As published in: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/reuters-photographer-dylan-martinez-tests-1200-1700mm-super-photo-173328418.html
...
Reuters photographer Dylan Martinez tests a 1200-1700mm super-telephoto zoom lens, trained on the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica where a new pope will appear after his election, a day before the beginning of the conclave at the Vatican March 11, 2013. Cardinals held final discussions on the troubled state of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday, the day before they seclude themselves from the world to elect a new pontiff, with no frontrunner in view. Stunned by the abdication last month of Pope Benedict, the red-hatted cardinals have met repeatedly this past week, sketching out the qualities of the person needed to face the huge challenge of leading the scandal-plagued church.
...
The monster in his hand is a Nikkor 1200-1700mm f/5.6-8P IF ED lens. It has 18 elements in 13 groups, 9 diaphragm blades, the angle of view is 2°-1°30', minimum focusing distance is 10m (32 ft), the lens weights 16 kg (over 35lbs) and is 888mm (35 in.) long.

Image 2, 3 & 4 are published by Nikon ... taken at 50mm, 1200mm and 1700mm ... subjects are over 130 meters away.

Hey all. I am just starting out with strobes and was wondering if you could recommend a wireless trigger for my set up.

I currently own a Pocket Wizard Transmitter and Receiver but they are expensive. I have been using it for a few years now to trigger my off camera speed light (430 exII). Now I am adding a strobe to the mix (Alien Bee 1600) and was wondering if I should go with the CyberSyncs?

Thanks 8)

Hi all!
Need a bit of advice please on my battery/charger situation.

When charging my 2 batteries [40d], the charger goes through all the light blinking i.e. 1 blink, 2 blinks, 3 blinks then continuous.
It does this in about 20mins which seems a bit quick and then when I put them in the camera they display as full for a minute then drop to 'low'.
I'm wondering if anybody knows what is happening? I'm thinking it's the charger not charging properly since this is happening on both batteries but they are the same age and getting on bit [6 years], maybe they lost their charge?
I can't test them out on anyone else's gear because they have different batteries for their bodies.

Anyway thanks in advance

With Canon's release of the 6D last September, I have been wrestling with the notion of upgrading from my 60D to the 6D. However, I just can't seem to make up my mind on whether an investment in lenses would make better sense. On one hand I am wanting the benefit of higher image quality, better bokeh and the ability to shoot at higher ISOs with FF. On the other hand, I also see that a couple of new lenses would allow me more opportunities for creative expression that I have now. I primarily shoot Macro (180mm 3.5L and 100mm 2.8 USM with twin 430EXIIs or twin 270EXIIs on a Manfrotto macro flash bracket) and I also shoot outdoor landscapes as well as a few of family and pets. I shoot almost exclusively for prints (5 X 7 to 11 X 14). I'm also looking at a 70-200 2.8 from Sigma or the new Tamron and also a wide lens to fill in the void I have now.

So what should I do? I am thinking of selling my 60D/18-135, 55-250 and battery grip to put toward the 6D with 24-105 lens, or keep what I've got and add a 70-200 2.8 and maybe a 10-22. I also have a 70-300 4.0/5.6, 50mm 1.8 along with the two macro lenses.

Anybody else here shoot medium format film cameras?
I recently started shooting with a fold out camera I aquired, and really enjoy using it, now im considering heading for one of the waist level slrs, likley not a hassie but im very interested in the old bronica line, mostly because I really like the 6x6 format and would like to stay that way, mamiya looks interesting but I dont like the fact that you focous with a knob on the side with bellows, and having to adjust for light fall off in stead of just being able to foucs the lens traditionsally, any one have any reccomendations for me?
I think I wont spen over £800 if I can, but ill see what come's up, Thanks!

Question to Group. My Sons friend is trying to go to Germany for school this summer and needs some extra $.
He has offered a swap of my 60D for his 5D Mk II and some $. My current setup is a 60D with BG-E9 Battery Grip. The 5D Mk II is without battery Grip. I know the Mk III is out and soon a 70D will be upon us. Should I make the deal? All of my Lens are EF except a Tokina 12-24. I knows its going from APC to Full Frame and I would lose the extra Reach. Plus I would have to Get CF cards. I want to help the guy. Just asking options.
I shoot a lot of landscape.

I recently posted a question about 1ds mark ii. I had a chance to get one for a very low price with low shutter count. Boy, i was amazed with the image quality and just the overall feeling of having a 1d series.

Now, i have a chance to yet own a 1d series. Its 1ds mark iii.

My question is, how does 1ds mark iii hold up against its newer brothers. Hold up, meaning, in terms of image quality, build quality, functionality, and just the overall specs of this camera?

