Messages

46

Lenses / Re: Need advice on telephoto zoom Lens

« on: February 08, 2013, 04:41:53 PM »

My main problem with the 70-300L, is there is no panning mode for the IS.
If you don't need to pan while shooting, definitely consider the 70-300L.

I thought there was? (I can go check the user manual when I find it later and scan it). It's got the 'IS Mode' switch 1-2, which is normally 1 for normal IS and 2 for panning. What it doesn't have is the Mode 3 which only turns the IS on when you press the shutter (which is more useful for tracking birds and cheetahs), that's only on the $10k mkII über-teles.

I got this shot a few weeks ago, at the Tour Down Under. 7D, Tv 1/400s, Autoiso100, f/7.1, 70mm (so not too far away from me), standard processing and no cropping. Bike and her face is perfectly in focus, background is pan-blurred left to right.

47

Reviews / Re: Kirk Security Strap review

« on: February 05, 2013, 10:32:09 PM »

Sounds good. I've been looking for places in Aus that might sell them, not found one yet (as it was when I was looking for my original A/S setup, most places haven't even heard of A/S on this side of the world).
Adorama quoted something stupid like $60 shipping, so loks like B+H it is (as it was when I bought my plates and tripod a year ago).

Oh well, i'll have to go see what else I "need" to buy while i'm shipping anyway, maybe a Lee kit or something...

48

Lenses / Re: Need advice on telephoto zoom Lens

« on: February 03, 2013, 11:43:20 PM »

Keeping the 70-300 non-L and buying one of the 70-200L variants is not a good idea, imho. The 70-300 non-L is good in the 70-200 range, but goes rapidly downhill towards 300mm. So if you keep that and buy a 70-200L, then you've got a great lens at 70-200mm, a good lens at 70-200mm, and a mushy mess at 200-300mm (at least, my non-L was very soft at 300mm).

Also don't forget that by upgrading from 40D to FF, for the reach of the 300mm on APS-C that you're used to, you'll need a 480mm lens on your FF to frame the same. Set your current lens at 125mm on your 40D, and see the angle of view that you get. Can you live with that as your longest? Because that's all you'll get with a 200mm on FF, if you want longer then you'll have to get one of the 4 i mentioned earlier, and/or get some extenders.

So, do you need 300mm or longer? And do you need it to be sharp? Then 70-300L, 100-400L, or even consider the 300mm f/4L or 400mm f/5.6L.
Personally I chose the 70-300L when i got sick of my 70-300 non-L, not least because it was the newest, fastest AF, best sealed, best IS and most compact of the 4 (and cheapest at the time too).

49

Reviews / Re: Kirk Security Strap review

« on: February 03, 2013, 10:02:21 PM »

Just wondering, if you attach the strap/clamp to the bottom of your camera's bracket, is the knob on the strap/clamp towards your face, or towards the lens? (and can you unclip it to swap it the other way?) How much past the screen/lensmount does it stick in either direction, and is it easy to unscrew from that position?
(I'm sort of wondering about being stabbed in the chin by it, possible?)

50

Reviews / Re: Kirk Security Strap review

« on: February 03, 2013, 08:39:42 PM »

Yeah, I've checked there, $75 plus $33 shipping.
Maybe I'll have to take the excuse to buy something else while i'm there to spread the shipping cost around (I hear that Sigma 35mm is nice)...

51

Reviews / Re: Kirk Security Strap review

« on: February 03, 2013, 06:52:58 PM »

ok, this is getting annoying. I can reply to this thread with a short sentence, but when I try to paste in my long reponse, I get 'access denied, security block'?

Anyway, long story short, I want one. Anyone know where ships to aus with cheapish postage?

52

Lenses / Re: Resistance to Larger Filter Size, Kills Great Lenses?

« on: February 02, 2013, 03:38:12 PM »

But you do read it a lot in reviews, things like "this lens uses the popular 77mm thread so you don't have to buy more filters" and "this lens uses an 86mm thread which is bigger than the one it replaces so you'll have to factor that into the pricetag".

I remember I was annoyed when I had my 15-85 with 72mm threads, and a 72mm CPL, then I bought the Samyang 35/1.4 which had 77mm threads. I was only using it on APS-C so I just used a step-down with no vignetting. I also used my 67mm 70-300L with step-up rings to the 72mm CPL, and all my other 52mm and 58mm lenses with a 58mm CPL. But eventually I got sick of that and just bought a B+W KSM 67mm, and found a second-hand Hoya HRT 77mm CPL too (and a 52mm KSM for $20 second-hand recently too).

Then I got lenses with 82mm and 86mm threads, like a wide-angle MF lens (which is fine putting it on aps-c, but then I wanted to use it on native MF). I had to make a decision the other day, buy an 86mm CPL (normal price $200 for a B+W) or a 95mm (a Heliopan second-hand on ebay $100), when I realistically will never have a 95mm lens (unless I win the lottery and buy the Zeiss 15mm). I just went the 95mm and a step-up ring, it's just future-proof so i'll never have to worry about sizes again.

I'm sure there will be the complaints when canon releases the next lens with 95mm threads from a few people. But honestly, even retail a good CPL is only $300 max in that size, compared to what, a $3000 lens? Noone else uses the coloured filters anymore, they were mostly only for B+W film (I use them for B+W film), and GNDs like Lee and Cokin X-Pro you just buy another $20 adapter ring to your kit. So maybe in the film days it might have made a big difference (like see the entire range of Takumars all use the 49mm thread except for the extreme speed/lengths) but these days not so much because it's only one new CPL that you have to worry about.

If you have to take a new CPL into account when you make your pricing decision, then do so, but I don't think it would stop canon from releasing the lens, it'll just make a few vocal whingers come out on the forums.

