Hi

I am considering buying Focal for my 5DM3 and soon (I hope) new 1Dx. Lens range from 14mm through 500MM IS original version, plus zoom, ....

As I look at the difference between Plus and Pro I notice that Pro adds bells and whistles (save charts, watch analysis as it progresses), plus some unspecified tools "more control over the camera setup, ... and the addition of several other tests: Aperture Sharpness, AF Consistency, Dust Analysis and the MultiPoint Focus Test."

Does these add with MicroFocus adjustments or more diagnostics about the lens. Since I have had the lens for a while, I can not exchange them for better copies at the local camera store. Do the additional tests help or are they simply expensive bells and whistles.

Thanks

Just purchased a 7D and the rear main jog dial feels cheap.

This is the third body I've used and one of the two previous ones were like this too. Best way to describe it is a cheap, flimsy plastic feel. It works just fine, but pushing the SET button makes a popping/clicking noise. The dial itself turns just fine and has good tactile response but some play if you tap on it vs. turning it.

This is unlike any other EOS body with a rear dial I have tried. Again, 2 out of 3 have been like this.

Is it just me?

Has anyone out there used the Bolt flashes, particularly the VX-760? They appear to be exclusively sold by B&H, and there are no reviews on their site. The price is right and the specs looks very good (E-TTL, guide number close to the 600ex and can be used wirelessly as master/slave), but I'd love to know how it works in the field.


Actor Headshots NYC | Gotham Family Photos | NY Wedding Photographer

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could suggest optimal settings for Dance Photography. I will be shooting in ambient/available light,no flash is permitted. There will be "decent" light coming in through large windows, and the construction of the building is off-white marble. I have a Canon 5D Mark III, and available lenses include a 24-105L, 70-200L. Again no flash is permitted.

I would also like to know if anyone feels one of the AF "cases" would be pertinent in this case.

Thanks!

I am a long time watcher on the forum. Great place to learn. I have been shooting cropped-frame Canon cameras for 8 years. Started with a Rebel XT and have worked my way up to a 7D. I never believed I would be interested in FF cameras since I mainly shoot birds and other wildlife and always wanted the crop. But when the 5D Mk III came out I will admit I was intrigued. I then decided to rent a 5D Mk II just to see how bird photos looked (took over 5000 photos in 13 days). I was amazed at the quality of the photos from the Mk II and to my surprise how many more keepers I had. The color is beautiful and the detail is amazing compared to the 7D. Birds in flight captured beautifully from quite a distance. And not only that the noise was greatly reduced. I hate to shoot with the 7D above ISO 600 but I could bump the ISO to 1200 and even higher on the 5D and the photos were less noisy than a 7D at 400 (IMHO). I'm sold and I bought a mk III! The big brown truck will be here next week. Can't wait! BTW, working with a 5D MK II was (overall) really no different than working with the 7D. That was nice for the learning curve. I am still keeping the 7D. It takes great photos too!

Tom

Well, it is the time to finally buy the 1DX. I have enough money. However, should I wait for an upgrade? I am not an expert who reads photo forums and rumors everyday. I came here to ask you camera junkies if it is time to buy it or wait.

What is the verdict?

And now for something completely different ...

So I happened to get the first pair on the West Coast which was fun, and have been using this new device for about two weeks. Focusing on the camera aspect, I'm finding it takes remarkably good pictures and video, and I think I know why. One, there's no zoom, so no crummy plastic zoom lens hunting around. Two, it sits on the best tripod you have - your head. By best I mean the most readily available, convenient and stable. It even auto-tracks your subject?

Anyhow it beats the hell out of using a cell phone camera, but the video and stills aren't as good as my S100. But when you add in the stability and orders of magnitude better convenience it's a winner. It's my new go-to for snapshots and videos.

Hello!

This is my first post here and apologies if it makes me sound like I'm completely clueless, however...

I'm relatively new to the 5D Mk III having used a 60D previously. My question is this: when I am using AV mode, how can I see what points of the image are being focused on? With my 60D, this was clearly apparent through the viewfinder with it demonstrated the elements of the picture that were in focus (which is of course, very helpful!) however, despite trawling the internet I'm not entirely sure how I amend the settings on the 5D so that it enables me to see what sections are in focus.

If anyone could help, I'd be very grateful!

Many thanks.

I want a pole or stand that my assistant can hold to point a small softbox at an event or outdoor shoot that calls for a two-legged-lightstand. Yes, I can offer him or her a folded lightstand but I wonder if anyone has seen a pole with better handle, grip surfaces -- to make pointing, lifting, holding easier?

As I was typing I thought to check Lastolite. They offer this one:
http://www.lastolite.com/extending-handles.php
which seems well thought out.

Alternatives? Experience to share with this kind of solution?

I am going to Munich (Germany) in the middle of May. Has any of you knowing this city some tips for interesting photo locations as well as photo stores offering also second hand lenses? Thanks in advance.

I've got a Canon 1100D. I've invested in buying a Canon 100mm IS macro lens

The pictures I've taken are pretty good - but I know they need working on

Can someone give advice on the settings I need to us

So far, I've just put a macro setting and taken pics using daylight - put near the window

- Should I put on manual setting and not macro?
- I have 6 daylight lamps (40w) - are these better than a lightbox?
- I have the use of a professional lightbox - but I've struggled to take pictures with this
- Even though it's the IS model - should I use a tripod?

- I take 10 shots. 3 of these will come out slightly darker than the others - why is this?

Anything else I should be doing?

Thanks


Omar

Super dumb question: What's wrong with a grey import?