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Leica-M9-M9-P-and-M-E-Type-220-Ahead-of-the-new-Leica-M-we-round-up-the-DxOMark-Scores-of-its-predecessors/Conclusion

This actually plays well for Leica, that just started shipping the new Leica M that comes with a CMOS sensor.
Leica: "Out with the old and in with the new!"

Hello all!

I have had my hands on a Canon EOS 6D for the past three months and wanted to share with everyone my impressions.

This review is not based on marketing figures or datasheets. Instead this review will focus on real-world usage and results from the perspective of a working landscape photographer. I have no preference for Canon over Nikon, I own both and consider them equal. Price can be of major concern for many when considering camera bodies, however this factor did not influence my impressions or decisions and is therefore absent from this review.

You can find the review here

If you have any questions or comments please let me know!

I want to purchase the Canon 6d. I currently own a T3i and I want to keep it as a secondary camera. I have the following lenses; the kit lens that came with the T3 (I never use), a Canon 50mm f/1.4, a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8. I don’t think the 17-50mm is compatible with the 6d, but do you think I can get by with the 50mm and 70-200mm? Instead of buying the 6d with the 24-105mm f/4L, would it make better since to buy the body only and later buy the Tamron 24-70 with VC? What would you do?

With the help of Focal, I was able to pin point the problem with my camera's auto-focus issue. This, however, was accomplished after a year of trying to figure out the defect in my camera to no avail. The trouble with my camera was that the pictures I took were not sharp enough, not to mention that they were out of focus and I always brushed this off as user error. After Canon's adjustment, my center focus point rose from 342 to 504! My camera was preordered, so it was from the first batch of cameras that went out. Has anybody else had issues with their 5D Mark III focusing?

BEFORE
http://i.imgur.com/fCB1Xve.png


Same lens/focus printout and setup was used.
AFTER
http://i.imgur.com/Jc0b2Xp.png



REPAIR INFO
http://i.imgur.com/fNoJarN.jpg

I searched the forums and see that Oben Tripods have only been brought up once and it was about 2 years ago, hence my post.
I am looking at picking up a new tripod this Friday and B&H has this Oben carbon fiber tripod on sale (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768034-REG/Oben_CT_2300_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html.) I was hoping someone on here may have had some/any experience with the Oben brand as there really are no reviews of these and even customer ratings are hit & miss depending on the model (some have no ratings while others have a bunch.)
My questions concern the Oben brand and tripod features in general.

• First, the weight rating for this tripod is 10.4lbs. Is that how much the head/legs combo can hold, or is that the weight the head can hold without fear of creeping?
• Second, are twist lock legs better than flip locks or is it just a personal preference thing?
• Third, the head included has a single adjustment lever and I'm wondering if that will be something I'll kick myself for later? I don't do a lot of video (some I guess) and mostly do handheld for shots of the kids, so not sure if I would really need separate knobs for pan and tilt? The tripod would be used more for landscapes/cityscapes/astrophotography.
• Fourth, what of the Oben brand? Does anyone on here use one? Are they any good? I know I can't expect rock solid results for the price, but if the legs are good I can always get a better head when I can afford it.

Sorry for the long post with all sorts of questions, but I don't like having buyer's remorse when I can't get in my car and drive it to the store for exchange/return.

Hi All,

I am little confused between 24-105mm IS or 24-70mm f2.8 II for canon 6d. Could you experts out there differentiate the use between both of them particularly with canon 6d. I wonder how much loss would be the absence of IS in 24-70mm f2.8 II?

Note:
Price doesnt matters.
I like do lot of nature, architect, landscape and portrait.

Anyone have any experience with this lens? I'm going to purchase a new wide angle and I haven't heard too much about this one. I'm very familiar with this focal length as I frequently use the 24mm end on my 24-105L with my 5D2.

I want a good landscape prime that has other creative potential. Probably gonna get this or the 21mm f/2.8.

I am in need of purchasing a tripod for traveling.

I have 5d MK III and will be using 24-70mm mostly.

I'm looking at Gitzo GT- 2531 Mountaineer 6x and Manfrotto 055CX PRO3.

I tried both and I liked both. Price and quality with Manfrotto is good but loved the easy use and weight of Gitzo.

What do you think? Recommendations? as well with ballheads.

I appreciate it.

Thank you!

Hello guys,

I will really appreciate your help telling me the IQ difference between EF 16-35 f2.8 II and the new 24-70 f2.8 II?

I plan to buy the 24-70 II these days and i'm really frustrated about the quality of the image from this lens.

