Messages

781

EOS Bodies / Re: Should i go for the 1DX or the 5D Mk III?

« on: December 14, 2011, 02:21:18 PM »

I agree 100%. Unless you're printing highway billboards, I don't think anything in the DSLR world will be superior to the 1DX for any assignment you give it -- at least if it lives up to Canon's hype. I still want to see real world experience.

I'm a working full time wedding photog. High megapixels does not equal a good wedding camera. I  print 40x60 canvases with images from an 18mp sensor. Do you really need more than that? Let's use the dreaded N word - My friends who use Nikon that charge upwards of 10k for a wedding actually shoot them with their D3S, which is something like 12mp, but have incredible high ISO capability and great autofocus. Those that have the much higher megapixel D3X relegate it to their studio camera and it never sees a wedding. Low noise, fast autofocus, and high FPS are much more importsnt features for a wedding camera than megapixles. Most photos will never be bigger than a canvas or an album spread. Wedding pictures don't go up on billboards. Resoution isn't everything. IMHO, the 1DX will be the ultimate wedding camera on the market.

782

EOS Bodies / Re: A little humor - Canon vs Nikon video

« on: December 13, 2011, 07:22:19 PM »

Guess I have to side with Bridge on this, except on the "not allow" part. For me, the First Amendment is everything and the Second is outmoded.

My take on this video is that it's childish and thoroughly silly -- and when I got to the end I thought, that's a long way to go for a chuckle.

I'm an acknowledged old curmudgeon and rabid anti-gun person so my opinion is predictable. I'll defend to the death the right of silly and childish people to watch such junk, but it doesn't interest me.

This "Video" has nothing to do with humor. It´s filmed violence, nothing more. I would not allow such a piece of S___, if I were responsible for Canon rumors. What about creativity, what about ideas?

Ralf

783

Canon General / Re: An EF 70-200 f/4L IS II in Mid January? [CR1]

« on: December 12, 2011, 06:54:50 PM »

Apparently you have a different 135L than the rest of us.

If you had carte blanche to upgrade this lens, what would you do? What specs would it have after your upgrades?

Paint it black

784

Canon General / Re: 2012 Prediction - Canon drop from #1 to ...

« on: December 11, 2011, 10:40:10 PM »

That's funny, Unc, but so true. A big white lens can be like a magic wand.

BTW, not to get off subject, but a big lens can be like holding a skunk, people will just clear the hell out of the way for you.

785

Canon General / Re: An EF 70-200 f/4L IS II in Mid January? [CR1]

« on: December 11, 2011, 12:18:14 PM »

First, this is a [CR1] so discussion is wildly speculative. To the extent it proves out, I suspect it's more marketing than anything technical or performance oriented. If you add $10 to unit cost at manufacturer level on the back end, the marketing devils can turn that into $100 more revenue on the front end.

From a discussion standpoint, I'm more interested in other lenses named as needing upgrade. I wonder why the 135L is in that group. I can understand there hasn't been much, if any, change to this lens for a long time, but otherwise I wonder what an upgrade would look like.

If you had carte blanche to upgrade this lens, what would you do? What specs would it have after your upgrades?

I'm especially interested in Big Brain's take on this since he has pro optics credentials. But I'm interested in everyone's dream list for making the 135 better than it already is.

Thanks, everyone.

786

EOS Bodies / Re: Another Canon Store 15% off refurb sale...

« on: December 11, 2011, 11:00:21 AM »

Wow, a 5D2 for $1699.

I'm not sure I'll be able to resist this.

Thanks for the heads up, I think.

787

United States / Re: $100,000 - How would you spend it?

« on: December 10, 2011, 07:27:22 PM »

I guess a 1dx, a 5d2 and a full compliment of L lenses.

Oh, and a hot, red Corvette to quickly get me to places I want to shoot.

788

EOS Bodies / Re: Why I need MPs

« on: December 10, 2011, 01:30:05 PM »

I second this emotion.

I like looking at your finished pictures. Good work.

Nice shots. Love the crop on the first image.

789

Canon General / Re: 2012 Prediction - Canon drop from #1 to ...

« on: December 10, 2011, 01:18:13 PM »

Thanks, Mr. Dilbert. Always interesting to think about what's happening/coming. But as far as #1, I really don't care. I'll use whatever gives me good results. A label on the outside is irrelevant to me.

