jasna_hodzic

<p>I bought a new body in Sweden, worked fine for a few days...and of course now I'm in Amsterdam I get the Error 99 message. I'm almost 100% sure it's the shutter because every time I open the CF slot or the battery slot, I hear the shutter depress.<br>

Now I have two faulty bodies to lug around.<br>

:(</p>

<p>Around a year ago (July 9th 2008 to be exact...) my Canon 40D body simply died only a month or 2 after I bought it. It came during horrible timing as I was in the middle of a photography program in Baltimore. I sent the body to Canon and they fixed the problem for free, saying they replaced the "pcd assembly." Afterwards, it worked fine.<br>

During that time I posted a question on this forum for advice before I sent it in :<br>

http://www.photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00Q6Wo<br>

Now, a year later, my family and I are in Europe on vacation. In anticipation of the trip (and because I was planning to already), I bought 2 new lenses, some filters etc. In the airport, I wanted to take a picture of my dad, but the camera wouldn't turn on. I fully charged up both batteries and it still did not work. I removed the back up battery and basically did everything I could. So here I am, in Sweden, with 4 lenses, filters, a tripod, great equipment, but no body.<br>

What the hell is wrong with my body-I take good care of it, I don't see why a camera I bought a year ago would malfunction twice. My warranty just expired, so I'm pretty much screwed in terms of getting a free fix.<br>

Did I just get horribly unlucky in the 40D that I bought...<br>

This incident is making me re-think the quality of Canon products in general. </p>

<p>I will be going to Amsteradm and Copenhagen in a week, and was wondering if anyone had some tips on where to go in each city to get some great photo opps. (I'm really into street photography, capturing culture, people etc.).<br>

Also, I will be in Malmo Sweden, so if anyone has been there some similar tips would be appreciated!<br>

Thanks</p>

<p>Thanks for all the answers<br>

I wasn't really referring to the DOF of the shots, I understand how that is achieved and know that I will never be able to get such a shallow DOF (as shown in the 2nd pic) with my f/4 lens. (Good thing I just bought the 50mm f/1.4!) <br>

What I am referring to is, as mentioned in most of the responses, the tonal range of the shot. What is particularly striking to me is not just the warmth, but how that tone mutes the details of the subjects.<br>

An example of this effect (without the warmth) is shown here<br>

http://amor-fati.tumblr.com/post/161256826/noam-griegst.<br>

Obviously, in the shot linked above, a high ISO was utilized which to me would help the situation..but what I don't understand in the responses given is why the shots are UNDERexposed... to me they seem to be overexposed in order to drown out the colors (in the second shot) and to create the warm shallow light ( in the first shot)<br>

I know this seems like a strange question, the style has just always appealed to me and despite my knowledge of cameras/lighting/techniques, I never could nail it- so I thought I'd ask you guys about it.<br>

Thanks!<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>I have always wondered after seeing photos like <br>

this<br>

and this<br>

<p>how are such shallow, warm, crisp, clear tones achieved? Obviously, the light dictates the creation of such tones...but I'm wondering what camera settings help enhance/capture them? I ask because a few days ago I was in a situation in which the lighting was perfect for such shots, but I was not able to capture them using my 70-200mm f/4L lens. I assume the wider the aperture, the easier it is to capture such shots..or am I wrong?<br>

Basically, what should I do with the camera (assuming the right lighting comes along) to create such atmospheric tones? </p>

<p>I'm going to buy a 77mm Lee Grad ND filter soon. I have never bought a Cokin style filter before, so I had a few questions.<br>

When I buy the filter, I need to purchase both the filter I want and a holder, correct? Does the type of holder matter? For a 40d, would it just be the "Foundation Kit" holder?<br>

Thanks!</p>

 

<p>One other thing that has been confusing me...<br>

Why are the brand name step up rings SO much more expensive than the general step up rings? It's job is simple...is there really that much room for improvement between the two?<br />Also, I'm confused on which step up ring to purchase for the 50mm...<br>

if it's from lens size - filter size, would it be 50mm-77mm?<br>

Sorry for the stupid questions :) </p>

<p>Alright, thanks so much for all the responses!<br>

I think I'm probably going to use step up rings, but I'm not yet certain which filter I want to buy to fit all the lenses, UV or polarizer.<br>

Any advice? I am rather paranoid right now about gear, and don't really feel comfortable with just using lens hoods as protection, so, for now I'd like to have a filter on the lenses most of the time . </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

 

<p>Thanks for the answers <br>

In resposne to <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=587835">Joseph Wisniewski</a>'s post, I've heard some stuff about the negative aspects of UV filters, but have been too hesitant to stop using it. I've always wondered if a lens hood is sufficient enough to be the only protection for the lens? I'm slightly hesitant to adopt it as my only protection due to my fears of an event arising something gets onto the lens, some sort of liquid etc., but please let me know if such fears are unwarranted. <br>

