Messages

781

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D X or Mark III Specs & Release Date? [CR1]

« on: February 02, 2012, 11:45:20 AM »

Now, even  if this new 5D whatever packs all those specs it will NOT canabalize a large portion of 1DX sales. Pros who need to buy the 1DX are going to buy it regardless of the existence of this camera . When your job, paycheck and reputation depend upon every photo you take you need the reliability and build-quality the 1DX offers. You can't afford to chance things with a "lesser" camera.

I've tried to make this point in the past, but it always seems to fall on deaf ears. Take a look at the sidelines of any major sporting event. Those photogs packs multiple 1-series bodies attached to insanely long, fast, expensive glass. Cost isn't an issue for these guys, and they probably outnumber the hobbyists that might potentially buy a 1Dx by a large margin.

With all this talk about how such a 5DIII would cannabilize 1Dx sales, is any privy to the actual sales figures, or is this merely internet tech-geek speculation? In other words, how many 5DII bodies were sold over the years vs. the 1DsIII, and how many 5D bodies were sold compared to the 1DsII?

782

Canon General / Re: Canon Inc. DSLR Mkt Share in 2011

« on: February 01, 2012, 11:36:55 PM »

I hate to say it but in 2011 Nikon came up with new models new features new UI for beginners, Canon recycled their 2010 APS-C sensor. So yes, it seems Nikon tried harder.

That's kinda my point. Nikon definitely seems to be delivering a product more closely aligned with their customer's desires recently, so perhaps the sales figures are starting to reflect this trend. The upcoming announcements of the D800 and 5D3 will ultimately determine if I stick with the Canon system or jump ship.

783

Canon General / Re: Canon Inc. DSLR Mkt Share in 2011

« on: January 31, 2012, 02:10:26 PM »

I though Canon had a much larger gap between it and Nikon in years past? Maybe Nikon is catching up?

784

Lenses / Re: Lens Choice.. 70-200 F4 L IS or 70-300 F4-5.6 L IS

« on: January 27, 2012, 09:57:15 PM »

I'm risking getting in trouble here, but I tried the 70-300 L as soon as it came out after I sold my 70-200 L non-IS.  It went back to Amazon a few days later.  The sharpness in the corners was pretty average, and there was pretty bad chromatic aberration.

So you tried the 70-300L, you didn't like it, and it didn't suit your needs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I respect the fact that you actually tried both lenses out before selecting the one that works best for you.

OTOH, until I can convince someone to pay me to shoot ISO 12233 charts, I'll have to base my assessments by shooting things that pay the bills

785

Lenses / Re: Lens Choice.. 70-200 F4 L IS or 70-300 F4-5.6 L IS

« on: January 27, 2012, 08:33:00 PM »

Here are two black subjects that really demonstrate the outstanding color and contrast of both these lenses offer.

The 70-200 f/4 is sharp....


...but the 70-300L is just as sharp



You can't go wrong either way, but I'll take the extra reach of the 70-300L every day of the week.

786

Lenses / Re: Lens Choice.. 70-200 F4 L IS or 70-300 F4-5.6 L IS

« on: January 27, 2012, 08:06:21 PM »

Sounds like another eroneous rumour circulating about the 70-300L and an overstatement of the ability of the 70-200 F/4 IS

I couldn't have said it better myself. I loved my 70-200 f/4, and it was my favorite lens for many years. That said, I replaced it with the 70-300L last summer and don't miss it one bit. The the color, contrast, and sharpness of the of the 70-300L sacrifices nothing to the 70-200 f/4, and the extra 100mm of reach sure comes in handy, especially with a FF sensor. The AF locks very, very quickly as well. I've shot quite a bit with the 70-200 f/2.8L as well, and can't distinguish any difference in IQ between it and the 70-300L.

For marginal price difference between the 70-200 f/4 IS and the 70-300L, I don't know why anyone would buy the former. Now if you wanted fast glass to show off in your sig and bulk up your online street cred, the 70-200 f/2.8 would be the obvious choice, but since you narrowed the field down to f/4 and slower glass, you obviously make purchasing decisions based on more practical purposes    

787

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Brief Specs? [CR1]

« on: January 26, 2012, 07:00:44 PM »

Regardless of whether this rumors is valid or not, all the recent rumors that the 5DIII will remain in the 21-22 mp range sounds logical. To me, that implies that it will be an evolution of the current 21 mp sensor, which makes perfect sense. The 5DII has a badass sensor and overall IQ that's still on par with the best offerings on the market.