The vignetting and distortion aren't a problem for me,
for me important is the Resolution and Focus Accuracy.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hi all, I'm wondering if it's worth it to buy one or another of these 2 filter types for a 2 months Europe trip. I mean for landscapes and what would be the benefits of a Polarizing versus the ND etc. It would be a 82mm filter (tamron 24-70 VC ).. Thank you!

Hello,
I 'm trying to shoot stills with a 5d mark III and the EOS Utility Software with Elinchrome Flashes, but for some reason they do not fire when the camera is connected to the software through my Mac Book Pro.
Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Hello,
I 'm trying to shoot stills with the EOS Utility Software and my Elinchrome Flashes, but for some reason they do not fire when the camera is connected to the software through my Mac Book Pro.
Any suggestions?

Hi All, been awhile since I posted here, been out trying to spend more time behind the lens than behind my keyboard. I have a certain shot I have been trying to get for the past weeks that is plaguing me, just not able to focus or get my setup correct to nail the shot. Let me paint a picture.

We are shooting Tarpon underneath bridges in Tampa, FL. The timing on the shot is essentially right when the fish hits the bug (we are fly fisherman), they realize the hook is set, and BAMM, they come jumping out of the water. Typically we get 5-10 jumps on each tarpon. We have very very limited light underneath the bridge and with the fish we are targetting, having a bunch of fill light would spook the fish. So I am trying to capture the moment the fish jumps in the proximity of 10-25ft and running into issues where I am unable to get the AF to pick up the subject fast enough.

My Setup: 5DMIII + 600EX(x2). I have captured the subject, but always is blurry, so wondering what some of the experts here might have as tricks to assist on this. Typically we are in a rough tide, so the boat bounces, so my chances of using a tripod/monopod is not great, but I do have both of these options available. As well I have tried higher ISOs and slower shutter speed, both which yield less than desirable results.

I appreciate any and all feedback and thanks again for a wonderful place for photogs to chat on our passion!

Cheers,

Shane

I'm not really sure which sub-forum this topic belongs in, so put it here.

I just finished reading Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Excellent book, highly recommended!

Bryan recommends using f/22 or occasionally f/16 for landscape pictures that include foreground elements (should be most for good composition).

But, I've also read elsewhere that diffraction is a problem at apertures over f/11. Thoughts?

What have your experiences been like now that the Canon 6D has been out for a few months? Is it a worthy upgrade?

I am looking to upgrade to FF, but can't justify the price of the Canon 5D3. How does the 6D perform in everyday use? How does the wi-fi perform when tethered to the computer?

A little bit of background: I currently shoot portraits of friends, family and their children as well as cityscapes. On occasion I will shoot a casual sporting event amongst friends. I currently shoot with a 60D + 24-105 L, 28 1.8, 50 1.4, 85 1.8.

I have a few options in mind for my upgrade path: 60D + 6D, 6D solo, or just bite the bullet and save up for the 5D3.

Hello,

I have a Calumet Pro Series wireless trigger, which seems to be a Calumet-branded Phottix Stratto 2.4GHz trigger set.

When using a 5D Mark III with a 100mm f/2.8L Macro, I get consistently a black bar at the bottom of the frame (maybe about one-fifth to one-sixth the vertical dimension of the frame) with the shutter at 1/200 (at f/2.8 ). At 1/160, the bar goes away.

I don't know whether bodies or lenses make a difference, but they appear to do so.

With a Rebel T3i and a 24mm f/1.4L II (at f/2.8 ), there is no bar at 1/200.

My flash unit is a 600EX-RT.

Any ideas as to what I'm missing or simply not seeing?

I have a Canon EF 70-200 f/4 L and a 5DmkII. I've used this setup regularly for awhile now, and I've come across something I can't quite explain. I recently shot this bridge in Oregon. I used a sturdy tripod (Manfrotto ballhead/tripod combo), so stability isn't an issue. Still, several of these images came out much less sharp than I've been used to seeing from this lens. It looks like motion blur to me, but like I said, I was using a sturdy tripod. I shot at f/8, and even one of the images at f/11 had this same issue. Shutter speed was 1/20 and ISO was 125, and autofocus was directly on the front of the bridge itself. I can't imagine this lens is suddenly misfocusing so badly.

I'm at a loss. I ~thought~ I had all three legs on steady ground, but of course anything is possible, and it's possible one of them may have been in some soft ground, slowly sinking during that shutter time. I just don't think that's the case, though. I don't have any other explanations than this. Like I said, I'm used to getting much sharper photos with this lens. I thought I would throw this question out to the many qualified photogs on here. I'm not a beginner, I'm just not sure what happened. Thanks in advance for your helpful comments and suggestions. I'm posting an unedited, straight-from-lightroom- image. You can pixel peep at the full version size here. (2.4MB file)