Looks like it's a classic 6x6cm folder, cool! Those are lots of fun. http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Dacora_I

Also, the Kodacolor (correct spelling) has come in various flavors over the years (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodacolor_%28still_photography%29), so it depends on which one you have. Although, I suspect if it's been sitting there for decades without decent storage, it'll be...interesting. Either awesome weirdness, completely crappy worthless, or somehow working just fine.

As for instructions, the Butkus page seems to be for a similar model, although not the exact same. Most folders are pretty similar in operation to each other, so it should be close enough.

I'd first check that the lens doesn't have a lot of model or other stuff gunking it up, and then check the operation of the shutter. You can trigger the shutter while holding the back door open so you can see through it, as well as the shutter blades. While you are doing that (use bulb mode or simply hold the shutter lever open after hitting the release) check the aperture by changing it while looking through the lens. It may still be fine, but you might need to get (or do it yourself) re-grease/oil the shutter and/or aperture blades since it's likely been sitting there for decades.

Last, you'll need to be able to estimate exposure well, use a pocket cam to get the exposure, or get a light meter. Along with that, learn Zone Focusing http://digital-photography-school.com/ultimate-guide-to-zone-focusing-for-candid-street-photography and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_focus are good starters.

And don't get discouraged when your first couple of rolls aren't at all what you thought you'd get. I've shot a few dozen rolls through mine and I'm still learning it's sweet spots.

Thanks for the info. I really need to start planning a trip out into the bush.

lw said:

I have put a summary of EOS M2 features and my own take on my EOS M blog
http://eos-m.net/news/eos-m2-announced-official/

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excellent, thanks!

the following bit of information is of specific interest:

AF Speed: The good news is that it appears the AF speed has been increased by a factor of 2.3x over the current M model that has V 2.0 firmware installed as highlighted in the quote below.

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It would be fun to test an SX50 body adapted so it would fit on to a 300mm f/2.8 to give an effective fov of 1675mm or, in terms of pixel size 1200mm. Using the sharpest Canon lens at f/2.8, instead of the f/6.5 of the SX50 zoom (which has a true focal length of 215mm) might give some interesting insights.

neuroanatomist said:

entlassen said:

I see this warning in the item description for (A) on B&H's site:

This filter ring's outside diameter is slightly larger than the actual thread size, and because of this you may be unable to attach the lens manufacturer's bayonet-mounted lens hood to the lens while using this filter. This is dependent on your specific lens and how thick the front rim of the lens is; with thinner, low-profile lenses usually being affected more.

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Does this lens hood problem affect the 82mm XS-Pro on the 24-70 f/2.8 II? And is this a problem with the 77mm XS-Pro on the 70-200 f/2.8 II?

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2) Ignore the 'warning'. I've got XS-Pro filters in many sizes, no issues with hoods.

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+1

Jens said:

@Mt Spokane Photography: great, I'm expecting to hear back from a few repair centres next week.

@docholliday: Thanks a bunch, really like you approach!


Regarding the 90deg usb cord, Is it correct that the 5d mark2 needs a "right" version?

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I'm not sure on the 5 series...on the 1-Series, it's the LEFT angle Mini-USB for the cable to go downward. Look at the Mini-USB port, if the bigger part of the port is towards the FRONT of the camera (towards the lens mount), it'll be the LEFT for down. If it's towards the back (towards the screen), it'll be the RIGHT for down.

I paid the extra for the "High-Flex" version of the cable, but also have one of the "Low Pro" ones around as a spare. The company is really good, good support too. I had a cable go bad on me and they promptly sent me a replacement without any headaches. They'll also cut specific sized cables with whatever ends you need on it.

People are not selling their 5D MkIII's and D800's in the numbers they are selling 5D MkII's. Ebay is the place for old RRS stuff.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=RRS&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.XRRS+b5&_nkw=RRS+b5&_sacat=0

There are ways altitude can cause issues, but not the kind of altitudes you are discussing. In extreme high altitudes, outgassing of silicones, lubes, plastics and the like can redeposit themselves where they care not wanted. You do not want them to deposit on your sensor or lens elements. That's why special modifications are made for equipment going into space. Part of my job used to be making sure that components used in spacecraft met outgassing specs.


Moisture is the enemy, rapid temperature change from warm humid to cold is the worst, since moisture condenses inside your camera. Taking a very cold camera into a moist warm room will condense moisture on the outside of the camera and lens where it is much less likely to be a problem.

unfocused said:

I've purchased three refurbished lenses. I am not a fanatic about calibration however, so I'm probably not the one to ask, but I've found them to be identical quality to lenses I've bought new.

I'm not sure, however, that this statement is correct: "Canon refurb stock to my knowledge is generally customer returns in the 30 day period or dealer demos."

I've always been curious as to where the stock really comes from, since I can't imagine that they can all come from customer and dealer returns. Especially because, during sales it's not uncommon for Canon to "restock" the store. How can you "restock" a store with returned items on such a consistent basis?

