Messages

1

Animal Kingdom / Re: Your best animal shots!

« on: June 16, 2013, 09:58:48 PM »

I LOVE the turtles and crocodile or caiman.

2

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L Non-IS Discontinued?

« on: June 14, 2013, 11:33:05 AM »

When my Sigma 100-300 f4 died and was too old to repair, I replaced it with the Canon 70-200 2.8 (non IS) a little less than a year ago.  It is my only telephoto, often used with 1.4 extender, and it is fantastic.  There is no way I could have afforded the IS2, so if this lens was not available they would have driven me to Tamron.  I am sure there are people like me whose business they will lose by discontinuing this lens, but I guess there are not enough of us to justify continued production.

I would be surprised if they came out with a new version, as the price would be so much higher (based on their other L upgrades) that no one would buy it - the IS2 would be just a few hundred bucks more so people would upgrade to that.  The marketers at Tamron and Sigma must be jumping with joy at this decision!

3

United States / Re: USA photo liability insurance

« on: June 11, 2013, 07:35:45 PM »

Thanks for the replies - keep them coming!

4

EOS Bodies / Re: A Big Megapixel Discussion

« on: June 11, 2013, 06:53:14 PM »

Plus 100 to the two people who said we do not all want video.  My first (and so far only) DSLR is the 5D2, which is renowned for video, but honestly I do not even know or care how to turn on the video recording.  If they had made a duplicate version with no video, I would have bought that instead even if it was the same price.

I also do not see why anyone needs more megapixels than the current full frame offerings.  I have photos in my place blown up to 40x60 inches, from 5d2 and from 100 speed film, and they look fantastic!  Are people really doing six foot or eight foot enlargements that they need more megapixels?

5

United States / USA photo liability insurance

« on: June 11, 2013, 06:38:25 PM »

I would like to know if any working pros have recommendations for business insurance that specifically includes liability insurance.  (I tried searching the forum but all the insurance topics seem to deal with coverage for camera gear).  I plan to start leading photo tours, so I need pretty good coverage for the participants.  I got a postcard in the mail from Hiscox Insurance, but a quick look at online reviews tells me to stay as far away as possible.  Any leads would be immensely helpful (please respond only if you live in the USA).

6

Animal Kingdom / Re: Evening at the zoo

« on: June 09, 2013, 06:21:44 PM »

Great shots!  I notice you say they were taken in the evening.  Was this at a zoo with late summer hours?  I love zoos that do this.  I tried posting a thread on this very topic a while back, but it went nowhere.
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=10558.0

7

Reviews / Re: Horrible experience with Adorama camera

« on: June 04, 2013, 05:52:31 PM »

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days.

You are not going to buy from them because they support your local economy???  Funny how nobody wants to pay tax and yet everyone wants to have their streets paved or to have the police come when they call 911.

As for the big NYC stores, I doubt you will get better service from B and H than Adorama.  I called the former many years ago to ask questions about a lens (I was a newbie at the time) and they cut me off because they did not want me tying up the phone asking questions - they said phone calls are just for placing orders.  I switched to Adorama and have had no issues since.  I should say I use Adorama ONLY when I cannot find it in my own state of Arizona, otherwise I shop local as implied in my initial response.

8

Lenses / Re: Are there custom lens hoods for canon L lenses??

« on: June 03, 2013, 11:33:07 AM »

I have seen on the Adorama website that they have their own line of hoods (not sure about the lens you are asking about).  But from what I can see from the pictures, they seem to be identical to the Canon versions - just less expensive.

9

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: EOS-1D Mark IV & EOS-1Ds Mark III Firmware Update

« on: May 29, 2013, 11:28:20 AM »

Are people really going to use an external 1.4 extender IN ADDITION to the built in 1.4 extender?

10

Lenses / Re: Do you wish your 70-200L were black?

« on: May 23, 2013, 11:34:52 AM »

I do not need lenses in screaming pink, fresh turquoise, champagne gold or in off-white.
I would prefer them all in matte black.

Ooooh - champagne gold.  I bet if they came out with a limited edition of these, they could sell for almost twice the price and people would buy them.

11

Lenses / Re: Do you wish your 70-200L were black?

« on: May 23, 2013, 12:13:25 AM »

You can spot a Canon shooter instantly?  Are not Sony telephotos also white?  I would prefer my 70-200 to be black.  I had the original 80-200 2.8L that was black and liked the color better.  But it does not take tele extenders and it was too much carrying that plus the 300 4L to cover the range (in addition to standard lens), so I sold them for the 70-200 2.8L plus 1.4X extender.  (Actually in between I used a Sigma 100-300 4 which was all black and sharp and great, but it stopped autofocusing and Sigma said repair parts were no longer available).

I kind of think the silver Pentax telephotos are cool.  Alternatively, I really like the white bodies like the Pentax shown above and wish Canon made one because it would look great with their white lenses.  If I was rich I would probably just have all my bodies and lenses done in a matching original paint scheme from Pimp Your Camera in Germany http://www.pimpyourcam.com/

12

Landscape / Re: Jippieeee! It's spring! Post your first spring pictures here.

« on: May 16, 2013, 11:09:51 AM »

Pretty kitties in pretty flowers!  April 26, 2013, at Le Parc Des Felins in France.

13

Animal Kingdom / Re: Zoo Pics 2

« on: May 12, 2013, 05:33:05 PM »

Really nice stuff - thanks for all the contributions.  I just returned from a two week European wild cat tour (six zoos/parks).  Here is one (black leopard) from the group photo workshop at Wildlife Heritage Foundation in southern England (near Ashford).  Really a worthwhile experience if you are ever in the area.  They do three different tours, mine was the least expensive at 149 pounds.  This is for a group of ten where you go right up to the fences and they throw meat to entice the cats to walk towards the camera.  They also do a smaller group tour for only four people for 249 pounds, where they do the same plus go inside a couple small cat enclosures.  Then they have an individual tour for 500 pounds where you have the staff all to yourself and tell them which animals you want to photograph.

Here is the link to their website.  Click on the photography tab at the top to see the different offerings.
http://www.whf.org.uk/

14

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: "I am boycotting Nikon" campaign

« on: April 13, 2013, 04:32:57 PM »

I am not a hunter myself and do not see the attraction of it.  Nevertheless, properly regulated hunting can bring in lots of money for conservation.  And the statements above about feral hogs - which are non-native invasives - are certainly true.  The boycott is ridiculous.

15

Landscape / Show me cactus!

« on: April 11, 2013, 11:22:30 AM »

Post your favorite cactus photos here.

I got this one last weekend at Gates Pass in Tucson, a popular overlook for watching the sunset.  On the shadow side of the pass, the last rays of the sun can strike individual saguaro cacti like this one.