Messages

121

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 6D launch and effect on 5D MkII & MKIII

« on: November 23, 2012, 11:43:19 PM »

the wifi option in this camera isnt just meant for just uploading pics to the web.. much like the gopro helmet cams, you can completely control the camera from a remote or from your smart phone. you can set and control every aspect of the camera from it. It could be an incredibly powerful feature if Canon ever opened up the SDK (software  development kit) to software developers. If they were to ever do that, a developer could write an application for a computer or smart phone that could completely control the camera and add new modes of shooting or different functionality. This is just the start i hope.

+1

This is actually one of the major reasons I want this camera over the 5D2.  I often shoot things at odd angles or locations, and being able to control the camera remotely would be awesome.  Also I carry around a iPad most of the time, and being able to review photos quickly on that without any cables, adapters, etc, would also be a fun feature to have.  I process RAW before I upload anything, but still for checking the images it would be good.

From a consumer point of view, I could see this being the ultimate self-portrait camera.  Using a phone to get your framing and focus right while away from the camera would be awesome.

From a pro point of view, being able to wireless transfer images to a computer in studio would also be handy.

I would love it if they would release the API, or if someone could reverse engineer the API.  I could see doing some really cool things with that.

Is WiFi a need to have feature? I actually don't think so, but it could sure be a nice to have feature.

122

Lenses / Re: Lenses for Ice Cream Photography

« on: November 21, 2012, 10:12:50 PM »

Lighting will be the most important thing.  After that a tripod and macro lens.  Since you'll want to be shooting on tripod there is no need for IS, and the 100mm non-L macro lens will do just fine (optically it's so close to the L version you won't notice a difference).  A 5D mark II will be more than enough since you'll be shooting low ISO and likely manual focusing anyway.   A standard zoom like the 24-105mm f/4L could be handy if you want to do shots with people/larger props in them as well.

Don't obsess about the camera gear too much, lighting will be the most important factor in getting high quality images - and that means learning how to light - not buying fancy expensive lights.  Even the best camera/lens with the poor lighting will produce poor results.   Yet I've seen very cheap cameras and lenses do wonders with good lighting technique.

123

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 600D lag with 580 EX II af assist

« on: November 21, 2012, 01:35:53 AM »

I found on the 60D with the 580EX II that my flash wasn't sitting exactly in the right place in my hot shoe.  There was a little wiggle in the position, and that causes the AF assist beam to miss the AF point.   Try focusing in a dark room on a white wall, see if your focus assist beam actually hits your selected AF point.   Not sure if this is your issue, but it solved my problem.

124

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Do that many people use Live View for pics primarily over normal Viewfinder?

« on: November 21, 2012, 01:30:59 AM »

I was just getting from some things I read, that many seemed to be saying they were using it for hand held...and using it primarily over the viewfinder...

For a while I shot a lot of real estate (4-6 houses a day).  For that exposure simulation was a god send, since normal metering breaks down indoors, and you are stuck balancing indoor light, window light, and flash - so auto anything isn't an option.  I would use live view to set my base exposure, use the AF-ON button to take one focus reading, then shoot a few frames handheld with different flash settings and angles.

So for that work, I was actually using live view over the viewfinder.  For almost everything else, aside from the already mentioned landscape and macro and manual focus lenses, I use the viewfinder.   However there are some applications where using handheld live view can come in very handy.

125

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

« on: November 21, 2012, 01:06:56 AM »

I have a 60D and 580EX II, and I have the same problem (focus takes 2-3 seconds and often misses with AF assist).

Ok, now it's getting really strange - at least with my 60d and the 70-300L & 100L the camera near focuses instantly without hunting with the af assist beams of the 430ex2 and 600rt. It takes just a little longer than in good light because it beams, focuses, beams again and does the final focus. If your 60d hunts then there's definitely something wrong with your setup.

Found the problem (at least in my case). It turns out that my 580EX II has some wiggle room in the hot shoe, and was misaligned for interacting with my selected AF point.  I had to turn off all the lights in my room, and look really closely to see the issue.  Adjusting the flash a little in the shoe fixed the problem.  I wounder if maybe some of the users here are experiencing this same issue? 

Try going into a dark room, and focusing on a white wall, you should be able to see if the beam hits in the location of your selected AF point.  If not, there is a misalignment with your flash.   This could explain why some, but not all, members are seeing the problem on the 5D3.

