Messages

16

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Tips on shooting hockey?

« on: October 30, 2012, 07:42:57 PM »

One other thing that you might try is to get a rubber lens hood so that you can put your lens right up next to the glass - that will cut down on some of the reflections from the glass. Just remember that the boards and the glass give, and if a couple of players run into the glass right in front of you, your camera is going to get shoved back into your face, so it's good to shoot with both eyes open so that you can try to see them coming.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Tips on shooting hockey?

« on: October 30, 2012, 07:39:13 PM »

It's much easier if you can shoot from over the top of the glass, but they may have nets in that rink. Shooting through the glass, as someone pointed out, is like shooting through a hazy window, and it's going to keep you from getting sharp shots (the pros at the NHL rinks shoot through holes in the glass, so they don't have that problem). I found that using an Expodisc to set a custom white balance was by far the best way to go (although I also shot RAW+JPEG just in case). Shoot manually, because the brightness of the white floor of the rink will tend to cause your meter to underexpose. Biggest thing to remember is to anticipate when something is going to happen so that you can start tracking the player before you're ready to shoot - that gives the focusing a chance to settle down on the player you're following.

18

Lenses / Re: Your technique for switching lenses in the field?

« on: October 26, 2012, 08:46:40 PM »

One other thing that I have used when I'm only using one body is to take two rear lens caps and epoxy them together back to back. Have that double lens cap on the second lens. When you get ready to change lenses, hold the second lens in your left hand, use the first finger on your left hand to press the lens release button on the camera, dismount the lens on the camera with your right hand, insert it into the open lens cap and tighten it. Then, holding the lens caps with your right hand, unscrew the second lens with your left hand and mount it on the camera. Takes very little time, and very little dust is going to get into the camera.

19

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 200 f/2L IS

« on: October 09, 2012, 08:52:56 PM »

If you have one of these lenses (or even any of the other Canon L long telephotos)...the bulky "bag" lens caps that Canon provides with them.

The MkII superteles have a redesigned nylon cap with a velcro closure that's much easier to install and remove.

Haven't made that big a step yet!

20

Reviews / Re: Review - Canon EF 200 f/2L IS

« on: October 09, 2012, 07:48:40 PM »

If you have one of these lenses (or even any of the other Canon L long telephotos), I highly recommend the lens caps made by Don Zeck (http://www.donzecklenscap.com/) over the bulky "bag" lens caps that Canon provides with them. They are easy to install and remove, and will protect the front element in case you decide that you don't want to use the lens shade.
I've been very happy with this lens, and I also find it very useful in shooting pictures of my grandson because I can get farther away from him so he's not as conscious of my taking his picture.
1Ds Mk III, 1/640 @f3.2, ISO 250

21

Canon General / Re: I'm mulling over 2 lenses (70-200mm f/2.8L USM or the EF 200mm f/2.8L USM II)

« on: September 26, 2012, 09:49:11 PM »

The biggest problem with using only the 200 is that if you are close to the field you will not be able to zoom to get all of the action. I have used (and own) both the 200 and the 70-200. I used to like to use the 200 at hockey games because from my seats I was always shooting at 200mm anyway. I did not find that the quality was appreciably different with either lens in a real world setting. When shooting lacrosse, when I'm right on the sidelines, I'd never think to use the fixed 200 because when there's closeup action I wouldn't be able to take it in.
The 200 is definitely lighter and easier to use for a long day's shoot, but I'd still prefer the 70-200.

22

Software & Accessories / Re: Need help on neck/Shoulder Strap for camera body...!!!

« on: September 14, 2012, 08:22:04 PM »

I like the Op/Tech Pro Loop strap and I get a set of their extra long Pro Loop connectors because I like the camera to hang lower. Also makes it easier if you prefer to carry it over your shoulder and across your chest than around your neck. I've used them on 1 Series bodies with the 70-200 for 4 years with no problems with the buckles coming loose. Another thing that you could look at is the SpiderPro Holster system that allows you to hang the camera from your waist, taking the weight off of your neck and shoulders altogether. When I'm shooting sports, I will use a double SpiderPro system on a Think Tank belt with suspenders and a double Op/Tech pro loop strap which allows me to keep the cameras on my hips but gives me the security of the strap when I take one of them up to shoot. Looks weird, but I gave up worrying about how I look when I'm shooting a long time ago!

23

Lenses / Re: 200mm 2.8L II

« on: September 03, 2012, 02:16:46 PM »

It's also somewhat of a "stealth" lens - in a lot of places you are limited to a lens of no more than 6 inches, but you need the reach and the low light capability. For example, when shooting hockey from the stands, I'm almost always shooting at 200mm, so using the fixed 200 f2.8 is just as easy as the 70-200 f2.8 (much lighter over the course of a game, also) and far less likely to draw the attention of the arena staff who tend to frown on larger "professional" lenses (it also helps that the 200 is black, so it doesn't stand out like a lot of the other L lenses). I find that the image quality is excellent.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX or 85mm 1.2?

« on: August 08, 2012, 10:21:12 PM »

Rich beat me to it, but I have to agree with him about these thoughts:
If you get rid of one of the 5DIIIs and get the 1Dx, you will then have two different bodies and not all of the switches and buttons are in the same place. I prefer to have the backup camera to be the same as the primary so that I don't have to be trying to remember what does what on which body. I've not used the 5DIII, but from the reports I've seen I doubt that the 1Dx would be a major step up if most of your work is weddings. If you need speed and ruggedness, such as for sports, the 1Dx might be the better choice, but I'm not so sure it would be for weddings. And if you don't use the battery grip for the 5DIII, it's probably a good deal lighter for which your neck will thank you at the end of a long day's shoot.

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Lenses / Re: Your 70-200 f/2.8L IS II...

« on: July 29, 2012, 08:36:10 AM »

If I could only have one lens, this one would be it. Absolutely fantastic for sports shooting, even handheld. Also good for shooting long shots from the back of a church at a wedding, and for portraits.

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1D X Sample Images / Re: Any Thing shot with a 1Dx

« on: July 24, 2012, 10:44:21 PM »

High school football stadium
ISO 16,000
Av 1/5000 @ f3.2
+1 exposure; shadows +81; Vibrance +50; Saturation +10; cropped to 8x10 and downsized to 180ppi in Photoshop
Default noise reduction in camera - none in post.

Just wanted to see what it would look like at that ISO.

27

Sports / Re: AFL (Australian Rules Football)

« on: July 04, 2012, 10:58:38 AM »

Sam: Those are some great shots. Don't you just hate it when you get "crowd vignetting" when people stand up in front of you just as you shoot?

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Sports / Re: AFL (Australian Rules Football)

« on: July 03, 2012, 08:51:11 AM »

You might even crop in and straighten it a little bit to emphasize the action. There was a lot of "dead space" in the upper left of this one.

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Lenses / Re: 400 mm f/2.8 L Mk I

« on: July 01, 2012, 09:42:52 PM »

One thing that you may want to check into is the compatibility of the 400 f2.8 MkI and the 2x MkIII converter. Unless I am reading the 2x MkIII manual (http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300004658/01/extender-ef-2x-iii-en.pdf) wrong, it says "Using an Extender with this lens may result in incorrect autofocus." The 2x MkII manual (http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/0/0300003490/01/extenderef2xii-en.pdf) contains no such warning.