YuengLinger said:

I understand your suggestion here, about sticking to a brand or model when somebody asks a question about using a particular device.

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What I meant is trying to understand first if there is something wrong in the use of a given device, and help to achieve the best results. Then, and only then, if those results are not yet up to someone expectations, suggest which other devices could lead to better ones.

Because if there are some mistakes in the process, no amount of money you can throw at the problem usually solve it - if not maybe by pure chance. But without the right understanding, it can surface again with any little change in the process, and again if the solution is unknown, it can't be solved.

YuengLinger said:

First, the OP has been having problems for a year with his printer. I know the frustration of spending on ink and getting no better results, and then spending more on ink.

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Yeah, I know too. I believe your suggestion about "Jeff Schewe's THE DIGITAL PRINT" was very important, because you lead to something that can tell a lot about the printing process regardless of the printer you're using.

Sure, following that book won't turn a consumer printer into an high-end one, yet you'll understand why, and you'll be able to exploit fully whatever your budget permits, and not just waste money on a more expensive model and still get subpar results because you really didn't grap the required technique to obtain good results.

Otherwise, if someone says "my camera always give too dark images", do you tell him to check exposure, or you suggest to change camera?

YuengLinger said:

I shouldn't have to point out that the OP is not the only person reading a thread. Others have the same questions, including many who are trying to decide on a printer. So, I'm being helpful to those who are searching for info on various printers.

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Yes, but this way it could be a little misleading. If we were to perform a comparison between the Pro-1 and the 3880 we should ensure that both are properly used and deliver the best results. I'm sure that whatever printer I use, and whatever printer Keith Cooper use, his prints will be far better than mine Would you suggest someone else what printer to use using such kind of comparisons? Does the 3880 always prints better than the Pro-1? Maybe, but it needs to be a fair comparison.

YuengLinger said:

When it comes to printers, we aren't "trapped" in a brand by a bag full of lenses and flashes. It is MUCH easier to finish up a set of inks and move on, either to another of the same brand or a different brand. Sticking with a printer that isn't performing becomes very expensive because it consumes ink.

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Sure, but like cameras, the best device is not the latest and more expensive, but the one you know better and can exploit fully. As I said, it could be true you got the wrong device for the expected result, and just need another. But unless you are sure you're using it the correct way to achieve the best results, and still it's not what you wish, you just risk an endless chase of "the best one" wasting money and money because none will give you what you want, if there is some basic failure in the process. Good for sellers, not so good for your pocket and very frustrating - while maybe buying a $35 book - as you suggested - and/or reading Cooper's site could be the real solution. Then feel free to jump from printer to printer until you're fully satisifed with the results - you'll know how to get there.

I'm not trying to defend the Pro-1 - I was just pointing out it's after all a good printer, and maybe the reported issues were not in the printer itself, but maybe in some other steps. Everybody had its issues with one brand or another, and his own preferred ones. Yet, I learnt there's more value in discussing issues regardless of a given brand, than simply saying "oh yes, I used X too, but it was crap and now I'm very happy with Y" - unless you can give a factual proof that X was really crap.

Other peoples photos of Holi festivals are great but I would not take my gear anywhere near one. Among others, Roger at Lens Rentals has written of the toll that colorful powder takes on cameras and lenses. It gets absolutely everywhere. Roger imposed a NO HOLI SHOOTING policy with his rental equipment.

collegetech said:

just an update for everyone in this thread. I have found my solution to my lens problem: more hours. I picked up more hours from my campus job. So far I have saved $450, this is with out selling any gear yet. I am going to purchasing that sweet 16-35 f4. Its the lens I wanted and it will be my first L glass... it will be sweet! I want to avoid the whole buy sell thing if I can. I will buy a 6d this summer. The 135 will be next for portraits And I'll keep my 50 for in between.

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Indeed... when the budget constrain seems too harsh on the options, finding a way to change the budget is the way to go. And at the rate the prices of the 6D are moving, Canon FF is getting much more accessible all the time. Keep us posted on your photo exploits!