Now that CanonPriceWatch carries the number available in stock for each lens, I find this even more unlikely. For example, they currently show more than 500 40mm pancake lenses in stock. I seriously doubt that the majority of those lenses would be from customer returns. I strongly suspect that many of these lenses were never sold or spent any time out in the "wild."

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While its possible that new lenses are reboxed and sold, the quantity of lenses that are sold is very large, Canon might produce a million a year of some lens models. If even 1% of those are returned, that's 10,000 lenses.
When you add up all the cameras and lenses shipped to Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, Sams, Amazon, Newegg, and a thousand other camera stores, the numbers really add up.

neuroanatomist said:

That's the usual reason to avoid stacking filters, yes. Other than possible vignetting, it may not make a noticeable difference in IQ with good filters.

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Thanks for the clarification and all your help, Neuro!

Cory said:

Don Haines said:

You care nothing for continuous shooting yet want to shoot sports? If you get a 70D try the burst mode on an action shot.... like your daughter serving a volleyball... When you capture that perfect shot where the volleyball deforms as your daughter hits it you may change your mind... So much action happens faster than a human can react... you anticipate and time the burst around the expected instant you wish to capture.... This is something that you can't do with a lesser camera.

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Maybe you're right and maybe the same is true for some other features not used because I never had them. It shall be done - the order happens tomorrow morning.

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I didn't realize how useful it was until I got into bird photography...

Here is my experience within the 70-300mm range. My first purchase was a used 70-300 IS (non-L) lens. It took excellent small perched bird pictures, usually racked to to 300mm. Its down side was the dramatic extension as it zoomed out (potentially sucking in dust), and it rotated as it focused, neither of which I liked. I then got the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II, which is a fantastic lens. It doesn't extend, it doesn't rotate, it takes great pictures wide open, and the AF is very fast. Later I traded my 70-300mm plus $500 for a 70-200mm f/4 IS. I have to stop the f/4 lens down to f/5.6 to get the kind of sharpness of the f/2.8 wide open. The IS in the f/2.8 is much quieter, and the AF is noticeably faster than the f/4 lens. If I am walking fewer than 5 miles, I don't mind the weight of the f/2.8. Shooting indoors with existing light, the f/2.8 wins every time. I have both the 1.4X III and the 2.0X III teleconverters, and the 1.4X works well on both L lenses, is small and doesn't weigh much. Birds in flight (BIF) focus speed degrades noticeably with the 1.4X, while the 2X is basically useless if you lose the frame and the focus get confused on the sky. If shooting static shots, both extenders work well, of course the 2X only works on the f/2.8 lens. For BIF my choice is the 400mm f/5.6 and my 6D. This is the only combination that has worked for me, taking pictures of hawks and eagles as they take off from a perch. (Other bodies I own and have tried for BIF are a 5D Classic, 40D and 60D.) If shooting more general (larger) wildlife, the 60D, 70-200mm f/2.8 & 1.4X TC are fine, and have about the same reach as the 6D and 400mm f/5.6. If outdoors in good light the f/4 zoom is a good walk around lens, particularly on a full-frame body. I have never used the 70-300 L, but I don't plan to buy any more variable f/stop lenses. Often my 15-85mm f/4.0-5.6 is racked out to 85mm and is too slow (or too much ISO noise) indoors. Optically the 15-85mm is just fine outdoors with good light. It generally stays on my 40D. All these comments assume we are not discussing cost, just the pros and cons of each lens.

Traktor said:

jrista said:

AF is extremely important in studio photography as well, though. I can't imagine any studio camera, 5Ds III or 1Ds X, not getting Canon's top of the line AF system.

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If thats the case then why do a lot of studios use Medium Format systems with average AF systems?
Don't get me wrong, I am not an expert on studio work but I would have thought an improved version of the highly praised 19 point system from the 7D will destroy any of the current Medium Format AF systems and be more than good enough? Happy for people in the know to point out studio exaqmples where this AF system would not be good enough.
If someone absolutely has to have the 61 point system with a high res sensor then presumably Canon would make them fork out the 7-9 grand for the hypothetical 1DXs.

I just hope there is room in the 2014 lineup for what the 5D2 was in 2009: high resolution at the expense of speed, at a (then) reasonable price. I like Canon cameras, I am used to the GUI, they fit nicely in my hand and the controls all feel right - but it looks as though a Sony A7R with an adapter may be the thing to tide me over.

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In my peripheral experience with studio photography, you generally only need center point focus. You don't generally do off-centered compositions or anything like that. While the design of medium format AF systems may seem mediocre, they are very good at what they do. Similarly, the 61pt AF system has a vertical strip of five of the industries most powerful and accurate AF points, which would be a huge boon to studio work (especially in a 40-50 megapixel body).

I don't think the grand total number of AF points don't matter all that much for a studio camera, however those five ultra precision points would be pretty awesome. That said...why develop a new AF sensor with just those five, when you already have on that is ready to go, and has all the manufacturing lined up?

