I tried the L not long after it came out and was suitably impressed, it is a lovely lens!
However so is the non-L. IQ wise I could find no difference in real world usage, I shoot from a tripod so IS was of little consequence though the 3 position focus limited might be handy if and when I am not focusing manually (rare). The extra build quality is nice but it doesn't affect the images and 3rd party lens hoods (for the non-L) are cheap so no great advantage there.
If you are primarily shooting Macro from a tripod then I would (and did) go for the non-L version - it is simply excellent for the money. If you are doing more general photography and, especially, handheld Macro then the L is the better option in my opinion. They are both excellent lenses but the L version is more adaptable/versatile, the difference is not worth the price for my personal uses but it may well be for yours.

Yea, I have the SD630, and have had this problem for the past 3 or so years, but the only reason I can't and don't use it is because of the batteries working for only a few photos

Sporgon said:

Just a word of caution. Posting images like that shot on the 50 / 1.4 wide open at f1.4 will make you unpopular with the must-have 50/1.2 or Sigma 1.4 brigade

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Haha, you're probably right.
I've been shooting for a long time and I can say with a high degree of certainty that I will never own the 50mm 1.2

So many places I'd rather put that money.

Of course I found it right after posting this. There is a drop down on the current promotions of Canon's site that takes you to expired promotions.

I'm planning a visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton and bringing my 5D3 with the requisite landscape lenses, my SL1 is my backup EF body. I'd like to leave the big whites home and carry a bridge camera. Both the Leica and Lumix (identical specs) fit my bill as 25-400mm zoom with f/4 aperture. Does the Leica have a superior IQ to the Lumix? Is the Leica being a crippled version of the Lumix make it less desirable given the $450 premium price? I'd like to hear ONLY from those who have shot either or both bridge cameras.

Leaving out stuff which I no longer use and ought to sell on, I have a 7D2 and a 60D. I suppose I think of the 7D2 as my "main body" but in reality I use them more or less equally.

If the 6D Mark II has a swivel screen etc. - the "full frame 70D" as it has been called - then that will replace the 60D to make a perfect complementary pair. Then which will I think of as my "main body"? I really don't know!

AcutancePhotography said:

Knut Skywalker said:

I have the RoundFlash, I like to use it, but I let the pictures speak for itself.

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Just my opinion, I find the catch lights too distracting.

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Yeah, the catchlights are very prominent in the eyes because they are so thick. "Real" ringlights are thinner and subtler. The roundFlash is great for products, too. I like to photograph things I want to sell on ebay with the ringlight. Great results.

Not my photo but a good illustration of the EF vs EF-S lenses, the extra protrusion of the EF-S lens can be seen on the right:

jasny said:

Why to invest R&D in advanced MILC while Rebels are selling like mad in US and Europe?

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Actually, Rebels are selling very badly these years as Canon DSLR sales are dropping like a rock (I surmise that Rebels account for the majority of Canon sales).

AcutancePhotography said:

pwp said:

Now there's an opening for a third card slot in Canon bodies...for a sim card!

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A device that can take pictures and can be used to make phone calls? That's crazy talk. Something like that would never catch on.

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haha well played

beckstoy said:

...What's best? What do you all use and love? Whatever I use will be calibrated - I just want suggestions for specific models. I'm guessing ISP, right?

Can you all help?
Thanks in advance.

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As if you didn't have enough suggestions already I have been using the HP DreamColor LP2480zx 24" IPS display for several years now and have been pleased. It has RGB LED backlighting and covers 100% of sRBG and Adobe RGB and then some. I drive it with an ATI FirePro V3800 10-bit card over DisplayPort (this card has 10-bit support in Photoshop).

FYI: the Dreamcolor Calibration Solution device is required to calibrate the monitor.

Chaitanya said:

curby said:

So B&H is just going to carry nothing but shameless clone products now? First Yongnuo and now this.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2015/01/samyang-launches-135mm-f2-lens/

(that was a joke)

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Can you explain how the **** is this a clone?

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Do you see the yellow words????

it might be cheaper to just destroy the faulty units and manufacture new ones ... instead of shipping back, reparing, shipping again.

DominoDude said:

I really have to kick myself for not having watched this before. This is breathtaking and awesome, Dustin!
Loved the Blue-ringed octopus, and amazed you dared to swim so near it. I was aware of how poisonous they are, but had no clue that they were so small.

What kind of lighting do you have to bring with you on a session like this? If I remember correctly more or less all light disappears when you get under 10 m (~30 feet), and to make these creatures display all their beautiful colours I would imagine it takes a lot of light.

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Thanks so much for watching it. The blue ring was about an inch from my lens...with wet diopter on in some shots. They are small indeed!

As for lighting, I actually planned the trip during the rainy season on purpose, as I like macro shooting with as little natural light as possible. So having said that, I typically use 2 light and motion lights that are about 2000 lumen. The darker the ambient light the easier it is to light the subject and get the black background. The less ambient light, the less light I need from my lights. If it's sunny, I have to try to over power the sun to get rid of ripples, or the ugly blue look you often see.
Dustin

jepabst said:

Canon 5D Mark II
f/6.3
ISO-500
1/80sec
40mm

Taken at wedding just prior to ceremony - in Yorkville, IL at FOBs farmhouse. This was a DIY Farm Wedding
-chicago wedding photographer-

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Good one, jepabst!
I can definitely see the connection to that ol' famous Wood painting.

