Messages

316

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: A former Nikon user's thoughts on his first 24 hours with the 5D Mark III

« on: May 13, 2012, 02:24:59 AM »

If anyone queries the noise on the pole dancer's legs, just tell them it's cellulite. 

317

Lighting / Re: Wireless flash setup. Need advice!

« on: May 13, 2012, 02:05:42 AM »

Yongnuo 603's are the best bang for your buck. You can get four for $60 on Ebay. They are transceivers so you can use any of them interchangeably as transmitters or receivers. They can also act as a remote shutter release.

318

Lighting / Re: 5D MKIII & 270EXII - good for fill?

« on: May 12, 2012, 01:52:37 PM »

You'll probably be better off with a 600EX RT in the long run.

I was thinking it would just tide me over.

270 has slave only capability off camera and range 28-50mm.  It's your money!!

To be fair, the 430 EX II doesn't have master capability either.

The 270 will work absolutely fine for fill-in. Set the camera to Av (not manual) mode for this.

319

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

« on: May 11, 2012, 10:14:15 AM »

It works for me most of the time. I do have some problems when working in fairly bright environments from time to time. (But then not only my DG 610 Super but also my Canon 430EX has problems) I rarely use the built in flash though, most of the time I slap my Sigma Ringflash on my 7D and use that one for remote firing. That combination appears to be working better, but I am still not 100% satisfied with it. I think it's time to get a radio operated remote controller for my flashes.

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated.

320

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Off Brand: Leica M Monochrom & Leica APO-Summicron 50 f/2 ASPH Announced

« on: May 11, 2012, 10:04:47 AM »

while the double Gauss has flaws, it delivers very good performance even in basic designs. And the design here is not a classic double Gauss. The back part is quite different. Also, it's only f2, not very fast for a 50 mm. That plus the liberal use of expensive glass types should do it.
my guess is Canon could produce the same for 2k. it's just a matter of market.

Not a classic double Gauss but presumably still a variation on the theme, as all 50s are. I agree a double Gauss delivers very good performance but look again at what Leica is claiming: "a historic milestone." My point is, in most lens categories, "historic milestones" come and go but a 50 has to brush aside rather more history to be conferred that kind of status. I have yet to encounter a 50 that outperforms my Zeiss Planar 50 f/1.7 and that's 30 years old (I bought it new). That's why I'm so intrigued to know what Leica has done.

321

Lighting / 7D master functionality with Sigma flashes?

« on: May 11, 2012, 02:45:45 AM »

I'm thinking of getting a 7D. One thing that appeals to me is its built-in E-TTL wireless master functionality via the pop-up flash. This would allow me to use all three of my Sigma EF500 DG Super flashes as off-camera wireless slaves instead of using one as an on-camera master, as I do with the 5DII.

If anyone is using a 7D with Sigma DG Super flash(es), I'd appreciate feedback as to whether they work together ok in a wireless master / slave set-up. There's no reason why they shouldn't but you can never be quite sure with third party gear.

Thanks.

322

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Off Brand: Leica M Monochrom & Leica APO-Summicron 50 f/2 ASPH Announced

« on: May 11, 2012, 02:18:37 AM »

If their new 50mm f2 is as good as they say, I'll be amazed that nobody has created such a good 50mm lens before. The double Gauss formula has been tinkered with for 100+ years and it has always had its flaws. Top build quality alone doesn't magically result in a near flawless lens so I'm intrigued to see what Leica has done differently.

323

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Billipixels ? Coming to your Canon 20 yrs from now

« on: May 07, 2012, 07:03:10 PM »

I would have been happier with 2 billion pixels and better DR. 

324

EOS Bodies / Re: Why did Canon Release the 5D MkIII (pure conjecture)

« on: May 07, 2012, 03:15:21 PM »

If you don't see the value in the 5DIII, don't buy it. Nothing will speak louder to Canon than sales figures. And if they hit their sales targets, then don't expect a better sensor any time soon. Equally, if 5DIII sales don't meet forecasts after the early adopter honeymoon is over, then expect something better sooner.

325

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Rebel T4i [CR2]

« on: May 07, 2012, 01:30:37 PM »

Just my $0.02 on AF. To my mind, good AF shouldn't be, and won't be, an extra feature confined to the better bodies. It's too fundamental to the camera's overall performance. My expectation is that, sooner or later, the 7D's AF system will become the standard AF system for all APS-C bodies.

326

Lenses / Re: 300mm F2.8 L IS II vs Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 AF APO EX DG OS HSM any opinion ?

« on: May 07, 2012, 06:38:53 AM »

I haven't read any reviews of the 300mm II but I'm sure it is the state of the art. There is, no doubt, a difference between sharp (120-300mm) and bleeding-edge sharp (300mm II) but I personally wouldn't need that final magnitude of sharpness, especially at three times the price. I would love to have a 120-300mm, not because I need it for my style of shooting, but because it exists.

327

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: any customer service experience from tamron or sigma?

« on: May 07, 2012, 05:44:03 AM »

My Sigma 12-24mm II recently suffered an electrical failure. It was returned via the dealer to Sigma UK under warranty. I received the repaired lens back just under four weeks later in the same pristine condition as it was before. I'm assuming the AF was calibrated as a matter of course, though I can't tell since the focusing was dead-on before and it still is.

328

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Third Party Flash / Metz Mecablitz 58 AF-2

« on: May 06, 2012, 12:53:14 AM »

Perhaps the biggest differentiator between otherwise good quality flash units is the extent of their master / slave functionality. The most functional are those that support full E-TTL II auto exposure in a wireless master / slave set-up. Canon's units obviously do this (580EX II as master or slave, 430EX II as slave only). Other current units that do this are the Nissin Di866 MkII and Sigma EF610 DG Super (both as either master or slave), plus the Metz 58 AF-2, Nissin Di622 MkII and Yongnuo 565EX (all as slave only).

The third party units supposedly use the same (optical) wireless communication system as the Canons so they should all be able to talk to each other. I can't verify this as mine is an all-Sigma system. Obviously, none of the above will communicate by radio frequency with Canon's 600EX-RT but that unit does also have the optical system for backward compatibility.

329

EOS Bodies / Re: where can i get a refurb 7d (uk)

« on: April 29, 2012, 10:58:04 PM »

You won't find a refurb any cheaper than the £835 price of a new 7D at simplyelectronics, hdewcameras or bignorman.

To answer your earlier question, if I were you I'd get a 7D at this price while you can. I'm certainly thinking of getting one. If you're willing to pay at least double that price, by all means wait for its successor.

330

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III in camera lens aberration correction

« on: April 24, 2012, 10:19:14 AM »

Yes that can happen, but it's only when you push the lens to extremes, and with that knowledge any user should with minimal adjustment be able to work around to prevent it, and not looking for a cure in post production.

I don't understand your point of view at all. It isn't hard to induce purple fringing in that lens. What's the problem with correction in post production?