Messages

31

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon Sells More DSLRs Than Anyone Else in 2012

« on: December 30, 2012, 05:20:18 PM »

But.....but.....Nikon is "better," isn't it?  DxOMark says so, it must be true.  What am I missing?!?  Oh, wait, I know....REALITY.

 

Alas, Nikonistas will say that us Canonistas all over the world live in a false reality... the number of cameras sold does not make one the better camera.

 

32

Technical Support / Re: Repairing Scratches - 5D MKIII

« on: December 27, 2012, 08:17:52 PM »

Better have it repaired, you wouldn't want people to think you're not a top-notch photog if they see the scratches on your camera.

On a technical note, the scratches might let some light through, even the smallest amount of light penetrating the body can affect exposure metering so best to have it repaired.

33

Canon General / Re: Recommended photography books

« on: December 26, 2012, 07:46:50 PM »

+1 on Michael Freeman's books.

The meat of the matter you may want to study is how photographs are taken, critiqued and analyzed. This wholistic view is discussed by David Hurn & Bill Jay's 2 books: 1) On Being a Photographer,  and 2) On looking at Photographs.

A good thing to note on these books is that it's not presented in your typical lecture-type format - what you actually read are them talking to each other on different topics per chapter, very much like an interview-type format with the 2 authors interviewing each other. I found the conversational nature of the presentation makes the book an easier reading considering the subject itself is heavy and typically hard to understand.

34

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Sigma 35 f/1.4 DG HSM First Impressions

« on: December 23, 2012, 09:51:25 PM »

if  now 4 different  sites  has shown that this lens is  nothing else that a great / exceptional lens, why do you people question these measurements?
do you really think the Canon 35/1,4 and the  at double price is better? regarding resolution and bokeh?
I think is the reverse.Sigma has done a exceptional lens. And I will test it as soon there are a nikon  sigma out there  and together with d800 and 36Mp

Simple - 'cause the fanboys don't want to accept that a $900 Siggy is better than their $1500 Canon. The red 'ring of power' does have that effect on some people...

35

Lenses / Re: Announcement on January 8, 2013? New Lenses [CR1]

« on: December 23, 2012, 09:29:41 PM »

The 50/1.2L stands out in the EF lens line, not for its sharpness, but for the beautiful way in which it draws, especially in the f/1.2 to f/2.8 range.  Canon obviously designed it with a certain look in mind.

Are you saying Canon designed the 50L not to be sharp but instead to get a 'certain look'? I really doubt Canon would design an L prime with sharpness NOT their top priority... if what you're saying is indeed the case, then I wonder what the Canon engineers had in mind when they designed the 24mm 1.4 Mk I?

Now, if Canon is indeed planning to release a 35mm MkII and 14-24mm f2.8 they better make sure making them tack sharp is their main priority.

36

Lenses / Re: Announcement on January 8, 2013? New Lenses [CR1]

« on: December 23, 2012, 08:47:10 PM »

And the 50/1.2 L is a sub-par piece of cr*p as well by todays standards. A Sigma 50/1.4 runs circles around it. 

Crap may be too strong a word, but I agree the 50L is not good value for money. I dare anyone to put it in their top 5 best primes (super teles excluded) if their life depended on it. I mean, my top 5 would be 100mm f2.8L IS Macro, 135mm f2, 85mm f1.2, 24mm II TS-E, 35mm f1.4.

I'm really surprised canon is refreshing the 35mm 1.4. I really feel it should be the 50mm 1.2 they should be updating. I guess Sigma got them pissed...

37

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

« on: December 23, 2012, 05:43:55 PM »

Anyone else found that F2.8 pictures are way too soft almost unusable, pump it up to 3.2 and this is BEAST with it so sharp.. and then from 3.5 to 7.1 a bit jumping up and down and then again at F8 it amazingly sharp.

Anyone noticed this, or is it just for me?

That's very odd in your case, how can stopping down 1/3 stop take it from super soft to razor sharp? It usually takes 1-2 stops to improve lens IQ.

38

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Sigma 35 f/1.4 DG HSM First Impressions

« on: December 21, 2012, 02:20:35 PM »

I really can't understand the nitpicking with the bokeh... I haven't met any photog who would choose bokeh over sharpness. Well, I guess if you've paid $1000+ for a 35L then the sigma has to be THAT bad...

