I'm going to college next year, so I'm looking for a new camera to replace the one I have now.
I currently have a T1i with a 18-55 kit lens and a 70-200 f/4.
I'm thinking of getting an EM5 instead of my previous choice, a 6D, because of the portability factor.
I will probably give my camera to my older brother after I get my new camera, but I'm sure I'll stay quite loyal to the Canon brand (meaning that I will probably still get back to photography with these larger cameras in the future).

My current plan is to sell my 70-200 and get a EM5, but I would like to hear some thoughts before I do this, considering the differences between micro 4/3 and full frame...

One more reason to use Magic Lantern not only for video: With the new capability to read raw sensor data they've got two great new amazing features for still shooters.

* Raw histogram even in "normal" photo-mode (& of course live view): Unlike the Canon version you can see beyond the jpeg range, this should be a great even for people who never used ml before. Also it's amazing that Canon *didn't* add this feature in their fw, not even for 1d cameras...

* Automatic ETTR: Now you can auto-expose to the right to max. dynamic resolution & minimize noise with clipping prevention!

* Silent DNG burst pics (capture the live view image w/o flipping the mirror) - it's not full raw resolution and it might show the usual movie moire, but you can capture successive shots in 14bit raw as long as your cf/sd card can keep up ... for example my 60d takes 53x 1737x1156 shots in <10sec, other more newer & better camera bodies have a larger lv resolution and deeper buffers für 100+ shots.

These features aren't yet available for all cameras, if you want to try you've currently got to use a nightly build: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?board=33.0

Young Hawk.

5D MK III + 70-200mm f/2.8L MK II @ 200mm ISO 5000 f/3.2 (cropped)



Here is a cropped close up.

I fell down some stairs a few weeks ago and hit my head pretty bad. Now I'm in the process of reducing and downgrading my camera gear collection.

My issue is that I have all this great and expensive gear, but I feel that most of the time it's a complete overkill. I have come to realise that, while it's fun to have, I do not need all of this. Therefore I have decided to sell it and replace it with something more affordable which is "good enough".

I have already sold away most of my lenses (8-15, 16-35, 24-70, 70-200 and more), fortunately for about the same price as I purchased them for. I am now left with my 5D mark III and a 24-105mm F/4. The 5D will be gone within the week as I already have a buyer for it. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep the 24-105mm yet.

My plan is to spend the money I get for the 5D III to purchase my "new collection". I already know I want a 7D or a 1D mark III (I have owned both before), but I am not so sure about which lenses to get. I am going to get mainly primes as I want the low light capability for the few times a year I photograph concerts/festivals. I'm planning to purchase most if not all of the gear 2nd hand.

I am not too familiar with Canon's non-L lineup and I am looking for advice on which lenses I should look for and which I should keep away from, if there are any "underdog" lenses that I must have, etc... I am also looking on advice regarding purchasing a 135mm f/2L USM & 200mm f/2.8L II USM vs a similar non-L counterpart.

So here's what I'm thinking:
- Body: 1D mark III or 7D (have owned both before, so I know what I get)
- Wide-angle: Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 (don't see any other options here as I don't want the slower Canon)
- Normal: 50mm f/1.4 (other suggestions?)
- Medium tele: 85 f/1.8, 100 f/2 or 135 f/2L (not sure where to place myself here, suggestions / recommendations?)
- Tele: 200mm f/2.8L II (any other options?)

Regarding focal lenghts and what I use most: When I were shooting with zooms I was all over the place. However I do especially like the 200mm end of a 70-200. I am also fond of the wide angle end of a 24mm on full frame. All in between is based on need. The concerts I shoot normally have quite large pits, and is not of the indoor club type where you have to crouch down on one knee to avoid blocking the view for the audience. I am going to base my selection mainly on what I need for concers as I figure if I can fullfill that I can probably make due with that gear for the rest of my photography.

Any help / advice is greatly appreciated


- AlexB

Yes I know, maybe wrong forum or thread?

I have a Sony NEX6 as a second camera when I don't bring my 5D III with me, but I still want to be able to use my EF lenses sometimes. I have a EF 24-105 L, a EF 70-200 L II and a small nifty fifty.

Maybe I chose the wrong path here but since the EOS-M wasn't so good it just resulted in this.

Planning to get a Metabones Speedboster so I can use my EF lenses on the Sony NEX6 sometimes, mostly for stills but how does the AF speed compares to the EOS-M with their M-EF adapter?

