kelvin_lau1

Thank you for everyone's help and advice. I tried to change the character of the camera by painting it with a coat of black enamel & putting a red dot on the front. The results were unsatisfactory though, as my photographic collection then started to comprise of lots of brick walls.

Any tips on making my EOS-1Ds smaller?

 

(tongue firmly in cheek)

I suggest Mainline Photo in Artarmon, and Foto Riesel in the city. Camera Lane and Camera Exchange in Melbourne are also good (I've bought stuff from both of them).

 

I recommend picking up a copy of the Photo Trader (bright yellow thing) for the local newsagent.

Tom I'm referring to using the button for ambient light in spot/multi-spot mode, in which it acts as an AE-L button. Sorry I should have clarified this.

 

I have an EOS-1V and EOS-1Ds.

Puppy Face: Thanks for the info. I'm not familiar with all the EOS bodies but was aware that the T90 had the first multi-spot mode for a Canon which is pretty much the same. Now I know the EOS-3 has it as well. I think the Olympus OM-4 also had highlight/shadow spot metering, but the EV difference was hard wired into the camera.

 

NK Guy - good to hear that you can set a custom function on the 10D to do the same. I find the location of the button makes a difference, as well as in combination with the command dial for instant exposure compensation. Lots of other cameras have AE-L buttons too, but using them is harder. How do you find using the feature with Selective metering only (my understanding is the 10D hasn't got spot metering)?

 

Mark - regarding high contrast subjects, I agree - just having a spot meter won't fix the problem, one needs to adapt the lighting or pick either the highlights or shadows to preserve. What I was getting at was it's easier to preserve than just depending on Evaluative or CW metering, and the FE/AE lock feature streamlines the process.

 

Jonathan I noticed that the new 5D hasn't got the FE Lock button next to the shutter button. Hopefully you can custom function some other button, like NK Guy has with his 10D.

The feature that finally convinced me some years of go of "making the

switch" to a Canon SLR system was not the fast AF speed, not the

advanced lens system, not the class-leading digital imaging

technology.....but rather that tiny little button to the left of the

shutter release labelled 'FE LOCK'.

 

First pioneered in the T90 camera, the FE lock button appears to be

unique amongst the EOS-1 class camera bodies. When combined with the

spot metering pattern it allows precise spot measurements which are

locked into the camera prior to taking the shot. When pressed several

times it will average several sport meter readings.

 

Personally I find the best part of this button is being able to lock

in a single spot measurement and then 'place the zone' (a la Ansel

Adams) using the rear command dial to adjust exposure compensation. I

can rapidly place someone's face into Zone VI or VII with one button

press followed by a small twiddle of the knob at the back - takes less

than 1 second. Index finger, followed by thumb, followed by taking

the shot.

 

I used to try doing that with any other camera in Spot mode (eg a

Nikon F4 or F90) and would often lose the shot from fiddling with

exposure compensation interlocks or mucking up some confusing

combination button press. A Pentax *istDs I also use has the same

"button cocktail" problem when used in spot mode, and I end up

shooting CW or Evaluative with that camera most of the time as a result.

 

I'm writing this posting to try and remind any EOS-1 users out there

about the FABULOUS FE-LOCK BUTTON and not to forget about it during

your shooting! Say goodbye to blown highlights or muddy shadows!

I can tell you about my experience with the 5700 (I haven't used the Canon ones yet). I purchased mine originally with the intention of using it for some studio flash photography. Unfortunately it has several problems which prevent it from being successful. There is no PC-sync socket. If you use an x-sync hotshoe adapter (or any hotshoe flash for that matter) the hotshoe won't work unless you activate the popup on-camera flash. You might be able to use the popup flash as a slave activator, but you would have to dial in a lot of negative exposure compensation (greater than 4 stops under - and I don't think that's possible) if you don't want it to affect the image.

 

I also found the shutter lag time to be excessive and precise manual focusing to be next-to-impossible due to the low resolution of the viewfinder. This could be a problem for your travel & stock images. The manual aperture adjustment range is also narrow compared to film cameras - a problem if your lights are powerful and you need f/11 or smaller. There is no filter thread on the lens, but I wouldn't doubt that Cokin may have made an adapter for it.

