Messages

421

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Travel tripod help!!

« on: March 20, 2012, 02:42:56 PM »

I have a Gitzo GT1542T with a Markins Q3T ball head.  Both are really light and high quality.  With the head off and the legs spun around, it is less than 17" long and easily fits inside my average sized backpack.  I recommend it.  I got it on Amazon for 1/2 off, which made it affordable.

Below is a shot of my tripods/monopod to give you a sense of their sizes.  The top one is the Manfrotto 680B monopod with a Kirk head.  The second is a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 carbon fiber tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-55.  The third one is the Gitzo.  If I could do it all over, I would only get the Gitzo because it is stable and so much lighter than my Manfrotto tripod.

422

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

« on: March 20, 2012, 05:29:32 AM »

Anybody ever used this lens for wildlife? 

No.  That does not seem like the type of wildlife I want to do close-up wide angle shots of!

423

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Have Canon 60d and want advice on next upgrade for my needs

« on: March 19, 2012, 10:10:12 PM »

I was thinking G1x or Sony nex5n but I am not sure of their quality. Is the S100 worth it?

I have the S95.  It is tiny and takes great shots.  The Nex5n looks like it has a terrific low light capability.  Here's a link to Steve Huff's review: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/09/05/the-sony-nex-5n-digital-camera-review-a-monster-full-of-features/.

424

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Have Canon 60d and want advice on next upgrade for my needs

« on: March 19, 2012, 05:10:33 PM »

... I need to be able to bump the iso from 800-3200 or even 6400 and still have a clean image.

If this is the case, you will need the 5DII or 5DIII.  The 5DIII images at ISO 6400 are amazing.

425

Landscape / Re: Sydney Harbour Landscape

« on: March 19, 2012, 07:34:47 AM »

Nice shot!

426

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 7D vs Canon 60D - Can't decide which to upgrade to.

« on: March 18, 2012, 10:48:56 PM »

The 7D is better for sports because of the fps and the auto-focus system.  The 60D has the articulating screen, which is helpful for video and some stills.  Which is better for you? 

I agree with the others that recommended that you invest in a great lens.  The lens is primary, the body is secondary.  Get a great lens first.  A 7D with a bad lens will take a mediocre picture.  Your current camera with a great lens can take a great picture.

If I absolutely needed a body, I would probably look for the best deal I could find and use the extra money on a great lens.

427

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Have Canon 60d and want advice on next upgrade for my needs

« on: March 18, 2012, 07:30:55 PM »

With the current 18mp sensor, in my experience iso 800 is the max. value that looks good to me... I absolutely try to avoid iso 1600 and above and up on my 60d.

This is the same for me with my 60D.  I usually try to keep my shots to ISO 400 or less because of the noise, with 800 being the max.  I want a 5DII or 5DIII for no other reason than to have greater low light capability.

428

EOS Bodies / Re: 7d vs 60d

« on: March 18, 2012, 11:53:52 AM »

Newbie question alert - what is the CLP program?
Be gentle with me 

From what I understand, it is a program where you can turn in a Canon camera that is out of warranty for a refurbished camera at a 20% discount off the refurbished price.  The refurbished camera will have a 6 month warranty rather than the usual 3 month warranty for Canon's refurbs.  I have never done it, so this is second hand information.

There are a few caveats: (1) you are limited to the cameras that Canon has available for its CLP program (e.g., if you want a 5D Mark II, it may not be available under the program); (2) people have commented that the cameras may have a fair number of actuations on them (i.e., 17,000); (3) if you are in the USA, you will have to pay tax (i.e., compared to a Canon refurb bought from Adorama, if you are outside NY, with no tax); (4) you must pay shipping (i.e., again, a refurb brought from Adorama may have free shipping).

I have an old A95 that went wonky on me one day.  I'm thinking about turning it in to the CLP program for a 5DII or 7D.