Great video!!!

Budging in - anyone has experience with the Aputure V-Sreen Video Monitor VS-3, and would be willing to share his experience?

Had the 50 Art back from service now two days, haven't really tried it enough yet, but so far so good (not sure if I should even say that out loud). I'm going to make my own neoprene cover over the whole lens, IF dust was the issue.

Nik said:

Thank you all for your input. 24-70 f/2.8 is going to be my choice. 8)

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An excellent choice sir...

That is a big lens!!

Probably a bit tough to handhold though.

Luds34 said:

Plus, how would selling 2nd hand work? If you must see a receipt, it's like saying each new purchase has one resale transaction built in, after that, it's used up.

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Interesting how it works in different countries. In Denmark its the norm and Ebay (DBA) specifically advises people to ask for the original receipt to avoid buying stolen goods.

No problem with resells; you get the original or a copy of the reciept from the first seller, who also writes one for the resell, so if you resell it again you just show the two (or the resell is noted on the original bill).

BTW consumer electronics is at the very top of the goods Ebay recommends this for.

Random Orbits said:

jdramirez said:

Random Orbits said:

If you're shooting at f/8, why would you restrict yourself to a prime? I have a similar setup in my garage, and I primarily use a 24-70. The zoom makes it easy to take pictures of kids from half body to full body shots. If I want something for a particular effect, then I'll use a prime with a large aperture, but most of the time, it's the zoom.

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I have one prime and two zooms... but when I am in a controlled environment, I gravitate to primes... While the zooms at f/8 are really good... I really like tickling excellence when it comes to using a really good prime.

I have all the respect for the canon 24-70 f/2.8L mkii... but I'm holding out for the rumored sigma 24-70 f/2 art if it ever comes out. I just like the idea of having an extra stop of light (two stops form where I am now) for my normal zoom.

I've just become a bit of a prime snob. I like my zooms... they are good (great), but there just a little something missing which makes me sad.

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Perhaps you should give the 24-70 f/2.8 II a try. It performs well wide open, and will be 3 stops faster than f/8. I do wish that the long end of the 24-70 f/2.8 II was a bit longer many times. Much fewer shots were are f/1.4 or larger. Those were reserved more specialty shots, but I usually found myself running out of space in the double garage to get the foreground/background distances right.

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+1 and I loved the color and contrast "pop" of my primes much better than my 24-70 f/2.8 (I). Then I picked up a 24-70 f/2.8 II and found that it was as good as my primes with the exception of the fast aperture, size, and distortion. My 24L and 50L are only used in low light or for shallow DOF these days. Also, coincidentally, the 16-35 f/4 IS has that same pop that I felt was missing from the 16-35 f/2.8 II.

Well I finally got the lens back. Timeframe was something like this -

Sent from TX to CA, 12/11
Arrived at Canon 12/15
Approved estimate 12/17 (within minutes of being notified)
Constant phone calls, emails for the next two weeks asking for status updates. Canon was also closed for 3 business days due to the holiday.
Item prepared for shipping 1/8
Shipped out 1/9, overnight
Arrived 1/12. So over a month, door to door.

Some notes about my experience, hopefully these will help someone else make a decision.

-The web tool where you check the status of the repair, is useless. It said "You have approved your estimate" for 3 weeks.
-The reps on the phone were generally very helpful and courteous. But of course they will not commit to timeframes, or really be able to give you much more information, than "your item is with the repair department."
-Reps were also very responsive via email and generally had a bit more information, as I suspect these emails actually go to the repair department. On one occasion they gave me a vague timeline, but again would not commit to it.
-They were kind enough to recognize that this repair was taking longer than usual, so they upgraded me from 2 day shipping to overnight shipping.
-The lens is repaired and I'm happy with the result. Focus assembly had become misaligned.

If I had to do it over again, I'd do CPS in a heartbeat. Gold obviously confers you a much higher status and quicker turnaround, I would have at least registered for the silver level though. (Not sure that would have made a difference, aside from having the 24/7 toll free number) Gold level, even at $100, would have saved me $40 off the repair price, and then I could probably sell that CPS strap they give you on ebay to make up the bulk of the rest. That, plus the fact that you can get equipment cleaned and serviced quickly makes it a bargain IMO.

I'm probably not going to join right away, but I certainly will prior to sending anything else in.

Thanks to both of you for the comments

Re: the tree photo. That one was a long time in the making.

Regarding the Case, I used AF Case 1.

Cheers,
Ted

MonkeyB said:

sagittariansrock said:

MonkeyB, I must have missed the picture the last time. Cute kiddo... What did you do to catch that smile or is this a natural model in the making

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he's a MER-MAN! i set up the exposure before dropping him in. oh, and we bathed and fed him first. usually have to get it right away, or he gets squirmy. i smile at him before bringing my eye to the camera and that usually does the trick.

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