We might get an announcement later in the year. I think we'll get slightly more MP (around 20) and possibly more fps and naturally dual Digic 7 to handle the speed. A lot of eyes will be on improvements in DR and high ISO noise control.

Features I think we won't see - Wifi and touchscreen. GPS maybe (based on the fact that the 7D2 has it).

I'm bummed that the lens rebates are mail-in instead of instant.

Hjalmarg1 said:

I wouldn't be suprised if Fuji comes with a very fast AF mirrorless camera. They have done a very good job in producing quality cameras and lenses.

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I'm hoping they do, they're already acceptably fast for all kinds of non-action work.

another interesting quote from that interview, however:

Q: If you had to guess, how many years will it be before the DSLR has no technical advantages over mirrorless?

A: Thinking about the current advantages of DSLRs there’s focusing speed, lens lineup, overall responsiveness… I’d say maybe two or three years time.

They respect the (AF) speed abilities of the 7D2 and they're gunning for it.
Some Fuji (& Olympus too, i think) lenses are using voice-coil type focusing actuators which are capable of moving very quickly and that could be the ticket to some very high performance mirrorless systems as soon as their bodies catch up a bit more.
SLR mfrs seem to be very fond of various types of rotating motor drives for AF, and they certainly work well enough. But smaller lighter lenses can use different types of drive, like the linear actuators, more readily. And that will be another benefit to ML systems as they mature.

SL1 with both pancakes. Black Rapid Metro Cross strap. Incase sling bag.

bholliman said:

I own both a 70-200/2.8 II and a 135/2 and both have a permanent place in my kit. When I want to travel light, I often take my 24-70/2.8 II and 135/2 as a very effective two lens combo.

For me the 135/2's advantages are size/weight, f/2 aperture and being pretty inconspicuous due to its size and color. The extra stop of light gathering ability is huge. The 135/2 is a terrific indoor sports lens that allows lower ISO's and cleaner, better quality pictures. Sure, you give up the flexibility of the zoom, but when not reach limited it does a great job.[/left]

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pwp said:

Agreed, the 1,490 gram (3.28 lb) 70-200 f/2.8isII it is big & heavy. And fabulous. It's my most used lens.

But for travel? This is where the extraordinary 760 gram (1.68 lb) 70-200 f/4is gets a big mention. It's one of the all-time-great travel lenses with two notable advantages over the almost identical weight 750 gram (1.65 lb) 135 f/2. For a start, the obvious flexibility of a zoom plus the incredible IS performance of this lens. Don't underestimate IS power in helping deliver keepers. I had a stellar 135f/2 and sold it within a year. Maybe I've got slightly shaky hands, but my keeper rate with the non-IS 135 f/2 was disturbingly low compared to my 70-200 f/2.8isII.

A revised 135 f/2 with IS will sell it's socks off. It'll come eventually.

-pw

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And those posts pretty much summarise the arguments and differences right there One lens shorter, less conspicuous and with the aperture advantage; the other with zoom flexibility, and IS which more than offsets the slower aperture if your subject is still.

I still feel tempted by the 135L because, when it's right, I think the f/2 gives something the 70-200/4 just can't match, but my head is saying the 70-200/4 is probably still the better choice as a travel lens because of its versatility. It doesn't feel right having two 70-200s in my kit though. If I get a chance to try out a 135L for a while at any point, I'll definitely give it a go.

NancyP said:

RGF, cinema video cameras basically don't use autofocus. The cinematographer has special attachments on the lenses for easy manual focus. Take a look at the cinema lenses, or the cinema versions of the Samyang/Rokinon lenses - there are gearlike focus rings that engage with other gears on a device known as a focus puller (I think - though the person doing the focus is also called a focus puller). If you notice cinema focus changes, they aren't "instantaneous", in fact they are relatively gradual to allow a smooth-looking transition from out of focus to in focus.

