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Best flash diffuser for 580EX/600EX-RT

pwp
Over the years I have used Stofen diffusers and a variety of Gary Fong diffusers on my 580's.
They both have their strengths & weaknesses. They're both a step up from any number of home-made devices I've tried.

There seems to be a rush of competing products in well thought out camera straps, but I'm not aware of any breakthrough designs in the flash diffuser market. In another CR thread today I've become aware of the Demb diffuser products which I immediately ordered online. If anyone has had positive experiences with anything else, whether it's manufactured or homemade, I'd love to hear about it.

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/
http://www.stofen.com
http://www.garyfongestore.com/featured-products/lightsphere-collapsible.html#.UF52MlHfsSY
http://www.garyfongestore.com/

-PW
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Are Primes really better for portraits?

S
I believe this is an age old question that has been asked many times.
But that was when zooms weren't fantastic in terms of sharpness.

I currently shoot portraiture 90% of the time and i constantly use the 50mm f1.4 and the 85mm f1.8 prime lenses only for my shoots..granted they're not the L version but those are way too pricey. I'm shooting on the 5Dmk3.

However, i'm always "struggling" to be happy with the results i'm getting. The photos aren't bad but i jus wished they were a tad bit sharper. I've done all the AFMA stuff and still am not happy. In fact, i'm even happier with the results from my 40 f2.8 STM lens but that lens just isn't fantastic for close up shots.

Therefor this question…should i give up both primes and go for a new standard zoom lens?
It seems the new 24-70 from both Tamron and Canon are impressive in terms of sharpness in the center and corners. Primes are still better at extremes but i'm more bothered about center sharpness.

Looking at MTF charts for both these lenses at 70mm f5.6 (5.6 is what i usually shoot at, sometmes f4 but never lower), their center sharpness values far exceed what both my primes can do (because they're both VERY old designs?)

I admit, i wished Canon would update their 50 and 85 no L lenses as they're both like 20yrs old, but until that happens, should i just go for the Tamron 24-70? It's sharp, it's cheap, it's got IS…other than it being only 70 and not 85 which i'm used to…are there any other "negatives" as to why people use primes for portraits more than zooms? Especially the new models..

I'm asking becuase i never owned a 24-70 so i have no clue how it's like shooting with it. i only have the 24-105 which is a horrible lens if you want sharpness, but that's not what i bought that lens for in the first place.

Any comments will be greatly appreciated in helping me decide to give up my primes and go for the Tamron or just stick with the primes.
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Comparing 6D with 5D3

S
After comparing several key specifications between 6D and 5D3, below is my summary on how the two FF bodies compare (at least on paper):

MP: 20.3 vs. 22.3 = 5D3 is slightly better
FPS: 4.5 vs. 6.0 = 5D3 is 33% faster
Processor: Same Digic 5+ = Tie
Metering: Same 63-Zone = Tie
ISO: Same Range = Tie
AF Points: 11 vs. 61 = 5D3 is “a lot” better
AF Center Point: -3 vs. –2 EV = 6D is 33% more sensitive in low light
Max. Shutter Speed:1/4000 vs. 1/8000 = 5D3 is 1-stop faster
Max. Sync. Speed: 1/180 vs. 1/200 = 5D3 is slightly faster
Silent Shutter: Same = Tie
Shutter Cycle: 100k vs. 150k = 5D3 has 50% longer shutter life
View Finder: 97% vs. 100% = 5D3 is slightly better
LCD: 3.0” vs. 3.2” = 5D3 is slightly better
Exposure Comp: Same +/- 5 EV = Tie
AE Bracketing: Same +/- 3 = Tie
Cards: 1 SD vs. SD+CF = 5D3 is better
Custom Modes: C1,C2 vs. C1,C2,C3 = 5D3 has 1 extra Dial Mode (C3)
AFMA: Same = Tie
HDR: Same with 3 Exp. = Tie
Multiple Expos: Same 9 max. = Tie
Scene Intel. Auto: Same = Tie
Built-in Wi-Fi: Only in 6D = 6D is better
Built-in GPS: Only in 6D = 6D is better
Size: 6D ~ ¼” Smaller = 6D is slightly smaller
Weight: 27.2 vs. 33.5 oz = 6D is 19% lighter
Current Price($): 2,100 vs. 3,000 = 6D is $900 less

Obviously 6D is a “mini 5D3” with slightly less features that can be bought at $900 less than the current 5D3 price on eBay. The main difference between the two specs (at least to me) is the AF systems. 5D3 uses the 1DX Pro system, while 6D uses a simpler system that has a more sensitive center point, which is a huge improvement over the older 5D2.

