Messages

61

Canon General / Re: I have more money than I do needs... so what should be my next step?

« on: November 05, 2012, 03:52:00 AM »

I'd get a couple of more speedlites... the Nissin Di866 MkII are great value for money and can be had for around 200USD each.... pair that with the Yongou (or however you spell it) YN-622C radio triggers and you got a sweet lighting rig. :=)

As for lenses, the 70-200mm f/2.8L MkII is one of the best there is, it hasn't failed me yet. I actually run in to issues where i feel the limitations of my 7D body vs. the lens.

62

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Anybody Tweaking Picture Styles in a 7D?

« on: November 01, 2012, 05:29:22 AM »

DB: Thanks for the tip, I'll be looking for those.

As for the original question, I shoot RAW only and tend to use picture styles to see how I want an image displayed. Mostly my 7D sits on either Landscape or Faithful. That way I can see from the preview if the style is something I want to be going for.

63

EOS Bodies / Re: just got a US 1DX for $6422, delivered --

« on: November 01, 2012, 05:20:22 AM »

Yes, discounts are coming big time as high end camera sales slumps.

Except the D800.

How do you figure that? Nikon's financial results are way worse than Canon's.

64

Landscape / Re: Post Your Best Landscapes

« on: October 26, 2012, 07:25:50 AM »

Hey thanks Cayenne - never been to Norlins..we have similar issues in California where I live but here in my homeland NJ the foliage is nothing short of breathless - here's another taken at the Manasquan Reservoir on 10-26-12

Magical view!

65

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 7D - I'm goin' nuts with focus

« on: October 25, 2012, 04:10:57 AM »

Don't go nuts, it tends to distract from the rest of your life. 

When I got my 7D, at first I didn't notice, but slowly as I expanded with more lenses I noticed the focus was off. Took the whole lot in to the service center and they calibrated all of it in a few days and it's been perfect ever since, now if I miss a shot it is due to my own clumsiness and not that the camera wouldn't work.

66

Abstract / Re: Not quite abstract but heavily 'shopped.

« on: October 25, 2012, 04:07:16 AM »

Tell me what you think, did it work? 

I like it!  It has that Brenizer Method feel to it.  It is like a Brenizer-light without the endless stitching.

Thanks! I was wondering what it reminded me of, but this is it. A lot simpler than the actual Brenizer-method which I have yet to try. Any suggestions? Tripod, handheld?

67

Abstract / Re: Not quite abstract but heavily 'shopped.

« on: October 25, 2012, 04:04:12 AM »

I like it, but now knowing that it was shopped, I can't stop looking at the boys shadow, which doesn't look right. If I thought it was a purely natural shot I probably wouldn't have noticed....

Hmm... I didn't notice that... maybe I should try to reduce the opacity of the shadow a little to make it blend in better.... I'll give it a whirl. Thanks for the tip.

68

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D III, or 6D+7D combo - your thoughts?

« on: October 17, 2012, 06:09:40 AM »

Back to what the original question was: Keep the 7D for sports and get a 6D for landscapes/portraits?
I'd say yes. Based on what you stated the use would be I'd say you don't need 600 AF points for landscapes, you want a good sensor and the 6D's AF points are well sufficient for that. The added bonus of GPS when doing landscapes is something I would like too.
I might be wrong, if so, I stand corrected but it is what I would do.

For sports the 7D is one of the best there is, and yes, while high-ISO shots (3200+) are noisier than I'd like them to be most are usable through decent post.

69

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Unreliable AF on 7D with FW 2.0.3?

« on: October 17, 2012, 05:55:00 AM »

Been running 2.0.3 on my 7D ever since it came out and haven't seen any of the issues reported.

70

Landscape / Re: Post Your Best Landscapes

« on: October 17, 2012, 05:43:24 AM »

Here's a couple I did lately:

New York Aster lakeside by K3ntFIN, on Flickr

HDR...tried to keep it as natural as possible.

A day without rain... by K3ntFIN, on Flickr

71

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 7D low ISO shadow banding; any improvement with version 2 firmware?

« on: October 12, 2012, 04:23:28 AM »

I've been shooting with the v2.0.3 firmware for the 7D for a while now and it is robust, works really well and exhibits none of the hiccups I had with pre-v2 firmwares. However, there seem to be no changes to noise-cancelling routines in the programming as the pictures (RAW) look pretty much the same as they did before. Nor has it broken any part of the workflow, all software I use functions the same way as it did before.
I really like the longer burst buffer it makes available for my sports shots I can't complain.
Good update and can't fault it.
I love my 7D and will probably keep it, even if I am planning to go full frame at some point.

72

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: New 60D or Second-hand 7D?

« on: October 09, 2012, 03:24:06 AM »

Good CF cards aint cheap though, factor in an exta couple of hundred bucks in the cost. You could just get cheap ones but you'll miss out on the 8fps burst rate.

I actually found some cards that offered great value for money. I got 2 Duracell 32GB 600x CF cards for half the price of ONE SanDisk with the same specs, burst rates retained, but not burst length.. But I'm not really fussed about shooting 22 shot long bursts vs. 27 shots. 

73

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: New 60D or Second-hand 7D?

« on: October 09, 2012, 02:10:21 AM »

I haven't used the 60D and I'm biased but I'd say 7D all the way! I've fiddled around with the 60D on a couple of occasions but the 7D beats it in ease-of-use and ergonomics, except for the twisty-bendy screen.

74

Canon General / Re: Air Shows-How do you shoot them? (my first attempt)

« on: October 04, 2012, 09:12:09 AM »

I purchased PSE 9 and then 10 but have never tried or used them. First attempt to lighten the shadows on my 3rd photo of the Blue Angel jet.

Perfect. Wouldn't change a thing.

75

Canon General / Re: Air Shows-How do you shoot them? (my first attempt)

« on: October 04, 2012, 04:15:53 AM »

Serendipidy: Nice work, if that's your first go at it, you did really well. I especially like the third shot in your first post. The simplistic composition of the sole plane, the air streams on the side of the cockpit and you left good room on the left part of the shot so it doesn't feel cramped. My only change, I would open the shadows/brighten/dodge the plane it self a little, it is slightly dark. On the other hand, this monitor I am viewing on at work isn't exactly calibrated. 

Albedo13: Those planes and sunset are lovely. Paticularly the last one with the formation heading in to the sunset, great timing. And thanks for the tips, if I go to an airshow I'll have a pretty good idea on what settings to use.