arthur_reyes1

Bill, thanks for that little test.

I'm going to go home and try it on my 100 2.8 USM macro. I can't tell if the front element is touching my polarizer when I put it on.

-Art

I'd say go for the EOS30. If you plan in jumping in deeper into photography, as your post states, I think the extra features on the body are well worth it.

Ben

Your idea is not far fetched. My father-in-law tried the same thing, putting two canon flashes on a stroboframe. The idea seemed good, but the whole contraption was quite heavy and very ackward to handle (very unbalanced)when I tried holding it. It looked like he was carrying around a rack of deer antlers. I never saw the results from photos taken with the contraption, so I can't comment on the quality of the pics. But similar to what NK Guy has said, the contraption is rather ackward. But don't let us stop you from trying. -Art

Hi folks.

Sorry for a late reply to something that was posted on the 4th. But I'm just now getting back to checking the discussion forum after the weekend. Enjoyed reading the responses to this question. But if I may add my two cents. Here's my opinion as to why I think film will not be going away anytime soon. One word. "Costco".

Have you seen all cases and cases and cases of Kodak film they sell. Someone is buying it and its obvious that Kodak (Costco)is still willing to sell it. I still love film and I'm not ready to jump to digital. Funny story from the weekend. My father in law (film user as well) was taking a picture of a group of kids we were with. Their parents are digital folks. After my father in law took the picture, all the kids said, "Can I see, can I see!" You should have seen their look of disapointment when they were told it was not a digital camera and it was still a "old fashion" camera. Classis look! Too bad I didn't have my "old fashion" camera with me to take the shot.

Hello Matthew

I had a similar problem. I have a thin filter for my 20-35 3.5/4.5 and the canon

lens cap won't fit.

I went to a camera store that has a box full of old/used lens caps for sale hella

cheap. I found a soft, push on type lens cap and that solved my problem. I

couldn't find one that fit perfectly, so I had to put some tape on the inside rim of

the cap to make a snugger fit.

-Art

I finally got my new lens (100mm 2.8 USM Macro) and I'm reading the

instruction manual for it. A few questions that have come up and

have confused me. So your help is much appreciated. Keep in mind

this is my first venture into macro photography.

The instructions manual states:

"The aperture displayed on the camera assumes that the focus is set

to infinity. The actual aperture (effective f-number) becomes darker

(effective f-number increases) at closer focusing distances

(magnification increases). This does not cause exposure problems for

normal picture taking. However, for closeup photography, you cannot

ignore the change in effective f-number." Then there's a table that

has exposure correction factors. My question; Why do I have increase

my exposure by 1/2 to 2 stops (according to the table) when doing

macro photography. Granted I would probably bracket my exposures

anyway, but why the correction factor?

 

Also, the manual says: "If your eye will not be covering the eyepiece

when the picture is taken (with remote operation), use the eyepiece

shutter or eyepiece cover. This prevents stray light from entering

the eyepiece and throwing off the proper exposure" What does that

mean? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the mirror flip up when

the picture is taken. Does this mean for other pictures I've taken

in the past with long exposures, that I'm screwing up the exposure by

using my remote cable and not having my eye up to the eyepiece, or

even covered up?

 

Your comments are most welcome. Thanks -Art

Woohoo...Today is a good day.

The lens just came in today.

I'm so excited, that I just had to let folks know!

Hmmm...Maybe I should leave work early to go take some pics.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Well, I finally did it. I bought the 100mm 2.8 USM macro and can't

wait until it arrives. Although, I didn't buy the hood because B&H

didn't have it in stock. I also plan on using my tiny 220ex flash

since it is the only flash I have at the moment. So I was wondering.

If I eventually get the dedicated hood for this lens, will the length

of the lens plus the hood be too long that I'll get some shadow

effect when I use my 220ex flash. Or does the flash sit high enough

that it shouldn't be a problem. Does anyone have this same setup and

can offer any comments/suggestions. Comments are welcome even if you

don't have the same setup. Oh yeah, my camera is an Elan IIe. Thanks

for your comments! -Art

Jim.

I have the same lens and was thinking about trying some macro work with it too, but was unsure as to how to go about it with that lens. So now I think I'll give that close-up lens a try. I'm still saving up for the 100mm macro. Do you have any tips/suggestions as to your set-up. Thanks -Art

Forgot one more thing. I usually will get double prints and give the second set to the bride and groom. Makes for a great additional gift and they get to see all the fun folks were having at their wedding.

