Messages

16

Canon General / Re: necessity of photography school

« on: December 19, 2012, 04:41:15 PM »

[=Plato the Wise =]

Isn't that redundant?

Plato the Wise is not redundant. Plato is a person - or a noun - and he is wise - or the adjective that describes the noun. Besides, no one ever uses that name because most people don't even know who Plato is. As a result, I don't have a silly name, such as Canon_Shooter11562738.

17

Canon General / Re: necessity of photography school

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:28:09 PM »

I don't have a photography degree, but I do have a BFA from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in painting and sculpture. Photography was part of our curriculum and I learned a lot in the classes.

In fact, many of the disciplines we now work on digitally in photoshop have their roots in traditional darkroom techniques. The tools and filters at times are even named after the original techniques.

Not to mention the art of photography that is outside of the technique itself that is way more important. Composition, color theory, creative thinking and problem solving to name a few.

Could you learn all of that on your own? Possibly - but then again you could learn any discipline on your own. It might take you a lifetime to learn what you could learn in 4 years of a BFA photography program.

If you are just looking for continuing education classes, most community colleges, universities, and art colleges do offer classes. And like someone stated earlier, you will have access to equipment that you wouldn't normally be exposed to.

Hope that helps.

18

Lenses / Re: 50mm upgrade or 85mm coverage?

« on: December 12, 2012, 11:38:21 AM »

I have the 50L and 85L and have shot with the 85 1.8.

If you have the 50 1.4 and you can afford the 85L - I would definitely recommend the 85L. It is such an awesome lens for portraits and the 85L blows away the 85 1.8 in color and contrast. People forget sometimes that sharpness is only one part of what makes a lens awesome.

And of course there is the bokeh!

19

Lighting / Re: 580ex II advice

« on: December 06, 2012, 07:28:34 AM »

I have the 580ex2 and it is a great flash. The only thing that I wish it would have is the radio wireless of the 600. Line of sight off camera flash is a pain and makes it impossible to use it for some lighting set-ups.

20

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D MARK III with 50 mm f/1.2 performence

« on: November 20, 2012, 01:33:02 PM »

I have the 50L and the 5D III and it is a great combo.

I've never used the 50 1.4, but I have some other non L lenses and the color and contrast are much better on the L lenses. The color, contrast and bokeh on the 50L are very nice...as mentioned before sharpness isn't everything.

This lens is best suited for organic/portrait type work.

21

EOS Bodies / Re: Has Canon entered the Graveyard Spiral?

« on: November 12, 2012, 05:45:37 PM »

Sounds like a personal problem.

Doesn't the 1d M4's native ISO range from 100-12800? Why would you be "limited" to 1600 ISO?

And if you are "limited" by auto flash ISO stuck on 400 ISO - switch it manually.

Sounds like a lot of whining and not enough thinking.

And as others have said - I don't think Canon will be going out of business any time soon.

22

Lenses / Re: Smart purchase or not?

« on: November 09, 2012, 01:08:13 PM »

I have the 17-40L. Bought mine new some time ago and just recently noticed that all my images are a little soft on the right side of the image at 17mm. The rest is tac sharp.

I've heard others complain about this as well. I plan on taking it in to get it looked at. You may want to check the edges, just to make sure...

23

Technical Support / Re: how she got this look/light to work above sync speed

« on: November 09, 2012, 12:48:20 PM »

You have to check the flash duration...if you have good lights/strobes, they will power up to max power very quickly. Cheap ones, not so much.

Think of it like a huge burst of electricity powering the light. The higher quality lights can reach max power and react faster and allow higher shutter syncs.

24

Lenses / Re: Hold out for EF 35/2 IS or jump in with classic 35 1.4L

« on: November 06, 2012, 02:39:30 PM »

I have the 35L and all I can say is that it is awesome. It is a great focal length on full frame and at 1.4 the background just melts away from the subject. It is a sharp lens and the color is great as well.

The only drawback is that I don't think it is sealed like the other Ls.

25

Lenses / Re: 35mm f1.4 -vs- 50mm 1.2

« on: November 02, 2012, 01:06:59 PM »

I have both and they serve different purposes.

50L for closer portrait - shooting at f/1.2-2.8

35L for low light street photography and even some landscape.

The 50L is a very specialized lens. The expense is only worth the expense if you intend to use it for what it was meant to do. The 35L is more versitle in terms of a good low light walk around lens.

26

5D MK III Sample Images / Re: Moonbow!

« on: October 30, 2012, 10:14:26 PM »

Nice shot.

http://www.michaelperna.com/perna-photos/pages/Moon-rise_over_tree_square.htm

I took this shot when I lived in Texas (many moons ago). It was shot with a Hasselblad using 100ISO kodak  tungsten slide film. 15 min exposure. The moon is behind the tree and moved quite a bit - but I like the effect.

I see a lot of digital photos these days taken at night with black skies. A camera set to tungsten WB gives a much better blue.

27

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 24-70 f/4L IS Coming [CR3]

« on: October 30, 2012, 10:03:37 PM »

And don't forget that with the improved ISO performance in the newer cameras, the loss of 1 stop at 4f isn't as much of a deal breaker for most people - especially if they are not pros.

As I mentioned before, I do have the 24-105 and I think it is a great lens. The only complaint I have is with the distortion at 24mm.

But if I need a fast lens with less distortion, I'll shoot with a prime.

28

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 24-70 f/4L IS Coming [CR3]

« on: October 30, 2012, 09:55:15 PM »

I think some of the folks are right in thinking this will be another kit lens.

The new full-frame will be geared toward the prosumer market and a small, decent lens will work better for them. I have the 24-105 and even though it is smaller than the 24-70 2.8, it is still a big lens.

And there is no reason to think canon will not offer two kit versions of the 6D, like they do with the 7D with the 18-135 and the 28-135.

A company the size of Canon does not make decisions without researching their target markets. I have worked on advertising for Canon in the past and they do their homework.

29

Technical Support / Re: how she got this look/light to work above sync speed

« on: October 23, 2012, 11:33:48 AM »

Use an ND filter or forget about the strobes and use a scrim and reflectors.

30

Software & Accessories / Re: Who uses a handheld light meter?

« on: October 02, 2012, 10:28:21 AM »

I have a spot meter and use it at times. I used to shoot with a Hasselblad 501 and it had no meter so it was a necessity. It is actually very useful for managing scene brightness and allows the photographer to control the exposure the way they envision the lightest and darkest points of a photo with a high level of accuracy.

This is especially important if you are photographing landscapes or architecture in the early mornings or evenings and use split ND filters.