Well, it seems we finally have a positive resolution to this whole ordeal. Today my replacement lens arrived!

It had been so long since I last used it that I was convinced it wasn't the same lens! DWI used my same box and packing materials so it was a bit misleading in the end. At any rate, it is the right lens, and it is brand new. And most importantly, it seems to work correctly.

I'll use it over the next few days to get an idea if it really is all sorted. If it's not, expect to hear more from me. In the meantime, thanks everyone for your feedback and interest.

Cheers,

Michael

As soon as I came to fatal error for Nikon, I knew it was a troll. Nikon cameras take photos just fine. A "Fatal Error" would not let you take a photo by my definition. Lack of a feature is not Fatal, or even very interesting.

So what did you end up with? hows she like it?

user reviews on the nikon d600 and d800 are both below 4/5 stars from everywhere, except DXO of course. The 6d, 5d mkII and 5dmkIII are all above 4.4ish/5. I guess flinging oil around like a factory machine and left focus issues outweight the DXO scores and on-paper specs. I must say the d600 looks great on paper.

Respinder said:

Hi everyone..

I too am new to off-camera flash. I own a 5D Mark III and am looking to purchase a Speedlite 600EX-RT along with a Manfrotto 367B basic light stand ...

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Not an expert, just a hobbyist but here are some other options to consider. These are ideal for OCF and most are recommended by Syl Arena.

Perfect light weight stand for a single Speedlite http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M4HXB2/ref=wms_ohs_product

Not the cheapest route but these small ball heads are really handy to connect your speedlite. (They were more beneficial before when I had my optical flash units making it easy to align) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WN2114/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

1. To mount the flash onto the adaptor, I am assuming that the flash stand the 600EX-RT comes with will mount directly onto the adaptor spigot, or do I need to buy another part for this?

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The cold shoes that come with the Speedlite seem flimsy for mounting on a stand. I've only used those for table top mounting. Try these. I bought the plastic one just to avoid pin shorting but I like the metal best.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009UTL1/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i02
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CBTCFC/ref=wms_ohs_product

2. If I use a wired connection between the flash and the camera, I am assuming I will need a male-to-male PC cord that connects the flash directly to the camera? I've found that the longest distance cords are only 12 feet

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Instead, use a OCF cable and you can maintain ETTL. http://ocfgear.com/cords-for-canon-ettl/ettl-cord-extra-long/ If you get a ST-E3-RT, you should be able to skip cabling altogether

3. Alternatively, I could just go wireless and get the ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter for an extra $300 - my only concern is that this price seems pretty steep to me, especially considering that another flash is only $200 more.. any advice here? Is the transmitter really worth it, or should I just go wired for now, and get another flash later?

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I hesitated on the ST-E3-RT because of the lack of the AF assist light. I bought it anyway and absolutely love it because it is so small and light you can barely tell anything is connected to your hot shoe. That itself is worth it IMO. If I need a AF assist, I'll have to slap on a another 600.

Is it just me, or does the Canon not smoke the Panasonic on image quality in this review? The reviewer is touting the constant f/2.8 aperture throughout it's 24x (600mm) range, and granted that does give nicer background blur/subject separation, and of course that can give higher shutter speed and all...BUT. He never talks about the IQ differences in his own comparison shots.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_FZ200/

It just seems like from his shots anyway that the Canon gives much sharper images.

.
One thing I forgot.

Polarizing filter and an ND filter or two. Lots of light out there!!

This is scott "The title taker" allan world champion kickboxer this shot was taken in a mixed lighting gym iso 8000 with the canon 5dmk3+ 70-200 f2.8 mk2

Kickboxer by Lseriesglass, on Flickr

More food for thought, aperture maths depends on it being the diameter of the iris.
But the iris usually isn't a circle, save for waterhouse stop lenses or the likes of cooke lenses.

So the iris octogon, hexagon whatever, the area is going to be different from a circle of the same radius.

Depending on whether you measure the inside or outside edge of the iris shape there is going to be a slight difference, like say f2.7 from an "f2.8" lens.

