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Help to make my decision.

Help me to make right decision, I've been shooting with 7D now +2 years and been looking for moving to FF. Basically what my gear includes now is 7D with 17-55 F2.8 and basic kit 15-135 that is not used like at all.. and now shooting with 7D these couple years I've noticed that my pictures are almost 50% portraits and 50% landscapes, cityscapes etc.

What should I do, been looking for to get 5D Mark II?

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EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II + EF 1.4x TC III or EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS II?

I am trying to decide on my next lens purchases. I am a bird and wildlife photographer who does landscapes & macro on the side. I currently have the EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II for my landscape work, 100mm f/2.8 for my macro work, and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS for my primary photography. I currently use the 7D, however depending on when the 7D II is announced/released, or how the high MP camera pans out, I may get a 5D III.

I ran into the limitations of the 100-400 some time ago, and am ready to move on to bigger, better things. I have been renting Canon's new line of telephoto lenses. For my primary work, my heart is pretty dead set on the EF 600mm f/4 L IS II along with the EF 1.4x TC III (and probably 2x TC III with the 5D III + f/8 firmware) for the bird photography. However before I spend that kind of money, I wanted to figure out if there may be something shorter that I could use for birds in flight and wildlife. I rented the 300mm f/2.8 L II a few months back, and the quality is simply unbelievable. It blew me away. With 1.4x and 2x teleconverters it extends right up to 600mm f/5.6, which is good for a lot of things, including wildlife at a comfortable distance with 300m and 420mm and bird photography at 600mm in good light (although that f/5.6 aperture fails to handle morning and evening or overcast photography very well.)

If I do pick up the 600mm f/4 L II, that will burn up my budget and then some. I'm sure that lens will do well for some wildlife photography, however it won't be all that handholdable (although Canon's weight savings are an amazing achievement), and that focal length could make it difficult to get some wildlife shots for the less shy wildlife...and we have quite a bit of that here in Colorado...deer will get within feet of you at times. I've wondered whether picking up the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II would be a worth-while replacement for the 100-400, and capable of producing quality shots. According to my calculations, the aperture, despite being a relative f/2.8, is actually the same size entrance pupil as the 100-400 (200/2.8 = 71.43, 400/5.6 = 71.43). The smallish entrance pupil on the 100-400 has not really done much to produce that nice, high quality, creamy boke. It never comes close to the quality of the 300mm 500mm, or 600mm Mark II telephoto lenses. Additionally, the 100-400 is quite soft at 400mm until you stop down to f/7.1, at which point it sharpens up a bit, but is still visibly poor compared to the sharpness of any of those same telephoto lenses.

Is the boke and sharpness of the 70-200 f/2.8 II closer to the caliber of Canon's new Mark II telephoto lenses? How does it fare with the 1.4x TC? Is the 280mm focal length with the 1.4x TC a good enough replacement for a 300mm prime?

Or, to get the kind of quality I'm looking for, do I really just have to knuckle down and get both the 300mm f/2.8 L II and 600mm f/4 L II?

Thanks for any help!

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What Photo Web Host do you use?

Wasn't sure which section to post this in but the question is, which online photo host do you use and why? For instance, I use Zenfolio because I wanted to make sure our Boy Scout and Church Youth images didn't end up being used in anything we couldn't control. I've been very happy with Zenfolio.

However, I've noticed that aside from SmugMug, there aren't a lot of options if one doesn't want to sign away rights to pictures they host.

Does anyone know if flckr preserves the original owners' rights? I notice a lot of folks on this forum use flickr as well as the "official" White House photostream.

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Curious Distraction: Explain your username, avatar picture, etc...

Hi everyone. As I reply to some posts, it occurs to me that it would be interesting to get explanations or back stories from many of the user/contributors here on Canon Rumors about why they use/choose the username that they have. For instance, neuro has explained it before but let's hear it again here all in one place!! What does TrumpetPower possibly mean? While we're at it, add some info about the avatar picture you use if you like.

In my case, RustyTheGeek started out many years ago as a domain name people would remember for my IT consulting business when they needed to email me. Eventually it just made sense to start treating it like a brand, esp since it's never taken when choosing a username on forums, etc. So there we go! I still need to get an avatar picture uploaded. Bad me.

