Messages

1

Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!

« on: April 11, 2013, 06:43:21 AM »

i guess it all boils down to confidence.. Canon-F1 feels Lexar are top notch,for me I prefer Sandisk

If i was shooting on Lexar I'd be a paranoid wreck.. but it's just because of my experiences and maybe it's an unjustified feeling..

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Lenses / Re: Which Lens ... 24-70 II or primes?

« on: April 11, 2013, 03:13:33 AM »

Having had 24-70L,28-70L, I would say the 24-70L II is a good jump in quality
(not as dramatic as i noticed when moving from 70-200L 2.8IS to 70-200L 2.8IS II)

the primes I had were 50/1.4, 35L, 85L II

i sold 50/1.4 and 85L II (85 just had too many lost shots - possibly caused by the idiot behind the camera rather than the lens,but eitherway caused a lot of frustrations)

I've not used 24L, but will not part with my 35L- find it's a superb focal length on full frame with great bokeh on wide. 24 is a bit too specialist (for me)

I did recently add a 135L to the mix

so in short, i'd recommend the zoom,and add the 35L when possible.....the 50's available at the moment just don't cut it IMHO -esp when compared to what else is available

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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!

« on: April 11, 2013, 03:07:23 AM »

Yep. Even the 350 pounds I paid for a 512mb (yes you read that right!) Lexar failed after a few months.
I bought two 1gb Lexar some time later and they failed.
Bought around 20+ Sandisk without issue

Local pro shop told me the only returns he gets are lexars

Other pros I know have had similar issues over the yrs and no longer buy Lexar

But people on here say they've no issue

I think once you experience a serious loss, and not just pics of the cat, you find it impossible to trust that manufacturer again.

True, but you also need to look at the cause of the issue if you can, because many have never had even one failure, so to have two like that must be pretty rare in the big scheme of things.

Plus if you were (God forbid) unlucky enough to have one of each major brand fail, you would be pretty stuck.

I do think it important to buy a card which is appropriate for the camera it will be used in. I believe (might be wrong) but the 5D Mark II has read/write speeds of around 50ish MB/s which really does make the Lexar 1000X overkill, and maybe something to do with that caused the problem.

Who knows, but I do feel for the OP. Good luck with SanDisk.

from my experiences with Lexar & Sandisk, the experiences of about 20 pro's I'd be in semi-regular contact with, and my dealer's comments, I would look on it that YOU have been lucky to have Lexar's that work rather than me having bad luck...! 

I don't really understand why this is the case - there are no moving parts - it's a standard product that I assume is factory tested.
In fact I would've suspected both originate from the same factory in china,only later to be branded....
but it really looks like there's a remarkable difference between brands.

And worth mentioning that a few of my friends are nikon guys,so it's not just a reaction between lexar and canon

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Software & Accessories / Re: NOT happy with Lexar at this time!!!

« on: April 10, 2013, 11:43:32 PM »

Yep. Even the 350 pounds I paid for a 512mb (yes you read that right!) Lexar failed after a few months.
I bought two 1gb Lexar some time later and they failed.
Bought around 20+ Sandisk without issue

Local pro shop told me the only returns he gets are lexars

Other pros I know have had similar issues over the yrs and no longer buy Lexar

But people on here say they've no issue

I think once you experience a serious loss, and not just pics of the cat, you find it impossible to trust that manufacturer again.

5

Lenses / Lens serial codes

« on: March 27, 2013, 06:51:09 PM »

ok,so Canon lens codes let us see year of manufacture - e.g. Z denotes 2011

my question is what's "normal" for a new lens ?
i.e. if I go into a store to buy a 85L II , what should I expect to see as the code - 2013 or is 2011 normal ?

I know it doesnt REALLY matter for the lens use, but I do notice when it comes to selling/trading people will try haggle a lot saying the lens is x yrs old etc

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Lenses / Re: 35L or 50L?