 

I ended up selling the 5700 after 2 months of use, went back to traditional film for another year and a half, then finally bit the bullet & purchased a Finepix S2 SLR. This is a great camera with great versatility & user friendliness. I don't doubt that others such as the Canon 10D would be just as good.

 

It sounds to me that your requirements would be better met with a lower end 6 megapixel digital SLR in combination with traditional black-and-white film (which will always have a wider dynamic range than digital - in fact, up to 9 stops). The digital SLR will have enough versatility to handle both the studio and the field, due to the more advanced flash options & quick operation. You will need 50-100% more cash compared to the 5700/G5, but you definitely get what you pay for.

 

In conclusion, I think both the 5700 and the G5 are not really up to the task of frequent studio & stock image uses. You will save a lot of time & frustration by taking the plunge & getting a digital SLR.

I have been using a 20mm lens on my Fuji Finepix S2 to get a viewing

angle roughly equivalent to a 28mm lens on my Nikon F3 film camera,

(and a 35mm lens to get the old 50mm lens viewing angle on the film

SLR).

 

However - although the viewing angle is the same, the digital pics

just seem to have a bit of that wide-angle 'stretch-and-smear

distortion' near the edges which I wouldn't have expected to see if

I used 28mm on film. Is there something happening that is weird due

to the smaller sensor? Am I getting 20mm lens distortion in

a '28mm' viewing angle? Am I just imagining things? Am I making

sense?<div></div>

Eric do you take any precautions with the film at these temperatures? I read in a textbook that the film could snap or have static electricity in low temperatures.

 

Thanks!

A Holga 120S has a really crappy lens, and they sell like hotcakes because of it.

I've got both. The FM3a is much better for daylight fill flash, due to the faster sync speed. It also has a hot shoe.

 

I wear glasses & can use either camera without trouble.

Try an H focusing screen with microprisms all over. The image has plenty of snap (but you can't use DOF preview anymore).

 

From my experience the F3 shutter does seem to lag ever so slightly compared to an FM3a, but I haven't done any scientific tests. Luke - I suggest you don't lose sleep over it.

 

Happy snapping!

A few years ago I did some reportage shots in a hospital with an F90x over a period of 3 weeks. One day I decided to use an FM2 instead just for a change. After two shots with the MD12 on I removed it - you could hear it from the other side of the ward.

Hi Jason. I live in Australia and F3s sell for around AUS$100-300 more than an FM2 or FE2 secondhand. My current kit comprises of an F3, an FM3A and a beaten up old F4 - all purchased secondhand.

 

The F3 is an excellent camera which is compact, light, and easily serviceable. The downsides are that manual metering is tricky with the viewfinder LCD, and the manual 'matchneedles' turn off when you have a dedicated TTL flash attached! You will also need to get an AS-17 flash adapter to get a proper TTL hotshoe. The shutter clack is also pretty loud. Mine is the non-HP viewfinder version and I can see the whole screen with my glasses on. It is very easy to focus with an H2 screen. Camera techs can service them with their eyes shut.

 

The FM3A isn't a bad camera but I feel it is slightly inferior to the FM2. You can't see the matchneedles in dim light, (FM2 has LEDs) and I've already had a mechanical fault with the film winder (it intermittently trips the shutter as I wind to the next frame). It can be hard to see the whole frame with my glasses on, but possible if your eye is centered. The shutter is very quiet. TTL flash is possible. (I dislike how Nikons insist on setting the shutter to fastest sync speed when you plug a dedicated flash on in an AE mode though.)

 

FYI the F4 is a great camera with every feature I want, except for the fact that it weighs about the same as one and a half house bricks, is about as easy to carry around, and it's nigh on impossible to be inconspicuous with it. Thus it spends most of the time in the studio, in its bag, or when I am doing a job where I'm obviously a photographer & people won't ask questions or comment on it. For some reason it's harder to focus than the older Nikons. The shutter & motordrive is extremely quiet.

 

In summary, the F3 would make a great travelling & landscape camera for you, is tough, is reliable, & I highly recommend it. It's unlikely you'll grow out of it either!