Anyone else care to share? Even if it seems self explanatory there might be more than meets the eye. :)

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100-400L Version II ain't comin' either!

Though periodic rumors keep us guessing, I just don't see 100-400L update coming anytime soon, for reasons similar to the ones I listed for the 14-24L earlier, granted only point #2 really holds for the tele:

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=12297.0

Canon simply may not see the release of an updated 100-400L II in its best interest right now.

The current 100-400L is a good zoom; they still sell a ton of them; and increasing its IQ any more could potentially cut into other new entries and higher priced lenses... including their yet to arrive in real life "200-400L + 1.4Ex". They would want you to upgrade into the higher price rung if you are that eager and willing.

Remember, Canon has left a lot of lenses from early years as they are... this zoom is rather new in that context.

I have given up, though I naively thought that it will be coming and I can replace the push-pull, and may be get more complete/full weather sealing.

A rumor here hailed earlier: "2013: year of the 400 lenses?" And I say, only if you are 420-friendly. ;) If you want a 100-400L get it now, no point waiting. I don't see such a lens showing up, regardless of the rumors that keep us on our toes.

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1DX Focusing Screen

OK I've been a bit of an idiot and marked the focusing screen on my 1Dx. It came back from Canon Service today after getting the sensor cleaned for the issue described in this post; http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=11331.0 . Sensor a lot cleaner but not perfect, 3 noticeable bodies on it, tried activating the sensor cleaning several times to no avail.

Anyway on taking the camera out of the box I looked through the viewfinder to see a foreign body right in the middle of the viewfinder. How it could leave the Service Centre with that I don't know. So got the blower out to give it a couple of gentle wafts and it slipped and its marked the focusing screen. Does anyone know if there are focusing screens out there that fit the 1Dx? I can see the EC-D fits the 1 Series camera but apart from a place in New Zealand which says that fits the 1Dx I cant see anywhere else that says there is one.

Its not the end of the world, only really noticeable if I'm looking at a plain'ish image that I can see it but if I have to send it off to Canon to get it replaced I would.

Any help appreciated.

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First Time Travelling To Asia/Africa With My Gear: I Need Advice

Hi,

First, I'm not sure this is the right forum topic area for this, but its the closest I could guess.

I'm a Montreal-based photographer who will be taking a 2 month trip to two places in the next week: The Philippines and Kenya. This is the first time I'm going to either country (and continent!) and I've got some pretty big things to think about the first time. I am going to both places for work. In the Philippines I volunteered to help photo document some of the displacement of rural peoples in different parts of the country due to mining. In Kenya I will be covering the elections there as well as International Women's Day events in March. I'm a freelancer and I have no ties to any agencies or networks. I'm funding these trips out of my own pocket. The opportunity presented itself and I felt like these were the right places to get my feet wet. I have good contacts in both places and my food and accommodations are being taken care of.

So here's the part where I need advice... and this being the first time I'm doing something like this I am VERY open to any and all advice.

I've got a good kit. I'll be hauling my Canon 1DX, Canon 5D Mark III, 50 1.2L, 24 1.4L, 16-35 2.8L and 70-200 2.8L. I bought an F-Stop Tilopa because I felt it did the best job of hauling not just my camera gear but everything I need to live during the trip (clothes etc). Obviously I have some concerns about the security of my kit. I seriously considered leaving my 1DX at home, but the way I see it is if I go on a trip like this I am going to regret not bringing that phenomenal camera. I have no concerns about carrying the weight (well, only fesible ones) and I always work with 2 bodies.

I've got a point and shoot for areas where I don't feel comfortable and my SLRs will stay in my bag until i feel I have relative control of whatever location I'm at. I'm not going to hang them around my neck while travelling on buses or walking around aimlessly in the city. I also think that the 5D will do most of the work when I am moving about when unsure of what my security concerns are. When I am in a more controlled environment I'll take out the 1DX.

