I know this is a bit redundant for those of you who have used this lens but I recently gave it a good "workout" at my grandson's birthday party. All I can say is, wow!

I used to think that the descriptions on threads, here were a bit overblown but, the colors really do pop and the contrast is really better. Wide open, the sharpness is incredible. The only lenses I used were this and my 70-200 f/2.8ii. There are some shots where the 24-70 might have been "better" than that excellent glass.

Anyway, after debating about whether to get this lens, I am now glad I did. I might just need to sell the 24-105.

Please, no flaming for no photos, BTW, but my family has a great reluctance when it comes to posting pics of the kids online.

I have both and except for a better T stop, the fact that it is less intrusive and lighter, I see no advantage to the 85mm over the 70-200 II. And the 70-200 II has IS and is better in the sides and corners.

I see no advantage to f/1.4 because I have to stop down to f/2 at least, to get a decent DOF.

I am very close to selling the 85mm, but before I do, I would like expert opinions as to what am I missing, please.

There is some fantastic technology out there and our DSLRs can do some very spectacular things. Our phones can too. Here's the rub: When I get a phone, all I really want is a phone; something to make phone calls with. I personally don't like taking photos and video with the phone, surfing the internet with it, playing games on it, etc. I think it is great that the phones can do that, but I don't use those features. I know people do, and it is great for them. I'm happy for them. But haven't you ever just wished you could just buy a phone without all that?

I have both a T5i and a 70D. They both take great video as far as I am concerned, but it is something I never use.

Have you ever just wished you could buy a DSLR that wasn't an attempt by the manufacturer to develop a "jack of all trades" camera? I'd like to be able to buy a Canon DSLR that focused purely on being a picture taking instrument. I'm wondering whether or not what we use today to take photos would be leaps and bounds further along the evolutionary trail if so much extra technology didn't have to be crammed into such a small case.

Don't misunderstand, please. My 70D is a technological wonder. It is. Thing is, I only use it for photos. What if there was a model segment in the Canon line that just focused on being great cameras? Not cameras and video cameras, but just cameras? Does anyone else wonder this or long for this? Not saying Canon should scrap the cameras that try to do it all (I like them)... but just maybe there should be "L" bodies that focus just on photography. I do not know if the Canon Cine Cameras take photos, but aren't they sort of an "L" video camera?

Hi.

I really love the results from my 600mm mk2 together with my 5D mk3 BUT I find it very hard to focus with. Like yesterday for an example. The main target was about 30m away. I had the setting on "16m and further away" because there would be no objects closer than that. But when I try to focus on the trees in the background that was about 200m further away it had big issues to find focus even though I think that the background had some contrast. I needed to use manual focus first and then it did focus properly on that distance. When I then wanted to set the focus again on the subject 30m away from me I again needed to use manual focus first. I tried several solutions by using more or less autofocuspoints and change the settings in the camera but I feel that the lens or the camera is struggling more than I expected. I have no friends with a lens like mine so I have no one to ask or compare to. Maybe the camera and lens is no better than so and that is what to expect but I find that hard to believe. Trying to catch flying birds is also really hard because I often need to focus manually first to somewhere close to the distance of the bird and then I can use autofocus. Can someone with own experience write about how it works for you? The examples are many when I have had a hard time getting the object in focus.

Thanks.

The 50mp Canon announcement and the 12 fps rumor of the 5d4 has gotten me thinking: What would the 1dx replacement be like? What do you think? How would it beat the 5ds and the rumored 5d4? It has to be something great..

Any birders getting the 5Ds R and worried about moire with the feathers?

I'm going on a cruise this summer that starts and ends in Venice and stops at a couple ports in Greece. We will also be taking a train to Rome for a couple days before coming home. I'm trying to pack light but also get great images. Here is my current lens/camera gear:
Canon 6D
16-35mm F4 IS, 35mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 135mm F2, 70-200mm F4 IS

The 16-35mm will definitely be coming and possibly the 70-200 (haven't decided yet). I'm wondering what low-light lenses to bring. I'm also considering switching out the 35mm 1.4 for the newer 35mm F2 IS. I love having lenses with IS. Anyone made that switch? Should I consider bringing the 85 or 135 or will that be too much gear? Thanks for your feedback in advance! If anyone can recommend a good bag to carry everything that would be helpful as well.

maybe I missed it but can't find anything online that discusses the effective resolution of the 5Ds when shooting in mraw and sraw. i.e. something akin to the charts in this page:

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/eos_qt_small_raw_images_article.htmlp

if anyone's seen it or knows please put in a link. Thanks!

