Messages

46

United States / Re: Minnesota kid looking for a photographer mentor

« on: July 26, 2012, 10:38:47 AM »

Well this is awesome! Wow 15 minutes from Dayton that's cool! Jhpeterson what do you shoot as a pro?  And Minnesota nice, you going to cars and coffee August 4th? I am!!

I shoot primarily boats. Get to travel about the country doing it. I'm on the East Coast right now and will be in Illinois on the 4th, so I won't get to cars and coffee. But, I should be in Minnesota for most of August and September. I'll look to catch up with you then.

47

Lens Gallery / Re: 600mm FD f4.5

« on: July 25, 2012, 01:58:42 PM »

The bulk of my business involves photographing moving boats - usually from other moving boats.
Because of the conditions I work in, I need weather-sealed cameras. I generally use the 1DS and sometimes 1D bodies and most of the time need a long lens. The larger sensor makes the 300mm the most useful lens for me.
I've owned two copies of the 2.8 L over the past 20 years. They both have been outstanding performers. Many times, though, I'll need a little more reach, so I have to resort to glass in the 400 to 600 range. Frequently, I'll use a teleconverter, the later versions of the EX 1.4x  trade off very little other than a stop of speed, but once in a while a 400/2.8 or 600/4 is needed. By the end of a long day, I certainly feel I've gotten a good workout.

So, my hat is off to anyone who can successfully use these "big guns". The good news is, after working with one over a couple days, it kind of makes using a 300/2.8 child's play.

48

United States / Re: Minnesota kid looking for a photographer mentor

« on: July 23, 2012, 06:01:22 PM »

Kennephoto, I also live in Minnesota, at least when I am home (I travel for most of my asignments). I'm about 15 minutes west of Dayton, in fact. 
I've been a pro for more than 30 years (actually started when I was still in my teens) and would love to share what I have learned. Of course, you, being young and enthusiastic, might teach me at least as much.

49

Lenses / Re: Looking for EF 24-105 f4L aftermarket replacement...

« on: June 14, 2012, 10:53:09 AM »

While I don't think anything else compares to L glass, in terms of both optics and construction, you might consider Canon non-L lenses from the recent past.
While my experience, too, found the 28-135 IS a little wanting (with use, I noticed too much play in the barrel, especially when zoomed out to the long end, so the lens was never sharp).
But, a couple other lenses that cover close to the range of 24-105 gave me better results. Both the 24-85 and 28-105 are capable performers, especially considering their price on the used market (though I would want to test to make sure you have a good copy). While they don't offer IS, and their maximum aperture drops from f:3.5 to 4.5 at the long end, I've had more than adequate results.
No, they don't quite measure up to the build and optical performance of the 24-105 L, but, at a small fraction of the price, might work well for your use.

50

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: What modes do you usually use on your camera?

« on: June 13, 2012, 12:01:05 PM »

The short answer is it depends on the situation!

I use Manual exposure as much as possible when I'll have at least modest control over lighting conditions. This is now close to two-thirds of the time. I use a hand-held meter, almost always in incident mode to determine the ambient exposure, or in flash mode when I introduce lights.

In situations that happen too quickly for me to accurately respond, which includes much but not most of my action and sports work, I'll go into Shutter-Priority mode. I find the control dial very useful in adjusting exposure compensation quickly and many years of experience help me get it right - at least most of the time. Figure about 20-25% of my current exposures are taken this way, though this number was higher a few years back, before I returned to the habit of hand metering each situation.

For those times when I'm just walking around with my camera, when I'm playing tourist or have it with me for those "just in case" moments, I'm more likely to have it in Aperture-Priority mode. This probably happens about ten percent of the time.

I will almost never use any of the other modes, except Bulb for long exposures.

As for the other controls, I never use Auto ISO, while I'll almost always use Auto White Balance. My logic for this seeming contradiction is that I would rather chose how much degradation in IQ I'll find acceptable (and I can pretty quickly assess the general light level, hence ISO required for optimal results), but trust the camera more than my eyes for changes in color temperature. Amazing how quickly a cloud can pass in front of the sun. Since I shoot in RAW for (nearly) everything, I only need to be close. I can correct whatever errors in balance I've made in Lightroom and Photoshop.

