zac williams www.williams

I've owned both the 5D classic and Mark II as well as a 1Ds and a Nikon D7000. I would take a 5D classic any day over the D7000 if shooting at low ISOs and not expecting the world's greatest AF. It is a tremendous camera. 5DII is of course that much better. I have 133k shutter actuations on mine. D7000 is very responsive and has great low light and action capabilities, as well as very accurate metering, but it can't match the overall look of the 5D in my opinion.

 

The 1Ds is a great camera if shooting at base ISO. If I recall, I really like the look of color matrix 3 on the 1Ds.

 

 

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<p>It's still not as good as the D800, but it's a whole lot better than much of what has gone before on the Canon side of the fence.</p>

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<p>Thanks Keith for the added info. I have yet to shoot with the 5DIII and would be very interested in improvements in shadow noise at lower ISOs. As with everything, it's the real world application that always points me back to Canon. I had a K-5 and now am checking out a D7000 just too evaluate the Exmor sensor technology. I have to say while the sensor technology is good, I still am subjectively preferring the overall look of the output from my 60D, which the 5DII improves upon. I think Canon will address exactly the issues we're discussing in the next go around. Less shadow and blue sky noise like the Exmors with Canon color and highlight rendition would be perfect. </p>

 

 

<p>I shoot primarily for publications with a 5DII at very low ISO. While not really mattering for most of my work, reducing shadow noise would be a great place to start if Canon ever decides to get serious about advancing sensor technology. I can see this as significantly increasing IQ, especially for large-format reproduction at all ISOs. It also would encroach on medium format territory much like the D800 is doing. I'm not sure the 5DIII has improved much regarding shadow noise over the II, although I personally have yet to try it. </p>

<p>My 17-40L is slightly softer on the upper left side in way that is similar to your crop. I'm sure this indicates the need to send it to Canon for a tune up, which I plan to do now that I've upgraded to Gold CPS. I dropped it on the pavement in Yosemite. Everything else works fine. It's a tough lens. </p>

<p>I wouldn't spend a ton of money on a film body without making sure you "really" want to use film. I have an Elan 7 that is a great camera for less than $100. I love film especially silky transparency film like Velvia F. I have always wanted a Nikon F100 so I picked one up off of ebay and took it on a cruise with a bunch of film. (I have a bunch of Nikkors laying around even though I shoot Canon.) After going through security too many times worrying about the cumulative x-rays and rationing film frames, I ended up using my point-and-shoot digital more than the F100. The film sat in the fridge for six months until I could get it to the E6 lab. I still haven't fired up the Ektagraphic projector to even really take a good look at the few rolls I did shoot.</p>

<p>Some of my favorite images are film images, but more and more I realize that going back is probably not an option for me at this time. Maybe someday. B&W might do it, but then I think about stocking a darkroom to really do it right and cringe.</p>

<p>My advice would be do not buy the 7D just for video. If you want a body for video buy the 60D hands down. I use a 5D II and had a 7D which I sold and replaced with a 60D. The 60D tilt screen is so much better for video that the 7D.</p>

<p>The 7D does not have manual audio level control which is a huge (HUGE) deal breaker if you want to recored audio on camera, which I do all the time with interviews. I use a Tascam DSR-100 as well which is great and I run a line out of the headphone jack into the 60D mic input. Set the headphone jack on the Tascam to about level 3 and manually adjust the audio input on the 60D. When set up right I never have to sync audio, although I have the option with the ultra pristine digital audio file I've recorded to the Tascam. I can monitor with headphones out of the line out on the Tascam. I couldn't do this on the 7D without auto gain kicking in on the audio.</p>

<p>I also think the newer 60D sensor runs cooler with less chance at overheating (not really a problem normally for any of the bodies.) Just don't lose those damn tiny SD cards like I do. I like that the 60D is lighter as well. </p>

<p>If you are going to own one camera for stills the 7D is probably the one in the price range. If you are going to own only one camera for video and don't want to pay for the 5DII, the 60D is the way to go all the way. There is no shame in the cheaper, plastic body. It works much better for video.</p>

<p>I really like the idea of buying a 60D. New camera with great features that is cheap! The autofocus smokes the 5DII. I use mine almost exclusively for video on the paying jobs the tilt screen is so great. Great size for a fun travel cam on the still images.</p>

