Messages

1021

EOS Bodies / Re: 1Ds Mark IV & 3 Lenses in August?

« on: June 03, 2011, 05:51:30 PM »

Motorhead/Richard,

Thanks. I appreciate your response. BTW, as a regular reader of this forum, I also appreciate the reasonable and commonsense approach that comes through on your posts.

1022

EOS Bodies / Re: 1Ds Mark IV & 3 Lenses in August?

« on: June 03, 2011, 01:21:34 PM »

Richard/Motorhead,

This is totally off topic but I saw pictures on your Zenfolio from Provence. We're going there at the end of September, so I'm looking for tips/suggestions. Flying into Nice, driving to the Canyon du Verdon then to St. Remy de Provence, where we are renting an apt. for a week.

I'd love to channel Cartier-Bresson and get an iconic shot of the Plane Trees. Any location ideas? Also hoping to visit the Camargue. Plus, of course, the cities and villages themselves.

Any thoughts?

Sorry guys for veering totally off-topic, but as we all know, hardly any of these threads stay on-topic anyway.

1023

EOS Bodies / Re: 7D focusing question??

« on: June 03, 2011, 01:05:26 PM »

Nice shot. How'd you light it?

1024

Canon General / Re: Canon Loyalty Program

« on: June 02, 2011, 03:35:48 PM »

I believe this has been discussed before on this forum, but can't seem to find the thread right now.

Anyway, if you Google "Canon Loyalty Program" you'll find several references to it. Most lead back to a thread on FatWallet.com, I believe. I haven't used the program, but from what I understand, you can trade in a dead Canon camera for a refurbished model at a significant discount.

The models available vary. At one time the 5DII was available, but may not be any more. You have to call the number listed in the discussion boards directly for pricing, availability and rules.

1025

EOS Bodies / Re: The Future of the 1Ds & 5D Lines [CR2]

« on: June 02, 2011, 03:20:53 PM »

Yes, MacBooks and iMacs outsell their other computers, but if you look at Apple's 2Q11 earnings, Macs only account for 15% of their revenue - iPhones account for over 75%.

I did not know that. Does that mean that iPods now account for less than 10% of revenues? Wow! I knew the market was changing, but didn't realize it was changing that fast.   

The pooint of all that is that the 'professional following' is really not important to Apple's bottom line, and it never has been.  The same is true for Canon - revenue from Rebels and sub-$250 consumer lenses is far greater than that from 1-series bodies.

Comparing apples to oranges here. Nobody buys an iPhone because of Apple computers. But, there are plenty of people who buy Canon cameras because Canon has positioned itself well in the professional market.

 

The latter, like the supertele line, are developed and produced for a niche market, which is really mostly about prestige and brand recognition.

Okay, that's more accurate. Although it's more than just prestige and brand recognition. It's also about spreading R&D costs over the maximum product lines. And, it's about moving customers up the product line. This is much different than a company like Apple. I own an iPhone, but there is absolutely nothing about that phone that is going to make me want an Apple computer. On the other hand, Canon knows very well that a certain percentage of Rebel users will progress up their line. In fact, I'd love to see the statistics on the number of 1Ds owners whose first SLRs were Canon. I'd wager it's a high percentage.

Now, getting back on topic. If there is a divergence between video and still models of the 5D (or any other line), I believe it will be for design and engineering reasons, not marketing. It may be that Canon feels it cannot simultaneously optimize performance for both stills and video in the same camera. If that's the case, they may be forced to offer one version optimized for stills (with video capability) and one version optimized for video (with still capability). I think they would be loathe to do that, but design limitations could force that to happen.

Right now, the 5D has two major professional customer bases that Canon wants to protect: wedding and portrait studio photographers and independent and commercial film producers. If they feel they can satisfy both groups with one camera, they'll do it. If they find that the demands conflict, they may be forced to diverge the line.

1026

EOS Bodies / Re: The Future of the 1Ds & 5D Lines [CR2]

« on: June 01, 2011, 10:27:24 AM »

Canon has yet to directly monetize video capabilities in DSLRs.

What does that even mean? And, this is a CR2 Source? There's no "meat" to this rumor, just repeating things we've heard before with a little pseudo-business speak thrown in to make it sound authoritative.

Canon is selling a whole lot of DSLRs with video capability.  The cost of including video is minimal and it greatly expands their sales potential. In addition, it's added to their prestige and marketing (Look at all the publicity they got from one "House" episode). I would say they have "monetized" video capabilities pretty well so far.

 

1027

Lenses / Canon Lens Price Drops

« on: May 30, 2011, 06:02:58 PM »

Photo Rumors is reporting modest price drops (most are $50 or less) on a number of Canon lenses. Not enough to make me rush out and buy anything, but I'll take any price drop as a good thing. Especially since the trend has been in the other direction.

1028

Software & Accessories / Re: Memorial Day Deal at Amazon for Photoshop Lightroom

« on: May 30, 2011, 12:03:49 PM »

Thanks for the heads up. I was a little concerned because the seller is actually 17th St. Photo, which I'm not familiar with and I noticed that ship dates are quite slow (four weeks or more). Most of the negative customer feedback (and there wasn't a lot negative) seemed to be regarding slow shipment.

My guess is they don't actually have the product in stock but order it from Adobe once they know how many orders they have.

On the other hand, can't beat the price and since I'm not in any great hurry, I decided to give it a go.

1029

Canon General / Canon Refurbished

« on: May 27, 2011, 05:45:23 PM »

Does anyone out there know how Canon determines which lenses (and cameras) they will offer through their refurbished store?

Please...no guesses...or making up answers. I can do that myself.

