davyjo

BW<P>

I bought a used Bogen 3236 with a 3047 three way head for $100 on Ebay. It goes 7 feet (over 6' without extending center column), has individually adjustable leg angles, and is very steady. I have since bought a second hand 3038 ballhead.<P>For about $210 I have the tripod, two heads, a 3059 accessory arm, and a hand full of QR plates.<P>

Of course it weighs a ton, but with a strap I can comfortably carry it for a half a mile or so. It isn't brand new but then I don't have to worry about tossing it, carefully, into the back of my pickup.

I did some testing with my Sigma 70-200mmf/2.8 and found that I could produce the ghost whenever the sun/moon was off center but not near the edge. If you have to shoot with the filter on (or don't want to take the time to remove it) try centering the moon and then crop it off-center later.

I hardly ever use a cardreader when downloading to either my Mac OS 10.3.9 or on my XP machine. Just installed the Canon utilities and everything works fine. RAW file are treated just like the JPEGS. I convert them w/ DPP.

The 30D is a superb camera, I own one. I have tried the 5D and would upgrade to that in a second if I could afford it.

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Heck, I'm putting my wife up for sale on Eday to finance one of those bodies.

You should be able to "shoot tethered" and control exposure and the shutter directly from the computer if you wish using the software supplied with the camera. There is a slight delay as the image is downloaded to the computer but the software works very well.

This got me interested and I tried setting the Picture style to B+W and shooting raw with my 30D. I thought the Raw images were unaffected by Picture style processing but they are definitely monochrome. The other style settings aren't applied to the raw images are they?

Thanks everyone! I think I always switch it all the way on. I do, however, seem to have had times when things didn't work the way I expected. <P>I'll pay more attention. <P>Maybe. Definitely maybe.

It seems that I am mildly retarded. Quite often when I pull my 30D from it's

case I discover that it is still ON. <P>

Is there any danger in doing this?<P>

While on the subject, no pun intended, is there any difference between the two

"on" positions of the on-off switch? I can't seem to find any reference in the

manual and haven't noticed any difference.

<P>

Thanks for your responses.

Here's what 2X looks like...

I love my 30D.

I will carry, for short distance, my 30D attached to my Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 clamped onto a Kirk style clamp on a Bogen 3232 tilt head attached to a Bogen 3018 Monopod. I might even do it with the 2X Teleconverter.<P>

I always, however, have the strap around my neck. I'm not going to drop $2000 on the ground. The 3232 is the weak link, rated for only 5.6lbs. It has no problem with the load I'm putting on it which is close to the max. But I am very careful to make sure the connections are tight. I also have to really crank the swivel tight to hold the weight of this if I tilt it at all. <P>

For what it's worth, I'd much rather carry an extra pound and be steady.

Neither of these will give you true macro.

The Image linked to above was taken at very close to 2X with a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro with a Canon 50mm f/1.8 mounted reversed on it. I would think any 1:1 macro would be a good choice. I think the new 70mm Sigma might be a great choice on a 20D.

Here's a picture @ 2X on a 30D:

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This was shot with the 50mm f/1.8:<P>

 

 

 

<a href=http://www.photo.net/photo/5574988>Picture</a><P>

The stack was about 8" tall.

If you don't already own one get a 50mm f/1.8 II. $80 and very sharp. It's not a macro but you alreay have that covered. If you're shooting in a studio there should be plenty of light so there should be little need for the f/1.4.

If you are shooting in RAW then the modes do nothing to the images. RAW images are unprocessed. The accompanying JPEGS may be effected by the mode settings but the Raw images are not.

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Unless your going to buy the 50mm f/1.4 you owe it to yourself to buy a 50 f/1.8. If you are close to the stage it will give you good coverage. it will also give you great pictures everytime you pull it out. AND it's only $80!<P>

I also have the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8. It is a definite alternative to the Canon version. Used it should be in your budget.

Start with 50mm f/1.8 II. For $80 you can't go wrong and it provides enough length with the XTi to get pretty close if you are sitting near the front of the house. <P>

The 70-200 f/2.8 is another good choice but people around you are going to freak out when you haul that monster out. I also think that 70mm is awfully long on a crop sensor camera for stage shots. I would think a 24-70 f/2.8L would be an awesome choice, but you'd still miss the extra bit of aperture. <P>

I find that in the front row with the 50mm I can shoot a well lit scene at f/1.8 around 1/125 sec. Fast enough to stop a little movement. Cheat a little quicker with the shutter and shoot in RAW and you can brighten things up in DPP.

To paraphrase a Supreme Court Justice: I can't define what "mood" is but I know it when I see it.

If you are as unsteady as I am, tripods will always be a necessity until they perfect ISO 102800.