Messages

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Fuji x100(s) to Supplement an SLR

« on: May 13, 2013, 10:04:23 PM »

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

I wound put pulling the proverbial trigger on the x100s Saturday night.  It's backordered from B&H, but hopefully I'll have it in the next week or two.  While I really wanted to grab the TS-E 24mm, I ultimately decided to go with the x100s because I feel I'll get more use out of it.  And I started a 365 project a couple weeks ago, and I think I'm more likely to do well at it if I have a smaller camera with me instead of having to go out of my way to ensure I have my 5Dm3 with the appropriate lens on hand.

But I'd love to get more feedback on the x100s or sample pictures.  :-)

I ordered mine around 4/19 from B&H and got it last Friday.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Fuji x100(s) to Supplement an SLR

« on: May 12, 2013, 05:26:30 PM »

Ive had the X100 for a while now. On most occasions I will prefer to use my 5D3 with the 40mm over the X100, unless I want to travel really light. To me the 5D3 is so much better at everything. The X100 is fun but mine doesnt come out too often. IQ aside my biggest annoyance with the X100 is the exposure +/- dial. I cant tell you how many times I am shooting for a while then look down and see I have changed the setting by accident. Bad location I think. While I have seen some remarkable photos come out of it, I would say I consider it more of my point and shoot camera for when I dont want to lug the 5D3 around.

I see the X100s has a reccomended max sync speed of 1/2000 while it is possible to shoot at the max speed of 1/4000. I have never shot with a leaf shutter. What kind of power settings would you use on your strobes for this kind of sync?

That largely depends on the equipment. At those speeds, many studio strobes are too slow (t.1 time) to sync that fast. Another issue is if you are using radio triggers they will become a limiting factor around 1/640 to 1/1000. The aperture also limits that; F/2 maxes at 1/1000, any faster speeds will need a smaller aperture.

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Fuji x100(s) to Supplement an SLR

« on: May 12, 2013, 02:53:55 PM »

I just received my x100s, which I will be using in addition to my 50D, 70-200 2.8 IS and 8mm Fisheye. The X100s is a purpose built camera; and for it's purpose, it is excellent. Much better image quality, sharpness, color, ISO usability, etc than my 50D. Especially for low light, the Fuji is an entirely different, beast than my 50D, and that's exactly what I want. I decided to get this camera instead of a 30 or 35mm 1.4 for my 50D. It is really nice having a second camera without having to drop the cash for a full-frame option (6D + Sigma 35 =~$2700 vs $1300 for the Fuji)

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: iPhone5 or 1Dx

« on: May 10, 2013, 12:17:59 AM »

Sell one one between your 5D2 or 1D3 and buy your Iphone 5 + 1DX.  Problem solved.

So you will give me the $5000 price difference between the 1Dx and the used 5D2 and 1D3?  If not, PROBLEM NOT SOLVED.  If I sell both, I'm still $3500 short.  Your Republican math is an epic fail.

I believe he meant that if the $300-$800 price of an iPhone 5 is the only thing holding you back from the 1dx, then either of those cameras would more than cover the price of the iPhone. As in, "I had $6.5k for a 1DX, but I had to buy an iPhone and now only have $6k and can't get the 1DX for a while"

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Just picked up a ligtly used 40D as a back up for my 7D!

« on: April 15, 2013, 11:37:33 PM »

Don't overlook the 30D either, there were probably more of those made and it's not that much less of a camera than the 40D. I've still got one of each, don't see a point in selling them as they just won't get me enough money to make it worth selling. I use them when I can, just to keep them operational, and they will serve as emergency or beater cameras when needed. Whenever I do use them, I marvel at just how good they were for the time, and still quite good unless you need high ISO performance (higher than 800 at least).

I agree that the 30D is a really good camera, but Canon added a ton of new features to the 40D that makes it "pop" over the 30D. The live view is nice and well as the sensor cleaning. The larger screen is always a plus and the 1.5 fps addition is always welcome. But I would have to agree, the 30D for the price right now is a very good camera.

