Messages

1

Software & Accessories / Re: Screen protector question

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:17:05 PM »

When my cameras are cleaned by canon they replace they protective skin on the LCD screen.  Though I get small scratches and Face oil on the screen, when I get them back from canon the LCD looks new

Not the 5D MK III.  Up until it came along, the LCD cover was easily replaced, I replaced a few.  With the 5D MK III and likely all later models, the protective cover is bonded to the actual LCD, so the whole assembly must be replaced, which runs $300  or much more depending on who's fixing it.
 
If you are willing to dismantle your camera, you can but the new sandwich for less.

2

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Mk3 Reliability

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:08:34 PM »

My 5D, two 5D MK II's and two 5D MK III's were fine.  I've had over 20 Canon DSLR's and no failures.  My Nikon DSLR's haven't failed either.
 

3

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why is my 5D3 so noisy???

« on: May 23, 2013, 10:42:07 PM »

I find that it takes a near perfect exposure at the extreme high ISO's.  There is only about 5 stops of DR, and underexposure is very bad.  More than 1/2 stop of overexposure can blow out highlights depending on the scene.
Its definitely subject related, so learn the right way to expose for your subjects.   Then check to make sure your highlights are not blown out.
 
The ISO 12800 image above was overexposed 0.3 stops while the ISO 25600 was 1/2 stop over and had some blown highlights.

4

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon beats Nikon in accidental damage tests

« on: May 23, 2013, 08:40:35 PM »

Having performed many damage and durability tests in my lab, I will say that NASA would have demanded my resignation if I pulled a "Scientific Test" like that.  For them to call it scientific is a affront to engineers and scientists.
 
The first rule of a test is that it be repeatable so that a person anywhere can do the same test and have the same results.  There is no way this test is repeatable.
 
Its just a stunt, not a test.

5

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why is my 5D3 so noisy???

« on: May 23, 2013, 08:33:11 PM »

Did you shoot with RAW or JPEG.  If
jpeg, you will not have much ability to fixup a seriously underexposed image.
 
Expect to use NR with RAW high ISO images, using them out of camera will be a issue. 
 
ISO 12800, f/3.2 1/60 sec.  Plenty of noise, but it responds well to post production fixes.  DR is the biggest issue at very high ISO's.
 

 
Here is almost the same scene taking the evening before at ISO 25600, f/2.8 1/80 sec.  DR was a big issue so I dropped the shutter speed to 1/60 with my 24-70mm MK II the 2nd night and that dropped ISO a stop.  The light was just a little different as the lighting crew got better with practice.  Generally, I just shoot the first night of a dress rehearsal for practice
 
 

6

Lenses / Re: Disappointed with 50 f/1.2 sharpness @ f/1.2

« on: May 22, 2013, 10:40:50 PM »

Its not uncommon for lenses to be a bit fuzzy at close range.  Macro lenses have a different design that makes them sharp even at mfd.
 
The new 24-70mmL f/2.8L MK II is another lens that is not at its best when you get near mfd.

7

Lenses / Re: stacking up 2x+1.4x (both Mk 2's) on a 70-200 f2.8 L IS & Canon 5d Mark iii

« on: May 22, 2013, 10:34:55 PM »

Yes, I've don it with a number of lenses.  The 1.4X goes next to the camera, and the camera only sees the 1.4X.  I could mount it to my f/4 lenses and get autofocus at f/11 that way.  AF at f/11 is hit and miss.
Here are a couple I took recently with both TC's, my MK III, and 70-200mm MK II. The aperture was wide open.  This was before the f/8 firmware update, it wasn't needed when you stack TC's.
 

 
 

8

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III inability to use AV mode with any flash

« on: May 22, 2013, 10:21:38 PM »

Remember, the camera switches to fill mode when you mount a flash and set it to AV, so exposure times will look pretty weird if you don't use it right.
For Macro, use manual if you want to control things.

Freudian slip on my part - you wrote use manual, and I read use THE manual (aka RTFM). 

