Messages

1

Pricewatch Deals / Re: Canon EOS 6D Body Only in Stock at B&H

« on: November 30, 2012, 04:55:39 PM »

Please help me up? .... Is there any significant benefits of going with 6D instead of 5D mk II where the old 5D mkII is about $300 cheaper and has a more "Pro" body as compare to 6D which seems more Prosumer!

Pro
+ WiFi, GPS
+ Central focus point claim to be more light (by how much?)
+ Probably lower noise at high ISO (assuming using similar 5DmkIII gapless technology)

Con
- only 1/4000 max shutter speed
- no sync-cable connection
- only 1/180 flash sync
- not field proven as 5Dmkii yet

IMHO ... if someone is looking for more "Pro" features and can't pay for 5DmkIII, the old 5D mkII seems to be a better deal!

   

2

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

« on: October 25, 2012, 12:35:19 PM »

I think I probably heard a thousand times in our forum ... "22Mpx is more than enough ... how much more do you need?" ... Whenever this question pop-up at me, I always wonder ... if there is ever a living Ansel Adam or Richard Avedon hearing this .... what will be their responds?

Back in the old film days, these two Grant Masters used 8x10 films to create the absolute best images (both in terms of IQ & creativity) in the field of Landscape (Ansel Adam) and Fashion & Portrait (Richard Avedon) respectively ... and I am sure their works will always remain in the books and museums for generations to come!

If one converts a 8x10 film with a modern scanner ... say with 4000dpi ... a single 8x10 film will look like (4000 ppi)(8 in)(4000 ppi)(10 in) = 1280 Mpixels or 1.28Gb !!!!

So ... my question is ... is our current DSLR technology still coming a long way behind, in the eyes of the Grant Masters? Or ... if you are a Grant Master, will you be happy with 22Mpx or even with the Hasselblad H4D-200MS of 200Mpx, if you are leaving a legacy of works behind? 

3

EOS Bodies / Re: Is Canon EOS-1S the Name? [CR1]

« on: October 07, 2012, 11:15:07 AM »

If the new upcoming 46Mp beast is costing $9,000 ... Canon is sending a clear message to all its customers ... "If you want high MegaPix with medium format like quality and can't afford to pay .... Go .. Just go away .. And go with Nikon ... Canon does not want you as a customer ... Good Bye"!!!!   

4

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Going to my first wedding the the new 5d3

« on: September 30, 2012, 05:46:40 PM »

I went to rehearsal and found the church is low light and huge. The alter is bright with lots of white. My flash left something to be desired with the size of the room and I cannot shoot over 1/200 when they are walking by fast. I finally started bouncing it off the floor. I was able to get pretty decent shots with iso 5000 and no flash. My problem is I don't know where to get it to meter from because of my mixed results. I will post when I get a chance. I will try zone tommorrow and auto iso used iso 400 and over exposed my shot.

Hi KKCFamilyman,
Just my few cents .... photography is all about controlling, playing and painting with lights. To be good, one have to understand the Quality, Directivity and Colour of lights and use them well to create that moment or tell that story you have in mind! If you know all these elements well, you will be surprised to find some of the best weddings or any photography around are taken with natural lightnings or sometimes co-mixed artificial with natural lightnings together to create that story or moment ... whether in creating a dramatic shot with highlights or creating a mood shot with shadows! All the Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO and Flash Controls are just the elements you mix and match to create your "photo-paintings"! Perhaps these will give you some inspirations .... http://www.jasminestarblog.com/index.cfm?catID=2&weddings ... Good luck and Have Lots of Fun 

5

Lenses / Re: Non L sharp telephoto lenses

« on: September 30, 2012, 09:40:48 AM »

I found the Tamron in test to be pretty sharp compared to the Canon 70-200 mentioned above.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=104&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=4&API=3&LensComp=757&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=3&APIComp=3

Any experience with this lens?

