carlos_miami

November 30, 2012

I find this works best with a strong strobe. I use a low ISO, expose for the flash with the aperture, and let the shutter drag until I achieve the level of fill that I want. The model has to stay relatively still, but a bit of movement won't be too much of a problem. You need a strong flash because most shoe-mount or built-in strobes won't light a large-ish subject evenly at low ISO and moderate apertures (say, f2.8 or f4)

May 13, 2009

I had the same problem with my old 5D. I think it was power-supply related. A gentle but firm tap with the palm of my hand on the side of the camera with the USB/mic connectors would temporarily fix the posterization.

May 1, 2009

Divine intervention? Are you a religious man? :) But seriously, it sounds like maybe the mode dial went from where you had set it to to another mode like "bulb" or "manual" that was set to overexpose.

May 1, 2009

Use a Nikon, Olympus, Leica, etc lens mounted with an adapter if you want manual control of the aperture while shooting video. 24fps will probably never happen because then there will be less reason for people to spend more for Canon's own line of professional HD cameras. It would be interesting to see how Canon would respond if Nikon offered 24fps on their future cameras with video, since that feature would not cannibalize any of their other products.

March 30, 2009

Adorama has two used 35Ls in stock: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cf6qu5">http://tinyurl.com/cf6qu5</a> and <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ceeoeg">http://tinyurl.com/ceeoeg</a> Personally, I'm looking for a 24/1.4L (new or used). Does anyone know if they have been discontinued as a result of the introduction of the 24/1.4LII or will another batch of the 24/1.4L be made?

January 26, 2009

I just bought a Kingston 16gb Elite 133x card for my 5D Mark II. The card works OK for still photography (I shoot 21MP RAW only) but it is useless for shooting HD video. It will let you capture about 3 seconds of video, then the video recording will stop. I have not tried shooting in the lower-resolution (less than 1080) mode. I also have a Sandisk 8gb Extreme III (30mbps). This card works fine for short videos, but if you want full compatibility then I'd recommend getting an Extreme IV or another UDMA card.

November 25, 2008

The same things happens with my old, beat up 5D from time to time. My way of fixing it is by smacking (not too hard!) the camera on the left hand side of the LCD, where the USB ports and other connectors are.

Do it while the LCD is playing back an image, so you know if it worked.

Yes, I'm serious. This really does work, at least with my 5D. It is not a permanent solution, but it will get the LCD showing images accurately again until it happens again.

November 18, 2008

Sometimes it is too dark to rely on AF when you need to take a photo quickly. In these situations, I have found that there is no substitute for focusing manually.

October 2, 2008

Hi all,

I have been hired to take close-up pictures of women's lips.

Here is a sample image the client provided me with:

<a href=" title="skyy lips shootwp_2560x1600_cherrys by miami

fever, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2907947464_07388f13ee_o.jpg" width="800"

height="500" alt="skyy lips shootwp_2560x1600_cherrys" /></a>

If the above image doesn't appear, please copy/paste this into your address bar:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2907947464_07388f13ee_o.jpg

It appears that the subject is being lit with multiple sources, possibly a mix of hard and soft lighting.

Does anyone have experience with controlling light with relatively small subjects such as these?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

September 12, 2008

The Nikon 50mm f1.2 is a good lens to own, but it is very soft wide open, especially at infinity. At nearer distances, it draws the image with a bit of perceptible sharpness but it is still very hazy.

The maximum sharpness I have seen on an SLR lens faster than f1.4 wide open is on the 58mm f1.2 Noct-Nikkor, which is razor sharp at f1.2 from about 4 feet to infinity.

September 11, 2008

Wait a few weeks to see if Zeiss announces the EF mount lenses with AF. There should be a 50mm 1.4.

The 50mm f1.0L is too much of a one-trick pony and AF is extremely slow compared to most other 50's.

In terms of sheer image quality, the winner is the Leica 50mm f1.4 ROM but it is MF only and must be modified a bit before it will mount on a 5D.

September 5, 2008

They better hurry up and release it already. I don't care if it doesn't have video. If you really want to mate

video with an SLR, just buy a $100 flipcam and mount it to your hotshoe like I did with my Lumix LX2:

<a href=" title="how to get live-view and movie-mode with a 5D :)

by miami fever, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2818896011_7878c3e8b8.jpg" width="500"

height="351" alt="how to get live-view and movie-mode with a 5D :)" /></a>

more info:

August 30, 2008

I hope the rumors are true, as my 5D is on its last leg, and I have been hesitant to buy a new 5D for $2300, which is much too close to the D700's $2700 (there's a legitimate nikon authorized dealer on ebay selling them at that price + shipping).

