Messages

286

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 24 f/2.8 IS & EF 28 f/2.8 IS Quick Review

« on: June 30, 2012, 10:45:40 AM »

You would have thought Canon would have given these lenses STM, to make them properly video-friendly.

287

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark II Price Drop?

« on: June 26, 2012, 06:24:33 AM »

Since the 5DIII launch, I've noticed a few UK retailers actually increasing 5DII prices slightly. I can only speculate but my guess is that a lot of people who were waiting for the 5DIII before upgrading their Rebels have not been convinced that the 5DIII is worth the price difference (£3,000 vs £1,595) and have ordered the 5DII instead.

288

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon EOS-1D X Unboxing

« on: June 25, 2012, 09:41:59 AM »

1st Thanks to the poster for putting up the video.  It is great to start seeing the 1Dx in peoples hands.

2nd The poster has said future videos will be horizontal.  He is new to posting videos online.

3rd  This video reminded me of another video put together by a Canadian Comedy troupe.  It is pretty funny and not meant to hurt anyone's feelings.  :-)

Excellent video, very funny!

289

Lighting / Re: 600ex-RT & Gary Fong

« on: June 24, 2012, 01:05:19 PM »

Gary, I proposed in a recent thread an alternative to a flash bracket. I was going to sell the idea to China but you can have it if you want. Just send me a lightsphere in return. Here's the design mock-up:



Regards,

Adam

290

Lenses / Re: Canon 400mm f4 DO lens - any users on this forum with feedback etc

« on: June 23, 2012, 01:50:01 PM »

The f / stop system used by photographers is unfortunately pretty useless, being only a simple ratio of the front element to the focal length, it was largely replaced in the film industry by  T (transimission) stops, which instead measures the amount of light a lens is able to pass through.   So a lens with an f/2.8 rating might not allow as much light through as a lens with an f/5.6 rating, but without measurement it's impossible to tell.  Dxo have done some measurements, but as yet they have not measured this lens, so there are no actual T/stop figures for it , my personal feeling is however that this lens will not have a high value due to its 'different' optics.

The T values of lenses with equivalent maximum apertures vary fractionally, not by a factor of 4 (f/2.8 vs f/5.6)!

291

Lenses / Re: My Review of the New 600mm f/4L IS Version II

« on: June 23, 2012, 01:33:34 PM »

Thanks for posting your link.

I got a little confused towards the end because you began with v1 on the left and v2 on the right but at some point, they switched over (I think).

Awesome lenses, though.

292

Lighting / Re: The Flash Bracket? Do they really matter anymore?

« on: June 23, 2012, 08:39:29 AM »

This might work.

293

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Sigma 12-24 discontinued / replaced ?

« on: June 14, 2012, 02:53:35 PM »

A new version II was released last year. It's possible that the one you found cheap at JB Hifi is the old model which is identifiable by the EX designation and Sigma's old-style crinkle paint finish.

294

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Manual Mode Exposure Question...

« on: June 13, 2012, 06:25:23 PM »

You and I (and many other photographers on both sides) have very different ideas of what "reliable" means. And this is perfectly fine - that's why both types of modes exist.

The settings that the camera guesses on can change wildly, depending on where exactly you're metering. Your shots will not always be consistent. If you're using evaluative metering, changes in things like the background can have dramatic effect on your exposures. If you're using spot metering, changing where you're metering even slightly can also dramatically effect what the camera thinks is "right".

I guess my main point is that the camera does not have an intuitive sense of what I'm photographing. It can only guess, and allowing it to guess gives it the opportunity to guess wrong. Will I guess wrong too? Absolutely, but it trains me to keep an eye on the histogram and adjust. Exposure will never be something that you should "fire and forget" unless you're taking snapshots. (Again, this is my thinking, not what everyone should think.)

Your bulb mode comment is amusing, but entirely misses the point. The camera is good at precisely exposing the sensor for a specific time with a specific aperture. Nobody disputes this. What is disputed is whether the camera can automatically expose every frame properly. Some people think it can, and they use Av/Tv. Some people don't trust it completely, and they use Manual. Nothing wrong with either.

