adamlozo

I got my G9 yesterday. I was under the impression that it would accept multiple kinds of memory chips - and didn't purchase new ones thinking my 20D chips would work. The chip with the camera can fit only 1 raw image. Currently shooting Jpeg. My shots from last night were surprisingly good, although noisier then the 20D.

 

This is my first camera with a live histogram. This is a very cool feature that is really helpful when trying to expose to the right.

I would bring along that zoom lens and do some bird shooting. The wildlife on the Cape and Vineyard is astounding. On the cape the best place for nature photography is between Orleans and Provincetown. Coast Guard beach in Eastham is excellent for sunset portraits. In the morning at low tide go to the bay side of Eastham to the beach closest to Orleans. Turn to the left once you get on the beach and head into the water. The tide goes out enough for you to walk about a mile or so in waist deep water in the marshes. You'll be amazed at what is out there.

I had the problem with my 20D. I traced the source back to either the battery grip or the quantum battery pack that charged my flash unit. I've never had this problem when these two devices were not attached to the camera.

You'll find both Lightroom and Aperture to be slow on an 'older' machine. To work properly, you should have a dual core CPU with a fast processor and video card. Ram... it really depends on where you keep your images. If you have a large external drive it will have a much slower response than a quick 72GB drive, regardless of how much ram you stuff into your machine.

 

I test drove both applications and purchased Lightroom. While both still have a way to go, Lightroom is a modular database that soon will open it's hood to other software vendors like DXO Optics. In the long run this platform is superior to Aperture.

I'm starting to wonder if Canon released this 1.2L lens in anticipation of their

new cameras with much lower noise in the high ISO range.

 

The prior threads on this subject concluded that the 1.2 was overpriced relative

to the 1.8 and therefore didn't provide a compelling reason to purchase.

 

If one was to purchase the new camera and this lens as a combo - I hear 2 stops

for the camera plus one for the lens - does this now justify the existence of

this lens?

I recommend trying Adobe's Lightroom while it's still a free beta download. The Mac version has been around a bit longer and has more features and is a bit speedier. I like this much more than Aperture.

You should hold off on that upgrade and purchase lightroom once it's released. I've been working with both the bridge and the beta version of lightroom and find lightroom to be superior. I wonder if given this new product that many would find it benefical to upgrade to CS2 from CS. I've decided that CS suits my needs for now.

 

However, I'm becoming interested in DXO optics as a third alternative.

I had the same problem when I started to use my 20D and 24-70 lens. I've since attributed it to user error and am now getting nice sharp images.

 

The first thing I did was to use a tripod. I found that I tended to press to hard on the shutter and was introducing shake to the images. The second thing I learned was that just because the lens is capable of a 2.8 aperture setting that one shouldn't use that for close up headshots.

 

My sharpness increased substantially when I realized that the DOF is increased when you stand furter away from your subject. I take my close up portrait shots at an f8-11.

 

There is plenty to learn that's not in the instruction manual.

David, you need to remember that Photoshop began as a graphic artist program. Different size images can be merged together to form a new composite. If I had a large scene and wanted to paste a small person in that scene it's likely that I'll resize the image (canvas) and bring in the smaller sized file.

 

Layers allow for non-destructive editing. If I make a mistake or decide down the road that a certain tasks no longer looked 'right' layers allow you to readjust on the fly.

 

There are plenty of on-line resources and books about photoshop. It really is an amazing program.

I'm trying to control the camera through the computer. I believe that I can trigger the shutter from the computer and have the image appear on both the computer screen and the camera LCD. I feel that I'll learn faster without having to recall the settings hours or days later and that I'll end up with more quality images in that I would make adjustments based on what I'm viewing on the larger screen.

 

I was told that there is a setting in camera that I need to change in order for the connection to not read the card but read the camera. I'll look into this tonight and respond back with my findings.

I've been trying to attach my 20D to my computers. I have both a Mac and a PC

and have downloaded all of the Canon software as I understand that it's supposed

to offer this functionality.

 

On both systems, the software either didn't recognize my camera or it refused to

launch.

 

I'm not sure this would really improve my photography skills - my thought is

that if I can get immediate feedback that I'd be better able to understand what

I'm doing right/wrong. I'd like to start with a low cost solution to see if

there really is any benefit before moving to an expensive solution.

 

Any ideas for me? Canon isn't being very helpful and their download section is

just awful.

I used one for about a week and then switched to the omnibounce. There isn't any recognizable difference in output. This Lastolite is to bulky and requires you to velcro it to you flash unit.

I'd choose the 24-70 f2.8 L and the 70-200 f2.8 IS L. Third lens would be the EF-s 10-22 but that wouldn't work with your 5D upgrade.

I find that my 20D/580ex combination underexposes more than it correctly exposes. I've been getting much more consistent results when I dial in exposure compensation. I've still got a long way to go as the camera metering still throws off the exposure. No one mentioned the obvious yet...shoot raw!

You can get a used Canon 10D. The focus is on the lens, and most all have the ability for manual and auto. If you have extra $, the 20D is real nice.

A capital asset has value. All of the items you list above can be considered capital assets and therefore have depreciable lives.

 

The person who said that you should find a good accountant is correct, but much of what you need to do can be accomplished without an accountant.