53

Lenses / Re: Telephoto choice for Australia

« on: February 01, 2013, 12:34:39 AM »

ps, if you're going to Brisbane or Bundaberg (or anywhere in Qld, really), bring an Ikelite underwater housing... [/harsh]

54

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: post your best photographic gear for under 100 euro (100$)

« on: January 31, 2013, 10:46:11 PM »

Nifty Fifty!

Kenko 1.4x T/C was the best €80 i spent.
So were the Extension Tubes.

RC-6 remote control was the best €20 i ever spent.

Softbox for my flash was the best $10 i ever spent (from China via ebay)

Arca-Swiss plates are always handy, especially for someone like me who keeps getting more lenses and needs mre tripod plates.

How about vintage glass? Takumar 50mm f/1.4 and an m42->EF adapter comes in at under $100, and beats the crap out of any native EF Fifty.

Bessa L comes in at $100, for the next present you can get them a nice L39 wideangle lens (I love my 21mm f/4 Skopar, best lightweight hiking landscape kit ever)

55

Lenses / Re: Telephoto choice for Australia

« on: January 31, 2013, 07:55:55 PM »

Well, technically you're not going to Australia, more like the 51st state (it's an aussie joke, you'll understand when you get here).

Up on the wrong side of the country you're not going to see many roos and koalas, roos are mostly in the desert parts and koalas along the south/eastish parts. No emus but if you're extremely lucky you'll see a cassowary in a forest from more than 50m away (if you're extremely unlucky you'll meet one face to face. Just know that the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park were modeled on Cassowaries and you'll understand).

What you will get up there (besides bloody queenslanders) will be birds, lots of birds, and amazingly coloured birds. And crocodiles. Take the longest lens you can for the birds, 500 or 600mm and an extender or 3. And don't go near the rivers, especially the estuaries.
And i'll second the comment about the wideangle, especially with a CPL for those amazingly blue skies and beach shots.

56

Lenses / Re: Ultimate giclée lens?

« on: January 30, 2013, 04:40:42 AM »

I know a shade-tree mechanic who could fabricate something like that and wouldn't charge more than a Benjamin for it, maybe even half that.

Count the number of ticks on the lens indicating mm of shift, and move the clamp an equal number of ticks the opposite direction. Done and done. Only potentially problematic if you want to do a vertical panorama, but you can use the dropout in your ballhead -- and who does vertical shift panoramas, anyway?

Well yeah, it's expensive. Hell, I've even just bought Medium Format lenses (like Zeiss Flektogon 50mm f/4.0 for Pentacon Six), hacked up a $10 chinese-ebay tripod clamp for some other lens, and stuck it on a $100 P6-EF shift-adapter.

And measuring and sliding also works, especially for landscape, i've done that too (Sunwayfoto make a nice sliding rail with measurements). But I wouldn't do it for macro or even A3-sized repro-work, you'll never get it *exactly* right, and errors are magnified ridiculously at short distances.

57

Lenses / Re: Ultimate giclée lens?

« on: January 29, 2013, 04:07:17 PM »

If you're going to do a panorama shift with the TS-Es, you'll need to figure out a way to keep the lens fixed and shift the camera behind it. And, even still, you don't get all that much extra out of it.

Should I say Hartblei to the rescue again? (too bad it's only for the 17 and 24mm so far, maybe when the 45 mk2 gets released it'll "support" them too)

58

Lenses / Re: Ultimate giclée lens?

« on: January 29, 2013, 12:30:04 AM »

Here is the one i'm thinking of, 85mm f/1.0 Repro-Nikkor.
It looks like a perfectly symmetrical design, 0.0000% distortion is amazing, even a half-decent working distance.
But it's very limited to 0.9x - 1.1x magnification, so it's pretty much postage stamps or nothing, not very useful for larger artworks unfortunately.

Still, it's something nice to drool over.

I know I'll never own one, but wow, check out that bokeh (check out the gallery link down the bottom)

59

Lenses / Re: Ultimate giclée lens?

« on: January 28, 2013, 10:15:03 PM »

So how ultimate is 'Ultimate'? And how macro is 'Macro'? And how budget is your budget?

Nikon made a lovely lens a few years back, and 80mm f/1.1 (or 1.0?) macro lens, for 1:1 reproduction of things like Postage Stamps and such. I'm pretty sure it can't focus to infinity and needs a bellows, but it sells second-hand for $2k for a reason...

60

Lenses / Re: All street photographers share your gear here!

« on: January 28, 2013, 10:10:56 PM »

Anyone else using the Canon EF 40mm pancake? Seems like the 50/1,4 is the most popular gal' in the class for street photos.

I've been using my 40mm pancake on my EOS 3 more and more lately. It's the eye-control that does it for me, more than once i've been lining up a shot, see something move in the background, straight away it's refocused on that and i've got a much better shot. Mostly with B+W film, last roll was Ilford 125, sometimes it's T-Max 100 or 400 or BW400CN.

My other new favourite toy is a (Cosina) Voigtlander Bessa L. TTL Light meter, fully manual, L39 screw-mount. No viewfinder at all, just guess and shoot, perfect for 'shooting from the hip' (also a lot more subtle that way). I've only amassed 1 lens so far (besides SLR lenses I can use via adapter), is the 21mm f/4.0 Color Skopar. Absolutely amazing lens, second only to the Zeiss ZM Biogon, ZE Distagon, or Leica Super Angulon, except the Skopar cost me $200, they're $500 new, compare that to the Zeiss or Leicas. Came with a viewfinder too.

It's also a great tiny/featherweight hiking/landscape camera with a roll of Velvia 50.

(I also almost got a Bessa R3A and Ultron 40/1.7, but the bidding went too high for me. One day i'll get the R3A and put on a 90 or 135mm, for candid street portraits).