james_frater

"The only people that know about this are nerds like us"

 

Well really that is all that need to know for now. I took my 7D to work and apart from "wow that must be one of the best one you can get" is what I got from people. Most of the public do not want DSLR, nor do they know what is good from bad, all they want a digicam they can buy for a hundred dollars or more.

 

And Sony are one of the best in selling those.

 

Sony does not have to pick up the mum and dad buyers, not yet at least. A digital SLR even today is not going to be bought by anyone wanting to just take happy snaps, unless they have money to burn or are one of those people that want to show off by holding the newest and biggest thing.

 

Someone mentioned "Bokeh" I would estimate 70% of normal SLR users do not know what that means. Many take pictures and techincally to not care about the lense and adderations, etc

 

Some take photography more serious than others, and some use SLR in full auto mode anyway, and would have been better served with a small digicam.

 

It's not hard to sell a DSLR to the masses, play some rock music, let the camera hang over the boobs over Bikini models dancing around, and bingo, you have a marketing bonanza.

Sony sales and marketing catalogues have been avertising the Alpha for a while now. I was watching the Queens club tennis tournament that happened before winbledon, and saw the Sony Aplha logo.

 

If one is expecting mainstream avertising on TV, etc. Well that may or may not happen, as I have not seen any other major maker advertise either in TV, at least not that I have seen in my country, apart from Kodak.

 

You see Sony logo everywhere. You also see Canon and Nikon.

 

Saw a story from the marketing arm of Canon some time ago. They did a survey. Most people these days when they see Canon, do not think camera's, they think printers.

 

I think Sony has played it right so far. There is still weeks to go till the official sales release. Plenty of time.

 

As for marketing expertise. Sony being one of the largest electronic sellers and camera sellers do not need another sales department to sell a digital SLR.

 

What have they done wrong so far ???

I believe end of July, which is stated on the Sony Website.

Oh, I almost always use a card reader, I find it does work faster than the camera cable. I do not think this apsect matters too much. There is usually not a big difference I have found, but with reader coming out ahead.

I have a sandisk 2gig card, an Ultra II 2gig card, and an Extreme III 2gig card.

 

Now I can tell you on my 7D that from the first to last card, the little red light on the camera vanishes faster and faster with each jump in cards that write faster.

 

And writing from camera to computer is just the same.

 

Your 5D will take advantage of the faster cards. But only if you are rolling off continuous shots at large resolution.

 

For a 5D, stick with a Sandisk Ultra II, Extreme III type speed cards. You can garantee they will work faster, than some of these lesser known cards that may not be compatible. And if bought off ebay, most likely to be fake and not very fast and reliable at all.

I would forget about it unless it happens again.

 

Camera can be funny like that (Digital)

 

I have had what appears to the the autofocus freeze on my lens, where all I get is a buzzing sound, and turn it off and everything is still on, etc, then it eventually shut off and work fine. Maybe a cold lens that has not been used for a while is what I am told.

 

Think of it as on occasion a computer crashing, hardware meeting software and the camera ROM memory just forgets to do something or you get a crap in your leg (Lens) for a moment.

 

If it is working fine now, just keep going till it happens again, and you need to take it to the doctor.

I have used this flash and had no issues. I must say that I did not mess around with it in the time I had it, but all worked well just putting it on. Your flash sounds faulty. Or your camera. Do other flashes work with your 7D.

Not sure if this maybe the answer or not.

 

On my 7D, and I am assuming the 5D as well. when you have the pop up flash and it is low light, because it does not have a infra-red beam it will fire short burst of flash in order to focus properly when required, about 4 or 5 little burst of flash.

 

Now if your camera is on 'focus release mode', it means the shutter will only fire when the camera is in focus. But in I think the other is 'shutter release mode', it means the camera will shoot when you press right down on the button whether the camera is in focus or not.

 

Sounds like your camera is in focus release mode, and in low light it uses the flash in order to focus properly before shooting.

 

If that is the case, leave it like that, should mean you will get sharp images in low light.

