stevepamp

<p>I love the ST-E2 and use it all the time -- but one thing to consider is that in my experience both the ST-E2 and 550ex are close to useless as wireless triggers outdoors except at very close range and out of direct sunlight. They work great indoors but if you do a lot of outdoor shooting I would recommend a radio trigger.</p>

<p>I tried 3 Sigma 50mm / 1.4's about 6 months ago and all of them front-focused by somewhere between .5 and 1 inches on my 5D. I really really really wanted that lens but after 3 strikes I gave up and stuck with the Canon 1.8 version. If I were going to try again I would find an actual physical store that sold the lens and try it in the store before I bought.</p>

<p>Personally I've never used anything other than "M". For me, it's way easier to a) know what the camera will do in any situation and b) know what the finished photo will look like. Call me anal, but I don't like giving up creative control to a computer. I never know what the camera's going to pick in any situation so I'd just as soon do it myself.</p>

<p>I spent 3 weeks in Nepal last year, trekking to Everest & points thereabouts. I took a 5D with 17-40 and 24-105, plus the plastic 50/1.8. That was a great lightweight combo for me on that trip, but sacrificed a bit on the telephoto end. With a 50D, for my style of photography, I'd take a superwide like the 10-22 and pair it with something in the wide-short telephoto range like the 24-70 or 24-105. The old 28-105 is a pretty decent lens and small and lightweight. The 50/1.8 comes along regardless since it doesn't weight anything...</p>

<p>I have run DPP and the rest of the Canon bundle on my HP Mini without issues. One bit of advice - Netbooks as a rule have lower powered processors than standard notebooks. It is unworkably slow to perform anything but the most basic editing on these machines. At least it is on mine.</p>

<p>I have used one of the older Hyperdrive units (HD-80) for years with great success. It's battery life is outstanding and I can't imagine the newer ones are worse. I have used it on trips to the developing world where battery charging isn't always an option and good high-capacity rechargables lasted for weeks of downloads.<br>

For trips where I will be in civilization and have the option to plug in I've started taking along a Netbook (HP Mini) and card reader since it offers net access and other "regular" computer functions in addition to backup capacity for about the same price.</p>

<p>I went to Tanzania (Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti) in 2007 and we had no trouble seeing and photographing the "big 5". I'd recommend it</p>

<p>Like many above, I have the 17-40, 24-105 and 70-200 and use all of them on a 5D. Overlap has never really been a concern. All 3 are relatively small and light and make a good travel kit I think.</p>

<p>I use Capture1. The newest version has a couple of quirks but I think it does an outstanding job. DPP is ok but the workflow isn't very intuitive I think.</p>

<p>Garden of the Gods is great - must see. You might also consider driving up to Cripple Creek & Victor and down through Phantom Canyon - quite scenic. Also close to Manitou is Mueller state park (http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/Mueller/) - also quite scenic. RMNP will be probably a 3 hour drive North from Colorado Springs - worth it if you have the time.</p>

<p>I'm not sure about July, but I went a couple of years ago in February which I believe is between the wet and dry seasons. We had some rain but not too bad. The Serengeti was very green and lush. I think July is around the start of the wildebeest migration, but not positive. Do a google search for "serengeti july" and you'll se a number of hits that might be helpful.</p>

<p>You'll need every bit of reach you can get. I took the 100-400 with me to Tanzania a couple of years ago on a 20D and for the most part it was enough. I think topping out at 200mm would be too short in many situations. Many times we were able to get quite close to the animals, but not always. As for IQ, in my experience the 100-400 delivers fine quality - I've printed the photos I took on safari up to 12 x 18 and the detail is quite impressive. Also in my experience, the 100-400 doesn't cause any more sensor dust than any other lens. </p>

<p>I echo the folks who give these guys positive reviews. Their grading system is excellent, and the stuff I've bought from them has generally been in better condition than I expected.</p>

<p>It's a tube of air. Kenko's air is just as good as Canon's air IMHO. I don't do a ton of macro work but Kenko's tubes have always worked just fine for me.</p>

<p>So sorry to hear of your loss. My wife and I lost our beloved Rottweiler and Shetland Sheepdog within 3 months of each other last year. They will be sorely missed.</p>

<p >"A dog is the only thing on this earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -- Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw)</p>

 

<p>Ben I just ran a test with the 580EX on the 5D's hotshoe in bounce position set to Master. 430EX off camera set to slave. Both flashes in ETTL mode. Both flashes fired as expected.</p>

<p>Hi Ben, since my tests were with both the master and slave in Manual, there would be no preflash since ETTL is not in use. In my (manual) test both fired. I'll try and set up another ETTL-based test later today if I have time and let you know the results.</p>

<p>Forgot to clarify I am using both strobes in Manual, not ETTL mode.... Sorry</p>

<p>I just ran a test with the 580EX in the 5D's hotshoe in bounce position and it successfully triggered a 430EX.</p>

<p>I live in Denver and the above suggestions are good ones. Roxborough park is beautiful, but be advised the gates typically don't open until 8, long after sunrise. Occasionally they open them early for photographers, but you would need to call and see. In April, you can't drive the Mt. Evans road; it doesn't open until after the snow is cleared in late May. Echo Lake is at the base of the Mt. Evans road though and is quite scenic. RMNP is at the edge of your 90 minute limit, but is well worth the drive at any time of year. Also at the limit is South Park over Kenosha pass, but might be worth the drive. <br>

Downtown Denver on the 16th street mall is a great place to people watch and for street photography. It runs generally north/south so buildings on the west side will block direct light at dusk.<br>

Feel free to contact me at the email address I have listed on my profile page if you would like any additional information.</p>

<p>I highly recommend the Hyperdrive. I use the older HD-80 and couldn't be more satisfied. It's been around the world with me, uses rechargable AA batteries, transfers 2g in like 2 minutes, and can transfer something like 12 - 16 gb on a single charge. Plus you can use regular AA's in a pinch. I would imagine their new products are superior as well.</p>

"...st-e2 can not be used in manual mode" this is not true - it's been a while since I've used mine (moved to cybersyncs) but it can trigger Canon strobes in Manual Mode. I've done it before many times. Can't remember exactly how but it's described in the manual.

I have never had much success with the ST-E2 outdoors, which is why I moved to cybersyncs. Within 3 feet you can probably make it work, assuming the strobe has line of sight to the ST-E2 unit.

I Highly recommend the CyberSynch. Small, Cheap, great battery life and very reliable if all you want is a good manual trigger for small strobes.

I've printed shots taken with this lens up to 12x18 and they look fine so you should have no problem going up to 8x10. You'll need to stop it down to f8 or f11 for best results.