200mm F2 - oh so sharp, portrait heaven

600mm F4 IS USM II - I know I'll never own this in my lifetime @ 13k but it would be incredible I'm sure for wildlife (came close with a 400mm 5.6 and a 7D = 640

TS-E 17mm - the bokeh on this lens is fantastic, presently don't own a TS-E lens but would make this a first.

Is it worth participating in photocompetitions supported from P.S.A. and FIAP for a semi-pro photographer or is just for amateurs.
Do they help you attracting more customers, or improve your image as a photographer? Defenitely they need a lot of money (the participation in each competition costs 20-70 USD) and they need a lot of preparation time.
What about other competitions lika IPA or Tpoty are they better concerning recognicion and image development?
Thank you

I like macro prhotography and until now I have some nice photos of flowers and insects that move slowly (spiders) using an 60mm canon efs macro lense. I want to go full frame so I would like to hear your suggestions. Is it worth going for the 100mm IS which is the double price from the non IS? I am also considering the 180mm but although is an L lense is not IS. Do I need IS in order to take a moving subject (i.e. a bee, a flower under wind) without a tripod with these magnifications. If so why the 180 lense is not IS and is the most expensive? Also what about image quality?
Please I would love to hear the expert advise.
Thank you

I just wanted to write a little review on this lens, comparing with past lenses and being as honest and humble as I can be about this new Canon offering... I will throw in some pictures at the end taken this weekend at the Aviary... Click on the image to view at full resolution at my Flickr page.

When announced, I was really excited... But the lack of IS was a worry, especially for the price. Once reviews start coming in (mostly LensRentals article) it got me really intrigued, to say the least. I was able to find one at PC Nation on Thursday last week in stock (no pre-order) and had it overnighted to me. I got it Friday along with all my gear back from CPS for check/clean and calibration (great timing to say the least!). In case you are wondering, I am selling off my trusty 24-105L and the 35L I had to fund this lens.

Pulling it out of the box I was surprised at the weight, or lack of. After reading so many complaints about the weight and all that of the old one, although I knew they did weight reductions, I was really shocked to feel how light it was compared to what I was expecting. It honestly feels nearly identical to the 24-105L... No longer will weight be a factor for this lens, IMO.

Build quality is excellent, as you would expect. Very smooth focus ring and a very smooth, fluid zoom ring. Very well dampened with a slightly different feel than the 24-105L. The large use of plastics does not bother me one bit and it still feels very high quality. The zoom-lock is a very nice feature for me, as I generally walk with my lenses hanging downward. It does not 'cheapen' the lens one bit. It is actually a very nice feature.

The lens simply put, performs incredible. I was really not expecting it to be as good as it is! From 24mm to 70mm wide open, the level of detail and contrast is extremely impressive. Colors are beautifully rendered requiring very minimal post work. The images taken this weekend required less than 30 seconds of edit time each. Out of focus areas are extremely smooth and pleasing, even with busy backgrounds... Unlike the 70-200 II which can get 'harsh' and busy looking at times, this lens did not show this one bit. Backgrounds really melt away at longer focal lengths and near MFD at 24mm.

Compared to the 24-105, the images simply pop more, for one. Less distortion, much less CA (if not non-existent) and vignetting. Many images taken this weekend give a near 3D look you only get with amazing detail and microcontrast. I really enjoy the 24-105L, but it does not reach the type of detail this lens can render. In fact, compared to my 70-200 II, I find the 24-70 just as good, if not superior in terms of sharpness. I think the 24-70 II and 70-200 II combo will be my workhorse combo for many years to come, no doubt.

Edge sharpness is really good... An image at f/8 below shows the entire image and extreme 100% crops (photobucket compression here may lower the resolution a little... The rest are on Flickr)... Not the best image (poor actually, but the only one I had stopped down to show!).



Right:



Left:




I also found the lens to have probably the quickest AF I have used. Regardless of the light level, it zips right into place and locks on extremely fast. Even in very dark conditions it has no problem what so ever.

