michael_mccandless

<p>Its possible that they will tell you the battery is separate and can be purchased for $399 or make you purchase a memory card for $129. If you don't purchase the memory card or battery at an inflated price your camera will never be shipped. This is what happened to me when I purchased my first dslr.</p>

<p>@ A. Davis. Thanks for the information. I agree that the photography shown does look amateur at best. I have been fortunate enough to do a few weddings of people who would not have hired a photographer if I didn't offer my services. I am realistic about my abilities which is why I am considering this site. I hope to gain experience for a small fee but I don't have time to do my own marketing. Unfortunately, the only information you can get about the photographers is a first name so I can't contact them and ask "hey, is bridalnegotiator a scam?". If bridalnegotiator is a scam then I will look into Bella.<br>

Thanks for your input.</p>

<p>I believe my hat was in my hand when I asked for legitimate responses from people who have had experience with bridalnegotiator. There was nothing snippy in my original post. I appreciate any helpful responses but what I don't appreciate are people who make it a full time job to play mall cop on this or any forum. I pride myself on finding answers to my own questions by constantly reading photography books and blogs. When I have a question I can't find an answer to then I ask. I love photography and I love talking to people who love photography so please, if you have nothing to contribute regarding bridalnegotiator then move on to your next victim.</p>

<p>What difference does it make when I joined or how many times I have posted. I did go to their website and sent several emails that have not been returned. I even did additional searches and called a phone number but it was not in service. I thought this would be a good forum to ask if anyone has had experience with them. This is my first post in the wedding forum...I have posted several times in the Canon forum. If you don't want to provide some useful information then put your head down and take a nap.</p>

<p>Has anyone used Bridalnegotiator.com? Does anyone know if they are still in business?<br>

I understand they are a budget wedding service and use a bidding process to book weddings. Due to my current situation and experience shooting weddings I think this is a good service to book weddings for someone looking to gain experience first and worry about making a huge profit second. So, if you have any experience with or information on bridalnegotiator.com please share.</p>

<p>I am interested to get some opinions on after market battery grips for the 5D Mark II. The one thing that has prevented me from purchasing Canon's BG-E6 is the $249 price tag. I searched Ebay and found several aftermarket grips for under $100. Does anyone have experience with any of these grips? Are they worth the $149 in savings? Are they reliable? I usually purchase only new oem equipment but $249 just seems to be too high for a battery grip.</p>

<p>I imagine that everyone who did not like it is probably older than 40 and way too uptight. I personally thought it was funny and reminded me of weird al yankovic. I will take this opportunity to use a quote from the movie Stripes - "lighten up francis"</p>

<p>I was shooting high school basketball and noticed during post that I had one, no two, wait a minute 3 dead pixels. Devastated that my 5D Mark II less than a year old was failing me. I quickly searched for solutions but found nothing. I curled up in a ball and started crying with the thought of having to send my baby in for service. After I forced myself to stand up like a man, I tried one more search and found a solution that sounded so simple I almost didn't try it fearing I would just be dissapointed. Fortunately, it worked the first try. Dead pixels were gone and it only took 2 minutes to fix.<br>

I am posting this to help anyone who experiences dead pixels on the 5D Mark II, or any canon body for that matter. Don't see why this wouldn't work with a Rebel, 40D, 50D, 7D or any other D that Canon has out there. Here are the steps and I hope it saves at least one person from having o send their baby in for service.<br>

1. Get an exposure for several seconds with lens cap on. I did mine for 1 second. This will show you where your dead pixels are or if you have any.<br>

2. If you have dead pixels then do a manual sensor cleaning for 1 minute. See manual for instructions<br>

3. Get another long exposure with lens cap on and check to see if dead pixels are gone.<br>

Worked for me and I hope it works for you. Good luck!</p>

<p>*********************read this for multiple light set up on the cheap******************<br>

Calvin, I have been reading strobist for about a year now and love all the information provided. I have several canon speedlites that I trigger with Pocket Wizards and one Nikon sb-26 that is triggered optically. <br>

However, there was a post on David Ziser's Digitalprotalk.com yesterday for adding off camera flashes for less than $100 for flash, umbrella and monopod. Here is the link - just scroll down to technique tuesday and watch the short video on recession lighting. I wish I had seen this when I was buying gear. I think I will still buy some of this gear in addition to all of my Canon Speedlites. Good luck.<br>

<a href="http://www.digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/">http://www.digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/</a></p>

<p>I would take the 24-70 and leave the other lenses at home. I only needed flash inside the castle and at the bippidi boppiti boop hair solon. I don't believe tripods are allowed. The only need I see for the 70-200 is for the safari ride at Animal Kingdom but that is a big lens to carry arround for only a few shots - I left mine at home. Bring a good bag, I used the slingshot from Lowepro and was very comfortable. Keep in mind that security inspects your bags before entering the park, the more gear you bring the more time spent at the front gate and not inside the park. Spend time with the family and not fiddling with so much gear. You will get great shots with the 5D and the 24-70 and flash if going inside the castle.</p>

<p>Don't forget that you can open jpegs in camera raw using CS3 or CS4. I just shot a 50th wedding aniversary in similar lighting using my 580 ex II.  Set the camera to AWB and corrected the jpeg photos using camera raw in CS3.  Just right click on the photo in Bridge and select open in camera raw. You don't have the presets but you can still make adjustments manually.</p>

I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination but I see two learning opportunities here.

1. Exposure - get Bryan Peterson's book Understanding Exposure

2. Using flash - read Strobist.com daily

The only problem I ever had with my 20D is not being able to remove the lens. It will set you back approx $375 if you need the lens mounting ring (don't know the actual name) replaced.

 

I would make sure the lens mounts to the body smoothly without any catching. Good luck.

http://www.supercoupon.com/Coupons/Electronics/B%26H_Coupon_for_Canon/

This link will take you to valid coupons for Canon products at B&H.

I recently purchased a 70-200 2.8 IS lens for less than $1500. I just checked the site and see the 24-70 2.8 has a coupon for $984 - very tempting.

There is no need to buy several memory cards or carry heavy laptops. I took 2500 raw photos on my one week trip to disney and stored all of them on a portable drive from Digital Foci. You can get them from B&H and if you don't need to view your photos on the storage device they are as little as $119 for a 40 gig. I had no problems with mine and use it to back up photos whenever I run out of memory card space.

Review your homeowner insurance policy to see if there is any coverage available or talk to your local agent. Ask if there is an endorsement that can be added to your homeowner policy. I'm not sure if there is coverage on your homeowner policy or if it can be purchased but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Wait until the dog falls asleep then take as many shots as possible using available light. Save your money to replace the carpeting your dog will definetly rip to shreds.

 

Or buy the 50mm 1.8 like everyone else. Fast lens, great pictures,

low price.

I recently upgraded to a Canon 40D from a 20D and love Canon. The 40D is an excellent camera for an amatuer to advanced amateur shooter. I am in the camp that believes you should spend more on premium glass than getting the most expensive body. As for Canon vs Nikon, you can't go wrong with either system - you just have to make a choice and live with it. If you have a Best Buy near you stop in and play with the Canon 40D and the Nikon D70 or 80. Good Luck.

I just received my new 40d a few days ago. I have fallen in love with this camera after holding down the shutter and experiencing 6.5 frames per second. I shoot my kids involved in soccer and can't wait for the snow to clear and the balls to start rolling again. For what you have described your needs to be - go with the 40D. Remember that as your kids get older they will also get faster.