Ben,

 

I am no expert. I do not buy paintings or photo's based on technical ability. I always speak on whether the image looks good to me or not.

 

I gave up on giving opinions when I gave an opinion about a studio portrait that looked like the brightness and contrast levels really needed to have been corrected, you know, the one where there is a dullness, but adjust the levels and the clarity is great, and was told by the photographer as to 'what would I know.'

 

To which I replied, I simply would not want that picture to hang on my wall looking like that.

 

As I said photo critique options I think are stupid, because I read nothing more than. "Oh, I love this shot, great work."

 

I would rather hear something. "yes great shot, how about cropping here or there, how about having the light show more details here, or how about having the person do this or that"

 

Nope, it's all "Great shot, good work once again"

Oh I forgot the most important thing.

 

Photographers have to realise that critique's are usually only aimed at their image, and not a personal attack. Which I think most times they assume it is a personal attack.

 

That is unless all your images are given a negative comment, then maybe that photographer needs to takes some lessons.

"I have observed that some members give opinions about photos in a bad mannered way and they have the "cheek" of not showing any photos at his portfolio, this is uncceptable from a ethical point of view."

 

First off, RUBBISH, most critics in the modern world cannot produce works like the masters or even the amatures. Most food and art critics could not make a food dish or paint a picture to save their life, but in many cases people's careers hang on their every word.

 

So to say that you cannot give a critique unless you yourself are actually active in the photo taking business is a foolish thing to say, and in the real world will most likely get you panned by these non talented critics who are paid high amount of money for their taste buds or keen eye on what is good or bad.

 

As for critique's in this forum, I think 70% of the critique responses are rubbish, I have seen some trashy photo's that will have people responding in a manner of praise that would make me vomit.

 

The critique section I think is a waste of space, because the first time you give a negative critique (and I do not mean being rude or abusive) some photographers can get real nasty in their responses.

 

You talk about ethics, but your ethics are wrong.

 

If you put something up to be commented and critiqued then that is what will happen.

 

It is not a world of you show me yours and I will show you mine and we will all sing together and give praise.

 

After all in the real world it is the simple folk who will either want to hang your picture on the wall or not want too.

 

Really, if you want to be judged by your peers, then I suggest you create your own website, find some photographer on here you like, send them an email to your site, get them to critique your images that way.

 

As for removing images that have negative comments, well unless you have made enemies and have somone who is bagging everyone of your images, then removing the image maybe a good thing, cause it may just have been rubbish to begin with.

 

Photographers on here seem to think that only praise should be heaped upon all their images.

 

That is why I do not bother with the critique sections anymore, because some people cannot take being shot down. Which makes me wonder why the hell they put the image up for critique in the first place.

 

I suggest those people look up a dictionary and find what the meaning of the word "critique" actually stand for.

 

Turst me, it is not to heap praise and only say good things.

You know, in the past I have tried searching the forums for answers and come up with nothing.

 

For example.

 

My printer keeps printing dark colours, i.e. shadows come out as a sort of greenish colour.

 

Now I went looking for answers not only on photo.net, but also the web. Only to find either nothing or answers to what I have already tried.

 

So then I find the apporiate forum and post what is probably a constant question.

 

So you know what I say, "if you can help post an answer, or just shut the hell up."

 

People who constantly put down others for something that is not a big deal really should just get a life.

 

By the way, my printer problem is still not fixed, and even printing strait off the card to the printer Epson R210 still does it, and also to by brothers epson R320. So it is not the printer.

 

But take it to a kodak kiosk and do it and perfect. I just wonder whether printers can handle some of the colour profiles in newer camera, like Adobe RGB etc.

I cannot believe Sony is coming out with a full range of lenses and accessories, albiet rehashed KM stuff. And give us only the Aplha 100 camera and nothing more for about 1 year.

 

How stupid would that be that.

 

Do you want to know why it is stupid? A cheap Sony SLR, and a full range of lenses to be used for it and nothing else for the next year.

 

Cannot believe that will happen, or Sony deserves to fail in the DSLR market and certainly will if that is the case.