51

Landscape / Re: Venus transit

« on: June 06, 2012, 12:13:57 AM »

It was a mostly clear evening in the Upper Midwest and I was able to capture this only a few minutes before sunset.
I'd been busy working on a couple outdoor projects, but at the last moment ran inside and grabbed a 300mm 2.8 L and an EF 2x (III) converter.
Handheld and set on manual exposure, ISO 200 (my default), I shot several frames at 1/8000 with apertures ranging from 32-64.  Second-guessing, I could have dropped the ISO to 50 and would have enjoyed sharper results due to less diffraction, but isn't that what hindsight's for. 

52

Lenses / Re: EF 100 2.8L macro w 1.4 & 2x

« on: June 05, 2012, 11:11:46 PM »

Having just bought the 100 L last week, I thought I'd try this out.  I have both a 1.4x II and a 2x II. Both are almost a fit, but not quite and, much as I would like this to work, it didn't seem wise to force the issue!

53

Lenses / Re: Canon's "matte" lens hoods.

« on: June 04, 2012, 11:45:47 PM »

I do.. that's why they're scratched up.. Maybe it's gear OCD but I like them to stay "new-like" for as long as I can.. however, once it's been scratched.... it's like a green light to "not care"..

Heh, it's the same when you buy a new car (or different one).  You pray not to get any dings or scratches, but once it happens then the worrying is over and you don't care as much.

true.. but once you have those scratches fixed.. you get a little cautious again

Speaking as someone whose car got hit twice in less than six months and the cost of repairs added up to at least as much as what the car was new, I most definitely agree.
Having recently bought both the 100 macro L and the 70-200/2.8 IS II, I've come to find the "matte finish" hoods to be a little nicer than what was previously offered. Just hope I can take good care of them!

54

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Just got a trade offer - is it worth it? (5D2+7D vs. 5D3)

« on: June 03, 2012, 03:48:03 PM »

Does anyone have experience with the original 16-35L ?  Is it worth it, or should I try to avoid it?

I had the original 16-35 L several years ago. Though it would be the perfect wide lens for travels. Turned out it wasn't nearly as good as the 17-35 and 20-35 L lenses I'd had before, particularly in the corners. Even greatly stopped down, it never really looked sharp. Glad to get the II version, which appears to be a much better performer.
Perhaps I just had a bad copy, but I've heard much the same from several others. I'd definitely recommend you test the lens for yourself and see if you can live with the results before make the trade.
Have both a 7D and 5D2 and found they each have their strong points, as well as weaknesses. I haven't used the 5D3 yet, but I imagine it to be the best of both worlds, so a pretty even or slight plus for a trade, that is unless your preference is for having one more body.

55

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Combining Sensors...is it possible?

« on: April 30, 2012, 09:15:53 AM »

Link seems to be broken, but do you think 4 smaller sensors would be significantly cheaper than a 35mm sensor?

Technically it may be a little cheaper for the sensors themselves, production costs and yields tend to go up a fair degree with increasing die size, however that would be offset by increased costs of the sensor read electronics and assembly costs.

How do you know this? I work in the semiconductor test industry, and while I don't know for sure I believe that cost of producing larger IC's goes up way faster than producing more smaller. Consider a CPU board which has many small IC's that you can buy for $100. If all those were combined into one SOIC it would cost a fortune.

I believe this technique of combining smaller chips is used in very large sensors for scientific applications (astronomy mostly). Knowing nothing about it, I would guess the problem is that you would need to have the FOV's overlap by 'tipping' the sensors relative to each other, which would seem to work when you're always focused at infinity (astronomy) and not so well when you're taking a picture at near field. Don't know.

Apparently the reason why the cost for larger sensors increases significantly with their size has more to do with the greater effect that a defect anywhere on the semiconductor wafer has upon a particular sensor. If a wafer yields only a very small number of sensors, a single defect has a much larger impact than when that same wafer would yield several hundrerd. 