126

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DPreview adds 6D sample images to their preview

« on: November 20, 2012, 03:37:20 PM »

More than likely the tiny difference in MP is due to design changes to increase wafer yields. It's even possible that 6D pixels are the same size as 5D3 pixels or a bit smaller if this is the case.

Actually the 6d sensor is a tiny bit smaller than the 5d3 one - if I wouldn't be that lazy I could do the maths and see if that's the difference between 22->20mp :-p

Pixel sizes:
1Dx -> 6.95 microns
6D -> 6.55 microns
5D3 -> 6.25 microns

Before we get too excited however the 1Dx has gap-less micro lenses, and I'm not sure if the same can be said for the other two?

127

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DPreview adds 6D sample images to their preview

« on: November 20, 2012, 10:58:28 AM »

it's nice to know that Canon has given DPReview a pre-production camera to play with.

Where did you get this information? Everywhere I look it has the "The camera used for this gallery was pre-production, and image quality should be considered 'Beta' standard" notice, though that probably only means the in-camera raw-converter / jpeg-engine and not the sensor hardware.

It's the logical conclusion that DPReview got a pre-production 6D from Canon.  How else would they have been able to take sample images with it?  These aren't samples Canon took themselves and sent to DPReviews.  How closely this camera comes to the production camera is anyone's guess.  Although if Canon intends to have these in stores world wide for Christmas, I'd bet they are already in production, and the only thing likely to change is firmware.

128

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

« on: November 20, 2012, 10:43:55 AM »

I have a 60D and 580EX II, and I have the same problem (focus takes 2-3 seconds and often misses with AF assist).  I don't understand why this happens, but judging by the comments here it's a common issue for Canon.  The "fix" is fairly simple: disable the AF assist light and aim for high contrast areas on your subject.  Even with the 60D's more basic AF, I've never had a serious problem in dark halls, as long as I pick good spots. Was hoping they would fix this for the 5D3 and 600ex-rt, but sounds like we are still stuck using non-assisted AF.  Since I don't have a firmware update to fix this, I assume it won't happen with the 5D3.

129

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DPreview adds 6D sample images to their preview

« on: November 20, 2012, 12:17:47 AM »

Did a quick and dirty comparison using shots from dpreview. Canon 6D against the 5D mkIII at ISO 102400. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

http://i.stack.imgur.com/VVoQ6.jpg - or attachment

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this! 

Of course we can't know for sure until we see the raw files if this is clever NR or better sensor design, but the results are very encouraging.  I would prefer the 6D to the 5DIII in this case - far less blotchy colour noise, and better overall colour.  Although there is a slight difference in exposure which is kind of odd, and may have an effect on the comparability.

On a side note, it's nice to know that Canon has given DPReview a per-production camera to play with.  That may mean we can expect a full review fairly soon after the camera is on the market (fingers crossed).

130

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DPreview adds 6D sample images to their preview

« on: November 19, 2012, 09:01:47 PM »

Here's the 6D studio shot at ISO-6400. And here's the 5DIII shot.

I agree it does look like the 6D is a little bit better at noise.  The better colour could just be from changes in lighting between dpreviews setups, it's hard to tell.  However the default NR on the latest Canon cameras has been far too heavy handed of late, and it shows in the other samples as well.  Need to see some RAW files before we can really tell (but that will need to wait for RAW support).   Although seeing the 6D jpeg better than the 5DIII jpeg, does suggest the larger pixel pitch is doing what would be expected (assuming no major changes to the jpeg engine of course).

I didn't see lens profile on your 5D III pictures, I'm assuming that you used same lens. Since you shot these pictures in studio, the light becomes MAJOR role. I do not believe your light setups were the same, in term of location and height.

Those pictures are from DPReview, we can only assume they used the same lighting setups, but it's possible they didn't manage to keep it exactly the same.

131

EOS Bodies / Re: 6D or 5D Mk II

« on: October 27, 2012, 09:37:29 PM »

The GPS bashing is all good and well if you're photographing your cousin's birthday party or a baseball game once a week, but as someone shooting freelance editorial on the street with 1,000 frames per set, I appreciate the extra level of metadata allowing me to sort. It'll also make the camera fully compatible with social media mapping features that pull from similar data on smartphones to automatically tag locations.

