Messages

271

Canon General / Re: Help me choose a camera & lens combination for beauty/fashion headshots

« on: July 08, 2012, 09:55:36 PM »

I'm actually a civil war re-enactor and stumbled upon this site while looking for a new artillery piece.

I suspect the other way around is a much more common occurrence.   

Yes. I'll be sure to impart what wisdom I can muster about Howitzers when I next find myself on a war re-enactment forum. 

272

Canon General / Re: Canon rates "average" while Pentax takes top spot in survey of online buyers

« on: July 08, 2012, 09:43:30 PM »

Personally, I think most (but not all) Pentax DSLR customers are first time DSLR buyers and don't have large collections of lenses, and so, are not as fussy as Canon and Nikon users.
Many Pentax DSLR's are bought on price,or because they come in pretty colours.

Conversely, Pentax could be the default choice for anyone old enough to have a collection of K-mount lenses from the film era - of which there must be many, given the ubiquity of the K-mount in those days.

273

Canon General / Re: Help me choose a camera & lens combination for beauty/fashion headshots

« on: July 08, 2012, 09:29:50 PM »

I'm just writing this because I'm bored, rather than because of any actual experience in photography. I'm actually a civil war re-enactor and stumbled upon this site while looking for a new artillery piece.

Try googling "cannon", not "canon".

274

Lighting / Re: Chinese knock-off TTL radio flash

« on: July 07, 2012, 09:09:28 PM »

I'm not sure but I think it might well be E-TTL II. Their spec for the 565EX also just says TTL but that one is certainly E-TTL II and/or i-TTL.

It doesn't say if their radio system is cross-compatible with Canon's though.

275

Lighting / Chinese knock-off TTL radio flash

« on: July 07, 2012, 05:34:57 PM »

Sorry if this is old news but fans of cheap Chinese gear might like to know that they're already in the market with a radio TTL flash system.

http://www.yongnuo.eu/catalog.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=69&category_id=13

276

Lighting / Re: 7D master functionality with Sigma flashes?

« on: July 07, 2012, 05:28:52 PM »

Giving a compatibility report on 7D + Sigma EF500 DG Super flashguns is probably a waste of bandwidth given the ages of the respective units, particularly the flashes. But, having acquired a 7D, and on the off-chance that someone might benefit, I might as well close this short thread with an update.

I can report that Sigma EF500 DG Supers work flawlessly in all wireless slave modes, including E-TTL II, to the built-in flash commander of the 7D I recently acquired. Unfortunately, I can also confirm that this particular Sigma model does not work at all in the 7D's hot shoe. In fact, I have established that the EF500 DG Super does not work on-camera with anything later than the 5DII and 50D (and only the later E-TTL II version of the flash, as I have, will work on those two bodies).

I have a Yongnuo 468 II on the way for 7D hot shoe duties.

277

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D MKIII UK

« on: July 07, 2012, 02:36:01 PM »

DON'T DO IT!!

I recently ordered a 7D from Simply Electronics. Their site said it was in stock. 10 days after ordering, it still hadn't shipped. I called and emailed them several times, always got the same stock emails back with no definitive answers and evasive responses to stock queries. Eventually, I got their QA agents Kwikchex involved. They also failed to get any shipping info / dates from Simply Electronics on my behalf so on my instruction, they cancelled the order on my behalf and I got my money back a week later. In the meantime, I ordered my 7D from H Dew Cameras (also grey) at about the same price and it arrived on time.

Google "Simply Electronics" and read the horror stories of people waiting 7 weeks for a refund on their unfulfilled orders. I took the advice of one victim and got Kwikchex involved at an early stage to recover my money. I think they're getting used to doing this for SE customers.

They used to be OK (I got my 85mm a few years ago from them with no problems) but something has gone badly wrong with them in the last six months or so.

Edit: Forgot to mention, they're Hong Kong-based but you probably knew they're grey imports from the low prices. Nothing necessarily problematic with that - most HK dealers are excellent, just not this one.

278

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Argh! Photos don't look like 7D photos.

« on: July 07, 2012, 02:02:43 PM »

Having a tower apparently protruding from the head of one of your subjects doesn't help the composition. 

279

Lenses / Re: 70-200mm options

« on: July 04, 2012, 10:00:25 AM »

Since you say you're wobbly, I'd firmly recommend at least a monopod if you go for the non-IS. Hand-held, I doubt you would ever see the benefit of its superior optics compared with the similarly priced Sigma f/2.8 OS. Personally, at that price point I would choose either the Sigma or the Canon f/4 IS.

On a related note, I don't buy into the 1/focal length shutter speed rule for non-stabilised lenses. With today's sensor resolution, you can detect camera movement at higher shutter speeds than that. I haven't done the math but I'm sure someone here could calculate how many pixel-widths of blur you get if your 5DIII's sensor shifts by 1 mm or rotates by 1 degree during exposure at 200mm with a subject 10m away.

280

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: US Travel - Check-in / Carry-on

« on: July 03, 2012, 12:05:22 AM »

Thanks, that answers all my questions. I did wonder why Peli has two ranges of very similar cases - you've answered that too.

281

Third Party Manufacturers / US Travel - Check-in / Carry-on

« on: July 02, 2012, 10:54:36 PM »

I'll be travelling from UK to New York in a few months time and I'd appreciate some advice re transporting camera gear to the US.

I have a hard case (Vanguard 46F) which is a bit too big to be carry-on luggage. Would it be a) a little risky or b) downright stupid to check it in? If downright stupid, does anyone know which is the biggest Peli case permissible as hand luggage?

I have two very secure padlocks (Abloy Protec) but would they definitely be clipped because they're not TSA? Are only TSA padlocks allowed (in which case, the answer to my first question would definitely be "downright stupid")?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

282

Third Party Manufacturers / What's on your monopod?

« on: July 02, 2012, 05:19:43 PM »

I'm just curious as to whether most of us use a monopod with or without a head.

I use a ball head. I had one spare. It suits my purposes, although the head weighs as much as the monopod. I'd probably be just as happy with a tilt head, rather less content with no head. Maybe that's just me.

EDIT: I didn't include a voting opinion for a gimbal head as I suspect it would be statistically insignificant!

283

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Hoping Sigma can make a 35L alternative

« on: July 02, 2012, 05:07:22 PM »

Sigma has f/1.8 primes in 20mm, 24mm and 28mm focal lengths, all of which are badly in need of updating. It's strange that they haven't yet updated these, given that wide-angle is Sigma's specialism. They'd make a killing with new versions, along with a 35mm f/1.4.

284

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Any reliable & cheap parallel product to the Canon Tc-80n3?

« on: July 02, 2012, 04:38:14 PM »

only pain in the ass is there is no on / off switch so you just have to take the batteries out when finished
not a big deal really

To be fair, you can't turn off the genuine Canon TC-80N3 either.
I keep my battery in there, but reversed, it's perfectly usable as a remote switch without power. If I want timer functions, then I just take the battery out, reverse it, and use it as intended.

I didnt know that, never used the genuine one

The absence of an off switch is mentioned as a downside quite often and I don't really understand why. The power consumption is minuscule, probably equivalent to a digital watch, yet nobody fears leaving the battery in a digital watch.

285

Lenses / Re: Patent: Canon EF 35 f/1.4L II

« on: July 02, 2012, 04:27:06 PM »

Come on Canon, lets get a date and price announced...and please be reasonable on the price increase.

lol