Finally I have completed my kit. It is composed of:

5dMKII
16-35mm f/2.8 MKII L
24-70mm f/2.8 L
Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 OS
Sigma 50mm f/1.4

I'm very very happy with what I have. And theres going to be so much to learn. Im taking these travelling. Im planning to take only two lenses maximum when I'm out. Preferably not taking both L lenses ( not putting both eggs in one basket).

Which pair would you take for various situations? The 24-70 + 50? or the 16-35+50?

Does the 16-35 go well with the 70-200 without the middle range? Reading this forum, the 16-35 is more preferred to the 24-70 it seems.

thanks for your advice/experiences.

I sent this to him. This guy seriously bugs me. How can you write a review on something you don't even read the manual or check all the options on? Crazy that he gets mentioned so often on forums all over the interwebs.

Here is a link to the comparison chart in his d800 review that I reference....

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d800.htm

Mr. Rockwell,
I have read both your reviews of the 5Dmkiii and the D800.

I just would like to inform you that some of your major concerns with the 5d that you harp on a LOT in the review are not in fact a reality. These so called problems are echoed with big red no's on the comparison chart that you made at the bottom of the d800 review.

1) problem: AF marks hide subject. Truth: it is fully customizable, in the 5th AF menu second item down "AF point display during focus", you can have the box on at all times, you can have all the AF boxes on all the time, you can have the AF box disappear once focus is achieved (best case scenario), or you can have it always gone.

2) problem: no one touch ability to switch between commonly used AF modes. Truth: Fully customizable. I set the DOF button to switch to AI servo, so when I'm shooting in single shot mode, if I wanna quick switch to servo without taking my eye off the subject I just hold the DOF button and then it goes AI servo until I let go and then it's right back to single shot. You can also set other buttons to perform this as well (if you actually use the DOF preview that much), IMHO it's actually much better than a physical toggle like on the older nikons and pentax because I would accidentally hit it and be in servo or vice versus all the time.

3) problem: no ability to select various AF points without multiple button presses. Truth: Can easily set this. Again, under button customization, if you go to the the options for the multi selector (the joystick) the other option beside default is direct AF point selection. If you set it this way you don't even need to hold the joystick down, just select away, no need to push the AF selector button first then hit the joystick (not that that is really hard, and I imagine they have this as the default so you don't accidentally move you AF point).

Just a thought, might be a good idea to read the manual and or check all the menus before writing a review on the web that tries to act informed, and sway people's purchasing opinions.

I'm not tracking anything nor do I have a spreadsheet for the nitpickers but I have noticed that lenses have jumped , actually crept up in the last month. I know how pricing works around holidays and pre/present/post rebate time. Was this increase one of those periods? Post rebate I would think. Glad I bought my 10-22 when I did!

Is there any online retailers with the 5d Mark iii In stock for $3500?
Im located in Illinois, and would NOT like to pay taxes on this item. Any help is GREATLY appreciated.
The sooner I'm able to order, the better.

Anyone heard of this place? Rythercamera.com
Im looking to purchase the 5d3 and they seem to have it in stock. and at a much better price than other stores...
If no one has heard of them can someone please suggest to me a trustworthy store to purchase this camera online with 0 taxes? Im located in Illinois.

The senerio is you can only have one body to do everything from weddings/portraits to sports. What would you choose to be the "do it all work horse"? The three options are the 5D mkIII, used 1Ds mkIII or a used 1D mkIV. I myself am leaning towards the 5D mk III later in the year, but I can't ignore the fact that the "older" 1 series bodies are still fantasic cameras and will inevitably drop in price both new and used when the mythical 1Dx releases. So again, what would be your do it all work horse?

Hello all!

I've got a 50d, 18-55 IS, 55-250 IS(currently selling this one because it's is really useless, too dark), 50 1.8 II, 135 2.0 L .
I'm shooting all starting from ants to weddings.
So the question is, what should I buy next?
The problem is that my 50 1.8 is kinda old and I got 7-8 out of 10 misfocused even at 5.6 or so(it's almost completely useless), and the 18-55 doesn't provide great results too.
I was thinking about EF 50 1.4(to replace my 50 1.8 ) or maybe EF 28 1.8, or maybe you can advice me something better?

Budget: less than 1000$.

Thank you,
Serhiy

Has anybody used or know of any issues with adding a Canon 1.4 TC to a Canon tilt shift 24 TSE ii on my 5D3? I could use the extra reach.

Hi,


This is a thread about things I’ve noticed about my new 5D3. It’s not a rant or Canon blew this one kind of thread. I love my 5D3, and I’ve had almost few weeks and a few thousand images with it. There are just a few tiny little things I’d change.


First, I shot with my Canon EOS ef-m for years with its 35-80 kit lens, then moved up to AF with an EOS 5. After that is was a jump to an EOS 50D in October 2008, then, as we know, the 5D3 in March 2012. I even played with a Sinar 4x5 view camera in that time frame too.