429

Lenses / Re: Recommend me a lens that's better/more useful than a 50mm lens

« on: March 18, 2012, 06:56:12 AM »

Thanks for the suggestion, I will have to do some research on that particular lens. First time I've heard of it. Can I only get the lens and adapter from ebay? I dont use ebay coz of some dodgy 'sellers'.

The Canon FL lenses will not fit on an EF body without a special adapter.  Ed Mika, who frequents the Canon Rumors site, is a reputable seller with a quality FL-to-EF adapter.  He is probably the only person that makes these adapters, so he would be the go-to guy if you decided to get a Canon FL 55mm.

Re: ebay adapters in general, I have bought several for my old manual lenses and all of these transactions have been great.  The sellers of adapters usually sell out of mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.

430

Lenses / Re: Good/Better/Best Macro for T3i

« on: March 16, 2012, 01:14:36 PM »

I've heard great things about the Kenko tubes.

I have Kenko tubes and some cheapies I bought on ebay.  The Kenkos are much nicer.  You can get a clean used set of Kenkos on ebay for less than new.  I think I got mine for $125 USD or so.

431

Lenses / Re: Recommend me a lens that's better/more useful than a 50mm lens

« on: March 16, 2012, 01:02:05 PM »

Cheap filters are magical - they can turn an amazing lens into a pretty good one.

LOL!  Definitely avoid cheapo filters.  If you are going to use one, use a good one.  I have used B+W and Hoya, and both are fine.

As for the lens, the 50mm f/1.4 is the least expensive Canon f/1.4 lens you can buy, it is light, and it takes great shots.  I consider a fast nifty-fifty a must have for any kit.  If you want versatility, a zoom is great but at the cost of speed.  If you shoot wider, the 35mm f/1.4L is fast, within your price range, and lots of people love it.  If you prefer a telephoto, the 85mm f/1.8 is a great lens for the money.  As previously mentioned, it depends on how you shoot.  The suggestion about shooting with a zoom to determine the focal length you prefer is great because it will steer you in the right direction.

432

Lenses / Re: Good/Better/Best Macro for T3i

« on: March 15, 2012, 05:50:17 PM »

I would also vote for the 100mm f/2.8.  If you limit your shots to flowers, a 100mm or less is fine.  If you take shots of bugs, I would recommend 100mm (or longer) so that you have some distance from the bugs.  I have the 100mm f/2.8 non-IS, which serves double purpose as a nice walk-around lens.  If you plan to hand-hold it a lot, you may want to consider a macro with IS (i.e., the 100mm f/2.8L).

I have also heard good things about the Tamron 90mm. 

If funds are tight, you could also consider an older manual lens with an adapter.  I had a manual Kiron 105mm f/2.8 and it was super sharp.

433

Black & White / Re: black and white with the use of selective colors

« on: March 14, 2012, 10:57:28 AM »

Nice look, you should make a plug-in it looks very realistic like a very old photo 

Thanks!  Unfortunately, the technique is picture-specific.  For example, painting the cheeks pink like they did with old hand-painted photos requires knowledge of where the cheeks are, or the feathered glow effect requires matte lines for the areas in which the glow will be applied.  Mostly I did these as a test.

434

Lenses / Re: Is 50mm Sigma that good?

« on: March 12, 2012, 10:05:35 PM »

The 60d's center af point is extra sensitive for lenses of f2.8+, meaning it can adjust the focus to a fine degree. For this to work, your lens/body combination of course has to have no front/backfocus, but afma is missing from the 60d (thanks, Canon!) so this might be an issue with very fast lenses.

I had this problem with my 24mm f/1.4L II.  I had to swap out the lens because it was soft from f/1.4 to f/2 on my 60D.  Luckily, I have not have this problem with the 50mm f/1.4.

435

Lenses / Re: Is 50mm Sigma that good?

« on: March 12, 2012, 09:35:22 AM »

I've heard the 60d is much better.

My 50mm f/1.4 focusing on the 60D is usually spot on.  I generally use center point focusing.  I always aim for the eyes.  If I compose a shot where the eyes are off-center, I auto-focus on the eyes, turn off the AF on the lens, then frame the composition.