Messages

1

Animal Kingdom / Re: Wrong Photography Ethics?

« on: Today at 07:47:02 AM »

You have to look at the intent.

The aspect of altering photos that gets to me is when a photo is faked to be misleading. It can be done with or without photoshop.... like a news story about a car accident where children are hurt and someone throws a big stuffed animal into the scene to try to make it a tear-jerker.

If the altered picture is so silly as to be unbelievable, I can accept that it is in good fun, but not the sneaky ones that attempt to deceive.

For example, big storm and flooding hits New York... Photos start to appear like the shark swimming in the subway and on flooded streets.... those are attempts to deceive. The one of the Statue of Liberty hiding behind the pedestal as a huge wave crashes against it or the ones of Godzilla are obvious fakes with no intention to deceive.

If I took a moonlanding picture, added something to the image like a wire, and started to claim that it was proof that the moon landing was faked in a studio, that would be an attempt to deceive..... while Lucky the cat in the picture is obviously not.

2

PowerShot / Re: Best solution for really shaky hands

« on: May 20, 2013, 12:21:23 PM »

One of the reasons that DSLR's are shaped the way they are is to fit into your hand. Most p/s cameras (with the exception of a few that look like mini dslr's) are boxes that are hard to hold steady and are hard to press the shutter without shaking the camera.

I know they are not the most compact, but that mini-dslr look form factor might be the way to go. IS can only accomplish so much, an easier to hold camera may be a better idea in this case.

3

Canon General / Re: Desired fantasy gear

« on: May 20, 2013, 10:34:35 AM »

EF-S 400 4 IS

Why not try the EF 300mm f/4L IS, as it is the equivalent of 480mm on a 1.6x crop body?

Maybe because it would be the equivalent of much more mm (actually 640) on a 1.6x crop body and some need it?

No, a theoretical EF-S 400mm lens on a 1.6x crop body would be the equivalent of 400mm.  Note: EF-S lenses, which is what the OP requested, can only be mounted on a 1.6x crop body, so there is no crop factor.

Nope!

A 400mm lens is a 400mm lens is a 400mm lens, no matter which body you mount it on.

For example, take the EF-S 18-200 and the EF 70-200, mount them on a crop camera, and you will get the same field of view. This is the same field of view as a 320mm lens would give on a FF camera.

Also, some EF-S mount lenses made by third parties will fit onto FF bodies. I have used a Sigma 10-20mm lens on a 5D2. It works, but the vignetting is SEVERE! It really looks like you were using a fisheye lens.

4

Canon General / Re: Desired fantasy gear

« on: May 20, 2013, 10:25:38 AM »

A nice remote control kite rig for aerial photography....

5

Street & City / Re: Superstrikes South Africa

« on: May 20, 2013, 10:22:00 AM »

The lightning makes a great picture. The night skyline is a great picture. The two of them together... WOW! Thats a REALLY GREAT picture! Inspirational!

6

EOS Bodies / Re: How will Canon respond to Magic Lantern's raw video hack?

« on: May 19, 2013, 10:26:05 PM »

I can see it now.... a bunch of Canon executives gathered around a table discussing magic lantern... "So this product that someone else is developing and taking all the risk over.... is increasing our sales". Canon will do nothing.... why go through a lot of trouble to cost sales?

7

Canon General / Re: Beach Vacation in a month... & I'm scared for my gear.

« on: May 19, 2013, 10:10:40 PM »

My gear goes with me everywhere..... including canoe trips. If I am going somewhere "safe", I use an ordinary camera bag. If I am going somewhere a bit riskier, I bring the gear in a pelican case.... keeps it very safe when not in my hands. It also makes a fairly indestructable travel case.

The 60D is semi-sealed. Ive used mine in all weather for many years and never a problem.

8

Animal Kingdom / Re: Show your Bird Portraits

« on: May 18, 2013, 08:02:42 PM »

Went out in the canoe today and got to sit and watch the loons feeding. I should have used a faster shutter speed on the first shot.... I am learning bird photography and having a fun time!

9

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 70D & EOS 7D Mark II

« on: May 17, 2013, 10:10:25 PM »

Both Canon and Nikon seem to be in No Hurry to introduce Pro Level APS-C/DX cameras. There are rumors that the 7D2 will be available in 2014, but the are no rumors about the Nikon D400 ever being announced, zilch, nada, nothing. Until Canon pre-announces the 7D2 it's just vaporware.

So that leaves APS-C/DX shooters looking at something that isn't Canon or Nikon.

With the p/s you can expect several models in various colors to be announced each year, but as you move up the spectrum the updates get less and less frequent. Once you get into DSLR's, the vast bulk of Canon Sales are rebels and as you move upwards in price the numbers sold drop off.  Let's say it takes 100,000 rebels sold to make a camera profitable.... they might hit that in a month. They make more profit per body on a 7D, let's say it only takes 50,000 sold to make a profit..... it could take half a year.. It probably takes a couple years on a 1Dx...

The point is, it takes a lot more time to show a profit on higher end bodies, and without significant improvements over the previous model, sales will be slow. Canon is in business to make money and without a significant improvement there is no sense in them releasing newer versions. High end releases show a lot more improvement over the previous model than a mode dial that goes all the way around....

10

Animal Kingdom / Re: Show your Bird Portraits

« on: May 17, 2013, 02:33:23 PM »

If you look closely, you can see my silhouette reflected in heron's eye in the first shot.

And that may well be the ultimate self-portrait. Wonderful shot!

