Messages

436

EOS Bodies / Re: Question about RAW

« on: April 20, 2011, 08:24:24 PM »

A good habit you can get into now is NEVER changing the white balance setting on your camera, you can change it AFTER you take the photo as long as you are shooting in RAW.  Set your camera to AWB, and leave it there....forever. 

This may not work, from a workflow perspective, for a wedding photographer for instance:
A typical job may result in around 800 images.  The closer those images are to perfect, straight out of the camera, the less work you have afterwards.  - After all, your client does not pay you for the time you spend editing in Lightroom/Aperture/DPP etc.

As for shooting JPGs - I can understand why some wedding photographers shoot JPGs, but my wife and I do not subscribe to their point of view.  (They probably don't have UDMA CF cards, and have not realised that storage is cheap.)
If you have a 1D/1Ds, then it makes absolute sense to write RAW to CF and JPG to SD.  That way you have a level of backup in the event of a card failure.

437

EOS Bodies / Re: 26.4mp 5D Mark III Mid-year? [CR1]

« on: April 19, 2011, 07:46:28 PM »

If these specifications are true, I can see the D800 selling well.

Uh, perhaps you haven't been paying attention, but the factory where Nikon makes all of its pro-level DSLRs was seriously impacted by the earthquake earlier in the year. If that factory is responsible for the D800 then there could be a significant delay to it and other D? series cameras.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case and Canon knows it and is pouncing early because of it.

Canon has also been hit badly - I'm not sure how badly.  The company I work for also owns a distribution business, which includes Canon.  When I checked yesterday, there was one (1) lens in stock.  There have not been any xD cameras in stock for a while as well.

438

Lenses / Re: EF 24-105 f/4L IS II [CR1]

« on: April 19, 2011, 07:40:55 PM »

Based on the age of the current 24-105, I would be surprised if it is replaced.  It would take an additional feature, perhaps related to video, to justify a refresh.  I'm actually hoping that the 5DIII includes a new 24-70 f/2.8L II as the "kit lens".  That lens is past due.

That has been my thinking.  One of my concerns about the 24-70 is its field curvature (see the review on photozone.de).  An interesting question would also be whether an IS version of the 24-70 is feasible.  Given the f/2.8 aperture, I am not sure, however whether that would make the lens too bulky.  (Nikon doesn't have a 24-70 f/2.8 VR lens, so there may be a good reason for that.)

439

EOS Bodies / Re: 26.4mp 5D Mark III Mid-year? [CR1]

« on: April 18, 2011, 04:55:02 PM »

" 19 point AF system, 3 cross-type points"
That is a few steps backward from the 7D. 7D is ALL 19 points cross.

I think they meant f/2.8 cross-type points, with the rest being f/5.6.

This is the one spec that kind of stands out to me; where would the 3 be? Seems kind of odd...I would think 5 would make more sense (1 center, 4 corners or 1 center and 1 on each side of the center). Being 3 it might be Center, then the one directly to the left and right of it.

The various comments about "3 focus points" makes for interesting reading because those who've been using Canon SLRs for longer than the "digital years" will be familiar with how Canon arranged auto-focus points on SLRs with of 3 them. Strange as it may seem, when there were only 3 auto focus points, I was still able to take photos that were in focus.

Strange as it may seem, people took good photos of all sorts of things before the viewfinder was full of autofocus points - heck, how many auto-focus points do you think Ansel Adams had? Photographers that are children of the Internet revolution are such babies.

Seconded.

I mostly use just the central focus point... all the other are just used to confirm focus on ladnscapes.

I was actually wondering how many people only use the centre auto-focus point. 
For subjects that are not moving, I still tend to prefer to focus and recompose.  I have to admit that the 7D's cluster of focus points in the centre is a nice-to-have feature.
Better low-light performance is probably far more important to more autofocus points. - Even for people like wedding shooters.