56

Lenses / Re: fd to ef lens adaptor/converter

« on: April 17, 2012, 04:15:04 PM »

I'm curious about the possibility of using the FD 400mm 4.5 on EOS digital bodies. I already have a couple of the big white lenses I regularly put to work, but this sounds like a most interesting option as a handheld lens for all-day situations on both full and crop bodies.
I though I'd seen on here that one would work to or near infinity focus. If that is actually the case I'll have to get one. 

57

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: best autofocusing bodies and lenses

« on: April 09, 2012, 11:51:44 AM »

Neuroanatomist, once again thank you for your detailed post. That's exactly the information I was looking for.
Of course, I'd be interested to see if others would come up with a similar ranking.
In the past, I've had a few conversations with sports and action photographers about this very subject. Often what I observe gets somewhat steered by what I just heard. For nearly ten years I've almost exclusively used the 1D/DS models, in large part because of the very things you wrote about (though, weatherproofing and ruggedness are probably my most important considerations).
Many times, it's been suggested that a newer, though "downline" model might be faster and that smaller aperture lenses might actually be faster because there's less glass to move around. I tended to disagree, at least for lenses from the past fifteen or so years (before the days of ultrasonic, autofocusing was often somewhat slow). I go back to the days of manual focusing, and recall how much easier it was to focus a lens with a maximum aperture of f:2 or 2.8, compared to one that was f:5.6 or even 4.
I'd like to think that at least some of the premium we pay for the pro bodies and "fast" L glass goes for superior technology, the kind that shows its worth when one faces challenging situations. 

58

EOS Bodies / Re: B&H Doesn't Reopen til 20th&27th????

« on: April 09, 2012, 10:37:20 AM »

This morning I, too, saw that B&H had changed their message, saying they'll be open for online sales again starting in on the 15th. Apparently, much confusion resulted from someone using last year's calendar.
I really must credit  B&H for being both observant AND considerate of their customers, by clearly posting what their schedules will be well in advance. Apparently this particular mix-up was an unfortunate oversight.
Long ago, I learned to plan my orders in advance of their holiday closings. In an era when far too much of the corporate world suspends principles for financial gain, it's refreshing that B&H holds to its beliefs. That they're successful yet still take all these days off shows that they're doing many things right!

59

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: best autofocusing bodies and lenses

« on: April 08, 2012, 06:00:26 PM »

5d3 sealing is improved upon compared with 5d2.

That's good to know. I'm often afraid to use my 5D2 for much of what I do.
Not that I take it swimming, but I spend 100 or more days a year on boats. In my line of work, the gear sometimes gets a thorough thrashing. Even my 1D series models stop working on a few occasions, a couple times beyond repair.
If the 5D3 measures up to the sealing on them, now that's something I will consider.   

60

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 7Dmk2 any rumors??

« on: April 08, 2012, 05:45:56 PM »

When the 5dMk2 gets phased out there will be a giant gap between the price of it and the 60d or its successor. Into this hole would logically go an entry-level FF body with still plenty of room for another. The 7dii would fill this space.

I see room for a 7Dii provided it'll have

dual card slot (sdx / CF)
dual Digic 5
APS-C @ 21-22MP
Better hi-ISO performance (hi ISO standard @ 25600)
8FPS
USB3
built-in GPS

Same current 7D price

While I could totally do without a slot for sd/sdx cards (I find them too small to handle, too easy to drop or lose in many outdoor situations), I could see it would make sense to take a wireless card.
The dual Digic 5 seems a given.
And, I would rather have better high ISO performance than more pixels.
8 fps is nice, but 7 or even 6 would be quite acceptable if the lower speed was exchanged for faster, more accurate autofocusing.
Given the nature of what I do, I'd like to see even better waterproofing so it matches the level of the 1D series.
USB3 would be great, but not a dealbreaker.
As for GPS, not really necessary. Seldom have I ever had to recall EXACTLY where I was when I took a photo.

Also, two things that I would ask for would be a larger viewfinder (the tiny image where it's hard to make out details, especially in the corners, is a major reason why I'm not a big fan of the current line of APS-C models) as well as a control dial (the one on top) that locks out, so I don't find myself in some mode not intended.

And, yes if I could have this for about the same price as the current model, I'd likely order one (or more) of the first ones.