Messages

1

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Difference between US/Japanese 7D?

« on: March 07, 2013, 10:26:02 PM »

I live in Japan and bought my Canon 7D and 5DIII over here.  Both come with multilingual menus (Japanese, English, and a whole host of other languages).  Nikon, Pentax, Olympus--even Casio cameras you buy over here have multi-lingual menus. 

Sony and Panasonic do limit their menus.  The Japanese market version features only a Japanese menu.  I had to buy an "overseas model" RX100 to get an English menu, at a premium (about $70-80 more than the Japanese version).  I had been considering a NEX mirrorless system at one point, but for me the menu-gimp has made the Sony MUCH less attractive. 

As for the OP--I haven't noticed any differences between my 7D and any of the American market 7Ds I have seen. 

2

PowerShot / Re: Comparable Camera to the Sony RX100

« on: February 18, 2013, 12:23:37 AM »

I use Canon DSLR's, but for a compact I wound up going with the Sony RX100.  I looked at the Canon S110, G1X, and G15 pretty carefully.  Ultimately I thought the G series was bigger than what I wanted for this purpose (some pocketable), and I felt the edge in IQ over the S110 warranted the higher price (grudgingly).  But as other's have said--if you want to match the RX100 in IQ with a Canon compact, you're kind of stuck with the G series (which isn't really all that compact).  That being said--I think the S110 is pretty good as well (judging from the "sample photo books" at Yodobashi Camera where I was shopping).

I do have a complaint with Sony cameras though.  I live in Japan, and if I want an English language menu I have to buy a "Sony overseas model" (at a higher price).  Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, heck--even Casio--include Japanese and English on their menus (as well as many other languages). 

Anyway, I bit the bullet and bought the overseas model for the RX100.  But I had been thinking about a NEX in the future as a mirror-less system.  Less enthusiastic about it now.

3

Canon General / Re: Cannon / Nikon Meme

« on: February 08, 2013, 11:23:39 PM »

"You call that a lens?  THIS is a lens!"

4

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5d Mark III Eyepiece cover

« on: January 21, 2013, 06:51:41 PM »

I carry the eye cover in the little pocket that comes on my Rapid Strap, along with my wireless remote.  Yeah, I wish Canon made one with a built in shutter as well. 

5

Software & Accessories / Re: Compactflash Card: SanDisk vs. Lexar...

« on: January 04, 2013, 07:08:14 PM »

I guess I'm just echoing the chorus, but I use both SanDisk and Lexar (for both CF and SDHC) and have never had a problem. 

6

Canon General / Re: Recommended photography books

« on: December 26, 2012, 05:51:32 PM »

Bryan Petersen's Understanding Exposure and Understanding Flash Photography

+1 on Understanding Exposure.  I haven't read his book on flash photography, but as someone with little formal training in photography I found Understanding Exposure and his "Field Guide" to be very helpful, easy to read, and interesting.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Natural Progression of Camera Bodies. Type Your story below.

« on: December 25, 2012, 12:43:36 AM »

December 2006: Canon 400D / EOS Rebel XTi (used sporadically until 2009, then intensively afterward).
March 2010: Canon 7D
May 2012: Canon 5D Mark III

8

Lenses / Re: Canon Announces New Lens Caps!

« on: December 15, 2012, 09:33:45 AM »

If anyone is still interested, these things are now available here in Japan.  I picked up a couple at Yodobashi Camera in Osaka this week.  No, they don't have ultrasonic printed on them.  They are thicker than the old side pinch type, but not enough to make a difference (i.e. they still fit in my bags). 

I do use lens caps at times (when moving by train to different location, in museums that don't allow photography, etc.).  Guess I'll see if the center-pinch types were worth the 850 yen price in the next few months.

9

EOS Bodies / Re: black focus points on 5Dmkiii

« on: December 12, 2012, 01:18:39 AM »

I love my 5DIII, but yeah--the AF points can be hard to see in low light.  I've been doing quite a bit of stuff at night recently, and I wish they could work out a solution like they did for the 1DX.  In most cases it isn't too much of an issue. but in situations where you are moving the AF points around it can make life a little more challenging.  Doesn't dent my enthusiasm for the camera; and I guess the fact that I can shoot in situations where it is dark enough to make this an issue shows how well it does at high ISOs.  So...

Wish the AF points had a red / blinky / low light "option," but not crying about it anyway.  (HOWEVER--I suspect someone shooting very "active" situations in the dark might find this to be a more serious concern...  I remember another thread a while back in which some guy was shooting dancers in a dark theater.  For his purpose, the dark AF points might be more of a concern).

10

Contests / Re: Gura Gear Giveaway!

« on: December 06, 2012, 08:36:10 PM »

I want to win and my camera REALLY wants me to win!

11

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Post your HDR images:

« on: November 22, 2012, 10:10:32 PM »

This is my first attempt at an HDR image.  Tripods weren't allowed, so I had used the in-camera HDR function on my 5DIII and saved the RAW files, then used Photoshop Elements 10 to process the HDR.  Kobuntei at Kairakuen Garden.  Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.  22 November 2012.

12

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

« on: November 02, 2012, 11:32:01 PM »

Yay!  My 100 mm f2.8l macro is just arrived.  Hopefully have a chance to get shooting with it tomorrow. 

13

Canon General / Re: Would you rather . . .

« on: October 28, 2012, 10:15:00 AM »

Yeah, but does that one good image have decent DR?  That's all that REALLY matters.

Remember, we're Canon shooters.  Our cameras suck at DR because they aren't the Nikon D800.  That is the only camera capable of taking good pictures.  The rest of us can just start crying into our camera bags now.

(Hope the sarcasm is pretty clear...)

14

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Firmware adds HDMI & AF Upgrades

« on: October 23, 2012, 10:10:40 AM »

I still love my 5DIII, but the non-illuminated AF thing...  Some quirks I get used to and they don't bother me after a while, but in this particular case the more I use the camera the more the AF points bug me (when shooting in dark conditions).  I don't do much in the way of video; I guess the uncompressed HDMI is cool, and if I ever get a chance to rent a lens where it becomes relevant the F/8 upgrade is nice. 

But I was really hoping for the AF illumination like on the 1DX.  Thanks Canon. 
 

15

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: upgrading from rebel xsi: T4i or used 7D

« on: October 21, 2012, 07:12:00 AM »

I went from an XTi to a 7D a few years back and I was really happy with the move.  My friend had an XSi (Kiss X5 over here I think it was).  His was a little better than my XTi in terms of low light (we were shooting--attempting  to shoot?--an indoor volleyball match).  However, the 7D was better than either.  Can't reallly say much about the T4i, but when I got my 5DIII a few months back, I held on to my 7D.  I still love that camera.