anjou

<p>Good stuff. Thanks for the responses. </p>

<p>Hi,<br>

Are there any online course on photography you would recommend? I feel like taking one to master the fundamentals on exposure, optics, composition, etc. I have a few good books on photography (Nature Photography by John Shaw, Understaning Exposure by Bryan Peterson, Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman) but notice myself looking at the pictures and reading the captions. So want a course to get some structure. Ideally, it should be self-paced course, bunch of videos are fine, exercises or project suggestions with the course would be great, and not too expensive.<br>

Thanks.<br>

Umesh.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Have you looked at the 6D? It is about the same price as 5D mk ii, newer, with more bells and whistles you may like later on if not right away. I would think the 5D is a bit old. The 5D Mkii or 6D are good choices. If you really want to spring for it and search for the right price, you could consider the 5D Mkiii.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses. I am at a point when I want a no compromises camera. So when the price is right or when I am able to devote more time to photography, I will get the 5DMk3. The Rebel XTi will have to act as my backup.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Photograph looks pretty good to me.</p>

 

<p>Like many, I had been salivating over the 5Dmk3 as an upgrade from my Rebel XTi. I shoot candids, landscapes, macro, little wildlife and wide-field astro photography. I realize any of 5DMk2, Mk3, 7D would suit me.</p>

<p>Here is where I noticed something interesting. Here in USA, 5DMk3 costs the same 5DMk2+7D.</p>

<ul>

<li>5Dmk3: $3,500</li>

<li>5DMk2: $2000</li>

<li>7D: $1,500</li>

</ul>

<p>With the 5DMk3, you can have one camera do pretty much as well as the 5dMk2+7D combo with the possible exception of wildlife.</p>

<p>With the 5DMk2+7D combo, one has the benefit of using two bodies and mounting different lenses on them for simultaneous use, or dedicating 5DMk2 for landscape and 7D for sports. Sure, there would be the added cost of second batteries and L-plate but you get two bodies.</p>

<p>Looks like Canon thinks there is sufficient value and hence priced their 5DMk3 as such. But I somehow feel the combo is not a bad choice, and pretty much a no-brainer for anybody who owns either a 5DMk2 or 7D and wants something more.</p>

<p>Umesh</p>

<p>Hi JG,<br>

The 5D came out in August 2005, the 5dmk2 at Photokina in Sep 2008. So if Canon follows its 3-year product cycle for the 5D series, you can expect something in Sep 2011.<br>

Watch canonpricewatch.com. They show the price history of 5D mark 2 and when the rebates come on. Canon usually has rebates for select products May-June and Nov-Jan. So May-June may be a good time to pick up a new 5dmk2.<br>

Be sure you are satisfied with 5d Mark 2 feature set and it does not have shortcomings that a 5D mark 3 could fix. We saw a preview of what Canon is willing to do with 7D and things from 7D that I would like in a 5d Mark 3 are 19-point AF with better UI, dual Digic, 6fps, better HD video controls, maybe even wireless flash control.<br>

I think for a product at this price range, one should buy in the middle of the cycle, than at the end. This way one can enjoy its features for 5-6 years without needing to look for another body.<br>

Umesh.</p>

I feel we (amateurs) all get into a groove with settings on our camera body and rarely get out it. I would like to venture out of mine and want to hear

what kind of customizations (settings that are not default, or settings that allow you to really expand your picture taking) you have on your camera.

Naturally, I am bound by the capabilities of my camera body (Xti). So here is mine. Hope you can share settings you use.

 

The biggest customization I have done on my Rebel Xti is to map setting focus to the * button (C.fn-4 set to 1, AE lock/AF), setting AI Servo AF, set AF

point to center point only. I primarily shoot in Manual exposure. This combination allows me to set focus and meter separately and compose shots

with off-center subjects more easily. The manual exposure setting force me to use my creativity in setting exposure but does slow things down when

shifting from scene to scene with different light conditions. I try to shoot at ISO 100 (with bounce flash indoors) but occasionally move beyond ISO 400

to accept grainy but creative shots. Once I switched my workflow to RAW, I rarely use WB settings on the camera body like custom white balance and

this saved a bunch of time when taking indoor shots.

 

 

What are your favorite customizations?

 

Thanks.

You can get the Canon 17-55 f2.8 for $854 from B&H. There was a post in this forum of a sale at B&H. I would get the Canon for the versatility and image stabilization. I believe most owners are happy with their purchase of the Canon. I am not one of them. One thing to ask yourself is if you will be staying with 1.6 FOV bodies for the years to come.

I got myself a Canon Speedlite 430ex and am very happy with it. I like its bounce capabilities (swivel 180%, angle 90%) and its illuminating power. I am very impressed with its flash metering, it does it so well that pictures come out very well. It also provides AF assist beam, high speed sync, is a good size compared to Rebel XT. It will set you back $240. The flagship 580EX is only $100 more and has many good features whose value exceeds the price difference. So it is possible that 430ex is a bit overpriced and should be around $200.

Thanks folks.

One workaround, which will only work with cooperative subjects, is to press the depth of field preview button. This turns on the flash for a short period of time. With the flash on, I press the '*' button to lock focus (Cfn4-3) when there is more light. This allows me to still do things in AI Servo. Perhaps Canon intends us to use AI Focus in these low light situations.

