kari v
-
Posts
1,848 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Events
Downloads
Gallery
Store
Posts posted by kari v
-
-
<p>5D mkI + 24-70L... you could start a lot worse.<br>
For landscapes old 5D is still amazing. Stop down to f5.6-11 and enjoy sharpness and clarity that none of the new aps-c kits can match. :)</p>
<p>About high ISO. Shoot anything ISO800+ RAW and see what new software can do in post edit. 5D is very clean at ISO 1600 (I go up to 6400 myself when needed) when you skip the old processor and jpg engine.</p>
-
<p>I used 18-135 IS briefly, it was very cheap (100€!) in 7D kit so I sold it to a friend who needed a basic lens.<br>
Normal flimsy kit lens build (think of a fatter and longer 18-55), focus speed is ok, IS works well, nice range for a light travel kit.<br>
$450 retail price is totally absurd, look for kits or used, there should be plenty. It's not offensively bad or something but not worth that kind of money. Worth $200? Sure. It's not the sharpest tool but ok kit lens.<br>
But then again 18-55 IS is almost free in T2i kit so that's your best (and cheapest) bet for starters.</p>
-
<p>Yes, it's a nice small body. What kind of (used?) kit are you looking at? As a lens I'd recommend any newer VR kit zoom, like 18-55 or 18-105.</p>
<p>What's your budget? D60 + older non-VR kit zoom should be really cheap so beware of any "good deals" internet is full of. Also note that all those cheap 70-300 zooms are not worth much and cheap filters can be very bad - some sellers bundle all sorts of junk and prices can be pretty high compared to actual good stuff.</p>
<p>Used D80s are pretty cheap too and offer very good features and build.</p>
-
<blockquote>
<p>I would check your user manual first to see the operating temp range of each body just to be safe. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>No use, no normal dslr is specd down to -40, not even to -20C I think. Actually my old all manual 6x6 is the only body I have that is really -20C proof according to the manual. :D</p>
-
<p>Very positive report of 7D and 5D mkII at Antarctica:<br>
<p>I've used 7D in -25C this winter and it was fine. Also, -10C with snow covering the body and lens did no harm. The lens was 70-200/2.8L IS, which is supposed to survive pretty hard conditions, of course, so your luck may vary depending on rest of your gear, but I'd say at least 7D has pretty good chances to operate properly. D80 is much more flimsy but then again it's not very expensive either nowadays.</p>
<p>Take care of yourself, -40C is extreme.<br>
Batteries deplete Fast. Keep'em warm. Using LiveView depletes them ultra fast.<br>
Lenses: zoom may freeze and AF and iris become erratic.<br>
Don't breathe in the viewfinder or on the lens front element, it'll freeze instantly.<br>
When you go inside keep your gear in the bag for a good while to avoid condensation, same applies when you go out again.</p>
<p>Good news: Try some high ISO shooting and see how much cooling reduces noise. ;)</p>
-
<blockquote>
<p>What would you do with the resulting "tall" video? TV's don't rotate....</p>
</blockquote>
<p>No..?</p>
<p>http://blog.hyperco.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/display-upgrade_m.jpg</p>
<p>;)</p>
-
<p>Even EOS 300 has DoF preview.</p>
-
<blockquote>
<p>b) Is 50D good enough above 800 isos?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Good enough at what print size? It's pretty nice up to ISO 1600 when you process from RAW. I like 5D better but at 4x6 - 8x10 sizes it's more about your exposure and editing skills than sensor performance.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The point is I start to think 24mm and 35mm are too similar and perhaps I should have a 50mm alongside the 24mm, but I really love the 1.4 (and its semi wide-angle) so I thought I could get a crop body to use with (rather than a second FF body and a 50 1.4).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'd say 35 replaces 50mm easily but 24mm is way different.</p>
-
<blockquote>
<p>I am also interested in kid's sports photography as well and believe that this may require a different lens as well. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>What sports?</p>
-
<p>Here's one reason I like it. A shot from my sister's place shows rather "non-fishy" and realistic wide rendering, very nice for indoors even uncorrected, a rectilinear ultra-wide would mess things a lot more.</p><div>
</div>
-
<p>I would call the projection highly enjoyable and useful rather than odd. :D But ok, I know what you mean.<br>
I have 7D & 5D myself but I'm struggling should I shave or not, it's very unprotected that way, I tend to play a bit rough and my actual needs for circular fish are limited... we'll see.</p>
<p>Here we go, a bit more technical than your average lens review:<br>
<p>"The unveiled projection geometry of the Samyang has ignited some hot debate on some forum about its advantage compared to the other more classic fisheye lenses.<br>
Some see very clear and sharp Nadir view while another seasoned panographer pretends that there is no difference to be expected when all processing is correctly done."</p>
<p>"Early tests and measurement on the shaved Samyang 8 mm fisheye have been giving some stunning results. That lens imaging features are mostly awesome when it's mounted on the EOS 5D. The angle of view is restricted to ~182° @ f/3.5 (it is barely 180° at smaller aperture openings), and the projection method looks rather unusual: that might be the reason for the nice overall imaging performance."</p>
<p>"Take note that the image circle diameter is exactly the same as from a shaved Nikkor 10.5 mm. The Samyang has however 2 mm and 20° of focal length and FOV respectively less than the Nikon lens!"</p>
<p>I don't know much about panoramas and nadirs but I know that this lens is absolutely worth its rather modest price.</p>
-
<p>Lens hood offers excellent protection, it prevents direct hits rather well and at the same time reduces stray light - works very well inside and at night, many would think hoods are only for bright sun etc. Off brand 58mm hoods for 50/1.4 cost very little, much cheaper than a quality filter.</p>