So, when you say "The polarizer is the most important filter, it's definitely the one where you want to get one sized to fit each lens. That way, you'll actually use it, instead of screwing around with adapters," do you mean that you keep the polarizer on most of the time, for general walking around work? If so, does the fact that the polarizer brings down the exposure one or two stops ever annoy you/hamper your work? One of the main reasons I keep a UV filter on is because it doesn't have a huge effect on my photos so it was a nice general purpose protective filter, or at least that I knew of :).<br>

Thanks for the responses! I really appreciate it .</p>

 

<p>I currently own a 17-85mm f/4-5.6 EF-S lens and a 70-200mm f/4 L USM lens. The filter sizes for both of these lenses is 67mm. I have had both for about a year now and have a UV filter for each and one ND filter. I will soon be purchasing the 10-22mm f/3.5-4 lens, with a filter size of 77mm, and a 50mm f/1.4 lens, with a filter size of 58mm. <br>

I have quite a few questions, as I'm really just a beginner to the wonderful world of filters. For my 10-22mm lens, I want to buy a Circular Polarizing filter, a ND filter, and a Grad ND filter. Also, perhaps a UV filter for protection. <br>

For my canon 50mm, the only filter I can think of buying now is an UV filter, again for protection.<br>

However, I can see the number of filters adding up in my bag... with the cost also going up. <br>

So, would you recommend me to get a step up ring for my 67mm and 58mm's? Also, if I buy a step up ring, is it universal for all smaller sized filters or are they specialized; i.e. one for 67mm-77mm, another for 58mm-77mm. I know the step up rings don't allow for the use of a lens hood, which I am pretty used to. <br>

Or, should I just take the plunge and buy filters for each lens?<br>

Thanks for any feedback</p>

 

<p>"While the use of a larger filter in a lens with a smaller thread usually does not cause problems (i.E. a 77mm filter used on a lens with a 67mm thread)..."<br>

So I could buy a 77mm filter and use it on all the lenses with no problems?<br>

I don't want to buy the step up ring unless I have to. </p>

<p>I have a 17-85mm f/4-5.6 and a 70-200mm f/4L lens. I am going to be purchasing the 10-22mm and 50mm f/1.4 lenses soon. I have UV filters for both of my current lenses (for protection,) and a ND filter for my 17-85mm. Both of those are 67mm sizes. As most of you probably know, the filter size for the 10-22mm lens is 77mm. Now, the only reason i bought a ND filter for my 17-85mm is that it was the lens i primarily used for long exposure landscape shots, since I didn't have a wider lens at the time. Now that I find myself about to purchase the 10-22mm, I'm wondering is there anyway that I can get a filter that would fit onto both lenses, or some kind of equipment which could covert the 67mm sizes to 77mm? As you can imagine, I want to reduce the amount of filters I need to be lugging around, and save money, as I become a more serious photographer. <br>

Thanks !</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have very limited experience with external flash, but I want to add a new flash to my arsenal very soon. I have been looking at the Canon Speedlite 580 EX II. My question is, what exactly do I need to buy to enable wireless use of the flash. Obviously, I don't have another flash so that won't work-will I have to purchase a transceiver or is there some sort of wireless capability built into the flash? Sorry, I'm a beginner at this kind of stuff :P</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Thanks for all the responses<br>

I'm only 18 and about to start University so I don't have a WHOLE lot of cash, (the parents are obviously funding the Europe trip :P) but I appreciate all of the lens recommendations. The 17-85mm is a good lens and has served me well, I don't think I'll be replacing it any time soon.<br>

Everyone seems to be recommending the 50mm f/1.8, and the reviews make it sound like a good lens. However, I wonder if the f/1.4 is not worth the extra couple of hundred bucks? I just don't want to find myself in a situation in which I purchase a lens of lower quality because I believe myself to be an amateur, and then pine later on for the higher quality lens I could have just purchased in the first place. (I find myself in this situation a bit haha) I'm not about to shell out a thousand bucks for the f/1.2, so really it's between the f/1.4 and f/1.8. Honestly, as someone who has only been working with f/4 as my lowest f-stop, either sound extremely fast to me. What I'm concerned about with the reviews of the 50mm f/1.8 is the plastic mounting-sounds like it could break pretty easily.<br>

William, thanks for the tip about the Tamron lens. It looks like a good lens for my circumstances. The one question I have after reading all of these thoughtful answers is concerning lens performance on prime lens vs. zoom lenses.<br>

