pto189

>>I would not bother to upgrade a D70 to a 20D, unless there are features in the 20D that really appeal to you . . or you need to change camera systems to take advantage of Canon telephoto lenses . . while losing the advantages of the superior Nikon wide angles and flash system.<<<br>If you need to compare between Canon and Nikon, one simple quote from Jim is sufficient.

Giampiero, if you want to present your points, please do it with calm. Maybe I shouldn't have said, "<i>All</i> refurbished items have 90-day warranty." But 90-day warranty is the standard for refurbished items. My purpose is to give advices as best as I can. It's illegal if you're selling a refurbished item as new. And the manufacturers must show clearly on their products as "refurbished". Taking my advices or not is you choice. To find more about refurbishing business, google "refurbish laws" and learn more. If Canon or Epson think they can deal with the law by not marking "refurb" on their product, it's their decision. How an item becomes refurbished? I only presented a typical case. Anything can happen in today world. Usually a floor model should not be returned as refurb. But once again, this isn't the forum about refurbishing business. I stop here.

I need to add several important details. A refurbished unit doesn't have to be cosmetically perfect although many of them are. That 's why you need to bet on it if you buy from mail order. Secondly, the unit is marked with either the letter "R" or some types of "seal" showing it's a refurbished item. Therefore, the resale value will be lower than a brand new item. Of course, not many people know how to distinguish between a new camera and a refub one. You can resale and claim that you bought it new. But it's illegal. Many people like buy refurb becasue they think in some ways, a refurb item is even better than a brand new item because it has been checked by a factory technician. That is true. and that is why I buy refurb most of the time. But If you want to buy a refurb camera, you need to know that you <b>could</b> get one with some unexpected disappointments. My experience is that the closer the refurb price compared with the brand new price, the better the camera is. At one store, they have several refurb cameras, and they are selling them differently. <b>Keep in mind</b> that a refurb item <b>had</b> a problem when it was bought new. The customer returned it. The store sent it back to Canon. Canon fixed it and marked as "R". The store then bought it back. Now you buy it. Canon could fix just like brand new. But you never know. Either you don't mind or you need to see it before you pay for it.

If it's <b>factory refurbished</b>, it's functioning as a new camera except cosmetic blemish. All refurbished items have 90-day warranty instead of one year. You need to make your own decision based on the different in price. It's better if you see the camera before buying, or at least you can return it with the cost of s/h. The so called "cosmetic blemish" could bother you if there is a scratch on the body. If you don't know the definition of refurbished, you cannot say it's a good price. Refurbished means it's functioning as new or it has been adjusted or calibrated by factory to original condition, and that's it. It works, but it doesn't <b>look</b> as brand new. The comsnetic imperfection is where you save the money. 8/10 of my stuffs are refurbished.

I think I got two tight rolls. My camera is doing fine now with the third roll after 19 shots. At least I learn something new that I have never experienced before. Thanks.

The first roll is Kodak Max 400. when I loaded the film, the word ISO kept flashing, so I manually set ISO to 400. It rewinded after 14 shots. The second roll is Kodak Gold DX200. Although the word ISO didn't flash, when I checked ISO, it was 50, so I set at 200. It again rewinded after 15 shots. I loaded a third roll, also Kodak Gold DX200, set manual, 1/4000, f/16, auto function F2 to 1, and also my 17-40 to MF, then fired 24 times. It ran through fine then rewinded after 24 shots. ISO was auto set at 200. I think the camera is fine. It could be the film, and the camera couldn't recognize the film type (ISO). I'll try to shoot real object now. Thank you for your help Bob.

I bought a pre-owned EOS-3 and love it. However, the camera rewinded

after 14 exposures. I ran to CVS for 1-hour photo service. The

remaining 10 unused exposures are blank. I tried a different 24

exposure roll. The camera again rewinded after 15 shots. Can anyone

help me? did I set something wrong?

It is common sense and logical that adding a UV filter, or any type of filter, will degrade the glass. But we must use a filter to protect the glass from weather and objects flying into the glass. If you don't want to use the filter becasue you want the best picture, it's your choice to have both perfect picture and the risk of damaging the glass. I think the best solution is to buy the best filter you can afford and that is worth or comparable with the value of the lens.

I have been using Hoya Super HMC UV filter with both Canon 17-40 and Tamron 28-75. There is virtually no difference on Canon 17-40 with and without the filter. However, I experienced difference in sharpness as well as color saturation on Tamron 28-75. Since I only tested the Tamron yesterday, I cannot say my test was accurate. Puppy Face was right when saying Hoya filters are very difficult to clean no matter which way you use.