440

EOS Bodies / Re: 26.4mp 5D Mark III Mid-year? [CR1]

« on: April 18, 2011, 06:34:49 AM »

Canon has always introduced their new digic processors on 1 series cameras. 

Not true.  Digic IV was introduced on the 50D, then used in the 5DII, the 7D,  the Rebel T1i, and even a bunch of PowerShots, before making it into the 1D IV.  The 1DsIII still uses dual Digic III chips.

I had forgotten about the 50D before the 5DII ;-) - It seems that in the past, Canon have either regarded introducing a new DIGIC chip on a 1 series camera was either too high risk (whether due to real or perceived issues) or they needed the volumes of one of the cheaper models to get the cost of the chips down to a reasonable level.

441

EOS Bodies / Re: 26.4mp 5D Mark III Mid-year? [CR1]

« on: April 17, 2011, 09:02:35 PM »

Very sensible rumor - even though it's hard to believe that the 5DIII will come before the 1DV (or the 1DsIII successor).

Still sticking to my prediction that the next camera from Canon will be the 1DV  .
The 5DIII will come later. Same specs as in this rumor but with the 1DV sensor - likely 30mp, though, not 26mp.

What is not clear in my mind is whether or not Canon will risk going to market with a 1D or 1Ds as the first camera with a DIGIC V processor - there is strong conjecture that in order to push more resolution, Canon will need a processor that has more throughput than the DIGIC IV.  To push the images expected from the next generation 1D or 1Ds, dual DIGIC IV may not cut the mustard.

It is likely, at least in my mind that Canon may not want to take the risk of making a 1Ds or 1D the first product with a DIGIC V - although maybe a Powershot G13 could also fulfill that requirement. *grin*
It may also be necessary to bring a new generation of DIGIC processor into mass production first in order to be able to deliver the chips cost effectively for a 1D or 1Ds platform.

All conjecture of course!

442

Lenses / Re: Canon 24mm 1.4 distorting faces for close ups.

« on: April 15, 2011, 08:27:34 AM »

Hey!

I only really have enough money to buy one lens to begin with on a 5dmkii and i decided i wanted a fast wide lens for photos such as group photos and events and filming. However I am reading that the 24mm will disort faces for portraits. I have two questions,

1/ how close do you have to be to distort faces because this sort of portrait looks fine to me? http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaynabatya/4060563740/

2/ if i used a 2x extender would this solve my problems? I cant find any examples of anyone using an extender on a wide angle lens so i am wondering if anyone has experience with this? or i could possibly afford the zeiss 1.4 if the quality of the 24mm and  2x extender is no good? What would you recommend?

Thanks for you help!

If I could only have one lens for a 5DmkII, my first choice would be the 24-105mm f/4L IS USM.  It is not a fast lens, and it does not provide the most pleasing bokeh, but it is a workhorse.  It can be used as an all-day walkabout lens.  It is a favourite with many wedding photographers because of its versatility.  Bundled with the 5DmkII, as a kit, you also pay slightly less for it than you would for the lens on its own.  I think it is no surprise that this is the lens Canon bundle with the 5DmkII as a kit lens.  Despite the 24-105mm not being a fast lens, the 5DmkII does a good job at high ISO settings, so you can quite comfortably shoot at ISO800 or possibly higher at times.

If I could not afford the price tag of the 24-105mm, then I would opt for the 50mm f/1.4 USM.  - Keep in mind that before zoom lenses become common, the standard 50mm lens was probably the most widely used lens you would see on a camera.  Oh, and if you can afford the 24-105mm, then the 50mm f/1.4 is probably a good choice as a second lens!

Also, regardless of what lens you purchase, you will probably want to look, sooner rather than later, at buying a speedlite.

443

Lenses / Re: Just bought a 50mm f/1.4 Ai-s Nikkor for my Canon 7D

« on: April 14, 2011, 07:24:12 PM »

I was thinking about a focus scree, can someone tell me more about them, and advise me on a good one?

I would like to know this too, especially since the 7D's focus screen isn't meant to be easily removed and canon does make them for the 7D (to my knowledge).

