spipaw

<p>I have been going to Penn for almost thirty years and let me say that I am heartbroken. Those of you from the D.C. area know that there are more than one Penn location which meant almost no matter where you live in this area, there was a store within a short driving distance from your home. In the age of buying gear online, I still prefer buying my equipment in a real brick and mortar store, and Penn, as far as I'm concerned, was the best. Say what you want, but if I'm paying $1500.00 for a lens, I would prefer to return it in person if there was something wrong, and at Penn, they always had the utmost respect for their customers as they were pros themselves. A few times I would go into the store looking for something I saw in magazine thinking that I needed the item to expand my photographic skills, and the people at Penn would always help me figure out if I really needed the item or not. Even at the risk of losing a sale. I can't tell you how many times I would get back home and realize how grateful I was for not wasting my money on something that I didn't need. This is what kept me going back over and over again. I agree with Mike Seymour as the Rockville store was my store as well. Those guys were the best. So many times I would go in to buy something real quick to beat the traffic home, only to find myself spending at least an hour wandering through the store and talking to the people behind the counter swapping great stories of photography. You ain't getting that in an online store.</p>

<p>I have had the 70-200 L 4 IS since it came out and as an owner of several L lenses, this lens is one of the sharpest in my bag. I have had to sell many lenses to buy others, but I can say with certainty that I will never let this lens go. My site has many examples of this lens. <a href="http://spiderpaw.wordpress.com/">(link)</a></p>

<p>I agree with Michael, I also own the 35 L and to me, it is flawless. I've had it in light rain, dusty conditions and the like. It has never let me down. I will however, take a 24-70 2.8 L with IS any day.</p>

<p>On my Canon 40D I always kept my Ef 35mm L 1.4 on it as a walk around lens, but that was because it was what suited my personal needs.</p>

<p>Great restoration story and great photos. Truly inspirational. Enough to make me want to finally clean and restore my Leica III.</p>

<p>I have had tis lens twice. I really liked it. when I had it on my cropped cameras it performed very well. The first copy was one that I borrowed from a friend, but the manual focus gave out. I then bought my own copy but returned it after realizing that my 35 1.4 L served me better on my 40D. Now that I have my 5D markII, I wish I had it back. I still however, have my 50 1.8 and it serves me well even though it has a very plastic build with no full time manual focus. As far as I'm concerned, I always thought that the contrast and color were always good on the 1.4 and the sharpness was good at f/2 and smaller.</p>

<p>Mostly M. Rarely A.</p>

<p>Good luck Zvia. Please let us know how your test come out. I fear that during these heated debates with most having the best of intentions, you may have gotten lost in the fray. Besides, if you don't give us your conclusion, this thread may go on forever! Have fun.</p>

<p>I agree with J. Harrington.I have a 40D and four months ago bought a 5D markII. I like you Zavia, was concerned with the burst speed of the 5D but soon realized that being a former film shooter, if you plan you shots and are prepared, then this can be a non issue. I have kept my 40D to use as backup and to use if I really do not want to miss the height of the action. I have gotten rid of all of my S lenses(which includes the kit, 10-22, and 60mm macro) and have not looked back. As far as printing goes, I also have an Epson 3800 and usually print 13x19 with a few 16x24 from the 40D and they always come out stunning for me. I have yet to print from the 5D, but I hope to do that as soon as my schedule permits me. i am still getting used to my 5D but here are some action samples from my site with the 5D markII. Go <a href="http://spiderpaw.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/the-return-of-mr-bankz/">Here</a>.</p>

<p>As far as I know OS X doesn't have a defrag option because the system is supposed to drag on it's own, which I disagree with. I use tech tool pro and It has saved my bacon more than once. I also use Onyx which is free and it is excellent at cleaning house.</p>

<p>I have the 50mm 1.8 and I love it. I stopped using it on my 40D when I bought my Ef 35mm L 1.4<br>

I then bought a 50 1.4 and took it back too the store a week later. The reason? Simple. After buying the lens, I soon realized that I was never going to use it compared to the 35. Your 17-55 is a fantastic lens and the 50 1.8 isn't going to outperform it. Having said that I am grateful that I kept my nifty-fifty because as I have gone to full frame, this lens works well for me until I decide what lens I will buy to take it's place.</p>

<p>I concur with Dan. I have 5D markII and my 70-200 4 IS is exceptional as a portrait lens. I also have a 40D and it works well for that camera as well.</p>

