Messages

601

EOS Bodies / Re: Is 22Mpx Really Enough?!!!

« on: October 25, 2012, 01:18:32 PM »

Have a look at some actual Adams prints.

First, of course, they're marvelous -- absolutely fantastic works of art.

But, second...you can get at least comparable and often better sharpness and image quality with today's high-end DSLRs.

Heresy, I know -- to suggest that puny 135 format might be better than Ansel Adams's legendary 8x10 view camera. But today's lenses are far superior to the ones he had access to, and digital sensors are far superior to his film emulsions.

So, yeah. When I can make prints with my 22 megapickle 5DIII that are technically (though not, to be certain, artistically) superior to what Adams did, I've got plenty of resolution.

More would be absolutely loverly, of course -- especially since I do some fine art giclée reproduction work. Hell, I'd drool over an 8x10 camera with the pixel density of a digicam, the dynamic range of a Nikon, and the rendering quality of a Canon.

But that doesn't mean that what I have isn't already enough.

Cheers,

b&

602

Animal Kingdom / Re: GODZILLA!

« on: October 23, 2012, 10:05:42 PM »

I'm with anand on the highlights: not a problem.

I'd have liked just a wee bit more in focus on the first one, but you nailed it to the wall on the second -- perfect control of depth of field.

Cheers,

b&

603

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Firmware adds HDMI & AF Upgrades

« on: October 23, 2012, 09:37:43 AM »

April?

Seriously? April?

Really?

b&

604

Software & Accessories / Re: The best Calibration system for screen to print?

« on: October 22, 2012, 11:01:12 PM »

what to keep in mind is that  colori / spectrophotometer use different  gelatin color filters that ages with time and these must be kept dark.

I have no idea what you're referring to, especially if you're referring to the i1 Pro, Spectrolino / Spectroscan, DTP line, and similar spectrophotometers.

It's true that for ISO 9000 compliance you need to have the devices re-certified every couple years (or whatever), but I very much doubt there are any gelatin filters in any of them -- and, if there are any, they're certainly not ever exposed to ambient light.

Mostly, it's the bulbs that change with usage, and recertification writes new values to the firmware to match the new spectral characteristics of the bulb.

And, honestly? Unless you're doing ISO 9000 certification or you have good reason to suspect the performance of your instrument, recertification is a waste. These are quality instruments that are built to last, and they do.

Cheers,

b&

605

Lenses / Re: Help me decide; keep my 35L or get a 50L?

« on: October 21, 2012, 02:45:42 PM »

[T]he only thing is I really love the build quality of L lenses.

You could buy three 50mm f/1.4 lenses and still have more money left in your pocket than if you bought a single 50mm f/1.2L.

Again, the 1.2 makes great sense if you can afford to buy it without thinking, "Gee, that's an awful lot of money." And lots of people can easily afford to do so. If you're charging your clients thousands for a wedding and you're doing a few weddings a week, you'd be a fool not to have a few of them with you at the gig in case the drunken uncle smashes one of them. If you're a Microsoft Millionaire, you're wasting more money deliberating over the decision than by just buying it.

But it makes little if any sense to those on a tight budget.

b&

606

Lenses / Re: Help me decide; keep my 35L or get a 50L?

« on: October 20, 2012, 07:02:03 PM »

Might I suggest?

Consider keeping the 35, and get the 50 f/1.4 rather than the f/1.2. The f/1.4 is a wonderful lens. The f/1.2 is better, yes, but it's not a thousand dollars better. It's worth getting if you can afford to buy it without worrying about spending that kind of money. But for somebody on a tight budget?

Cheers,

b&

607

Software & Accessories / Re: The best Calibration system for screen to print?

« on: October 19, 2012, 02:36:48 PM »

Is the X-Rite ColorMunki Photo the right choice?

Yes. You should be quite happy with it.

...you should also resign yourself now to the fact that you'll be capable of getting quality prints from any combination of printer, ink, and paper...and that you're likely to start searching for your favorite such combination and printing lots of color charts and sample images in your quest.