The price difference is about £170

I want to buy a 60D. A can get a kit for £530 from a retailer (online) that 'looks' reputable
I called and they are imports and the warranty is given by them - not Canon

Else, I can buy from a Canon approved centre for £700 + Canon have a cashback of £65 (if bought before the end of May)
Should I pay £100 more and buy a model that has a valid UK warranty?

Thanks


Omar

Is the tripod collar removeable on the big white telephoto lenses? Thank you.

Is there any reason to believe that this sigma lens won't be compatible with future Canon camera? I have never used non-canon lenses before. Can someone shed some light on this issue? Or is it just made-up nonsense? By the way, it's a wonderful lens priced fairly and made with sincerity.

And normal shooting sounds like a canon (no pun intended). This is very disappointing, any suggestions other than earplugs?

..details from SonyAlpha rumours.

Said to be "affordable for amateurs".

Absolutely no sign of a new 400/4 coming from Canon ie a scaled up version of the superlative 300/2.8 II would be just fine - very little R&D required!. With slightly smaller aperture it would be slightly lighter and approx same price.

A very sharp 400/4 weighing at about 2.5Kg would be a best seller for Canon IMO.

Funny why Nikon haven't thought of making one for their new high res cameras.

I recently went from the 24-70 mk I to the 24-70 mk II. This means I have to add all new sets of filters (why I chose the 17-40 over the 16-35). In anyevent, I have always used B&W. But I can't find any 82mm GND filters (I saw one from Tiffen, but I prefer to buy a better brand). Any ideas? Thanks...

I was wondering what successes people have had with the various (free) picture profiles for their
5d3s using the uncompressed firmware, and a recorder.

Previously, I was a big fan of CineStyle... but since the upgrade, I think it looks a bit off going out to an
Atomos. Maybe it wasn't designed with that color space in mind?

So far, I've tested CineStyle, Marvels Cine, and Similaar's Flaat_10 & Flaat_11.

Out of the 4, I would say I liked the look of Flaat_10 the best. The colors looked rich, and the skin tones looked amazing.

I would say it is the closest I've seen to looking like footage from a C300.

What have all of you tried and what experiences have you had? Next up for me is R6L-Flat Soda.

Thanks,
Harold.

Hi folks

I've a beachtek DXA-4 XLR interface which was designed for use with video cameras like the Sony VX2000 and FX1 etc.

I've recently sold my FX1 and so this is going to get punted.

It has a VHS pin which would be easily removed with a sharp pair or pliers or small hacksaw, then it'll bolt straight onto a 5D3.

It's a pretty basic unit, it gives you 2 x XLR inputs, which can be switched between mic and line level, and have rotary level controls, on each channel. The device can be set up to work in stereo (seperate audio on each stereo track) or mono (same on both stereo tracks) and connects via a 3.5mm jack.

It does not provide phantom power, so you'll need a hot mic like a K6/ME66, or a line from a mixer.

This will let you record XLR audio in the camera, in the one file along with your video, no synching, no forgetting to hit record on a second device, no charging, no batteries to run out.

This will of course work on any DSLR, however I recommend for use with a 5D3 as this has the headphone monitor from the camera, so you can keep an ear on sound.

I'm the UK, and am open to offers, no matter how ridiculous. The current equivalent is the DXA-2T which sells for around $180us and £160. The unit is very lightly used and in full working order. I'm going to put it on an auction site in a week or so, but thought I would run it past here first.

I've been tasked with providing prints as prizes for the best dressed male, female and couple at a local community event in a village hall and I'm undecided on what lighting setup to use.

I'd like to keep the kit as simple as possible, consistent with shooting quickly and providing good quality results that will promote my photography services in the local community.

The lighting kit I have available:

3 x Elinchrom 600 watt monobloc studio lights
1 x Large 'Octa' light bank http://www.elinchrom.com/product/Indirect-Lightbank-Octa-190.html
1 x Small square softbox
1 x Large white umbrella
1 x Large silver umbrella
1 x Small translucent umbrella
Various other Elinchrom compatible lighting modifiers e.g. snoot, barn doors

1 x Canon 550EX speedlite
1 x Canon 580EX speedlite
1 x Elinchrom 'skyport' transmitter
2 x Elinchrom 'skyport' receivers

1 x background stand
1 x 9ft plain grey paper background
1 x Studio Decor reversible pop-up background (black/white)

I've more or less decided to use just the Octa light bank directly in front of the subject, with me standing in between the light bank and the subject (effectively using the Octa as a giant ring light). The grey paper background would be ideal should I decide to replace the background in post production with something a little more interesting. I know this isn't particularly creative lighting, but going by past experience the subjects will want to be in and out as quickly as possible so I don't want to be faffing around with background lights, hair lights, kicker lights etc.

However, I'll be grateful for your thoughts on this, particularly if you have direct experience of this sort of situation. Does my proposal sound good to you, or can you think of a better solution?

How do they stack up. I really don't need auto focus and seldom shoot wide up.

ANy other recommendations?

finally got'em

I've got a Canon 1100D
There's a mark I can clearly see when I take pictures

The mark appears in the same location on 2 lenses I have
One is brand new - just tried for the first time today

I've looked inside the camera with the lens taken off (haven't touched anything) and can't see any smudges on the mirror

Is there a fault with the camera??

See the image below - I've put a red ring around the mark to show



Thanks


Omar

Hi

I got the new firmware upgrade that will let me record clean hdmi to an "external device".

I'm windows based, and I would like to record if possible to an external hard drive. I've got a few of them with 1TB and 2TB capacity.

But they have USB 3.0 inputs.

So what can I do to take advantage of my cheap external hard drives?

Perhaps an hdmi to usb 3.0 adapter? Or do I have to route something through a laptop to the hard drive? MY laptop has hdmi out but not hdmi in. USB 3 out, however.

Any thoughts about this?

Thanks

Rowby