Overall, I am more than impressed with this lens. Even given the steep price point given the lack of IS, I don't think I will really miss it... The image quality alone makes you forget that one downfall this lens has. The prime IQ from 24mm to 70mm wide open is stunning, the build quality is top notch and the AF speed is extremely impressive... There is nothing not to love about this lens (minus price for some). It has become my favorite lens in the very short time I have owned it. It just may top my "Canon's Best List" for those I have used, including the 35L, 85L, 135L, 300/400L and a few others. It really is that good.


6M3C0602 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0625 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0626 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0649 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0651 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0672 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0721 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0741 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0788 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0799 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0635 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0659 by invertalon, on Flickr


6M3C0719 by invertalon, on Flickr

I am just starting to get my head around my 5D III after a 60D. I have been to a few photography courses and have LR4.1 and PSE10. I shoot raw & L JPEG. My confusion is that some recommend sRGB however other people recommend Adobe RGB. The 5D III manual recommends sRGB but the LR books are divided. I only shoot for my own enjoyment at this stage but may join a club later when I get a little better. Any thoughts very much appreciated.

Hi I am going to a wedding and want to bring my 5d3, 24-105 and 600ex only in the smallest bag possible. Any suggestions?

Having recently upgraded to a 60D, I became curious about front/back focusing after reading numerous complaints that the 60D doesn't have auto focus micro adjustment.

I haven't noticed any focusing issues with any of my lenses, but I thought it might be noticeable if tested really carefully. While I am interested in having my equipment properly dialed in, I thought that accurate tests seemed tedious. Apparently one would need to test different focal lengths, have the right measuring targets and light conditions, and what have you.

So instead I started googling reviews and other's experiences, and found lots of people testifying both front and back auto focusing with their 50D's and 7D's combined with all sorts of lenses. But even after hours of searching, to my surprise I found zero reported front/back auto focus issues with the 60D!?

So, anyone here who has experienced front or back focusing with a 60D, with whichever lens, or at least read about any such case?

I consider to buy Pixel vertax battery grip for my 5d3, and I heard that there is a battery draining issue.

Did they fix it?

If they fixed it, how I can know it? I am about to buy it from the Amazon.

Also, there is new version of Meike battery grip. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093Y0CXE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A2Y9R0VEAYJBWE

Which one do you recommend?

KK.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a new lens for my 5D Mark II and I'm having trouble deciding. I'm in the market for both a wide angle and a telephoto, and I'm trying to figure out whether I can swing to get both or not.

My camera funds are capped at $1,400, so I have two options--get either the 70-300 IS L alone or the 70-300 IS non-L and 24-105.

I currently have the 50 1.8, 70-200 2.8 non-IS and the 2X extender. I need an IS telephoto as camera shake has always been an issue for me.

The 70-300L is really attractive to me, but price is one drawback. In addition to price, another drawback to the L series lenses for me is the filter size. In addition to photojournalism work, I enjoy aviation photography--and that entails a lot of photography through chain link fences. I've found that the 56mm filter-sized lenses fit into the openings in the links almost perfectly, but anything larger will not and results in shadows from the wires in the corners of the frame.

I was using the cheap 75-300 III lens, which I recently sold. While it sometimes made terrible images, I was able to get some great shots with it when the stars aligned. My only complaint about it was its lack of sharpness.

Any thoughts on what to do? Has anyone here ever used the 70-300 non-L IS on a 5D?

I'm not interested in the 100-400 (I've used it and wasn't impressed), and can't afford the 24-70.

Thanks!

Hello all,
I'm exploring currently for my 5D3 of using the cine or flat styles for shooting, in order to retain as much sensor information as possible for color correction/grading in post.

It occured to me that I'd not see any real discussions for stills, and I'm wondering if there are similar settings to use, or not? If not...why not for stills, but so much attention to it for video?

It seems to me, more and more, while you do indeed try to get as much as possible correct in the original exposure (exposure, composition, etc)....that pretty much everything else like color and all, is done 99% in post production.