If you are not shooting Sports, Wild Life or any very fast moving subjects ... This len to me is an absolute "God Send"!!!
The Tamron 70-300/4-5.6 Di VC USD has one of the best "Price vs Performance" ratio!
In terms of usability, it will beat any non IS, VR or VC lens of the same optical range any time! The reason why I say this is because I get about 40% keeper rate with hand held shooting at 300mm with 1/8 sec ... try that with a non-IS len and you will know the result (unless you got a "gyro-assisted" hand)!!!
In terms of optical performance, at 300mm, you might not get the sharper of the sharpest compare to those "Red-Band" demons out there like the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM which you probably need to mortgage your house for it ... but heck ... these days there are so many len correction software out there for you to choose from ... if you spend a bit of time in the Post! Also, in the magic world of Post Production ... even the Boken can be further software assisted to create the look and feel one need! With this len, I travel and work fast & light in all my assignments without having to carry a "Bazooka" around, which will wear me off very fast and posting limits to my shooting stamina!
I am sure not many will agreed with me, but to me, this Len is a pure winner ... I have created so many previously impossible good images out of it and have given me so much fun and "life" back in the process! 

6

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Why Hasselblad?

« on: September 27, 2012, 01:07:33 PM »

I think I can answer this. First of all, the quality of images created by the upper-end (60-80MP) Hasselblad digital (Hasselblad camera + formerly Imacon digital backs) cameras, the Pentax and Mamiya cams, and PhaseOne produced backs with their open adaptability to many medium format cameras, is very, very good - superior to any 35mm sized sensor based camera. (DXO is smoking crack here as their rating system scores Nikony sensors ridiculously higher than most medium format digital because of the value placed on qualities not demanded by the market for medium format backs, like high ISO value performance). However, despite what I just said, the real question one should ask, with the Nikon D800E already here and the much rumored Canon 46 MP monster just around the corner, is just how much better are those MF images, and is the price differential worth it. For 97% of commercial shooters, and even for the vast majority of status seeking and well heeled photo-hobby-crazed orthodontists, the answer is probably a strong "no." The system lenses, ease of use, autofocus, environmental sealing, frames per second, shutter speed variation, accessories, auto exposure options, adequate to very good HD video output, and even the huge number of menu driven control options - not to mention image quality that is steadily creeping up to within a few histogram humps of reaching medium format territory - means never having to say you're sorry that you bought into a smaller format system.

When you can produce a great looking 3-page pullout in an offset magazine ad, create a standard-size poster, and inkjet output a great looking 20"x30" color print, all with a 35mm format digital camera (already do-able with the D800 Nikon for sure and, probably, with a Canon 5D3 as well), what real rationalization, except billboards and even bigger inkjet prints, is there for medium format? Well, there are at least two I can think of - one obvious, the other less so. The obvious one is much mentioned and, unfortunately, rings very true in my experience. It is that medium format, like a Hasselblad, is a very expensive status symbol, and the more expensive something is, the more status that can be attached to it. $40,000.00 and change buys a lot of status. And, that status can be used, if the model for this behavior holds, to impress the people who might want to spend great gobs of money on you taking some sort of pictures for them. In their minds, the more expensive are my photographer's tools, the better he (she) must be, and therefore, the more discerning that I, the client, must be. Plus, there is  a plethora of new kinds of assistants whose jobs also depend on the obscure software that attaches to these less popular cameras - the digital assistants - who will swear and attest to the wonderfulness of these very expensive tools that, as the keepers of their esoteric flames, guarantee them some much needed income. The less obvious reason for a commercial shooter to own one of these medium format devices is a matter of convenience to their clients. When one has a very lucrative photo job to let out, the universe of potential photographers who can actually do the job well is rather large - too large for the AD's, Creative Directors, Art Buyers, and Picture Editors to comfortably wade through with their complex bids and explanations. If they really considered the available talent pool, no job could ever get awarded in a timely matter - too much time spent away from the more pleasurable aspects of their jobs and just plain too slow a process. So, as in all such circumstances (think admissions directors at Ivy League colleges and Universities using 4.0 gradepoints and stratospheric SAT scores to weed out the students who could matriculate, but can't possibly all fit in the freshman class), it's very much easier and faster for them to, consciously or not, simply weed out those whose gear doesn't "measure up." This is not always how it works, but, unfortunately, it is how it mostly works. So, again, if you're angling after some really big buck jobs, medium format digital is a potential aid to help you catch some of them, and possibly a neceesity for entre into the pool from which the actual job winners are chosen.

