Messages

1

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Wedding expert suggestions desired...first time.

« on: April 30, 2013, 11:39:57 AM »

Thank you all so much for all the valuable information - it has really been helpful to check in, read replies to this post, and search for additional information. Here are my initial plans and please feel free to comment or suggest alternatives:

• Mode: Av
• Aperture: f/4.0-5.6
• Auto ISO: 1600 or 3200 Max
• White balance: Auto
• Metering: Evaluative or Center Weighted Average
• Flash: off

It looks to me like shooting in Av and Auto ISO will keep things simple for me and I can concentrate on shutter speed. Additional concentration will be holding the camera steady while shooting. I was playing with a DOF calculator and I am guessing most shots will be fine at f/5.6 and maybe even dipping down into f/4.0 on occasion.

Any professional recommendations regarding max ISO of 1600 or 3200? Based upon my reading it seems like a fair trade off by pushing my ISO but then again the higher I go the more color sensitivity, dynamic and tonal range I begin to give away. Maybe drop the max ISO to 400 or so for the ceremony outdoors and bump it up to 1600 or 3200 indoors?

The White Balance will be left on auto and I will be shooting large RAW images. I have a 32GB card and two batteries. My intent is to spend time post-processing and make minor adjustments here and there. The Metering is another area where I would like to hear opinions since I will be shooting people one dressed in black and the other in white. I shot mostly in Evaluative but it has been suggested a Center Weighted Average is a better choice for weddings.

All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

2

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Wedding expert suggestions desired...first time.

« on: April 28, 2013, 09:07:27 PM »

Thanks so far for the informative replies - I am reading the entire "Emergency wedding, of sorts" right now as suggested above. And yes I do agree that this is a high degree of responsibility but truthfully, the couple had never really budgeted for a photographer since having "quality" shots of their wedding just were not that high on the list of them. I was volunteered and they are very happy but as a back-up they are handing out a few dozen disposable cameras for guests to have fun with.

I am just trying to help out here and figure if I take 500-1000 shots they should be able to pull a few dozen really nice ones out. And since I have never formally shot a wedding before I am just looking for the basic suggestions more-or-less to confirm what I have read elsewhere. An example would be shooting in Av at 5.6 or 8.0 as that reinforces others suggestions.

And I really do appreciate the help folks, the more info the better.

3

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Wedding expert suggestions desired...first time.

« on: April 28, 2013, 07:50:23 PM »

Hello folks - a local couple are going to be married and it was suggested that since they don't have enough money to hire a photographer I could shoot help them out. What I am asking for are some basic suggestions - maybe even a "how to shoot a wedding" for amateurs such as myself.

The gear I plan to use are my 7D along with my EF 24-70mm f/2.8L. I understand this lens is a great choice for guys shooting with 5Ds and such but with a crop sensor should I use this lens or my  EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II?

The ceremony will be during the evening outdoors at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and the reception will be indoors. The bride has provided a nice list of the shots they would really like which is quite helpful.

Guys, I would really like to provide them with a good assortment of photos to choose from since this is such a special day for them. I am not charging anything of course but I would still like to do the best I possibly can. If you can provide basic suggestions such as:

• Mode - Full, CA, P, Tv, Av, or M?
• Flash or not? Fill indoors, outdoors, etc.
• ISO on Auto from 100-800 or just set it on a particular value?

Just really a comprehensive review of the basics for a guy trying to do the best he can. I am a fast learner but truthfully normally enjoy taking time to set up a shot, use a tri-pod, experiment, etc. I am not a pro like many of you guys who make adjustments on the fly with full knowledge of what is required to create the desired shot.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and none are too basic. 

4

Lenses / Re: Europe Vacation: Equipment Advice

« on: April 04, 2013, 12:49:25 AM »

My brother recently returned from a three month vacation with a good amount of time spent in Europe.

Short summary: most shots with his 5D Mark II were made using his 24-105mm f/4L.

Tripod was lost in Cambodia, my 16-35mm f/2.8L II was used in Iceland and never again, no flash was ever used. Feel free to take a look at his extensive record including many pictures and general info http://szymecki.wordpress.com/

5

Lenses / Migration from zooms to primes...your suggestions?

« on: April 03, 2013, 11:49:02 PM »

My question has to do with my desire to gradually convert my lenses from zooms to primes and more importantly, which primes should I plan to purchase?

My current zooms are:

• 16-35mm f/2.8L II
• 24-70mm f/2.8L
• 70-200mm f/2.8L

A quick look at the L primes include:

• 14mm f/2.8L II
• 24mm f/1.4L II
• 35mm f/1.4L
• 50mm f/1.2L
• 85mm f/1.2L II
• 100mm f/2.8L
• 135mm f/2.0L
• 180mm f/3.5L Macro
• 200mm f/2.8L II

I am just curious which primes you would select and in what particular order you would purchase them in? I pretty much like taking all sorts of pictures to include people, architecture, landscape, astronomy, etc.