If lenses didn't breathe, if apertures were always perfectly circular then such INSIGNIFICANT difference would not occur. But that ain't consumer mass produced lenses.

And it isn't a hook on which to hang canon or dxo.

dswatson83 said:

More comprehensive review by LearningCameras: http://www.learningcameras.com/reviews/4-dslrs/91-canon-6d-review

Noticed that the video was sharper in the 6D when I put it against the 5D mark III. Maybe Canon removed something that allowed the video to be sharper but allowed Moire. I noticed a bit more in the 6D but not a huge amount, but then again, I didn't shoot brick walls or roof tops where this issue would be seen the most.

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Maybe little different in video sharpness because both cameras were using different lenses? I think 6D was with new canon 35mm f2 IS and 5D mark III with new Sigma 35mm f1.4

Mt Spokane Photography said:

The most important thing is support. buying from a dealer with real photographers who can help you, having a friend who has deep experience with a similar camera, etc.
Many upgraders from point and shoot go out and buy a DSLR and are totally frustrated. They are not able to get that deep depth of field they are used to, the camera seems too heavy and bulky, they just put it in a closet and it stays there.
They first need to know what to expect, and have a reason for getting one rather than just thinking they will get better images. That is not true, its the photographer that makes the images work, and if they get poor images now, that won't change.

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I agree... For someone using a DSLR the first time a knowledgeable friend to talk to beats the best gear..... Take a look at camera clubs in the area, they can be a great way to learn in a social setting and many have classes. And go out and play with whatever camera you get.... that's one of the ways we learn.

Thank you for your replies. That answered my question

It's on page 314 of the manual:

http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300009238/01/eos6d-im-en.pdf

Click!

Exactly as you wrote the shutter stays flipped. This implies that shooting one video causes comparable stress to the shutter as shooting one image. In essence there is no increased wear and tear on a camera due to shooting videos instead of shooting images, at least not regarding physical stress.

kubelik said:

I believe you're conflating the 50mm f/1.4 USM and the 50mm f/1.2 L II USM, which is confusing some folks. there's a vast price difference between the two.

if you're referring to the 50 f/1.4 USM, yes, at ~$350 US or so it's a great price for a great lens.

if you're referring to the 50 f/1.2 L II USM, at ~$1500 US or so it's probably not a best first-purchase lens unless you really know for sure it's what you want. even if you know a 50mm focal length and wide-open shooting is what you want, a lot of people still decide to go with the cheaper 50 f/1.4 USM instead.

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oh thats my fault. I meant I am getting then 50mm 1.4 over the 50mm 1.2.

but on another note, this forum is great and just a wealth of information.

Thank you everyone for your help.

I bought a used 70-300mm DO lens and used it for a few months. I loved the compact size (same size as a 24-105L), the IQ was ok with a little extra TLC in post (boost contrast and sharpness a bit more than normal). I didn't like the horrible zoom creep, and as I said, the IQ was ok - but not great. I also didn't like the bokeh. I eventually sold the lens (for the same amount I paid for it) - a free long-term rental as a try-out. That was before the 70-300L came out - I'd definitely prefer the L to the DO lens.

Here are a couple of shots:


EOS 7D, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM @ 300mm, 1/400 s, f/5.6, ISO 500


EOS 7D, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM @ 300mm, 1/500, f/6.3, ISO 640

I'd keep the 50 mm on the 20D. You will propably use it only with large apertures to get shallow DoF. The 50 mm will not deliver much resolution wide open,

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Thank you, that was exactly the kind of logic I was struggling to find.

I'm also inclined to keep the 135mm on the 7D, as I use it for medium-range sports action requiring the improved frame rate & focussing capabilities of the 7D.

Also, with the flexibility of the zoom on the 20D, I shouldn't need to crop in post, so again the resolution shouldn't become an issue.

The lens is in stock where I can buy the kamera, but it doesn't seem like there are much info about it on the web. There's a preview at dpreview.com.

What about the EOS 6D with the 24-105mm IS combo? I was just thinking that the 24-70mm is new and both are f/4.