Buydig.com is a reliable dealer with good price. However, they do take back an item from a customer without careful inspection. I would send it back for another one. Check their policy. A good policy should cover postage for sending an item back to store if there is something wrong with the item.

In addition, you should only buy grey from a reliable dealer. As B&H policy states clearly, they do not guarranty that a grey item is as exactly as a USA item. The owner manual could have Japanese only. <b>Never buy grey from a small or unknown dealer.</b> They cannot offer qualified service or no service at all. You need to spend your whole life to learn how to buy grey market products.

Brian, that is not true. Go to B&H web page. Select help then USA vs. grey to check B&H explanation and policy. If you buy an USA item, when you need service, you will send to any Canon service centers worldwide. On the other hand, you must send back to B&H to have warranty service within one year. As a rule of thumb, if you live in the United States, and if the item deosn't have rebate offer, you should buy grey to save money with one exception: the item has only one year warranty. If the item has more than one year warranty, ask B&H for further information becasue B&H only offer their own warranty service for one year. If you live outside the United Statrs, you should not buy grey becasue you have to send the item back to B&H to have their service within one year. The shipping fee could cost more. If you buy a USA item, you can send to local Canon service center. It could save some time and money.<br><p>

The Canon EOS-1V has 3-year warranty. If you decide to buy grey, make sure that they offer comparable warranty. You should not completely trust a salesman. Have him email you the information that show their policy before you pay. B&H has an excellent service center. However, I cannot say that they can repair a Canon item as good as Canon service center can. Canon takes care their professional customers very well while B&H service center repair a wide variety of products thus cannot have the specilized factor.<br><p>If you plan to spend money for professional gear, and if where you live is close to a Canon serivce center, buy USA and make sure the items they sell qualified for Canon international warranty. I believe they are.

Forget tokina. Buy Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di. The difference between Tamron 28-75 and Canon 24-70 is $813 and 440g.

You don't need a tripod ring to hold this lens. However, using a ring will have better balance and is more convenient to shoot in vertical position. If you decide to add a ring, buy the black intead of white to save some money. Please check here<br> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=211436&is=REG<br>

Canon 50mm 1.4 and 70-200mm 4L.

Bob has a list of lenses for 20D. I bought all my lenses by checking his suggested lens list. As Phil said, we don't need to buy all L lenses. I don't think we have to buy all Canon lenses as well.<br><p>

Recent new lenses and the filters that Canon installed in their digital cameras have told us that according to Canon philosophy, sharpness is no longer a priority thanks to Photoshop and other softwares. I believe compactness and build quality are two factors that Canon is focusing on.<brb><p>For some reasons, may be the cost of design, all new Canon lenses including DO and EF-S series are overpriced. I don't mind to spend $1200 for the 24-70 2.8L or $1600 for the 70-200 2.8L. My consideration is the the combination of size, weight, and price. I have tested the 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 IS. They are big and heavy. But I won't give up the sharpness and ignore the price for IS, size and weight to buy the 70-300 DO IS. I don't want buy EF-S 17-85 and 10-22 for $600 and $800 either. Those lenses will be cheaper in a couple of years I think.<br><p>

The other options are third party lenses, namely Tamron and Sigma. I don't like Sigma lenses becasue they are as big and heavy as Canon lenses. I think Tamron 28-75 is the only third party lens that I would buy although I don't like it as much as I do with my Canon 17-40. I need it when I must go out with only one lens. Many people think Canon 28-135 is better because the extra 75-135 plus IS USM. Well, I rather run a little more with the Tamron becasue I don't have the skills to take a good picture with the 28-135. The only annoying thing with Tamron 28-75 is you have to rotate clockwise instead of counterclockwise, and it drove me crazy sometimes.<br><p>Many folks here buy Canon 2.8L only. Others stick with Canon and no others. But I basically agree with Bob, Phil, and Jim. Their advices are more accurate. Before buying any lens, I suggest you find a way to test it to see if it is the one you need.

>>I like F2.8 because of its sharpeness and the ability to use with the 1.4X extender<<<br>

Is F2.8 better than F4 in sharpness?<br>

F4 can be used with TC 1.4X<br>

F2.8 is faster but big and heavy; F4 is smaller and lighter but slower.<br>

Again, the choice is easy.

