Messages

16

Germany / Canon Germany Cashback promotion

« on: March 30, 2012, 05:56:18 AM »

For all those from Germany. Canon has started a cashback promotion yesterday for lenes, flashlights and extenders. The only details list I found is here http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/03/electronics/features/canon/Canon_CashBack_Teilnahmebedingungen.pdf . 

Für das eine oder Objektiv ist ein ganz netter Rabatt drin.
Grüße aus Stuttgart, pp77.

17

EOS Bodies / Re: Who's in for a trip to the US ?

« on: March 07, 2012, 05:24:15 PM »

I just reserved my 5DMK3 and 24-105 in Zurich, it came in at around £3190 which is significantly cheaper than the £3700 it will be over here.

Which store was this? I am seriously considering a trip to Zürich now

I ordered mine (Kit with 24-105) here (Zurich):
http://www.digitec.ch/ProdukteDetails2.aspx?Reiter=Details&Artikel=236159
4149 CHF
However prices may change, according to the web site.

Now I'm wondering how long it will take until I get mine...

btw. Zurich is well worth a visit anyway

Cool, that's a little cheaper than what I'm paying but I bet that doesn't include the 8% tax.

Ed

Here in Europe prices shown are normally including tax. Also in this case the 8% Swiss VAT are included.
The 8% seem to contribute to the lower prices for the MkIII compared to other European states. In France you pay 19.6%, in Germany 19%, in Danmark 25% VAT.

18

EOS Bodies / Re: Who's in for a trip to the US ?

« on: March 07, 2012, 08:10:34 AM »

Hell, I just can't believe that 3499$ = 3499€ so I figured some things out :

- with today's rate, 3499$ = 2662,50€
- difference with european pricing is = 836,50€
- three days trip from Paris to NY, including flights and hotel is approximately 700€

You could just fly to Zurich (Switzerland). Its a 1h flight which will cost you around 200Euros (AirFrance or Swiss) and in Zurich you get the camera for 3399.- CHF (= 2820 Euro). You should also consider, that sales taxes are included in the swiss price, but not in the us price

Canon.ch lists the mkIII for 3998,00 CHF. Where can you get this camera for 3399,00 CHF in Zürich? It is just a 2 hours drive from where I live. It could be worth a try, nevertheless I have been check thoroughly a few times by the German customs when coming back from Switzerland.
And yes, they check the serial numbers of cameras to find out where it was bought, they like to check for new electronics especially at airports.

19

Lenses / Re: Grand Canyon Lens suggestions

« on: February 17, 2012, 03:49:46 PM »

My plan is to arrive in Las Vegas early morning by plane and drive over to Grand Canyon.  We are staying 2 nights there in park and then driving up to Monument Valley.  2 days there and then driving to Page, AZ to see Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.  We are staying in page for 3 days then driving back to Vegas (through Utah with maybe a stop at Zion or Bryce Canyon.  We are then stayiing in Vegas for 5 more days to have some fun and go to redrock. I probably have some time to stay longer in AZ but I had to book the hotels because they book up fast, especially the ones in GC park and the Monument Valley View Hotel (in park).  Total time is about 2 weeks.  Lots of driving but no more than 5 hours on any single leg. 
All of this is pending my safe return from Afghanistan...thank god for this site it is giving me something to do photography related.

When I visited the Grand Canyon last time I used a crop-camera with a 24-105 and a 18-55 kit lens. It was nice to have the 24-105, to get some details like trees at the rim border or of hikers, but for the most impressive images I was using the kit lens at 18 mm and these 18 mm were enough for me.
I would recommend the south rim before the north side, you then have the sun from behind all day, which is probably better for most places there. As suggested earlier, bring a telephoto lens for the condors, often they are pretty close to the Grand Canyon Village, sometimes they even sit at the rim just a few yards away from the trail.
Bring a wide angle lens to the horseshoe bend, the wider the better! 18 mm on a crop camera is not enough to get both sides of the canyon and the river without falling down from the rocks.
For Antelope Canyon you might want to book a tour for photographers. If it is a very busy day you will not find the time to take the pictures you want because they will shoo you through the canyon and you will always have people walking around in your photos. Last time I visited the Lower Antelope Canyon I was very lucky. You always have to take a guided tour, but not many tourists visited on this day, and they gave me all the time I wanted. Visit both Antelope canyons if you can, they are different. Entrance fee it is not cheap, but worth the money.
I agree with a previous post, take the road down into the Monument valley if you have a SUV or a Jeep. The road down to the valley bottom is full of really deep potholes, but it is much better down on the bottom round tour. The perspective from down there is so different of the one from the big parking lot at the visiter center.
If I had to choose between Zion and Bryce I definitely would take Bryce Canyon. IMO it offers much more and better possibilities for photography and it really is a very beautiful place. In Bryce you are at the rim of the canyon and can take your photos from up there, while in Bryce you have to climb up to places like Angels Landing to get the best shots. Zion is nice so see, Bryce is spectacular, IMO.
Have fun and enjoy your trip!

