Topics

31

EOS Bodies / The ultimate Photokina bet poll...

« on: September 04, 2012, 11:38:06 AM »

With Photokina within the month, what closely guarded dream cameras will Canon have in store for the dedicated fancrowd? Will they show Nikon at last how a real high mp camera should be like, or will they preempt the d600 with a 5d2 successor? Take your pick!

32

Lenses / POLL: When will the 24-70 mk2 really be delivered?

« on: July 06, 2012, 04:19:49 PM »

To everybody's big surprise, Canon didn't manage to deliver a product on time - the latest schedule specifies mid September 2012 for "final adjustments in production" - whatever that means.

Here's your chance to predict when it will be really delivered, so you can later say "I told you so!" :-)

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EOS Bodies / How much will the 5d3 cost at the end of 2012?

« on: July 02, 2012, 04:30:44 AM »

With many people thinking about getting a 5d3 now, wait for a lower price or get a 5d2 instead if the high price of the new model persists, I thought I'd do a quick survey.

Opinions on how likely price drops are seem to be very split, so here's your chance to voice your opinion and revisit the thread at the end of 2012 for a good laugh (like "how much better will the 650d sensor be?")...

Please don't write "But I've seen it as low as xyz sold on ebay by a hk dealer", this poll is about the tendency, so specify standard u.s. shop retail prices.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / How much does a dual-card slot matter?

« on: June 30, 2012, 04:48:34 AM »

Grasping to straws if there is any reason for me to get a 5d3 instead of a 5d2 I'd like to get you opinions about the importance of the dual-card slot. Only the 5d3 has it, Nikon puts it even in consumer models like the d7000 which was very appreciated in reviews. The question is: What's it good for?

• Speed: on the 5d3, that can't be the reason because the sd slot is crippled and much slower than udma7 cf. Does it make a difference if writing hires jpeg to sd and raw to cf in comparison to writing both to cf like on the 5d2?

• Reliability: brides are said to be somewhat grumpy when your no-name budget cf card breaks without jpeg backup on a second card, if you are a high profile shooter this could even ruin your business. The question is: how large is the likehood of cf/sd cards breaking without being recoverable, and are there differences between brands?

35

Lenses / Which 24-70 to buy for weddings & events?

« on: June 20, 2012, 06:52:33 AM »

I'm going to buy a 5d2 camera body next to my good ol' 60d for weddings and need a 24-70 standard zoom for it this application - or else I'd buy a 24-105. kit The question is: Which 24-70, the Tamron, the Canon mk1 or wait for the mk2?

As you see from my camera body choices, I'm on a tighter budget considering *all* things I'll need, so I really have to think about what an investment is worth in relation to return of invest and iq/af differences. Considering the clients I'll be able to acquire at first, they won't care much for iq or high mp prints but more about the picture content ("Am I on some pictures and do I look good on the group shot? Does everyone look happy?").

* Canon 24-70mk1: Good and proven lens with equally good and proven Canon usm af. This is €1800 new, and buying it used isn't that easy because they're not that much cheaper and there are said to be some duds out there. But it has a red ring which might make more of a "pro" impression to some clients?

* Tamon 24-70vc: At only $1000, this is really the lens I'm considering most. I could also dual-use it for a personal walk-around lens due to the IS. The iq is comparable to the Canon mk1 except for the bokeh, but the af is a little slower which might make the decisive difference for lower light run & gun? And is this ok enough for portraits in combination with my 100L?

* Canon 24-70mk2: Obviously not out yet, but at €2000+ this has to be good. But will it be *that* good that it beats the Tamron in combination with a good prime I could get for about the same combined price?

Edit: another advantage of Canon lenses is the cps support. But currently I'd only qualify for "silver" cutting the repair time a to max. 5 days, for the more interesting gold with max. 2 days or loaned equipment I'd need another ff body. And even with Tamron and w/o cps I can loan a lens elsewhere if the chips are down.

36

EOS Bodies - For Stills / When to get a used 5d2?

« on: June 18, 2012, 07:19:03 AM »

In addition to my 60d, I'd like to get a 5d2 for weddings - the 5d3 features for this application and esp. the price don't seem to justify the newer body for me.

