Grumbaki said:

Please people, those are the key words:

Mark Carey said:

shooting predominantly in India and South East Asia.

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Mark carey, in south east asia.

Except if he has local heritage, he will be conspicuous. There is no freaking point in trying to avoid it with a small camera.

Actually a large camera (and some skill in local langage) get you way better interaction and sneaky candids than touristy cameras. Show you are "local". I'm in china, got a tshirt made for friendly shooting spots that reads: just another alien photograph, give me your qq i'll give you your picture." (and then my own qq, which is a very local social network/messaging system). It's the most gimmicky thing ever but you get great results by knowing you are different but making use of it.

Actually the only bad point is that you get way more work with the portraits they'll ask, pics of you they wanna take, general discussion time but generally ends up in being great memories and discussion around a few beers.

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haha love the qq t shirt idea!

pgsdeepak said:

The lens came good. From outside, it looks just as new. I took some Zoo photos and I really liked the result. Initially I was finding it hard to justify replacing my 70-300 Non L with the L (I still have the non-L, trying to sell). But after spending some quality time with the lens, I got my justification. The lens is very sharp, period.

Here are some pictures. PLease share your opinion.

More pics at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98679084@N00/sets/72157633193265030/

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Too me. These pictures look good - SHARP.

Wow, that's awesome Jordan!

Axilrod said:

You're a lucky man, that's an amazing lens. Nice pic, but too much light pollution, get back out during a new moon in a remote area!

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Thanks Axilrod. Regarding the sky pic, yeah, there's been a fair amount of burning off around Melbourne (Australia) this time of the year, in the name of fuel reduction (it's autumn). Where I live (about 50kms from Melbourne), you can see down to mag 4.5 (maybe 5) during winter. So, looking forward to a few cold nights with the lens

But yes, I'll get out where it's really dark, over the next few months.

You called it. They posted this:
http://youtu.be/Gyv4BxyKEy8

OK, so it's not exactly a rumour, it's a definite thing if they get more supporters, so I'm doing my bit by sharing.
As you all might know, i've gone a bit film nutty lately. I've been shooting 135 and 120 film a lot, and I've been spending some time over at the APUG forums. Two things there recently caught my eye.

Firstly, is that Velvia (the best landscape film available, the one that killed Kodachrome) went out of production in large sheet sizes, followed quickly by being back in production. I was so happy about that, that Fuji are still making a concerted effort to support their film division, that I was almost contemplating buying a LF camera in celebration.

Secondly, and by strange coincidence very soon after, I see this:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderlust/travelwide-45-camera
It's a kickstarter project for a travel-sized LF camera, smaller than your average DSLR.
Two versions, 90mm f/6.8 with focussing helicoid (which translates to FF 25mm f/1.8 if you crop the LF to a 3:2 ratio, 21mm if you crop FF to a 4:5 ratio), and a 65mm f/8 version, pre-set at hyperfocal (18mm or 16mm depending on how you crop to compare).
Scan it to a mere 2400dpi (i've scanned velvia to 3200dpi and can't see grain) and you get a 120MP image. Even at 1200dpi you get a modest 30MP image. Take that, D800.
And the best part is, it's only $99 plus a lens (lens is probably about $200). Film's not even expensive either, $2 a shot or so (As in, you could get about 1500 frames in for the same price as a 5D3+lens).

I'm in for the 65mm version, although I may swap to a 90mm (or get both) depending on how easy it is to get a lens. They're already $57k out of $75k, if they get to $85k then everyone gets a free pinhole (which will save me needing a lens for a while).

So, who else would like to support this? Even if not, share it around your friends, you never know who'd be interested...

Mt Spokane Photography said:

Lens tests only apply to the SPECIFIC Camera model they were tested on. You cannot compare results taken with different cameras.

Are you sure they were taken with the same camera??

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If you compare the difference between multiple lenses on each site you can usually see when one is getting significantly different results from the others.
On TDP specifically you can also look at the 200f2 samples for a comparison of all the different bodies.

It looks like all review sites have dud lenses (relatively speaking) in their line-up. Ideally each site would test three or four samples, but that doesn't quite seem to be practical. I always look at as many reviews as possible when considering a lens.
The best example I can think of right now is the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS, which scores very highly set to 300mm f2.8 in some reviews, but the TDP sample at that setting looks awful (in the center, the edges are universally bad). Then sometimes lenses that score somewhat poorly on other sites look great on TDP. Again, it looks like there's a lot of variation in both the samples and potentially in the reviewers.

Krob78 said:

Rienzphotoz said:

Krob78 said:

Skirball said:

Rienzphotoz said:

I have the same problem, battery drains within 4 or 5 days without any use ... But this only happens if I charge the battery with the charger that came with 5D MK III which is meant for USA switches (I bought my 5D MK III from USA but I love in Middle East) ... but when I use the old 60D charger to charge the battery than there is no problem.

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Well that's interesting. Do the new ones trickle charge after the green light comes on? Or maybe just stopping early? Neuro, come edumacate us on the inner workings of the Canon chargers, past and present!

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Hmm, that's interesting...

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Interesting indeed ... I am not sure if it has anything to do with it being an American power compatible charger or if it is the charger itself ... I'm waiting for a friend of mine to come back from his holidays to test if his 5D MK III charger (also bought from USA) does the same thing.

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I charge my 5d3 batteries in my 7d charger...

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... and I charge it with 60D charger now

Interesting that it was a refurb. Possible it was returned...camera was checked out but not the battery. Put up for sale as a refurb. I've often found...no every time I've found...that buying a refurb also buys you the previous owners issue. I generally stay away from refurbs. That being said, every refurb issue I found was always fixed under warranty...but it's the hassle you deal with to save a few dollars.

bseitz234 said:

Thanks all for the replies!

