Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 with SoftFocus

Pookie said:
Back in the days this was done by stretching a nylon pantyhose or some other similar material over a lens. I've even seen thin spreads of vaseline used on lenses for this effect... wouldn't recommend but I've seen it done.

Not that I would do this, but you could designate a protection filter for Vaseline duty if you really wanted to try it. Just be careful putting it on and taking it off.
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My Dad

Great pic, much respect, my old man is 84 and works daily here in his brick yard, he had a stroke in Dec and struggles to work but wants to push on, its onwards or nothing. Getting old comes to us all, shame we have to give back all that life gives in the end, letting go is not easy for any of us. The feeling of joy and sadness is a strange one.
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EF 24-70 2.8 II Build Quality

Larsskv said:
RogerCicala said:

That is the only issue we have seen also. Being a rental house we don't say much about scratches or coatings -- we don't know what might have happened to the lens. But we replace 24-70 f/2.8 II front glass more frequently than any other Canon lens.

I understand I am only one of a gazillon that want to ask you a gear related question, but since you're here, I grab the opportunity: have you had any issues with the 35LII? I am very curious due to the tear down of that lens. Answer is appreciated, but not expected. Thank you!

+1
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New Kit Lens Coming for EOS 5D Mark IV [CR2]

amfoto1 said:
The 5D Mark IV is supposed to carry on the tradition of being an exceptional video camera...

As such, for a kit lens it will likely get a new version of either the EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM or an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Mark II. This will be compatible with the Power Zoom module, that's currently only usable on the EF-S 18-135mm IS USM. Makes sense, for a camera with high hopes for video uses.

USM lenses weren't ideal for video in the past... however apparently the EF-S 18-135mm is using a new type of USM that's quieter and smoother, yet still gives at least 2X as fast focus as the STM version of that lens.

A non L kit lens for the 5d4 is very questionable. Sure it could be one of many configurations but as the main kit? Bah.....
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1dx II video output

kaihp said:
marvinhello said:
ethanz said:
I had a friend tell me that the 30 minute limit has nothing to do with hardware or software, But is actually due to tariff laws. I guess if I camera can record past 30 minutes it is seen as a video camera and the export taxes or whatever are different for it as opposed to a still camera.

When you're in liveview and not recording, the camera still exits liveview and cut the signal every 30min. This has nothign to do with tariff law since the camera is on stand by.

Oh, it's a tariff law alright. It's to circumvent a butt-stupid EU law that taxes video cameras higher than still cameras.
Video cameras are defined as being able to take at least 30m in a single shot.

No it's not, if you read carefully, we were talking about the camera in liveview when not recording, so that you can use HDMI to connect to external recording device. 1DX II exits liveview every 30min.
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"Outdated" ;-) Canon lenses used in galaxy seeking robots tests

Those "outdated" lenses still work fine for normal usage, too.

Just bought a EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 for under $70 and replaced my too big and too heavy 24-105mm L. Also bought an old EF 100-300mm zoom for about the same price. The IQ is really good for non-pixel peepers. Both lenses have lens correction profiles, so they work very well on my 6D. Sold the "L" on Ebay. So now I have two lenses (I used to have only the one) and made over a couple hundred bucks as well. For those with limited funds, looking into the older mid-quality lenses may be a good idea.
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First EOS 5D Mark IV Leak?

wunderpink said:
Tony Northrup's predictions in that video on the 5D mark IV were not the only ones that were more than questionable. Actually, I think that he stated many quite unlogical predictions in this video by intention. That's because he understands how social media work. This way he generates tons of comments and references to the video. This is what the Google and Facebook feed engines like and promote.
+1

ahsanford said:
...Controlled leaks with Canon are a slippery slope as they have evaluators under NDA all over the globe. Making exceptions for one dude might imply to others that the cat is out of the bag and they can similarly make mischief like this....

All not quoted here possibilities are not to be ignored, but I say NDA forbids them to let the cat out of the bag, while his contractual terms most probably have different special well planned agreements. ;-)
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Hooray for refurbed gear from the Canon store

All of my refurb purchases have been packed better than most new buys. They come double boxed in a thicker than the new packaging and I just can't buy the scenario that this is Canon's fault (at least in most to all cases) Shippers do most damage 99/100. Stuff breaks, things happen....I don't care if it's a Kia or a Lexus, Apple or Samsung, Canon or Sony....you're going to get a lemon now and then. I think if you take a good look at the info available out there, you'll find much more happy customers for Canon refurb than not.

Do yourself a favor and go one step further and use the CLP. Save even more $$
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Review on a recent refurbished Canon 85mm f/1.8

Ah yes...once again, someone has a bad experience and instead of taking the proper steps to have it corrected, they start a thread on the internet. I don't know what motivates people to do this. A cursory look at similar threads would show them that the experience is seldom positive.

Instead of sympathy, they are more likely to attract scorn, because their one-off experience does not match the experience of others.

I have an 85mm f1.8 that I bought refurbished a few years ago. Like all the refurbished lenses and cameras I've purchased, it was at least as good as new. No problems whatsoever.

I note that in addition to Canon's return policy, a refurbished lens carries the same one-year warranty as a new lens and currently, they quality for 13 months of the CarePak damage protection.

