jackie_baisa

<p>I shoot Canon and I switched four years ago because my boyfriend shot Canon, I loved his camera, and we could swap gear. The last commenter clearly didn't read your preface that you are "keeping it simple" not telling us the whole story. Hey, you want to switch; that's all I need to know.<br>

My first question is: Are you a professional? If so, I'd say:<br>

--Buy two Mark IIs (ALWAYS have a backup)<br>

--35/1.4<br>

--50/1.4<br>

--135/f2<br>

--85/1.2 (if you still have money left over, otherwise, rent it for a while)<br>

Eventually, you might want the versatile 24-70 (for a zoom, it's excellent), but those are the best primes. I love my Mark IIs and don't seen the need for Mark IVs, really. But if that's what you're leaning toward, go for it!<br>

Good luck!</p>

<p>Boca. I've never heard bouquet. But I talk to a lot o photographers and we always pronounce it 'boca'. Sounds like you know the definitely already -- that's the one I had trouble with! ;-)</p>

<p>I'm not able to look at my lens right now, but there's a button on the side that allows you to get even closer to your subject. Trying switching that lens to the other setting from what it is on.<br>

I think your shot is fabulous, personally. I've never gotten such close up great shots with that lens. (I use it primarily for food photography.)</p>

<p>Unfortunately, no. They are not compatible. I had to upgrade with all new batteries, as well. It's quite ridiculous, if you ask me, and the one thing I was NOT happy about, with the 5DMII (happy with everything else). :-)</p>

<p>It's a fabulous lens, but it's known for its focusing errors. Can you MANUALLY focus (ie. is it just the autofocus that is not working)? I've had two of these lenses and have had to get both repaired for focusing problems (one of them TWICE). It's crazy because it's SUCH a great lens (the one I use the most, and it produces really crisp shots and in minimal light).</p>

<p>The first one is, obviously, not a prime. And I agree that primes are the way to really go.<br>

I have the 50/1.4 and it stays on my camera about 80% of the time. No joke. I adore that lens. The downside? It has a known defect that affects a small percentage of their lenses, where the autofocus craps out. Just be aware that if anything starts getting weird, send it back for repairs (or a new one). That said, it's (obviously) my favorite lens that I own. And I shoot a lot of the same things you do (minus the street stuff) and don't like using flash, either.<br>

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, rent all of those lenses (www.rentglass.com is a good place to start... there are others) BEFORE YOU BUY. I was just convinced that I wanted to buy the 24/1.4 for architecture and wide-angle portraits outdoors. I didn't like it too much. I ended up barely using it. I can see the benefits of it, but I just didn't see myself using it ENOUGH to buy it. (Will I rent it again? Yes.)<br>

Lastly, the 135 is my absolute favorite Canon lens. Every time I rent it, my soul dies a little bit when it's time to ship it back. It's definitely time for me to own it.</p>

<p>Actually, your 5D is worth more than that, probably. I've never seen well-used ones for less than $1,200, unfortunately. :-) But yes, I recently had almost the same issue with mine and I paid $900 when all was said and done. NOT happy about it, but I am not surprised. Maintenance on cameras has never been cheap, unfortunately. Your 5D sounds like it is old and starting to give out. It's like needing to overhaul a car engine; it would be expensive to do so, and yet it is either that, or buy a new one. Never a fun position to be in. I opted for repairing mine. It's still a lot less than a new one, and the new parts will make it seem new. (It really works like a charm now.) Good luck!</p>

<p>Do you have a sample photo to post? In really low light, you can really crank up the ISO on that Mark II to 1600 without too much visible noise at all. Also, I would turn the f-stop down to at LEAST 2.8 or lower. f3.5 is going to lag in low light, even with a flash. I agree in turning down the shutter speed, but maybe not THAT much. But by turning up the ISO and turning it down a couple of f-stops, it should be good. You're "bouncing" your flash, right? Try turning it backward about 45 degrees, as well. It still diffuses, while toning down the direct light even a little more.<br>

Good luck!</p>

<p>Waterproof means that, yes, you can take it underwater. Weather-proof is just that: you can take it out in all kinds of weather. But don't submerge the camera fully in water. However, it will be okay in rain and snow and fairly high heat, etc.</p>

<p>Thanks to Henrik for this information. I suspected it wasn't the lenses, but the settings. Manual is probably the best way, I'm sure. I'm still new to this, so I'll keep learning how to adjust the camera as I'm panning.</p>

<p>Honestly, it's not so much the body as the glass. A great lens is a MUST. I needs to get down to at least f1.4 to be really sharp in really dim lighting without a tripod. You could PROBABLY do it if you dialed your 50/1.8 all the way down to 1.8 and kept it steady (and there was ENOUGH light). But if it's really dark, you WILL need a tripod unless you use a flash unit (which I'm guess you do not want to do?).<br>