Therefore, for me the decision is should I spend $900 more to have the Pro AF in 5D3, or save the money and get the smaller and lighter 6D which would be great using the Center Point focusing (lock focus and re-compose) ………It may be an easy decision for some, but I am still debating!! Of course, both prices may drop also, but the gap probably stays about the same.

What do others think?
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Lens Tweaking Service

Mt Spokane Photography
I was wondering if there was a market for a lens tweaking service for enthusiasts and smaller profesional users.
Obviously, cinema photographers rent lenses that are carefully maintained, but say someone wants to purchase a new 24-70mm f/2.8L and wants it tweaked to its best possible resolution, and wants a test report showing how good it is.
I realize that each lens is not equal, and no amount of tweaking can make a lens perform beyond a certain point. Those 14 or 18 elements all have a tolerance, and the tolerance stackup makes for lenses that are going to vary.
However, it is possible to eliminate decentering and align things so that they are the best they can be for that particular lens.
A test report would be provided to show sharpness at various focal lengths for zooms.
We can send in a lens to Canon and pay a few hundred dollars to have it tested and adjusted, but just how good is it when they are through?
Maybe someone already does this? i'm not thinking of doing it, just speculating.
It might even be something that a person can make a living at. Software and test charts are available, so it only takes the know how to adjust the lenses and the investment in a proper test facility, lighting, etc.

I was also thinking of a business that sold lenses which have been tested and adjusted, but what would one do with the X% that were not top performers but still met manufacturer specs? Buyers would only want the best of the best, of course. That doesn't sound very practical. I guess you could sell the rejects on ebay. (Kinda like Hills Brothers coffee bean rejects ;) )
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46.1mp Canon DSLR Previewed at PhotoPlus 2012? [CR1]

Canon Rumors
HTML: 
<div name="googleone_share_1" style="position:relative;z-index:5;float: right; /*margin: 70px 0 0 0;*/ top:70px; right:120px; width:0;"><g:plusone size="tall" count="1" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/09/46-1mp-canon-dslr-previewed-at-photoplus-2012-cr1/"></g:plusone></div><div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin:0 0 70px 70px;"><a class="tm_button" rel="&style=normal&b=2" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/09/46-1mp-canon-dslr-previewed-at-photoplus-2012-cr1/"></a></div>
<strong>The Big Megapixel EOS


</strong>Similar information has been sent to [<a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/cameras/Canon_3d.html" target="_blank">NL</a>], that a 46.1mp Canon DSLR will be previewed at PhotoPlus 2012 in New York City between October 24 – October 27, 2012.</p>
<p>We’ve had a couple of sources confirm that a 46mp prototype Canon DSLR is in the wild, though not claimed to be anywhere near production ready. Do not expect availability until well into 2013.</p>
<p><strong>The Specs</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>46.1mp Full Frame</li>
<li>5 FPS</li>
<li>ISO 100-12800</li>
<li>16bit</li>
</ul>
<div><strong>Source: [<a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/cameras/Canon_3d.html" target="_blank">NL</a>]</strong></div>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
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New Pancake Lenses

compupix
For which focal lengths might Canon pancake lenses be possible in the future. I haven't seen any rumors of any.
I think the 40mm pancake would make a great lens to use for stereoscopic landscape photography. I'm lusting for it and I don't even have a second body... yet. (Yes, I know you can shoot two shots with the same camera by just moving a little bit to the side. But if water or something else moves, then two bodies is the way to go.)
So, what focal lengths can be pancaked?
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera

Canon Rumors
HTML: 
<div name="googleone_share_1" style="position:relative;z-index:5;float: right; /*margin: 70px 0 0 0;*/ top:70px; right:120px; width:0;"><g:plusone size="tall" count="1" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/09/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-vs-blackmagic-design-cinema-camera/"></g:plusone></div><div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin:0 0 70px 70px;"><a class="tm_button" rel="&style=normal&b=2" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/09/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-vs-blackmagic-design-cinema-camera/"></a></div>
<strong>From OneRiver Media