In filming video on a DSLR, the mirror is locked in the "up" position, and all work is done on the LCD live view. Shutters - I don't know how that works on DSLRs, I suspect most models just use the standard focal plane shutter mechanism for video. The high end cinema video cameras use electronic shutter only. I don't do video, yet, I just like knowing how things work.

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Thanks. I never have been close to working with a true cine camera.

Randon Orbits,

Thank you! I have never used canonpricewatch before, but the prices listed there are very good. I am going to USA in may, I hope the combined prices are lower than US$ 3000, so I might be able to buy both.

Roger is looking into it, seems like it is a mistake.

It looks like the Tamron may turn out to be significantly sharper than the canon 2.8 and on par to the canon f/4 instead.

Click said:

Beautiful series. I especially like the first and the last picture.

Well done Simon.

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Thanks very much

The shop I usually deal with, which had them on back order forever, appears to have them in stock again too. 8)

Yes, transaction was good, camera is good, nothing missing. I just had to figure out how to change the menu to English ;D

I'm a Professional engineer, but I do not design lenses. I do know a little about how they work, and as lot about how electronic and mechanical design works.

Image Stabilization is accomplished by moving a lens element or group in order to keep the projected image stable on the camera sensor. This means that motion sensing elements in the lens must detect any tiny movement and acceleration, send a signal to the voice coil type motor that moves that element just the right amount to offset movement in the lens. If the signal isn't just perfect, the movement will overshoot, and the image will jump, so a feedback circuit determines when the lens element is moving too much, and a correction is introduced. If the gain of the circuit doing this is set too high, the IS lens group will just keep moving, so it has to damp out and stop very quickly.

In order to add a additional stop of IS, the motion detector must be more sensitive, the motor must be more powerful, and the feedback control must have more gain. This gets difficult and expensive, its not a linear function, a additional stop might up the cost 100 times or more.

I suspect that the sensors are already pushing the limits of sensitivity for low cost commercial sensors, a larger motor needs to be bigger and takes more power, and the feedback circuits fall in the same category as the sensor.

I am certain that 5 stop IS is possible, but the price might be breathtaking and out of proportion to the value of the lens. The designer has to balance all the factors and give the customer the best bang for his buck. Adding $1000(or whatever the cost) for 1 stop better IS does not deliver enough value to the buyer for his expense.

ok guys thanks for the input!

BobAaron said:

I have both the 7D and the 7dii. I had the 7D for nearly a year and the 7Dii was supposed to be an upgrade for me.
Both cameras were set to the same exact settings (or as close as possible given that the shutter speeds have slight variations, etc.). I was shooting horse races using both the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II and the 3oomm f/2.8 L IS prime lens. On day one I used the 7D and 7Dii with the 70-200 lens alternating cameras one race after the other. On day two I alternated cameras race by race using the 300mm. RESULTS: Both the 7D and 7Dii shot identical quality shots using the 70-200mm. Using the 300mm prime lens, only the 7D shot in-focus shots one after the other. Nearly every shot taken by the 7dii was blurry. I spent a solid week testing and retesting. Same results.

There is something inherently wrong with here. Compatibility issues? Maybe? I sent the 7Dii back to B+H which honored their 30-day return policy.

Now my search for an upgrade to the 7D continues. I thought the 7Dii would be that upgrade but it turned out to be a huge disappointment!

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If it's any consolation, my 7d2 is back at canon being checked for AF issues. In my particular body even afma was not being honored properly. I could get fairly consistent in focus shots using one shot AF but in servo AF it required a different afma...and would not be consistent from one day to the next.

Though they are full frame, the 5d3 or 1dx are the next options. For crop sensor the option would be the 70d.

I have A7r with the Commlite Canon adapter, which apparently works a little better than Metabones IV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrrmPDEkuVI

AF speed with adapter is surprisingly fast with Canon 35L, 24-70 f/2.8 II, so if you have these, give them a go.
Unfortuantely, Canon 100L, 70-200 f/2.8 II are horribly slow with the adapter, unusable really.