There are currently plenty of refurbished 85mm f1.8 lenses in stock, so returning should be simple and more satisfying than whining "reviewing" on the internet.
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In-Depth Comparison of 7DMk2 with 1DMk4

Jack Douglas said:
Wow, excellent although too late for me. I sure could have used this last spring. I bought the 1D4 for a better than 7D2 price and used it for eagle photography at Haida Gwaii for a month then back home for another month or two and finally sold it for roughly what I paid for it.

I was frightened away from the 7D2 by the early common complaints.

What I really didn't like about the 1D4 was the way it jumped to a high magnification for image review and how slow it was to move higher and lower in magnification using the two buttons. There were no options to change this.

I also was thrilled with my typically 25% cropped images at ISO 600 but felt quite let down at ISO 800. This was after the fact awareness and if I had known I would have fought to stay at or below 600.

My disappointments with the 1D4 were mostly relating to having to crop. As you mentioned if the frame was filled the camera was excellent! I loved the size of it and the weight didn't bother me at all compared to my 6D. The loss of IQ compared to the 6D was irritating because the 6D would fall flat on its face for BIF but I kept wasting time trying to acquire them and then finally gave up. I loved the lighted focus point.

The 1D4 would have been kept if not for the early news on the 1DX II which after using the 1D4 I was determined to own and will get later this year.

Grant, you writing style is great and with your obvious knowledge base I'll be watching for more reviews in the future and have bookmarked your site.

Here is one of my 1D4 shots that didn't need significant cropping.

Jack
Jack Douglas said:
Wow, excellent although too late for me. I sure could have used this last spring. I bought the 1D4 for a better than 7D2 price and used it for eagle photography at Haida Gwaii for a month then back home for another month or two and finally sold it for roughly what I paid for it.

I was frightened away from the 7D2 by the early common complaints.

What I really didn't like about the 1D4 was the way it jumped to a high magnification for image review and how slow it was to move higher and lower in magnification using the two buttons. There were no options to change this.

I also was thrilled with my typically 25% cropped images at ISO 600 but felt quite let down at ISO 800. This was after the fact awareness and if I had known I would have fought to stay at or below 600.

My disappointments with the 1D4 were mostly relating to having to crop. As you mentioned if the frame was filled the camera was excellent! I loved the size of it and the weight didn't bother me at all compared to my 6D. The loss of IQ compared to the 6D was irritating because the 6D would fall flat on its face for BIF but I kept wasting time trying to acquire them and then finally gave up. I loved the lighted focus point.

The 1D4 would have been kept if not for the early news on the 1DX II which after using the 1D4 I was determined to own and will get later this year.

Grant, you writing style is great and with your obvious knowledge base I'll be watching for more reviews in the future and have bookmarked your site.

Here is one of my 1D4 shots that didn't need significant cropping.

Jack

Hi Jack, thanks for posting a power flight image of this bald eagle, in great light too, and at a good angle to the camera. Also appreciate you adding your user experience to the mix here. I think that the 1DX Mark 2 will do very well for you, as its image quality is ahead of the 6D a bit, and then it has superior AF to the 1D Mark 4, so you are going to experience an all-round upgrade :)
I am in the field right now with weak internet, and I also dont have my 1D Mark 4 with me, but I think there may have been a way to change the zoom-in magnification amount/ratio, perhaps in the Blue Playback menu?
I will check when I get home in a few weeks...
Thanks again
Cheers
Grant
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Patent: Canon EF 1000mm f/5.6 IS DO

Thermal distortion in real time, when it exists, is very obvious when using a pair of Canon 10X42 L IS binoculars. The magnification is equivalent to a 500mm lens, chromatic aberration with the only L quality binoculars is significantly better than the other Canon offering, and the IS is fantastic.

Today I was looking in the same direction as my earlier sample picture with a very thermally distorted windmill, and I wasn't seeing much distortion with the binoculars. The temperature was 90 degrees, but the sun was behind clouds, and there was a 10 to 12 MPH breeze.

I used the same setup as before, 5DsR, 100-400mm II and 1.4X TC III at 560mm equivalent focal length. Even though the windmill blades were facing a different direction, the distortion of the legs was much less. I also shot an oil well that is a mile away, and the distortion is relatively low considering the 90 degree temperature and distance involved. Between the clouds blocking the direct sun, and possibly the wind, the difference between the two shooting days was amazing. Too bad there weren't any antelope today!

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Zeiss 100mm Makro + extenstion tubes or teleconverters

I just tried out the Zeiss 100 with the 14 mm extension tube and the 1.4 extenderIII in that order and was pleased with the result. The attached image, taken handheld, is highly cropped and reduced in format.

Beware, I bought the Zeiss 21mm, then the 50 MP (like that for scenery and wow does it stitch well for panaramas, then the 100 MP (sold my Canon 100L, and finally couldn't resist the 135 APO Sonnar. Yikes! My dear wife hopes the madness is over. I really love these lenses.

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100-400 II with 2xiii tele focus on 7d ii

Thank you for this great idea. Just tested it with the MkI 100-400mm. The Live view focusing works astonishing fast and accurate.


For Wildlife on a tripod in a shade - or photos like that: really a choice: it works just great.


But to the downsides: today it´s cloudy outside. f11 means: wide open: the photos come out pretty soft. f16 is by fare better - but than you are @ 1/20s exposure time.... which means it works with remote release only....
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