Like many people I'm contemplating upgrading to full-frame with the introduction of the 6D and Nikon's D600.
Given I won't be able to use my EF-S lenses on the 6D the Nikon is a possibility.
Given cost and weight considerations I want two lenses to cover the 24 to 300mm range.
For Nikon this means 24-85 and 70-300. But when looking at test results on slrgear.com the results for these lenses do not seem as good as Canon's 24-105 and 70-300.
However, I was still somewhat disappointed by the 24-105's results from 70 to 105 at full aperture on a full-frame camera. (see link below), yet the lens is widely praised on this forum.

http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/145/cat/11

How useable is the 24-105 from 70mm upwards?

The results for the 70-300 seem very good (given it's price) at full aperture on full-frame. The review site suggests they are better then the 70-300L for sharpness. Yet the non-L lens seems to get criticised on this forum. (see link below)

http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/253/cat/11

As I'm primarily concerned about sharpness, given most other things seem treatable in software, I'm wondering whether Slrgear got atypical copies of these lenses, or are their results not consistent with peoples' experiences of using these lenses? I'm confused!
I would appreciate the comments of people who own, or have used these lenses.

Thanks

Hello I have a budget of $200 and I was looking for two umbrellas or softboxes to do portraits but wanted them portable. Any ideas.

I'm facing the upgrade dillema - should I get a second hand 1Ds MkIII or a new 5D MkIII...

For almost eight years now, I'm shooting with a 1Ds MkII
and I'm thinking that maybe it is time to replace it.

It is still doing a good job and my clients are happy, but...



I almost exclusively work in the studio, or outdoors in the range of 100-400 ASA.

I'm only interested in the image quality.


Can someone describe in detail, the differences in image quality between 1Ds MkIII and 5D MkIII?

Does anyone has any useful information about Canon FPA-3000 iW stepper, regarding its usability and other reviews.

There's a lot of talking recently about DxOMark sensor tests.
I am considering buying one of the Canon's telephoto lenses so I took a look at their tests (http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Lenses/Camera-Lens-Database/Canon).
I was utterly shocked when I saw the results. My question is are their resolution tests accurate?
Canon 300mm 2.8IS II which is considered one of the sharpest canon lenses (in line with 135 f2.0) scored lower (49lp/mm) than 70-200 f2.8 IS II (52lp/mm), 50mm 1.4 (63lp/mm)etc. I used all of these lenses and I do realize that 50mm is super sharp at f/4, and I am comparing apples and oranges (short focal with telephoto) but for crying out loud If I spend 16 times more on 300mm I do expect it to be at least at sharp as 50mm f1.4 at f/4
I went on line and googled all there is to google about DxoMark tests and I am really lost. To judge for myself I went to http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=111 and compared ISO 12233 Chart 100% Crops and I have to say that 300mm seems to be sharper or at least as sharp as 50 1.4 at f/4 and a few other lenses.
Can somebody please tell me: are these DxOMark tests right or not. Thank.you.

One friend of mine is offering his 1DS3 at around $2K. Shutter count at around 35K. Should I take the bait or get something else or wait for the vaunted 6D? I admit, it is very, very tempting... I haven't used any FF so I need your help experts. Intended use will be mainly for landscapes, macros and portraits. Sports usage will be minimal.

So, I did some searching on the forum a bit. Is the consensus that pretty much any m42->EF adapter w/AF confirm chip from Ebay will be just fine? I see a lot of really cheap ones, like $7 and such. Are there any that are known to be higher quality? I'd be happy to pay a decent bit more to have a high quality adapter.

My present gear is 7D, 5D2, 70-300L, 24-105L, Zeiss 18 and Zeiss 50 plus Kenko 1.4 TC. I have about £1000 in my camera fund which is sort of earmarked to upgrade the 5D2 to a 5D3. ( Subject of course to the 45 mp camera not becoming available in two weeks time at £2000 and waiting to see what else might just be around the corner).

But wonders of wonders I have a little old pension policy about to mature which will generate a little extra for the camera fund without my wife getting too excited about it ( say £2000) and early in the new year I might trade down my car which might also add £2000 to the fund.

So happy days!

I am a pure hobbyist, mainly taking pics of my kid doing sports and general family and travel pics. So the 7D and the 70-300 are non negotiable as is the Zeiss 18 but after that how best to spend my ill gotten gains? It needs to be something special.

Thinking the 1 Dx is just too big and showy for what it adds compared with the 5D3 plus lenses?
Thinking people like the new 24-70 but given its price does it really add much for me compared to the 24-105 given how much I love the Zeiss at the wide angle?

Thinking I don't like the 100-400 at all and sold a copy a while ago.
So does it come down to a choice between the 135 and 400 5.6 or the 70-200 II IS. + 2 X TC III ? Or if both boats come in do I go for a real super tele?

