Messages

1

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: mini review: Yongnuo 568EX

« on: April 07, 2013, 01:37:46 AM »

Hi, does anyone know if YN-568EX (or YN-565EX) can be used as a slave for a Powershot S90 / S95 / S100 / S110? I mean a dumb slave in manual mode of course (I'd like to bounce it from the ceiling).

You can use even the cheaper YN 560 II that way.

Well, maybe, but I am looking for a flash that I will be able to use with my DSLR in all-auto ETTL mode (to go with my Canon Speedlites) *and* in dumb mode with my Powershot.

Can anyone confirm these flashes actually work with Sxx as optical slaves, are there any problems with the preflashes that the Powershot emits?

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Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: mini review: Yongnuo 568EX

« on: April 06, 2013, 02:42:08 PM »

Hi, does anyone know if YN-568EX (or YN-565EX) can be used as a slave for a Powershot S90 / S95 / S100 / S110? I mean a dumb slave in manual mode of course (I'd like to bounce it from the ceiling).

3

Lenses / Re: About to buy the 135L, and then saw this....

« on: October 01, 2012, 03:55:05 PM »

I'm going to buy the 135L, but I'm just curious as to what others think about this, and what the explanation is for their resolution score for the 85 1.8? 

DxO -- others have already said what they think of their scores.

The lenses -- I've had the 85mm f/1.8 for a few years, it is a good lens (with some known drawbacks). However, I don't like it since it delayed my decision to buy the 135L (having a fast 85mm prime and a 70-200, buying a 135mm did not seem that important). The 135L -- well, I *love* it. Scores cannot describe it, people will say it's the bokeh, sharpness, colors, etc. It's a bit of pain to use sometimes (I am on crop) but the photos are just wonderful. It's as much of a jump in quality for me as my first prime (50mm f/1.8 ) was (after cheap zooms).

135L is magic.

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Lenses / Re: best wide or ultra wide angle lens for crop sensorh

« on: August 17, 2012, 03:15:56 AM »

I have the EF-S 10-22mm and I wholeheartedly recommend it. It is an excellent lens.

Never used the Tokina 11-16 so I can't comment.

5

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 40D or XS

« on: August 17, 2012, 02:58:07 AM »

XS is 1000D, right? Fairly old as well, and lower end, so I think I'd go for the 40D and just factor in shutter repair.

I do have a 40D and the shutter failed -- it started failing at 15k (Err 99, first battery removal was helping, then only Live View worked), then died completely at 25k. An authorized Canon repair service charged 60 EUR for the repair.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon GPS Options

« on: August 17, 2012, 02:42:29 AM »

I use a standalone GPS logger (not a nav device, not a smartphone) for this purpose.

My model is a Holux M-1000C (not really a recommendation but I can't complain -- reasonably priced, 20+ hours of logging on one battery, spare batteries readily available as it uses one of the popular Nokia phone batteries).
There's plenty of options, just choose whatever suits you: http://www.bt747.org/compatible_gps

I download the track and convert it to GPX using http://www.bt747.org/ -- requires getting used to as it has its quirks but does the job.

I then geotag the photos using Exiftool, http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/. It cross references the dates/ times in the EXIF data in CR2 and JPG with the GPX file and updates the EXIF with location.
Alternatively, you can use Lightroom for this task (4.0+), it will also geocode (provide address for lat/long coordinates) but it won't update the actual CR2's though, I believe.

The benefits of this method are that you can geotag photos from multiple cams this way and that you can use the track for other purposes. FWIW, you can get the logger to log things like altitude and velocity which make a nice addition to photos shot from airplanes -- not sure if Canon's GPS module does this.

7

Lenses / Re: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or Canon 35mm f/2?

« on: August 14, 2012, 03:00:37 AM »

I faced the same choice some three months ago.

I visited a Sigma dealer to try out the 30mm f/2 on my camera (7D but I also have a 40D). In a nutshell: I liked the quality of the photos very much WHEN THEY WERE SHARP. Sigma's AF struggles on Canon bodies -- it is OK-ish in bright light but can get really bad otherwise. With most Canon lenses, on peripheral AF sensors, when there's not so much light, at least on xxD / 7D -- it takes time and I need to press the AF-ON button a few times to get focus but I usually do get it. With Sigma, I feel it's worse, there's times when it never focuses correctly (it misses by a tiny bit but it is too much for my purposes, I need the lens to make photos of a newborn baby, eyes must be tack sharp)

I got the 35mm f/2 instead and I am very happy with it. I also very much like the close focusing distance -- again, very useful for newborn closeups.

AF on the 35mm f/2 is loud and not fast (not really slow, but slower than that of 85mm f/1.8 or 400mm f/5.6) but precise.

I really could use Sigma's extra 5mm width so I had also considered the 28mm f/1.8 but ultimately decided against it. I felt the 35mm f/2 had marginally better opinions but most of all, 35mm f/2 was half of the price of 28mm f/1.8 and 30mm f/1.4. This was the money I was willing to risk (and I am very happy with the results of this gamble).