how to test a new lens, particularly the 24-70L II

@ infared:

Both copies I received from Crutchfield were sharp.

Before AFMA
1. I set the camera on tripod and took some pictures with View finder at 24, 35, 50, and 70mm at f2.8 ISO 100. My target was stucco wall

2. Same setting, under LiveView, took some pictures at 24, 35, 50, and 70mm at f2.8 ISO 100

I didn't see much different btw viewfinder Vs LiveView

3. I ran the lens through FoCal(x50 lenght) and repeated the steps above

Results: FoCal suggested -2 @ 24mm(sharpness around 1100) and +1 at 70mm(sharpness around 1150ish)

Again...I compared pictures before AFMA Vs after AFMA, there is no different in real life shooting. At the end, I set both ends(W+T) to zero on my 24-70 in my 5D III.

I didn't know at 24mm this lens has vignetting, so I asked Crutchfield for another copy. 2 weeks later, Crutchfield sent me my replacement. I compared two lenses. Same vignetting. According FoCal, the 2nd copy is a bit sharper. AGAIN...no different btw the two - in term of sharpness in real life shooting.

At the end, I kept the 2nd copy and returned the 1st. Here is my most recent pix I took inside a pre-school class room with no flash at f2.8 (5D III +24-70 II)

Attachments

  • _Y1C6257.jpg
    _Y1C6257.jpg
    786.3 KB · Views: 1,025
Upvote 0

RE:Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD 2x tele converter question...

Hello everyone. The specs and initial reviews of this lens have me very interested. I currently have the Canon EF 70-200 F4 IS USM and want to upgrade.

I thought about getting the new Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD. It looks very impressive based on what I have read and I was wondering how the Tamron 2x teleconverter would work (well) with it. I figured that it may save me some $$$ in the long run because it will give me a 2.8 70-200 AND a 140-400 when I needed it.

Thoughts? Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider my question.

D

The Palouse

SPL said:
Hey, Thanks everyone! that helps a lot. I'll try and let you know when I go. Your info is great,...and I have to check out Luminous Landscape,..Thanks!!

no probs, looks like that should be an exciting trip! I realized that they actually have a current one, as well as an older one - I think you can find both by googling Luminous Landscape + Palouse at the same time.
Upvote 0

Selling question...

Going rate seems to be about $1300 on the ebays. If you ebay, I would start the bidding at $1300 minus the cost of a shutter replacement and then let the market do its thing. Things often sell for more than they're worth on the ebays(lots of impulsive and uninformed buyers, plus there's a gambling and winning aspect to it), so it would probably work out pretty well for you. I think it's your best bet for maximum return. Otherwise, I still think you could pick up at least a grand, probably a little more selling in craigslist or in forums somewhere.
Upvote 0

EOS 6D launch and effect on 5D MkII & MKIII

Gino said:
The two things that the 6D is lacking that I think are important to a amateur/prosumer photographer are a second memory card slot and a pop-up flash. I just purchased a Nikon D600 for my father, rather than the 6D, because the D600 had the second memory card slot and a pop-up flash.
I consider this rather as a feature: it saves weight and allows a more compact camera design. I prefer to shoot with a remote flash or with lower stop/higher ISO.

And as for the thread-topic: the 5ds don't have build-in-flash either.
Upvote 0

135L vs 70-200 IS MK II - real world opinions and experience needed

dpollitt said:
I have owned both, and I have shot weddings, engagements, and other portrait work. I am not a full time professional. Now you know where I am coming from.

For you, I would certainly get the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS MkII. Why? Because it is extremely versatile and extremely good quality in all aspects. When you are at a wedding, you can use primes to get great bokeh or when the lighting is so poor you have no other choice, but the versatility is really going to be the killer here. I've shot weddings with both a 135L and a 70-200L on separate occasions, and I much prefer the capability to zoom and not have to move my feet to get the framing I desire. I don't like disturbing the ceremony or even dinner guests to "get closer". I would rather zoom in a bit to get my desired framing from further away if possible, or even keep it at 70mm if I am closer. The 70-200 in question is of excellent optical quality, and the IS really is an outstanding feature to have for a wedding. People are moving, sure - but I don't use a tripod for anything either.

For me, I prefer the 135L as my lens of choice. Why? Because of the additional full stop of light, it is lighter weight(1.8lb lighter), more compact, and it is black(not white or terribly flashy in public). I don't shoot weddings any longer, and when I go out to shoot, I want a smaller more effective kit. I bring the 135L + 1.4xTC, giving me both the 135 focal length at f/2, and 189mm at f/2.8. Even at 189mm I find the lens to be great quality, and the tradeoff of not bringing an extra 2lbs or so is huge for me. Do I sometimes miss the versatility, yes, but not for non critical casual uses. If I'm not in front of a client or in a church shooting, the versatility of a zoom is much less important at least for me. I do shoot some sports with this setup, and still find it very useful. I do not shoot any wildlife though.

As others have suggested, you likely will find a place for both in an event photographers kit. I would start with the more versatile 70-200 though, and if you find yourself looking for that one additional stop of light, or even more creamy background bokeh - then you know what to buy next. :)

Nicely said. This, to me, is a nicely nuanced approach to the question.
Upvote 0

At least we have Canon quality control

Zv,

You'll likely be disappointed if you start rigorously testing expensive equipment. You'll start finding flaws that you thought shouldn't exist for such high quality/price products. But I find it's great to know about these limitations so I know how to work around them.

