Choices choices...
At the moment, I am considdering picking up a 60D (replacing a 60D that was lost) before they sell out to keep me going until the 6D price drops or until I can afford a 5D mk3. My only fear concerning the 6D is that the outer point AF will turn out to be worse than the 60D, otherwise the 6D would be a no-brainer for me.
Like others have mentioned, I fear that the 60D/7D replacements will be so expensive that the 6D will be even more of a no-brainer.
At the time of writing, where I am at the prices are as follows:
6D = 2185$ - 60D=800$ - 7D=1280$
For me, low-light performance (both IQ and AF) & Video are important factors, and thus the choice is a hard one... If I had more confidence in the 6D AF I'd go for that. If the 7D had a swivel screen, I'd pick one up and save for a 5Dmk3. Seeing as I ahve my doubts about the 6D AF and since the swivel LCD gives the 60D a slight edge over the 7D for video, right now, I am seriously leaning towards the 60D again...

CANON INC. Headquarters

30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 146-8501, Japan

Tel81)3-3758-2111

As many of you may know...The 85 L II is a special lens...but not the closest focusing lens out there. I find that, sometimes to get in tight I am using a (3rd-party) 12mm extension tube...but I am having some issues with this set-up on my 5DIII... (BTW my copy of the lens is spot-on with AF accuracy,i.e. AF micro adjustment is zero.).

1. When I use my 3rd party extension tube...I find that I have to set the AF Micro Adjustment to +20.
Does anyone using this set-up with the Canon 12mm Extension Tube II have this much variation in AF?
2. When I use my set-up with the 3rd-party tube, in the AF Micro Adjustment Menu my 5DIII recognizes my set-up as
"only" the 85mm lens (not lens plus tube)...and therefore each time I use this set-up I have to manually enter the
AF Micro Adjustment and then set the MA back to zero or it will throw off my AF the next time I use the 85mm
without the ext tube.
My 2nd question is: If I use the 85mm with the Canon 12mm Extension Tube II does the AF Micro adjustment
menu on my 5D III recognize this set-up as 85mm PLUS 12mm Ext. Tube and keep it separate from the AF Micro
Adjustment for the 85mm by itself? (i.e. does the AF Micro Adjustment Menu treat this situation the same as it
does when I use a Canon Tele Extender on a Canon Lens?)
Thanks.

etg9 said:

I'd be interested in this lens at 4-5k tops but at over 10k it's looking to be for highly paid sports pros only. I wish 3rd party would step up their game on the longer focal lengths as I feel it's where canon is ridiculous with pricing.

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But it's because the market is so small that the prices are so high. Sure, there are hobbyists with the big L tele's, but most are pro's who make their money with it. In which case, they can pay the premium (just like wedding pro's were willing to pay $3500 for the 5d3 that now costs 20% less).

I mean, the tech in the lens is pretty great; you are getting a 200mm-560mm f/4-5.6 zoom basically. And while 200mm f/4 isn't very impressive, the trade-off (variable aperture) isn't worth it, since most aren't going to be using this at 200mm anyway.

A bit of exchange rate info:

1 € was in average 102.6 JPY in 2012. 2013 YTD average is 114.7 which is app 11% higher.
1 US$ was in average 79.8 JPY in 2012. 2013 YTD average is 87.4 which is app 9.5% higher.
1 £ was in average 126.5 JPY in 2012 and 2013 YTD average is 141 which, again, is app 11% higher (http://www.oanda.com/currency/average)

If the trend holds, do we see the Canon prices drop or remain at the same levels? Any experiences from the past?

Cheers!

neuroanatomist said:

Not that I know of...I think My Menu > External Speedlite control is your best bet. But, I think that a specific manual output set that way is stored as a C# setting. If so, you could possibly establish identical settings for C1-C3, but with manual flash output set to 1/1, 1/16, and 1/128, for example. Not very fine control, but fast to turn the dial.

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That would work. Thanks!

In another forum, I read that there will be an replacemant of the 7D. But the price tag will be much higher as expected.
The writer got his information from an japanese blog.
The japanese Canonians seem to be outraged about the enourmous price of the 200-400mm. Some knew the lens, as it was tested in the wild month ago. Afterwards the lens had to be redesigned. They doubt, if the porformance of the lens is worth the price you have to pay for it.

Quackator said:

With a cinema mount they have to be parfocal in their construction,
which in turn means they have to be new constructions.

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All of Canon's primes are parafocal because they can't zoom. Which means that Canon can re use an existing optical formular. But all of Canon's EF zooms change focal length as their focus point moves.

munkiboy said:

I just went this route - sold my 150-500 and replaced with the 70-200 IS mk II and 2x III combo. Havent used it in anger yet, but the combo seems to focus quicker, and the quality is definitely better. I'll try and do a comparison shot if I get a comparable clear day this weekend.

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Thank you very much for the direct answer ... majority of the people on any forum tend to talk about everything else other than answer the question, its like they've got all the time in the world to waste. So, I appreciate your direct answer, and comparison shots would be really awesome, I look forward to it and thank you in advance.
Best regards

Easy. Grab a Speedlite 550EX. I love mine and it has done exactly everything I have asked it to do. I use it with my 7D and it keeps up with the 8fps with an external battey pack.

Oh did I mention they are a 1/4 the cost compared to the 580EX II or 600EX?

D

Nice comparison an backs up my own observations on just how good the Fuji XE-1/X-Pro 1 is with their 35mm lens...

http://fujixfiles.blogspot.de/2013/01/how-good-is-fuji-xf-35mm-f14-r-lens.html

ET

Probably some of the internal plastic parts cracked and broken, plus the lens elements are sure to be decentered. Send it in for repair and rent a replacement if need be. This is not a home screwdriver repair job.

