I haven't done any gigs for pay for anyone, but unless I was specifically shooting for a publication or something like (e.g. staff photographer, work for hire) I would never give up copyright. I'd certainly be happy to sign an agreement where I could not use the works in certain circumstances without getting permissions first (e.g. the merchandising as above).

Now, if the artists (more likely managers/agents/label) were making work-for-hire arrangements, that would be different, although I certainly would like to retain rights for portfolio/self-promotion. Really, once you go the work-for-hire direction, you can put anything you want into the contracts. Nothing stopping the photographers from refusing though.

I got a reply email from Sigma today. They said the lens is out of production (and thus cannot be repaired) but I could trade it in for a credit towards a new Sigma lens. Of course I am smart enough now never to do that, having learned my lesson. I think I will get the 70-200 2.8 (non IS) Canon and use it with 1.4x extender when needed (which I already have).

Either the canon 100-400, because your 24-105 is ok for portraits, bokeh is decent.
Or, the 28-300 l, it is a really gOod lens, or so I hear, your covered for air shows, and air shooting, the 300 also helps.
But you may also want that extra reach. The 3.5 aperture good at the wide end will best your 24-105 though. But, if portraits are that important, pick up a 50mm 1.8/1.4 and/or sell the 24-105 for a 400mm 5.6 is. I know the 24-105 is good for walking around, but either way, you may need to compromise.

Other option, canon 70-200 2.8 is ii. get some extenders and a tamron 28-75 in place of the canon 24-105, the 28-75 is a remarkable lens, I borrowed it from a friend, and it is on par withe the canon 24-70 1 in terms of bokeh, but lacks a bit of sharpness.

I'd prefer option 2, for the versatility.

Hi all,

I'm taking my first digital photography course this semester and learning a lot about my new DSLR. The Canon Rumors forum provided me with great advice when choosing a camera, so I'm coming back for some new advice

This week's photoshoot is to replicate pictorialism. From what I gathered, this involves:

-Soft focus
-Slight blur effect
-A photo which tells a structured story.

What do you know about soft focus/blurring and how to achieve it? The professor told us to take photos at dusk. Is it more about the location/time of day than it is the camera?

I'm not sure what to take 3 to 5 images of, let alone how to create some of these effects. Still life? Landscapes? I'm shooting on a t4i, 40mm f2.8

dlleno said:

jrista said:

PackLight said:

While we got sidetracked from the OP's origional question, to me the answer is that the OP would benifit more from the superior AF system of the 7D than a full frame 5D II, provided wildlife is the driving factor.

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Totally agree, with the added benefit that the 7D will produce more detailed photos on top of the better AF.

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provided distance limited wildlife is the driving factor, and where the OP as met the optimum conditions including glass, light, and support to take advantage of the 7D resolution.

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My argument about getting new L-series glass was to realize the maximum potential resolution the 7D has to offer, which was...what, 2.21x times more than the 5D II. Even without perfect glass, the 7D is still going to resolve more detail than the 5D II, just not necessarily 121% more.

sandymandy said:

Octavian said:

without worrying about scratching the front glass!

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Who is cleaning his L lens in such an akward way that there might be scratches? Sandpaper cleaning?

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You will be surprised to know that invisible crystals in dust could be very effective sandpapers without your knowledge. Best not to get into situation where you have to clean good optics. At the very least it takes too much effort and time to do it right, which is not always at hand.

Mt Spokane Photography said:

Avoid using the back lcd to try and guess at correct exposure. If you must, turn exposure simulation to the on position.
You might check to see that what your settings are for exposure simulation (pg 205 of your manual). The setting will make a big difference in the brightness you may see on the LCD. Changing the LCD brightness setting should only be done after understanding exposure simulation settings.

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prior to the time that i have 5d iii, i used to estimate exposure based on my experience (have my own cheat sheet which based on sunny 16 rules with little adjustment after number of times experienting with light. i have memorized all of them), point to subject, adjust meter of a subject using zones system, then shoot (no problems with my 7d and 30d) with a quick glance on lcd preview after snaping an image. guess that this time i have to take time and practice more on my new 5d iii. i personally do not like live view though since that is not a good way to learn (prefer more independent ways in shooting).

i am downloading manual right now... shame on me, i have not read its manual since i am recently busying with learning photoshop after working hours

many many thanks CRers...

the kit price has also come down nicely by about $500 as well

I keep my HDR [and Multi-Exposure] in the Quick Menu, too. It does save a little time. I agree that would be useful to be able to access such things in a CS Mode, tho.

