Messages

511

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: The New EOS Cinema C300 / Do you believe still image cameras are going away?

« on: January 27, 2012, 03:30:15 AM »

This is a digital Cinema camera, for making movies.  Cinema cameras are not still cameras. It is manual focus.


Mt Spokane - not sure if read the article but that's not the case according to this write up. Not sure how old you are but I recall hearing similar when Beta tapes / cassettes came out as well as Reel To Reels..they are both long gone.  I still have both however

Rev

512

Macro / Re: Canon MP-E 65 1x-5x 2.8 Macro Lens example photos

« on: January 26, 2012, 04:22:00 PM »

Kernuak is right.  In essence the cooler the air the better as they become very lethargic.  I believe the exact Farenheit is 60° where insects are pretty much useless and cling on to things such as screen doors, etc.  Another good tip is be careful while shooting a live insect as to not block out the direct light.  They are sensitive to this and will quickly scatter (there are a few exceptions)

I use the same tools as Neuro - the MT 24EX is a great macro flash.  I'm not a big fan of the mounting ring it comes with so I acquired http://www.ebay.com/itm/Studio-TWIN-ARM-FLASH-BRACKET-holder-Olympu-TF-22-Canon-MT-24EX-SPEEDLITE-/250928028740?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item3a6c79dc44 which offers far more flexibility.  I also acquired the Stofen Diffusers and stuffed them with a cotton ball to help spread out the somewhat harsh light.  The manual settings work best vs. the ETT-L.  There are many pro MP-E 65 users out there such as Lord V http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/sets/72157594222523751/ who makes his own diffusers.  I also like this guy:  Huub http://www.flickr.com/photos/57977032@N07/.  He recommended this article awhile back http://www.davidkennardphotography.com/blog/238-mt-24ex-macro-flash-diffusers-comparison.xhtml .  A lot of these Macro experts scrutinize the reflective properties on some of the more shinier insects such as beetles as most flashes cause that "white over exposed look" on their shells hence the reason for their creation of homemade diffusers.  Hope this helps..Rev

513

EOS Bodies - For Video / The New EOS Cinema C300 / Do you believe still image cameras are going away?

« on: January 26, 2012, 03:58:53 PM »

I came across this article today in my Inbox from from Digital Photo Pro which talks about the 4k and 5k cameras (not referring to Dollars).  The Canon EOS C300 seems appealing at the moment but I personally don't see the still image DSLR's going away any time soon as the article hints.  For one reason, there's too many purists that want photo, and photo only without the video

Here's the article

http://www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/cameras/whats-the-future-of-still-capture.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPPeNewsJan_012512

Rev

514

Software & Accessories / Re: Starting out: Flickr? Picasa? PBase? Other?

« on: January 26, 2012, 03:33:06 PM »

I've chosen Flickr and utilized initially the free account to test the waters.  I opted to go forward with the Pro account and am most pleased.  Be sure to utilize Flickr's many amenities such as Organizing, Joining Groups such as (example the Canon 8-15mm group or many of the Awards groups, B&W groups, etc.  Their support team is excellent whether free or Pro account.  Know the differences however as there are various restrictions on the Free account beyond the limitation of 200 photos such as posting to only 10 groups vs. unlimited.  The Slideshow link is a big plus when emailing friends and Family as well as pressing the"L" key to view a photo on black background

515

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why canon?

« on: January 26, 2012, 11:54:47 AM »

After getting a Canon AE-1 for college graduation I fell in love with it, never a mechanical issue.  I've never looked elsewhere despite my younger brother's excellent concert photos from the 70's and 80s on his Nikon.  Sibling rivalry perhaps?

516

Software & Accessories / Re: Need recommendations for a bag to hold my camera/accessories

« on: January 25, 2012, 05:26:46 PM »

Like most rucksacks, you'll have to take it off to access your kit especially because of the 'flap-to-back' design

Hi Traveller..not sure what you mean by take it off to access the kit.  I just slip off the shoulder straps and swing it around the front while keep the entire pack attached to my waist having it act like a table top though I am sure you are ware of this.  I unzip the camera compartment and have access to everything without removing the bag.  In either case glad to see you and Neuro have acquired this bag - I am most impressed with mine especially that I can hang a water bottle off one side and a rechargeable Air Zound can off the other (used to frighten off threatening wildlife vs. a weapon).

517

Software & Accessories / Re: Need recommendations for a bag to hold my camera/accessories

« on: January 25, 2012, 06:09:26 AM »

I got a Lowepro Flipside 400AW off Ebay for a mere $99 through an authorized reseller (canadian).  The bag is fantastic.  custom configurable and was the only bag I could find that held a Canon camera body and a 400mm together.  It's a back pack type, breathes well, holds two water containers.  YOu can swing it around and it unzip from the the rear (inner) part of the back pack, not the outer.  When you swing it around your waste and flip it forward it acts like a table top.  Very sturdy as well. 

The ebay reseller name was prodigitial2000 exactly like this one here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lowepro-Flipside-400-AW-Backpack-Pine-Green-/190625737040?pt=US_Camera_Cases_Bags&hash=item2c622de950

there are youtube videos demonstrating the bag as well which I recommend reviewing especially this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXCAMU2A2ws
	Small | Large

Revup67

518

Software & Accessories / Free PF2 Templates for DPP by Canon

« on: January 25, 2012, 05:53:32 AM »

If you've not visited this Canon international site (Japan) it may be worth a trip.  There are a handful of free PF2 templates which are free downloads that can be called up in Digital Photo Professional by using the RAW format.  These templates can be saved to your hard drive and then loaded within DPP under the RAW tab by choosing "Browse" and then locating the template.

