Messages

61

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D II or 5D III or 6D?

« on: December 28, 2012, 05:15:24 AM »

I say, don't get the 5d mkii. Either pay a few hundred extra for the 6d or save for a 5d mkiii.
Coming from a 5d mkii to 5d mkiii, the mkiii is just an amazing all around camera, my opinion is to save for that as it'll last you years. I'm just an enthusiast like you and I ended up getting a 5d mkiii, the low light performance is noticeably better, I can shoot at 12800 iso and have usable images with probably less or as much noise as 6400 on my 5d mkii, also the AF system is great, the camera is more customizable, and overall the mkiii feels nicer to shoot with.

62

Software & Accessories / Re: Choosing/Stacking ND Filters

« on: December 21, 2012, 04:56:56 AM »

I don't think stacking high quality filters will affect IQ much, but other factors will play a role in why people don't.
Example, consider the focal length of your lens too, stacking filters can cause some severe vignetting that'll leave black borders in your photo. At 24mm or below you will definitely get vignetting from stacking two filters, and especially two variable nd filters as the thickness of the filters are usually greater.

63

Canon General / Re: some money left. what should I buy?

« on: December 19, 2012, 05:51:19 AM »

Why not add some primes ? 24L, 35L, 85L, 135L ?

I second that, definitely look into getting a combination of L prime trinity.
They really spark the creative photographer within with limited focal length and learning to shoot with large apertures.

64

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: I feel like a kid again....

« on: December 19, 2012, 05:42:01 AM »

Congratulations on the keeper; your wife.
Oh and you'll love the camera, simply awesome! Get started reading about the functions and the manual on the Internet, lots of neato burrito stuff.

65

Landscape / Re: Graduated ND Filters

« on: December 17, 2012, 04:18:18 PM »

As others said it depends on what you're mainly using it for.
I use my screw in 9 stop nd filter more than I do my gnd filters, but if you get a LEE or Cokin system that can hold up to 3 filters at once (without vignetting, depending on the lens you use) you could buy a gnd set and just place two of them normally and the strongest one upside down so it's creating almost the same effect as a full nd filter.

66

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: My brand new 5D Mark III - what am I doing wrong, please help!

« on: December 14, 2012, 04:21:20 PM »

200-800 ISO with those settings in an indoor stadium seem a bit low? Especially since you've stated when you use 1000 ISO some parts of the court were properly exposed. Set your max autoISO higher, don't be afraid to go up to 6400 on your 5d mkiii, you'd be amazed how well it handles noise compared to your 550d.
And I think out of the box max AutoISO is set to 800.

67

Street & City / Sydney - St Mary's Cathedral Lights

« on: December 13, 2012, 05:41:02 PM »

If you're in Sydney from now up until Christmas, definitely find a chance to come have a look at the St Mary's Cathedral light show!

68

Contests / Re: Gura Gear Giveaway!

« on: December 06, 2012, 10:52:15 PM »

I want to win!

69

Lenses / Re: 50mm 1.2

« on: November 29, 2012, 02:44:33 AM »

Hmmm... is 1.2L really better than 1.4 open wide?

Yes.

70

Software & Accessories / Re: Lessons Learned - Landscape Photography Necessitities

« on: November 26, 2012, 06:37:35 PM »

Is there a need for ND filters if you bracket your exposures and use photoshop to blend in the correct exposures?  I took a course at Maine Multimedia this summer and my instructor said she quit using ND graduated filters and used photoshop with multiple exposures.

You can blend multiple exposures, it's what I do most of the time, but sometimes you just need to get it right in one exposure, especially during sunsets or sunrises when every minute counts, an example would be if you're taking a long exposure for motion blurred water and the sun is just in the right position with the light hitting perfectly where you'd like it, by the time you finish and take the second exposure the sun and light could've changed.

But yes, most of the times it is easier just taking multiple exposures and blending them together.

71

Lenses / Re: Don't want to make a rookie mistake

« on: November 26, 2012, 03:45:55 PM »

What focal length range do you find most of your photos fall in?
If I were you I'd sell the 18-55 and get the 17-55 f2.8 is and keep the 55-250.
The 17-55 is a great all rounder lens. I found the focal length of the 70-200 a bit too tight on crop for me, might be useful for indoor sports depending on how big the place is, but then you're left with the 18-55 for general purpose / family event stuff. And also the 55-250 isn't too bad either.

72

Landscape / Re: Help Me Get Better - Crashing Waves - Round 2

« on: November 24, 2012, 09:27:06 PM »

Alot better than your first set of images, well done. Though I still think you're missing something in the foreground, maybe try get closer to some rocks or something.
Also try to level the horizon, make it a horizontally straight line, preferably in camera or if not then via post processing / cropping.

73

5D MK III Sample Images / Re: Post Your Best Hi-ISO/Low Light 5DIII Shots!

« on: November 24, 2012, 05:36:17 PM »

50mm f1.2, ISO 2000, 1/320. 
This was ambient light in a dim room just after the sun went down.  I needed a fast shutter speed because the little guy was moving around pretty fast.


Low Key by @!ex, on Flickr

So cute, love it! Those eyes... amazing! 

74

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5Dii auto iso stuck on 400.

« on: November 24, 2012, 05:14:19 PM »

It's not a bug, it's a feature. Or so they say...

Your camera is functioning normally, it's just that for some reason, Canon decided that with a flash attached or in M mode, Auto ISO should be locked at ISO 400. You can set the ISO manually to whatever you want. If your C# settings are based on M mode, the same limitation applies.

Not that it helps, but for the 7D and subsequent cameras, Auto ISO works in M mode, so you set aperture and shutter speed, and the camera sets the ISO to achieve the metered exposure.

You should all read this Neuros post again carefuly !!
It states " with a flash attached " - thats the point .... If flash is not attached it goes over 400...

Maybe YOU should read Neuro's post again carefully; "with a flash attached OR in M mode". So even if there is no flash attached, in M mode AutoISO is limited at 400.

75

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5Dii auto iso stuck on 400.

« on: November 24, 2012, 02:22:28 PM »

Read page 58 of your manual.

Mine - dutch manual - page 125

In modes P /TV / AV / M the ISO speed is automatically set between 100 and 25800

But, the true auto iso speed is determined by user setting on [minimum]  and [maximum] at [auto iso range]
So set the [auto iso range] for minimum at 100 and maximum [whatever until 25800]

You're talking about the Mark III, I assume? It's different to the Mark II.