adzy

I am looking for a flashmeter that does spot metering for flash (about 5

degrees or less) . I know the Sekonic L-558 does it, but its expensive- atleast

350 dollars. Besides, it has the remote interface for Pocketwizard that I dont

really need and is included in the price.

 

Is there any other flashmeter that does it but a lesser price ?

Is your monitor calibrated ? If not, thats the first thing to fix.

 

How are your pints with the Epson inks, if that come out fine, then it is the profile that is the problem.

 

Despite having a calibrated monitor, I am getting a reddish hue with CIS ink (but not with Epson ink), so the only option in that case would be to get a custom profile.

Jonathan, I wasnt trying to discourage you- MIS inks are definitely an option. I was merely pointing out that there are some cons that you should be aware of. If you go with custom profiling and print frequently enough, MIS should definitely be a cheaper route to go.

 

Azi

Jonathan, I have used the Epson 1280 and the Epson 2200 with CIS.

 

The biggest problem to overcome is that of the profile. I am using the Lyson Cave Paint CIS on my 2200 and the prints unfortunately dont look right. I have used the suppled profiles with Lyson's disk as well as on the net. I assume if you get a profile made from cathysprofile (or similar) this would no longer be a problem. However, you would have to do this for each paper. On the other hand, Epson ink on Epson paper with the generic profiles is good- great prints without minimum fuss.

 

The other things to consider are how frequently you print, whether you have dedicate space for a printer. The CIS system takes up space and if you have to move it around, its a big pain. Also, if you dont print frequently enough, you might get get more ink clogs than with OEM ink.

 

You would also have to make modifications to your printer- sticking in brackets etc and the printer top cover wont close- another reason its a pain to transport.

 

So to summarise- on the good side- its cheap but it does have some drawbacks- with the profiles problem the biggest problem.

No. BTW my check just came in yesterday.

 

Azi

What does the print preview look like ? Does that show the whole image ?

See if there is a version of the Epson print monitor for your OS. The utility gives more information about the printer status.

Couple of questions about your setup.

<p>

1. Do you have adobe gamma switched off ? <br>

2. Did you verify that that the corrcet dipslay profile is being used ?<br>

 

3. How are u printing- thru Photoshop ? In the print box, do you have "let Photoshop manage colors" set on, and "No color Adjustment" set on your printer preferences ?<br>

 

4. Make sure you are using the correct profile for your paper/printer combo. <br>

 

5. What kind of ink are u using ? third party, original, CIS etc <br>

 

6. What device did you use to calibrate your monitor ? <br>

<p>

 

Your answers would help us finding the problem to your printing.

I am sure the filter works great but Canon's choice of photos to demonstrate this could definitely be improved upon. How could Canon (She Who Makes the Best Photo Lenses and Bodies in the World, Long May She Live!) do this to us ?!

I am posting this mostly because of the large number of negative feedback that

the Canon rebate handling seems to get.

 

I had bought a canon 30d and a 5d and sent in the rebate in mid December 2006.

The rebate status took a while to change from prequalified to received postal

mail. The status even went backwards once to awaiting postal mail. Today it

went to step 3- "processing" however it showed that they did not receive copies

of the warranty cards.

 

So expecting the worst and praying that I did indeed have the copies saved, I

called the support number. The CSR that answered was very helpful and after a

few questions she said that I neednt send in the copies and that i should

expect the check in 2-3 weeks.

 

True, I havent received the check yet and things might screw up again, but this

is my thought-

 

1. The rebate CSRs are rather helpful, not snooty like some of the companies. I

hate Cingular, BTW. Hardly a minute of wait time here.

 

2. Keep copies of everything you send out. Use certified mail and you should be

OK.

 

So if you have been debating taking up the rebate offer, I say go for it. And

then, post a couple of "what lens for my EOS xxx" "Focus problems /CA/

vignetting/banding/ high noise problems with Canon xxx" :)

I have had experience only with the Epson ones. I have always bought them used- the 1280 was 200$ when I bought it 2 years back. Great prints, however if you are worried about archival quality you will possibly not want it.

 

I currently have the Epson 2200, bought it for 400$ used- pretty good- but prone to bronzing on glossy paper- but then you are not supposed to be using glossy with it anyway.

 

Both printers are susceptible to inl clogs if you do not print for 2 weeks in between and ink cost is high. I have used CIS ink on both and that does get the cost low. Color rendition is quite accurate too.

 

I am sure you can get a nice used 1280 for about 125-150 now.

 

I assume you are colour calibrating ?

Ellis, i think all the calibration methods boil down to the same. It comes down to reading the RGB values of particular swatches and then changing the RGB channels on the ACR to match a set of values. So, to answer the question- yes.

I currently use the Whibal card to set the grey point (for white balance) and

white and black points in the studio. I shoot RAW.

 

My question is if I were to calibrate the Adobe Photoshop RAW converter (ACR)

using a Gretag Macbeth would I get better results with the Whibal ? By better

results I mean better skin tones.

 

Currently I use Alien Bees, Canon EOS 5d- skin tones are mostly good, though a

bit on the contrasty side.