May I suggest? Red River Paper makes good stuff for not much money. Stick with them until you know what you're doing....

Cheers,

b&

608

Software & Accessories / Re: The best Calibration system for screen to print?

« on: October 18, 2012, 03:37:30 PM »

If all you need is to calibrate and profile your monitor, there're lots of excellent options.

But if you're also looking to profile a printer, the field narrows and gets a lot more expensive. Basically you really only have two options to consider, both from X-Rite: the ColorMunki and the i1 Pro. Both come in various packages with different software bundles, but the hardware is the same.

(I think there's a colorimeter sold under the ColorMunki name, and I know there're a few colorimeters sold under the i1 name. Neither will profile a printer -- you want the "original" ColorMunki or the i1 Pro.)

If you're not afraid of the command line, get the cheapest package you can find and use Argyll CMS for the software. Argyll is free / open source and produces better results than what you get from X-Rite...but there's no graphical interface for it, so you're typing all the commands. If that bothers you, get whichever bundle supports the devices and modes you want to profile; that probably means one branded either "design" or "photo." The X-Rite software is still excellent and very easy to use; it's just a lot of money and the results from Argyll are even better.

Cheers,

b&

609

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Firmware Update Addresses f/8 & Red AF Points in AI Servo

« on: October 17, 2012, 10:14:56 AM »

Sure would be nice to have the same update for the 5DIII....

b&

610

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 8-15 f/4L Fisheye

« on: October 15, 2012, 07:51:27 PM »

Samyang has a much cheaper fish eye for crop sensors that's a lot of fun to play with. It's fully manual, but it's not exactly hard to focus a lens with that kind of DOF.

There're lots of fisheye options out there. What sets this one apart is that it's a full-frame zoom that ranges from 180° full-hemisphere coverage to the standard 180° diagonal coverage. And, of course, that it's a Canon L lens.

If you were wanting both an 8 mm and a 15 mm fisheye lens for full frame, then your only other option at B&H would be the pair of Sigmas. The Sigma 8mm is $900, and the Sigma 15mm is $600...for a combined price of $150 more than the Canon zoom.

Of course, if you were only looking for the one or the other focal length, you could save quite a bit of money by just getting that one -- and there're a lot of inexpensive options for APS-C cameras, as well (including a bunch of ~$300 8mm f/3.5 lenses and a $700 Tokina 10-17 zoom).

b&

611

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: SLR-like raw shooting cam - suggestions?

« on: October 15, 2012, 07:22:23 PM »

Honestly? You just described the EOS-M....

b&

612

EOS-M / Re: Canon EOS-M to Ship Today in North America

« on: October 15, 2012, 01:04:27 PM »

I still expect this camera to sell very well, and for the future of both high-end P&S and all Rebels to be M mount.

I personally have no interest, though. My iPhone is all the always-with-me pocketable camera I need, and the 5DIII (and no grip) with the Shorty McForty fits the bill (for me, not others) of a "small, compact" high-quality normal prime setup.

b&

613

Software & Accessories / Re: Arca-Swiss requires plate

« on: October 13, 2012, 08:10:39 PM »

While you're checking out RSS plates, also have a look at their ballheads, which're awesome.

b&

614

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 8-15 f/4L Fisheye

« on: October 13, 2012, 07:01:08 PM »

I like the theoretical idea of the full 180° circle this lens has at 8 mm...but how useful is it outside of making QuickTime panoramas and scientific imaging? For example, what's an 8mm shot of the night sky look like, or what else can one artistically do at 8mm?

b&

615

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 200 f/2L IS

« on: October 13, 2012, 02:36:03 PM »

Well, I appreciated the joke. And I still want one of those mugs! It's a shame Canon only made them as a one-off for that one show.

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/camera-lens-mug/

Wow -- thanks! I'll have to add that to my Christmas list....

b&