Not me. I'm sold - I'm getting the sigma.

39

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: The seemingly amazing Sigma 35

« on: December 20, 2012, 08:41:59 PM »

- just like to add that i think sigma's rapid lens replacement system is a detriment. Canon is more my speed. Hopefully sigma will slow things down.

The refresh cycle speed is due to the quality of the lens and the manufacturer's ability to improve the previous lens design. In Sigma's case, they deliberately weren't producing top-notch lenses so the margin for improvement was large and new improved models could be spat out with relatively simple changes to the optical design.

If you're designing lenses for the top end you are limited by the current state of optics technology. So in the 35mm's case you shouldn't expect to see a replacement so soon as they couldn't possibly significantly improve it in a short timeframe.

40

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: 5D mkIII SD cards good enough for video? And IBP/ALL-I Q

« on: December 18, 2012, 04:04:49 PM »

The 5D3's SD interface is handicapped, testing shows the fastest you can get from it is ~ 19mb/sec, and that's with the fastest UHS-I class 10 cards. Slower cards will get you less than that. This is because the 5D3 Is not compatible with the latest write protocols, unlike its CF interface.

41

EOS-M / Re: To buy M or not to buy M?

« on: December 14, 2012, 09:38:38 PM »

I have one with the 22mm and EF adaptor. I got it so I don't have to lug my 5D3 everywhere.

A lot of people here bash the EOS-M for what it isn't supposed to be. Those opinions are misguided because the EOS-M isn't supposed to be your DSLR substitute. What it is is a compact with impeccable image quality, full manual control, AF points you can virtually focus anywhere in the scene. And to top it off, can use EF/EF-S lenses! The EOS-M is for those wanting to jump in the photography scene but don't want to get a chunky DSLR. Eventually when those people buy EF/EF-S lenses it'll be a much more economical transition to a DSLR.

Sure the AF is slow - what do you expect from a compact??? But take note the AF speed depends on what lens is on it - STM lenses focus fast, while it's painfully slow with my 16-35mm II. EVF? You don't put an EVF on a compact. Me, I compose just fine from the LCD.

Take the EOS-M for what it is. If you want a smaller body that has proper AF speed, get a 1100D/650D. Or a Sony Nex if you have a lot of money to still invest in another system. Otherwise there is no substitute to the DSLR you currently have.

42

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D III - Camera of the year 2012

« on: December 11, 2012, 03:25:33 PM »

If you didn't show the magazine some would say you're trolling.

Actually, some still might.

43

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 7D soft images

« on: December 11, 2012, 05:47:53 AM »

That's a focusing issue.

1. Focus manually, take a photo.
2. Turn on AF, take a photo.
3. Compare photos.

If it's a lens issue, if you can't correct it with AFMA then have it serviced. Hope it's not your camera that has a faulty AF module.

44

Lenses / Re: 100mm 2.8L vs 135mm 2.0L

« on: December 10, 2012, 11:05:02 PM »

just because it is a Macro lens doesn't change the DOF you get from a 100mm non Macro lens to a 100mm Macro lens.

That's what I thought.

If identically framed for both 100mm lenses, then yes the DoF doesn't change. But comparing the 100mm macro with the 135mm at the same framing, DoF should be less with the 100mm macro.

For most uses the 100mm macro should be able to replace the 135mm. Comparing the two -

IQ - similar
100mm macro benefits - shorter MFD, 1:1 magnification, Hybrid IS
135mm benefits - longer reach, 1 stop faster

So unless you're a sports shooter, you can simply walk up closer to your subject and turn on IS to negate the 135mm's reach and 1-stop advantage.

45

Lenses / Re: Zoom vs Primes?

« on: December 10, 2012, 10:42:04 PM »

Depends really what kind of photography you do on the street.

If you take a lot of candid, off-the-hip shots, a wide prime may be best as it gives you to get up close with larger framing. The wide framing also gives you room to crop if your framing isn't spot on.

The zoom gives you a lot of framing options and allows you to shoot from afar if you can't get close enough to your subject.