Here are some questions:
1) Does this all sound crazy? I honestly have woken up a couple times this week thinking "Holy hell! What if I get robbed! That 1D is 6500$! Am I nuts?". The other option would be to leave one SLR at home and take just the 5D... but then if something goes wrong with that one camera I'm screwed.
2) Have any of you had experience with security issues in either country. You can be specific or non-specific. For example, I've heard not to take any rides from anyone out of the airport in Nairobi unless I know them. I arranged for a from my contact there.
3) Do any of you have advice on insurers in Canada that might insure my gear on a trip like this?


I know this sounds like a really general, non-specific inquiry... and it is. As I said, I'm simultaneously excited and nervous. I'm smart, but not experienced when it comes to travelling with a lot of gear and I feel I might benefit from some of the wide range of experience on this forum. I guess I'm looking for a little wise encouragement too... The truth is I can't imagine going to either place to do the work I'm doing and not bring along all of my best equipment. My concern now is how best to take care of it.

--

On a very different note: I've been a reader of this forum for some time. I decided its about time I contributed a bit more. The tone and maturity of posters here is impressive compared with most tech/geek forums and I'm in awe of a lot of the work posted here. Kudos to y'all.

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Have 5D3, will shoot... but which lens?

Hi all,

I bit the bullet and have decided to buy the 5D3 as an upgrade for my 50D. I am however hesitant on which lens to buy with the 5D3:
24-105L f4 or
24-70L f4 (wait a bit for prices to drop) or
17-40L f4

I already have the following canons: 28 1.8, 50 1.4 and 70-200 f4 IS FF lenses but will need a FF UWA or FF standard zoom replace my sigma crop zooms (17-70IS and 8-16). I ended up not using the 8-16 a lot because it seemed wide and did not have any overlap with my 17-70.

I mainly shoot portraits, street, architecture. I like the primes and use them a lot, but do want a zoom lens for general walk-round.

The 2.8 lenses (16-35LII & new 24-70 canon & tamron) look great, but the extra size & weight put me off and cannot justify the extra cost. I believe I can accept the softish corners of the 17-40 I read about. The high ISO of the 5D3 will offset the slower aperture of the 17-40 as well.

I figure the 70-200 will do nicely as portrait lens, super sharp, and I am sure a longer prime will follow as well for better bokeh, so I am thinking maybe I should start with UWA instead of standard zoom. How important is the 30-100 range?

Which to buy first? UWA or standard zoom? Did any of you readers skip the standard zoom go straight for the UWA zoom? What do you shoot primarily?

Any advice & views would be appreciated!

Regards, Roeland

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Canon 1dx Portrait orientation exposure problem Issue Solved Was Just User Error

Hey Fellow 1DX folks,

I've got another possible issue with my Canon 1DX- I've been noticing lately that when I'm shooting in Manual mode, landscape orientation, the exposure indicator on the right of viewfinder works as it should and photos set for correct exposure come out correctly exposed, however, when I flip the camera to portrait mode (Note: It seems to only be happening when I flip it the opposite way that it's 'supposed' to flip ie: the controls end up on the bottom instead of the top like they would if you flipped it 'correctly/ to the portrait mode), that the exposure indicator kinda goes screwy and the shot will come out either way over exposed or underexposed (and I hadn't touched the exposure dial since flipping from landscape OT portrait for a shot that should be the same exact exposure setting- )

I've just noticed this in the last few days, and haven't tried it much in the other modes except for AV which seems just fine (as the camera sets the exposure automatically- it seems to work for both landscape and portrait as it should)

I'll have to test itm ore today, but I think in Manual mode the camera works as it should if I flip it to portrait the 'correct' way- the exposure doesn't change, and the shots come out as expected

Also of note is that I'm shooting in quite cold weather- however, I'm generally shooting from the car, or very shortly after getting out of the car when camera is still sort of warmish- Not sure if the cold is causing the issue, but it wouldn't seem so as the problem does happen in the car with heat on, and warm conditions

Also of note, this seems to have happened when shooting very bright high contrast scenes ie: edge of Forrest with direct sun on snow cover in front of trees (at least this is when I've noticed the issue- it may happen at other times too, I'll need a few days of testing to determine if it does or not-)

Has anyone heard about this being an issue? Or experienced it themselves? Do I perhaps have a setting in the camera wrong? I can't think of anything that might cause this issue i in the settings department- but then again, I'm not real familiar with all the various settings either-

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100mm 2.8L Macro IS as a portrait lens

I am going to purchase a prime lens in the 85-135mm range, mostly for portraits and indoor shots on my 6D.
I already have a 70-200mm 2.8 II, but I often don't want to lug all that weight around.