Hi Nick: (Smile and bow politely)<br><p>

In your initial message, you didn't refer to the kind of photography you do. You asked people for opinion with the promise that, "You opinion is very welcome." regretedly, you shouldn't have replied Jojo with the tone, "There is no reason to start a religious war..." Moreover, I believe that Jojo did answer your question by saying, "With the 24-70L, you'll get great image with great convenience (zoom). With the primes, you'll get the best images and better bokeh."<br><p>

When reading, "So, tell me please, how close is the 24-70 to the primes I mentioned?" I had the feeling that my boss was talking to me. The "please" here could have opposite effect to its supposed-to-be meaning.<br><p>

Please make the land warmer. (Smile and bow politely again.)

I found the link. Just try again.

Dennis Hissink : February 14th 2005 - 09:08 GMT<br><p>

Canon EOS 20Da introduction : Out of the blue? On the Japanese Canon

website a new version of the Canon EOS 20D appeared. The new Canon

EOS 20Da seems to be almost identical to the Canon 20D, accept for

features like 'Live View' mode which enables the user to manual

control the focus by using the LCD display. This is very handy when

using the Canon 20Da for astrophotography. The subject can be viewed

enlarged on the LCD display (5x or 10x magnification). Furthermore a

special filter that normally is used to block infrared information

is removed. The Canon EOS 20Da is equipped with a more transmissive

mirror which makes the new Canon 20Da 2.5x times more transmissive

compared to the Canon EOS 20D.<br><p>

The Canon EOS 20Da is compatible with the timer remote controller

Canon TC-80CN3. This accessory enables long exposure times

especially for night shots or astrophotography.<br><p>

Canon EOS 20Da major features:<br>

- CCD: 22.5x15.0mm<br>

- Canon EF lens compatible<br>

- CompactFlash type I and II slot<br>

- 8.2 effective Megapixels<br>

- JPEG and RAW (12bit) format<br>

- Highest resolution: 3504x2336 pixels<br>

- Lowest resolution: 1728x1152 pixels<br>

- Color space: sRGB and Adobe RGB<br>

- Interface: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and Video out<br>

- ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200<br>

- Shutter speed: 1/8000 - 30 sec.<br>

- 1.8-inch TFT LCD display - 118.000 pixels<br>

- Li-Ion battery<br>

- Dimensions: 144x105.5x71.5<br>

- Weight: 685g<br>

Please check here: http://www.photo.net/equipment/tamron/28_75_Di/

<br><p>

Canon 28-135: $410; Tamton 28-75: $325 after rebate. If you want a sharper and faster lens, go Tamron. If you need longer zoom with IS, go Canon. The choice is easy.

You don't have matching comparison. If you want ultra wide lens, you will choose among the following lenses: Canon EF-S 10-22, Tamron 11-18, and Sigma 12-24. Canon is for DRebel and 20D only. Tamron is not available yet. So Sigma is the only choice now if you want ultra wide. If you decide to go for wide angle lens, you have several options: Canon 17-40, Tamron 17-35, or Sigma 17-35. I skip Canon 16-35 which is near perfect and near bankruptcy if you buy it. Basically, you need $200 more and lose one stop to go for Canon 17-40. I consider Tamron and Sigma equivalent in optic, quality build, and pricing. Tamron is smaller and lighter. Sigma is bigger and heavier.<br><p>

If I were you, I would wait until I have enough money for the Canon 17-40. You will be very happy with this lens. It is one stop slower than the other two, but you can make it up with 20D ISO feature pretty easily. Play with your 18-55 until you have enough money. Please keep in mind that if you buy Tamron or Sigma now and trade for a Canon later, you'll end up spending more money becasue Tamron and Sigma lenses don't hold their prices as good as Canon lenses do.

<br><p>

Hold you breath, borrow money if you need, and buy one good Canon lens like Canon EF 17-40mm f4/L USM for your 20D, you'll have many good dreams at night. The next lens will be Canon EF 70-200mm f4/L USM. :)

You should not touch the MF ring if setting in AF mode. However, it is fine if you accidentally turn it. I did that several times with my 50 1.8 II. It still works.

1. KEH at www.keh.com<br>

2. Adorama at www.adorama.com<br>

3. B&H at www.bhphoto.com<br><p>

 

For used cameras, I would rate KEH, Adorama, and B&H in that order. Before buying, read their method of rating the cameras: New, Like New, Like New Minus, Excellent...the terms in rating sound better than the cameras. You need to read their definition of "like new minus".<br><p>

You could also find used cameras on eBay, Yahoo, and Amazon. I don't suggest those places unless you know how to deal with the risk. My advice is to stick with KEH, Adorama, and B&H or just KEH.

You like Sigma. The purpose of your post is to find people to support your decision or to give you a good reason not to buy Sigma. Therefore, I won't say how good the Tamron is. I have tested both of them in a local store. If you need the low end and don't mind the size and weight, go Sigma.