What would everyone suggest? ( PS I am a Yorkshireman so don't need to spend all the camera fund even if it is there.....) Of course there those telling me I should ditch the Canon FF stuff and buy the D800 but I am not convinced.....

Hi Everybody,

There was a time when SLRs were fully manual. They usually had a shutter (T) dial, and the lens had an (A)perture ring.

A mode dial was needed as soon as automatic exposure was introduced. Cameras could have M, Av, Tv, and P modes.
P obviously controlled A and T.

DSLRs added (automatic) control over (S)ensitivity, but the mode dials on the DSLRs still reflect the modes from film SLRs. ISO (S) is treated different from A and T.

In my opinion, this gives a bad user interface:

P: should control everything (A, T, S), instead S might be set to a fixed value

M: should be manual, instead S might be automatic.

Av and Tv should preset only one value (A or T), instead S might be preset or not


Instead of four modes (M A T P), a DSLR should have 3^2 = 8 modes: M A T S AT AS TS P
If I want to have these 8 modes on a mode dial, is a very different question.

When I just googled what the 'v' in Av an Tv stands for, I came across the Pentax K5. Apparently the Pentax people think like I do. this camera has 6 modes on the dial: M, TA, A, T, S, P


What do you think? Do you like the 'logic' in Canon's mode dials?


Best regards,
bbb


-

I just AFMA'ed my 24-70ii the third time (i.e. Each time fine tuning both tele and Wide till I nailed both). +5 on the Wide and +6 on Tele with my 5d3.

The Issue I have is, the sharpness at 24mm has a lot to be desired... 70mm is fine I guess, but I had higher hopes for a $2300 lens... is this it or do i have a dud on my hands?

Pls see 100% crops of 24mm and 70mm below and let me know what you think... if all seems ok, I can send shots of the corners which are even more disappointing...

EDIT: Added MF shot
Third shot is MF @ 24mm

Hi,

I'm casual photographer and currently using 550d, sigma 30 f1.4, canon 85 f1.8, 24-105L, 430 EX2 and YN-560 II. I'm planning to upgrade to FF and my target is 5dm2. After announcement of 6D and D600 i plan to wait first and have read lot of 6D vs D600 spec comparison. Some say D600 have better spec and 6D wifi+gps is marketing gimmick only. So, there will be at least 3 flavor to choose and hopefully the basic 6D will be $1900.

Maybe 6D basic =1900, +GPS= 2000, +GPS+wifi=2100

Possible?

And the centre AF point will be cross (+) f5.6 with additional line f2.8 (I) and much better AI Servo (with custom tracking as 7d,5dm3) compare to 5dm2

A little history to begin with. I have a 60D and previously owned a 70-200mm f/4L USM and it was ok. It didn't seem like a significant jump in image quality from my 55-250mm IS. Yes, I have faster shutter speeds, lower iso, and better bokeh (not to mention the size of the 70-200 drives the ladies wild... I assume... only guys ever comment about the size of the lens).

I decided to upgrade to the 70-200mm f/2.8 and I'm still not wowed. Not the way I am when I use my 100mm f/2.8L macro USM. I was considering getting a 200mm f2.8L prime, but thought the 70-200 would be more usable for a variety of situations. I've also considered getting a 135mm f/2, but that seems too redundant to have with my 100mm L macro.

So the other day I was shooting at 1/400th of a second because it was a really cloudy day and I was losing shots left and right (though in retrospect I should have taken off the CPL filter earlier and I should have bumped the iso up from 100 to 1200). So I take full blame for that, but the images I lost really irked me. I assumed incorrectly that 1/focal length would be sufficient (200x1.6=320 = shutter speed >1/320. Nope).

Then yesterday it was a cold sunny day, so I took some shots without the CPL and some shots with. I normally shoot in aperture priority, but today I decided to go freestyle and shoot in manual. Iso was between 320 and 640. And my shutter speeds were 1/2000 and 1/8000 of a second. And I'm still not happy with the result. I've heard that the 70-200 is tack sharp between 70-135, and I have quite a few of the shots within that range, and I'm not blown away.

The first two shots are Lightroom adjusted images adjusted from raw for the cloudy day with the 1/400 to 1/500th day. The 2nd set are untouched jpegs from the sunny day with the cpl and up to 1/8000 of a second. I was shooting in raw and I adjusted some of those, but not to the point where I was pleased with the result.

So my query for yall is, is it me or is it my lens?

Hi everyone,
While enjoying the nightsky skills of my 5D3 and working my way up in the learning curve, I just thought about a WA lens for my purposes. I know, there is a 16-35, 17-40 a Samyang 14/2.8 MF. And another 12-24 from Sigma (?).

