We'll just have to manually focus, won't we?

Thanks to everyone for the kind words! Winning this award has been amazing!

It was awesome to see the whitehouse photographers at work. So smooth and in control of their craft. What a damn cool job too: they getto see and be around all the most influential people in the world. I'll definitely have to see if I can dig up that special on them...

I wonder what they use for cataloging... Lightroom? Or do they have something custom built? Do they shoot in RAW? So many questions. I was going to snag one of them after the picture to ask, but I got hung up talking to some people and they left before I had a chance.

Maybe I can use some of my new contacts at the White House to get some info...

I've seen pictures of the stuff offered by the bigger vendors, but haven't used it. Read lots of reviews.

The one thing that keeps coming to mind is how cheap and cheesy these things appear to be made, but with pricetags approaching $100 USD.

What could be substituted for the ready-made versions?

Again loads of great info here - many thanks to all for opening my eyes in so many ways it was overwhelming and most enjoyable ...not to sound ambiguous but I've opted to go with the Elinchrom kit as my readings and conversations with various folks have caused my abandonment of the Master + 2 Slave option. I've been seeing time and time again it's best to have more light than less. BandH also stated that these Elichrom lights are very accurate with respect to color temps whereas many others are not. In taking all of the good info posted here I was able to talk with some intelligence with B and H and notched out what I believe to be a good quality mobile rig using AC power (DC later) So here's what BandH proposed. The PDF attached here was their proposal though I think I can do better on the Background System this is the one I am considering on Ebay not sure if anyone has tried this rig. Also within the quote you note umbrella, stand, hotshoe, etc this is for the 580 EX to run off a third Sky Port receiver also in the quote. I'll probably add a Snoot to this ensemble as well - thanks again to all contributors for all your help, guidance and input

I appreciate your reply -- as you said, it doesn't explain how it fits perfectly on one but not the other. The filters don't change size when I try to swap them on the lenses

It's the Canon lens thread that is different from the other...there's no other way it can be.

I ended up ordering another 55-250mm from B&H Photo in the deal they had today ($150 for brand new). So, I'll see how that one goes -- even though, in reality, I'll probably never use the filters on 55-250mm to begin with I'm going to contact Canon about it.

I bought my 5D MK II new when they first came out, and was very happy with it. I sold it for $1700 when the MK III came out, but returned it.
I bought a refurb thru CLP by trading in a old broken and worthless film SLR. The price was $1407 plus tax, with free shipping, or $1514 total. The Camera had about 275 actuations on it, and is excellent, probably better than my first one, as far as lack of hot pixels is concerned.

Thats a $500 savings, you can buy a decent lens for that.

1) Versatility... Can use with both 1.4x and 2x extenders with excellent results. Amazing build quality and performance.

2) Nothing really!

3) I have been through three copies so far... The original I had for a week before the IS was grinding. Sent back to B&H and got it replaced. Used the 2nd copy for about a year and the IS start grinding again, Canon repaired under warranty. The third copy was only because of rebates I was able to "refresh" my warranty with a 2-yr through my AMEX and such, so I bought another and sold the one I was using... Within 2-weeks I had the IS grinding again, sent to Canon and they again replaced the same exact IS assembly part. All has been great with it since. The IS is something else though... Three lenses and all the same issue? One of which bought well over a year after the other two.

4) The last one I got for $1974 with the $400 rebates during winter.

5) Lens performance is excellent... Amazing colors and sharpness all the way through. All three of my copies were sharper at 70mm than 200mm, but its so minimal it is non-issue. Solid performer all around.

Wait what will be announced in August and what will be announced at Photokina? And does canon usually just announce that they're new product will be available sometime in the future or at the time of announcement is it available?