D

The 30D doesn't really have anything over the 20D other than screen size (but the 20D is still great!). I'd say the leap from 30D to 40D was more significant

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Introducing the MōVI Stabilizer

« on: April 07, 2013, 02:05:48 PM »

I feel like most of the comments on this are made without realizing the degree of precision and actual mechanical workings of this device. It is not just a mechanical stabilizing rig like a Steadicam is, this is a smart, microchip/software controlled motorized rig. For everyone scoffing at the cost, consider these points

• It is made of carbon fiber to keep weight down (it is the same rig they use to fly cameras from their radio controlled hexacopters)
• There are several motorized gimbals that are controlled by the computer to keep operator motion from translating to camera motion
• There are motors that are controlled via radio/joysticks that allow camera pan, tilt, and focus
• It is built to handle cameras that normally are mounted on tripod heads that cost as much or more than this whole rig. Check out the Sachtler Video 25 Plus head if you don't believe that.

Then consider all the things this can do for a filmmaker that needs to work on a budget and on a time crunch. This can replace a dolly in many cases; that means no transporting and setting up dolly tracks or slider systems. It can replace the traditional head controls on cranes and jibs, and can even make replace a jib in some instances; think walking up a ladder or stairs. It can replace a Steadicam, which many people couldn't afford to even dream of including in their movies. On top of all that, it can create shots that would be completely impractical to impossible with traditional support systems. Plus, there is always the option of adding the hexacopter to this system to get aerial shots.

That being said, I'm sure the cost will come down some as more manufacturers get into this market, but people saying it should cost under a thousand bucks are completely off base. How much does adding IS to a 70-200 cost?

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Sigma Announces New 30mm f/1.4 for APS-C

« on: March 10, 2013, 12:47:57 AM »

If it's even close to being as good as the new 35mm from Sigma, I'll buy it in a heartbeat. I've tried to live with Canon's 28 1.8, but something is just not right with that lens. It's either soft, has inconsistent focus, or just has strange aberrations that make it useless for me. I usually live at F/2, so hopefully this new Sigma gets nice stopped down to there.

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Lighting / Re: Super DIY Remote Speedlites

« on: March 02, 2013, 04:39:57 PM »

I don't understand - how is the volume potentiometer going to control the flash output?

The Vivitar 283 has a light sensor that can be replaced by a volume pot to control the flash output levels.

http://www.krebsmicro.com/VIV283/index.html

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Lighting / Re: Super DIY Remote Speedlites

« on: March 02, 2013, 03:30:12 PM »

Find me a speed light that is less than $100 that you can control the power via RF.

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Lighting / Super DIY Remote Speedlites

« on: March 02, 2013, 01:25:30 AM »

So, here's a crazy idea I had for getting speedlites that have remote controlled power on the cheap.

1) A used auto flash unit on ebay can be had for $10-20
2) Add a $3 standard volume potentiometer for full manual control
3) Control the potentiometers via either motorized pots or R/C airplane servos. I know that they make IR controlled pots for audio boards on speaker receivers for tv and stereo systems. I think an R/C servo could potentially drive a standard pot through the full range of motion. I see some remote and servo packs for around $25-$50 on ebay. One controller could potentially run 2-6 lights.
4) Trigger with remotes of your choice (In my case, Cactus V5 at ~$35 per transceiver)

So, in theory, this makes a studio of two lights cost under $100. You could even use shoe mount optical triggers in place of radio receivers for all your extra lights. You could possibly have 6 radio controlled lights for $200-$300.

So, I probably won't follow through on my theory, as radio controlling power is not a pressing need for me, but I wanted to present the theory to anyone who might be interested. It could sure make for an interesting, cheap home studio set up!

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EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: MANUAL FOCUS... how do you know you got it perfect!?

