richard_reusser

Ahhh, the wonderful world of macro. I have the most fun shooting close-ups. I liked the 50mm 2.5, but it didn't get close enough. The 60mm 2.8 is a nice compact lens that goes 1:1, but I didn't like the bokeh. So I settled on a EF100 2.8 which is a versatile lens - incredibly sharp and beautiful contrast and color. I do miss my MP-E 65mm, which I sold during some equipment consolidation period. It was the easiest way to get "knock your socks off" macros, and I shall buy another someday soon. It's expensive, although I sold it for $50.00 less than new on Ebay. Big city dealers will rent them for the day. Get an off the camera flash cord for your EX420 and some sort of mounting bracket. Check my portfolio out for shots with all the above listed macro lenses.

 

Rich

Out of all my lenses; 100 2.8, 50 1.8, 17-40, 70-200... My 300 f4 IS is the one that makes my jaw drop when a successful photograph comes up on the screen. I can't imagine the non-IS could be any better. I love this lens!

 

Rich

I've had great success with Sterling Tek batteries. I just bought three for my Rebel at $14.99

each and have used their product in my 20D for several months.

In my humble opinion this site would be better served by refusing

advertising from the lowballers you'd find on the "street prices"

link. I'm sure most users know to stay away but newbies could get

reeled in.

 

Rich Reusser

Thanks for the replies. The banding wouldn't be a deal breaker if it only happens in

continous mode - the 20D is hard to beat for action. I have the Pentax in mind for street

and general photography, likely with one or two lenses in the 28 - 77 focal length. The

40mm pancake lens got me going in this tangent in the first place.

I've got a 20D and a bunch of Canon glass that I love. I've been thinking about picking up an

ist DS to supplement my gear. I'm intrigued with the idea of using some nice older Pentax

manual focus glass and I really like the looks of the limited lenses.

My question then, are the jpegs coming from the camera as poor as the reviewers make out?

Vuk's review on photo.net didn't mention any problems. Maybe firmware updates, or the DL

have improved the situation?

I appreciate any feedback!

Rich Reusser

I've bought bunches of stuff from B and H but recently (6 months ago) ordered a 300D and a

bit later a EF-S 60mm from Beach. The items were flawless and arrived incredibly fast with

FedEx free shipping. Their selection seems a bit thin but the prices were great on the items I

wanted. Just my .02

Here's my take:

 

Noise; 20D is a step better. With Noise Ninja and the 10D you can close this gap, but if you use Noise Ninja and the 20D the 20D pulls ahead again.

 

Resolution; not a huge difference until you start cropping radically.

 

Speed; everything about the 20D feels instant. No waiting for start up, focus, buffer to clear...

 

There's the reason to switch. I shot my best ever pictures of the Blue Angels at Seattle's Seafair this year with my 20D. Where my 10D hunted the 20D nails the focus and knocks off as many frames as I needed. If you're used to a pro-sumer point and shoot any of the DSLR's will feel responsive - just don't try a 20D and go back to a drebel, it will spoil you.

 

FWIW if I knew my 10D was only going to get $600.00 on Ebay I'd have lived with it longer. They're great cameras for the price the market is dictating.

I've used mine for a bit over a year. If you like taking macros, as I do, there isn't a simpler

way to get really close. That being said much of the time the lens stays at 1:1 lifesize as

DOF at higher mag.nifications is so tiny it takes work and luck to get usable images. I also

wish it went from 1/4 lifesize to maybe 2X lifesize as I often must remove it and use my

50mm 2.5 macro when I don't need to be super close.

 

The lens does render beautiful images. Follow my name link to my Photo.net pages to see

a few.

I'll chip in with my .02 worth. I recently convinced myself I needed to switch from a 10D to 20D. As other posters have stated the reduction in noise is maybe slightly better than the 10D with Noise Ninja - not much, or a reason alone to switch.

 

What I like best about the 20D is the speed at which you are ready to shoot, or review images. In essence the camera has become transparent, with my 10D I often wanted to lock focus but had to wait while the camera woke up. The USB 2.0 transfer speeds up downloading - although the larger files negate some of that advantage.

 

I also like the black and white mode. It's regarded as a gimmick by the elite but when I'm in the mood to shoot some B/W I want to do it through the camera. I've never felt the mood to go de-saturate some images.

 

One possible disadvantage of the 20D is the sound of the shutter. That sucker is loud. Loud in a powerful solenoid sort of way.

I was afraid it would involve a warranty repair. Its a grey market through B and H so

hopefully they'll take care of me. I'm going to try the contact cleaning route first. Thanks

for the advice.

My new favorite lens, 300L F4 IS, seems to have an occasional IS

lockup. It will make chirping noises, stop stabilizing, and

ultimately cause the 10D to error. Removing and replacing the batt.

in the camera will usually fix it. Anybody familar with the problem?

Got one three weeks ago from Beach Camera for $665.00 with kit lens. Great company to deal with, no tax and free shipping.

...and I also like the SF effect, although its seems to be a love it or hate it deal.

 

For what it's worth I bought the 17-40 a couple of months back to replace my 20-35. I

like the wider angle but optically I didn't notice much difference. My recently acquired 300

f4.0 IS blows any lens I have out of the water - but that's a story for a different day.

 

Good luck,

Rich

I like The 135 2.8SF. It has a very pleasing bokeh and works great for outdoor portraiture.

As others have said it's long on a 1.6 so you need room to back up. The only downside

would be a more mechanical sounding AF if you're used to USM.

Re-reading the original post I realize this isn't really a question. Joseph, if you're debating whether to jump into the digital fray I would recomend buying yourself a Canon P&S, i.e. A95, G6... Take it with you when you shoot your slides. My bet is after a short time the little camera will win you over. With instant feedback and the ability to make changes/improvements at the shoot I couldn't be more excited about digital. If it doesn't turn your crank sell the P&S on Ebay - if you find it enjoyable buy yourself a 20D, or MKII - Sounds like you have lenses already.

Sounds like a solid starter set-up. You might reconsider the 420EX flash. I use one with

my 10D and its never come up short, plus can be used as a slave for the 550EX if you

upgrade.

You'll love digital. I improved my photography more in three years than the previous 25 !