Lets see if I can answer all these questions:
-I do not use ML; not that crazy a question, I've considered it, but no, I'm using factory firmware.
-Longer version of the anecdote: she said she was manual focusing because the camera wasn't focusing, but she thought it was fine at the beginning. Looking at her shots, she nailed some running dogs, so I'm pretty sure it was fine when she got it, and died during that day.
-I have not really tested any of the batteries, since I usually recharge at the end of a day of shooting. But I have fired off 2k frames in one day of ski racing, and not had to change battery. Unfortunately don't remember which battery that was... Statistically speaking, twice as likely to be a third-party one, right?
-battery terminals look clean to me
-both third party batteries AF right down to one bar.
-this OEM battery is ~5months old, can't have more than half a dozen load-cycles. Came with my 7d when I got it, refurb. Makes me less likely to bother returning it... If it is a faulty battery it seems more worth my time to recycle it and get another $15 wasabi power one... They've been great in my gopro for 2 years, and so far so good in this context as well.

Edit: because I got it from canon direct, I'm inclined to think its genuine. Now, it may be refurbed and already have a ton of load cycles, but I think it was in retail packaging...

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paul13walnut5 said:

Repair shop telling me £70+VAT for new barrell.

Can live with that, had it been much more I would have put it towards a new lens instead.

I've been very happy with the images from this lens, so if it can ride again then I'm happy.

Was quite looking forward to some fun ideas for a viking burial for a dead lens though...

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If your lens wasn't going to be okay I would have suggested you turn it into a lens mug. Kind of like giving your pet to a taxidermist. Well, Execpt you can stuff your lens with coffee or ice cream

candyman said:

Beautiful photo's. You were there in the right time of the day.
Did you do some post processing on colors?

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Thank you. Some light processing in LR4, mainly increasing the temperature and upping vibrancy and saturation. But not too much (I hope!!)

Richard

Thoughts? Anyone had a chance to get their hands on one?
http://www.calumetphoto.com/eng/product/genesis_speedlight_sp692c_for_canon/cf0170

Very Nice,

What did you use to keep the camera/equipment dry while filming the wet scenes?

cayenne

tridluu said:

We are in the rumors forum for a reason...

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True that!

Well first congrats on the ff. Should be great for landscapes to capture the color and lighting nuances. I like taking close ups of flowers in gardens whether at conservatories or at home, a park whatever. Then there's landscape like the Grand Canyons or the Swiss Alps, beaches, wetlands and the ocean. So decide what it is you want to capture in landscape. Then match the lens to your needs. I use a 24-70L and sometimes the 70-200L. If I were doing it all over again I'd weigh well the weight of the lens I"m comfortable carrying. If I wanted an all around lens I guess the 70-200 is terrific. But instead of a 24-70 I would look for a wide angle with a large aperture. You may not have such a need right now. The 24-105 is also very good. Remember u have to carry these suckers around perhaps all day maybe on long hikes. Good luck.

I stand corrected

I know my 450D is a newer camera with a DIGIC III processor and the 5Dc has a DIGIC II processor, but would going back to an older processor matter?
yes.

With the 5Dc being full frame the ISO and image quality will be much better than the 450D, am I right?
yes.

Is there a big difference in image quality between the 5Dc and 5D MKII?
yes.

I do understand that the 5DMark ii is again better than the 5Dc, but I am trying to save money. I am basically asking is going from the 450D to a 5Dc a good option?
and yes again.

Topaz DeNoise is a pretty useful tool that can help minimize banding. I will add the comment that it can make areas of the photo look smudgy and plasticky if overused, though. It can obliterate banding if you crank it up, but then you'll be left with lumpy/blotchy looking shadow areas. So, moderation is key. (Even in moderation, I find after trying to fix pattern noise with it, it's usually best to add grain back into the photo to help cover the plastic look.)

Sith Zombie said:

Hey, I wouldn't worry too much about resale value if I were you, lenses are the real investment. If it's your first DSLR I 'Right! this camera will last me for 4/5 years, by which time I'll have shot thousands of images, learned a heck of a lot about photography and know my camera better than my wife'

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Haven't you read the thread about somebody looking over your shoulder?
You are either very brave or not married...

Btw, I agree with what you say. It is technique that one has to master. Bodies will come and go...

A prime trinity is down to your own preferance really. The idea is to have a wide, standard and tele. I don't really see how in this digital age a 35, 50, 85 combo would be that useful. You might as well spend the money on a good standard zoom. 24, 50, 100 is a nice spread and would be awesome with a 100 macro at the long end. Portrait photogs generally pref the 35, 85, 135 which is what most people regard as the Canon holy trinity so I guess it's the most agreed upon.

The integrity, generosity and professionalism of CPS in Sydney was the one of the prime motivators for me to switch from Nikon late last century. It's move I've never regretted, and I've valued CPS beyond words on countless occasions.

Nikon service may well have improved to match Canon in the meantime...I hope so.

-PW

You can use Canon's 10-20mm on full frame...

Thanks for posting.

i like adorametv

Good tip not to worry about it breaking, I guess I'm just a bit paranoid because it will be the most expensive thing I buy yet!

Definitely going to be getting a converter with it as well. Even with the additional reach of the 1D Mark IIN I find it 300mm too short for rugby, I had the 300mm F/4 on the 40D which was a good bit better but my 40D's IQ is just terrible in comparison, I don't like the shots it produces, no where close to as much detail and I get way more shots out of focus.

Now I just have to save a bit more money before taking the plunge!

Thanks for all the help.