caleb_santos

<p>I just got my camera back from canon. They didn't even look at the mirror. I wrapped it in paper and taped it up to keep it safe, but it was never opened. I don't get it... how did they inspect the condition of the mirror if they never looked at it? you can clearly see the residue on the mirror where the glue simply came loose... just glue it back on canon! wow, it doesn't need a new $500 mirror box assembly. why? this is not a technical question... philosophically speaking... why? </p>

<p>After much googling, I found a forum post with the same issue as me. The guy said he sent his camera to the California canon repair place and they fixed it for free. I sent mine to the one in Virginia. I spoke to Jim at the national call center in Chesapeake, VA. I asked him if he had a last name or a senior boss above him who I could speak to. He told me he has neither. I kept asking him why this wasn't covered under warranty, and he kept telling me that he couldn't tell me why, because the service department does not "communicate directly with customers" or some BS. He said he could not comment on the condition of my camera because he is not a service technician. I sarcastically said, "I'll just fix it myself with superglue and needle-nose pliers." He began to mock me and said, "I think the epoxy they use is a lot stronger than super-glue." I was frustrated but tried to control myself. After this I lost it. I asked him if he was a certified tech to which he answered no. So, I asked him why he could give me advice about the super-strong epoxy but couldn't make any other comments as to why this supposedly super-strong epoxy CAME LOOSE! Well, that shut up his patronizing, but he kept giving me the run around. <br /><br />I have never attached EF-S lenses. I don't even own an EF-S lens. <br>

So, in summary: <br /><br /></p>

<ol>

<li>I have never used the camera improperly</li>

<li>I have never caused any damage at all</li>

<li>Camera is 6 months old</li>

<li>Canon said a new mirror box is not under warranty</li>

<li>I don't know why they think I need a new mirror box, they just need to glue the mirror back onto the mirror bracket. I don't know how they would know anything because they did not disassemble my camera... Just a visual inspection, because I never authorized the repair order after they sent me the $480 invoice. </li>

<li>There was absolutely NO DAMAGE... the mirror just came loose all by itself. And No, a new mirror box is not under warranty. (according to Jim, not Jim Belushi)</li>

</ol>

<p>Thank you Charles Wood for your input. I am starting to consider switching brands. Nikon is not terribly appetizing and I love my lenses. I just shot a wedding today and some shots showed yellow banding ... whats that about? This was on my OTHER 5Dmk2. Does sony make a body that fits EF lenses? Sigma? haha.. this is ridiculous. </p>

<p>I was in the middle of a wedding ceremony when the image in the viewfinder started wiggling... well, the mirror came loose somehow and completely fell out. Has this ever happened to anyone?<br /> My main concern is once I sent my camera to canon to be repaired they wanted to replace the entire mirror box to the tune of $500. Was I so naive to think they would fix it for free? Camera is 6 months old, my backup camera, I hardly use it, not more than 5k snaps on it... I never dropped it, always used in moderate temperatures, kept in a bag at room temperature, etc... woe is me.</p>

<p>I use Sigma 17-35. I bought a 16-35, but I actually liked the sigma better. <br>

More useful? The 24-70 is much more useful. <br>

But, super wide angle is so great... i would go for the 16-35. </p>

<p>I bought the s90 in March 2010. I have used it extensively. I've gone through every function on every setting. Many photos have a reddish color to them. I will have to try some of the suggestions made on this thread. But, so you know, Mr. Russo, you're not crazy and, the crazy assumptions about how you use the camera aside, maybe we can figure out the best way to achieve photos with excellent realistic color. </p>

<p>70-200mm 4/f IS definitely. You're going to love it. Find a used 70-200mm f/2.8 IS and that saves you having to buy a fast tele-prime later on after youre hooked on the focal length. <br>

24-105mm f/4 IS is an excellent lens, but after a while it's a bit -> meh :/ More of the same. The primes are better, and the zoom will make you lazy. Then you will stop using primes. Then you will be missing out on all the benefits of your great prime lenses. <br>

70-200mm of some flavor, for sure. ;)</p>

<p><a href="http://etv.err.ee/arhiiv.php?id=113483">http://etv.err.ee/arhiiv.php?id=113483</a><br>

The link above opens a video page for a morning program on Estonian television. The show's intro video in the link above has a unique perspective. I don't know a whole lot about different film formats but I feel like I have seen this similar "look" in medium format photos. Is this video simply a time lapse sequence using medium format film? Thank you for anyone that can shed some light on the subject for me. </p>