 

I am wary of buying the Gretag Macbeth because I have too many items that I

have bought- I dont want to buy one more unless it really improves my workflow.

 

It would be nice to hear about your experiences with ACR calibration. Also,

please note that I do intend using the Whibal even after calibration.

 

Thanks,

 

Azi

I would suggest you do it this way instead-

 

1. Create a duplicate layer.

2. Play around in the duplicate layer with the hue stauration, levels etc to get the colour of the plane as you want it- the rest of the photo doesnt matter, ignore that, just make sure the plane is exactly you want it.

3. Create a mask on the duplicate layer to hide it and now with a brush just make the plane visible from that layer. So now you should have the plane from the second layer and everything else from the first layer.

That is very nice of you, I must say. Please count me in.

 

Azi

No, the Canon rebate faw says that you can buy the two qualifying items at different times from different stores in the rebate period.

 

You can send in the rebate forms separately, as and when you make the purchase as long as your contact info is the same.

 

However, given the slight lack of trust of canon's rebate handling capabilities- u might want to keep things as simple as possible and send in the rebate form for both items.

 

read the Canon rebate page carefully. It has all the answers!

Eleta, yopur question has nothing to do with a 5d actually. Given your camera settings (aperture, shutter speed) and the existing lighting conditions, any lightmeter or camera would come up with ISO 1600.

 

However, given that your are shooting at ISO 1600, the Canon 5d will probably do better than most other cameras out there. Like someone mentioned earlier- the camera cannot create light if its not there.

 

You could perhaps use a flash or a tripod ?

The primary reason we use a static master brush is because its charged and attracts the dust particles away without actually touching the surface.

 

When you are cleaning the sensor, unfortunately the camera has to on for the mirror to be up- as a result, the sensor is charged, so the staticmaster is not going to be as effective. Also, not so sure about using a charged device on the sensor.

 

I have read quite a few articles on sensor cleaning- but havent come acroos any recommending a staticmaster. Perhaps we should stay off!

 

Search for the copperhill method- its one of the most recommended methods. There are several others too which will work!

Best is to shoot with one of those cards which has both white gray and black areas for calibration. Example http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/tools/card.shtml. A somewhat pricier (but not too much so) option is to use whibal. The site also shows you how to use the whibal- same instruction would apply to the Kodak card as well. http://www.rawworkflow.com/products/whibal/index.html

 

For best results shoot RAW. Also the ABs have a color shift problem at different outputs, I always take a whibal shot everytime I change the light intensity.

 

Good luck!

As far as I know, as long as you have a copy of the original sales receipt- the warranty is valid. Doesnt matter if the originla sales receipt has your name on it.

Steve, as you know that Canon has the anti-shake technology built in the lens, not the body and its called Image Stabilisation (IS). IS is the same as anti-shake in Canon terminology.

 

EF-S on the other hand is something different- its a special mount for lenses (example the 18-55 lens) which fits only certain cameras in the Canon range like the 300D, 20d, 30d etc.

 

As for Canon over the other lines like Sony etc, its a matter of personal bias. I find the Canon line better and I am sure here at the Canon forum, everyone likes their Canon's more than other brands.

 

That said, the 400D is an excellent camera, take a look around on this forum for reviews of the IS lenses.

 

Azi

I dont understand your question-

 

You say you already have the 10d, 20d, 50/1.8, 17-40, 85/1.8, 70-200/4, 300/4

 

Whats preventing you from using this setup right now if you want to go digital ? You have to ask yourself- are you a collector or a photographer ? What is the bottleneck with the current digital setup ? Is it picture quality or is it lack of time ? If its lack of time (as I interpret your mail) a 5D is not going to help.

 

Also you say you have the 1270 (which is a great printer, BTW), but you dont use it much because of workflow and calibration issues. After reading this, I have to side with your wife. I think you should learn to either use your current equipment or dispose of it before you get anything new.

 

Sorry for appearing harsh, but I have these same tendencies. I have spent innumerable hours coveting and hundreds on equipment which I never ended up using- always thinking that the next upgrade would suddenly make me a better photographer.

try Horizon Electronics. Dont know if they are still in business- they were based out of Hayward, CA. I got several camera and lenses repaired from them- very nice and reasonable. You will also find numerous other happy users, if you google for them.

 

They even do work on lenses that Canon no longer supports, example Canon 80-200/2.8L.

 

Azi

Custom functions do not need to be reset unless the internal battery dies.

A. They are different. Example you are shooting a snow-covered landscape, even if you set AE lock on any area, it may still be overexposed (I say may, because in evaluative metering, the chip puts in calculations of its own and may or not be capable of accurately identifying a snow-filled scene), but in this case AE lock is not going to help because you do not have anything to lock AE on.

 

However, for most purposes you can use them interchangeably, with the AE lock being more accurate. Also, you can set EC (exposure compensation) with AE. Example, someone backlit wearing a light yellow shirt. You can move in front, so that the shirt is covering the full frame, set AE with EC +1 (since light yellow shirt), then move back and take the shot.

 

When i was shooting film, I tended to use the AE lock along with spot metering along with appropriate exposure compensation.

 

Hoep that helps.

 

Azi