Messages

466

EOS Bodies / Re: How often do you shoot video with your DSLR?

« on: December 21, 2011, 10:19:06 AM »

Oh ya, I forgot, my 7D has a video mode.

467

Lenses / Re: Smoking deal on 35mm f/1.4 this morning

« on: December 19, 2011, 02:15:19 PM »

Just wanted to pass along that Amazon has the 35mm f/1.4L USM for $1099.00 (US).  I hope this is more evidence that the CR2 for the 35 II is a valid rumor.  B&H has it listed for $1255.00.

I'm still gonna wait for the ver II

Link? I just did a search on Amazon and don't see it

Here's the link. Should have included it plus a screen cap cause now the price has gone up.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-35mm-1-4L-Angle-Cameras/dp/B00009R6WY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_T1?ie=UTF8&coliid=INFUD3C873CL6&colid=2HR5MX1GAD73F

It would be nice if there was a place on the main page to post time sensitive info such as these low price alerts.

468

Lenses / Smoking deal on 35mm f/1.4 this morning

« on: December 19, 2011, 08:06:33 AM »

Just wanted to pass along that Amazon has the 35mm f/1.4L USM for $1099.00 (US).  I hope this is more evidence that the CR2 for the 35 II is a valid rumor.  B&H has it listed for $1255.00.

I'm still gonna wait for the ver II

469

Software & Accessories / Re: Monitor recomendations for viewing and editing

« on: December 16, 2011, 09:53:32 AM »

Thank you everybody for all the great information!   I was surprised with all the responses already when I woke up this morning.  I continued to be impressed with the wealth of knowledge in the CR  community. 

Several things were mentioned that I wasn't even thinking of (calibration tools, coating, surface texture, etc.).

Well this certainly get the ball rolling.  Hopefully there will be some post Christmas deals.

470

Software & Accessories / Monitor recomendations for viewing and editing

« on: December 16, 2011, 12:45:31 AM »

I've been wanting to upgrade my monitor for a while and I'm now beginning my research.   I'm looking for some advice and suggestions on specs, brands, and size from the CR community .  I want a very good monitor optimized for viewing and editing photos--everything else is secondary (I don't care about watching movies on my PC and I'm not a gamer).  I use LR as my main editor and I think with a widescreen display I could optimize LR's interface better.

I currently have a 19" Viewsonic flat screen VP9506.   It has the standard aspect ratio (non widescreen), DVI and RGB inputs, and refresh rate up to 72 Hz.  My graphics controller is GeForce 9600 GSO with 768 Mbs, and with both RGB and DVI outputs.  Oh and I do run Windows as my only OS.

I'm not committed to, but I prefer to stay away from Viewsonic since I've had a string of horrible customer service and hardware experiences over the last decade--maybe they finally got their act together now.

Thanks in advance!   

471

Lenses / Re: Buying lenses, do you listen to your heart or your head?

« on: December 15, 2011, 10:09:51 AM »

Both head and heart.

As a hobbyist, I'm kind of forced to listen to my wallet....

I too am a hobbyist and I am forced to listen to my wallet first and foremost  I do however have "photography allocated" money.  I'm always saving up for the next item on my list of "things to buy."

I used my head doing lots of research to make the choice of which lens (or accessory) I need/want.
I use my heart to choose which version of a that lens to purchase.   For example I chose the 100 Macro 2.8 L over the non L version even though IQ seems to be about the same.  If I don't buy what my heart wants, I will always wish I had done so.   

472

EOS Bodies / Re: A little humor - Canon vs Nikon video

« on: December 13, 2011, 01:57:47 PM »

Brilliant!  Love it!  Gives new meaning to "CF card full".  Thanks for sharing.

473

EOS Bodies / Re: Can a 7D do Landscapes?

« on: December 11, 2011, 11:47:39 PM »

@RC: Automatic focus isn't particularly useful in landscapes. For the most part (and there are some exceptions), you want a deep DOF, so the entire scene is in focus. There really isn't anything specific to focus on, so AF usually just gets in the way.

More specifically, when photographing a landscape, focus is more about the art of compromise as much as anything. You really can't get *everything* in focus, so you have to fine-tune focus for the selected DOF to get as much of the entire field of view as sharp as possible, without losing too much on the front or back. The only way to do that is with manual focus. Better yet, the ideal way to do that is with dedicated manual focus lenses with a nice, long focus throw, so fine adjustments are easy. (AF lenses tend to have very short focus throw, as it helps them focus less precisely faster.)

In the heydays of large format, you had a REAL NICE, HUGE ground glass screen to compose and focus your shot with. It was 4"x5", maybe 8"x10", clear and easy to see focus. The direct equivalent today would be like having a small TV attached to your DSLR, however Live View serves this purpose extremely well. Its many times larger than the largest viewfinders, clearer, brighter in most cases (OLED screens are even bright in direct sunlight), and usually more capable. With most Live View features on DSLR's today, you can zoom in and focus to a pixel-perfect level at various locations of a landscape scene, and never have to worry that some part of your photo may be out of focus, or that it was focused clearly on the wrong thing.

