Messages

1

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Magic Lantern... CONTINUOUS raw recording @ 24fps on 5D3

« on: May 24, 2013, 05:26:40 AM »

Here's some footage I edited together from last weekend in Central Oregon:

https://vimeo.com/66866250

All but the last three shots are with the Magic Lantern firmware....it's a bit tedious in post but WORTH IT!

Awesome video! The climbing portion was quite enjoyable, even if some of it wasn't in RAW.  I wasn't paying close attention and I will go back and watch again, but did you notice a significant difference between the ML video footage and the non-ML footage?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Mk3 Reliability

« on: May 23, 2013, 06:25:31 AM »

Seriously thinking of selling my 5D Mk2 now that I can get a Mk3 for around £1800.

The 1DX just isn't realistic for me given the price and the Mk3 has advantages for what i shoot. The question isn't whether I want one regarding its features. I think it would be a great upgrade now.

Anyhoo, I'm seeing issues regarding reliability popping up on this and other forums regarding issues with it.

I'm concerned that I'll be going from the 5D Mk2, which is pretty much bullet-proof at this point due to how long they've been making them, to something that might let me down due to teething problems which seem to persist over a year since it was released.

Your thoughts, please?

Where are you seeing a 5DIII for £1800? The cheapest i've seen one for is £1929 inc Vat.

I was the first person in Wiltshire to have a 5D, 5DII and 5DIII...My cams are on a three year cycle and one of them always falls on the availability date for the 5D. Weird but true and very expensive....I end up paying through the nose for my "first of the new model".
I've run with my first 5DIII for over a year now and I've covered a lot of different events, weddings, wildlife, wild sea birds, landscapes. It's been in howling rain and wind, sandy beaches in winter (which nearly ruined my Gitzo tripod in one day), rainy weddings, thunder storms...and it hasn't missed a beat.
It's taken a few knocks and still looks kinda fresh. Although compared to my newer 5DIII, it's easy to see which one has had a harder life! The 5DIII is a far better built and more rugged camera than the 5D or 5DII ever was. Sure, there's always the odd manfacturing mistake, the odd rouge camera. But my copies have been consitently good and I would wager that the current 5DIII is nearly a rugged as a 1D series. It's not that far off.
When comparing a pair of 5DIII's to a single 1DX, it's hard to justify the additional expense of the 1DX. The 5DIII does so much so well....and it had that fab silent shutter mode. 6.5 fps is certainly fast enough for most uses, but if you need 12fps....then a 1DX is the only option.
The new AF array takes a while to get used to and to personalise. Please don't buy this on a friday and expect to be proficient in battle the next morning....it's got an entirely new menu system and 80% of this camera is new and improved. I had a 7D for a few years, so that helped a lot. But it was still quite a learning curve.

It's easily the best DSLR i've used professionally. By that, I mean that if you don't need the 12fps of the 1Dx, then the 5DIII is a better choice in nearly every area and it's a bit more versatile due to it's size and stealth.

+1

I purchased mine shortly after it was released.  Fantastic camera that has performed spectacularly! 

3

Lenses / Re: Who do you recommend for Lens Rental?

« on: May 19, 2013, 07:30:09 PM »

I've used www.lensrentals.com several times for both lenses and bodies. Speedy deliveries, quality gear,  ease of return, lots of reasons to check them out and rent something fun for a short period of time.  The last thing I rented was the 1Dx and I had a blast with it!!!

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Lenses / Re: Canon 70-200mm F/4L or Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 USM or other suggestions?

« on: March 23, 2013, 04:04:42 PM »

You are unlikely to get a better value for money lens than the 70-200 f/4 (non-IS). It was my first L lens and since then I've purchased only Ls ... It's addictive.

+1

I have the 70-200 2.8IS and I have borrowed the F4 version for comparison.  The L series glass is great and I highly suggest it.  If you need the additional reach, you could pick up the 1.4 Teleconverter when you have the budget and get out to 280 @ f5 which is pretty close to 300 f5.6.

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EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: No 30fps in the video menu in my 5d3

« on: March 20, 2013, 07:52:21 AM »

It's tricky, but its there.  You have to first turn the 'Live View Shooting' function switch from still photos to video.  The live view should turn on. From there you press the 'Q' button and then lots of options will pop up. 

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EOS Bodies / Re: 6d vs. 5d mkiii for sports photography

« on: January 07, 2013, 03:28:10 PM »

I have the 5D mkIII and it's a great sports body.  Couple that with the 70-200, you'll be set for indoors and the higher iso ranges. 

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Lenses / Re: AFMA'ed the 24-70 mk.ii ... not sure I am loving this copy.

« on: October 17, 2012, 08:31:13 AM »

I had troubles getting consistent AFMA results once and I had to change the process.  I found that consistently shooting in the same spot was my challenge.  Here's the process (bear with me) that I used.

-Mount the camera to your tripod and level it out
-Tether the camera to your PC. 
-Mount the lens align target on a tripod and level it out.  I get it as close as possible to MFD.  Ideally, you have an old tripod that has a crank to raise and lower it.
-Open the EOS utility and go to live shooting.
-Click test shot.
-Zoom to x1
-If the scroll bar on the side of the test shot lines up in the middle, great.  If not, raise and lower the target until you achieve this. (see pic below) 
-From there, you can adjust the AFMA.  I was VERY delicate when pushing the buttons so as not to move the camera.
-Keep it tethered throughout the adjustment process so there is no variation.

This helped me to get consistent results.  If you're doing this already, my apologies.  Just offering up a solution that helped me.   

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Lenses / Re: What lenses do you own?

« on: October 17, 2012, 06:31:37 AM »

24-70 F2.8 v1
70-200 F2.8 IS v1

Both are great lenses that have been recently updated so you can get the v1 at a bargain or go with the v2 and get the latest/greatest.  My only suggestion is to get a camera with auto-focus micro adjustment to help perfectly focus your lens on your body. 

If you haven't been to www.the-digital-picture.com for reviews, check him out.  It helped me figure out what I wanted to buy.

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Lenses / Re: I'm not impressed with my 70-200mm f/2.8L USM... so is it me or the lens?

« on: October 16, 2012, 01:34:13 PM »

The one question I have is that are you shooting at 2.8 or are you opening it up to 3.5 or 4.0.  Depth of field at close distances is very thin at 2.8.  If you shoot 135mm @ F2.8, your DOF at 10 feet is a little over 3 inches.  At 20 feet, you get 1ft 1in.  I have the 5dmkiii and I shoot my son's baseball games at 4.0 and iso range of 200-400 with aperture priority to handle the shutter speed.  It works fantastic!  The only other comment I have is that the AFMA has brought new life to my lenses.  I had the 40D without AFMA and now with the 5dmkiii, I have tuned my lenses so things are sharp.  Given that the smallest of tolerances can affect the overall shot we generate, I have come to believe this is a necessary feature for me. 

I'm always learning and by no means a know it all.  I just shot some individual shots for the baseball team and botched several with the flash fill and washed the whole image out.  It's a fun hobby to play with and learn as we go.