<p>I've come to a funny nickname for those types of people who run around like a mad person with their camera.... Tarzan. lol This wedding I did a while back, some cousin of the bride was seriously wearing surfing shorts with a Hawaiian shirt. He had a point and shoot slim cam and was literally walking BEHIND the alter, BETWEEN the B&G and the photographer and videographer. He was dark skinned with long black curly hair, so me and my partner kept saying stuff like, "oh man, tarzan got in the way of my shot again!" LOL oh man, that was quite an experience. (I found a pic of him)<br /> <img src="http://isensee.zenfolio.com/img/s8/v11/p687082511-4.jpg" alt="" /><br /> So, today at a wedding I shot, (the church asked us not to use flash mind you) this guy with a nikon version of the canon rebel, with his kit zoom lens, shooting on full-auto, kept blasting away his popup flash. Granted, many people were popping off shots here and there. But this guy was out of control. He was basically shadowing me and my partner.</p>

<p>Hey Steve,<br /> If TWO studios are interested in you then go for it. You have obviously proved yourself. Some people think you need a PhD in optics and be a student of da vinci before you are worthy enough to photograph someone's wedding. That is rubbish. The fact that you are thinking it through so thoroughly proves to me that you are ready to take big strides forward. I like this part,</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The main thing that put me off is that so many people seem to be pursuing it as a career.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Okay? It's like when you buy a new car, and suddenly you begin to notice the same car a lot more on the street. Key word here -- "SEEM". Your perceptions are your reality. So, change your perceptions. You are the best photographer in the UK. Go knock em out.<br>

Long story short, it doesn't take THAT much experience to do this job. But I would agree doing a wedding completely solo would suck. I like to have a partner just for moral support. :)</p>

<p>I use Sandisk extreme III 30mb/s and sandisk EXTREME 60mb/s on the 5Dmk2. They both are more than adequate. I use them interchangeably. I use the faster cards for the 7D mainly. </p>

<p>Hey Chad! <br>

The 50D is a great camera to start with. In my pursuit to obtain a decent kit without breaking the bank I simply chose the lenses with the highest quality/cost ratio. <br>

50D<br />Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 $200<br />Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS $800<br />Canon 70-200mm f/4 $550<br />Canon 135mm f/2 $900<br />Canon 50mm f/1.4 $300<br />Canon 580ex II speedlight $300<br>

Can you scrounge up 3000 bones? (this is just an example of a very affordable kit that produces very great quality with a decent price) <br>

You already have the 50D which is a great starting point. If you really want to get into weddings you either need to sell all your amateur gear and invest in better equipment, or keep the stuff you have for your kids to play with and start fresh on a new kit. <br>

You don't have to buy it all at once. I bought each of those lenses 1 per paycheck. Yeah, at that time I was able to budget $1000 per paycheck to invest into photography. <br>

Eventually I realized I wanted a full frame camera and bought a used Canon 5D for about $1200. Nowadays they sell for closer to $1000. That or buy another 50D sometime down the road since you already know that system. <br>

You have to spend money to earn money. Don't waste money on those EF-s lenses for crop sensor cameras. Believe it or not film is STILL a very viable alternative to digital. Buy an old cheap Canon EOS film camera and slap those new lenses on there with some Fuji Superia Reala 100 film and you will be blown away.</p>

<p>I have both. I am not comfortable going over 1600 on the 7D. I will use 3200 on the 5Dmk2 in a heartbeat. So, yes, definitely 1 stop and then some. </p>

<p>It's 1 stop.... it's not like those super zooms that go from 3.5 - 6.5. It's not that hard to dial down your shutter speed a stop to make up for the change. I have the Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 EX DG HSM. I had the Canon 16-35mm L II but sold it after realizing the extreme value of the Sigma. So, I don't miss the constant aperture of the canon.... like I said, 1 stop isn't going to throw a wrench into your exposure. </p>

<p>Just send them the photos. Do you WANT to charge them? Follow your gut instinct. </p>

<p>Use a fast lens, i.e. f/1.4 and ISO between 1600-6400. :D </p>

<p>Gazebos are kinda awkward.... but, this turned out nice with the hanging plants. I like the other variation of this photo where the B&G are looking at each other from around the center pole. :)</p>

<p><img src="http://isensee.zenfolio.com/img/s8/v9/p243912267-3.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>At every wedding I shoot, one of those "uncle bob"s comes up to me and ask about my huge white lens. They shoot in fully auto mode with a variable aperture zoom lens and the popup flash. I have to kindly ask, "get out of my way fool." Oh, that wasn't a question. <br>

Photographing weddings and family portraits is very personal. Business isn't "business". This is more like an inter-personal business relationship. Women do exceptionally well at marketing this "business" because they are naturally better at socializing with brides and families. Men are always trying to size each other up for some reason. All of my business has come from a network of women talking to other women, and finally contacting my female business partner. <br>

