peter_steeper

I have an Omnibounce on 420ex with a 20D. In testing it I found that straight on produced underexposed results. I think this happens because ETTL II uses the distance information from the lens to calculate the light output for the flash when the flash is straight on.

 

When the flash is set to a 45 degree angle the exposures were good as ETTL II cannot use distance info. Also the Omnibounce produced better results then just bouncing the flash off the ceiling. With the Omnibounce, shadows from bouncing light off the ceiling are nicely filled in.

 

Try a series of exposures with and without the Omnibounce and titling your flash. You will see what is happening very quickly.

I made a filter holder for my 420ex.

 

When I went to buy some gels from a local theatrical dealer he gave me a set of Rosco swatches. There are about 100 different colours in the swatch set and they are slightly larger than the flash on the 420ex.

 

I made a holder using some matt board, glue and duct tape. Total cost for the complete setup $0.<div></div>

I got the Copperhill kit. It works well and the instructions are very good.

 

It only takes a very few minutes. Do not spill the cleaner on any finished wood tables. It will strip the finish and your hide when your wife sees the spot on the table.

I forgot to mention. If you register your package you can track it on the Canada Post website. It's very annoying seeing your package arrive in 7 days at the Gateway Postal Station in Mississauga and then watch everything being delay for 2 months while they decide the documentation is wrong before they return it to the sender.

You can register your stuff with the Canadian Border Service so you won't pay any taxes when you return to Canada. They will provide you with a green card that has all your equipment and serial numbers listed. Unfortunately, you need to take your gear to a Border Service (Customs) office before you leave.

 

Otherwise they will charge you the taxes when it arrives in Canada. After you have paid the taxes they will release your stuff. Then you can get a refund when you show proof of ownership. It's a hassle but the process works.

 

I have had good success with mail from Hong Kong (about 10 days) but the documentation must be correct or Canada Post will return it to the sender (after 2-3 months). Check the Canada Post website for the required documentation.

We have a HDTV at home that uses a DVI connection to our PC and laptop. This works well for digital slide shows. I have a long cable which runs from the PC to the TV. You can use a wireless mouse or keyboard to control the show.

Hi Gaetano,

 

Lots of folks don't understand colour management including a lot of pros. (A lot of them work in print shops.) I'd keep it simple until you understand it and use sRGB. You will get good results and not be confronted with a decision everytime you repurpose an image. Make sure your images are tagged with the profile when you save, this will help anyone who is processing or using your images.

 

Once you have learned and understand colour management you can choose the colour space that best suits your needs and workflow.

 

Good luck with the weddings. I think that's scarier than colour management.

I can't see the bug any more. I'll see where it goes first.

and damn black flies which get into every orifice if you stand still too long!

<p>I was shooting photos of some kids tonight at Hemlock Ravine near

the Heart Shaped Pond. There were lots of bugs of various types flying

and crawling around.</p>

 

<p>When I was reviewing the pictures after the shoot, there was a tiny

white bug <i>inside</i> the LCD display on the camera. I don't know

how it got in there and I hope it doesn't die in a bad location that

interferes with something.</p>

<p>Has anyone else encountered this problem?</p>

In the testing that I have done, a white card works best with the Canon 20D. The grey card didn't seem to work as well.

 

I made sure the white card filled the image completely and was lit similar to the subject I was shooting. This has worked well and saved time in Photoshop. If your colour settings are correct for PS and your printer, and the exposure is good, the resulting print will be very accurate with little need for colour correction.

I was on the Canon USA site this morning and the 20D was missing in the download section. I went to canon.ca to get the stuff I needed. The Canadian site was wokring.

I'm using a 420ex with my G3, Elan 7 and 20D and it works well on all three cameras. I now have two 420ex flashes and the ST-E2.

Hi Joe,

 

The fit and finish of the Camdapter is excellent. I find the E1 strap just fits. If I had larger hands the strap would be too short. I have attached my Manfrotto quick release plate to the bottom it. I have only used it once since it arrived so I don't know how well it will stay on. The quick release plate has holes for alignment pins and it would be a nice option to have an alignment pin on the Camdapter. Maybe a headless allen screw so it could added or removed if you don't want the alignment pin.

 

Overall a great product and very fast service! Thank you.

There are two ways you can do it.

 

If you are shooting in RAW, and set the set the camera to multiple shots, you will get about 5-6 frames before the buffer fills. It shoots at 5 fps per second.

 

If this is too fast then connect it to a laptop and use the EOS Remote Capture utility that comes with the camera. You can specify the interval and number of shoots. You have a wide range of settings with this tool and you can see each shot on your laptop as you take it to verify the results.

 

-Peter

I have a 20D with two 420EXs and the ST-E2 wireless. This setup works well for my purposes and at this time I'm not suffering from 580 envy. I use FEL when exposure is critical and I get the results I need.

I make images up to 12x18 on my Epson 1280 with excellent results. The images have scored very well in competition. The largest image has been 42x27 on a Xerox 8160 wide format inkjet. Everyone in the office was impressed. The image lost some sharpness at that size but at a normal viewing distant it was excellent.

Thanks Jon and Billy,

 

I have ordered the Camdapter from the guy on Ebay. It's a little more money but it looks to be well built and I already have the hand strap.

 

http://www.camdapter.com/

 

-Peter

I loved the E1 hand strap on my Elan 7 and when I bought the 20D I

wanted an E1 for it as well.

 

I was very surprised to find out the BG-E2 grip for the 20D was twice

as expensive as the grip for the Elan 7. I don't need the extra

battery on the 20D as one battery lasts forever. I don't want the

vertical grip, I never used it much on the Elan 7. I don't want to pay

$200-300 CDN to get the little eyelet for the E1 hand strap.

 

Is there alternative way to attach the E1 hand strap?

 

-Peter

When I went to a local theatre supply place to buy Rosco gels, the sales rep offered me a sample kit of all the rosco colours. The sample kit has over 100 colours sized about 3"x2". They cover my flash head perfectly.

 

Better yet, it was free!

 

-Peter

I'll be shooting 40 golf teams at a two day celebrity golf tournament

in July. Each team has a different celebrity player each day. In the

past we have presented each player with a photo of their team and

celebrity from each day so everyone receives two photos at the gala

dinner on the final night. These pictures are often used for

autographs.

 

We are always looking unique ways to display/present these photos

each year.

 

In the past we have used plexiglass frames, mousepads, BBQ aprons,

calendars, etc. I have the ability and resources to print hundreds of

images in a short period of time but need some new ideas to create

something with a good "wow" factor. I have about six hours and

several people to help create the final product.

 

Any ideas??

 

Thanks, Peter.

If people read manuals, consultants would be out of work.

I try to keep my camera pointed down when changing the lens. I also make sure I have everything ready when I change the lens so I can make the change in 2-4 seconds to minimize exposure to the elements. If it is windy and dusty I don't change lens.

 

I tried the blower, it helps but again I keep the camera pointed down so dust will fall out of the camera. Take care and be gentle.

 

-Peter

<p>Sports Illustrated has a site for their pros and the recoomended procedures for various cameras. They recommend turning off the camera when changing lens.</p>

 

<p>This is the <a href="http://siphoto.com/?canon20D.inc">SI Photo Site</a>.</p>

<p>-Peter</p>

I tried shooting some indoor soccer this winter and the results were poor.

I was using my 70-200 lens at f4 and 3200 ISO and I couldn't get sharp images. There wasn't enough light in the building to get good results. I'm waiting for summer soccer so I can get some opportunities.

-Peter