ribook

MC,</p>If you manually select a single point while in AI Servo, that's the only point that will be used by the camera to track and lock focus. It's your job as the brain behind the camera to be sure that the single focus point you've selected stays on your intended target as you partially depress the shutter (or use the * button if you've set the Custom Functions to allow for this) and track this target. Allow the target to stray from the single focus point and you will lose focus on that target. </p>Now, if you allow the camera to select the focus point (automatic setting) while in AI Servo, said camera will start with the center point, so you (as the brain behind the camera) must place this center point on your intended target. Then, as you partially depress the shutter (or * button) and begin tracking, if the target moves from the center point, the camera will change the focus point as it continues to track the target. The type of lighting, the amount of contrast of your target relative to the rest of the frame, etc., will affect how well this works, but generally, it works pretty well.

 

There are quite a few discussion on this topic here and on the sports corner forum at www.fredmiranda.com. Read as much as you can about this and then go out and try it using the different settings to see what works best for you, your setup and the type of photos you're taking. No matter which settings you choose, it takes a fair amount of practice to make it work well. </p>

 

Good luck,</p>

Russ

Do it. For one thing, it sounds like you want to. For another, in two years the 16-35 will still be worth $1000 but the 1D will be $600. I don't intend to part with my 1D, but if you want to shoot film, you have a chance to make it work and you should take advantage or it if you're confident you're getting what the other party has described to you. --Russ

Jacob,

 

Here are my thoughts on this subject, for what they're worth.</p>The replacement value of your camera doesn't really matter until such time as it must be replaced. For now, your insurance company should be satisfied with information about what you paid for it (receipt?), or they should do the leg work to determine its value. For now, they're just trying to figure out what to CHARGE you for the coverage. If you were to lose the camera and file a claim, the process would begin anew. I guarantee you the insurance company isn't going to base actual replacement value on any information you provide today. They're going to base it on what they can learn about the item AT THE TIME OF REPLACEMENT. So I don't think you should expend too much energy right now. Let them know what you paid and what you want to insure it for. Since you're paying based on this information, I can't see why they'd argue. And if they want more information than that, they can do the research (just as they will if you file a claim).</p>This is just my opinion. When I insured all my photographic equipment, I didn't have to provide links to MSRPs. I just provided brand and model numbers and serial numbers. The insurance company did the rest of the work to determine the value and the amount to insure. Hope this helps. --Russ

No one, not even you, has mentioned the level of responsibility you'll be taking on. One day, one chance, once-in-a-lifetime event (even if your friend divorces and remarries, she'll only have one FIRST marriage =)). You'd be crazy not to have a second body. Find someone with a DReb and borrow it if you have to. But if I were you, I'd also want to have a zoom lens with a bit more reach than what your two lenses provide you. An outdoor wedding/reception has the advantage of light, but it also introduces the factor of space, possibly lots of space. If indeed you are shooting the reception, some of your best candid opportunities may very well be across distances that would beg for a 70-200 lens. So my opinion is that you should borrow a second body for the event, and buy a lens you'll never regret having. Get the f/2.8 if you can afford it. If not, the f/4 will do. --Russ

This is one of those questions that it seems should have a very

simple answer. In fact, it seems I should KNOW the answer without

having to ask the question. But I have to ask...</p>

 

I bought a used 1D. The invoice says the serial number is

21xxxxxx. The number on the bottom of the camera is just the

xxxxxx, without the 21. The Box has the (21)-followed by the camera-

imprinted serial number also. So what's up with this? What's the

actual serial number of the camera? What's the meaning of the 21?

When people talk about how late in the run their camera was

produced, is it the "21" in my case that would be relevant? Is the

fact that my invoice and my camera have two slightly

different "serial numbers" a reason for concern?</p>

 

Please let me know what you know about this. And thank you in

advance.</p>

 

Russ

Jason,</p>

Fourth option: Pick up a low-mileage 10D. Same batteries, better build quality than the Rebel, a few more features, and a great camera. This is something of a compromise in that it buys you a few of the things that you want, but saves you money as well. I own a 10D and a 1D and I reserve the 1D for sports and use the 10D for everything else. If you've been pleased with the Rebel, I don't think you can go wrong with a 10D. --Russ

Paul,</p>You failed to mention the $1000 price difference between the 28-135 and the 70-200 f/2.8 IS. And I failed to process Jennifer's comment about shaky hands. The IS definitely would be of help to you. And Paul's absolutely right about the quality of the 70-200. But that's an incredibly large leap from what you're working with right now, and the kind of thing you might want to work up to gradually. --Russ