<p>Tem,<br>

I have the same lens setup that you have except I also have a 35L 1.4 and I use them for my 40D.<br>

Although I can't speak for the 24-70L, I can however testify that the 35L is hands down the best purchase in a lens I have made to date. The color and sharpness are pretty outstanding, and the fact that the 35 is actually closer to a 50 on a cropped camera, it stays on my camera most of the time. Also, since the lens is actually a wide angle lens, you can get very close to your subject and then step back if need be. My portraits come out great with this lens. Plus if you like to shoot in low light like I do, you can shoot at f2 and still stay pretty sharp. The bokeh is not butter smooth like the 50 1.4 that I have, but I also don't like my bokeh that smooth. I must tell you that it was very hard for me to find one in a store, and I've heard rumours that it is also hard to find on the internet.</p>

<p>Tem,<br>

I have the same lens setup that you have except I also have a 35L 1.4 and I use them for my 40D.<br>

Although I can't speak for the 24-70L, I can however testify that the 35L is hands down the best purchase in a lens I have made to date. The color and sharpness are pretty outstanding, and the fact that the 35 is actually closer to a 50 on a cropped camera, it stays on my camera most of the time. Also, since the lens is actually a wide angle lens, you can get very close to your subject and then step back if need be. My portraits come out great with this lens. Plus if you like to shoot in low light like I do, you can shoot at f2 and still stay pretty sharp. The bokeh is not butter smooth like the 50 1.4 that I have, but I also don't like my bokeh that smooth. I must tell you that it was very hard for me to find one in a store, and I've heard rumours that it is also hard to find on the internet.</p>

<p><strong>Dave T,</strong><br>

I have a epson 3800 and it is always spot on. However, I can't stress enough on how important it is to calibrate your<br>

system from top to bottom and for that you need a hardware based system. I use Xrite and I re-calibrate once every two weeks because I work on my photos almost every night. I also print from Lightroom and I have noticed two things:<br>

1. I never use perceptual for rendering intent because when I do, I also get the same problems that you get and every thing goes south therefore I only use relative.<br>

2. I you are working with a raw file in lightroom, remember that it by default assigns it a PRO PHOTO color profile to your image and that is a color space that is way too big for most printers, so if you are using perceptual for your rendering intent this could be part of your problem.</p>

<p>Hey June, <br>

Here's my take on your photo. I have a 40D myself and I also use Nik software. While I agree that our camera's almost always give a red cast to things-ESPECIALLY SKIN!- this is easily fixable. this took me less than three minutes to do because I now have a work flow and it works about 98% of time and I still have a work around for the rest.<br>

Everyone here has done a great job of pitching in to help and to tell you the truth, between books and this site I have developed my own work flow and now I don't waste time on my software when all I want to do is shoot and print.</p>

<div></div>

<p>I Live in the Washington D.C. area and here there are no shortages of well stocked pro shops in the metro area. Having said that, I still had a hard time getting my 35L. I usually get my gear from Penn Camera as they have several stores in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. One day out of the blue, I decided to call to see if they had this lens in stock. They did. In Virginia. I however, live in Maryland and took the hour trip to the Va store to buy it. It's pricey, but then this lens to me is flawless. It's color, contrast and sharpness is is very hard to beat. It's my go to lens almost all of the time because on my 40D this lens is similar to a 50 on a full frame. When I do go full frame I will keep this lens because as far as a prime goes, this lens is an absolute beast.( aside from the 85L of course!)<br>

Do yourself a favor and try www.penncamera.com. They ship everywhere so you shouldn't have a problem getting it to where you live.<br>

I also agree with Sam there is no way that this lens should ever be tampered with by Canon this lens is just fine the way it is.</p>

<p>Angela, I agree with Sheldon. The fact of the matter is this: If you want L quality then buy an L lens. Too many times I have bought Sigma or Tamron and I always go back to just saving my money and buying the L. If you think you will be happy with another brand then buy it.</p>

<p>I own The 85 1.8 and a 35L 1.4. Both are great! The 85 has decent image quality and excellent bokeh and is great for portraits, but the 35 has great color, contrast and has an edge on the IQ. Plus the 35 is a great walkaround lens since on a crop sensor it is roughly the equivalent of a 50 on a full frame. It stays on my 40D most of the time.</p>