Or should I wait for the EOS-M II and replace my NEX6?

Thanks in advance, Stolpe

I have canon 60D with (18-55mm) and (canon 50mm 1.8) lenses. I am thinking to upgrade my lenses who could cover portraits, landscapes and macro photography.

I have heard that Tokina 11-16mm is sharpest landscape (inexpensive) lens, Also canon 85mm is great for portraits. However, i dont know best Macro lens yet.

What would you recommend me to get for 60D, It would be great if recommended lenses are also workable with full frame body as i might buy 5D3 next year (but its not necessary), All i am focusing to get best camera lenses for my Canon 60D to cover all kind of photography range.


Thanks

Hi,

I have read quite a lot on this topic. I want to shoot some milky way shots on my next vacation.

Now I am shooting with a 17-40 and was wondering what the 16-35 could do.
I mean if I go f4 6400iso and 30 sec, would I see more stars than with f2.8 640iso 30 sec after post processing?
I ask this question because I see many photographers on 5D2 using 3200iso or even 1600iso with 2.8.

Also 6400 iso on 5D3 with long exp noise red, in post processing the noise will be almost completely gone?
Because if I could use f4 for stars and dont need extra stop, I dont want to invest money in a better glass.

Thanks!

A lot of people say the Sigma is razor sharp. It just isn't nearly as sharp as my 70-200L. It is only as good as my 50 1.4. Don't get me wrong. I think it's not bad. It's just not as sharp as I was hoping. Things look nice on LCD but come out slightly disappointing on monitor. Its AF seems slow too, not as snappy as I wanted. I've never used the 35L so I can't compare. Am I expecting too much? After all, a wide angle is more difficult to make than a tele. Do people really sell their 35L to get this? Well, maybe I have a bad copy...

Quick question,

In one shot mode, do the expanded AF points play any role?

Until now I always thought it was for AI Servo only...but it's been a few times, where I am in One shot and Expanded points...when I focus with the "bigger" center point, the small one lights up (meaning that the confirmation AF comes from one of the expanded points)

thank you

I have heard, increasingly lately, that 1DX RAW files are better than 5D3. I have noticed myself, in other posts, that they tend to be able to be pushed farther. Why is this? Thanks for any insight.

Well i have only started posting on this forum but have stalked for a while since i didnt have any good questions.
I am a commercial pilot and got asked to do a shoot of a commercial building and wondered if anyone else does this and what settings they go after.

For my shots i tried to go early in the morning to get some shadows. It ended up being a little later than i wanted when we finally got up and tried to keep my shutter around 1/2000.

5D III w/ 70-200 IS 2.8L II shot from about 1000 feet.

I've got a photoshoot coming up in a few weeks, a live classical music (mostly flutes) performance by students and graduates.

It will be in a church, but in the middle of the day and with some lights for the gig, so I expect low-light, but nothing that bad.

My current setup is the following:

• Canon 6D
• Canon 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5
• Canon 40mm f/2.8
• Canon 85mm f/1.8
• Canon 35-80mm F/4.0-5.6 III (modded for macro)

I intend to bring the 40mm (for wider group shots showing the environment), the 85mm (for full body shots) but I'd like to acquire a 135mm lens for tighter portraits.

As much as I'd love to acquire the beloved Canon 135mm f/2L, I simply cannot drop that kind of cash on it right now.

I could rent the Canon 135mm f/2L for four days for $76 (I live in Canada, so with Lens Rental Canada) but I'd rather invest in a lens that I can sell back in the future when I acquire either a 135mm f/2L or a 70-200mm.

The idea that I came up with was to acquire an older, manual focus, lens that I could use with an adapter to EOS, preferably one with a focus confirmation chip. I'm well aware that I'll have to use manual focus and set the aperture on the lens itself, but that's not an issue for me, as I have experience with that and I don't expect classical music performers to move around too much

My only issue is that there are TONS of old manual focus 135mm lenses on the market and I have no idea where to start looking to snatch up a good deal. What I mean is that I'm fine with shopping locally, craiglist, ebay, etc., but I have no idea which old manual focus 135mm lenses are worth considering.