1000 frames per set cries professional. Now I do not mean to insult anyone but social media cries snapshots taken by kids. And snapshots can be taken by a lesser camera. Sorry! Can't take them too seriously. Just my opinion.

Social media is becoming very important to both media outlets and professional photographers in many fields of work (take weddings for example).  We may not like the vast majority of work posted on social media, but many news papers and TV stations are being forced on to stay competitive, as are wedding photographers to network for clients.  Just because the majority of stuff on social media is really bad, doesn't mean there aren't pros who use it as a important part of doing business.

132

EOS Bodies / Re: 6D or 5D Mk II

« on: October 22, 2012, 12:57:55 PM »

I played with the 6D prototype at Exposure in Toronto recently.  Personally I found the ergonomics far nicer than those of the 5D Mk II - and well tuned for one handed operation.  The 5D Mk II is a bit like holding a brick if you have small hands..  The only draw backs I see are the 1/4000 shutter and the 1/180 sync.  However lets be realistic, the difference between 1/200 and 1/180 sync isn't going to mean much (1/6 of a stop).  And I find when I need 1/8000 I normally also need an ND filter anyway, which brings me down to 1/500 or something like that.

The shutter life difference could be an issue, but then you have to ask how many photos do you actually shoot?  And how long do you plan to keep the camera before replacing it?

However for me the huge selling point of the 6D is the "silent" shutter!  Assuming it works on the production cameras like it does on the prototype - wow is it quiet compared to the 5D Mk II!  It I can think of so many places (events, street, ect.) it would be great to have that feature.

The extra ISO performance, and -3 EV auto-focus are also really important to me (if they work of course).

Other things to consider. The 600EX-RT flashes can only do high-speed wireless sync with newer cameras.  Of course you can do this with pocket wizards flex things, but I think that's the more expensive option now.

And the 6D is a bit snapper to play back, and zoom images.  Don't know if that matters or not.

It's arguable which actually has the better build quality and weather sealing.  Have to wait for someone to take apart a 6D to know for sure.

Overall I'm waiting for the 6D.  However if I owned a 5D Mk II, I'm not sure it's actually worth the upgrade, more likely I would sell it, and try to get a 5D Mk III on-sale instead - which is a clear upgrade in every possible way.

If I was shooting mostly at ISO 100-3200, didn't need the quiet shutter, and could live with manual focus when the auto-focus gave out in the dark, and didn't plan to get 600EX-RTs, I'd go for the 5D Mk II for the price and live with the less ideal ergonomics.

As for the WiFi and GPS.  Well, you can use newer Android phones with a USB cable to control the camera, so WiFi for remote release isn't something I'd miss with the 5D Mk II.  And if I wanted to Geotag images, I'd just get one of the many GPS tracker apps for my phone, and sync with LightRoom and time stamps.  Yes having them is convenient, but it's not a deal breaker/maker in either direction.  If I had the money I'd get the 5D Mk III without a question and forget about the WiFi and GPS.

And if the option of switching brands isn't too painful, look at the D600.  I did, and liked it for the most part.  However the live-view implementation in manual mode is painful to say the least, so I'm sicking with Canon for now.

133

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Frankenstein'd EOS 5D Mark II takes Leica M Lenses

« on: October 06, 2012, 11:31:25 PM »

I was still hoping that someday somebody comes up with a 5DII (etc) camera mod that has been modified to full-time manual focus with a prism and mirror that matches the old pre-AF are viewfinders in brightness and ease of use for MF - without screwing up the light meter...

KatzEye does a fairly good job of making focusing screens that don't mix-up the light meter (much).  And I'm fairly sure they'll make one for the Canon 6D shortly after it comes out.

134

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Frankenstein'd EOS 5D Mark II takes Leica M Lenses

« on: October 06, 2012, 11:17:43 PM »

It's not the only one:

http://youtu.be/v7ebhYtm31A
	Small | Large

   That one is even freakier since it has an old Canon 'M' mount f/095 lens on it.  It also looks a lot nicer.

135

Lenses / Re: What 3 lenses do you dream of and long to own?

« on: September 29, 2012, 03:55:52 PM »

24-70mm f/2.8L II
85mm f/1.2L
135mm f/2L

With a FF of course

The 70-200 f/2.8L IS II is also in my dreams, but I feel like there is more creative control in the 85 and 135mm lenses.