I just re-read the OP's post more carefully (can I blame 3 hrs of intereupted sleep prior to getting up at 4a for a day trip from Boston to New Jersey? Home now...).  You're obviously correct, as was my embedded statement about user error.  In Av mode with the flash sync in Av mode setting on Auto (which is the default), the camera will expose for ambient background and then light the subject with the E-TTL flash.

So it's a wetware problem, I think... 

EDIT: re-reading my re-read, maybe I wasn't as tired as I thought - the first line says 'no aperture selection' implying that turning the main dial does not change the aperture setting. If that's the case, there is something wrong.  But it is more likely the OP's description of the problem isn't fully accurate, and that aperture is changing but so is shutter speed for a correct ambient exposure.

I was wondering if it was peculiar to his 180mmL.  I don't have one, so I tried it on my 100mmL as well as my 70-200mmL.  I avoid using flash in AV merely because I tend to get really poor exposures if I'm not paying careful attention.

9

Lenses / Re: Do you wish your 70-200L were black?

« on: May 22, 2013, 10:17:17 PM »

Nikon does not use Fluorite in their lenses.  That is why they are longer and often have more CA's than Canon lenses, and often do not focus as closely.  Fluorite allows better correction of CA's which allows a shorter lens.
 
Maybe black paint is more expensive??  That Nikon 800mm sells for $18,000

Actually, Nikon's new 800/5.6 does use fluorite elements - two of them.  This, despite previous Nikon marketing blurbs that fluorite was used long ago, but they made ED glass so they could avoid using temperature-sensitive, fragile lens elements (e.g., this link).

I wonder how the fluorite will do in a black barrel?  If it has thermal issues, Nikon will be blasted. If not, it supports the idea that Canon's white paint is purely a marketing ploy (already supported by the white lenses with no fluorite, like the 300/4L IS).  Either way, I see egg on the face of one or maybe both...

 
Nikon uses Fluorite in their high end Microscopes, so they are familiar with it.  Polishing Fluorite Crystals is said to take 4X as long, and that adds to the cost.
 
I'd think that its possible to design a lens to allow for the expansion and contraction of the Fluorite.  I'm thinking that's its a differential expansion issue that causes the elements to crack.
 
Canon uses Fluorite is those expensive black telephoto cinema zooms, so I'd tend to agree that what was once a reason for white paint is now marketing and that construction techniques alleviate the thermal expansion / contraction issues.

10

Lenses / Re: Do you wish your 70-200L were black?

« on: May 22, 2013, 09:30:51 PM »

I guess Nikon has a lot of professional lenses, too, without painting them white. So... if I'd had the choice I would always buy black ones. Maybe we can meet us at 18% grey. So we can even adjust the whitebalance at any time on it? 

Nikon does not use Fluorite in their lenses.  That is why they are longer and often have more CA's than Canon lenses, and often do not focus as closely.  Fluorite allows better correction of CA's which allows a shorter lens.
 
Maybe black paint is more expensive??  That Nikon 800mm sells for $18,000
 

11

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III inability to use AV mode with any flash

« on: May 22, 2013, 09:18:29 PM »

My 5D MK III works fine with my 580 EX II flash in AV mode.
 
Remember, the camera switches to fill mode when you mount a flash and set it to AV, so exposure times will look pretty weird if you don't use it right.
For Macro, use manual if you want to control things.
 

12

Lighting / Re: Ok, I just snagged a 600EX-Rt, now what? (Questions on use, and going forward).

« on: May 22, 2013, 04:58:17 PM »

I'm thinking I might venture down this road....hmm..should I pull the trigger on a 2nd 600 while they're still at this price?

Hmm....decisions decisions...

C

Its basically a 580 EX II with a radio transmitter that requires some sort of other flash or R/T unit.  You can use it to optically control a older Canon flash, but there is not a whole lot of advantage to owning just one.  That's why I've held off, I do not want to purchase three of them or 1 R/T unit and two flashes.

13

Lenses / Re: Do you wish your 70-200L were black?

« on: May 22, 2013, 04:52:01 PM »

There is a technical reason for the lens to be white,  it contains a fluorite element which improves the lens performance, but is susceptible to extreme heat and cold.  The white paint absorbs less heat.
 