Why not try the 100-400 mm. It will give you the reach as well as versatility.

Anyhow, this is one of the shots I got at a game recently in India with the 100-400 mm with a 7D. The field was compliant with the International specifications so I must admit that even 400 mm seemed less than sufficient.

I plan to get a 1.4x teleconverter and will see how it goes. I will lose autofocus on the 7D but think it will be manageable because cricket is one game where you can focus manually and wait for the appropriate moment!

Marine03 said:

Current kit consists of 450D, Nifty 50, 2 Old Sigma lenses pre digital, kit 18-55 and Yunguno 565ex.

I do family portraits and christmas cards for friends etc, as well as an wedding as 2nd shooter. I've done 6 this year.

Looking at the 6D as my next body as with event photography I totally see the limits of the 450 and need better High Iso performance.

So would it be alright to do Body and then down the road Tamron 24-70 since its half the cost of Canon 24-70L2 I know glass is a big limiting factor in image quality but if I could only afford 1 big purchase a year what would you choose? Camera then glass or Glass and then camera.

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5Dc/5D2/5D3 are the best options. Pick yours based on your budget.

CanonPriceWatch has the price dropping all over. Even B&H is showing $3,199 so it looks like the suggested price from Canon has now changed. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?sub=cpw&is=REG&Q=&A=details&O=productlist&sku=847545

On my 24-105mm, I hardly go up to 70mm+ unless I'm shooting events or sports, so wide seems like it!
28mm really does seem more useful than the 50mm range.
Haha, I'd love a full frame, but not in the near future.
Well, I plan to take some medium close ups (head to waist) with the 28mm, hope distortion doesn't affect it.
35mm 1.4 would be my dream. Perhaps one day I'll say all my lenses and just get that and the 85mm 1.8 (tack sharp wide open)
Where I live, the store owners hate it when I fiddle with too many lenses, and often refuse to sell if I try too many (tried 10 copies of the 50 1.4 to get the perfect one. They got mad). well, cause the stores are always busy.

40mm does seem to close from my 50mm
The kit lens, not fast enough!
Thanks!!!

In weddings you would shoot F1.2 in controlled scenarios anyway. shooting F1.2 in Servo is asking for trouble. I don't find too often that i need servo at weddings other than when they walk down the isles and dancing or the occasional fun group shots that have motion but then who would shoot F1.2 with groups unless you can line them up on the same plan of focus which you often don't have time to do. I just got mine so i can't comment based on experience but i have read the 85LII is very good tracking subject when in servo. On the other hand i will never recommend always being in servo mode as many people do. Fast Primes struggle taking images of static subjects in servo. You should only shoot servo if there is movement. I cannot express that enough. Ive been preaching that message for some time. If you don't believe me just do some tests shooting servo/ then single shot around the house, typically what you get is a prime going in and out back and forth if in servo. The 5dm3 has calmed this down a bit over my other cameras and no doubt the 1dx has also but lern this property about primes and you will get more consistent quality in focus shots.

Davephoto said:

Thank you guys! For now I'll go for a Zeiss prime 35mm 2.0 or 1.4, and I'll rent some other primes when needed for a shoot. Any comments on the 35 2.0 or 1.4?

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There is a thread somewhere comparing the two Zeiss 35's with the Canon 35L.

I bought the Zeiss 35 F.2 because I loved the 50 and wanted something light and small.

Viggo said:

Highly normal. It was the same or worse with the 5d2 also. I welcomed the the new +3 to -3 scale, but at the same time I found myself using it in the same way as the scale on the 5d2, meaning it needed even more. A lot of backlit situations I used +3 stops which I never had to use before. I didn't like metering in any of them... the 1d X on the other hand is the best. I have ever tried...

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Thanks Viggo for your reaction. Does it mean that while using the 1D X you have a first time right? No EC tweaking?
And, would/do you avoid Evaluative Metering?