I say the 100-300. At weddings, this is probably the lens I use most at weddings. I like to take pics of guests interacting with each other so I mostly try to take photos of people from their waist up, or even close headshots. I found that when I tried to do this with my 28-105, I had to get close to the people and this made them uncomfortable. With the 100-300, I can stand further back and not be "in your face". Through experience I found that the people seem to relax more when they know the photographer is further back, and I've gotten better pictures. As for film, I use 400 speed film and that seems to work great. Also, you said you only want to take one lens. But, consider taking the 50 1.8. It'll give you wider shots compared to the 100-300, its fast and its light enough to stick in your pocket. Have fun at the wedding.

Good... I feel better. I guess there are folks out there that have the 100-300 4.5/5.6, and like it. I think IS would be a nice feature to have, but usually when I'm using my 100-300, I probably only wish I had the IS for maybe a few shots on a roll. I've gotten quite good at bracing myself against something to get steady enough to take a shot since I don't have IS. So for now, I'm sticking to my 100-300. Its a keeper!

Hello folks.

This is not one of those which lens should I buy questions, since I

have the 100-3004.5/5.6. Great lens for the $$ in my opinion. I love

mine! Auto focus is fast and image quality for me is great for what

I need it to be. But I was wondering since I kind have noticed

somewhat of a trend. Whenever someone asks for advice for which lens

to buy in this focal length zoom range, a lot of folks tend to

suggest the 75-300. Either the IS or non-IS version. Very rarely do I

see suggestions for the 100-3004.5/5.6. Every now and then I'll see

the suggestion for the 100-300L. Do most folks not have the 100-

3004.5/5.6 lens? Do they think its somewhat crappy and my standards

of quality are just that bad? (I hope not!). Or is IS really THAT

great. I've noticed that folks tend to think the image quality at the

long end of the 75-300 lenses are so-so, yet its seems they still

suggest buying the lens. I know there's a 100-400IS, which I can't

afford. So why doesn't Canon have a 100-300IS? Anyway...just my

thoughts? What do you think? Am I completely off base or what? I

look forward to your responses. -Art

Option B.

I have the same setup and love it. For the $$$, both are excellent lenses. I can't afford the L lenses, so my only options are the "consumer" priced lenses. In terms of optical quality, I think they're as excellent as I need them to be. Most of my pictures are 4x6 and end up in photo albums. Every now and then I'll enlarge to 5x7 and very rarely to 8x10. Even then, I think the lenses still give great results. I'd have to agree with the previous responder. Zooms are all about comprise. So I'd tend to stay away from the zooms with the all in one focal range (28-300). You're compromising optical quality for flexability. Like Melissa, I'll swear by the ease of zooms. You just gotta pick the right ones and I think the 28-105 and 100-300 are great choices. Enjoy!!!

Jerry,

Don't let the 77mm filter diameter of the 20-35 lens turn you away. For the money, its a great wide angle zoom lens that offers great flexability for a wide angle zoom. If you want to buy a filter for it, its relatively cheap compared to the lens. If you do buy one, consider buying the thin edge ones. Have fun!!!

In my opinion, two great traveling lenses are the 28-105 (the older version) and the 100-300 (both with USM). I have both, since I too can't afford L lenses. I think the 100-300 is a fine lens. Is it reasonably sharp? Well for I need it for, I think its sharp enough through the full range of 100-300. 99% of my pics end up being printed 4x6" and put in an album, so that's what I mean by sharp enough for me. Autofocus is fast and quiet. And the lens is fairly light weight.

Ditto on the Elan II/IIe. I have the IIe. I love mine! Loaded with great features. A great camera that you can grow into.

