Yep, the shutter is probably fried if you are getting only half images. BTW, what is the error message you are getting?

TrabimanUK said:

Eye focussing? Whatever happened to that then?

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Same thing as hydro pneumatic suspension on Citroens, or variable strength air bags... :-(

would love to see some interesting feature on the canon flagship. 'interesting' as in a little out there and eye control would do it! as would having focus points over the entire sensor area, or a sensor which uses more of the imaging circle (think square, round, cross shaped!)...I could go on!

I don't think it's either of those but I suppose the button switch is possible. I have set a shortcut button for that. Thanks for that thought... Will keep an eye on it.

good news is you dont need a DSLR to achieve insane macro photography. I recently came across a post whereby someone DIY a rig to mount a reversed lens to a compact camera with its zoom maxed out. And the subjects he photographed were snowflakes!

Yes, the best camera is the one which is available/in your hands.

I am going to visit Rome in February. Was there before two times.
With my 5dIII. Some lenses. One flash.
And my Sony RX100.

I want to make some big prints from the pictures I take there.
Therefore: nice pictures, but I am sacrifying some of my human power to carry my backpack.
(Comfortable ThinkTank Streetwalker HD, can only recommend it).

I love Italy!!

I believe I've solved the problem. There were some issues after the firmware update. I had to remove the batteries from the TCU, reinstall and then power up. Then I had to press the 'Clear' button for 2.5 seconds to reset the TCU. It appears to have solved the issue. I now have a fully functional battle station

Hi Paul.
Well that answers those questions thanks. ;D
I'm going to guess that an expensive Loewe CRT is one that might not react well to out of limit signals?

Cheers Graham.

traveller said:

The way I see it, if camera A reports ISO1600 and shows a SNR of say 26dB and camera B reports the same ISO and SNR, what does it matter if the sensor output from camera A is only at ISO800 and has been brightened in software? To the photographer, the output looks the same.

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To the photographer, the output from camera A should look better, because of (potentially) better highlight control.

I would usually take 40 2.8 over 50 1.4 let alone 50 1.8.

Yup, I would shoot 30fps (29.97) for NTSC unless you were absolutely going to project in a 24fps only environment.

Not using. Seemed an expensive fix for something that I can largely deal with in post.

My feeling was that you can to some degree remove moire, you can't put back in what an aggressive AA filter has taken out, without sharpening, which in itself can be horrific.

I shoot with sharpness 1 notch below middle.
I put a .5px gaussian blur over video layers as a matter of course.
I ensure the field order is set to progressive from my APR transcodes, to my timeline to my output format or disc encoding settings.

I can recall two occassions where moire was very intrustive, and on those occassions I used a second layer with heavy Marvels filter on it and unaffected areas revealed using garbage mattes

Thanks for the tips privatebydesign. I will test it out.

And Jonathan, 5D3 focus in low light is dependent on lens. A 70-200 2.8 II will focus in low light much better than an 85 1.2. If you want reliable snap focus while shooting, a focus beam is a must. The pro of the 5D3 focus is focus accuracy, even on the side cross points.

It is also good for panoramas as the nodal point is not too much off. Of course a real setup is better, but the pancake does the job quite well compared to its price.

Generally speaking, it's good...not stellar but it works.

Only problem is...FF corners NEVER get sharp - at any aperture.* Center and mid-frame resolution is decent however.


*Seems to depend on the shot, actually. When most of what you're shooting is in the same plane or close enough, it's fine. However, landscapes with both far and near objects...struggles mightily, more so than any other lens I have.

I have carried it at my side by the RRS replacement foot for an hour or so but it does get fatiguing on the shoulder. I think a combo of a strap and holding it would be better. Least tiring is on monopod over the shoulder or of course in a backpack if you are just hiking to get somewhere with no real shooting opportunities on the way.

In some scenes it can be a problem, e.g. buildings/structures where the viewer expects to see straight lines. In natural scenes you can compose your shot so that the existence of distortion is not really visible to the viewer.

Linked is a sample image in the built-environment and the presence of distortion is quite clear: http://www.4photos.de/test/Samyang-14mm-Wellenfoermige-Verzeichnung-.jpg

Since you are already FF, I believe the Tokina is the better option and will be a more versatile lens purchase. It will be way more useful most of the time. It might be a better option to rent a 14mm on the odd occasion when you might need it. There are options for distortion correction but you will inevitably lose sharpness as a result. It is better to shoot a cleaner image in-camera than to try and manufacture it afterwards.

I never owned any of the lenses you mention, but i'm looking for a landscape prime myself, so i can share the results of my research with you.

MTF charts show that the 17-40 is good enough when stopped down to f/8-11, so i think you're fine with it when shooting landscapes and long exposures. However, if you want take pictures of stars you're going to need a fast aperture and decent sharpness. The 24/1.4L is sharp.in the center, but somewhat disappointing in the corners when used wide open, showing low sharpness and high vignetting. It also shows coma when shot wide open. Stopping down to f/2.8-4 improve things a lot, but if you're stopping down to f/2.8, you might as well save a grand and get a 24/2.8 IS that boasts decent performances right from the fastest aperture. If you need the fast aperture for creative purposes, nothing can touch the canon L.

