Messages

976

EOS Bodies / Re: 1D Mark V Spec List [CR1]

« on: August 17, 2011, 04:57:17 PM »

Besides the sensor math being wrong, this whole list of specs seems rather nonsensical.

The described camera seems guaranteed to disappoint everyone. A bunch of half-measures and nothing that would be considered game-changing.

I have more confidence in Canon that after all this time, when they finally release a new flagship, they know it must be nothing short of awesome. These specs are frankly a little boring.

This raises a question I've been wanting to ask for quite some time. What exactly constitutes a Canon Rumors source? Not being critical of Canon Rumors Guy, but just wondering. If I make up a bunch of specs and send an email that says I have access to inside information and these are the latest specs for the new Canon 8D Mark VIII, do I become a CR1 source? Do I have to substantiate anything or what?

It's Canon Rumors Guy's website and I appreciate that. Just wondering though what exactly a "source" is.

977

Software & Accessories / Re: 7-D won't fire with Flash

« on: August 13, 2011, 12:40:30 AM »

Cards are Lexar 300X or 400X. I doubt they are the problem. I checked around and found a reference on another forum to the pop up overheating. That does seem to be the most likely culprit.

978

Software & Accessories / Re: 7-D won't fire with Flash

« on: August 12, 2011, 10:22:17 PM »

Okay, I wondered about the pop up. I am not using it for the exposure, only to fire the strobes, but of course, to do so, it has to recycle and fire anyway.

It's strange because initially it all works fine. Recycles quickly without any problem. But, about halfway through a shoot it starts to hang up. I use a battery grip and the batteries are generally charged up, but maybe the pop up overheats or something after a few dozen shots.

I thought I might need to get an ST-E2, but wanted to get some confirmation before spending the money. 

Someone suggested a slower shooting style, so now I'm thinking I may try to pace myself a bit. Shoot a half dozen shots, wait a few minutes and shoot some more. Just a wild guess, but maybe if I can keep it from initially overheating it might work better than letting it overheat and then wait for it to cool down. What do others think?

979

Software & Accessories / 7-D won't fire with Flash

« on: August 12, 2011, 09:30:10 PM »

Okay, this happened to me again tonight and I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with this phenomenon.

I was shooting some portraits using my 7D with two 580 EXIIs mounted off camera and a 430 EX II as a third light to separate the subject from the background. Triggering the flash through the on-camera infrared pop up.

Shooting RAW. Initially, while shooting, everything was going fine and then I began to have a problem where the shutter button would not work and the viewfinder readout says "busy."  I'd have to pause and wait for several seconds before it would clear and let me shoot. I'd get off one shot and it would do the same thing.

When this first happened, I thought the camera was waiting for the flashes to recycle, so I bought battery packs for the 580s. But, it still happens. I thought maybe it was the 430 not recycling, so tried shutting that down. Still hangs up.

This has happened on a number of occasions and I've tried several different things, but can't seem to figure out where the problem is. One time, I tried switching out the memory card, even though it wasn't full. That seemed to help, but not consistently.

Clearly, the camera is waiting for something to clear or recycle, but I can't figure out what it might be. Anyone else ever have this problem or have any ideas.

Thanks.

980

Software & Accessories / Re: Neck strap alternatives

« on: August 12, 2011, 03:51:26 PM »

Okay, I started this thread almost four months ago. You all quickly convinced me that the Black Rapid is the way to go, I just haven't gotten around to ordering it yet.

One reason, though, is I still have one concern: there is just something about attaching the camera to the tripod socket and relying exclusively on that to keep my camera from crashing to the ground that has me a little nervous. I'm worried that the screw could work itself loose when I'm not aware and there is no safety strap or anything as a back-up. Making me even more paranoid is the fact that I use a battery grip, so in my mind there are two possible points of failure: the lug that attaches to the strap and the connection between the battery grip and the camera.

Is this an unrealistic fear? I've thought about fastening some sort of a "safety loop" attaching the regular camera strap lugs to the Black Rapid strap. Anybody consider doing that, or do you all have complete confidence that the Black Rapid lug won't work itself look while the camera is dangling from it?

981

Canon General / Re: Scans

« on: August 11, 2011, 11:21:21 PM »

Digmypics is here in the Phoenix AZ (Gilbert) area and they do their scanning in house...at that is what their website says.

I stand corrected. Perhaps they used to send them offshore or I may be confused. Anyway, I have had good results from them.

982

Canon General / Re: Scans

« on: August 11, 2011, 04:35:18 PM »

I have used DigMyPics.com. As I recall when I was reading reviews, Scancafe also had good reviews. I think the only difference is that one sends the originals to India and the other used Costa Rica. To keep costs down, almost all of these companies off-shore the actual scanning.

The results were fine (I ordered high resolution TIFFS), but these were not portfolio materials, they were family slides taken by my Dad during the 50s and 60s. They did a good job of color correcting the fading slides and there were no dust issues. But, as a say, these were family snapshots, so hard to judge the quality.

At the time I considered buying a scanner and doing it myself, but decided I could not get as good of resolution and did not want to spend the time scanning individual images for weeks on end. They do take awhile, so be aware of that.

If you aren't in any hurry, I'd send a batch to whatever vendor you choose and see how you like the results before committing to 451 slides at once. Also, since they are going overseas, it's probably safest to split the order up. (I'm superstitious).

983

EOS Bodies / Re: Where to buy the to be announced body(s)?

« on: August 10, 2011, 06:00:54 PM »

I've shopped Adorama since the 1970s and have never had a problem. I do sometimes buy from B&H and have no complaints about them either.

