Messages

1

Lenses / Re: TS-E 17mm or 24mm

« on: April 22, 2013, 03:07:58 PM »

I was in a similar position, and I've rented both the 17 mm and 24 mm  TS-E lenses. Although the 17mm gives some great perspective and is sharp corner-to-corner, I was not a huge fan of that bulbous element. Also, not being able to use screw-on filters was a major downside for me. The 24mm also worked quite well as a general walk around lens with my family, even if I had to rely on focus confirmation. So, I could take some  landscape/architectural shots, and while walking around, still take family photos @ 24mm. The 17mm was purely for architecture/landscape with much less flexibility. For a family vacation, I would opt for the 24mm for its versatility.

I still have the 24mm TS-E on my to-buy list, but like a previous poster said, I'm also having trouble convincing myself that it's worth the $2k (granted the shift function was a great feature to have). Instead, I ended up dropping my photo budget on a HDSLR rig in hopes that I could be the next Tarantino with my family home videos (unfortunately, my videos will probably still be horrible).

2

Lenses / 24 TS-E II or 135L

« on: March 29, 2013, 12:52:49 AM »

I know this is a crazy question about 2 lenses that have very little in common. I'm looking to make my next lens purchase, and I'm deciding between both of these lenses. I eventually plan on owning both but can't figure out what to purchase first. I have a trip to Italy coming up in a month where I'll be in Cinque Terre and Tuscany for a large portion of it, but I also have an active 1 y.o baby that I love to take pictures of. I have used the 24 TS-E II and was a huge fan, but I am worried it's a high price to pay for such a specialized lens. And then I'm worried that the 135L is too much like the 85L or the 70-200 f/2.8L II (granted the 70-200 is much more conspicuous and a huge burden to carry). In general, I shoot a little bit of everything from landscapes to candids to street to my family. For those of you who own both or have tried both, what are your thoughts?

3

Lenses / Re: New wide angle lens for FF

« on: March 14, 2013, 12:54:48 PM »

I'd recommend the 24 mm TS-E. I've rented/owned the Zeiss 21mm, Canon 16-35 II, and the Canon 14 II, and I could never get over the converging lines effect any time I point the lens up or down. The 24 mm TS-E was such a pleasure to have. Having the flexibility of shift is great when it comes to composing your shot and not having to crop the scene down later, which would effectively obviate the need for a WA lens.

4

Contests / Re: Gura Gear Giveaway!

« on: December 06, 2012, 07:06:37 PM »

Gura Gear backpacks are awesome! I want to win!

5

Canon General / DSLR Gear - No Idea

« on: November 26, 2012, 06:50:19 PM »

Sony NEX just came out with a clever marketing campaign. What type of shooter are you?

http://www.youtube.com/user/dslrgearnoidea/videos?view=0

Not quite sure if I'm the Foreign Correspondent or Sideline Hero...

6

Technical Support / Re: Best Methods For Long Term File Storage ??

« on: November 13, 2012, 12:29:31 PM »

I've been meaning to sign up for this, but Amazon provides a great, affordable solution for cloud storage. If anyone has tried it, I'd be interested to hear about their experience.

http://aws.amazon.com/glacier/

7

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1d4 or 1d3 +lens

« on: November 03, 2012, 10:14:15 PM »

Personally, I would go with the 1DIII and upgrade your glass if you're on a budget. I have never used a 1DIV but I have owned the Canon 1DIII and had no problems with the AI servo AF issue. It was an awesome camera and took some great shots for me. Just check to make sure the serial number has the updates and that the camera is a Yellow dot (includes all the checks/fixes). The reasons I would choose a 1DIV over a 1DIII is better ISO performance, better LCD screen (the 1DIII screen was pretty low quality), and video. If your livelihood doesn't depend on missing a couple of shots, I think you will find the 1DIII to have more than adequate AF, especially considering the enormous savings between a used 1DIII and 1DIV.

8

Lenses / Re: Quality control issues with the 24-70 L II?

« on: September 19, 2012, 05:41:23 PM »

Quality standards are not reduced over time, but the number of units getting a major inspection off the line can decrease. In order to maintain efficient throughput in manufacturing, not all aspects of the assembly are inspected at 100%. Rather, random sampling is done at various points on the line to try and establish a confidence level in the units being built. Normally, during the first builds, Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) values tend to be stringent so that inspection sample sizes may be larger, and this is done so that the confidence level is greater for an acceptable number of units. If the inspections on those sample sizes falls within the acceptable range with an acceptable deviation from the nominal, inspection sample sizes may get smaller over time due to a reduced AQL on a well-established procedure.

