Messages

31

EOS Bodies / Re: 6D is amazing... Review UPDATED (practical usage)

« on: January 19, 2013, 10:12:43 PM »

Why are people still comparing the 6D to the 5D3? It's not meant to be compared to...
if it were really better than the 5d3, who would buy it then..
You might as well compare the 5D3 to the 1DX and complain the 5D3 isn't as good...

The 6D should be compared cameras in the same range, not something higher..
I came from the 60D, then to the 5D3 so the 6D controls to me are very familiar since they're identical to the 60D...which isn't a good thing BTW..

So it's a good thing the outer points are not cross type because it's very hard to move th points using the thumb wheel thing...it's an awkward position for the thumb compared to the 5D's joystick.

When i used the 6D, although you can always use the center point and recompose, when using a large aperture lens like a f1.2 or 1.4 shooting portraits wide open, when I do that focus and recompose method, 90% of the time, the focus is out by the time i frame the shot.

That's the main reason why I like th 5D3...it has enough cross points on the edges so i can use the one nearest to the position i want in focus without having to move too much to recompose...
Focus locking works on small aperture lenses but definately not for large one and when the center point is half a screen away from the actual "eye" i want in focus...Even for the 5D3, i find i'm using the center point only 20% of the time i'm shooting..i'm mostly using points at the edges because portraits is pretty much all i shoot these days..

32

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II

« on: January 19, 2013, 12:04:47 AM »

Anyone knows where i can download a lens correction profile for Adobe Camera Raw for this lens?
I've been searching but the only only one i found from Adobe's database doesn't work...
Doesn't anyone do correction for this lens?

33

Lenses / Re: Canon 24-70 ii - another superlative

« on: January 16, 2013, 10:39:39 AM »

The 24-70 ii is indeed an incredible lens. I simply love it for almost anything. I bought it mainly for portraiture actually. It is the perfect pair to my 85 F1.4.
I shoot 90% portraits and i use the 85mm 80% of the time.
Before i bought the 24-70, i've always had situations where the 85 was just too close up and was impossible to use for full body shots indoors or tight spaces and the 50 F1.4 was just not up to par and I can't afford the 50L.
I wanted a lens that was sharp at the 35 and 50 range without having to spend so much for a 35L and 50L and keep changing lenses all the time.

I bought the 24-70 because reviews said it was dead sharp and when shooting at 35 or 50, f2.8 is more than enough for me…if i needed more DOF and bokeh, I'll use the 85 instead.

And true enough, the reviews weren't wrong..this lens is as sharp as the 85 prime at all focal ranges at f2.8…yes there's some distortion but it's hardly noticeable for full body shot (for close up i always use the 85) and you can always fix it in PP anyways...

34

Reviews / Re: Canon 24-70 f/4 IS vs Canon 24-105 f/4 IS - Not what I expected

« on: January 14, 2013, 03:24:10 AM »

I'm more interested to see his comparison with the Tamron really.
I never considered this lens the day it was announced
I already have the 24-105 and i just bought the 24-70II.
When i want the sharpness, i'll go to the 24-70.
When i need the IS and reach, i go to the 24-105..This 24-70f4….is just average for everything..and to not even match the old 24-105 in sharpness is really not acceptable in my opinion..

35

Lenses / Re: Canon 85mm f/1.8 vs Other L and non-L Canon Primes

« on: January 13, 2013, 04:01:44 AM »

Does the 6D have AFMA feature?
If it does, do seriously consider the Sigma 85 F1.4 if you're looking at an 85mm lens for portraiture work. 135 is great yes but sometimes you don't have the space to use it. 85 to me is the perfect portrait lens. Why AFMA? Because Sigmas all need Micro adjustments! But once you get them right, they're great..or you can just send your camera with the lens to sigma to calibrate.
I'm not a professional but 95% of my shoots are portraitures, both indoor and in the studio.

I've personally owned the 50 f1.4 and the 85 f1.8 for quite some time. I also owned the Sigma 50 f1.4 and 85 f.14 concurrently with the Canons.

During my course of shooting, i find that i used the 50mm like maybe only 30% of the time i'm shooting at most. I go the  85mm almost all the time.
I have since sold the Sigma 50mm becuase i don't use it and it's considerable less sharp than the Canon version which is much older..maybe i just got a really good copy of the Canon but i've sent the Sigma back few times for fixing and it still wasn't as good.

As for the 85mm..the Sigma is just a class over the Canon. In terms of built quality, sharpness, beautiful bokeh etc..it beats the canon in everything else focus speed..but i don't need lightning quick focus for portraits. The sigma i still faster than the Canon 85L though but at more than 1/2 the price! I've since sold my Canon 85 f1.8. The Sigma 85 is my go to lens these days..i would get the 85L if i could afford it but the Sigma is 90% as good ant 50% cheaper…no brainer there..

As for anything under 85mm that i need, i've decided to get the 24-70 F2.8L II instead of using a 50 f1.4 because it's even better than the 50…and i usually don't shoot the 50 at f1.4 anyways..it's soft..

36

Lenses / Re: already have the 50mm f/1.4 - does the 40mm f/2.8 make any sense?