I'm getting to olde to carry my bigg boy stuff very farr. But, armed only with an 5 day olde SL1, the kit autofocus STM, a 50mm 1.2, and an agin S95, the keeper stills/video from a 10 day stay in swinginn Vegas exceeded my lame standards by a Ho lot. The SL1 is now my travel body!

Great shots, Scott, particularly the Antelope Canyon set. Thanks for sharing!

J.R. said:

ten years from now ... who cares, just go out there and shoot with what is available, today!

As Don Haines has it in his signature ... The best camera is the one in your hands

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+1

jebrady03 said:

I'm ready for QPAF (Quad Pixel).
HDR plus AF.
it seems like a natural evolution to me

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I'm not sure DPAF or a hypothetical evolution to QPAF is really a means to achieving HDR. Remember, ML had to cut resolution in half in order to achieve its makeshift approach, not because they did not have dual pixels...but because they had to use both the per-pixel amps as well as a secondary downstream amp. Doesn't matter how many times you dice up a pixel...if you have to use the downstream amplifier to achieve ML's style of "HDR", then diced pixels won't help.

Additionally, HDR implies 32-bit float data storage. Current camera ADCs are still limited to 14 bits int. Canon already has 12 stops of DR...seems a bit extreme to use such a convoluted approach to improving that by a mere two stops, when their problem actually lies in the ADCs themselves. Canon could take a far simpler approach...increase the parallelism of the ADCs, and move them closer to the pixels, to reduce the amount of noise they introduce into the signal. That's what everyone else is doing, and it is quite effective.

Assuming Canon was able to use QPAF to do some form of HDR...unless they increase the bit depth of the ADC, it isn't really going to be HDR. You would still be limited to 14 stops of DR, albeit achieved via a rather convoluted apprach that could be more costly and less effective than simply modernizing their read pipeline architecture. To get true HDR, Canon would need to use 32-bit ADC, and use floats rather than ints. At the very least, to improve DR by a meaningful degree, they would need to move to 16-bit integer ADC, however that wouldn't necessarily be "HDR".

Nothing wrong with SmugMug but I wouldn't know.

I've used Zenfolio for years and consistently been happy with them.

If you decide to switch to Zenfolio, here's my referral code for a discount.

Referral Code: 6KC-FPW-PWR

Rusty

The 70-200 2.8 is II is on the way and will be delivered on friday. Thanks everyone for your input.

mStevens said:

I purchased a refurbished 7D from Adorama. I am having second thoughts :-\ and may cancel the order and purchase a new 70D. Please advise on your experience in purchasing refurbished cameras.

The reason I purchased it was because I currently use a 40D for girls soccer and I hate it. It has really bad image quality (10MP) when I crop in on my shots.

I can't wait any longer for the 7DII. My daughter is a junior and will only play soccer for another year. I have no need for a crop frame beyond that. So my choices are to buy a cheap refurbished 7D or buy a new 70D.

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Personally i would have gone for the 70D over a 7D it has more new features like wifi and tilty flippy touch screen

baby + barn

sunnyVan said:

I sold mine recently and I'm waiting for the 30 days to expire. My lens works fantastically but people can invent any reason for return and I wouldn't want to deal with that. Unfortunately ebay charges too much fee now and I have switched to amazon as my primary trading site.

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Amazon is good for the buyer, but scary for new sellers since dishonest buyers can take advantage of the policy. In fact, if an A-Z claim is made and approved, they don't even need to return the item AND will get the refund. I once sold a 50D on Amazon and that was a nail-biting 30 days after the transaction. Never again- only Craigslist for me, even if I have to sell it cheaper.

Ruined said:

This is part of the reason I am wary buying refurb lenses from Canon. If they send back obviously broken stuff from repair and say it is "in spec," there is a good chance they would sell same said broken stuff in their refurb store as according to them it would be "in spec"...

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Well this part of your reasoning is unfounded, in that case. They use rigorous specs and testing (http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/CusaMiscPageView?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&file=refurbished/refurb.html), I have never had any issue with refurb lenses, the same 1 year warranty applies, and this particular lens was bought in a store. Many even say buying refurb is safer since these have undergone rigorous testing.

sorry ef-s 60, you are on the price watch page after all, there is a separate page for macro lenses. maybe that is why you get forgotten about so much, when you get compared to your big brother then you just don't seem to measure up. but if people would see you for all your other qualities and how useful you are on an aps-c body then you would get the credit you deserve.

I don't think so. I'd say the reductions would be cumulative only down to the minimum power on the flash itself (1/128th). The xenon flash tubes only have one power level - on. When you vary flash output, you're not changing the flash intensity, you're changing the duration. I doubt the transmitter can make the flash circuitry operate faster than its design parameters (for comparison, a 580/600 flash at 1/128 power has a duration of faster than 1/30,000 s).

But you have the setup, right? Just point one flash set to 1/128 at a white wall in a dark room, and dial down power on the transmitter without changing flash settings to see if it gets dimmer (or bump the ISO up one stop for each stop of power drop on the transmitter, and see if it remains constant).