 

Expense item vs. Capital item: GAAP rules allow for you to decide what to expense vs. depreciate. The only rule is that you need to be consistent over time. Small items like the memory cards may be better expensed than capitalized as the work required to track vs. the benefit of depreciation is usually not significant enough to justify the effort. Larger items most certainly are worth the effort. Many companies choose a value - say anything under $1000 is treated as an expense, anything over is capital. (You may want to choose $300, the important thing is to stay consistent).

 

As to a 5 year life for depreciation, this too is a variable. Again, remaining consistent is important. Assets can be classified into groups and each group assigned a different depreciation schedule. For example, office furniture is often depreciated over 7 years because it has a long useful life and computer equipment is often depreciated over 3 years as it's often obsolete by that time. You really want to match the useful life to the depreciation schedule.

 

Your choice of a depreciation schedule should also take into consideration your cash flow and profit/loss. This is why it's best to get the advice of an accountant. If you're making bucket loads of money and have huge profits, then you may want to accellerate your depreciation to show lower earnings and pay less tax. If you're just breaking even, then there is little incentive to show additional expenses, justifying a longer depreciation schedule.

 

Changing depreciation schedules mid-stream is a big no-no. Once you pick a method, you must stick to it in good and bad years otherwise the tax man will hit you up for penalties.

I dialed in the exposure compensation on the camera body, not on the flash unit.

 

I was unaware that setting a camera metering mode would affect the results when using manual mode. I did have the flash unit set to TTL

Yes, manual mode. I've found that I get the most consistent results using manual with flash. I did a walk around the facilities with my meter and noticed little/no difference. Indoors at a Holiday Inn. No windows, tight quarters too.

 

I doubt I'll take another job like this in the future. Trying to find an 'acceptable' background was almost impossible. I was once told that all 'halls' (VFW, ELKS, etc) = 'hells'. I've just added low & medium end hotels to the list.

I just got a chance to review my images from an all indoor artifical

light wedding. I had a difuser over the flash and increased my

exposure compensation by +1. All shots were taken between 1/30 and

1/125 and F4-5.6. I also use a quantum battery pack for quick recycling.

 

Many of the images had the exact same settings, yet the exposures

varied by at least a half stop. My first concern is having had to

dial in so much compensation - I feel that my 20D underexposes with

the flash. My second concern is the variable output.

 

I know about light fall off, that wasn't the issue.

 

Could I have a dud of a camera? What can I do to become more consistent?

I'm curious about what you mean by eye controlled.

 

On my 20D I can change a parameter that allows me to use the quick dial to select one of the autofocus points instead of letting the camera choose. Is this what you mean? I'll be my 20D against your 5D that you have the same feature.

How are these two applications progressing? When Aperture was first

released it was panned by the photographic community with the major

reason being that the raw conversion produced marginal results. Apple

released a fix/upgrade but I've heard no feedback on the quality of

this fix.

 

Also, with Adobe feverently working on Lightroom, now in a beta2

release I wanted to get a sense of how well these two applications

stack up against each other.

 

If you're in the know, let us in.

I've got a lot of different gear that I bring with me to a wedding shoot. I try very hard to

keep it safe and secure, keeping as much as possible locked up in the trunk of my car until

needed. I'm not only concerned about the possibility of someone stealing the gear, but

also of breaking it myself.

 

I find that I have to carry around a fair amount of gear to be ready for quickly changing

conditions. Camera, bracket, flash, flash battery pack, extra lens in a case, fanny bag w/

batteries, memory cards, car keys, etcﾅand if possible a tripod. I feel that there is a

better way to keep everything accessible and protected while at the same time allowing me

the freedom to move around quickly. I'm envisioning a James Bond utility jacket sort of

thing and am would like you to share your secrets of how you carry your gear.

 

I currently carry my camera around my neck with the bracket and flash attached. It's a

heavy bear and requires a fair amount of strength to carry for 8 hours. It's on a nice neck

strap that I've found to be a critical piece of gear. I have a second strap to hold the flash

battery pack, also around my neck. The second lens is in another case, also with a strap

around my neck. Add to that a fanny pack and suit coat. Yikes, I'm hideous.

Thanks for the info! It works when pressing the focus button and using the front dial button together. Adam

Wow! I ask for 50% to hold the date and the other 50% the day OF the wedding. I refuse to chase money. My contract says they forfeit the deposit if they cancel, and I return the $ if I cancel.

 

If you're only asking for $100 you'll be walked all over. My first reaction was to say to return the money as bad word spreads quickly and could ruin your business....but folks who pay this little usually are not the best source of referrals. Who hires and cancels in 3 weeks? Sounds like she kept fishing for a photographer and you're her backup.

 

It's partly your fault for making it so easy to secure a date with only a $100 retainer. Keep the cash until she puts up a real loud stink, chances are she will quietly go away. And keep the correspondance that says that she is canceling the date.

I'm slowly improving my photography skills and have found myself

shooting in manual mode. I have a problem with the camera dials in

this mode and wonder if it's me or a limitation of the camera.

 

As you know, there is a speed dial on the back, a small 'focus' dial

on the back, and a rolling dial in front of the shutter release.

 

I want to be able to use the speed dial to select the autofocus point.

When I change the parameter that enables the speed dial to do this, I

lose the ability to change both the shutter speed and aperture. It

enables me to change one or the other, but not both. Is there a

workaround that I'm unaware of?