I do like the wifi and GPS feature of the 6D, also the smartphone thing, though it's mostly for the fun of it. The 5D2 is discontinued but surely a great camera.

RMC33 said:

RS,
gjones5252,

I found the DOF on the 85 f/1.2 to be hard to work with in an active people moving around setting. If one person in the shot moves a bit forward the shot can be ruined, or with two people flanking a central subject and at a slight angle. I guess I can give it all a try. I do know what you mean about APS-C bodies. Something fun about them and an EF series lens. I personally enjoy my 100 f/2.8 Macro on that camera more then the 5d3.

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I totally understand what you mean. I had the 85 1.2 ii for about a week. I like it...sorta. When people were sitting still and i got the focus right it was very good. But for weddings, portraits or any other seemingly high paced picture environment it was just a really frustrating endeavor.
Yeah the 100 2.8 has actually become one of my favorites to play around with. I can use it to take a great sharp picture and then very easily be operating the camera in video mode and it looks like i have a stabilizer. The IS works so well.
I do love the 50mm range as well. I am eager about looking for an upgrade to any of the 50mm line. Not that the current ones are good i just havent purchased one yet(other than the 501.8ii and my wife dropped it. Great manual focus lens now) and so i might as well wait to purchase one of the upgraded ones. Especially if it has IS. It does wonders for video. And it just as fun to toy around with when there is no tripod available.

Fair point, neuro. It absolutely does count as a mid-range (price) normal zoom lens. However, in comparison to lenses like Nikon's 24-85mm VR it: 1) looks antiquated (1998 vs 2012), 2) has generation 2 IS which is noisier and much less affective, 3) is large and heavy and 4) does not go to 24mm. Heck, even compared to the EF-S 15-85mm the image quality, features, and build quality seem to be lacking. Something in the same price range for full frame is needed.

I mentioned the 17-40mm only because it is the cheapest new-in-box UWA option from Canon. If Canon could undercut the Nikkor 18-35mm with better build quality and image quality it would be huge. Additionally, Canon will definitely be coming out with a 14-24mm f/2.8 and something to compete with the 16-35 VR (and you can bet they'll both be substantially more expensive than the lenses they replace) which is all the more reason to come out with affordable, modern, non-L zooms.

verysimplejason - ROFL! ;D You beat me to it! Gawd, I was thinking the exact same thing and I had to restrain myself from quoting your quote of the other quotes that I didn't need to quote!! Ahh, ha ha ha ha!!! You are so bad! I Love it! 8)

CliveB said:

A 602TX can be mounted on a 622, to drive 602RXs. There is quite a hit on the sync speed, however.

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Why not just mount the 602/603TX to the camera hot shoe directly. Let me rephrase, are we gaining anything with the setup you provided ? Really curious as I have the 603s and waiting on my 622s to arrive. I also have a mix of E-TTL
and older A-TTL speedlites that is why I was hoping you can mix-match these transceivers so that I can (hoping) control the E-TTL speedlites from within the camera.


thanks

the new 100 macro with is is a perfect lens for a designer - great bokeh, portrait length, and macro
for product closeups - aside from the fact that it's razor sharp and affordable.

Not to despair, go to Play and search for the same (CanonSGLens) which has the same features as the iOS version. Its up to version 2.4.1.

Thanks so much!

It is mostly a camcorders. Why it can't be a DSLR?
The new rumor mentioned about EOS 70D, with 3" flip screen (some people take it as 3.0fps as a mistake), if there's on chip phase detection AF, with the flip screen, it will be better for shot over head. It is what 650D/T4i has did now, but it is a little of low end, and not strong enough.
It is also said that the sensor is the same between 7D2 and 70D. Maybe it's idea of:
7D2 prefers the users of extreme, who are mostly using OVFs. Just thinking of 6D, 5D3 or higher. Some people hoped 6D should have a flip screen, as 60D.
70D prefers the users of mainstream, who uses screen more often, and with the help of flip screen, LV or video is more easier. It would take a position of video DLSR for APS-C format. 1D C is alternative 1D X in FF, there should be an alternative version video DLSR in APS-C.