My unscientific 50mm macro shootout: Canon vs Zeiss

I bought my f/2.5 macro in 1990 when I attended a forensic photography course. It was awesome then and it is still awesome! If you shoot it wide open - it will be a little soft... But drop it down two stops and the sharpness is incredible! Used it for years as my "ring shot" lens for weddings. Still using it today in Afghanistan as my student "mug shot" lens... I am anxiously awaiting my shorty forty - but until it arrives - I can truly say that my macro is the best value of any Canon lens that I own...
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Spinlight360

I live in the UK and the Spinlight360 is not available through any retailers here, I know Spinlight will ship to the UK where I'll get hit with VAT and import duty no doubt however has anyone on here used it and if so are there any issues with it worth knowing, quality, ease of use etc. Would be good to know if it is worth the trouble of getting it shipped to the UK.

Thanks in advance.

70-200 f/2.8L IS II focus issue

I had to send a 24-105L in for the same reason. I have owned it for several years and it has worked well but, during the summer on a trip to Scotland, it didn't perform good at all. When blown up, images were softer than they should have been, given the shutter speeds used. I sent it to Canon and they corrected the various lens focus adjustments (including the "tilt" focus which I don't think MFA can address) and checked the IS unit. When they returned it to me it was corrected to be within "Factory tolerances". It's back to performing as good as ever. Cost me nearly $200USD though…
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BIG MEGAPIXELS small lenses?

There is a issue with digital cameras that makes light falloff at the corners and edges worse, the photosites have depth to them, so the outer photosites are partially shaded and do not receive as much light as the grain at the outer edges of film. The signal from the outer photosites is amplified to account for this, and that creates more noise and less resolution at the edges and corners.

I read an interesting article about the new Leica M sensor that seems to better addresses the sensor depth issue. I the corners. I hope this is the direction for all the big DSLR makers over the coming years.

http://leicarumors.com/2012/09/19/the-24mp-max-sensor-inside-the-new-leica-m-is-mabe-by-cmosis.aspx/
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Canon EOS Rebel T4i First Impression Review

qucik look at the difference on t4i and t3i,
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Canon EOS Rebel T4i
18mp CMOS 18mp hybrid CMOS
DIGIC 4 DIGIC 5
TFT LCD Touch Screen
Max. approx. 3.7 fps Max. approx. 5.0 fps
6 raw/34 JPEG 6 raw/22 JPEG
3 inches 3:2 TFT LCD(1.04 megapixels) 3 inches 3:2 Touch TFT LCD (1.04 megapixels)
ISO 100 – ISO 6400 / 12800 (expanded) ISO 100 – ISO 12,800 / 25600 (expanded)
-0.5 to 18 EV -0.5 to 18 EV
0.85x/ 0.53x 0.85x/ 0.53x
63-zone iFCL 63-zone iFCL
Mono; mic input Stereo; mic input
470 shots 470 shots
5.1×3.8×3 5.1×3.8×3
March 2011 June 2012

sorry i can't upload the picture i shot.may you gays can find more on this.http://t4ivst3i.com/canon-rebel-eos-t4i-vs-60d-comparison/
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Monopod/head option

I have the RRS MC-34 and MH-02 Pro head, both are excellent. The combo easily supports my 600/4L IS II, but I also use it sometimes with other lenses (which is why I got the MH-02 vs. the -01, the -02 clamp can be rotated w/o tools).

The monopod and head are very well constructed (as is all RRS gear).

Personally, I chose the screw clamp over the lever clamp because I have a (slight) concern that I'd inadvertantly open the clamp while carrying the 600 II by the monopod resting on my shoulder, catching the lever on a backpack strap, for example. I do have their lever clamp on my PG-02 side mount gimbal (and the leveling base clamp is a lever as well), and they're quite nice.
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5D3 Mirror Lock up use and reccomendations

neuroanatomist said:
wcksmith said:
The major point - when you use live view, it's the same as mirror lockup.

Not exactly - it's better. Live View uses an electronic first curtain, so not only do you get the reduction in vibration from MLU, you also get a small additional reduction in vibration from the first shutter curtain.
Hello Neuroanatomist! Thanks for this information about Live-view vs MLU! Thank you too wcksmith for this initial advice! I was just trying to get this fact confirmed about using live-view when the focusing is critical and when
need to reduce the vibrations from the mirror slap to minimum!
Very good to have this cleared out! Thanks a lots!

Zoe
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Kit for travelling around the world for 2 years!

Your itinerary takes you through counties where getting robbed is a likelihood. I have been through Managua, Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, etc. and I can tell you these are sketchy places to say the least.

Don't bring any gear that you're particularly attached to. There is a good chance you'll have to part with it, and even if you don't you'll spend your time worrying about it rather than enjoying your surrounds.
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Tilt-shift 'toy effect'

I've only used one focal length, so I can't give a comparison. I believe the difference between 17mm and 45mm (for example) in DOF will be dramatic, just like it would be if you compared non-TS versions of these lenses.