But, how are the possibilities of some 12-24 by Canon to show up these next two years? Currently I am taking pictures using a cheapo Canon 28/2.8 and that works pretty well. But there's times I'd like to go as wide as 12 mm:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guatitamasluz/8086807391/#in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guatitamasluz/8086837201/#in/photostream

Cheers, Pedro.

Four words:

Black
Electrical
Insulation
Tape

Works like a charm. Extend the barrel fully, and apply the tape so that one edge is touching the FURTHEST part of the barrel from the camera. Apply carefully and smoothly. Make the "joins" at the BOTTOM of the lens barrel so that the ends of the tape are practically invisible. Do not allow the tape to overlap at the join; if there is any place where there are 2 layers of the tape, the barrel will NOT extend/retract past that point, because the thickness of 2 layers of the tape is too great.

It's black, so almost invisible, and this type of tape is EXACTLY the right thickness to provide the resistance you need. Apply it to the FAR end of the barrel, so that when the lens barrel is fully RETRACTED (at the 24mm position), that is where you get the resistance to creep from the tape, since you'll typically want to be carrying the lens around in its RETRACTED position.

For myself, I'm very satisfied with this solution.

If you damage your lens doing this, don't complain to me! I don't think it's risky, but I'm not taking any blame!


Martin

What is the standard color temperature that most strobes put out? I'd like to balance the CT of a strobe to match some cloudy, filtered sunlight conditions. I'm thinking that a 1/4 CTO gel might get the job done. Am I thinking about this correctly?

When my 430ex ii flash is on the camera it works great. When it is not connected it will not fire a flash. When I hit the test flash button it makes a loud noise and light comes out but it's not in a flash like its supposed to be. Plus when I use it off camera with pocket wizards it wont flash either. Anyone have any ideas.

I got the new lens yesterday and here is a unscientific test of the lens vs the others

Enjoy !

http://asmundma.smugmug.com/Testing/Lense-test-Oct-13-2012/25916112_pKM4jk

I am the happy owner of a few of the 600Ex-RT and an ST-E3-RT.

My wife keeps buggin me that there is not enough light in these "pocket-flashes" (her term) to do some serious portraits.

I beg to differ that this is of any importance, especially as I/we now use the 5DIII with a 100 Macro 2.8.

BUT...

When i read that a monolight Elinchrom offers HUNDREDS of Ws when required, i wonder what a similar Ws-rating would be for the 600ex.

It's probably closer to a 60 watt bulb than a supertrooper.

Does anyone know?

KimH

As read in the lens rumor forum, with an kenko TC the AF is working on an 100-400L. But which Kenko to buy?


Kenko 1,4x Teleplus Pro 300 or the MC4 AF 1.4 DGX?

What ist the difference in between them?


German Test on the Converters: http://www.traumflieger.de/desktop/telekonverter/konvertertest2.php

So there! Both have the Image Stabilization (Optical Stabilization or OS for Sigma). So the mark 1 version from Canon vs the Sigma's OS version. How is the sharpness and contrast from Sigma 70-200 f2.8 OS compared to the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS version one. Is the difference in terms of sharpness and contrast huge or noticeable? AF performance of Sigma I hear is more or less on par with the Canon version, but please correct me if I am wrong. Also, can you AFMA Sigma or other 3rd part lenses on a 5DII/III ? Lastly, if I want to add focal length multiplier which teleconverters would be great for the Sigma glass on the bodies mentioned above. Kenko? Thanks.

So I have been lusting after a 1dx for a while. Almost, (but not quite), have the funds for it. But I'm not sure I NEED it. I currently have a 7d and 5d3.

I have three options.

Sell the 7d to help fund a d800e purchase, then shoot my 5d3 along side d800e for work and pleasure. I figure they compliment each other pretty well. 5d3 for low light, candid shots (Im a wedding photog) and speed, then the 800e for posed portraits that would print large, and macro. plus i really want to do more landscape work (non paid).

option 2, sell the 5d3 to help fund a 1dx. Its a 1dx. Awesome. Do I NEED it? eh. Would it be a dream come true? YES. SO i would shoot my 1dx at weddings, and almost never touch the 7d. so I'll have one camera and be switching lenses all the time (like I do now, why touch a 7d when i have a 5d3).

Option 3. Buy neither, keep saving, and someday, in the fairly distant future, get a 200 f2. Dream lens. Would use it for posed portraits, but not candids as I love to be able to zoom during ceremony with my 70-200 2.8 is II.


I know shooting duel systems can be a pain, but I like the idea of being able to buy just about ANY lens, no limits, best of both worlds type of thing.

Thoughts? Experiences? Would the 1dx just be SOOOO awesome that I wouldn't even touch a d800e if i had one?