I've been leaning towards the 135L, but recently have been thinking about buying a 100L macro for roughly the same cost as the 135 and using it for portraits and tightly framed indoor shots. The 100L's macro capability would just be a nice plus I probably wouldn't use that much.

My concern with the 100L macro for my intended use is that I've heard it is soft beyond 10-15 feet. I certainly need a lens that is capable of sharp pictures at longer ranges than that. Does anyone who has used this lens have any comments or experience to share?

Since portrait and general purpose shooting is my primary need, should I just skip the macro lens for now and pick up the 135L? I imagine I'll own both lenses eventually, but it might be 6-12 months before my next lens purchase.

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Advice..what lens

After a long wait I am finally going to do it and splash out on the 5dmkiii :) :) :), but what lens should I go for ???. I know this question gets asked a lot, but hey, everyone is different and this is a hobby for me, so i do not make any money from my pic's and I want to choose the right lens. I generally take a mixture of pic,s landscapes, night shoots not so much sport or portrait stuff.

After splashing out on the body I will have a limited budget for a new lens. I have one of three in mind, either the 100mm macro usm(the older usm one) as this can double as a small zoom, the 50mm f1.4 or the 17-40 f4L

Now, I do have some old glass, from my old EOS 5 film days, a EF 35-135mm & a EF 100-300, I suppose this would be like putting a mini engine in a Ferrari, but will do until I can get more £££ together,

So out of the three...keeping mind the old glass....what would you suggest ???

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6D not usable for shooting video?

Hello,

I think many like myself are thinking about getting the 6D for video instead of the Mark 3 as it is about $1000 cheaper. So I ordered one early Dec 12 for shooting video. Unfortunately I found out pretty fast that the moire and aliasing issues are so bad that the camera is unusable for video production. I sold it on eBay and now bought the Canon 5D Mark 3 instead. For taking pictures the camera is wonderful and I can highly recommend it.

To show the moire and aliasing issues I uploaded this simple clip.

http://youtu.be/xo1-8saWqsk

As I thought this might be of general interest I shared it as this buying and selling costed me more pennies then I liked.

Cheers
- Andreas

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Nissin Di866 markII and HSS

I have a 6D as well as a 60D with a Nissan Di866 markII. I wanted to try out the high speed sync on both of my cameras. The Nissin website claims this model supports HSS and that among other reasons was why i chose it. I used to own a Nikon D7000 until i decided to go with Canon and with that camera, you enabled HSS via the body menu. I have only now realized that Canon enable HSS via a button on the flash itself, and since there is no button for this on the Nissin flash, i was wondering if anybody had actually done it, and how?
Thanks in advance.

HighSpeed Recordings from Mirror and Aperture

Hello together,

im just new here, but I want to show you some Videos I made a few weeks ago.

http://frari-art.de/spiegelschlag-und-blendenlamellen/

Here you can see the Mittor of a EOS 450d DSLR in HighSpeed and the Aperture of an EF 85/1.8 Lens.

The Mirror Video was taken at ca. 6.000 fps with an Time of 1/160 Sec.
The Video fpr the Aperture was taken at 6.000 fps with 1/4000 and a Aperture of 22.

The Original Videos are just 0.6 seconds and take about 5GB each Space on the drives.

Hope its interesting for you!

Kind Regards
Frank

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Sony RX100 and RX1 Owners Rejoice!

Pearstone has released a wall charger for the NP-BX1 batteries so you no longer have to charge them in camera:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/899059-REG/pearstone_adc_npbx1_compact_ac_dc_charger_for.html

Or there is a Pearstone Duo table top charger that can do two at once:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/899061-REG/pearstone_dlc_npbx1_duo_lcd_charger_for.html

Or if you already have a Duo, you can just buy the battery plates:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/899062-REG/pearstone_pl_npbx1_replacement_plate_for_sony.html

And Sony is also releasing their own wall charger/spare battery kit, although at a higher price:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/913639-REG/sony_acctrbx_cyber_shot_battery_charger_kit.html

I already have the Pearstone Duo charger for my LP-E6 batteries, so i'll just be buying the plates. The Duo is a great charger by the way. I love mine, and it is a little quicker than the Canon charger.