For example, 3 copies of the highly venerated 70-200 f/4L IS I tested all showed erratic softness on one side of the frame relative to the other, even at f/8 sometimes. By f/11 most of the time every shot was acceptable, though not always on at least one copy. Contrast that to the 70-200 f/2.8L II I finally bought b/c I was tired of the poor performance of the f/4L for landscapes. Typically, at 200mm | f/2.8 it's at least as sharp across the entire field as the f4L ever was. At 70mm though, the extreme left side doesn't sharpen up until f/5.6. Which isn't a big deal, and now I store that tidbit of info in the back of my head so when it becomes relevant I'll know how to set my aperture.

If you start testing the AF precision (repeatability) of AF points on any of these high-end dSLRs with primes, you may find yourself pretty surprised. Or not, if you've ever tried shooting a 5D Mark II + 85/1.2 combo anywhere below f/2.8... :)
Upvote 0

Anyone longing for 45mm and 90mm TS-E replacement ?

The new updated lenses are performing very well. I would like a TS-E lens and have heard the 45 is a great focal length. Would I like to break in to this market with an improved version? Yes. But at twice the price of the current? No.

I've got my eyes on the Samyang 24mm due out. We'll see what it can do and at what price point.

-Brian
Upvote 0

a used Canon 5D, a budget way to go full frame?

dtaylor said:
RLPhoto said:
I made a statement, You said I'm wrong. The burden of proof is on you.

I've provided many, many samples of the 5Dc's superb IQ. You have provided none.

You haven't provided a single sample for comparison. Nor could you provide one on request here, even though you claim to have handled both.

Your statement claims the opposite of published, professional test data and sample images (DPReview; Imaging Resource). Therefore the burden of proof is entirely on you.

But go ahead and rant in 36 point again like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum.

[size=24pt]Your plainly mistaken Mr. Taylor. I was a Avid 5Dc + 7D combo user.[/size]

1. http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=9773.45

2. http://ramonlperez.tumblr.com/post/34906285033/fast-prime-shoot-out-pt-2-50mm-1-2l-review

3. http://images.us.viewbook.com/9a8bb8062cdfc9b86e057b85a601e742.jpg

Since I don't shoot test charts and my experience is real world, If you don't get what not only myself have been saying but other 5Dc users have also agreed on. There is no helping you.

Please, I would love to see some of your ISO 3200 Shots from the 7D, Because I already know what they're going to look like.
Upvote 0

EOS 6D manual is ready to download

xps said:
But I do not understand, why they reduce the number of the cross type sensors. What is the technical reason for it? There must be one.

Not at all, imho this is simply to protect the 5d3 - Canon isn't in the habit of internal cannibalization, look at what they did to the 60d to protect the 7d.

As for the af system: I didn't give up hope completely yet - it might still be a lot better as the 5d2 because not only the specs count, but the 6d might have a closed loop system that works better with newer lenses (like my 100L, 70-300L and maybe 24-70ii).
Upvote 0

Trying to justify purchasing a 200mm f2.0

I'd stick with the current body if you are happy with it.

Bodies are made obsolete in mere years.

Lenses are made obsolete in decades.

The 1-Series bodies generally have a 3 year or longer product cycle. My 1D4 was just a crummy 2 years.

The predecessor to the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM enjoyed a product cycle starting from 1988 through 2003. The lens you are contemplating was marketed in 2008. Chances are it wont get replaced anytime soon even if there are rumors to this effect.

Two decades for a lens that sold barely 8,000 copies worldwide. Not bad, not bad at all.
Upvote 0

Believe it or not, 5D3 user misses the 300D reach...

neuroanatomist said:
You need to do some more Rithmetic. ;)

The 300D at 400mm gives you a 640mm FF-equivalent FoV, and a 6.3 MP image. The 5DIII at 400mm gives you a 400mm FoV, and a 22 MP image. If you crop the 5DIII image to the 640mm FoV, you'll have an 8.6 MP image with better IQ than the 300D image.

As I've said before, the 'crop factor' reach is an illusion when it comes to IQ - the only thing you're usually giving up is MP in the final image...and in the case of an old APS-C camera like the 300D, you're actually gaining MP with the cropped FF image.
You are right. I cant believe I did this calculation and forgot about it. I think it is perceived reach had my camera been a 7D/60D/650D...
Upvote 0

60D or t4i?

My wife first started out with a t3i, but switched to a 60d(after playing with my 7d) because she could change settings a little faster, the top LCD screen and to use the same battery as me(battery life on the 60d is better than the t3i/t4i).

The 60d is a little bigger, but she's 5'3 and she hasn't complained about weight/size once

However, the t4i video autofocus could be important, depending on how much you do video
Upvote 0

Unable to AFMA 70-200mm 2.8 is II

Yeah tested all my newly calibrated lenses. They are all sharp and very clear under good light. So the method is super crucial.
On a side note the reason all this afma started was because I was not happy with the quality of pictures on my 24-105mm. Even after focal adjustment this is not really what I would be expecting out of such a highly regarded L lens. I want to go use it some more since it is often mentioned as good quality I would expect this is another case of user error
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
37,274
Messages
967,060
Members
24,634
Latest member
Mcsnows

Gallery statistics

Categories
1
Albums
29
Uploaded media
353
Embedded media
1
Comments
25
Disk usage
982.4 MB