Messages

151

Lenses / Re: Kit Lens to New 24-70

« on: February 12, 2012, 03:02:43 PM »

The 24-70 Mk1 has been a reliable work horse for many photographers for years and will be for many years to come. The Mk2 is supposed to be better, lighter etc but does also cost about twice as much.
Upgrading from a kit lens to L glass is a giant leap in terms of image quality so I am convinced that the 24-70 Mk1 will be a good choice, you can always upgrade to the Mk2 in the future.

As always I am recommending to rent/borrow the lens you are planning to get in order to test it thoroughly.

 

152

EOS Bodies / Re: buy 7D now or 5D Mark II later?

« on: February 12, 2012, 02:56:05 PM »

I don't think that the price of the 5D2 will come down that much. Get a rebated 7D now - you will be very happy with it.

153

Lenses / Re: 85mm f1.2 II or 70-200mm f2.8L IS II

« on: February 11, 2012, 11:37:29 PM »

I also vote for the 70-200 f2.8L IS USM II - it's my favourite lens. It does take great portraits with nice background bokeh, even wide open at 2.8 the pics are useable. Definitely more useable than those taken wide open with the 85 f1.2L USM II which is a great portrait lens stopped down to 2.0 or further but does not quite excel in other areas due to its slow AF. My main application of the 85mm is actually walk around shots at night since the big aperture gets me good shots even without tripod/monopod.

154

Lenses / Re: Amateur looking at a Macro, Prime and Walkabout lenses... input please!

« on: February 04, 2012, 02:15:56 AM »

I tried my 7D and 15-85mm EF-S at a very low light high School Play last week.  Most of the images did not have enough light or were noisy, but here is one that managed to come off at ISO 1000.  Even at !SO 1000, the 7D is noisy.

That's why the 7D doesn't carry the price tag of a 5D2...

155

Lenses / Re: 70-200 f/2.8L IS II vs f/4L IS

« on: February 03, 2012, 01:18:33 PM »

If you can handle the additional weight and cost, go for the f2.8L IS, it's an amazing lens and my personal favourite. The f4L IS is very good value for money as well, I used it for almost a year before upgrading.

Here's a recent thread on the comparison of the two:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,2917.0.html

Here's a recent thread comparing their AF speed:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,2952.0.html

156

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Is Canon 7D a good choice for my next DSLR

« on: February 03, 2012, 08:08:01 AM »

Both will go down over time particularly with their replacements on the horizon. Just check Canonpricewatch.com for the latest offers.

157

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: King Cobra vs. Wimberly

« on: February 03, 2012, 03:24:35 AM »

Thanks guys! I went and got the Wimberly Sidemount. I realized that I could either pony up for it, or buy a cheaper one then pony up for the expensive one later... 

You mean you got the 'Wimberley Sidekick'? I wanted to get that one in the first place but could not source it locally so I opted for the Manfrotto 393 instead...

158

Canon General / Re: Traveling internationally with lot of expensive gear?

« on: February 03, 2012, 02:08:40 AM »

So far I have never faced any problems at customs anywhere in the world. Since I got some status with different airlines I have never had any discussions on carry on or check-in size/weight.

The weight/size topic is covered extensively in this thread:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,2660.0.html

The Pelican case discussion you can find in this thread:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,2981.0.html

Usually I leave the gear that I do not need at the reception of the hotel and ask them to lock it away.

159

United States / Re: Lens suggestion for a 1600 budget

« on: February 02, 2012, 11:19:37 PM »

My question is about lens. Im currently a Journalism and I am wanting to upgrade from my kit lens.

I shoot with a Canon  60d, a 18-55IS 3.5-5.6, 75-300 4.5-5.6 and a 50 1.8, all canon lens i do not own a flash or a good tripod. After buying the 50mm I could never go back to the kit lens because they are not nearly as sharp . I was wondering if anyone can help me pick out some lens that i can benefit and expand my photography skills on.

My want is to get every L lens out there but my budget will not let me aha, i have a budget of 1600, i would love to get the 24-105 L and 70-200 2.8. Does anyone have any suggestion on what i should do or any other lens that i can get to add more bang to my buck.

