Messages

1

EOS Bodies / Re: New 5D3 Raw video samples mind blowing!

« on: May 14, 2013, 03:36:27 AM »

Insane !!!

2

Portrait / Re: my first new born baby photos :)

« on: May 09, 2013, 12:30:17 PM »

Great images of happy babies... Love it and love that so many are using the Lastolite Softboxes, great travel rigs.

... but the chandelier in the first photo is very distracting -- I'd crop the photo to include only the baby and father.  It would be a tight crop, but better than including the light fixture.

But overall very nice shots!  :-)

Yea, that chandelier and the whit semi-circle right bottom... crop would be nice, or content ware patch bottom right, then crop chandelier.

3

Portrait / Re: The official: Portrait Humor Thread....

« on: May 09, 2013, 10:20:45 AM »

Youarenotaphotographer.com

+1000 Awesome !!!! I knew putting "Photography" at the end of your name was the first step in becoming a professional portrait photographer. Next stop... your first wedding with a Rebel & a kit lens for 3K.

4

Lenses / Re: Cheap fisheye for canon full frame?

« on: May 08, 2013, 12:14:29 PM »

Love the Sigma 15mm DG EX rect. fisheye.... all on 5D3s and produces a 180 diagonal FOV. I'm an admitted fisheye addict I bought a new one for 550$US and a used one for UW work for 350$US both are quite sharp and did better than the 8-15L @ 15mm.

fantastic shots just what im looking for

Thanks, hope it helps...

5

Lenses / Re: Cheap fisheye for canon full frame?

« on: May 08, 2013, 11:48:36 AM »

The Canon 15mm FE is pretty nice, mine was so much better than the Samyang 14mm I bought it was like night and day. (The Samyang 14mmis not a fisheye, but it does distort everything)
 
I was able to pickup a used 15mm FE for $250, but deals like that don't happen often.  The front cap was missing, but there were no marks on the glass, and a new cap cost $27.  I used a front lens thread repair tool to expand the built-in metal hood very slightly so the cap fits snugly and securely.

Good luck in finding a decent one of these... getting exceptionally hard to find (in the Bay area, Cali) and when you do they are usually quite "used". Cost more for a used Canon than the Sigma... the Siggy is newer, cheaper (new or used), warrantied if new, sharper and better built. I chased the Canon 15mm for quite a while, finally tested out a few 8-15L but Siggy won out after all was said and done. I also tried a few selections in the Bower/Rokinon/Samyang route, 8mm / 14mm... meh, no AF, cheesy build. Sigma still kicked arse. Love their 10-20mm for a crop, a great choice for the 7D. Not a true fish on a the crop but still fishy enough.

Some rarely use their fishes, me... I use it quite often. I own a lot of "L" glass, actually all "L" except for the Sigma's I spoke of. When my son was about to arrive, it was this 15mm Fish that I took into the delivery room. There are lots of examples in my Flickr link if you want to see more...

You are right!
 
Used Canon 15mm FE's are indeed getting hard to find.  I've bought a couple for low prices in  past years, but nothing cheap has popped up in the last two years on our local Craigslist.
 
The Sigma has a good reputation, I'd buy it any day over another Samyang.  Someone was trying to sell a used Sigma for $600, that seemed a bit pricey.  I guess the Canon 8-15mm has pulled used prices up.
 
I had been looking at the refurb 8-15mm L and the MP-65 longingly while they were on sale.  They are out of stock now, but I had already decided to save my pennies and see what new products appear later this year.

That MP-65 is a great lens... I don't do enough macro work to justify it but if I did, that lens is as good as it gets. Tricky lens though.

6

Lenses / Re: Cheap fisheye for canon full frame?

« on: May 08, 2013, 01:08:25 AM »

The Canon 15mm FE is pretty nice, mine was so much better than the Samyang 14mm I bought it was like night and day. (The Samyang 14mmis not a fisheye, but it does distort everything)
 
I was able to pickup a used 15mm FE for $250, but deals like that don't happen often.  The front cap was missing, but there were no marks on the glass, and a new cap cost $27.  I used a front lens thread repair tool to expand the built-in metal hood very slightly so the cap fits snugly and securely.

Good luck in finding a decent one of these... getting exceptionally hard to find (in the Bay area, Cali) and when you do they are usually quite "used". Cost more for a used Canon than the Sigma... the Siggy is newer, cheaper (new or used), warrantied if new, sharper and better built. I chased the Canon 15mm for quite a while, finally tested out a few 8-15L but Siggy won out after all was said and done. I also tried a few selections in the Bower/Rokinon/Samyang route, 8mm / 14mm... meh, no AF, cheesy build. Sigma still kicked arse. Love their 10-20mm for a crop, a great choice for the 7D. Not a true fish on a the crop but still fishy enough.