Pix8ion said:

Now, here's my dilemma....as is usually the case....I'm on the brink of buyer's remorse as I read about the Nikon D3200 camera (yet again) -- mainly due to the 24MP sensor. I've begun to appreciate the articulating screen and "pinch to zoom" feature (which really is helpful for quick reviews of pics) on the T4i, but just wondering if the 18MP sensor on the T4i will give solid IQ compared to the D3200.

Can anyone help pull me away from the edge, so to speak, and alleviate my concerns?? I just don't want to be worrying that I should've gone over to Nikon.

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Two things that should help

(1) megapixels don't matter that much.

The Nikon D700 is a 12 megapixel camera. Until recently (the release of the D800), it was a current model. By the way, it blows away any APS-C camera (despite the low megapixels)

(2) Sensors haven't improved substantially in the last 10 years or so (let alone in the few months since the T4i was available). Take a look at DxOMark measurements for different cameras and it quickly becomes apparent that sensor size more than anything else determines sensor performance. full frame > APS-C > micro 4/3 > 2/3 > 1/1.7" > 1/2.5". Sony might be able to produce a 24 megapixel 1/2.5" sensor but it's no match for a 12 megapixel Nikon D700 or even a 10 megapixel Canon 5DC.

That's why professional grade cameras are on 4 year release cycles. Until this year, Canon's 5DII and Nikon's D700, both 2008 cameras, were current models.

got my camera today and it is awesome, thanks again to Pearl. my pervious post was edited to remove the "spam" but it was just to let everyone interested to know where they could find one. I most likely would not have gotten mine for quite some time from BH, a shame since most of my gear is from them, but I am happy to have the camera now and it will be a small learning curve. this camera has a lot of goodies in it!!!

ideaworx said:

trentchau said:

I'm curious, why would you think B&H would take it back?

None the less what I'm curious about is what you were using before to do this type of photography.

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I did not expect them too, I was just curious if there was anything that can be done

I was not doing this type of photography, I shot alot on the water, but it was during the day, and not fish, I used to shoot babes in bikinis (or less) and am just trying to settle into what I really enjoy (and what my wife approves, lol).

Thanks everyone so far for the feedback, really informative and helpful for sure.

Cheers,

Shane

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Heh sounds like you need a specialized camera than. Orsome hot lights for auto focus assist

I am noticing the same thing when I shoot with the 5D3 and 1DX. We can definitely say the the 1DX (and other 1 series bodies) definitely have an exposure/metering edge over their smaller siblings and control the balance of the image in a more pleasing/professional manner.

I don't think there is a small one yet! However I am sure one of the Chinese manufacturers reads this thread and the single chargers will pop up in ebay soon!!!

Call vivitar! You save lot of time. I used to play around my camera gear but nowadays I just pick up the phone. It saves lots of headache!

JerryKnight said:

According to the Pixel King specs, it is a full E-TTL II radio trigger system. If they work as advertised, it seems like a good system. Anyone own a set that can comment on their reliability/compatibility?

Edit: There are a few disturbing caveats on the bottom of that page....

17 Do not support flashes using mixed modes, such as E-TTL and M together
23 Transmitter‘s hot shoe is NOT used for flashgun

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The other limitations on that list aren't a big deal (in my mind) but these are fairly limiting. #17 could be troublesome for studio settings, where you might want one or two flashes on manual power. I don't really understand #23. Why would the transmitter have a hot shoe if it cannot fire a flash? Could it mean something else? The page is clearly a bad English translation..

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I like the Pixel systems. They have some limitations but work as advertised. For a cheap system, they do thier job well. The Knights could not be adjusted individually so you couldnt set different groups. The Kings see to have resolved that limitation. Not being able to do manual and ettl together is not unique to the Kings. I believe this is also true for the PocketWizards but I could be wrong.

It is odd that they put a hot shoe on the transmitter but it doesnt work. Maybe it was to keep manufacturing costs down since the reciever and transmitter use the same housing. Note that the Pixel systems are not yet compatible for TTL with the Canon 5DIII. The Kings are upgradable so they may be at some point. The Knights are not upgradable and not compatible. They work great with the 5DII however!

