Messages

331

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon's roadmap

« on: December 04, 2012, 02:29:31 PM »

Hmm, that chart is mighty interesting!

In general (and I've said it before in nauseating detail), Canon seems to be taking a 'damn the torpedoes, full price ahead' attitude with insane pricing for products that are delayed to increase desire.  I think they are taking the Apple approach.  Let anticipation build, keep quite and let the press and the bloggers work everyone into a fever pitch, then pull the trigger on the release but release slowly to encourage more pre-orders in the future and immediate snapping up of scarce stock.

Canon seems to be treating their product releases like having their hand on a revenue steam throttle.  If they open it up full bore, people will get saturated with product and not buy as quickly but it they release products slow and let the pressure build up, they produce more power revenue.

Just a thought...

332

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D3 continuous shooting speed

« on: December 04, 2012, 02:12:05 PM »

We need some comic relief!

I think that at some point with regard to all the 5D3 issues, we need a talented comic strip artist to draw some funny caricatures of photographers working with/around all the myriad bugs/"features" in this camera.  Low Light focus issues, no red blinking focus point, 50% battery slowdown, no UHS-1 SD slot = slow global writes to CF and SD, etc.  A little humor might at least make a it little easier to stomach having to deal with these things after spending around $3000 for this thing.

Yes, it's a great camera.  Unfortunately, the word 'except' or 'but' usually follows that statement with some ridiculous faults that I wish Canon would acknowledge and fix.  Aaargh!

333

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6d Reviews

« on: December 02, 2012, 10:30:57 PM »

http://www.digitalrev.com/article/canon-eos-6d-hands-on/NTcwMDg0OTA_A

I thought it was a pretty decent first hand account of the camera. Much better than most of the people in this forum can provide, who actually are just reading from spec sheets!

I think they did a great job with an overview of the features and comparisons to other models. I particularly like the conclusion at the end "It shoots and feels like a decent DSLR should. The things that are considered inferior are hardly huge downfalls." Tech heads can go back and forth all day long about what this camera is and isn't, and compare to others - but in the end it can still take great photos as shown by this video.

I think I'll make a look alike video but just carry the spec sheet around and review the 6D using that.   

And I don't mean this in a snarky bad way against the video, it was great.  I'm just having fun.  Picture the sheet in hand, going around and reading from the sheet saying how the picture would likely look in this shot based on the specs.  Sort of an SNL satire skit kind of thing...

334

Pricewatch Deals / Beach Camera = Great Experience

« on: November 28, 2012, 12:29:59 AM »

Quick Endorsement for Beach Camera on a killer 5D3 eBay deal (discovered through CanonRumors.com)...

I purchased a 5D3 eBay deal from Beach Camera back in mid October.  Having never purchased from Beach before, I was a bit nervous based on the killer price.

-  I didn't get any scam crap upsell phone calls, emails or B&S tactics.
-  I received shipping and tracking info within 48 hours of the Saturday pm purchase time.
-  I received free shipping and the 5D3 arrived the Thursday after the weekend purchase time.
X - packing was my only complaint, they didn't pack the 5D3 box with any cushioning.  (Really!?)

After a couple weeks, I realized the 5D3 had serious low light AF Lock problems, thanks to this forum.  I contacted Beach Camera directly, spoke with Hal (xt 308) and he listened, treated me with respect and after our brief discussion, issued an immediate exchange RMA with paid return shipping.  He also offered to cross ship a new camera but due to my extra low purchase price determined this wasn't a good idea based on the the refund scenario.

After our phone conversation, Hal also...
- provided me a direct email address where we exchanged more information.
- emailed and called me to let me know when my faulty 5D3 return arrived.
- personally oversaw that the replacement 5D3 got shipped back out to me same day
- sent return tracking info right away
- called to let me know the new 5D3 was on its way

I received the replacement 5D3 on the following Tuesday after sending it the previous Monday.  8 days round trip from TX to NY including two weekends, not long after Hurricane Sandy.  Not bad!!!