<p>Marc I have the same device and haved used it on all of my Macs ( G5,G4,powerbook, new Imac, and new macbook pro) and have had no probelms whatsoever. Since it has been discontinued there is no new software for this device. The last software for this device is specific to the colorometer. That is why only the last update before it was discontinued is good. Don't worry, because it still works great!</p>

<p>Hey Jeff, I have a 3800 and I use the gold fibre silk, and I love this combination. However, I unlike you do not have the profile mismatch problem so I'm thinking that even though you have a workaround, If this were me I'd be more concerned that there was a problem with the monitor profile or something else. Do Recalibrate your monitor? I do mine at least once a week because i print alot and my apple display does change a little bit on me at least every couple of weeks.</p>

<p>I own a 3800 and it is nothing short of amazing. The right paper ( I use Ilford gold fibre ), and the right settings ( Epson's own advanced black and white), and your done. I've had a chance to use most other printers before I bought mine and nothing comes even close to what I get with this printer, especially for B/W.</p>

<p>Brook,<br>

I'm sorry to say, but curves, levels, or even unsharp mask won't fix softness. if I were you I would seriously learn to shoot in either manual or AP modes. This way you could bump up your f stop at least some so you could have a better chance at sharpness. I have a 40D and I almost never use flash but usually get the results I want. Also, If you use the AP mode, that at least has exposure compensation, at least on my 40D anyway.</p>

<p>Hey Cailvin.<br>

Like you I am in the same position. I also am planning on buying the new 5D. I currently have a 40D and I love it. I have been buying only EF lenses ( I have seven ) for the same exact reason as the situation that you are in. However, I've held out on the wide angle lens decision because I thought like you, It would be a waste of money to buy one that is an EFS. Well, this chrstmas I got the10-22 EFS and i couldn't be more happy here's why:<br>

Ive been waiting for the 5D markII since I Before I bought my 30D. Back then i got suck into the 5D hype machine and I decided to wait because it was supposed to come out soon. Guess what? It diddn't. So i bought the 30D and learned the camera and it's system, bought a few lenses,took great photos, got better at post processing, and even bought a pro wide format printer (Epson 3800). Well, less than a year later canon released the 40D. I was highly upset. It had features that I really wanted in my30D and I felt cheated. It was then that I could hear the sweet and undeniable deisel hum of the 5D hype train once again coming down the tracks. Man I hopped that train like hobo trying to get to next town before it got dark. But then guess what? That train slammed to a halt and threw me right off the train. No 5D,no next town, no nothing. Once again I felt that I had gotten railroaded ( no pun intended). But then I lucked out-- someone wanted my camera (selling a used digital camera is hard these days) and since it was less than a year old, i got enough to help buy me the 40D. I continued to take great photos, bought more lenses and got even better at post processing and enjoyed my photographic life. My friends and family loved my photos. I was either winning or placing in the competitions that i had entered and really had no need for a new camera. And then it happened again. Here comes that 5D train again, but this time I wasn't buying it. Sure this time it was for real, sure this time there are actual passingers on this train waving their 5D's out the window on their way to happytown, but I realise that I'm happy wtih what I've got - A fantastic 40D that just isn't a good backup camera, but a great second camera. The point is I regret not buying the10-22 sooner because I thought that having a 5D would make me Ansel Adams. It won't. There were to many times that I was in the montains, city streets, small rooms, or at the park where the light was right, and I had all day to shoot whatever I wanted and I didn't because in my mind I told myself "wait till they see what I can do with this 5D and crazy L lens!". <br>

So If your waiting for the price to drop on the new 5D good luck. In the meantime get the10-22. It has damn near L lens quality. (and I have a few ) Personally, I am glad that I can't find the 5D at my local store because I'm worried about Canon's self admitted problems with the camera and I would rather wait until I know that these specific problems are gone. Whether it's 3 to 6 months or a year I can wait. I know the 5D is better for a variety of reasons, But I can wait to enjoy it then as much i enjoy my 40D now. There are a lot of good people here giving great advice, I know because I read these forums everyday but, in the end you need to decide whether it's worth it to miss out on getting great shots with this lens or waiting until you can afford the 5D. ( in which case you still would have to buy at least the 17-40 L as Nima mentioned ) For me it's a no-brainer.</p>

<p>Good Luck, Lionel</p>

I went to the German site, same page but no new 5D