If possible, I would like to save some money getting it used - but that doesn't seem to be that easy, there are few offers and the prices at least on ebay (I'm in Berlin/Germany) are not exactly attractive. I'd like to hear your opinions on this:

• Price: Why are they sold near new price - is the demand so high or is the supply so low? If the latter, why - don't people upgrade to the 5d3 at all (do it! :-)), are there not enough 5d3 available yet, are people waiting for the 5d3 price to drop (it won't :-)) or are they simply holding on to their 5d2 bodies as a backup (don't do it :-)) ?

• Time: Do you think the situation will change in the next 1-2 months and more people will start selling their 5d2 camera bodies, possibly resulting in lower prices?

37

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Which 5d/flash to get for a first wedding kit?

« on: June 15, 2012, 05:07:47 PM »

So I've decided to get into the pro wedding business for real. I got to know a guy who - if my luck persists - will tell me the tricks of the local trade and coach me through my first contracts.

Until now, I shot purely for fun and learning, and now have a general idea where the shutter button is located. But in the future it'll business all over, at least that's the idea. And while it'll take a while to set me up, I'll have to get my new working gear now to become familiar with it, while keeping the cost-income relationship somewhat sane.

• Conditions: From what I'm hearing, the basic idea when starting out is to get the job done, capture the important moments, the atmosphere and to get shots of all guests and esp. the relatives, so everyone is happy. The clients I'll be acquiring when starting off won't be concerned with corner sharpness, complicated flash setups or life-size prints.
• My current gear: I've got the 60d as a backup body and the 100L for portraits, might be nice as a 160/2.8 on the crop body, too. I don't think the 70-300L is adequate for weddings, but from what I'm hearing, the local conditions don't necessarily call for a $2000+ 70-200 anyway. I'll have to get an uwa & some 24-70 lens and might ask about this in a separate thread - but with what body/flash?

BODY: I'll need a somewhat affordable high-iso ff body, so a 5d seems to make sense.

• 5d2. It's half the price of the successor, and if using focus/recompose people seem to have used this successfully for wedding occasions.
• 5d3. It's said to have higher iso performance, but looking at the raw samples I hardly can see an improvement? Is better awb, more fps (or quiet shutter), dual cards and the updated af system a noticeable improvement for weddings?

FLASH: For wedding run & gun, I guess I'll need one fast recycling flash with a battery pack, so my 430ex2 won't suffice. While shooting w/o flash might be preferable, as far as I understand it there's hardly any way around it.

• 580ex2. Isn't sold new anymore, and obsolete ir technology. Seems to have a bug when using hss extensively. But great if combined with 3rd party triggers, esp. since these can trigger dumb ttl flashes, too.
• 600rt. This is currently the must-have choice for the 5d3, but seems to be compatible with the 5d2 as well - and except the price there are no drawbacks (it can work with 3rd party triggers too)?

38

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Real world impact of 5d3/1dx af system with slower apertures than f4?

« on: June 14, 2012, 05:41:22 AM »

What's the real world impact of using aperture lenses of slower than f4 for portrait shooting or edge af on the 5d3/1dx? This really bugs me is that I have this 70-300L/4-5.6 around, and it seems even my 60d's edge af is "better" for this lens because all the outer points on the 5d3 will be only horizontal if I zoom in more than 100mm and the aperture goes beyond f4...

39

EOS Bodies / Will there be a 7d2 at all?

« on: June 09, 2012, 10:09:18 AM »

With the release of the updated 7d firmware, the writing's on the wall - it's hardly probably that a 7d2 is just around the corner if the year-old model gets a free facelift. So what's your take on Canon's strategy for the mid-price range?

40

EOS Bodies / What will the 650d sensor be like?

« on: June 06, 2012, 04:04:02 AM »

... edit: Voting locked - the specs are out! And I have to admit I was semi-wrong, there is indeed a minor upgrade with the phase detect af pixels on the sensor, though this is likely not to raise the iq over the well-known 18mp legacy sensor with the "multi image shot" noise reduction mode for jpeg.