Here is what I'm getting at. I check the refurbished site regularly (mostly to dream) and yes, right now, almost all of the lenses listed are shown as "out of stock." I understand that. Availability is contingent upon what they happen to have at the time.

No, what I am talking about is why certain lenses and cameras don't even have a listing. For example, almost every version of the 70-200mm is listed including the F2.8 II. Granted, most are out of stock right now, but they keep the listing anyway. On the other hand, there is no listing at all for the 400mm 5.6 for example. I wonder why. It sure seems like, given the fact that the 400 mm f5.6 has been around for centuries, that there ought to be a few out there that come in for refurbishing.  They've got the cheapest 70-300 mm lenses listed (can't even figure out how it would be cost-effective to refurbish some of these) but other lenses aren't listed.

Same way with cameras. They list the ID MkIV. But not the 5D. In the PowerShot category they don't list the G12 or G11. Again they list lots of Powershots that I can't imagine would be worth refurbishing.

Just curious if anyone has ever read or knows how they determine what to offer and what not to offer.

1030

Software & Accessories / Re: 580EX II Faulty by Design?

« on: May 27, 2011, 05:16:21 PM »

I know I'm a little late to the party but...

Has this problem been reported with any other radio triggers? And No, I am not trying to start a fight. I just want to know because I've thought about buying some of the Chinese knockoffs to play with. But I don't want to fry my strobes.

I haven't seen anything on the internets about the imports, but I don't follow these technical things as closely as some others on this forum.

1031

Canada / Re: COPYRIGHT in Canada

« on: May 26, 2011, 04:19:21 PM »

awinphoto: great advice and comments. I didn't know about the online registration in the U.S. Very informative and helpful.

You're right. As with most things, a little common sense and having a good relationship with your clients is the most important thing.

Sometimes, I think people view copyright protection as some sort of a magic wand that will make pictures more valuable. But, the value of any image is in the image itself, not in the legal protection put up around it.

People also seem to forget that copyright protection is only useful if they intend to enforce that protection. Which means hiring lawyers and going to court. Copyright protects your financial interest in the image. It allows you to enforce (through the legal system) your rights to profit from the image. As with most things in life, cooperation and common sense are usually more effective and cheaper than running to court.

1032

Lenses / Re: New Canon Lenses Availability - Update

« on: May 25, 2011, 07:00:58 PM »

My feeling is that no new lens announcements will be made until they've sorted this mess out.

Generally, I'm not one to second-guess Canon (or Nikon). I can't argue with their success. But, I do admit this whole lens thing has me wondering.

I didn't pay much attention when these lenses were first announced because lenses that cost thousands of dollars aren't likely to show up in my camera bag anytime soon. I never really understood why they felt the need to upgrade these Big Whites and assumed it had more to do with market positioning than anything else.

But, as the months go by without the product actually being delivered, it sure does seem that it's got to be a little embarrassing. And, I agree that it's a little hard to announce and deliver other lenses while these announcements gather dust.

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EOS Bodies / Re: Will canon bother ramping up production on the 5d2

« on: May 25, 2011, 06:48:14 PM »

If nobody buys anything, Canon will be forced to release the 5d3 sooner. If people keep buying the current 5d2, the next model will never come out. Simple economics.

No. It's not.

It not as though Canon or any other manufacturer has a bunch of new models sitting around on the shelves just waiting to be released. New models are released when the technology, tooling, testing, manufacturing lines, etc. are ready. A drop off in sales may prompt a company to review whether or not they need to refresh the product (or drop it altogether) but it's not going to have much impact on a specific release date.

Even if that theory were valid, the total number of people who even visit this site represent a tiny fraction of the market. We can, in no way, affect that overall market beyond a fraction of a fraction of a fraction.

Canon is a business. Their purpose is to make money. They do that by selling products that people want to buy. They would purposely hold back a product that there is demand for because...? They don't want to increase their profits and sell more products? They don't want to satisfy customer demand and foster brand loyalty? They just want to be mean to you?

Doesn't it ever occur to some people that they don't want to release a product prematurely because they have a reputation to protect and a premature release of a product before it's fully developed and tested would damage that reputation.

You can hold your breath until you pass out, but it's not going to affect Canon's release date in the slightest.

1034

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III [CR1]

« on: May 23, 2011, 03:21:26 PM »

what I expect in a 5D MK III is a relatively minor upgrade.

Exactly. I've been thinking the same thing ever since I read the latest rumored specs.

I think this will especially be the case if the 5D MKIII is upgraded before the 1Ds. It seems logical that these two lines will diverge, with the 5D MK III serving as a basic full-frame camera for enthusiasts, portrait and wedding shooters and as a creative alternative for video shooters. I think they'll reserve the 1Ds for the high-end of the market. It will have the latest and greatest of everything and continue to be built like a tank. I expect the 1Ds will also have sufficient resolution to compete with medium-format cameras.

This gives Canon the ability to trickle-down some of the higher-end features into the next generation of the 7D. Again, creating further divergence between their top three cameras.  (I am assuming that the APS-H format will be dropped when the new 1Ds launches.)

1035

EOS Bodies / Re: A grateful end to the DSLR video "revolution"

« on: May 22, 2011, 01:51:09 PM »

It's the same rant we're read from professional photographers 5 years ago when DLSRs went mainstream.
And that's the same rant we've heard from music producers 15 years ago when digital recording went mainstream.

It's also the same rant we read from painters when Daguerre announced his discovery.

I suspect that some monk somewhere in some monastery wrote a similar rant when he heard about Gutenberg. Probably a similar rant from the cuneiform union, when they found out about that cheap, amateurish papyrus.