That being said, your subject matter might dictate the focal length you use anyway. I took this with a 35mm TS on a full-frame camera:



I couldn't have backed up any more in the spot I was standing, and I wished for a 24mm TS instead. 45mm would not have worked and 90mm was out of the question.
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Amazing new ML firmware for the 5D3! Clean HDMI [DOESN'T WORK!!]

Re: Amazing new ML firmware for the 5D3! Clean HDMI, zoom box during recording, etc.

JasonATL said:
Here's my first shot at using the HyperDeck Shuttle to record the clean HDMI out from the 5D Mark III.

The deinterlacing is a PITA! I certainly hope that April's Canon firmware update will yeild a true 24p HDMI output. But, I'm not optimistic.

ugh. awful result. i hope there is some way to set ML or something or other to get the rull res out of it otherwise these external recorders will be less than useless until the canon firmware, which now seems very, very far off sadly with not working out perhaps

thank god canon is coming out with it eventually though
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Canon 40mm f/2.8 vs. 50mm f/1.4 vs. 28mm f/1.8

crasher8 said:
I have owned or do own those lenses you mention on both a crop and a FF body. I really think the 28 1.8 is one of the worst QC'd Canon primes out there. MOST have horrible corners albeit sharp centers. The variety of reviews is all over the place.If you are on a budget and want a 'normal' prime for a 1.6 crop then you should consider the 35 f/2. It has great color, pretty good bokeh and is small and inexpensive. It's AF is might slow and buzzy however.

If you can afford it the 28 2.8 IS is a fantastic lens. Excelling at everything except stop motion in low light.

The 40 is a strange FL on a crop but is amazing for the money on a FF. Great street prime, group portrait, stealth mode lens and a lens cap you can shoot with.
It's AF speed is not unlike the 50 1.4 but it hunts in a different manner. Not true ring usm fast but much speedier than the 35 f/2.
If you are staying with crops and have no inkling to go FF in the near future you might consider a 17-55. Sell the 24-70. It's a nice lens but a 900+gram brick. The 17-55 might solve your 'normal' focal length search and I betcha you'll carry it way more often than the 24-70.
I agree with the 17-55 option. You need to be able to go wider. On a crop even the 28mm works out to an equivalent of 45mm! You might even go for the 15-85... On FF like crasher8 says, the 40mm is lovely.
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Real Estate Video 5D mkIII Bower 14mm, 60D Tokina 11-16mm - Luneta Drive

cayenne said:
I thought this was another nice one you've done.

What did you do for lighting..was it all natural....even for the announcer shots? Any reflectors?

Looks like pretty much all wide angle lenses...what all did you use?

I could see use of slider.....was there some steady cam too...or did you smooth out the 'walking' shots in PP?

Thanx,

cayenne

Thank you!

All natural lighting. no reflectors, lights, or anything.

85mm f/1.2 L II on 5D mkIII for head shot. The rest were either Bower 14mm f/2.8 on 5d mkIII or tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 on 60D.

Konova Slider, and Glidecam HD4000. I think one shot was stabilized in post.

Edited in FCP X and graded with MB Looks
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Payphone - Maroon 5 Music Video Cover with the 60D

Eugene said:
You are bloody brilliant sir!
I never knew about the camera angles, having to be on the same sides.
The overexposing was cause I couldn't see my screen as well in sunny areas, as well as the lack of a good nd filter.

You are lovely sir.
Thanks. I'll keep you updated, and I'll show your posy to my fellow friends that helped make the video.

Cheers

I'm glad the info helped!

Before you start recording, press info until you see the histogram. You can make sure you are not blowing out my making sure the wave form is not touching the right side too much, preferably not at all. If you hold down the shutter button half way during recording you will see the meter pop up.it may help to try and keep that meter at 0. That basic meter isnt always perfect, but it is helpful. You don't need an ND filter, just close down your aperture or bring up your shutter speed. It may not be optimal, but it's better than over exposure.

Also, it's helpful to turn up your lcd brightness when your in daylight.
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When to switch lenses during events?

Eugene said:
Thanks Neuro! I'd probably have to carry my bag around then, as I don't have a belt for my lenses.
One question, f4 would indeed be a tad slow, so should I leave my 24-105 at home?

Cheers
If you can use a flash, it will be fine.
At parties, there can be mixed light, or bright and dark areas that you cannot control. I'd strongly recommend a flash, you will likely need it for some shots.
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Solar Eclipse Next Week - Any Suggestions?

Rat said:
AdamJ said:
The Bing search engine had this stunning pic as their wallpaper a few weeks ago. I'd appreciate any insight as to how it was done.
That looks a suspicious lot like the sun's magnetic field. Although there might be tricks to take photographs of solar wind, I think they would require specialist equipment and more than just a few filters. I suspect this might just be an artist's impression, though.

It's the work of a Czech guy called Miloslav Druckmuller. A quick google shows that astrophotography is his thing but I'm guessing this is a composite, since I'm not sure it would otherwise be possible to expose the 'dark side of the moon' that well.
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