Messages

31

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Gigapixel Camera

« on: June 21, 2012, 03:32:08 PM »

Cool article. Thanks for sharing. I also liked the interactive components of the article.

It figures that the camera was funded by DARPA.

While watching the video of the interview with one of the inventors, I was thinking, "this will really take the creativity and "art" out of photography for many people," and right about then, the inventor made the same observation. Not sure I like that idea...

32

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Hitting Retailers

« on: June 21, 2012, 02:54:08 PM »

neuro, based on the few reviews you've seen, the spec sheet, etc, do you think the 1D X is really worth the extra money over the 5D3?  I'm just looking for your straight-up opinions on this, since I know you skipped the 5D3 in favor of the 1D X. 

For me, yes.  The weather sealing and built-in grip are important to me, as is the frame rate, and I'm hoping for a bit better high-ISO performance.  I think the face-tracking in the phase AF will be useful, too.  I do tend to treat my cameras as tools not showpieces, and the 1-series build will hold up better to that treatment. 

But it comes down to 'value', and there are two parts to that - what are the features worth, and can you afford it?  Photography is a hobby for me...in that sense, I don't need a 1D X.  But I want one, and I can afford one, so I'm getting one.   

+1 (and for pretty much exactly the same reasons) 

33

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Hitting Retailers

« on: June 21, 2012, 01:58:05 PM »

• Larger battery (some people say this allows certain lenses to focus faster... not sure if this has been proven or not when compared to a gripped 5D)

Yes, this is true.  With an add-on grip, the batteries are not connected in parallel, they are used alternately (you can see this from the incremental shot counts).  The 1-series battery delivers a higher voltage which drives the lens' AF motor faster.

Very cool. I did not know that, but am glad to hear it.

34

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Hitting Retailers

« on: June 21, 2012, 11:16:00 AM »

I spoke to Amazon concierge and they have no idea when the stock will arrive. OneCall representative gave a 30 day period but they have a very very short waitlist.

Amazon's customer service people are NEVER any help in these situations. I have called repeatedly in the past about when a new product, which has already been released, will ship, and they never have any insight. Other members have posted saying that they have no actual visibility into when they will receive NEW inventory, and my experience with them confirms this. They just say, "when we get it in stock, we'll email you to let you know."  Invariably, the product actually ships to me before customer service even knows they have it in stock. So, I have stopped wasting my time calling them.

Experience has proven that Amazon receives brand new (just released) cameras and ships them on the same day as, or within a day of, when the other major camera stores like B&H and Adorama receive and ship their first camaras. Which is why I'm so interested in what people are hearing from those other stores.

35

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Hitting Retailers

« on: June 21, 2012, 10:51:09 AM »

If any of you get feedback about when various vendors will begin shipping in the U.S., please post it here.

One member posted in another thread saying that he spoke with a person at Adorama who stated they would have stock by the end of this month, and the first customers would have it by the first week in July. 

Any other confirmation or insight into when B&H, Adorama, and/or Amazon will begin shipping woudl be appreciated. I was one of the first to pre-order through Amazon, so I will likely have to guage their probable shipping date off what I learn about B&H, Adorama and others in the U.S. 

36

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X - June 20, 2012 in Japan

« on: June 21, 2012, 09:37:12 AM »

I just spoke to someone at Adorama and they told me that "it'll be here by the end of the month and you should have it by the first week in July.

Not sure how that jives with the list, etc. but it's more encouraging than ever before.  When I placed the pre-order (last year) I was told "you'll be lucky to see it by September..."

Erik, thanks for posting the availability estimate you got from Adorama.  I hope that if others obtain availability estimates from their vendors that they will post them as well.  I pre-ordered mine from Amazon (a.k.a. the "black hole of information."), so I have no information, but I know they have historically shipped their first models on or about the same day as B&H and Adorama.  Still, I would enjoy more "data points" to compare with the story you got. 

Anyone have additional information about availability of the 1DX in the U.S.?

37

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X - June 20, 2012 in Japan

« on: June 21, 2012, 09:23:28 AM »

One thing I do like about Canon HK is the page the explains all the lenses and their AF points on the 1DX here:
http://www.canon.com.hk/en/product/catalog/productItemDetails.do?prrfnbr=200344

I am sure other Canon sites have that too, just not noticed it before.

That is nice for them to list it so prominently.  That same chart is also available in the Autofocus Guide that has been posted for the 1DX as well (if you want to download it).

38

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X - June 20, 2012 in Japan

« on: June 19, 2012, 03:12:45 PM »

Live chatted with B&H today, they have no way of giving priority to CPS platinum members unfortunately, but I was told I am high on the list with an order # xxxxx86xxx ending with low numbers
They suggested possible delivery by my next project, June 28.    One can only hope

You where lucky, the representative I chatted with told me is against company policy to give such information. And there is no priority other than your place on the cue which won't discuss either 

I preordered the morning or the 13th, so I hope I'm not to down on the cue.

