Messages

226

EOS Bodies / Re: Congratulations Canon to another great Camera release!!

« on: March 21, 2013, 03:19:26 PM »

Does anyone remember the film days, when a new camera model was introduced every five years or more?  Now anything over a year and people are freaking out.  I started on the fantastic manual Pentax K1000 which had about a 20 year production run (and I am pretty sure is the best selling camera model of all time).

I  never had a really nice camera until mane my 3mp fuji finepix.   And that was a world of difference. 

OK, the t5i does seem unnecessary - why not stick with t4i?  But the SL1 I think is great and I am glad they offer it body only.  Not for use with large lenses, but with a 20mm Voigtlander pancake for the ultimate quality point and shoot.  If I can save up, I may go this route.
 the t5i  is  nothing but a marketing name,  but I think the other is still to big.   there is a reason slrs  are  big and that is ergonomics and  inertia.

Funny how people think 18MP is not enough in an entry level crop sensor camera, yet I see very few complaints about the flagship full frame pro camera 1DX being only 18MP.  The rebel line is entry level - do you really think its users are making 40x60 inch enlargements?  (I work at a pro lab and I am virtually certain the SL1 and t5i will make very nice enlargements up to 24x36 inches - how many people need more?).

 I'm not concerned about megapixels,  but I  do  crop into my images often.  if it is a moving target,  it is easier to compose in post.   that's where I find megapixels come in handy.

As for AFMA, I use a 5D2, I have large aperture lenses, and I have never had a need for AFMA.  Plus, no one is using large aperture lenses on these cameras and it would just be another confusing menu item.  I teach beginning photo classes at my lab and trust me, there are way too many menu options already - the average person does not want and will never use all those settings.
[/quote]

 the best value lens for beginners is the 50mm f1.8.   One hundred bucks and  you get great images and depth of field.  afma  would havebeenimportant to me then ( when I started)  as  it is to me today.

227

EOS Bodies / Re: Congratulations Canon to another great Camera release!!

« on: March 21, 2013, 09:58:51 AM »

you could buy a 7D . . .

I've heard those things take decent photos occasionally . . .

I think you're barking up the wrong tree.  Judging by the comments above, most of the people posting on this thread don't take photos... I would be surprised if any of them even own a camera.

 in fairness to the complaints, I  have a 60d  and I have been underwhelmed by the t5i  and  the 6d.   The 5d mkii  it's  the  only  real upgrade path I have and while I have the cash, 2600+  is a  hard  pill to swallow.

228

EOS Bodies / Re: Congratulations Canon to another great Camera release!!

« on: March 21, 2013, 09:48:03 AM »

Yer not the market these cameras are aimed at.  They will sell, particularly the small one.  Too bad about AFMA, but the target market won't miss it.

To all the folks thoroughly disgusted with Canon......I'll give you 10 cents on the dollar for your crappy, non-innovative, always-behind-the-power-curve Canon L glass .

screw  that,  I'll  give  twenty  cents on the dollar.

229

Street & City / Re: How to not get beat up when photographing public places?

« on: March 18, 2013, 10:25:27 AM »

If I'm "touring" and want to capture some street shots, I use my LX-7 and keep it slung over my shoulder, lens cap off, AV, and cued up. I have my shoulder strap adjusted so that the camera rests at the perfect angle for me to just press the shutter casually without having to raise it or compose.  Of course, many shots will miss and often I will need to straighten and crop after, but I can get some great shots this way and no-one knows I'm even taking pics. For example, I'm in China at the moment and here's a pic I took a few days ago SOOC.

If I'm home based, and I want to shoot a protest or rally or even just some street, I'll use my DSLR gear and throw a name-badge lanyard on. I've got all types of badges from conferences and events at work - none of them have to do with photography. But nobody reads the badge, it just looks "official". People very rarely question what they perceive as "authority", no matter how informal. If I am questioned, I just state that I'm capturing some candid photos of "the event", "the local population", "the citizens of Chicago", and then I follow with "would you like to be in a shot?". I took some candids at a Native American rally a couple months ago and one of the guys actually gave me his facebook name so I could send him a shot. After that, I got about 10 candids of him throughout the rally and was sure to follow up by sending him the pics. He ended up reposting and changed his profile pic to one of my shots. It worked out great.

So, basically, what others have said. If you have to go stealth, use a nice compact. If you bring out your real gear, act like you know what you're doing, smile, talk, invite, and shoot.

I hate people posng and smiling for me.

230

Street & City / Re: How to not get beat up when photographing public places?

« on: March 17, 2013, 10:53:20 PM »

Here's one more of a chick who had missed her to chance to stand up for women's rights but isn't going to miss it this go 'round.

231

Street & City / Re: How to not get beat up when photographing public places?

« on: March 17, 2013, 10:51:45 PM »

Be bigger and badder than everyone else.  hit the gym & be prepared to hit harder than the next guy if it comes down to that.