20

Canon General / Re: Headed to Paris with Camera Gear

« on: February 01, 2012, 08:47:41 AM »

Within the last years I have visited Paris several times. You can take pictures in almost all museums, assumed that the flash is turned out without any further restrictions.
Your 70-200 might also be a good lens for taken pictures of painters up at Montmartre or people selling stuff at the boothes along the Seine. Those usually do not like to be photographed at all.
Take a fast lens for interior shootings in Notre Dame, Saint Chapel or Museums like L'Orangerie.

I would not mind too much about leaving your lenses in the suitcase in the hotel room, but be aware of the women trying to sell you roses or collecting signatures for whatever topic. Try to keep distance between you and those woman, these might be the biggest danger in Paris for your gear and wallet. Once they have got something it is handed over from one to the other within seconds, you will never be able to get it back. You find them particularly in from of the Louvre, Notre Dame or Montmarte.

Enjoy your trip, Paris is a great city!

21

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

« on: January 19, 2012, 02:52:47 AM »

I would love to see a come back of the eye control focus. I was very happy with it on my EOS 30, it worked when I was wearing glasses, even sunglasses! Maybe time to take out this old body, must still be somewhere.

22

Lenses / Re: Cheap UV filters

« on: January 11, 2012, 09:33:48 AM »

I did a little test of my own, with a UV transilluminator (used to view gels stained with ethidium bromide, a flourescent dye used to label DNA).  The bulbs are essentially the same as blacklight bulbs - substantial output in the UV range, and a smaller output in the visible range.  Humans are nominally sensitive to 400-700 nm light, and wavelengths below 400 nm are UV, while above 700 nm is IR.  A typical blacklight bulb has a main peak at 370 nm with a 20 nm width, and a secondary peak from a mercury line at 404 nm - it's the 404 nm light that we can see. 

Wouldn't it be pretty easy to test the UV filters on a transilluminator by just placing the filter on the transilluminator, and a standard UV cuvette with a cheap fluorescent dye like ethidium bromide on the filter. If we see fluorescence, the filter does not block the light? Assuming that you do not care to play around with EtBr on your camera equipment...
Otherwise fluorescein might be a non-toxic alternative, but then a different source of UV light would be necessary.

23

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 60d unavailable on BH and Adorama

« on: January 08, 2012, 07:14:52 AM »

Check this out... http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/e90391547/canon-eos-60d-body-schwarz.asp

Pay attention to this:
"not available
Product is no longer available. Only listed for information purposes."

Can this mean that Canon will release the EOS 70D sooner than later? Maybe during the CES?

**********************

Regarding the EOS 7D, they seem to be selling the last available units. http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/e90346353/canon-eos-7d-body.asp

Pay attention to this:
"Remaining stock
Remaining stock. Ready for shipping within, ready for shipping within 2-3 business days"


This online shop is a reference in Europe.

I wrote this in another topic... At this point, EOS 7D is in the same situation.

meanwhile comuteruniverse.net sais that the 7D is no longer available, only listed for information purposes.

24

Lenses / Re: UW lens recommendation for 7d?

« on: January 02, 2012, 05:22:13 AM »

Thank you all for your comments and the pictures posted here! I will go for the Canon 10-22, I think the extra range compared to the Tokina 11-16 will be nice to have.

25

Lenses / UW lens recommendation for 7d?

« on: January 01, 2012, 05:54:22 PM »

Which lens would you recommend as a UW lens for a 7d?
I am thinking to buy the Canon 10-22, but there are alternatives from Tokina and Sigma with similar ranges. I have a Canon 24-105, but sometimes I wish to have another lens as a wide angle addition. I would prefer EF mount for upgrading options to FF, but know that the Canon 10-22 has EF-S mount, which might also be okay, as I do not plan to sell the 7d.
Thank you all, your recommendations are highly appreciated.

26

Software & Accessories / Re: Airtravel experts

« on: January 01, 2012, 03:05:35 PM »

+1 on the EasyJet once you get over there, book long enough in advance and pay like $10 a seat, the unlimited-weight-as-long-as-you-can-carry-it-yourself has proven more than useful for me in the past.