The question the OP was asking was, why should he take 30 seconds setting exposure manually when in the majority of situations, AP is working for him. My contention is simply that there's nothing wrong with using AP, or SP for that matter, in that majority of situations where it gives the same settings as he would have selected in manual mode anyway. In other words, don't assume you're doing something wrong by using AP or SP, just because other people say they always use manual. Using AP doesn't necessarily equate to fire-and-forget exposure, or to snapshots. As the OP said, you still have EC, spot, etc. to adjust for specific lighting scenarios.

What metering technology can't do, of course, is to second-guess anyone's intention to expose for creativity rather than for an evenly spread histogram, so thank goodness for manual mode. I'm not against manual mode, I just find manual-mode evangelists a little irksome. I'm not suggesting you or anyone else here is in that camp (your views seem balanced and were well put) but there's no doubt they exist. My photography tutor was one - I remember how he cursed when I replaced my manual Yashica with a Contax 139. 

295

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Manual Mode Exposure Question...

« on: June 13, 2012, 09:29:19 AM »

I am doing an outdoor shooting this morning. I will be in manual, 1/300, iso50, f/2 - f/4

Just use the sun as 1 of the light sources, not the only source.

Overpowering the sun means less light/contrast/blownout whites in the bg

yeah but you only have pretend sun over there anyway so its not hard to overpower

Lol

Show off!

We've had a glorious summer here in England.

It was in 1976.

296

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Manfrotto tripod

« on: June 13, 2012, 09:10:51 AM »

In Italy it's the same, but considering it's a really light-duty tripod, how can you demonstrate that the product was defective and that you didn't overload it? Warranty of course doesn't cover damages derived from improper use.

In the UK, if the purchaser says it wasn't misused, the onus is on the seller to prove otherwise.

297

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Manual Mode Exposure Question...

« on: June 13, 2012, 03:42:33 AM »

...it seems like letting the camera set the exposure and then using EC when necessary is faster.

I agree, which is why most of my shooting is in AP mode using EC and/or spot metering as appropriate. Manual is fine if I'm taking my time over a shot like a landscape, or in conditions with unchanging light, but I don't see any point in using manual when another mode will get the same result faster and more reliably.

Embrace technology - don't buy the 'auto is for wimps' kind of attitude. One day, someone will come along and say even manual is for wimps and that bulb mode, using the lens cap for exposure, is the only way for a true professional. 

298

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Manfrotto tripod

« on: June 13, 2012, 03:13:27 AM »

Are you saying you wouldn't expect a lower-line tripod from a major brand to last more than a couple of weeks?

Yes, if the major brands clearly states that it supports up to 1Kg/2.2lbs and you load a lot more weight on it.

Who said the OP's tripod was overloaded?

I've heard several times in the past of lever locks breaking, typically not through overloading but usually because the plastic levers snap when opening or closing them.

299

Lenses / Re: Pancakes in the UK

« on: June 12, 2012, 04:22:51 PM »

Because we keep on paying it.

My last 3 bodies have been grey, my last expensive canon lens was grey, anything else I've bought off brand or used.

Canon are taking the mickey.

The 40mm may well have been worth £229 to me, but it rankles a bit that it's worth only £129 to an american.

As much as I hoped for such a lens, I won't be buying it.   Unless I get it grey.

If the retailers won't stick up for you (jacobs on sticky wicket, jessops indebited to tune of £10m to Canon) then stick up for yourself.

+1.

The only things I prefer not to buy grey are products with a relatively high failure rate like third party lenses (Sigma UK's three year warranty is worth having, though still inferior to the warranty period in other countries) and any flashgun.

300

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Manfrotto tripod

« on: June 12, 2012, 03:55:25 PM »

What did you expect when you bought a plastic-ish tripod? It's only made for lightweight gear. So tell us, what were you using on it? i have a 055xprob and the quality is excellent. A friend of mine has a really old manfrotto, and it still works perfectly.

If you want a good tripod, it comes with a price. What did you expect out of a plastic-ish tripod?

Are you saying you wouldn't expect a lower-line tripod from a major brand to last more than a couple of weeks? I think he had a right to expect any tripod, let alone a Manfrotto, to last more than a couple of weeks. And the lever locks on most tripods are made of plastic, anyway. If I were him, I'd kick up a big stink until I got a refund or replacement.