Messages

1

Canon General / Re: Confused about this censor size info

« on: May 18, 2013, 10:36:07 AM »

I suspect it is a typo, as it should be 35mm.

2

Site Information / Re: Minimum CR Forum IQ?

« on: April 11, 2013, 10:57:07 AM »

At the risk of having this thread suffer the same fate,  I suggest 2.8 is the number you seek.

Seriously though,   I thought that other thread was amusing.   Maybe there is room for a "Humour" section threads like that could be moved to.   I for one feel some other current threads are more worthy of being locked than that one was...

3

Site Information / Re: Love or Hate Canon Rumors Forum

« on: April 05, 2013, 03:59:55 PM »

It would be nice to have a ignore user "XX" function, but we don't have it.

Not sure if this what you're looking for, but I've done this on occasion:
Go to your profile: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;area=account
Hover over "Modify Profile", click on "Buddies/Ignore List", click "Edit Ignore List".  Add the username of the person you wish to ignore.
Also, you'll need to have the "Modify Profile -> Look and Layout" checkbox for Hide messages posted by members on my ignore list checked. 

When you read a thread that has posts from those users, a placeholder link shows instead of each post, so you can still see the content if you really want to.

Is there a way to start at the beginning of a thread, instead of the end?  thanks

From a specific message, I don't think so, but on the bottom left of every page, you can click the Page 1 link.  Also, at the top, in the "path"  (eg: canon rumors FORUM » Canon Rumors General » Site Information ), if you click on the subject, that'll go to page one as well.

From the list of topics, clicking the subject itself displays the topic from the beginning.   What I usually do is click the "NEW" button, and if I haven't read any messages from that thread I get the beginning, and if I have read some, it goes to where I last read that thread.

Hope that helps.

4

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

« on: April 02, 2013, 02:34:22 AM »

I remember reading somewhere about a Rebel being found by divers on the ocean floor, not in any housing, and the card could still be read. They traced the owner from the pics and returned the camera - all be it a rather damaged camera !

Turned out the owner had dropped it from a boat

This one: http://www.canonrumors.com/2011/11/canon-rebel-1000d-lost-at-sea/

5

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

« on: March 15, 2013, 04:07:28 AM »

Right eye in VF, but both eyes open.

Right handed.  Golf, baseball, tennis right handed, but hockey left handed.  Mostly with both eyes open too.

6

Software & Accessories / Re: Best source for DIY Green Screen, and stand to hold it up?

« on: March 11, 2013, 03:02:16 PM »

Hey cayenne,

I just made myself a smallish (2m x 3m) one for playing with.  It was from a fabirc store and the fabric type is called 'theatrical broadcloth'.  It's pretty light and usually used in theaters (hence the name).   Comes in many many colours.    They had a few shades of green, so I used an iPhone app called ColorAssist which reports real-time RGB values to find the shade with the strongest 'mostly green' value.  Clearly light can have an effect on the hue, so I also used the phone's LED and a flashlight I brought with to compare.   Hadn't tried, but I gather taking a DLSR image of the same and checking the RGB histo could be a substitute (large green, small blue/red).    The fabric came in 1m wide rolls (was like $3/m), so I bought 6m x 1m, and sewed it together to make 2x3m   If you can find it the width you need without needing a seam, that'd be best.   I rolled it onto a cardboard tube from the fabric store for storage.  $20 and about an 30 minutes messing with a sewing machine.

I considered making a backdrop stand, but found the Manfrotto 314B kit to be worthwhile.  I just slide the cardboard tube onto the crossbar, and I'm set.   I could have made one cheaper, but the background stand uses standard light stands I can use separately, and it collapses very compactly, something a (at least my) DIY wouldn't have done nearly as well.

I did peruse the interweebs looking for info like you did, and mostly came up with muslin dying instructions and flimsy PVC stands or mondo 2x4 versions, hence the non-DIY stand.    Commercial green-screen drops weren't cost effective to me, but the stand was.