<p>When the 5D III hits, sell the 60D and lose $100 or keep it as a second body. The 5DII is a great camera that image wise will be hard to top. AF, etc. could be better. I shoot almost exclusively for publication and when I look through all the books I've shot my original 5D images were great as were the files from my original 1Ds (low ISO of course.) In the end any of the full frame Canons have been capable of the best output available and still are at different resolutions of course.</p>

<p>If you really want to play with full frame, find a good used 5D, if AF and burst rate isn't important. You are definitely on the right track putting lenses first. If I see an L lens on a Rebel, I always think "there is someone that is serious and knows what they're doing." I can't say the same for people with 28-200 off-brands mounted on a 1D whatever.</p>

<p>I've run right into the 12 minute limit several times shooting 1080 30p. I've shot 2.5 hours continuously, starting and stopping every 11 minutes or so. There was a CF card change out in there as well. Use a fast CF card and the camera won't heat as much.</p>

<p>I use a 430EX with my 5D II. The only serious limitation that I'm aware of is I do not believe the flash can be set for second-curtain sync otherwise functionality is pretty much the same as with the 430EX II. With the newer models of body-controllable speedlights it is possible to access second curtain sync.</p>

<p>If you are not syncing dialog it is easy to conform 5D II footage from 30 fps to 24P using Cinema Tools in Final Cut Studio. Of course it slows the footage down, but I like the look. I used this process for a tv spot for a local credit union http://www.vimeo.com/5280478</p>

<p>I don't see the point in shooting less than 24p in camera as it is easy to throw frames out in post to speed footage up. For 1 FPS or slower you can use an intervalometer. Delivery is always going to be 24p, 30p or 60i at least in NTSC areas of the world. Now if you could overcrank the 5D II to shoot, say 60-120 fps, that would be awesome for nice slow-mo. I wonder if the buffer could handle it.</p>

<p>I shot a :30 television spot last week with the 5D II using the Canon firmware update. For the first time, I feel that I have an instrument that can produce video that doesn't look like it was filmed using inexpensive prosumer gear. I would not have believed it even a couple of years ago, but I can certainly see the future convergence of still and motion cameras into being one and the same. Both types of media, photographs and motion, will still exist, but I think in many cases they will be captured with one type of camera. </p>

<p>I had a 5D II body only in my cart at B&H last week. Foolishly, I hesitated while I added an additional battery, and the camera disappeared from the cart with the notice that it was no longer available. Talk about a cry of anguish. Now I'm still trying to find one. B&H has told me that don't have dates for availability. </p>

I have to laugh at this common question. Large format printing for most billboards uses a ridiculously low dpi because the

viewer is seeing the print from hundreds of yards away. Up close all you can see are big dots. Back in the day, while

working at an ad agency, we frequently shot products with a 2.11MP Nikon Coolpix 950 for billboards and semi-trailer

graphics. Check with your client or printer to verify dpi.

I actually imported the clips (from the link on dpreview.com) into Final Cut Pro 6 and threw it on a timeline which was set

to H.264 at 30 fps. It seemed to edit OK, but was way too much for my internal SATA drive to handle without dropping

frames on playback playing within FCP. (Oddly enough quicktime player could handle it OK.) Not sure how it would

respond to a raid set up or something faster. Really H.264 has been mostly an end distribution format although I think

Sony's IMX system may use a variant (not sure). I think the workflow would have to involve rendering out to a non long-

form GOP codec like Apples Pro Res or something and then editing. I think this is how AVCHD is handled.

 

Actually other than for long form event type stuff for which you would never use anything other than a dedicated video

camera the 12 minute limit per clip is not an issue. The early smaller capacity Panasonic P2 cards held less 1080p

video than this per card when they were introduced.

On second thought, I'm probably jumping to conclusions. It appears that Canon is using H.264 compression which is

difficult to edit. This may be an AVCHD codec variant or something. The image does look pretty good if a decent workflow

could be developed.

I thought HD video from a slr was a joke until I downloaded the full-res sample clips from the 5D Mark II. I really think that for my use this

may be able to replace my Canon XH-A1 HDV camera which I've never been that happy with. The upgrade in optics moving to EF lenses,

extreme depth of field control and a far superior sensor might be worth any drawbacks in convenience or audio capabilities. Add to that an

optical viewfinder! I think the line between digital motion and digital still capture is beginning to blur, something I thought would never

happen.