-
<blockquote>
<p> In low light I was experimenting with the higher ISOs so I was using ISO 2000 with a 1/125 shutter speed on f2.8</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Three things here.<br>
1. Bad light easily takes away a lot of apparent sharpness. 2. So does ISO 2000, fine detail gets swamped in the noise and/or noise reduction. 3. 1/125 handheld with a 100mm lens on a crop body is asking for trouble.</p>
-
<p>I can provide some fresh outdoor sample shots if someone's interested... provided the sun rises today. :)<br>
(December in Finland: ISO 400, f5.6, 1/10 in daylight at 9:30 AM, great.)</p>
-
<p>Samyang 8/3.5 covers full frame on a crop sensor and it beats Peleng in every way. IQ is very good corner to corner even on 7D and if you remove the hood it's a sharp circular fish on 5D. Surprisingly, it's not very prone to flare (as far as extreme wide angles go), at least that's my experience so far.<br>
Price is around 280€ new, a lot cheaper than Canon / Sigma.<br>
It has no AF but really, who cares.</p><div>
</div> -
<p>Nikon 17-55/2.8 is horribly expensive, try Sigma 17-50/2.8 OS instead, cheaper and you get a stabilizer. Constant 2.8 aperture is nice to have and your AF system works better, you really can't lose with a good quality standard zoom.</p>
<p>If you want to play around with shallow depth of field then 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 make a great inexpensive pair, together about $300? Consider 50/1.4 later if you really feel the need for it.</p>
-
<p>I shoot with 7D and 5D original, it makes a great versatile combo for the price of 5DmkII.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Not trying to start any flame wars since I know allot of people still like the 5D's, but I was testing both cameras side by side yesterday and the only thing the 5D got over the 7D is the Full Frame sensor IMHO. The playback view on the 5D is kind of wacky. <br />Outdoors it does fine, but indoors you get all sorts of hues and tints that drive you nuts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Serials starting with 2xxx have better displays, there's nothing wacky about mine.</p>
<p>7D is super fast and comes with all bells and whistles but 5D files are cleaner and a joy to edit, nothing wrong with that old body (also, it fits my hand a bit better). High ISO performance is still very good, it just lacks newer processor and software for anything higher than 3200 JPG but you can push it in post if you need to, and post work with RAW gives you much better results anyway, low or high ISO.</p>
<p>5DmkII? Sure, if you can afford it then by all means.</p>
-
<p>Sigma's better at f1.4-2 and has better build with fast silent focusing.<br>
On 35mm EF 50/1.4 is very good at f2.5 and absolutely beautiful at f4-5.6 corner to corner, wide open it's not as bad as test charts show when it comes to real life shooting as there's normally nothing sharp at image borders anyway.</p>
<p>Crop: Sigma<br>
35mm: Depends</p>
-
<p>...And here's 100% crop. Pretty good from an "old" camera I'd say.</p><div></div>
-
<p>I use original 5D for pro work. Used prices can be so low that it really is worth every penny and more. I really like editing the files from it.<br>
I wouldn't say the back lcd is small or bad, 2,5" is ok and while it's not great in bright light I can see framing and histogram well enough. I don't feel it's that much different from, say, 40D lcd. (I've got serial 2xxx...)</p>
<div>
</div> -
<p>Also note that people tend to use 1+5 and 1:5 interchangeably when it comes to photo chemicals. Normal way is to read the instructions like Bob says.</p>
<p>PhotoFlo and similar products should be 1+200, you really need just a Small amount of the stuff. You'll know when you've overdone it. ;) But don't worry, it won't do any harm.</p>
-
<p>You don't need more than level 8 quality jpg for the web. 900x600 should be around 140kb.</p>
<p>Nice images on your site but the slide show is a bit buggy or Chrome doesn't like it. As the image changes it disappers and new image should appear but instead you see the old image flash briefly before the new one.</p>
-
<p>Lorne, blotches are just from extreme jpg-compression, the image is unsable, but illustrates what OP's trying here. I agree about the DoF, item doesn't look very good like that.</p>
-
<p>Ah, I read hastily... Bottle all chemicals when they're not in use. No reason to leave them oxidising and gathering dust.</p>
Help, T2i or 60D for portraits?
in Beginner Questions
Posted
<p>Then again you could set up a couple of cheap Chinese flashes with stands and radio triggers for the price of one flash that 60D can control and 60D is pricier to begin with.</p>
<p>Body doesn't matter much, lenses matter some, lighting is everything. You can actually run a professional portrait studio with an XTi.<br /> If you don't need the video you could look into used 40D and invest rest of the money to a lens and lights. Something like Tamron 17-50/2.8 is cheap and very good quality and it gives you the possibility to play around with depth of field a lot more than a kit zoom, it serves pretty well for landscapes too. Cheapest option is of course 50/1.8 for $100, very sharp and offers even more DoF playground. Those along with a used semi-pro body goes far. (Just make sure 50mm isn't too long for your intended studio space.)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I also have small children, so the faster I can click it, the better.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can't rapid fire with normal flashes and bright enough hot lights in a small space are pretty cruel. There's no real speed difference between T2i and 60D for portrait shooting.<br /> And if you simply meant the difference between 1/4000 max shutter speed for T2i and 1/8000 for 60D it's a complete non-issue. The difference is only one f-stop and you won't be using that kind of speeds anyway. You really don't need them and you can't use them normally in studio - either your shutter is limited by your flash sync speed (around 1/200) or if you shoot in continous light I doubt you'd use anything bright enough (without frying your subjects' eyeballs).</p>