vscd said:

GMCPhotographics said:

I think one of the biggest weaknesses of the 5DIII camera is the SD slot. Pop a card in both slots, put the camera into max fps mode and the buffer lasts a few seconds. Pop the SD card out and the buffer lasts for 5-6 seconds before filling up. So yes, it's good news about the 5D4.

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So what's exactly the good news here, as the 5DM4 is supposed to have a SD Card slot again? I never trusted SD-Cards, by the way, as they often failed. While CF Cards were always relyable.

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The 5d3 had the second gen SD card slot which would only read/write data at about 21mb per second. The specs seem to point to the much newer UHS-II format which could give speeds of upto 156mb per second and thus is a lot more useful (and cheaper).

Anyone have any experience with the Sigma 300mm f2.8 prime? I'd be interested to hear any and all experience but particularly that of anyone who has also used the Canon 300's (Non IS, IS I and IS II)

I always use OEM inks - not worth traying anything else.

Paper stock is a very individual thing and I've got 3 or 4 favourites depending on gloss / matte / fine art / cheaper prints.

It can take all eternity to find the right paper and I have to persuade paper suppliers for free samples or else those sample packs can add to up to many £££.

The thing that drives me mad is getting profiles for each paper. To properly evaluate each I need to get a profile made up and then test. I have a couple of great images that show up issues or character.

Even when I've got a profile (professionally) done it can often require a little editing. Fortunately I've got an old icc profile editor.

Prints now are looking great - after going through the whole process all over again... grrr...

neuroanatomist said:

Glad it was an easy fix, even if not totally painless.

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Yep, totally painless ;D
It's time to pay attention to the prevailing CR viewpoint with filters...
Just Get B&W Genuine-only. That eBay deal that looks too good to be true... ???

-pw

Act444 said:

I have zero experience with extenders so I will defer to someone who has used them before. If AF tracking and speed is critical, the 7D2/500 may be more responsive, however that's just a guess...

But I will say that the thought of a 5D3/500/1.4 combo enters my mind occasionally as well. As if the cost barrier wasn't enough to overcome, there's also the weight/transport barrier as well! The largest/bulkiest lens I have handled up to this point is the 28-300L (a lens I no longer have), and I understand the "great whites" are in a totally different category otherwise...Constraint: I need something I can handhold.

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Sorry I thought I was replying to Alan who has experience with many combinations! But all opinions are welcome. To tell the truth I do have these combinations but never manage to make comparisons. I have used mostly 7D2 with 500 (with some AFMA). 1.4XIII needs also the same amount of AFMA and ... a tripod.

The 500 works fine with my 5D3 . But I have not tried 5D3 with 500 + 1.4XIII up to now.

Now back to handholding: 7D2 + 400DO IS II is an excellent (and handholdable) combination. I have tried that many times when I was getting tired of holding the 500 (So I guess 600 is out of the question for me!)

CanonFanBoy said:

pj1974 said:

Hi Everyone

The new Cactus v6ii (and v6iis - for Sony) have just been announced... and I, for one, am impressed. Early this year, I heard about the v6ii versions coming out (including their basic specs), and that prevented me from buying any other radio triggers.

http://www.cactus-image.com/v6ii.html

…
Would appreciate hearing from 'lighting / flash folk' here, on your thoughts about these new Cactus triggers, and whether others think they'll buy (with reasons) or not (with reasons).

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I've not used them myself, but if it will work across all your flahes and you can use them all together it would be a no brainer to me. Good luck Paul.

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Thanks CanonFanBoy for your reply and contribution.

Yes, this is one reason why I am attracted to the Cactus v6 ii triggers, the fact that they are compatible with my current 4 (non radio) flashes, AND can use these should I add other gear, or ‘change system’ (e.g. go mirrorless in the future, or even change brand). My current 4 flashes will work with the Cactus triggers on the most likely combinations of system and brand that may be in the future.

Not that I’m necessarily wanting or planning to do this (I love Canon DSLRs at the moment, and am very happy with my DSLR bodies and EF & EF-S lenses). However I am keeping my options open, and the Cactus system currently presents the most attractive option in terms of future proofing across systems and brands.

I would love to hear (read) more from CR folks in this thread, and discover whom have used the v6 (or even better the v6 ii) with regards to usability, functionality and reliability, as well as cross-brand experiences.

