eddie_chan4

<p>Thanks for all the reponses and useful info/tips/technique!!</p>

<p>I was asked to take some group photos of a choir of 70-80 people. They're working for a charitable organization. I'm the only guy in the town who is willing to do this task for free. They don't have much expectation as they just want to have a few group photos to keep. They are going to perform at a local church. They want to have a group photo taken right after the performance, so I don't have much time to do setup (30 mins max). I don't even have any chance to do some test shots before the performance.<br>

All I know about the setting are:</p>

<ul>

<li>very high ceiling</li>

<li>no powerful stage lights</li>

<li>they'll remain standing on the stage (4 rows of 20 people) for the photo shots after their performance</li>

</ul>

<p>I have:</p>

<ul>

<li>2 400ws monolights</li>

<li>3 580ex flashes</li>

<li>2 some 48" white umbrellas</li>

<li>2 24"x36" softboxes</li>

<li>2 15' stands</li>

</ul>

<p>My questions are:</p>

<ol>

<li>Are my monolights too weak in this kind of scenario?</li>

<li>Are my stands too short for 4 rows of people? I guess the heads of the people of the last rows would be above 10 feet above the ground level. If necessary, I can set the stands on the tables to increase the height.</li>

<li>How should I setup the monolights? Should I just one one monolight because of the time constraints? (Setting it up high in the middle)</li>

<li>Should I just use the 580 flash(es) and forget about the monolights because of the time constraints?</li>

</ol>

<p><br />Thanks!!<br /><br /></p>

 

Sorry, my mistake. Thank Yakim for the correction.

Scott, please read the "extra fine" prints on the rebate form. I think we can get the double rebate value when we purchase two different kinds of product. i.e. A lense + a camera, a lense + a grip, a flash + a grip, etc. We can't get the double rebate by purchasing two lenses.

I think she has enough serious "gears", how about giving her a less serious "toy"? My suggestion: lensbaby... www.lensbaby.com

I'd consider trading in the 20D or selling the 20D, then... Buy the DRebel/300D and the Canon 70-200/f4 L.

Go to: http://www.thecamerastore.com/Pages/indexII.html

 

Click on "Products" on the left pane.

 

Select "Digital Cameras" in the top combo box (NOT "35mm Equipment").

 

Select "Digital Cameras $1000 or more" in the centre combo box.

"The Camera Store" in Calgary has been selling the $1796.95 10D's for quite a long time.

 

http://www.thecamerastore.com/Pages/indexII.html

Sorry. I wanted to say "Taiwan", but I didn't know why I typed "Malaysia". My brain doesn't function very well on Monday.

FYI, I bought my new Elan7N in Canada last month and it's "Made in Malaysia".

Forget about buying the Elan 7 or used EOS 1. Keep your Ti. Ti may not be a very advanced camera, but it's a very practical one. As you say you're trying to learn photography, Ti is good body to start with.

 

You say "sometimes I need wide angle, sometimes normal, sometimes telephoto". How about getting the Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 first. Then, save some money, sell your N65 and buy the Canon 70-200mm f/4. They have the same filter size and you'll have the range from 24 to 200 with aperture from 3.5 to 4.

"I need versitility, and practicality": Both are nice.

 

"I take my camera everywhere": Elan 7 is lighter in weight.

 

"weatherproofing may be a good thing": None of your choice of lens is weatherproof, so it doesn't matter whether the body is or not.

 

"ability to customize controls": Both are nice.

 

"I did a lot of... indoor": If you don't have any flash and are not planning to buy one soon, Elan 7 may be better because it has a little flash... well, just in case.

Sorry. Typing error. I mean "...doesn't look good...".

I had the same experience long long time ago. I did two things to fix it. 1) Take the batteries out and let the camera stand without the batteries for one night. 2) Clean those tiny lens contacts on the camera.

Agree with the above. It depends on what you usually shoot and whether you really need those advanced features. It may also depend on which flash(es) you've already had, EZ or EX. It may also depend on which glass(es) you've already had because cheap zoom does look good on EOS 1.

If this type of thing continues, no picture taking will be allowed in airports, stadiums, Disney, etc..., and any one with a camera at public places will have his/her name in the database of the terrist suspects.

I usually go to "DigiPro Imaging Lab" and "The Camera Store".

 

You can find their addresses at www.digiprolab.com and www.thecamerastore.com

About advertising, web page is not very effective unless yours is designed professionally. I found friends' referal and local news ad are the most effective.

 

I've shot some weddings and many live events before. My set up is: Rebel+50/1.8+420EX+bracket on my neck, Rebel+85/1.8+300EZ+bracket on my shoulder, 28mm/2.8 and a light meter in my pockets, some filters, batteries and lots of NPH, NPS, NPZ in my backpack, tripods and white, gold and silver reflectors in my car. I have no assistance so I prefer lighter set up. About the equipment, I think you need faster lens (one or two, zoom or prime), another body, another flash.

> What I'm looking for is what are YOUR personal "hates" about it after using it for an extended period of time...

 

I've just checked with my friend. He's played with his 7hi daily for 3+ months. He likes the picture quality and layout of it. However, he REALLY hates its battery consumption rate. He chose it over the other brands because he had two Minolta flashes. He said he wouldn't recommend it unless you shoot a lot of flash photo and have already had the Minolta flash.

One of my friends has the Minolta 7hi. It "eats" batteries. Forget about the off-the-shelves batteries. Even the 1800 mAh rechargable batteries can't satisfy its desire. Most high end digital cameras should fit the general shooting purposes. Go to the review section of dpreview.com. You can find many info there.

> I would like to up the quality/contrast/sharpness of my pictures- especially b/w.

 

If your objective is to get pictures with quality/contrast/sharpness, you don't need a second body to do that. Save up your money for the "L" or buy the prime. Actually I think the 28-105 (3.5-4.5) is pretty sharp.

 

> can anyone direct me towards some top quality glass

 

I'd assume you want to cover the range from 28 to 105...

Very inexpensive setup (which is my setup):

28 2.8

50 1.8

85 1.8 or 100 2.0

 

Better setup:

24 2.8

50 1.4

100 2.8 Macro

 

Short answer... You have little chance to go wrong if you stick with the Canon primes.

My first "camera bag" was... an old school back pack plus three "thermo" thin-padded lunch bags ($1.5 each).

Don't buy the 10D. It's out dated because it's already 2 WEEKS OLD since Canon made the official introduction at the PMA. You'd better wait. It's no secret that Canon is working on a new DSLR.

Don't worry about when the next model will be introduced. In fact, only Canon (and may be some authorized dealers) knows the answer of your question. Buy the current model unless it doesn't have some particular features you really really really want.

Yes, you'll notice the difference if you use the tripod (or reasonable shutter speed when hand holding) and good films. Get the 50mm f1.8 and start the "35-70mm zoom vs. prime" experiment. It's inexpensive and you won't lose much in case you can't see any difference in quality of your pictures.