Hi all,

I am relatively new to DSLR. I understand the relationship of aperture, iso and shutter speed, but when comparing a couple of lenses I've run into something that doesn't quite add up.

First a bit of background. I have a 6d and my only lens so far is a 50L. I know that this is a "challenging" lens but I chose it deliberately because I thought it would be good to learn on before branching out into other lenses. I figured the 50mm length would force be to learn good composition, while the 1.2 aperture would allow me to get "artsy" with my dof. As a side benefit, I've come to quite enjoy the ability to shoot hand held in low light with this combo.

My buddy lent me his 70-200 2.8L to try out. My impressions are that it is good and sharp, but I was having to use much, much slower shutter speeds and/or higher isos than I expected, even with the benefit of IS.

I decided to do a scientific comparison, so I set up a tripod, a focusing target, and some lights. Of course comparing 1.2 to 2.8 is not fair, so I tested both lenses at 2.8, and at 4.0 (since 2.8 stopped down vs 2.8 wide open might still not be a fair comparison, given the influence of the aperture blades). The end result was nonetheless consistent, the 70-200 was metering a full 2/3 of a stop less light than the 50 at the same settings.

What gives? The 70-200 has a bigger front element. How can it transmit less light at the same aperture?

This also raises the question, if I'm shopping for lenses that will be good in low light, what qualities other than aperture do I need to consider?

Hi all! I'm 16 years old and am just starting my business as a portrait photographer. I'm unsure about my next equipment purchase. I currently own a Canon Rebel XS camera body and I shoot with a 50mm 1.4 lens. I'm considering purchasing a Canon 70D, although the cost is out of my current budget. I'm wondering if it would be best to stick with the Rebel XS and purchase a new lens or if I should invest in the new body? If I go the lens route first, should I go with a 35mm or an 85 mm prime lens next? Any and all recommendations/feedback will be appreciated. Thanks!

I have trield 2 charged batteries that worked in another camera. I removed the memory card.
I am baffled...anyone know abouut this?

Susan

Hi all! I'm 16 years old and am just starting my business as a portrait photographer. I'm unsure about my next equipment purchase. I currently own a Canon Rebel XS camera body and I shoot with a 50mm 1.4 lens. I'm considering purchasing a Canon 70D, although the cost is out of my current budget. I'm wondering if it would be best to stick with the Rebel XS and purchase a new lens or if I should invest in the new body? If I go the lens route first, should I go with a 35mm or an 85 mm prime lens next? Any and all recommendations/feedback will be appreciated. Thanks!

I mostly shoot glamour/nude/naughty genres. When I shoot in my studio under controlled conditions, the percentage of properly exposed and focused photos is very close to 100%. Depending on the model or client I'm working with, the percentage of photos I send to them can vary from roughly 10% to roughly 70%.

Last week I tried something new. A friend in the local live music community got me a stage pass to a blues benefit concert in Portland, Oregon at the Crystal Ballroom. My last event photography was as a high school yearbook photographer, back in the last century, so I was looking forward to the challenge and seeing how my fancy 21st century camera gear would handle the job.

Photographing this concert was quite a challenge, even with modern equipment. My keeper rate was 20 out of 700. I didn't have much problem with exposure. I just used my 5D3 on manual and did not try to adjust for the quick changes in lighting. Nearly all of my shots had acceptable exposure. Mostly at ISO 6400. Lightroom easily handled the noise reduction job on the RAW images.

Most images were rejected because the performers had a microphone or some other object covering part of their face! How rude! LOL

I did have a big problem getting sharp images. I'm still evaluating the reasons, but here are some that I believe are factors.

1. Some of my lenses had a problem locking focus on the performer's faces. I only brought three lenses, the 35mm 2.0 IS, the 50mm 1.2L and the 85mm 1.8, since I knew I would be able stand at the edge of the stage. The 35mm had the worst focus reliability. I suspect this is due to the focus sensor covering a larger area and picking up other high contrast objects like microphone stands.

2. I almost always shot wide open. However, I could tell via my LCD screen that I was having sharpness problems and did try a few shots at smaller apertures and higher ISO. That did not seem to help.

3. I did not try use any kind of camera support, although I saw another photog with a monopod, so perhaps I could have used one. One funny thing about the Crystal Ballroom is that the ancient wood floor is mounted on springs to enhance the dancing experience for the folks who used the place 100 years ago. I could definitely feel feel the up and down motion! So I guess maybe a monopod would not have helped.