So basically "the same sensor" was the correct correct prediction, one point for the Nikon trolls with their big money Sony tech - but Canon will keep coming and show them all! Or will they?

41

Site Information / Forum software (upgrade) wish-list

« on: April 24, 2012, 04:50:57 AM »

Hi CR (thank you for providing this forum by the way!), I thought I'd start a threat where people could put in their wishes after you come around updating the forum software. And like "wishes", no real need to fulfill them, but I guess no harm asking for it:

* Per-post ratings. I think a combined rating like your short-lived single rating Karma experiment might do best. Obviously, if the db allows for it, each member should only be allowed to rate each post once. And if possible, on request the board should show a list of people who +'ed the post to lessen anonymous ranting.

* Options to collapse (not hide) threads by default below a specified negative rating and for authors on a custom blacklist. Posts should be able to be expanded on request.

* Prevent people to cite more than double they write themselves. I think quoting whole threads and then just adding "yup!" clutters the forum very much.

42

Lighting / Is the 580ex2 (or 600rt) overpowered? Do you use the features?

« on: April 24, 2012, 04:48:14 AM »

Hi all, I'm set to get a second flash because I want multiple non-direct lights, esp. for macro work. But I might come around to event photography, too.

I am trying to decide between a second 480ex2 (which is controlled by my 60d just fine) and the much more expensive 580ex2. I know about the obvious advantage of the 580ex2 as a master flash, but if I get a 5d in the future a 3rd flash doesn't make much of a difference really.

* Do you think that the 580ex2 is overpowered for your work? I am asking because my 430ex seldom flashes at full power anyway, an upgrade would be mostly for (multiple) bounce flashes and flashes against objects background-lit by the sun. I am hesitant about the 580ex because it's physically that much bigger which might be a problem for handling it?

* Do you use the advantages of the 580ex line in your work? Flash exposure bracketing? Strobe? External power supply? Faster recycle time and capacity?

43

EOS Bodies / The ultimate 5d3 poll - What's your take on the 5d3?

« on: April 22, 2012, 08:12:25 PM »

The biggest thing for with the markIII is the AF. I shoot with 35L, 50L, 85L and 135L most (usually f/2 or less) and I find myself shooting faster and with fewer shots because the AF is so much more accurate and reliable.

I have to admit I didn't read all this troll-heave 5d3 stuff myself, but I remember one complaint: The af was said to be slow to pick up if all points are selected (like 1sec or so). It might be even Ken Rockwell who wrote this :-p .. is this true, and is it a sign that while the 5d3 has the same af as the 1dx the 5d3 is "under-powered" when it comes to af processing and needs more time to make up its mind than the 1dx will?

@v8beast: I guess there is no real argument about the 5d2's lacking af when it comes to tracking... that's why many people were raving about the 7d until now.

44

Lighting / What happens to a non-sealed speedlite when getting wet?

« on: April 15, 2012, 08:16:38 AM »

I've got a 430ex2 which is absolutely sufficient for almost everything I do. The only thing I miss is flash exposure bracketing which marketing has cut (thanks, Canon!). And it's not weather sealed...  thus I'm wondering:

Recently I was shooting in the rain with remote flash. Since I need the IR sensor to be visible I cannot wrap the flash in a plastic bag. What happens if the 430ex2 gets wet? Does it just stop to operate until dry again? Does it take lasting damage? Any techniques to reduce the risk?

Thanks for sharing your experiences...

45

Technical Support / What impacts does a metal L lens take without any iq degradation?

« on: April 15, 2012, 08:00:39 AM »

I've got this shiny new 70-300L, which has the red ring and Canon marketing has painted it white, too - although as was discusses elsewhere, this isn't necessary since the lens is small and doesn't contain any fluorite elements...

... but anyway: some of the paint already has been scraped off while I was laying the lens on something solid for support (IS is nice, but not lifting the lens at all is even nicer). This makes me wonder - what hits did your metal L lenses take w/o any damage or iq degradation? Do I have to treat it as my plastic 50/1.8 too, or to what extend does the improved quality really show in real life handling?