There's a brand now Zeiss 15/2.8 that's getting lots of praising reviews, but it costs something in the whereabouts of 3000$. The other Zeiss lenses show good sharpness in lab tests, so they are worth a thought, if you can get over the fact they don't have the autofocus.

My considerations: the 24/2.8 IS is a good all-arounder, delivering good performances in all the fields of interests at a fair price. If money wasn't a concern, i would have bought the Zeiss 15/2.8 as a dedicated landscape/starfield lens, and something else for street and handheld low light photography.

Sorry, I just found this funny.

jonathan7007 said:

UK Mike,
There are good suggestions that precede this; try also back button focus control with servo. This works best if you can get used to shifting the focus cluster, too, around the field -- on the fly -- with the camera at your eye.

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Good advice - i find back button focus to be a great help. Do give it a good go.

As you have i inherited the lens, a repair cost of around $300 is still a very good deal. Get it to Canon asap and start enjoying this lovely lens.

Timely thread for me. Thanks for all the shared experience and kit suggestions. Blower first...

Using a ziplock bag when going from a cold environment into a warm (as likely more humid) environment, esp one with a large crowd of breathing people, is prudent until the camera's temp warms up to close to the surroundings. Problem for me is that I need to shoot pictures when I arrive and shooting through a sealed ziplock bag isn't a skill I've yet mastered. And as you use a zoom lens, you move the warm humid air inside the lens and camera and can fog on the inside too. Grrr!!

Please correct me if I'm wrong but my simplistic attitude about humidity and my cameras/lenses is keep the camera/lens warmer than the surroundings and it can't hold condensation. For instance, when I shoot in very humid indoor pool areas, I warm up my camera/lens with the car heater on the way to the location. (I crack the car windows so I don't suffocate inside on mild days!)

Since I do a enough indoor pool shooting during the winter, I've even considered perhaps getting a pizza warmer bag for the ride over to the pool instead of using my car heater. I would assume a similar idea could be used indoors when returning from the cold outdoors if the camera needs to be used indoors quickly.

Well, not much of a shower this year. I think I spotted two meteors total with my eyes. Between the bright moon, and eventual cloud cover, nothing really interesting.

Did some research, and it seems the Leonids won't be exhibiting much more than their "base" ZHR of 10-15 for decades. It won't be until 2094 before another thousands-per-hour Leonid meteor storm occurs (the last ones were in 2000 and 2001, which ZHR's of over 6000 and over 4000, respectively.) Kinda sad.

In 1833, the Leonids gained their fame with reported hourly rates well over 200,000 per hour...the entire sky from the Rockies to the Appalachians was lit up a continual shower of meteors...too bad they didn't have DSLR cameras back then...I'd have loved to see what that looked like

OP gone? Nah, just perusing. We don't have this kind of "mega-store" where I live although the local chaps can be very helpful. I do buy much of my gear online but the ability to handle gear and talk with a salesperson (my cynical-watch-out-for-urge-to-make-a-sale alarm sounds loudly) is of value so I do purchase from the local bricks and mortar shops, as well. They can't often beat the online guys but they do deserve to make a living and I value their help.

The beauty of the pilgrimage is that I can go home and buy online from these NYC stores without guilt so I've no issue with browsing and looking. In fact, nobody in my locale has an Intuos that I could handle but now, I did at B&H. If I purchase, I'll probably do so through them.

My assistant, well, still beautiful but, it was raining today, so they wisely stayed home. Just me and my stuff wandering with my finger on the shutter and an alternate lens in the bag. Sometimes the "overpriced" bags are just perfect, at least for carrying gear

Mt. Spokane,
I do have insurance against theft, loss, damage. Liability, etc. I should have been more clear. The CPS service is kind of "prepaid" repair and cleaning services with a discount of (now) 30%. When Platinum was $600 it was clearly a bad fit for me. Gold worked, and I did once or twice get the (then) 30% discount on repairs. I would never invoke my true insurance "perils" coverage for payment of even a badly damaged camera body. Theft, yeah.

You offered an interesting added benefit: CPS gets a better price in certain purchase situations. Is this for further discount off refurbished bodies? I have used the "Canon Loyalty Program" in the past, but I don't remember any situation in which I got a discount by identifying myself as a CPS member.

Faster turnaround time is a valuable benefit which I cannot buy, I believe. So that is in the "worthwhile" column. As I said, across-the-Pacific shipping to and fro is also a good deal.

The murky benefit (to me) of lens clean-and-check services is a downbeat part of the equation. Does anyone know more about helpful steps in a lens clean-and-check? I don't *think* Canon calibrates or adjusts a lens in any way during a clean-and-check. A CPS rep read me the official list of steps in the process. I would love to know otherwise.

This is NOT intended to be a rant about evil Canon trolls in Irvine, Jamesburg, Newport News (I think that's the Repair locations) but a examination of the benefit-cost balance.