Messages

16

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Crazy... go Nikon?

« on: March 16, 2013, 01:17:36 PM »

I am having similar thoughts. Thinking about a d800 for landscapes and long exposures. I think I need a second body to expand the functionality and to offer duplication for backup.  I  find it cumbersome when i am spending hours at a great landscape site and I have to wait on average between 5-10 mins between exposures and I dont have a second walk around body. I think the 5D3 is superior to the d800 in practical terms although the d800 is superior on paper and could have been a better camera had it not been for some quirks, bugs and quality issues. To have both canon and nikon gear I would have to have some duplication like maybe a few gp zooms and higher quality lenses in areas where the nikon shines - like with the wide zoom etc.

17

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Own a 5D3 - need a backup...

« on: March 15, 2013, 01:31:11 PM »

Wilmark: Do you own a Nikon? I ask because I have very much been lately considering a switch after my EF 35mm f/1.4L has been into service SEVEN times and they still have not been able to get it right and another zoom took FOUR repairs just to fix a small issue.  Canon Factory Service is slipping. I wouldn't mind being without a lens for 30 days (Nikon) if I have a higher chance of getting it back in perfect working order.  That said, are you referring to seven buttons/setting changes between Av and long-exposure as being a problem for you with the Nikon's or Canon's?  As I would use a Custom program for the long exposure tweaks on a Canon body.

I dont own nikon but I monitor the boards. I feel Nikon has more quality and service issues. If you look at the the D800 and D600 they are very good cameras on paper but bogged down by quality and customer issues (even superior to their canon counterparts theoretically). Nikon seems less likely to admit that there are issues. I think that CPS serves pros very well. I wouldn't make a judgement call on one lens issue. However i can see myself being served by a D800 and for that I will have to make a few lens purchases.  Long exposure usually means having multiple filters on the camera with autofocus and IS off, unfortunately custom settings dont take care of that! I suspect that bulb exposures may be easier on the D800, as i know that it has a built in intervalometer, still investigating. All the best.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Own a 5D3 - need a backup...

« on: March 15, 2013, 12:08:02 PM »

You really think the 6D is going to drop that much over the next few months?

The 5D M3 dropped periodically about 6 months after it was released by a full $1000, even when there was strong demand. Most reviews clearly put the D600 ahead of the 6D, although there are issues with quality and dust.  I think the price will drop for short bursts,  but you have to be on the look out.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Own a 5D3 - need a backup...

« on: March 15, 2013, 11:38:39 AM »

I have been putting some thought into this same question recently as I  need a backup. I think the 6D is a great back up - the IQ is potentially very similar to the 5D and it expands your capabilities by adding the GPS, wireless and even low light ability. It is also a great B video cam. However I feel its too expensive. I'd wait a few months until its more heavily discounted.  My second consideration is that I find my self more and more interested in Landscape photog., for which canon and the 5D in general is not the best (as the wide lenses and zooms are supposedly better on the nikon side). Would it make sense to buy a D800, and a high end wide zoom? And maybe a more GP nikon zoom so that it could be a back up for the 5D? Quite often if I am at a scenic area doing long exposures which can take up to ten minutes per shot. I wish i had another camera to walk around with. The settings on both are very different and switching from long exp to say AV require that I change about 7 settings on the camera and I always miss a few, its annoying.

20

Technical Support / Re: im thinking about buying a DELL 2713HM - how important is wide gamut?

« on: March 05, 2013, 11:25:28 AM »

@ Wildfire, The NEC P232W-BK is a totally different resolution and pixel size class.

21

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6D as a Compliment to 5DMkiii

« on: February 24, 2013, 01:04:20 PM »

If you have a 5D Mark III, there wouldn't really be any reason to buy or have a 6D, unless you shot with a backup camera and didn't want to spend the resources to buy another 5D Mark III.  Pretty much all the wedding photogs I know shoot with a backup camera, so this makes sense.  That's really the only reason I can see in owning both, and I don't think in the real world the 6D offers much anything over the 5D3.  However, I can see advantages of the 5D3 over the 6D

So you dont see any benefit in controlling your camera wirelessly or the GPS functionality (yes I know that you could spend a couple hundred dollars on a gps sensor for the 5D). The  6D is said to focus is said to work better in low light, and i have experienced this annoying characteristic in the 5D3.

22

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6D as a Compliment to 5DMkiii

« on: February 24, 2013, 01:00:19 PM »

I would say that it makes most sense to have two bodies of the same kind if two bodies are needed for the same purpose.

I disagree and here is why. If you are extremely focused on one genre of photography what you are saying is true. However, most photogs even pros are interested in expanded function. So if you choose your second body so that it expands the functionality as well as offer backup and duplication then thats a good thing for many. I have see Canon photogs go out and buy a D800 + the wide angle nikon glass and use it on the same assignment with their canon gear because that combo offers some advantages.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6D as a Compliment to 5DMkiii

« on: February 24, 2013, 12:21:24 PM »

However the usability is quite different: joystick vs. multicontroller, right-hand control vs. both sides, single- vs. dual button layout. When I compared the 6d to the 5d3 in a shop I had trouble with the 5d3 control because I'm used to my 60d (= 6d control) - so I don't know how shooting both in parallel would be.

