Messages

1

Canon General / Re: Canon's MAP Pricing Goes Into Full Effect Today

« on: November 01, 2012, 10:34:58 AM »

I, too, was looking at the 135mm yesterday on Amazon for $879, and today it's $989.  I see that this matches B&H's price, which shows the rebate of $100 from the $1089 price.

I guess I'm a little confused...  I get the idea behind MAP, but why were these cheaper yesterday?  Did Amazon and B&H have them marked down, AND the lens rebate applied???

And couldn't these stores still offer them for the same price as yesterday, but hide the price, and only have it available at checkout, or virtual carts, or whatever they do to get around the MAP law in effect?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5dII with lens or 5DIII/D800

« on: March 16, 2012, 09:55:29 AM »

Wow!  Those pics on 500px.com are amazing.  I, too, am on the fence between the 5D MkII and the MkIII.  I always forget the amazing pictures that have been captured with the 5D MkII.  I guess the newest thing isn't always the best.  One thing is true - the camera is just a tool.  The best photography comes from within the photographer. 

Can anyone put an argument in for the 5D MkIII, besides the better AF and frames per second?  The HDR thing seems like a gimmick.  The expanded ISO is nice, as is the built-in electronic level.  But worth an extra $1500? 

3

Lenses / Re: Tilt-Shift Lens vs. Macro Slide Rail

« on: March 15, 2012, 01:29:46 PM »

There is one thing I am a bit confused about: why is the focus so much on panos in real estate photography?

I am a real estate photographer and do not see any requests for panos.  Early in my career I took them and no one used them.  There are some agents who use 360 panos - which are quite a bit different - though around here no one asks for them because many of the local MLS sites do not support them.  Anyways for 360 panos a TS-E 24 would be a major pain.  The 8-15 fisheye would be more useful for that purpose.

I have the TS-E 24 II, TS-E 17, and TS-E 90 and only use tilt shifts for my RE work.  I use them for their architectural shift capabilities - not for their ability to take two shot panos.  By shifting I can easily choose how much floor vs. ceiling I want in my shot while keeping my verticals straight.  It is extremely important for emphasizing the key selling points of the room.  I typically use my TS-E 24 II for exteriors, TS-E 17 for interiors, and TS-E 90 on rare occasions for shots from docks or distance views of the property.

Outside of RE, I occasionally take panos.  There I have found a macro rail to be useful for adjusting to the nodal point of the lens.  I own two different macro rails - a Really Right Stuff XY rail (two rails stacked) and the Stackshot from Cognisys.  In the past I owned the Kirk rail but sold it in favor of the RRS.  The RRS rails is more precise and much stronger.  For panos I only use the RRS rail.

For macro I would definitely buy the best rail possible (Stackshot) but panos do not put much stress on the rail so even a cheap one will do.

Great info!  My question was not so much about panoramas or 360 panos, just mainly about the ability to stitch 2 or 3 images from the TS lens shifting from left to right to get a larger (i.e. wider) image of a room without the parallax issues of the far left and far right of the frame getting all stretched out.  From what I've seen, it seemed like the Tilt-shift lens would allow to get a wider (more spacious) view without the UWA artifacts. 

4

Lenses / Re: Tilt-Shift Lens vs. Macro Slide Rail

« on: March 15, 2012, 11:51:10 AM »

Thanks for all the great advice!  I think I'll rent the 24mm TS and give it a spin.

Now to figure out if the 5D MkIII is really worth the extra $$$ over the MkII...

5

Lenses / Re: Tilt-Shift Lens vs. Macro Slide Rail

« on: March 14, 2012, 04:56:16 PM »

You tried the 24mm T/S L on your 40D?  How difficult was it to make adjustments?  I read that on bodies with a built-in flash that some of the controls are hard to get to...

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Lenses / Re: Tilt-Shift Lens vs. Macro Slide Rail

« on: March 14, 2012, 04:05:56 PM »

I've read about rotating on the nodal point of the lens, and there is a really lengthy article on the Really Right Stuff page about all the equipment they offer in regards to panoramas...  My head hurts from all that info. 

I'm trying to minimize the amount of setup/overlap, tripod moving, etc and it seems like the most efficient way is to go with the Tilt-shift lens.  Take one all the way left, take one all the way right and then stitch in PS, right?  Or at least a third image in the direct center of the frame...

I've read the reviews on The-Digital-Picture raving about the 24mm mk II over the first version with regards to chromatic aberration and fringing etc...  but if a lot of that can be fixed in PS, is it worth saving $1,000+ to go with the mk I over the newer mk II?

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Lenses / Tilt-Shift Lens vs. Macro Slide Rail

« on: March 14, 2012, 03:07:07 PM »

I'm in the market for a tilt-shift lens like the 24mm for real estate photography.  However, it is very pricey and I'm wondering if there are any alternatives to wider captures.  Right now I'm on a APS-C with a Canon 10-22 and I'm not a big fan of the curvature at the extreme frame edges.  Planning on going Full Frame very soon and didn't know if the tilt-shift is absolutely worth the $2K+ or if similar results could be had with a 24mm (or 20mm, etc) on a Macro Slide Rail, going left to right to capture a wider composition and then stitch back together in PS. 

Suggestions/Advice greatly appreciated!  Thanks!