Thanks Neuro! I understand that and have moved the AF point during LV. That is what I did in my 'test' and then x10 the LV to fine tune the focus.

The only thing that could be causing the soft image is that both my 'model' (yeah, she's hot) and I were on carpet and not a hard surface. I did use a wireless trigger but still... I'll try again and I'll also show the slight difference between the Zeiss lenses and Canon 85L on my next test.

Thanks guys.

Called PCNation and talked to Pearl? I ordered my 1DX and will get it Friday, she said she has two left! Give her a call, she's excellent!

EchoLocation said:

did you use the body? or just carry your gear around in pieces? if you did this where I lived(Chongqing, China), the camera would be filled with construction dust in about 15 minutes.

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I used both body & lens while I was there. No dust, just rain rain and more rain

Dylan

Their about the same. The 24L II is my lens of choice over the 35L.

I'd get the 50 1.4 first. It's IQ is solid and similiar to the pancake @ 2.8 with the added speed if needed.

GOOD LUCK dude, i've had my broken after 4 weeks after pairing it w/ the 85mm f/1.2 II
.....
alot of users has seen the Err 80 issue arise.

I had a T1i before my 60d. That 2nd rear dial is quite nice. the top LCD is nice too. just the handling of the 60d was well worth it for my upgrade. but the rebels are a good bang for the buck, except the t4i haha

I ran a camera shop for several years and we were a Canon Authorized Dealer. The owner wanted to retire, and no one was interested in buying the shop, which lead to us closing the doors in September 2010. Here it is almost 2 years later and the shop is still on Canon's list of Authorized Dealers.

The t4i also features the full time video focusing like the "M", but I have heard it is still nothing great. If you really get into the video itch you will just focus manually. I was able to keep up with a snomobile water skipping at dusk with live view on my 60D with a 50mm F/1.8, so the depth of field was reletively thin. It becomes second nature pretty quick

Drizzt321 said:

PacWest09 said:

Drizzt321 said:

The 5d2 has a lower FPS than the 40D, just something to watch out for for sports. As well, you'll have to use the center AF point for pretty much anything, especially AI Servo. Otherwise, I think the 5d2 would suite quite well, leaving aside the sporting events. If you can wait, it might make sense to wait until we get some of the other announcements rumored to be coming down the pipeline.

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These are my thoughts exactly, Center AF in AI Servo is how I usually shoot anyways. 40D-MK2 is a drop in FPS and I do worry, but I shoot a lot less sports for work than I used to and it isn't what I ever do for my own really. I often find my most meaningful sports photos come from picking the shot instead of bursts anyways. (never hurts to have the full sequence of an athletes actions though)

How noticeable is a 2.1 second drop in frame rate? probably a lot when we are talking 4 or 6, it is 1/3 the amount..

*edit (I will enjoy being able to bump up my ISO for that shitty outdoor stadium lighting though)

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True, you can probably go up to ISO3200, maybe a bit higher. That definitely will help shutter speeds. One other thing to consider is the crop-factor, you'll lose some 'length' from your 70-200.

And you probably will notice the difference in fps. I know I did when I got my 5d3 and put it on full H-burst mode. Not sure about the responsiveness in the shutter (time between button press and shutter opens) between 5d2 & 40D. I know it definitely got quite a bit better on the 5d3 though.

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I was waiting for the 7D2 for a long time and then finally in April I got the 5D3. My previous was 300D so it was a BIG jump. I love it. However just as Drizzt321 says, you will miss the 1.6 multiplier. However, arithmetic ally when you crop the image by a factor of 1.6, you get a 13.75 mega pix image so you will be a bit ahead of your 40D... It may not look like that when you are framing though. At 6 fps I guess you should not miss too much. Everything else is gravy. There is high ISO, 61 AF points etc. etc. etc.

I would wait for the new FF announcement though.