bob_mcbob

Canada too? What the hell?

It could be worse :)

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<img src="http://sig.fortepianos.com/70200511.jpg">

I have exactly the same problem with a Lenovo T61 and original Eye One Display. I was actually going to write up a post about it when I saw yours.

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The default LCD calibration is atrocious -- just horrible to look at, let alone attempt to do any sort of photo editing. Calibrated, the screen looks okay. Unfortunately, in any colour managed software like Photoshop or Lightroom, blues are shifted to purple. Pure blue (0,0,255) is a lovely shade of purple. This is a MAJOR problem for me.

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I fully understand that laptop LCDs are usually pretty lousy, but after calibration, they are generally quite usable for non-critical photo editing. Having blues shift to purple is a crippling defect, since many of my photos include lots of snow. The Firefox 3 betas have the option of colour management, and enabling it makes sites with blue schemes look purple. I'm essentially stuck with either a calibration that is hard to look at, or purple blues. Having the majority of colours accurate at the expense of one major colour being completely inaccurate is not an acceptable solution to me. I have actually been considering buying a completely new laptop. It's extremely troubling to see that a new Macbook Pro has the same problem.

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There have been several threads on photo.net about this issue. It is always the blues shifting to purple. It is not limited to any particular brand of laptop or calibration hardware. The same laptop calibrated with different hardware exhibits the same colour shift. Unfortunately, nobody has ever proposed a solution, so there is simply no way to fix it that I know of. I am surprised that no calibration hardware manufacturer has ever addressed the issue. Another forum member and I sent our monitor profiles to Gretag Macbeth, but I'm not sure anything ever came of it.

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Further reading: <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KIfk">http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KIfk</a>

The double rebate program that expired at the end of January was a lot better. I bought a 5D and 430EX, and I should be receiving a $740 ($700 + $40) cheque in a week or two.

Wow, I would have expected more like $250-300.

I bought an 8GB Extreme III for my 5D. It can't really take advantage of the extra speed, but the card was only $5 more than the Ultra II, and my card reader can use it. Plus, I know I'm likely to be using the card in other cameras I own (like my 40D) or will buy in the future. I'm still using a 4GB Ultra II card in my 40D that was bought in March 2006 for use with the 30D I owned back then. I did consider the Extreme IV or Lexar equivalents, but they weren't really worth the extra money to me.

I've always been annoyed that the cheaper Canon primes are often SO cheap that they feel like toys. When Canon switched to the EF mount, many of the early lenses were released with similar sort of build quality, no USM, etc., and have never been updated. Nikon took a different route and designed even the cheap primes at a higher level of quality, and somewhat higher price point. I'd certainly be happy to pay 40% extra to get a 35/2 of the Nikon build quality. The Nikon 50/1.8 is only $15 more than the Canon toy!

 

The mk I version of the 50/1.8 is somewhat less crappy, but they have always commanded silly prices on eBay and such, especially if you consider that the MINIMUM age of any sample is over 17 years!

The changes are saved in a separate file/database. DPP and Lightroom are completely different software, so you won't see changes in one reflected in the other.

I've had the same strap on a 30D, 40D, and 5D over the last two years, and it looks essentially brand new. I've never had a problem with the strap lugs wearing the strap material.

I also took advantage of the Canon Canada double rebate program (5D and 430EX). At $1700, with no new full frame in sight, I couldn't pass it up. I also own a 40D, which will also see lots of use on the tele end, but even the 5D's viewfinder convinced me I'd made a good purchase.

 

I miss the 40D's large LCD, live view, 6.5fps, etc., but having my lenses work at their proper focal lengths and having a nice big bright viewfinder makes it worth it to me. I don't have any problems with the AF speed or accuracy with respect to to the 40D, and I am extremely pleased with the image quality.

I just bought a 5D and 430EX, so hopefully I will be able to get my rebate by March :)

Both my 70-200/2.8 IS and 100-400 have some play in the lens mount on my 40D, as well as the 30D I used to own. It's annoying, but apparently normal...

My main issue with the 40mm Nokton is the hideous ring bokeh wide open. I am really looking forward to seeing photos from this new 35.

I noticed scratches on my 40D's top LCD within days of getting it. I had a 30D for 1-1/2 years, and the top LCD was immaculate when I sold it. I wonder if they've changed the material, or the different angling makes it more likely to be caught.

RRS says the BH-40 is suitable for the 70-200/2.8, so I'm sure it would be fine with the 100-400 as well. I use an Arca Swiss ball head for my 100-400, and the tripod mounting itself is rock solid. I actually find it a lot more difficult getting the lens itself stable in the tripod mounting, because the centre of gravity moves so far from the ring at the 400mm setting. Using a battery grip helps quite a bit, but it is still not really adequate compared to most tele lenses.

The Canon Canada double rebates have also been extended until the end of the month.

Is it a metallic sound like the Bessa shutters? I'm quite interested in the Zeiss, but I don't really have a chance to examine one in person. I might end up with one some time down the line...

 

I wonder if anyone has ever posted a recording comparing the Ikon shutter with a typical Leica shutter.

How does the Zeiss Ikon's shutter sound compared to a Leica body?

Slide film just isn't economically feasible here in Canada. We don't have cheap slide mailers, and having a roll developed locally costs about $12. This might go down to $10 in a major city like Toronto. The idea of actually BUYING the film here is a joke, too -- a roll of Velvia 50 costs $12, as opposed to about half that at B&H. For anyone keeping track, that means it would cost $27.34 with tax to buy a roll of Velvia and have it developed here. $20.50 if I tack the roll onto a B&H order.

I would have picked one up when they were selling them off for next to nothing a few years ago, but I couldn't really justify paying over $1k for something I would barely ever use. I'd much rather buy an LTM Leica and send it to Youxin Ye for a cheap CLA.

I'd wait and see what Canon announces in the new year. The 5D is due for a replacement.

I just heard back from David Yau by e-mail. In his opinion, the problem is caused by either a faulty release mechanism, or a blockage of the release mechanism. The former would take a few minutes to fix, and the latter an hour or two and cost twice as much. Whatever the cause, he will be able to fix it for me on Monday.

I've played around with the custom functions and can't see any way to set both to AF. The only solution is to set the * button to AF as normal, which screws up live view. Again, someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.

Why return it for what is likely a minor problem? I live in Canada, so cross-border trials and returns are not so simple with tax and expensive shipping to pay.

My major complaint is that there's no way to set the AF-ON and exposure lock buttons to the same function. I use a grip, and the portrait orientation is useless if the AF-ON button is being used. Please correct me if I'm wrong here, because I'd love to be wrong on this one.