Regards,
David

 

I completely agreed with dafrank, IMHO, it has pretty much similar analogy of Canon L lens vs 3rd Party Lens. Many 3rd Party lens have comparable optical or image quality as those "L" lens, and given 2 photos, not many can tell one is shoot by "L" and the 3rd party, and yet many (especially among wedding photographers) will prefer to carry a "L" for their assignments simply because of the "Red Band" status ... giving the client the cult-like "Professional" impression so that one can demand more!

... And it certainly applies to carrying a Medium Format around compare to a DSLR. To give everyone a real world comparison .... please check this out .... http://www.photigy.com/nikon-d800e-test-review-vs-hasselblad-h4d40-35mm-against-medium-format/

For the above review, the major difference I can see is the color shift or color difference between Hasselblad and Nikon. I strongly suspect, if the author of the review fully perform a color calibration to both sensors before the review, the difference won't be that obvious ... especially in the skin tone of the subject!
 

7

EOS Bodies / Re: More Big Megapixel Talk

« on: August 21, 2012, 05:57:51 AM »

I really hope Canon is not heading towards the wrong direction in this MegaPix war with Nikon ... this round, the competition is not about the number of pixels but the quality of the pixels that put the D800 spreading like wild fire in the market place! Nikon has created a new niche this time .... for giving photographers medium format image quality with a DSLR body and price that took the market by storm!

So, whatever Canon is coming out soon, make sure it is not about packing another few more megapix in the same old silicon die to fool the market .... in order to lead in the Professional and Enthusiast segment again, Canon needs to do something really major to improve on its senor technology especially in terms of Dynamic Range (16stops), Colour Depth (16bits) and Noise ... I hope Canon don't miss the boat, this round!!!! 

8

EOS Bodies / Re: Big Megapixels Coming Soon? [CR1]

« on: August 06, 2012, 09:41:20 AM »

I really hope Canon is not coming up a camera this time just packing more pixels into the 35mm die with its existing technology ... what Nikon has really stolen the show this time is setting a new trend by providing Studio/FineArt/Fashion/Landscape photographers a very cheap alternative to entry level digital Medium Format camera ... which caught the world by storm!

So ... whatever Canon is coming up ... Canon needs to make a camera that excels in all Quality Aspects ... that is in terms of Dynamic Range (> 15 stops), Colour Fidelity (16bits), and very Low Noise ... and ... of 'cos plus all those 5D mkIII features .... in order to compete!!!

9

EOS Bodies / Re: Mirrorless Camera & New Full Frame Coming Second Half 2012? [CR2]

« on: May 15, 2012, 06:29:20 PM »

Code: [Select]

A suggestion that Canon will announce an “entry level” full frame camera in the fall of 2012. A true replacement to the 5D Mark II?I am wondering why Canon should spend valuable R&D time on making an entry level full-frame .... 22mpx, and crippled this features and that features?!!! Shouldn't the current 5D mkII not good enough? All Canon has to do is drop the price to $1,000 for 5DmkII to stamp off Nikon D600!

10

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS-3D Surfaces Again [CR1]

« on: May 15, 2012, 06:15:22 PM »

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<strong>3D for the megapixel lover<br />


</strong>The Canon EOS-3D has been a rumored camera since before rumor sites, and every so often a flurry of new rumors under the moniker “EOS-3D” surface.</p>
<p>Recently a suggestion that a new “high megapixel” camera will be around by spring 2013 has come about. It’s reported that at least a couple of test bodies are being used in the US and in Asia.</p>
<p>While I don’t doubt high megapixel sensors are in testing, it’s probably too early to nail down exact specs. I also dislike the name “3D” if a product doesn’t actually shoot 3D.</p>
<p>Another suggestion is the 1D C isn’t going to be the only Cinema EOS DSLR by the end of 2013.</p>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/cameras/Canon_3d.html" target="_blank">NL</a>] & CR</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>

If Canon thinks that to come out a new body by increasing the mega pix to compete with Nikon D800 ... please think again .... it is really not about mega pixels anymore .... it is more about sensor quality and technology that the market is after now! Adding more pixels into the same 2005 silicon die, year in and year out, simply doesn't work anymore this time .... it is more about colour depth (16-bits), dynamic range (14 stops) and low light capability that give Medium Format a real run for its money that the market is after this time!!!!