« on: February 28, 2013, 12:29:00 PM »

I agree, Magic Lantern has been extremely helpful for video. Focus peaking is about the only way you're going to get decent results from run and gun setups without an external monitor. Focus peaking puts red and yellow pixels along the edges of whatever is sharpest in the scene. Be warned, Magic Lantern has a ton of tools, so jumping right in to using it can be intimidating. It also has the ability to override the settings you make in the normal canon menus, so don't be discouraged if it keeps changing your shutter speed/iso, etc. You just need to find the right magic lantern menu to adjust those things

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Lenses / Re: suggestions????

« on: February 12, 2013, 06:33:50 PM »

I have been very satisfied with my Sigma 70-200 2.8 OS, although it may not be as good on a full frame sensor, as my corners are somewhat poor and I have a crop sensor 50D.

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Lenses / Re: Please explain the need for f2.8 zooms

« on: February 01, 2013, 02:09:15 PM »

I love it when users say "it's only one stop" when comparing lenses. One stop is a lot! That's twice as good! Some users complain they couldn't tell the difference in rendering from faster glass and then complain that everyone one else can't see the difference.

You keep harping on this "one stop is twice as much," without seeming to realize that, though technically true, there's a very good reason why we use a logarithmic scale for exposure.

In this context, a linear scale is useless. One stop is not, in fact, "twice as good." One stop is basically one zone on the Adams scale. And, while, yes, it's important to place midtones in zone V instead of zone IV or zone VI, it's not exactly a huge deal to move exposures around by a single stop.

By the time you get to two stops, things change. The difference between zone III and zone V or zone V and zone VII is the difference between midtones and shadows or highlights with good detail. But just a single stop? That's your wiggle room, what you have to work with for interpretation, your margin for error.

Cheers,

b&

Ah, but what if you have to under expose to get the shutter speed fast enough for indoor sports. If one stop is the adjustment curve, and I have to under expose by one stop to get the shot, then there's my wiggle room. I need a 2.8 to get within one stop of my final exposure for indoor basketball. I also use primes, but to get the right moment when someone is driving down the court toward me, I need the zoom.

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EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: can anyone share a basic easy multicam video set up with 5d3s?

« on: January 30, 2013, 12:58:24 AM »

hold on guys, now i don't know where i misled the post to the point where i was talking about syncing things manually in post, that i can always do, but when you shoot with video cameras in Broadcast your cameras time code needs to be set up and you do NOT have to hit record at the same time when you have time code, especially if the time code is synced spot on 100 hours to the clock.

What i want to do is set up the time code on the camera so when i hit record on camera 1 while camera 2 is still not recording when i bring the material back to post and drop it in premiere it spots dead on the TIMELINES Sequence time code in Premiere, no need to drag sync anything manually by lining it up etc, this is what time code is for., Or for example if camera 1 starts and stops recording all day long while camera 2 starts and stops a few times again dropping the files into Premiere with time code means on the time line they will place themselves where the start and stop of the recordings took place, with time code synced to the same clock can not go wrong., like our computers are synced to clocks on line etc.

Ly problem with the 5d3 has been that i set up the clock, display recording in time code and do NOT see any difference when shooting video, then i change that setting to display recording time and i still see no difference in that mode, i only see a difference if i shut the camera on and off while changing settings so is my camera broken or can you guys confirm its the way canon programmed their cameras poorly for time code so you can only have it externally on a ninja/hyperdeck etc etc.

AFAIK no Canon DSLR has free running timecode capabilities. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I use Magic Lantern on a 50D, so I cannot comment on that aspect.

Here's a link that may be useful to you. It explains how to use small battery powered timecode generators with a 5d Mk2.

http://endlesspicnic.com/blog/2011/11/time-code-canon-5d/

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Sigma Announces New 30mm f/1.4 for APS-C

« on: January 29, 2013, 06:48:36 PM »

Hopefully it's as good as their new 35 1.4 for half the price. A man has to be able to dream.