All Canon has to do with the 5DIII is slightly improve the DR and ISO, while substantially improving the AF, and it will have a winner on its hands.

788

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III (or other) Followup

« on: January 24, 2012, 12:53:30 PM »

I posted on another thread, but will ask the question here as well: if the autofocus is the only major upgrade, is that enough for people to buy the 5DIII?

Hell yes, for me at least. I never bothered upgrading from the 5D to the 5DII because despite the increase in resolution, and slight bump in DR and ISO, Canon didn't address my biggest gripe with the 5D: the pathetic AF. If the 5DIII is essentially the same as a 5DII, with with a pro-caliber AF, I will cease all talk about defecting to Nikon and put in a pre-order for one ASAP.  Of course, a couple more FPS would be nice, too

I like everything about the 7D except the image quality, and I like everything about the 5DIII except the AF. I really hope there's some truth to these rumors, because it just makes too much sense.

789

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 09:03:20 PM »

My old 1D mk1 AF kicked the hell out of the 5dmk2 AF

Why do I not find that surprising? My Powershot G7 focuses more quickly than my 5D.

790

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 07:46:25 PM »

Personally for a 5d I dont need 45 point AF anywhere from 11 to 19 would be fine as long as the points are fast accurate and have good focus tracking ability.

Anyone's who has shot with a 5D or 5DII would probably agree. Canon isn't going to put an AF system that comes anywhere close to the 1-series, so the best we can hope for is a handful of cross-sensor AF points that are very accurate, or a buttload of non-cross AF points.

People tend to get fixated on whether AF points are cross-sensitive or not, but IMHO there are benefits of in certain situations of having a greater number of AF points, even if they're not cross-sensors, opposed to having a fewer number of AF points that are cross sensitive. Just for kicks, I dug my old 1DIIn out of the attic today, hooked it up to my 70-300L, and shot some pan blurs of cars in rush hour traffic. In this configuration, only the center point is cross sensitive. You need f/2.8 or faster glass for the other 6 cross sensors to work.

Even a body as antiquated as the 1DII has a nifty AF expansion function that varies based on focal length. At shorter focal lengths, it expands to the 6 AF points adjacent to the chosen AF point, and at 200mm and longer, it expands to the 12  AF points that are adjacent to the chosen AF point. Compared to my time shooting under similar circumstances with a 7D, the 1DII yielded a noticeably higher percentage of sharp, in focus images despite only having one cross-type AF point. If not for the 1DII's extra 26 AF points, I'm certain the 7D would have stomped it.

791

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 03:38:52 PM »

Well if you guys do, feel free to shoot me a message with how much you guys want for your lenses  =)

I will. Seriously The problem is we both have the 17-40 and 24-105, so those won't be of much use to you. I will have a bunch of speedlites for sale, though. I used to have the 70-200 f/4 also. It's a great lens, but you could sell it for $550-$600, and upgrade to my 70-300L that might be for sale

792

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 02:29:23 PM »

True, but if the rumours are correct then Nikon has listened to what its customers have asked for! If the 5D MkIII perpetuates a crippled AF system, Canon will not have.

Exactly. Rumors are just rumors, but consider this. If the 5DIII gets the 1Dx's 18 mp sensor, or one similar to it, and the D800's 36 mp sensor actually reaches production, then Nikon and Canon will have both  completely reversed strategies. A 18 mp sensor geared toward low-light performance is something I would have expected from the D700's successor, not the 5DIII. Likewise, a 36 mp sensor with an emphasis on resolution over noise is something I would have expected from the 5DII's successor, not the D800.

793

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 02:19:51 PM »

The problem with Nikon is that while the D700 "crushed" the 5dmk2 in terms of AF specs, it also crushed their own D3, which is something Canon will not do, they aren't going to over spec a 5d body to kill sales of their 1 series bodies.