With my initial quick testing (no production shooting yet), I could key it out quite well.    Keep in mind the colour only matters in that it should be a colour that isn't part of the scene in front.   Green is typically used as it is considered an 'unnatural' and unlikely colour (at least for people) , but if you're shooting a subject that actually has that colour (or close to it), a different (the farthest complementary) hue 'chroma key' backdrop would work better, as long as it's bright and saturated.  I use Final Cut, and it has a 'chroma key' filter.   All I do is dropper the background (to select the colour) , and mess with the width and saturation sliders, and poof -- no more background.   The more evenly you can hang it, and more evenly you can light it, the easier and more selective you can make your key filter -- reduces the chance that you'll accidentally key out part of your subject.

7

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 85 f/1.2L II

« on: March 06, 2013, 03:34:55 PM »

The great white lenses are robust enough to be used as a club, if you think that's a more proper response.  Just sayin'...

Thanks for the genuine LOL 

8

EOS Bodies / Re: Bodies and cell towers?

« on: February 27, 2013, 03:47:17 PM »

Not exactly a cell tower, but I worked at a Naval Base where a frigate (naval ship) came in with its tactical radar accidentally left on.   Played havoc with the tech in the offices and fried a number of computers.    That being said, the classified servers in the "Tempest" room (basically a Faraday cage) right next to where I sat went unscathed.  Lost touch with those working there, so no idea if there were lasting effects on the humans.  I seem to be <twitch> ok.

As others have said, the frequency as well as the power have a large impact on how it affects different things.  Better to err on the side of caution on this one.

(BTW, tinfoil hats can sometimes form the shape of a parabola, so careful where you stick your head while wearing one...)

9

PowerShot / Re: G15 Sync-speed. What is the limit?

« on: February 19, 2013, 01:07:01 AM »

Well, due to the lack of response, I'll tell you my closest (non-G15) setup that has worked for me.

Using an old Minolta DiMage 7i, I've triggered my Phottix Strato II's, via PC sync cord adapted from the camera's hotshoe.   That camera maxes out at 1/2000 on manual, and was triggering an old manual flash attached to the Strato receiver.  Caught the flash in frame each time, and because it's electronic shutter, full coverage.    I had the same success triggering the remote flash with an optical slave using the built-in flash ( 1/16 manual, as any TTL type pre-flash will pop the slave too early).   

The old flash may have a fairly long burn time -- I don't know and don't have the tools to measure it.  I didn't have my 580 handy, but if you are interested, I can redo the test with it on lowest power (shortest flash duration), to see if they still sync.   It's my understanding that studio strobes are generally slower (the light is on for longer) than speedlights, so I think in this case, it may be a benefit, if the timing isn't exact.

I don't think there will be much issue having your camera trip the triggers.  If it'll fire a canon flash, it should fire a trigger.  Actually, delay that.  Googling found this about the G12: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1088996@N21/discuss/72157628714843327/   Possible pit-fall #1, (at least with a possible solution).

I think the other pit-fall would be around any delays introduced by the trigger.   At slower shutter speeds, there is clearly a longer window during which the flash pulse can happen.   The faster the shutter speed, the smaller that window.  If the trigger system delays the 'flash now' signal long enough, your flash would fire after the shutter is closed. 

Failing someone posting info with your exact setup, my suggestion is to find a G15 somewhere (friend, store) and introduce it to your triggers and a speedlight and try it out.

10

EOS Bodies / Re: An EOS 3D Mention [CR1]

« on: January 17, 2013, 12:11:35 PM »

now this is a canon 3d!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexturton/6942558872/#

Ok, lets be serious for a minute.  This MUST be photoshopped, and can't be the Canon 3D for the following reasons:

• the mounts are too close together to mount most lenses
• there is no lens release button for the camera-right lens mount, unless they figure someone is going to juggle simultaneous lens ejections [wait, that didn't sound right...]
• the tag on the body says 7D mark II.

