...

but more seriously I really think they will keep the model alive and price it just under $2k
becasue the new models will be $3k so its a nice price point and I am sure they will still sell well there

2918

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5Dmii back up in price? Availability?

« on: February 15, 2012, 09:23:28 PM »

I guess I scored a good deal for $1800 brand new no tax from some small time business in Toronto with FutureShop receipt 3 months ago.

wow that is cheap

2919

Software & Accessories / Re: Portable Memory Card Backup

« on: February 15, 2012, 09:08:46 PM »

hmm quite a few bad reviews there on the B&H site seems quality control might be an issue

2920

Lenses / Re: Recommendation: Tele lens for 60D

« on: February 15, 2012, 08:04:35 PM »

70-200mm f/4L IS would be my first choice to be honest.  But all of this really comes down to money.  The 70-200 2.8 IS II, is obviously the best, it's just a question of do you want to pay for it, and then do you want to carry it.  It's big and heavy, but awesome.

the awesomeness makes it feel lighter IMO

2921

Lenses / Re: Upgrade Suggestions

« on: February 15, 2012, 07:48:32 PM »

get 1 of these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Studio-Lighting-5in1-reflector-diffuser-56-22-PSR04-/280615552875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4155fd876b
and a window with some light shining through
babys have a low tolerance to flash generally and get cranky
you 100mm f2.8 will take stunning shots might just be a bit long on a crop
50 f1.4 is a nice option

2922

Lenses / Re: Recommendation: Tele lens for 60D

« on: February 15, 2012, 07:43:54 PM »

You have already ruled out the portable lenses, a 70-200mm f/2.8 is portable, sort of, but its size and weight are all out of proportion to a 60D. 

I'd suggest you consider a 70-200mm f/4L if you are going to carry the lens / camera around with you, or at least rent one and try it.  It is large!

i find the 70-200 f2.8L ISII plenty portable i have the tripod foot removed which makes it feel alot nicer to shoot with just keep the foot stashed in the bag in case i need it. Good thing is the same foot fits this lens and the 300f4L so i just keep the 1 foot in the bag and have both lenses without the foot.

2923

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III/X Information [CR1]

« on: February 15, 2012, 07:36:15 PM »

And, I'm still waiting for a link to a RAW comparison that shows the images.

Serious RAW tests I guess we will have to wait for. Everything Ive seen so far is pretesting.
However this thread confirms that D800 at least is clearly better than my 5D2. But this we knew from the beginning since there are tests available for D7000 and D800 has similar pixels. Check out D7000 tests and you will get a pretty good picture of how much better D800 is at high ISO than 5D2 (at least 0.5 stop)
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1032&message=40549327

There are other information to that points in the same direction if you search for it but for final details of performance it's better to wait for serious tests.

Appreciate the link.    

My only pick at that is the images have been re-sized, which renders them with an averaging of the noise, not a true noise image.  If I am shooting a 36Mpix camera and I have to resize the image to get it to look as good as my 5Dmk2, then what am I getting for 36Mpix?

I agree with you, a RAW, one-to-one comparison under identical conditions is whats needed.  Until that happens, we will not know.

As for some of the comments running around here saying smaller pixels have less noise at high ISO's......some one needs to tell that to my PhaseOne 33Mpix back.  I can assure you, it will laugh out loud for hours.

Now, for the record, I have and I am entertaining a move to Nikon as I like a LOT of what I see in the D800.  I shoot two Canon bodies and a D800 with a D4 works very nicely in what I do, along with my PhaseOne that the wife is unaware of.     (if you guys don't hear from me again, call the cops and point her out as a suspect).

i'm interested to hear how you have kept the phase one under the radar...

is that a medium format in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

2924

Lenses / Re: Recommendation: Tele lens for 60D

« on: February 15, 2012, 07:14:50 PM »

IS mk II or if you want to save money get the non IS 70-200 apparently the IS mk1 is not as good as either of the other 2

2925

Lenses / Re: Yet another "what lens?" question

« on: February 15, 2012, 07:13:30 PM »

I have the 17-55mm, and it's an excellent lens.  But, f/2.8 indoors with ambient home lighting usually means ISO 3200 or even higher.  While ISO 3200 is fine on my 5DII, I prefer not to go that high on my 7D. 

Definitely get a 430EX II if you don't have an external flash - you can bounce that off the ceiling for nice lighting.

As for lenses, I'd consider a fast prime.  The new 24/28 primes aren't fast, I'd absolutely take the 17-55mm over either of those.  The 24mm f/1.4L II would be ideal, but it's expensive.  You might consider the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, but since the 60D lacks AF Microadjustment, I'd recommend buying the Sigma (or any fast prime) from somewhere you can easily return it, and test the AF performance right when you get the lens.

I just got my 85mm 1.4 back from sigma the shop sent it back twice until it came back and they were happy with it. they said all sigma do is plud the lens in and do a software calibration within the lens AF . It is pretty good now i still need to do my own AF microadjust but it definately wont be anywhere near as front focusing as it was before. knowing this that IF you get a copy with focus issues its not a big deal to get it sent in and recalibrated. I highly recommend the 85 f1.4 from sigma.
definately agree if you buy a sigma get it from a good store that will do all the leg work sending it back for adjustment.