Messages

1

Lenses / Re: 24-105L Curved horizon.

« on: May 26, 2013, 11:55:02 AM »

My point here is that every lens has its tradeoffs.  Some trade performance for cost.  Others trade utility for ultimate image quality.  What lens is right for YOU is what you need to work out.

And of course the 24-105 is much superior to the 24-70 from 70-105mm   I rarely shoot from 24-35, so the extra reach is valuable to me.  ymmv.

If you're going to be taking casual travel photos that occasionally show distortion effects (like your shot here) it's probably better to err on the side of utility (like you've done with the 24-105).  What good are perfectly straight lines if your dog runs off while you're trying to change lenses??

This factor is oft-undervalued.  My son is always in motion and rarely looks directly at me, so I personally need responsive AF and short shutter-lag, neither of which I get on my 5D2 :-/

Don't try to force a tool to do a job it wasn't made for....

That sounds like a country song ^_^

2

EOS Bodies / Re: No 7D Mark II in 2013? [CR2]

« on: May 10, 2013, 10:32:56 PM »

Disappointed but not 100% surprised

Reinforces my notion to buy what has been released vs waiting for vapor ware (or rumored future products)

Too bad nothing that's been released is both affordable and better than what was purchased years ago.

3

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: 135mm f/1.8 DG OS ART Next from Sigma? [CR1]

« on: April 21, 2013, 10:08:35 PM »

Wow F1.8 with OS ? Just imagine what you could do with this at a wedding at a low light reception.

Get lots of blurry and/or OOF shots?

With the sigma and OS, assuming you have a few stops of OS, you could easily be shooting at 1/30 ish providing the subject is stationary. That could easily be 2 stop of noise. I have both the 135 F2 and 200 F2 and with the 200 and IS you can easily shoot 1/30 or 1/50 all night long

When are humans ever stationary enough to shoot at 1/30, especially at a wedding reception?

4

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Firmware 1.2.1 for the 5D Mark III in the Wild

« on: April 21, 2013, 10:01:34 PM »

In fact if a company updated somebody's software without their consent even if it was released, they could be sued...

Sony FTL

5

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon Announces the EOS T5i

« on: March 25, 2013, 01:32:51 PM »

nikon seems to have people who are really interested in photography and deliver products that at least show some improvements.

Are you forgetting how the D800 < D700?

6

EOS Bodies / Re: Big Megapixel Camera in 2014

« on: February 11, 2013, 12:06:13 PM »

FPS makes a substantial difference when one's subject is both highly mobile and incapable of looking at you.

I've missed countless moments with my son between the 5D2's poky frames.  And others due to mirror slap and poky AF.  I've started shooting him with a 70-200 f/4 just so I can have enough subject distance so the AF isn't as much of a factor.

Mirror slap is a function of design, not of fps.

7

EOS Bodies / Re: Big Megapixel Camera in 2014

« on: February 11, 2013, 01:58:26 AM »

You're under the utterly and completely clueless assumption that if you are a 5D2 owner, that the 5D3 is the next logical thing to buy.

... as opposed to what?  There is no logical next thing in the product line right now, short of a used D700.

Imagine being a 7D owner and then moving on to a 5D3.  The 5D3 is a 5D2 and 7D combined

Two wrongs don't make a right.

But you're arguing that anybody claimed that the 5D3 had any IQ improvement over the 5D2.  Who claimed that?

The specs and tests speak for themselves.

Did anybody on this forum claim that

Gee, I dunno, let me go read every post ever made here.

or did I miss it?  The 5D3 has no IQ improvement over the 5D2.  Who cares??

Those of us who have to work for a living and yet want wacky stuff like usable pictures of our kids.

8

EOS Bodies / Re: Big Megapixel Camera in 2014

« on: February 10, 2013, 11:15:21 PM »

Yep.  The 50% faster frame rate

I see a lot of "up to" 6 fps, not just 6 fps, so I wonder what the weasel words are hiding. I also read that auto-AF-select is even slower and less useful than the 5D2's.

better sealing

I'm sure that both people shoot from inside waterfalls appreciate that.

better viewfinder

How is not being able to see what AF spot is selected "better"??

dual card slots

One CF slot.

shutter lag reduced by half

Welcome, but not along worth rebuying a body.

better metering

Pretty much everything has better metering than the 5D2.  Having to routinely shoot with EC +1 is an embarrassment.

better ergonomics

Vaguebook much?

including a multicontroller on the grip

The pictures I find of the 5D3 show no such thing.  It'd be really awkward to hold if it did.

it does seem like Canon ignored everything but the AF.  Right.

The sensor is effectively identical to that in the 5D2, no high-ISO usability improvement, no improvement on low-ISO banding/shadow noise.  Note that having more aggressive default NR when saving to JPEG files does not qualify as a high-ISO improvement.

9

EOS Bodies / Re: Big Megapixel Camera in 2014

« on: February 09, 2013, 09:45:16 PM »

I, for one, would happily spend a few grand on a high MP, high frame rate, 5D X (or whatever it ends up being called) if it had reduced read noise and competitive DR (i.e. at least 13 stops).

I'd do it even without the high frame rate, at least, higher than 5-6 fps.  I don't even care about high MP, I just want usable ISO 6400 / 12800, freedom from mirror slap, and an AF system that isn't an embarrassment:  the three biggest shortcomings of the 5D2.  Hell, I don't even care if it's APS-C instead of FF; I just want it to be useful for shooting my son.

As for APS-C going away -- not going to happen anytime soon.  Many Rebel buyers would rebel against the idea of a larger/heavier body that requires larger/heavier/more expensive glass.

10

Pricewatch Deals / Re: Canon Cinema Prime Lens Kit in Stock at B&H Photo

« on: January 22, 2013, 12:28:51 PM »

I've never understood these "cinema" lenses.  They're used for a pixel count far below that of still photography and don't have to AF, so why are they so absurdly expensive?  And why do they exist at all?

11

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

« on: October 09, 2012, 04:35:18 AM »

... without screwing up the light meter...

... any worse than the 5D2's metering already is?

12

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Specs? [CR1]

« on: August 20, 2012, 03:21:26 AM »

Well, you have to admit that the bar isn't very high to offer lower noise than the 7D.

13

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Specs? [CR1]

« on: August 20, 2012, 02:41:39 AM »

•24MP – an all new sensor with phase AF on chip and noticeably lower noise than the current 18MP.
•1Dx/5D3 based AF system.
•10 FPS
It would be hilarious if it were true and the camera came out in the next six months.
Make it APS-C and wow......
If only.......

If only they'd leave it at no more than 18MP and give us usable ISO6400 and an AF system that works worth a damn, then I'd sell my 5D2 in a heartbeat. Friggin pixels. I don't need more, I need to shoot my kid indoors, where flash is rarely practical, and fast primes are a joke given that one has to stop down to at least f/5.6.

 

14

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D800

« on: April 10, 2012, 12:31:19 PM »

If you have the time to get properly exposed pictures in the camera

There, fixed that for you.

Snobbery about nailing exposure in-camera is great for those who shoot rocks, trees, and patient adults in a studio.  For the rest of us, it's just a waste of time and karma.

15

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: CES 2012 Cool Stuff - BETA Shell Cases

« on: January 12, 2012, 09:11:52 AM »

I'm not sure there's much of a market for lens cases.  I have a couple of brand new, still on the card Lowepro lens cases that I can't sell or even give away.