andrew_ito

I haven't used it yet, but have it in mind as a product I'll definitely carry. You can't beat the

price point. They also have a pro-service at: www.mypublisherpro.com for professionals.

I signed up for this.

There are lots of competitors in this category for consumers. Snapfish, Ofoto and

Shutterfly also offer similar products.

Ooops. Just read that you have a 1Ds Mark II and not the 1DmkII. Personally, I'd still go

for the 16-35L though.

Given that choice I'd go for the 16-35L and the 50mm 1.4 for sure. The 1DmkII has a

1.3x crop factor that you'll have to compensate for with wider lenses than your full frame

EOS3. Since you're already covering the 35mm range with the excellent 24-70L I'd go for

the wide zoom. My ?.02....

With my 20D and 10D I use the 17-40L, Tamron 28-75 2.8 Di, 70-200 f/4L, 50mm 1.8

mkII (with a 1.4 on the way) and an 85mm 1.8. The Tamron is a great lens at a great price

and it's also much smaller and lighter than the Canon 24-70L. For 1/3rd the price it's a

good choice. If money were no object I'd get the 70-200 2.8L IS for sure. At maybe 1/3rd

the price I can deal with the f/4L.... for now.....

I shoot with an Ebony 23S. It's a dedicated 6x9 format camera. There are a lot of really

great features with this camera and I love it's compact size and the light weight, but I can't

tell you how many times I wished that I had just gotten a 4x5 and used roll film backs.

Although most of my current lenses will cover 4x5 and the Linhof boards will mount on a

number of different 4x5's, I still need to carry around another camera to shoot 4x5. You

might want to consider Tachiharas and Shen Hao and just use roll film backs.

I would shoot as high as 800 or even 1600 if you use Noise Ninja or NeatImage. They are

$39. plug ins for Photoshop that make you 800-1600 shots look like 100-200. Well

worth the money.

I just bought the Lightsphere a few weeks ago and love the quality of light. As mentioned,

the ability to put the flash head in it's normal, front facing position for long lenses is

great. You no longer need to remove the diffuser. I have both the Omnibounce and the

Lightsphere and greatly prefer the Lightsphere. Oh, and the examples on Gary Fong's

website was taken by a good photographer, but it's not an amazing photograph by any

means. It seems very straightforward. A girl lit with flash mounted on camera with a dark

ground with direct flash, Omnibounce and Lightsphere. If you can't see the differences

from that simple example and tell that the Lightsphere gives a softer effect then I don't

know what to tell you.

Bill, is there a big difference in terms of recycling time between the two Canon packs?

Also, does the power last significantly longer with the new pack? I think I'm leaning

towards the Canon packs vs. the Quantum because of cost issues and the fact that they

use AA cells. I have a bunch of new NiMH batteries.

Just wondering if anyone uses these battery packs for the Canon speedlites. I was looking

into the CP-E2 and found out that there is a new CP-E3 available. Are there any

advantages to using this new pack over the CP-E2 with a 550EX? Any experiences with

these packs vs. the Quantum offerings?

Turn the flash head so that it's pointed directly up when shooting in Portrait orientation.

The Lightsphere is no longer mounted over the lens at this point. This was recommended

on the directions sheet that shipped with the Lightsphere.

I've used the mentioned Velvia 100 (not 100F) from Japan. In fact there are maybe 70 rolls

of 120 frozen in my freezer! Personally, I don't like the newer Velvia 100F and much

prefer the 50. Luckily for me, a friend who works for Fujifilm picked up a bunch for me on

a trip to Japan.

Anyways, you might want to consider your current Sensia. You're used to it, know it's

characteristics and don't have to change your metering around to adjust for a new film. I

rate Velvia 50 at 40 like many others here. Also, the temps in Africa might not fare well

for your Velvia and Provia pro films depending on how long you're out there and whether

or not you can properly cool the film.

Got my Lightsphere today. Great light quality. I took some sample shots against the Omni

bounce and greatly preferred the soft quality of the Lightsphere. I love that I no longer

need a flash bracket now too!

All my lenses are Canon.... except the Tamron 28-75 Di. In fact, I just sold my 28

-105 2.5-4.5 to purchase the Tamron and don't regret it for a minute. I find the Tamron

to be very sharp and a complete upgrade over the 28-105. For the price ($339 -30 rebate

at Beach Camera) it can't be beat. You get light weight, sharpness and a third of the price

of the 24-70L. True, the zoom ring is backwards and true that it focuses a bit slower than

the USM lenses that I own but for the money it's a no brainer.

