Messages

196

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark II price

« on: December 21, 2011, 11:31:19 AM »

I dont think the price will come down much more after Xmas.  If you want one, now is the time to buy them.  Even if a new 5D III is announce in a couple of months for example, this is no garantee that 5D II price would come down.  The opposite has happened in the past actually!

So need one, get one now!  Great price!

Look at the used prices of the 1DsIII... I think those have gone up, and the used cameras are selling for almost new prices.

197

EOS Bodies / Re: Do I need a better camera or a better pair of hands?

« on: December 21, 2011, 09:46:26 AM »

I think your shots look great.

If I was to offer something, I would say that they look a touch overexposed to me... but I do not make money with a camera, and my monitor is not calibrated so take it for what it is worth.

I want to get out of my camera everything I can, but I feel that I cannot achieve level of few local photographers right now. I'm not sure whether the camera applies limitations or it is me who needs another way of thinking.

I own 7D, use fixed lenses and some additional tools (flashes, reflectors) to achieve the best results I can. The guy who's photos I've posted below uses 1D IV, 5D II, 1Ds III, fixed lenses, flashes and reflectors.

I've formed an opinion that better color transformation (making the colors richer, extending separate colors' depth) can be achieved only on a new camera. Could you please take a look at images below and compare the results we've got to identify what I'm missing.

198

Lenses / Re: All Around lenses

« on: December 20, 2011, 05:57:46 PM »

Hi, I am going to go on a trip to Iceland in April next year, I am also going to soon be getting my first DSLR (EOS 60D), I would like to know what kind of lenses I could take to Iceland, so far I have thought of getting a kit lens, although not sure which one, and also try and buy the 50mm f/1.4 lens, and the 70-200mm f/4 IS USM lens, I would like to take landscape photos e.t.c. but also portraits, so I would like a good range of focal lengths, also, I cannot go too expensive.

Thanks, James

If you want wide, the Tokina 11-16 is very nice. Keep in mind that the built-in flash will be useless with this lens due to lens shadow... and if you use a flash, you may need two of them.

I also like the Canon 16-35 L II on either a crop or full frame. The 17-55 2.8 IS is also nice, but only useful on EF-S cameras.

The 16-35 f2.8 stays on my camera most of the time.

The 35 f1.4 can get pictures without a flash that a 2.8 lens can't get. This is close to a 50mm view on a full frame camera on your 60D.

A 24mm lens will essentially look like a 38mm on a full frame. Useful for indoor stuff.

On the 60D, a 50mm will behave like an 80. Might be too much for indoor work.

I find a 70-200 too much for my indoor situations, especially on a crop camera.

I like wide shots, and sometimes you just can't step back some more. I've tried stitching, and it hasn't worked out very well for me yet.

Wide angle: Tokina 11-16.

Indoor stuff, maybe no flash, you will need something faster than 2.8. The prime lenses are much lighter than the 17-55 2.8.

I'd rent a 24 and 35 now and see which one you like... but you can always crop stuff out of a picture. Much harder to crop stuff into a picture.

Otherwise, I'd recommend the 17-55 f2.8 is.

$.02
 

199

Lenses / Re: What's the best deal you've ever gotten on a lens? I'll start...

« on: December 20, 2011, 09:03:52 AM »

TS-E 24mm II for $900.

200

EOS Bodies / Re: 7D + 10-22mm or 5D III + 16-35mm L II?

« on: December 13, 2011, 08:25:44 PM »

Keep the 7D and get a Tokina 11-16. Unless you wish to drop a lot on lenses, this will be a much cheaper route...

X2

This is a great lens, and much different than the 16-35.

You will need more than 1 flash unit with the Tokina 11-16 and using the popup flash results in lens shadow.

I have both. You need the 11-16 for wide shots on the 7D.

201

Lighting / Re: Canon ST-E2 use as a Focus Assist only?

« on: December 09, 2011, 12:04:05 AM »

When you turn on the ST-E2, it automatically put itself into ETTL mode.  So far in itself it is not too bad, the problem is that when connected to your camera, whether or not you have a flash setup to work with the ST-E2, the camera automatically assumes you have a flash plugged in with the ST-E2.  As such, it impacts the exposure setting the camera will make because the camera will choose the same settings as if a flash was present.  So you need to compensate by underexposing in order to get the proper shutter speed.