Now, on to the 5D3:

One thing I don’t like is where your right thumb would be when shooting. The ergonomic on the camera case is too high. That bump below the af-on/ ae lock/ af point button, you know the one. After an hour or so of holding the camera it wears on the skin. I have not used the camera with big gloves on, maybe in the winter when it’s -20c the bump will prove to be useful.

Let’s say your shooting, you stop for a minute and the camera goes to sleep. Pressing the shutter to shoot again, I find the wake up time too long. Maybe I just need to get used to the shutter button, it’s quite different than the 50D’s.

You shoot an image, and the image is still on the preview for the 2 seconds (or more if you’ve changed the setting), you hit zoom to look closer BEFORE the image preview time expires, now you turn the quick control dial to view the previous image, but the camera wont go to the previous image. You have to “clear” the screen, hit the playback button, then you can browse all of your images zoomed or not.

As usual, the manual is written by someone who has never used the camera.


When you achieve focus and the focus point lights red, I can’t see it light up in bright conditions. It needs to be brighter or something.



Maybe some this could be addressed with firmware updates, or the next 5D4 @$4500.



Thanks.

I was about to buy a 430EX II but it would seem due for an update - last refresh was in June, 4 years ago. Do you guys think we'll see a new one this year? Is it worth holding off a bit?

What is the current shipping delay for the Canon 5D3 from B&H, Adorama, and Amazon? Is it days, weeks , or months after ordering? Many thanks.

OK....I shoot a lot of HDR with my 5D MarkII.
I may be insane..but I have read on a number of blogs that with the 5D Mark III you can bracket up to SEVEN images (still not enough in my world..and my little MFT Panasonics have done that for years now), automatically.
I think I may have read bad information.

Can anyone tell me if I am incorrect about the 7-shot bracketing information? (I would consider buying the MK III just for the increase bracketing alone. I just downloaded the user manual for the 5D Mark III and checked in both the HDR section of the manual and the AEB section on the manual. Both sections say that you can STILL only bracket THREE photos??? Is this true? It is 2012. This is a $3500 camera body. It can only bracket 3 images without touching and resetting the camera? Someone PLEASE tell me I am mistaken... LOL!!!

Also. currently with my 5D Mark II...I use a Promote Unit with two cords attached to camera (very cumbersome, slow, non-fluid way to work, no doubt). Have to load in manual exposure information to the Promote Unit and can bracket all I want without touching the camera...EXCEPT if the exposure is over 30sec. Then I have to adjust the camera to bulb in the middle of the bracket, something I would love to avoid. Does the 5D Mark III still not allow you to bracket past 30 secs?

I know this is sniggly info that I need...but I would love to have a high rez, full-frame camera that can shoot a wide range of brackets automatically. I believe the Nikons have no problem with this ...but I could be wrong.
Thanks to anyone who can give me solid info regarding this situation!!!!!

This HDR AEB chart on the web states that the 5DMarkIII can bracket 3,5, or 7 frames (shots?).
http://www.hdr-photography.com/aeb.html

It's income tax refund time. If the 5D3 had come in $1K cheaper, I could have stretched for it, but with other places for a busy family to put its money- it ain't gonna happen this time around. So, to replace my Rebel XT I've decided to just get another Rebel for now.

Sure, I could buy a 60D, 7D or even a 5D2, but they're not the cameras I want, and- (let's be realistic) as a hobbyist with other interests- I can make do with a 650D. Maybe next year I can spin the Rebel down to one of my kids and get the camera I really want

With that decision essentially made- the question becomes- pull the trigger now on a T3i or wait for the upgrade? I'm getting conflicting information about a release date... the T3i rebates were extended, yet the literature for the new camera is apparently already out there.

Anybody have any good rumours, mysterious african safari pics, manuals on Amazon, leaked prototype photos? (Just doesn't have the same caché, does it?)

Hi All,

I just got myself a 5D Mark II and I'm loving the camera. But one thing I find somewhat annoying is the smudges that would easily get onto the viewfinder, espeically since my face touches the viewfinder everytime I shoot. I was wondering if anyone uses a finder mounting frame or anything else for that matter for that or just to protect the viewfinder from easily getting dirty. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi!
I will go on a long holiday traveling around East Asia this summer. For the occasion; I was thinking of getting a telephoto lens to complement my lens lineup since I'm leaving my 70-200 at home for weight/cost reasons.

This has led me to the conclusion that I will either get:
Panasonic 100-300 f4-5.6 for my Olympus E-P2 (effective FOV 200-600 on FF).
Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 VC SP DI for my Full Frame 5D Mark 2.

Further digging into the subject basically revealed that >ISO800 is a "no go" area for the e-p2. The aperture of the Panasonic lens is 5.6 at the tele end. And the IS only seems to be good for 1 stop. I would hence be forced to shoot at 1/300 sec on 5.6 aperture, something that is hard to do in less then perfect situations.