Anyway, here is one of the keepers with the 35mm F2 wide open. I applied a lot of sharpening in Lightroom, which is not something I'm used to doing.



Here is the link to the gallery if you wish to see the other 19 keepers.

http://mikeshane.zenfolio.com/f725079218

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/inside_the_eos_5ds_and_eos_5ds_r.do

More details given. For instance: "This can be combined with Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) to capture two, three, five or seven-shot sequences at different exposures".

Edit: I believe that we were expecting just 3...

Hi everyone. I've just started the review process on the new 50mm f/1.4 and 135mm f/2. The optics on the latter are extremely impressive.

Here's a first look at the lenses and some general impressions.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MKq0mwAqAII" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://bit.ly/1B27acl

P.S. I'd appreciate some feedback on how to actually embed the YouTube video here to make is easier for everyone.

Being owner of Canon 1DX and Sony a7s + Sony a7r I found review below interesting for me , maybe it would be interesting for others

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/a7s-voigtlander-nokton-35mm-1-2-field-test-by-daniel-cook
"The legendary high-ISO handling of the A7S is just amazing, whilst I use my Canon 5D Mark III for professional work if I need to shoot in low-light the A7S will do a much better job."

Some of the work I have done for a school. Any comments are appreciated.

I've checked a mass of test sites and thinks that the 70-300L should upgraded soon, it's a ”L” after all. Anyone knows anything?

This is a rare and strange lens. I bought mine used on Ebay for $12. It is hilarious, but shoots very nice photos.


Untitled by
RexPhoto91, on Flickr


Untitled by
RexPhoto91, on Flickr


Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr

Obviously, a change in (the type of) light source needs adjusting the color temperature.

Just a theoretical question: imagine a subject being lit by a single light source only in a completely dark room. If you calibrate your camera to this light source and you change the subject, does the color temperature then needs to be readjusted? In other words: does the 'correct' color temperature only depends on the light source or also on the (color of the) subject?

After much research, I bought the Commlite adapter, but other users' input regarding others would be appreciated.

-----------------
The current EF to FE adapter situation is very mirky. I would like an adapter with better AF speed than ones on the market right now, even Metabones III, now IV. Also, even the better-reviewed ones like Metabones and RJ adapters are supposed to not work well with third-party lenses especially Sigma, which is disappointing since the advent of Sigma ART 35 and upcoming ART 50mm lens. My research so far turned up the following.

The ones without AF are pretty cheap, but there are quite a few that preserve AF, IS. From researching these in an effort to find a reliable one, the user experience seems to be that AF is similarly slow via all of them, and each has different electronics/software leading to one working better with some lenses while another adapter may work better with other lenses (Canon or third party).

Metabones Mk III adapter seemed to be the most popular with most user reviews but also the most expensive at $400.
Metabones Mk III's AF speed is slow and typical:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UTdyG3YLJA" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UTdyG3YLJA</a>

*Edit*
It's since been updated with Metabones Mk IV, but disappointingly, according to Metabones, there has been no AF speed improvement from Mk III to IV, just bigger opening to accomidate tilt-shift lenses and anti-reflective coating inside:
<a href="http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB-EF-E-BM4" rel="nofollow">www.metabones.com/products/details/MB-EF-E-BM4</a>

This Youtube video comparing Viltrox, Metabones IV, and Commlite also seems to indicate Commlite may work even better than Metabones IV:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrrmPDEkuVI" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrrmPDEkuVI</a>

Mk III did not work with all lenses, only Canon-branded lenses introduced in or after 2006 are officially supported. Autofocus may be disabled for older Canon lenses and most third-party lenses, including most Sigma, Tamron and Tokina lenses and all Contax N lenses. A lot of users are reporting internal reflections causing funny colors and CA at edges, and there is a DIY fix using adhesive-backed velour to cover up the adapter internals.

However, Metabones IV is reported to be too tight on lens side fit along with other issues. The video also shows why non-smart adapters like Vello can't be used:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrJd2CmYNuM" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrJd2CmYNuM</a>

My next choice would be RJ Electronics one which is cheaper with good user reviews available. Some claim it gives sharper results than Metabones III (how?) and works with older Canon lenses unlike Metabones. RJ admits it does not work well with Sigma lenses. I read one user who said that Canon 100L Macro did NOT AF when focus limiter was set to 0.3-0.5m (Macro range) but AF was fine at other settings.

