You don't need to get a "slim" version since most of the time you will be using high stop numbers (f11-f18) and I also use my ND 77mm filter with a step up ring to the 72mm filter size of the lens.
There are many good Variable ND's but they are expensive. Tiffen and Hoya may fit in your budget.

Trof2, attach a pic,of,camera and lens please it like to see what it looks like.

On a beach you won't face any issues regarding lack of ambient light until evening. For this a crop body like the 450D or 7D will do nicely.

Using a wide angle is a great idea (especially at empty beaches), but in case you want to shoot some water sports activities you may also want to use a long focal length. Your 70-200 with or without teleconverter will do nicely in this regard, while your 5D Mark III will do nicely for those wide angle shots and for high ISO shots in the evening.

Being me I would leave nothing in the hotel room, even if I happen to be in one of those countries, where theft is normally a non-issue. With your gear I would use this setup:

450D + 70-200mm + teleconverter
5D Mark III + 24mm

Avoid swapping lenses, keep your gear out of the sand and you should be fine.

AcutancePhotography said:

Lichtgestalt said:

JohnDizzo15 said:

I don't quite understand why I continually allow myself to read these threads

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i ask myself why i frequent these gear focused websites at all.
most discussions circle around the same lame topics or "what shall i do" questions.

still i come back....

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And yet some have the nerve to claim that "its not the equipment, its the photographer!" LoL How many threads are on this forum that address technique as compared to the number of threads about gear?

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Curiously I do really like reading about photographic techniques. I believe that this is the area, where we can learn most from others. What's to learn about owning a 1D-X? You either have the money or you don't.

Sigma 35 is my most frequently used lens. For the number of shots that I'm happy with, it's definitely a great purchase.

I struggled over whether I should get canon 85 1.8 or sigma 85. In the end I went with canon. I wanted the biggest bang for the buck and this canon didn't disappoint. Chart says f4 onward is ideal but I'm not afraid to use 2.5 or even 2. The reason I didn't pick sigma is because it's not one of the new Art series and it's good reason to be concerned. If a new sigma 85 art comes out I may jump in.

I have to also agree with a TS-E for landscapes. Either the 17 or 24 if you don't go that wide. You can add both 1.4x and 2x TC's to the TS-E 17mm and it will still smoke the 16-35.

Except at f2.8 and versatility. The 16-35 is a good 'event' wide angle, but for landscapes I honestly don't think you can beat the TS-E.

Or if you already have Nikon, the 12-24 (or 14-24, whichever it is) + adapter? I still think the TS-E's are better and honestly is one of the main reasons I like Canon.

Oh right, like the forebear to the lens lomography are developing then?

Never cared much for the electronic xe or xg minoltas much either, I had a later x500 for a bit (more transparent in use than the x700) but generally pretty yukky. The SR's were quite different though, huge, solid.

I went as large as 645 with my ETRSi, I found the smaller and medium formats more immediate and more portable, quite like the idea of an EOS body with front and back shifts and movements, but little time to fully explore it at present.

This topic has been moved to Software & Accessories.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=17799.0

Skirball said:

It's true. Do not trust advertising. Trust the pundits at CanonRumors.com.

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

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Thank you, Sir, Mr. Skirball.
I love your Words " War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. "
Surapon

CarlTN said:

makismika said:

No, i used epox that hardened on room temperature. No need for oven...

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I see, I guess it doesn't need to be as strong as F1 chassis...

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Most DIY carbon fibre things are cured at room temperature. You use CF fabric, then coat with epoxy, similar to fibreglassing.

Pre-impregnated or prepreg CF is stored in a freezer, then shaped on a mold and heated to 100C to cure.

Personally I'm holding out for the EOS 3X Mark II

The Parchment of Autumn by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Sella174 said:

Grumbaki said:

...

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True, everything.

BUT, Sony has been in business for ages: they don't need to build a brand or corner a market. They have (and had) both. IMHO, it's just bad business, especially since they've now evolved into an insurance, movie and music company. Cut the electronics division and for great PR, give the equivalent in "losses" to charity.

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Possibly they have contractual obligations to Nikon, similar to the situation between HP & Oracle.