11

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 70D & EOS 7D Mark II

« on: May 17, 2013, 08:10:07 AM »

Sales drive revenue. Revenue drives profit. Profit is a major driver of share price and shareholder value.  Share price and shareholder value determine whether a public company thrives, survives, or fails.

Betamax was better quality than VHS.  VHS sold better. Betamax failed and was abandoned.

On a more DSLR related note, Olympus came out with 4/3 format. It was going to be a worldwide standard. Many things about thier cameras were ahead of what the Canon and Nikon crop bodies offered at the time. They had beter user interface, beter weatherproofing, arguably better sensor performance, and faster autofocusing..... and where is it now? ( 4/3... not micro 4/3 ).  Sales sucked, product not stocked by retail stores, death spiral, gone.

I don't think you're paying attention.

Look at the sales figures for MILC cameras (Mirrorless Interchangable Lens Cameras).

And if that market was a dead end that was dying then why would Canon have released the EOS-M?

4/3 dSLR, not m4/3 MILC, is what was stated.  The most recent 4/3 camera is the Olympus E-5, a 'pro' body almost 3 years old that no one expects will be replaced. It's #3,139 in Amazon's sales ranking.  The 'consumer' line of 4/3 cameras (E-xxx) stopped with the E-600 in 2009. Panasonic and Leica tried the format, dropped it over 6 years ago.

So, who's not paying attention?  You, dilbert.  But at least you've figured out we're talking about cameras, not lenses, this time.  Bravo.

We are talking 4/3, a DSLR crop body, and the market is most certainly not dead. Olympus failed to capture sales despite technical excellence..... So they let the line die.  This is why many of us say that sales matter. Who cares how good the camera is if it isn't made. Just like Betamax, no sales became no more new 4/3 cameras. One might argue that sales are the most important aspect of a camera.

12

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 70D & EOS 7D Mark II

« on: May 16, 2013, 09:44:16 PM »

Neuro, you have a habit to answer with sails,

Not to be picky here.... but I doubt that Canoe will ever be number one in "sails"..... they make consumer electronics, not boats.....

You even threw in the word "Canoe" for the icing on the cake!  Well done.

Oops... I just realized I forgot to post the picture to go with that...

(she is gorgeous and only 103 years old)

and for the sensor is everything crowd..... picture shot with an Olympus OM-1 using Kodachrome 64

13

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 70D & EOS 7D Mark II

« on: May 16, 2013, 09:41:26 PM »

Sales drive revenue. Revenue drives profit. Profit is a major driver of share price and shareholder value.  Share price and shareholder value determine whether a public company thrives, survives, or fails.

Betamax was better quality than VHS.  VHS sold better. Betamax failed and was abandoned.

On a more DSLR related note, Olympus came out with 4/3 format. It was going to be a worldwide standard. Many things about thier cameras were ahead of what the Canon and Nikon crop bodies offered at the time. They had beter user interface, beter weatherproofing, arguably better sensor performance, and faster autofocusing..... and where is it now? ( 4/3... not micro 4/3 ).  Sales sucked, product not stocked by retail stores, death spiral, gone.

Well, the Olympus E5 got a DxOMark Overall Score of only 56.  That must be why it didn't sell. 

Personally, I've never paid a lot of attention to Dx0Mark scores. A lot of people fixate on sensors, but it seems far more important to deal with more important stuff first. I tend to shoot in good lighting conditions so I don't have a fanatical worry about ISO scores.

To me, the most important aspect of a camera system is the AF system. An in focus picture beats an out of focus picture. I don't care how much dynamic range or megapixels are involved.... Focus is of paramount importance.

My second criteria to look at is the glass. It does not matter if you are shooting anything from a rebel to a 1Dx, the resolution of the glass has to exceed the resolution of the body if you are going to push things to the limit. With the higher pixel density, this is far more important on crop bodies than FF bodies, but when a high megapixel FF body comes out, make sure you have top notch glass of you will get soft pictures. Stick a 100L Macro on a Rebel and it will take pictures so sharp it will amaze you.... put a $200 kit zoom on a rebel and you get mush.

My third criteria is good user interface.... gotta be able to control things on the fly and in a panic.... stepping through menus does not cut it.

New sensor? Yes it's important to me, but it is far from being everything to me. I use camera systems, not components in isolation. It is very important to me that whatever system I am using comes from a stable and profitable company. If they are loosing money, they run the risk of going away, and that leaves me with a shelf of orphan glass.

14

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 70D & EOS 7D Mark II

« on: May 16, 2013, 08:18:39 PM »

Sales drive revenue. Revenue drives profit. Profit is a major driver of share price and shareholder value.  Share price and shareholder value determine whether a public company thrives, survives, or fails.

Betamax was better quality than VHS.  VHS sold better. Betamax failed and was abandoned.

On a more DSLR related note, Olympus came out with 4/3 format. It was going to be a worldwide standard. Many things about thier cameras were ahead of what the Canon and Nikon crop bodies offered at the time. They had beter user interface, beter weatherproofing, arguably better sensor performance, and faster autofocusing..... and where is it now? ( 4/3... not micro 4/3 ).  Sales sucked, product not stocked by retail stores, death spiral, gone.

15

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 70D & EOS 7D Mark II

« on: May 16, 2013, 07:54:04 PM »

Neuro, you have a habit to answer with sails,

Not to be picky here.... but I doubt that Canoe will ever be number one in "sails"..... they make consumer electronics, not boats.....