The only investment I have in Canon at the moment is the equipment I have. It's serviceable and gives me satisfactory results. I'm looking forward probably to a 5D3, but that's not set in stone. If something markedly better comes along that makes sense to me, I'd migrate to that. My only real allegiance is to good pictures.

From a financial investment standpoint, at this point, I think there are probably better places to put money than imaging companies. Money invested in a company would buy some fealty; ownership of their product doesn't compel me to see them as #1.

790

Software & Accessories / Re: Your Personal 7-Point System

« on: December 09, 2011, 06:26:16 PM »

I don't know how useful it could be, but here's my typical workflow.

1. Import RAW files into Lightroom.

2. Enable lens profile correction, if appropriate.

3. Crop, level, etc.

4. Check, correct, change white balance.

5. Adjust exposure if needed.

6. Work overall lighting, adjust highlights, darks, mid-tones, etc.

7. Adjust clarity, sharpness, vibrancy and color saturation if needed.

8. Go into tone mapping and globally adjust if needed.

9. Work individual color saturation if needed (grass is most common to pop the green).

10. Decrease noise as needed.

11. Export the file as jpg, then open in a 25" monitor and check the work.

12. Go back to Lightroom and make adjustments as needed based on looking at the big monitor.

Interestingly, I just got the Nik software plugins for Lightroom. Their workflow directions says work out the noise first. Here's their flow:

1. Use Dfine to reduce noise.

2. Go to HDR Efex or Viveza to develop an HDR look or to adjust light and color.

3. Go to Color Efex for color corrections.

4. Use Silver Efex if converting to B & W, if not, skip this.

5. Finish with Sharpener Pro to sharpen image.

What surprises me is that most software adjustments I've ever done always increase noise -- so I've always gone to noise reduction last. Nik advises doing it first.

Such is life, I guess.

791

Street & City / Re: what is it with the brits and DSLR cameras?

« on: December 07, 2011, 11:06:39 AM »

Thanks, doc. This is useful.

Here's the ACLU advice for U.S. citizens making images in the U.S. This is just FYI and obviously doesn't apply to U.S. citizens in other countries.

http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers

read the following:

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/photography_body_launches_rights_card_news_257561.html

We have a problem in our country with terror laws so if you are out taking pictures the police can stop you as they may think you are a terrorist.  This has happened on loads of occasions and the magazine actually has a print and keep card to present to the police if they ask you to stop taking photos.

Its silly really and disuades people from coming to the UK for tourism. It seems to happen more though in the London area than in the rest of the UK.

792

EOS Bodies / Re: How can Nikon remain in business with 12MP FF?

« on: December 06, 2011, 07:03:06 PM »

Please tell me how you know this factored into any Canon design or marketing decisions.

Since Nikon is competing with these 12mpx, Canon hosed us by going back on resolution in the flagship 1Dx.

793

Landscape / Re: behind the shoals

« on: December 06, 2011, 02:23:36 PM »

Why not simply clean the sensor?

794

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS-1V Experience?

« on: December 05, 2011, 01:19:35 PM »

May I ask what you scanned for this image? Print, negative, color positive film? Nice image.

I've been using the EOS-3 with an Epson Perfection v600 as a sub $500 "full frame" combo solution.

795

EOS Bodies / Re: iPhone 4S vs Canon 5DII

« on: December 04, 2011, 05:58:16 PM »

Thanks, Haydn. Interesting, for a bit of transparent marketing puffery.

If someone will give me a 5D2, I'll run a more realistic (and documented) test. Oh, I'll need an iPhone too. I'll throw my android phone into the mix for added appeal.

From what I can tell, the serious bulk of image sensor development is going on in the phone world -- in contrast to the camera world. Phones are not only a huge market now, but the future is a consolidation of discrete devices now nascent in the threat phones are giving the point & shoot camera business. Given technological development, I'd guess in 10 years there will be one device (who knows what the marketers will end up calling it -- hand me my platypus, please) that does everything well just about everywhere. The combination of sensor and software development may well eliminate the need for all the "glass" we currently covet -- and are limited by with today's DSLRs. (Who needs $10,000 tied up in various lenses when a sensor and software outperform all that expensive glass?) Today people are hauling around iPods, iPads, GPS units, mp3 players, P&S cameras, video cameras, binoculars, medical alerts, voice recorders, radios, paper & pens, and who knows what else. The marketers want technology to replace all that stuff with one device. Sensors, processors and programming (software) are the keys to this advancement.

Anyway, if someone has an iPhone and 5D2 to donate for the test, let me know.

Beam me outta here, Scotty!!