Messages

406

Lenses / Re: Lenses - All Change!

« on: July 28, 2012, 07:31:32 AM »

Depends on your style.  I'd miss having a shallow DOF and low light capability, but each person is different.  If you use f/2.8 and smaller then what you propose will work well, although I'm curious how you'd use the 135 on a crop for weddings and portraits -- I find it too long.

407

Lenses / Re: 70-200 2.8 II vs. 85mm 1.2 II - general opinion

« on: July 26, 2012, 10:12:10 PM »

Agree with Neuro that the 85L has a special advantage on crop sensors because of its much shallower DOF.  On FF, the DOF is very thin and much care has to be taken when shooting wide open.  That said,  there is nothing like the 85L wide open.  First time I tried it and looked at the pics on the monitor, I was amazed even though I'd taken thousands of pics of the kids.  The shallow DOF is magical when done right.

If all you want out of it is a portrait lens, then the 85L is hard to beat.  If you want a good portrait lens with more versatility that can be used for sports, etc. then the 70-200 is a good choice.  Given that you already have a 70-200 f/4, the 70-200 f/2.8 does not give you as much as an advantage.  If you're happy using your 70-200 for sports, etc. then go for the 85L -- it will give you a unique capability. 

408

Lenses / Re: Refurbished Lenses from Canon

« on: July 25, 2012, 12:35:33 PM »

I bought a 5DII refurb. Came looking/ smelling brand new and never used, still with all the stickers on it. I recently picked up a S95 refurb, while it looked clean, it definitely had been handled/ used/ returned.

Happy overall. Sometimes you'll get a basically brand new product, while other times you may get a return that has then been refurbished.

Got my 5DII refurb with about 20 clicks on it.  Maybe someone who had buyers remorse and bought a 5diii instead.

409

Lenses / Re: Refurbished Lenses from Canon

« on: July 25, 2012, 09:05:06 AM »

Picked up a refurbished 5DII for 1600 including shipping and taxes and an ef-s 10-22 for about 600 including shipping and taxes (both when the canon store was running sales).  Refurbished units carry 90 day warranties.  I've been happy with my purchases.

410

Lenses / Re: Advice before buying used 15-85 EF-S

« on: July 25, 2012, 07:57:14 AM »

I'm not familiar with your market (US is bit cheaper), but a 20% price difference for a used lens sounds reasonable as long as it is fully functional and in very good condition.  I'd opt for a used 15-85 rather than a new 17-85.

You want to make sure that it physical condition is acceptable (esp front and rear elements for wear), that it focuses accurately wide open and stopped down, that it's IS works and that the pictures it takes are sharp enough and do not show any decentering.  If it takes good pictures and operates normally, then go for it!

411

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Road Map Becoming More Clear

« on: July 24, 2012, 01:44:28 PM »

I think there is still a place in Canon's top:

A. DSLR product line for:
1. FF - low ISO, high MP, low fps
2. APS-C/APS-H - just 1dx with the smaller sensor so greater the reach, so lower the iso, so even higher fps

B. mirrorless product line for:
1. FF, dedicated wide L lens line

How much advantage would a FF mirrorless camera afford?  Is your goal to make the camera smaller?  Can it really get much smaller than a Rebel form factor without coming out with another lens mount system that would reduce the flange distance?

In the future, the mirror might be replaced to enable higher frame rates, but I'd rather Canon improve the EF lenses, rather than supporting another lens line (EF, EF-S EF-M, EF-M2 for full frmae).  And if FF mirrorless system keeps the EF lens mount, how much smaller can it really get?

412

Lenses / Re: 40mm f/2.8 or 50mm f/1.4

« on: July 24, 2012, 12:13:33 PM »

My L lenses are 17-40 f/4 and 70-200 f/4 and i need a fast prime for shallow DOF other than 100mm f/2.8.

85mm on a APS-C sensor is a little bit long (not a big difference from my 100mm)

I'd suggest looking at 30-35mm and 50mm primes.  I'd try to get as much separation in aperture from your zooms as you can afford.  It will give you significantly shallower DOF and a larger separation will give you more opportunities/reasons to use a prime.  The 35L is a great lens, but the 35 f/2 and Sigma f/1.4 (APS-C only) are options.  There isn't a clear winner at 50mm, so it's mostly a choice between the 50 f/1.4 and Sigma's 50 f/1.4.