With AI Servo on my Rebel Xti, the AF assist beam never comes on, nor does the

focus acquired indication in the viewfinder. But with AI Focus on One-shot,

both AF assist beam and focus acquired indication are available. Any idea why

is this? In low light, the AF assist beam is useful, especially with a powerful

speedlite attached to the camera. So for low light I have to switch to AI

Focus. Anybody else encounter this?

 

Thanks.

Umesh.

It would be a waste of a 40D without a top quality, no compromise, lens. Remember that lenses are investments, bodies are expenses. If you do not have your heart set on a 40D, you could buy a 30D and the canon 17-55 f2.8 IS USM lens. Both 30D and 40D will give similar pictures. The IS and f2.8 in the 17-55mm will give you picture taking flexibility that you will find very satisfying. This will likely cost you $250 more.

 

The type of lens depends on the kinds of pictures you take. Plan out the set of lenses you want to assemble and then buy the first one. For example a standard zoom, a telephoto, a couple of primes. On more concrete advice on the lenses, the Sigma 24-70 will not be wide enough on 1.6FOV camera for certain landscapes and inside the home shots. If you want a walk around lens to take all kinds of pictures, then Canon 17-85 has an attractive focal length range. But the focal range is mainly usable in daylight because it is not fast enough (max aperture is 4.0 at 24mm, 5 at 35mm and 5.6 at 50mm), and has high barrel distortion per photozone.de. The Tamron 17-50 has excellent image quality (I own this), f2.8 all the way, but lacks IS and hunts for focus in low light. I think buying a lens that is the same aperture across its full focal range is very useful, e.g. you can zoom in to meter an interesting portion.

 

All the best.

I own the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 with a Rebel Xti and mainly shoot portraits of my

kids. I have read many reviews of prime lenses being better than their zoom

counterparts at that focal length but most of these reviews compare against the

cheap kit lenses. How is the image quality of Canon 50mm f1.8 or f1.4 versus a

superior zoom lens like Canon 17-55mm f2.8 at the same focal length and

aperture?

 

Thanks.

Umesh.

Hi Matias, Excellent link. Now that I understand CF4 more, I am finding CF4-3 with AI Servo AF pretty versatile. It was easier for me to take pictures for me when AF and AE were separate buttons.

I was trying out a few things mentioned in the book Understanding Exposure and

also wading through the Rebel Xti manual. I could use some clarifications from

the experts here.

 

The author suggested getting the camera close to the subject to meter, lock it

with AE lock, and then move back, recompose, focus and shoot the picture. So at

the time I am close to the subject, the is camera locking focus and exposure.

And when I move back and depress the shutter halfway, it is re-locking focus and

using the AE locked exposure. Did I get this right? When moving back, will

adjusting the focal length throw off the exposure (I have a constant aperture

zoom, so same aperture is available at all focal lengths). I have been trying

this technique with C.Fn-4 set to AF/AE lock, should I be setting it to AE

lock/AF? How often do you use this technique to shoot pictures? On a tangential

question, when do you use center weighted and partial metering?

 

Can somebody explain the C.Fn-4 settings? This is my interpretation (c.f. page 104):

 

0. AF/AE lock = Shutter button depressed half way is AF, AE lock button function

is AE lock

 

1. AE lock / AF = Shutter function is AE lock, AE lock function is AF. So it

inverts the function of the two buttons.

 

2. AF/AF lock, no AE lock = Use in AI servo mode. Shutter function is AF, AE

lock button is to lock AF. Exposure is locked when shutter is fully depressed.

 

3. AE/AF, no AE lock = Use in AI servo mode. Shutter function is AE, AE lock

function is to start and stop AF. Exposure is locked shutter is fully depressed.

 

Thanks.

Umesh.

I went through a similar decision making process. I considered Canon 17-55mm f2.8 and Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. I did not go for the Caon because of the large size for walkabout, complaints about dust getting inside the lens, and the price. I went for the Tamron because of price, good image quality and overall performance. I knew I was making a trade-off when going with the Tamron in two principal areas: lack of image stabilization and lack of USM. I have a lot of actual experience with the Tamron but not the Canon. The Tamron's sweet spot is at f/4 and above, it is softer at f2.8. The focus hunts when there is not enough contrast or low light. The f/2.8 and ISO 1600 allows me to take pictures without a flash, i.e. more natural, but the keeper rate is low because of the noise (by camera body is Rebel Xti, your mileage may vary). I tested some pictures of still life by mounting the camera on a tripod (iso100, f2.8 or f4) and they were very very sharp. I am root causing some slight front focus issues at f2.8 and 80mm but need to play with the AF point selection to eliminate operator error. Lack of IS has decreased by keeper rate below 1/60s. Lack of USM has not been a significant drawback. Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the responses. It looks like both serve a useful purpose and I may eventually own both. I would not go wrong buying either one first. Each will just give me a different kind of portraits.

 

Umesh.

I want to buy a decent prime lens for indoor and outdoor portraits. I have a

Rebel Xti with 1.6x FOV. Two candidates in my price range are 50mm f1.4

(equivalent 80mm) and 85mm f1.8 (equivalent 136mm). Some my portraits are done

indoors where the light is not great, but there should be some room to move.

Most of my portraits would be outdoors where I would have room to move. What

would you recommend? Thanks.