Enjoy

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/picturestyle/file/download.html

519

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Classic/Mark 1 - Still worth the buy now?

« on: January 25, 2012, 05:37:03 AM »

Candyman  - here's the download link you requested:  http://web.canon.jp/imaging/picturestyle/file/download.html

the shutterdown pancake template is not canon's but a 3rd party  - that may require some searching
Enjoy

Revup67

520

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX vs 1D IV ??

« on: January 23, 2012, 03:45:46 AM »

Put another way, if you buy a FF camera but then have to crop all your images to 1.3x or 1.6x FoV, you're throwing away the IQ advantages of FF over the smaller sensors, and so you might as well just get the cheaper camera (from an IQ standpoint).  Conversely, if you only need to crop a few of your images, the IQ with the FF will be a decided advantage.  That might mean getting longer lenses to compensate for the loss of 1.3x crop...which suits Canon just fine...

Neuro - this was well stated -so true.

Like some of you, that Spot AF is a necessity for me as well.  The 7D spoiled me on this and it's availability with all lenses.  It's a must have. Does anyone have a tally as to which currently available Canon DSLR bodies have this feature on FF for all lenses?

521

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF50mm f/1.4 USM

« on: January 22, 2012, 03:27:44 PM »

Just love this Nifty Fifty - lightweight great in low light and excellent for portraits.  This one taken on the 7D @ F3.2 and 1/80 with ISO 100 - no flash.  Color tones corrected with Shutter Down Pancake PF2 template and ACDSee Pro

522

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

« on: January 22, 2012, 02:56:15 PM »

Great shot and processing. Looks like a painting

What software do you use to process the HDR files?

Hello Candyman - I used Photomatix though I am careful with the settings and try a variety until I get the effect I am seeking such as vertical / horizontal alignment, reduce ghosting, foliage etc.  Prior to completion there are other settings for tweaking such as Microcontrast.  Even flipping through low,medium, high and maximum can make a world of difference within the lighting section.

Thanks JR and Candyman for the kind words...Rev

523

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Classic/Mark 1 - Still worth the buy now?

« on: January 19, 2012, 03:08:45 AM »

I see a lot of comments on here about the skin tones of the 5D mki.  I can tell you I was most displeased with the skin tones on a 7D.  To offset this I did a few things:  got a WhiBal card by Michael Tapes Design (works like a charm) and using the custom White Balance within the camera.  Also, in post processing within DPP, I found a few excellent PF2 templates.  Two off the canon.jp site entitled "Portrait Studio" and "Portrait Snapshot" as well as other non skin tone templates such as Emerald, Autumn Hues and several others.  There are many individuals and 3rd party companies that have created PF2 templates as well such as Shutter Down Pancake which douses that ugly "pancake skin tone" found in a lot of Canon DSLR's  such as the 7D.  You can also tweak and make your own by the way with Canon's Picture Style Editor.  I'm not sure I'd get the 5D for the skin issue alone.  The DLA on the 5D mki is quite good at  F13 whereas the mkii is at F10 (the point where diffraction begins) and IQ lessens.  Reference page (scroll down):  http://www.thedigitalpicture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-1D-Mark-IV-Digital-SLR-Camera-Review.aspx - thanks to a previous poster who offered this link

524

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX vs 1D IV ??

« on: January 19, 2012, 02:39:01 AM »

1) 1.3 crop I want this for using my 16-35 f2.8 as a walkaround effectively 20-48mm and for getting the extra reach on using long lenses. but has better IQ than the 1.6 crops
2) AF at f8 long lenses and teleconverters coupled with item 1 it stomps the 1Dx on the long end.

Ok gotcha on the  (1) though I just read surprisingly on the-digital-picture.com that the current 7D has better resolution than the 1D IV (however) it is not as sharp with the settings on 1 but you sure get the tradeoff with that 1.6 extra reach so know what you  mean on item (2).  Used a 400mm today on the 7D bringing it to a 640 - that was a treat with wildlife photos.  Also used the 16-35 mkii like you with the 7D - most pleased.  If you are concerned with IQ, check out the DLA's on your camera choices as well (1DIII, 1D IV, 7D, etc).  Though diffraction doesn't have a huge impact it can affect IQ as well.  it's just one more thing compounded to reduce the IQ of your overall picture

525

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX vs 1D IV ??

« on: January 19, 2012, 01:11:53 AM »

I called Canon support on that 1Dx - the Digic 5+ processors alone may be worth ignoring the 1D IV.  The dual Digic 5+ processors (so I was told) are 6 times faster and create approximately 75 percent less noise than the DIGIC 4 processor.  The rep stated this results in a lesser need for larger MB's files hence why the MB is lower then most of its similar predecessors.  RAW images can be processed at 12 fps as well.  That's not to mention a boat load of other cool features such as dual storage cards that can be programmed in a variety of ways (such as a real time backup or extended disk space - you choose), bracketing with 9 exposures..the list goes on.  My gut instinct (being in IT) always says if you can afford it go forward with technology not backward.

Rev
PS I hope my wife doesn't read this thread.