HAHA! Completely unfair but totally practical.

In fairness, I don't do much street photography of people and especially of kids, but I primarily focus on candids.  But I suppose I just lull those who tacitly give me approval by circumstance into a sense of comfort. 

I have done some "field photography" of events and most people assume you are "working" and they accept the photographer because it furthers their cause.  Here are a few examples.

232

Lenses / Re: Canon 24-70mmL II v Canon 50mmL 1.2

« on: March 17, 2013, 10:28:44 PM »

I don't know that I would call the 50mm the worst lens... but I know it isn't sharp at f/1.2.  I also know that the 50mm f/1.4 outperforms it in sharpness and that is unacceptable considering it is a 300 dollar lens v. a 1200 dollar lens. 

And the 24-70 is, from what I have read, just the best of its peer group.  I'd go that way.  Also... I really don't know what good f/1.2 would be because the depth of field is so thin...

233

Street & City / Re: How to not get beat up when photographing public places?

« on: March 17, 2013, 09:01:04 PM »

Be bigger and badder than everyone else.  hit the gym & be prepared to hit harder than the next guy if it comes down to that.

234

EOS Bodies / Re: just got a 5Diii, and wow!!

« on: March 17, 2013, 12:29:50 PM »

I made the same jump and I'll never buy crop again.

Let's not disparage all crop sensors.  They do give you extra reach and when shooting in good light outdoors with nice lenses, they give a near equal quality of image to their full frame counterparts.  And if you are shooting sports, either the 60D, 7D, and presumably the 70D will give you more frames per second than the 5d mkii and some 1D models. 

Along with the extra reach of a the 1.6 conversion factor and you have yourself some great quality images.  Where they suffer in comparison is low light because of the amount of grain.  But if you are indoors and using a flash, that can be mitigated... So it is what it is. 

235

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Should I buy the 60D or wait for the 70D?

« on: March 17, 2013, 12:26:04 PM »

Thanks Nishi Drew for making my decision more difficult. 

The 5D MKII is too expensive for me. When it's cheaper, I will get one.
I think I'll wait a few weeks and save more money. Maybe it will be enough to buy a FF, otherwise I will buy a 70D (if it comes).

I went from a Canon XS to a 60D and I will be upgrading to a 5d mkiii later this year.  As you go along the rebel line... there are marginal improvements, but none that really warrant the incredible price jump.  and while the 5d mkii is out of your price range, that is definitely what you should be targeting because anything less won't be worth the price. 

236

EOS Bodies / Re: just got a 5Diii, and wow!!

« on: March 17, 2013, 12:21:33 PM »

One advantage the 5DII still has over the Mk III is the possibility to change the focus screen, something I find absolutely necessary for MF purposes.

Wonder what's up with your 7D, I have no complaints about mine - even with a 5DMkII in my collection. Did you try a factory reset? Maybe you've got some settings/color profiles all wrong.

Change the focus screen??? Does that mean being able to switch to live fiew and zoom in on your subject while manually focusing to ensure that your subject is locked in exactly where you want?  I use that on my 60D often enough and it isn't something I would want to lose. 

Or are you talking about something else?

237

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Should I buy the 60D or wait for the 70D?

« on: March 17, 2013, 09:26:43 AM »

I don't see the low light performance of the 70D being THAT much better than the 60D.  And I agree with what others say... to really see a difference, you have to go full frame.  5D mkii body you can find for around $1400 new, probably a bit cheaper used.  I've seen a a 60D with a 18-135 lens for $900 recently (maybe less), which means around $600 for the body after you sell the lens.  A new 70D will probably be around $1300 new with an 18-135 (which is roughly what the 60D cost at launch and shortly thereafter).  So about $1000 for the 70D body.

If I were to talk about value, I think the 5D mkii is the best value between the three, the 60D being the next best, and finally 70D simply because it will be over priced initially.

As for AFMA, you can send in the camera and lenses to Canon and they will AMFA the body to your lenses.  So there is that option. 

238

Lenses / Re: Tried Canon 200-400f/4L IS today & asked the price, told it didn't exist :-)

« on: March 11, 2013, 11:10:13 PM »

Wow.  I thought... eh maybe if it comes around 5 or 6K... I might be able to swing it... but that is just crazy big. 

239

Portrait / Re: Bikini girl in my studio with my first scenic bacground

« on: March 10, 2013, 11:17:38 AM »

You had me a bikini... but lost me at a dearth of front meat.

240

Lenses / Re: Are recently made lenses better?

« on: March 09, 2013, 11:18:29 PM »

I know some fd lenses are highly regarded, but the proof is really in the pudding.  Not all lenses are made at the same standard deviation, so there are some 24-70's mkii that are AMAZING... and some that are merely great.  So it depends on where in the spectrum that lens falls.  If you can try it out for a week and compare and contrast... do it.