FYI, Beach Camera appears to be the same company as BuyDig.com so that may be good for you depending on what you are buying.

I will likely buy from Beach Camera again based on their great customer service and zero BS after the sale.  Thanks, Hal!   

335

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 27, 2012, 11:58:42 PM »

Yes, it is good news.  Sort of.  So many months after the release date, I would like to see Canon stop asking what people think is wrong and just admit there is a serious problem, they are working on it and then announce a fix.  The specifics they are asking for are irrelevant and a little insulting.  (Lenses, etc sure didn't matter on my camera's problem.)  Gathering this data is a lot of work on our part.  And it's already documented on several forums in detail.  Why can't they take a couple hours and read for themselves?  My low light AF was broken.  Period.  Just like many others have described.  I don't care if they just say they found a QA problem, a bunch of drunken assembly workers or a batch bad of components.  Just explain the problem (or not), fix the problem and let's move on.  Anything else sounds like stonewalling while they take in profit.  You really can't tell me that they are that clueless about every aspect of this camera before and after it was RTM'd in early 2012.

The camera I had showed defective low light AF.  It was unmistakable.  Thank goodness I returned it in time and received another one in exchange that so far seems to be good and a compliment to the Canon line.  The fact that the low light AF works so well in this 2nd camera is a testament to the fact that the first one I had was faulty.  I'm sorry about anyone who is dealing with the AF problem I had with my 1st camera on their camera that can't be exchanged!

Thanks again for everyone's comments, support and honest feedback about their camera.

336

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6D now shipping via DigitalRev (Hong Kong)

« on: November 27, 2012, 09:57:59 AM »

Wow, for another $200 ($2299) you can get it a week or two early?  Wouldn't it be a shame if it turned out to just be a pre-order!  Thanks, but no thanks.  I'm hoping there is some kind of pre or post Christmas or New Year's deal to save $100-$200 on the thing, not the other way around.  Fingers crossed.

337

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Got my (new) 7D back from repair

« on: November 27, 2012, 09:53:52 AM »

Okay, how did I miss the FoCal software?  Wow.  That looks really interesting.  Wish I could have run that software on the 5D3 I had that wasn't focusing properly in low light.  Wonder if it would have caught something?

Anyway, I'm probably going to get it.  Has anyone else purchased it and then shared the 5 licenses with a friend?  Just wondering if there is some kind of gotcha there that would make that problematic.  I have several laptops/PCs I would eventually install it on but if the licenses are tied to the camera serial numbers, I can't see how it would matter where the software is running as long as the serial numbers match the camera being calibrated.  Hence, the ease and common sense of sharing with a friend.  I only have one camera that would benefit (5D3).

338

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: CompactFlash vs SDXC (Effectively 5D3 vs 6D)

« on: November 27, 2012, 09:17:45 AM »

I've always preferred CF for many reasons, not the least of which is speed and physical size.  The CF cards I have tend to be faster than the SD counterparts rated for the same speed.  Without a lot of careful testing it's hard to quantify this but I've read detailed accounts on the web of folks who have tested them heavily and the CF cards always outperformed the SD cards.  I suspect this is why the faster cameras like the 7D and 1DX still use CF as a primary format.  Also, all the pins on a CF card are for better grounding.  This equates to better more stable data transfer.  And finally, CF cards are just a lot easier to manage in the field.  At least to me they are.

Anyway, that is my OPINION, please let's not start a big war on formats and specs.  It boils down to personal preference because BOTH are so close that it really doesn't matter.  And UHS-1 SD cards are very fast.  Much better than the SDHC cards that I tend to look down on.

It's ridiculous that Canon didn't put a UHS-1 slot in the 5D3.  If you get a 5D3, make sure to read this about how slow the 5D3 writes will be if you use the SD card slot!  http://jeffcable.blogspot.com/2012/06/why-you-should-not-put-sd-card-in-your.html

Let us know how it goes!

339

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Where to get photography training?

« on: November 27, 2012, 08:59:43 AM »

Behind the Camera. 

