cnhoff

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>i know, this might be a rather short-lived thread, but i am currently investigating the options in this lens class and although i am not aware of any serious rumors about a 100-400 update, someone might be...a simple NO is also an answer :)<br /> As from what i have heard, there are rarely any real complaints about this lens, so i do not have any serious doubts about picking one up (maybe apart from the price...), but asking a question does not hurt, i guess.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Chris</p>

<p>Hey Puppy, just curious,</p>

<p>why have you owned 3 50mm 1.8 lenses, when you were never been happy with them and you have excellent alternatives like the 50mm 2.5 macro?</p>

<p>Chris</p>

Hi,

 

i am certainly not one of those condemning technical evolution. In fact i am an development engineer and am

pushing forward technology myself (at least i hope so ;)

 

But i am a little annoyed with the 50D announcement. I have upgraded this spring from my trusty 20D to the

all-new-and-shiny 40D and could not be happier.

 

Although my happiness should not be diminuished by the 50D, i am a little angry, that Canon has now introduced

some new features (mainly the VGA display) i have been lusting for since the new Nikon's were announced.

 

Don't understand me wrong, i am sure of two things, a) technological evolution should be fast and b) my camera is

still great, BUT this seems like a little bit of a rip-off to me. Why does Canon introduce a camera with several

major benefits only ONE YEAR after the predecessor? Why couldn't they include at least some of the features in

the 40 already ( i understand, that there was plenty of work to include the new 40D features, but nonetheless...).

 

OK, just had to share a little bit of my anger.

 

Greetings

 

Chris

I have to second Peter's suggestion.

 

While being in India and Nepal for nearly 2 months i had all the wet cleaning stuff with me, but actually never had to use it. When coming home i removed a few small specs, but none of my images shows dust defects, although i had 3 lenses with me and did a lot of lens changing.

 

I think it would be a bad idea to buy smething in a hurry and use it without the care and caution this deserves. Just let the camera do it's wok and get some thorough information, when you return.

Yes Vincent, basically that is what i am thinking. Replacing two expensive lenses front elements will surely set me back some xxx $ and i really cannot see any image degradation.

 

Unfortunately i had upgraded my equipment for this trip, so these lenses are not old...but cameras and lenses are only a means to take pictures, not more, right? :)

I have tried cleaning them off several times with Eclipse fluid and a microfriber cloth...to no avail.

 

They indeed look like dried water spots David...nonetheless i can't get them off. Maybe i will post a picture later on, but i am not sure if one can judge from a picture.

Hi,

 

i have recently been on a trip to India and Nepal and i don't know how, but it

seems the front elements of my 70-200 f/4 IS and 17-55 IS have taken some damage.

 

There are some small spots on the front elements. I can only guess, that some

harmful fluid must have dropped or been swiped on the glas.

 

I cannot see any degradation in image quality, as was expected, but just out of

curiosity: has anyone had those front elements changed? How much is it? The

Canon Service Center in my city is probably the least friendly place in the

world, they wouldn't tell me even the approximate cost, basically they tell me,

i have to let them repair it, then they can tell me, what it costs...ridiculous!

 

Chris

I recently fell off a tree shooting some rhinos in a Nepalese National Park with my 40D and 70-200 and everything seems fine although it was maybe 10 feet high.

 

If there was not the shame :)

Don't be offended, but i think this happens due to user error.

 

If you are using a fast aperture (f/2.8 or wider), depth of field becomes so limited, you have to be very careful with focusing. Try to use the AF point closest to the "eye to be sharp" so you can keep focus errors due to reframing to a minimum. Also don't move (essentially forward or back) after camera has achieved focus-shoot straight away or refocus.

 

Shooting moving subjects makes the whole process a lot more difficult. In low light (look at the basketball photos above) you might have a hard time with the less sensitive outer AF points of some cameras. You just have to do some practising i guess.

Canon 70-200 IS (i have the f4 flavor)

 

On my 40D good for street photography, picking out details and even some wildlife.

