john_catapano2

<p>Edward, Got it un-frozen with a strap wrench. Thanks!<br>

I don't know what to do with this thing. Maybe I'll sell it. Its given me a lot of grief over the years. For some reason I could just never figure out how to operate it properly. Not sure what I'd replace it with, however. </p>

<p>Hi All, <br>

I'm having a problem with my Arca Swiss B-1. I've had the ballhead for about 15 years and have always had problems with freeze-up. I actually haven't used it all that much in the last few years, but did today, and its frozen. This time, however, the main knob is frozen. Won't move in either direction. I tried using a set of pliers on it, and only succeeded in moving the rubber around the knob. Any suggestions on how to fix?</p>

<p>600/5.6L IS - been asking for years!</p>

<p>Hi All, thanks for your responses. To answer a few questions, I guess I am just looking for the cheapest way to link these two flashes to do some portrait photography. I'm pretty clueless about flashes. I have a 30D which does have a PC socket. ETTL would be a nice feature to have but its not necessary. How would this setup work? Put the 380EX on my camera, and hook the 550EX up to the PC socket connected by a wire? What kind of wire? Can the 550EX be triggered wirelessly somehow without spending a lot of money on a speedlite transmitter?</p>

<p>Hi All,<br>

Does anyone know how I might be able to link together a 550EX and a 380EX (either with a cord or without)? </p>

<p>Steve, my 400/5.6 and TC 1.4 are both Canon. Which pins do you have to cover to engage the auto-focus, and how do you cover them? Do I set the camera to manual mode?<br>

<br />It would be nice for Canon to add a custom function for this as Allard suggests. When you're doing bird photography auto-focus is kind of an important feature to have, and it would be nice if I could add that TC 1.4, which would boost my focal length from 640 to 896. I guess this is how Canon gets you to go out and drop big bucks on 500mm and 600mm lenses!</p>

<p >Does anyone know? If it does, I’d be tempted to get one for bird photography. I could then put a TC 1.4 on my 400/5.6L and turn the 7D into a 896mm bird-killing machine with auto-focus. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Also, will the 7D mount a BG-E2 vertical grip from a 30D (probably not, I’m sure)?</p>

<p>Follow Up: Got the ring last week. It came real quick, all the way from Hong Kong! Its a one-piece unit. It does not have the inner plastic adapter ring that the Canon ring comes with. Still, it holds the lens, you just have to tighten the locking knob. The inner part of the ring that actually makes contact with the lens is covered with some fuzz or flocking that prevents the lens from getting scratched. I haven't taken it out in the field yet but for the price it seems to do the job, especially given the lousy reviews of the $150 Canon ring on B&H's wbsite.</p>

<p >Hi All, </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I have a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and want to buy a Tripod Mount Ring B for it. Canon’s ring goes for about $150 at B&H and Adorama. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Recently however, I noticed that a number of cheap third party knockoff rings are for sale on E-Bay for $20 or less. I’m usually quite weary of third party gear, but for 1/8 the cost how bad could these things be? I mean, we’re not exactly talking about a sophisticated piece of equipment here. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Has anyone had any experience with these third party mount rings on a 100mm macro?</p>

600 f/5.6L IS

600/5.6L

Follow-up

 

Just got my lens back from Cannon (it was sent to their repair facility in California). They replaced the autofocus unit - I don't know if that includes the FTM clutch. Cost was 88 USD. Just about the price of a new 50/1.8 (but to be honest, I was affraid it would cost twice that much). Works great now.

The contacts are clean and my other lenses are working fine. Maybe it is the FTM kludge. How much does that repair run? Thanks! John.

I've had my 50/1.4 for about 5-6 years. Recently the autofocus has

been acting up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it partially focuses,

but most of the time it doesn't work at all. I don't think the motor

is broken, because it appears to be doing something. The focusing

ring is smooth. Maybe it just needs to be cleaned? Any suggestions?

How easy should it be to adjust the friction thumbscrew on an Arca

Swiss B1? I have had my B1 for about four or five years and have

never been able to move the friction thumbscrew with my bare

fingers. My B1 has frozen up on me several times, and although I

have been able to free it, it is still not as loose as I would like

it to be. Do I have to adjust the friction thumbscrew to loosen it

up further? Should I rotate the thumbscrew clockwise or

counterclockwise? Are there any tools I can use to do this? I was

using a razor blade to grab the notches on the thumbscrew, but even

that is very hard to do.