FJ...You sound like me about 10 years ago. I was given a Rebel II as a present and quickly grew to love photography. I felt like I was outgrowing my camera within the first year that I had it. The camera was an entry level camera that didn't have many bells and whistles and other nice options that other cameras had. But I think what mattered most was that I was still able to manually set exposures and be creative with what I had. I think in retrospect I was more annoyed with the fact that I had to press several buttons to manually set aperture/shutter speed. Sure, my camera didn't have depth of field preview or mirror lock-up. But don't let things like that bother you. I just learned to compensate. Practice with what you have and try new things. For example...how low of a shutter speed can you handhold for a shot. I got pretty good at trying to brace myself against things to get down to low shutter speeds. I didn't have depth of field preview, but I'd take notes and try different apertures and then compared the results. So what if I didn't have a spot meter. I just learned how to meter on different parts of the picture and then adjust accordingly. Am I metering on something thats 18% gray or am I metering on something lighter or darker? What happens when I use slide film versus print film and meter on different things. Experimenting is what its all about and using your camera to the fullest. That's what I did and that's what I encourage you to do. Other things to try...take a B/W photo class at a community college. To me, I felt like I was reading lots of books on photo theory and exposure, etc and knew everything. But practicing/experimenting in the field is what its about.

In the end, if you have the $$$ to upgrade, go ahead. But I say keep the Ti for now and shoot a bunch of film. Take notes...and compare the results.

I waited several years and shot plenty rolls with my Rebel II before I upgraded to my Elan IIe. And to tell you the truth, I still don't know what the hell I'm doing. I'm still experimenting and being creative.

Have fun!

-Arthur

Ya know... I posted a similar question about a few years ago and got slammed for this question. It really ticked me off because I thought it was a ligit question. In the end I got no suggestions and had to figure out a solution myself. So I'm going to give you a nice answer.

I had bought a similar filter for my 20-35 and it had a thin edge. So I couldn't use the regular lens cap. Heck... I paid good $$ for the filter and I want to slap a cap on there for when I'm walking around. So I went to a camera shop that had a bunch of used odd size lens caps. I got one of those old style caps that you just kinda push on gently. I couldn't find one that was the same size, so I got the closest fit. I ended wraping tape around the inside of the cap to make a snuger fit.

Oh yeah... there's a short review of the 220ex on Photo.net, so you might want to check that out. Also...I might be giving you the relatively cheap alternative and I know the 380ex and 420ex are much better flashes, but if the cheap alternative works, go for it.

I guess it depends what your motives are in wanting to have a flash and what you'll use it for. I have the Canon 220 ex. Its your barebones flash. Everythings is pretty much automatic. It doesn't swivel, doesn't rotate to bounce flash. But for my needs I think it works great. I mostly use it when taking informal indoor snapshot portraits at parties and family gatherings. One of these days I'll probably get a better flash, but at this point, its not that high on the priority list of camera accessories.

The 220ex is relatively cheap (I think I got it for around $120 mayber less) and its small and compact. I originally bought it because my original camera (Rebel II) didn't have a pop-up flash and I needed a small compact flash for I trip I was taking. I still use it now on my Elan IIe and it serves its purpose.

I haven't heard of the flashes you mentioned, so I can't help you there. Good luck.

Can't go wrong with the 28-105. Its stays on my ElanIIe 90% of the time. Its light...perfect for travelling. Sometimes I do wish I had the IS on the 28-135. I've held a few cameras with the 28-135 and I can see how it can get heavy after awhile. But overall, whichever lens you buy (28-105 or 28-135) you're getting a fantastic lens for your $$. I'd stick to Canon lens if you can...guaranteed compatibility with your EOS 300. Have fun!

I have the 100-300 4.5/5.6

If you're on a tight budget, for the money its a great lens.

Just my 2 cents!!!

Sebastijan.

I too have the same problem. I drool over all the nice canon L lenses and wish I could have them all. Then my wife wakes me up and tells me we can't afford it. Sure it would be nice to have all L lenses, but I guess its a matter of self control and being content with what you can afford. When I started my system, my first thought was, what is my goal in taking pictures. And pretty much, it was to document my life with pictures that I can share with my family and friends. For me, the price of L lenses was just way out of reach and I knew I'd have to be content with the consumer range lenses. I can honestly say I've been very pleased with what I've managed to build in my system. I have a 50, 28-105, 100-300, 20-35, various filters and a nice sturdy tripod. With all that, I take lots of pictures and have fun with what I got. But hey...I still like drooling over all the stuff I wish I could have. Hmmm... time to go out and buy that lottery ticket. Have fun!!!

This doesn't answer your question, but I thought I'd pass this tip on. I actually got it from someone on photo.net.

I typed all my custom funtions out in really small font. Then I printed them out and taped them to the inside of my all my lens caps. That way I have them with me all the time. That is if I don't lose the lens cap!