</strong>The folks at OneRiver Media decided to compare the EF model of the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/855879-REG/Blackmagic_Design_BMD_CINECAM26KEF_Cinema_Camera.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera</a> with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. They put both cameras through a battery of tests to compare sharpness, dynamic range, lowlight performance as well as a few others.</p>
<p>OneRiver recommends that you download the video to your computer, as they weren’t completely happy with the compression on Vimeo. Although, even the compressed file shows the differences in the two cameras pretty easily.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/49875510" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Release Information</strong></p>

<blockquote><p>After several DAYS of trying to upload this video to Vimeo, we’ve ultimately had to reduce the bit-rate compression down to 18mbps (Vimeo recommends 5mbps, ha!), which is down from our minimum quality level of 40mbps. This means the SOURCE file you can download will also inhibit some amount of compression blocking and smearing, even in the Cinema Camera footage, which doesn’t originally exist in our ProRes master file. We’ve tried EVERYTHING, multiple types of uploads, different encoding methods, you name it. This is as best as it will get unless someone can host our 40mbps H.264 file (about 3GB) on their server that the world can download from.</p>
<p>Although the downloadable source file is a little better than the streaming version, it still doesn’t compare to the original ProRes source file which imposes no banding, compression artifacts, or chrominance sub-sampling (down from 4:4:4 to H.264′s 4:2:0 space). Please keep this in mind when viewing.</p>
<p>Unfortunately Vimeo only allows 100 downloads per day, so check back to download the 2GB file if the queue is filled. And remember to always watch in FULL 1080 HD or you will have added scaling and moiré issues on some of the tests than what is already been added by Vimeo and our horrid bit-rate restrictions.</p>
<p>Background: This video compares the Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera and the Canon 5D Mark III in several tests. This includes dynamic range, sharpness, pushing levels, banding, artifacts, rolling shutter, chromakeying, wide/telephoto lengths, DOF (depth of field), low light, macro blocking, contrast, and more.</p>
<p>Thanks for watching. Hope this is as informative for you as it was for me making it.</p>
<p>Marco Solorio</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Source: [<a href="http://blog.planet5d.com/2012/09/the-blackmagic-cinema-camera-vs-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii/" target="_blank">Planet5D</a>] via [<a href="http://www.onerivermedia.com/blog/" target="_blank">OneRiver Media</a>]</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
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RAW conversion for .NEF files??

CowGummy
Hi all,

I've been given some raw files that were shot with a Nikon to edit and process. As I'm a Canon shooter, I wanted to know if anyone knows what software would be best to view/edit these .NEF files?
I usually use DPP for all my canon RAW files, and have in the past also used Capture One and Adobe Camera RAW, but don't currently have either installed on my machine.

Any thoughts?

PS: I realise I would be better off posting this on a Nikon forum, but I don't really want to go through the process of creating a user account, configuring my profile, blablabla...
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AF point comparison - D600 vs. 6D vs. 5D MkIII

T
For the record:

D600 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dojoklo/8000274878/#sizes/m/in/photostream/

6D - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dojoklo/8001132878/#sizes/m/in/photostream/

5D MkIII - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dojoklo/7257199718/#sizes/m/in/photostream/

Please note that these are simulations and not real images (and that this is not my photostream!).

Shame about the 6D's AF system. If they'd built in four more points (above and below each of the outside points) and made them all cross type, this would have been a superb AF system for anyone that didn't need to track moving subjects. Looks like we're back to the bad old days.

Unless they can go very agressive on the price, I can see quite a few APS-C upgraders with crop lenses switching to Nikon. Or maybe not, the 60D seemed to be popular with new DSLR owners despite the D7000's spec sheet advantages.
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A Quick Color & Noise Comparison: Canon EOS-1D X vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon Rumors
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<strong>A big difference</strong>


A reader sent in a quick comparison between the Canon EOS-1D X and Canon EOS 5D Mark III showing a very different color rendition as well as a significant difference in noise performance at ISO 25,600.</p>
<p><strong>The Quick Test