Yesterday, a colleague gave me some great box seat tickets to last

night?s Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins ballgame. With

seats this close to the field, I thought this would be a great

opportunity to hone my sports photography skills, so I ran home and

grabbed by Canon 400/5.6 (on an Elan IIe) and headed to Bank One

Ballpark. At the gate, however, a security guard told me that under

no circumstances I would be allowed to enter the stadium with my

400. I was told the lens was too large, and too ?professional.?

Undaunted, and thinking this was stupid, I walked down to the next

stadium entrance and the guard there let me in. He did tell me

however, that the lens was large and if it got in someone?s way I

would have to put it away.

 

What?s up with this? Are they really concerned that I?m going to

block someone?s view? I could understand this if I was trying to

bring a 600/4 into the park, but my 400 isn?t that large. Also, I?ve

brought my 70-200/4 to the ballpark in the past, and with its hood

attached its about the same length as my 400. Or, do these security

guards just see an L-series lens and think I?m some professional

photographer who is going to take unauthorized game photos. Has this

happened to anyone else?

 

By the way, I couldn?t find anything on the Diamondbacks website

about camera lens restrictions on their stadium rules page.

Brent,

 

Come to think of it, Ritz Collectibles is actually a little closer to 12th Street than 16th.

Brent,

 

I think The Guild on 7th Avenue and Camelback is the best camera store in the Phoenix area. Tempe Camera seems to make a lot of "best of" lists, but personally I've never been all that impressed with their merchandise selection, especially when it comes to tripods and camera bags.

 

As for used equipment, The Guild and Tempe Camera may have some, but also check out Ritz Collectibles at 16th Street and Northern. If you're into old cameras, this is a wicked-cool store. They do have some used EF lenses, but to be honest none of these stores are going to have very much.

 

Good luck!

Definately check out Eagle Optics. They have their own line of Ranger-class binoculars (made by Celestron) that have received excellent reviews (see http://birds.cornell.edu/publications/livingbird/spring99/binos.html). I have a pair of Ranger Platinum 10x50s that optically are every bit as good as a pair of Swarvorskis (IMHO) and their 8x30 are in your price range.

This may be a dumb question, but I�ve been wondering. On sunny days,

why will my Elan IIE autofocus at f11 when I have my 70-200/4

attached, but it won�t autofocus at f11 when I have my 400/5.6 with

2x extender attached?

I�ve been tasked with taking some staff photos for my company�s

annual report. Most of my previous photographic experience has been

with nature (bird) photography, so I have little knowledge of studio

photography/lighting other than what I�ve read on this website.

 

My company owns a few Smith-Victor lights with 500-watt GE bulbs.

Ran a couple test rolls using these lights and the photos came out

horribly yellow. What can I do to fix this problem? Should I try a

filter of some sort, buy some better bulbs for the lights (what

kind?), or get my company to purchase some better lights. Any

suggestions for a studio newby who�s trying to save my company a few

bucks would be appreciated.

Melissa, yes the sewing machine is a Bernina. Actually, they're pretty cool little machines. All they need to do is introduce a model with an EF mount and we're in business!

My girlfriend has been very supportive of my desire to purchase a 500/4 IS, but if I buy it, she gets a $2,500 sewing machine. No shit, you can really spend $2,500 on a sewing machine!

I�m thinking of buying a 500/4L IS for bird photography, which I�ve

been doing for a few years now. This is a major investment in my

hobby - and a good one I think � but I seriously doubt that I�ll

have the funds available for another $5,000 toy anytime soon, so

this lens is going to have to last me a good long while. I know

these lenses are rugged, professional photographic instruments, but

I don�t have much experience with image stabilization technology so

I�m wondering:

 

1) What the long-term reliability of an IS lens like?

2) If an IS system breaks down, is the lens still useable?

3) What are the prospects for getting an IS system repaired, say 5,

10, or even 20 years down the road?

The Desert Botanical Garden is always a good bet. If you�re going on the weekend go early before it starts getting crowded, and they do charge $7.50 to get in if you�re not a member. The DBG is a good spot for desert birds like Cactus Wrens, Curve-Billed Thrashers, Gila Woodpeckers, Gamble�s Quail, and of course hummers. The birds are used to having humans around so you can get pretty close to them. The wildflower garden and snack bar are the best spots for photos, IMHO.