This happens to my 5D from time to time as well. I'll take the battery out and put it back in which is a sometimes fix. Are you using the

vertical grip? I've always suspected in my camera it was related to the grip interface. I'll usually tighten the grip as well. It is aggravating.

I've never had a scratch on the LCD screen of any Canon DSLR I've owned. That includes a a

well used 1Ds. Lots of nose grease to be sure, but that always cleans up nicely.

I use a 1Ds and a 350D. The light weight of the 350D is well appreciated when I travel on assignment with the 1Ds and want to relax with some personal photography at the end of the day. The build quality is fine and I've used images for publication along side those from the 1Ds after a little interpolation in Photoshop. I would also prefer to drop the 350D vs the 1Ds as its low mass and plastic construction seem to "bounce" a little better rather than thudding. Of course it is much less expense to replace.

 

The very worst thing about the 350D is the viewfinder. If you tend to use autofocus primarily this isn't a huge issue, but for manual focus and studio work the 350D is certainly not ideal, even though the image quality is up to par. The shutter on the 350D is very quiet and slick sounding which is nice for street work. I prefer the 350D more than the 20D for its simplicity and light-weight when you also factor in a primary larger body like the 1Ds. APS is a non-issue except for your not going to be able to go as wide of course.

Good question as it drives me crazy when using my 350D. The 1Ds can save up to 9999

images into one folder which is much less frustrating when it comes to time to download a

CF card. Thanks for the quick answer.

I have had very limited experience with dry mounting, but I'm curious as to what type of

background substrate was used. I've seen this sort of texturing on softer materials such as

foamcore and gatorboard. Masonite seems to be the ideal backing. I usually spraymount

as needed generally because I'm mounting for portfolios or client boards. I have had good

results also using a laminate over photographs that I'm mounting and not framing. A

lustre laminate is nice as it does not reflect, but is smooth. Of course you wouldn't want to

laminate a fine art print or anything of value. Sorry I'm not of more assistance.

I tend to agree with the post about ditching in-camera curves. I've had a D70 for a few

months and nearly drove myself crazy using combinations of curves, custom settings and

white balance trying to get the best quality out of the camera. Now I just shoot in NEF for

anything other than snapshots, with the camera set to normal using exposure

compensation as necessary. (Usually +.3) I've even found that auto white balance -2 is

also usually good starting point 90% of the time. Now I worry more about taking good

photos than driving myself crazy pushing menu buttons. (I never agonize over camera

settings with my F3!) NEF files are great for flexibility and Photoshop CS's ability to

interpolate using Adobe RAW larger files is impressive.

The same thing happens on my F3. When the illuminator is depressed the screen blanks

out. However, when I have the MD4 attached the illuminator works as usual. This problem

appeared after a local repair guy attempted to fix a broken apeture indexing tab. After he

failed, I sent the camera to Nikon who promptly repaired everything else, but the

illuminator problem remained a casualty of the experience.

 

I think it is a short or something with the internal batteries which is are bypassed when the

MD4 is attached. I don't worry about it too much as the illuminator is the worst feature on

an otherwise incredible camera.

I use a Vivitar 285HV quite a bit mostly on manual mode. It works great. I am reluctant to

put it on the hotshoe. I wish it had smaller manual steps as that would make it more

useful. In fact, with the 285 synced via PC cord and adapter to the N70, it should trigger

the SB800 in manual mode wirelessly. The SB800 should be set to SU-4 wireless mode and

the mode set to manual, I think, for it to all work correctly. That's my two light set up until

I can pick up the extra SB600s. Alternately you could trigger both flashes wirelessly with

the D70 internal flash set to manual (1/16 or less I would guess) by adding an optical

peanut slave to the 285. I will have to try that to confirm it works.

 

The histogram on the D70 is a great flash meter! A couple of shots and I'm there. I do like

film, but flash work is so much easier with the instant feedback of digital.

For me, the SB800 is well worth the extra cost simply for full manual control and the fact

that I can use it in auto mode (not TTL) on just about any camera with a hot shoe. Works

great on my F3. I plan to add additional SB600s as remote units and use the SB800 in

commander mode.

 

I haven't compared but the SB800 recycles fast especially with the fifth battery added. I

find that in a soft box the SB800 isn't all that powerful, even on full manual when used as

a key light. Today I was shooting at f5.6 ISO 200 with a D70 with this setup. I would have

like to have been at f8, but the SB800 couldn't get there.