Messages

61

EOS Bodies / Re: Sell T4i for 5d ii?

« on: October 26, 2012, 06:24:21 PM »

The T4i sensor isn't much newer than the 5D II if that makes it easier.  T2i, T3i, T4i, 7D, 60D all have the same sensor as far as I know.  I just made the switch from T2i(again, had 5D II in the past).  The noise is just so much kinder on some low detail scenes. 

62

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

« on: October 26, 2012, 06:20:19 PM »

Body facing up with lens on it set down on something.  First push button and losen that lens without pulling it off yet.  Hold other lens next to it facing up, remove end cap from bottom.  Then fast swap and hold the one you took off the same way it came off with the open end down.  Then put that end cap on that one.  If you always do it that way and fast enough it's hard to get anything in there. 

63

Lenses / Re: 50 mm Can't make up my mind!

« on: October 25, 2012, 05:25:40 PM »

I got the canon 50 F1.4 recently for a 5D II.  The corner softness and lack of contrast was rather huge towards the more wide open end.  I upgraded to the sigma 50 F1.4.  It blew the doors off the Canon more wide open.  Upon stopping down though the Canon passes it in sharpness.  In the end I'm not sure that difference more wide open was worth it.  I'd been happy with the 50 F1.8 if it had a real focus ring on it, sigh.  I never use auto-focus in that range so clueless there. 

http://www.lenstip.com/216.4-Lens_review-Canon_EF_50_mm_f_1.4_USM_Image_resolution.html

Look at the 3 image comparison down a bit.  I didn't believe that till I went through both lenses.  The Canon 1.4 I had was at least that much worse than the Sigma I now have in that more wide open range.  Some white pvc tubes for venting on top of the house show white "shadows" about the same width as them...the contrast open is so bad. But again, stop down F4 they are probably even and by F5.6 the canon is passing the Sigma in sharpness.  So depend on what you want it for.

I guess when I was testing things I did do a couple autofocus tries that at least one of which was way off on the Sigma in bright daylight. 

64

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

« on: October 25, 2012, 10:01:18 AM »

Number 2 first, I found one I believe in here:  http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/extend.displayTab2.html#resources  In the profile downloader area.  There was just one for the lens.  In the profile list I think it was listed as canon and not samyang/rokinon/etc.  Works great to remove the crazy distortion.   There so much resolution everything is still highly sharp after the correction. 

I haven't tried the Milky Way yet as the real good parts aren't high up now.  I wonder how well it will work as there is a lot of vignetting and light loss at F2.8.  May not matter given the brighter parts of the Milky Way get put in the middle.  It just has a way of not feeling like F2.8 I guess. 

Edge to edge is pretty sharp at F2.8 infinity.  It doesn't seem you even gain much more sharpness by stopping down than from where it starts at.  But I haven't used this lens all that much yet.  And my new/used 5D II also has a flange to sensor plane difference that needs fixed, but even on that it's good to go. 

65

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Tripod - Help

« on: October 24, 2012, 06:47:29 PM »

When I was looking into a new tripod, there was a tripod thread on a storm chaser forum I'd visit.  I noted a lot in there were recommending those same Slik legs.  FWIW.  I should have went that route. 

66

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Tripod - Help

« on: October 24, 2012, 06:10:22 PM »

Have you asked them to fix or replace it?  There are often secret warranties that are not advertised.  It could have been a bad batch or run.  I do not use Gittos, but many have been happy.

No, I'm generally pretty lazy on things I guess.  Found the two halves of the inside clip thing, got it back together and since I had electrical tape in my car I just taped the hell out of it.  Every once in awhile I'll find myself cussing at the missing height now.  Always gotten by on the real cheap $50 deals and found it humorous this was happening after spending 6x as much.  Thinking, well least the legs always stayed together on all those real cheap ones. 

