Messages

1

Black & White / Re: Your best Architectural & City B&W shots?

« on: April 12, 2013, 08:00:12 PM »

Bay/Adelaide Centre - Toronto.

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Canon General / Bad Lenses

« on: April 10, 2013, 04:05:57 PM »

I've seen a number of comments in various threads about people getting stuck with 'bad' lenses that they end up having to send in to Canon for repairs, adjustments or replacement. Does Canon charge you if the lens needs an adjustment because it wasn't properly set up in the first place? Is there a quick and easy way to test the lens in the camera store to rule out most problems or will the clerk perform any tests at the time of purchase. I was thinking it might be beneficial for everybody if there was some kind of testing unit in the camera store that would test the lens's focusing, etc. I wouldn't even mind paying $5 to have the lens tested as opposed to having send into the manufacturer.

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Canon General / Re: European travel?

« on: April 03, 2013, 01:27:27 PM »

If possible, buy train or airline tickets online as far in advance as you can. My last trip to Europe was this past April and I went to London, Paris, Venice & Rome. Went from Venice to Rome for $10 by train (Trenitalia website) and flew from Rome to Paris for $35 with Easyjet. If I had to pick one museum it would be the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. Have a great trip!

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Canon General / Re: Physical Ailments From Heavy Gear

« on: February 13, 2013, 07:47:52 PM »

OP here. Thanks for all the input folks. It seems like there are plenty of people out there who are adversely affected by heavy gear and the industry would be well advised to address is at least somewhat considering the  over 40 crowd is making up a significant part of the population. There have been a number of suggestions about different straps but the one I'm using now is perfectly suited for street photography and it would take lots of pain for me to change it. As I mentioned before, it's a very long strap and the camera rests on my butt cheek. The strap (reflex E by kata-bags) is very slippery and provides the two things a street photographer needs most, stealth and speed. If you're walking towards me you can't even see the camera and a quick grab with my left hand brings it from my hip to shooting position in a second. Since I'm very happy with that setup and my new camera purchase (6D/24-105) is very close in weight to my old gear (T2i/tamron 18-270) I decided to concentrate on changing the way I shoot. When I'm out shooting I'm just so damn happy and content that I forget to sit/eat/drink,etc. That has to stop! Regular sit downs, snacks and drinks and a general pacing of myself will have to prevail. I probably should have done that before and I wouldn't have as many problems now. A good lesson if you're still young so you can keep shooting comfortably into old age. Thanks for all the replies.

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Canon General / Physical Ailments From Heavy Gear

« on: February 04, 2013, 07:17:46 PM »

Anybody else out there suffer any physical ailments from your gear and what did you do about it? I'm a long time street photographer and I typically shoot for 4 or 5 hours or more at a time. My current equipment (T2i/tamron 18-270) isn't overly heavy by itself but I'm a slight individual and the length of time I walk around on hard concrete takes it's toll. Add to that is the fact that the camera tends to stay on one half of the body the whole time because it's easier and faster to shoot like that. I have a long microfibre strap that let's the camera rest on my buttock cheek (sorry). The constant banging on my body doesn't bother me there. Any higher and the camera would bang against one's hip bone which gets very painful after about 1/2 an hour. About a year ago I started waking up in the morning with very painful soles. It would eventually go away but it scared me that it would become permanent. A visit to the local podiatrist resulted in shoe inserts ($600) and all of a sudden I felt very old. I decided I didn't want to live with the inserts especially since it really limited what kind of shoes I could wear. So I adjusted my shooting regimen. I don't go out for as long as I used to and I take regular sit down breaks. My shooting is alot more targeted to smaller areas with a higher chance of getting decent shots rather than walking endlessly through low percentage neighbourhoods with sparse opportunities.
The reason I didn't upgrade to a full frame earlier was the weight but the 6D solved that problem. The 6D with a 24-105 lens is almost equal to the weight I'm carrying now. Something to consider for all you young'uns out there that plan on shooting your whole life. Maybe check in with a podiatrist every couple of years and keep an eye on your neck and hips.