Thanks in advance for your time and effort.

6

Lenses / Re: EF or EF-S for 7D/70D

« on: March 17, 2013, 09:57:33 PM »

When picking up my 7D I had a similar discussion with my father, a professional photographer by trade. As he put it, "the money is in the glass." He provided several examples of camera bodies coming and going but a good lens is a good lens.

Spreading the difference in cost out over a few years and the difference is negligible.

7

Lenses / Re: What's the best deal you've ever gotten on a lens?

« on: February 04, 2013, 02:03:19 AM »

Purchased all of my L lenses on during rebates and saved a few bucks on each of them.

Best deals ever on lenses were this past Christmas when I purchased my young daughter the T3i kit with 18-55 for $599. While purchasing the kit through B&H I was able to add the following:

• EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lens for $24 (retail $299)
• EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Lens for $7 (retail $199)

So yes, I added two additional brand new lenses for a total of $31, lol. Gave her the 55-250mm for her birthday a few weeks later and will sell the 75-300mm when I get around to it. Heck, they even threw in a 16 or 32G card for free - great starter kit for an adventurous teen!

8

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Post your HDR images:

« on: January 07, 2013, 11:48:25 PM »

Here is my first attempt at HDR.

Shot with a 7D using a 16-35mm. Images were +3, 0, -3 and processed using DPP. Please share your constructive criticism and suggestions as I am really looking to learn more.

9

Lenses / Re: Your "precious" lord of the red rings is?

« on: January 07, 2013, 09:44:36 PM »

My house can burn to the ground and all of my gear will be just fine - buy a nice safe and never worry again.

http://www.libertysafe.com/

My father had a house fire and when we opened his safe everything was immaculate - papers, photos, electronic gear, etc.

10

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Cannot Keep Screwing It's Customers Over

« on: January 07, 2013, 09:25:24 PM »

I live in Europe and canon are raising their prices here by 2x as well despite that the value of our currency has remained on the same level as the Yen...

Thanks for the valid suggestion but the Euro has not been doing well either. Maybe this is more of a Western Civilization sort of thing 

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=EUR&to=JPY&view=5Y

11

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Cannot Keep Screwing It's Customers Over

« on: January 06, 2013, 09:34:32 PM »

Sorry if this has been addressed already but I just do not have the time to read through this entire post - has anyone considered the loss in value of the US dollar as compared to the Japanese Yen as part of the reason for the sharp upturn in Canon's pricing?

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=JPY&view=5Y

12

Pricewatch Deals / Re: Cyber Monday - Rebel T3i w/3 Lenses & Memory Card for $669 at B&H Photo

« on: November 29, 2012, 12:25:07 PM »

Well, it appears as if the great deal is now over 

I just checked on B&H's site and two things have changed:

1 - only ONE lens can be added to the bundle
2 - the prices of both lenses have increased dramatically

Not sure if some folks were able to take advantage of a mistake on B&H's part and if so I hope that B&H honors the orders already placed.

Anyone have any additional details?

13

EOS Bodies / Re: 6D or 5D Mk II

« on: September 21, 2012, 11:41:29 PM »

I guess I am stuck waiting for the 5D Mk IV since Canon did not include GPS with the unit. Seriously, we are in 2012 and GPS in a camera is treated as something special???

And I will not even begin to consider the 6D since it is an even number - I only like even numbers for my TV volume setting, number of plates, cups, etc.

14

EOS Bodies / Re: 2023: a look into Canon's flagship body

« on: July 16, 2012, 11:41:29 PM »

I do appreciate the responses so far - some pretty interesting ideas.

And sorry if I am disappointing anyone but this thread is no joke. My most recent work was at NASA Langley where I worked with the man who developed the Retinex Image Processing system.

http://dragon.larc.nasa.gov/

I am just curious as to what other people see as future products.

15

EOS Bodies / 2023: a look into Canon's flagship body

« on: July 16, 2012, 04:04:18 PM »

I am interested in hearing your ideas regarding the top of the line Canon body a decade from now. We have all been enjoying incremental changes since the flip from film to sensor and I am just wondering if there will be another leap forward in the next decade or not.

Just what will the capabilities be in a decade?

What would we like to see?

How about internet connectivity and it's unlimited storage capacity or ability to communicate?

Or maybe a thought controlled head mounted camera that becomes our eyes and allows us to view the world in a ultra wide angle or telephoto sort of way and capture images just because we though that would look nice. Or it's ability to capture everything we see and store on the net forever!

What role will an artificial neural network play in the future of photography? Will the camera learn your habits and make decisions for you while at the same time communicating with other cameras world wide and sharing these "new" methods collectively increasing the ability for all photographers?

Can you image having the knowledge of every great photographer as a literal extension of your own mind and being able to use that without any effort?

What are your thoughts?