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dan_vidal

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Posts posted by dan_vidal

    17-55 vs. 24-70 for Crop Sensor Bodies

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    The 17-55 lens is probably the best non-L lens I've ever used. It's definitely the tops for a 1.6x body. I wouldn't get a 17-40 for a crop body, simply because it is slow.

     

    Depends on your shooting style though. If you like to shoot wide, then yeah, sell the 24-70.

     

    Some 17-55 samples:

     

    <center><img src=http://www.cooljunkie.com/engine/engine.cgi?idd=1&u=c7oIssV28ldq&command=engine.showImage.show&galleryID=2007-1-1&imageID=34&width=312&height=468></center>

    <center>30D, 1/160s, f2.8, ISO 1250, 55mm</center>

    <center><img src=http://www.cooljunkie.com/engine/engine.cgi?idd=1&u=dGVsSoKsSxr5&command=engine.showImage.show&galleryID=2007-1-2&imageID=25&width=468&height=312></center>

    <center>30D, 1/40s f2.8 ISO 1000, 17mm</center>

    Which wide angle lens for 5d?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    The wonderful thing about having a full-frame DSLR is that you get your wide angles back that those of us in 1.6 land sorely miss sometimes.

     

    I second the suggestion that you save your cash for the 16-35 2.8L. The extra stop is worth it, and the sharpness of this lens is superb, probably amongst the best I've seen on any Canon lens. I hire one occasionally for my 30D, and the results are phenomenal. I would buy one, but I do a lot of low-light shooting, and the lack of a stabilizer made me decide in another direction (EF-S 17-55 2.8), but since it is EF-S, it doesn't apply to your situation.

     

    Actually, what I'd suggest while you're waiting is to find a local rental shop and hire the lens when you specifically need it, until you are able to buy it.

     

    On a camera such as the 5D, I wouldn't really consider third-party lenses. The quality of the files this camera generates can only be properly exploited by genuine Canon glass.

    Advice on 17-35 f2.8L

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    The 17-35 is great if you can find it cheap. It's not made anymore, so finding it used isn't an issue. Cheap is, and if it is cheap, there's often an issue. There's on on KEH now for $645US (?341) but it's listed as having a dent in the filter ring. I'd link it but KEH's new site design makes that tough.

    580 EX catchlight fix?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    This is funny:

     

    I was shooting an event this weekend and a drunk patron of the venue thought it

    would be funny to tug the catchlight card totally out of my 580!

     

    I can still make it work by putting it in upside down, but there is the slight

    danger of it falling out and it getting lost.

     

    The question I have is, is it an easy fix I could do? I know I can order the

    part, I just don't want to disassemble my 580 (yet again) only to discover it is

    a pain.

     

    Moral of the story: When using your 580 off camera, keep it away from drunk,

    grabby girls.

    Are Canon EOS prosumer bodies falling behind?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I shoot concerts and nighttime events. IS is a godsend to me, since most of the time, I'm not allowed to use flash, nor would I want to. And using a tripod or even a monopod is out of the question.

     

    There's plenty of light in dark rooms if you know how to exploit it. IS just gives me an extra edge. I could do without it, but it is there and I know how to best utilize it.

    16-35 f/2.8L USM

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I rented a 16-35 this past weekend for some events I was shooting. Definitely one of the most robust and reliable lenses I've shot with. The internal zoom is fantastic, and the weight makes up (in a way) for the lack of IS. I shoot in the dark so IS is important to me :)

     

     

    <center><img src="http://www.cooljunkie.com/images/contributors/danvidal/galleries/2006_september/2006_september_01/space/017.jpg"></center>

    <center>30D, ISO 400, 16mm, f2.8, 1/80th.

    <br>

    Is it worth the $1300? I would say so. I plan on getting this lens before long, and using it as my mainstay lens for when I shoot events.

    </br>

    IS in wide-angle lenses?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    IS is a wonderful thing. I shoot a lot at night and tend to ignore the 580EX

    flash in my back pocket (ST-E2 in the hotshoe), and my 28-135 IS does wonderfully.

     

    I also like utilizing a 15mm Sigma 2.8 for some wide shots of the venues I shoot

    in. The downside is, of course, no IS. What I noticed is that Canon's IS

    offerings peter out at 17mm, and that lens is an EF-S mount. I shoot with a 30D,

    so I can use EF-S, however I'm not 100% confident in it yet until it gets

    another few years under it's belt...

     

    With that being said, my curiosity is, why isn't there IS in wide-angle lenses?

    What technical hurdle prevents this, or is it just that there's no real market

    for such a lens?

    Remote flash triggers

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Being that you're shooting a band in a club, is a flash even needed? Unless it's a real bad lighting rig, I never deploy flash when shooting an act in a concert/club environment. A lot of the time, band management will not allow it at all.

     

    But that being said, the ST-E2 is probably the best $200 you'll spend for a Canon accessory.

    Canon d30 any good?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I've seen 10D bodies go for pretty close to $500. If you're on a budget you can get a cheapie lens on ebay for $100 or so. I'd definitely suggest a 10D over a D30. I've used both and the difference is staggering. You're looking at 2 generations difference there.

    Kudos to Factory Service- NJ

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    The few times I've had to use them, they've been fantastic. I had a 580EX (yes a 580) blow a flash tube in December. I sent it up with a receipt, it was in the system a day or two later, and it showed back up at my office in perfect working order about a week later, no charge to me.

    Does IS really works?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    IS works on static subjects in low light. If the subject moves or you move in excess of what the IS can compensate for, you're out of luck.

     

    You can do "existing light" images no sweat of people, but you need to be able to tell your subjects to remain still if you dip below a certain shutter speed.<div>00EjXH-27299784.jpg.6c01b593d5c26d46c311214d510eaeee.jpg</div>

    580 EX repair (update)

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I sent my 580 in for a repair on 12/7/2005 ... the main lamp had

    burned itself out prematurely. Fortunately it was under warranty. I

    just got it back today. Working great...

     

    Grand total: $0.00 since it was still under warranty.

    However, once 580s are out of warranty, the repair for this type of

    problem is $125.00 ...

    New ST-E2

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    ST-E2 rules. "Location Portrait" is the best way to describe a good use for it.

     

    There's a limit to the amount of flashes you can control, something like 4...I don't have the manual for mine in front of me at the moment...

     

    Really great for unique directional lighting too.

    Obviously you gotta watch out for lens flare depending on the angle!

     

    <center><img src="http://www.cooljunkie.com/images/contributors/danvidal/galleries/2005_july/2005_july_10/space/028.jpg"></center>

    Camera security at College

    in Mirrorless Digital Cameras

    Posted

    Byron hit the nail on the head. Back in the day (1997-2001) when I went to school, I didn't let my little Pentax ZX-5n out of my sight. It cost me $290, but $290 was (and still is!) a decent amount of money to me, so I carried it around. Good habits carryover, so I tote my Canon DSLR around with me at all times too. I leave some excess gear in a lockbox at my apt, too.

     

    That being said, your best bet is to bolt down a safe of some sort. 99 percent of dorm room theft is a crime of opportunity. My roommate left the door open once to go get laundry, and when he came back, my Discman that I had left on my bed was gone. He was gone for maybe 5 minutes.

     

    Be suspicious of staff too. Dorm staff have a master key for obvious reasons, so what you should do is change the locks right away....keep the old lock in case the staff finds out though. I mention this, since a friend of mine had his PC stolen over Christmas break one year, and it was determined to be an unscrupulous janitor as the thief.

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