Hi, Jennifer. I've never used a 28-85 so cannot comment on it. But I do own and have used the 28-135, and it is a very good lens. Both of the lenses you mention may be considered consumer lenses, but I think the 28-135 is generally considered to be among the best of the consumer lenses (a bit better than the 28-105, for example, which you might consider as well). IS is a nice feature, but only comes in handy if you are shooting in situations where there isn't enough light for a shutter speed fast enough to allow you to hand hold the camera without some blurring of the image due to camera shake. Generally, anything slower than 1/100 would be considered risky, but you can usually go two settings slower than that with IS. If this isn't the kind of feature you're likely to take advantage of, then IS isn't going to be of much use to you, and you will pay extra for it. Another lens to consider is the 50mm f/1.8. It's very inexpensive (maybe $70) and quite fast (large aperture) and sharp. It is another of the very highly regarded "consumer" lenses, and usually cited as the very best lens deal around. It might be a good idea for you to pick up this lens, take pictures with it and see if you notice a difference between the quality of these and the quality of those you've taken with your 28-85. That will be an inexpensive and easy way to determine whether it will be worth it for you to "upgrade" further. </p>

 

Just some thoughts for you to add to the mix. Good luck.</p>

 

Russ

Thanks, Thomas. You make a good point that I hadn't thought of. --Russ

I'm interested in upgrading my 1D to the 1.4.0 firmware. But I've

read at the download site that there are problems associated with

the newest firmware if the Windows system I'm using does not have a

firewire connection. (There's also a caution about Windows

drivers.) What I'm wondering is whether these concerns are related

ONLY to uploading of photos from the 1D to the computer VIA THE 1D,

or if there will be something about the photos taken by the updated

1D themselves that would cause problems with them even if I use a

card reader to upload them. Put another way, is there anyone out

there who has updated their 1D firmware without making any software

changes to their computer and/or who doesn't have a firewire

connection and hasn't had any problems? Thanks in advance. -Russ

Nevermind. I've got it figured out--there are three USM settings (amount, radius, threshold), and you're providing a range for the threshold setting. Thanks for that information. I'll give it a go.</p>

 

Russ

"<i>apply a USM mask of about 50/7~13/0 to get rid of the digital haze that covers an image. Tailoring the 7~13 to suit the histogram.</i></p>Thomas, would you mind explaining those numbers. I know they have to do with the USM settings, and I hear you about removing the "haze," but I just want to know exactly what those numbers represent. Thank you. --Russ

Miwha,</p>Yes, buying used lenses can be a very good thing because it is a way to save a bit of money. Good lenses don't depreciate much, so the savings often are not that great, but savings nonetheless. If you buy a used lens from a reputable dealer (such as B&H and Adorama), you can trust the condition ratings they put on each lens they sell, and you also get a brief "return for any reason" period and a longer warranty period. So as far as concerns about scratches or other obvious problems go, you would have the chance to receive and inspect the lens, and the opportunity to return it no questions asked if you were to find a problem. Then you can test it out thoroughly and if you find it faulty, you can still return it (within the warranty period). I've purchased seven or more lenses used (a couple were refurbished), most from the aforementioned dealers, a couple from private parties, and I've never had a problem.</p>So the quick answer to your question: Buy from a trusted source and you really can't go wrong. --Russ

Kathy,</p>I refer you to the string of responses <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Aqkk">here</a> in response to your own very similar question posted just a few days ago. Looked to me like there was lots of good advice there. Maybe here, with this post, you are seeking more specific information about comparisons between the lenses you've listed? And maybe this is an offshoot of the previous post? If so, I think it might be useful for you to explain how the information in the previous post has led you to your new question, so that responders don't have to go over the same ground that's already been covered.--Russ

Rereading your last post, maybe the times you cited aren't too far off (3-5 minutes for a 258MB card goes along with my experience with double that range for the 512 card). I guess it was the 40-minute bit that seemed way out of line to me, and I think the upload would be much faster than that for a 2GB card.</p>Having said that, I'll tell you that upload from the FlashTrax to the computer via a USB 2 port is VERY fast, much faster than my dinky card reader. --Russ

There's no way it takes as long as you say to upload to the FlashTrax. I've never timed it, but I'd say a 512MB Ultra II takes between 5-6 minutes, and the 1GB Ultra II no more than 10 minutes (probably less). I should think you'd be hard-pressed to fill your second card before your first one uploaded to the FlashTrax. I'm not saying this is the unit you should get, but wherever you got your information about upload times, it's wrong. --Russ

SmartDisk FlashTrax allows for viewing of both RAW and jpg.