</strong>The following test was conducted at sunset. This is the reason for the white balance setting, which on my 5d3 most closely approximated the warm tone of the light. Both files were dialed in at 8000k, +15 magenta. Both use the exact same lens, and were shot within 1 minute of each other. Both files are DNG 7.1, process version PV2012, and use the camera calibration setting “Camera Neutral.” All other settings including sharpening, noise reduction, tone curve, etc are all zero’d out for consistency. I’m using the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom available as of this writing, which is 4.1.</p>
<div id="attachment_11373" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 208px"><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/5d3-vs-1dx-no-NR1.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-11373" title="5d3-vs-1dx-no-NR1" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/5d3-vs-1dx-no-NR1-198x575.jpeg" alt="" width="198" height="575" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Test with 100% Crops | Click for Larger</p></div>
<p><strong>Canon EOS-1D X at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/827036-REG/Canon_5253B002_EOS_1D_X_EOS_Digital.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Y3T1AI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005Y3T1AI&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA1DX.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | Canon EOS 5D Mark III at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886948-REG/Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_III.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FGYZFI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007FGYZFI&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA5DM3.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a></strong></p>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://protogtech.com/cameras/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-vs-eos-1d-x-low-light-high-iso/" target="_blank">PPT</a>]</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
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Looking for an new Camera

D
I´m suffering from an broken 7D, as my bike crashed into an car this week and the camera case and the mirror were pulverized.

Now I am looking for an new Camera.
But I do not want to buy an 7D again. The 7D was fast, but mine was suffering from bad noise and moire.

I need an fast AF, as many AF-fields as the 7D, but with an better image quality.
I take photos from birds, my children and landscape. My son from jets and at car races.

1.6x crop factor would be prefered, but is not recommended (no must).

Waiting for an 7D II???
But will it appear in the near future???

Saving money for an 5DIII???

But I own some EF-S lenses (macro, wide angle, common zoom), also some L-lenses for FF.

What is your advice?
The 5DIII is very expensive for me, otherwise I would buy it. Or wait for an 7DII...?

G
Daniela
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5D mark ii vs 50D center AF point sensitivity

B
So I was at a wedding rehearsal the other day. Super dark as always. I was testing out the lenses. I put the 70-200 is ii on my 50D and tried to focus on pew near the back of the sanctuary. The camera couldn't get an AF lock presumably due to the low light. I switched to my 5D mark ii body and tried focusing around the same area. The AF wasn't super fast but it did lock focus. This made me wonder, is the 5d's center AF point more sensitive in low light than the 50Ds? I know the 5d's gets bashed a lot but I'm trying to figure out what caused this. Not trying to start a flame war here but just curious if someone knows the actual sensitivity of the center AF point. Thanks.
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Manual Focus Lenses: Smarter in F-Mount?

Albi86
I was wondering, since we all know Nikon lenses can be mounted on Canon bodies but not viceversa, is it not smarter to buy manual-focus-only lenses always in Nikon mount and buy an adapter?

That would minimize the inconveniences of side-grading, and would make expensive lenses such as Zeiss, Voigtländer and Schneider-Kreuznach a very safe investment.

Is there any disadvantage I'm neglecting? Any problem with aperture control?
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How are lenses measured?

H
Can anyone provide a simple explanation as to how the focal length of a lens is measured? Where is measured from? What makes a 17mm lens a 17mm lens? What makes a 400mm lens a 400mm lens. My initial thought was that if you held up a negative 400mm from your eye, you might get a similar angle of view to a 400mm lens. But that doesn't seem quite right, and doesn't account for fish eye lenses etc. A quick google search didn't shed much light. Does anyone know?
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Tamron 24-70 Focus Accuracy

B
So just thought I'd share some findings that happily surprised me today. I have a wedding this Sunday and decided to to rent the Tamron 24-70. As always I setup Focal to calibrate AFMA all the rented lenses. I was surprised when it came time for the Tamron that it's focus accuracy was right around what I get with Canon's L zooms. The only other Tamron lens I've owned is the Tamron 17-50 which while a great lens has fairly large focus accuracy issues. For this reason I often use it at f/4. It also sharpens up nicely I've noticed vs 2.8. Anyways, attached are the Focal reports for both lenses on my 50D and the 24-70 on my 5D. We'll see how well it does Sunday but this definitely gives me a little more assurance than before.
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last call for vacation lenses

N
I got tons of good answers before, but meanwhile I added the sayang 14mm to the pack. Now, is no question it has to come along, along with the 80-200 2.8L.
That leaves a big gap in between, and I have no choice to carry a third lens for my vacation in Nepal.
So in sum:
CONFIRMED
- Samyang 14mm 2.8
- Canon 80-200mm 2.8L

OPTIONS for a third lens:
- Canon TSE 24mm 3.5LII
- Canon 35mm 1.4L
- Canon 17-40mm 4L

I will be shooting mostly landscape, people, maybe some night shots, and few days in city environment.
Weight is not an issue.
What would be your choice and why?
Thanks
Phil
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