Messages

31

Lenses / Re: Help me choose: EF lens for 60D

« on: December 15, 2012, 08:04:02 PM »

Go for the 17-40mm, I have a Canon T1i and every time I'm out in Montana, when I'm not taking photos of wildlife, I have the 17-40mm on.  It is a great lens and very sharp at F/8-11, many of my most famous works have been with it and it can transfer over to full frame, I just got a 5D MkII two days ago and haven't gotten around to shooting with the 17-40mm on it but I am sure it will be great.  Here are some photos I've taken with my 17-40mm.

32

Software & Accessories / Format Exporting From Lightroom

« on: October 26, 2012, 03:38:58 PM »

I shoot RAW and edit in post, I sometimes make prints but I am going to start making a lot more, I have always exported my files as JPEGS, should I be exporting them as TIF files instead?  Memory does not really matter to me, I just need the highest quality.

33

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: SLR-like raw shooting cam - suggestions?

« on: October 15, 2012, 07:04:52 PM »

S100 is a great camera, went to the zoo about two months ago and got so great shots with it that I will post below.  It doesn't have the longest or fastest lens but is very wide at 24mm equivalent with a pretty fast apature of F2.  The S110 seems to have some pretty cool new functions like a touch screen and mobile tethering but does not have built in GPS and the screen is still 400 something K dot which isn't great, so the manual focus can be very hard.  Overall I love the S100 and I'm sure you can pick one up cheap right now or even cheaper during Black Friday/ Christmas as stores try and get rid of them for the S110.  Here are some pics I took with mine shot in AV and M in RAW and edited in Lightroom 4.

34

Portrait / Re: Post Your Self Portraits Here

« on: October 14, 2012, 07:46:29 PM »

How many Shots did you take to get it right? I found it really hard to get a good shot with my camera on the tripod.

I just used the tripod to hold my flash, I held the camera with my hands, it took about 15 shots to get this one.

35

Portrait / Post Your Self Portraits Here

« on: October 14, 2012, 01:00:22 AM »

While most self portraits or selfies are stupid photos of girls with there lips stuck out like a duck and there backs hunched over, I would like to see what Canon Rumors can do with a camera in there hands and themselves as the subject.  I just got a Yongnuo YN-560 II and a Cowboy Studio Trigger, I wanted to try some portrait shots but no one else was around, this is what I came up with using a Canon T1i and a 50mm 1.8 II.

36

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM

« on: October 05, 2012, 11:45:42 PM »

Love my 17-40mm, here are some of my pics, I jump straight to it when I am going to do landscapes or cars.

37

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 28-135 / EF-S 17-85 / EF-S 15-85

« on: October 02, 2012, 08:37:49 PM »

I have a 28-135, I have been meaning to get rid of it, don't know why they sell it with crop bodys, it pretty much starts at 50 which is way to long for a walk around zoom lens.  Hope I can get $200 or more on the evilbay.  Also I would recommend the Canon 17-40mm F/4L USM if you have the money, I got mine for $500 on ebay in great condition, has served me so well.  Here are some shots I've taken with my 17-40, I've taken some of my favorite and most profitable pic with it.

38

EOS Bodies / Re: 6D or 5D Mk II

« on: September 17, 2012, 10:41:18 PM »

"What is your prediction regarding the used-price market for the 5DII? My guess is that if it's discontinued the price will go up and you'll likely pay more for it than the current new price."


When was the last time a digital camera went up in price because it was discontinued, it's not a collectable, it will go down in price.

39

Lenses / Re: If you can have ONLY 3 lenses, what would they...???

« on: September 16, 2012, 06:20:38 PM »

I have my three lenses that I carry around everywhere. 
The Canon 50mm 1.8 II, I am on a budget and it is a great lens for portraits and walking around, it's light and amazing.

The Sigma 105mm F/2.8 Macro EX DG, sharper then the Canon 100mm L, lighter and only cost me $300 on Ebay.

The Canon 17-40mm F/4 L USM, Wide angle to regular, very sharp, great for landscapes, the lightest L lens.