It seems to me the same is the case for both video and stills, and I was wondering with that being the case, why there were not recommended 'flat' settings for stills...?

Thanks in advance for any explanations on this!!


cayenne

I recently stepped up to a fullframe kit, and have been trying out the 24-105 that came in the kit.

I didn't, however, have the extra cash to step up to a full-frame short 2.8 zoom ($2300!!). I previously used a 7D and 17-55 for this.

Question to the great pool of talent here... should I keep my 17-55 for a short 2.8 zoom, or take a hit on low light and use the 24-105?

Seems like the OOF area and IQ differences will sortof balance out (the FF can go a stop faster, same rough IQ, with the same light, but the lens is a stop slower)

However, I'm thinking about keeping the 7D and 17-55 so that I can get better hit on focus in low light (2.8 focus points versus f/4).

Thoughts?

I bought this lens a year ago and realized that I've been using it mostly at f/2.8 and it is because I started with f/1.4, but the sharpness wasn't as expected. I mean, when I put focus on some people who are in centre or next to it and everything else is behind it looks gorgeous, but if I'm to take a photo of a building or some big object than...

I guess I didn't get this tool well. What do you think this lens is most useful for and what styles should be avoided when using this lens?

Now I'm even considering selling it and getting 24-70 II, but I might miss the bokeh of 35L. :-\

...it'll end up with having both on my table, together with the filled divorce papers

It seems to me that people have strong preferences for the size of camera bodies when it comes to built-in grip (1D style) vs. no grip (5D style). I've read a few posts about people hoping the next big megapixel camera will come with a grip and I've read many posts about people hoping for no grip.

So I'm wondering...based on the following assumptions, whether more people desire a grip or more people desire no grip.

[list type=decimal]
[*]The next high MP body will be greater than $5,500 but no more than $7,500
[*]You can afford to spend $5,500 to $7,500 on a body.
[*]You are willing to spend $5,500 to $7,500 on a body (regardless of grip or no grip).
[*]The next high MP body will have greater than 40MP
[*]The next high MP body will be available for purchase by the end of CY2013
[*]There are no new high MP bodies announced from Nikon by the end of CY2013
[*]The next high MP body has similar or same specs as the 1Dx but is limited to 5 fps.
[/list]

Please only vote if you meet all the above criteria/assumptions.
i.e. If you cannot afford or are not willing to spend $5,500 to $7,500 on a camera body, then please do not vote.

5D II live view exposure "oddity". I'm going to assume something is broken to cause this, but hope it's some weird setting I'm just missing that is doing it. Seems like the results say something is broke.

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/5d2liveview.jpg

That picture shows the issue. I'm in manual mode live view on. (So it's not some issue with that square part metering stuff) The scene on the lcd changes as I change the exposure. I take the shot and it's blown out too bright. I stop down more and take the shot again, same blow out. But if I turn the live view back off and take the shot, the shot appears like it did on live view and not blown out. Just look at the settings on the two examples of the resulting images. First one blown out with live view on at 1/6400 yet look at the 1/4000(slower) exposure when live view is turned off. It's like it should be. Something has to be screwed up and not just some odd setting that would do this? It's a used 5D II I just got. Images shot in raw and not touched during conversion. 100-400L was the lens. 24 seconds apart from one another.

Thanks
Mike

I was lucky enough to witness the historical event in Los Angeles. An image is posted here. A few more images can be found with this link:

http://www.lightcrafterphotography.com/blog/2012/9/witnessing-history---the-last-flight-of-space-shuttle-endeavour

Post your Endeavour or any space shuttle images.

Thinking of switching away from my two 580exII and Pocket Wizard System to the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT with two 600RTs using 5DIII. I am really hoping someone here can share positive or negative experiences with this setup.