It is the luck of the draw which sales rep is helping. I also got confirmation a while back that I should be high up on the list to receive the camera, but the company policy basically stops them from telling you exactly what number you are on the list. Also, I think the biggest thing here is not where you are on the list, but when B&H will actually receive their shipment of cameras. Did Canon already send out the shipments and the distributors will have it on the 20th, or is Canon sending out the fleet only on the 20th? B&H basically told me they have no control over when Canon sends the cameras...

Obviously we will know more in 24 hours, but I have been wondering why we haven't yet seen any pictures posted on the CanonRumors main page of boxes and boxes of the 1D-X being readied for shipping (as there were just before the 5D Mark III launch).

39

EOS Bodies / Re: More 1Dx sample shots now with 500mm F4 L II

« on: June 19, 2012, 09:12:12 AM »

Guys, don't want to spam, but please give me some ideas what to shoot, what would you like to see from 500mm f4L II and 1D X ?

We have couple of ideas what to test, but maybe we missed some, so please give me some hints what to test, ASAP, game starts in 2 hours from now.

With this test we will post RAW pictures as well..

P.S.

Photos on site are without NR (Noise Reduction)
Sharpening is on 4 from possible 7.

We will test whole range of ISO, and on higher ISO we will put NR as well.

Awesome images! How does it handle officials running in front of your lens while tracking a subject? I know it is a late question but maybe you can comment on the responsiveness of the AF. Also, what AF settings are you using to track subjects for soccer? I always keep my 1D4 tracking sensitivity on high. It always seemed like when I locked on a subject it would sometimes be backfocused and then the next several frames would be backfocused on the middle speed but if I turned tracking sensitivity to high the AF would become a bit more jumpy but I would certainly get at least one image out of the sequence in focus.

Yes, late question, but AF responsiveness is amazing at least so far, I will check tomorrow all pictures. You can in meanwhile check 400mm f/2.8L USM IS II pictures on Face:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.381382635256360.85413.291398120921479&type=3

Until we write article and all about yesterdays game against Spain.
It will take some time to upload and write, I will let you know.

But so far what I heard, 1D X, is amazing with AF; and speed, ... all settings and rest will be in article, can't tell you more, at this moment.

I hope it will answer some of the questions here.

Thanks for posting the links to the photos.  They look great! I definitely look forward to seeing the writeup with details of the AF settings used to capture the images, as well as ISO settings if possible! 

40

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X AF Guidebook Updated

« on: June 18, 2012, 03:05:28 PM »

I get "Referral Denied" when I try to download this link.

Me too.

41

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1D Mark IV and indoor basketball question

« on: June 17, 2012, 04:04:12 PM »

I have been shooting indoor high school basketball for a couple of years now.  I am curious when (what time of day) you took your practice shots.  I ask because, in my experience, in Jacksonville, Florida, the games are taking place after 6:00 in the evening, in the winter time. This means that, while you can get situations where you have sun coming in some windows in the gym, creating odd lighting conditions for short period of time near sunset, the bigger issue for me has been an overall lack of light. Some of these high school gyms are seriously dark.

I do find that using spot metering, tends to give me optimal results in those moments where there is residual daylight to worry about, so I recommend trying that and using either aperture priority or shutter priority. 

You will not have this problem because you're shooting with a 1D Mark IV, but because I shoot with a 40D (soon stepping up to the 1DX), I have had to shoot with shutter priority in order to stop the action. Aperture priority would result in too slow a shutter speed most of the time (for my camera).  I cannot shoot at ISOs higher than 6400 at all, and at 6400, I get some pretty bad noise.  So, with this old camera, I tend to get shots which stop the action but are under-exposed initially. Then I can boost the exposure and deal with the noise in post. As you might imagine, I am REALLY looking forward the the major improvements that will come with the 1DX.

42

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Manual Posted

« on: June 13, 2012, 08:56:29 AM »

It looks for sure like the red/black AF point issue has been completely addressed. Yay!
Now the firmware release for the 5D3 needs to ship and we'll all be up to date.

Maybe I'm just unobservant, but where in the manual does it say a change occurred?

Did you look through the 1DX AF Guide? I have had a couple of supervised test drives of pre-production 1DX, and I have a 5D3. What I'm seeing colorfully illustrated in the AF Guide is not what I saw on the test drives or what I use daily with the 5D3. The 5D3 & the 1DX presented as identical in the AF display points GUI.

Besides, Canon are not going to overtly say "this is a change" are they? They'll present the present time reality.

PW

PW, maybe you could help us out with a reference to the specific page in either the owner's manual or the AF guide that you think clears things up?  I have read both the earlier AF guide and the new version you referred to, but it appears I missed where it says that they AF points will stay lit red while shooting.  (I don't think the color illustrations were intended to convey that, but maybe I missed something).