Hi

I have been reviewing the comments on here for a while and thought often about posting. But it is a Rumors (sic) site and I prefer to shoot than talk. However in the last week (literally 7 days) I have come across 3 circumstances were my 2 400ds have really let me down. I need comforting and some good reasons for my better half to change.

First, evening rugby match, where the flood lights, ISO performance and 70-200 F4 L could not cope with what was going on. Following day poorly lit museum which did not allow flash or tripod so had to shoot hand held at whatever ISO the 400plus settings would allow. I reviewed at the end of the first stint and went around again at ISO400-800 doing the best I could. They are ok but I am still disappointed, binned 80 % of shots, none have got 4 or 5 stars. Finally been out today, at a safari park with indoor play area. Outside is ok but internal performance on the indoor slides is frankly rubbish. I ended up using off camera remote triggered flash to try to make up for the low light, binned over 70%, no 4 or 5 star shots.

In good light I love the 400ds, I have worked over the last few years to get the best out of flash (strobes), 3 manuals on cheap rf triggers. I shoot mainly in av priority 70%, tv 10%, manual 10% and p 10% (normally because I am tired/ inebriated/ flustered to be bothered to work out what to do). In reality 90% of the P shots are binned due to the reasons I take them (tired/ inebriated/ flustered).

I thought I had worked out that I really needed to save for a 5D3 to get over the frustrations the last week, but the comments on here, Nikonrumors and other photography sites have me confused. Given that I have the nifty fifty, 70-200 f4 L, 11-16 Tokina EFS lens, canon 15-85 EFS lens, I am not sure whether to cash it all in and go Nikon (D600 or D800), or stay with Canon and go 5D3 or 6D. Until it is out (6D) I am not sure whether the whining that goes on here is relevant to my decision. I can get my kit to work and happy to work at it, I hated the first 4 months after I moved from Windows Vista to Mac, but I would not go back. I have to work with Windows at work but at home, Mac all the way. So Nikon would hurt in the short term but longer term I can work with known issues with any kit

So really confused and would love some input, expecting it to be Canon +ve though just as I expect the Nikon boys to be Nikon +ve.

History wise, I had a Pentax film camera, then went Fuji as a first digital, followed by a Nikon P&S, then a Canon P&S. The 400d was only bought to hang off the back of a telescope, but poor conditions has seen it used in a more conventional role. I detest the softness the kit lens if it helps, hence the 15-85 EFS.

Shooting wise, 50 % is of the family during days out and holidays, the remaining 50% tends to be static views, landscape etc but some of that is because I know the setup I have cannot cope with fast action or low light situations. Typically shoot 6000-8000 frames a year, bin less than 20%, but only have 4/5 star rating for 10-15%. I am picky and in reality only print the top 10% for albums and even that is too much!! I could do with shoot less and think more generally but that still would not help in the situations I have find myself in above

I only have 2 400ds because I lost the use of one due to being in a dirty, dusty environment and ended up losing the use of it due to dirt on the sensor, subsequently cleaned by me. I have looked at more old tech from ebay but the costs versus the issues I have, I cannot see the rationale for spending more money just to get marginal improvements. It is not a business for me but something I enjoy doing and I have had enough success to print some shots at 24x16in and have them professionally framed and displayed.

I would love to take the kit off the disillusioned Canon shooters out there but suspect that words are cheap, actions are more serious. I am pretty sure that I am going to save for 6 months and get a 5d3 but want really want cheaper, quicker solutions. I need a silver bullet and my hand holding. In reality I am likely to keep the EFS kit just as an easy low risk everyday system for when I want a camera but do not want to carry around a large piece of kit saying mug me.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long ramble.

I am lucky enough to borrow the 800mm this weekend. I wanted to see how far it reaches, and also how far it reaches with help. The series are from 16mm to 2560 in effective focal lenght. The last picture is cropped a 100%. The distance from where I was standing and the building over the Oslofjord is approximately 9 kilometres.

G.

I know some shooters keep a finger out which is what I used to do on a lighter body such as my old T2i and what I currently do on my Elan 7 but on my 7D and now the 5D3 I just need the stability. What I wonder is how do you have your Tv/Av dials mapped? I switched the default to the Av on the back dial for a while so my exposed thumb could easily adjust but I found it screwed me up when shooting film where I keep my finger out and change it on the top dial.

What seems to work best?

Hey folks, I'm in the market to get my first Canon hotshoe flashgun and I'm wondering if the 580EX II will be gone soon. I have a 5D Mark II and I'm looking into the 430 and the 580 right now. At the moment, I won't be needing the wireless master of the 580, but probably will in the future. So I was wondering if I get a 430 now and wait for when I'll need the wireless master, is the 580 going to be gone. Right now, only B&H has stock i think, and the 600 is just overkill for me. And in terms of performance, is the 580 THAT much better than the 430 to justify a 200$ higher price tag?

Thanks, much appreciated!