Regards, and also best wishes to you too CanonFanBoy. 8)

After a bit more testing with Zone AF and then single point AF (which I've always used in the past) it seems single point AF is somewhat quicker; I guess the camera doesn't have 9 points to check for focus...

Eldar go the whole hog and get a digital director

Use manual mode in FoCal - quite easy to do and we've discussed it in earlier threads. I verified with LensAlign or similar setup (target and angled yardstick) afterwards.

As almost all my Canon gear has AF problems, this concept would be really welcomed !!

GMCPhotographics said:

I've been using 85L and 35L's for more years than I care to comment on. Using the 85L you will always need spot focus on the 5DIII to nail the thin dof. I've never had any issue with the af accuracy. The only time the 1Dx's af is superior is when it can use face recognition and colour tracking during AI servo with all the points enabled. Other than that, the AF is so close there is no appreciable difference. I've tracked razor bills in flight with both using my 400mm f2.8 LIS. 80K for a 1Dx or is barely broken in. Most of the S/H ones I've seen for sale in the UK have had 700K shots and look pretty worse fro ware and the retailers still want over £3K for them! Insane pricing.

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I do have very good accuracy with the 5Ds+85LII combo, but my impression so far is that I have more misses when using off center AF-points on the 5Ds, than I see with my 1DX. The most significant difference is AF-speed.

In Norway, I´ve seen several used 1DXs with low shutter counts and prices at or lower than £2600/$3400.

AlanF said:

Also because a particular detail is spread out over more pixels, the transitions of contrast are spread out and there is lower perceived acutance.

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Logical!
Thanks, Alan.

Mikehit said:

[email protected] said:

Both the 5D3 and 1DX are great choices. Buy one, but do so based on your sense of the form factor. You really need to handle the 1DX for an afternoon to know if it's for you. When the 5D4 comes out I'm going to sell and get the new 5 series.

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Thank you for your feedback comparing the different models, Tiggy.

I agree with the comments about the form factor - what is your thought on a 700k 1Dx? If the shutter is new is there anything else I should be considering?

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I would be concerned about a 700K camera - mirrorbox might need adjustments (bdunbar has some problems in his two bodies). I recently purchased a 1DX with just under 55K clicks. Before committing, I called the local CPS repair center and asked them what I should be looking for and based on the serial number, they could tell me the service history.

Personally, I don't notice the size/weight difference between the 5D3 and the 1DX, partly due to using a monopod.

LDS said:

UnholyRacket said:

Thanks to Canon for the fix, but why did this not get picked up in testing? Sandisk are hardly a niche card manufacturer.

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Probably because tests weren't designed to pick this. Hope Canon updated its tests now (and the 5D4 doesn't need workarounds) . It would be interesting to know why - AFAIK - only the 1Dx II + SanDisk combination triggers this, and if there are issues at the hardware level - and on which side (if not both). If hardware is OK, maybe they will eventually deliver a full fix (which may require more complex changes, and time to test them to avoid another bad situation), if a recall is needed, well, that's expensive, and will be the last option.

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Certainly the SanDisk card operates in a slightly different way than the other manufacturers' cards. From what has been written publicly, it seems like it needs to have the power on slightly longer than other cards, to avoid the last ~5MB written getting corrupted.

Testing is based on many criteria, but one of them is usually worst-case scenarios; e.g. highest number of new files being created/second, highest bandwidth written (both user-seen BW and internal BW) and so on.
For example, the flash memory in the CF/CFast is written in "chunks", so you will have an expansion of the data-rate when you spill over to using just one byte of the final "chunk" (Unrealistic example: 16MB+1byte becomes 17MB).

My guess is that even though stills can be shot at up to ~450MB/sec (16fps * 28MB/image @ ISO3200), the Motion-JPEG video storage requires even more bandwidth, so this was a metric to test for, but the test engineers didn't expect the power-off/change-cards scenarios to be important.

The old RISC-processor maxim comes to mind: "Make the common case fast and the rare case correct".

The trouble is that rare events like the power-off/change-card scenarios are notorious for taking a lot of time to simulate or test for.

My gut feeling is that this is also why Canon has pushed out the current solution; it is an obvious workaround where you are guaranteed to avoid the problem, without having to go through a vast regression suite. Once Canon have had time to fully understand the timing issue and do a regression for it, they might issue a new FW update (together with some other updates).