Larger sized L-lenses, such as the 70–200 mm and 100–400 mm zooms and longer focal length primes (300 mm+), usually have an off-white barrel (sometimes referred to as the color "putty") to reduce heat absorption under the sun that may otherwise affect the performance of the lens,^[4] as well as to identify Canon's lenses (for example at sporting events). However, shorter focal length L-lenses can be black (such as the Canon EF 24–70 mm f/2.8L and all L-lens primes under 300 mm, with the exception of the discontinued 200 mm f/1.8L and current 200 mm f/2.0L IS). Therefore L-lenses can be identified by either a lens barrel's off-white color or, as on all L-lenses, the distinctive red ring on the lens barrel.
 
 
 
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_70_200mm_f_2_8l_is_ii_usm#Specifications

14

EOS Bodies / Re: Patent: Canon Foveon Sensor

« on: May 22, 2013, 11:40:42 AM »

The patent sounds like research more than like something they would produce.  Canon works on a lot of different technologies trying for a breakthrough.  This is a way to improve on the serious issues with Foveon type sensors, but I doubt if its enough to make them better than Bayer technology.
 
In any event, here is a translation of part of the description.  Its hard to read, as all such machine translations are.
 

 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[Detailed Description of the Invention]
[Field of the Invention]
[0001]
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device, a manufacturing method for the same, and a photoelectric conversion system. 
[Background of the Invention]
 [0002]
 A Patent document 1 has disclosed the photoelectric conversion device which detects two or more colors by a unit pixel by including two or more photoelectric conversion parts in a unit pixel along a depth direction. In this photoelectric conversion device, it is used that the rate of the absorption of light of each color by a semiconductor substrate changes with depth from a semiconductor substrate surface. 
 [Citation list]
 [Patent literature]
 [0003]
 [Patent document 1] JP,2008-500768,A
 [Summary of Invention]
 [Problem to be solved by the invention]
 [0004]
 since a substrate is deep and light with long wavelength, for example, red light, can carry out until entering, the generated electric charge can diffuse to a substrate. This may bring about the loss of photosensitivity. In the photoelectric conversion part which was arranged at the deep position among two or more photoelectric conversion parts, the loss of photosensitivity takes place easily. This influence can become remarkable with micronization of a pixel. 
 [0005]
 In the photoelectric conversion device with which two or more photoelectric conversion parts were arranged along the depth direction, there is the object of this invention in providing advantageous technology, in order to make high photosensitivity of the photoelectric conversion part which was arranged at the deep position. 
 [Means for solving problem]
 [0006]
 One side surface of the present invention starts a photoelectric conversion device, and the aforementioned photoelectric conversion device, The component in which light has the 2nd page that was arranged at the incident opposite side of the 1st page and the 1st above-mentioned page, Two or more photoelectric conversion parts which were arranged at the inside of the aforementioned component along the depth direction from the 1st above-mentioned page are included, Any at least one except the aforementioned photoelectric conversion part which was arranged at the nearest position from the 1st above-mentioned page among two or more aforementioned photoelectric conversion parts. The difference of elevation has large uneven shape at the interface with the aforementioned component from the 1st above-mentioned page rather than the aforementioned photoelectric conversion part which was arranged at the nearest position, and the interface of the aforementioned uneven shape is characterized for the light which entered from the above-mentioned 1st page side, and arrived at the interface of the aforementioned uneven shape by localization or making it resonate. 
 [Effect of the Invention]
 [0007]
 According to the present invention, in the photoelectric conversion device with which two or more photoelectric conversion parts were arranged along the depth direction, it is advantageous in order to make high photosensitivity of the photoelectric conversion part which was arranged at the deep position. 
 
 

15

Technical Support / Re: CF Card Corrupted

« on: May 22, 2013, 12:43:54 AM »

Recovery software will recover files from a card formatted in the camera because its a "Quick Format" which means that it just pretends the files are gone.
 
A full format in a computer will erase the card and write zeros.
 
Card readers can be a problem, if a card is removed or sometimes the reader is bumped while downloading, it can mess things up.
 
I'm glad you recovered the images.