I'm totally surprised of the IS of the 600 II... Testing at home today, hand held at 1/13 and still sharp.. Of course I was shooting at some books, but still handheld with available light at night... And 1/13!!!!

I use 3 Pelican cases for home storage and a number of LowePro when I'm out and about.

wickidwombat said:

neuroanatomist said:

It's a clear filter, and as Radiating stated, it's part of the optical formula of the lens. It's actually designed to hold a gelatin filter (cut to size), although with digital the need for color correction is moot. I suppose one might want an ND gel in the 600 II to shoot Yosemite Falls from Merced .

So...leave it in, unless you replace it with the drop-in CPL when you want polarization.

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you can just get a B+W ND they are nice and cheap in the small sizes and I would think better quality than a gel, no?

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Well, the OP was asking about the included drop-in holder, which only takes gels. To use a B+W ND filter (which is what I'd do if I encountered a need for an ND with my 600 II), you'd need the drop-in holder for 52mm screw-in filters - and it's perpetually out of stock, from what I've seen. The drop-in CPL was like that, too - they stopped production and released a WII version (to match the new 'white' paint was the only difference). I suspect a WII version of the screw-in holder will show up eventually, but until then the used market is the only option, seemingly.

I use a 60D and have a Sandisk Extreme class 10 16G and a 32G card. I have never had a problem recording video.

Not all class 10 cards are equal and there are fake cards as well. If you want to speed test a card, put it in a computer with a good reader and see how long it takes to read or write a 2Gbyte file to it.... you will be amazed at the differences between class 10 cards....

Marsu42 said:

Quackator said:

Here you go:

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Doh - if Canon continues like that (strange IS video primes, L cinema lenses) more people might start buying 3rd party lenses like the latest Sigma models - but in this case, what reason is left to shoot with a Canon camera? Yes-I-know-thats-provokative-and-the-5d3-is-stellar-yada-yada, but at least that's the way I feel with the 60d (-> Nikon d7000) and probably soon the 6d (-> Nikon d600).

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this is a good point. A nikon D600 coupled with some of sigmas new offerings will be a pretty sweet low cost setup that is if they sort out the oil flicking onto the sensor issue.
Say the new sigma 35mm f1.4 the 85mm f1.4 the 120-300 f2.8OS and then the Nikkor 12-24 for the wide end
that setup will be really kick arse

Personally I still prefer the 5Dmk3 to either the D800 or the D600 and I love the canon glass I have. the 70-200 f2.8 for example on a 5Dmk3 is really a great combo

RAKAMRAK said:

I hope all the glues will hold (not trying to be sarcastic).

A cheaper but almost as good as alternative to the Canon MK II is always very lucrative for photographically-non-earning enthusiasts like me...

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I assure you, I will be 'earning' with this.

Glennard you might find this of interest. It's a camera store that we all have heard of.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/732048-REG/Canon_4460B004_EOS_60D_DSLR_Camera.html

with the $250.00 left over you could pick up all the other gear in the list.

Miah....I have a 5d3 and 70-200 and 24-105. The "play" is quite noticeable on my 70-200, but barely noticeable on the 24-105. It bothered me so much that I went to two different camera stores and tried their 5d3 with their 70-200 demo and each time the play was there. I then tried the Nikon d800 and Nikon 70-200 demo at the store and it had more play than my combo.

I realized what the others here are saying, it's normal.

One thing I did do though was to get out my small jewelers screwdriver and make sure all the external screws on the lens and body mounts are secure and not loose. Pretty simple thing to check, and I did find two that needed a tiny bit of tightening....though it didn't changed the amount of "play" at all.

Let me be clear though...I was simply checking to make sure visible external screws weren't loose, not trying to fix or "open up" anything.

Enjoy your new 5d3

Too bad, but good you did not loose any money on this.

This kind of scam works both ways, buying and selling. If you list your X00mm or pricey camera etc, you will more than likely receive email from buyers "on vacation in London" etc. It's a shame as it once you are aware of the scam you may loose legitimate buyers.

Very good stuff, guys! Thanks for sharing! Here's a few more of mine!

I love my 6D, but I can say right now that if you plan on shooting a lot of sports you need the 5D3's autofocus system.

You'll experience the same frustrations trying to shoot sports with a 6D as you would trying to shoot sports with a Rebel. The 5D3 wins here, no contest. I would never consider the 6D for sports, ever.

However, this is the 6D's only real weakness, in my opinion. Great camera for absolutely everything that doesn't require more than 1-shot AF.

Razor2012 said:

Don Haines said:

Razor2012 said:

Just to add to that, didn't the sales indicate that both the lower end (Rebel) and high-end (5dIII & 1DX) categories both belong to Canon? I would think that photogs in the 'pro' class would of done their homework, not just go out and blindly purchase.

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Actually, In the pro market I would expect them to look at the combination of camera and lens..... and I think we all have to admit that Canon's selection of high end L glass makes it onto our "if I won the lottery " list.. This has to be a big factor for a pro deciding which way to lean.

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Exactly, couldn't agree more.

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As does service centre quality, and ubiquity.
If you're a pro journalist, and the equipment locker at the office is all white lenses, having a Canon body is likely going to be your choice. Similarly, if you're the owner of the same pro equipment that you need to photograph events, knowing that if it goes down, you'll have it back in a matter of days, is crucially important.

Finally, Canon selling the most DSLRs is a good benefit to us Canon shooters, as it enables Canon to put more money in to R&D, giving us better lenses and bodies.

I hope that was a topic merge...I'm not sure which is more surprising, the news, or somebody duplicating the first post entirely