stuart_carroll

Actually Mark, there is a Canon 80-200 f2.8 L lens, however its not produced anymore. Its a black lens (and thus less conspicuous), and unlike the new ones, and does not have USM focussing (though its still very fast) and cannot take TC's. However, many people believe it's sharper than the 70-200's which are available now.

It's commonly referred to as the 'Magic Drainpipe' - I have one and I tend to agree with this description - it's a truly outstanding lens.

They can be found on the used market for as little as $600 USD, though they come up fairly infrequently.

Unfortunately, I'm not keen to let mine go, but don't discount it just because its old!

Cheers, Stuart

The L308 is compact, easy & fast to use, and reliable. I have one which I use with my M3 and

have had great exposures so far (within the limits of an incident meter).

Cheers, Stuart

Heresy my arse! Its heresy that it took Apple until 2005 to produce a two button mouse.

Now finally we have one, and Mac users can right-click as much as they like (on an Apple

mouse)!

Stu

Two ways of doing it, both acheive the same thing.

First way:

Get info on the image file (.jpg .raw .tif etc) do this by going apple-I. Then under the

'Open With' section, choose Photoshop. Then hit change all. You need to do this with

each file type that you want photoshop to open.

Second way: (easier)

Right click on the image (or ctrl-click). Go to 'Open with'.. 'Other'., except before you click

other, hold down Option. The 'Open with' should change to 'Always Open with'.

Easy !

I must say, after your response about the table tripod - I've been looking at one. This thread

has serious consequences for my wallet!

Thanks for everyones help so far - I think I'll try and find a pentax digital spotmeter.. That is,

unless anyone can convince me otherwise!

Stuart

Hi all,

I'm looking at buying myself a meter. Currently I have a friends Sekonic L308 incident

meter on (permanent) loan.

I'm looking at buying a spotmeter, or combo meter (spot/incident) to replace this.

Leaning towards a combo meter.

I've narrowed down my choices to three options:

1. Sekonic L-558

2. Minolta Flash Meter VI

3. Pentax Digital Spotmeter (+keep the current sekonic).

I'm going to get into the Zone system (for which I hear the Pentax is ideal) but also am

keen on spotmeter for low-light work. I shoot with M3, M6, and Mamiya TLR. I will

occasionally use flash, but this feature is not essential on a meter at this stage.

Any user reviews, advice or caveats would be ideal.

Thanks in advance, Stuart

17-40L

Bump the ISO if you need the speed.

2.8 won't make much difference in DOF at those focal lengths

Save some $

Hi all, just bought one of these for a friend and had a couple of questions...

Firstly, when I turn the mirror lock-up knob, the mirror only slightly elevates - it doesnt

move completely up to the prism. Is this normal, or should I have a clear view of the

shutter curtains when it is locked up?

Secondly it has cloth curtains, and I can see 2 tiny pinpricks of light leaking through when

I hold the camera up to the sun.. is this likely to be a problem?

Also, my camera is missing the bottom cover where the winder mechanics attach. Anyone

got a spare cover, or a broken / beater OM1 they'd get rid of so I can patch it up?

Thanks in advance,

Stuart

Great, thanks everyone. Might have to go with a dry cabinet, sounds like an elegant solution.

Next question - if anyone is still around?!

Where do I buy one, what brands are recommended, etc. I've had a quick look on the internet but haven't found anywhere that sells them online.

thanks in advance, stu

Just wondering how everyone out there stores their lenses to protect them from fungus. I

keep mine in a set of drawers with some silica gel, but I'm just wondering how safe this is

long term. Does anyone use a dry cabinet or similar? Anyone have no fungus with no special

technique?

I'm genuinely interested in peoples replies and advice!

Cheers,stu

Can you post a photo of the bag open with your gear inside - I'd love to see it!

cheers, Stu

The above shot only had white balance correction and sharpening in PS, no other tweaking.

The colors amaze me every time I look at it!

Canon 20D - 80-200 2.8L

Leica M - 35 2.0 ASPH

If you have Tiger, you'll be surprised - it's built right into the OS!

Select your photos in the finder, right click and go to Automator. In the Library list choose

PDF, and in the Action list choose New PDF Contact Sheet... Click Run...

couldn't be simpler!

iBooks do not support dual monitors - only powerbooks do.

The monitor port on the iBook allows monitor mirroring (displaying the same image on

both screens).

There is however, a firmware hack which allows monitor spanning on an iBook, though it

may void your warranty... do a google search for "ibook monitor spanning"

the first link is:

www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html

it has a link for some software that allows you to do this, though there are disclaimers

saying it may affect your book... proceed at your own risk

Good luck

Stuart

Check out Feisol tripods (www.feisol.com or on ebay).

I just bought one the other day (the 3301 model). Its carbon fiber and very light.

Outstanding construction, solid and stable. I can't fault it so far - I was looking at manfrotto

and gitzo equivalents at two to three times the price, and the build quality is arguably the

same (maybe slightly behind). And the price? US$180 + shipping.

It comes with a bag which fits the 'pod with an attached ballhead (in my case a bogen 468rc).

In my opinion, value for money-wise, this is the best tripod on the market.

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 20D, in fact I bought one a few weeks ago. I'm

using the 17-40L lens, and looking into a fast prime also. I'm leaning towards the Canon

50 1.4.

The viewfinder is acceptable

The shutter noise is acceptable

The image quality is superb, especially at high ISOs. You can get useable shots even at

1600 after Noise Ninja in photoshop - its incredible

It feels solid and good in my hands, using it a lot more than my Leica gear recently.

PS I used to have a Nikon setup, tried the D70, thought it felt cheap and plasticky so

bought the 20D.

Hi all,

I am a recent 20D owner. I have the 17-40L which is great, but am looking for a sharp

and fast prime to have on my camera. I've been tossing up the 35 f2, 50 f1.8 and 50 f1.4.

I was wondering though, what the options are for a small, low-profile prime - preferably

in the 35-50 range. Ideally it would be faster than f2.8 . It doesn't need to have AF.

All solutions (adaptors included) are welcome. What would you use?

Basically I want a setup which will minimize the size of the outfit.

Thanks in advance,

Stu

Hi all,

Just picked up a beautiful M3 DS. It had a CLA in 2004, and one of the shutter blinds was

replaced at that stage.

In testing the shutter speeds individually (which all seem and sound accurate), I noticed

that the shutter release button sticks down on 1/1000. This prevents the film from

advancing. It is easily remedied by turning the shutter speed dial slightly to the 1/500

position - then the shutter button pops up and the camera is useable again.

Anyone here had similar problems? Any idea how easy / difficult this is to repair? I have

contacted the seller who has kindly offered to refund or repair it for me, but just wanted to

get a feel for the problem.

Thanks in advance,

Stuart