jmf

Another vote for the op/tech's. I've got one for my rb67 body. Spreads the load nicely.

Part of the problem is that the 20D's USB interface is not umass (usb mass storage). I believe it shows up as ugen (USB Generic device). Most of the USB OTG devices (those that mimic your PC) expect umass. Otherwise they have to be "aware" of a specific interface. I assume they did that so they could implement the remote control software for the 20D over the USB line.

 

I just bought one of those "data tanks". laptop harddrive/multi slot flash card reader and USB 2.0 connect. 40 gig for the cost of two 1 gig cards.

I've used both. More GIMP time.

 

I'll try and keep it short. From a basic functionality standpoint there is about a 80% overlap. GIMP has scripting language support, and it's own version of "plugins". Healing tool doesn't exist, but it does have a clone tool. No 16 bit support (not that PSCS2 is 100% 16bit clean). It's not going to be able to use the wide, wide world of PS plugins. It has a native format (xcf) that it can store images in if you need to save things like layers or change history. Both GIMP and PSCS2 like lots of memory. I can't say I've found PSCS2 to be that much faster, but YMMV.

 

I routinely use photoshop books and web articles to pick up techniques to use in GIMP.

 

That being said, for the occasional image tweaker, GIMP is a powerful tool that will allow you to learn digital image manipulation. There's always ufraw for raw processing.

I think it's a great lens on a 20D. Reasonably sharp wide open. I like it for picking faces out of backgrounds where you want a fairly shallow DoF. It's not really long enough for wildlife (unless you have deer in your back yard like I do) or field sports. I'm pretty happy with mine.

All the RB series lenses were coated. In the case of the Non-C type, not all the elements were multicoated. The main diff is that the Non-C type tended to be lower contrast in brighter scenes.

I did just buy the 20d, BUT...

1. I got in on the fall rebate which ended up knocking $200 off the body

2. I was moving from med fmt film, and didn't have an existing dslr or lens system.

 

If I wasn't getting the rebate, I would of waited till post PMA to either pick up the 20d at a reduced price or it's follow-on which will probably be at the $1500 price point.

 

Unless the 300d is absolutly NOT doing something you need it to, good lenses will be your 2nd best investment.

 

Have you thought of upgrading the wetware? Week long photo workshops (not the photo vacation ones) can be a great idea.

another vote for the 50mm 1.8. It may feel cheap, but it's a great value. I also like the 85mm 1.8 a lot too.

Sharpness and to a lesser extent light gathering. Primes will almost always be better at both, and the 5D is notorious (being full frame) for revealing the least little lens flaws.

I think you've run into the double exposure interlock. It didn't exist on the Pro's, only the Pro-S and SD

everyone seems to rave about the 17-40. I've stopped it down to f/8, had it at both ends, near and at infinity, center or edge, manual or autofocus, and I've yet to pull what I'd call a sharp image out of it. Either you've never used a prime, or I've go a bad copy. I'm pulling a copy of Imatest down this weekend to see whats up.

17-40 F/4 ($680) is not as sharp as the 50mm F/1.8 ($80). I have both on a 20D. 20mm F/2.8 is $420, but I don't know from personal experience how sharp it is.

 

Y.D.T.M.

I know this is probably heresy, but have you considered medium format? Maybe not the best for low light situations, yet you could set your self up with a non-hasselblad (say mamiya, pentax or rollie) system including lenses for about 1/3rd the cost of a new 20d body and decent glass. You will see a difference @ 8x10, but the real improvements will be with larger prints. The larger negs also will let you tolerate higher ISO films with larger grain/clumps.

 

It's a bit of commitment though. You just need to decide if you're up to it.

 

OTOH, if you never go beyond 8x10, the difference between a 20D and 645 format is probably a no op. A good eye might catch the diff between a 20D and 6x7 or 6x9 at that print size.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/Images/lastolite/folding.gif

 

There's another animated gif out there that show someone folding one of big ones, but google is not being my friend today. It's on one of the distributer's websites.

this may also help: Hold the reflector in "portrait" mode so you're looking down the long direction and the short edge is against your body. stick the opposite short side into where a wall and floor meet. Fold the edge by your body toward the edge thats stuck into the wall/floor. this will form two hoops that you fold in on each other. It's tough to describe that last part, but the previously mentioned site helps. In the end, you should have what seems like 3 folded hoops forming a circle that you can get back in that bag.

I've got a Norman pack that hums too. Seems to be tied to the modeling light dimmer.

Well, as I said, I already have the 622. I suppose the assist beam might be handy in very low light on the 20D. I was hoping the Canon module might feed exposure info back to the flash, rather than using the "eye" on the flash head.

dpreview suffers from that too. They're called "sticky" topics, and they're very handy for FAQ's and other common topics. But, as Bob said, this forum s/w doesn't seem to have that feature. In fact, this forum style seems pretty unique.

No question there's serious MU work being done. If I didn't put difusion on my rb67 127 or 180 lenses, you'd get medical grade skin detail along those lines. The kind that mere mortals never want to see. I think he's skimming the skin at a steep angle with a very narrow honeycomb or narrow light source. Or it could just be PS magic.

Well, you could try KEH in Atlanta or even B&H. No reseller is going to give you anywhere near what it's worth. Figure 50-60% of what the going price is. Consignment will probably net you more, but no cash till it sells.

Anyone using the Sunpak 622 with the Canon AF module? How well does

it work?

 

I picked up one of these beasts in a trade, and I've just been using

it in manual or basic Auto mode with the onboard light sensor.

There's an EOS specific module thats supposed to do TTL metering via

the camera, but the module and cable are a tad spendy for an experiment.

 

thanks

"Grainy" in digital cameras is usually the result of underexposure or having your ISO speed cranked too high. What did you base your exposure on? Handheld meter? Camera Histogram? Could you post an example with exif data?

No, but I do have their smaller one. Yuck. It's taken months for the smell of vinyl to wear off. The seams have started to open, one of the ribs poked through a pocket (and I leave it up all the time). The reflective lining is sort of heat fused to the vinyl fabric exterior and WILL delaminate if it gets too warm.

 

Universal speed rings aren't. They barely hold smaller boxes, and I can't imagine they'd hold larger ones. Worse, your Novatron heads aren't really designed for soft boxes because of the integral reflector. What will probably work better for you is one of the modified umbrella designs like the Photek Softliter II. I know they come in 60". I found out the hard way that size matters. Another issue is I don't think the heads you use have any sort of fan cooling, so you'll need to be carefull how long you run your modeling lights, and maybe keep a flap open.

I'd call photo-control (www.photo-control.com) for repair and parts info. You could also contact Flash Clinic in NYC (www.flashclinic.com).

 

Contact the ebay seller, Lights64 for tubes and modeling lights.

 

Sorry, can't provide any reliability data.

I mean no disrespect, but I just gotta ask. Why would you buy a $3700 (US) lens and and spend more money to kludge it onto a different body (one no longer even being made) than it would cost to buy the right body new?

I should also add that for the kind of money you're talking about, you could get an arca-swiss 6x9 rail camera setup with REAL perspective correction