The Tamron by contrast is more forgiving offering a 2,5-4 stop working IS but has considerably lesser reach. I could probably be able to counter some of the reach advantage of the panasonic by cropping on the 5D. I would be able to shoot at ISO3200 at 1/100 sec with 5.6 aperture with acceptable results. Which is a 3.5 stop advantage compared to the Panasonic lens. This combo is less mobile and has considerably smaller reach though...

Any help rendered would be helpful. Especially on how cropping on a 21mp FF image would compare to 12mp crop image. The canon 70-300l is out of my budget and the Tamron trumps the non-L version in the reviews I've read.

Hey so i HATE shooting without the grip on my camera, my pinky keeps slipping off and after a while i think it starts to hurt so of course i preordered my Grip on the same day as my Camera, ordered the Camera from Amazon, and the grip from BH cos its like 150$ cheaper there lol.. but its still listed as "Backordered"

anyone know anything? when are these gonna ship? has anyone Got a grip yet?

Ok, so I don't really use the DOF preview button much, because I am A) shooting wide open, so what you see is what you get, B) stop down a bit and am not too critical of the DOF as in most of these cases I can just recompose if need be. I just realized that in the custom button function (accessed either through the menu or the quick menu) you can set the DOF button (which is in perfect position for quick access) to engage AI servo when you are in single shot mode. This make AI servo soooo much more accessible because you can turn it on at any point, if you subject begins moving, or if you have a moving subject on occasion, but you like the focus confirm of single shot most of the time. you do have to hold it to keep AI servo on, but that is even better because you can dynamically turn it on and off with the tip of your ring finger.

Also, I'm kinda bugged by people complaining about the speed of the AF in low light and missing potential shots. If you want less AF accuracy and more shutter release speed just change the third AF menu box "one-shot AF release prior." more toward shutter. The default is to max AF accuracy priority. Sorry for the rant. I have seen a TON of complaints about minor things that can be easily changed in the menus (I'm looking at you ken rockwell, "this ugly AF box is always getting in the way of my cat pictures" and "I am too busy fiddling with the AF mode to get a picture of my grandkid", learn to use the M-fn button with your pointer finger and the AF select button with your thumb).

I'm an outdoor sports and action photographer, been one for well over 25 years and used Canon gear for nearly as long. While have a reasonably well-stocked camera bag or two, my present go-to body/lens combination is a 1DS3 with a 300/2.8. I'll often use an EF 1.4x (II) converter when I need a bit of better reach and once in a while the 2x when I'm in a pinch.
The 1D series bodies have been my standard for nearly ten years, and I really appreciate their rugged build and weather sealing (almost a necessity in my line of work). I favor 1DS over the 1D (and I've had both) for the higher pixel count (I bought mine before the 1D4 came out) and that I sometimes need a full-frame body for wide-angle interior/architectural work.
What I use this most for are sailing and cycling events, where things are moving at relative modest speeds (say, no more than 10-20 meters/sec), but occasionally I cover powerboats, auto racing and air shows.
I'm in the process of upgrading some equipment, likely a body (it doesn't HAVE to be full-frame, it could be a 1D or even a 7d) and possibly a long lens. I'm considering all options up to 500mm.
Figuring that there's enough folks on here who have had experience with just about everything, what I'd like to know is what camera/lens combinations offer the fastest autofocusing and, more importantly, most accurate?

While I'm generally satisfied with my results (and I have print clients who often demand something that holds together for 2-page spread), I always feel I could be doing somewhat better. (Did I mention that my parents had high expectations for their children AND I went to engineering school?)

With all this new equipment being released by canon offering great ISO performance. Is an all prime kit seem outdated? I see most opt for pro-zooms than for primes, And some don't own any primes at all. Instead going for 16-35, 24-70, and 70-200 combo.

If you had to forsake zooms or primes, which would it be and why? I could do 80% of all my work with just the 50mm and I'd like to read the varied opinions on primes vs zooms.

Hi everyone,

I'm going to Italy in a couple of weeks for vacation. I'm very excited for this trip! I look forward to capturing some awesome pictures. I've upgrade my body recently from a rebel to a 5D Mark II w/the kit lens (24-105). I need your help on two things:

1) I'm looking for a battery grip...please recommend a quality, compatible battery grip for the 5D Mark II...

2) What's a good cleaning product/solution for the lens?

Thanks!!

Anyone hear of stores actually having the Mark iii in stock? I can kick myself for passing up an opportunity to walk out of the store last week with one -- I had a preorder from B&H, and thought I could reasonably expect it to arrive in the next couple of days.

After calling this week, I was told by B&H that I wouldn't get my camera until 'late April' at the earliest. You can bet I cancelled my preorder.

And as you probably guessed, now my local store has none in stock. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!

Does this experience sound familiar? What strategies are others using to get their cameras?

Hi guys,

Hadn't used my 7d in about a year and i powered it on today and the display inside the viewfinder (meter etc)... is all off.

Have I accidentally changed a setting? ANyone had this?