Does anyone have experience with adapting older 135mm lenses to EOS cameras? My budget for a 135mm f/2.8 (or faster) is maximum $200. What would you recommend? This lens will be mainly used for portraits, so obviously a nice bokeh is a pro here. Thank you

Hello all,

I have a canon 5D3 and the following lenses:
70-200mm f/2.8 II
24-105mm f/4 (kit lens)
17-40mm f/4
85mm f/1.8
All above is Canon
I have a Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

I have no flash as of yet.

Now, here's the thing. What are some good techniques for shooting pins? They are lit themselves of course (when turned on). I will have chances to take shots when the lights in the room are on (florescent), but there will also be times with the lights mostly out, and they have different lights all around the place (spinning colors, some xmas type lights around the walls of the place, etc

I will be wanting to shoot the games, the backglass will be shot. I've tried some HDR with this, and hit helps 'some'...the anti-ghosting is nice with this to help with the changing displays on the more modern machines. Not as much a problem with the old EM (Electro-Mechanical)....

I'm wondering if there is any good way to shoot the playfields? They often have some much glare on them, is there any technique I could try to minimize this shy of having them remove the glass for some shots?

I'd also like to get some action shots with people playing....not with actual tournament play, but maybe stage some with some of my stands and clamp lights I have...suggestions for how to light that with non-strobe lights? Most everything I have is same color temp, about 2700K that I used for my cooking videos I shoot.

Anyway, I'm looking for some suggestions/advice/pointers on shooting some challenging subjects in an often challenging environment with regard to the room lighting. How could I best use this to create some fun images?

Thank you in advance,

cayenne

Couldn't find this Canon mount in the lens gallery. Thought I would add one to see if others are using this lens.

More polo photos at www.buonophotography.com/austinpoloclub

At my office the other week we had a meeting about one of these 2-day “corporate Olympics”-type events happening in a few weeks. Organizers mentioned that they were looking for somebody to photograph our employees participating in the various competitions. Despite being a humble amateur, I volunteered to take pictures. I figured it would be a good opportunity to improve my photography on something other than my kids… and the pics won’t likely be any worse than those from years past (blurry cell phone pics, flat & lifeless P&S pics, etc.).

The competition will feature a wide variety of competitions: individual and relay running (short, middle, long), cycling, tug of war, swimming, basketball, volleyball, home run derby, etc.

I was hoping to get some advice from the group on what would be a good kit to prepare for such an event – especially when it comes to lens selection. My goal is to balance what equipment would keep me prepared for most scenarios, while not going overboard. I’d appreciate any tips from those who do this type of thing regularly.

I am definitely planning on bringing the following:

• Lowepro Pro Trekker 300 AW
• 5D Mark iii w/ battery grip (and four LP-E6s)
• Joby Ultrafit sling strap
• Manfrotto 695CX monopod w/ quick release head (and mounting plates for my small whites)
• Speedlite 430EX II
• Plenty of SD and CF cards
• OP/TECH rainsleeves
• Water, snacks, hat, sunscreen, batteries, etc.

Then there is the lens list that is more open for debate (I’ve listed them in what I feel might be order of importance):

• 70-200mm f/2.8 IS ii
• 100-400mm
• 135mm
• 24-70mm f/2.8 ii
• TC 1.4x iii

My preference as of late has been shooting with primes, but I can imagine in this situation I would do best having the flexibility of zooms. It especially pains me to be leaving the 300mm f/4 IS at home, as I’ve started to really appreciate what IQ advantage it can have over zooms operating in the same FL. The zooms might be the most useful - but the primes probably have the ability to "wow" more than the zooms.

So, for those who have the experience, what are your suggestions for lenses? Unless I am mingling in the crowd of athletes between events, I can’t imagine I’ll use the 24-70mm much, and I’ve debated just throwing the 50mm in the bag instead for such moments. Along the same lines, I cannot thing of a scenario where I would need an UWA, so I’m planning on leaving the 16-35mm at home.

Secondly, is the need for a backup body. I’m thinking about renting a 7D or a second 5D3 for backup. Although it is not a paid gig, I’d definitely feel bad if something happened and my personal camera crapped out during the event. Is this a must?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any suggestion you all can provide. Thanks!

I already own some Canon gear, but have made the jump to micro 4/3 with the OM-D. I still am interested in full frame so I was considering a 6D to compliment my om-d. I don't need the autofocus of the 5D mkIII, I am just interested in image quality. So I rented a 6D and the 24-105 f4 to see what it was like. I was planning on buying the kit anyway.