413

Lenses / Re: 40mm f/2.8 or 50mm f/1.4

« on: July 24, 2012, 07:19:19 AM »

You mentioned havng L-zooms, so I'm assuming that you already have a good lens than spans 40-50mm.  If so, I see no reason to consider the 40mm especially after you mentioned that IQ is more important than weight or dimensions.  If you don't have any fast primes, a f/1.4 prime might be worth looking into for low-light photography and shallower DOF. 

414

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS M System Announced

« on: July 23, 2012, 04:07:08 PM »

Does the EOS M camera have MFA?  That would be a big factor for me for using it as a backup.

AFMA does not apply to mirrorless cameras since autofocus is done at the sensor (with either contrast detection or phase detection).

Yes, you're correct.  Brain fart of the day!   

415

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS M System Announced

« on: July 23, 2012, 01:08:52 PM »

Does the EOS M camera have MFA?  That would be a big factor for me for using it as a backup.

416

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Upgrading 40d

« on: July 23, 2012, 01:04:23 PM »

Hi,

my 40D is dying...probably from overuse. Sometimes I'm having issues with metering and sometimes the system won't switch to "preview mode" properly (I don't know if it's a software glitch or a hardware issue).


There is no one thing that I can pinpoint that I miss. Shooting better in low light would definitely be great and having 61 focusing points is a definite asset, but the price tag on those 5D-3 is quite hefty. I can afford it, but the question is - do I really need it? Since I'm not shooting professionally, will it really be justified it for me?


Nonac - I've read your review after I have posted this topic, which made me add more weight towards the 5D-3 decision. You've actually wrote about some things that I find very important, so thank you for sharing.

Fugu82 - thanks for the info, it's always nice to hear from people that have actually experienced both cameras in person, as opposed to comparing specs on paper.

Mt Spokane - that's a good point. and on one hand you are right - what's the point of having a great lense where the camera can't pull 100% out of it? on the other hand - getting a less expensive body and another piece of glass (24-70L for instance) is also a good option......so many things to choose from.When you say "fine tuning", what do you mean? Are you referring to post editing or are you talking about having to adjust AF manually (i.e. switch to MF and fine tune it)?

7D won't do that much better in low light than 40D if you shoot RAW.  I had a 20D and I was shocked that the noise performance at ISO 1600 was about the same as the 7D.  The 7D is a great camera if you have to choose something now and want improved AF.  I played around with Rebels and the lack of the control wheels in the back would annoy me until I got used to it.

Also agree with Mt Spokane.  If you use f/2.8 lenses or faster, the body really should have microfocus-adjustments.  That's one reason why I would not consider a Rebel or 60D.  The amount of adjustment that the feature affords can result in a large difference in resolution.

FF is a lot more expensive.  UWA lenses cost more on FF and you will need longer lenses on the other end.  However, fast primes shine on FF and the shallow DOF can not be duplicated on APS-C.

417

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS M System Announced

« on: July 23, 2012, 12:46:39 PM »

Frankly, the G line is dead. The EOS-M is being introduced at the exact same price as the G1 X -- that alone should be all the confirmation you need of the demise of the G line.

And look for new Rebels to all be EOS-M as well.

Cheers,

b&

I'm curious what Canon is planning to do with the G1 X sensor... what else is it used in?  Also curious as to how quickly the AF works -- is it as fast as the phase-detect of a regular Rebel?

Agree that the M-mount will threaten the EF-S mount.  This smaller mount will allow the lenses to get smaller/lighter.

418

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS M System Announced

« on: July 23, 2012, 12:35:19 PM »

$200 seems "gougey", like Canon is saying "you have no choice, so pay up!"

Lol.  Ever buy a Canon-branded lens hood?!?

Oh yeah, Canon lens hoods are much worse!

419

Lenses / Re: Keep 70-200 f4 IS or go for f2.8 IS II?

« on: July 20, 2012, 04:32:59 PM »

Another advantage of 2.8 could be ext 2.0 allowing you still to auto focus on 400mm @f5.6

This may not be a big factor for the OP since he already has the 300 f/2.8 IS...

420

Lenses / Re: Keep 70-200 f4 IS or go for f2.8 IS II?

« on: July 20, 2012, 02:46:37 PM »

Stay with the f/4.  Nothing you wrote indicated that you would need the f/2.8.  The f/4 performs about the same as the f/2.8.  If you shot indoors or in low light and needed the extra stop, then it would be a good reason.  Another reason would be for portraiture if you're interested in shallower DOF.  If those reasons do not apply to you, save the grand and your arm.