« on: January 12, 2013, 08:38:01 AM »

My answer is also a NO.
I had both for a while.
I bought the 40 because i thought it would make a good body cap that shoots…
I had it for about 6mths and sold it becuase during that 6mths, i never used it once.
then again, i also almost never use my 50 f1.4…because i too bought the Sigma 85 f1.4 and neither the 50 or 40 can match it's IQ so i just don't use them.

However, between the 50 and the 40, if i were to only  choose 1, i'd choose the 50…becauase you can shoot at 1.4 if you need to…granted the 50 isn't as sharp as the 40…but i i'd sacrifice the IQ for the 1.4 capabilities...

37

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: My never ending Focus woes with my 5DMK3

« on: January 12, 2013, 08:33:19 AM »

Correct me if i'm wrong, but when the camera is in Ai-Servo mode..it shouldn't flash red at all right? That IS an inconvenience with the 5D3 that many people have complained about…where it's impossible to know which points the camera is at when the red squares don't light up in Ai-Servo…
I've not actually used it before..maybe i should give it a shot and see if i face the same issues..

38

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Snow tubing with 5D III + 24-70 II

« on: January 06, 2013, 03:33:29 AM »

Now everyone knows why IS is important!

With shutter speed 1/800 to 1/1000, I don't think "IS" going to help with photograph.

IS isn't going to help photographs at those speeds but IS really does help for video handheld...

39

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Markiii Auto Lighting Optimizer vs Highlight Tone Priority

« on: January 01, 2013, 11:03:42 AM »

I personally find that the sensor int he 5d3 and with newer cameras int he market are already good enough and really don't require HTP or ALO to "fix" any image..I belive with both turned off, even if it's jpg or raw, you can still recover whatever is missing or overexposed during post production…and even if you don't do post production, the newer sensors gett he scene pretty much correct int he first place…maybe in the older sensors these 2 help but not so much necessary on the 5d3…i actually shoot my 5d3 with HTP/ALO/ISO NR etc..basically everything turned OFF and i also shoot with a flat profile…works well for me.

40

Portrait / Re: Post your best portraits(street, studio, candid etc...).

« on: December 31, 2012, 09:06:42 AM »

This is my favorite one i've done so far among all my photos..

41

Lenses / Re: 50 1.4 on 5d3 anyone?

« on: December 19, 2012, 08:22:48 AM »

The Sigma 50 f1.4 is definately a better lens than the Canon 50 f1.4
However, i did NOT get the Sigma 50 over the Canon for 1 reason, the 5D3 has in built CA correction for the Canon 50.
I know you can adjust it PP in photoshop or Raw or Lightroom etc…many way to do it..BUT i only use the 50mm for general shooting in jpg, and for those photos, i do not want to edit every single shot, just SOOC..so the in built correction on the 5D3 works brilliantly on the 5D3.

I do however own the Sigma 85 and sold my Canon 85 because i use the 85 specifically for commercial portraiture and i will edit every photo in RAW so the in built correction is not important for me in this case.

That's how i made my decision with the Canon 50 f1.4 and no i did not consider the 50L because i don't use the 50 very often at all

42

Reviews / Re: Review - Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD with Pictures

« on: December 16, 2012, 10:36:47 AM »

There's no denying that I did return my first copy. That was being critical of course, but you are critical when you pay $1300 for a lens. I suspect the variance in focal length  was more due to my flawed original testing that an actual sample variation.  The upside, of course, is that in North America warranty is six years with Tamron. I would suspect that if you're going to have an issue it will show up during that period of time, and by the time that length of time is up you might be considering a new lens anyway

Unfortunately, i'm not in the US and i don't have the 6yr warranty. And i don't have the luxury like in the US where you can change for a new copy within a certain time frame. Over here, there's no such thing and the last time i had issue with my Tamron after a few days bought, i sent it in and they sent it back to Japan and it was gone for 1mth...i don't think i want to risk it again...they will fix it yes...but it's just a waste of time and hassle...

43

Reviews / Re: Review - Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD with Pictures

« on: December 15, 2012, 06:59:16 PM »

Great review...
I myself was seriously considerimg this lens and the Mk2 which i can't afford.
However, after reading your review, it still left me in a dilemma because of 1 point...you had to get a 2nd copy...I too own Tamrons and they both had to go back for adjustments..
I was expecting the newer ones to improve in the QC but unfortunately, the same problems of old stll exist..that was the main reason why i stopped with Tamrons and stuck to Canon/Sigmas since the new Sigmas are brilliant.
Although this lens is $1k cheaper than teh Canon, i believe it's less risk with a Canon vs this..I just wish Tamron would improve on their QC...not only do IQ vary on different lens, even teh focal range differed according to your review...that's bad ain't it.

44

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D III - Camera of the year 2012

« on: December 12, 2012, 03:06:29 AM »

I'm not surprised..not because the D800 is not better..but because there's only 1 catagory for camera of the year, it should go to the most versatile and all rounded camera.
It's like saying the Car of the Year is a nice sedan when we all know a supercar is faster but that's never going to win car of the year.
So for a magazine to pick the best all rounded camera and name it camera of the year? I think that's justifiable. The mk3 doesn't really falter in any major catagory.

45

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Mark III Discoloration/Pealing; Slowly Growing

« on: December 12, 2012, 03:03:17 AM »

It's quite puzzling really.
My 5Dmk3 also started "peeling" at the bottom..of all places..i can't figure out why..it's not like i touch that area but something clearly is and i don't know what..