I don't need 21MP, but I do need ISO6400. I hope it is as clean or cleaner than the Nikon D700 at high ISO.

August 26, 2008

Yes, I would. My 5D, which I bought about two years ago, is in very rough shape and I would have liked to be able to upgrade to another FF camera, but I was hesitant about getting another 5D because I really need the dust removal system that has been available since the introduction of the XTi.

I know the replacement will come eventually, but I have been very tempted to just bite the bullet and get a D700 for an extra $700 instead of spending $2300 on obsolete technology.

But look at the bright side: we have been complaining because Canon neglected to upgrade the 5D for so long, but I believe it was due to a lack of competition. Now that theD700 is available and Sony is working on a reasonably priced FF camera, Canon will be forced to revise their FF cameras as often as the entry level and prosumer cameras (20D, 30D, 40D, 50D), so we may find ourselves complaining about the 5D replacement being updated too frequently, as has happened with those cameras.

August 24, 2008

Bob, could it be possible that most people don't shoot at such high ISO's because there had never been a camera that delivered reasonably clean images until the introduction of the D3?

Personally, one of my biggest pleasures is doing street photography at night, using nothing but available light from the headlights of passing cars, overhead street lights, city buses, even cellular phones. A smartphone with a reasonably large screen will light someone's face like a mini-softbox when they are in a dark place sending a text message.

I think that many casual photographers do not think of taking photos at extremely low light levels because their eyes are not trained to "see" the weak, nuanced ambient light that occurs at night, particularly urban areas, where will have many different sources of light in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Another reason, besides not being trained to "see" the subtle effect of available light at night, is that most people have never used the fast primes offered by Canon that start at several times the price of an entry-level consumer grade camera.

I am able to capture (sometimes barely) these images made on the fringes of handhold-ability because I use a 5D with fast glass (I use a 24/1.4L and Nikon 105mm f1.8 90% of the time), and I know that I would not even think of shooting these scenes if I had nothing but, say, a Rebel XT with a kit lens.

I've photographed a number of people at night, without flash, who were so blown away with my ability to get a clean image at that they buy their first digital SLR just so they can be able to take pictures at night with the freedom of being tied to their point-and-shoot's built-in flash. I have lost count of the number of people I have guided through the checkout process at B&H or Adorama. They always get an entry level camera (XT or XTi) with the kit lens and a 50mm f1.8, because of its optimal max aperture to price ratio.

A seasoned pro knows the difference between ISO100 and ISO1600, and the difference between a 1D, xxD, and an XSi, as well as the meaning of pixel pitch, 16-bit image processors, and so on. The average lifelong point and shoot user, probably does not. I think that a lot of people would be very excited about a "night camera", and I also think it would do Canon well to put emphasis on great high ISO performance not only in their engineering and performance goals but also in the marketing of entry-level cameras. I know that the main reason Canon gave the 50D 15MP is because of the perceived inferiority of the 40D when compared to a competitor's camera with more MP, but you can continue to increase the megapixel count only so much before you make the entry level consumer wary of upgrading (at least when it comes to point and shoot cameras) because it is hard for them to see the difference between this year's 15MP camera and their 18 month old 10MP camera.

I think it would be interesting to see how a hypothetical camera based on the XSi would sell, if it had a 6 or 8MP sensor optimized for a clean max ISO of 6400 or so, built-in AF assist light, came bundled with a lens optimized for night shooting, and was marketed as a camera you could use creatively and flexibly under low light conditions.

August 21, 2008

Hello All,

I've been thinking about getting a D700 but have not been able to find a local camera store with a demo unit so I

must ask my question here.

Unlike the D3, the D700 does not support interchangeable focusing screens, presumably because of the feature that

masks the viewfinder when using DX lenses. This concerns me because I would be using the D700 with lenses with

shallow DOF like the 58/1.2 Noct-Nikkor.

I know that the D700 has a focus confirm light that blinks according to the accuracy of focus, but does anyone

know if this work reliably with lenses faster than f2.8? Is it easy to manual focus without having to rely on the

focus-confirm light as a crutch?

I am used to manual focusing these tricky lenses on an EOS 5D with a EE-S precision focusing screen, which makes

things fairly straightforward.

August 20, 2008

I have one, but I don't really use it for serious shooting unless I'm going for a dreamy or abstract look.

I always find myself using the 24/1.4L or the 85/1.2L instead. The 24mm beats it in sheer light-gathering ability

because of the wider FOV, and beats it when shooting with slow shutter speeds, too, because you are less likely

to get blur from camera shake at 24mm.

The 85/1.2L is sharper wide open (but half a stop slower in aperture and about a third to half of a stop slower

in hand-holdability) and is easier to get "keepers" with because it is performance is more predictable (it

doesn't flare as bad as the 50/1) and it is a bit easier to see where the focus is.