Ernie,</p>I own several Lowepro bags--backpack (Micro Trekker 200), shoulder and waist packs. The shoulder and waist packs are great for storing equipment in my house, but when I go out with my camera gear, the Micro Trekker always seems to get the call. (If I'm only taking one camera and one lens, then I'll go with one of the Lowepro toploader bags.) --Russ

I've only read these responses quickly, but it seems to me there is a very important step missing (and you should go <a href="http://drycreekphoto.com/Learn/profiles.htm">here</a> to read in more detail about this process). If all you do is edit your photo (as instructed in the first response)and then convert to the printer's profile, you're going to be disappointed at the outcome because this won't allow you to take advantage of having the profile in the first place. After you have completed your editing and you have your photo looking as you want it to look on your monitor, you should create a duplicate of the image (Image > Duplicate) and soft-proof the duplicate: View > Proof Setup >Custom, then select your profile (your choice on how to set "intent," with "use black point compensation" and "paper white" boxes checked). </p>Now you'll need to make changes to this duplicate, because whereas your editing of the original photo led to that photo looking good on your monitor, the soft proof will reveal how it will look on the profiled printer, and this isn't likely to look anywhere near as good as your original (and that's the point of working with the printer profile). Once you have the duplicate looking the way you want it (and you can compare it to the original you created it from), you then convert to profile and save as a jpg (which I do using the "save for web" option). Hope this helps. I've had very good luck with this procedure. Be sure to follow the link above and read about this whole printer profile thing. --Russ

Kathy,</p>I agree with the suggestion(s) that you really can't go wrong because you will find something worth shooting with any lens you might have with you. But since you're asking for ideas, I'm going to suggest the Canon 28-135 IS lens. This will afford you some versatility (without having to change lenses), which I think you'd find to be very convenient, and the image stabilization will correct for camera shake (such as might be caused by the wind, as suggested in a previous response) and allow you to take pictures in lower light. Also, as Canon lenses go, it's not very expensive and is generally considered to be a very good consumer lens. --Russ

I'd say it's strictly a matter of the extra stop vs. the (slightly) extra range. I own the 20-35 f/2.8L and have never been disappointed by it, never tempted to replace it with the 17-40. --Russ

LowePro Micro Trekker 200 -- should fit all of your equipment and more. I have quite a few different bags (some bigger, some smaller) and I always come back to this one <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=199512&is=REG">(take a look)</a>. --Russ

John,</p>I wouldn't get too excited about this....yet. I think you should call Canon and ask them about it. And consider a few things:</p>1. What are you basing the "319" number on? Is this the file number on your card? If so, it isn't likely to have anything to do with the actual number of shutter acutations, which can be determined from exif data. 2. Are you using the same card in the camera now (giving you the 3,154 number) as you used when you got the 319? I'm pretty sure the camera works from the card to determine file number, so if you use a different card the camera isn't just going to pick up from where it left off, it's going to work from what's on the card. 3. Is it possible that in the course of servicing your camera, Canon reset it? </p>If you're worried about this, you should download an exif reader and figure out how many shutter actuations your camera has. Then (maybe!)you'll know whether something fishy has gone on. Good luck. --Russ

Renato,</p>The review on this website </p><a href="http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/a95_pg2.html">second page of review, look about halfway down the page</a></p> states that the A-95 can handle any capacity Type 1 CF card, which is what I would expect. (I've used a few different capacity (128, 256, 512) cards in my A-80 and never had a problem.) So go ahead and buy that 1GB card and enjoy your camera.</p>Ciao, Russ

Charles,</p>From the Magic Lantern Guide for the EOS 3:</p><i>The 45 AF sensors are in three types, with three different levels of sensitivity. The greatest sensitivity is the one central cross shaped sensor. The whole sensor will work with lenses of f/4 or faster, whereas the vertical line sensor making up part of the cross will still function with lenses as slow as f/8. /this means that for the first time lenses with apertures this small can still work with autofocus and lenses mounted on teleconverters. This capability is unique to the EOS-3, as no other camera will provide autofocus with lenses as slow as f/8. Around this central sensor are six other cross shaped AF sensors, which work with f/2.8 or faster lenses. As with the central cross-shaped sensor, the vertical arms of these snesors are more sensitive working with slower lenses. The remaining 38 AF sensors ar eshaped in vertical bars and have a sensitivity allowing lenses as slow as f/5.6 to activate them.</i></p>You've got a very sophisticated camera and needen't worry about purchasing the lens you have in mind. --Russ