Eldar said:

pdirestajr said:

What are people's thoughts on the Otus' switch to a rubber coated focus ring? How does it feel compared to the metal on older lenses?

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I think both are good and I live happily with both. But the Otus focusing mechanism is smoother than the others, so that adds to it. If I had to choose I´d pick the Otus, but it might be because of the very smooth and also very precise movement just as much as the rubber coating. i also like the shape of the Otus lenses. They are simply good to hold.

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Thanks Eldar!
I'm intrigued by this lens as I've been contemplating the Zeiss 50mm f/2 for a while. Will have to try them out.

I took two test Roger did and combined the charts. Hope this is legit (tests were done the same way) and I am not stepping on anyone's toes.

Thought I would share what I found. Note perfect match as far as focal lengths go (except for 24). Not sure if Roger tested the Canon at F4 and Nikon at F2.8 - I think he did.

My observations: at 24 Canon is sharper (if MTF means sharper) until the very edge.

No direct comparison at 14 but can compare Canon 11 and 16 to Nikon 14. Not sure what to make of these charts. What do they mean to my images?

Schruminator said:

I just wish they would have included a rear filter holder on this lens so I could use my 9-10 stop gels.

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That would have been a great inclusion. Glad to see that the new Canon 11-24mm allows for that.

Schmave said:

Wow PhotographyFirst, all of your photos are really awesome! I can see you spend a lot of time and effort on each one and it pays off! I bet they look stunning printed large.

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Thanks! I do spend a lot of time on them. Out of over 100,000 landscape images taken, I have a little over 100 that make the cut for my website. I have some printed around 7 feet wide that hang in homes and doctor's offices.

I purchased this lens from the Canon Refurbished store about a year ago and use it frequently on a 1Dx for taking pictures of my 3 year old son at the park and really enjoy the pictures I get with it. I usually shoot around f2, within 6 feet, a subject that doesn't sit still for very long. This is a huge test for autofocus on any camera and lens combination. My autofocus set up is only cross type sensors, single point, servo case 1. I will use the inner or outer focus points depending on the framing for my subject. I usually will shoot a short burst of images to aid in getting at least one in focus. I estimate that my keeper rate is around 30-40% when taking pictures of my son in this environment. That is mostly due to his movement and my success rate is much higher when shooting a more static subject.

When shooting at wide apertures I am always in single point, servo mode and focus on the closest eye to the camera. I have found that this helps me to increase focus accuracy because the camera is constantly adjusting for any slight distance changes between the subject and camera. I have been using these setting for a couple of years so it is very comfortable for me compared to one shot focus. I also have not noticed any focus shift with this lens. This maybe due to using servo mode with this lens.

I have not done any AMFA for this lens or any of my other lenses. It is something I have looked into but I have not done yet. I have also used this lens on with my 5D3 and have had similar results. The main difference is the 1Dx keeps up with a moving subject and acquires focus much faster which is why I use it exclusively when taking pictures of my son. Here a couple of examples of the 1Dx and 50L combo where the eyes are tack sharp. He only held the pose for about 1-2 seconds before turning his head or getting up to do something other than pose for me.

It is a great lens that sells well and has no equivalent..... I can't see it going away unless it was replaced with a newer version.

Hello my fellow canon rumor members. I would like some feedback. I'm torn between the Canon 16-35 f4 and the Tamron 24-70 f2.8. I shoot with a 7d mark ii and the focal lengths I like to use most are 16, 24, 35 and 50. Both lenses have IS and I'll be using which ever lens I get for both photo and video. I'll also be using the lens for general photos and street photography. Can you guys please help me make a choice?! I do plan on going full frame, probably when the 5d Mark 4 come out, so efs lenses are not an option.

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Have you considered the Canon 16-35 f4 complimented by the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II Lens. Both are EF (crop and full frame) and would cover all your focal lengths you needs.

The Canon 16-35 f4 is the best wide angle zoom lens on the market, bar none. The EF 50mm f1.8 II Lens is an absolute bargain ($125), that is ideal for street photography.