The inner mechanism rides on some nylon bushings that can break or be damaged. When that happens, AF slows down or even jams. I'd have it repaired, it might be something else or a combination of things. If you are adventuresome, you can possibly repair it, but if pieces of the bushing are not easy to remove, its better to have a experienced tech to repair and check it.

There may even be some tear down videos on youtube.

Breakthrough has piss poor service. I would look elsewhere.

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After much deliberation I ignored Bryan's review on the-digital-picture, and purchased the Hoya ProND 1000. Initial impressions are good, with no sign of the ghosting mentioned by Bryan in his review, when used on my Canon 5D mk2 with any of my L lenses. I'm guessing that Bryan's results were being effected by the eye piece not being shielded, something I've been doing as a matter of course since experiencing light leakage issues, when using the Lee Big Stopper.

Ditboy said:

Boy just what we didn't need, another slow general zoom. Fast primes Canon, please. I'm holding off a couple purchases of 3rd party lenses to see what you are coming out with, which is dismal.

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A medium fast zoom like 20-60 f/4.0 in a moderately compact form factor would be interesting for me if it has good mfd for closeup / near macro photos.

New firmware (V1.1) takes the max custom page length to 25.5"

http://www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/products/printers/inkjet/other_series/imageprograf_pro-1000.aspx?type=firmware

"Feature: (1.1): ROM: The maximum printable height of custom paper size will be lengthened to 25.5-inch (647.70mm) with specifying in the printer driver."

Still a very nice printer...
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/review-canon_pro-1000.html

Isaac Szabo did my last camera - http://www.isaacszabo.com/index.html

If you're not in the US, you might be happy to hear that mine was an international order and everything went very smoothly with good instructions and communication.

Act444 said:

FTb-n said:

Sabaki said:

I've watched some birders take bif sequences with a 1DX and they nail at least a 90% keeper rate, which is not the same for users of the 5Diii. (Admittedly, most of the birders in my community will shoot with a 1DX or 7Dii and not the 5Diii)

When chatting to those 1DX users, they advise the following:
* The bigger battery drives the lenses quicker and more efficiently
* The dedicated ITR chip in the 1DX means tracking in AI Servo mode is just way better

Anybody agree or disagree with their above statements?

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Absolutely agree with both. The battery benefit is often missed when comparing these two bodies. I have also found that auto exposure (Auto ISO in manual mode) and auto white balance are both more accurate with the 1Dx.

My needs are rather demanding. I shoot a lot of figure skating including ice shows under nothing but spotlights. The AI Servo mode is particularly challenged during rotational jumps. Keep in mind that AI Servo is a predictive algorithm where the system tracks the subject's movement to predict where the subject will be when the shutter is actually tripped. This is why it's best to start tracking a second before shooting. This algorithm is critical for burst mode when the AF system if frequently interrupted when the mirror is up.

During a rotational jump, the subject starts by skating in one direction, which is easy for the camera to track. Then the skater suddenly goes vertical and while in the air, rotates. Now whatever portion of the costume that the focus point locked on is moving up, away, then back toward the camera. With the 5D3, I often lost focus during the jump. This seemed to be hit or miss. It also often tracked without problem. By the way, during practice, skaters often wear black with no contrasting decoration -- yet another challenge for the AF system.

The 1Dx is noticeably more consistent with AF tracking during jumps. It isn't 100% and at full burst, I can still get a frame or two that isn't quite sharp. But, my keeper rate is much higher. Plus, the 12 FPS makes it possible to get a photo of a skater in mid-jump while looking in my direction. With the 5D3, I had to try to time this moment and most often missed. (The 8 FPS burst mode of the 7D was also too slow to get this moment.)

Most recently, I shot skaters during dress rehearsal (under spotlights) while I was on the ice in skates. There were a couple skaters with signature moves that I was able capture while I was moving (actually chasing the skater as they skated away from me during their element). The 1Dx/70-200 f2.8L II did a great job tracking the subject under these circumstances.

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Wow, thanks for this insight. I also have (limited) experience shooting at ice shows and it's a serious challenge for any AF system to handle. Poor lighting (spotlights can be dim, and don't always stay on skater) AND fast action combined. I got, at best, mixed results with the 7D and 60D cameras. The 7D I found to be rather inconsistent, missing even opening/ending pose shots (!) on occasion. The 7D2 in particular was a major disappointment and I had entire series of shots that were no good. That said, the increased buffer of the 7D series often meant I took more shots with them, which translated into more keepers in general than I got with the 60D I was using prior. Has me thinking whether the 1D would make a difference or not...