 

A 7D type of cameras with upgraded electronics and increase in pixels would be simple to do and certainly be in the semi-pro to pro market.

I think apart from the increase in mega pixels, the 7D is superior camera than the new Sony Aplha. Which I think is based more towards the lower end of the amature market, although with great features that belongs in the high end market.

 

I love my 7D also, and if the Aplha was a 7D with 10mp, then I would be thinking wow, now that is a total winner.

 

Lets hope Sony next model is a higher end camera.

Not all Lenses are compatible with the 7D, if you other lenses work well, then you know it is not the camera.

 

If you lense works well with you other SLR camera, then the lense is not compatible with the 7D. You can pay to have them re-chipped to work with the 7D. So if it is cost effective to you to have it done, check it out.

I would return it and get my money back.

Just got an email back from the seller stating that he discovered a dodgy load and sent it back to his distributer but thought he accounted for all of them. (not so it appears)

 

Well he said send it back and he will give me a proper one. So I am going to do that and really check out the replacement.

Funny thing, it is to hard to tell what is real and fake. As I said some of this stuff is being sold by sellers with 100% feedback with 200+ feedbacks.

 

I can understand some sellers may have no idea, but many are being named by other so called legit sellers that they must realize by now they are selling fake items.

 

Ebay of course in many cases is useless. Unless they can clearly see a fake, they will say you must tell the manufacturer because they do not have enough evidence to tell.

I actually bought mine for $130 Aus dollars a few months ago. Not the $49 going on ebay now.

 

I am also informed that even as high as 80% of flash memory drives on ebay are also fake brands.

 

I bought a real Sandisk Micro Cruzer from a store, and have seen my freinds ebay buy, and it does look somewhat cheap and fake.

 

It is simply getting to hard to tell these days.

No, the link I posted is for what I suspect legit cards.

 

If you look down, you will see in the details a list of other sellers with current links to their goods.

 

I know it is fake because after reading some of the fake card links I sent a couple of pics off to the Support at Sandisk who replied within a hour that my card were fake without much effort.

Looking at ebay in my country Australia. I would estimate 90% of Sandisk Ultra II & III cards are actually fake.

 

Looking at US sites, I do not see much different. Fakes all over the place.

I just found I was ripped off. The ebay seller was 100% positive and over 800 plus feedback.

 

Sandisk Ultra II 2gb. very slow in writing, half the speed of my legit Sandisk Ultra II 1gb card.

 

I have emailed the seller asking him for his solution to the fake card issue. Lets hope he gets the subtle message before I go nuclear on him.

I am in a bit of a downer right now.

 

About 2 months ago I bought a Sandisk Ultra II 2gb memory card for about 50%

off what one would normally buy in store from 'ebay'

 

Now the seller had 800+ 100% positive feedback, and was reputable.

 

So I bought it, from the get go, the card appears to write twice as slow as my

Sandisk Ultra II 1gb card I bought with my 7D, So I thought maybe larger card,

so things may be slower.

 

After looking on ebay tonight, I came across a seller who had some good deal

on another card, but he also mentioned fake cards, also listing all current

ebay sellers in my country that sell fake cards.

 

And guess what, my seller was listed that I bought from, which started to

explain alot.

 

Man, so many people have been bonked. I have written the seller and told him

that I will let him decide the best outcome for this situation.

 

So I will see what he comes up with.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SanDisk-4GB-Extreme-III-4-GB-Compact-Flash-Card-

CF_W0QQitemZ7626065808QQcategoryZ93928QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ah well, last time I buy those British Photo Magazines "Popular Photography", etc.

 

I will stick with my trusty Australian Photo magazines, especially if it's those pommy mags giving me all that false information.

 

Typical Pommies, cannot do anything right.

There are two schools of thought. One should never format an Olympus XD card because I believe it can mess up the special formatting on the card, and sometimes make the card forever useless.

 

Other than that, other cards should be fine, because many times the camera will re-format the card again to create it's directory structure, etc.

 

With CF cards, I have read from various experts that it is good to computer format the card once and a while.