Well maybe Canon didnt quite intent it that way, and my point was that this was overlooked - most likely their primary target was users wanting FF maybe coming from consumer grade DSLR. However you raise a valid point - for it to be a good second camera to the 5D3 its ui should be similar - and it couldnt be more different. However the 6D represent a modern approach, and I am sure that most of us tech savy users wont find this daunting.

24

EOS Bodies - For Stills / 6D as a Compliment to 5DMkiii

« on: February 24, 2013, 10:18:57 AM »

There has been a sort of love hate reaction toward the 6D. I feel that the 6D is the perfect complimentary camera to the 5Dmkiii. Many pro photographers need a second camera, and I believe the 6D is perfect if you use the 5Dm3 as your primary camera. Almost every feature is complimentary. The 5D lacks the fancy connectivity/gps capabilities not to mention the remote EOS software for your phone, the low light focusing ability. The 6D lacks superior focusing, video ability and a few others. All while maintaining similar IQ. I have not heard this discussed. If you own both, you have almost all you bases covered with duplication of the most important qualities. If only the 6D could be had for 1500$ or less - maybe in a few months, the ebay offers will appear.

25

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5d3 Raw file corruption

« on: February 24, 2013, 09:36:57 AM »

This type of corruption has been reported by many users on a previous thread. I experienced it too.  Although what ive seen are colored bands in a particular corner of the frame. I dont think its the card (had it with many cards). I feel its more related to the computer where the file was imported. Mines went away after i changed the type of memory on the computer. Others reported different reasons. I suspect that its a Camera problem OR a lightroom/Adobe Raw problem - thats the common denominator. Canon should look into it.

26

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Spec List [CR2]

« on: February 19, 2013, 12:33:28 PM »

"built like the 5D III"
NOT possible - as it will have a pop up flash, chances are if its got GPS and WiFi - a solid magnesium alloy body will hurt that.

Seems like same thrust just like the former 7D only improved to reflect contemporary expectations - Great Speed, Focus, Video Features and build only crappy IQ.

27

Software & Accessories / Re: Stolen Camera Finder?

« on: February 18, 2013, 12:03:46 PM »

I feel this service is currently a waste of time. I just dragged and dropped on of my photos and it correctly identified the camera and serial no. It was unable to find any pictures online taken with the camera - in the past year I have uploaded over 15,000 pictures taken with this camera to my website and facebook and other places. And I have over 750,000 page views of these pictures. So this service doesnt look ready for primetime.

28

Software & Accessories / Re: Method for taking names while shooting candids at an event

« on: February 18, 2013, 11:59:31 AM »

There is the potential for camera makers/app developers to devise solutions to this issue. There should be a way for the camera to generate say one of those square bar codes and embed that information in the file - that way the subjects in the photo can easily find themselves online. Also app developers can make an app that could use that information to share the information immediately with nearby phone users. I am thinking there are lot of problems and functionality (that could be had) and issues that can be solved with the existing technology. There should be a way if you are a photographer at an event to allow nearby people to use your wifi to access your live content. Canon took the first step by integrating wifi integration with camera function with the 6D, lets see what is the full potential of this technology.

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Street & City / Re: Marid Gras Photos (and photography restrictions in Trinidad)

« on: February 14, 2013, 03:24:52 PM »

Unfortunately to my eye - more and more there are less 'true' foreigners participating in Trinidad Carnival. It is to a large extent patronized by locals and returning 'locals' who have expatriated themselves in foreign urban areas of the world - Florida, New York, Toronto, London etc., and make an effort to visit Trinidad once every two years to visit family/friends, childhood places and take in Carnival at the same time. (Niki Minaj is an example of one such person who came back to film one her recent videos (pound the alarm) in TT with a familiar carnival setting.

30

Lenses / Re: lens recommendation soccer

« on: February 14, 2013, 03:12:58 PM »

I have shot large field sports  with 70-200IIF2.8 + 2XIII  on 5D3 and the results are OK you can see some here:
http://www.wilmark.johnatty.com/p929851709 - where the match is being played on a smaller field I was allowed on the sides. The 2X greatly slows down any ability to track despite the 70-200II +5D3 speed using servo mode. I imagine that soccer and cricket have similar sized fields although with cricket the action will be more or less at the centre of the field - you can see some examples of this here with the same equipment http://www.wilmark.johnatty.com/2020for50. The Cricket was a large public game with very little ability to get too close. In the latter situation the 400 mm provided with FF is not enough for comfort - i suspect that the best is to try to get at least 600 mm with the option to use a teleconverter - which ever you (or your camera) can tolerate without reducing performance/speed/IQ too much.