I find that for me, most missed shots are not necessarily during jumps, but during turns (changes in direction, coming around the rink) and occasionally spins. The biggest contributor, though, appears to be the costume the skater has on. Some skaters can wear smooth, shiny costumes which can really give the AF fits and leads to a noticeably lower hit rate than the skaters who wear more detailed outfits.

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Figure skating was a key factor in my gear acquisitions. I went from an XT to the 60D with the 70-200 f2.8L II. The 60D was obviously a big improvement over the XT, but it often had tracking issues when the skater changed directions. Then I went to the 7D and tracking improved immensely. But, during ice shows, I still needed better low-light performance and added the 5D3. The 5D3 lacked the buffer, FPS, and the dual processors of the 7D, but the AF system was still an improvement. The really big jump (no pun intended) in performance came with the 1Dx.

You are absolutely right with the observation of a skater's costume. AF systems like contrast. I sometimes have the most trouble during practice ice (with full arena lights) with skaters who wear all black practice attire.

Another factor that drove my need for better gear is the skill of the skaters. Early on, my main concern was photographing my daughter. As she progressed, I started shooting more for the club and more of other skaters in her group. Now they are among the most advance skaters in the club and the elements that perform involves more speed and more rotation. With better gear and more practice getting shots of these skaters in action, shooting younger skaters doing single jumps seems so much easier than it did a few years ago.

hayden said:

Neutral said:

Jack Douglas said:

What I'm reading here makes good sense to me. In spite of comments such as Neuro makes, I think Canon is going to find themselves with fewer and fewer customers in the future if they don't adapt. My needs are presently met by Canon and I won't be switching but locally I see quite a few who are.

Brand loyalty is natural but kind of foolish in many respects.

Jack

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I am afraid that Canon underestimates threats for them from technology evolutions trends in this particular area and accelerating speed of this evoluion. There is more to see before the end of this year – especially some highly anticipated products from Sony (e.g.A9) utilizing new sensor technologies. I have some expectations – will see if that comes true – especially regarding new BSI stacked sensor in A9 and improvements in high ISO performance and AF performance. If that happens – it will be very difficult to resist buying one.

Another thing is recent Hasselblad X1D announcement.
What I see in many comments around internet that most of the people underestimate or do not understand what does it mean and focus on current camera limitations and native lens selection.
From my point of view, this is major breakthrough and this marks beginning of the new era in photography.
However, this is another topic.

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My dilemma:

If you were starting all over right now with $10,000, what would you choose between:

1) Canon 1DX mark 2 + (24-70mm 2.8 + 85mm 1.2)
or
2) Sony (A7R II + A7S II) + (G-master 24-70mm 2.8 & 85mm 1.4)

I have read tons of reviews and I am tortured. I need a camera that can do basically everything for fashion: studio, street, runway, videos (thus the A7S II).

If not for the runway, I wouldn't need the burst speed of the 1DX2.

I am primarily concerned with:

1. Sony system longevity -- I don't want Sony to create yet another mount system making all previous bodies and lens incompatible
2. A7R II and S II focussing ability for rapidly walking runway models coming at me (photo and video).
3. Not that I really need 4K 60fps video, but the 1DX2 has it, while the Sonys are limited to 4K 30fps
4. Lack of touchscreen on Sonys (why given how they are supposed to be the vanguard of new tech in the camera industry right now??!!)
5. I figure other miscellaneous costs will equal out, e.g.: battery grips for Sonys vs the insane cost for CFast cards

Initially I was leaning toward the two Sonys over the 1DX2, but after testing our the A7r 2, I found the lag from the buffer and other operations a bit unbearable (granted I wasn't using the fastest SD card, but I read that even with fast SD cards there is a tremendous lag that will cause missed shots)

I have a gut feeling that Sony might make me happier once the A7r 3 addresses more shortcomings of the A7r 2, but I need a new system NOW.

What would be your advice on choosing a new system?

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This is not an easy choice, especially taking into account possible new announcements soon.