+1
It would be easy to brush off this comment but I tend to agree.  I learn a lot by shooting and then researching the questions I come up with based on that shooting.  I am a needs based learner.  I tackle problems and learn/evolve as a result, I don't learn stuff well 'just in case'.  I'm not discounting the value of instructor led training, that has a place but ultimately, it is YOU that will be doing the learning, the instructor can only motivate you and expose you to info, answer questions, etc.  Set limits and 'assignments' for yourself and learn to achieve results within those limits.  (Like use a 50mm prime all day, etc.)  You'll get a lot more out of a class if you prepare yourself ahead of time by shooting, practicing, studying and building a list of questions you are struggling with before the class.

You should check out Digital Photography School too.  Lots of info and projects to give you stuff to do with a purpose.  http://digital-photography-school.com/25-great-photography-tutorials-and-links-from-around-the-web

I also enjoy watching Mark Wallace on Adorama TV.  Same with Bryan Peterson.  They are good at introducing basic concepts quickly.

And I learn quite a bit from studying lots and lots of photos that others take.  I observe the framing/composition, the lighting directions, the backgrounds, etc.  Check out the Flickr stream for the whitehouse photographer, Pete Souza.  Mostly prime lenses, Canon 5D2, and you can look at all the EXIF data to see which settings, lenses, etc were used.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse  (Same goes for most of the pictures on Flickr, not just those.)

Good luck, enjoy.  I think every photographer agrees that they NEVER stop learning, this is such a rewarding and evolving activity, it always challenges us.

340

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 27, 2012, 08:40:03 AM »

Rusty...that's good to hear!  Your experience is precisely why I never buy refurbished items. ( your original camera will eventually be sold as refurbished and someone else will inherit the problem)

I'm curious, do you have image stabilization turned on or off when you shoot with beer in hand? 

Enjoy your new camera!

PS...the shot of the roller cart is truly a work of art and a masterpiece

Thanks Northstar!  Yes, I feel a little better about my purchase.  But I still want to know how much better or worse the 6D is in low light compared to the 5D3.

As for using IS with beer in hand...  You know how IS works.  It's not me moving, it's everything else!  IS just doesn't help in that case!!   

341

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 27, 2012, 08:31:36 AM »

I remember reading in this post from a couple people that their AF would hunt and then just "give up" and never acquire focus in poor available light.  For those of you that posted this, try checking your AF setting "lens drive when AF is impossible" and make sure it is set to "ON"

I mention this because when I first bought my 5d3 I had inadvertently turned this setting to OFF (or it came that way as a default, I'm not sure)  and I paid the price later when I was in a low light situation and my 5d3 would just give up and quit focusing....took me a while to go through the settings and figure out that this setting was the issue.  The key here is that it only became an issue when I was in poor light.

Since I just got mine, I think it was ON by default and I turned it OFF.  I noticed immediately.  I turned it back ON because I want to know when the camera is trying to focus.  It seems that when the focus point hasn't changed (in any situation), the 5D3 doesn't try to refocus and the focus point doesn't blink red.  So I want to know when it does try and if it can't focus, I want to know that too (by hunting) whereas if the AF Hunting is OFF, it does nothing so you don't know the difference.  Yeah, that sentence is a little weird but I think you get my drift.   

342

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 27, 2012, 08:24:28 AM »

Verdict:  This 2nd 5D3 replacement body AF WORKS.

But I understand it's your 1st replacement, but 2nd 5d3 body :-> ? ... anyway, things tend to get more confusing with more data w/o a scientific approach, and the latter is hard to achieve in these cases.

To sum it up: If what you're writing is correct, that means your 600rt is working fine but for the 5d3 this means the possibility of broken hardware: either randomly, semi-randomly by timebomb (deterioration of some part) or systematically (that's what you get as an early adopter :-p ... but maybe people should post their rough serial# and purchase date).