That said, I did see in the owner's manual that there are settings to control when the AF points will light up that seem to include the ability to keep the AF points lit after achieving focus (see p. 100, "AF Point Display During Focus.")  However, I have not worked with the 5D Mark III and am currently shooting a 40D, so I don't know if that section is "news" to people concered about the red focus point issue.   

43

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Manual Posted

« on: June 12, 2012, 07:33:07 PM »

Jax, those lenses are extremely slow. They will most definitely shoot at a slower speed since the AF will take longer to lock on. And while I know my 1D MK IV never really gets 10 FPS unless I hit have the camera in one shot, I can use the AF stop button on my super-telephoto lenses to get the max burst speed. This works great for baseball if you want a shot of the ball leaving the bat. 12 FPS just means that I should get at least 10 in AI-Servo. I also noticed a frame rate increase when I updated my 70-200 f/2.8L IS to the newest version. The 70-200 f/2.8 IS II seems to give me an even faster frame rate than my 300 f/2.8 IS or 200 f/2.0 IS but maybe that is just me.

The buffer should hold around 50 RAW images, the 30 image buffer must have been an early model. Keep in mind we are still dealing with pre-production bodies. Lord knows what is inside those.

People are still comparing the 5D MK III to the 1DX, they are completely different monsters. In my testing I saw only a little more than 1 stop improvement in high ISO with the 5D3 over the 5D2. I've downloaded and played with several 1DX files and they look absolutely phenomenal. The 1DX probably has at least a 3-stop advantage over the 5D2.

This is a great year for Canon and I'm excited to finally get a camera body that combines my favorite features of the full frame bodies with the pro sports bodies. At one point I almost switched to Nikon but this is truly the year the be a Canon shooter. I'm already in love with the radio capabilities of the 600EX-RT.

I know I'm a noob to the forum but here are my credentials
http://markwebbphoto.com/

Mark, thanks for your feedback and input about the likely meaning of the quoted portion of the manual. I had noticed that the referenced lenses were considerably slower than what I'm usually using for sports (70-200 f/2.8L IS), but the way they placed the asterisk in the sentence made me wonder about the meaning. 

I share your enthusiasm for the combination of new features and performance offered by the 1Dx. 

Welcome to the forum!

44

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Manual Posted

« on: June 12, 2012, 04:58:00 PM »

[/quote]

People will get excited about a 12fps camera like I got excited when I got my 1D IV. But the only way my camera can do 10fps is in one-shot focusing. Put the camera in AI servo and there is no way the camera will focus quickly enough to maintain 10fps... Specially if the subject is running towards you... Even with 10 processors, the AF system needs time to accurately focus. You can tell the camera to shoot anyway, but who cares for an out of focus image anyway...
I hope the new AF system on the 1D X will be able to "keep up" with the camera's fps...
[/quote]

Your observation got me interested in what kind of qualifications Canon put on its "12 frames per second" rating (something that I am looking forward to), so I looked it up in their new online manual, and here is what they say (assuming you can decipher it):

From p. 111 of the manual, "The maximum continuous shooting speed of approx. 12 shots/sec. is attained under the following conditions*: At ISO 25600 or lower, 1/1000 sec. or faster shutter speed, and at the maximum aperture (varies dependin on the lens). The continuous shooting speed may be slower depending on the ISO speed, shutter speed, aperture, subject conditions, brightness, lens type, flash use, etc. *With the AF mode set to One-shot AF and the Image Stabilizer turned off when using the following lenses: EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, EF28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM, EF 75-300mm f/2-5.6 IS USM, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM."

More disclaimers than the end of a used car dealership commercial! Can anyone say whether the asterisked text at the end is intended to mean that you only get 12 fps in one shot AF mode AND with those lenses, or whether instead they are saying that those lenses are a special case, and for them you have to use one-shot AF and turn off image stabilization? 

Something got confusing in the translation.  Or maybe it's intentionally confusing? 

45

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Manual Posted

« on: June 12, 2012, 01:28:24 PM »

IF, and I know it's a big "if," the 5D Mark III is anything to go by, it is worth noting that the a search of the Canonrumours historic posts reveals that the 5D Mark III owner's manual was posted approximately one week before vendors started shipping cameras that had been pre-ordered. (Followed by fits and starts of availability)

I realize that the 1DX has been a different beast, and that the availability in different countries may vary depending on whether Canon is adhereing to their "Olympic photographers first" philosophy in particular countries (earlier threads suggested that this was not going to happen in the U.S., even though it was in Canada), available only in limited quantities at first, your mileage may vary, blah, blah, blah. 

That said, none of us can get one until they START SHIPPING, so maybe that trigger date is now within a week or two. I, for one, am happy to have something to look forward to.