Messages

511

Software & Accessories / Re: Need Backpack recommendations

« on: July 19, 2011, 08:54:45 PM »

I've got the Lowepro flipside 400AW

With it's waist strap I can take off the shoulder straps swing it to my front side and change my lenses while standing up (it's like having a shelf).

In it I have 5 lenses including my 70-200mm a 5d mark II with attached battery grip, a spare crop body. including a teleconverter and a flash, plus all my battery chargers. In the front I carry spare batteries, CF cards, collapsible grey card, pocket wizards, sekonic light meter, misc cables.
It also has straps for a tripod which I've used and ...the best part... it has the built in rain cover like many lowepro products.

I love it!

The 300 and up you can wear it frontside, buckle the waist and chest strap behind you, and hold a golf umbrella hand-free with the tripod carrier while taking pictures too

People look at you weird, but hey, you're dry

512

EOS Bodies / Re: What is the best pocket camera?

« on: July 19, 2011, 08:51:59 PM »

I wanna get a good Canon pocket camera. If I am ready to spend what is my best choice? I have a 60D but I dont need to carry a heavy camera all the time.

How big are your pockets? What are you looking to do? What is your price range?

I like my S95, but it's a bit pricey for a tiny camera. 

I've discovered lately when people mention 'pocket' camera, they're referring to a woman's shirt pocket.

A good pair of slacks will fit a G12 if you're a big guy

513

Contests / Re: Holga Giveaway

« on: July 19, 2011, 04:41:45 PM »

I wonder if this will be restricted to existing members only or the 4000 spam accounts that were just created

514

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF135mm f/2L USM

« on: July 19, 2011, 04:26:55 PM »

The sample shots of this lens are great and I love the saturation it seems to capture!

I currently own the 100mm f/2.8L Macro (which is also a great portrait prime) and have been trying to decide if to jump on another fast prime (ex. 135mm f/2L or the 200mm f/2.8L). The issue i'm running into is deciding between these primes or going for a 70-200mm f2.8L (non-MKII, simply because I don't have that in my current budget). For the 200 prime, I can get the same aperture out of the zoom, but how much would IQ suffer?  and is the 135mm enough of a difference from my 100mm macro to make it worth it? I'm shooting with a 7D, and currently only have a sigma 50mm 1.4 as my other lens, so moving around for framing is not new to me. Anyone interested in giving me me their two cents?

Lastly, I know i'm being lazy by not making a trip to google, but is this lens weather sealed?

Aren't *ALL* "L" lenses weather sealed?

The 200mm L is on my short list as well. 

At $800 and it being a black lens, it's a lot more low-key than the 'big white lens' -- it's supposed to be REALLY sharp.

515

Portrait / Re: Portraits by Me

« on: July 19, 2011, 08:19:32 AM »

sharagim1, your first image looks like you hit free transform by accident... take a look at her head.

The second image is very blurry. What is your shutter speed?

For sure on the first one; the second one (to me) doesn't look like camera shake; it looks like a general photochop filter was applied . . .

516

Canon General / Re: Portrait photography - suggestions

« on: July 19, 2011, 08:14:16 AM »

My point is that I think you'll produce better results with your current body (though I'd recommend getting the 50mm f/1.4 and/or the 85mm f/1.8 ) and control over light - both with the lights and the practice to use them.  For the cost of the 85mm f/1.2L II, you can get a decent set of monolights, stands, softboxes, radio triggers, and backgrounds.

+1 on this.  Move away from the kit/entry level lenses -- I love 50mm for portraits on the crop and the build quality on the 1.4 is decent.  The 85mm 1.8 however is really high quality as well.

If you take the 85mm outside on a nice day, it takes super shots as well.

517

Sports / Re: Cars cars cars (and some bikes)

« on: July 15, 2011, 12:32:54 PM »

A Cat under Cloudy Sky von 1982Chris911 auf Flickr

I'm in love.  I'll take two.

518

Lenses / Re: Canon Lens Price Increases

« on: July 15, 2011, 12:27:57 PM »

Looks like B&H and Adorama have already applied the new pricing to the preorders.  For anyone seriously considering one of the superteles, Amazon will still let you preorder it for the old prices, e.g. $1000 less for the 500mm f/4L IS II.  If you preorder that lens now, and receive it in December, locking up that $9500 compared to the new $10.5K price means  a 10.5% ROI and a 25% annualized ROI - try earning that on another investment... 

No-credit intro cards are 24.99% . . . so I'm going to go with "what is paying off any existing balances first, Alex?"    Yes, yes, anyone spending this kind of bread on a lens shouldn't  be carrying a balance.

Good point though, neuro.

 EF 8-15mm f/4L finally seeing the light of day?  Anyone know the zipcode for hell? I want to check the weather forecast

519

Landscape / Re: Deadline

« on: July 13, 2011, 07:53:41 AM »

So what kind of dangerous are we talking here, Armed Guards, rattlesnakes . . . NazgGul?

It's cool, but what did the original look like?

520

Software & Accessories / Re: GPS logger

« on: July 13, 2011, 07:50:40 AM »

How precise/thorough are you looking to get?

I ask because if it's not something where you need it to follow you, you just need to manually record, you can take a photo with ANY GPS enabled camera (ZS7, iPhone, probably lots of camera phones) and you have the coordinates for later.

So, for weddings, receptions, particular scenes where it matters, you could have a reference location and it would work if you just do it beforehand . . . but for a walking tour, or random single snapshots, it wouldn't work.