This is also my understanding, however it appears that there are third party focusing screens available for the 7D.  For example, take a look at:
http://www.focusingscreen.com/index.php?cPath=21_104

They also provide instructions for replacing the focusing screen on a 7D:
http://www.focusingscreen.com/work/7den.htm

(Disclaimer: until this morning I was not aware that third party focusing screens are available.  I have not tried replacing a focusing screen on a 7D.  I don't know if any of the products I've referred to above are any good. - Use at your own peril.)

444

EOS Bodies / Re: Stronger body?

« on: April 14, 2011, 05:15:11 PM »

My wife has shot some weddings with a photographer who just dumps his 1DsIII in the boot of the car between locations.  Not only does it roll around during the drive, but it is exposed to all the dirt you normally find in a car's boot.  He is also a spirited driver!  (The punishment the camera gets is visible on the body.)  He also leaves lenses on the floor of his studio without either front or rear dust caps.

To many, tools of the trade are just that, tools.  That being said, I wouldn't hire a carpenter that abused his tools.

I'm totally with you on that.  There is no way you can avoid shooting weddings where you get rained on, get covered in spray at the beach or have smoke from a bonfire pour into a reception venue.  Your gear has to deal with that. There is absolutely no excuse, on the other hand, for abusing your gear.  My wife's gear gets the same tender treatment she gives a newborn baby... (probably a reason why we have had relatively few "quality" problems with camera gear.)

445

EOS Bodies / Re: Stronger body?

« on: April 12, 2011, 08:34:14 PM »

It's cause of this that I'm not a bit worried about rugness.

I take good care of my cameras, they can take allot of abuse.

Maybe a rugged camera would take more of a beating or survive a harsher accident, but prevention is the best ruggedness.

In real life, the punishment cameras are more likely to experience day in day out include:
- cold
- rain + water splashes
- dust
- beach sand and salt spray

The last point is probably the worst - the beach is one of the worst possible environments for a camera.  How a camera holds up to frequent exposure to grit and salt can be a big factor.

Some photographers do abuse their cameras though.  My wife has shot some weddings with a photographer who just dumps his 1DsIII in the boot of the car between locations.  Not only does it roll around during the drive, but it is exposed to all the dirt you normally find in a car's boot.  He is also a spirited driver!  (The punishment the camera gets is visible on the body.)  He also leaves lenses on the floor of his studio without either front or rear dust caps.

446

EOS Bodies / Re: The Truth about Microadjust

« on: April 09, 2011, 04:04:00 AM »

What would be interesting to understand is what percentage of lenses and bodies require any micro-adjustment.  I would guess that it is likely that only those who need to do micro-adjustment tend to be vocal about the subject.

I, for one, only today got around to finally checking some of our lenses against our 7D.  For the 17-40mm f/4L, 85mm f/1.2L II, and 50mm f/1.4 none needed any micro-adjustment. - I have to admit I have not bothered testing the 85mm and 50mm against the 5DmkII, as we have shot so many sharp images wide open with those lenses, that I do not have the inclination to spend the time mucking around with adjustment.

Is there any way of getting an understanding of the percentage of lenses/bodies that require any micro-adjustment?

447

Lenses / Re: Old film camera lenses for DSLRs?

« on: April 05, 2011, 04:53:29 AM »

Thanks. So, where can I find an adapter, and can one expect image quality loss with this, 'leak' light, etc? So if I can find say a 24mm/f1.4 or 50mm/f1.4 from the film days, is that worth the cost savings, or am i better off with an L lens?

If I recall correctly, Canon made a small number of FD to EF adapters, which were intended to allow pro shooters to use their big glass on the new EOS bodies.  There are still a few of those floating around, but like the 50mm f/1.0L, they cost way more than their original retail price.  There are apparently also some cheaper adapters floating around, but they are nasty!