11

5D MK III Sample Images / Re: Moonbow!

« on: October 30, 2012, 11:20:35 AM »

Is there a hot pixel up there ?

In the business, we call those stars.  ;-)

Cool moonbow!   The brightest 'star' actually may be Jupiter! The fainter point to the lower left of it should be Aldebaran.

12

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 4D reference in Wifi remote app video

« on: September 20, 2012, 12:29:33 PM »

it's all about the 6D (and the 7D, which is pretty interesting actually).

Re: 7D.  I thought so too.   My first thought was that it would be done via the WFT, but that exists for other higher-end bodies as well.  Why would they pick the 7D for the promo, and not the 1D-X (for 5D3) for example?   Maybe they figure a Wifi app isn't "pro" enough for those owners...  Like the cost of the WFTs isn't enough discouragement.

That, or there's a new 7D in the works with integrated Wifi.....   

13

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 Second Curtain Sync - Design Flaw?

« on: September 09, 2012, 02:16:01 AM »

One of the things she's asked for are some special effects shot with sparklers, like this:

http://www.sparklersonline.com/blog/www-sparklersonline-com-3/wedding-sparkler-photo-tutorial/

Reading through that tutorial, the shot calls for second curtain sync.  And I am familiar enough with flash photography to understand why that is the preferred technique.

I don't think you actually need 2nd curtain for these shots.   Second curtain prevents things like tail-light streaks from going through cars when doing long exposure w/flash of moving cars (or of any movement where direction is important), but for the sparkler thing, when the flash happens isn't that important as long as you know when it will flash.

Both pictures in that article actually appear to be done first curtain to me.   Otherwise, (with the first one) they'd need to have written the word backwards to be at the front when the (2nd curtain) flash fired (or use an assistant to write after the pose, but before the flash).  What I think they did was pose for the shot with a lit sparkler, open the shutter (with 1st curtain flash), and then wrote the word, closing the shutter (w/o flash) at the end.    The second pic doesn't matter so much, as it could have been done both ways:
With 1st curtain: pose, open(flash), mess with sparkler, close(no flash). 
With 2nd curtain: open(no flash), mess with sparkler, pose, close(flash).

If there is too much ambient light, the poses would need to be held throughout the exposure, with assistants doing the writing.  If flash is the only light on subject, they only need to be in position for the flash part of the exposure.

I'd probably shoot these with first curtain.   It just seems easier.  Keep in mind that some subjects (most, in my experience) have no idea what a long exposure is, and associate the sight of a flash as being 'the picture'.  It can help to let them know what you're doing so they 'perform' when needed, and not spoil the shot.

(BTW, I agree that hiding the curtain controls from non-Canon flashes is silly)

14

Lighting / Re: TTL + remote simultaneously?

« on: September 06, 2012, 07:28:53 PM »

As Mt. Spokane says, one must be careful with this configuration.  If the manual flashes illuminate the subject at all, the exposure will be increased by that amount.   If none of the manuals are on subject however (ie: background gels, etc) this mixed setup can work quite well.   This presumes the manual flash triggering method ignores the (E)TTL preflash like many optical triggers don't. 

I use this setup with Phottix Stratos on remote manual flashes and my 580EXII in the hotshoe.

15

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS M - Colour Availability

« on: July 26, 2012, 02:32:35 PM »

Henry's has black, red and white listed for pre-order:

http://www.henrys.com/search/EF-M.aspx
http://www.henrys.com/71881-CANON-EOS-M-BLACK-W-EF-M-22MM-F2-And-90EX.aspx
http://www.henrys.com/71878-CANON-EOS-M-BLACK-W-EF-M-18-55-And-90EX.aspx
http://www.henrys.com/71880-CANON-EOS-M-RED-W-EF-M-18-55-And-90EX.aspx
http://www.henrys.com/71879-CANON-EOS-M-WHITE-W-EF-M-18-55-And-90EX.aspx