People have said the same thing about the 5DII vs. the 1DsIII. IMHO, the D3s had enough of an advantage in high-ISO performance to distinguish it from the D700. At any rate, Nikon seems to be aligning the D4 as the ultimate in low-light, AF, and FPS while positioning the D800 as a slower, high mp body to distinguish between the two models. Canon might do the same same thing with the 1Dx and 5DIII, but they may also put an 18 mp sensor in the 5D while intentionally castrating its AF system. Only time will tell what Canon has planned.

And Canon seems to be doing fine when it comes to share.  Forget sales figures, because there isnt a breakdown between models...Just for comparison I went to B&H and had a look a the number of reviews for the 5dmk2 compared to the D700 (not scientific but fairly balanced way to look at it) and when you combine the reviews for the body only, and kit you get about 2100 reviews for the 5dmk2 and for the d700 there are just over 1000.  Sure its not sales figures but I would venture to guess the rate at which buyers leave reviews is not 1:1.  I dont think the d700 "crushed" anything and therefore Canon would rather have their own house in order because what they're doing works for them...share-wise and otherwise.

I'm not a fan boy, so sales figures don't concern me. Canon knows the market better than me, so if they decide that a low mp, low FPS body with an antiquated AF system is best for sales, so be it. It just so happens that such a body won't suit my shooting needs, so if Nikon offers a better product, I'm switching.

794

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 02:06:12 PM »

This sounds like an anti-Canon tirade, which would be unfair based solely upon a rumour.  Let me just state that I'm not buying any camera equipment until all the major players show their hands this year and then I will be making a long term decision on whether to stick or switch.  I'm pretty sure that I won't be the only person in this position.

I'm with you 100%, and no, you're not alone. I've already researched how much of a hit I'd take on my bodies and glass, and if the 5DIII doesn't stack up well to the D800, I'm jumping ship. I currently shoot with a 1DsIII as my primary body, and a 5DC is a backup. Overall, I'm very happy with the 1Ds, but would just like some more resolution, DR, and high-ISO performance. A few more FPS would be nice, but 5 is enough for most situations and the AF works very well. I'm sure the 1Dx will address most of these issues, but at $6,800, I'd be paying for speed (12-14 FPS) that I don't really need, while still pining for more resolution. I have no doubt that the 1Dx will be have stunning low-light capability, but if that was my top priority I would switched to Nikon and bought a D3s a long time ago.

That's where the  D800 comes in. If the rumored 36 mp sensor actually materializes, and it's DR and high-ISO abilities are merely on par with the D700, I see it as an upgrade over my 1DsIII. I don't care that I'd technically be "downgrading" from a pro to a prosumer body. I'm sure the times where I miss the 1D's tank-like build quality will be offset by the times where I appreciate the D800's lighter weight and smaller form factor. The D800 would simply better suit my needs than a 1DsIII or even a1Dx, and I'd save a bunch of money to boot.

The big wild card is the 5DIII. If it specs out as a high-resolution, compact body with a much-improved AF system, then I'll stick with Canon. If it specs out as a 1Dx Jr. with the same 18 mp sensor, but with a castrated AF system, then all my Canon gear is going up on ebay.

795

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D Mark III Information [CR1]

« on: January 19, 2012, 12:02:07 PM »

I wouldn't be surprised if AF was kept the same, but that wouldn't stop me from wanting to pick one up.  If it gets 2 stop improvement in ISO over the mk2, that means clean shots at 6400, and would most likely be enough for people to upgrade, however its reasonable to assume that we will also see improvements in metering/dynamic range, perhaps some other minor things.  But you definitely won't see a great AF system on a 5d body, not now, not ever....so please don't expect that.  Save up for a 1D-X 

The problem with this sort of rationalizing is that while a 5DIII with an antiquated AF system might make sense for product alignment within the Canon family, it will also be competing for market share with the Nikon D800. The D700 already crushed the 5DII in terms of AF (51 points vs. 9) and speed, but the 5DII's significant advantage in resolution was enough to win over many buyers. If Nikon comes out a D800 that maintains its AF advantage over the 5D, but then makes up for the D700's resolution shortcomings with its long rumored 36 megapixel D800, Canon runs the risk of losing market share to Nikon.