Compared to the effort of getting adapters, it is probably a better bet either to look for second hand EF primes, or buy new ones.  You don't need to go for L series lenses - for instance, you will find many photographers who prefer the 50mm f/1.4 over the 50mm f/1.2L!  As I said, the 50mm f/1.4 has been on the market since 1993, so you may be able to find used ones at a good price.

448

Lenses / Re: Old film camera lenses for DSLRs?

« on: April 04, 2011, 11:53:34 PM »

You can use any Canon EF mount lens on a modern Canon DSLR.  That allows you to use lenses going back to roughly 1987 when the Canon EOS 650, the very first EOS body, was launched.  Unlike Nikon, when Canon launched the EOS range of SLRs, Canon made a total departure from the previous FD lens mount system, which used a mechanical linkage to control the aperture, in favour of a fully electronic body-lens interconnection for the EOS system.  That means you can't use old FD lenses on an EOS body, unless you find an adapter.
That said, it is probably a fair bet that many early EF zooms do not deliver the level of performance that modern sensors require.  The story is rather different with prime lenses - for instance the 50mm f/1.4 which is on the market today was introduced in 1993.  Later versions of that lens may have been tweaked a little, but the optics are basically the same.  You will find that there has been much less development of prime lenses than zooms, since zoom lens technology is much newer.  Some prime lens designs, like the Zeiss Planar date back as far as 1896, and the optics of many modern prime lenses are fundamentally the same as their ancestors - going back over 100 years in the case of the Zeiss Planar!

449

EOS Bodies / Re: 7D MK2 APS-H??

« on: March 29, 2011, 07:59:31 PM »

It makes sense to me to have a nice middle of the road crop factor that is still pretty good at wide angle but can give zooms a little more reach. I don't know, maybe they are going to make the 1Ds some 40mp monster with selectable crop factors to replace the 1D.

If they are making the 1D FF then they must we doing something strange with the 1Ds. Maybe crop mode or maybe square sensor, who knows.

I'll just say I don't think the 7D2 will have an APS-H sensor. But if it did I'd understand it.

Out of curiosity: What is the largest image circle, which could be projected using an EF mount lens?
Given that the EF mount has the largest diameter (54mm) of any small format SLR system, is it technically possible to project an image circle larger than that required for a 24x36mm sensor with a lens that has an
EF mount?
If it is possible, Canon could introduce a camera with a larger than full frame sensor?  The challenge then
is whether you could use existing EF lenses to produce a cropped image?  Using a larger sensor would
of course require totally new lenses if it were possible to project a larger image circle while still using an
EF mount.

If this is technically possible - someone who has a better understanding than me of optics may be able to comment - then Canon could possibly entertain a 1Ds with a < 1 crop factor, while still allowing the use of
existing EF lenses with a 1x crop factor.
What I would however envisage could also be a problem with this kind of scheme is that a standard EF
lens would have shorter back-focus distance than one projecting a larger image circle, thus one might have
the same problem which requires that EF-S lenses be incompatible with a standard EF mount in order to
prevent damage to the reflex mirror in a full frame camera.

Anyone who has a better understanding of optics care to comment?

450

Lenses / Re: Lenses Officially Delayed

« on: March 27, 2011, 09:48:22 PM »

You can also count on any of these "new" dSLRs to also see significant delays due to the situation in Japan.  The nuclear reactors are getting worse not better.  The media has just been downplaying it, especially with everything else going on.  I won't doubt it if we do not see any new lines coming out until 2012 unless they were already complete to begin with.  I wouldnt be surprise if canon has to move their manufacturing plants out of Japan entirely.

Even the simplest things seem to be hitting delays - I have a lens hood for a 50mm f/1.4 on backorder (the company I work for is a Canon distributor in Australia).  At the moment, there is no ETA even on a simple lens hood!  As of this morning, when I checked, there were 4 lenses (across the EF-S and EF ranges) and about 30 cameras in stock... not a good prognosis.  I was really struck by the fact that there were only 4 lenses in stock!
(Contrast that with over 200 Apple iMacs in stock!)