Thanks jrista for the additional information.  I'm going to try this technique out this week.   I probably put too much trust in AF and assuming I'm getting hyper-focal distance with a smaller aperture.

474

EOS Bodies / Re: Can a 7D do Landscapes?

« on: December 11, 2011, 11:38:48 PM »

...Choosing a single AF point didn't work so well on my XSi ;-)

On the 7D it is definitely more of a possibility... but when I'm taking that much time and care to get the shot I want... I want it to be _perfect_ (hence the reason for my "Earthshattering" post from last week ;-)

Where at in Idaho?  I'm living near Idaho Falls right now myself.  Haven't been here too long... but I'm loving it.  It truly is a nature photographer's dream!

Thanks for the clarification.  I'll shoot you an "offline message" regarding my Idaho and current location

475

EOS Bodies / Re: Can a 7D do Landscapes?

« on: December 11, 2011, 11:10:24 PM »

I compose the shot I want with the camera mounted on my tripod.  Then to focus perfectly (either from hyperfocal or to achieve some other goal) I want to focus within that composition on a particular point.  There is no way to do that with AF without moving the camera (which I don't want to do because it's already in the "perfect" position).  So manual focus is what you want.

Yep, Live View is the way to go for manual focusing.  I pop into live view, zoom all the way in on what I want to focus on, then manually focus until it's sharp.  Then drop out of live view.

The two second delay works together with mirror lockup.  The idea is to have _zero_ vibrations in the camera when the shutter releases, so you can get the sharpest possible photo.  Mirror lockup puts the mirror in the "up" position long before the shutter fires, ensuring that there are no vibrations from the mirror movement when the image is captured. 

Thanks for the quick response

I do use mirror lockup with a 2 sec delay and the RC6 remote when shooting the moon.  I use my 70-200 F4 IS (without IS of course) and my 1.4x Extender.  I've never though of using it for day time landscapes.

Just curious why you don't use a single AF point with manual positioning.  I must admit I have a hard time manually focusing with this camera--of course I'm at the age where your close up vision goes to crap.  The one thing I do not like about the 7D is non user changeable focus screens.  I do miss the old SLR split prisms.  I know there are 3rd party ones out there but I'm not really comfortable changing it out.

BTW, I love your shots!  I grew not too far from there, on the Idaho side.

476

EOS Bodies / Re: Can a 7D do Landscapes?

« on: December 11, 2011, 10:06:30 PM »

oh i also forgot to mention if you enter a discount code when you buy topaz you get 15% off
I used stuckincustoms when i got mine, I think its the same now but lots of websites have their own discount referal codes, I think they get a little kick back from topaz but the 15% discount makes it pretty good value IMO

Thanks for the discount tip!

477

EOS Bodies / Re: Can a 7D do Landscapes?

« on: December 11, 2011, 10:01:23 PM »

Friedmud, thanks so much for sharing your thorough analysis with all of us!  I too do a lot of landscape shooting with my 7D so what you have shared is very valuable  to me.  Also, thanks for including your camera settings and PP steps.  As many others I've also been following all these recent 7D threads and trying to learn/understand as much as I can.  My 7D is my only body, someday I'll add likely a 5D3.

A few questions:

• Why did you manual focus instead of auto focus on a specific point?
• Did you use live view to assist with manual focus?
• Why the 2 second delay and locked shutter?  Were you just trying to be ultra conservative for testing purposes?

Again, thanks for your time and sharing

478

Canon General / Re: An EF 70-200 f/4L IS II in Mid January? [CR1]

« on: December 11, 2011, 12:09:21 PM »

Upgrading the 70-200 F4 IS?    Naaa, got to be just a rumor.

Canon, work on upgrading lens that actually need to be upgraded!  The 50mm family for example.

479

Software & Accessories / Re: Your Personal 7-Point System

« on: December 10, 2011, 01:49:49 PM »

... Anyway, what does DPP stand for?  And is it better to use for my RAW images than what I currently use (Adobe Camera Raw in CS5 & Lightroom 3.5)?
Thanks

Didn't see this answered yet so...
DPP = Digital Photo Professional - Canon's included RAW image editor.  Is it better?  I doubt anyone would say yes.  I've only used LR and DPP.

I only use camera raw and LR3.5, I really dont want to learn a new program.....  Who know's, I might just install it and play around... Thanks Guys!

One very nice feature in DPP that LR doesn't  have (at least to my knowledge).  You can view the specific AF point(s) positions on your image and check for focus and IQ.  That's pretty much all I use it for.

Neuro stated in another post that Aperture can do this as well.

480

Lenses / Re: EF 35 f/1.4L II & EF 24-70 f/2.8L II on January 3, 2012? [CR2]

« on: December 10, 2011, 01:16:42 PM »

Yeah on the 35 1.4 II  .  This is the next lens on my list.   Hope it has weather sealing!