Messages

16

Lenses / Re: New Tilt-Shift Lenses in 2013 [CR2]

« on: April 16, 2013, 05:11:11 AM »

Is there a sane way to use the old FD(breech lock) 35mmTS on a full frame EF mount? Maybe it couldn't tuck in close enough (with adapter) to focus anywhere near infinity. Aperture was set manually with a ring on that, anyway.

I had one of those in the early seventies, and it was the reason I switched from Nikon to Canon. Loved it. I have the 45mmTSE but mine isn't very sharp. 35 a better focal length for some rooms.

17

Lenses / Re: Lenses for carpets photography

« on: April 16, 2013, 05:03:51 AM »

Halfrack,
Fantastic idea. There were some other excellent suggestions here, too. But the OP went ahead and did something else. I think he will learn a lot about the challenges of large objects with just two lights, and work it out by himself.

A rolling scanner-- brilliant.

18

Software & Accessories / Re: Wonderpana System from Fotodiox

« on: April 16, 2013, 04:15:38 AM »

Oh I know the 17TSE wasn't made for that, but I have done it a few times shifted down in a bright room where I didn't have to get it perfect. No handheld tilt, though... I will have to take a look at the Fotodiox rig.

Did you see the site/blog run by a German photographer of architecture who bought a second 17TSE lens cap and made a filter holder out of that?
I found the URL in my OneNote files:
http://digidaan.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/polariser-on-17mm-tiltshift/

very interesting blog.

19

Software & Accessories / Re: Moving fm Manfrotto to RSS/Arca-Swiss but still need geared head

« on: April 15, 2013, 06:21:30 AM »

Thanks for the specific suggestions, and I will look closely at the links. Earlier tonight I kept looking and few other geared heads. The 405 is too big. The Arca Swiss 4D (geared version) looks great but the only price I saw was about 1100 euros before delivery. The bigger Cube is terrific, too, I am sure. But too expensive for this market.

So these adaptive arrangements seem like a good idea. I'd like to eliminate the RC4 plate looseness. I am willing to get a local machine shop involved, too.

Time to research Kirk, too.

Again, thanks.

20

Software & Accessories / Re: Wonderpana System from Fotodiox

« on: April 14, 2013, 10:45:02 PM »

GMC,
To confirm: your CPL is from this Fotodiox system and is used with their holder arrangement? It's optically good enough?

I have the 17 and use it mostly inside but have been reading about various solutions for getting something out in from of the "dome". Agree about the half-ND stuff although for some travel situations it was good to have the hand-holding half grad solution available.

...not hand holding the 17 too much... have done, though. <grin>

21

Software & Accessories / Moving fm Manfrotto to RSS/Arca-Swiss but still need geared head

« on: April 14, 2013, 10:37:43 PM »

This weekend finally kinda gave up on Manfrotto head/attachments. This is going to cost me but... I plan to switch over to the RSS gear I'll need for simple pano experimentation. I am only interested in single row pano right now, but the panos I tried included a couple that needed a nodal rail. I am losing confidence in Manfrotto, so I figured it was time to switch.

(Searched whole CR forum for posts on geared heads and read everything returned.)

I had trouble getting my whole support combination to stay level through the "swing". Surprisingly my wonderful very heavy old-style Gitzo Tele-Studex 309 seems to have a spirit level that's inaccurate! (I will have to confirm that with some other levels and a known level surface right away.) I had found Manfrotto's L-bracket but trying to use it this weekend found it's a kludge compared to the RSS. I believe it introduced some flex and alignment change. I have a pano rotator from Manfrotto (300N) but think I can stick with that.

The RC4 quick-release is still a little looser than I'd like. Yes, it's better than my RC2 plates but still not great. I was using my Manfrotto 410 geared head with the RC4 plate as the camera attachment -- not rotation. Is there any Arca Swiss standard equivalent? Some searches today turn up nothing. I have seen one shooter say he just bought the clamp "adapter". I do architecture and real estate so want to continue to use a geared head for that.  Is there a geared head for about $300 that uses to Arca Swiss quick release? Yeah, I saw the $1,600 block of goodness that Arca Swiss makes... clients here aren't paying the margins for that.

From my experimentation I take it that the tripod has to offer the rotator a perfectly level plane of swing. Can I just give up a head altogether and have the rotator on the tripod as the "head", then place a nodal rail on the rotator, then, of course, the camera on the rail? That takes a source of error (the head) out of the "stack".

I know I'll need one RSS for each body, so I think I'll stick to one L-clamp for my 1DsMk3.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

jonathan7007

22

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D3 Pricing

« on: April 14, 2013, 04:56:12 AM »

I am watching the refurbished page for that lower price we saw a while back for the 5Dmk3: $23xx. Perhaps the rebates drag down refurb$, perhaps not.