Thanks for the help

EF-s 17-55 f/2.8 IS + EF 135 2.0L should be close enough to 1,600 USD.

160

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Is Canon 7D a good choice for my next DSLR

« on: February 02, 2012, 10:49:00 PM »

Go for the 7D - it's worth to spend a bit more since it does come with all the features (fast AF, high fps, electronic level, etc) that you may desire in the future when you improve your skills. It offers any kind of customization people are usually looking for in a very intuitive menu.

The 17-55mm f/2.8 and 24-105mm f/4L that have been mentioned before are definitely good choices.

161

Lenses / Re: Amateur looking at a Macro, Prime and Walkabout lenses... input please!

« on: February 02, 2012, 10:02:46 PM »

Several of my friends belong to a local gem club and I take pictures of their collections for insurance purposes/e-bay sales.  I did some stuff previously for them (nothing impressive) with a point and shoot - but would really like to be able to do better.  Some specimens are quite small, so I was looking for a macro lens to get me to 1:1 magnification.  After looking at the threads/pictures on this site (love the lens galleries on here!) I was considering the EF 100mm F/2.8 Macro USM.  Understanding that one of the primary differences between the "L" & non-L version is the Hybrid IS and that I use a tripod and light boxes - do you feel that the "L" version will produce noticeably higher quality photographs?  Or am I better off saving a few hundred bucks and getting the non-L version?  I have read several threads on this site on various lenses where they say even with crop bodied cameras the "L" glass provides a higher quality image.   

If you are planning to use your 100mm Macro only in combination with a tripod and decent lighting provided then go for the non-L, however if you plan to take it along for hiking and exploring places on foot without carrying a tripod around then go for the L. The IS works really well and often makes a real difference between a blurry shot and a clear shot when shooting handheld. Moreover, with IS you can stop down further and still manage to get a clear shot with more detail since the DoF will not be as shallow with a bigger minimum aperture yielding a clear shot without IS.

As usual, I recommend to borrow/rent both lenses and compare them side by side.

162

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: EOS Bodies: Should I shoot in B&W? or shoot in Color then Convert to B&W?

« on: February 02, 2012, 09:40:22 PM »

Like a lot of other people have said, it is better to get a preview in real-time of what it looks like in B&W.

And if you take hundreds/thousands of photos while on a vacation, how will you remember which ones you wanted in B&W when you get back to your computer?

That's what the voice memo function is for...

163

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: King Cobra vs. Wimberly

« on: February 01, 2012, 11:53:17 PM »

Hi Everyone! I know that this may be posted in the wrong place, but I couldn't figure out where to post to...

I am looking to get a gimbal head: should I pony up and get the wimberly, or save a few bucks, and get the King Cobra?

Has anyone ever used the King Cobra? How is it?

Since I am using a Manfrotto Tripod for my 400 f/2.8L  I did get the Manfrotto 393 head which offers the same functionality as a gimbal head but at a much lower price.

I am very satisfied with it and do highly recommend it.

That's the U-looking one?

Exactly! Although the official manufacturer instruction is to use as 'O' and not 'U'.

I haven't tried out the 'O' yet as I am very happy with the 'U'. Some people claim that the lens' switches could not be accessed easily anymore but I do not agree to that, never had any problem to quickly change a setting on the lens.

164

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: EOS Bodies: Should I shoot in B&W? or shoot in Color then Convert to B&W?

« on: February 01, 2012, 11:46:00 PM »

One obvious advantage would be B&W pics right out of the cam without post processing ;-)

165

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: King Cobra vs. Wimberly

« on: February 01, 2012, 11:42:26 PM »

Hi Everyone! I know that this may be posted in the wrong place, but I couldn't figure out where to post to...

I am looking to get a gimbal head: should I pony up and get the wimberly, or save a few bucks, and get the King Cobra?

Has anyone ever used the King Cobra? How is it?

Since I am using a Manfrotto Tripod for my 400 f/2.8L  I did get the Manfrotto 393 head which offers the same functionality as a gimbal head but at a much lower price.

I am very satisfied with it and do highly recommend it.