I solved that for myself long time back by just having both systems – 1DXm2 and Sony A7r2 (also older 1DX and A7S) – they are best complements to each other and A7r2 works perfectly well with Canon glass.
Both are excellent ones for their intended use.
1DXm2 for fast actions, sports, events etc. and a7r2 for stills and slow actions.

With 1DXm2, my Canon EF85 f/1.2 got second life on the Canon body and became as easy to use (in live view mode) as it was on A7r2.

From your list, I would rather use 1DXm2 for runways (to have results that are 100% predictable) and A7r2 for all the rest.
If having both systems is not possible, I would rather stick to 1DXm2 for now – this is almost perfect camera in all respects for critical paid jobs.

For studio A7r2 is obvious choice – image quality is much better than from any canon bodies (including 1DXm2) plus eye AF with native glass is very important advantage. I wish that Canon could do the same for 1DXm2 via FW upgrade – they have all required for that in 1DXm2.
I used A7r2 with for people walking in front of me and even using Canon 100-400+ EX1.4mIII with Metabone adapter results were good. As I am hobbyist then for me, it is not critical if some shots are missed but for paid jobs (fashion, events, sports), I would still recommend using 1DXm2 for now.

As walk around and general use camera, A7r2 is much more convenient and resulting images are superb.

If time were not critical, I would rather wait until September for new Sony and Canon announcements (A9 from Sony and 5DmIV from Canon before making any choice). My expectations that new Sony A9 will be significant leap forward in all respects (sensor tech for IQ , high ISO performance and professional graded AF) so it might be close to 1DXm2 regarding AF but at least one generation (or more) ahead in sensor technology. Paired with new G-Master glass this could be top performing combo and possibly the best choice for you.

On the other hand, Canon with 5DmIV should be also up to all your requirements and would cost significantly less than Sony A9 with G-Master lenses.

Policar said:

Does it work on a C300 Mk II?

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Those are not sold at Canon US Online Store. You can use it on XC10 though, it's considered a camcorder.

neuroanatomist said:

2n10 said:

ahsanford said:

2n10 said:

I have use a BR strap for years on a gripped 7D with a 100-400 lens and the tammy 150-600 lens with no issue. Same goes with my 7D2. I just make sure to tighten the lug down very well. I hike around with this combination so there is a fair bit of movement. I have found the grip tends to loosen more than the BR lug.

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Yep, I was worried about that as the grip lacks the rubberized washer (which adds the ability to tension the lug) of the BR.

Changing gears to the grip-to-body attachment, is finger strength enough for everyone to seat that grip? One imagines some pipe wrench the size of Cleveland might be fashioned to generate more mechanical advantage...

- A

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I have gone that route, too. I would use the carabiner to tighten it down as shown by BR. Seems to work well for me.

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I believe ahsanford is talking about the thumbwheel attachment that connects the battery grip to the camera body.

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UGH, misread the post. I just hand tighten and then try to remember to check the tightness every so often.

I didn't read all the comments so forgive me if I'm repeating what others have said.

Putting on a high quality filter is a basic form of protection against abrasion. People talk about protecting the front element, but it also protects the rim around the front element. Theoretically a filter reduces light transmission to some tiny extent but it's a price worth paying. The only annoying thing about filter is that when you shoot towards the sun with a wideangle you need to take the filter off to reduce flare. High quality wideangle lenses are relatively flare resistant but you still get some flare. A filter usually accentuates the flare. Manufacturers claim that multiple layers of coatings help reduce flare but in my experience you're better off taking it off in bright situations. Better yet, notice the flare and block the ray of light with your hand.

Hoods offer better protection but I personally feel that they take up too much room in the already limited spaced camera bag.

There is no right or wrong in regards to protection filters. All a matter of personal preference. I don't use hoods. I don't use front caps. I put on filters and rear caps. I don't carry camera around my neck because I don't like it banging around. I clip my camera on my shoulder strap with capture pro.

nlrela said:

As most lenses are quite expensive I was wondering wether protection filter are worth to use.....

Actually I am more interested if the orginal Canon protection filters do decrease the picture quality
or will they have no influence ?
As mentioned lenses are quite expensive, but the Canon protection filters are quite cheap...

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Agree with the others. I tend to use it with LV handheld, magnify to confirm focus and then take a burst. Shift isn't too bad, but tilt is a pain without a tripod.