23

Lighting / Re: Phottix Odins, monolights, and HSS

« on: April 06, 2013, 05:21:47 PM »

V8,
Is there a battery solution that works for your outdoor use of two White Lightning monoblocks? How many flashes do these batteries offer as supplied by Paul Buff? (I realize that # affected by power settings on flash heads.)

I keep searching Amazon for a 1000' extension cord <grin>

24

Lighting / Re: Does the flash pulse when <x-sync & hss on?

« on: April 03, 2013, 02:39:55 PM »

Why, in your shooting, is second-curtain the most usual/interesting? I think of this mode as required for subjects moving in the dark where ambient light needs to show movement of flash-lit subject more as expected. Hmm, "expected" -- I mean  show the time relationship implied by the shot more as expected.

Hard to figure out the right words but I hope you know what I mean... why shoot so often in "second curtain"? Long exposures -- often -- when you have flash(es) set up?

This makes me want to experiment at the next party!

25

Software & Accessories / Anyone find an INTERNAL usb3 CF reader?

« on: March 31, 2013, 06:45:03 PM »

I like my Lexar pop-up USB3 dual-slot reader and its portability has a benefit: I can take it to a shoot but I also want a USB3 front-panel CF reader. 5.25-inch front panel (optical drive slots) would be best. I have a big Cooler Master case on my Win7 production machine.

I have searched and find most also have a lot of useless card reader slots. Some have CF but the fine print tells you that the CF circuit is only USB2. Cooler Master does not offer this for their cases. The ideal configuration is two or four USB3 and a CF + SDXC slots set. (Whatever acronym represents the latest SD standard). There is also the UDMA7 capability to check for each of these units.

Anyone find one of these they'd recommend?

26

Lenses / Re: Tilt Shift Lenses: 17 or 24

« on: March 31, 2013, 03:38:59 AM »

Love my 17. I work in tight spaces indoors for real estate or hospitality pictures. The shape distortion at the edges of the 17's field of view -- especially on nearby objects -- takes some management. Some clients don't like the effect. But some rooms are impossible without it.  I love the flexibility that wider view gives, even outdoors.

If you ever shot view camera you will feel right at home. I would love to have both!

27

Software & Accessories / Re: CF card health

« on: March 30, 2013, 09:07:37 PM »

PWP's advice is excellent and that "avoid fields" advice seems like an extra good idea. Phones kill credit cards, too, when they roll around together in a pocket.

I asked a similar question here -- about how to determine the health of a CF -- a couple of weeks ago because it looked like I had a bad card, a Lexar 400x 64Gig CF unit. I got one interesting piece of advice: run chkdsk on the card. (Windows low-level diagnostic for drives...)  I did not try it as it was clear there was an issue -- although hard to reproduce -- and Amazon replaced it right away.

Lexar had almost no advice... sad, really. I did talk to them about how to determine that it was not a counterfeit (it wasn't). But that's not at play for the OP.

28

Lighting / Re: Phottix Odins, monolights, and HSS

« on: March 28, 2013, 03:42:07 AM »

There's a Nissan cord just like that which I bought on the recommendation of a CR Forum contributor, who usesit for events/weddings. It has a "External/Attached" switch on the base that allows you to change where the control occurs. The Odin is dangling at the end of the cord and the dual-hot-shoe end is on top of the camera so you can put a flash on the top of the camera. Of course, usually the Odin controller is expected to be up there on its own. (The dangling Odin goes in a pocket of your shirt I will come up with some other way to hold it, too. )

Interesting to use it for HSS-like set-up.

29

Lighting / Re: Phottix Odins, monolights, and HSS

« on: March 27, 2013, 09:29:31 PM »

I know this is a sideline for this thread but I was pretty surprised to learn I might not be able to use my new Odins for my 5DMk3. Had used them just with my 1DsMk3 so far.

Tried it on 5DMk3 just now and one of the Odin rcvrs I have worked with 550EX, with the flash in the same room as my 5DMk3.

Phew!

30

Lighting / Re: Einstein Setup

« on: March 23, 2013, 11:03:53 PM »

Paul, an alternate idea about color on small studio walls: black. White surfaces near a set bounce unintended light back into the field of view. Black, flat, offers the least chance of color shift, too. I totally agree about a set of white (black on other side) Fom-Cor boards always available. 32x40-inch size sold in hardware stores where I live, bigger in art supply stores. To the OP: cut this Fom-Cor into all kinds of light modifiers.

I miss my studio of years past.