As i have experienced time after time now, when you stop stoically following the reviews and start handling stuff, you get a feeling of what you WANT pretty quick.

 

For me it has come down to a xD body with some very good lenses. The size and weight has never really bothered me, even on backpacking holidays.

 

I am travelling in Nepal right now and having done the Annapurna Circuit trek, for the first time i would like to have something different for that purpose, maybe a XTi or XSi and some lighter lenses.

 

So just follow your feelings, this has always worked for me in the past.

I do not have the same problem that you describe, but being on a 3 month trip around India and Nepal, i have made a habit of carying the 40D 'the other way round', when it is hanging from my shoulder...the flash and upside of the lens is touching the side of my body. So with heavy and/or long lenses like my 17-55 or 70-200, the lens is not pointing away from me, but clings more to the shape of my body.

 

Maybe this does not help you, but turning off the camera between shots is not something i find good for the street photography i am doing here.

Hi,

 

i justed wanted to greet all photo.net members and fans of India, as i am

spending 6 weeks here with the focus on photography.

 

Being in Udaipur at the moment, I am currently doing a Rajastani round-trip.

In a few days i will be off to Nepal and after the return flight i will be

going to Kolkatta and Darjeeling.

 

I think i don't have to tell how great India is for photography, as i am here

for the second time now, it is even better, because the 'cultural shock' was

not so big as it was then.

 

So with a hearty 'namaste'

 

Chris

I agree that the Nikon system yields better results, when you know nothing about the manner your flash system works. Once you have put a little effort in getting to know the Canon system, it yields the same results as the Nikon system.

 

Just pulling the trigger on a Canon certainly will lead to mostly overexposed shots, so in this regard you are right Mahonri.

Sorry if this may sound rude and i am a polite guy most of the time, but this question has been asked about a gazillion times, although the facts are pretty straightforward...

both are excellent optically; on has f/4 one f/2.8 ;) only you can judge wether you need the fast aperture; the 2.8 version weighs a ton and costs a fortune; buying the f/4 AND the prime is an option, but it cancels the price and weight advantages, i wouldn't go for it.

 

This boils down to the fact, that YOU have to make a decision...

On my 70-200 i have noticed a visible decrease in sharpness and increase in chromatic aberations with TC wide-open; stopping down one stop to f/8 got rid of both.

One for general shooting much like Av mode; one for exposure bracketing with 6.5 fps shutter -> high dynamic range; one with mirror lockup for general tripod and macro work

In my opinion, there is no room for both of them.

 

I have had the 70-200 f/4 non-IS - great lens. Recently changed it for the IS version - even better lens. I had contemplated buying the 70-300 instead, but have gone the L-route. Owning both makes absolutely no sense to me.

You can't do your eyes much better in low light than using a 5D with a 50 f/1.8, so go for it!

Do you really use this annoying strobe flash thing?

 

If you want discrete AF aid, buy a Canon flash with near invisible assist lights. Works great. Maybe even a Canon ST-E2, if it is only for better low-light AF.

I don't even care :)

 

I only use manual focus when doing macros and even there i don't see any use for it.

Travis,

 

you have to enable "Iso expansion" in the custom functions menu, in order to use ISO 3200.

Coming from the computer world i have updated the firmware of a lot of devices: mainboards, cd/dvd drives, mp3 players, cameras etc.

 

Although my heart always goes a little faster while doing so, i have never had ANY problems whatsoever doing so.

 

Considering this, i would surely recommend updating to the newest firmware if there are no complaints from other users. The worst case is you gain nothing...

Try www.photozone.de (in english) for comparable results.

 

I have recently switched to the IS version and would always recommend the IS version if you can afford it for a tele.

 

Although every review raves about the IS version, i cannot see any differences between the IS and non-IS version optically. Both are excellent.

I can only encourage you to give a xxD series camera a try. The xxxD models are great, but for me there is no going back...The 30D might not be "twice the camera" compared to the 350D, but it certainly feels like and handles that way.