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Canon EOS 7D successor will not be announced at the CP+ show R

It's rare that Photo Rumors gets this stuff before CR does, but there is a translated story from digicame.info re: the timing of the 7D2:

Canon EOS 7D successor will not be announced at the CP+ show

http://photorumors.com/2013/01/24/canon-eos-7d-successor-will-not-be-announced-at-the-cp-show/#ixzz2IweHrCs1

FYI, if you hadn't heard.

- A

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7D to 5D Mk III - Pull the trigger?

So here is my situation - My primary field of photography that I work in is sports. More specifically, I take pictures throughout northern california at the bicycle races. Lately, though, I have stemmed off into other event photography, such as weddings, triathlons, fun runs, etc. Lately though I have been finding that in smaller areas, specifically indoors, when personal space gets a bit tight, I have been having problems getting the right amount of "space" - i.e., a lot of my shots look cramped/cropped. I feel that I need to change, but I am a bit at a crossroads in terms of what to change. I have taken some time to consider my options, and want to as everybody here if I should go for a 5D MK III and enter the world of full frame.

My only concern with this is that while it may help with my other events, especially indoors, I worry that with my primary focus of sports photography that it will reduce the "reach" that I had with my 7D - in that the subjects will appear further away compared to if I was shooting with my 7D - and as a result I will need to crop the picture to get a bigger version or level of "up close"ness, and therefore be a step backwards.

Help a guy out!

By the way, my short list of lenses are as follows:

50 f/1.4
24-70 f/2.8 L
70-200 f/2.8 L II (I love this lens. A lot.)

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5D3 quick start help

Hey all,

I'm going to be shooting a CrossFit fund-raising event this weekend and plan to rent a 5D3 for it. Everything I've read says you need some time to get up to speed with the camera, and I have exactly 1 evening, so I'm hoping maybe some of you experienced with the camera can help identify what settings I most need to get familiar with (or maybe even what they likely should be.)

FWIW, my experience is with an Xti, a 40D and a 7D.

In short this event will be indoor sports--crappy lighting, moving athletes. For most of the events, the athletes will be moving in one spot, for example doing deadlifts or hand-stand push-ups. There is a sandbag sprint, so that will be a bit different with the athletes moving linearly. The other thing I'll be doing is spending very little time on one athlete/focal length. Some of the events are as short as under four minutes, in which I'll have to capture 8 sets of 2 athletes each doing 2 movements. I've done these events before with the above mentioned bodies, so I know what to expect as a whole; just looking for help to maximize my results with the 5D3 in this setting. (Although now that I've said that, I'll retract it and say that I'm open to any and all suggestions as there's always stuff to learn--I certainly don't know everything!)

Thanks a bunch!

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A camera for backpacking into the wilderness...

On my past day hikes (up to 15 miles with elevation change) I have taken my 5D mark II with 2 lenses and ND filters to capture landscapes. This year I am excited to take my young son on a multi-day backing trip to cover 30-35 miles. Because of his age, I will be carrying most of the camping gear, food, etc. I do not think I will have room for my current set up, so I am looking for advice for the best next-best option to my dSLR. My budget is about $1500, and I have looked into the Canon G1X, Fuji X-E1 with 18-55mm kit lens, Sony RX100, Sony Nex with ? lens, etc. I have also considered taking my 5D mark II with only the 50mm f/1.4 attached, but I am worried about only having one focal length. My priority is high image quality for stills/ landscapes.

I would appreciate any advice or experience from a similar situation. I have attached one of my pics, so you can see what i like to shoot.

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GigaPan - check out some of these Gigapan images - 272 GIGApixels?

http://gigapan.com/gigapans?order=most_popular

I thought my fellow CR members would appreciate some of these Gigapan Photos that I stumbled across today. Click on each image and zoom in for a close look...."wow" is all I could think.

There's a shot of the city of Shanghia that is 272 GIGApixels. The amount of detail is crazy.

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