<a href="http://www.rjcamera.com/ocart/index.php?route=product/product&amp;path=20_63&amp;product_id=81" rel="nofollow">www.rjcamera.com/ocart/index.php?route=product/product&amp;am...</a>

This Viltrox zinc-alloy one seems okay as well. I have a Viltrox Canon EF to M adapter which works OK though a bit loose on camera end. One can find a couple of user reviews on line, so at least you know it &quot;works.&quot;
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/VILTROX-EF-NEX-II-Cameras-Adapter/dp/B00MN7M4WA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1424544685&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=viltrox+ef-nex+ii" rel="nofollow">www.amazon.com/VILTROX-EF-NEX-II-Cameras-Adapter/dp/B00MN...</a>

I found a video on Youtube that shows AF speed with Viltrox adapter:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZXz2tD2vwA" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZXz2tD2vwA</a>

<a href="http://www.ebay.com/...=item2a37fba755" rel="nofollow">www.ebay.com/...=item2a37fba755</a>

Fotodiox Pro adapter, at similar price to Commlite. The lens side is metal, but camera side seems plastic.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Pro-Mount-Auto-Adapter/dp/B00D9BKLX8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1424544990&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=EOS+E+adapter" rel="nofollow">www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Pro-Mount-Auto-Adapter/dp/B00D9BK...</a>

AF speed seems similar to others.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEwzoV4rdZU" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEwzoV4rdZU</a>

TechArt version II adapter.

It's thought TechArt and RJ adapters may be from same oem, sharing the black finish on the camera side and also sharing the inability to recognize focus-limiter on Canon lenses. It's selling a little cheaper than RJ.

<a href="http://www.techart-logic.com/EOS-iNEX2.html" rel="nofollow">www.techart-logic.com/EOS-iNEX2.html</a>


Deo-Tech Falcon adapter
<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1071789-REG/deo_tech_deocef2semk2_canon_ef_lens_to.html" rel="nofollow">www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1071789-REG/deo_tech_deoce...</a>

This one also looks to be the same adapter as RJ and TechArt
Upon further research, some users including Fred Miranda are reporting that RJ/TechArt/Deo-Tech adapters are softer with more CA in the edges compared to Metabones III.

Deo-Tech now makes Mk III, which now shows the label &quot;Tech-Art&quot;!
<a href="http://www.deo-tech.com/products/deo-tech-canon-eos-ef-sony-alpha-e-af-adapter-mark-3-falcon/" rel="nofollow">www.deo-tech.com/products/deo-tech-canon-eos-ef-sony-alph...</a>

*Edit*

Well, I ended up returning the Sony A7r but recently bought it again with the Zeiss FE55 f/1.8 lens. The adapter I did end up getting is the Commlite FE-NEX adapter. Based on reviews I read, none of the adapters, even the pricy Metabones, auto-focuses fast, so I bought one that is reported to have AF at least as good as others with least reports of issues.
This Youtube video comparing Viltrox, Metabones IV, and Commlite also seems to indicate Commlite works even better than Metabones IV:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrrmPDEkuVI" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrrmPDEkuVI</a>

Commlite FE-NEX adapter:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Auto-Focus-Mount-Adapter-EF-NEX-Canon/dp/B00DW0EV2I" rel="nofollow">www.amazon.com/Auto-Focus-Mount-Adapter-EF-NEX-Canon/dp/B...</a>

Good news first. Its build quality is quite good with nice metal contact areas and sturdy-feeling switch and smooth mount/unmount. AF speed was surprisingly fast with Canon lenses I most likely would want speedy AF from, e.g. Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 II, Canon 35L.

BTW, It's a joy to use the Canon T-SE 24mm II with its fabulous MF ring with this adapter and Sony's focus peaking. Fantastic!

Now bad news. Longer focal length lenses don't AF as well with lots of hunting issues. Canon 100L macro was especially slow with no useful AF to speak of. I expected better, but Canon 70-200 f/2.8 II did not AF well at all with the adapter setup. Pity that... To add to the insult, Canon 85L II would not even mount physically on the Commlite adapter. Something catches mechanically and the 85L cannot be screwed on all the way.

All in all, I got pretty much what I expected going in, with nice build quality for the low price I paid.

Hello everyone,

I was able to find a way to fit my Canon 1.4X Extender to my Tamron 150-600. I have a full Flickr Album dedicated to this project here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/116743473@N04/16568698096/in/set-72157650431848270

JG