I fear to work this out we need someone with a broken and a working 5d3 camera body at the same time or at least shooting the exact same situations and memorizing/noting what the exact difference is with what lenses, lighting conditions and focal distances

Thanks Marsu42, I removed the 'replacement' term, it was late and that was confusing.  I only have a 580EX-II, not a 600rt.  I agree, my experience seems to indicate poor QA, bad parts or a combination of the two.  I held out hope because some have reported no problems.  I'll definitely keep watching and report my continued use experience.  And yes, I've been too busy to do anything extremely precise or methodical but this body definitely works like one would expect.  I'm still not totally blown away by the low light focus w/o AF Assist but at least it now works better than my other (older) cameras which wasn't the case before.

343

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 27, 2012, 01:35:49 AM »

UPDATE:  I've received the replacement 5D3 and will report back after I've used it a bit to compare to the first body I had trouble with.

Curious to hear about your experience with the second body.

OK, I've used the camera a few times now but I didn't do much low light until tonight.

Verdict:  This 2nd 5D3 body AF WORKS.  Totally different experience.  It works as I think it should.  If the last camera worked like this camera, I likely never would have visited this thread for more than casual curiosity.

I've done nothing scientific or really anything different than the last camera.  I just set the menu settings the same as my other cameras and used it like I use any camera.  I used a 24-70 f/2.8L lens tonight.  I also tried a 24-105 f/4L.  Both worked virtually the same with regard to AF Lock in low light.

Didn't matter...
-  ... what setting the AF Assist light was set to (either OFF or ON)
-  ... whether a flash was attached or not
-  ... whether the flash was turned on or not
-  ... if it was a Canon flash or a Sunpak RD2000
-  ... if I hold a beer in one hand, hold the camera steady with both hands, or balance the beer on top.

I...
-  ... Shot outside in dark front yard.
-  ... Shot indoors available, dim and candle light.
-  ... Shot the cat in dim room with 40W lamp distant backlight.  (Because Northstar can't have all the fun with his front yard dog!)
-  ... Shot a black rolly cart in the almost dark foyer (the Canon body contained inside cart is in focus, camera hand set on stair rail, 6 sec exposure, used 580EX-II AF Assist light)

The camera focused as I would expect in all cases.  Nothing took longer than 2/3 sec except the almost dark rolling cart, it took about 1 sec with the AF Assist lamp on a 580EX-II flash.  No ridiculous and maddening focus hunting.

If I try to get AF Lock in a semi-dark environment with AF Assist = OFF, the camera will either refuse to try (Focus Hunt = Off) or never AF Lock (Focus Hunt = On) which I consider normal.  If I then turn on the AF Assist, it focuses in 1/2 - 1sec.  I've also noticed that the AF Lock/Hunt/Red AF point red blink doesn't even happen if the focus hasn't changed.  I wish it would still blink anyway.

So far this is only a few hundred shots in to this body.  Some have complained that their camera started off fine and then suddenly got worse.  All I know is it works better and gives a much better result than the 1st body and I am glad I exchanged it!

Thanks to this forum for helping me conclude that there are some folks that have had no problems and others that have exp. similar problems.  I was pretty doubtful I would get a better replacement body but so far, I think I did!

Here are some small JPGs straight out of the camera SD slot, no changes whatsoever.  Candlelight, 40W lamp in background and then very dark foyer using AF Assist lamp and then flash fired.

344

Canon General / Re: Suggestions for website hosting?

« on: November 27, 2012, 12:06:03 AM »

Zenfolio.
Powweb.

+1 for Zenfolio.  Big ditto!
Get a free trial.  Use me for a reference if you like...
6KC-FPW-PWR

345

Canon General / Re: Photography websites. Where are you posting?

« on: November 27, 2012, 12:03:32 AM »

I've used zenfolio.com for years.

Maintaining ownership and sometimes limiting access was important since I shoot a lot of boy scouts, church and school events, etc.  I don't want an image in the public domain (end up on a news story, cereal box or billboard) because I gave away the rights through a terms and agreements clause when I posted the images on a free site.  Most public and free sites take the rights away from you when you post.

You can also restrict Google search access, add temporary watermarks, secure the galleries or pictures, use passwords, etc.