Also, I've never flown through Frankfurt, though I've done Schiphol, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton all often enough that I wouldn't bother. You're probably better off going to Frankfurt for any continent-based travel, then hop on a german ICE fast-train, book up to 90 days in advance and you can generally get anywhere between NL, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Austria, Switzerland for as little as €30, much preferable to flying and take all you can carry (also, you get as much leg-room as business class on a plane).

Unfortunately the times are almost gone when you could easily get a 0.10, 1 or 10 Euro ticket (+ taxes) from the low fare airlines in Europe, rather calculate with 50 to 100 Euro for each flight now. If you choose a connection flight with one of these airlines check their luggage policy carefully, some charge a lot for each individual piece of lagguage or based on the actual weight. Avoid Ryanair, they have a horrible pricing system. You will have to pay to pay your ticket with a credit card, you even have to pay for check-in. Ryanair is thinking about replacing seats with some kind of stools and they even plan to charge you for using the on-board toilet.

Be aware, that some of the low fare airlines (e.g. Ryanair) call they destination London or Frankfurt or watever, but actually they use airports which are far outside the city centers which takes a lot additional time for transfer. Often these airports are not the main airports with the intercontinental connection flights, e.g. coach transfer London Stanstead (Ryanair) -> Heathrow will need up to 2 hours during rush hour.

In general, I would recommend to book your flights from a single carrier, than you are on the safe site with your luggage size and weight.

IMHO Heathrow is ok if it is your final destination or if you are using BA and a connecting flight also with BA. Then you do not need to change terminals (BA has a new one and the luggage problem from the opening time seems to be solved), but it might not be a very good idea if you take a different carrier to Heathrow.
Many do not like Schipol, I think it is fine. Normally the queues are short, but the food corner could profit from some extension.
Frankfurt has meanwhile finished most of the terminal reconstructions which was necessary because of the introduction of the A380 fleet to Lufthansa, I can not say anything bad about this airport. The railway station is convieniently located next to the terminal building.
If you are using Delta/Skyteam, Paris might be the first stop in Europe. It would be wise not to choose tight connecting times there, it usually takes a little bit longer there (long walking distances!).

But if you found a flight which looks good to you,  just take it, enjoy and have fun!

27

Software & Accessories / Re: PC or MAC

« on: December 21, 2011, 03:49:24 PM »

However I would like a screen that gives as true a colour representation as is possible in a laptop. (Can they be calibrated?).

The Lenovo W520 series has the option for a build-in colour sensor to calibrate the display (you need to close the lid for that, because it is in the hand rest). But the W520s are massive and heavy, probably nothing for frequent flyer's and lightweight traveling.

28

Lenses / Re: Canon 24-105mm and 100mm lenses with impurities

« on: December 19, 2011, 05:30:15 AM »

Just for my understanding, if a zoom lens like the 24-105 is extended it needs to soak in air to compensate for the increase in volume in the lens tube. Is there a kind of air filter which prevents dust from being soaked in? If not, it is probably not possible to keep the lens interior dust-free over the long term?

29

Software & Accessories / Re: GorillaPods and other Small Tripods

« on: December 14, 2011, 03:50:24 PM »

I am loving my gorillapod focus (with Manfrotto 494RC2 ball head) when going out for hiking. Lightweight, robust and small enough to be tied to the backpack. Of course it can not fully replace a sturdy tripod but often you do not want to carry one up the mountains.

30

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 5D X

« on: October 25, 2011, 08:51:56 AM »

Canon went as far as III in their lineup with the 1d series.

You forgot the 1D Mark IV.

Calling it the 5D X would make not make sense if you take Chuck Westfall's explanation for the X:

• X for extreme (X-treme) performance
• X for cross-over (X-over), since this represents the merging of Canon's two pro digital SLR cameras, the higher-resolution EOS-1Ds Mark III and higher-performance EOS-1D Mark IV, into a single next-generation model
• The Roman numeral X, as in 10, because the EOS-1D X represents the 10th generation of pro-class SLR from Canon since the F-1 debuted in 1971

If Canon would regard the 5D series as pro-class, then only the last one would apply.
So my bet is on "Canon EOS 5D Mark III".
Funny that only the 1 series has the dash between "EOS" and the digit.

By the way, am I correct in these 10 generations?

• Canon F-1
• Canon New F-1
• Canon T90
• Canon EOS-1, 1N and 1N RS
• Canon EOS-1v
• Canon EOS-1D and 1Ds
• Canon EOS-1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II
• Canon EOS-1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III
• Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
• Canon EOS-1D X

According to the video posted earlier (http://www.canonrumors.com/2011/10/canon-japan-eos-1d-x-the-birth-of-entirely-new-flagship/) the X in 1DX was chosen because it is indeed the 10th generation of the EOS 1 series. Next 5D will probably be a 5D MkIII.