Starting out I wanted to keep my prices low. I was realistically charging a price I thought my work was worth, which was not much. I was never trying to under-cut some big professional's higher prices. I was just charging what was fair. Also, I view photography as a very sincere service. It's one thing to mess up someone's haircut as a barber, or leave spilled trash on the sidewalk as a garbage-man, but taking someone's photo is precious and sincere. I wanted anyone to afford high quality photos. That's why I have an unlisted bottom of the barrel price bracket. If the given date is not booked within a month or 2 of the event, I make sincere efforts to meet my client's budget. I don't care how small their budget is. I'll take $200 to spend 2 hours at the ceremony so they can get at least SOME nice photos. <br>

Where to market yourself.... low, mid, high, untouchable... Well, as I said, I started out low to mid. To increase profits I simply increased my prices and offer now much fancier and costlier products. wow, it's not rocket science. 1700, 2400, 3200, 4500. No one has ordered the 4500 dollar package yet. Will anyone ever? I don't care. I just did a wedding today for $500. It was a dear friend of mine and between her and her new husband they are quite popular. She and her man are extreeeemely beautiful people. What I gained in marketing, advertisement, and networking far outweighed the "work" I did today. Oh wait, I finished the night drinking champagne, eating cake, and flirting with very hot eligible bachelorettes. Regardless this being my friend's wedding, I usually get very close and personable with the B&G and have alot of fun at their wedding festival. Free food, free cake, free alcohol.... and you're getting paid to have fun. <br>

I don't know if you started this thread looking for pity or encouragement or something other. But from what I gather you probably should let it go. <br>

I will offer a short story. I was in the grocery store last spring and an older gentlemen had a small table set up in a busy corner of the store. He had some framed portraits on display and was asking folks passing by if they would like to sign up for family portraits for the easter holiday. He must have been associated with the store manager somehow and had set up his studio in the management office in the 2nd story of the grocery store. So, I stopped by to take a look at his display. From a quick glance I noticed 1 photo of 3 children sitting 1 behind the other and the child sitting in front was outside the field of focus. It was easy to notice being an 11x14 print. Well, I was polite to the guy and spoke to him a little bit, but suddenly he started to haggle me! I agreed to put my name down on his contact sheet, but without realizing it I had somehow guaranteed myself to be his customer and he promptly asked me for my credit card number. I was quite shocked. I had to find a way out of the situation without being rude, but the man became very agitated and grumbled, "If you sign up you have to pay the deposit!" I said, I couldn't commit to the date for which he slotted me and I quickly walked away after a brief nod or hand wave. Later that week my business partner and I bought several bunny rabbits and had a fabulous live bunny easter portrait session. Clients were showing up who we had no idea even KNEW about our bunny portrait session. I guess some lady at the local women's exercise club loved the idea of having her kids photographed with real bunny rabbits and told all her friends about it. It was a lot more fun than being haggled at the grocery store for out of focus portraits with outdated backgrounds from the 1980's. Some folks don't understand the meaning of the word "classic". <br>

I agree with Robert Cossar. If so many photographers are cropping up so quickly, then the profession of photography is flourishing like never before. The trick is being that "someone with a really great camera who'll do those special [events]." That's called marketing :D I rest my case. </p>

<p>Assuming a 1/60th shutter speed: If someone walks pretty level without bobbing their head... then the head will not be blurred. Likely, the swinging of the arms will cause motion blur in the area below the shoulders. If you get lucky and find a natural pause in the movement, then you wont get any blur. Sometimes, the bride gets nervous and walks very quickly down the isle... then what do you do? lol For any significant motion you simply must crank up the ISO or use a faster lens. But, when the bride and groom stand at the alter, nearly motionless, 1/60th would be ok. </p>

<p>I would like to add my own info about the s90 since I do own it and use it frequently. <br>

I upgraded from a Canon SD400. I loved that camera but I let my 1 year old play with it too much and now the lens wont open on occasion. I liked the flexibility of the SD400 but it was a little limited for certain situation. Getting proper exposure often required holding shutter half way down on a bright area and recomposing to a darker area. (or vice versa). <br>

That is the great thing about the s90 - Manual exposure, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program, and Auto. In my experience, I use my Point'n'Shoot for quickly changing scenes like my children. Thus, Manual exposure on the s90 is very challenging and I normally settle with Auto. But, for example, it is much easier to setup a nice shot of a sunset or landscape when you have some time to turn all the little wheels. In this regard, its amazing what it can do as a small p'n's. <br>

I read up a lot on the s90 before deciding to buy it. It actually wasn't my first choice but it was easy to find at the local electronics store. One thing that made me have reservations about it was the .9 frames per second. One thing I discovered, though, is the special "Low Light" setting. The camera sets itself to a low resolution (not sure exactly how many megapixels) and jacks up the ISO and gives you 3 frames per second that you can sustain for quite a while. The burst might even be indefinite. I dont know, cuz I never maxed it out. It helps when a shot may have some motion blur, thus out of multiple shots there is usually 1 clear, non blurry keeper. <br>