Having said that, the 50/1 is still a joy to use, and I get a kick out of using challenging glass.

Here's a photo group on flickr dedicated to this lens:

August 18, 2008

My mirror came off too, in the middle of a shoot back in April.

I put it in my pocket, and reattached it by applying five small drops of super-glue on top of the five spots

behind the mirror where the original adhesive had been placed.

It's worked fine since ever since.

August 13, 2008

How about a Nikon-Mount Voigtlander 58mm f1.4 Nokton, or a Nikon 50mm f1.2 AIS? You can use these with a Nikon to EOS adapter.

I haven't used the former, but I have owned the latter and it is a very good portrait lens.

August 5, 2008

Hello,

Just wanted to post a follow-up: I was able to get the lens repaired and it is now back in perfect working order.

The repair shop who was able to do the magic trick was: Midwest Camera Repair. They were, literally, the only shop that replied with good news out of the hundred or so that I emailed asking for assistance.

Thanks to all who gave suggestions on how to get the lens back to working condition!

June 5, 2008

"The only drawback to the Nikkors on the Canon body is that they must be used in manual mode"

That is not correct, the camera will meter in Av mode.

I use a number of non-Canon lenses on my EOS 5D with great results. My $70 pro-series adapters from Fotodiox.com are of the same quality as the $200+ adapters from B&H and Adorama.

I have never had any compatibility issues with Nikon lenses on the 5D, but I have had a Zeiss and an Olympus lens hit the mirror from time to time.

It should be a smooth transition from the D70 to 5D. I did the same move, with a few steps in between: D70 -> D200 -> Kodak SLR/n -> EOS 5D

The 5D is by far the most flexible camera and produces the nicest files.

Good luck!

May 25, 2008

Thanks for all the information, Mark and Bob!

I've emailed a number of Canon repair centers with a description the lens' symptoms and am hoping to hear back from one that can be of assistance.

This is so frustrating! I can live with a dying AF motor making my lens MF only, but to have a lens in good condition rendered completely useless is just such a waste. I can't believe that Canon would stop making updates to these ultra-rare and ultra-expensive lenses. Several forumners at SportsShooter have made references to photographers with pristine MK1 300/2.8's and 400/2.8's "sitting in the closet" because their USM motor wore out.

It seems unbelievable that a company as large as Canon does not have the resources or is unwilling to maintain production of parts for their flagship EF lenses, a big part of their heritage, in effect leaving their clients out in the dark. I can understand parts not being available for easily replaceable EF lenses or FD lenses and film cameras, but EF is the dominant digital camera lens mount. It is relevant today and will be for a while until Canon kills it like they did with FD. I'd even forgive them for not having a replacement element for one of the old super telephotos. But to discontinue production of a wear and tear item that can leave the lens inoperative without warning and cannot be substituted by third party suppliers is something else.

I love Canon and have enthusiastically recommended their equipment to everyone who asks me for advice. But I just lost a lot of goodwill, and have been reduced from a blindly-loyal customer to one that buys their equipment only when there is no other choice.

Anyway, I should begin receiving responses from repair centers next week, after the long weekend. I will pass on any information I receive about this issue.

Thanks again for the very useful information and for hosting and moderating this great forum!

May 25, 2008

I'm having the same problem with my Noct-Nikkor/5D combo.

The lens was a breeze to focus accurately, until my shutter died and I sent the camera to Canon for repair.

Canon replaced the shutter and mirror box assembly, and when I got the camera back, the Noct-Nikkor had severe backfocus while all my other manual focus lenses (nikon 35/1.4, 105/1.8, 105/2.5, etc.) worked fine.

I too would like info on this subject so I can have my camera adjusted to the way it was before.

May 23, 2008

Hello all,

I have a bit of a dilemma. My 200mm f1.8L has lost its ability to focus,

automatically or manually.

I sent it to the Canon service center in NJ but it was returned to me unrepaired

because "the service life has expired and parts may no longer be available".

They were kind enough to provide me with a list of telephone numbers to US Canon

Authorized service centers that may still have parts, but it looks like most of

them source their parts from, you guessed it, the Canon service centers that I

had originally sent the lens to.

I'd hate for my sharpest lens to be reduced to a mere paperweight.

Does anyone know of a service center with parts for this model?

Thanks in advance!

-Carlos

April 29, 2008

Yes, it is very fun to do selective focus with a tilt-shift lens.

Here are some pictures I've taken with a Nikon 85mm f2.8 PC on my Canon 5D:

You can click the above images to see them in higher resolution.

Here are more pictures taken with the Nikon 85mm on the 5D:

Most were taken at or around f2.8 and at full tilt.

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