« on: March 27, 2013, 06:19:58 AM »

I had a 50/1.4 which I loved on film & early digi's....
never thought it was up to scratch on full frame digi bodies

tried 50/1.2 and was much better

but bought and kept 35/1.4L - superb lens....
i upgraded 28-70L to 24-70L, and then went to 24-70L II

but nothing replaces 35L - it's a fantastic piece of kit

7

Lenses / question regarding codes

« on: March 27, 2013, 05:53:43 AM »

ok,so Canon lens codes let us see year of manufacture - e.g. Z denotes 2011

my question is what's "normal" for a new lens ?
i.e. if I go into a store to buy a 85L II , what should I expect to see as the code - 2013 or is 2011 normal ?

I know it doesnt REALLY matter for the lens use, but I do notice when it comes to selling/trading people will try haggle a lot saying the lens is x yrs old etc

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: CF Cards - Where do you buy yours?

« on: March 08, 2013, 11:49:40 AM »

i can't believe people use Lexar....

I've had 3 fail...and any other pro's i talk to have had same experience and lost stuff..

everyone (in ireland) using sandisk for a while now...

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Lenses / Re: 135L vs 85L vs 70-200L II

« on: January 17, 2013, 03:21:51 AM »

Many thanks for all the opinions so far..!

have to admit,I was  kinda hoping everyone would say they had owned all 3 and sold 2 because the differences were negligible ! 

the 135L is sounding attractive now,especially given it's price over the 85L....but the opportunity of the 1.2 is tempting
I don't wanna go down the road of "but what if canon release another version..", coz I think both of these lenses COULD be updated in next couple of yrs

I'm quite surprised that a few people own all 3 lens though....i thought the 135 may have been superseded by 70-200L II. interesting to hear people still keep both

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Lenses / 135L vs 85L vs 70-200L II

« on: January 16, 2013, 03:08:59 PM »

Interested in owners of a combo of some of these lens

I had a 85L II and sold it as I found keeper rate on 5d mk2 was low with focus issues.
But loved the 1.2 effect when it worked
To me, the 70-200 II was more useable and I think it's a super lens

But since buying the 5d mk3 I'm having a little seller remorse as I feel it would be more useable now.

I've also heard the 135 has a unique look but never used it

So my questions are
Is the 85 better on 5d3 ?
Does 135 produce something better than 70-200 II ?

I do some weddings, but mostly i shoot for personal or portrait. Perhaps the more subtle 135 would allow me a little more street

Is there a good reason to own a combination of these lens, or are they too similar to justify high prices?

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EOS Bodies - For Video / Help me find video accessory !.

« on: December 13, 2012, 04:01:42 PM »

I'm looking for a form of steady/glidecam for 5d3

Any recommendations??
I don't know what's good or bad,or even what's available

Ideally something not too expensive and not too big, but would be interested in hearing people's experiences with such products

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

« on: November 29, 2012, 08:51:01 AM »

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.

Excuse my ignorance here guys, but my understanding of a wifi camera is that it is WIFI enabled
i.e. can connect to a wifi network
So all the features of wireless control,viewing on ipad instantly,and writing to laptop, are all only available if all items are on the same wifi network i.e. at home !

if you're in the field,so to speak, they won't be on wifi....
it's not like bluetooth where one item can communicate with another

or am i missing something.......?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Who upgraded from 5d mk2 to mk3 ?

« on: September 21, 2012, 07:15:11 PM »

Hey...

Long time lurker,first time poster.

Have had d60, 10d ,1dmk2, 5d , 5d mk2

Gear is 35L , 85Lii, 100macro, 17-40L , 70-200mk2, and just this week a 24-70L mk2
And 600ex plus stert3, 2x550ex

Anyway,to the point- I've been sitting on the fence about jumping to mk3....
Have mk3 owners here generally upgraded from a mk2 or something older?
Since I now have mk2 of 24-70 and 70-200 plus new flash I'm thinking the mk3 would compliment my gear very well

I shoot mostly family stuff with a little concert photography as a sideline