chris_newkumet

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=1096&A=details&Q=&sku=446771&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Michael: sorry, previous answer should refer to scratch disks... also, I have no additional plug-ins added to CS2, though I have a few in CS

Michael:

What settings would you recommend for those preferences? I have the cache set first to my c: drive, which has only the operating system and programs on it, with my f: drive (installed) as the second choice. Off the top of my head, I can't recall how I have the others set.

Ellis: I don't run them simultaneously.

I'll start this post by conceding that there can be a plethora of factors to

blame for what seems to be incredibly slow response times in virtually all

functions of CS2 on my PC. That said, I have a reasonably equipped machine,

with a good processor and 1 gig of ram -- not optimal, but should be OK. I have

plenty of storage space on two installed hard drives. And I run both CS and

CS2, so I'm comparing the programs to each other on the same machine. For some

reason, CS2 simply crawls compared with CS. And that performance seems to run

across every function -- opening the basic program, opening Bridge, opening a

file from Bridge and working on a file in CS2, either RAW or JPEG. Sometimes

when I'm manipulating a file in CS2, every command is greeted by a crawl bar

running across the screen showing the progress of the command. It's maddening.

As far as I can tell, I have both CS and CS2 set up the same way in terms of

preferences, etc. Can anyone offer some suggestions on what might be going on?

Ashley:

 

What brand/model card is it? Were you shooting in RAW mode?

I'm fairly new to CS2, and this may have an obvious fix, so please forgive me

if I'm staring right at the answer and just can't see it. When I click on a Raw

file image in Adobe Bridge to see a larger version in the browser (I'm not

opening the file), it goes through some auto-adjust process that always seems

to make matters worse -- mostly lighter and washed out. What's up? How do I

turn that off?

While all the above is true, be aware that there is a known problem with Lexar cards in Canon cameras shooting RAW. Neither company has fully fessed up to it yet, but it's real. It's happened to me twice, and to two other photographers in my studio. This is not user-error stuff...there's a bug in the works somewhere. My advice, DO NOT use Lexar cards in Canon on RAW, particularly if someone is paying you to shoot. Stick to Sandisk Extreme IIIs.

Kevin:

Put 'em all on the fire engine

What Bas said. You don't detail your intended workflow, Craig, but I hope you're not intending to download cards during a wedding and then format and reuse those cards at that same event. For one thing, there's rarely time to do that given how quickly things move in a typical wedding schedule. And I'd never trust an assitant to do that, either. As Bas said, with the going rate for CF cards, there's no good reason to do it. My advice--buy 7-8 gigs of CF capacity, fill each card, tuck them away safely and then take your time when you get back home or to the studio downloading the images. I shoot 1,500--2,000 images during a typical 10-hour wedding date, and I can tell you I need to sit down later and make sure I've accounted for all of them before I can rest easy. As for the portable storage devices themselves, the only one I have any experience with is the Epson and I can tell you it's pretty slow. I think these gadgets are fine for traveling and what not when you have time at the end of each day to download cards, plus you can then pass them around for everyone to peruse your images. But I sure wouldn't use one for a wedding. Best of luck with your emerging career.

Well, if it was obvious I wouldn't be asking about it. I switch batteries constantly during jobs and can't really keep an accurate tally of which ones are being used in which camera, and until now I guess I didn't have reason to care. As I said in my post, I have a vague recollection that this Lenmar has been in the camera more times than not when this problem has occurred, but I can't be sure. All I'm asking of those who might actually know is whether a battery that initially shows up as fully charged could, after a rapid series of exposures, trip the whole system off and show up in the LCD as completely dry; and then, after removal and reinsertion, show up once again as full? This, in essence, would mimic the problem for which Canon posted a service alert on the grip. I'm just looking for a little technical guidance to help me isolate this problem.

I'm going a little crazy here, so I hope some of you can help. After

suffering through what seemed to be the entire range of problems

related to the combination of the Canon 20D and BG-E2 vertical grip--

persistant err99 occurences and false battery-empty shutdowns--I

convinced Canon to replace the grip with the newer version that

supposedly cures those problems. But in my first two outings this

past weekend, I've come up with a corrupted card and return of the

phantom empty battery shutdowns. I'm dealing with the corrupted card

through the tech guys at Lexar, but I'm starting to think the

shutdown problem may be related to a worn out battery. I haven't done

an exhaustive testing of this, but it seems the problem occurs when I

insert a two-year-old Lenmar DLC511 into the battery chamber and take

pictures in rapid succession. The Lenmar is one of five batteries

that I own, the others being Canons. Could it simply be that the

Lenmar is giving up the ghost and simply can't run that fast anymore?

It's seen a lot of use over the past two years, and I'm thinking (and

hoping) that this problem may stem from the battery and not the grip.

Does this theory sound rational? Is there a way to check the

condition of a 511 battery?