Looking in the manual of the ST-E2 I was not able to find a way to bybass this.

Well, that explains why the images are different with the ST-E2 on and off.

202

Lighting / Re: Canon ST-E2 use as a Focus Assist only?

« on: December 08, 2011, 05:52:08 AM »

If you have a crop, you can do this with the pop up flash (have it assist focus but not actually fire).  But I suspect you probably already know this.

The popup assist is quite irritating, and it sucks the battery down.

203

Lighting / Re: Canon ST-E2 use as a Focus Assist only?

« on: December 07, 2011, 06:32:14 PM »

Is it possible to set up a camera to use the focus assist lamp on the ST-E2 and not fire a flash, and have correct white balance for natural light?

Yes you can.  I got one myself for that purpose.  White Balance is not affected, however, because you cannot turn ETTL mode off on the ST-E2, the camera still thinks I have a flash which impacts exposure (shutter speed since I shoot in Av mode).  The quick solution to this is when I shoot with the ST-E2, I do one test before and set the exposure on the camera to be ~ -1 to -1 1/2 stop less such that I get the same shutter speed with the transmitter as without.  It is much easier to do then to explain!

There is also a High Speed Sync mode on the ST-E2 and I have not tried it.  Not sure if I would have to still compensate exposure...

All that said, the transmitter does help with AF in certain condition.  Your other solution is to use the AF assist from your flash but turn off the flash.  In my case I did not choose this option because the ST-E2 is much lighter than my speedlite 580 on top on my camera...

hope this helps...

Ahh. Wrong term on my part. Exposure.

I did not know you could turn off the flash and keep the AF assist lamp, but the ST-E2 is much smaller and lighter.

Guess I'll have to play with the exposure controls (on the camera).

It would be nice if the ETTL could be turned off on the ST-E2.

Anyone have experience with the off brand knockoffs?

204

Lighting / Canon ST-E2 use as a Focus Assist only?

« on: December 07, 2011, 06:25:27 AM »

Is it possible to set up a camera to use the focus assist lamp on the ST-E2 and not fire a flash, and have correct white balance for natural light?

205

Lenses / Re: I wish I'd never sold my.....?

« on: November 30, 2011, 09:04:43 AM »

The 50mm lens I bought with my Eos 620.

206

United States / Re: Prime for 7D?

« on: November 30, 2011, 07:11:38 AM »

The wider end of your 17-40 on a 1.6x crop body = 27mm on a full frame.

Every other lens that you have listed is more than that.

The tokina 11-16 f2.8 is a nice lens, and used at 16mm will be 25.6mm equivalent- closely matching what you have now.

The Canon 16-35 LII is f2.8, much better for low light than f4, but not the same as f1.4.

207

Lenses / Re: Primes to go with a 5D Mark II -- does anyone not use a L prime?

« on: November 29, 2011, 02:13:19 PM »

I really like the 16-35mm f2.8L II.

I rented the 35mm f1.4L and it is much more useful in low light compared to f2.8.

A 50mm 1.4 is on the way.

Don't know what'll be next. I'd really like one of those 400 f2.8 II's, but no winning lottery tickets here.

I would recommend renting a lens for a few days to try it out, unless you can score a good deal on a used one. Some say that renting is wasted money- money that could go towards the purchase of a lens, but at the 4 figure mark for a new one, I disagree.

208

United States / Re: Looking at 70-200 F4 IS vs 70-200 F2.8 Non-IS

« on: November 26, 2011, 10:14:07 AM »

Do you think the F4 IS will do good with night time football games?

If the difference between f1.4 and f2.8 is anything like the difference between f2.8 and f4... I would say no.

Renting the lens(es) would be one way to find out.

209

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon 200mm f/1.8 USM

« on: November 26, 2011, 10:09:23 AM »

Where's the picture?

It's a snowflake in a snowstorm.

You can't see it?

210

Lenses / Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome: please help!!!

« on: November 25, 2011, 06:53:48 PM »

I also have a 16-35, and it is probably my most used lens (5DII).

I rented the Canon and Zeiss 35mm f1.4 primes.

The Canon is nice, so is the Zeiss, but I can't get good focus with the Zeiss, even with the Eg-S screen. I have to use live view. Not sure if one of the aftermarket split screens would do the trick.