In a more specific question, I know that 18mm is considered to be "super wide angle," yet when I am completely zoomed out on my 17mm-85mm lens, (at 17mm) I never really get the feeling of a "super wide angle" effect. Is this just me, or is it something to do with the lens and the fact that it is not fixed but rather is a variable zoom lens?<br /> <br>

I assume lens performance is better on prime lenses because of glass quality-correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

 

<p>Thanks for the answer, Lex.<br>

My problem with only having my mid-range lens is that it doesn't have a good aperture range (it's f/5.6, not f/3.5 as I incorrectly stated above), but I was definitely going to use it as my main lens when traveling. Generally, I find many people coveting the standard 50mm lenses, I'm just curious as to what the big hubbub is about ;)</p>

<p>I am most interested in street/urban/travel photography, photos such as the majority of ones in one of my flickr sets.<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/betsyandleonardo/sets/72157606323331095/<br>

I'm going on a month long trip in Europe starting this August, and am looking for a very good lens which will be best suited to this kind of photography. Currently I have a Canon 40d with the kit lens 17-85mm f/3.6 i believe, and a 70-200mm f/5.6 L series lens. Both are pretty good lenses that have done me well in the best, but I am really looking for a very good lens to purchase that is not ridiculously expensive. <br />I was looking at the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, which has gotten stellar reviews, but found myself wondering if this was a good focal length for the kind of photography I have mentioned. <br>

Any tips?<br>

Also, are lenses such as Tamron etc. good as well? I have always stayed with the Canon brand and never thought of branching out.<br>

Thanks<br>

-Jasna</p>

<p>I intend to do some experimentation with very long exposures so<br>

David's quote that<br>

"The cable one I use requires you to hold the button down to keep the shutter open, no big problem as I don't go for hours at a time anyway. The wired on will allow you to manipulate auto focus aswell"<br>

makes me want to get a remote control. The problem is, as per D.B.'s advice I looked in my manual and they only suggest two different cable releases- does anyone know of any good remote timers for the Canon 40d?</p>

<p>I am interested in buying a cable release or wireless remote for my Canon 40d, but am not sure which to purchase. I have always used a timer in long exposure situations, but I have been becoming more heavily involved in using the "bulb" feature and understand the importance of getting an exterior shutter-depressor. My question is, can wireless remotes be used in bulb? I know that shutter release cables can, but can find no direct answer about whether or not remotes posses such a capability. I was hoping someone could help clear my confusion :P</p>

<p>To Jack-yes my camera does autofocus correctly and I can detect if it is doing so correctly ( I have a Canon 40d) I just prefer using manual focus</p>

<p>Hm..weird. I have changed my diopter, maybe I'm just getting worse at focusing for some other random reason :P<br>

To Jennifer, what did your eye doctor do?</p>

<p>Over the past 2 years I have been becoming nearsighted, and I have found that it affects my ability to focus. All of a sudden I have trouble determining if something is sharp or not (when taking a picture). I have glasses that I wear when I need to, such as when taking notes in school etc. Taking photos with these glasses is kind of a hassle, and can be annoying. I've changed the viewfinder settings by customizing the optometer (i think that's what it's called) to fit my needs, but still find that I am getting worse and worse in focusing. This is becoming quite a problem, and I wonder-are contacts my only solution to this photographic woe ? :(</p>

<p>Thanks for the answers, I went ahead and mentally calculated the exposures, but now I have another problem.<br>

Going in to edit the photos, whatever tone-mapping program I try, I find that in almost every photo there is a lot of areas where there are random clusters of pink dots-does anyone know why these appear and how to get rid of them?<br>

Also, does anyone have a good recommendation for a software? I tried Photomatix and the Essential HDR Community but did not really like the results I got with either. <br>

It was my first time shooting HDR, though, so I took the results with a grain of salt. I'm mainly curious about how to remove those pink clusters which I described.<br>

Also, despite the fact that I used a tripod and the timer (I don't have a shutter release cable) many of the final HDR products are rather blurry-I suppose this is my error in somehow moving the camera when taking the shots.</p>

<p>This may sound like a stupid question, but here goes.<br>

I have a Canon EOS 40d, and I'm interested in doing some HDR shots. As I was perusing tutorials etc. I came across the issue of how I can get -3EV since the exposure meter only reads up to -2EV. I experimented and noticed that when i get to -2EV, and change the Shutter speed, aperture, ISO, whatever, to get even more underexposed, it begins to blink. Does a blink mean that I'm at -3EV, and another mean I'm at -4EV? I checked in the manual, all I could find about blinking was that it blinks when it's underexposed/over exposed...but it doesn't blink for me at any time b/w -1EV to -2EV..so I'm quite confused.<br>

Thanks for any responses :)</p>

Hmm I don't recall ever doing that haha.

What "Hockey stick" lever?

i tried removing the backup battery, it still won't work :(