67

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Tripod - Help

« on: October 24, 2012, 04:14:13 PM »

All I know is I won't be buying Giottos again.  Not just one leg but two have come out in my hand when extending them.  Because they used a cheap plastic inner lock deal that evidently easily snaps.  I put it back together then used electrical tape on those joints, never to be used again.  The ones that haven't failed, well even after tightening the joint screws to the point of almost breaking when clamping down...they still don't stay out and often slide down/in.  Not real thrilled with the ballhead I got for it either.  Horizontal spin axis knob is all or nothing and damn hard to get tight so it stays.  The whole legs coming apart in my hand twice now over a dumb piece of plastic has really turned me off.  You look at this piece and how it goes together and what it has to do/support and it's just a real head scratcher they have this plastic inner piece like it is.  It was just a bit over $300 for the legs and head so not an expensive route exactly but certainly not the cheapest $50 free with camera tripod deal either.  It should take some work to have the tripod legs come apart/out in your hand, not casually extending them down on two different occasions.

Sorry can't say what to get, but figured I'd say what I'm not getting next time around. 

68

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D mkIII image "Dust" after impact

« on: October 22, 2012, 05:18:26 PM »

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/242758-REG/Photographic_Solutions_SS2BOX_Sensor_Swab_Type_2.html

For when the blower bottle doesn't get it out.  I often won't even put any solution on the swab.  Man the companies making those have to make some money lol.  A stick with a fabric on the end, $35. 

69

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D mkIII image "Dust" after impact

« on: October 22, 2012, 05:10:38 PM »

I would never send it in and pay anyone to clean a sensor.  It's really simple to just do it yourself and actually pretty hard to screw things up.  You're simply cleaning off a clear piece of plastic over the sensor.  The in-cam dust remover is a joke and if it does anything is more of a dust-mover-arounder.  Blower bottle works 90% of the time.  I just bought a thing from the grocery store for babies.  Snot sucker or something.  Then it's worth buying some sensor cleaning wads and the right solution.  Screw paying overpriced fees for someone else to do that.  Especially give if you use your gear much you'll be needing to do it frequently anyway. 

70

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Need your Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/Walimex 35mm 1.4 experiences!

« on: October 21, 2012, 02:30:36 PM »

Not sure if you've seen this site or not, but good review here:  http://www.lenstip.com/297.1-Lens_review-Samyang_35_mm_f_1.4_AS_UMC_.html

Quick glance it beats the Canon in vignetting and coma.  Resolution looks great stopped down just a bit, which ain't asking much coming from F1.4.  That might actually be my next lens.  Though I know I'll get all these primes built up, only to turn around and sell them all to buy the 24-70L II to simplify life. 

71

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Need your Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/Walimex 35mm 1.4 experiences!

« on: October 21, 2012, 10:04:56 AM »

I dont understand it. Do u mean having this large focus ring is negative to manual focus with the viewfinder or positive?

I guess I don't even know.  I always shoot stuff at infinity so it's fine for me.  It's just a lot different than manual focusing most canon lenses where one can at least get used to the feel of where to stop, given it's quite a fast change from clearly soft to focus then back to soft.  And perhaps it's just most odd with 14mm where it's harder to tell a difference on stuff at infinity given how small it is.  But anyway, can't say if it's positive or negative.  Just a lot different. 

72

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Need your Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/Walimex 35mm 1.4 experiences!

« on: October 20, 2012, 10:49:37 AM »

If it is anything like the Samyang 14 that I recently purchased, the manual focus ring/range will be loooonnnggg.  I'm guessing it will be quite similar.  It's a whole lot different than the ring on the canon's I've owned.  For infinity it is great, since you know on the ring about where to put it and a large area will be all similar.  Would take some getting used to over the canon's though, where you have such a small movement range that goes into and then back out of focus when spinning the ring.  The 14 is so long there is a long range you can't see any difference in the viewfinder.  And since it's so long and different than canon you can't feel it there.  But yeah again it's probably easier anyway given such a larger range is in focus.  Just feels really weird. 