For low-light noise, I think the Canon 5D Mark II is great. And it's in the mid-$2000 range. So that, with the 50mm/1.4 lens (which I love and use for this purpose) would be a great combination.</p>

<p>Right. It looks jerky at that spot where it is adjusting to different light, both on the LCD and in the computer. For some reason, I don't think it's the lens. I mean, you are using the Canon 50/1.8 (and even though it is cheap in price, it's a nifty little lens and is built for the Canon). Also, we were using a 50/1.4 . <br>

Settings are on AV (aperture priority), ISO 100, auto WB, etc. Pretty "default" except the ISO. We're so totally new, I don't even know if AV and ISO even affects the video. We're pretty new!<br>

Here is a sample (this isn't the most obvious sample we have, but the only one we have uploaded). At 7 seconds, you can see the "jerk": http://www.youtube.com/user/drummingriver#p/a/u/0/13VSvKZEPQ8</p>

 

<p>We're having the same issue with the same camera so I'm curious what other people might have to say. It jerks suddenly as if it loses frames, but I don't think it does? I really don't know. But I know exactly what you mean. We were really irritated about it, too.</p>

<p>Read your manual on how to do sensor cleaning. It's a bit tricky. You'll want to do it with a full battery and preferably a good sensor cleaner, such as those made by Visible Dust. Here's an article on how to clean and what products are probably best. <br>

http://www.betterphoto.com/article.asp?id=91</p>

<p>I process all of my RAW files using Adobe Lightroom. Not nearly as expensive as CS4 and it's a fantastic workflow (and processing) tool. I do 95% of my professional work in it. Once in a while, I bring something into Photoshop to really tweak heavily for something, or to add layers. Otherwise, I do it all in LR.</p>

<p>I am using the Canon 50/1.4 and I am having focusing issues on THAT lens! I took it in last week and they said that this lens is notorious for focusing issues. I got the lens back and it still has a bit of issues with the autofocus. It "sticks" a bit. So, it might just be an issue with both the Sigma AND the Canon. Not sure why. This is the first I've heard of the Sigma having issues.</p>

<p>My favorite lens is the 50mm/f1.4 which Mark mentions above. The 35/1.4 is a close second. I use 85/1.2 only for portraits really. I wouldn't use that for landscapes, travel, or nighttime shots. However, you did mention you did portraits. If it's a large part of your work, then by all means, get it! However, if money is an issue, I have found the 50/1.4 is very versatile for a wider range of purposes.</p>

<p>In the general public, you will find a 50/50 split between Nikon and Canon users. All are passionate about their brand. But since you posted this in the Canon EOS forum, my sense is that you're leaning toward Canon? ;-) I own the Canon 5D Mark II and love it. I've never had an issue with color or the metering system. Quite the contrary! But I'll let others weigh in, who might be able to actually "compare" the two. I've never used Nikon, so can't speak for it. But I'm a pro photographer using Canon and love my camera. I do NOT, however, love the kit lens (24-105). It has the range, but as a pro, I prefer prime lenses that don't zoom, as there is minimal barrel distortion with those. But if you're looking for range, then great. Landscape and travel and nighttime shots, however, would be better with a wide-angle prime (preferably f2 or lower). Just my two cents!</p>

<p>It is indeed the mirror. Thanks a million for the advice. I've never sent something to Canon Service... are they fairly quick?</p>

<p>Are all of these lenses mentioned less money that the standard AF 50/f1.4? Some of these sound like vintage lenses... (I know nothing about trying to mount external lenses onto a Canon system, so that's why I am asking.) What is the purpose of this? What benefit is it to buy a MF lens, a special mount, and have seemingly less functionality? (Not trying to be sarcastic here.)</p>

 

<p>An Olympus Zuiko lens will not mount onto a Canon camera. I don't know anything about Takumar lenses. If you cannot afford the 50mm/f1.4, how about the very affordable 50mm/f1.8 (the "nifty fifty") for only $100. It's a fabulous little lens for the price and fits on all Canon cameras. Don't get me wrong; the f1.4 is worth every penny more, but the 1.8 will really work well, for the budget-conscious photographer.</p>

<p>Oh, and yes, landscape is "horizontal" and portrait is "vertical". I wasn't sure what the standard words were for this. Those are the terms I'm used to using. </p>

<p>I was not using a flash.</p>

<p>I am shooting with a 5D and just started experiencing dark vignetting in the lower 30% of my photos. I am wondering if anyone else has seen this issue. It is not a lens issue, as this happens with all lenses. It also ONLY happens when I shoot in landscape mode (if I shoot portrait, there is no vignetting). It's probably the most bizarre issue I've ever had with a camera before. I'll take it in to get serviced soon, but wondering if anyone else has any ideas?</p>

<p> </p><div></div>