Which to upgrade first? Camera or Lens

Hold off on the 1DX. The 5DIII comes very close to 1DX performance and in some aspects is better. Both have their advantages but if you have the 5DIII then it's likely a waste to get a 1DX unless you need the 1DX features for sports photography. Wait and see how the 7DII comes in.

If you are itching for some new glass, then trade in the 500 F4 IS and get the 500 F4 IS II. The lighter weight, improved IS and improved IQ is worth spending the money on.

bigal1000 said:
RGF said:
I am considering an upgrade to my equipment

1D M4 -> 1Dx
500F4 IS -> mark 2 version of this lens

Already have the 5DM3 but love the feel of the 1D series, though it is a lot of $ for a body.

Mostly shoot wildlife with the 1D and use the 5D for macro and scenics (the tiny bit I do of city scapes).

Really don't need any new lenses - in fact, I need to have a garage sale and join a 12 step program for lenses and bags.

Originally I was very skepical about the 1Dx but the more I hear about it, the more I am interested. I will be borrowing one for a shoot next week, so I will have hands on experience then.

I could also wait, to see what Canon introduces this fall.

High MP camera (probably a replacement for the 5DM3, not sure if it would be wildlife camera)
200-400 zoom in lieu of long lens

Did you not answer your own ? by saying you already have enough lenses?
Upvote 0

5D3 Pricing

jonathan7007 said:
Having seen the $23xx price in the refurb store (Canon USA) I am spoiled: will wait. Or just buy another 1DsMk3, which comes out at about the same $$. That is my current dilemma... Which body... but if 5DMk3 I will wait for refurb "sale" again.

I assume the various price watch services do NOT see the refurb data?

Last seen refurb offer is $27xx.

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/refurbished/
Upvote 0

Canon 100-400mm L EF mount alignment question

.
vbi said:
Perhaps it is just the size of the lens that is a little awkward at first.
viggen61 said:
At 3 lbs plus, it's a heavyweight, and if your hands aren't used to it, it may take you a couple tries.

I'd considered that at first - but my 70-200 f2.8 ii is heavier and longer when mounting. And I've never had any issues mounting it on several different bodies. I think this 100-400mm mount was a little bit off-spec when manufactured.

Thanks again for the feedback!
Upvote 0

What made you choose Canon in the first place?

beckstoy said:
IMHO, I think that Canon is better with skin tones. Also, low ISO performance of the 5DM3 put me squarely in their camp.

Canon glass is better for the dollar, bodies feel better in the hand, ergonomics are outstanding, and therefore even with all my heavy glass it all seems easier to carry and use.

I've always been impressed with Canon's attention to IQ, Processors and ISO. I don't need Mega Mega-Pixels for what I do (Weddings, Events).

+1 I seem to think Canon images just seem to look more natural,more film like than digital,I sold my Nikon gear and switched to Canon and I'm glad I did.
Upvote 0

What's in my bag (and what I should removed/condense).

RGF said:
RiCKL3s said:
Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate it.

So the 24-105 or the 17-55...but am I limiting myself too much by not having really fast glass? I know that 2.8 is still pretty fast, but not 1.8 fast.

How often do you shoot with 1.8 or 2 or even 2.8 for effect (vs need to keep the shutter speed high)? I like to shoot atleast F4 and happier at F8 to gain sharpness a bit DOF.

40mm=mostly at 2.8, though I will bump it up to 4.0 or higher, depending on the situation
50mm=1.8 for a long time, until I learned how much sharper it was when stepped down a bit.
10-22 is iffy, until you get to 5.7-11, so that is where I hover with that.
70-200mm=mostly 4.0

I was always under the assumption that a 50mm 1.2 @ 4.0 would be faster than a 50mm 1.8 @ 4.0. Was I wrong in assuming that? With that in mind, I would assume getting the larger-aperture lens was enviable, even if I wasn't using the largest aperture.

Be gentle :)
Upvote 0

Safe to leave lens on camera?

Rienzphotoz said:
Tristan944 said:
What about lenses with plastic mounts?

The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II is a fairly big lens with a plastic mount. Over time would the plastic bend, warp, and lose a tight connection? Especially if the lens and body get very hot in the sun or trunk of a car, I could see this being even more problematic.
I'm pretty sure, lenses with plastic mount wouldn't bend, warp or lose tight connection in normal weather conditions ... I say this coz I live in a place where the summer temperature goes to 55 degrees Celcius (131 Ferenhight) and I make images/video at our rig locations out in the open desert with all my lenses in the car roasting in the heat of the mid day sun ... one of those lenses was 50 f/1.8 (which has a plastic lens mount) ... never had a problem.

One think may not hurt the mount. But repeated exposure to stress, vibration, etc can eventually damage it. why risk it?
Upvote 0

Lens cleaning

Appreciate all the comments. It's on the way to Canon for a cleaning. I live in a very dusty environment and while I have cleaned the sensor before, I wasn't confident I got the thing cleaned properly. I suspect I'll send it off once a year and then clean it myself depending on what shows up in between times. Thank you again, for your advice. I ordered the three of the filters as well. I don't want anything messing up those lens.

Best,
John
Upvote 0

Landscape photography with an 85mm

One of my pet peeves is when someone new to photography will ask someone not-so-new to photography: "what's the best landscape lens" and the more experienced photographer will start to recommend all sorts of ultra-wide lenses. ANY LENS can be a landscape lens, from a 15 to a 600!

I took this last night of Mt Adams...hoped to get some meteor shower but the moon was far too bright, it did light up the glaciers very nicely though.

5D Mk III
85mm f/1.2 II
f/2.8, 5s, ISO 1600

I tried a bunch of different f/#, ISO combos: f/1.2, ISO 400; f/2.0 ISO 800, f/2.8 ISO 1600, and f/4.0 ISO 3200...this had the best overall image quality.

Attachments

  • VW7A9919-2.jpg
    VW7A9919-2.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 645

Simple Portraits - anything to improve?

CanadianInvestor said:
Absolutely marvellous shots, however, the last three lack 'sharpness', in my opinion. Was this intentional or am I seeing something which is not there? But, again, great shots and you are right, simple, yet outstanding.

Hi thanks for the feedback. If 100% viewed, I find the sharpness fine for these 3. Maybe you are referring to low contrast? Or perhaps because of the shallow DOF?
Upvote 0

ND filters for video? Suggestions?

In my country most rental places have Tiffen NDs and Polarizers. I have been a camera operator and focus puller long enough to know the difference between brands solely by looking at the final image... Even though here the standard is Tiffen, they algo give you a slight green cast and the resolution drops (this appears to be subjective, I know some ACs that claim they don't see a difference) a lot. I joke around saying that Tiffen gives you a free 1/4 White Promist with their NDs.

That is my experience with Tiffen. Sometimes I get a Schneider or B+W (owned by Schneider), and I hug the guys at the rental place. Those are good filters.

But then again, my standards of quality are comparable to standards of japanese schoolgirls. Scoring an 8 out of 10 is not acceptable.
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
37,478
Messages
975,289
Members
24,816
Latest member
GLBDD

Gallery statistics

Categories
1
Albums
29
Uploaded media
372
Embedded media
1
Comments
25
Disk usage
1 GB