Vossie said:

This lens is a staple for photojournalists and wedding photographers. The fast aperture, great optics, and versatility of a zoom help them create compelling images in the tightest of environments. In a completely arbitrary collection of data, someone took a look at the EXIF information of all the cameras and all the lenses used by Reuters photographers in their “Best photos of the year 2012″ the Canon 16-35mm was, by far, the most used lens in these images. You can draw your own conclusions from this though: http://petapixel.com/2012/12/02/the-most-popular-cameras-and-settings-for-reuters-best-photos-of-the-year-2012/

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The Reuter story is interesting and is why I have revisited this lens to see if I put it out of use for no reason. But my conclusion has not changed. I am not happy with it on 5DIII and 1DX. But the Reuter statistics concluded that the worlds best images 2012 was primarily shot with the 16-35 combined with the 1DIV. And it might be that the 1.3x crop factor reduces some of my reservations. Unfortunately I just sold my 1DIV (was also collecting dust), so I cannot try this out myself.

sjprg said:

Canon's mindset is such that they just can't see the competition, just like the defunct American companies that were still charging $350 for parts that were now selling for $15.
Canon has milked the consumer for so long they have lost track of reality. The new lens prices are a reflection of that mindset. The EOS-M was a reality check when they dropped the price from $799 to under $300.
My RX100's build is not near the quality of my 1DSIII but the IQ is equal and my Nikon's D800E build and IQ kicks the 1DSIII out of the ballpark. Don't misread me, I still prefer Canon, BUT they need to get real.

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I fail to see how the D800E is a better "build" than the 1DS3. Nikon's ergonomics suck, and the D800 is not a pro body with a pro grip...so why would you compare the build of these two anyway? And then you say you still prefer Canon? Why the heck would you?

It has to be a Sony. you can kind of tell the orange full frame lens mount
its very similiar to the 70-200 2.8 APO SSM G with no hood and no tripod collar.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjgg/8035314039#
and
http://sonyalphalab.com/product-review/sony-70-200mm-f2-8-apo-gd-ssm-lens-hands-on-review/
and
http://www.vistaview360.com/cameras/sony70-200_f28.htm

also looks like there is an 1.4x teleconverter. you can see another white barrel behind the orange dot.

mackguyver said:

CarlTN said:

The problem with using feet for framing at an event, is the polite people. Why? Because they see you're a photographer and thus will walk or stand behind you, and be in your way when you move back. The rude people have no problem standing right in front of you, so at least you can see where they are!

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True and just one of many reasons why I don't shoot events much anymore. That and a bunch of college kids here in Florida who send 4-6 "photographers" to cover an event for less than I would have charged. Then again, renowned photo retoucher (and murderous dictator) Joseph Stalin said, "Quantity has a quality all its own." I'm just kidding (sort of), but I've found architectural, lifestyle, and nature work much more fulfilling.

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I find it more fulfilling too but it doesn't pay (so far), so I think I need to become a dictator, because I don't like shooting events either. People tend to face away from me when I point the camera toward them. It must be nice for those who get to do it, to shoot people who actually want their picture taken...like professional...beautiful models. Of course they get paid, rather than pay the photographer...Either way the photographer is less appreciated than they should be.

Nikon 1 AW1

With a small sensor and expensive price, I never really considered Nikon 1 as "legitimate" competitor against APS-C sized mirrorless cameras. However, with this product innovation, I guess this made Nikon 1 at least reasonable for sports and adventure-crazed photographers who wants something more than a weather-sealed camera. Will EOS-M follow through?

http://nikonrumors.com/2013/10/28/nikon-1-aw1-underwater-interchangeable-lens-camera-now-in-stock.aspx/

http://nikonrumors.com/2013/09/20/nikon-1-aw1-underwater-camera-additional-coverage.aspx/

1. i am not sure when it is going to be released, but there is a rumor about that, including rt wireless trigger... and my best guess is that this is an e-ttl flash, not manual
2. i would prefer both e-ttl flash and manual flash (depend on situation, further explanation will be shown with below image. you can get a yn-560ex ii for manual flash for cheap price. i bought these two for $55/each at local camera show).
3. as verysimplejason already said, 85mm f/1.8 is pretty good for portrait. i am using 50mm on my crop frame and i am pretty happy with it, yet i am kinda lazy in changing lens (note: as i have mention in this forum before that 50mm f/1.4 is pretty good even as wide open. i am not hesitate to shoot at f/1.4 as if i am in need of it. the way i see it, it is tack sharp at f/3.2)

here is one of those times/reasons that i am using e-ttl, shooting candid image of my daughter with my neighbor (below image was shot with 30d, 50mm f/1.4, 430ex ii and a circular linear filter. this image is linked from facebook since i shot couple months ago.)



here are other images of my younger daughter, shot with 30d, 50mm f/1.4 in my room (note: available light, first one at f/1.8, second one at 2.2. much of light from second image was from the smart phone since she headed down. i just snapped these two.)