ISO 800-1600 is completely usable especially with the 20D. Definitely check out

NeatImage to reduce noise. It makes those high ISO images look like ISO 100. It's a bit of

post processing but can dramatically reduce noise and let you use more available light.

17-40 f/4L ($550), 50mm f/1.8 ($70) or f/1.4 ($275), 70-200 f/2.8L ($850-900) or the

70-200 f/4L ($500) and a Tokina 28-75 f/2.8 DI ($275). I'd look into the 85mm f/1.8 as

well ($300). The prices quoted are approximate used prices that you can find on the

boards here at photo.net or on the Fred Miranda buy/sell forum. The 70-200 f/2.8L IS is

an amazing lens but very pricey so I don't think your budget will allow it.

Try checking this for reviews on the lens: http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/

showgallery.php?cat=27

The Fred Miranda reviews section has some good information about various lenses.

I upgraded my 10D with a 20D and couldn't be happier. The turn on time is almost

instantaneous, but if that isn't an issue and the sensor size isn't an issue then I might just

as well go with a used 10D at half the price. The BG-ED3 grip is much better than the BG-

E2 grip. It attaches much better and isn't as "cheap". The newer grip has more of a

plasticky feel to me. Batteries will last a long time so I can't imagine needing more than

2-3 in a day. Being able to use AA batteries in a pinch is nice, but I would just make sure

you have 2-3 extra batteries and be done with it. The build quality of the cameras

themselves seem equal. I haven't noticed the CF door popping open on either camera. I'm

not sure a redesign is in order for the new grip either although it would be nice.

I just put my order in for my Lightsphere. All of the samples I've seen look great! Do you

use yours on the camera or with a flash bracket? How many stops do you need to

compensate for with the diffuser?

Peter,

I don't really believe that the "bounce flash" issue is relevant. If you read my initial post,

my question was whether or not E-TTL2 is compatible with non-Canon lenses. I really do

appreciate the comments, but disagree with the relevance of the post. Also, when I hear

bounce flash my initial thoughts refer to bouncing the light off of walls and ceilings.

Normally, items like the pocket bounce, big bounce or what have you are what I think of as

diffusers. YMMV of course, but that is my initial thought even though the light is actually

bounced off of the diffuser. I'm not trying to stir up a flame war, just trying to determine

whether or not my lens is going to take full advantage of the benefits of E-TTL2. Thanks.

I'd vote for either of the two afore mentioned lenses. Personally, the 85mm 1.8 suits me

fine. You might be able to get both of them used for $500 if you're lucky. If not, you can

always get an 85mm & a 50mm 1.8. Both are very sharp.

Jim,

I do use bounce flash extensively. That said.... How many times when you're shooting a

wedding are you in a big reception hall in a hotel where the ceiling is 25 feet high?

Bounce flash won't do you a lick of good there. The bounce flash topic seems somewhat

off topic honestly. Thanks for your input though.

I just got a 20D with grip. My first impressions of it were that the BG-ED3 was more

robust. The BG-E2 grip does look somewhat cheesy in comparison. Not that looks matter

all that much. The other thing I noticed is that the joystick which I use to select focus

points is out of reach. The vertical controls are nice but not necessary and the new 511A

batteries are reputed to hold a longer charge than the older 511 batteries. The grip also

will affect the stability when used on a tripod unless you use the tripod collars with a lens

plate. Just my ?.02...

I have the 17-40 f4L, 50mm f1.8mkI, 70-200 f4L AND the 85mm 1.8. The 85 fills the

speed gap that's lost with the 70-200 f4. Since you already own the lens I'd keep it. It

really is a killer lens and very lightweight too. I'd sell the 70-210 and the 300 f4L and get

the 70-200 f4L and 1.4x. I'd also consider the 17-40L in combination to your 50mm or

the 17-85 IS if you want to go really light with a 2 lens + extender combo. I also just

bought a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 Di since it's so light and cheap for travel.

So here's the story. After doing some reading on this board I've learned that E-TTL2 uses

distance information from the lens to help calculate the flash output. It seems that most

of the newer lenses have this info transferred over. However, how does E-TTL2 work with

off brand lenses like Tamron, Tokina and Sigma? All of my lenses are currently Canon

glass, but I have a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 Di on order because of it's weight, performance

and price. Does anyone know whether this lens, or any non-Canon lens for that matter,

will work with E-TTL2? Thanks! I really appreciate all the posters that share their

knowledge on this board.