Samantha:

For your future endeavors, here's a safety net I use during planning meetings (I assume you conducted a detailed in-person or phone planning meeting to go over the schedule and must-have shots). Anyway, when I meet with a bride to work through the various family members and who is going to be in what picture, those shots are always scheduled for a certain time window either before the ceremony or directly after. When we're done meeting, I tell the bride that I can only guarantee I'll get a certain family grouping if all the people actually show up at or near the appointed time. And when I arrive, I have all those groupings listed in detail on a sheet of paper that my assistant keeps; we don't leave until they're all crossed off. If the portrait of a large family group has to slide into the reception period because certain folks didn't show up, all bets are off--there's too much going on during the party to be sure you'll have the time to track everyone down and find a suitable place to group a terrific family portrait. Of course, we do our best and so far have always managed to track down those folks down for some kind of a grab shot (If there's not a nice convenient lobby area available, throwing 4-5 chairs on the dance floor during a break works pretty well), but it's never the same quality as the earlier portraits. As for the bride's complaint about the number of shots of she and the groom, I think you're on very solid ground in how you performed, assuming you have at least a few poses that work. You gave her fair warning that the opportunities would be limited if they weren't seeing each other before the ceremony, and then she blew off one of your planned stops. She needs to eat that one. You can only take pictures of people who show up, and showing up is always the client's responsibility. I gently make that clear in the planning sessions. Next time you sit with a bride and work through a detailed family group, make sure you communicate that you're counting on the bride or someone she designates to be sure those people are where they need to be at the appointed time. Keep your head up, you have a lot of talent and this gets easier the more you do it.

I'm considering a request to travel from the US to Milan later this

year to photograph a wedding, and I'm hoping some of you can help me

think through a few details.

*Will I need some type of work permit?

*What do I need to know about taking that much equipment on an

international flight?

*Can I use my Alien Bees with plug adaptors?

*Are compact flash cards vulnerable to damage by airport x-ray

machines?

*What else am I not thinking of?

thanks guys...looks like I need one of these:

 

http://www.paramountcords.com/proddetail.asp?prod=PW-Canon3P ($120)

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=243242&is=REG&addedTroughType=search ($77)

 

$120 for a cord? man, am I in the wrong business....

I know I read something about this somewhere, but a search here

turned up nothing. Is it possible to use a Pocket Wizard Plus

transmitter and receiver as a wireless trigger for the shutter

release on my Canon 20D and 5D cameras? If so, do I need a sync cord

of some type?

thanks for the suggestions so far, but none of them seem to solve the problem...

Conrad: I'll try to get to that this afternoon..assuming I figure out how to post a jpg

A few weeks ago I asked on this forum for advice on using a Pocket

Wizard radio slave to trigger a Canon EX580 Speedlite. Lucas Bennett

was quick to suggest item #PW-MHSF1 marketed by Paramount Cords

http://www.paramountcords.com/ Thanks, Lucas, the hotshoe/cord works

great, and I thought I'd share a handy setup that I worked out for a

background/veil light for wedding portrature and other uses. At

first, I had planned to use the plastic base that comes with the

EX580 to set the flash, with the radio velcroed to the top, on the

floor behind the bride. But when I put everything together, that was

kind wobbly and prone to tipping over. Then I noticed that the base

of the hotshoe end of the Paramount cord assembly is designed as two

pieces held together by a hefty screw. So I set about looking for

another base unit that would be more stable but not so bulky that it

would take up a bunch of room in one of my bags. The answer: a double

wall switch cover, which goes for about 39 cents at Home Depot, with

a hole drilled through the middle. Remove the bottom section of the

Paramount hotshoe assembly and use the screw to fasten the top part

to the front side of the wall switch cover -- it's perfect, really

stable and really thin and light. Without the flash, it can be stored

in the side or top pocket of any camera or light bag. As a final

touch, I used black gaffer tap to cover the plate, making it look

like something other than a discarded wall switch cover. This setup

is a lot easier than using a short stand or simply setting a Q-Flash

on the floor behind the bride. And it's a great way to make use of

your spare flash (you do carry a spare, right?) to add highlights to

bridal portraits. Just thought I'd pass that on.

The BG-E4 battery grip designed for the Canon 5D seems to be out of

stock most places. Has anyone had any first-hand experience with the

grip. I'm particularly interested in finding out if the 5D/BG-E4

combination suffers from the same flaws that plague the 20D/BG-E3,

i.e., frequent err99 shutdowns. I love the 20D, but it drives me

absolutely nuts when it shuts down in vertical orientation on a

tripod...happens all the time, and I've even had it re-engineered by

Canon Professional Services. Also, the battery door on the BG-E3 is

very sticky...half the time I have to pry it open. The grip for the

10D was much better, in my estimation, and I'm hoping Canon learned

from its mistakes on the BG-E3.

my mistake... I meant to say 550EX or 580EX...

I'm sure there's a simple answer here, so forgive me in advance for

the stupid question. I want to use one of my spare Canon SpeedLites

as a veil/hair light for bridal party portraits. I would use one of

my Quantum Q flashes, but I have only two and frequently use those as

main and fill for altar returns and such when running extension cords

to power my Alien Bees is too complicated. I can put one of the

SpeedLites on the floor behind the bride (using one of those little

plastic stands that come with them), but how do I hook up the Pocket

Wizard? There's no PC connection on the Speedlite, as best as I can

recall. Is there some type of hotshoe adapter that I could run a

synch cord to and trip it that way? Please name a specific product if

you've used it to good effect. I don't want to use the slave function

of the SpeedLites. Also, I assume I'd have to set the Speedlite to

manual and just meter it the first few times I use it to get a feel

for the effect. I don't have one in front of me, but I'm pretty sure

I can't set a Speedlite to automatic when it's off the

camera...Thanks in advance for any help.

I saw this information on this forum a few years back, but now I

can't locate it. Does anyone know which Canon lens hood fits the EF

50mm f1.8 mk I lens, the older version?

Can't seem to find these... B&H only has a refurbished A95... Is

Canon retiring this line? That would be a shame... seems to be the

only ones using CF cards and AA batteries...

nice... next time try having the guy put his right hand in his trouser pocket... same hand placement for the lady... and, yeah, watch for hot spots...