One thing though, seems like some people posting on this site are confused about both companies' holiday schedules. Both firms are Orthodox and honor the Jewish religious holidays and schedules. They shut down at sundown on Friday for the Sabbath and don't open up again until Sunday. They also observe holy days, so if you know you are going to be ordering something that is time-critical, it doesn't hurt to take a look at the calendar to check for Jewish holidays that might interfere. Keep in mind that the holiday begins at sunset the day before.

Adorama will usually take an order on a Saturday, but it won't get processed or packaged up until after the Sabbath. Not sure about B&H. Ordering early on a Friday or waiting until Sunday can speed things up a bit.

984

Software & Accessories / Re: Canon USA Lens & Flash Instant Rebates

« on: August 08, 2011, 04:47:27 PM »

IMO, Canon's lens/flash rebates no longer offer a meaningful incentive to purchase the products offered.

Agreed. The rebate program is no longer being offered for the benefit of consumers. Instead, it's being used to benefit Canon's retailer network. The rebate program rules force the nationwide sellers like B&H and Adorama to up their prices, which gives the local dealers an opportunity to match the big guys' prices.

This may be a worthwhile goal in that it puts more money into the pockets of local brick and mortar stores (although frankly, in most communities, the only remaining brick and mortar store is Best Buy). But, it's no great benefit for the end-user.

985

Canon General / Re: 580EXII SpeedFlash

« on: August 05, 2011, 02:10:56 PM »

I've never had this problem and I have two of them. I know you are supposed to take the batteries out, but I never remember.

986

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III, 1D Mark V & 1Ds Mark IV Tidbits

« on: August 05, 2011, 02:06:48 PM »

I shall NEVER buy a FF 35mm with 40 mp it is a non sense, only good for tourists

call me a tourist anytime.

There are no permanent residents here. We are all tourists. Our visits are but a blink of the eye to the mountains and the sea.

I  want to see the world through the eyes of a tourist, where everything is new and unusual. How can a good photographer be anything but a tourist?

987

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III, 1D Mark V & 1Ds Mark IV Tidbits

« on: August 05, 2011, 12:53:58 PM »

I shall NEVER buy a FF 35mm with 40 mp

Better hope whatever you do buy will last a long, long time because it may be hard to find cameras with less than 40 mp in a few years.

my main focus was the fact that a high-performance desktop for photo-processing (and really any workplace) functions is very accessible, and there's no reason to be daunted by 50 or 60 MB files coming off of a >21MP resolution camera.  for a modern shooter, your computer equipment is worth investing in just like good flash units or good lenses are worth investing in.

I agree, but with a slightly different perspective. I remember the days when, if you were serious about photography, you had to take a room in your home and completely convert it over to a darkroom, with enlarger, plumbing, sink, chemicals, etc. etc. (and that was only for black and white prints, almost no one could afford to do color on their own). The truth is, what I save in film costs alone probably more than offsets the cost of a new computer every three-four years.

988

Software & Accessories / Re: How much time do you spend on processing your photos?

« on: August 02, 2011, 11:31:40 PM »

(This one falls into the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do category).

Does this apply to your entire post? 

Hah! Probably. But not intentionally.   

989

Software & Accessories / Re: How much time do you spend on processing your photos?

« on: August 02, 2011, 07:23:14 PM »

Redreflex:

I'm giving you an internet forum version of a slap upside the head!

Don't listen to these folks, listen to me.

Just kidding...sort of.

Seriously though, think about what you are asking. You have the most beautiful, precious, intelligent, clever, talented child to have ever walked the face of the earth. So, do you want to spend time with him or with his pictures?

If it's not the latter, then let's focus on saving some time here.

1) Ignore everything about deleting photos. Your time is more valuable than drive space. A 3TB of memory is $140 at Best Buy and the price is dropping. Every minute you spend deleting images is a minute that could be spent either editing a picture or better yet, enjoying your son.

2) Ignore everything about additional programs. Do you really want to take the time to learn some new program so you can spend even more time editing pictures? Learn to use the program you already have and when you outgrow it and feel a strong need for something else, then move on, but don't go out and buy some new program based on what someone on this forum gets off on.

3) Don't worry about some future change in image formats. When a change occurs, there will be several years of backward compatibility available. You can decide what to do then.

4) Don't get freaked out by the 2,000 (or more) pictures that you think you have to go through. Concentrate on the task at hand. Let's say you have four hours a week you want to spend editing photos. Okay, each time you sit in front of the computer pick the one shot you most want to post or have printed. Work on that one until it's "good enough" then move on to the next one. Don't look back. If you get five done in a night, that's five more than you had before you started.

5) You'll get faster and more ruthless with time and experience.

6) Those 1,995 pictures you don't get to aren't going anywhere. They will be there when you are retired and enjoying the grand-kids (and, hopefully, have more time to play with the images as well). That's the whole advantage of digital: the bytes never go bad. Besides, you'll enjoy the pictures even more when you are old and grey and so will your wife, kids and grand-kids.

7) Finally, don't waste your time on this forum. That's time you could be spending either editing pictures or playing with your kid. (This one falls into the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do category).

990

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Eos 7D Mark II - first picture in an german Photo-Magazine !!!

« on: August 02, 2011, 02:19:03 PM »

Calm down. It's a typo. Go to the Blackfox website link and you can check their product list. They make a battery grip for the 5D II.

Stop and think for a minute. The Blackfox battery grip is an aftermarket product that competes directly with Canon's own grips. Canon isn't going to share specs or anything else with a competitor of this nature in advance of an actual product release.  The Blackfox people have to wait until a product is released and then reverse-engineer their grips.