I'm sure there is a standard final quality assurance procedure that is done 100% as the final step, but it is probably not as detailed as a complete inspection based on the AQL sampling of a manufacturing lot. The same also applies to the components in a lens (e.g. optic components, lens housing, etc). So, it's completely believable that there is some unit-to-unit variation since not all components are inspected at a 100% level (a lot of validation and six-sigma work is probably done in parallel to nail down the process for the manufacturing of the components too).

9

Software & Accessories / Google acquires Nik Software

« on: September 17, 2012, 01:02:32 PM »

Thoughts? I'm just concerned that they stop focusing on the development of their software and focus more on the consumer division (Snapseed). Their software has been super useful for my work flow. Gut reaction?

http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/17/google-acquires-nik-software-the-company-behind-the-popular-snapseed-photo-editing-app-for-ios/

10

Lenses / Re: RAW files from the 24-70/2.8L II

« on: September 12, 2012, 03:32:55 PM »

Thanks for the images. They look incredibly sharp, but it does appear that the distortion is noticeable. Looks like the review from lensrentals.com was pretty spot on. Thanks!

11

Technical Support / Re: Phantom Ranch Trip

« on: September 07, 2012, 04:54:36 PM »

I didn't quite read through all of the posts, but I've gone through a couple of scenarios for the ideal hiking photography experience, so I thought I'd share. A quick run down:

a) Clik Elite Escape backpack alone - Good for backpacking because it is a comfortable backpack for outdoors and lets you carry some camera equipment and keeps the camera relatively accessible

b) Clik Elite backpack + some type of chest carrier - Can carry a bunch of equipment but your chest can start sweating from carrying a camera in front. The great part is the camera is always accessible and the chest carrier protects it from the elements and sweat that you would get on your camera from carrying it openly. The cool thing is the Clik Elite chest carrier attaches directly to the straps of the backpack, so you don't have to have straps all over you back (which I've had before using the ThinkTank chest carrier)

c) Clik Elite backpack + Peak Design Camera Clip - I haven't tried this one yet but I want to pick up this Camera Clip. It would keep the camera easily accessible and you could hang it from the front strap of your backpack. I'm just worried about all the dust and sweat you could possibly get on your camera

I've used Kata rucksacks (R-101) and slings, but I liked the Clik Elite for outdoors stuff just because it's functional enough to carry everything else you need (food, water bladder, clothes, etc). Although it probably sounds like an advertisement for Clik Elite, I don't work for them. I just endorse their equipment for any type of hiking or outdoors stuff.

12

Lenses / Re: Canon 50 F1.2L VS 85 F1.2L MKII Lenses

« on: September 07, 2012, 12:29:32 PM »

I own both lenses, and the 85L is better in all of those categories you just mentioned (IQ, sharpness, contrast, and color rendering), although the 50L does focus much more quickly. I keep the 50L around for the shorter reach. I wouldn't recommend the 85L for fast-moving subjects, but it's churned out some amazing photographs for me.

13

Lenses / Re: Another I need advise on a lens thread......

« on: August 13, 2012, 01:00:15 AM »

I have had a similar negative opinion of the 16-35 f/2.8L II. I've sold the lens once, bought it again, and sold it again because I wanted a wide angle option but was ultimately disappointed in the corner quality @ 16mm. I don't have a wide angle option yet since I'm waiting to see how the 24-70 II compares against a 24L II.

14

EOS Bodies / Question: 5D3 auto-switching memory cards when removed

« on: May 23, 2012, 07:18:49 PM »

I have a general question. I looked in the instruction manual and just couldn't find the answer readily, so I figured I'd ask the larger group. I just got my 5d3, and I keep both a CF and a SD card in the memory slots. I record my files solely to the CF card. Whenever I take the CF card out to copy the files to my computer (camera is powered off) and then return the CF card back to the camera, the camera automatically switches to the SD card when I power it back on, even though I want to continue recording to the CF. It's a minor step to get the camera to revert back to the CF card, but it's still an inconvenience. Does anyone know how to prevent the auto-switching?

15

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Zeiss users: Do you ever wish for auto focus?

« on: March 19, 2012, 11:13:05 PM »

I am a huge fan of Zeiss IQ, but there are times when I purchased the Canon for AF. I had a Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 and I still have the Zeiss 50 mm f/2.0 MP. It really depends on what you are taking pictures of. I was okay with the manual focus on the wide angle because I was taking pictures of landscapes and it allowed me time to really think my composition as I was shooting (I only sold the lens because I wanted some zoom functionality for my versatility with a 16-35). With my 50 mm, I really love the IQ but when I'm taking pictures of people or events, it can be a bit slow to MF and I miss the moment. But hands down, the IQ of Zeiss glass is amazing. so, I'd say that it really depends on what you're taking pictures of.