521

Lenses / Re: Thoughts on primes

« on: July 11, 2011, 08:01:28 PM »

Tell ya what I'd also love to see right now, a low cost good quality wide prime - something in the 12-15 range, perhaps a second in the mid 20's, specifically for APS-C with a low f of about 1.8-2.0 to pair up with my current 15-85mm for low light wide use, pancakes perhaps ?  What else ? How about a APS-C specific (L quality) 50-150mm f2.8 with IS ? to give crop bodies a decent 70-200mm alternative ?  With an APS-C specific teleconverter - I don't want a big fat heavy lens and body hanging around my neck !

i think you've just quoted my wish list right there too. there was a patent app on this site i saw for an EFS 11 f/2, that would be perfect. A canon answer to the sigma 30 1.4 DC (ie, sharper wide open, i'd pay more for it, just smaller and cheaper than the 1.4L). And the protrait zoom, ~ 40-160 f/2.8 would be my range (to couple the 16-35), even make it FF and L, perfect for all-round wedding lens.

I've just had a look through a few of my favourite portrait shots of the past few months, - with the missus on a ferris-wheel with the niftyfifty head only,
- in a park with 15-85 at 55mm full body and a tree, 70mm waist-up from a lot closer,
- with friends in a park with the 70-300L at 124mm full body, 300mm head and shoulders, 200mm waist-up, i even let him touch my camera to take some shots of me (not as good) 70mm full body with a lot of extra space coz he held it horizontal.
(but ok, i don't do portraits (or anything else) professionally, these were opportunistic with the lenses i was carrying at the time.)

So yeah, they're all really over the shop, it really depends on how much space you've got.
the only advice i'd think of is that you can always crop an 85mm shot down, if you get the 100mm or 135mm, there's only so far you can walk back before you hit a wall. unless you're going to print them as 3'x4' posters, you don't have to fill the frame to use every pixel you can...

I'll take a super fast, ridiculously sharp EF-S 15mm please

I second the sentiment about crops and 85mm.  I love the 85, but it's always felt too-tight for indoors for me.  Full-face portraits and big rooms, certainly.  50mm (the one the OP mentions) feels the best on my 60D for FOV . . . I'm usually close to my subjects though.

522

Lenses / Re: EF Lens Adaptor for iPhone 3 & 4!

« on: July 11, 2011, 08:36:29 AM »

***why not just install iPhone system to a 5Dmk3 or 7Dmk2? nyahahaha...

I don't know what would look stupider, taking photos with your iphone on a white tele lens, or walking around having a conversation with your 5D2 on your cheek...?

You just described the first two work cell phones I ever had (size-wise) they were a shade smaller than a 5DmkII w/ 100-400mm L on it

523

EOS Bodies / Re: IS T1i A GOOD BODY FOR AN L SERIES LENS

« on: July 08, 2011, 08:18:00 PM »

OR SHOULD I UPGRADE TO A XD BODY.  is the t1i a good body or is it sub par

T1i will handle whatever it allows on it.

XTi and earlier have issues with particular lenses, but T1i is fine.

What are you considering? Welcome to the forums

524

United States / Re: Canon 5D original w/$200 repair vs. Canon 7D $1,087 refub w/ 90 day waranty

« on: July 08, 2011, 03:14:21 PM »

I'm trying to decide if this upgrade is really a good deal. I bought my 5D in 2006, so it's a relatively old digital camera, but I just upgraded to the markii and hoped to use it as a back-up on shoots. However last summer during a shoot in Chicago the mirror fell out of place and this was apparently an "unofficial" recall from Canon. Then this summer the shutter release button got stuck, apparently Canon says, "these cameras are only good up to 150,000 shots" which isn't quite worth the 4K I spent.

So as a loyal customer they are offering me a deal on an upgrade to a 7D - which would be markedly better at shooting in low light (I do a lot of theatre and dance performances as well as weddings), but I just invested in the markii and the "refurbished" makes me nervous....any thoughts?

IIRC The loyalty program applies to even busted "bought at a yardsale for $30" film cameras.  My vote is . . .

Craigslist the camera and buy a new 7D if that's what you want.

--EDIT-- a 5D that didn't even power on went for $500 on Ebay, with a known repair cost and proper marketing, you could get more than that.

Their site shows $1,359.00 for the refurb, so you're not even getting $300 for your camera.

525

Lenses / Re: EF Lens Adaptor for iPhone 3 & 4!

« on: July 08, 2011, 10:29:30 AM »

   
haha... cool. i would like to have this to annoy my die hard dslr buddies. will mount my 70-200mm and go for fun... besides that, there's not much use for this fun product. i like this.
PRO:
fun, cool, head-turner, annoying
CON:
exposes your lens to dust/elements
you lose 1 to 2 f-stops
no AF, IS & aperture adjustment
inverted image
dont support EF-S

***why not just install iPhone system to a 5Dmk3 or 7Dmk2? nyahahaha...

Well, I have to say I want to know what a 50mm or 100mm macro shot looks like on it before outright dismissing it.

Also, what if you took this and had an app that could do advanced light/color temperature evaluation on it?

Practicality is *NOT* what this was intended for, definitely  

I have to wonder what you could do if they took the concept, turned it into a smart accessory (like the card readers, medical scanners etc) and used a different sensor and then only use the ipod/ipad/iphone for a processor/interface?