When the camera arrived it was a rainy day, and after getting used to it (I've used canon cameras for years so there wasn't much of a learning curve) I decided to try some very informal IQ tests. Using my OM-D and a $150 zoom, 40-150mm, through a rainy window and then the 6D and 24-105 with the window open. I tried to keep settings as similar as possible for both cameras. Both images are straight out of camera RAW's with no editing done whatsoever. Both imported through Lightroom 4.4.

I was surprised to see that the little $150 dollar lens and my OM-D produced a much better image! I know the 24-105 is not the sharpest lens out there by any means, but I don't think the 40-150 is either. Especially through a window.

Any ideas? Problem with the lens? Am I doing something wrong and missed a setting somewhere? I took several pictures with the 6D to make sure I wasn't focusing wrong or anything like that, and even stopped down to f8 and didn't see much difference. I do enjoy shooting with the 6D and it wasn't as big and heavy as I thought it would be, but I don't want to buy it and then have to buy very expensive lenses just to match the performance of my om-d and the 40-150.

I also used the 50mm 1.8 II and noticed it was much sharper which makes me think the 24-105 just isn't very good. Though with the 50mm vs my om-d I couldn't really tell the two apart unless I was shooting wide open and the DOF was obviously different. Still not as big of a IQ difference as I expected.

Other thoughts: Dynamic range is about the same and the color rendition is also great for both cameras. At iso 3200 the om-d starts to fall behind and after that the 6D is a clear winner. I am amazed by the ISO performance of this camera! I like the film grain look of the noise on both the 6D and om-d but 6400 is as high as I go on the om-d. 12800 on the 6D looks great still IMO.

Short of test driving all of them, is there a guideline regarding choice of focal lengths for TS lenses. What are the typical needs met by 17mm, 24mm, 45mm, and 90mm TS lenses? Does it differ is a FF, APS-H, or APS-C body is used? I just shot the 17mm and it seems to be better suited for large subjects and shooting from lower elevations. I will shoot the 24mm next.

So after a long time being absent from photography I have decided that I want to stop my pursuit in becoming a semi-professional photographer.

That being said, I don't want to give up photography. I just want to be able to take good pictures for my personal portfolio! So I'm considering selling all of my Canon gear (Canon 5Dc, 17-40mm, 50mm, and 70-200mm) and buying a smaller set up that is unobtrusive.

I would probably get around 1,750 for everything in total. With that money, I planned on getting this set up:

• Sony NEX C3 w/ 16mm f/2.8
• Sigma 30mm f/2.8
• Sony 50mm f/1.8

Anyways, am I crazy for going this route?

I have a 6D + 28mm 1.8. I want to improve my ISO when taking shots indoor.
I am really looking at 270ex II,. I can't find any real review with sample images.

Will this flash improved my ISO settings from 12800 to like 4000 or less?
Is ETTL performance good?

My usual settings are: Av Mode, Auto ISO, 1/60 min shutter speed.

I shoot portrait or people in groups.

Can anyone share sample group shots taken with 270ex II?

ps. please don't suggest higher model first, since I want to know if 270ex will work or not first.
If really I am convinced that 270 ex will not work, then I will find alternative.

All shot with 5D3 + 70-200 f2.8 L IS II or 24-70 f2.8 L II

well am buying 6D, my first DSLR, and am on a very tight budget. As this is my first DSLR, obviously, i dont have any lenses either.

I was planning to get EF 50mm f/1.4 USM to use if for everything and when i know the cam inside out then i will hunt for other lenses and by that time i will have some $$ also.

Guys i need your help for lens. Which one should i go for? I dont have much $$. Suggestions?

EDIT: i fotgot to mention, i will be doing lot of landscapes and low light photography

Hi all,

I just got a Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC. I noticed that sometimes the frame jumps for about 1s when the image stabilizer engages after half pressing the shutter. If the behavior is present, I can't get sharp images hand holding the lens at low shutter speeds. Turning image stabilization off actually gives me better result. It doesn't always happen but sometimes this really screws up my pictures.

I haven't noticed this in any other image stabilized lense from Canon or Sigma that I have used before. Is this a defective lens or a common behavior of the Tamron VC system?

Cheers,
Markus

I am looking at renting a lens for an upcoming trip. Renting a lens will be a first for me. I'm hoping for some recommendations for a US based company to use....or to avoid. Who do you rent from?