With the three lenses above, I have every focal length I need and they are all light and pretty cheap.

40

EOS Bodies / Re: What will be the standard high ISO levels 6 to 8 years from now?

« on: September 02, 2012, 11:42:27 PM »

I would much rather see ISO 25 and less, without any loss in highlight range.

YES, I do like having ISO 12,800 on my T1i but all the time a need slower ISO speeds either so I can shoot wider open or have longer exposures for waterfalls.  I know you can use ND filters but they can be annoying and even at ISO 100 I would like the images to be cleaner.

41

Software & Accessories / Re: Variable ND question

« on: August 20, 2012, 08:13:56 AM »

When cranked up to the max darkness level, I get a black X mark across the screen on my vivtal variable ND... do you guys see this in any of your Variable ND's at max  setting?

Yes, this is something that will happen with every variable ND.

42

Software & Accessories / Re: Variable ND question

« on: August 19, 2012, 09:27:46 PM »

I would have to recommend Neewer for their ND faders, AKA variable ND filters.  I got a 52mm thread one for my Canon 50mm 1.8 II and love it so much, it only cost $5 with another $5 for shipping, I would say I have gotten a lot more use out of it then $10.  Just one photo using it earned me enough money to buy over 10 of them.  It does not reduce sharpness all that much, it is almost unnoticeable, you are more likely to lose sharpness from your subject or your tripod moving slightly.  My only complaint about it is that it changes from a 52mm thread to a 54mm thread so I can't put on my hood for my 50mm but most lenses have another mount for their hoods so this isn't even that much of a problem.  Here is a link to the 77mm Neewer ND fader on Amazon for $11.32, http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Neutral-Density-Adjustable-Variable/dp/B0059ATVJW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345425685&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+77mm .  Neewer does a great job of making ND faders and I would recommend them to anyone because of their cost and performance.  You might have to do a little bit of color correction in post but that is something you should do no matter if you have the filter on or off and at high densities it suffers from weird pattern problems, but not worse then $400 ND faders, if anything better then them. 
Here is just one of the amazing shots I've gotten from this great filter

 


Also, love the name, I've got a '11 GTI, LOVE the sound of a VR6, what is it in?

43

Landscape / Trip to Montana, Landscapes

« on: August 19, 2012, 05:32:12 PM »

Went to Montana for a couple of weeks, had some great views and thought I should share.  Shot with a Canon T1i and a 50mm 1.8 II or 17-40mm F/4L.  I got a Neewer 52mm ND fader and feel in love with it, did not remove all that much sharpness and was only five dollars,  also used a Dolica AX620 B100 Proline which I got for $40 and I would highly recommend it, it was light and had a great ball head.  Please give feedback!

44

Lenses / Re: 100mm f/2.8L IS vs 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II for Macro

« on: August 19, 2012, 04:11:36 PM »

Just an idea, I have a Sigma 105mm EX DG which gives amazing results, DxOMark.com gives it a rating higher then the 100mm 2.8L, I got mine for $300 used on Ebay in mint condition.  You might want to get that and then go for a used 70-200mm F/4L, two great lenses for the price of one.  I've used a 70-200mm F/4L for a couple weeks, some say it is even sharper then the 2.8.  Makes you think.

45

Portrait / Re: Portrait Feedback Please!

« on: August 06, 2012, 11:27:45 PM »

The photos don't seem to me to be all that flattering, I'm sure she is very pretty in person but I recommend going closer to your subject, she shouldn't look like an ant.  Also try and draw attention more toward her face and eyes.  I'm the kind of person that thinks that the eyes should be the centerpiece.  Sometimes isolating your subject helps, just don't get carried away or lazy with shallow depth of field.  I would recommend for future shots to shot at 55mm as at 18mm the subject often looks a bit strange at such a wide angle.  Your photo editing seems to be good.  I'm not a professional, I'm just giving my advice, amateur to amateur.  If you are planning on doing more portraits, I would recommend picking up a 50mm 1.8 II, it's a great cheap lens that I use for all my portraits.  Here are some shots with my Canon T1i and the 50mm 1.8 II.