Andy_Hodapp said:

Took some of the advice you guys gave me and used it for photographing a cross country meet for my high schools news magazine.

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I meant to reply to this sooner but I like this one, good sense of action from the blur. Sunlight on her face would have been ideal but making a good shot with what you've got is better than hoping for something you won't get!

Jim

ok, this isn't a 4th July firework, it's a 5th November sparkler. Playing around with exposures times gives some interesting effects.

So I had this issue repeat with the same card so I was thinking it is a card issue. I am sending it back to SanDisk for a replacement. However, I was at a wedding last Saturday evening with a Lexar Professional 128GB card in one slot and a Lexar Professional 32GB card in the other slot. I had the the same issue where the buffer could not or would not clear. I shut the camera off and took out the battery. When I turned everything back on I had obviously lost the images still writing to the buffer but I could shoot again but the buffer light continued to stay on. I kept shooting for a little bit and noticed the cameras was slower to write to the cards and the buffer continued to stay on. It was like it was busy doing something and if I pushed it too much it would freeze up on me. I decided to swap out cameras and use my 5D3 for the rest of the reception (which is so slow in comparison to the 1DX). After I copied my cards to the computer I formated them and put them back in the camera and the buffer returned to normal. I even shot an engagement session with no problems. I either have 3 bad professional grade CF cards or something is wrong with my 1DX. Any thoughts?

fegari said:

Thanks, that helps a lot. I was not able to find the 300's foot specs!

I think it could do ok for just a couple of days of limited tripod use.

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I don't think it's specified anywhere - I just did a quick estimate based on the TDP review of the lens where it's pictured with a Wimberley P-30 plate on the foot (and the length of the plate is specified by Wimberley).

I agree - it should be fine for limited use, and the lens isn't that heavy (for a supertele, that is).

Rienzphotoz said:

CarlTN said:

Even though the Harley ride was last weekend, there were still a few crazy riders out in the freezing cold...I don't understand them.

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I never understand them. A 60 year old colleague of mine (who regularly buys some of my camera gear) had a heart attack last year while driving his Harley (luckily survived the fall) ... the doc told him to take it easy but the guy was driving his Harley in less than a month of his stroke ... I keep telling him that I am worried for him coz I might lose a good customer. ;D

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Haha, oh my! Well I know why women like to ride Harleys, but can't understand why men like riding them so much...especially alone without the woman! I guess it's not difficult to pick up women on a Harley (because of the previous unstated reason?? Hahahaha)...

For myself, I prefer to save my hearing for listening to high end audio. There's no amount of noise cancelling or earplugs that can filter out the low-end of the Harley (or other loud bike) drone...I also don't like the idea of being on any bike on the road. Enough people have road rage with me (and vice versa) and have tried to kill me many times over the years...just while driving my car. If I road bikes on the road very much, I would have been dead long ago. Offroad is another story...but I've spent so much money on camera gear that I need to sell one of those bikes.

paul13walnut5 said:

CarlTN said:

paul13walnut5 said:

I've often toyed with a used 5D for one specific reason.

The Sigma 12-24.

The same reason I occassionally toy with buying a 5d2 used.

I owned this lens and shot on APS_C and 135mm film with it. Loved it despite its idosynchrisities (filtering etc), but love the idea of 12mm video vs my current 11mm x1.6 video.

Maybe the 8-16mm is a better alround for me, but a 135mm/leica/, minature format viewfinder is also a vast improvement for some applications.

Do beware as it seems very cheap. Make sure you don't roll up to a project and get deprived of your $250 and a vital organ. Usual common sense rules apply, caveat emptor and all that.

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I would like a Sigma 12-24. What do you use it for?

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I sold it a while back and got the Tokina 11-16 instead (better on my APS-C, and two stops faster) I loved in on my EOS 3, it worked pretty well on my 400D, I was hanging onto it in case I got a 5D2, but I went down the 7D route instead.

FWIW the Tokina and the Sigma 10-20 I had previously were much easier to live with, but on a film eos or 135/leica/minature format digital EOS 12mm is something else.

If I had one today I'd be timelapsing with my telescope head all the time.

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Sounds like fun!