I have the first version bought in 93 and love this lens with the integrated collar. It has seen 5 Olympics and just this weekend started having Error 01. The mount needs to be changed but Canon refuses to even look at it. I live in Montreal. Are there any third party service providers who can do this? I really dont like the design of the newer lens with the external collar. I have seen many a 300 hit the deck because the lens slips out of the collar.

This poll will run 180 days and intended for discussion on upgrading to the S110 from S100 (or S95). Is it worth the price to upgrade considering new specs. Votes can be changed as reviews come out on the camera.

http://www.ronmartblog.com/2012/09/comparison-canon-24-70-f28l-ii-vs-24.html

complete with comparisons to the 24-105. a lens i just bought, and now i'm wondering if that was such a great idea. well, i think i'm still good. with the money saved over the 24-70v2 i could still add the 35mm1.4 or 50mm1.2, or 24mm1.4, or... so yeah, still okay i think. It's just i like to keep my amount of gear to a minimum. so I'd rather have one super lens than two very good lenses, but they all have different strengths, so what's a guy to do?

anyway, another review.

I would like to get a setup of old, possibly all-metal, manual focus fast primes.

I am a child of the AF generation, so I'm very little experienced in this sense and I don't know which ones are worth having nowadays.

I'm interested in 20-28mm, 30-40mm, 50-60mm, 85-100mm and 135mm. A standard setup.

Please share your opinions with me. Doesn't matter about brands, as long as they can be adapted and that it makes sense to buy them price-wise.

Thank you!

As a 60d shooter was looking forward to the 6d entry level ff I was hugely disappointed by just the additional 2 af points and 1/180th fash sync. Came across this good comparison page regarding flash syncs

http://www.photographe-mariages.net/blog/20120404/vitesse-de-synchronisation-par-appareil-photo/

Why do the 60d, 50d, and 7d have a faster flash sync than the 5d mark ii and iii and the 6d?????

I'm holding off to see how the 7d mark ii shakes out now. the 6d doesn't impress me and the 5d mark iii is too much.

Hi all.

Got to try a 400 2.8 (mk 1) yesterday with a 7D. Can anyone think of a reason why EXIF information (in Aperture) reports it to be using a 2x when there was not one connected to the camera !

The 7D has the latest 2.0.3. firmware installed and if I put the 70-200 ii on to it it does not claim there is a 2 x present.

Obviously the camera thinks it, but why ?!

.. cuz the stabilized one's only just been announced.
Actually, having expected its announcement back in spring, I opted to purchase the original version in F-mount so I'd have that range covered on my FF Nikon bodies until I could afford/justify a new Nikon version. Since I mostly shoot all manual, AF speed and even accuracy is of little importance to me. Resolution tests looked pretty good for the price.

I was concerned about the MF precision with this lens since the end-to-end focus throw is not very long but it's very smooth and lightly damped and works well in the field. Better MF than Nikon's v2, IMO.

The other thing that worked well in the field is the lens' absolute sharpness performance. It's amazing, considering the price! Smooth bokeh, very close focus ability, and it's stupid-sharp! Enough that I was able to generate moire issues on distant brickwork using 135mm FL. Very low CA too.
I don't know if it's quite as sharp as Canon's v2 of the 70-200/2.8 but it's good enough for pixel-level detail on my D800e and that means I'll be keeping it and not buying the Nikon one.

end point...
If you're hankering for a good deal on a fast 70-200mm zoom, the Tamron is worth considering. If you don't need IS, it's comparable to the non-IS Canon lens at a lower price.

http://pelican.com/backpacks_detail.php?Backpack=U100

Well, Pelican has finally made a backpack, and it would fit my laptop in it perfectly...

Now the question is, could my camera fit in it, along with food and water for a few days. (The camera would only be in the backpack when the food and water weren't) for traveling in the national parks. Or clothes would be in the backpack if I were flying to someplace to vacation.

I might still need to use my nylon waterproof bag, but it does look like the bag would offer more protection thn any other bag I have seen.

Hi all,

http://www.lenstip.com/2008-news-Sony_Alpha_SLT-A99_-_sample_shots.html

Cheers!