Some rarely use their fishes, me... I use it quite often. I own a lot of "L" glass, actually all "L" except for the Sigma's I spoke of. When my son was about to arrive, it was this 15mm Fish that I took into the delivery room. There are lots of examples in my Flickr link if you want to see more...

7

Lenses / Re: Cheap fisheye for canon full frame?

« on: May 07, 2013, 10:34:19 PM »

Wow! Awesome shots ChilledXpress. I just love your P51 

Thanks.

8

Lenses / Re: Cheap fisheye for canon full frame?

« on: May 07, 2013, 10:25:01 PM »

Love the Sigma 15mm DG EX rect. fisheye.... all on 5D3s and produces a 180 diagonal FOV. I'm an admitted fisheye addict I bought a new one for 550$US and a used one for UW work for 350$US both are quite sharp and did better than the 8-15L @ 15mm.


Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco by David KM, on Flickr

Epic photographer shot Ver.2 by David KM, on Flickr

MotoGP 2012 Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca - Helicopter Ride by David KM, on Flickr

Wings Over Wine Country Air Show 2012 - P51 Lady Alice by David KM, on Flickr

9

Lenses / Re: 85 1.2mk3 anytime soon?

« on: May 06, 2013, 10:25:42 AM »

i can't imagine what could be improved in a mkIII.  i use the 85 II and i absolutely love it.

LOCA or bokeh chromatic abberation is the only thing i'm not crazy about, but that flaw rears its head in even the best, super-fast lenses.

and besides, with canon's current pricing trend, i wouldn't care to pay 50%-75% more for what likely won't change much - image quality

Reaaaallllyyyy..... thheerrreeeessss noooothinnnnggg to improoooovee wittttthhh theeeeee MarkII. Waaaaaaayyyyyyyy ttttooooooo slooooowwwwwwww.....

10

Lenses / Re: EF 300mm f/2.8 ( non IS ) AF ISSUES

« on: May 02, 2013, 11:16:45 PM »

A fine lens it is.  Check the gold contacts on the back.  Sometimes cleaning GENTLY with a qtip and alcohol will help.  Other than that you should call Canon and see if they will check it out for you.  It's worth it to get it fixed even though 14yo.  I bet it's the contacts though.  They don't last forever.

I've also see this happen with dirty battery contacts since on some cameras the AF motor gets its power directly from the battery.  However since you have tried it on several bodies, I would say it's likely the contacts.  But it could be something internal that needs to be repaired.

+1    A pencil eraser also works...

WTF? do you want him to ruin his lens?

The pencil eraser technique has been around for a long time... it won't necessarily ruin his lens, it might not be a great solution though. It's oxidation they are talking about. Check with a electrical shop and pick up a cleaner specific for this and use gingerly on the on contact surface.

I don't mess with this stuff personally, I'd just send to CPS or find a third party repair shop.  Here in the Bay Area there are only a few that can tackle the old stuff.

11

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Outdoor portrait noob help

« on: May 02, 2013, 09:58:44 PM »

A decent large scrim is not cheap...

A plastic frosted shower curtain will do for a cheap alternative. The best advice I could give... do your photo shoot with your friend, go home, check it out... repeat 1000X. A willing model is crucial for learning. The internet has tons of self help info on portrait photography in natural light and cost cutting DIY fixes. You don't need to spend thousands but you do have to do the leg work to figure out what works. You have to want to get better, invest a little time both behind the camera and researching techniques...

I'm not too sure this forum is the best place to get the answers you need, you'll get a wide range of  "opinions" from poor to great...

12

Portrait / Re: my first new born baby photos :)

« on: May 01, 2013, 10:10:55 AM »

Nice shots... the real reason I suspect many started taking photos and one of the main reasons I don't give a sh#$ about 31 stops of dynamic range or 4K video. There are far more important things to spend my time and effort worrying about.  My sons first week baby photos...


Motherhood... by David KM, on Flickr


01/52 Weeks of Sailor - First trip to Starbucks by David KM, on Flickr

13

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Street Photography Advice...

« on: April 27, 2013, 04:19:24 PM »

+1 for the Fuji X100S

14

Lenses / Re: Do you still love 24-105L?

« on: April 26, 2013, 12:18:22 PM »

Always found the 24-105 to be very vanilla... Picked it up as one of the first L and was never impressed. After getting the 24-70 and primes, it has been in a box since.

15

Software & Accessories / Re: Are there any Redged Monopod RMC-532 Users

« on: April 24, 2013, 01:34:49 PM »

Never used a Redged but I have a really nice Carbon Induro Mono I use with a 300 f/2.8. It has the same specs as redged, under 100$ and I'd put it up there with my Gitzo's any day.