The main negative side of the camera for me is the lack of ruggedness. I try to be very careful and keep it in a small case of some sort. So, the first time i took it to the beach, the lens cap wouldn't open. I didn't know if a grain of sand may have become lodged inside the lens housing or what. I was pretty disappointed but after turning it off for a few minutes it started working again. I guess you will face this kind of issue with most point and shoots. <br>

Originally I had my heart set on a Lumix LX3, but I settled for the s90. It is actually better than I imagined it would be. The manual settings are just outrageously great. It even has manual focus... But, I am not the s90 guru, so, if you do make it a definite option, ask around for more particulars to make sure it fits your needs. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Is your backup camera for paid work as good as your primary?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Me and my partner work as a team. We use a combination of 5Dmk2, 5D, 7D, 10D, EOS3. My backup gear isn't as new or as capable as my primary. But, I would use my 10D as primary no sweat. To answer your question, I think the 5D is nearly as good as the 5Dmk2 for 98% of shooting. So, I think I will be alright. But, for you I would suggest a 40D if you can stretch your budget a little bit. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Well, Canon does produce a nice line of Selphy printers and they want to sell those too. I guess they hope that people think "Well, now I have a button to print directly from the camera, I surely need a printer..."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I almost bought a printer because of this button. I'm still undecided. </p>

<p>10D was my first DSLR. I thought about selling it but, like others have said, what's the point? My 1 year old loves playing with it. I also use it in risky situations like - going out on the lake in a row boat... why would I take my 5Dmk2 out on a row boat? lol Like someone else mentioned, it makes a good "point and shoot" considering you can throw it in a backpack and not worry at all about it being damaged or stolen. Take pictures of your family going down the sledding hill without a care in the world of your camera's safety. Aside from that, the 10D still takes excellent pictures! Sometimes 6mp is just right. It makes a great backup. <br>

But, I hear you on clearing up space and de-junking your shelves. Now that I just bought a 7D I don't use the 10D all that much, but I will be taking the 10D with me on my next paying photo job! More bodies = I can use more lenses quicker. :) </p>

<p>Can you believe I had December 7th booked too! </p>

<p>Not the best pictures in the world, but if you have a suggestion for better test subjects, let me know, i just did this real fast from where I am sitting in my basement :P<br>

10D 3200<br /> <img src="http://www.santos-isensee.com/photos/CRW_7865.jpg" alt="" /><br /> 7D 3200<br /> <img src="http://www.santos-isensee.com/photos/7D-3200.jpg" alt="" /><br /> 5D2 3200<br /> <img src="http://www.santos-isensee.com/photos/5D-3200.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>I have the 5D mk2 and 7D. Last year my kit consisted of 5D mk1 and 50D. I sold them both to upgrade to 5Dmk2. I miss the old 5D and am seriously thinking of buying a used one again as a backup (as opposed to the 7D as backup). That's how I stumbled upon this thread. <br>

I definitely do not miss the 50D. I am seriously considering selling the 7D and downgrading to the old 5D. The only thing holding me back is the awesome features the 7D brings to the table. The 7D is very comparable to the 50D when you consider noise and IQ, but you can overlook all that with the 7D's feature set. The best thing about the 7D is the spring open CF door. The grip is awesome too. 100% viewfinder is excellent. Live view is a breeze, vs. the 5Dmk2 (a little clumsy when trying to switch between video and camera modes). As far as AF goes, every camera and lens I have had in recent years have had great AF accuracy. So, AF is not a deciding factor for me, even though I understand the 7D is more flexible in that department. One final good note for the 7D is its Auto White Balance which is more often more correct than all the other cameras I mentioned.<br>

Many people might think I am crazy but... I just don't think images captured by the 7D look as nice as those captured by the 5D or 5Dmk2 (I am talking about ISO 100). I think Canon just tried to squeeze a bit too many pixels onto that sensor. ISO 3200 on the 7D doesn't look much better than on my old 10D. Even on low ISO colors don't look smooth. I read on forums everywhere that the 7D almost equals the 5Dmk2 in IQ and blows the 5dmk1 out of the water.... that was just a bunch of bologna. <br>

So, to answer the OP's question... the 5Dmk1 is worth every penny. But, if you need speed, the 7D will do marvelous. The 5Dmk1 is a bit slow and the buffer will get full quickly. BUT, if you really want the best of both worlds, buy a used 1Dmk3. BUT, if you are considering a new 5Dmk2, I would say it is the best (new [digital] {35mm format SLR}) camera for money at this point in history. Then again, I haven't used a Nikon D700. I'll post some 100% crops for Manuel.</p>