73

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

« on: October 20, 2012, 09:55:37 AM »

Nothing beats this lens for storms on a Canon crop.  In the past I always had to drive a couple more miles with the 17-40 if I wanted to get the whole storm in.




Lightning flashing as the shot started flashed the truck body.


One of the best qualities of the lens is you can point it at light sources and just not get flares.  Best flare resistant thing I've shot. 


Also great for atmospheric optics. 

74

Animal Kingdom / Re: Show your Bird Portraits

« on: October 19, 2012, 08:44:40 PM »

There's some seriously crazy stuff in here!  That Heron with the squirrel, what the hell lol.  And the Cormorant with the too big Pike. 

I'm not a birder at all, but have spent too much time and money trying to get eagle vs goose shots, as well as just tons of geese stuff.

Rented 600mm + 1.4x on my old XSi(great combo I know lol).  400 ISO 1/1250th F5.6  This eagle was cool as hell.  Had two different colored eyes.  It was pretty hard to watch them take live geese but it made me really really want close shots of it at the same time.  All I got of live action was small crop sorta stuff.  Threw a grand of rental time at it in 2009 with that rental.  Wasn't worth it in the end. 



In 2010 tried the eagle vs goose idea again but with a rented 800mm this time.  Another chunk of change for shots that didn't happen.  A person would pretty much need open access to go anywhere in the refuge(Squaw Creek NWR) since they all love to be out in the middle(sticking a 1.4x or 2x on that 800mm in the cold and shooting so level/across the ground...was highly pointless thanks to air compression and heatwave distortions).  In 2009 that time I drove the 2hr there and 2hr back deal 11 out of 22 days trying.  But anyway, mostly just came away with some telephoto geese stuff in 2010 with the 800. Rented a 7D with it that time.  Eagle counts just largely sucked.  Some geese poo.....


The best show there really isn't portrait related but absurdity related for geese numbers in the over 1 million range...  I'd just click this one as it's screen saver size to get some idea.  http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/bg-f8658.jpg  And that's nothing.  That goes left and right of that a good ways like that.  Probably not many other locations on the planet where you can get 1.4 million birds crammed into this small of an area of water. 

Birds isn't what I do really, but there have been some cool sights at that refuge over the years and who knows how many drives there.  http://www.extremeinstability.com/birds.htm

75

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Fixing 5D II lens mount issue, experience?

« on: October 19, 2012, 04:40:38 PM »

Thanks for the reply Charlie.  Canon has a flat fee of $219 so they say on the phone to fix a 5D II.   Wondering if when they got it, if they'd even see that it was already meeting spec and charge a whole lot less, or more likely just tweak it some amount to charge that anyway.  Managed 10 years now without ever bothering to send anything to Canon.  Funny I bought the thing used very recently for $1500 thinking it made more sense to do so and save a few bucks towards lenses.  Now kicking myself since I'll be at the price of new now anyway.  If only it were less off I'd just live with it.  But kinda pointless to fork out bucks for like the Zeiss 21 and have the camera flange to sensor plane screwing it all the hell up.  Least I established it's in the cam.  Guess I'll send in the 10-22 and have it cleaned and autofocus fixed just so I can sell it to help pay for the 5D to get fixed lol.  I guess my biggest fear is it coming back mostly with the same issue, maybe just improved a little bit or changed its behavior at one focus distance or another.  Guessing I should at least stick the 21mm Zeiss in there with it and say at least get the left and right side to match with that lens on there. 

Anyway thanks for the thoughts.  Surprised more haven't had this done, sorta.  I bet it's a common reason people's 'lenses' seem off all the while them never even knowing it could be the body's mount to sensor.  Pretty darn certain the T2i I have is off in the same exact way.  The mount over a couple years of use with heavier lenses probably often gets pulled the same direction, or something.