1DX + 7D. Best APS-C and best FF. What else can i say. Personally i would go with 1DX and 5D mk3 since i dont need the APS-C crop factor for tele lenses. Hell, 1DX would satisfy all my needs but this thread was about 2 cameras So...5D mk3 i would give to my fiance, ha!

i paid $200 for an additional 2 years canon extended warranty when i got my 5Dmk3 i was assured this was canon and not some dodgy 3rd party warranty so it has a total of 3 years manufacturer warranty

Mt Spokane Photography said:

gmrza said:

neuroanatomist said:

But don't worry, we've got a long way to go before lenses become the main limitation on system resolution.

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What may become a challenge for some however is that as the resolving abilities of lenses improve, so their prices tend to increase. Shooters on a budget may find that their wallet becomes the limiting factor in the system before availability of lenses with suitable resolving power does. - That said, it could be argued that the price-performance ratio of lenses has improved a lot.

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+1

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+2

Well captured - thanks or sharing

Cheers

Hoping someone can help me out. Recently got a bunch of new equipment and finally some time to set it up and test it out. However, ran into some problems I couldn't figure out.

Canon 5D mk iii
Canon 7D
Interfit stellar XD strobes
Canon 430 EX
Cactus V5 wireless triggers

So I set up a my gear to shoot some wine bottles for this photigy course I am doing. I set my 5D to full manual, silent shoot off, shutter at 1/160th and tethered it to my MBA and was using live view and eos utility. Hooked one strobe up to my camera with sync cable. Shooting, everything was good. I was messing around with various positioning etc to get the reflections I wanted and back to shooting. Then for no apparent reason, the strobes stopped firing consistently. maybe 1 in 4 shots would fire but random. I checked cable, even switched to a different strobe. no difference, inconsistent and very poor results. I turned off liveview, disconnected from my MBA and same results. Hooked the sync cable up to my 7D and worked 100%. With either camera and my 430 EX I could trigger them optically every time, not one misfire.

Today, went back to shoot some more and was doing fine, 100% after about 50 shots, then it started misfiring again. Around the same time, I thought my 5D shutter sounded like it was in slow motion too but maybe that was just me being pissed off. Again my 7D shot 100% when I tested it... don't get it. The 5D may of heated a bit but liveview doesnt display on the LCD when teathered so it isnt working as hard. Could that have something to do with it?

Anyway, shut everything down, went out and bought some Cactus V5 wireless transceivers. Didnt want to spend a lot and these had very good reviews.

Came back hooked them up to my 5D and stobes. checked channels and right settings. no go, wouldnt fire strobe on shots. Pressed the test button on transceiver on 5D and fired the strobe. When I click shutter, green light on both transceivers light up but dont fire. I hooked it up both to sync cable and hotshoe with no results. I tried with my 7D and no results. I hooked the cactus V5 to my 430EX and that worked 100% and optically fired the strobes every time.


Not sure what is going on. Had such good karma all week but I did decline to jump start a lady's car just before heading home to shoot, was too excited to get all this going... damn u Karma.

Canon CPS service is second to none. I can get repairs, loans, and cleanings with little fuss.

All my canon bodies have been solid and have given images that would be difficult on other systems.

I've had some beefs with some lens and body combos but nothing major.

I like canon but understand they're are better sensors in Nikon/Sony cameras. In the end, the AF and unique prime lenses is what keeps me here.

Neutral said:

..camera off the bag and started approching more closely then few minutes later I was stopped by security telling that to use professional camera and lens without park authorities permission is not allowed (((.

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THAT is certainly even more disconcerting than low ISO FPN!

I've only had someone ask me to stop taking pictures of plants at a retail greenhouse with my little point'n'shoot camera... HAHA! Not like this was going to be a source of commercial poster images, I was just trying to record them so I could remember what plant was what as I was planning what I wanted for my garden.

Since that was private property I complied with their request. But did my best to explain the above and make them feel silly for asking when other people were doing the same thing with their cell phone cameras.

Marsu42 said:

Keep in mind: 1 The non-L Canon 70-300 has just micro usm, so you'll be better off with a 70-200/4L no to speak of the better build quality. 2. The depth of field with 300mm is very thin, so imho f2.8 is great for fast af but not for the actual shot, I even stop down my 70-300L a bit in good light.

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Given all that I think it's gonna come down to (keeping the 135 f2, of course) the new 2.8 Tamron or the f4 IS Canon.

Demand your monney back!